Care For Pastors: Learning From Clergy and Their Spouses

Pastors and their spouses face unique challenges because of the nature of pastoral work, and yet most manage these challenges successfully. Five studies are presented which help distinguish between intrapersonal, family, and community forms of care. Pastors rely heavily on intrapersonal forms of coping such as spiritual devotion, hobbies, exercise, and taking time away from work. The marriage relationship is also quite important for most clergy and spouses. Relationships outside the immediate family are not commonly identified as coping resources. Implications are discussed.     

The Effects of "Mandatory Volunteerism" on Intentions to Volunteer

Abstract—With the widespread emergence of required community-service programs comes a new opportunity to examine the effects of requirements on future behavioral intentions. To investigate the consequences of such "mandatory volunteerism" programs, we followed students who were required to volunteer in order to graduate from college. Results demonstrated that stronger perceptions of external control eliminated an otherwise positive relation between prior volunteer experience and future intentions to volunteer. A second study experimentally compared mandates and choices to serve and included a premeasured assessment of whether students felt external control was necessary to get them to volunteer. After being required or choosing to serve, students reported their future intentions. Students who initially felt it unlikely that they would freely volunteer had significantly lower intentions after being required to serve than after being given a choice. Those who initially felt more likely to freely volunteer were relatively unaffected by a mandate to serve as compared with a choice. Theoretical and practical implications for understanding the effects of requirements and constraints on intentions and behavior are discussed.     

Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression and Psychological Weil-Being Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Spouses1

Associations between ambivalence over emotional expression and psychological well-being among rheumatoid arthritis patients and their spouses were investigated. Sixty-nine couples completed questionnaires assessing ambivalence over emotional expression, emotional expressiveness, psychological well-being, and strategies used in coping with arthritis. Associations between the patient's ambivalence and psychological well-being were stronger for those married to a highly ambivalent spouse, although this pattern of results was not found for spouses. Lower psychological well-being among more ambivalent spouses, and to a lesser extent patients, could be partially explained by their greater use of passive and distancing coping strategies. Results emphasize the importance of taking a dyadic approach to the study of psychological functioning among chronically ill patients and their spouses.     

慢性病患者及其配偶的二元应对纵向研究进展

通过回顾国内外相关文献,从研究的意义、现状及研究的难点等方面综述慢性病患者及其配偶的二元应对纵向研究进展。结果显示夫妻的二元应对在不同疾病中随着时间推移呈不同的发展趋势;患者和配偶的二元应对方式及应对一致性对双方远期心理健康、关系质量等有重要的预测作用,且可能存在角色、性别、应对方式的差异。国内目前在该方面的研究较少,可借鉴国外研究方法,探究不同疾病背景下夫妻二元应对的发展及其对心理社会适应的预测作用,为制定有针对性的二元干预措施提供指导。

     

Creating Connection and Reducing Distress: the Effects of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy on Measures of Social Connection across Levels of Analysis

The Psychological Record - Research on functional analytic psychotherapy's (FAP) proposed process of change has focused on the turn-by-turn coding of FAP. In these studies, FAP-consistent...     

乳腺癌患者夫妻疾病沟通影响因素的质性研究

为了解乳腺癌患者夫妻疾病沟通的影响因素,采用目的抽样法于2021年12月~2022年1月选取12例女性乳腺癌患者进行半结构式访谈。共归纳出2个主题：疾病因素(包括配偶照顾负担、病耻感、疾病恐惧、经济压力、养育忧虑、疾病接受度)、非疾病因素(包括主动沟通意识、沟通技巧、沟通热情)。可见,乳腺癌患者夫妻疾病沟通受多种因素影响,医护人员应深入剖析患者消极内心体验,加强心理疏导,并增强其主动沟通意识,提高其沟通技能和沟通热情,从而改善沟通状况。

     

References Examining Assaults by Women on Their Spouses or Male Partners: An Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography describes 271 scholarly investigations (211 empirical studies and 60 reviews), which demonstrate that women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners. The aggregate sample size in the reviewed studies exceeds 365,000.     

Unemployment and Psychological Distress: Mediator Effects

The study concerned possible mediators and moderators in the relationship between unemployment and psychological distress. The sample consisted of 58 unemployed and 177 employed 36-year-old Finnish people drawn from the ongoing Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. Data were gathered by means of a mailed questionnaire, a semistructured interview, and personality inventories. The results showed that poor economic situation, and poor self-esteem as measured by Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, mediated the relationship between unemployment and psychological distress even after controlling for the prior level of self-esteem. Psychological distress was defined as psychological ill-health (the General Health Questionnaire), depressive symptoms (the General Behavior Inventory), and anxiety (the Karolinska Scales of Personality). However, support was also found for an alternative model, in which depressive symptoms functioned as a mediator between long unemployment and poor self-esteem, suggesting that individuals may react to unemployment in different ways.     

