The impact of a laryngectomy on the spouse: Who is better off?

Background: Diabetes self-care is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. However, the importance of psychosocial factors for successful disease management is under investigated. This study aimed at exploring the role of coping styles and social support in the relationship between self-care activities and glycated haemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: One hundred adults (60% female, aged 40–70 years) with type 2 diabetes completed questionnaires assessing self-care activities, coping styles and social support. In addition, a blood test was performed to obtain glycated haemoglobin levels.

Results: Result showed significant relationships of glycated haemoglobin with self-care activities, coping styles and social support. Regression analysis indicated that social support had a moderating role on the relationship between self-care activities and glycated haemoglobin, such that, at very high levels of social support the association, between Self-Care and HbA1c disappears.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that health care providers, within the context of the Iranian social and cultural situation, should pay more attention to psychosocial factors when addressing self-care activities. Delineation of the role of coping styles and social support might be useful for identifying patients in need of particular counselling and support for improving self-care activities and HbA1c levels.     

Where do counsellors in private practice receive their support? A pilot study

Background: Previous research suggests that independent practitioners should ensure that they attend to self-care, and the requirement for self-care is written into ethical practice requirements. Aims: To explore whether or how counsellors in private practice received support, and if so from where. Method: A survey questionnaire containing 29 questions was sent to 525 recipients. Results: 31 questionnaires were completed. The results from these questionnaires indicated that support was primarily received through supervision. Discussion: The support needs of private practitioners are discussed in the context of a very low response rate. The researcher considers factors that might have led to this response rate, as well as reflecting on the study design.     

Video Reviews

Abstract

This study examined, as a secondary analysis, whether a group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) intervention focused on preventing postpartum depression by strengthening social support and building interpersonal skills during the transition to motherhood positively affected breastfeeding outcomes among low-income women. The intervention–Reach Out, Stand strong, Essentials for new mothers (ROSE)–taught participants the importance of self-care and assertive help seeking to be better able to sustain breastfeeding practices. Ninety-nine pregnant women were randomized to ROSE plus standard care or to standard care alone. Though women in both conditions had similar breastfeeding initiation rates, women in ROSE had longer breastfeeding duration (median days breastfed: 54 vs. 21). Results suggest ROSE may positively affect breastfeeding.     

What Does Self-Care Look like for Online Graduate Mental Health Counseling Students?

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to highlight what self-care looks like for online graduate mental health counseling students and implications for counselor educators. Results come from a program evaluation examining self-care practices for online mental health graduate students. Furthermore, these results will guide the examination of best practices to meet student reported needs while integrating self-care into the program’s mission, program objectives, and curriculum.     

Illness perceptions and self-care behaviours in the first years of living with type 2 diabetes; does the presence of complications matter?

Objective: To assess illness perceptions, self-care behaviours and their relationship in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with and without diabetes-related complications.

Design: Cross-sectional survey among 192 recently diagnosed T2DM patients of whom 23% reported the presence of diabetes-related complications. Illness perceptions and self-care were assessed by the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) and the revised Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) measure.

Results: Generally, participating patients perceived T2DM as a chronic, but relatively controllable condition with minor consequences. In the presence of complications, however, T2DM was perceived as more unpredictable with more (serious) consequences and less controllable by self-care or medical treatment. Furthermore, engagement in exercise and foot care was reported more often by patients with complications. Self-care was related to certain illness perception dimensions, and interactions between perceptions and complications were found.

Conclusion: T2DM patients in the first years of their illness are often recommended to make lifestyle changes in the absence of noticeable diabetes-related symptoms or complaints. As many T2DM patients do not seem to perceive their condition to be serious and postpone lifestyle changes until diabetes-related complications appear, a major challenge for professionals is to convince asymptomatic patients of the importance of self-care.     

What are the combined effects of negative emotions and illness cognitions on self-care in people with type 2 diabetes? A longitudinal structural equation model

Objective: To explore whether negative emotions mediate the effect of diabetes cognitions on diabetes self-care and conversely whether diabetes cognitions mediate the effect of negative emotions on diabetes self-care.

Design: Longitudinal observational study in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Main outcome measures: Self-reported depression and anxiety (Diabetes Wellbeing Questionnaire), cognitions (Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised; Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire), and diabetes self-care (Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale) were completed at baseline and six months. Analyses used structural equation modelling.

Results: Baseline medication concerns were associated with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety at follow-up, but emotions did not mediate medication concern’s effect on diabetes self-care. Baseline depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with specific diabetes cognitions over time, but these cognition domains did not mediate emotion’s effect on diabetes self-care. Personal control remained independent of emotions and was associated with diabetes self-care over time.

