Terms Of Psychological Well-being Research Articles

The impact of volunteering on the volunteer: findings from a peer support programme for family carers of people with dementia.

With an ageing population, there are increasing numbers of experienced family carers (FCs) who could provide peer support to newer carers inasimilar care situation. The aims of this paper are to: (i) use a cross-sectional study design to compare characteristics of volunteers and recipients of a peer support programme for FCs of people with dementia, in terms of demographic background, social networks and psychological well-being; and (ii) use a longitudinal study design to explore the overall impact of the programme on the volunteers in terms of psychological well-being. Data were collected from programmes run in Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and four London boroughs between October 2009 and March 2013. The volunteer role entailed empathic listening and encouragement over a 10-month period. Both carer support volunteers (N=87) and recipient FCs (N=109) provided baseline demographic information. Data on social networks, personal growth, self-efficacy, service use and well-being (SF-12; EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Control, Autonomy, Self-Realisation, Pleasure-19) were collected prior to the start of the intervention (N=43) and at either 3- to 5month or 10month follow-up (N=21). Volunteers were more likely than recipients of support to be female and to have cared for a parent/grandparent rather than spouse. Volunteers were also more psychologically well than support recipients in terms of personal growth, depression and perceived well-being. The longitudinal analysis identified small but significant declines in personal growth and autonomy and a positive correlation between the volunteers' duration of involvement and perceived well-being. These findings suggest that carers who volunteer for emotional support roles are resilient and are at little psychological risk from volunteering.

The Quality of Life in Pregnant Women Conceiving Through in Vitro Fertilization.

ObjectiveThe aim was to determine whether pregnant women conceiving through in vitro fertilization (IVF) differ from those conceiving spontaneously in terms of psychological well-being and the quality of life.MethodsIn a prospective study we included 75 women conceived after IVF and 78 who conceived spontaneously in the same time period (control group). All the women were sent a self-report questionnaire about demographic and reproductive history, health, pregnancy concerns, containing Subjective Quality of Life Scale (QLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Zung Self-Assessment Anxiety Scale (SAS); obstetric and newborn’s data were obtained from medical records. Response rate was 66.6% in the IVF and 83.3% in control group.ResultsThe mean women’s age was 33.8 years in the IVF, and 32.5 years in the control group (NS). There were no significant differences between groups on the most of the outcome measures assessing psychological status. IVF mothers were just less satisfied in “friend/acquaintances” (P=0.03), a higher percentage had sexual problems prior to conception (P=0.03); the length of hospitalization during pregnancy was longer (P=0.02), and the preterm delivery rate was higher (P=0.01). Withingroup changes over gestation time indicated that IVF women, not controls, showed an increase in positive affect (P=0.04) and purpose in life (P=0.05).ConclusionsIVF women are inclined to social isolation. Despite more medical problems during pregnancy, they reported improved positive emotions and purpose in life as the pregnancy progressed.

Psychological impact of carotid endarterectomy: A review of the studies

Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) is a surgical treatment validated to prevent cerebral ischemia, embolism and stroke in patients affected by severe stenosis of the carotid artery. A 1999 systematic review of the literature found controversial results about CEA influence on improvement of post-surgical cognitive performance. Moreover, few studies addressed the issue of the positive effects of CEA on quality of life and depression, reporting also controversial findings. The present review was aimed at considering the last 20 years studies focusing on the effects of CEA on the psychological dimensions. The purpose was to clarify the benefits, in terms of psychological well-being, offered by CEA, besides a reduction of the cardiovascular risk, as well as to have indication to lead further research in this area. Results of the 39 studies considered suggest that, although few studies show cognitive deterioration, most of them show stability with a tendency to improve both in cognitive functions and in other psychological areas. Further research is needed to clarify when it would be appropriate the use of CEA, the characteristics of eligible patients, and psychological as well as physical expected outcomes.

Perceived discrimination amongst young people in socio-economically disadvantaged communities: Parental support and community identity buffer (some) negative impacts of stigma.

