Poor Emotional Adjustment Research Articles

Academic Stress and Emotional Adjustment: A Gender-Based Post-COVID Study.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 infection and its preventive measures has resulted in global disruption of overall functioning of the individuals. In the post-COVID period, several stressors associated with the pandemic have exacerbated adjustment problems in students and impacted their mental health. The study aims to assess the Academic Stress and Emotional Adjustment of male and female secondary school students in Uttar Pradesh, post-COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A sample of 500 students from various schools in Uttar Pradesh pursuing high school were included in the study. A purposive sampling technique was employed for data collection based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Scale for Assessing Academic Stress and the Adolescents Emotional Adjustment Inventory were used to assess the academic stress and emotional adjustment of secondary school students post-COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The results of the study revealed that there was a significant difference in academic stress and emotional adjustment between male and female secondary school students. A significant positive relationship between academic stress and emotional adjustment was found, which indicates a high level of academic stress perpetuates emotional maladjustment. Furthermore, it was found that the level of academic stress and emotional adjustment were higher among females as compared to males. It can be concluded that the extended impact of COVID-19 has led to a surfeited level of distress propounding that females are more predisposed to academic stress and tend to have poor emotional adjustment than their male counterparts.

Plastic Surgery: Review on Screening of Psychiatric Disorder

Recently the popularity of plastic surgical procedure has been increased. Many people surgically alter their physical appearance with the intent of boosting their social and psychological well-being; however, the long-term effectiveness of aesthetic surgery on improving well-being is unconfirmed. To have successful cosmetic plastic surgery result, it is imperative to assess candidates for predictors of poor outcomes. These include the following factor: psychiatric disorder, demographic factors (male and younger age), relationship issues, unrealistic expectations, previous dissatisfied surgery, and minimal deformity. For psychiatric patients, despite having technically satisfactory cosmetic surgery, poor emotional adjustment and social functioning were seen post procedure. Proper screening and evaluation of these patients could save money and resources. In this brief review we discuss about psychiatric disorder screen on plastic surgery to prevent unwanted outcome. A literature review was conducted in the electronic database PubMed using keyword “Psychiatric Disorder”, “Plastic surgery”, “Prevention” and “Screening”. All type of studies were included for this study, such as controlled trials, systematic reviews, literature reviews, and pilot studies published between 2011 and 2021. Articles which not written in English were excluded from the study. This search resulted in 18 papers. Some patient who undergo cosmetic surgery suffer from underdiagnosed or untreated psychiatric disorder. To avoid unnecessary expense and resource it is advisable that all patient who seek cosmetic procedure undergo psychiatric screen such as PHQ-9, GAD-7, BDDQ and other test to avoid un-necessary expense and resource.

Plastic Surgery: Review on Screening of Psychiatric Disorder

Recently the popularity of plastic surgical procedure has been increased. Many people surgically alter their physical appearance with the intent of boosting their social and psychological well-being; however, the long-term effectiveness of aesthetic surgery on improving well-being is unconfirmed. To have successful cosmetic plastic surgery result, it is imperative to assess candidates for predictors of poor outcomes. These include the following factor : psychiatric disorder, demographic factors (male and younger age), relationship issues, unrealistic expectations, previous dissatisfied surgery, and minimal deformity. For psychiatric patients, despite having technically satisfactory cosmetic surgery, poor emotional adjustment and social functioning were seen post procedure. Proper screening and evaluation of these patients could save money and resources. In this brief review we discuss about psychiatric disorder screen on plastic surgery to prevent unwanted outcome. A literature review was conducted in the electronic database PubMed using keyword “Psychiatric Disorder”, “Plastic surgery”, “Prevention” and “Screening”. All type of studies were included for this study, such as controlled trials, systematic reviews, literature reviews, and pilot studies published between 2011 and 2021. Articles which not written in English were excluded from the study. This search resulted in 18 papers. Some patient who undergo cosmetic surgery suffer from underdiagnosed or untreated psychiatric disorder. To avoid unnecessary expense and resource it is advisable that all patient who seek cosmetic procedure undergo psychiatric screen such as PHQ-9, GAD-7, BDDQ and other test to avoid un-necessary expense and resource.

