Greater Sense Of Personal Control Research Articles

Correlation between Illness Perception and Medication Adherence among Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Saudi Arabia.

This study aimed to assess the level of illness perception and medication adherence among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with a specific focus on understanding how these two factors may be related. This descriptive correlation study included all adult patients with T2DM attending the Jeddah Care Centre for Diabetes and Hypertension at King Abdulaziz Hospital between January and April 2022. Data were collected using a questionnaire that elicited sociodemographic and clinical information, and the Arabic versions of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation analysis were used for data analysis. A total of 365 patients were included (mean age: 50.9 ± 15.9 years), with the majority being female (53.4%). Overall, the level of medication adherence was moderate (mean score: 5.36 ± 1.73). Patients with lower medication adherence perceived the consequences of T2DM as more severe, had a stronger association with the illness identity, and experienced more intense emotional responses (for all, P < 0.001). Conversely, patients with higher adherence had a greater sense of personal control, a stronger belief in treatment effectiveness, and a better understanding of the illness (for all, P < 0.001). The study found a correlation between illness perception and medication adherence in patients with T2DM. Addressing patients' perceptions may enhance their ability to manage the condition more effectively.

Business As Usual

The top down way of making changes occurs when a decision is made at the top leadership level about what technology is going to be used. Usually, everyone else has little to no control over the situation. If you were to say, “We’re going to get this computer, and you do with it whatever you want to do,” that certainly would lead to corporate chaos. It can lead to a lot of conflict in the technology, as well as the software you use. However, this entire process can provide you with a greater sense of personal control, as if you own the technology.

COVID-19 and Quality of Life: The Role of Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Factors

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life is widely underscored. This study aimed to investigate the role of cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors on quality of life, as well as their mediating effect in the relationship of perceived risk of infection and control beliefs with quality of life. The sample consisted of 1730 adults. A battery of established and self-devised scales was administered online. It was found that higher levels of perceived risk of infection and negative emotionality predicted worse quality of life, while reflective functioning independently contributed to better well-being. Furthermore, a greater sense of personal control predicted better quality of life, but this effect was partially mediated by positive reappraisal, wishful thinking, avoidance, and trust. Specifically, higher level of control beliefs predicted better quality of life through higher levels of positive reappraisal and trust along with less use of wishful thinking and avoidance. Adherence to preventive measures was unrelated to quality of life. It is concluded that psychological factors and adaptive coping strategies should be prioritized in designing interventions and policies against COVID-19 pandemic.

MON-LB306 Association Between Cancer Related Beliefs and Diabetes Medication Adherence Among Breast Cancer Survivors With Comorbid Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: Cancer and diabetes mellitus (DM) are leading causes of death in the United States. Each year, over 245,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and approximately 18% of patients diagnosed have preexisting DM. The presence of a comorbidity, such as DM increases women’s mortality risk by 40%. While studies have shown decreased adherence to hypoglycemic medications after cancer diagnosis, the effect of cancer related beliefs on DM medication adherence has not been fully explored. In this study, we evaluated the association between cancer related beliefs and DM medication adherence in survivors of breast cancer. Hypothesis: Patients with greater positive beliefs about cancer (including personal control, treatment control and understanding) would exhibit greater adherence to DM medication. Methodology: We enrolled women >55 years with Stage 0-IIIA breast cancer diagnosed in the past 10 years, who had completed chemotherapy and/or were prescribed hormonal therapy and had pre-existing type 2 DM treated with at least 1 oral DM medication. Cancer related beliefs were assessed using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Medication adherence was evaluated using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS). Adherence was dichotomized at a mean MARS score of ≥4.5. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to examine the relationship between patients’ cancer related beliefs and DM medication adherence. Results: Thus far, 108 women have completed baseline surveys. Of these participants, 37% were black, 31% white, 14% Hispanic, 6.5% Asian, and 8.3% other. The mean age was 65 years. Cancer survivors who were adherent to DM medication had a greater sense of personal control over their cancer (median score 22.0 vs. 19.0, p<0.001) and endorsed a better understanding of their cancer (median score 20.0 vs. 14.0, p=0.03). No associations were seen between beliefs about the duration and consequences of cancer and DM medication adherence. Conclusion: Among breast cancer survivors with comorbid DM, having a greater sense of control over and understanding of cancer was associated with DM medication adherence. Working with breast cancer survivors to increase their perceived control over and understanding of their cancer may help improve adherence to DM medication.

