Personality,hedonic balance and the quality and quantity of sleep in adulthood

Objective: Sufficient and good-quality sleep is important for individual functioning. This study explored associations between personality and sleep duration and sleep quality in adulthood. The mediating role of hedonic balance and the moderating roles of age and sex were also explored.

Method: A nationally representative sample of Australian adults (n = 14,065; M_age = 44.4 years; 53.1% women) completed self-report measures of personality, sleep, hedonic balance and demographic variables (e.g. health status, employment status) in late 2013.

Results: After controlling for demographic variables, we found that high neuroticism was associated with poorer sleep quality, and both long and short sleep durations (a curvilinear relationship). Small effects were also observed relating high extraversion and low openness to better sleep quality. Hedonic balance mediated all linear and non-linear associations between personality and sleep. Additional moderator analyses showed that high openness was more strongly related to poor sleep quality among men and young adults. High neuroticism was more strongly related to poor sleep quality among men.

Conclusion: Findings indicate that personality is important for sleep in adulthood and that hedonic balance features a prominent role in this association.     

Methodological Rigor in Journal of Counseling & Development Qualitative Research Articles: A 15‐Year Review

The authors conducted a content analysis on the type, frequency, and intensity of use of various indicators of rigor for 68 qualitative research articles published between 1999 and 2014 in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The authors identified the most frequently listed and implemented strategies for the research articles. The authors found a significant engagement in rigor strategies across time, variations in intensity in strategy use, and a significant positive relationship between intensity of strategy use across time.     

Learning and difficult experiences in graduate training in clinical psychology: A qualitative study of Japanese trainees’ retrospective accounts

This study examined the experiences of Japanese clinical psychology trainees in their graduate school with the aim of identifying factors that might enhance or hinder their learning and professional development. We analyzed the interview data obtained from 17 clinical psychologists using grounded theory approach. Two major category groups were generated: Developing as a Clinician and Difficulties. The primary positive learning experiences in Developing as a Clinician were labeled “Hot Learning,” in which trainees acquired professional knowledge and skills through close interpersonal engagement with clients, peers, faculty, and supervisors. In contrast, Difficulties involved trainees’ negative experiences resulting in feelings of self-doubt and incompetence. These experiences occurred in close but sometimes conflicted interpersonal contexts, where trainees felt evaluated in a manner incommensurate with the support they received. We found that the quality of interpersonal relationships, which provided the context for optimal learning for trainees, was paramount to the definition of positive versus difficult learning experiences. Implications for therapist training, professional development and future research are discussed.     

The Parable of the Sower: a case study examining the use of the Godly Play® method as a spiritual intervention on a psychiatric unit of a major children’s hospital

This case study examines the use of Godly Play® as a pastoral intervention on a psychiatric unit at Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The chaplain adapts Godly Play®, more typically used as a programme of Christian formation in churches and schools, for this setting, leading a ‘Purpose and Meaning’ group weekly whose goal is to provide inpatients with a developmentally appropriate way of reflecting on and expressing their own sense of identity, purpose and meaning within the personal, social and spiritual milieu in which they identify themselves as members. The case study examines how the method is adapted as a spiritual intervention in a clinical setting, and analyses its effectiveness in meeting the stated goals of the group.     

Reviewing the research in children’s spirituality (2005–2015): proposing a pluricultural approach

Research on children’s spirituality seems to continue to be scarcely represented in the field of early childhood. In reviewing the literature, looking at empirical data-driven studies, this paper compiles an international review of the work completed in the last 10 years (2005–2015) on the topic of children’s spirituality. The research-based works reviewed are analysed and sorted taking into account: research methods, participant demographics (age, gender, ethnicity) and location (urban vs. suburban/rural, school vs. home), yet are presented in categories found related to their topic of study: (1) spiritual meaning-making and relationships to/with God, (2) children’s spirituality in education and (3) identity formation and sense of self. Finally, identification of gaps in the research literature regarding the study of children’s spirituality is presented. As well, avenues for future research are proposed, identifying methods and approaches. Also, the term pluricultural as a means to guide researchers in making sense of the complex phenomenon that is children’s spirituality is introduced.     

The meaning of work for South African women: A phenomenological study

This study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning that women attribute to their work in the South African context. The six women informants were 27–32 years old, all with tertiary education, in senior positions, without children. Data on the meaning of work for South African women were collected using semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that the meaning of work for South African women changes when they experience work autonomy. Working women also report having a sense of identity and self-worth, meeting instrumental needs, achieving social relatedness, and being of service to others. The meaning of work also comes from intrinsic satisfaction, a sense of power and authority.     

Nursing students’ reflections on an interprofessional placement in ambulatory care

Reflection has been identified as key to interprofessional education as it facilitates a focus on interprofessional communication, collaborative practice and professional roles, while contributing to debunking ingrained understandings of roles and behaviours. The aim of this study is to explore the written reflections of nursing students following an interprofessional placement in ambulatory care. A deductive analysis of nursing student reflective journal entries mapped against the university interprofessional framework was conducted. A purposeful sample of 19 graduate entry Master of Nursing Science students participating in a two-week interprofessional educational placement completed a reflective journal relating to an interprofessional placement in ambulatory care. The analysis of the journals found that all students were able to reflect on their interprofessional clinical experience, but the ability to reflect varied between students. Despite the challenges that some nursing students experienced in achieving deep levels of reflection, the study demonstrated the usefulness of incorporating reflective journals into nursing curriculums and as part of interprofessional practicums.     

The development of the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 (English version)

ObjectivesThe purpose of this research was to develop the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 (SCQ-2) and establish its psychometric properties. The SCQ-2 measures the updated Sport Commitment Model (SCM: Scanlan, Russell, Scanlan, Klunchoo, & Chow, 2013) and replaces the outdated Sport Commitment Questionnaire (SCQ) that assessed the original SCM (Scanlan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt, & Keeler, 1993).DesignBased on prior commitment research, items were generated to refine and expand the original SCQ subscales and to measure new candidate constructs to the SCM. A multiphase study was then conducted.MethodsPhase 1 participants were 753 male/female adolescent athletes (ages 13–19 years) from six sports representing varying levels of task interdependence. Using similar methodology as Phase 1, Phase 2 assessed 982 male/female adolescent athletes.ResultsExploratory factor analysis of Phase 1 data revealed 13 factors: two types of commitment (Enthusiastic and Constrained) and 11 sources. Confirmatory factor analysis of Phase 2 data supported a 58-item, 12-factor structure. In addition, all subscales were internally consistent. Structural equation modeling revealed that the sources explained 81.8% of the variance in Enthusiastic Commitment and 63.9% in Constrained Commitment.ConclusionsThe SCQ-2 assesses the sources and types of commitment in the updated SCM. Based on several indices of fit and the composite reliabilities, psychometric support for the SCQ-2 was established.     

Microphenomena research,intersubjectivity and client as self-healer

This article describes an approach to counselling and psychotherapy which complements dominant discourse approaches to clinical evaluation based on New Public Management systems which underpin the Improved Access to Psychological Therapies scheme within the field of therapy. It is based on an approach to research and practice development which I will call practitioner microphenomena research. In order to demonstrate the method, I will examine an extract from a single case study of a client with major depressive disorder from the point of view of intersubjective theory and a little-known approach to therapy called anthroposophic psychotherapy based on the work of Rudolf Steiner. I will show how the two clinical methods are well suited to examining the microphenomena of practice and can be integrated into a coherent whole. A central feature of the account will be the anthroposophical view about the central importance of our individuality or ‘I’ which has similarities with the Jungian self but is still distinct from it.