Health care practitioners' perceptions of public mental health care in the Eastern Cape,South Africa

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of health care practitioners (HCPs) concerning public mental health care in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected from thirteen purposively selected HCPs using in-depth unstructured interviews (males?=?6, females?=?7). Data were transcribed verbatim and later thematically analysed. The findings suggest that mental health professionals perceive mental health services to be both inadequate and of suboptimal quality. Specifically, they perceived public mental health care to have lower priority, to be poorly resourced and lacking in patient-oriented care qualities.     

Relationships between personality traits and positive/negative sexual cognitions

In this study we examined the relationship between gender, age, religion, neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, and obsessiveness on one side and the frequency and content of sexual cognitions experienced as being positive/pleasant or negative/unpleasant on the other. The sample was made up of 1,500 individuals (42.8% men and 57.2% women) aged between 18 and 72 years. Results indicated that all the socio-demographic variables as well as the traits neuroticism, openness to experience, and obsessiveness were important in the prediction of the overall frequency of positive sexual cognitions. Age and neuroticism, openness to experience, and obsessiveness were found to be significant in the prediction of the overall frequency of negative sexual cognitions. When considering the content of sexual cognitions (i.e., intimate, exploratory, sadomasochistic, and impersonal), all the socio-demographic variables and the trait openness to experience were found to be significantly related to all types of positive sexual cognitions. Neither socio-demographic variables nor personality traits were significantly associated with the content of negative sexual cognitions. Overall, this study highlights the weakness of the predictive value of personality traits on sexual cognitions, especially those experienced as being negative. We discuss the usefulness of classic personality traits in predicting sexual aspects.     

SETTING UP A COUNSELLING SERVICE FOR PARENTS,INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN

In this paper a brief model of working psychotherapeutically with children under 5 years of age and parents is explored. The psychoanalytic principles that guide the work are looked at and the practical aspects of setting up a service within NHS clinics is considered. The authors trace the history of this model, its aims, technique and the use of telephone counselling for parents. They discuss referrals, the setting, the structure and content of this counselling using clinical vignettes.     

When disgust leads to dysphoria: A three-wave longitudinal study assessing the temporal relationship between self-disgust and depressive symptoms

Research has shown that feelings of self-disgust may have a functional role in the genesis of depression by partially mediating the cross-sectional relationship between dysfunctional thoughts and depressive symptoms. However, there are many outstanding issues regarding these hypothesised associations. First, it is not yet clear whether self-disgust is a temporal antecedent, concomitant, or consequence of depressive experience. Second, it is not known whether the hypothesised mediation sequence is valid over time. Third, the relative contribution of disgust towards different aspects of the self has not yet been examined. In the present longitudinal study, participants completed measures of dysfunctional cognitions, self-disgust and depressive symptoms at baseline, and at six and 12-month follow-ups. Analysis showed that self-disgust is best considered as antecedent to depressive symptoms; the hypothesised mediation model was partially supported, but is too simplistic; and disgust towards physical aspects of the self, rather than behaviour, was more important as a temporal predictor of depressive symptoms. The current results help elucidate the role of self-disgust as an antecedent of depressive experience.     

Participating From the Comfort of Your Living Room: Feasibility of a Group Videoconferencing Intervention to Reduce Distress in Parents of Children With a Serious Illness or Injury

ABSTRACT

This study explored the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a videoconferencing group intervention for parents of children with a life-threatening illness. Parent functioning was assessed at pre, post, and 6-month follow-up (N?=?13). Semistructured interviews explored parent experiences of the program and clinicians’ experiences were systematically recorded. Attendance was high (92%) and parents reported comfort with the online delivery. Quantitative data revealed significant reductions on three of the nine measures examined (parent guilt/worry; unresolved sorrow/anger; lack of psychological flexibility). Clinician data are described and highlights the skills and program modifications required to adapt to the videoconferencing modality. A randomized controlled trial is now underway.     

