Social Problem-solving Strategies Research Articles

시간관이 외상 후 성장에 미치는 영향에서 스트레스 대처전략의 매개효과

Objectives In the present study, we examined the mediating effects of the three stress coping strategies(seeking social support, problem-solving coping, and avoidance coping) in the relationship between the five factors of the time perspectives(past-positive time perspective(PP), past negative time-perspective(PN), present hedonistic time perspective(PH), present fatalistic time perspective(PF), future time perspective(F) and PTG in (under) grad-uate students with trauma.
 Methods The self-report questionnaires including Traumatic Events Questionnaire, Zimbardo Time perspective Inventory(ZTPI), Coping Strategy Indicator(CSI), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory(PTGI) were administered to 303 undergraduate and graduate students(215 women and 88 men).
 Results First, the coping strategy of seeking social support mediated the relationship between past-positive, past-negative, present hedonistic time perspective and PTG respectively. Second, problem-solving coping strat-egy showed significant mediating effects between all time perspectives except for the present hedonistic time perspective and PTG. Finally, there were no significant mediating effects of avoidance coping strategy in the rela-tionship between time perspectives and PTG.
 Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that the role of seeking social support and problem-solving coping strategies is important in the effect of time perspective on post-traumatic growth, and it should be the fo-cus of clinical intervention.

Front-line hotel employees mental health and quality of life post COVID-19 pandemic: The role of coping strategies

The tourism business has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in economic and job losses due to travel restrictions and lockdown measures. Among those most impacted are tourism employees, who have experienced job insecurity, financial difficulties, and increased work-related stress. The pandemic has also produced a significant negative effect on both mental health and quality of life (QOL) of these employees, leading to high levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. This study aims to assess the impacts of three coping strategies (problem-focused, social support, and avoidance) on the mental health and quality of life of front-line hotel employees. Data were collected from 700 participants and analyzed using SPSS version 25 and structural equation modeling (SEM) and AMOS program version 24. Our study found that social support and problem-solving coping strategies were effective in mitigating the negative impacts of stress, depression, and anxiety, while avoidance coping strategy did not have a significant impact. The mental health consequences of stress, depression, and anxiety were found to reduce the quality of life of hotel employees. The study highlights the significance of developing and implementing effective coping strategies to support the mental health and well-being of tourism employees. The findings suggest that organizations should provide resources and support to address the mental health needs of their employees.

Correlation Between Stress and Coping Strategies Among Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Nurses encounter a lot of stressors in the workplace because of high workload, long working hours, and work-income imbalance, and these stressors have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, nurses' occupational stress levels have also increased, thereby increasing the incidence of anxiety disorders. Evidence indicates that anxiety disorders may result from a lack of appropriate coping strategies. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the relationship between stress and coping strategies among nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 178 nurses selected by simple random sampling. Data was collected using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, Lazarus and Folkman's Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and a demographic information form, and it was analyzed using SPSS 16 software. Results: The results indicated that age and job tenure were directly associated with perceived stress. Accordingly, increases in age and job tenure were accompanied by increases in perceived stress (P < 0.05). The results also revealed a significant relationship between perceived stress and confrontative coping, distancing, self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, planful problem-solving, and positive reappraisal strategies (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The study findings demonstrated that stress coping strategies differed among nurses depending on age, gender, education level, and other demographic features. As these factors cannot be changed in most cases, training nurses in stress coping strategies can reduce their perceived stress.

Stress, and coping strategy of university students during COVID-19 in Korea: The mediating role of ego-resiliency

We aimed to identify the level of stress, ego-resiliency (ER), and coping strategies of university students during the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and examine the mediating role of ER in the relationship between stress and coping strategies (e.g., problem-solving, social support seeking, and avoidance). We analyzed responses from 160 university students and found that problem-solving was the most common coping strategy (26.02 ± 4.65), followed by social support-seeking (25.08 ± 5.23), and avoidance (19.21 ± 3.78). ER was negatively associated with stress and showed a mediating effect on the relationship between stress and social support, and stress and problem-solving coping strategies. These findings indicate that ER helps decrease stress caused by the pandemic among university students and should be considered a significant factor for developing adaptive stress coping strategies.

