Problem-solving Appraisal Research Articles

Relation between social problem‐solving appraisals, work stress and psychological distress in male firefighters

AbstractThe relationship between social problem‐solving appraisals, work (organizational and incident‐related) stress and psychological distress was assessed in 78 firefighters from three divisions of a UK regional Fire Service using an anonymous self‐report questionnaire. The results of an hierarchical regression analysis indicated that work stress and problem‐solving appraisal accounted for a significant amount of the variance (49 per cent) in psychological distress scores. A small but significant amount of additional variance was accounted for by the interactions between organizational and incident‐related stress and problem‐solving appraisals. More specific analysis indicated that of the six problem‐solving appraisal dimensions, the approach factor was the only significant predictor of psychological distress, after work stress levels were controlled. Individuals in different fire service ranks reported similar levels of organizational stress, self‐appraised problem solving and psychological distress, although watch members had higher incident‐related stress levels than senior officers. There were also differences in the pattern of organizational and incident‐related stressors between fire service ranks. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of problem‐solving appraisals on work stress and psychological distress, and the potential importance of such appraisals in intervention strategies for stress management in the fire service. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Problem-Solving Appraisal and Psychological Adjustment of Persons with Chronic Low-Back Pain

To examine the role of self-appraised problem-solving ability in the prediction of psychosocial impairment, depression, hopelessness, average pain unpleasantness, and current pain ratings among persons with chronic low-back pain. A second purpose was to enhance theoretical understanding of the mechanisms by which problem-solving appraisal influences adjustment. Correlational and regression procedures were used to test the hypothesized relations procedures between elements of self-appraised problem-solving ability and each criterion variable. Seventy-eight persons enrolled in an inpatient multidisciplinary chronic pain management program. The psychosocial subscale of the Sickness Impact Profile, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Visual Analogue Scales of Pain Sensory Intensity and Affective Response were the main outcome measures. After first controlling demographic characteristics, elements of self-appraised problem-solving ability assessed by the Problem-Solving Inventory were significantly predictive of depression, hopelessness, psychosocial impairment, and average pain unpleasantness (accounting for 20, 26, 29, and 11% of the respective variance in these constructs). Results indicate complex relations among the elements of problem-solving appraisal, suggesting that the Approach–Avoidance link to psychological adjustment was mediated by Problem-Solving Confidence. Comprehensive problem-solving interventions may be beneficial to persons with chronic pain

The Relationships Among Grief Experience, Problem-Solving Appraisal, and Depression: An Exploratory Study

Research has consistently shown a relationship between problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms. This study expands that research by including grief symptomatology as a variable. A college student sample completed the Problem-Solving inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Revised Grief Experience Inventory. Consistent with hypotheses, those individuals who had experienced the death of a close loved one within the previous 5 years reported significantly higher levels of grief and depression than those who had not experienced such a loss. However, the group that had experienced the death of a close loved one did not report significantly worse problem-solving scores than the group that did not. This study also examined the relationships among problem-solving appraisal, depressive symptoms, and grief symptoms within the subsample that had experienced the loss of a close loved one within the previous 5 years. Consistent with predictions, grief symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms and self-appraised ineffective problem solving. The results of this study extend the research on grief and mourning. Also, the results expand our understanding of the grief process by providing preliminary evidence for the role of problem solving in this process

Problem-Solving Appraisal and Depression: Evidence for a Recovery Model

The purpose of this study was to examine whether problem-solving appraisal plays a role in recovery from depression in a university population. It was predicted that self-appraised effective problem solvers would be more likely to recover from a depressive episode than self-appraised ineffective problem solvers. Consistent with this hypothesis, there was a significant Time 1 problem-solving appraisal x Time 1 depression interaction in predicting Time 2 depression scores. More specifically, by Time 2 the self-appraised effective problem solvers reported only mild levels of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] = 12), whereas the self-appraised ineffective problem solvers reported levels of depression that were moderate to severe (BDI = 20).

Role of gender-related personality traits, problem-solving appraisal, and perceived social support in developing a mediational model of psychological adjustment.

This study examined the relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment. The study used structural equation modeling with latent variables to assess how gender-related personality traits influence aspects of psychological adjustment. Participants included 306 undergraduate and graduate students. Results indicated that the different gender-related personality traits influence corresponding aspects of psychological adjustment through 2 mediational components: problem-solving appraisal and perceived social support. The relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment is not simply a linear one as conceptualize d previously. Rather, gender-related personality traits have an indirect effect through mediating factors. Implications for counseling interventions and for further research are discussed.

