Couples coping with cancer: Research issues and recent findings

The diagnosis of cancer in one partner can impose numerous changes for both the individual diagnosed with cancer and his or her healthy spouse. In this article, the literature on spouse social support in the context of cancer is reviewed. The importance of understanding support given and received within a close relationship using an interactional, contextual perspective is emphasized. Examining support-related interactions and understanding the personal characteristics that determine the type and amount of support that providers give and the kind of support individuals prefer, and investigating why significant others respond in supportive or critical ways is important. In addition, the study of support interactions must be placed in the both in the context of a marriage and in the context of a catastrophic life event such as cancer. A longitudinal study of patients with gastrointestinal cancer and their healthy partners was undertaken to examine these issues, and the design of this study is described. General problems conducting research with couples undergoing a severe life stressor as well as specific problems our research group has encountered while setting up a research program in the cancer setting are reviewed.     

BEHAVIORAL COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY: ENCOURAGING LOW-INCOME PARENTS TO SEEK DENTAL CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN1

The present study examined the effectiveness and cost efficiency of three different techniques to encourage low-income rural parents to seek dental care for their children. The families of 51 children who needed immediate dental care (determined by dental screening at a local school) were placed into three matched groups and randomly assigned to the treatment conditions: One Prompt (Note Only), Three Prompt (Note, Telephone Contact, Home Visit), and One Prompt plus $5 Incentive. The Three Prompt and One Prompt plus $5 Incentive were significantly more effective in initiating dental visits than the Note-Only procedure. Not only was the One Prompt plus $5 Incentive technique effective in producing a slightly larger percentage of initial dental visits compared to the Three-Prompt technique, it also produced a significantly larger number of followup visits. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness analysis showed the Incentive condition to be less costly than the Three-Prompt condition in encouraging initial dental visits.     

Storytelling: An enjoyable and effective therapeutic tool

Storytelling has great potential for stimulating insight and behavior change, particularly when client and clinician seem to have reached an impasse, as is frequently the case with adolescent clients. The storytelling process provides a viable alternative to the traditional therapeutic communication style in which the client is the only storyteller. It provides a means to circumvent client resistance and present new concepts and paradigms for healthy behavior. This paper provides a practical guide for the use of therapeutic metaphors and storytelling as an intervention technique, provides examples of successful interventions made through the storytelling process with both adolescent and adult clients, and outlines suggestions for the effective use of storytelling as a therapeutic tool.Joyce Divinyi, MS, a licensed professional counselor, is a consultant with The Wellness Connection, Peachtree City, Georgia, providing wellness education and mental health training programs and individual and family counseling services. She was formerly the executive director of a residential treatment program for adolescent girls. Reprint requests should be sent to the author at The Wellness Connection, 125 Highgreen Ridge, Peachtree City, GA 30269.     

Bringing Up Nones: Intergenerational Influences and Cohort Trends

Recent polls show that an increasing number of young adults profess no religious affiliation. Prior research has suggested several explanations for this, among them older ages at marriage, higher education rates, reaction against the priest/pedophile scandal, and political backlash against the religious right, as well as the traditional explanation of youthful rebellion against religious parents. In this article, we propose another theory: intergenerational transmission, an increase in the number of parents and grandparents who have been explicitly socializing their children to a nonreligious worldview. We use a mixed methods approach with data from the 34‐year Longitudinal Study of Generations to examine parents’ and grandparents’ influence on youth over several decades. The rate of nonreligious young persons in our sample tripled between 1971 and 2005. Though this undoubtedly reflects broader cohort trends, we can trace a significant portion of this growth to family intergenerational continuity brought about by explicitly nonreligious socialization by parents as well as grandparents. Qualitative data provide insight into processes of nonreligious influence over generations, seen in three types: multigenerational socialization of humanism, of atheism, and of the unintended socialization of “religious rebels” from highly religious parents.     

