Positive Future Expectations Research Articles

Telling stories and adding scores: Measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS

“Telling stories and adding scores: Measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS”, demonstrates how a concurrent mixed method design assisted cross-cultural comparison and ecological descriptions of resilience in young South African children, as well as validated alternative ways to measure resilience in young children. In a longitudinal randomised control trial, which investigated psychological resilience in mothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS, we combined a qualitative projective story-telling technique (Düss Fable) with quantitative data (Child Behaviour Checklist). The children mostly displayed adaptive resilience-related behaviours, although maladaptive behaviours were present. Participating children use internal (resolve/agency, positive future expectations, emotional intelligence) and external protective resources (material resources, positive institutions) to mediate adaptation. Children's maladaptive behaviours were exacerbated by internal (limited problem-solving skills, negative emotions) and external risk factors (chronic and cumulative adversity).

Future expectations of young people leaving youth care in Flanders: the role of personal and social capital in coping with expected challenges

AbstractWhat do young people leaving youth care think about their future? How do they view their transition between youth care and adulthood? These questions were answered by 71 young people leaving youth care in Flanders. The analysis of the interviews showed that three groups of young people can be distinguished when it comes to their expectations regarding the transition: those with positive future expectations that do not expect any difficulties during their transition, those with positive future expectations expecting difficulties that will eventually pass, and those with negative future expectations, who do not expect their transition difficulties will pass. Most respondents think the future is looking bright, because they are about to graduate or have graduated, and/or because they are intrinsically motivated to deal with their anticipated transition difficulties. Young people with negative future expectations do not stress their intrinsic motivation. Some of them think a (future) partner and their parents will be able to support them through their difficulties; they do not consider professional support as helpful, however.

Future expectations of senior high schoolers in Romania

This study examines the future achievements of adolescents from Romania and their future worries about the pending transition to adulthood. The study examines the hypotheses that personal variables (e.g. gender, a personality trait of optimism) and social support variables (the support of family, peers) predict their future expectations. A total of 905 adolescents participated in the study. The self-report questionnaire covered several areas including demographic background, optimism, family and peer support and future expectations. Results indicate that most adolescents perceived their future positively. Their future achievements and worries were related to gender. Self-confidence and optimism were positively correlated with positive future expectations. At the same time, lack of the peer-support group was related to negative future expectations, whereas family support did not seem to play a role in this relation. These findings suggest that there are areas of concern that should be addressed through programmes to prepare youth for adult transition. Follow-up and longitudinal studies are suggested.

Sales manager support: fostering emotional health in salespeople

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role of sales manager support in promoting the subjective well‐being of salespeople as well as the function of the sales manager in cultivating positive, motivating and productive environments.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory assessment of the relationship between sales manager support and emotional health in salespeople was conducted by interviewing sales professionals from diverse industries. The insight offered from these individuals, in conjunction with prior literature, provided the basis for the development of a conceptual model that elucidates the impact of sales manager support on the emotional well‐being of salespeople and subsequently salesperson effectiveness. The model was tested using 154 salespeople. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.FindingsResults indicate that sales manager support is negatively related to emotional exhaustion and rumination, but positively associated with fostering positive working environments and future expectations. Salesperson motivation is positively related to positive working environments and customer‐oriented selling and negatively related to emotional exhaustion.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is cross‐sectional in nature and no causal relationships could be established. Future studies might include field experiments that assess the effect of sales manager support on salesperson's well‐being and behavior.Practical implicationsThe study demonstrates the important role sales managers have in promoting the subjective well‐being of salespeople.Originality/valueThis research addresses how sales manager coaching specifically impacts elements of a salesperson's emotional health.

Thriving in the shadow of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake: Two studies on resilience in adolescents

The objective of the current study was to explore the relationship between resilience and psychological adjustment in Chinese adolescents who experienced the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Study 1 compared the scores and factor structures on the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents for 1436 adolescents, who were divided into a high-adversity group and a low-adversity group. The results showed that resilience following exposure to an earthquake included cognitive and emotive components. In Study 2, 311 Chinese adolescents who resided in the most severely affected areas were surveyed at 15 months (T1) and 20 months (T2) following the earthquake. The results revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between positive future expectations at T1 and adjustment at T2.

