Behavioral Correlates of Self-Appraised Problem-Solving Ability: Problem-Solving Skills and Health-Compromising Behaviors

According to the revised social problem-solving model, problem solving skills should be associated with cognitive and behavioral attempts to solve or prevent personal problems. We reasoned that the Approach-Avoidance scale on the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner, 1988) measures problem-solving skills as defined in the model, and predicted that scores on this factor would be predictive of health-compromising behaviors among 96 undergraduate students. An aspect of the problem-orientation component would be predictive of global health perceptions. Ineffective problem-solving skills were associated with greater alcohol intake over a 2-week period, and with more sedentary leisure behavior on retrospective and prospective measures. Perceived control over emotions was predictive of health perceptions, as hypothesized. However, elements of problem solving were unrelated to tobacco use, illicit drug use, and exercise behaviors.     

Peer victimization and social‐emotional outcomes: The role of teacher and peer support

The relation between peer victimization, risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, and school‐based sources of social support for students in elementary and middle school were examined. Participants included 656 students in third to eighth grade from one school district. Results indicated that peer support mediated the relation between peer victimization and risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, but teacher support did not mediate this relation. Conditional indirect effects analyses revealed that the indirect effect of peer support varied as a function of school level (i.e., intermediate and middle school). The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

     

Unresolved Childhood Sexual Abuse and Older Adults: Late-Life Vulnerabilities

Several long-term correlates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have been identified, including depression, fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, and poor interpersonal functioning (e.g., Browne and Finkelhor, 1986). However, little is know about how CSA survivors fare in old age. This article addresses the impact of unresolved CSA on late-life (emotional, cognitive, and behavioral) functioning. Three case studies of older adults ages 60 and older who were struggling with unresolved CSA are presented. Two observed stressors (loss of social support and declining health) and one developmental task (reminiscence or life-review) appear to be linked to exacerbated vulnerabilities in older survivors. Specifically, because CSA may arrest specific childhood developmental tasks (e.g., ability to form secure attachments, autonomy) or facilitate development of coping strategies that are maladaptive when outside of an abusive environment (e.g., generalized interpersonal distrust, avoidance, dissociation), the survivor may be at risk for developmental vulnerabilities for dysfunction in adulthood. These vulnerabilities may exacerbate unresolved CSA, particularly when the adult encounters stressors or developmental tasks that exceed his or her capacity for adaptive coping. Recommendations for mental health professionals and future research are suggested.     

中学生的情绪智力、社会问题解决技能对其师生关系的影响

为了考察中学生师生关系现状,并探讨中学生的情绪智力、社会问题解决技能与师生关系之间的内在联系,本研究采用《中学生情绪智力量表》、《中学生社会问题解决技能量表》和《中学生师生关系量表》对2172名中学生进行调查。结果发现：（1）中学生的师生关系的总体状况良好,且存在显著的年级和性别差异：初一、高一年级的师生关系好于初二、高二年级。在亲密性和支持性方面,不存在显著的性别差异,在冲突性方面,男生显著高于女生,在满意感方面,女生显著高于男生。（2）情绪智力的不同维度对中学生师生关系的预测作用各不一样。情绪感知对师生关系的亲密性具有显著的负向预测作用,对师生关系的冲突性具有显著的正向预测作用。情绪运用、理解和管理都能够显著预测师生关系,其中情绪运用对师生关系的亲密性、支持性和满意度的预测作用最为突出,情绪管理对师生冲突的负向预测作用最强。（3）社会问题解决技能在中学生情绪智力与师生关系之间起部分中介作用。     

Impact of assertive and accusatory communication of distress and anger: A verbal component analysis

Forty undergraduate women were asked to imagine discussing an important problem in their relationship with a personally close partner and to rate likely emotional and behavioral reactions to four kinds of statements: 1) assertive communication of distress, 2) assertive communication of anger, 3) accusatory communication of distress, and 4) accusatory communication of anger. Accusatory “you” statements were rated as more aversive and evoked more negative emotional and behavioral response inclinations than did assertive “I” messages. Statements including “anger” words evoked more negative emotional and behavioral response inclinations than statements including “distress” words. Findings were related to research on cue-controlled aggression and the work of Staats, which predicts ways that verbal labels (language) exert control over emotions and behavior.     

