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Psychological Functioning (psychological + functioning)
Selected AbstractsSocial Functioning, Psychological Functioning, and Quality of Life in EpilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 9 2001Theo P. B. M. Suurmeijer Summary: ,Purpose: Part of our research intended to explain "Quality of Life" (QoL) differences between people with epilepsy. To this end, a series of already existing generic and disease-specific health status measures were used. In this study, they were considered as determinants of people's QoL, whereas QoL itself was conceived as a general "value judgment" about one's life. Methods: From the records of four outpatient clinics, 210 persons with epilepsy were randomly selected. During their visit to the outpatient clinic, they completed a questionnaire assessing, among other things, health perceptions and social and psychological functioning. Additional information about their medical and psychosocial status was gathered from the patient files. Data were analysed by using a hierarchical regression analysis. Results: In decreasing order of importance, "psychological distress,""loneliness,""adjustment and coping," and "stigma perception" appeared to contribute most significantly to the outcome QoL as judged by the patients themselves, regardless of their physical status. In the final model, none of the clinical variables (onset, seizure frequency, side effects of antiepileptic drugs) contributed significantly anymore to the patients' "quality-of-life judgement." Apparently the effect of other variables such as seizure frequency and health perceptions, medication and side effects, life fulfilment, self-esteem, and mastery is mediated by these variables. Conclusions: Because all of the variance in QoL of the patients was explained by the psychosocial variables included in this study, health professionals should be aware of the significance of the psychosocial functioning of the patients and the role it plays in the achievement of a good QoL. Both informal and professional support may be an adjunct to conventional treatment. In future research, this issue should be given high priority. [source] Headache and Psychological Functioning in Children and AdolescentsHEADACHE, Issue 9 2006Scott W. Powers PhD Headache can affect all aspects of a child's functioning, leading to negative affective states (eg, anxiety, depression, anger) and increased psychosocial problems (for instance, school absences, problematic social interactions). For children and adolescents who experience frequent headache problems, comorbid psychological issues are a well-recognized, but poorly understood, clinical phenomenon. The confusion surrounding the relationship between pediatric headache and psychopathology exists for several reasons. First, in some cases, headache has been inappropriately attributed to psychological or personality features based on anecdotal observations or interpretations that go beyond the available data. Additionally, measures of psychopathology have not always adhered to the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic criteria, thus reducing the reliability of diagnostic judgments. Furthermore, the diagnosis of headache has not always followed standard criteria, and has been complicated by the emergence of new terms and evolving measures. Finally, methodological shortcomings, such as incomplete descriptions of the procedures and criteria used for the study, inadequate descriptions of headache severity, lack of a control group for comparison with individuals without headaches, reliance primarily on cross-sectional research designs that are often discussed with inferences to causal hypotheses, and the use of unstandardized assessment measures, have significantly limited the validity of research findings. The goal of the current review is to examine the extant literature to provide the most up-to-date picture on what the research has made available about the magnitude, specificity, and causes of psychopathology in children and adolescents with headache, in an effort to further elucidate their relationship and prompt a more methodologically rigorous study of these issues. [source] Negative Life Events, Patterns of Positive and Negative Religious Coping, and Psychological FunctioningJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 2 2007JEFFREY P. BJORCK Religious coping may or may not be adaptive depending upon whether such coping is positive or negative. We investigated the potential moderating effects of positive and negative religious coping patterns on the relationship between negative life events and psychological functioning. Questionnaires included measures of negative life events, positive and negative religious coping, and psychological functioning, and were completed by 336 adult, Protestant church members. Even after controlling for religious participation, negative events were related to increased use of positive and negative religious coping and decreased psychological functioning. Moreover, negative events and positive religious coping produced an interaction effect on depression, such that the high use of positive religious coping buffered the deleterious effects of negative events. [source] Racial Identity Matters: The Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning in African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2006Robert M. Sellers This study examines the interrelationships among racial discrimination, racial identity, and psychological functioning in a sample of 314 African American adolescents. Racial discrimination was associated with lower levels of psychological functioning as measured by perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and psychological well-being. Although individuals who believe that other groups hold more negative attitudes toward African Americans (low public regard) were at greater risk for experiencing