“Free” Not to Engage: Neoliberal Ideology and Collective Action. The Case of the Yellow Vest Movement

The purpose of this paper is to test the main hypothesis that the endorsement of neoliberal ideology, comprising beliefs and values such as personal responsibility and hedonism, is negatively associated with the engagement in the Yellow Vest (YV) movement. In a first study (N = 489), analysis of qualitative data shows that most of the YV movement grievances are system challenging. Furthermore, consistent with our hypotheses, the more participants endorsed neoliberal ideology, the less they perceived inequalities against the lower and middle classes, the less angry they felt in the face of such inequalities, the less they identified with the Yellow Vests and finally, the less they engaged in the Yellow Vest movement. In Study 2 (N = 201), the relationship between neoliberal ideology, measured in a different way, and engagement in the movement was replicated amongst a sample of participants who support the YV movement. Moreover, it appeared that this relationship was mediated by a greater sense of personal control, leading to a higher level of system justification. In fact, neoliberal ideology appears to enhance personal control, giving them a heightened sense that the system is just and legitimate. This perception, in turn, appears to undermine the politicized identification with the Yellow Vest and as a consequence, engagement in the movement.

The relationship between diabetes-related emotional distress and illness perceptions among Indian patients with Type II diabetes

AimsTo examine the relationship between diabetes-related emotional distress (DED) and illness perceptions among Indian patients with Type II diabetes (T2D). Material and methods92 patients with T2D completed questionnaires on their demographic and medical details, DED and illness perceptions. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between demographic, medical and illness perceptions variables and DED. ResultsIncreased number of children, personal control and illness-related concern were associated with increased levels of DED. ConclusionsAdditional support is needed for Indian patients with T2D who have more children, greater sense of personal control and higher levels of diabetes-related worry.

Perceived Outcomes of a Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Training Intervention for Optimal Performance: Learning to Enhance Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation With Olympic Athletes

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived outcomes of a biofeedback and neurofeedback training intervention with high performance athletes. Five Olympic level athletes preparing for world championships and the 2012 Olympic Games took part in a 20 session intervention over the period of one year. At the completion of the intervention, a semistructured interview was conducted with each athlete. The athletes indicated that they became more self-aware, were better able to self-regulate both their physiological and psychological states, developed a greater sense of personal control, and a greater understanding of skills inherent in the field of sport psychology. Three of the athletes made the Canadian Olympic team for the 2012 Olympic Games and two of those athletes won bronze medals. The present study suggests that biofeedback and neurofeedback training may be useful in enabling athletes to perform optimally, in both training and competition, on a consistent basis.

The Promotion of Self-Regulation Through Parenting Interventions

The capacity for a parent to self-regulate their own performance is argued to be a fundamental process underpinning the maintenance of positive, nurturing, non-abusive parenting practices that promote good developmental and health outcomes in children. Deficits in self-regulatory capacity, which have their origins in early childhood, are common in many psychological disorders, and strengthening self-regulation skills is widely recognised as an important goal in many psychological therapies and is a fundamental goal in preventive interventions. Attainment of enhanced self-regulation skills enables individuals to gain a greater sense of personal control and mastery over their life. This paper illustrates how the self-regulatory principles can be applied to parenting and family-based interventions at the level of the child, parent, practitioner and organisation. The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, which uses a self-regulatory model of intervention, is used as an example to illustrate the robustness and versatility of the self-regulation approach to all phases of the parent consultation process.