There is increasing acceptance that children are not unaware of when they are targets of discrimination. However, discrimination as a consequence of socio-economic disadvantage remains understudied. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of perceived discrimination on well-being, perceptions of safety and school integration amongst children growing up within socio-economically disadvantaged communities in Limerick, Ireland. Mediation analysis was used to explore these relationships and to examine the potential role of parental support and community identity in boys and girls in the 6th to 9th year of compulsory education (N=199). Results indicate perceived discrimination contributed to negative outcomes in terms of school integration, perceptions of safety and levels of well-being. Age and gender differences were observed which disadvantaged boys and younger children. All negative outcomes were buffered by parental support. Community identity also protected young people in terms of feelings of school integration and risk but not in terms of psychological well-being. Findings are discussed in terms of the different role of family and community supports for children negotiating negative social representations of their community.

Intolerance of Uncertainty: Shaping an Agenda for Research on Coping with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive neurologic condition that, by its nature, carries uncertainty as a hallmark characteristic. Although all patients face uncertainty, there is variability in how individuals cope with its presence. In other populations, the concept of "intolerance of uncertainty" has been conceptualized to explain this variability such that individuals who have difficulty tolerating the possibility of future occurrences may engage in thoughts or behaviors by which they attempt to exert control over that possibility or lessen the uncertainty but may, as a result, experience worse outcomes, particularly in terms of psychological well-being. This topical review introduces MS-focused researchers, clinicians, and patients to intolerance of uncertainty, integrates the concept with what is already understood about coping with MS, and suggests future steps for conceptual, assessment, and treatment-focused research that may benefit from integrating intolerance of uncertainty as a central feature.

Self-injury among trans individuals and matched controls: prevalence and associated factors.

This study aims to determine the prevalence rate of current non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among trans individuals, in comparison with a control sample of non-trans adults. It also aims to compare those with current NSSI and those with no history of NSSI in terms of psychological well-being, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, social support and demographic factors. Participants were 97 adults, diagnosed with transsexualism (ICD-10, F64.0), attending a national gender clinic in the United Kingdom, and a matched control group. Clinical participants were all engaged on the treatment pathway. Participants completed the following self-report measures: Self-Injury Questionnaire - Treatment Related (SIQ-TR), Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), Hamburg Body Drawing Scale (HBDS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The results showed that the trans participants had a significantly higher prevalence of current NSSI behaviour than the non-trans group, with 19% currently engaging in NSSI. Current NSSI was also significantly more prevalent among trans men than trans women. Compared with both trans and non-trans participants with no history of NSSI, trans participants with current NSSI had significantly higher scores on SCL; significantly lower scores on RSE, HBDS and MSPSS; and were younger in age. The study concludes that trans men, specifically, are more at risk of NSSI than trans women and the general population, even when on the treatment pathway. Those who currently self-injure have greater psychopathology, lower body satisfaction, lower self-esteem, lower social support and tend to be younger, than those who do not engage in NSSI.

The Examination of the Secondary School Students’ Levels of Psychological Well-Being in Terms of Some Variables

The Examination of the Secondary School Students’ Levels of Psychological Well-Being in Terms of Some Variables

Perceived Parenting Styles, Emotion Recognition and Regulation in Relation to Psychological Well-being

The purpose of the current study was to examine the link among perceived parenting styles, emotion recognition, emotion regulation, and psychological well-being in terms of obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety symptoms. For the purpose of this study, 522 adults between the ages of 18 and 36 participated in the current study. Multiple regression analyses with split-sample validation method revealed that maternal rejection, emotion recognition, cognitive reappraisal and suppression were associated with social anxiety symptoms; whereas maternal overprotection, emotion recognition and suppression were associated with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. The findings, and their implications were discussed in the light of relevant literature.

Happiness and Wellbeing

Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happiness as a concept seems to be readily embraced by the majority of people and appears to be more valued than the pursuit of money, moral goodness or going to heaven. Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. Happiness economics suggests that measures of public happiness should be used to supplement more traditional economic measures when evaluating the success of public policy. Happy people are healthy people. Happy people live longer and enjoy a greater quality of life. They function at a higher level, utilizing their personal strengths, skills, and abilities to contribute to their own well-being as well as that of others and society. Wellbeing is a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous. Psychological well-being refers to how people evaluate their lives. These evaluations may be in the form of cognitions or in the form of affect. The cognitive part is an information based appraisal of one’s life that is when a person gives conscious evaluative judgments about one’s satisfaction with life as a whole. Most people evaluate their life as either good or bad, so they are normally able to offer judgments. People invariably experience moods and emotions which have a positive effect or a negative effect. We can define psychological well-being in terms of internal experience of the respondent and their own perception of their lives. People have a level of subjective well-being even if they do not often consciously think about it, and the psychological system offers virtually a constant evaluation of what is happening to the person.