racial discrimination, low public regard beliefs also buffered the impact of racial discrimination on psychological functioning. More positive attitudes about African Americans were also associated with more positive psychological functioning. The results further illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the role of racial identity in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological outcomes among African American adolescents. [source] Psychological Functioning, Nonadherence and Health Outcomes After Pediatric Liver TransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2007E. M. Fredericks The present study empirically assessed the relationships between adherence behaviors and HRQOL, parent and child psychological functioning and family functioning, and investigated the relationship between adherence behaviors and health outcomes in children who were within 5 years of their liver transplantation. Participants included 38 children (mean = 8.5 years, range 28 months to 16 years) and their parent/guardian(s). HRQOL and psychological functioning were examined using well-validated assessment measures. Measures of adherence included the rate of clinic attendance and standard deviations (SDs) of consecutive tacrolimus blood levels, which were collected and evaluated retrospectively. Measures of child health status included the frequency of hospital admissions, liver biopsies, episodes of rejection and graft function for the year prior to study participation. Results indicated that nonadherence was related to lower physical HRQOL, more limitations in social and school activities related to emotional and behavioral problems, parental emotional distress and decreased family cohesion. Nonadherence was also related to frequency and duration of hospitalizations, liver biopsies and rejection episodes. These results suggest that empirically based assessment of HRQOL, parenting stress and family functioning may help identify patients at risk for nonadherence, and may allow for the need-based delivery of appropriate clinical interventions. [source] Psychological functioning and health-related quality of life in adulthood after preterm birthDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2007Stuart R Dalziel FRACP PhD The aim of this study was to determine if preterm birth is associated with socioeconomic status (SES), psychological functioning, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adulthood. We used prospective follow-up of 192 adult offspring of mothers who took part in a randomized controlled trial of antenatal betamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (66 born at term [33 males, 33 females] 126 born preterm [66 males, 60 females]). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Working memory and attention was assessed using the Benton Visual Retention Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire. Handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Moderately preterm birth (median gestation 34wks, mean birthweight 1946g [SD 463g]) was not related to later marital status, educational attainment, SES, cognitive functioning, working memory, attention, or symptoms of anxiety or schizotypy at 31 years of age. Preterm birth was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and higher levels of satisfaction in three of the eight HRQoL domains measured (bodily pain, general health perception, and social functioning). Adults who were born moderately preterm have SES, psychological functioning, and HRQoL consistent with those who were born at term. This good long-term outcome cannot be extrapolated to those with early childhood disability or very low birthweights. [source] Psychological functioning in families that blame: from blaming events to theory integrationJOURNAL OF FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 4 2005Ceri Bowen Blaming events in therapy were used as a focus for discussions with family therapists in order to examine their construal of the therapeutic process when working with families who blame. Interview transcripts were used as data which were analysed using a qualitative methodology, with a view to building a theoretical model. We present an exploratory model that allows therapists to position their therapy within a broader framework of psychological approaches. When prompted by a video-clip of blaming from the therapy setting, therapists tended to categorize current difficulties in terms of fear and control issues from past relationships and consequent underlying beliefs, and they also described the resultant negative outlook as a direct challenge to therapist idealism. Interestingly, the two themes that emerged from the interview data with the most categories and quotes were ,unhealthy allocation of responsibility for problems', which is arguably the main source of overt blaming, and ,family identity and cohesion', so often a point of contention during therapy. [source] Psychological functioning of pediatric lung transplant candidates/recipients: A review of the literaturePEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2003Cheryl L. Brosig Abstract: Although lung transplants are performed in children, experience with the pediatric population remains limited. There is growing interest in studying the psychological functioning and quality of life in these patients following transplant. There is a body of literature about quality of life in adult lung transplant recipients, but little is known about how pediatric patients and their families function psychologically after transplant. The current article summarizes the pediatric literature with respect to psychological outcomes for transplant recipients and their parents and points to areas where additional research is needed. [source] Engagement in a medium secure personality disorder service: A comparative study of psychological functioning and offending outcomesCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Lucy