Research on Emotional Music Reconstruction Method Based on DBN-GRU

In the process of music therapy, in order to solve the problems of short music segments with poor emotional adjustment effect and poor emotional perception of patients, this paper proposes an emotional music reconstruction method that combines Deep Belief Networks (DBN) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). According to the emotional music clips fed back by EEG, the high-dimensional features of music were extracted from the DBN network, and the music features were input into the GRU to construct the emotional music reconstruction model. The accuracy of note prediction of reconstructed music is analyzed, and the results show that this method is better than the reconstruction method using GRU alone. An anxiety evaluation experiment of the subjects was designed, and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) of the subjects before and after playing reconstructed music was analyzed, thus verifying that the music generated by the emotional music reconstruction method can effectively alleviate anxiety, which is an excellent tool in the field of music therapy.

Stigma Moderates the Relation Between Peer Victimization, Thwarted Belongingness, and Depressive Symptoms in Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PurposeThe stigmatizing nature of IBD symptoms may place youth at risk for being targets of peer victimization, potentially resulting in a decreased sense of social belongingness and poorer emotional adjustment. The present study tested a series of mediation and moderated mediation models examining the associations among peer victimization, thwarted social belongingness, and depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating role of IBD stigma in these associations. We hypothesized peer victimization would have an indirect effect on youth depressive symptoms through thwarted belongingness, and this effect would be amplified for youth endorsing greater IBD stigma. Design and methodsSeventy-five youth (10–18 yrs.) diagnosed with IBD were recruited from a pediatric gastroenterology clinic. Participants completed self-report measures of IBD stigma, peer victimization, thwarted belongingness, and depressive symptoms. ResultsAs anticipated, mediation analyses revealed a significant peer victimization → thwarted belongingness → depressive symptoms indirect path. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that this indirect effect was moderated by IBD stigma and was significantly greater among youth reporting higher IBD stigma. ConclusionsYouth who experience higher levels of IBD-related stigma are at increased risk for depressive symptoms as a function of the socially isolating effects of peer victimization. Practice implicationsOur findings highlight the need for routine screening and identification of the socioemotional challenges faced by youth with IBD. Clinical interventions that incorporate coping strategies aimed at minimizing youths' stigmatizing self-perceptions and improving overall social skills and social engagement may lessen the negative impact of peer victimization on youths' social and emotional adjustment.

Psycho-emotional adjustment in parents of adolescents: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the impact of the COVID pandemic

Purpose: adolescence is a time of change and it generally entails a greater family vulnerability thus; the aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for poor emotional adjustment to COVID among parents of adolescents. Design and methods: 94 parents of adolescents (11–18 years old, M = 13.90, SD = 1.85) participated at different times during the state of alert in Spain. 91.5% were mothers. Their ages ranged from 35 to 63 years (M = 46.54; SD = 5.09). The variables assessed were anxiety, depression and stress (DASS), moods (MOOD), somatization (SCL) and resilience (CD-RISC). Descriptive analyses, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlations, and hierarchical regressions were performed. All this by means of a cross-sectional and longitudinal study design. Results: at the beginning of the confinement parents showed low levels of emotional distress and moderate levels of positive emotionality and resilience. However, those with a prior psychological problem, who had lost their job, or had lost someone to the pandemic, showed worse emotional adjustment. Resilience was relevant in predicting anxiety-depressive symptoms, and a low level of happiness was relevant in predicting stress. Emotional symptoms improved over time, and resilience remained stable. Conclusions: the emotional impact of COVID over time is influenced by mood, mental health, and resilience. In addition, parents who had a previous health problem, had lost their job or a loved one, had a worse adjustment. Practical implications: it is important to carry out intervention programs that increase resilience, treating parents who require it, since their emotional adjustment has repercussions on the emotional adjustment of family system.

The Social and Emotional Resources Inventory: Further Development of a Comprehensive Self-Report Measure of Protective Factors

ABSTRACT Childhood trauma has been associated with negative life outcomes including poor emotional adjustment in adulthood, low educational and professional attainment, and all manner of psychopathology. However, recent research has noted that the majority of individuals with histories of childhood trauma adapt successfully to adulthood and live happy and productive lives. Researchers now recognize that the presence of certain protective environmental and personal factors can improve how children cope with obstacles presented by histories of trauma. By identifying these factors, researchers can help clinicians, social justice advocates and others take a pro-active approach to reducing the negative effects of childhood trauma. There currently exists no highly comprehensive measure of protective factors. This study aimed to finalize the Social Emotional Resources Inventory (SERI) – a comprehensive measure of protective factors – by revising the SERI where necessary and providing previously lacking estimates of convergent and discriminant evidence. The final SERI consists of 55 items, grouped into 14 factors, which may be hierarchically grouped into second and third-order factors if necessary. The results of this SERI administration demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability and convergent/discriminant validity across most sub-scales. The results of this study highlight important domains for future research.

