Poor Emotional Adjustment Research Articles

Monitoring attentional style and medical regimen adherence in hemodialysis patients.

Previous research involving individuals facing chronic health problems suggests that an attentional style characterized by pronounced monitoring of threat-relevant information is associated with poorer behavioral and emotional adjustment. This study examined the hypothesis that a pronounced monitoring style would be associated with poorer medical regimen adherence in a sample of 51 chronic hemodialysis patients. Hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for demographic factors and trait anxiety) revealed that "high monitors" exhibited higher interdialysis weight gains and higher serum K values reflecting poorer adherence to fluid-intake and dietary restrictions. However, monitoring was not associated with a measure of medication adherence. Partial support was found for a model suggesting that a lack of perceived control is responsible for the relationship between higher monitoring and poorer adherence.

The MMPI in neuropsychological assessment: a murky measure.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is commonly used in neuropsychological assessment in hope of ferreting out the presence of psychiatric disorders and "emotional factors". This paper discusses whether or not the MMPI can in fact do this intended task. The conclusion is that the MMPI is a poor measure of emotional adjustment and a poor aide to differential psychiatric diagnosis because the question pool is contaminated by questions that can be endorsed by neurologic and other medical patients for reasons other than emotional maladjustment or psychiatric disorder. Several MMPI scales may be elevated in a neurologic patient's profile simply because his/her symptoms are consistent with a neurologic disorder and are not necessarily a reflection of pathological adaptation or poor emotional adjustment. The safe assumptions to make in interpreting the MMPIs of neurologic patients are presented. The need to use a comprehensive assessment process to understand personality, psychological reaction, and psychiatric disorder is emphasized.

The Nottingham Adjustment Scale: An Estimation of Response Bias

This study found that items in the subsections on acceptance of sight loss and attitudes toward blindness of the Nottingham Adjustment Scale are free of response bias. Respondents who were given only negative items disagreed significantly more with them than did those who were given both negative and positive statements. In addition, respondents with poor emotional adjustment were more strongly influenced by the presence of positive statements than were those with good emotional adjustment.

The relationship between emotional adjustment and two factor structures of the mental adjustment to cancer (MAC) scale

AbstractUsing two different factor structures for the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale, the present study examined the relationship between mental attitude and emotional adjustment in a sample of 58 cancer patients. Analyses, using the original Watson MAC subscales, showed that: (a) fighting spirit was associated with better emotional adjustment, whereas hopelessness/helplessness and anxious preoccupation were associated with poor emotional adjustment and (b) subjects with low fighting spirit, high hopelessness/helplessness and moderate anxious preoccupation also had high levels of emotional distress. Analyses, on the alternative Schwartz MAC subscales, showed that: (a) positive reappraisal was associated with better emotional adjustment, whereas hopelessness was associated with poor emotional adjustment and (b) subjects with low hopelessness, high positive reappraisal, high positive attitude and high vigilant participation also had lower levels of emotional distress. However, for both factor structures, certain subscales showed a weak association to mood. Overall, the results validate both MAC factor structures, but highlight the need for additional refinement of the MAC scale.

Self-reported social networks and interpersonal support 2 years after severe traumatic brain injury.

Fifty-four patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation hospital were examined 2 years post-injury. Social interaction and support, subjective complaints, and functional status were assessed. A large variability in social interaction and support patterns was found. Most patients had more interaction and received more support from family members than from friends and neighbours. Thirty-one patients (57.4%) reported that their social networks had markedly declined subsequent to injury. Relatively short duration of coma (< 1 week) and severe sequelae in terms of low functional status and poor emotional adjustment at follow-up, especially in terms of deficits in initiating behaviour, were found to be related to little interaction and support. The importance of both provider and patient initiative in order to establish and preserve a social support network is suggested, and clinical implications briefly discussed.

The divided self: concurrent and longitudinal effects of psychological adjustment and social roles on self-concept differentiation.

The relation between self-concept differentiation (SCD), the tendency to see oneself as having different personality characteristics in different social roles, and psychological adjustment was examined in a sample of college students and a sample of middle-aged women. In both studies, Ss with high levels of SCD showed poor emotional adjustment (e.g., depression) and tended to reject social norms and conventions (e.g., low socialization). Longitudinal analyses demonstrated that these same characteristics measured at age 21 predicted SCD measured more than 30 years later in middle age. These findings provide strong evidence that SCD is a sign of fragmentation of the self rather than specialization of role identities. The social context was also an important determinant of SCD; both dissatisfaction with role performance and frequent role changes in relationships and jobs predicted SCD measured 9 years later.

