Sex role attitude and perception of psychological abuse

This study focuses on the relationship between sex role attitude—traditionality and nontraditionality—and perception of psychological abuse. It was hypothesized that nontraditional women would be more adept at perceiving abuse than traditional women. Two hundred and fourteen subjects were polled using the Attitude Toward Women Scale. The 30 most traditional and 30 least traditional women were compared in terms of their reactions to vignettes depicting marital interactions. Several factors were analyzed in an attempt to explain why the nontraditional women were more sensitive in their perception of psychological abuse. Among these factors were educational level, tolerance for conflict, participation in consciousness-raising groups, psychological sophistication, and religious background.     

Examining maternal age,breastfeeding self-efficacy and health locus of control in psychological wellbeing of mothers

We investigated the direct and interaction influence of maternal age, breastfeeding self-efficacy (BSE), health locus of control (HLOC) on six dimensions of psychological wellbeing of breastfeeding mothers in Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 291 mothers attending health facilities in two suburb local government areas. The survey included socio-demographics (maternal age, marital status, ethnicity, education level and position of the baby currently breastfeeding), breastfeeding self-efficacy, health locus of control and psychological wellbeing scales. Independent variables were tested against sense of autonomy, positive relations with others, purpose in life, self-acceptance, environmental mastery and personal growth using factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Results showed direct influence of BSE, HLOC and maternal age on various dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Interaction influences indicate BSE and HLOC on environmental mastery; BSE and maternal age on self-acceptance and HLOC and maternal age on sense of autonomy, positive relationship with others and self-acceptance respectively. In conclusion, maternal age, breastfeeding self-efficacy and health locus of control are vital for mothers to enjoy plenty dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Breastfeeding mothers need to be confident in their abilities to breastfeed and have control over their health-related behaviour in order to enjoy sufficient dimensions of psychological wellbeing.     

Goal conflict, goal striving, and psychological well-being

Although goal conflict is an important part of classic and contemporary theories of motivation, the correlates of goal conflict are not well understood. We identify and distinguish conflicting and facilitating goals, and assess relations with goal attainment and psychological well-being in a short-term, prospective study design. Results from multilevel models demonstrated that individuals with greater conflict were less successful in attaining their goals, but the goals they failed attain were not necessarily the ones in conflict. People who experienced goal conflict tended to be ruminative and hesitant, and reported greater levels of negative affect and increases in depression, anxiety, and psychosomatization. People who experienced goal facilitation reported greater levels of positive affect, life satisfaction, and successful goal attainment. This study identifies several implications of holding conflicting and facilitating goals, but also points to a theoretical inconsistency pertaining to goal conflict. Namely, conflicting goals may not be inherently less attainable than nonconflicting goals. We argue that distinguishing between goal- and person-level factors is essential for understanding goal striving.     

The impact of gender role conflict and counseling technique on psychological help seeking in men

We hypothesized that men's gender role conflict would predict attitudes towards psychological help-seeking after viewing counseling that focused on either client feelings or client cognitions. The sample was made up of 164 male undergraduates: 115 White, 13 African-American, 13 Hispanic, 18 Asian, 2 Portuguese, and 3 of unspecified ethnicity. Participants completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS), viewed a videotape of a 10-minute counseling session that used interventions that were either emotion-focused or cognition-focused, and completed a measure of their attitudes towards seeking psychological help. Results indicated that men scoring high on gender role conflict who viewed the session that focused on feelings were least likely to indicate a willingness to seek psychological help compared to men in each of the three other conditions. We discuss implications for counseling interventions for men who adopt the traditional male gender role.A version of this paper was presented at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada. We would like to thank Bob Cournoyer and Piet Lammert for portraying the counselor and client in the study.     