Parental Stress and Children’s Social and Behavioral Outcomes: The Role of Abuse Potential over Time

Parental stress is a well-established risk factor for adverse child outcomes, including the development of aggression, externalizing behavior problems, and anxiety, as well as compromised emotional coping, impaired social cognition, and diminished treatment response. Abuse potential represents a mechanism by which parental stress may impact child social competence and behavior; evidence links parental stress to abuse potential, and abuse potential to a range of negative child social competence and behavioral outcomes. The current study assessed relationships between parental stress, abuse potential, and child social and behavioral outcomes over time. Parents of children ages 2–6 years (N?=?610, 44% girls) reported on perceived parental stress and attitudes towards abuse and neglect, as well as child social competence and behavior problems, before and after a caregiver-directed, community-based intervention. Changes in parental stress, abuse potential, and child social and behavioral outcomes were examined using panel analyses, while controlling for intervention effects and demographic variables. Parental stress predicted child social competence, anxiety/withdrawal, and anger/aggression over time; while the links between stress and anxiety/withdrawal, and stress and social competence, were mediated by child abuse potential, the link between stress and anger/aggression was not mediated by child abuse potential. Findings suggest that abuse potential represents a mechanism by which parental stress and child social and behavioral outcomes are linked. Further, screening for child social competence deficits may identify children at risk for abuse, as well as parents in need of services to reduce stress.     

Emotional health,support, and self‐efficacy in young adults with a history of language impairment

Children and adolescents with language impairment (LI) are at risk of emotional health difficulties. However, less is known about whether these difficulties continue into adulthood for this group, or about the potential role of environmental resources (e.g., social support) or internal resources (e.g., self‐efficacy). This study investigates emotional health in 81 adults with a history of developmental LI (aged 24) compared with 87 age‐matched peers (AMPs) using Beck Inventories. Social support and self‐efficacy measures were examined as predictors. The results were fourfold: (1) adults with LI had higher levels of emotional health problems; (2) whilst the availability of social support was similar across groups, people with LI received more help from others compared to peers; (3) social support was not significantly related to emotional health in those with LI – in contrast, for AMPs, uptake of support indicated poorer emotional health; (4) self‐efficacy was the strongest predictor of emotional health in both groups and fully mediated the relationship between language and emotional health (no moderation by group). This cross‐sectional study has implications for concurrent factors that might affect emotional health outcomes for children and young people with and without LI.     

Constraint and inclination for reducing complexity--social cognitive aspects of moral judgment in children]

When processing information about their reality human beings systematically reduce objective complexity. This is not only true in cognitive problem solving, but also in other every-day situations, e.g., when decisions in situations of moral relevance are required. From a developmental psychological point of view the adequate handling of such situations requires, on the one hand, an age-related differentiation of social cognitions, and, on the other hand, an increasingly effective structuring and integration of information. The latter developmental process, however, bears the danger that an adequate psychosocial development is substituted by a tendency toward complexity reduction in the sense of oversimplification due to the fact that such a tendency may suggest situation-specific alternative actions which are seemingly "easier to handle". In an empirical study with 176 students from Polytechnical High Schools in (East-)Berlin the hypothesis is tested if a tendency toward oversimplification in (fictitious) situations of moral relevance is systematically related to deviant behavior at school. Results show that indeed deviant students have a stronger tendency toward oversimplifying social cognitions than non-deviant students. Furthermore, it can be shown that this result is not moderated by possible sex, age or academic performance effects. As results with regard to moral judgement in the Kohlbergian sense differ substantially in their relation to academic performance and to behavioral deviance, it is assumed that the two judgement processes differ conceptually.     