Coping in long‐term survivors of childhood cancer: relations to psychological distress

The goal of this study was to describe coping strategies and their associations with psychological distress in young adult survivors of childhood cancer. One hundred and sixty-four childhood cancer survivors, at least 7 years after diagnosis, completed questionnaires assessing demographics, health information, psychological distress, and different ways of coping (return rate: 61%). The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale's (PDS) eight-item short form were used to measure psychological distress. Coping was assessed with the Cognitive Control Strategies Scale (CCSS), the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R), and the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI). Higher levels of distress were associated with the female sex, not being in a relationship, and with the presence of medical late effects. These predictors explained 12% of the variance in psychological distress. When coping variables were also entered into the equation, the amount of explained variance increased to 50%. The most important determinants of psychological distress in our sample were a tendency to suppress negative thoughts and a low level of optimism. These results contribute to a better understanding of the correlates of difficulties in long-term psychological adjustment after childhood cancer. Cognitive strategies, which are associated with or may increase the risk for concurrent psychological distress, in specific, avoidance of negative thoughts and a lack of positive future expectations, should be addressed in psychological counseling with survivors suffering from symptoms of distress.

The Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior

Suicide is a major public health concern accounting for 800 000 deaths globally each year. Although there have been many advances in understanding suicide risk in recent decades, our ability to predict suicide is no better now than it was 50 years ago. There are many potential explanations for this lack of progress, but the absence, until recently, of comprehensive theoretical models that predict the emergence of suicidal ideation distinct from the transition between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts/suicide is key to this lack of progress. The current article presents the integrated motivational–volitional (IMV) model of suicidal behaviour, one such theoretical model. We propose that defeat and entrapment drive the emergence of suicidal ideation and that a group of factors, entitled volitional moderators (VMs), govern the transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal behaviour. According to the IMV model, VMs include access to the means of suicide, exposure to suicidal behaviour, capability for suicide (fearlessness about death and increased physical pain tolerance), planning, impulsivity, mental imagery and past suicidal behaviour. In this article, we describe the theoretical origins of the IMV model, the key premises underpinning the model, empirical tests of the model and future research directions.

Ergen öznel iyi oluşu ile olumlu gelecek beklentisi arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi / The relationship between adolescents’ subjective well-being and positive expectations towards future

The relationship between adolescents’ subjective well-being and positive expectations towards future Objective: This study examines the association between positive expectations towards future and subjective well-being among adolescents. Method: The participants of the study included a total of 233 adolescents (121 male and 112 female) aged between 14 and 17. The data of the study were obtained through the use of the Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being Scale and Positive Future Expectations Scale. The data were evaluated using basic linear regression analysis method. Results: The study findings indicated that positive expectations towards future were positively correlated with adolescents’ subjective well-being. Positive expectations towards future explained 24% variance of adolescents’ subjective well-being. Discussion and Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that there is a statistically significant relationship between adolescents’ subjective well-being and positive expectations towards future. Results of this study may be used in subjective well-being improvement programs.

Response to Letter Regarding Article, "Optimism, Cynical Hostility, and Incident Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in the Women's Health Initiative"

We thank Drs. Lucchetti and Granero for their commentary on our work on psychological attitudes and mortality, and thank the Editors for an opportunity to respond. We agree that the biopsychosocial model,1 which incorporates psychological, religious/spiritual, and social domains, adds critical dimensions to the understanding of each individual patient’s health. As Lucchetti and Granero point out, spirituality and religiosity have been related to health in a variety of populations2 including the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).3 Although spirituality and religiosity may probe different aspects of human experience, they are often considered together in the literature. The hypothesis that individuals who regularly attend religious services may in turn be more optimistic is a reasonable one, suggesting that the relationship between optimism and all-cause mortality may be mediated by religious attendance. In our published report of 97,253 post-menopausal women participating in the WHI, trait optimism (as measured by the Life Orientation Test4 and defined as positive future expectation) and trait cynical hostility (as measured by the Cook Medley cynicism subscale5 and defined as the general mistrust of others), and religious attendance (not at all; 1–3 times per month; > 1 time per week) were measured at baseline entry into the study. Optimism, but not cynical hostility, was related to religious attendance. The Spearman correlation between religious attendance and optimism was 0.05 in the full sample. Women scoring in the highest quartile of the LOT-R questionnaire (“optimists”) were more likely than women scoring in the lowest quartile (“pessimists”) to report attending religious services > 1 time per week (47% vs. 41%, respectively, p 1 time per week. When religious attendance was added to the multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, the adjusted hazard of total mortality over 8 years of follow up among optimists (as compared to pessimists) remained 14% lower (indicating no change from the estimate in our published paper). For completeness, we also added religious attendance to the cynical hostility analyses, but as expected, found no changes. In the full models, religious attendance itself was independently related to the outcome of total mortality, as expected based on earlier published work.3 In summary, we did not find evidence that religious attendance influenced the relationship between optimism and mortality.

