The burden of filial piety: A qualitative study on caregiving motivations amongst family caregivers of patients with cancer in Singapore

Objective. This study explores (1) the motivations and challenges facing family caregiving for cancer in Singapore and (2) suggests a possible framework to guide culturally sensitive future work on caregivers.

Design. Twenty caregivers of patients being treated for cancer at a public hospital in Singapore were interviewed. A semi-structured interview format and inductive thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. Caregivers were asked about their motivations for caregiving and the challenges they faced.

Results. Caregivers’ motivations grouped into three categories: personal value and fulfilment, giving care because of societal expectations such as filial piety, and practical need. Challenges were grouped into interpersonal challenges, disclosure and finding balance. Caregivers with different primary motivations varied in their responses to these challenges. More autonomous caregivers cited learning points and reprioritised more effectively than less autonomous caregivers, who reported more internal conflict and less control over their situation.

Conclusions. In Singapore and Asia, sociocultural values of family caregiving are not uniformly experienced as positive, and may be burdensome for caregivers who give care primarily for extrinsic motivations. As family caregiving needs increase, targeted psychosocial support for caregivers with less autonomous behavioural orientations may pre-empt caregiver burnout and burden.     

One Size Does Not Fit All: Managing Radical and Incremental Creativity

This research extends creativity theory by re‐conceptualizing creativity as a two‐dimensional construct (radical and incremental) and examining the differential effects of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic rewards, and supportive supervision on perceptions of creativity. We hypothesize and find two distinct types of creativity that are associated with different motivational factors. We further consider how combinations of motivational factors are linked to the different types of creativity. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Intrafamilial physical victimization and externalizing behavior problems: Who remain the ‘forgotten’ children?

Over the past few decades, researchers have documented positive associations between direct child maltreatment and exposure to interpersonal violence (including intimate partner violence, community violence, school violence, and media violence) and children's externalizing behavior problems. However, current family violence literature largely ignores the effects of child abuse on other children in the family. A handful of studies have focused on exposure to child abuse and documented the behavioral effects on siblings, and these studies lend support for broadening scholarship focused on this type of family violence. This article presents empirical research and theories that focus on the relationships between child physical abuse and exposure to intimate partner violence and children's externalizing behavior problems. Using this literature as a foundation, an argument is made for the need to focus on children's exposure to child physical abuse. This article presents information from the few studies that have focused on children who were exposed to the physical abuse of a sibling and offers theoretical frameworks, including social learning theory and psychological proximity, as a foundation for future research. The article concludes with a discussion of services that may be necessary for children who have been exposed to the physical abuse of a sibling, including services focused on safety and mental health.     

Fear and Anxiety: Possible Roles of the Amygdala and Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis

This paper presents a provisional classification of deliberate strategies for improving unpleasant affect based on conceptual judgements concerning their similarities and differences. A corpus of self-reported upward affectregulation strategies was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and group discussions, in conjunction with an examination of existing literature on related topics. A total of 162 distinct strategies were identified and a preliminary categorisation was developed by the investigators. We then conducted a card-sort task in which 24 participants produced separate classifications of the strategies. The similarity matrix arising from co-occurrence data was subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis and the obtained typology provided independent support for our proposed distinctions between strategies implemented cognitively and behaviourally, between diversion and engagement strategies, and between active distraction and direct avoidance, and for specific lower-level groupings of strategies relating to venting, reappraisal, and seeking social support. Potential refinements and applications of the resulting classification system are considered.     

Re-examining hope: The roles of agency thinking and pathways thinking

A considerable amount of research in hope is driven by Snyder's (1994) model which proposes that hope is positively associated with agency thinking and pathways thinking. However, the current research suggests that hope as understood by the layperson (Hope) is only associated with agency thinking and not with pathways thinking. This was found over four studies using different agency and pathways variables, different Hope variables, different methods, and different cultures. Implications of these findings for Snyder's model are discussed.     

Effects of pedestrian prompts on motorist yielding at crosswalks

Pedestrian safety is a serious concern at busy intersections and pedestrian campuses across the nation. Although crosswalks and signs inform pedestrians where to cross, there is no standard protocol for pedestrians to signal drivers that they wish to use the crosswalks, except to stand in or at the crosswalk. We examined the effects of two pedestrian prompts, a raised hand and extended arm, on motorist yielding at uncontrolled crosswalks. The two prompts were effective at increasing yielding.     

Just Call Me by My Name: Worship Music in Asian Ecumenism

This article examines the historical development of worship music in Asian ecumenism by examining three ecumenical hymnals from the 1960s to the present. It identifies key personalities and institutions involved in the formation of Asian worship music. The essay argues that the maturation of Asian Christian spirituality via music making requires the church to hold in tension both its missional heritage and local cultural practices. It proposes the development of robust theo‐liturgical scholarship as being critical in helping the church mature.