Parents’ Perceived Impact of the Societal Lockdown of COVID-19 on Family Well-Being and on the Emotional and Behavioral State of Walloon Belgian Children Aged 4 to 13 Years: An Exploratory Study

This exploratory study assessed parents’ perceptions of the emotional and behavioral impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on their children. The total sample included 749 children, aged 4 to 13 years old (353 girls, 396 boys); 524 parents took part. The emotional and behavioral changes observed during the societal lockdown, family coexistence, the impact of COVID-19 on family well-being, and the frequency of social contacts before and during this lockdown were investigated. Results show that the most frequently reported difficulties were worry, agitation, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, nervousness, arguing, anger, frustration, boredom, irritability, behavioral problems, and laziness. Family coexistence declined significantly during this lockdown, and parents mentioned that COVID-19 had an impact on family well-being. Various ordinal logistic regressions showed that family coexistence, children’s nervousness due to COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on family well-being, age, and social contacts before and during this lockdown seemed to explain the various emotional and behavioral changes observed in children during the societal lockdown. These results are discussed and recommendations are made.     

Increasing Anger Log Use During School Among Middle School Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

ABSTRACT

Although anger management programs often promote the use of anger logs as an alternative to aggressive behavior, researchers have not studied whether or not these programs actually increase anger log use. Thus, this study examines the impact of In Control, a classroom-based curriculum with 10 weekly 30-minute sessions, on the frequency of anger log use between sessions. Study participants were all of the students attending a middle school for emotional/behavioral disorders. Twenty-seven students received the In Control program, and 19 equivalent students did not. While anger logs were visibly available in all of the classrooms, the students who received the In Control program completed significantly more logs between sessions than did the nonprogram students. During a 4-month follow-up, the 19 program students who received monthly booster sessions continued to fill out significantly more logs than did the nonprogram students. These findings suggest that In Control can increase the use of a log to record anger-provoking episodes by middle school students with serious emotional/behavioral disorders, both in between training sessions and during follow-up, if booster sessions are provided.     

Frontal lobe dysfunction and everyday problem-solving: social and non-social contributions

Everyday problem-solving involves both non-social executive processes, social and emotional processes, and draws upon social and practical knowledge. A series of studies including both adult-acquired lesions and neurodevelopmental disorders is reviewed examining problem-solving on a real-life-type task that involves generating a range of solutions to brief problem scenarios and selecting preferred solutions to solve the problems. Impairments in problem-solving are described in groups of participants with left anterior frontal lobe lesions, Tourette's syndrome and Asperger's syndrome. By contrast, healthy older people did not show problem-solving deficits on the same task. The possible contributions of non-social executive skills, social and emotional skills, and knowledge acquired from experience are each considered in relation to everyday performance. Multiple cognitive/emotional routes to the development of everyday life difficulties pose a complex challenge both in understanding the nature of the relevant processes and in developing adequate methods for management and rehabilitation.     

Psychoanalytically Based Treatment for Traumatized Children and Families

A psychoanalytic orientation provides an important perspective for developing community-based prevention and intervention programs for traumatized children and their families. In New Orleans, the Violence Intervention Program for Children and Families is designed to reduce the risk of exposure to violence, mental health problems following exposure, interference with normal developmental progression, academic performance, family functioning, onset of behavioral and conduct disturbances, later psychopathology, and subsequent violence. The program includes an unusual focus on work with police officers as first responders to increase their sensitivity and responsiveness to traumatized children. A psychoanalytic perspective helps a therapist or interventionist understand a person's strengths and weaknesses, frustrations, and conflicts as well as those within a chaotic environment and social situation. The psychoanalytic approach allows for more effective therapeutic approaches as well as more flexible problem-solving strategies.     

Problem-Solving Appraisal,Health Complaints,and Health-Related Expectancies

The authors examined the relation of problem-solving appraisal to health complaints and health-related expectancies among 321 undergraduates. Results indicated that self-appraised effective problem solvers reported fewer current physical symptoms during the 3 weeks prior to assessment and fewer health problems on the day of assessment than did ineffective problem solvers. Self-appraised effective problem solvers also had greater internal and lower chance expectancies for health outcomes than did ineffective problem solvers. Ineffective self-appraised problem solvers reported more negative health perceptions 3 months later during the week of final examinations. Personal control over emotional experiences when engaging in problem solving was significantly predictive of health perceptions. Results are integrated with theoretical models of problem solving and behavioral health. Implications for counseling are discussed.     