Manipulating optimism: Can imagining a best possible self be used to increase positive future expectancies?

This study tested whether a brief manipulation consisting of positive future thinking can temporarily increase optimism. Participants in the positive future thinking condition (n = 44) wrote about their best possible self (BPS) for 15 min, followed by 5 min of mental imagery. Participants in the control condition (n = 38) wrote about and imagined a typical day in their life. Positive and negative future expectancies and positive and negative affect were measured before and after each manipulation. Compared to the control manipulation, the positive future thinking manipulation led to significantly larger increase in positive affect and positive future expectancies. The increase in positive expectancies was not dependent on the mood effect. The results indicate that imagining a positive future can indeed increase expectancies for a positive future.

Perceived HIV stigma among children in a high HIV-prevalence area in central China: beyond the parental HIV-related illness and death

Objectives. (1) Examine the psychometric properties of two parallel measures of HIV-related stigma (i.e., perceived public stigma and children's personal stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS [PLWHA]) among children affected by HIV/AIDS. (2) Examine whether expressions of stigma measures differ by child's sex, developmental stage, family socioeconomic status (SES), or orphanhood status (i.e., AIDS orphans, vulnerable children, and comparison children). (3) Examine the association between HIV-related stigma and children's psychosocial adjustments among these children. Methods. Cross-sectional data were collected from 755 AIDS orphans (children who had lost one or both their parents to AIDS), 466 vulnerable children who lived with HIV-infected parents, and 404 comparison children who did not experience HIV-related illness and death in their families. The measures included perceived public stigma, personal stigma, depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, future expectations, hopefulness about the future, and perceived control over the future. Results. Both stigma scales were positively associated with psychopathological symptoms (e.g., depression, loneliness) and negatively associated with psychosocial well-being (e.g., self-esteem, positive future expectation, hopefulness about future, and perceived control over the future). Both stigma measures contribute to children's psychosocial problems independent of their orphanhood status and other key demographic factors. Conclusion. Community-wide stigma reduction and psychological support should be part of the care efforts for children affected by AIDS. Stigma reduction efforts should not only target the stigma against PLWHA but also possible stigma against the entire community (e.g., villages) with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The stigma reduction efforts also needs to be appropriate for children's age, gender, family SES, and AIDS experience in the family. Future research should explore individual and contextual factors such as social support, coping, and attachment in mitigating the negative effect of stigma among these children.

Positive future orientation as a mediator between traumatic events and mental health among children affected by HIV/AIDS in rural China

Objective. The current study was designed to explore the effect of future orientation in mediating the relationship between traumatic events and mental health in children affected by HIV/AIDS in rural China. Methods. Cross-sectional data were collected from 1221 children affected by HIV/AIDS (755 AIDS orphans and 466 vulnerable children). Future orientation among children was measured using three indicators (future expectation, hopefulness toward the future, and perceived control over the future). Measures of mental health consisted of depression, loneliness, and self-esteem. Children's experience of any traumatic events was measured using a modified version of the Life Incidence of Traumatic Events-Student Form. Mediation analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) methods. Results. Among the children surveyed, most of the traumatic indicators were negatively associated with future expectation, hopefulness, perceived control, and self-esteem, and positively associated with depression and loneliness. The SEM of mediation analysis demonstrated an adequate fit. Future orientation fully mediated the relationship between traumatic events and mental health and accounted for 67.9% of the total effect of traumatic events on mental health. Conclusions. Results of this study support the positive effect of future expectation in mediating the relationship between traumatic events and mental health among children affected by HIV/AIDS in China. Future mental health promotion and intervention efforts targeting children affected by HIV/AIDS should include components that can mitigate the negative impact of traumatic events on their lives. These components may aim to develop children’ positive future expectations, increase their hopefulness toward the future, and improve their perceived control over the future.