Religiosity and Spirituality: Influence on Quality of Life and Perceived Patient Self-Efficacy among Cardiac Patients and Their Spouses

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of spirituality, religiosity, and religious coping on quality of life and self-efficacy among couples following a first time cardiac event. There was no significant association between measures for spirituality and religiosity and couples’ ratings for quality of life and self-efficacy. Negative forms of religious coping were associated with lower levels of quality of life and decreased confidence in the patient’s ability to perform physical tasks. Spouses’ measures for quality of life, self-efficacy, spirituality, religiosity, and religious coping were associated with patients’ measures for the same study variables. Joan F. Miller, RN, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Nursing, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815 and Director of the Bloomsburg University Nursing Wellness Center. The author gives special thanks to Timothy R. McConnell, Ph.D., and Troy A. Klinger, M.S., for their research support and helpful feedback.     

Young People and Volunteerism: A Model of Sustained Volunteerism During the Transition to Adulthood

A model of sustained volunteerism in young people is proposed. The longitudinal study addresses the questions “Why do young people decide to continue to volunteer over an extended period of time?” There were 158 volunteers (82 female and 76 male). The volunteers completed measures of motivation to volunteer, integration, and satisfaction with the organization, merged effects due to voluntary service, social support, identity, and intention to volunteer on a first (Time 1) and a second research wave (Time 2). Results show that both dispositional and organizational variables are important in determining long-term volunteerism in young people and confirmed that role identity is the best predictor of intention to volunteer.     

Witnesses and Their Testimony: Effects of Ordering on Juror Verdicts1

Thibaut and Walker's claim that criminal courtroom proceedings are subject to pervasive recency effects was experimentally investigated. Previous research on order effects in a legal setting is critically reviewed; it is argued that this research fails to provide adequate simulation of courtroom protocol. An experiment was designed to retain the structure of a criminal trial while manipulating witness and testimony order. In contrast to earlier research, primacy effects were found. The greatest number of guilty verdicts by simulated jurors occurred when the strongest “guilty” witnesses and “guilty” testimony by these witnesses came first. These results are discussed with respect to (a) witness and testimony order, (b) length of case, and (c) type of case used.     

The Effects on Layoff Survivors of Their Fellow Survivors' Reactions1

A multimethod series of studies examined factors that moderate the effects on layoff survivors of their fellow survivors' reactions. Studies 1 and 2 showed that survivors' work performance was more influenced by the reactions of fellow survivors who were relatively attractive. Study 3 revealed that survivors' work performance and turnover intention were more positively related to the reactions of relatively attractive fellow survivors, but only when the survivors had relatively little communication with their fellow survivors about the layoff; among those who communicated a great deal with fellow survivors about the layoff, work performance, and turnover intention were positively related to their fellow survivors' reactions, regardless of the attractiveness of their fellow survivors. The discussion focuses on theoretical and practical implications, limitations of the studies, and areas for further research.     

The Moderating Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Distress and Emotional Eating Behaviour

Current evidence and theory suggests that emotional eating resulting from attempts to manage psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression, and stress, is considered to be a major contributor to obesity. Mindfulness has been shown to be related to disordered eating behaviours. Employing a non‐clinical sample of 42 males and 115 females, the present study investigated the contribution of mindfulness as a potential moderator between psychological distress and engagement in emotional eating, while controlling for the effects of gender and general nutrition knowledge. Consistent with predictions, psychological distress was positively associated with engagement in emotional eating, while mindfulness was found to share an inverse relationship. Moreover, after controlling for gender and general nutrition knowledge, the interaction between psychological distress and mindfulness was found to significantly predict the tendency to engage in emotional eating over and above the individual effects of these variables. The findings from the current study add to the current literature supporting the use of mindfulness‐based interventions for treatment of emotional eating practices in individuals experiencing anxiety, stress, and lower levels of depression.     

Direct and Indirect Effects of Operations Tempo on Outcomes for Soldiers and Spouses

The purpose of this article was to integrate 2 models linking work and family. The first model, coming primarily from the military literature, suggested that working conditions are directly related to outcomes. The second model, found primarily in the civilian literature, suggested that in addition to being directly related, working conditions are also related to outcomes indirectly through work–family conflict (WFC). An integrated model including both direct and indirect relations was developed and then tested using separate samples of soldiers and spouses. Generally, the results support the integrated model in that both direct and indirect relations were found. Across both samples, working conditions associated with operations tempo had a direct relation to Army outcomes and an indirect relation, through WFC, to family outcomes.     