Religion and Health Among Older Mexican Americans: Exploring the Influence of Making Mandas

A manda is a religious quid pro quo whereby an older Mexican American promises to perform a religious act if the Virgin or one of the saints grants a request. The purpose of this study is to see whether making mandas is associated with health among older Mexican Americans. Findings from the study model suggest that making mandas is associated with a greater sense of personal control, and more personal control is associated, in turn, with better health.

Sense of Control and Career Adaptability Among Undergraduate Students

The current study examined the direct relation of sense of control to career adaptability, as well as its ability to function as a mediator for other established predictors, with a sample of 1,991 undergraduate students. Students endorsing a greater sense of personal control were more likely to view themselves as adaptable to the world of work. Additionally, the degree to which students’ supportive relationships, self-esteem, and positive outlook on their future career related to adaptability was partially mediated by students’ perceptions of control in their lives. In line with the theoretical work of Blustein (2006), it is suggested that the sense of personal control in an individual’s life may be an important construct to consider in career-related research and counseling.

Interpersonal and Personal Factors Influencing Sexual Debut Among Mexican-American Young Women in the United States

Purpose The purpose of this study is to better understand factors influencing the age of sexual initiation among Latina youth. Methods Prior qualitative research with young women from the target population and the existing literature determined the theoretical framework for this study. A quantitative instrument was then developed and pre-tested. We enrolled a convenience sample of predominantly Mexican-American adolescent and young adult women from the west side of Chicago. A total of 271 participants were included in the analysis. Bi-variate and multivariable analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with age of first sexual intercourse. Results We found that personal, family, and peer/partner related factors influence the sexual decision making of these young women. Strong family expectations regarding educational attainment, negative parental messages about premarital sex and pregnancy, resistance to the influence of peers and partners, greater sense of personal control over sexual behaviors, preference for speaking Spanish, and small age difference between the young woman and her first sexual partner were all positively associated with age of sexual initiation. Among these, greater sense of personal control over behaviors was the strongest factor influencing age of sexual initiation. Conclusions This study provides a model that can be used to better understand Latina sexual decision making. Our findings might also inform future programs for Latinas, as they suggest that increasing girls’ feelings of personal control over decisions regarding sexual debut and helping Latino parents to communicate strong messages about educational achievement, pregnancy, and sexuality may lead to positive health behaviors.

Relationship of Distress and Perceived Control to Coping With Perceived Racial Discrimination Among Black Youth

This study examines the use of approach (e.g., seeking social support, problem solving) and avoidance (e.g., distancing, internalizing, externalizing) strategies for coping with perceived racial discrimination and their relationship to the subjective feelings of distress evoked by perceived experiences of discrimination and perceived control over discriminatory experiences among a small, relatively homogeneous sample of Black youth (N = 71). Results of hierarchical regression analyses support evidence from the general adolescent stress and coping literature that links avoidance coping to greater feelings of distress and approach coping to a greater sense of personal control. Greater self-reports of distress are related to greater use of internalizing and externalizing coping strategies. Greater self-reports of perceived control over discriminatory experiences are related to greater use of seeking social support and problem-solving coping strategies. Implications for promoting the successful coping of Black youth with perceived racial discrimination are discussed.

Shared decision making: an approach to strengthening patient participation in rehabilitation

