Dynamics in Self-Regulation: Plan Execution Self-Efficacy and Mastery of Action Plans

This study investigated whether an individual's plan execution self-efficacy precedes mastery of the respective action plan or vice versa. Study participants were 122 cardiac rehabilitation patients. Plan execution self-efficacy and mastery of a personal action plan on physical activity were assessed each week for 6 weeks after discharge from rehabilitation. Physical exercise was assessed 2 months after discharge. Multilevel cross-lagged panel analyses resulted in a positive effect of mastery on subsequent self-efficacy, whereas self-efficacy did not predict subsequent mastery at the within-person level. At the between-person level, however, self-efficacy predicted following physical exercise. Thus, the predictive power of self-efficacy was developed in relation to mastery of personal action plans over time. Implications for behavior change interventions are discussed.     

Stress inoculation for reduction of burnout: A conservation of resources approach

We evaluated the efficacy of two programs designed to reduce stress among nurses by increasing their coping resources. The interventions were based on principles of Stress Inoculation Training and Conservation of Reources stress theory. A dual resource intervention targeted the enhancement of both social support and mastery resources. A single resource intervention targeted the enhancement of only mastery resources. Both interventions were contrasted to a no intervention control condition. Participants in the dual resource intervention experienced significant enhancements in social support and mastery compared to the no intervention control. The social support enhancement persisted through a five-week follow-up. Participants in the dual resource intervention with low initial levels of social support or mastery experienced significant reductions in psychological distress. Participants in the single resource intervention experienced a slight enhancement in mastery compared to the no intervention control. Implications for stress theory and the design of stress reduction programs are discussed.     

Personal relationships,personal attributes,and stress resistance: Mothers' reactions to their child's illness

The contribution to emotional distress of mastery, intimacy, received social support, and discomfort in seeking support was examined over a year period among 107 Israeli mothers of well, acutely ill, or chronically ill children. The following was found: (a) Women initially high in mastery experienced less psychological distress and benefited more from social support than did women low in mastery. (b) The greater social support women generally received the lower their psychological distress. (c) Independent of the level of generally received support, women who experienced greater distress received greater social support at the time of crisis. (d) Intimacy with spouse was related to better stress resistance, but the opposite was found for intimacy with family. (e) Women who felt uncomfortable seeking support were more distressed at the time of initial crisis than women who were more comfortable seeking support and became less intimate with significant others.     

The role of personality in adolescent career planning and exploration: A social cognitive perspective

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) recognises the importance of individual differences and contextual influences in the career decision-making process. In extending the SCCT choice model, this study tested the role of personality, social supports, and the SCCT variables of self-efficacy, outcome expectations and goals in explaining the career readiness actions of career planning and exploration. The authors surveyed 414 Australian high school students in Years 10, 11 and 12. Career exploration was associated with goals and social supports, whereas career planning was associated with self-efficacy, goals, personality and an interaction term for goals and social support that indicated that levels of planning were highest when social support and goals were highest. Implications for parents, teachers and guidance counsellors as well as recommendations for future research directions are discussed.     

Social Support and Neighborhood Stressors Among African American Youth: Networks and Relations to Self-Worth

Although neighborhood stressors have a negative impact on youth, and social support can play a protective role, it is unclear what types and sources of social support may contribute to positive outcomes among at-risk youth. We examined the influences of neighborhood disadvantage and social support on global self-worth among low-income, urban African American youth, both concurrently and longitudinally. We examined social support from both a structural and functional perspective, and tested the main-effects and the stress-buffering models of social support. Participants included 82–130 youth, in 6th–8th grade, who completed self-report measures. Network support results suggest participants received emotional, tangible, and informational support most often from mothers and other female relatives, with friends, fathers, and teachers also playing important roles. Model testing accounted for neighborhood stressors and support from various sources, revealing support from close friends was associated with concurrent self-worth; whereas, parent support predicted self-worth longitudinally, above and beyond initial levels of self-worth. The findings provide evidence for the main-effects model of social support and not the stress-buffering model. Our findings illustrate the importance of extended family networks and the types of support that youth rely upon in African American impoverished communities, as well as how support contributes to global self-worth. Implications and suggestions for future research and intervention are discussed.     