Predictors of sociocultural adjustment among sojourning Malaysian students in Britain

The process of cross-cultural migration may be particularly difficult for students travelling overseas for further or higher education, especially where qualitative differences exist between the home and host nations. The present study examined the sociocultural adjustment of sojourning Malaysian students in Britain. Eighty-one Malay and 110 Chinese students enrolled in various courses answered a self-report questionnaire that examined various aspects of sociocultural adjustment. A series of one-way analyses of variance showed that Malay participants experienced poorer sociocultural adjustment in comparison with their Chinese counterparts. They were also less likely than Chinese students to have contact with co-nationals and host nationals, more likely to perceive their actual experience in Britain as worse than they had expected, and more likely to perceive greater cultural distance and greater discrimination. The results of regression analyses showed that, for Malay participants, perceived discrimination accounted for the greatest proportion of variance in sociocultural adjustment (73%), followed by English language proficiency (10%) and contact with host nationals (4%). For Chinese participants, English language proficiency was the strongest predictor of sociocultural adjustment (54%), followed by expectations of life in Britain (18%) and contact with host nationals (3%). By contrast, participants' sex, age, and length of residence failed to emerge as significant predictors for either ethnic group. Possible explanations for this pattern of findings are discussed, including the effects of Islamophobia on Malay-Muslims in Britain, possible socioeconomic differences between Malay and Chinese students, and personality differences between the two ethnic groups. The results are further discussed in relation to practical steps that can be taken to improve the sociocultural adjustment of sojourning students in Britain.     

The effect of speed limit credibility on drivers' speed choice

Credibility of speed limits is a key factor affecting drivers’ compliance with speed limits. Two experiments were conducted to investigate how credibility of speed limits affects judgments of appropriate speed. The first experiment aimed to establish speeds deemed appropriate by investigating Malaysians drivers’ judgments of the appropriate speed to drive based on photographs of roads with the speed limit sign erased. Drivers chose speeds which correlated with but were higher than the actual speed limits of the roads. Analysis of road characteristics suggested they based their decisions mainly on features of the road itself rather than of the roadside. The second experiment tested the impact of credibility of speed limit information on the speed drivers judged appropriate. Drivers judged the appropriate speed to drive for the same photographs as in Experiment 1 with speed limit information provided. Four conditions were included: two conditions where the speed limit posted was 10% higher or 10% lower than the appropriate speed established in Experiment 1 (credible speed limits), and two conditions where the posted speed limit was 50% higher or 50% lower than the appropriate speed (non-credible speed limits). Posted speed limits did affect drivers’ judgments about the appropriate speed to drive. Credibility also influenced judgments whereby drivers selected appropriate speeds consistent with the speed limits for the 10% lower condition, but not for speed limits that deviated highly from the appropriate speed judged in Experiment 1.     

Pregnancy Plans of First‐time Mothers and Their Children's Outcomes: An Examination of Mechanisms

Unintended pregnancy is prevalent in the United States and has been linked to challenges for both mothers and their children over time. However, studies have not yet identified mechanisms through which pregnancy intention is associated with children's outcomes. Identification of mechanisms among families at risk for negative outcomes will inform early clinical intervention. This current study examined the association between mothers' pregnancy plans reported during pregnancy and children's externalizing, internalizing, dysregulation, and social–emotional competence outcomes at 3 years old among an at‐risk sample of 682 first‐time mothers from the Predicting and Preventing Neglect in Teen Mothers Study. Further, this study identified mechanisms in the association that can be targeted in clinical intervention. Mediation analyses revealed that mothers' parenting stress when children were 24 months old served as a mechanism in the association between unplanned pregnancy and children's low social–emotional competence at 36 months. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. Specifically, early intervention with mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies may help to promote healthy outcomes among their children over time. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship between premarital counselling and marital harmony among families in Lugari,Kakamega County,Kenya

Marriage is the most respected institution in the world, and it contributes to the foundations of procreation, leadership and peace and is the hub of economic stability. Currently, there are marital disharmony cases which have led to marriage being viewed with a negative perception. This trend is common in Lugari, Kakamega County, Kenya, resulting in psychological torture, issues with child development in terms of learning and discipline, and a long‐term effect on their behaviour as adults. Premarital counselling was conceived for the purpose of helping families to re‐evaluate their feelings about marriage and its values in order to experience marital harmony. This study sought to determine the relationship between premarital counselling and marital harmony among families. It was guided by solution‐focused theory (SFT). The target population for the study was married couples and premarital counsellors. Purposive and simple random techniques were used to select a representative sample of 20 men, 20 women and 10 premarital counsellors in Lugari, Kakamega County. There was a statistically significant relationship between premarital counselling services and marital harmony among families with a correlation of .893. Therefore, there should be awareness of the existing services, and couples intending to marry should seek premarital counselling interventions and continue to attend counselling after formalising their marriage to keep up with the changing times.