Relationship of personal agency, problem-solving appraisal, and traditionality of career choice to women's attitudes toward multiple role planning.

The relationship of personal agency, problem-solving appraisal, and traditionality of career choice to scores on the Attitudes Toward Multiple Role Planning (ATMRP) scales was examined in undergraduate and graduate women (N = 131) aspiring to both traditional and nontraditional occupations. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed personal agency was positively related to the ATMRP scales of Knowledge/Certainty and Commitment to Multiple Roles. Traditionality of career choice moderated the effect of personal agency on both Commitment to Multiple Roles and Independence. Problem-solving appraisal factors were also positively associated with Knowledge/Certainty. Both Approach-Avoidance Style and Problem-Solving Confidence predicted Commitment to Multiple Roles, whereas only Approach-Avoidance Style predicted Independence. Educational level was the only variable predicting the ATMRP scale of Involvement. Implications for research, theory, and counseling in multiple role planning are addressed.

Perceived problem-solving and vocational identity: implication for nontraditional premedical students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vocational identity and self-appraised problem solving. A total of 86 students enrolled in a special program took the Vocational Identity subscale of My Vocational Situation and the Problem Solving Inventory one week apart. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated a relationship between personal problem-solving appraisal and vocational identity, suggesting the inventories assess one construct. Implications for intervention strategies for the present population are discussed.

Personality correlates of self-appraised problem solving abilities

Abstract We examined the relations between the components of self-appraised problem solving abilities and personality constructs measured by a popular instrument. Results indicated that the Approach-Avoidance and Problem-Solving Confidence factors of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner, 1988) were significantly associated with the judging, perceiving, and feeling scales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers & McCaulley, 1985) among 112 undergraduates. Our results elucidate the relations between problem-solving appraisal, emotional predispositions, Willfulness, and preferences for structure. Implications for theoretical models of social problem solving and counselling interventions are discussed.

The differential role of instrumentality, expressivity, and social support in predicting problem-solving appraisal in men and women

This study examined the role of instrumentality, expressivity, satisfaction with social support, and size of the social network in predicting problem-solving appraisal in both male and female college students. Two-hundred fifteen primarily white undergraduates (137 female, 78 male) completed the Problem Solving Inventory, Social Support Inventory, Personal Attribute Questionnaire, and Social Network. Simultaneous regression analyses revealed that for both men and women, instrumentality was related to all three factors of the PSI, and expressivity was related to approaching problems. Satisfaction with social support, however, was related to different PSI factors for men and women. As more information is acquired about how men and women each learn gender-related traits and obtain various problem-solving skills, we will be able to assist people in acquiring new perspectives and adaptive problem-solving activities.

Self-esteem, problem solving, and sexual risk behavior among women with and without Chlamydia.

Self-esteem and problem-solving appraisal were evaluated as an explanation of sexual risk behavior for the sexually transmitted disease (STD), chlamydia. Chlamydia, the most prevalent bacterial STD in the United States, is linked to a variety of problems which affect women, their offspring, and their sex partners. Data were collected by two nurse practitioners during scheduled gynecology visits for 105 military women. There was a statistical association among women with chlamydia (chi 2 = 3.623, df = 1, p = .057) and trichomonas (chi 2 = 12.83, df = 1, p = < .001) and a friable cervix. With a 10% prevalence of chlamydia, accurate diagnosis and treatment are imperative. No differences between the prevalence of chlamydia and self-esteem and problem-solving appraisal were noted. These findings support the strategies for diagnoses, treatment, and prevention of chlamydia recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

The Development and Validation of Coping With Career Indecision

This paper reports on four studies which provide the initial reliability and validity estimates regarding Coping With Career Indecision (CCI; Larson, 1992), a career indecision instrument that focuses on people's coping appraisals during career indecision. The factor analysis indicated at least four content areas: subjective career distress and obstacles, active problem-solving, academic self-efficacy, and career myths. Estimates of reliability indicate these constructs are internally consistent and reliable over a 2-week period. Moreover, students who endorse difficulty on the CCI also report: weaker vocational identities, less career certainty, more career indecision, and more ineffective problem-solving appraisal. The CCI also correlates minimally with academic achievement, aptitude, or personality types. Finally, the CCI factor scores accurately identified 85% of students into a very decided and a very undecided group.

Problem-solving appraisal in suicide ideators and attempters.

