Life stressors, social resources, and late-life problem drinking.

Life stressors and social resources among late-middle-aged problem and nonproblem drinkers were studied. Problem drinkers (n?=?501) reported more negative life events, chronic stressors, and social resource deficits than did nonproblem drinkers (n?=?609). In a comparison of problem drinkers, men reported more ongoing stressors involving finances and friends and reported fewer resources from children, extended-family members, and friends than did women. Women who are problem drinkers reported more negative life events, more ongoing difficulties with spouses and extended-family members, and fewer resources from spouses. Among both the problem and nonproblem drinkers, more stressors were associated with fewer social resources, but only within certain life domains. Late-middle-aged adults' chronic stressors and social resources helped explain their drinking behavior, depression, and self-confidence even after sex, marital status, and negative life events were considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Current functioning" myth: An overlooked fallacy in psychological assessment.

Challenges the assumption that testing procedures which characteristically occur in a 1-to-1 setting and under optimal conditions offer valid information regarding current or actual functioning. Differences between testing situations and functioning situations are discussed and implications drawn concerning extrapolation of results from the former to the latter. Within this context, the use of labels such as learning disability and underachievement which are derived from data obtained under optimal testing conditions is attacked. The need for "psychosituational assessments" rather than psychological evaluations is stressed. Research is reviewed which supports the hypothesis that significant changes in behavior do occur when testing situations are constructed to conform more to reality. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of early life stress and psychological functioning to blood pressure in the CARDIA study.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 28(4) of Health Psychology (see record 2009-10284-005). A URL for supplemental materials was included due to a production error. There are no supplemental materials for this article.] Objective: Low childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) and a harsh early family environment have been linked with health disorders in adulthood. In this study, the authors present a model to help explain these links and relate the model to blood pressure change over a 10-year period in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults sample. Design: Participants (N = 2,738) completed measures of childhood family environment, parental education, health behavior, and adult negative emotionality. Main Outcome Measures: These variables were used to predict initial systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively) and the rate of blood pressure change over 10 years. Results: Structural equation modeling indicated that family environment was related to negative emotions, which in turn predicted baseline DBP and SBP and change in SBP. Parental education directly predicted change in SBP. Although African American participants had higher SBP and DBP and steeper increases over time, multiple group comparisons indicated that the strength of most pathways was similar across race and gender. Conclusion: Low CSES and harsh family environments help to explain variability in cardiovascular risk. Low CSES predicted increased blood pressure over time directly and also indirectly through associations with childhood family environment, negative emotionality, and health behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship functioning moderates the association between depressive symptoms and life stressors.

Data from 172 newlywed couples were collected over the first 4 years of marriage to test how behaviors demonstrated during marital interactions moderate associations between depressive symptoms and subsequent life stressors. Depressive symptoms and behaviors coded from problem-solving and social support interactions were analyzed as predictors of nonmarital stressors that were interpersonal and dependent on the participant's actions. Behavioral codes were found to moderate 3 of 16 symptom-to-life event associations for husbands. Husbands' reports of more depressive symptoms predicted greater levels of stress when husbands' positive affect and hard negative affect during problem-solving were relatively infrequent and when wives made frequent displays of positive behaviors during husbands' support topics. These effects remained after controlling for marital satisfaction. For wives, behavioral moderators did not interact with depressive symptoms to predict changes in stress, but marital satisfaction consistently interacted with depressive symptoms to predict future stressors beyond interpersonal behaviors. Specifically, for wives, stress generation was more evident when relationship satisfaction was low than when it was high. Our results, though different for men and women, suggest that relationship functioning can alter associations between depressive symptoms and life stress in the early years of marriage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the relationship between general life stress, racism-related stress, and psychological health among black men.