Disharmonische Partnerbeziehung der Eltern und kindliche Entwicklung im Säuglings- und Kleinkindalter

As part of a prospective study currently being conducted in the Mannheim-Heidelberg region of Germany on the neuropsychiatric development of 362 children born at varying degrees of organic and psychosocial risk, the effect of marital discord on the cognitive and social-emotional development of 315 children born into two-parent households was investigated. Both the children and the quality of the parental relationship were evaluated when the children were 3 months and two-years of age. Assessment of the children included performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, observed and reported temperament characteristics and measures of infant and child psychopathology. Evaluation of the relationship was based on pertinent information provided by the parents about their marriage within a standardized interviews as well as on the basis of a questionnaire. Results show that marital discord at 3 months does not effect child performance at 3 months, nor at 24 months. Marital discord at 2 years does affect the emotional well-being of the two-year-old i.e. is accompanied by a significant rise in psychopathological symptoms. When the effect of the stability of marital strife from the first assessment to the second was studied a significant increase in behavior problems and decrease in Bayley performance was found in the group of children whose parents' marital situation had deteriorated and failed in the meantime but surprisingly not in the group with chronic discordant relationships. Conversely, poor child performance and emotional adjustment improved with a positive change in the parental relationships. An increase, although not significant, was also found among the children whose parents' marriage had deteriorated but had not lead to separation.

The impact of chronic epilepsy on the family

The emotional impact of intractable epilepsy on family members is a neglected topic, with the majority of studies confined to childhood epilepsy. Our clinical experience suggests that family members, particularly parents, may at times be under considerable emotional strain, especially when seizures are frequent and accompanied by injury. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological and physical well-being, satisfaction with social circumstances and perceived level of support in families with an adult member with intractable epilepsy. Forty-four families were administered rating scales of mood and answered questions relating to their social situation and physical health. Levels of stress and dissatisfaction with their social situation was high, particularly in primary carers (the mother in most instances). Respite periods away from their caring role were few and the perceived level of support was low. Poor emotional adjustment was associated with severity of tonic and atonic seizures and episodes of status. Additionally, perceived low levels of support were associated with depression.

Effectiveness of coping strategies employed by people with chronic epilepsy

Psychological adjustment to a chronic illness, such as epilepsy, is not merely a function of severity or duration of the disorder. Several psychological factors have been identified as having an influential effect. We report here a study that explores one such variable, namely use of coping strategy. A total of 137 people with intractable epilepsy participated in the study. The duration of the epilepsy ranged from 1 to 51 years with a mean of 18.5 years. Seventy percent were experiencing at least weekly seizures. Coping style was measured using a questionnaire that tapped six different coping strategies. Psychological adjustment was assessed via measures of anxiety, depression, self-esteem, social avoidance, and acceptance of epilepsy. Few significant relationships were observed between seizure-related variables and psychological adjustment. The most consistent finding was between poor emotional adjustment and the coping strategy, “wish fulfillment.” A relationship between better adjustment and the strategy, “cognitive restructuring,” was also found. The implications of these results for psychotherapeutic interventions in epilepsy will be considered.

Conflict, Loss, Change and Parent-Child Relationships:

Children's emotional adjustment and behavior problems during divorce were predicted from both pre-separation (child attributes, marital conflict and parent-child closeness) and post-separation factors (loss of parent, changes, and parent-child relationship), utilizing path analysis. Children had poorer emotional adjustment and more behavior problems if they were older, had prior psychological problems, had parents with more marital conflict, and had more difficult relationships with their mothers. The effect of marital conflict was more indirect, though the mother-child relationship. The father-child relation ship appeared as a weak predictor only in the behavior problems model. Emotional adjustment was predicted most strongly by post-separation family relationships, while behavior problems were more strongly related to pre-separation factors. The findings suggest that interventions for children during the divorcing period should focus on empathic, warm

Factors affecting adjustment of parents of head trauma victims

This study was aimed at elucidating the factors associated with good and poor adjustment in the parents of adult head trauma victims. Forty-eight parents of adult trauma victims were administered the Hassles Scale, the Ways of Coping Inventory, the SCL-90, and the Sickness Impact Profile. The following results were obtained: 1. Psychosocial dysfunction in the offspring was correlated with severity of stress in the parents. 2. Psychiatric maladjustment in the parent was associated with increased stress. 3. Parents poor emotional adjustment were more inclined to use coping strategies involving confrontation or avoidance.

