Coping,psychological adjustment,and complementary and alternative medicine use in persons living with hiv and aids

Abstract

Many HIV-positive individuals dissatisfied with allopathic approaches to disease management have turned to complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). Although people use CAM for a variety of reasons (e.g., symptom management, holistic approach towards healthcare, improved immunity), the psychological benefits that these treatments may have are still not fully understood. The present study was designed to further previous research that demonstrated relationships between CAM use, stress appraisals, and coping behaviors. HIV-positive individuals (N= 127) completed measures assessing stress appraisals, coping, psychological adjustment, satisfaction with life, and immune functioning. After controlling for ethnicity and sexual orientation, stress appraisals and coping behaviors were found to be related to CAM use. Further, curvilinear relationships between CAM use and adjustment emerged, suggesting that some CAM use may be adaptive. Self-reported immune measures were unrelated to CAM use. In all, it appears that CAM use may be a complex form of coping that assists individuals in adjusting to a life-threatening illness. The implications of these findings with respect to adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) are also discussed.     

The role of immigrant acculturation preferences and generational status in determining majority intergroup attitudes

Two experiments (Ns = 220, 135) investigated the role of first and second generation immigrants' desire for Culture Maintenance and Intercultural Contact in affecting majority members' intergroup attitudes (2 × 2 × 2 design). Participants were presented with fictitious interviews through which immigrants' acculturation preferences and generational status were manipulated. Immigrants' desire for contact strongly affected host members' attitudes: those who were perceived to want contact elicited more favourable intergroup attitudes than those who did not. Desire for contact also moderated the relationship between immigrants' desire for culture maintenance and attitudes towards them: culture maintenance only stimulated favourable attitudes if the immigrant also expressed desire for contact. Immigrants' generational status and their desire for Culture Maintenance were found to interact, such that less favourable attitudes were shown towards second generation immigrants refusing their heritage culture. Psychological processes mediating these effects were investigated, finding evidence for symbolic threat, appreciation for multiculturalism and metastereotypes. Overall, the results suggest that both immigrants' generational status and acculturation attitudes should be taken into account when studying intergroup attitudes of dominant groups and in planning interventions for the improvement of intercultural relations.     

控制感与老年人生命意义：自我认同和政策支持的作用

本研究探讨了控制感、自我认同、对政策支持的感知等因素如何影响老年人的生命意义感。通过对300多名来自北京、香港和台北的老年人的调查,发现控制感和政策支持对老年人生命意义感的影响显着,二者不仅主效应显着,同时存在交互作用。进一步的分析还发现：政策支持在控制感与生命意义感的关系中起调节作用——高政策支持感增强了控制对生命意义感的正向作用;自我认同在控制感与生命意义感的关系中起部分中介作用。结果对积极应对老龄化问题与增进老年人身心健康有重要的理论和现实意义。     

感知到亲子间面孔相似性对亲子虐待的影响：一个双重调节模型

由于体内受精,父亲面临着父亲身份不确定性的风险,亲子间面孔相似性是辨别父亲身份的一个常用的有效线索,因此,父亲往往依据亲子间面孔相似性程度调整着亲子投资。而中国传统文化强调重男轻女,因此,父子间面孔相似性比父女间面孔相似性对父亲的亲子投资的预测效应更强。本研究采用自我报告的方法测量了212名中学生感知到亲子间面孔相似性、亲子虐待以及人口学变量。结果表明:（1）感知到的亲子间面孔相似性与亲子虐待中的精神虐待存在显著的相关,与身体虐待的相关没有达到显著水平;（2）父母的性别显著地调节着感知到亲子间面孔相似性对精神虐待的预测,具体而言, 父子（女）间面孔相似性显著地预测父亲的精神虐待,而母子（女）间面孔相似性对母亲精神虐待的预测没有达到显著水平;（3）进一步的分析表明,子女的性别显著地调节着感知到父子（女）间面孔相似性对父亲精神虐待的影响,具体而言,父子间面孔相似性显著地预测父亲对儿子的精神虐待,但父女间面孔相似性对父亲对女儿的精神虐待的预测没有达到显著水平。研究结果支持并拓展了父亲身份不确定性假设。     

特质正念与控制点调节日常生活中知觉压力对消极情绪的影响

考察日常生活中知觉压力对消极情绪的动态影响,检验特质正念的调节作用,并进一步探索正念的调节作用是否在不同控制点的个体中存在差异。共有95名在校大学生完成正念注意觉知量表（MAAS）,罗特控制点量表（LOCS）,并通过动态评估的方式,完成每天2次,持续14天的在日常生活情境中针对知觉压力和消极情绪的密集型追踪测量。多层线性模型结果表明：（1）在个体内水平,个体某一时刻的知觉压力可以显著预测个体下一时刻的消极情绪;（2）个体的正念水平越高,日常生活中知觉压力对消极情绪的预测力越低;（3）个体越倾向于内控,日常生活中知觉压力对消极情绪的预测力越低;（4）个体越倾向于外控,正念对日常生活中知觉压力影响消极情绪的调节作用越强。本研究验证了正念对日常生活中压力反应的保护作用,并提示外控者在面临压力时更有可能从正念中获益。     

Perceived control,nature of risk information and risk taking. An experimental test of a simple taxonomy of uncertainty