This study explored the relationship among general life stress, racism-related stress, and psychological health in a sample of 220 Black men. Participants completed a personal data form, the Perceived Stress Scale (S. Cohen, T. Kamarck, & R. Mermelstein, 1983), a modified version of the Schedule of Racist Events (H. Landrine & E. A. Klonoff, 1996), and the Mental Health Inventory (C. T. Veit & J. E. Ware, 1983). Results of hierarchical regressions indicated that when general stress was controlled, racism-related stress predicted an additional 4% of variance in psychological distress for working class men and an additional 7% for middle-upper class men. Racism-related stress also predicted an additional 5% of variance in psychological well-being for middle-upper class men; however, it was not predictive of psychological well-being for working class men. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preterm delivery: effects of socioeconomic factors, psychological stress, smoking, alcohol, and caffeine

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between preterm birth and socioeconomic and psychological factors, smoking, and alcohol, and caffeine consumption. DESIGN: Prospective study of outcome of pregnancy. SETTING: District general hospital in inner London. PARTICIPANTS: 1860 consecutive white women booking for delivery; 1513 women studied after exclusion because of multiple pregnancy and diabetes, refusals, and loss to follow up. MEASUREMENTS: Gestational age was determined from ultrasound and maternal dates; preterm birth was defined as less than 37 completed weeks. Independent variables included smoking, alcohol and caffeine consumption, and a range of indicators of socioeconomic status and psychological stress. MAIN RESULTS: Unifactorial analyses showed that lower social class, less education, single marital status, low income, trouble with "nerves" and depression, help from professional agencies, and little contact with neighbours were all significantly associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. There were no apparent effects of smoking, alcohol, or caffeine on the length of gestation overall, although there was an association between smoking and delivery before 32 weeks. Cluster analysis indicated three subgroups of women delivering preterm: two predominantly of low social status and a third of older women with higher social status who did not smoke. Mean gestational age was highest in the third group. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse social circumstances are associated with preterm birth but smoking is not, apart from an association with very early births. This runs counter to findings for fetal growth (birth weight for gestational age) in this study, where a strong effect of smoking on fetal growth was observed but there was no evidence for any association with psychosocial factors.     

"Life stressors, social resources, and late-life problem drinking": Clarification.

Reports a clarification in the article by P. L. Brennan and R. H. Moos (Psychology and Aging, 1990[Dec], Vol 5[4], 491–501). The authors wish to note that their study was based on the same sample that was used in the research reported in the article by R. H. Moos et al (see record 1990-14961-001) and that this information was inadvertently deleted in the Brennan and Moos article. (The following abstract of the article by Brennan and Moos originally appeared in PA, Vol 78:10154.) Life stressors and social resources among late-middle-aged problem and nonproblem drinkers were studied. Problem drinkers (n?=?501) reported more negative life events, chronic stressors, and social resource deficits than did nonproblem drinkers (n?=?609). In a comparison of problem drinkers, men reported more ongoing stressors involving finances and friends and reported fewer resources from children, extended-family members, and friends than did women. Women who are problem drinkers reported more negative life events, more ongoing difficulties with spouses and extended-family members, and fewer resources from spouses. Among both the problem and nonproblem drinkers, more stressors were associated with fewer social resources, but only within certain life domains. Late-middle-aged adults' chronic stressors and social resources helped explain their drinking behavior, depression, and self-confidence even after sex, marital status, and negative life events were considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stress, current problems, problem solving, and depressive symptoms: An integrative model.

Hypothesized that a strong association would exist between level of current problems and depressive symptoms in a direct fashion (i.e., the more problems an S had, the higher the likelihood that he/she would experience depressive symptomatology). The model was tested by administering the Beck Depression Inventory, the Life Experiences Survey, and measures of problem-solving behavior and attitudes and current problems to 205 undergraduates. Results from a path analysis generally support the model. Negative life stress was associated with depressive symptoms in both a direct and an indirect manner via level of current problems. Current problems had a significant direct impact on depressive symptoms and an indirect influence via problem solving. The model accounted for 42% of the variance associated with the prediction of depressive symptoms. It is suggested, however, that because the measures were self-report, social desirability factors cannot be ruled out. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stressors, personal and social resources, and depression: A 4-year structural model.