Why and when do motives matter? An integrative model of motives,role cognitions,and social support as predictors of OCB

We extend prior thinking about citizenship behavior by integrating employee motives, social support, and role cognitions as predictors of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Drawing on trait activation and situated self theories, we provide insights into why and when motives predict OCB using multi-source data from two field samples. In Study 1, we demonstrate that the quality of social support functions as a boundary condition that qualifies relations of motives with OCB. In Study 2, we introduce role cognitions as a proximal motivational factor that mediates the motives by social support interactions with OCB. Our results support the hypothesized moderated mediated model and enhance understanding of OCB by integrating the OCB motive and role cognition literatures, which to date have developed separately. As our results demonstrate, role cognitions, which are domain-specific felt obligations to perform OCB, mediate relations of more distal predispositions to perform OCB with helping and voice citizenship behaviors.     

Spouse marital adjustment and patient dietary adherence in chronic hemodialysis: A Comparison of Afro-Americans and Caucasians

Abstract

This study investigated racial differences in the relationship between spouse marital adjustment and dietary adherence of chronic hemodialysis patients. Sixty-eight adult patients and their spouse were subjects. Fifty-two percent of the patients were Caucasians while 48% were Afro-Americans. Spouses completed the Locke-Marital-Questionnaire (LMQ) and provided demographic data pertaining to their patient spouses. The patients' predialysis potassium levels (indices of food intake compliance) for the previous three months were matched with the respective questionnaires. Afro-American spouses, especially males, evidenced significantly lower marital satisfaction than Caucasian spouses. Afro-American female patients seemed to be most compliant as far as food intake wasconcemed. Although the spouse LMQ score was negatively correlated with interdialysis weight gain. Afro-Americans who generally scored lower on the LMQ did not differ from Caucasians in so far as their adherence to the dietary regimen was concerned. Implications for improving quality of life of hemodialysis couples in general, and Afro-Americans in particular are discussed.     

Relationship beliefs and illness appraisals are differentially associated with specific ways of coping in spouses of patients with type 2 diabetes

Using data from 117 spouses of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and multiple-group path analysis, the current study explored the association of four relationship beliefs (satisfaction, sacrifice, confidence and instability) and four diabetes appraisals (consequences, distress, control and efficacy) with illness-specific coping behaviour: active engagement, protective buffering and overprotection. The potential moderating effect of gender was also tested. Results indicated gender did moderate the associations among the variables in the model, with the association of relationship satisfaction and active engagement being significantly stronger for men, while diabetes control was more strongly related to protective buffering for women. The only variables associated with active engagement were three relationship-specific cognitions: higher levels of relationship satisfaction (for men only), satisfaction with sacrifice and relationship confidence were all related to higher active engagement. The diabetes appraisals were the only variables associated with protective buffering and overprotection. Higher diabetes distress and diabetes control (for women only) and lower diabetes efficacy were predictive of greater protective buffering. Lower diabetes efficacy and higher diabetes control were associated with greater overprotection. Implications for theory, research and practice are discussed.     

‘Sticking to a healthy diet is easier for me when I exercise regularly’: Cognitive transfer between physical exercise and healthy nutrition

Objective: Long-term rehabilitation success depends on regular exercise and healthy nutrition. The present study introduces a new framework to explain this association on a psychosocial level. The exercise–nutrition relationship was investigated by exploring the sequential mediation of habit strength and transfer cognitions.

Design: Analyses were performed at two measurement points in time (at 12 and 18?months after rehabilitation), involving 470 medical rehabilitation patients who participated in an exercise intervention.

Main outcome measures: Patients filled in paper-pencil questionnaires assessing exercise (t1) and habit strength, transfer cognitions and healthy nutrition at follow-up (t2).

Results: Habit strength and transfer cognitions mediated the relationship between exercise and nutrition.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that habit strength and transfer cognitions are important factors underlying the relationship between exercise and nutrition.     

Why do people use different forms of complementary medicine? Multivariate associations between treatment and illness beliefs and complementary medicine use

This study investigated associations between complementary medicine use and treatment and illness beliefs. Previously validated questionnaire measures of treatment beliefs, illness beliefs, and complementary medicine use were presented and advertised online. Completed questionnaires were received from 247 participants. Logistic regression analysis showed that demographic characteristics, treatment beliefs, and illness beliefs accounted for approximately 36% of the variance in complementary medicine use. Separate analyses were conducted to predict use of different types of complementary medicine. The strength of associations between beliefs and complementary medicine use was related to the type of complementary medicine used. The results suggest that people use complementary medicine because they are attracted to it rather than because they are disillusioned with orthodox medicine, and that both treatment and illness beliefs have an important role in explaining why people use complementary medicine.