Engagement With Self‐Practice/Self‐Reflection as a Professional Development Activity: The Role of Therapist Beliefs

A number of research studies support self‐practice/self‐reflection (SP/SR) as an experiential learning process that facilitates the acquisition of therapeutic skill in a number of cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) competencies and as showing potential as a valuable professional development activity. Engaging therapists to participate in SP/SR programmes is sometimes difficult, and when they are offered the option to participate in SP/SR programmes as part of professional development, relatively few volunteer. This study investigates the role of therapist beliefs about SP/SR as a potential obstacle to engagement. An online survey was developed to assess the strength of 14 commonly held therapist beliefs concerning the consequences of participating voluntarily in a SP/SR programme. Participants were a combined sample of 44 Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and high‐intensity CBT therapists employed by an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service in the United Kingdom. Few negative beliefs about SP/SR emerged. The majority of respondents believed SP/SR programmes were relevant to their work situation, but perceived “lack of time” as a significant barrier to participation. Three factors are considered in relation to introducing SP/SR as a workforce professional development activity: (a) The importance of managing therapist perceptions regarding time; (b) SP/SR as a mechanism to increase self‐care and reduce burnout; and (c) The need to focus mental health services' attention on the potential of SP/SR programmes to increase staff morale and improve service delivery.     

The mystery of “should”: Procrastination,delay, and reactance in academic settings

The study explores the effect of trait reactance on procrastination and delay in students of two study programmes differing in the structuring of academic tasks and the role they play in course assessment. Both subsamples (n = 97 and 139) completed measures of trait reactance, chronic academic procrastination, self-reported task procrastination and actual task delay. The data were analyzed using path analysis and SEM. As hypothesized, psychological reactance positively predicted procrastination, especially the ‘chronic delay’ component underlying all three procrastination-related measures. However, some of the effect of reactance on this delay-dependent component of procrastination was apparently suppressed by what might have been a subjective (delay-independent) component of self-reported task procrastination. Furthermore, reactance was significantly related to delay only when good performance on the task was of relatively high importance. Apart from providing evidence for a possible link between reactance and procrastination, the results also demonstrate that it is important to distinguish between the experiential and objective (temporal) components of procrastination, as the two might be represented by completely different nomological networks.     

Do perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching relate to physical education students' motivational experiences through unique pathways? Distinguishing between the bright and dark side of motivation

ObjectivesGrounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the mediating role of students' experiences of need satisfaction and need frustration in associations between perceived teaching style and students' motivation and oppositional defiance in the context of physical education. Specifically, we tested an integrated model including both a ‘bright’ path from perceived autonomy-supportive teaching through need satisfaction toward autonomous motivation and a ‘dark’ pathway from perceived controlling teaching through need frustration toward controlled motivation, amotivation, and oppositional defiance.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsTo investigate the proposed paths structural equation modeling was used in a sample of 499 secondary school students (44% boys, M_age = 15.77 ± 1.16).ResultsWe found that perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching, as well as need satisfaction and need frustration, constitute different constructs relating distinctively to motivational outcomes. Consistent with the notion of a bright and dark path, perceived autonomy support was related primarily to autonomous motivation, with need satisfaction mediating this association, whereas perceived controlling teaching was related primarily to controlled motivation and amotivation, through need frustration. Perceived controlling teaching also displayed a direct and unique relationship with oppositional defiance.ConclusionsTo more accurately capture the detrimental effects of controlling teaching, this teaching dimension along with its consequences in terms of need frustration and motivational outcomes needs to be studied in its own right. It is also discussed that effective teacher training may raise awareness among teachers about the motivational risks associated with controlling practices.     

Quelle validité pour une mesure de la satisfaction au travail en un seul item ?

Single-item measures of job satisfaction have several advantages. However, there still exist debates on their use. In this article, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this type of measurement, and present an empirical study to compare the results of the assessment of job satisfaction with measures which, in theory, should be linked with it (perceived stress, psychological distress, satisfaction with life). The results tend to highlight the validity of the single-item measures of job satisfaction. Indeed, on the one hand, the observed correlations between the single-item measure and the global or multifactorial job satisfaction measures are satisfactory (from .65 to .85). On the other hand, correlations with other relevant measures in occupational health are all significant (P < .01) and between .239 and .529. We present, then, some results highlighting the influence of some job characteristics on job satisfaction for the sample interviewed. Finally, we discuss the application of a single-item measure, emphasizing the benefits of it and especially the idea that this evaluation offers a consideration of the subjective perception of job satisfaction.     

The role of partners and children for employees' daily recovery

This multi-source diary study examined the role of partners for employees' daily recovery in a sample of dual-earner couples. We hypothesized that employees' daily psychological detachment from work during the evening should be positively associated with their partners' daily psychological detachment during the evening. Employees' affective well-being (serenity and negative activation) at bedtime should be influenced not only by their own psychological detachment, but also by their partners' psychological detachment. Moreover, we hypothesized that the presence of children in a couple's household should moderate the relations between partners' psychological detachment on the one hand, and employees' psychological detachment and affective well-being on the other hand. Fifty-three dual-earner couples completed daily electronic surveys via handheld devices at bedtime over the course of one work week. We used dyadic multilevel path modeling to analyze our data. Results showed that employees' and their partners' levels of daily psychological detachment were positively related. Employees' psychological detachment predicted their own negative activation, but not their serenity at bedtime. Partners' psychological detachment predicted employees' serenity and negative activation only in couples without children. Hence, our study provides support for the relevance of partners and children for employees' daily recovery after work.     