The present study expands on previous research proposing a diathesis-stress-hopelessness model of suicidal behavior. The role of problem-solving appraisal within such a conceptual framework and the generalizability of the model across both suicide ideators and attempters are explored. Results support the critical role played by problem-solving appraisal in predicting both hopelessness and suicide ideation.

Problem-solving appraisal, hopelessness, and suicide ideation: Evidence for a mediational model.

Problem-solving appraisal, hopelessness, and suicide ideation: Evidence for a mediational model.

Problem-solving appraisal, hopelessness, and suicide ideation: Evidence for a mediational model.

This study extended the research on Schotte & Clum's theory of suicidal behavior by using structural equation modeling involving latent variables to evaluate whether the construct of hopelessness mediates between the constructs of problem-solving appraisal and suicide ideation.

Psychometric properties of the problem solving inventory in a group of Turkish university students

The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner & Petersen, 1982) is a widely used self-report measure of applied problem solving in the United States. This study examined the psychometric properties of the PSI in a Turkish cultural context, specifically with regard to normative, reliability, and validity information. Subjects were 244 Turkish university students (153 women, 71 men) who completed the Turkish version of the PSI, Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Turkish data provide additional psychometric support for the PSI and enhance the generalizability of some of the previous findings based on U.S. samples. Moreover, the Turkish data also suggest that the psychological construct of problem-solving appraisal may have some utility in understanding applied problem solving in the Turkish culture. Finally, the study provides cross-cultural information that increases our knowledge about the utility of problem-solving constructs across diverse environments, particularly with regard to an approach/avoidance dimension across problem-solving strategies.

Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

Depression, problem-solving ability, and problem-solving appraisals.

Behavioral analytic methods were used to create a college student version of the Means Ends Problem Solving Procedure (MEPS). This instrument then was administered with measures of perceived problem-solving ability to depressed and nondepressed students to determine whether differences exist in both problem-solving ability and problem-solving appraisal. Analyses revealed that depressed subjects had more negative expectations and lower appraisals of their problem-solving ability. However, the groups did not differ in terms of the actual quality of their behavioral solutions to interpersonal, intrapersonal, and emotional problem situations. The results are interpreted as support for the role of cognitive factors in depression and problem-solving across a range of problem-solving situations.

Cognitive Vulnerability and Hopelessness among Correctional Inmates

Within a stress-cognitive vulnerability paradigm, the present study tested an interactional of model of hopelessness among correctional inmates. One hundred forty-six male inmates volunteered to complete measures of problem-solving appraisal, perceived social alienation, rigid/irrational beliefs, reasons for living, hopelessness, and depression. It was hypothesized that each of the cognitive factors would interact with jail stress to account for hopelessness, independent of mood. The results of hierarchical regression analyses supported this hypothesis. Jail stress was related to hopelessness through interaction with the cognitive mediators. Depression, low appraised problem-solving effectiveness, and few reasons for living also had main effects in predicting hopelessness. Results are discusssed in terms of a state of mind model of hopelessness.

Problem-solving appraisal and the effects of social support among college students and persons with physical disabilities.

The hypothesis that the appraisal of one's own ability to solve problems would moderate the effects of social support among two distinct samples was tested. In the 1st study, college students completed measures of depression, problem-solving appraisal, and social support. Although both predictor variables were significantly associated with depression, the 2 did not significantly interact in the prediction of depression. In the 2nd study, persons who had sustained severe physical disabilities completed the same independent measures and questionnaires of depression and psychosocial impairment. Problem-solving appraisal and social support were predictive of both criterion variables. The 2 independent variables significantly interacted in the prediction of psychosocial functioning. Results are discussed as they pertain to the effects of social support, with particular focus on persons who may have a higher frequency of contact with institutionalized and formal sources of support. Social support has received considerable research attention for several years. Theorists have reasoned that social support promotes psychological well-being in general and buffers people from the deleterious effects of stress (Cohen & Wills, 1985). Many studies have documented the positive relationships between various measures of social support and psychological adjustment (for reviews see Cohen, 1988; Cohen & Wills, 1985). It has been difficult, however, to understand the implications of social support research for counseling interventions. Counselors may help clients use resources in the clients' social environment to augment the course of therapy and to benefit well-being beyond the therapeutic experience (Rook, 1984). Yet few studies to date have investigated the effects of social support on client adjustment during or following counseling. In one relevant study, Mallinckrodt (1989) found that higher levels of social support were related to both positive and negative outcomes among clients in group therapy. Because negative relationships between social support and client adjustment are difficult to explain from existing theories of social support, much is to be clarified before counselors can confidently gear therapeutic interventions with the explicit purpose of enhancing client social support.