The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday (PRAISE) Program: Adaptations to Overcome Subgroup Differences in Program Benefits.

The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday (PRAISE) Program is a school-based program that has shown promise for reducing aggression. PRAISE, 20-session classroom-based universal prevention program, was designed to be appropriate and responsive to the needs of youth within the urban school context. A preliminary trial of PRAISE evinced positive effects for girls but was less effective for boys. Following the trial, the PRAISE program was adapted to enhance its impact for boys while maintaining its impact for girls. The current paper describes the changes and a new 3-school trial of the PRAISE program that examines its impact on subgroups. Results indicate that girls in PRAISE classrooms showed improvements in knowledge of social problem-solving strategies (SIP), reductions in hostile attributions (HAB), decreases in relational aggression, and suppression of overt aggression. Boys in PRAISE classrooms showed decreases in relational aggression and improvements in academic engagement, but no improvement in knowledge of SIP or HAB. Pooled analyses comparing boys' results from the initial trial and the current trial showed significant improvements in relational aggression and relational HAB with no differences in overt aggression, overt HAB, or SIP knowledge. Taken together, this iterative adaptation of PRAISE overcame many subgroup differences in program effects.

The Role of Children’s Age and Gender, and Friends’ Gender in the Children’s Interaction towards Social Problem Solving Strategies in Preschool Children

Social problem-solving strategy accepted by society is the essential accomplishments in the development of pre-school children. However, until recent studies, social problem-solving strategies among pre-school children in Indonesia is still rarely conducted. This research examines the role of age, gender in children, and friends’ gender towards social problem-solving strategies. This research utilised a purposive sampling that voluntarily involved 162 children 4-6 years old. Those children were selected from an intact family consisting of a father, mother and children who lived together. A hypothetical social situation dilemma was utilised to gather social problem-solving strategies data from the subjects. The data were analysed with the use of cross-tabulation and chi-square test. Concerning the data analysis, the results reveal no significant difference in social problem-solving strategies when viewed in terms of age and gender of the children and friends’ gender. This suggests that children ages 4 to 6 years for boys and girls still have the same patterns of social behaviour dealing with similar gender and different ones.

Thoughtful Friends: Executive Function Relates to Social Problem Solving and Friendship Quality in Middle Childhood

The present study examined links between best friendship quality, social problem solving in response to a transgression and conscious control of behavior (i.e., executive function or EF). Eighty-one 7- to 10-year-olds answered questions about their best friendship quality and responses to friendship transgressions (i.e., interpretations, goals, and strategies they would endorse). They also completed a battery of EF tasks measuring working memory, inhibition, and shifting. Results revealed few relations between social problem solving and best friendship quality. Social problem solving related to EF abilities, with inhibition relating to fewer revenge goals and cognitive flexibility relating to more neutral interpretations. Better working memory related to worse best friendship quality. Finally, verbal IQ was a strong predictor of several positive social problem-solving interpretations, goals, and strategies. Results suggest cognitive abilities in EF and language may be important to consider during middle childhood in this period of advancing social problem solving and friendships.

Social problem solving in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience interpersonal difficulties potentially linked to impaired social cognition. We aimed to investigate social problem solving strategies in adults with ADHD. Nineteen patients with ADHD and 20 healthy controls were assessed with a scenario-based battery gauging the ability to understand other people's mental states, to recognize interpersonal conflicts and to generate and identify optimal (i.e. both socially sensitive and practically effective) solutions to these conflicts. Furthermore, measures of socioemotional and executive functioning were administered. Patients and controls performed on a similar level with respect to theory of mind, the generation of the “best” solution to problematic social situations and the selection of the optimal solution out of alternatives. However, in a fluency task, patients generated fewer optimal solutions, while the number of only socially sensitive, only practically effective or irrelevant solutions was comparable in both groups. The overall ability to freely generate problem solutions was not linked to executive functioning or trait empathy, but better generation abilities were related to lower social interaction anxiety in the patients only. This suggests impaired generation fluency of optimal interpersonal conflict solutions in patients with ADHD which might contribute to higher levels of anxiety in social interactions.

Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy in Groups for Over-Regulated Personality Disorders: A Single Case Study

Individuals with personality disorders (PD) demonstrate poor metacognition, here defined as the capacity to use mental state knowledge for regulation of interpersonal relationships. Metacognitive interpersonal therapy (MIT) targets the symptoms of PD via a series of formalized procedures. Its goal is to help individuals improve their metacognitive capacity through developing and enacting more adaptive social behaviors. MIT has been manualized for the treatment of PDs featuring overcontrol, with single case studies providing initial evidence of its effectiveness. Given the need to deliver cost-effective treatments for patients with over-controlled and socially inhibited PDs, we developed MIT in groups (MIT-G), a short-term manualized group treatment with both psychoeducational and experiential aspects (Popolo et al. in Psychol Psychother: Theory Res Pract, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12182 ). Here we present the case of a young man presenting with Narcissistic PD (vulnerable type) featuring marked avoidant and obsessive-compulsive traits, social inhibition and emotional overcontrol. We describe the therapeutic process and how role-playing significant episodes helped him to improve metacognition, leading to the adoption of more effective social problem solving strategies. Outcomes were positive in terms of increased quality of social relationships, decreased symptoms, better emotion regulation and improved well-being. We conclude by considering how these processes may improve treatment delivery for these types of PD presentations.

The Effect of the Collaborative Infertility Counseling Model on Coping Strategies in Infertile Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: Infertility is a stressful condition influencing interpersonal and social relationships among infertile couples. Various strategies have been suggested for coping with infertility. This study examined the effect of the collaborative infertility counseling model on coping strategies in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in an urban area of Iran. Materials and Methods: This clinical controlled trial was conducted on 60 women with primary infertility selected from Milad Infertility Center in Mashhad, Iran. They were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups with 29 and 31 samples in each group. The intervention group received individual counseling based on the collaborative reproductive healthcare model. The counseling was provided with the collaboration of a midwife, a gynecologist and a clinical psychologist in 5 sessions during a 2-month period. The control group received only routine care. The fertility problem inventory (FPI) and general health questionnaire were used to measure perceived fertility-related stress and general health, respectively. Moreover, the ways of coping-revised questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the women’s coping strategies at the beginning of the study and at the day of the embryo transfer. The student t test, Fisher exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. Results: A statistically significant difference was reported between the two groups in terms of problem-focused coping strategies (P = 0.037). However, no statistically significant difference was reported between the groups with regard to emotion-focused coping strategies (P = 0.947). There were statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in the mean scores of seeking social support (P = 0.022) and planful problem-solving strategies (P = 0.045) as the subscales of problem-focused coping strategies. Conclusion: The collaborative reproductive healthcare model promoted the use of problem-focused coping strategies. Therefore, the use of collaborative counseling approaches by healthcare professionals is suggested for assisting infertile women to cope with infertility. © 2018 The Author (s).

A randomized control intervention trial to improve social skills and quality of life in pediatric brain tumor survivors.

To determine if a group social skills intervention program improves social competence and quality of life (QOL) in pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS). We conducted a randomized control trial in which PBTS (8-16years old, off therapy for over 3months) were allocated to receive social skills training (eg, cooperation, assertion, using social cognitive problem solving strategies, role playing, games, and arts and crafts) in 8 weekly 2-hour sessions, or an attention placebo control (games and arts and crafts only). Outcomes were self-reported, proxy-reported (caregiver), and teacher-reported using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), to measure social competence, and the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL4.0, generic) to measure QOL at baseline, after intervention, and at 6months follow-up. At baseline, SSRS were stratified into low and high scores and included as a covariate in the analysis. Compared to controls (n=48), PBTS in the intervention group (n=43) reported significantly better total and empathy SSRS scores, with improvements persisting at follow-up. The PBTS in the intervention group who had low scores at baseline reported the greatest improvements. Proxy and teacher reports showed no intervention effect. Participating in group social skills intervention can improve self-reported social competence that persisted to follow up. The PBTS should be given the opportunity to participate in social skills groups to improve social competence.