McCarthy Background,Specialist treatment programmes for personality disordered offenders suffer from high rates of non-completion. This has important consequences for service providers and individual patients. Method,Data from hospital records and the Offenders Index were compared for groups of treatment completers (n = 22) and non-completers (n = 59) discharged from a specialist treatment programme. Results,Twenty-seven per cent of patients completed treatment, 37% were expelled for rule breaking and 35% disengaged early from treatment. Psychometric assessments of anger expression and anxiety showed no differences between the groups, however, treatment completers showed lower levels of impulsivity and psychopathy than either of the non-completer groups. Rates of post-discharge offending for grave and standard list offences were 56.8 and 10.8%, respectively. Conclusions,Despite careful selection methods, a large proportion of personality-disordered patients admitted to specialist units failed to complete treatment. Psychometric assessments of anger expression, anxiety and impulsivity showed limited utility in differentiating treatment completers and non-completers. Sample size limitations in this naturalistic follow-up impacted on the interpretation of differences observed between the groups on the primary outcome measure of re-offending after discharge. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Psychological functioning and health-related quality of life in adulthood after preterm birthDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2007Stuart R Dalziel FRACP PhD The aim of this study was to determine if preterm birth is associated with socioeconomic status (SES), psychological functioning, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adulthood. We used prospective follow-up of 192 adult offspring of mothers who took part in a randomized controlled trial of antenatal betamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (66 born at term [33 males, 33 females] 126 born preterm [66 males, 60 females]). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Working memory and attention was assessed using the Benton Visual Retention Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire. Handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Moderately preterm birth (median gestation 34wks, mean birthweight 1946g [SD 463g]) was not related to later marital status, educational attainment, SES, cognitive functioning, working memory, attention, or symptoms of anxiety or schizotypy at 31 years of age. Preterm birth was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and higher levels of satisfaction in three of the eight HRQoL domains measured (bodily pain, general health perception, and social functioning). Adults who were born moderately preterm have SES, psychological functioning, and HRQoL consistent with those who were born at term. This good long-term outcome cannot be extrapolated to those with early childhood disability or very low birthweights. [source] Social Functioning, Psychological Functioning, and Quality of Life in EpilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 9 2001Theo P. B. M. Suurmeijer Summary: ,Purpose: Part of our research intended to explain "Quality of Life" (QoL) differences between people with epilepsy. To this end, a series of already existing generic and disease-specific health status measures were used. In this study, they were considered as determinants of people's QoL, whereas QoL itself was conceived as a general "value judgment" about one's life. Methods: From the records of four outpatient clinics, 210 persons with epilepsy were randomly selected. During their visit to the outpatient clinic, they completed a questionnaire assessing, among other things, health perceptions and social and psychological functioning. Additional information about their medical and psychosocial status was gathered from the patient files. Data were analysed by using a hierarchical regression analysis. Results: In decreasing order of importance, "psychological distress,""loneliness,""adjustment and coping," and "stigma perception" appeared to contribute most significantly to the outcome QoL as judged by the patients themselves, regardless of their physical status. In the final model, none of the clinical variables (onset, seizure frequency, side effects of antiepileptic drugs) contributed significantly anymore to the patients' "quality-of-life judgement." Apparently the effect of other variables such as seizure frequency and health perceptions, medication and side effects, life fulfilment, self-esteem, and mastery is mediated by these variables. Conclusions: Because all of the variance in QoL of the patients was explained by the psychosocial variables included in this study, health professionals should be aware of the significance of the psychosocial functioning of the patients and the role it plays in the achievement of a good QoL. Both informal and professional support may be an adjunct to conventional treatment. In future research, this issue should be given high priority. [source] Long-Term Effects of Stressors on Relationship Well-Being and Parenting Among Rural African American Women,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 2 2008Velma M. Murry Abstract: This investigation of the effects of stressful life events on rural African American women's relationship well-being, psychological functioning, and parenting included 361 married or long-term cohabiting women. Associations among stressful events, socioeconomic status, perceived racial discrimination, coping strategies, psychological functioning, relationship well-being, and parenting were tested. Stressful events were related directly to diminished relationship well-being and heightened psychological distress and indirectly to compromised parenting. The results can inform research and intervention with African American women. [source] Linking