Factors affecting adjustment of parents of head trauma victims

This study was aimed at elucidating the factors associated with good and poor adjustment in the parents of adult head trauma victims. Forty-eight parents of adult trauma victims were administered the Hassles Scale, the Ways of Coping Inventory, the SCL-90, and the Sickness Impact Profile. The following results were obtained: 1. Psychosocial dysfunction in the offspring was correlated with severity of stress in the parents. 2. Psychiatric maladjustment in the parent was associated with increased stress. 3. Parents poor emotional adjustment were more inclined to use coping strategies involving confrontation or avoidance.

Correlates of Institutional Adjustment in Two Groups of Emotionally Disturbed Offenders

The demographic, psychiatric/criminal background, and personality correlates of institutional (prison) adjustment were derived in a sample of 51 emotionally disturbed military offenders and cross-validated in a sample of 52 emotionally disturbed federal inmates. Results indicated that only two correlates or predictors of institutional adjustment were successfully crossvalidated across samples: the MMPI F scale and a behavioral rating of conceptual disorganization both predicted poor emotional adjustment. The implications of thesefindings in light of past research results are discussed.

Identifying children at high somatic risk: parents' long-term emotional adjustment to their children's alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency.

The parents of 61 children at high somatic risk due to alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency (ATD) were followed-up 5-7 years after the identification of the ATD and studied regarding their long-term emotional adjustment to the child's ATD. This was assessed both by a physician who interviewed the parents in their home and independently by a psychologist who systematically scored selected parts of the interview transcripts for specified variables. Notable agreement was found in the separate assessments performed by these two researchers. At follow-up, 58% of the mothers and 44% of the fathers had predominantly negative feelings (worry, guilt) about the child's ATD. About half of the mothers and a third of the fathers were judged to have poor long-term emotional adjustment. Considerable continuity was found in mothers' feelings across the 5-7 years since identification of the ATD.

Coping with the Loss of Father

This research compared the social and emotional adjustment of women and children from single-parent families due to death or divorce within the past two years with that of a matched group of two-parent families. While the widows and divorcees did not differ significantly from the married women on measures of social and emotional adjustment, they did report more positive and negative life changes and had higher rates of help-seeking in the past two years. Divorcees reported significantly more friction and resentment in their relationships than widowed and married women. The children of widows and divorcees reported significantly poorer emotional adjustment than the children of married women, but the children from these different families did not differ with respect to mothers' and teachers' ratings of behavioral problems. The results were discussed in terms of previous literature and suggestions for future research.

Development of eight pubertal males with 47,xxy karyotype.

The increasing frequency with which the diagnosis of the 47,XXY karyotype is made requires more knowledge of the prognosis of this condition. We present four 47,XXY boys identified at birth and followed since then (Group I), and four 47,XXY boys diagnosed because of physical and/or emotional problems (Group II). Physical, psychological, language, and hormone data are presented. The physical and intellectual profiles for the two groups are similar. This is in contrast to the very poor school and emotional adjustment of the Group II individuals. These boys were definitely more difficult and problematic for their parents when compared to their siblings and to Group I who were unselected. This further emphasizes that the expression of this karyotype is variable and individuals with behavioral disorders may represent a maladaptive subgroup rather than the entire population of 47,XXY males. Recommendations are given for intervention with attention to learning and language problems, hormone status, and emotional state.

A system of neglect: Indian boarding schools.

This paper examines the frustrations and dilemmas present in maintaining separate schools for Indian children. The diversity of approaches in these schools, the problems of acculturation, and a history of poor individual academic and emotional adjustment suggest that a reformulation of tasks and priorities be undertaken that emphasizes creative solutions to special needs. Counseling services that are more peer-oriented, as well as multifaceted supportive services, are recommended. The authors also discuss such issues as intertribal rivalry and student apathy.

Intellectual and Perceptual Motor Development as a Function of Therapeutic Play

Abstract Tests of intelligence and perceptual motor development were administered to 53 children participating in an 8-week physical developmental clinic and to 31 applicants who were waiting to enroll in clinic when space was available. The children studied were referred for reasons of poor coordination, emotional and social adjustment. A comparison of pre- and post-clinic test performance of the participating children, compared to the test-retest performance of the “wait-list” controls indicated that participants made (a) significant improvements in all perceptual-motor measures, (b) significant improvement in performance IQ, and (c) no significant improvement in kinesthetic and tactile perception skills.