Mental health among Asian and African migrant working mothers: new vulnerabilities,old religious coping resources

A qualitative research is presented to explore sources of psychosocial distress, expressive idioms, coping strategies, resilience resources, and experiences of mental-health services in Filipino, Sao Tomean and Indo-Mozambican migrant working mothers settled in Portugal. Findings suggest that shared gender roles and working conditions do not lead to similar modes of expressing mental distress. Particular manifestations take on cultural meanings in relation to specific vulnerabilities and stressors. Despite their higher level of psychosocial distress, these migrant mothers make little use of mental-health services. Comparative analysis has brought to light how religious participation provides them with a variety of expressive and coping resources that support and guarantee the fulfilment of their gender and mothering responsibilities, thus triggering desired changes that affect the lives of their children and families in both the short and long term.     

Multiple role juggling and daily mood states in working mothers: an experience sampling study

The effects of multiple role juggling (i.e., simultaneously attending to demands of different roles) on daily mood states of employed mothers were examined. Ss completed activity and mood questionnaires 8 times a day for 8 days. Multiple role juggling had immediate negative effects on task enjoyment and mood. However, contrast effects and habituation to role juggling occurred when mood and satisfaction were examined over time. Furthermore, mood states tended to spill over from one episode to the next within a day, but contrast effects were found across days. These results reflect the complex nature of psychological adjustment to multiple role occupancy.     

Social roles, basic need satisfaction, and psychological health: the central role of competence

The authors propose that competence need fulfillment within valued role domains (i.e., spouse, parent, worker) will account, in part, for associations between autonomy and relatedness need fulfillment and psychological health. Testing these assertions in cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys of women in two independent community samples, the findings are the first to formally examine whether the satisfaction of competence needs within social roles accounts for associations between other types of need satisfaction and affective outcomes as well as depressive symptomology. Evidence supporting the hypothesis was stronger when examining individuals' affective health as compared to their depressive symptoms. Implications of the findings are discussed with regard to need fulfillment within social roles.     

The children of adolescent mothers: Physical,academic, and psychological outcomes

Teenage parenthood is believed to cause special problems for both the young mother and her children. In this review, individual differences in the expression of parenting by different-aged mothers are explored in light of two questions: How do parenting practices originate, and how do parental practices affect the young child's social, physical, and cognitive development? Approaches to the study of teenage pregnancy are considered. Then, the prevalence of teenage pregnancy is explored. Next, research on teenage parenting practices, on the likely antecedents of parenting practices, and on outcomes of teenage motherhood for the child is reviewed. Finally, problems in methodology and with the interpretation of findings about teenage parenting are discussed. Social and economic disadvantages and teenage parenting often cooccur; most studies have not separated out the relative effects of the two, making interpretation of the outcomes of teenage parenting difficult. In addition, most studies focus on the prototypic teenage mother (black, urban, poor, unmarried), making generalizations to other groups difficult. The major outcome findings may be summarized as follows. First, intellectual differences in children born to teenage and older childbearers become more pronounced as children develop. Small differences are seen in studies in the preschool years and larger differences are found by the elementary school years. Adolescents of early childbearers are not doing as well in school as adolescents of older childbearers. Second, behavior differences as a function of age of childbearing are more likely to be seen in the early years than intellectual differences. Problems appear in activity levels, hostility, and undercontrol of behavior. Third, boys are more affected by teenage childbearing than are girls, at least in the early years.     

Hospital restructuring, work-family conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff

Abstract This study examined work-family conflict, family-work conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff during a time of hospital restructuring and downsizing. Data were collected from 686 hospital-based nurses, the vast majority women. Nurses reported significantly greater work-family conflict than family-work conflict. Personal demographics but not downsizing and restructuring stressors predicted family-work conflict; downsizing and restructuring stressors but not personal demographics predicted work-family conflict. Restructuring stressors and both work-family conflict and family-work conflict were associated with higher levels of psychological burnout.     