By extending earlier stress-resistance research with a 1-yr time lag, findings with 254 adults show that adaptive personality characteristics and positive family support operate prospectively over 4 yrs in predicting reduced depression even when prior depression is controlled. By strengthening knowledge about the determinants and mediational role of coping, the results demonstrate in a 2-group LISREL analysis that the pattern of predictive relations differs under high and low stressors. Under high stressors, personal and social resources relate to future psychological health indirectly, through more adaptive coping strategies. Under low stressors, these resources relate directly to psychological health. The results support the idea that such resources play a causal role in maintaining psychological health, and they suggest the potential for a general, adaptively oriented framework applicable to adjustment under both high and low stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorder in a national sample of female and male Vietnam veterans: Risk factors, war-zone stressors, and resilience-recovery variables.

Relationships among pretrauma risk factors (e.g., family instability, childhood antisocial behavior), war-zone stressors (e.g., combat, perceived threat), posttrauma resilience-recovery variables (e.g., hardiness, social support), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity were examined. Data from a national sample of 432 female and 1,200 male veterans were analyzed using structural equation modeling. For both genders, direct links to PTSD from pretrauma, war-zone, and posttrauma variable categories were found; several direct associations between pretrauma and posttrauma variables were documented. Although war-zone stressors appeared preeminent for PTSD in men, posttrauma resilience-recovery variables were more salient for women. Researchers, policymakers, and clinicians are urged to take a broad view on trauma and its sequelae, especially regarding possible multiple exposures over time and the depletion and availability of important resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stressors, social resources, coping, and the 4-year course of unipolar depression.

Little is known about the effects of psychosocial factors on the long-term course of unipolar depression. This article examines the 4-year stability and change in life stressors, social resources, and coping, and their effect on the course of treated unipolar depression among 352 men and women. Depressed patients were assessed at treatment intake and at 1-year and 4-year follow-ups. Over the 4 years, patients improved in symptom outcomes, the quality of social resources, and coping responses; there were some declines in life stressors. Life stressors, social resources, and coping were related to patient functioning concurrently, after controlling for demographics, initial treatment, and initial dysfunction severity. Preintake medical conditions and family conflict consistently predicted poorer long-term outcomes. The findings imply that medical conditions and family conflict are important risk factors that predict poorer long-term outcome of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transactional analysis ego state functioning, psychological distress, and client change.

Explored the construct validity of transactional analysis (TA) ego state concepts. Ego states are defined as coherent systems of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 65 university students seeking therapy and 95 university students not receiving therapy completed the Adjective Checklist (ACL) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Ego state scores from the ACL correlated with BSI psychological distress in predicted directions. Four of the 5 TA ego state scores differentiated Ss seeking therapy from Ss not seeking therapy. Furthermore, ego state scores changed over the course of therapy, indicating a reduction of distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life change, the sensation seeking motive, and psychological distress.

Investigated the relationship between life change and psychological distress (measured by the Life Experiences Survey) as a function of the sensation-seeking motive (the Sensation-Seeking Scale) for 75 undergraduates. Scores on the Discomfort scale of the Psychological Screening Inventory were unrelated to positive and total life change scores but were significantly related to amount of negative life change occurring over the previous year. However, as predicted, this relationship was restricted to Ss low in sensation seeking; high sensation seekers are apparently more tolerant of negative life change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transforming psychological practice and society: Policies that reflect the new paradigm.

As people with disabilities challenge psychology to acknowledge the sociopolitical foundations of their margialization, they urge psychologists to help improve disability policy within and beyond the borders of the discipline. Understanding disability through a social paradigm offers opportunities to reframe the way psychologists define problems related to disability, to develop more collaborative relationships between psychologists and people with disabilities, and to adopt new professional responsibilities with respect to the disability community. The authors address the impact of the social paradigm on policies within psychology that guide consulting, advocacy, and training. The impact of national policy decisions, such as those associated with reimbursement, on practice and training is also discussed. Highlighted throughout are points of controversy prompted by new disability frameworks that remain open to illumination from the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer harassment, psychological adjustment, and school functioning in early adolescence.