Uncertainty may be categorized along two dimensions: (1) the nature of probabilistic information (i.e. frequency information, about the outcomes of similar situations in the past, versus process information, about the way(s) in which a future loss might occur), and (2) the degree of personal control (i.e. the extent to which an activity's outcomes depend on internal factors (e.g. knowledge, skills) versus external (e.g. chance) factors). The effects of variations in both dimensions on people's risk-taking tendency were experimentally studied. In a computerized task, subjects had to stop a fast-moving symbol before it passed a target line. Success yielded a financial gain, failure led them into a ‘penalty task’ with the possibility of a considerable loss. On each trial subjects chose among 10 risk levels (varying symbol speeds): low levels resulted in small but almost sure gains, high levels yielded larger but less probable gains. Across subgroups of subjects, three penalty task characteristics were varied: (1) the actual loss probability, (2) the external versus internal determination of outcomes, and (3) the available risk information. Major findings were: (a) subjects did not set a lower risk level, but they did appear to be more attentive (i.e. they failed fewer trials) when the actual loss probability was lower; (b) internal outcome determination resulted in more failed trials (lesser caution); (c) subjects ignored frequency information, but were sensitive to process information. Results are discussed in terms of effort allocation for controlling risk during task performance.     

Academic achievement and popularity in low-socioeconomic status black children

The literature suggests that popularity may have different correlates depending on the ethnic, racial, and/or socioeconomic characteristics of the peer group. This study therefore investigated the relationship between peer popularity and academic achievement in low-socioeconomic status urban black children, a population in which this relationship had not previously been examined. Two hundred ninety-six children in grades 4, 6, and 8 completed three sociometric rating scales, indicating the popularity of each of their same-sex classmates as a workmate, playmate, and best friend. These ratings were subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance in which gender and academic achievement (high vs. low achievement test scores) were factors. Consistent with previous research, high achievement was associated with greater popularity as a workmate for an academic task at all three grade levels examined. Popularity as a playmate and as a best friend, however, was inversely related to achievement among fourth graders and unrelated to achievement among eighth graders. These findings suggest that, although high achievement may be recognized for its adaptive value in a work-related context, it may actually be something of a social liability among younger children choosing partners for social and athletic activities. The results support a conceptualization of popularity as a multidimensional construct and highlight the importance of the use of multiple measures.The authors express their appreciation to the children, parents, and staff of the Orleans Parish Schools for their cooperation and participation in the study and to Rex Forehand and Ben Lahey for helpful comments on the design and analysis.     

Demographic Correlates of Domain-Based Life Satisfaction Reports of College Students

Despite the interest in assessing quality of life issues among college students, there is limited research on domain-specific life satisfaction. This preliminary study investigated the demographic correlates of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) from a sample of 522 students at a Midwestern University. A 4 × 2 × 2 between-groups analysis of variance was performed to detect differences in overall life satisfaction score means and for each individual BMSLSS domain (family, friends, school, self, living environment, and globally) in relation to year in school, gender, and race, and the interactions of these variables. Mean overall scores did not differ significantly by gender, year in school, or race. However, main effects were observed for race in the School and Self domains, where Caucasian students reported greater satisfaction with school and self than minority students. These preliminary data may provide a useful reference for researchers engaged in quality of life research with college students.     

Proactive Personality, Employee Creativity, and Newcomer Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose  To examine the relationship between proactive personality, employee creativity, and newcomer outcomes (i.e., career satisfaction and perceived insider status). Design/methodology/approach   A survey was conducted using a 3-wave longitudinal design with 146 Hong Kong Chinese employees from various organizations. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses including the mediation effects. Findings   Proactive personality was positively associated with employee creativity and employee creativity was positively associated with career satisfaction and perceived insider status. In addition, employee creativity fully mediated the relationships between proactive personality and career satisfaction and perceived insider status. Implications   Based on self-reported responses, these data show that newcomers with a proactive personality shape their work environments in part through creative behavior, which in turn leads to feelings of career satisfaction and perceptions of being an organizational insider. Our study’s results also show that employee creativity is positively and significantly related to workers’ career satisfaction and perceived insider status, suggesting that employee creativity can improve employees’ attitudes toward their career and perceptions as valued and contributing organizational insiders. Future research may examine other possible variables that might mediate the relationship between proactive personality and individual outcomes. Originality/value  One of the few studies that have examined the intervening mechanism by which proactive personality leads to employee outcomes and examined the effects of proactive personality on employee outcomes in Asian culture. Received and reviewed by former editor, George Neuman.     

Development and validation of the Zurich Meeting Questionnaire (ZMQ)

Introduction and objectivesResearch highlights the importance of identifying and examining crucial meeting characteristics and procedures. Thus, the aim of the present research is to develop and validate the Zurich Meeting Questionnaire (ZMQ), an instrument that assesses meeting attendees’ perceptions of meeting design characteristics and task- and relational-oriented procedures during the meeting.MethodThree independent samples (n₁ = 474, n₂ = 464, n₃ = 311) were used to test the psychometric properties, factorial structure, criterion validity, and construct validity of the ZMQ.ResultsResults of confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the assumed two-dimensional structure of meeting procedures. Furthermore, the results provided criterion validity evidence regarding meeting satisfaction and perceived meeting effectiveness. Finally, the pattern of correlations with external variables (team climate inventory, psychological safety, and social desirability) provided initial evidence of construct validity.ConclusionThe ZMQ is a short and psychometrically sound measure of meeting design characteristics and procedures during meetings and is suitable for use in organizational research and the evaluation of meetings in practice.