Hospital restructuring,work-family conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff

Abstract

This study examined work-family conflict, family-work conflict and psychological burnout among nursing staff during a time of hospital restructuring and downsizing. Data were collected from 686 hospital-based nurses, the vast majority women. Nurses reported significantly greater work-family conflict than family-work conflict. Personal demographics but not downsizing and restructuring stressors predicted family-work conflict; downsizing and restructuring stressors but not personal demographics predicted work-family conflict. Restructuring stressors and both work-family conflict and family-work conflict were associated with higher levels of psychological burnout.     

Emotional responses to work-family conflict: an examination of gender role orientation working men and women

The present study tested the effect of work-family conflict on emotions and the moderating effects of gender role orientation. On the basis of a multilevel design, the authors found that family-interfering-with- work was positively related to guilt, and gender role orientation interacted with both types of conflict (work-interfering-with-family and family-interfering-with-work) to predict guilt. Specifically, in general, traditional individuals experienced more guilt from family-interfering-with-work, and egalitarian individuals experienced more guilt from work-interfering-with-family. Additionally, a higher level interaction indicated that traditional men tended to experience a stronger relationship between family-interfering-with-work and guilt than did egalitarian men or women of either gender role orientation.     

Time-based prospective memory difficulties in children with ADHD and the role of time perception and working memory

Time-based prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to perform an intended action at a given time in the future. It is a competence that is crucial for effective performance in everyday life and may be one of the main causes of problems for individuals who have difficulty in planning and organizing their life, such as children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study systematically examines different aspects of time-based PM performance in a task that involves taking an action at a given future time in a group of 23 children with ADHD who were compared with a matched group of typically-developing (TD) children. The children were asked to watch a cartoon and then answer a questionnaire about its content (ongoing task). They were also asked to press a key every 2 minutes while watching the cartoon (PM task). The relationships of time perception and verbal working memory with PM performance were examined by administering appropriate tasks. The results showed that the children with ADHD were less accurate than the TD children in the PM task and exhibited less strategic time-monitoring behavior. Time perception was found to predict PM accuracy, whereas working memory was mainly involved in time-monitoring behavior, but this applied more to the TD group than to the ADHD group, suggesting that children with ADHD are less able to use their cognitive resources when meeting a PM request.     

The role of work in psychological health and well-being: a conceptual, historical, and public policy perspective

The primary theme of this article, which serves as the introductory contribution of a special section of the American Psychologist, is that work plays a central role in the development, expression, and maintenance of psychological health. The argument underlying this assumption is articulated at the outset of the article in conjunction with a historical review of vocational psychology and industrial/organizational psychology. The article follows with an overview of contemporary vocational psychology and a presentation of the psychology-of-working perspective, which has emerged from critiques of vocational psychology and from multicultural, feminist, and expanded epistemological analyses of psychological explorations of working. Three illustrative lines of inquiry in which research has affected the potential for informing public policy are presented. These three lines of scholarship (role of work in recovery from mental illness; occupational health psychology; and working, racism, and psychological health) are reviewed briefly to furnish exemplars of how the psychological study of working can inform public policy.     

Basic psychological needs satisfaction,working alliance,and early termination in psychotherapy

The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and working alliance in psychotherapy and to determine whether client ratings of basic needs and working alliance during psychotherapy were associated with early termination of therapy. Former psychotherapy clients (n = 87) completed a semi-structured interview regarding basic needs satisfaction in therapy, working alliance and dropout status. Participant ratings on the Basic Needs Satisfaction in Psychotherapy scale (BNSP) and the Retrospective Working Alliance Inventory – Short (RWAI-S) were significantly correlated (r = .77) in our sample. A comparison of intercorrelations between working alliance subscales and basic needs subscales indicated higher factorial distinctiveness within the basic needs measure. T-tests comparing those who terminated psychotherapy early with those who had planned endings on scores on the BNSP and RWAI-S were significant (Cohen’s d = .65 and 1.82, respectively). Results suggest that the basic needs measure might tap into a wider breadth of the therapist and client interaction than the RWAI-S.