Personal problem-solving system for scoring TAT responses: preliminary validity and reliability data

Personal problem solving has emerged as an important construct in the cognitive-behavioral literature, yet there is a lack of clinically useful, performance-based measures practitioners can use to assess the personal problem-solving skills of their clients. Two studies evaluated the validity and reliability of a scoring system for measuring personal problem-solving processes via the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Morgan & Murray, 1935). In Experiment 1, undergraduate students (N = 87) completed two measures of personal problem solving, as well as three TAT cards, which were scored using the Personal Problem-Solving System (PPSS; Renan, 1990). In Experiment 2, an additional group of undergraduates (N = 56) responded to three TAT cards on two separate occasions and also completed a different measure of personal problem solving. Results from both studies supported the use of the PPSS for scoring TAT responses to assess personal problem-solving processes. Suggestions for future research are highlighted.     

Personality correlates of self-appraised problem solving abilities

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.     

Considerations for evaluating universal screening assessments

Universal screening is a critical prerequisite to providing early school-based prevention and intervention services for students at risk for or with academic, behavioral, or emotional difficulties. Although use of academic and behavioral screening has become more prevalent, criteria for making informed decisions about appropriate screening tools are not readily available to those who work in educational settings. The purpose of this article is to (a) highlight several considerations about the appropriateness, technical adequacy, and usability of academic or behavioral screeners and (b) provide a general assessment of the current state of science pertaining to universal screening. The article concludes with considerations for policy and practice. The framework presented may be useful in guiding those interested in evaluating, selecting, and researching school-based universal screening assessments.     

Relation between social problem-solving ability and subsequent level of psychological stress in college students.

A prospective design was used to examine the relation between social problem-solving ability and later psychological stress in college students during the first semester of the academic year. A new social problem-solving inventory measured not only general ability, but also more specific components of the problem-solving process (e.g., problem orientation, problem-solving skills; D'Zurilla & Nezu, 1990). The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that general problem-solving ability was negatively related to later stress, even after prior stress level and number of life problems were controlled. More specific analyses indicated that subjects' problem orientation was a better predictor of stress than their problem-solving skills. Results are discussed in terms of the possible stress-reducing effects of perceived control and successful problem resolution.     

愤怒情绪对恶意创造力的影响及调节策略

以两个实验考察愤怒情绪对恶意创造力表现的影响及作用路径, 并探究调节愤怒情绪对削弱恶意创造力表现的效应。实验1比较愤怒、悲伤、中性情绪下个体恶意创造力表现的差异, 发现愤怒情绪下个体生成更多、更新颖的恶意观点, 情绪唤醒度和内隐攻击性中介了愤怒对恶意创造力表现的影响。实验2探究不同情绪调节策略(认知重评、表达抑制)如何影响愤怒个体的恶意创造力表现, 发现认知重评组和表达抑制组的恶意创造力表现比无策略的控制组水平更低, 情绪唤醒度和内隐攻击性中介了两种情绪调节策略对个体恶意创造力表现的影响。上述结果表明, 愤怒情绪通过提升内隐攻击性和情绪唤醒度进而促进个体恶意创造力表现, 而认知重评和表达抑制策略可作为削弱愤怒个体的恶意创造力表现的有效策略。     

The relationship between father absence and children's social problem solving competencies

Predictions of deficits in children's social problem-solving competencies due to early and continuing father absence were investigated. To test these predictions, equal numbers of father-present and father-absent third graders matched on a number of variables were assessed on measures of social problem-solving performance. In Phase 2 of the study, half of the children from the father-absent category received a 15 week intervention programme which was conducted by adult male trainers to provide structured practice in social problem solving. Results demonstrated that father-absent treatment subjects, compared to father-absent control subjects, improved their social problem-solving skills significantly. Despite improvement due to intervention, social problem-solving scores for father-absent treatment subjects were still below those for father-present control subjects. Educational and developmental implications of the findings were discussed.