In this paper, the concept of Shared Decision Making, i. e. the participation of the patient regarding the selection of therapeutic goals and treatment options, is presented. The degree of patient participation in medical decisions varies widely across different models of the physician-patient relationship. According to the paternalistic model, the physician knows best what is in the patient's interest; patient participation is limited. This model clearly does not take into account patients' autonomy and desire for information appropriately. In contrast, the informative model claims that values are well-known to the patient while the physician's role is restricted to providing him with the necessary information. However, the assumption of fixed values may be challenged. Patients expect their doctors to be not only technical experts but also caring persons. In the interpretive model, the physician's task is to help the patient to identify and express his values. In the deliberative model, both physician and patient engage in an open discussion about the values the patient could and should pursue. The physician is allowed to present his own preferences, and conflicting values are discussed explicitly. Thus, the patient is empowered to choose between alternative preferences. This model forms the basis of shared decision making, which involves at least two participants who engage in a process of both mutual information and interactive discussion. Patient participation should result in a greater sense of personal control, more satisfaction with treatment, better compliance and transfer into the daily routine of disease management and, consequently, better outcomes. Although it is largely unknown whether these outcomes are achieved, indirect evidence may be gained from systematic reviews showing that a favourable physician-patient communication (i. e. allowing patients to express their information needs and concerns and to receive both information and emotional support) produced better outcomes regarding both mental and physical health. There are several barriers to shared decision making. No information exists regarding the degree to which physicians are interested in shared decision making. While there is ample evidence that patients' needs for information are high, patients' wishes for participation seem to vary widely, though. Both physicians and patients require the ability to make shared decisions. Structural restraints include time and institutional inflexibility. To conclude, shared decision making is a promising approach to enhance patient participation in rehabilitative care.

The impact of an arthritis self‐management programme on psychosocial wellbeing

Notes that living with arthritis involves pain and fatigue, physical limitations, problems with social relationships and loss of social and leisure activities. Describes the psychosocial challenges associated with living with arthritis and examines whether, as a result of attending an arthritis self‐management programme (ASMP), participants felt more capable of meeting those challenges. Interviews were conducted with 16 participants before they attended the ASMP; two weeks after completing the course; and at eight months. During the ASMP, participants benefited from developing an empathic relationship with their peers, thereby reducing feelings of isolation. The ASMP also promoted positive behavioural changes such as exercise, relaxation and pain management. A greater sense of personal control served as a precursor for involvement in initiatives aimed at providing solutions for their local arthritis communities. Suggests a self‐management programme can provide a forum that facilitates peer support and improves coping skills.

What satisfies us today?

For 25 years, I have directed organizations that help the needy and employ social workers, educators, counselors, and psychologists. In the past 5 years, newer workers in their late 20s and early 30s have been approaching me in greater numbers than before to complain about how unhappy they are with their salaries and why they may leave their helping profession. I tell them I recognize that the $33,500 starting salary for master's degree employees to live in New York City is low. But I add, as I always have, that they should feel compensated by the good they achieve. I tell them that that is what allowed me to find satisfaction in practicing law in Harlem in the 1970s while earning substantially less than my fellow Georgetown Law School graduates. But this advice no longer satisfies the new workers, who complain about the cost of living, how the gap has grown significantly between what their friends with graduate degrees in business earn and what they can, and why when I entered the nonprofit sector, society encouraged helping but now emphasizes economic and material success. In a 1992 study of more than 3,000 volunteers, I found that people who helped others regularly—meaning weekly—enjoyed less stress and experienced a greater sense of self-worth compared with those who volunteered only once a year.1 I reported that burnout—a range of symptoms resulting from stress and feeling out of control that can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion—was reduced when helping professionals aided their patients or clients in a different or extra way. This additional helping enhanced self-esteem and restored idealism as antidotes to daily stress and the feelings of burnout. Other studies have come to similar conclusions. In 1999, Schwartz and Sender looked at patients with multiple sclerosis, having 1 group provide telephone support to the other, and then followed their health for 3 years. Helpers had less depression and fatigue and greater self-esteem than nonhelpers.2 Those who helped others had a reduced awareness of their pain and discomfort. A 1992 study of persons older than 60 years who provided informal support to others—delivering meals, chauffeuring—found that helpers had less depression and a greater sense of personal control than nonhelpers.3 Also in 1992, a study of women's health found that women who had many roles in life enjoyed better health than those who did not—but only if 1 of those roles included volunteering.4 Helping others appears to reduce personal discomfort by replacing the thoughts that cause stress—problems at work or other parts of life—with the self-enhancing good feelings received when helpers have personal contact with those they help and do this helping regularly. Physicians who treat homeless patients, for example, report high levels of career satisfaction despite the low fees received. A stress buffer for helping professionals is critical in today's society, which not only challenges many aspects of medical practice, but also sees younger people earning less generally. People between the ages of 35 and 44 years, for example, after inflation earn 9% less than their counterparts 25 years ago. Modern society judges success in materialistic terms. Today's pressures have changed social thinking. A recent study of Israeli mothers showed that 40% wanted their children to go into high-tech industry jobs compared with 15% who wanted them to become physicians.5 Perhaps medical schools, which require students to sacrifice so much, should set aside some time in the curriculum to explain what produces job satisfaction. Young physicians can be unique role models for other professionals, who come to respect that the physicians' work combines analytic thinking, a strong need for peer recognition, and a desire to help others. If more young physicians chose to set aside some part of their practice to helping the needy, they would be improving their own job satisfaction and setting a valuable example. Physicians, who have been taken to task at times for being too concerned with high fees, ironically have an ability to reduce their own job stress and that of many of their critics.