Health-related quality of life in adolescents with congenital heart disease

This study aims to evaluate the health-related quality of life of adolescents with congenital heart disease, describing health-related quality of life according to the diagnosis and severity of congenital heart disease, identified by variables such as the presence of symptoms, surgical interventions, use of medication, and residual lesion. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 adolescents with congenital heart disease attended at the Pediatric Cardiology ambulatory of a reference hospital in Brazil. The Brazilian version of the questionnaire KIDSCREEN-27 was used for the assessment of health-related quality of life. Information related to the congenital heart disease diagnosis and clinical variables were collected from the medical records of the patients. There was no statistically significant difference between acyanotic and cyanotic groups, as well as for the different diagnosis of congenital heart disease. A trend for better health-related quality of life in the dimension of Psychological Well-Being (p=0.054) was found in the groups with surgical intervention and use of medication. Adolescents that referred a good general health presented significantly better results in all dimensions of health-related quality of life, except for Autonomy and Parent Relation, than those who presented clinical symptoms (p<0.05). Type of congenital heart disease and initial diagnosis did not seem to affect the perception of health-related quality of life, corroborating findings of several studies. Surgical interventions and the use of medication can improve previous clinical status, and therefore it seems to be beneficial in terms of Psychological Well-Being. The presence of clinical symptoms was the variable that caused the largest impact on the perception of health-related quality of life, possibly because of the impairment they bring to the daily lives of these patients.

IAPT and Long Term Medical Conditions: What Can We Offer?

The proposal of a 4-year plan to integrate treatment of people with long term medical conditions (LTCs) into the IAPT service (Department of Health, 2011) seeks for research to understand the effectiveness of IAPT interventions for this patient group. The aim of this service development pilot work was to develop an intervention that is effective for people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). It was hypothesized that the standard IAPT intervention would not be effective, but that it can be adapted so that it is effective both in terms of mood and self-management of T2DM. Clients (n = 95) who experienced mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety and had a diagnosis of T2DM opted to attend. The intervention was adapted over a series of cohorts from a standard Step 2 intervention. A team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs), a Clinical Health Psychologist and a General Practitioner worked in collaboration, using outcomes measures and feedback from service users and facilitators. The standard IAPT Step 2 intervention met with challenges when specifically targeting this client group. Using paired t-tests, the modified Step 2 intervention demonstrated significant improvements from pre- to postintervention measures both in terms of psychological (n = 17) and physical (n = 9) outcomes. It is concluded that it may be possible to modify a generic Step 2 IAPT intervention to demonstrate improvements both in terms of psychological wellbeing and self-management of T2DM. The main adaptations were related to more targeted recruitment and linking of diabetes specifically into the CBT model.

Discriminating the Presence of Psychological Distress in Patients Suffering from Psoriasis: An Application of the Clinimetric Approach in Dermatology.

Psoriasis is a chronic dermatologic disease that negatively impacts physical and mental health of patients as well as their social and work life. The aim of this study is to illustrate, by a clinimetric approach the differences in psychological distress and well-being between patients with mild and moderate to severe psoriasis. Seventy patients with psoriasis were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR), along with the following self-report instruments: the Symptoms Questionnaire (SQ), the Psychological Well-being scales (PWB) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Illness severity was evaluated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). While no differences were reported between groups in terms of psychiatric diagnoses, patients with greater severity (PASI <10) presented higher rates of demoralization (61.5%) and Type A behavior (53.8%) than subjects with mild severity (17.5% and 21.1%, respectively). Patients with moderate/severe psoriasis also reported impaired levels of psychological well-being in terms of lower autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth and purpose in life. Furthermore, according to TCI, patients with severe psoriasis reported greater harm avoidance and lower self-directness than individuals with milder psoriasis levels. Overall results highlighted the need in psoriasis care of a more comprehensive psychological and psychosomatic assessment not limited to the customary psychiatric diagnostic criteria.

Humour styles, personality and psychological well-being: What’s humour got to do with it?

The Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) by Martin et al. (2003) measures four humour styles, namely affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive and self-defeating. In contrast to former humour instruments, the HSQ has strong relations to various measures of psychological well-being. However, its incremental validity in relation to basic personality traits has not been sufficiently studied. Two studies analysed how much unique variance the HSQ contributed to predicting psychological well-being over and above personality. While the affiliative, self-enhancing and self-defeating humour style were potent predictors of well-being in Study 1, the results also indicated that these humour styles had small effects when personality was controlled for. Study 2 tested a possible explanation for these findings, namely that the context (i.e., non-humorous components) of the HSQ items dominates their humour-specific content. Two questionnaires were utilised to separate context and humour components in the HSQ. Results showed that (a) the HSQ contributed little in predicting personality and psychological well-being once context was controlled for, and that (b) the humour component of each HSQ scale correlated highly with other humour instruments and neither of them were detrimental or maladaptive in terms of psychological well-being. Thus, these two studies showed a low incremental validity of humour styles in predicting psychological well-being beyond personality and hint to a limited role that humour plays in the these relationships. Overall, the humour components of the HSQ rather resemble those of other self-report measures and mainly comprise humour appreciation and humour production in everyday life.

Using a Behavioural Family Intervention to Produce a Three-Generational Benefit on Family Outcomes: A Case Report

Background:Grandparents have a significant role in providing regular child care to their grandchildren. As such, they are in a unique position to help with the prevention of child disruptive disorders. However, the child-care role grandparents provide can also negatively impact the grandparent-parent relationship.Aims:This case study examined the impact of a parenting program designed specifically for grandparents on a grandparent providing regular child care to her granddaughter.Method:A case study is presented of a 56-year-old grandmother providing between 31–40 hours of care per week to her granddaughter, who is at risk of developing an early onset child disruptive disorder. The grandparent was measured on outcomes of child behaviour; parenting style; parenting confidence; psychological wellbeing in terms of stress, depression, and anxiety; and relationship satisfaction with the parent. The parent was also measured on child behaviour outcomes and relationship satisfaction with the grandparent. Measures were given at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up.Results:The grandparent reported significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression; improved relationship satisfaction with the parent; and decreased reliance on dysfunctional parenting practices. The parent also reported decreased child behaviour problems and increased relationship satisfaction with the grandparent. No findings were found for parenting confidence.Conclusion:This case study provides encouraging findings for a new parenting program designed specifically for grandparents, and it is recommended that future research evaluate its efficacy in a randomised controlled trial.

Unemployment and psychological well-being in post Celtic Tiger Ireland

It is well documented that unemployment has deleterious effects on psychological well-being. Ireland's high economic growth in the 1990s and early 2000s saw unemployment fall to 4%. However, since the end of the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland, the recession has been severe and unemployment high. It was hypothesised that the increase in unemployment will be accompanied by a decrease in psychological well-being. The present aim was to compare Irish employed and unemployed male and female respondents in terms of psychological well-being, and to investigate whether financial strain mediates the relationship between employment status and psychological well-being. Data were collected from a sample of 199 participants ranging in age from 18 to 64 (employed: n=100; mean age = 32.34, SD = 13.39; unemployed: n=99, mean age 35.26; SD = 11.16). The sex distribution was 57% (n=57) female and 43% (n=43) male for the employed sample, and 45.5% (n=45) female and 54.5% (n=54) male for the unemployed sample. Psychological well-being was operationalised in terms of self-esteem, anxiety and mental health problems. Results showed that unemployed respondents had significantly poorer psychological well-being than employed respondents. Further, unemployed females suffered from a loss of self-esteem more so than unemployed males, while unemployed males suffered from increased anxiety and increased mental health problems more so than females. Additionally, financial strain mediated the relationship between employment status and psychological well-being. Implications of findings include that health professionals should be aware of the differential effects of unemployment on males and females, and should ensure that measures of psychological well-being are sufficiently comprehensive to capture such differences. Additionally, the State should take cognizance of the mediating role of financial strain in the relationship between unemployment and psychological well-being and introduce appropriate interventions to improve the latter.