Mood regulation and relationship quality predict change in homesickness during college.

Recent theorizing has implicated affect regulation as central to the experience of homesickness. Conceptualized as grief due to losing social connections with close others when relocating, homesickness is associated with poor emotional and social adjustment. The present study examined how mood regulation and relationship quality - at home and in college - predict homesickness and negative affect among college students (N=168). We assessed 16 mood regulation strategies as well as relationship quality each week over the first college term. As predicted, time-lagged multilevel analyses demonstrate that avoidance-oriented strategies were helpful in the short term (the following week), but chronic avoidance (across the college term) predicted higher levels of homesickness. Approach-oriented regulatory strategies did not predict homesickness, however. Relationship quality demonstrated differential main effects at the between-person level but did not predict fluctuations in homesickness from week to week. Across the college term, closer ties at home predicted greater homesickness, whereas closer ties in college predicted lower homesickness. Notably, there were distinct effects of mood regulation for homesickness compared to negative affect. The present study is among the first to examine effects of mood regulation on homesickness longitudinally, suggesting it is important to consider the type of regulation strategies being used as well as the time scale.

The contribution of social-environmental factors to the emotional adjustment of Israeli religious Jewish women coping with infertility

ABSTRACTThe community is often considered a resource for coping with health-related stress but has potential for negative effects when coping with fertility problems. In this study, we examined the associations between the social–environmental variables (seeking the support of the community, perception of pressure from the community, and perception of spouse support as a possible moderator of this pressure) and emotional adjustment to fertility problems among religious Jewish women in Israel, a highly pronatalist society. Data were collected from January to August 2011. Structural equation modeling using data from 186 women indicated that perception of pressure from the community was associated with poorer emotional adjustment. This association was not moderated by perceived spouse support, but spouse support was associated with better adjustment. Seeking the support of the community was found to be composed of two dimensions: Seeking Ties and Belonging to the Community, which was associated with poorer adjustment, and Seeking Approval and Recognition from the Community, which was associated with better adjustment. These results point to the complexity of dealing with health-related stress when it comes to important community values. Understanding this complexity can help professionals conduct culturally sensitive evaluation and treatment that will contribute to women’s emotional adjustment to fertility problems.

Anxiety Treatment and Targeted Sleep Enhancement to Address Sleep Disturbance in Pre/Early Adolescents with Anxiety

Sleep disturbance is prevalent in anxious youth and prospectively predicts poor emotional adjustment in adolescence. Study 1 examined whether anxiety treatment improves subjective and objective sleep disturbance in anxious youth. Study 2 examined whether a sleep intervention called Sleeping TIGERS can further improve sleep following anxiety treatment. Study 1 examined 133 youth (ages 9–14; 56% female; 11% ethnic/racial minority) with generalized, social, or separation anxiety over the course of anxiety treatment (cognitive behavioral treatment or client-centered treatment). Sleep-related problems (parent-, child-report) and subjective (diary) and objective (actigraphy) sleep patterns were assessed across treatment in an open trial design. Study 2 included 50 youth (ages 9–14; 68% female; 10% ethnic/racial minority) who continued to report sleep-related problems after anxiety treatment and enrolled in an open trial of Sleeping TIGERS. Pre- and postassessments duplicated Study 1 and included the Focal Interview of Sleep to assess sleep disturbance. Study 1 demonstrated small reductions in sleep problems and improvements in subjective sleep patterns (diary) across anxiety treatment, but outcomes were not deemed clinically significant, and 75% of youth stayed above clinical cutoff. Study 2 showed clinically significant, large reductions in sleep problems and small changes in some subjective sleep patterns (diary). Anxiety treatment improves, but does not resolve, sleep disturbance in peri-pubertal youth, which may portend risk for poor emotional adjustment and mental health. The open trial provides preliminary support that Sleeping TIGERS can improve sleep in anxious youth to a clinically significant degree.

Overwhelmed by Emotion: Pathways from Revictimization to Mothers' Negative Emotional Responsivity.