A preliminary study into stress in palliative care: optimism, self-efficacy and social support

Caring for the terminally ill is a demanding, but rewarding area of health care. Stressors unique to this working environment--dealing with patient death rather than cure, and supporting entire family units, for example--put caregivers at risk from stress related illness. This study investigated the buffering effects of optimism, self-efficacy and social support against two measures of stress within the palliative setting. Comparisons were made between volunteer (n = 18) and professional (n = 18) caregivers across three caregiving settings. Data were collected retrospectively about personal control variables; use of and satisfaction with, social support; and, perceived general and occupational specific stress levels. Differences in reported stress levels were found both between settings (NHS, hospice and community-based) and between caregiver type (salary status and occupational category). Optimism was more strongly and consistently associated with low levels of perceived stress than was self-efficacy. Satisfaction with social support was highest among paid workers, and in terms of buffering stress in the whole sample, appeared mediated by optimism. Worksite interventions targeting caregiver self-efficacy and optimism are recommended as a potential source of stress management within this population.     

Social Support and Postdeployment Coping Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Distress Among Combat Veterans

This study evaluated the indirect effect of received social support on distress severity (i.e., posttraumatic stress and depression symptom severity) among 89 combat veterans. Through integrating the social support deterioration deterrence model and the enabling hypothesis, mediating roles of perceived social support and self-efficacy specific to postdeployment adaptation were investigated. Results showed that (a) received social support and perceived social support were not related, and (b) both received and perceived social support indirectly predicted distress severity (posttraumatic stress and depression symptom severity) through postdeployment coping self-efficacy. Specifically, high received and perceived social support independently predicted high postdeployment coping self-efficacy, and high postdeployment coping self-efficacy predicted lower distress severity levels. Theory enhancement and future research needs are discussed.     

Affiliative Need,Different Types of Social Support,and Physical Symptoms1

Less tangible types of social support (emotional, informational, and companionship) were shown to predict reports of physical symptoms as a joint function of both affiliative need and negative life events, while the effects of tangible support depended only upon the occurrence of negative life events (the prototypical buffering effect). Low affiliative need individuals tended to benefit from both types of support, while high affiliative need individuals benefited primarily from more tangible support. The results were discussed in terms of the proposal that low affiliative need individuals hold a more problem-focused view of social support, while high affiliative need individuals tend to take a less personally instrumental stance toward interpersonal interaction.     

Longitudinal test of the social cognitive model of choice in engineering students at historically Black universities

We tested the social cognitive model of choice (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) using a longitudinal design. Participants were 116 students taking beginning engineering courses at two historically Black universities. They completed measures of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, goals, and environmental supports and barriers near the end of two consecutive semesters. Path analyses indicated overall support for the choice model and, in particular, suggested that self-efficacy served as a temporal precursor of outcome expectations, interests, goals, and supports. Interests and self-efficacy were found to be reciprocally related but, contrary to expectations, supports and barriers did not account for unique variance in self-efficacy. Implications for future research on the choice model are discussed.     

Depressive Symptomatology among HIV-Positive Women in the Era of HAART: A Stress and Coping Model

Objective: An enhanced stress and coping model was used to explain depression among HIV-positive women in healthcare and community settings where highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) was commonplace. Method: HIV-infected women in four cities (N=978) were assessed, cross-sectionally, for mental and physical health, stress, social support, and other background factors. Results: Self-reported level of depressive symptomatology was high. Number of physical symptoms, illness intrusiveness, and perceived stress were positively associated with depressed mood, while coping self-efficacy and social support were negatively associated. Stress mediated the effect of health status on depression and coping self-efficacy mediated the effect of psychosocial resources on depression. Our enhanced stress and coping model accounted for 52% of variance in depressive symtpomatology. Conclusions: Interventions focused on improving coping self-efficacy, bolstering social supports, and decreasing stress in the lives of HIV-positive women may help to reduce the negative effects of HIV disease on mood.     

