Self-Determination Skills of Adolescents Enrolled in Special Education: An Analysis of Four Cases

This study provides information about four adolescent students participating in an occupation-based self-determination program drawn from the Model of Self-Determination and the Model of Human Occupation. Students were selected from a Career Lab based on their ability to participate. The analysis of the cases demonstrate that psycho-educational strategies incorporated into a special education curriculum can instill in the students the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for personal goal setting and attainment.     

The influence of introversion-extraversion on activity choice and satisfaction among the elderly

The present study investigated the optimum theory of aging. This theory predicts that individuals with different personality types will react differentially to the aging process. In the present study, 60 nursing-home residents were administered the Eysenck Personality Inventory and then randomly assigned to one of two experimental manipulations. Elderly subjects classified as extraverts showed a high level of satisfaction to an experimental manipulation which was of a high activity, interpersonal type; those classified as introverts evidenced more satisfaction with a low activity, non-interpersonal type manipulation. Inspection of records documenting actual participation in programs within the nursing home indicated that introverts were more often involved in low activity, non-interpersonal events whereas extraverts participated more often in high activity, interpersonal events. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to the optimum theory of aging.     

Five-Factor Model facets differentially predict in-the-moment affect and cognitions

The facets of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality are presumed to represent distinct, biologically-based tendencies to act, think, and behave; yet they have received little behaviorally-based empirical validation. In this study, FFM facets were used to examine individual differences in affective and cognitive responses to stressors as they are experienced in daily life. Participants (N = 79) completed the NEO-PI-R followed by a week-long experience sampling procedure. As expected, hierarchical linear modeling showed that FFM facets captured affective and cognitive tendencies that were missed at the domain level. They additionally demonstrated convergent and divergent validity in predicting momentary affect. These results provide evidence that facets are distinct, non-interchangeable predictors of daily thoughts and emotions.     

Body-Region-Specific Injuries as Predictors of Psychosocial Outcomes Among Those Injured in Combat: Results From the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project

Associations between body region injured and psychosocial outcomes may have implications for injury prevention and mitigation strategies. The present study investigated the association of body-region—specific injuries and their association with 3 psychosocial outcomes (i.e., quality of life, QOL; posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD; and depression) among a large sample of U.S. military service members injured in combat. A total of 1,011 individuals wounded in combat enrolled in the Wounded Warrior Recovery Project and provided QOL, depression, and PTSD measures on a Web-based survey. These psychosocial variables were linked with the presence/absence of combat injuries in 9 different body regions (head, face, neck, thorax, spine, abdomen, upper extremity, lower extremity, and external skin/other), as well as overall injury severity and demographic factors. Two-step hierarchical linear regressions revealed that after adjusting for overall injury severity and time since injury, those with combat-related head and spine injuries were particularly at risk for relatively worse psychosocial outcomes. Head and spinal injuries were associated with lower QOL and higher PTSD and depression. Overall, even those with relatively minor injuries may be at risk of lower QOL and adverse psychosocial outcomes. These findings may highlight the need for early interventions to minimize the psychological effects of combat injuries to the head and spine.     

Communicating BRCA1/2 genetic test results within the family: a qualitative analysis

Genetic testing for BRCA1/2 mutations associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer reveals significant risk information about one's chances of developing cancer. It is important to study communication processes in families where members are undergoing genetic testing because the information received is crucial not just to the individual concerned but also to other members of the biological family. This study investigates family communication of BRCA1/2 test results from both the informants' and recipients' perspectives. A total of 10 female patients and 22 of their relatives were interviewed. Patients' and their relatives described feelings of responsibility for sharing genetic information within the family to enable others to reduce their risks of developing cancer. However, there were limits to an individuals' responsibility once key family members had been informed, who then had to take responsibility for continuing dissemination of information. Whilst there was an implicit responsibility to inform the family of a mutation, information was edited or withheld in the best interest of relatives, dependent upon their perceived emotional readiness, resilience and current life stage and circumstances. The pre-existing family culture and the impact previous cancer diagnoses had upon the family also influenced the process of communication. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature and implications for clinical practice are considered.