Enhancing Community Reintegration after Inpatient Rehabilitation for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury

This article describes factors associated with outcomes after hospital discharge into the community and evaluates an inpatient independent living (IL) program, the Hospital to Community program, for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). A sample of 234 subjects whose injuries occurred between 1986 and 1995 were included in this study. Factors such as subjects' demographic, neurologic, and psychosocial characteristics were considered as potential predictors of successful community reintegration (defined by decreased experience of handicap in various areas of community living, increased personal control, and decreased level of distress 1 year after injury). Findings suggest that those who participated in the program showed increased knowledge about IL and community resources available to them and considered the program helpful. Those who most actively engaged in the program felt the strongest about its value as a component of rehabilitation that prepared them for community reentry. Although multivariate analyses suggested that the program did not affect long-term outcomes, several other factors did. Most noticeably, level of neurologic impairment influenced experience of handicap and personal control, with less impairment being associated with less handicap. Younger and more educated subjects at injury showed less handicap 1 year after injury, whereas those who were more active in work and school activities prior to injury reported greater feelings of personal control. Level of distress was related to one's insurance, with those insured by Medicaid experiencing greater distress after injury. When program participation was measured by change in knowledge of the material taught by the program, those who reported greater knowledge acquisition also reported a greater sense of personal control 1 year after injury. Implications for community reintegration are discussed based on these findings.

Disability and the Psychology of Political Participation

What can disability teach us about the psychology of political participation ? Disability highlights issues of personal control and identity, which are important in the disability rights movement and are also linked to political participation in general. This study uses in-depth interviews and written questionnaires to examine these issues among 64 people— both political activists and nonactivists—who have spinal cord injuries (SCI's). It explores the connections among political involvement, locus of control, personal efficacy, experiences of stigma and discrimination, and views of disability. The interviews reveal a wide variety of responses to SCI, some discouraging but others encouraging political involvement. Political participation is discouraged by isolation and decreased resources that contribute to fatalism, as well as by efforts to "normalize" and distance oneself from others with disabilities, or by a focus on self-help following SCI. The political activists—some of whom had such responses in the past— have lived with their injuries for a longer time on average than other interviewees. Thus, they have had more opportunity to come to terms with SCI, join disability groups, learn about disability issues, and go through a gradual process of politicization. Partly as a result of political work, activists are more likely to perceive discrimination and stigma and to express a greater sense of personal control and efficacy. Their experiences show that social context and circumstances are important in who becomes politically active, indicating that outreach policies of disability organizations can play a large role in creating conditions that encourage political participation.