The Functions of Social Support as Protective Factors for Suicidal Ideation in a Sample of Air Force Personnel

This study examined various functions of social support (i.e., tangible, esteem, belonging, and appraisal) were examined as protective factors for suicidal ideation in a sample of 273 active duty Air Force Security Forces personnel. Generalized linear regression analyses were conducted to determine if various social support functions were differentially associated with the presence and severity of suicidal ideation, both as main effects and as moderators of emotional distress. None of the four social support functions differentiated suicidal from nonsuicidal Airmen, but esteem support (i.e., feeling respected, encouraged, and valued by others) was associated with significantly less severe suicidal ideation (B = ?.074, SE = .025, p = .003). A significant interaction of tangible support (i.e., access to material resources) with emotional distress indicated that emotional distress was associated with more severe suicidal ideation only among Airmen reporting low levels of tangible support (B = .006, SE = .003, p = .018). When considered concurrently, both tangible and self‐esteem functions of social support are differentially associated with decreased suicidal ideation among Airmen, but belonging (i.e., having someone to do things with) and appraisal (i.e., having someone to talk to about problems) functions were not. Findings suggest that different aspects of social support affect suicidal ideation in different ways.     

Temporal relationships of self-efficacy and social support as predictors of adherence in a 6-month strength-training program for older women.

The present study investigated how self-efficacy and social support predicted adherence to a strength training program for elderly women over two time periods in the initial 6 mo. of the program. Participants were 30 elderly women volunteers aged 75 to 80 who completed measures of barrier self-efficacy and general social support at baseline and 3 mo. later. Social support from the program was also measured at 3 mo. Adherence to the program was measured by attendance. Hierarchical regression equations were utilized to identify the contributions of self-efficacy and social support for adherence at 0 to 3 mo. and 4 to 6 mo. For prediction of the first 3 mo. of adherence, both self-efficacy and social support contributed significant unique variance towards the total explained variance of 36%. For the 4- to 6-mo. period, self-efficacy explained significant (12%) variance in adherence even when controlling for the previous 3-mo. adherence. Inclusion of general social support and social support from the program, however, did not account for significant variance. Researchers must continue to examine self-efficacy and social support in exercise adherence within various time periods among older adults to develop effective intervention strategies.     

高中生感知教师支持与学习投入的关系:学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介作用

采用感知教师支持、学习投入、学业自我效能感和成就目标定向问卷对498名高中生进行问卷调查,探讨感知教师支持对学习投入的影响,以及学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介效应。结果显示：（1）感知教师支持能通过学业自我效能感间接预测高中生学习投入,感知教师支持可以通过掌握趋近、表现趋近、表现回避间接预测高中生学习投入;（2）学业自我效能感→掌握趋近、学业自我效能感→表现趋近、学业自我效能感→表现回避三者分别在感知教师支持与学习投入之间起链式中介作用,学业自我效能感→掌握回避的中介效应则不显著。上述结果表明,感知教师支持不仅能分别通过学业自我效能感、掌握趋近、表现趋近、表现回避预测高中生学习投入,还能通过学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介作用间接预测高中生学习投入。     