Relocation and Well-Being in United Methodist Clergy and Their Spouses: What Pastoral Counselors Need to Know

The well-being of relocated, male Florida Annual Conference United Methodist clergy and clergy spouses (N = 124) was compared with that of nonrelocated male United Methodist clergy and clergy spouses (N = 153). Results revealed no significant differences in well-being between relocators and nonrelocators. Clergy spouses exhibited significantly lower well-being than did clergy. Perceptions of relocation, stress level, and coping resources were significant predictors of clergy well-being. However, only stress level and coping resources predicted spouse well-being. Qualitative analysis of participants' responses revealed that pastoral counselors should address issues such as grief, powerlessness, loneliness, and clergy family reluctance to seek counseling services.     

Migrant Distress: The Role of Perceived Racial Discrimination and Coping Resources1

This paper examines the relationships among perceived racial discrimination, coping resources, and psychological distress experienced by 372 ethnic Chinese migrants in 3 Australian cities, within the social context of ongoing debates on Asian immigration. Based on the stress‐coping‐strain framework, it was expected that migrants’ recent increases in psychological distress would be associated with greater perceived racial discrimination, and lower levels of coping resources. Possible moderating effects of coping resources were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses provided broad support for the stress‐coping‐strain framework, and indicated direct effects of low personal and ethnic self‐esteem and having a small number of Anglo‐Australian friends on increased psychological distress. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for migrants’ wellbeing in the context of sociopolitical debates.     

Gaps Between Immigrant Spouses in Host Country Language Proficiency: Longitudinal Effects on Marital Satisfaction

Research on immigration underscores the importance of language acculturation in successful adjustment to life in a new country. However, the profound impact of different levels of language proficiency between immigrant spouses on their married life is an understudied topic. The current study explores whether differences between immigrant spouses in host language proficiency predict marital satisfaction in their first four years in the host country. Using a three-wave longitudinal study, with intervals of one to two years, we collected data from 316 married couples who immigrated from the Former Soviet Union to Germany and Israel. Language proficiency and marital satisfaction were measured via self-report questionnaires. We conducted an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analysis to control for dyadic and time data dependencies. The results indicate that differences between spouses in their host language proficiency predict marital dissatisfaction, and that this effect is exacerbated over time. These associations held across gender and host country. The findings are discussed in light of the gap-distress model.     

The Effects of Income Levels and Income Inequalities on Happiness

The standard of living reflected by one’s income and consumption is the primary explanation for the utility or satisfaction of the private consumer. However, empirical evidence very often demonstrates that the level of happiness is not necessarily higher for wealthy people in comparison to the poor. This holds within specific populations of a country, and in macro terms by comparison between the happiness of populations with low and high GDP_ppp per capita. Different research studies have used other economic and social explanatory variables for determining consumer happiness within countries. The present paper adds the new factor of income inequality that affects happiness. It is empirically proved that at extreme values of inequality measured by the Gini index, the effect of happiness is negative regardless of GDP_ppp per capita. However, at the intermediate ranges of the Gini index the effect of changes in the index on happiness is ambiguous. These results are found regardless of the actual values of GDP_ppp per capita.     

Traumatization,Marital Adjustment,and Parenting among Veterans and Their Spouses: A Longitudinal Study of Reciprocal Relations

Despite considerable research on secondary traumatization, the ramifications of veterans’ and their wives’ posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) for the family system remain largely uninvestigated. Beginning to fill this gap, the current study aims to investigate the reciprocal relations between both spouses’ PTSS and marital adjustment, and the implications these bear for their parental functioning. Two hundred and twenty‐five Israeli veterans (mean age = 58.62, SD = 7.6) from the 1973 Yom Kippur War and their wives (mean age = 58.28, SD = 5.79) were examined at two points in time: 30 (T1) and 35–37 years after the war (T2). Analysis included longitudinal actor–partner interdependence modeling and sequential mediation analyses. The results show that higher PTSS among the wives at T1 predicted higher PTSS among husbands at T2, and vice versa, and predicted their husbands’ marital adjustment at T2. Moreover, wives’ PTSS at T1 had a significant effect on parental overinvolvement of both parents at T2, but neither their PTSS nor their husbands’ PTSS had an impact on positive parenting. In the intrapersonal domain, better marital adjustment at T1 predicted positive parenting among both spouses in subsequent measurement. Interpersonally, wives’ lower marital adjustment at T1 predicted husbands’ higher parental functioning, but not vice versa. Furthermore, marital adjustment mediated the association between PTSS and positive parenting for both spouses. The results emphasize the detrimental ramifications of war trauma on the interpersonal domains in veterans’ families. Hence, both marital and parental consequences of trauma should be considered in clinical family interventions.