Employment Status, Maternal Psychological Well-Being, Parenting, and Children's Attributions About Poverty in Families Receiving Government Assistance,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 2 2002Velma McBride Murry Functional changes in rural African American single-mother-headed families after the implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families were explored from an ecological risk,protection perspective. The sample included 96 single mothers who received government assistance and their 10- or 11-year-old children. Links among maternal employment status, mothers' physical health and psychological functioning, parenting, and children's attributions about the causes of poverty were examined. Maternal psychological distress was linked with children's attributions about the causes of poverty, both directly and indirectly through its association with parenting. Children who did not attribute poverty to social causes had higher academic goals than did those who attributed poverty to social, economic, or political barriers. Further research is needed on barriers to employment and the influence of maternal psychological functioning on parenting. [source] Psychological and psychophysiological considerations regarding the maternal,fetal relationshipINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2010Janet A. DiPietro Abstract The earliest relationship does not begin with birth. Pregnant women construct mental representations of the fetus, and the feelings of affiliation or ,maternal,fetal attachment' generally increase over the course of gestation. While there is a fairly substantial literature on the development and moderation of psychological features of the maternal,fetal relationship, including the role of ultrasound imaging, relatively little is known about the manner in which maternal psychological functioning influences the fetus. Dispositional levels of maternal stress and anxiety are modestly associated with aspects of fetal heart rate and motor activity. Both induced maternal arousal and relaxation generate fairly immediate alterations to fetal neurobehaviors; the most consistently observed fetal response to changes in maternal psychological state involves suppression of motor activity. These effects may be mediated, in part, by an orienting response of the fetus to changes in the intrauterine environment. Conversely, there is evidence that fetal behaviors elicit maternal physiological responses. Integration of this finding into a more dynamic model of the maternal,fetal dyad, and implications for the postnatal relationship are discussed. Research on the period before birth affords tremendous opportunity for developmental scientists to advance understanding of the origins of the human attachment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mothers' interactions with temperamentally frustrated infantsINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004Susan D. Calkins A sample of 162 six-month-old infants was selected from a larger sample of 346 infants on the basis of mothers' report of their infants' temperament and a laboratory assessment of temperament. Infants were classified as easily frustrated or less frustrated and observed in several types of interactions with their mothers in the laboratory. Mothers completed several measures that indicated their level of parenting stress, psychological functioning, and marital adjustment. Maternal behavior with infants was coded along the dimensions of sensitivity, intrusiveness, and physical stimulation. Results indicated that maternal intrusiveness was related to infant temperament and that maternal physical stimulation was predicted by an interaction of infant temperament and mothers' perceived parenting stress. Implications of these findings for mother,infant interaction and subsequent child adjustment are discussed. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Preliminary evidence supporting a framework of psychological adjustment to inflammatory bowel disease,INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 10 2010Jennifer L. Kiebles PhD Abstract Background: Adjustment to chronic disease is a multidimensional construct described as successful adaptation to disease-specific demands, preservation of psychological well-being, functional status, and quality of life. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be particularly challenging due to the unpredictable, relapsing and remitting course of the disease. Methods: All participants were patients being treated in an outpatient gastroenterology clinic at a university medical center. Participants completed a survey of questionnaires assessing illness perceptions, stress, emotional functioning, disease acceptance, coping, disease impact, and disease-specific and health-related quality of life. Adjustment was measured as a composite of perceived disability, psychological functioning, and disease-specific and health-related quality of life. Results: Participants were 38 adults with a diagnosis of either Crohn's disease (45%) or ulcerative colitis (55%). We observed that our defined adjustment variables were strongly correlated with disease characteristics (r = 0.33,0.80, all P < 0.05), an emotional representation of illness (r = 0.44,0.58, P < 0.01), disease acceptance (r = 0.34,0.74, P < 0.05), coping (r = 0.33,0.60, P < 0.05), and frequency of gastroenterologist visits (r = 0.39,0.70, P < 0.05). Better adjustment was associated with greater bowel and systemic health, increased activities engagement and symptom tolerance, less pain, less perceived stress, and fewer gastroenterologist visits. All adjustment variables were highly correlated (r = 0.40,0.84, P < 0.05) and demonstrated a cohesive composite. Conclusions: The framework presented and results of this study underscore the importance of considering complementary pathways of disease management including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors beyond the traditional medical and psychological (depression and anxiety) components. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010) [source] Eating Disorder Not Otherwise SpecifiedINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue S3 2007You have free access to this content Abstract Objective: This study sought to characterize a large number of adult outpatients diagnosed with eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Method: The sample consisted of 1,449 patients who were classified as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or assigned to one of six EDNOS categories. Eating disorder groups were compared on demographic features, symptom frequencies, and psychological functioning. Results: Forty percent of the sample was categorized as EDNOS. A subgroup of purging only patients closely resembled the BN purging subtype. Although EDNOS subthreshold BN patients reported less psychopathology than full syndrome BN they, nevertheless, displayed clinical levels of disturbance. Patients who binge-eat once a week demonstrate a profile of psychological functioning similar to those who binge eat twice a week. Conclusion: Consistent with previous research, in this sample there were subgroups embedded in the EDNOS category that both share similarities with and differ from full syndrome BN. Int J Eat Disord 2007 © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Are there subgroups of bulimia nervosa based on comorbid psychiatric disorders?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 1 2005Alexis E. Duncan MPH Abstract Objective The current study sought to determine whether there are subtypes of bulimia nervosa (BN) differentiated by comorbid psychiatric disorders. Method Data on comorbid psychiatric diagnoses in female relatives of probands and controls in the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) who met criteria for BN (as outlined in the 3rd Rev. ed. of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) were analyzed using latent class analysis. Resulting latent classes were compared on a variety of variables related to impulsive behaviors and psychological functioning. Results The best-fitting solution, a two-class model, yielded one class (72%) characterized by substance dependence, depression, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and anxiety disorders, and another characterized by depression. The highly comorbid class had more suicidality, more daily smokers, sought help for emotional problems, and had lower Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores compared with those in the comorbid depression only class. Discussion Latent class findings suggest the existence of two classes of BN differentiated by substance dependence, impulsive behaviors, and poorer psychological functioning. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A standardized and reliable method to apply the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale to psychiatric case recordsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2000Dr M. Mirandola Abstract The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale is widely used both in routine clinical practice and in research. However, its reliability has never been assessed when used to rate information in clinical records. The present study focuses on the development of a standardized method (an ongoing modelling process between raters) for establishing desired levels of inter-rater reliability (IRR) in the application of the GAF to psychiatric case records. Fifty-one patients at first-ever contact with mental health services were included in the study. They were selected from a total sample of 662 first-ever patients by using a systematic sampling. Three raters (resident psychiatrists at their third year of training) took part in a 12-hour training programme, during which they were asked to assess the global psychological functioning of patients, taking into account information recorded in case records. The extent of agreement between raters was estimated by applying the ,limits of agreement' method and the ,concordance correlation coefficient'. The training programme proved to be feasible, easy to administer and acceptable to psychiatrists in training with limited previous experience of using rating scales. Very high levels of concordance (all greater than 0.95) emerged between the three raters. The GAF, completed using information from case records included in the initial assessment form, appeared to be a reliable instrument, even when used by clinical psychiatrists in training. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Negative Life Events, Patterns of Positive and Negative Religious Coping, and Psychological FunctioningJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 2 2007JEFFREY P. BJORCK Religious coping may or may not be adaptive depending upon whether such coping is positive or negative. We investigated the potential moderating effects of positive and negative religious coping patterns on the relationship between negative life events and psychological functioning. Questionnaires included measures of negative life events, positive and negative religious coping, and psychological functioning, and were completed by 336 adult, Protestant church members. Even after controlling for religious participation, negative events were related to increased use of positive and negative religious coping and decreased psychological functioning. Moreover, negative events and positive religious coping produced an interaction effect on depression, such that the high use of positive religious coping buffered the deleterious effects of negative events. [source] The Role of Racial Identity in Perceived Racism and Psychological Stress Among Black American Adults: Exploring Traditional and Alternative ApproachesJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Alex L. Pieterse This investigation tested