Predictors Of Psychosocial Adjustment Research Articles

Predictors of psychosocial adjustment and its subdomains in young adults with hematologic malignancy: A cross-sectional study

PurposeThis study aims to identify the factors influencing psychosocial adjustment and its subdomains. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 176 young adults (men 55.7%, 30.5 ± 5.9 years) diagnosed with a hematologic malignancy in South Korea. Psychological adjustment, symptom experience, and type D personality were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Clinical characteristics were extracted from the medical record. Stepwise multiple regression was conducted to identify the factors influencing psychosocial adjustment. ResultsThe predictors of difficulties in psychosocial adjustment were high symptom experience, type D personality, being unemployed, low functional status, and short time since the last chemotherapy. By subdomain of psychosocial adjustment, predictors of low healthcare orientation were high symptom experience, woman, and type D personality, and predictors of low vocational environment were high symptom experience, being unemployed, short duration of disease, low functional status, and diagnosis. The factors influencing low domestic environment were high symptom experience, being unemployed, and low functional status, and the factor influencing low sexual relationships was high symptom experience. The predictor of low extended family relationships was high symptom experience; predictors of low social environment were high symptom experience and short duration of disease; and predictors of low psychological distress were high symptom experience, type D personality, and being unemployed. ConclusionAs young adults with higher symptom experiences, type D personality, low functional status, and shorter time since the last chemotherapy, and who are unemployed experience difficulties in psychosocial adjustment, healthcare professionals should evaluate their psychosocial adjustment and develop strategies to improve the same.

Predictors of psychosocial adjustment in Syrian refugee children attending Lebanese public schools

To recognize the role schools play in the acclimatization of refugee children to their new life in the host country, we sought to investigate the psychosocial adjustment of Syrian refugee students enrolled in Lebanese public schools. Psychosocial adjustment involves both the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of children and is measured using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Psychosocial adjustment is also consistently linked to school belonging which, in turn, can be assessed using the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale. The aim of this study is to identify associations between psychosocial adjustment, determined by the SDQ and PSSM scale, and both (1) sociodemographics (age, gender, parental level of education and length of stay in the host country) and (2) classroom environment in Lebanese public schools in the greater Beirut area. A total of 410 Syrian refugee students (222 females) with a mean age of 11.4 years, who arrived in Lebanon between the years 2011 and 2017, were included in the study. The results showed a very weak correlation between older age and psychosocial maladjustment measured using the SDQ (r = .10, p = .04). Additionally, girls had a better psychosocial adjustment than boys (mean PSSM-scale score: 70.7 ± 10.1 Vs. 67.4 ± 11.8, p = .0014). On multivariate linear regression, there was a strong positive correlation between the classroom environment and psychosocial adjustment (p < .001). Policies addressing the emotional needs of Syrian refugee children in Lebanese public schools and promoting their psychosocial adjustment are needed.

The Effects of Provision of Instrumental, Emotional, and Informational Support on Psychosocial Adjustment of Involuntary Childless Women in Pakistan

The objectives of the study are to investigate (i) the level of social support, social adjustment, and psychological adjustment; and (ii) the effects of social support (emotional, informational, and instrumental support) on social adjustment, psychological adjustment, and psychosocial adjustment among childless women. A total of 334 woman respondents were surveyed using a simple random sampling technique. Factor analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. In the overall model, emotional support, instrumental support, and informational support were significantly associated with social adjustment. In addition, emotional support and instrumental support were significant with psychological adjustment. Furthermore, emotional support, instrumental support, and informational support were the predictors of psychosocial adjustment among childless women. This study contributed to the broader avenues of understanding social support such as husband, in-laws, friends, and relatives, and the accumulation of social support among the childless women in the patriarchal society. The findings highlighted the efficacy and utility of the centuries-old social institution of family as a major predictor of psychosocial support to the childless woman. It subsidized to the limited body of research on provision of social support and psychosocial adjustment among childless women in the patriarchal society.

Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescents in Residential Care: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Adolescents in residential care have an increased risk of developing psychosocial problems, however, not all adolescents are equally vulnerable. This study aims to provide a review and methodological evaluation of current studies, which focus on protective and risk factors associated with the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents in residential care. Relevant literature was searched in five databases and we identified 25 publications, which met the inclusion criteria. Information regarding direct/indirect risk and protective factors was organized at the individual, social and contextual levels for different outcomes. The results showed that risk and protective factors, were mainly social and contextual factors. Moreover, very few individual factors were found to be related to psychosocial adjustment. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze each study and showed that some data was poorly or inconsistently reported. This review showed that research on risk and protective factors related to adolescents living in residential care is still limited. Therefore, longitudinal studies with high-quality design and power are needed.

War-exposed newcomer adolescent immigrants facing daily life stressors in the United States

For adolescents new to the United States, the experience of war and acculturative stressors may play complex roles during early stages of adjustment to a new culture and country. The overall purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of the experiences of adolescents who are new to the United States, also called “newcomers”, through the examination of pre-migration war exposure and post-migration acculturative stressors as predictors of psychosocial adjustment and academic achievement. The study sample included newcomer immigrant and refugee youth (N=184) with an average of 3.5 years in the United States. Triangulated data were collected from youth, teachers, and official school records. Results indicated that the participants who were exposed to war (N=57) experienced more self-reported and teacher-reported anxiety, more self-reported conduct problems, and had lower academic achievement than participants who had not been exposed to war. Acculturative stressors also predicted more self-reported anxiety, conduct problems, and lower academic achievement, but only for those adolescents without war exposure, suggesting that exposure to traumatic events like war may change newcomer adolescents’ response to acculturative stressors. This may be related to the development of coping or growth that follows after trauma, which enable youth to navigate other life challenges. Understanding potential risk and resilience associated with war exposure among newly arrived students can assist clinicians, educators, and researchers in creating solutions to difficulties in psychosocial adjustment and academic performance.

Promotive Factors and Psychosocial Adjustment Among Urban Youth

Urban youth are often exposed to compounded risk factors which make them more vulnerable to negative outcomes. Research examining promotive factors which may reduce vulnerabilities to poor psychosocial adjustment among this population is limited. The current study addresses this limitation by examining the impact of self-efficacy and positive expectations about the future, as promotive factors, on levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology, sense of belonging, and friendship among a sample of urban youth. Data are from 1202 4th and 5th grade students enrolled at 27 elementary schools in a high poverty, high minority school district in the Southeastern United States. Using ordinary least squares regression, analyses reveal that promotive factors are significant predictors of psychosocial adjustment and thus have implications for improving negative outcomes among urban minority youth. The findings suggests that interventions aimed at increasing self-efficacy and positive expectations about the future may reduce child and adolescent vulnerability to negative outcomes associated with poor psychosocial adjustment.

O retraimento social em adolescentes: um estudo descritivo do seu ajustamento sócio-emocional segundo a perspectiva dos professores

Adolescents social withdrawal refers to the self-isolation relative to their peer group translating into a solitary behavior manifested consistently (in different situations and over time) and in the presence of either familiar or unfamiliar peers. This behavior can have negative consequences, especially in adolescence and can be a predictor of psychosocial adjustment. This study aims to analyze the relationship

The cost of perfection with apparent ease: Theoretical foundations and development of the Effortless Perfectionism Scale.

Effortless perfection is a term used to describe an intense pressure to be perfect without visible effort (Yee, 2003), and is thought to be linked to several indicators of maladjustment among college-age youth (Ruane, 2012; Yee, 2003). Although effortless perfectionism (EP) is a phenomenon referenced in popular culture, empirical support for this construct is needed. In addition to conceptualizing and discussing the theoretical underpinnings of EP, this paper describes the development of an instrument to assess EP: the 10-item Effortless Perfectionism scale (EPS). The responses of a large sample of students from a Midwestern university (N = 1,270) were used to develop a 1-factor measurement model for the EPS. The EPS showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and demonstrated convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity in relation to other perfectionism scales, as a predictor of psychosocial adjustment, and as a mediator of the effects of gender on adjustment. The present study supports the reliability and construct validity of the EPS as a self-report measure of EP, a distinct type of perfectionism that warrants future investigation.