Coping Styles with Student Misbehavior as Mediators of Teachers’ Classroom Management Strategies

The purpose of the present study is to identify how teachers’ use of various coping styles with student misbehavior, and the extent to which these relate to their classroom management techniques – punishment, recognition and reward, hinting, discussion, and aggression. It examines data from 397 junior high school teachers in Vietnam. The results obtained from correlation analyses indicated that coping styles mediated the relationship between teachers’ concerns about student misbehavior and their use of classroom management techniques. The findings obtained from the data analyses indicated that teachers who use passive avoidant strategies employ more aggression and punishment techniques towards student misbehavior. Conversely, teachers who use more social problem solving and relaxation strategies use more inclusive management techniques such as recognition and reward, discussion, and hinting. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Intervención grupal para reducir la sintomatología depresiva y promover la sensibilidad materna en embarazadas chilenas

Depressive symptoms are frequently observed during pregnancy, and these affect the mother and her relationship with her baby during the post-partum period. Results are reported on a 5-session group intervention for reducing depressive symptoms and promoting maternal sensitivity. The participants included 134 pregnant women with a history of depression (experimental group=46 and control group=88). Depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), social problem-solving strategies (Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised), maternal sensitivity, infant cooperativeness and bonding risk (Child-Adult Relatinoship Experimental Index) were assessed in both groups. The group intervened showed a significant reduction of depressive symptoms and an improvement of social problem-solving strategies. This group also shows significantly higher scores in maternal sensitivity, and infant cooperativeness, as well as lower frequencies of bonding risk in the post-intervention assessment. The importance of considering intervention strategies during pregnancy, including its impact on maternal sensitivity, the quality of mother-baby interactions and the problem-solving abilities of the mothers, is discussed.

Nice or effective? Social problem solving strategies in patients with major depressive disorder

Our study addressed distinct aspects of social problem solving in 28 hospitalized patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 28 matched healthy controls. Three scenario-based tests assessed the ability to infer the mental states of story characters in difficult interpersonal situations, the capacity to freely generate good strategies for dealing with such situations and the ability to identify the best solutions among less optimal alternatives. Also, standard tests assessing attention, memory, executive function and trait empathy were administered. Compared to controls, MDD patients showed impaired interpretation of other peoples׳ sarcastic remarks but not of the mental states underlying other peoples׳ actions. Furthermore, MDD patients generated fewer strategies that were socially sensitive and practically effective at the same time or at least only socially sensitive. Overall, while the free generation of adequate strategies for difficult social situations was impaired, recognition of optimal solutions among alternatives was spared in MDD patients. Higher generation scores were associated with higher trait empathy and cognitive flexibility scores. We suggest that this specific pattern of impairments ought to be considered in the development of therapies addressing impaired social skills in MDD.

The impact of childhood emotional abuse and experiential avoidance on maladaptive problem solving and intimate partner violence.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the joint influences of experiential avoidance and social problem solving on the link between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and intimate partner violence (IPV). Experiential avoidance following CEA may interfere with a person’s ability to effectively problem solve in social situations, increasing risk for conflict and interpersonal violence. As part of a larger study, 232 women recruited from the community completed measures assessing childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, experiential avoidance, maladaptive social problem solving, and IPV perpetration and victimization. Final trimmed models indicated that CEA was indirectly associated with IPV victimization and perpetration via experiential avoidance and Negative Problem Orientation (NPO) and Impulsivity/Carelessness Style (ICS) social problem solving strategies. Though CEA was related to an Avoidance Style (AS) social problem solving strategy, this strategy was not significantly associated with IPV victimization or perpetration. Experiential avoidance had both a direct and indirect effect, via NPO and ICS social problem solving, on IPV victimization and perpetration. Findings suggest that CEA may lead some women to avoid unwanted internal experiences, which may adversely impact their ability to effectively problem solve in social situations and increase IPV risk.

