Women Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Women living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) typically experience social and emotional sequelae that can be effectively addressed in the context of a psychotherapeutic relationship. Traumatic Brain Injuries can affect the full range of human functioning, from activities of daily living to experiencing a coherent sense of self. In this article, we focus on two issues, social isolation and emotional functioning, that encompass a number of key challenges facing women with TBI and are common and fruitful foci of psychotherapy. Social isolation includes marginalization in multiple communities, the invisibility of cognitive disabilities, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and difficulties in employment and access to transportation. Emotional functioning includes posttraumatic stress symptoms, loss of self-esteem, anxiety, depression, anger, and shame. Two exemplary cases are used to illustrate the themes and underscore the complexities and realities of adjusting to TBI. Recommendations for therapists and consumers are woven throughout the paper.     

Comparison of Cognitive Empathy,Emotional Empathy,and Social Functioning in Different Age Groups

Empathic responses and optimum social functioning are associated with psychological and physical health benefits. The aim of this study was to compare emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, and social functioning among different age groups, including adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. One hundred and ninety‐six people (92 males, 104 females) with the age range of 14 to 85 assigned to four age groups (adolescents, young adults, middle adults, and older adults) participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete the Empathy Quotient, the Revised Eyes Test, and Social Functioning Scale. The results showed that there were significant differences between older adults and other groups. Emotional empathy increased in older people, but there were deficits in some aspects of cognitive empathy. Also, the findings showed an age‐related decline in social functioning. Due to deficits in cognitive empathy affected by ageing, older adults showed some impairment in their ability to interpret emotional cues. This age‐related decline in cognitive empathy might be a reason for weak social functioning in older adults. Therefore, considering these elements would be helpful to provide healthcare strategies for elderly people.     

Predictors of Developmental Task Attainment for Young Adults from Divorced Families

To determine which variables impact developmental task attainment for young adults from divorced families, respondents completed demographic questions, the young adult version of the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire, and the three family relationship subscales of the Family Environment Scale. Of the factors assessed, results suggest that the quality of post-divorce family functioning is the most salient predictor of development for young adults from divorced families. Additionally, although conflict and cohesion have unique effects on task attainment for young adults, expressiveness appears to be the dimension of post divorce family functioning most related to young adult development.     

大学生家庭功能与情绪表达性、情感体验的关系

本研究为探讨大学生家庭功能与情绪表达性、情感体验之间的关系,采用家庭亲密度和适应性量表、情感量表、情绪表达性量表对851名大学生进行施测,并利用结构方程模型进行分析。结果表明:(1)家庭功能对大学生情绪表达性及情感体验具有显著的预测作用;(2)情绪表达性在家庭功能与负性情感间具有部分中介作用。     

How do included and excluded students with SEBD function socially and academically after 1,5 year of special education services?

ABSTRACT

The present study tested three conflicting hypotheses as to how students with social/emotional/behavioural difficulties (SEBD), who showed similar social-emotional, behavioural and academic functioning prior to placement, function socially and academically after they have received additional support either in inclusive regular education or in exclusive special education. Thirty-six included and 15 excluded students with SEBD participated. We collected data from students and teachers with classroom surveys, individual testing sessions with students with SEBD, and from application files. Using Bayesian statistics, our results suggest that excluded students are better socially embedded in exclusive special education and that they perform better academically than comparable included students with SEBD. Special education services in exclusive settings may thus afford certain benefits to some students with SEBD, not typically found in regular education, which can be considered a first indication that there may be valid counterarguments against the ‘inclusion for all’ perspective on educational needs.     

幸福感:认知与情感成分的不同影响因素

以304名城市成年人为被试,以生活满意度、对生活质量的评价为认知指标,以快乐感、正向情感、负向情感为情感指标,调查了其幸福感的现状及影响因素.结果发现:(1)城市成年人对生活质量的评价、生活满意度、快乐感等较高,即他们有较高的幸福感.(2)幸福感的认知和情感指标的影响因素是不尽相同的.总体上看,生活质量评价、生活满意度这两个幸福感的认知指标主要受年龄、收入、人际支持、亲密度四个因素的影响;而正向情感、负向情感和快乐感作为幸福感的情感指标,主要受人际支持、支持的利用度、亲密度和适应性四个因素影响.     

家庭功能对青少年情绪问题的作用机制

本研究以探索家庭功能发挥过程和发挥结果之间的关系并检验两者对青少年情绪问题的作用大小和机制为目的,采用Skinner等人编制的家庭评价量表(FAM,测量家庭功能发挥过程)和Olson编制的家庭适应性、亲密度量表(FACESⅢ,测量家庭功能发挥结果)、流调中心抑郁量表(CES-D)和焦虑自评量表(SAS)对422名中学生进行匿名问卷施测,通过相关分析、分层回归和结构方程模型统计分析发现:(1)总体上青少年的情绪处于良好状态;(2)家庭功能发挥过程和发挥结果各变量之间呈显著相关;(3)家庭功能发挥过程比家庭功能发挥结果对青少年情绪问题预测作用更大;(4)家庭功能发挥结果是家庭功能发挥过程与青少年情绪问题的部分中介变量。     

幼儿的情绪认知发展及其与社会行为发展的关系研究

研究通过采用家庭情绪表露问卷、表情辨识程序和幼儿社会行为教师评估问卷,对82名3～4岁幼儿的家庭情绪表露气氛、情绪认知和社会行为表现进行测查,并分析三者间的相互关系。结果表明:(1)幼儿的情绪认知与其亲社会行为和退缩行为显著相关;(2)家庭情绪表露与幼儿情绪认知发展显著相关;(3)家庭情绪表露可能通过影响幼儿的情绪认知发展,进而影响幼儿的社会行为表现。     

Career Centered High School Education and Post–High School Career Adaptation

This study examines the quality of the transition into employment roles among a socioeconomically diverse cohort of 1,143 high school seniors who were interviewed as seniors in 1998 and 2 years later. Focusing on both subjective and objective dimensions of work adaptation, analyses examine differences in these outcomes associated with taking a high school career-major versus a more traditional academic program. This type of major is intended to assist in the career development and economic adaptation of more disadvantaged young adults and follows from an ecological model emphasizing the importance of connections between educational and employment institutions in the socialization of young people. Results indicate small but significant effects of having the career-major for the perceptual variables. Group differences were not found for the variables assessing more objective qualities of their jobs. The discrepancy between subjective and objective outcomes may suggest a short-term psychological optimism in the absence of an objective situation that would justify this view. Discussion centers on the need for stronger institutional support for school-work connections.     

The impact of parental divorce on the attainment of the developmental tasks of young adulthood

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of parental divorce on young adult development. One hundred twenty-five participants provided demographic information and completed the PAFS-Q (college version) and the conflict subscale of the Family Environment Scale. Results indicate that parental divorce and family conflict significantly affect developmental task attainment. The interactions between sex and age and family structure (i.e., single-parent or stepfamily) were also significant predictors of post-divorce task attainment. Implications of these results for therapists as well as recommendations for future research are provided.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Los Angles, California, August 1994.