whether racial identity status attitudes moderated the relationship between perceived racism and psychological functioning in a sample of 340 Black American adults. The study utilized 2 approaches to racial identity assessment: the standard group-means approach, plus a profile analysis of individual racial identity statuses. Results based on the group-means approach indicated that racial identity did not moderate the relationship between racism and psychological functioning. Findings based on the profile analysis, however, indicated that individuals whose profile type was identified as internalization-dominant exhibited the lowest levels of general life stress, the lowest levels of psychological distress, and the highest levels of psychological well-being. Implications for ongoing research are discussed. [source] Mind's response to the body's betrayal: Gestalt/existential therapy for clients with chronic or life-threatening illnessesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2002Suzanne A. Imes In the literature on chronic or life-threatening illness, there is an overriding emphasis on clients' psychological coping styles and how they relate to psychological functioning. By contrast, in our approach, we look at the subjective mind/body experiences that clients have of their illness and how their lives are impacted by their illness. As psychotherapists, we address their existential distress, pain, body experience, thoughts, and feelings, as well as their efforts to cope or find meaning in their illness. We summarize Gestalt/Existential therapy for chronic illness, illustrate the approach with three case-vignettes, and stress the importance of attending to each client's unique responses to illness. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 58: 1361,1373, 2002. [source] Life success of males on nonoffender, adolescence-limited, persistent, and adult-onset antisocial pathways: follow-up from age 8 to 42AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2009Lea Pulkkinen Abstract A random sample of 196 males, drawn from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, was divided into four groups of offenders using information from government registers of convictions between ages 21 and 47, from local police registers searched at age 21, from a Self-Report Delinquency Scale administered at age 36, from a Life History Calendar for ages 15,42, and from personal interviews at ages 27, 36, and 42. The groups were: persistent offenders (offences before and after age 21; 29% of the men); adolescence-limited offenders (offences before age 21; 27%); adult-onset offenders (offences after age 21; 16%); and nonoffenders (28%). The profile of the persistent offenders included many characteristics of antisocial personality and problems of social and psychological functioning at all ages. In childhood and adolescence, the adolescence-limited offenders tended to display higher self-control than the other offenders indicated by less negative emotionality and higher constraint. In early middle age, they were well established in terms of work and marriage, but they differed from the nonoffenders in higher neuroticism, aggressiveness, and psychosomatic symptoms as did the other offender groups. The adult-onset offenders displayed an emotionally unstable personality, and in adulthood, they tended to be heavy users of alcohol. Parental SES did not differentiate the groups, but the parents of the persistent offenders tended to use alcohol heavily, and the social capital of the family tended to be low compared with the other groups. Aggr. Behav. 35:117,135, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Inner-City Children's Exposure to Community Violence: How Much Do Parents Know?JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2001Rosario Ceballo This study examines the psychological impact of children's exposure to violence and the influence of mothers' knowledge about their children's encounters with violence. Our sample consists of a poor, multiethnic sample of 104 fourth- or fifth-grade children and their mothers. Children in this sample were exposed to rather high levels of community violence, and on the whole, mothers greatly underestimated their children's exposure to violence and feelings of psychological distress. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that children's exposure to violence was associated with greater psychological distress. Our findings suggest that the detrimental effects of community violence are present for all children, irrespective of their racial background. Further, greater mother-child agreement about children's exposure to violence was related to better psychological functioning. The implications of these results for effective parenting strategies and community-based interventions are discussed. [source] Self-Compassion Versus Global Self-Esteem: Two Different Ways of Relating to OneselfJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2009Kristin D. Neff ABSTRACT This research examined self-compassion and self-esteem as they relate to various aspects of psychological functioning. Self-compassion entails treating oneself with kindness, recognizing one's shared humanity, and being mindful when considering negative aspects of oneself. Study 1 (N=2,187) compared self-compassion and global self-esteem as they relate to ego-focused reactivity. It was found that self-compassion predicted more stable feelings of self-worth than self-esteem and was less contingent on particular outcomes. Self-compassion also had a stronger negative association with social comparison, public self-consciousness, self-rumination, anger, and need for cognitive closure. Self-esteem (but not self-compassion) was positively associated with narcissism. Study 2 (N=165) compared global self-esteem and self-compassion with regard to positive mood states. It was found that the two constructs were statistically equivalent predictors of