Maternal history of childhood abuse has consistently been linked to increased risk for poor emotional adjustment and parenting as an adult. The aim of this study was to examine a model that may explain the link between maternal history of childhood abuse and mothers' tendencies to respond negatively to their adolescent children's negative emotions. A community sample of 66 mothers with adolescent children participated. Path analysis supported associations between mothers with a history of high betrayal trauma revictimization (i.e., trauma perpetrated by someone close to the mother during childhood and again as a young adult) and increased difficulty regulating their emotions. In turn, mothers who struggled to regulate their own emotions were also more likely to respond negatively to their adolescent's negative emotions. Findings highlight effects of childhood trauma may be particularly problematic for mothers who are revictimized as young adults. These results provide the foundation for future research evaluating clinical interventions targeted at increasing maternal emotion regulation skills.

Examining Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Emotional Adjustment

Perfectionists are people who set excessively high standards for their own performance, adhere to these standards rigidly, and define their self ­worth in terms of achieving these standards. Research has shown that perfectionism is linked with emotional and psychological maladjustment. This study is aimed at examining potential differences in perfectionism and emotional adjustment across two ethnic groups: Caucasian and Asian. Previous literature has shown that Eastern cultures are more self ­criticizing than
 Western cultures, thus we may expect to see differences in perfectionism across these two cultures.
 Also, researchers have found that individuals from Eastern cultures may manifest depression in physical symptoms (e.g., headaches) while individuals from Western cultures may express depression in more emotional symptoms (eg, sadness). Thus, differences in how Asians and Caucasians express their emotional maladjustment will be examined.
 Finally, acculturation may be an important factor because perfectionism in a Western context may have more adverse consequences than in an Eastern context. Method:Asian and Caucasian undergraduate students completed self ­report measures of perfectionism, emotional adjustment, and acculturation. Expected results: First, we expect that Asians will score higher than Caucasians on perfectionism measures. Secondly, there will be a positive correlation between perfectionism and poor emotional adjustment. Thirdly, emotional adjustment will be expressed more physically in Asians and more emotionally in Caucasians. Finally, within the Asian group, level of acculturation will moderate the relationship between perfectionism and emotional maladjustment. Discussion: These results will be discussed in terms of how perfectionism is conceptualized, assessed, and treated.

Illness cognitions and the associated socio-demographic and clinical factors in Chinese women with breast cancer.

Illness cognitions are important mediators between disease and psychological adjustment. Evidence related to illness cognitions among patients with breast cancer remains limited. The purpose of this study was to examine illness cognitions among Chinese women with breast cancer and associations with socio-demographic and clinical factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 313 women with breast cancer recruited from a general hospital and a social cancer support club in Beijing from October 2016 to May 2017. Data were collected using the Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Participants reported positive overall cognition regarding breast cancer (helplessness, 13.70±4.24; acceptance, 16.86±4.30; perceived benefits, 17.93±3.86). A multiple regression model indicated that six factors were associated with illness cognitions: treatment phase of disease, having no children, not returning to work (positive associations with helplessness, negative associations with acceptance; age (negative associations with helplessness, positive associations with acceptance); treatment phase of disease, having no medical insurance (negative associations with perceived benefit); and disease duration (positive associations with acceptance). This study reports on the presence of different illness cognitions in Chinese women with breast cancer and the associated factors, and the results could help oncology medical and nursing staff identify risk factors for poor emotional adjustment to breast cancer and the patients who may benefit from interventions aimed at improving the presence of positive illness cognitions.

Peer Victimization and Academic Performance in Primary School Children

ObjectivePeer victimization is a common antecedent of poor social and emotional adjustment. Its relationship with objectively measured academic performance is unclear. In this study we aimed to quantify the cross-sectional associations between peer victimization and academic performance in a large population sample of children. MethodsEight- to 9-year-old children were recruited from a stratified random sample of primary schools in Australia. Academic performance was measured on a national achievement test (1 year of learning equals 40 points). Physical and verbal victimization were measured according to child self-report. ResultsMultilevel mixed-effects linear regression analyses were conducted. For female children, verbal victimization was associated with poorer academic performance on writing (β = 17.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], −28.2 to −6.2) and grammar/punctuation (β = −20.8; 95% CI, −40.1 to −1.6). Physical victimization was associated with poorer performance on numeracy (male children: β = −29.0; 95% CI, −53.8 to −4.1; female children: β = −30.1; 95% CI, −56.6 to −3.5), and writing (female children: β = −21.5; 95% CI, −40.4 to −2.7). Verbal and physical victimization were associated with poorer performance on reading (male children: β = −31.5; 95% CI, −59.9 to −3.1; female children: β = −30.2; 95% CI, −58.6 to −1.8), writing (female children: β = −25.5; 95% CI, −42.8 to −8.2), spelling (female children: β = −32.3; 95% CI, −59.6 to −4.9), and grammar/punctuation (female children: β = −32.2; 95% CI, −62.4 to −2.0). ConclusionsChildren who were physically victimized were 6 to 9 months behind their non-victimized peers on measures of academic performance. There are growing reasons for education systems to invest in the prevention of bullying and promotion of positive peer relationships from the earliest years of school.