The relations between peer harassment, psychological adjustment, and school functioning were investigated with an ethnically diverse sample of middle school students. A conceptual model, which proposed that self-perceived peer harassment predicts psychological adjustment (loneliness, depression, and self-worth), which in turn predicts school outcomes (GPA and attendance), was tested using concurrent data (n?=?244). Structural equation modeling supported the proposed model. Longitudinal analyses with a subsample (n?=?106) of students revealed that subjective self-views of victimization were moderately stable across a 1-year period. Comparisons across stable and unstable victim groups suggested that concurrent (rather than earlier or chronic) perceptions of victimization predicted loneliness and self-worth. Finally, changes in subjective perceptions of victimization, self-worth, and loneliness across the 1-year period predicted subsequent GPA, absenteeism, and teacher-rated social adjustment. Findings are discussed in terms of the short- and long-term effects of peer harassment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic occupational stressors, self-focused attention, and well-being: Testing a cybernetic model of stress.

By using a cybernetic approach to occupational stress, it was hypothesized that the relationship between chronic work stressors and strain would be stronger among individuals high in private self-consciousness than among individuals low in private self-consciousness. Moderated regression analyses, using a sample of 135 blue-collar workers, revealed strong support for this hypothesis. This finding is antithetical to prior research showing that self-focused attention may buffer the effect of acute life events (B. Mullen and J. Suls [see PA, Vol 68:3591]; J. Suls and B. Fletcher [see PA, Vol 73:21993]). The results of the present study in conjunction with prior research suggest that the type of stressor (acute vs. chronic) examined may be a boundary condition influencing the direction of Stressor?×?Self-Focused Attention interactions. Implications for future research and stress management are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Profiles of psychological functioning in the old and oldest old.

Cluster analysis was applied to 12 measures of intellectual, personality, self-related, and social functioning collected in the 1st cross-sectional wave of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE; N?=?516). Central questions concerned the number, profile desirability (functional status), and membership of the subgroups obtained. Of the 9 subgroups extracted, 4 reflected different patterns of desirable functioning (47% of the sample), and 5 reflected less desirable functioning (53%). Relative risk of a less desirable profile was 2.5 times higher for the oldest old (85–103 years) than for people between the ages of 70–84 years and was 1.25 times higher for women compared with men. Relationships with education, health, and mortality suggested underlying systemic differences. Consistent with theoretical propositions about a "4th age" and the incomplete architecture of life span development (P. B. Baltes, 1997), the oldest old appear to have a distinct and less desirable psychological profile. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An unjustified, sweeping indictment by Motta et al. of human figure drawings for assessing psychological functioning.

Comments on R. W. Motta et al's (see record 1994-04005-001) conclusion that the use of human figure drawings (HFDs) in psychological testing is invalid. Motta et al completely ignore strong positive evidence that narrowly prescribed uses of HFD are valid for assessing certain aspects of personality and intellectual functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive reappraisal in the context of oppression: Implications for psychological functioning.

Research on emotion regulation has shown cognitive reappraisal to be positively correlated with better psychological functioning. Prior research has failed to account for contextual influences on this important relationship. We examined how this relationship plays out across two United States ethnic groups that represent different contexts of oppression: Puerto Ricans, experiencing distal oppression (societal level) but not proximal oppression (immediate environment), and Latino Americans, experiencing both. We also captured individual beliefs regarding oppression of one's group and implications of that oppression by measuring oppressed minority ideology (OMI). Results confirmed our hypothesis that the relationship between reappraisal and psychological functioning would be moderated by the context of oppression (as measured by ethnic group membership and OMI). For Latino Americans high on OMI, reappraisal was negatively associated with psychological functioning. For Puerto Ricans, regardless of OMI, this relationship remained positive, suggesting a possible benefit for minorities in being surrounded by in-group members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)