Social problem solving strategies and posttraumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of intimate partner violence

Social factors are often associated with the development or maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of interpersonal traumas. However, social problem solving strategies have received little attention. The current study explored the role of social problem solving styles (i.e., rational approaches, impulsive/careless strategies, or avoidance strategies) as intermediary variables between abuse exposure and PTSD severity among intimate partner violence survivors. Avoidance problem solving served as an intermediating variable for the relationship between three types of abuse and PTSD severity. Rational and impulsive/careless strategies were not associated with abuse exposure. These findings extend the current understanding of social problem solving among interpersonal trauma survivors and are consistent with more general avoidance coping research. Future research might examine whether avoidance problem solving tends to evolve in the aftermath of trauma or whether it represents a longstanding risk factor for PTSD development.

EFFECTS OF A MULTIFOCUSED PREVENTION PROGRAM ON PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S COMPETENCIES AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a multifocused (child‐, teacher‐ and parent‐focused) prevention program for Romanian preschoolers, targeting social–emotional competence development, as well as reduction of behavior problems. Fourteen classrooms were randomly assigned to the intervention and control conditions. Subsequent hierarchical linear analyses indicated that intervention‐group children performed better on experimental tasks measuring emotion knowledge and social problem‐solving strategies, and received higher assessments by their teachers and parents on measures of social–emotional competencies and externalizing problems. These results indicate that a prevention program combining intervention strategies for both high‐ and low‐risk children is effective across a wide range of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors. Moreover, a short four‐session parent group training employed to attract parent participation elicited an acceptable overall attendance rate (54%), indicating the sustainability of parent intervention in the context of community‐based interventions.

A preventative intervention for disruptive young boys may reduce adult criminality by reducing antisocial behaviour in adolescence

QUESTION Question: How does a preventative intervention for disruptive boys reduce adult criminality? Patients: In total, 250 boys of low-socioeconomic status in kindergarten (age 7 years) who scored above the...

The social cognition of violent offenders

Purpose – Social cognition is a prominent feature of explanations of crime, particularly violent crime. This paper aims to report a study that compared several aspects of the social cognition of convicted violent and non‐violent offenders.Design/methodology/approach – Measures of social cognition were administered to 156 offenders, classified as violent and non‐violent according to index offence.Findings – Analysis showed few significant differences between the violent and non‐violent offenders, although differences in thinking styles and social problem solving strategies were evident between high‐risk and low‐risk violent offenders.Originality/value – The differences between high‐risk and lower risk violent offenders suggests that not all violent offenders function at the same level and so more precision is required in classifying offenders.

Impulse control and aggressive response generation as predictors of aggressive behaviour in children with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intelligence

A growing interest exists in mechanisms involved in behaviour problems in children with mild intellectual disabilities and borderline intelligence (MID/BI). Social problem solving difficulties have been found to be an explanatory mechanism for aggressive behaviour in these children. However, recently a discrepancy was found between automatic and reflective responding in social situations. We hypothesise that low impulse control and aggressive social problem solving strategies together may explain mechanisms involved in aggressive behaviour by children with MID/BI. In a clinical sample of 130 children with MID/BI receiving intramural treatment, main, moderating and mediating effects of impulse control and aggressive response generation on aggressive behaviour were examined by conducting hierarchical linear multiple regression analyses. Independent main effects of both impulse control and aggressive response generation on aggressive behaviour were found. Results indicated that low impulse control and aggressive response generation each explain unique variance in aggressive behaviour. As this study is the first that has shown both impulse control and aggressive response generation to be important predictors for aggressive behaviour in children with MID/BI, future research should further examine the nature of relations between low impulse control and social problem solving.