Typical profiles of multiple DWI indivisuals on MMPI-2

IntroductionAlcohol intoxication is often involved in the commission of criminal behaviors that are risky and involve personal confrontation. Individuals who reported having three or more drinks before driving exhibited greater impulsivity when under the influence of alcohol than did those who did not report heavy drinking before driving.ObjectivesThe present study utilized the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) to compare the characteristics of individuals with a single driving while intoxicated (DWI) offense with individuals who were multiple DWI offenders and to identify whether there was a typical profile for multiple offenders.MethodsThe charts of patients were examined in terms of demographic characteristics including age, sex, employment, and education; the MMPI scores of the two groups were compared using an independent t-test, and we identified the typical profile of multiple DWI offenders by using hierarchical cluster analysis with Ward's method.ResultsScores on the F and the depression (D) scales of the MMPI-2 were significantly higher among multiple offenders than among first offenders. The multiple offenders-I group obtained relatively high scores on the D and psychopathic deviate (Pd) scales, and the multiple offenders-II group had low scores on both the hypomania (Ma) and social introversion (Si) scales. Thus, some multiple offenders may have poorer emotional adjustment, characterized by tendencies toward psychopathic deviance, mania, and depression, as well as psychopathological characteristics associated with patients with alcohol-use disorders.ConclusionThe present findings suggest that multiple offenders should be considered a high-risk group for alcohol-use disorders and recurrent drunken driving.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Violence against the adolescents of Kolkata: A study in relation to the socio-economic background and mental health.

This study attempts to understand the nature of violence suffered by the adolescents of Kolkata (erstwhile Calcutta) and to identify its relation with their socio-economic background and mental health variables such as anxiety, adjustment, and self-concept. It is a cross-sectional study covering a total of 370 adolescents (182 boys and 188 girls) from six higher secondary schools in Kolkata. The data was gathered by way of a semi-structured questionnaire and three standard psychological tests. Findings revealed that 52.4%, 25.1%, and 12.7% adolescents suffered psychological, physical, and sexual violence in the last year. Older adolescents (aged 17-18 years) suffered more psychological violence than the younger ones (15-16 years) (p<0.05). Sixty nine (18.6%) adolescent students stood witness to violence between adult members in the family. More than three-fifth (61.9%) adolescents experienced at least one type of violence, while one-third (32.7%) experienced physical or sexual violence or both. Whatever its nature is, violence leaves a scar on the mental health of the victims. Those who have been through regular psychological violence reported high anxiety, emotional adjustment problem, and low self-concept. Sexual abuse left a damaging effect on self-concept (p<0.05), while psychological violence or the witnessing of violence prompted high anxiety scores (p<0.05), poor emotional adjustment (p<0.05), and low self-concept (p<0.05). This study stresses the need to provide individual counselling services to the maltreated adolescents of Kolkata so that their psychological traumas can heal and that they can move on in life with new hopes and dreams.

Typical MMPI-2 Profiles of Multiple-DWI Individuals

We identified the typical personality profile of individuals with multiple driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenses using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Multiple DWI offenders were recruited from outpatient clinics between January 2009 and September 2013. All participants were administered the MMPI-2 and also completed a questionnaire soliciting demographic information. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using Ward’s method. The multiple-offenders-I group (n = 9) had relatively high (although still within normal) scores on the D and Pd scales. The multiple-offenders-II group (n = 50) had low scores on both the Ma and Si scales and a V-shaped profile on the validity scales. Some multiple offenders may have poorer emotional adjustment, characterized by tendencies toward psychopathic deviance, mania, and depression, as well as psychopathological characteristics typically associated with patients with alcohol-use disorder.