Employees' reactions to psychological contract breach: A moderated mediation analysis

This study examined the mediating role of acquiescent silence in the relationship between psychological contract breach and employee job satisfaction, as well as the moderating roles of perceived ethical climate on that relationship and on the mediation effect of acquiescent silence. Survey data were collected from a sample of 273 full-time employees from nine high-tech firms in Taiwan. The results showed that acquiescent silence partially mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and job satisfaction. Moreover, the results from the moderation analysis showed that perceived ethical climate moderated the influence of psychological contract breach on acquiescent silence and the results from the moderated mediation analysis revealed that this mediation of acquiescent silence was moderated by perceived ethical climate such that at the lower level of perceived ethical climate, the mediation effect of acquiescent silence became stronger. Implications for managerial practices and suggestions for future research were discussed.     

Affective priming of perceived environmental restorativeness

Research into the perceived restorativeness of environments tends to focus on the Kaplans' Attention Restoration Theory at the expense of the affective considerations of Ulrich's psychoevolutionary model. To better understand the role of emotion, this study used contextual text‐based primers (newspaper articles) to manipulate participants' affective state (positive or negative) prior to them rating different environments using the Restorative Components Scale. Sixty‐nine participants completed the web‐based study, being pseudo‐randomly allocated to the positive‐ or negative‐prime condition before rating three natural and three urban environments. Natural environments were rated as more restorative than urban, with negative‐priming giving higher mean ratings for all environments. This effect was overall statistically significant for two components (Being Away and Fascination), but only Fascination showed a significant interaction of affective‐prime and environment, a larger effect being seen for natural environments. Results are discussed in terms of current understanding of the interrelationship between attentional and affective processes.     

Examining the factor structure of the Psychological Mindedness Scale in the Japanese population through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses

Psychological mindedness (PM) is a psychological construct that represents the tendency and ability to understand the relationships between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This study examined the statistical properties, particularly the factor structure, of the Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS) in a non‐clinical Japanese sample through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The relationship between PMS and depression was also examined for predictive validity. The results suggested that the PMS tested on a Japanese sample contains the following four factors: (a) belief in the benefits of discussing one's problems; (b) access to feelings; (c) openness to new ideas and capacity to change; and (d) interest in the meaning and motivation of own and others' behavior. Whereas the total PM score and Factors 2 and 3 had negative correlations with depression, there was a positive correlation between Factor 4 and depression. The 4‐factor structure of the scale is deemed to be applicable to the Japanese population.     

L’évolution des facteurs prédictifs de la détresse psychologique des étudiants en contexte de Covid-19 : un modèle d’équation structurelle exploratoire

IntroductionStudents are at risk for mental health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of lockdowns as a means to curb the spread of the disease have had an impact on this population, as observed in many international studies. However, few studies have investigated the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on students’ mental health.ObjectiveWe explored the relation between individual characteristics of students, context of life, difficulties in emotion regulation and psychological distress over the first two lockdowns in France during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methodology160 university students (90% female, mean of 24 years old) responded to an online questionnaire at three times points: once during the first lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in march 2020, a second time after this lockdown and a third time during the second lockdown. Difficulties in emotion regulation, psychological distress, acute stress, academic concerns, financial resources, and exchanges with professors were measured.ResultsAn exploratory structural equations model was developed to investigate the factors related to psychological distress (χ² = 1459.18, df = 1064, CFI = 0.910, RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.068). During both lockdowns, psychological distress was explained by academic concerns and lack of emotional clarity and acceptance. An indirect and negative significant relation was identified between financial difficulties, lack of exchanges with professors during the first lockdown, emotion clarity and experienced psychological distress during the second lockdown. Repeated measures ANOVAs identified high levels of acute stress during both lockdowns and a diminution during the deconfinement indicating an impact of sanitary measures on student's mental health.ConclusionCoherently with the Bruchon-Sweiser translational model of stress, emotion regulation capacities seem to have a central and moderating role in the experience of the pandemic for students. They would benefit greatly from appropriate therapeutic interventions in this pandemic situation and in general.     

From “blessing in disguise” to “what do I do now?”: How Canadian Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls perceived,experienced, and coped with the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games

The purpose of this study was to explore how Canadian elite athletes perceived, experienced, and coped with the Covid-19 pandemic and postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven Paralympic and 14 Olympic hopefuls (n = 21). Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Due to halting of training and competition and inabilities to live out the coveted performance narrative emphasizing winning above all, participants experienced complex emotional webs and questioned their purpose as athletes, which catalyzed psychological disruption. They coped by reframing the postponement as an opportunity for growth and risk-free chance to challenge the performance narrative through the embodiment of a reclaimed time narrative and associated attempts to diversify identities in non-sport domains. The findings highlight how the sociocultural environment impacts athletes’ agency to self-regulate in response to unexpected and dynamic athletic career-related events, thereby prompting the negotiation of concomitant psychological (dis)stress and growth.