Pathways for psychological adjustment in breast cancer: A longitudinal study on coping strategies and posttraumatic growth

This longitudinal study examined the role of coping strategies and posttraumatic growth (PTG) on the psychological adjustment to breast cancer trajectory. The participants were 50 women assessed at the time of surgery (T1), during adjuvant treatment (T2) and six months after the end of treatment (T3). Women completed questionnaires assessing coping strategies, PTG and psychological adjustment (psychological quality of life, anxiety and depression). Results showed that the greatest impact of breast cancer on women's adjustment occurred at T1, when patients were significantly more anxious than in the other phases of the disease. The type of surgery and adjuvant treatment did not account for the course of PTG and adjustment. Coping through seeking social support and using cognitive strategies at T1 were linked to psychological quality of life and depression at T3 via PTG dimension of personal resources and skills at T2. Findings emphasise the value of promoting adaptive coping strategies and PTG in order to improve psychological adjustment in breast cancer patients.     

临床决策偏差中的心理效应

临床决策是临床工作的核心。科学正确的临床决策是保证医疗服务质量的重要环节。现代心理学对临床决策的研究发现,由于决策双思维系统运转模式的存在,一些心理效应常常会导致临床决策出现系统性偏差或失误,这些心理效应包括易得性、拆分效应、锚定效应、框架效应、单次-重复博弈效应和后见之明效应等。医务人员了解这些心理效应的表现,熟悉它们对临床决策的潜在影响,并在进行重大临床决策时有效避免之,将会显著提升临床决策质量。     

Perceptions of stressful life events as turning points are associated with self-rated health and psychological distress

Abstract

We test the hypothesis that changes in physical and psychological health are associated with construals of stressful life events. At two points in time, approximately 10 years apart, participants (n=1038) rated their physical health and psychological distress. At the second assessment, participants also reported their most stressful life event since the first assessment and indicated whether they considered the event a turning point and/or lesson learned. Lower self-ratings of health and higher ratings of psychological distress, controlling for baseline health and distress, and relevant demographic factors, were associated with perceiving the stressful life event as a turning point, particularly a negative turning point. The two health measures were primarily unrelated to lessons learned. How individuals construe the most stressful events in their lives are associated with changes in self-rated health and distress.     

The role of meaning in gastric cancer patients: relationships among meaning structures,coping, and psychological well-being

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Research demonstrates that the experience of cancer invariably violates patients’ meaning structures, prompting them to use coping strategies to alleviate stress and enhance well-being. The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects of coping strategies in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being in gastric cancer patients.

Design and Method: One hundred eighty-seven patients (96 women and 91 men) with gastric cancer completed questionnaires measuring meaning in life, changes of beliefs and goals, coping, and psychological well-being. Participants were between 27 and 82 years of age. They were diagnosed with gastric cancer from 1 to 3.2 years ago. Using Structural Equation Modeling, both the direct and indirect associations between meaning structures, coping, and psychological well-being were examined.

Results: Meaning in life exerted significant indirect effects on psychological well-being through three coping strategies: problem-, emotion-, and meaning-focused. The relationship between changes of beliefs and goals and psychological well-being was also mediated by coping.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that coping strategies are mediators in the relationship between global and situational meaning and psychological well-being. They also provide empirical evidence that in severe cancer-related stress conditions both meaning structures and coping strategies influence patients’ psychological well-being.     

咨询期望与人格特质的相关性及对临床心理干预的启示

本研究探析了人格因素与咨询期望的相关性及对临床工作的启示.通过方便抽样选取样本348人,用心理咨询预期简表、卡特尔16项人格因子问卷进行调查.咨询期望在性别之间无差异,心理咨询中的个人承诺与聪慧性、稳定性等人格因子呈正相关;与怀疑性、忧虑性等呈负相关.对咨询师专业性的期待与乐群性、稳定性等人格因子呈正相关;与怀疑性、忧虑性等呈负相关.人格中的有恒性、聪慧性等对个人承诺有正向影响,而忧虑性、怀疑性对其有负向影响.有恒性、乐群性对专业性期待有正向影响,而忧虑性则产生负向影响.在临床心理咨询中要想达到理想效果,需要依据来访者的人格特点,评估并适时调整咨询期望.     

心理学专业研究生胜任特征模型的建立

该研究通过关键事件访谈法和专家访谈法对14名心理学专业优秀导师以及博士生进行访谈,通过编码初步提取了心理学专业研究生的17项胜任特征。再根据上述胜任特征编制《心理学专业研究生胜任特征问卷》,并在全国范围内针对心理学专业导师、博士生以及硕士毕业生发放,最终建立心理学专业研究生的11项胜任特征模型。结果发现,心理学专业研究生的胜任特征模型包括：领悟能力、综合分析、坚持性、主动性、计划与组织、执行力、自我监控、道德与诚实、尽责性、团队合作和本领域的承诺。     

Bayesian Gaussian distributional regression models for more efficient norm estimation

A test score on a psychological test is usually expressed as a normed score, representing its position relative to test scores in a reference population. These typically depend on predictor(s) such as age. The test score distribution conditional on predictors is estimated using regression, which may need large normative samples to estimate the relationships between the predictor(s) and the distribution characteristics properly. In this study, we examine to what extent this burden can be alleviated by using prior information in the estimation of new norms with Bayesian Gaussian distributional regression. In a simulation study, we investigate to what extent this norm estimation is more efficient and how robust it is to prior model deviations. We varied the prior type, prior misspecification and sample size. In our simulated conditions, using a fixed effects prior resulted in more efficient norm estimation than a weakly informative prior as long as the prior misspecification was not age dependent. With the proposed method and reasonable prior information, the same norm precision can be achieved with a smaller normative sample, at least in empirical problems similar to our simulated conditions. This may help test developers to achieve cost-efficient high-quality norms. The method is illustrated using empirical normative data from the IDS-2 intelligence test.