Assessment of quality of life in a multicultural cancer patient population

Quality of life (QOL) is increasingly assessed in cancer patients. In this article, the authors examined the psychometric performance of a commonly used QOL questionnaire, the Quality of Life Questionnaire--Cancer 30 (QLQ-C30; N. K. Aaronson et al., 1993), in multiethnic cancer patients. Content validation studies in patients and clinicians identified possible new items. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis supported equivalent structure across ethnic groups (Caucasians and Asian/Pacific Islanders [APIs]). A higher order QOL factor appeared to directly affect functioning scales and symptom count. Exploratory factor analysis examined effects of new items. Ten factors were extracted, 6 consistent with the original instrument and 4 reflecting potentially new aspects of QOL: Positive Social Support, Coping, Existential Well-Being, and Sexuality/Intimacy. The QLQ-C30 appears appropriate for use in API cancer patients. Further work needs to ensure that it includes all important domains.     

Utilization of groups in training for school consultation

The purpose of the present paper is to describe the utilization of groups over the past six years in our two semester school consultation practicum course. In addition, problems and issues raised by the utilization of groups are considered. Three tensions resulting from the utilization of groups are described and it is concluded that regardless of the complexity of the issues or the instructor's fallibility, the three tensions represent issues around which instructors must make decisions.     

Coping With Threats to Just‐World Beliefs: Derogate,Blame, or Help?1

The present research investigated Lerner's (1970, 1980) just‐world theory by manipulating victim‐related factors in a scenario and measuring several possible strategies for dealing with the threat to participants' just‐world beliefs created by the victim's intense suffering. Participants read a story about a victim who varied in terms of his character (likeable vs. unlikeable) and behavioral responsibility for causing his accident (high vs. low). The general pattern of results showed that for the unlikeable low‐responsibility victim, the primary response to protect justice beliefs appeared to be character derogation; for the likeable high‐responsibility victim, the primary protective strategy appeared to be blame; and for the likeable low‐responsibility victim, the primary protective strategy appeared to be compensation. Implications for just‐world theory are discussed.     

Perceived Academic Control: mediating the effects of optimism and social support on college students’ psychological health

The first year of college presents numerous challenges experienced as overwhelming by some freshmen who may become overly stressed and depressed. This longitudinal study examined perceived academic control (PAC) as a mediator of optimism and social support’s buffering effects on freshman students’ psychological health. Multiple regressions assessed optimism and social support (at the start of the academic year) as predictors of year-end stress and depression among 288 freshmen. PAC (at the start of the year) was then examined as a mediator of the effects of optimism and support. Lastly, stress and depression were assessed as predictors of year-end degree commitment and cumulative GPA. As expected, optimism and support predicted less stress and depression, yet their beneficial effects were mediated by students’ PAC. Depression subsequently predicted less year-end degree commitment and lower cumulative GPAs. PAC mediates the protective effects of optimism and support, providing additional protection for students against poor psychological health. Findings have implications for shielding students’ health against the demands of the freshman year.

“The ball don't lie”: How inequity aversion can undermine performance

Previous research has found that people are often averse to inequity, even when it works to their own advantage. The present research extends previous demonstrations of inequity aversion by examining how it plays out in a real-world context in which self-interest motivations and competitive pressures are substantial. National Basketball Association games were examined and instances of obviously incorrect foul calls were identified. Players were found to make a substantially lower percentage of the foul shots they were awarded as a result of incorrect calls, indicating that they were troubled by the inequity. This drop-off in performance was only observed when the shooter's team was ahead, highlighting the trade-off between the two conflicting motives of self-interest (the desire to win) and inequity aversion.     

Does within-person variability predict errors in healthy adults aged 18–90?

This study investigated within-person variability on basic psychomotor tasks in relation to errors on a higher order cognitive task. We were interested in whether more variable individuals were more prone to making errors, and whether this relationship varied with age. Variability was assessed using simple and choice reaction time, while errors of omission (misses) and commission (false alarms) were obtained from simple and complex visual search tasks. Data from 557 participants aged 18–90 years were included in the analysis. Greater variability was associated with more misses, and distribution analyses showed that slower responses were behind this effect. Variability was also associated with false alarms, but the pattern was inconsistent. Taking age into account revealed that the association between variability and misses in the simple visual search condition was stronger in older (aged 65–90 years) participants. The results suggest the relationship between greater variability and errors of omission (misses) may be related to inattention. Measures of variability may therefore provide valuable insights into individual differences in error rates and, more broadly, may also offer early warning of persons who are more prone to errors in visual search.