Prediction of Psychosocial Adjustment Using Psychological Wellbeing and Coping Strategies in Patients Suffering from Lymphoma Cancer and Leukemia

The present research tries to predict psychosocial adjustment based on psychological wellbeing and coping strategies in patients suffering from Lymphoma cancer and Leukemiain Tehran, Karaj and Rasht Cities. This research was conducted in 2013 and 2014. Using accessible sampling method, 200 patients who suffered from Lymphoma cancer and Leukemia (93 cancer patients and 107 Leukemia patients) were selected. In order to evaluate research variables, psychosocial adjustment questionnaire in chronic patients, Reef's psychological wellbeing questionnaire and Andler&Parker's questionnaire of coping strategies in stressful conditions were used. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that task-oriented coping strategies predict 14% of variations in psychosocial adjustment, emotion-oriented coping strategies predict 26% and avoidant coping strategies predict 23% and psychological wellbeing predicts 24% of variations in psychosocial adjustment variable. According to the results of the research, it can be said that task-oriented coping strategies and psychological wellbeing act like a dampener against stressful factors and chronic diseases. Moreover, psychological wellbeing acts as a positive factor in cancer patients and improves their psychosocial adjustment. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p3123

Using Common Sense Model in Eating Disorders

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships proposed in the Common Sense Model (CSM) in eating disorder (ED) patients. 98 female (ED) patients completed measures of illness representation and psychosocial adjustment. The confirmatory structural equation analysis revealed that illness representation dimensions were predictors of psychosocial adjustment. The hypothesis that coping mediates the relationship between illness representation and adjustment could not be confirmed. It may be helpful to consider the relationships between illness representation and adjustment when carrying out therapeutic work with these patients.

Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment During the Postradiation Treatment Transition

The aim of this study was to examine the role of cognitive appraisal in predicting psychosocial adjustment during the postradiation treatment transition. A predictive correlational design was used in a convenience sample of 80 patients with breast, lung, and prostate cancer who were receiving radiation therapy. Two weeks prior to completion of treatment, participants completed instruments to measure symptom distress, uncertainty, cognitive appraisal, social support, and self-efficacy for coping. The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale was administered 1 month after therapy. Adjustment was significantly correlated with all independent variables, age, and comorbidity. Young age and high amounts of threat appraisal, harm/loss appraisal, uncertainty, and symptom distress were significantly associated with poor adjustment. The model predicted 52% of the variability in adjustment. Cognitive appraisal was not a significant explanatory variable for adjustment when controlling for uncertainty, cancer stage, age, and symptom distress. Symptom distress was the only significant predictor of adjustment.