happiness, optimism, and positive affect. Results from these two studies suggest that self-compassion may be a useful alternative to global self-esteem when considering what constitutes a healthy self-stance. [source] Mothers' Attachment Style, Their Mental Health, and Their Children's Emotional Vulnerabilities: A 7-Year Study of Children With Congenital Heart DiseaseJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2008Ety Berant ABSTRACT The long-term contribution of mothers' attachment insecurities to their own and their children's psychological functioning was examined in a 7-year prospective longitudinal study of children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). Sixty-three mothers of newborns with CHD participated in a three-wave study, beginning with the CHD diagnosis (T1), then 1 year later (T2), and again 7 years later (T3). At T1, the mothers reported on their attachment style and mental health. At T2, the mental health measure was administered again, along with a marital satisfaction scale. At T3, participants completed these two measures again, and their children reported on their self-concept and completed the Children's Apperception Test. Maternal avoidant attachment at T1 was the best predictor of deterioration in the mothers' mental health and marital satisfaction over the 7-year period, especially in a subgroup whose children had severe CHD. In addition, mothers' attachment insecurities (both anxiety and avoidance) at the beginning of the study were associated with their children's emotional problems and poor self-image 7 years later. [source] General and Specific Traits of Personality and Their Relation to Sleep and Academic PerformanceJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2002Elizabeth K. Gray ABSTRACT Few studies have examined the links between personality variables and sleep and their combined effect on specific real-world outcomes. Participants in this study completed numerous personality, sleep, and performance measures; we examined the associations among these measures. Personality was assessed using the Five-Factor Model. The personality trait of Conscientiousness (especially its facet of Achievement Striving) was a substantial predictor of academic performance. Analyses of the sleep variables revealed three distinct constructs: quantity, quality, and schedule. Sleep quantity showed few interesting correlates. In contrast, sleep quality was associated with greater well-being and improved psychological functioning, whereas sleep schedule (i.e., average rising and retiring times) was significantly related to Conscientiousness, such that conscientious individuals maintain earlier schedules. [source] Racial Identity Matters: The Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning in African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2006Robert M. Sellers This study examines the interrelationships among racial discrimination, racial identity, and psychological functioning in a sample of 314 African American adolescents. Racial discrimination was associated with lower levels of psychological functioning as measured by perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and psychological well-being. Although individuals who believe that other groups hold more negative attitudes toward African Americans (low public regard) were at greater risk for experiencing racial discrimination, low public regard beliefs also buffered the impact of racial discrimination on psychological functioning. More positive attitudes about African Americans were also associated with more positive psychological functioning. The results further illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the role of racial identity in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological outcomes among African American adolescents. [source] Sexual revictimization among sexual minorities: A preliminary studyJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 5 2005Jennifer M. Heidt The present study examined patterns of sexual assault and its psychological correlates among gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women (GLB). A community sample of 342 GLB individuals completed questionnaires assessing victimization history and psychological functioning. Nearly 63% of participants reported some form of sexual assault, and nearly 40% reported sexual revictimization, defined as contact or penetrative sexual assault reported in both childhood and adulthood. Gay men and bisexual men and women were more likely to report sexual revictimization than lesbians. Sexual victimization was associated with greater psychological distress, with sexually revictimized individuals reporting the highest levels of psychological symptomatology. The implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions for future directions are offered. [source] Coping with technological disaster: An application of the conservation of resources model to the Exxon Valdez oil spillJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 1 2000Catalina M. Arata Abstract One hundred twenty-five commercial fishers in Cordova, Alaska, completed a mailed survey regarding current mental health functioning 6 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Economic and social impacts of the oil spill and coping and psychological functioning (modified Coping Strategies Scales, Symptom Checklist 90-R) were measured. Multiple regression was used to test the utility of the Conservation of Resources stress model for explaining observed psychological symptoms. Current symptoms of depression, anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder were associated with conditions resource loss and avoidant coping strategies. The Conservation of Resources model provided a framework for explaining psychological impacts of the oil spill. Future research is needed to identify factors related to recovery. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||