Optimism, Cynical Hostility, and Incident Coronary Heart Disease and Mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative

Trait optimism (positive future expectations) and cynical, hostile attitudes toward others have not been studied together in relation to incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and mortality in postmenopausal women. Participants were 97 253 women (89 259 white, 7994 black) from the Women's Health Initiative who were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease at study entry. Optimism was assessed by the Life Orientation Test-Revised and cynical hostility by the cynicism subscale of the Cook Medley Questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard models produced adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) for incident CHD (myocardial infarction, angina, percutaneous coronary angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass surgery) and total mortality (CHD, cardiovascular disease, or cancer related) over approximately 8 years. Optimists (top versus bottom quartile ["pessimists"]) had lower age-adjusted rates (per 10 000) of CHD (43 versus 60) and total mortality (46 versus 63). The most cynical, hostile women (top versus bottom quartile) had higher rates of CHD (56 versus 44) and total mortality (63 versus 46). Optimists (versus pessimists) had a lower hazard of CHD (AHR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99), CHD-related mortality (AHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.90), cancer-related mortality (blacks only; AHR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.88), and total mortality (AHR 0.86, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.93). Most (versus least) cynical, hostile women had a higher hazard of cancer-related mortality (AHR 1.23, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.40) and total mortality (AHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.27; this effect was pronounced in blacks). Effects of optimism and cynical hostility were independent. Optimism and cynical hostility are independently associated with important health outcomes in black and white women. Future research should examine whether interventions designed to change attitudes would lead to altered risk.

A comparison of specific positive future expectancies and global hopelessness as predictors of suicidal ideation in a prospective study of repeat self-harmers

BackgroundHopelessness and the lack of positive future expectancies have been related to suicidality. This is the first study to compare the power of positive future expectancies and global hopelessness in the prediction of suicidal ideation. In short, are specific positive expectancies or global hopelessness attitudes more closely related to suicidality? MethodOne hundred and forty four adults hospitalized following a suicidal self-harm episode completed a range of clinical and psychological measures in hospital and were followed up approximately 2.5 months after discharge. All participants reported at least one other self-harm episode in addition to the index episode. ResultsHierarchical regression analyses confirmed that specific positive future expectancies were better predictors of Time 2 suicidal ideation than global hopelessness. In addition, as hypothesized, negative future thinking was not independently associated with suicidal ideation. LimitationsShort-term follow-up. ConclusionsSpecific, idiographic expectancies for positive events (i.e., positive future thinking) are more important predictors of suicidal ideation than global attitudes of hopelessness. Unlike global hopelessness, they provide more options for intervention (e.g., identifying life goals and plans). These findings are particularly noteworthy given the widespread use of measures of global hopelessness. The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of the Dutch version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire – Positive (ATQ – P)

The role of positive cognitions in psychopathology is increasingly recognized. Several measures of this construct have been devised. The most well‐known instrument to measure positive self‐referent thoughts is the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire – Positive (ATQ – P). The present study explored the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of this questionnaire. Data were derived from 257 bereaved adults. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that an oblique 5‐factor model with items pertaining to Positive Daily Functioning, Positive Self‐Evaluation, Other's Evaluation of Self, Positive Future Expectations, and Positive Social Functioning fit the data well. This model was a slight modification of the 4‐factor model originally proposed by the developers of the ATQ – P, in which items pertaining to Positive Social Functioning were part of the factor Positive Daily Functioning. The internal consistency and the short‐term temporal stability of the ATQ – P were found to be satisfactory. In addition, the 5 factors as well as the summed total score of the ATQ – P showed adequate discriminative, construct, divergent and convergent validity. In sum, the present study indicates that the Dutch ATQ – P is an effective measure of positive automatic cognitions.

肯定的自動思考測定尺度の開発

The present study developed and evaluated the Positive Automatic Thoughts List (PAL) to explore the roles and function of self-talk in a Japanese population in positive situations. In Study 1, 22 items were chosen to construct the PAL. Five factors were identified, I . Expressions of Positive Emotion, II. Positive Expectations of Future and Self, III. Positive Self-Evaluation, IV. Having Social Support, and V. Hope for Maintaining Positive Mood. All these factors had high degrees of internal consistency. Factors I and V have never been identified in previous studies, these factors may characterized Japanese positive automatic thoughts. In Study 2, the concurrent validity of the PAL was examined. The results showed that the PAL total scores were significantly correlated with the Self-rating Depression Scale (r= -.29) and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised (Positive: r=.46, Negative: r= -.16). Study 3 confirmed the clinical validity of the PAL, discriminating between healthy undergraduates and depressed outpatients. We discussed that Factor I could be closely related to the increase of positive affect and to the maintenance of depressive states.