Adoption Reunions: A New Side to Intergenerational Family Relationships

Adoption Reunions: A New Side to Intergenerational Family Relationships* James Gladstone** and Anne Westhues Personal interviews were conducted with 67 adult adoptees who had reunions with birth relatives. A qualitative analysis showed that seven types of post-reunion relationships developed, including those that were close but not too close, distant, tense, ambivalent, searching, and no contact. Factors associated with the development of particular relationships are identified. These include structural factors, interactive factors, motivating factors, and values and outlook of birth relatives. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. Very little is known about the outcome of adoption reunions. Increased understanding, however, is especially important at this time when disclosure of adoption information that was once confidential is now being permitted in most Western jurisdictions. Recent literature on adoption disclosure has focused on implications associated with unsealing adoption records. The psychological benefits of releasing information to adoptees are generally weighed against the responsibility that adoption agencies have towards birth parents and towards adoptive parents in terms of maintaining privacy (Anderson, 1977; Garber, 1985; Klibanoff, 1977; Sachdev, 1984). Attention has also been directed to factors associated with adoptees' searches. Numerous reasons, for example, have been cited as to why adoptees initiate a search for a birth relative. These include curiosity, looking for a sense of belonging, seeking medical information, developing a sense of personal identity, wanting more information about whom one looks like, and having an interest in what happened to a birth relative (Day, 1979; Kowal & Schilling, 1985; Picton, 1982; Sachdev, 1984; 1992; Simpson, Timm, & McCubbin, 1981; Sobol & Cardiff, 1983; Sorosky, Baran, & Pannor, 1974; Triseliotis, 1973; Westhues & Gladstone, 1990). Researchers have also found that adoptees searching for their birth parents are usually female and relatively young (Day, 1979; Kowal & Schilling, 1985; Sachdev, 1984; Sorosky, Baran, & Pannor, 1978; Triseliotis, 1973; Westhues & Gladstone, 1989). Adoptees involved in a search are likely to report that they learned about their adoption relatively recently, that learning about their adoption was a traumatic experience, that they had little information about their biological background (Day, 1979; Kowal & Schilling, 1985; Picton, 1982) or that information about their adoption was not personally satisfying (Sobol & Cardiff, 1983). Several studies have found a relationship between searches for birth relatives and negative assessments of adoptive family relationships (Aumend & Barett, 1983; Day, 1979; Sobol & Cardiff, 1983; Sorosky, Baran, & Pannor, 1974; Triseliotis, 1973), though this might not hold in all cases, as Simpson, Timm, & McCubbin (1981) reported the opposite. Studies also show that searches for birth parents are often precipitated by developmental milestones, such as marriage, pregnancy, or the death of an adoptive parent (Day, 1979; Gonyo & Watson, 1988; Kowal & Schilling, 1985; Picton, 1982; Sobol & Cardiff, 1983; Triseliotis, 1973). Some studies have investigated the outcomes of reunions. In Triseliotis' (1973) study, most of the adoptees who had reunions with birth relatives were disappointed in terms of their mutual expectations but were pleased that the reunions had taken place. Sorosky, Baran, and Pannor (1974), Stoneman, Thompson, and Webber (1980), Depp (1982), Picton (1982), and Slaytor (1986) concluded that outcomes were positive for most adoptees, birth family members, and adoptive parents in their studies. Lifton (1988) states that every reunion is a successful experience for adoptees if only because it provides adoptees with a greater sense of personal control over their lives. …

Divorce and Belief in Internal Versus External Control of One's Life

A major tradition in recent studies of divorce has proposed that the divorce experience often leads to enhanced personal development, including a greater sense of personal control over one's life. The present study examined a correlate of this divorce-as-development position, namely, that divorced persons when compared with married persons should have a stronger belief in personal control over life events. Using locus of control personality scores from a national probability sample of white adults, with education and income controlled, this study found that divorced persons were on the average significantly more internal than married persons. Similar comparisons between the divorced and other marital status groups were interpreted as supporting the divorce-as-development position. It was observed, however, that the' present cross-sectional data cannot unravel the issue of causal direction, i.e., are internals more likely to become divorced or is greater internality a byproduct of the divorce experience?