Conclusions: Negative emotions did not act directly or alongside cognitions to influence diabetes self-care. The reciprocal relationship between diabetes cognitions and emotions suggests cognitive restructuring, in addition to other mood management intervention techniques would likely improve the emotional wellbeing of adults with type 2 diabetes. Likewise, personal control beliefs are likely important intervention targets for improving self-care.     

Support during birth interacts with prior trauma and birth intervention to predict postnatal post-traumatic stress symptoms

Background: Many women experience childbirth as traumatic and 2% develop post-traumatic stress disorder. This study examined the role of health practitioner support and personal control during birth as predictors of post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, adjusting for vulnerability factors of prior trauma, depression, control beliefs and birth intervention. It also investigated interactions between support, prior trauma and birth intervention and their association with PTS symptoms.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal survey of 138 women recruited from UK NHS maternity clinics. Measures were taken in pregnancy, 3 weeks and 3 months after the birth.

Results: Support and control during birth were not predictive of postnatal PTS symptoms. However, support was predictive of PTS symptoms in a subset of women with prior trauma (β?=??0.41, R ²?=?16%) at both 3-weeks and 3-months postpartum. The interaction of birth intervention and support was associated with PTS symptoms 3 months after birth, the relationship between support and PTS symptoms was stronger in women experiencing more intervention.

Conclusions: Low support from health practitioners is predictive of postnatal PTS symptoms in women who have a history of trauma. Longer term effects of low support on postnatal PTS symptoms are also found in women who had more intervention during birth.     

A multiple case study of rape victim advocates' self-care routines: the influence of organizational context

This study assumes that rape victim advocates who provide community outreach services to victimized women must adjust to a heightened awareness of sexual violence to do their jobs. Using qualitative methodology, this multiple case study explored rape victim advocates' strategies for incorporating repeated exposure to sexual assault into their daily lives as well as ways that organizations can support such endeavors. Findings suggest that advocates' self-care routines draw upon various personal resources (i.e., cognitive, physical, social, spiritual, verbal), and serve 2 roles for coping with rape-related pain: (a) cathartic releasing of traumatic material, and (b) improving capacity to integrate the traumatic material into one's life. Additionally, over 20 organizational characteristics that workers perceive to be supportive (e.g., weekly meetings, flexible hours) were identified. Nonparametric and categorical statistical analyses were used to analyze the relationship between organizational support and self-care routines, finding that advocates working in organizations with higher levels of support utilize more strategies that are integrative in nature. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Adding experiential layers to the transnational-athlete concept: A narrative review of real-world heterogeneous mobility experiences

ObjectiveWith rising mobility and greater recognition of the diversity of origins, cultures, and outlooks, there has been increasing interest in transnational perspectives in sport psychology scholarship and practice. Based on personal and professional experiences, however, we are concerned that there are diverse transnational-athlete perspectives that have not yet been explored in the literature which are also often restricted by traditional nation-based sporting policies, organisations, and events. As cultural awareness and understanding may enhance consultancy effectiveness and enable the construction of heretofore unrealised identities for athletes, in this paper we seek to expand upon the heterogeneity of athlete experiences relating to mobility by exploring real-world cases of transnational athletes and how their experiences fit into current sporting structures.DesignNarrative review and commentary.ResultsThree identity orientations that showcase transnational diversity are identified: postnational, intranational, and non-national. Key characteristics and challenges relating to these for athletes, coaches, and practitioners are exemplified and discussed.ConclusionTo enhance rapport and inclusivity, researchers and practitioners should not only consider experiences, perceptions, and constructed identities of postnational, intranational, and non-national athletes, but also seek to understand how these interact with or are influenced by environmental and structural factors.     

Self-Care as Key to Others' Care: The Perspectives of Globally Situated Experienced Senior-Level Sport Psychology Practitioners

Engaging in self-care has been proposed as a means of counteracting work–life stress that can negatively impact efforts by sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) to effectively and ethically care for their clients. Utilizing Hill's Consensual Qualitative Research methodological approach, researchers examined the perceptions, experiences, and meanings that 20 internationally located, experienced, senior-level SPPs attributed to their self-care. The researchers identified 3 main domains: (a) defining self-care for SPPs, (b) describing the self-care challenges SPPs faced, and (c) identifying the strategies used to overcome those challenges. The experienced and senior-level practitioners participating in this study recognized a need to sustain a relatively balanced approach in their professional and personal lives. They presented a perspective of self-care as necessary to effectively support and provide care for clients. The SPPs identified self-care as an important contributor to their sport psychology professional quality of life. Study findings have implications for the well-being of both novice and more experienced SPPs.     

