Optimism and Coping as Moderators of the Relation Between Work Resources and Burnout in Information Service Workers.

The moderating effect of individual characteristics on the relation of burnout and environmental work resources was examined. Little work has been done to apply the concept of burnout among information services (IS) professionals (A. S. Huarng, 2001). The current study further investigates resources and their contribution to burnout in the IS field. Personal moderator variables were optimism, pessimism, and coping styles. The predictor variable was an index of work-related resource conditions. The outcome variables were 3 burnout subscales. The relation of work resources to burnout was significantly moderated by personal moderator variables. As predicted by the conservation of resources model (S. E. Hobfoll, 1989), personal factors moderated the impact of work resources typically under conditions in which the resources were low. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional Distress in Nonmetropolitan Persons Living With HIV Disease Enrolled in a Telephone-Delivered, Coping Improvement Group Intervention.

The study delineated depressive symptoms and modeled emotional distress in persons living with HIV disease in nonmetropolitan areas of 13 U.S. states. Participants (N=329) were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of a telephone-delivered, coping improvement group intervention, and 60% reported moderate or severe levels of depressive symptomatology on the Beck Depression Inventory. Structural equation modeling indicated that participants who experienced more severe HIV symptomatology, received less social support, and engaged in more avoidant coping also experienced more emotional distress (a latent construct comprising depressive symptoms and emotional well-being). Greater HIV-related stigma and rejection by family led to more emotional distress, with social support and avoidant coping mediating almost entirely the effects of the former 2 variables. The model accounted for 72% of the variance in emotional distress in nonmetropolitan persons living with HIV disease. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing the negative effects of emotion work in service occupations: Emotional competence as a psychological resource.

Although emotion work and emotional competence focus on similar processes, there has been a lack of integration between the 2 concepts. Emotion work is the regulatory effort to express organizationally desired emotions, whereas emotional competence encompasses skills that focus on how people deal with and regulate their own affect and that of others. The general hypothesis of this study was that emotional competence can be regarded as an important personal resource in emotion work because it moderates the relationships between work characteristics, emotional dissonance, and outcome variables. Eighty-four service employees completed a questionnaire on their working conditions and their well-being. In addition, peer ratings for emotional competence were completed. The authors found that emotional competence moderated most of the proposed relationships between work characteristics and emotional dissonance, between emotional dissonance and outcome variables, and between work characteristics and outcome variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mediation as a Method of Parent Intervention in Children's Disputes.

This study examined the feasibility and short-term effects of mothers' use of mediation to help children (5 to 8 years) resolve disputes. Families in which mothers were trained to use mediation were compared with control families on intervention strategies at home and discussion of a recurring conflict in the laboratory. With training, mothers could use mediation strategies, and these strategies were favored by both mothers and children. Children responded appropriately to mediation (reasoning, discussing emotions, and understanding motivations more often than in control families). Mediation empowered children, particularly younger siblings, to solve conflict issues. Although questions of the long-term implications of mediation remain, this study suggests that mediation may be a powerful parenting tool, promoting social understanding and productive conflict resolution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accountability in Child Welfare Services: Developing a Statewide Outcome Evaluation Program.

Questions are often raised regarding the effectiveness and value of treatment programs for children and families. Recently, programs have been increasingly held accountable for services offered. In response, the member agencies of IARCCA have developed a comprehensive outcome measurement program. This article describes the project, focusing on the conditions that led to its inception and how the measurement plan was developed. In addition, the article includes information on the selection of personnel, measurement instruments, and methods and on the process of data collection. Summary results are provided, including how these results are utilized to improve services. Finally, the continued expansion and future directions of the Outcome Project are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's Perceived Illness Uncertainty as a Moderator in the Parent-Child Distress Relation in Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases.

Objective: Examine children's perceived illness uncertainty as a potential moderator in the parent-distress/child-depressive-symptom relation in youths with juvenile rheumatic disease (JRD). Participants and Study Design: 50 youths between the ages of 9 and 17 and their parents completed self-report measures. Main Outcome Measures: Parents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (L. R. Derogatis & N. Melisaratos, 1983); youths completed the Children's Depression Inventory (M. Kovacs, 1992) and the Children's Uncertainty in Illness Scale (L. L. Mullins & V. L. Hartman, 1995). Results: Children's perceived illness uncertainty moderated the parent-distress/child-depressive-symptom relation. Parent distress was associated with child depressive symptoms only under conditions of high child-perceived uncertainty; under conditions of low illness uncertainty, parent distress was unrelated to child depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Results highlight the role of children's cognitive appraisals in parent-child adjustment relations in JRD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)