Adolescent Adjustment over Six Years in HIV-Affected Families

Purpose To assess predictors of adjustment of adolescents of parents with HIV (PWH) at three and six years after the delivery of either a coping skills intervention or a standard care condition. Methods A randomized controlled intervention trial was conducted with 288 parents with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and their adolescent children. Indicators of adolescent adjustment at both three and six years were examined as a function of intervention condition, demographics, prior behaviors, and parental bonds using structural equation modeling (SEM). Adolescent adjustment at six years was also examined as a function of death of the PWH. Results Protective factors: Youth in the intervention condition reported significantly less substance use three and six years later. In addition, positive parental bonds reported at baseline reduced emotional distress at three years and increased positive future expectations at six years. Risk factors: Substance use at three years predicted heightened sexual risk behaviors, continued substance use, and lower future expectations at six years. Early emotional distress and being Latino predicted increased emotional distress at three years. Parental death by three years predicted more sexual risk behavior and lowered future expectations at six years. Conclusions A time-limited, family based intervention with adolescents of PWH demonstrated both direct and indirect benefits lasting into early adulthood, especially in decreasing substance use, and identifies key risk factors for problematic adjustment, including the death of a PWH.

Hope in times of threat: The case of Israeli and Palestinian youth.

This study was developed by a group of Israeli and Palestinian researchers for the purpose of examining levels and contents of hope among young people in the conflicted region of the Middle East. Hope was defined as the interaction between wishes and positive future expectations. The differentiation between personal and collective hopes, as well as stability and/or change of levels of hope in the context of a changing reality, were examined. Data were collected at two points of time: during the period of the Oslo Accords talks (1999-2000) and in the time of events of the Al-Aksa Intifada (2002). The representative samples in the first stage were comprised of 1,183 Palestinian high-school students from the Palestinian National Territories, and 1,188 Israeli Jewish students. The adolescents' hopes, wishes and expectations for the future are compared and discussed from individual, social, and cultural perspectives.

Recognition of Values-Based Constructs in a Summer Physical Activity Program.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent participants in a summer sports camp embraced values-based constructs and to examine the relationship between perceptions of values-based constructs and affect and attitude. Participants included 135 ethnically diverse boys and girls (mean age 11.98 years) attending the National Youth Sport Program (NYSP). Participants' perceptions of the extent the program emphasized values-based constructs and participants' enjoyment, interest in sport, future expectations, and respect of leadership were assessed. Factor analysis revealed three values-based constructs: Care for Others/Goal Setting, Self-Responsibility, and Self-Control/Respect. Correlational analyses revealed that emphasizing values-based criteria was positively related to the participant's sport enjoyment, interest in sport, positive future expectations, and greater respect for leaders. The practical implications of the findings are discussed.

INNOVATION ASSIMILATION IN THE PRESENCE OF KNOWLEDGE BARRIERS, TECHNOLOGY UNCERTAINTY AND ADOPTION RISKS.

Considerable attention has been directed towards developing a more complete understanding of technology adoption by Information Systems (IS) departments. Much of this research has focused on demand side factors and limited attention has been paid to supply side factors that play important roles in technology adoption. This study focuses on the supply side factors that are likely to impact innovation adoption by IS departments. Innovation diffusion, technology management and marketing literatures are synthesized to develop a theoretical model to explain the variations among information systems departments in their propensity to adopt and assimilate Component Based Software Development (CBD). It is hypothesized that information systems departments will be more likely to adopt and assimilate CBD when they face lower knowledge barriers, have positive future expectations about the technology and when technology vendors share the risks associated with CBD adoption. It is also posited that knowledge brokering by technology vendors and the IS organization's experience in using technologies related to CBD are likely to reduce the knowledge barriers it faces and, the extent to which technology vendors signal their future expectations about CBD and the linkages an IS organization has to supply side institutions will reduce the technology uncertainty it perceives. The research model is validated using data collected through a mail survey from 92 IS units in organizations in the United States. The results of the Partial Least Square analysis support five of the seven hypothesized relationships in the research model. Lower knowledge barrier and the extent to which vendors shared the adoption risks with the IS unit were found to positively impact CBD assimilation. It was also found that knowledge brokering by technology vendors reduced the knowledge barrier faced by the IS units and signaling reduced the technology uncertainty faced by the IS units. Contrary to our expectations, links to supply side institutions increased the technology uncertainty perceived by the IS units. These results are interpreted and the implications of this study for theory, future research and practice are discussed.