Work and psychiatric illness in Aotearoa/New Zealand: implications for career practice

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to examine the influence of Māori culture upon psychiatric service provision in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the implications of this for career counselling of people with experience of mental illness in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The research explored the experiences of a group of women in Aotearoa/New Zealand who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, with the aim of gaining some understanding about how they negotiate issues around diagnosis, recovery and resilience development and employment. The women interviewed for the study ranged in age from 17 to late 60s. They displayed academic ability ranging from literacy issues to postdoctoral experience. Their psychiatric illnesses ranged from single episodes to chronic lifetime conditions and from depression to psychotic bi-polar disorder. Their occupations ranged from unemployed status to an acting CEO. All but one of the women identified as Pākehā/tauiwi. One woman had Māori heritage but had been adopted at birth by Pākehā adoptive parents and had no knowledge of her Māori whakapapa [genealogy; descent lines; ancestry] until later in her adult life. The key idea that emerged was the importance of mentors in vocational settings, and the helpfulness of Māori-focused group and family wellness models for renegotiating vocational identity when suffering from a psychiatric illness. Implications for career practitioners are discussed.     

“Nothing was lost sailing-wise and lots is gained on a personal level”: Practitioners’ behaviors and athletes’ perceptions of working in online environments

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of expert practitioners and their British sailing team athletes concerning effective, athlete-centered online delivery during a period of COVID-19 restrictions between March and June 2020. In particular, we explored how psychosocial behaviors of practitioners and inherent attributes of online environments influenced the overall wellbeing of the athletes.MethodsUsing appreciative inquiry (AI), which adopts a social constructionist viewpoint, we interviewed nine expert practitioners, which included technical and strength and conditioning coaches, physiologists, and physiotherapists, and 18 elite athletes.ResultsOur results highlight that when delivering sessions online, practitioners expressed psychosocial behaviors that helped build effective relationships, with expression of care and empathy developing closeness, active participation exhibiting commitment, and psychosocial behaviors such as promoting a holistic mindset supporting an athlete-centered approach. Key to these positive outcomes was the connection that practitioners developed with their athletes in these online sessions. Our results suggest that the online environment provide opportunities for practitioners and athletes to reveal part of their personalities and identities that go beyond focusing on performance due to the change in the contextual setting (i.e., restrictions called for a ‘people first’ approach).ConclusionThe findings offer a novel contribution to the literature in highlighting how online environments provide the opportunity to deliver athlete-centered sessions.     

Mixed-Race Women

Abstract

Within the last two decades, researchers have found that the majority of mixed-race individuals are psychologically healthy, experience similar life events as other people of color, and encounter additional discrimination and stresses due to their mixed-race status. The experiences of mixed-race women differ from mixed-race men along severaldimensions: belonging and acceptance, physical appearance, cultural stereotypes, ethnic identity, power and guilt, and dating and marriage. It is important for mental health practitioners to understand how these experiences affect a mixed-race woman's life.     

Impact of Sex Role Differences Upon The Frame of Reference: of Male and Female Residential Real Estate Salespeople in Their Evaluation of Career Opportunities

Abstract

The influence of sex-role stereotyping upon employee performances for job rewards has been researched in great depth. Little work has been done with men and women in a commissioned sales field. This study examines the influence of sex-role stereotyping upon the communication frame of reference and upon the evaluation of a career opportunity through two new hypotheses. Evidence was found that a sex-role identity and stereotyping can influence the frame of reference and the quality of information about a career.     

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Neurological Outcomes: A Review for Practitioners

ABSTRACT

Thirty-eight million women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) during the course of their lifetime. Many of these women will experience brain injuries as a result of IPV and may not seek medical attention. Several types of practitioners who work with IPV survivors consistently, e.g., first responders, advocates, and clinicians, may be unfamiliar with brain functioning, screening, assessment, and treatment. This article reviews the dual traumas of IPV and TBI, the impact on neurological processes and symptomatology, and short and long-term outcomes. Recommendations for screening, intervention, interprofessional collaboration, and research are outlined.     

Sex Roles and the Desirability of Job Rewards,Expectations and Aspirations of Male versus Female Salespeople

Abstract

There have been numerous studies of the impact of sex-role stereotyping upon the preferences for job rewards and the difference between men and women. This study tests for such differences in a career field where men and women compete equally—commissioned residential real estate sales. Several new hypotheses were tested to include not only differences in desirability for job rewards, but also the expectancy of success in achieving them. There was little evidence of any differences between men and women in this career field resulting from a sex-role impact.     

Experiences in difference: An exploration of the usefulness and relevance of psychoanalytic theory to transcultural mental health work

Abstract

This paper presents accounts of work with mental health service users in a multicultural residential setting and, explores some of the difficulties involved in working from a psychodynamic perspective in such a setting. It argues that a psychoanalytic understanding of the role of phantasy in the experience of difference, upon which ideas of culture and identity are constructed, can be helpful to practitioners concerned with addressing the consequences of their clients' experience of racism and other forms of discrimination. Particular reference is made to Winnicott's writings on play, transitional space and the location of cultural experience.