Predictors of Emotional Functioning in Youth After Surgical Correction of Idiopathic Scoliosis

Patients with idiopathic scoliosis, although otherwise healthy, often have significant concerns about their self-image and appearance. In a group of juveniles and adolescents, this can impact adjustment in school, functioning in peer groups, and general sense of well-being. There are limited data to help physicians reliably and precisely identify those who are at higher risk of poor emotional adjustment even after spine deformity correction. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of emotional maladjustment in juvenile and adolescent patients after surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis. A total of 233 juveniles, mean age 11.26 ± 1.02 (range, 8 to 12) years and 909 adolescents, mean age 14.91 ± 1.61 (range, 13 to 21) years, who underwent surgical correction for idiopathic scoliosis and who were participating in a prospective longitudinal multicenter database, were enrolled in the study. Participants completed the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire before surgery and 2 years postoperatively. Radiographs were used to measure Cobb angle and surface measurements were used to determine decompensation and trunk shift. Adolescents reported poorer mental health preoperatively (P<0.05) and 2 years postoperatively (P<0.001) than juveniles; however, both groups reported improved mental health (P<0.001) and self-image (P<0.01) postoperatively. Mental health 2 years postoperatively was predicted by preoperative self-image (P<0.05), mental health (P<0.001), and main thoracic Cobb angle (P<0.05) in the juvenile group. Within the adolescent group, mental health 2 years postoperatively was predicted by preoperative mental health (P<0.001); self-image 2 years postoperatively was predicted by preoperative mental health (P<0.01) and self-image (P<0.001). Self-image and mental health are significantly improved after spine deformity correction in juveniles and adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. However, consistent with normative development, adolescents are at higher risk for emotional maladjustment than juveniles. Surgical decision making in scoliosis correction should take the emotional status of the patient into consideration.

Fertility preservation in cancer survivors: a national survey of oncologists’ current knowledge, practice and attitudes

Background:Around 1 in 10 of all cancer cases occur in adults of reproductive age. Cancer and its treatments can cause long-term effects, such as loss of fertility, which can lead to poor emotional adjustment. Unmet information needs are associated with higher levels of anxiety. US research suggests that many oncologists do not discuss fertility. Very little research exists about fertility information provision in the United Kingdom. This study aimed to explore current knowledge, practice and attitudes among oncologists in the United Kingdom regarding fertility preservation in patients of child-bearing age.Methods:A national online survey of 100 oncologists conducted online via medeconnect, a company which has exclusive access to the doctors.net.uk membership of GMC registered doctors.Results:Oncologists saw fertility preservation (FP) as mainly a women's issue, and yet only felt knowledgeable about sperm storage, not other methods of FP; 87% expressed a need for more information. Most reported discussing the impact of treatment on fertility with patients, but only 38% reported routinely providing patients with written information, and 1/3 reported they did not usually refer patients who had questions about fertility to a specialist fertility service. Twenty-three per cent had never consulted any FP guidelines. The main barriers to initiating discussions about FP were lack of time, lack of knowledge, perceived poor success rates of FP options, poor patient prognosis and, to a lesser extent, if the patient already had children, was single, or could not afford FP treatment.Conclusion:The findings from this study suggest a deficiency in UK oncologist's knowledge about FP options and highlights that the provision of information to patients about FP may be sub-optimal. Oncologists may benefit from further education, and further research is required to establish if patients perceive a need for further information about FP options.

Identifying and describing feelings and psychological flexibility predict mental health in men with HIV

Difficulty identifying and describing feelings (DIDF) and psychological flexibility (PF) predict poor emotional adjustment. To examine the relationship between DIDF and PF and whether DIDF and low PF would put men undergoing cancer screening at risk for poor adjustment. Longitudinal self-report survey. Two hundred and one HIV-infected men who have sex with men participated in anal cancer screening at two time points over 14 weeks. Psychological flexibility was assessed by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II and DIDF by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. We also measured depression, anxiety, stress (DASS) and health-related quality of life (QOL; SF-12). Both DIDF and PF were reliable predictors of mental health. When levels of baseline mental health were controlled, greater DIDF predicted increases in Time 2 depression, anxiety and stress and decreases in mental and physical QOL. The link between PF and mental health was entirely mediated by DIDF. Being chronically low in PF could lead to greater DIDF and thereby worse mental health. Having more PF promotes the ability to identify and differentiate the nuances of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, which enhances an individual's mental health. Intentionally enhancing men's ability to identify and describe feelings or PF may assist them to better manage a range of difficult life experiences such as health screenings and other potentially threatening information.