高中生感知教师支持与学习投入的关系:学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介作用

采用感知教师支持、学习投入、学业自我效能感和成就目标定向问卷对498名高中生进行问卷调查,探讨感知教师支持对学习投入的影响,以及学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介效应。结果显示：（1）感知教师支持能通过学业自我效能感间接预测高中生学习投入,感知教师支持可以通过掌握趋近、表现趋近、表现回避间接预测高中生学习投入;（2）学业自我效能感→掌握趋近、学业自我效能感→表现趋近、学业自我效能感→表现回避三者分别在感知教师支持与学习投入之间起链式中介作用,学业自我效能感→掌握回避的中介效应则不显著。上述结果表明,感知教师支持不仅能分别通过学业自我效能感、掌握趋近、表现趋近、表现回避预测高中生学习投入,还能通过学业自我效能感和成就目标定向的链式中介作用间接预测高中生学习投入。     

Personal resources of mastery–optimism,and communal support beliefs,as predictors of posttraumatic stress in uprooted Israelis

Abstract

The study aims to assess the personal resources of mastery–optimism, and communal support beliefs, as predictors of posttraumatic stress and adaptation in uprooted Israelis following Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria in the summer of 2005. A telephone interview of a sample of 104 respondents slated to be uprooted was conducted several weeks before the disengagement (T1), and again 9 months after the event (T2). At T1, respondents answered a questionnaire which included assessments of dispositional optimism and mastery, beliefs in the availability of community–family and governmental–societal support, nation-related anxiety, and demographic data. Posttraumatic stress levels were assessed at T2. The main findings showed that high levels of mastery–optimism and low nation-related anxiety at T1 predicted a low severity of total posttraumatic stress scores at T2. A high educational level and a secular identity also predicted low posttraumatic stress. In contrast, communal support beliefs were not related to posttraumatic stress. These findings point to the importance of personal resources and education as protective factors against posttraumatic stress following an event such as forced uprooting.     

Money Doesn't Talk, It Swears: How Economic Stress and Resistance Resources Impact Inner-City Women's Depressive Mood

We examined the differential impact of chronic versus acute economic stress on depressive mood among a sample of 1241 low-income, single, European and African American women. Based on Hobfoll's (1988, 1989) conservation of resources (COR) theory, we predicted that acute resource loss would be more distressing than chronic economic lack. That is, although chronically impoverished conditions are stressful, the attendant resource losses created will be more distressing. We further predicted that mastery and social support would be more beneficial in offsetting the negative consequences of acute resource loss than the negative consequences of chronic economic lack, because acute loss creates identifiable demands that resources may address. Hence, we hypothesized that mastery and social support would show stress buffering effects only for material loss, not chronic lack. The findings generally supported the hypotheses, but mastery buffered only European American women's resource loss and social support buffered only African American women's resource loss. The findings are discussed in light of implications for prevention within theoretical and cultural contexts.     

Role of Perceived Social Support on Depression in Chinese Adolescents: A Prospective Study Examining the Buffering Model

In response to the dearth of attempts to examine functions of perceived social support on depression in Chinese adolescents, a prospective study was conducted to examine the relationship among stressful life events, perceived social support, and depression. The present results provided support for the buffering model, indicating that the function of perceived social support in mitigating subsequent depression was prominent only under high stress levels. These results were discussed in terms of the socialized role of Chinese adolescents, as well as the function of esteem enhancement of perceived social support in alleviating depression. Reciprocal relationships between initial depression levels and subsequent levels of social support were also discussed. Possible counseling and prevention programs for Chinese adolescents are proposed.     

社会支持对震后青少年创伤后应激障碍和创伤后成长的影响:自我效能感的中介作用

本研究采用创伤暴露问卷、社会支持问卷、自我效能感量表、创伤后应激障碍症状核查表和创伤后成长问卷,在汶川地震8.5年后对地震极重灾区的1185名中学生进行调查,考察社会支持对创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）和创伤后成长（PTG）的影响,并检验自我效能感在其中的中介作用。结果发现：在控制创伤暴露程度、性别和年龄等变量后,社会支持不仅可以直接负向预测PTSD、正向预测PTG,也可以通过自我效能感的中介作用负向预测PTSD、正向预测PTG。这表明,自我效能感在社会支持与PTSD、社会支持与PTG的关系中都具有部分中介效应。