Bridging a Cultural Divide with Literature about Arabs and Arab Americans

Middle school is a time of many changes for young adolescents. They are searching for individual identity, struggling with society's norms, and grappling with moral (Boston & Baxley, 2007, p. 561). They are changing and maturing physically, cognitively, socially, and psychologically as they develop their identities; establish, maintain, and end friendships and social networks; develop interpersonal skills; build self-esteem; and critically examine themselves and their physical features (Manning & Bucher, 2005). They may explore different behaviors, ideas, and beliefs (Marcia, 1980), and they may undergo crises of identity (Erikson, 1963; 1968). Young adolescents are also involved in a series of changes imposed by the structure of the educational system as they transition from elementary school and begin anticipating a transition to high school. While all young adolescents may feel developmental and transitional pressures, minority and immigrant students may feel these pressures more acutely than most majority students. For example, the transition periods leading from elementary school to middle school and then from middle school to high school may present special problems for minority students (Cauce, Hannan, & Sargeant, 1992). Akos and Galassi (2004) found that race may play a role in school transition outcomes (p. 102) and in feelings of connectedness. While students who are actively engaged in school may be somewhat protected from transitional problems (Eccles et al., 1992), many minority students have feelings of detachment from the education system. Another area of concern for minority students involves the development of identity and self-esteem. As young adolescents mature, they begin to develop a sense of cultural and social identity as well as a sense of personal identity and self-esteem (Allen, 2004). While politics, economics, relationships, and public perceptions affect identity, identity development is also an with race, ethnicity, [and] religion (Shah, 2006, p. 218). This interplay may be especially difficult for minority and immigrant students who must be able to merge their native or traditional cultures with a new or majority culture. Rather than forgetting one culture, they must assimilate both to achieve ethnic solidarity (Portes & Zhou, 1993). Immigrant children may face a sense of cultural bereavement or uprooting in which a loss of cultural identity has a direct impact on self-esteem (Eisenbruch, 1988). In addition, they may feel a sense of dissonant acculturation (Rumbout & Portes, 2001) as they outstrip their parents in learning the language and culture of a new country. When this happens, a young adolescent may feel alienated from his or her parents and from peers at school. The issues described above may be especially acute for young adolescents of Arab descent who may possess feelings of detachment. Although many Arab Americans have traditionally been successful in school (Nieto, 1992), academic success is not always a predictor of psychosocial adjustment. Students may have high grades that mask feelings of depression and low self-esteem (Bankston & Zhou, 2002). Schools are key socialization and acculturization agencies (Hones & Cha, 1999; Trueba, Jacobs, & Kirton, 1990), and a student's perception of acceptance in school is a major factor in his or her overall adjustment to a new culture (Nguyen & Henkin, 1980). Because of these factors, teachers must ensure that Arab-American students have positive school experiences, especially during the critical developmental period of young adolescence. In this article, we provide information to help middle school teachers understand the Arab immigrant and Arab-American young adolescents in their classrooms. After briefly describing Arab history and culture and discussing specific problems facing Arab American and Arab immigrant students, we suggest literature about Arabs and Arab Americans to use in the middle school curriculum and place in the school library media center. …

Lifetime Incidences of Traumatic Events and Mental Health Among Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Rural China

Cross-sectional data were gathered from 1,625 children (M age = 12.85, SD = 2.21) which included 755 AIDS orphans, 466 vulnerable children, and 404 comparison children. Participants completed self-report measures of exposure to traumatic events, and psychosocial adjustment including behavior problems, depression, self-esteem, and future orientation. AIDS orphans and vulnerable children reported experiencing a higher total occurrence, density, duration, initial impact and lasting impact of traumatic events compared to comparison children. Scores reflecting adjustment were lower among orphans and vulnerable children than among comparison children. Both orphan status and traumatic events contributed unique variance in the expected direction to the prediction of psychosocial adjustment. The data in the current study suggested that children affected by HIV/AIDS in China are exposed to more trauma and suffer more adjustment problems than children who do not experience HIV/AIDS in their families.

Predictors of psychosocial adjustment in people with physical disease

The purpose of this paper was to examine the demographic, medical and psychosocial variables that result in the deterioration of psychosocial adjustment in patients with physical disease, the meaning their illness has for them and their coping style. The study was carried out in inpatient clinics of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (n = 198). The following evaluation instruments were used: a semi-structured questionnaire, the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR), the Meaning of Illness Questionnaire (MIQ), the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale, the Multivariate Perceived Social Support Questionnaire and the Ways of Coping Inventory (WCI). Variables to be related with psychosocial adjustment were analysed by using Forward Logistic Regression. The mean age of patients was 36.9 (SD 12.9) (18-65), 55% of which were women, the average PAIS-SR score was 1.02 (SD 0.41) (0.7-2.26); 47% of the patients had poor adjustment scores. Univariate analysis showed that psychosocial adjustment was affected by having children (p = 0.02), anxiety, depression, locus of control, perceived social support (p < 0.001), information level about their illness and its treatment (p = 0.01), the subscales of WCI [escape-avoidance (p < 0.001), distancing (p = 0.002), planned problem solving (p < 0.001), positive re-appraisal (p = 0.02)]. The psychosocial adjustment of patients with respiratory or infectious illnesses or bone-muscle-skeletal disorders was even less (p = 0.03). All 33 items of the MIQ were found to have a significant impact on psychosocial adjustment (p < 0.001). According to the regression analysis, the best predictors of psychosocial adjustment were: depression (p < 0.001) and the meaning of illness for patient (p < 0.01). Having a physical illness is an important stress factor. In providing assistance, a number of factors should be taken into consideration, including how the patient perceives his illness, the impact the illness has on the patient's life, and a determination of the degree of depression being experienced by the patient. The study indicated some predictors in the assessment of psychosocial adjustment and care of patients with physical illness. In daily clinical practice, among the patients with physical illness, those with a negative perception of their illness and those who define depression should be given special attention for psychosocial support.