Clinical and psychological impact after surgical, medical or expectant management of first‐trimester miscarriage – a randomised controlled trial

The management of first-trimester miscarriage has been studied extensively in recent years. However, relatively little attention has been focussed on woman's satisfaction and psychological impact from different treatment modalities. To investigate the clinical and psychological outcomes of surgical, medical and expectant management of first-trimester miscarriage. A prospective randomised controlled trial of 180 women suffering miscarriage managed by either surgical evacuation, medical evacuation or expectant management was conducted in a university-affiliated, tertiary referral hospital. The complete miscarriage rate, clinical symptomatology, complications, women's satisfaction and the psychological impact were evaluated. Women in surgical evacuation (98.1%) had a significantly higher complete miscarriage rate when compared with medical evacuation (70%) and expectant management (79.3%). Women who had surgical evacuation had significantly shorter duration of vaginal bleeding, but higher rate of infection. Women who had medical evacuation had significantly more gastrointestinal symptoms. Despite differences in efficacy and complication profile, there was no significant difference in satisfaction among groups. There were no significant differences in terms of psychological well-being, depression scores, anxiety level, fatigue symptoms as measured in General Health Questionnaire-12, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory and fatigue scale at treatment and four weeks after treatment. However, women with active intervention had greater post-traumatic stress symptoms as measured in Chinese version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised at the time of treatment when compared with women in expectant management. Without substantial differences in the clinical and psychological impact between different treatment modalities, a more conservative approach with expectant management for miscarriage may be an option for women.

A focus group study exploring gynecological cancer survivors’ experiences and perceptions of participating in a RCT testing the efficacy of a home-based physical activity intervention

This study aims to explore gynecological cancer survivors' perceptions and experiences following participation in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing the efficacy of a home-based physical activity behavioral change intervention (Donnelly et al., Gynecol Oncol 122:618-624, 2011). All participants completing a two-armed parallel RCT were invited to participate in the study (31/33) (Donnelly et al., Gynecol Oncol 122:618-624, 2011). Sixteen participants took part (16/31; physical activity (PA) group n = 9, contact control (CC) group n = 7). Four qualitative group interviews were conducted (focus group size 3-5). A structured interview guide was followed by an independent moderator. Groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the framework approach (Ritchie and Spencer 2001), a five-stage qualitative method of analysis. One of the most unanimously perceived benefits of taking part in the programme regarded participants' psychological well-being. Additional benefits included improved physical fitness and functioning. Important programme features included the weekly telephone calls from a physiotherapist, the patient-professional relationship, and goal setting. Participants' own motivation and programme timing were also identified as important factors. Suggestions for improvements include: opportunities for social interaction with other gynecological cancer survivors and greater exercise choice. Findings suggest that women diagnosed with gynecological cancer perceive participation in physical activity as important and participation provides benefits in terms of psychological well-being and improved physical functioning. Support for continuation of many of the current features of the home-based programme was provided. Findings provide insight and rationale for the selection of components for future home-based physical activity interventions. Findings also support further research into the development of multidimensional interventions for the gynecological cancer population.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

Distress Tolerance, Emotion Dysregulation, and Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among HIV+ Individuals

The current study examined the mediational effects of emotion dysregulation in terms of the relation between perceived distress tolerance and anxiety and depressive symptoms among HIV+ individuals. Participants included 176 HIV+ adults (21.6 % female, Mage = 48.40 years, SD = 8.66). Results indicated that distress tolerance was significantly related to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results also indicated that emotion dysregulation mediated this association. The observed findings were evident above and beyond the variance accounted for by CD4 T-cell count, ethnicity, gender, education level, and cannabis use status. The results are discussed in terms of the potential explanatory utility of perceived distress tolerance and emotion dysregulation in terms of psychological well-being among HIV+ individuals.

대학생의 낙관성과 행복추구경향이 심리적 안녕감에 미치는 영향

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate college students’ psychological well-being influenced by optimism andorientations to happiness. The participants were 412 college students aged from 20 to 28. Data were analyzedusing Cronbach’s alpha, frequencies, percentiles, means, standard deviations, two-way ANOVAs and hierarchicalregression analyses. The major findings were as follows. 1) In optimism, there were no significant differences ingender and the year of study in college. In orientations to happiness, male students pursued engagement inhappiness more than female students and the seniors reported a significantly higher level of pursuit of happinessthan freshmen did. In terms of psychological well-being, seniors scored significantly higher psychological well-beingthan freshmen. 2) Optimism and orientations to happiness were significant predictors of the psychological well-beingof college students. With circumstances and optimism controlled, orientations to happiness still showed 13%variance in psychological well-being.± ¯ ,FZ
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