Measurement of Acculturation, Scale Formats, and Language Competence

This study was conducted to test whether the lack of independence between ethnic and mainstream cultural orientations is partially due to the adoption of a specific scale format. It was hypothesized that unique structural features commonly found in bidimensional acculturation instruments (paired questions that differ only in their cultural orientations and utilize the “frequency” format) cause strong inverse associations between the two cultural orientations. This study also explored the relative importance of language competence over the other domains of acculturation in the prediction of psychosocial adjustment (i.e., self-esteem, perceived stress, peer relationship, adjustment to college, family conflict). As predicted, results from a sample of 489 Asian Americans supported the hypothesis that the scale formats contribute to the lack of orthogonality. They also showed that language competence was a stronger predictor of adjustment than the other domains of acculturation, implying that language competence is a better indicator of acculturation among Asian Americans.

Mother-Adolescent Relationship Quality and Autonomy as Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment Among African American Adolescents

This study investigated the role of mother-adolescent relationship quality and autonomy in the psychosocial outcomes in a sample of African American adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results indicated that positive mother-adolescent relationship quality and greater autonomy were associated with higher self-esteem, fewer depressive symptoms, and less delinquent behavior. Moreover, adolescents who were older, female, or from households with less income reported more depressive symptoms. In addition, adolescents who were younger or female reported fewer delinquent behaviors. Being male was associated with higher self-esteem. Adolescents’ age, family income, and mother-adolescent relationship quality did not moderate relations between autonomy and the outcome variables.

Religious and other predictors of psychosocial adjustment in cancer patients.

The authors tested the hypothesis that religious variables, such as a person's belief that his/her illness was God's will, would predict psychosocial adjustment in 50 patients who were predominantly Catholic Hispanic women attending a medical oncology clinic (42 women, 8 men). The patients were free of an Axis I mental disorder, cognitive impairment, and severe pain and were not undergoing intensive chemotherapy. By using the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale as the outcome measure, the authors found few associations with religious variables, but many to clinical variables.

Predictors of psychosocial adjustment in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Predictors of psychological distress/adjustment were examined in 25 patients following placement of ICDs. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire of psychological symptoms (i.e., Symptom Checklist-90 Revised; SCL-90-R). The number of discharges categorized by the patient as inappropriate and appropriate were also ascertained. The number of ICD discharges categorized as inappropriate and diminished levels of physical activity (r = 0.53 and 0.63, P < 0.01, respectively) did significantly relate to overall psychological distress. In addition, after controlling for age and prior psychiatric and physical health status through a stepwise multiple regression analysis, the occurrence of ICD discharges categorized as inappropriate and diminished physical activity continued to significantly predict overall psychological distress (R2 = 0.41, P < 0.01). However, the number of ICD discharges categorized as appropriate did not significantly predict overall psychological distress. The results of this investigation suggest that further refinement of the ICD could reduce the risk of exposure to potential psychological distress, and an analysis of prior and anticipated patient physical activity levels should be a factor when calibrating minimum ICD discharge threshold levels.

Body image, perceived social stigma, and the prediction of psychosocial adjustment to leg amputation.

Body image, perceived social stigma, and the prediction of psychosocial adjustment to leg amputation.

Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment to Breast Cancer

Sixty-seven women treated for breast cancer completed a battery of psychological tests to examine which psychological variables contributed most to several indexes of adjustment. An avoidant style of coping was associated with poorer adjustment on several different indexes, and an active coping style was associated with better adjustment on several indexes. Denial was related to poort adjustment on only one index - orientation ot health care. Day-to-day stresses were an important predictor of both psychological and domestic adjustment. Health locus of control and the stage and duration of cancer were not related to any adjustment indexes.