Perceived discrimination and women's psychological distress: The roles of collective and personal self-esteem.

In the spirit of counseling psychology's social justice mission (e.g., L. A. Goodman, B. Liang, J. E. Helms, R. E. Latta, E. Sparks, & S. R. Weintraub, 2004), the authors examined perceptions of discrimination against women as related to women's views of the group women, their views of themselves as individuals, and their psychological distress. Path analysis was used to test an extended chain of mediation from perceptions of discrimination to public collective self-esteem, private collective self-esteem, personal self-esteem, and finally to psychological distress. Data (N = 235) were consistent with hypotheses and indicated a good fit for the model. Results were in accord with feminist theorists' assertions of the harmful nature of sexist discrimination, as the model accounted for substantial proportions of variance in depression and anxiety. Furthermore, these findings on mechanisms by which harm may be induced offer important clues for prevention and intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical disability and psychological distress.

Examined the relationship between physical disability and risk for psychological distress and disorder in 731 physically disabled adults (aged 19–91 yrs at initial interview 4 yrs earlier) and 850 nondisabled adults matched in age, sex, and area of residence. Ss completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, and an anxiety inventory. Disabled Ss were at substantially elevated risk for anxiety, depressive symptoms, and major depressive disorder. These findings can be attributed to chronic stress that tends to characterize the life circumstance and experience of disabled individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role quality, multiple role involvement, and psychological well-being in midlife women.

Examined women's occupancy of the social roles of paid worker, wife, and mother, and the quality of their experience in these 3 roles in relation to psychological well-being. Data were from a disproportionate (i.e., women from high-prestige occupations) random sample of 23 White women (aged 35–55 yrs). Well-being was measured by indices of self-esteem, depression, and pleasure; pleasure was assessed by a scale consisting of single-item measures of happiness, satisfaction, and optimism. Role quality was measured by scales developed for this study that assessed the balance between the positive and negative attributes women perceived in their roles. Hierarchical regression analyses controlling for age, education, and income indicated that role occupancy was unrelated to well-being with one exception: Occupying the role of paid worker significantly predicted self-esteem. In contrast, the 3 role-quality variables were significant predictors of the well-being indices, except that quality of experience in the role of mother did not predict pleasure. Findings suggest the importance of qualitative rather than quantitative aspects of role involvement and the need to examine different dimensions of well-being in relation to social roles. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Centrality of women's multiple roles: Beneficial and detrimental consequences for psychological well-being.

Theorists have proposed that greater centrality (personal importance) of a social role is associated with better psychological well-being but that role centrality exacerbates the negative effects of stress in that same social role on well-being. The present study found evidence to support both hypotheses in a sample of 296 women who simultaneously occupied the roles of parent care provider, mother, wife, and employee. Greater centrality of all four roles was related to better psychological well-being. As predicted, wife centrality exacerbated the effects of wife stress on life satisfaction, and employee centrality exacerbated the effects of employee stress on depressive symptoms. Contrary to prediction, centrality of the mother role buffered women from the negative effects of mother stress on depressive symptoms. These findings point to an aspect of role identity that can benefit well-being but that has complex effects in the context of role stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mutual influences in parent and adolescent psychological distress.

Using a cross-lagged effect model with 3 waves of panel data, this study examined mutual influences in parent and adolescent psychological distress reported independently by respondents in each of 4 parent–child dyads: mothers–sons, mothers–daughters, fathers–sons, and fathers–daughters. Results showed that parent and adolescent distress were reciprocally related across time, even after earlier emotional status was statistically controlled. These mutual influences in distress, however, were gender specific, with the strongest cross-lagged associations occurring between mothers and sons and fathers and daughters. Moreover, boys were more susceptible to parental distress during early adolescence, girls during early to mid-adolescence. Incremental fit comparisons for alternative models suggest that a son's distress may have more negative consequences for mothers than the reverse. Finally, mutual influences in psychological distress for fathers and daughters were more pronounced for girls who were experiencing the onset of menarche and for girls who recently experienced a school transition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rumination and psychological distress among bereaved partners.

Recently bereaved men who evidenced more negative ruminative thoughts in free-response interviews showed greater psychological distress on several outcome measures both 1 month and 12 months after their loss and less increase in positive morale over this 12-month period. Men who engaged in more analysis of themselves and the meaning of their loss reported greater positive morale 1 month after their loss but showed more persistent depression and absence of positive states of mind over the 12 months following their loss. Finally, men who reported more social friction also evidenced more enduring depressive symptoms over the year than did men who reported less social friction. These results are generally consistent with other studies that have shown that self-reflective, ruminative coping with negative emotions and social friction are associated with longer and more severe periods of depressed mood following stressful events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of psychological associations.

"Certainly a strong national association seems important to the continuing growth and development of psychology as a profession. Functions relating to publication, ethics of the total profession, education and training, legislation, communication between large and small groups, promotional activities, and many others… can best be carried forward by a national level through the agency of a central office." National and state associations handle most of the problems of professionalization. Informal socializing seems to be an important satisfaction achieved through the regional association. "Basically, this paper is a plea to each psychologist to become an active participant in all three kinds of psychological associations." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2AJ41L. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-related stress and psychological distress in emergency medical technicians.

Emergency medical technicians (n?=?65) participated in a study on work environment characteristics, work-related stress, and psychological distress. Data were collected at baseline and 6 months. Work-related stress was associated with lower work group support and poor supervisory behavior. Work-related stress was strongly related to psychological distress. Changes in work-related stress were significantly related to changes in psychological distress. Findings support the work-related stress, psychological distress model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Urinary incontinence and psychological distress among older adults.

We examined the relationship between urinary incontinence and psychological distress in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. The data are from a probability sample of Washtenaw County, Michigan residents ages 60 years and older, who were interviewed in 1983 and 1984. A total of 747 women and 431 men were included in the analyses. Experiencing urinary incontinence, particularly in a severe form, was weakly related to depression, negative affect, and low life satisfaction. These relationships are partly explained by the fact that incontinent respondents are less healthy than are continent respondents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Laterality of subcortical involvement and psychological functions.

Differences in psychological effects between lateralized cortical and subcortical brain lesions were assessed within a neuropsychological framework. The relative predominance of specific and nonspecific systems in the elaboration of incoming data at these cerebral levels and their participation in cognition and perceptual events was described. It was concluded that bilateral primacy of subcortical diffuse systems in contradistinction to unilateral primacy of cortical specific systems may account for observed differences between lateralized cortical and subcortical brain lesions. (3 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Functional impairment, marital quality, and patient psychological distress as predictors of psychological distress among cancer patients' spouses.

This study investigated contextual determinants of psychological distress among 197 spouses of cancer patients. women, 30–82 years old). It was hypothesized that higher levels of patient functional impairment would lead to greater patient distress. Patient distress, in turn, would lead to lower spouse marital satisfaction and ultimately to higher spouse distress. Spouses completed measures of distress and marital quality at three time points. Cancer patients rated their functional impairment and psychological distress at the same time points. Results indicated that at all time points, greater patient impairment was associated with higher levels of patient distress which, in turn, was related to lower marital satisfaction. However, marital quality was related to spouse distress at only 1 time point, but spouse distress was directly associated with patient distress at each time point. Implications for cancer patients and spouses are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role conflict and symptoms of psychological distress in college-educated women.

Studied sex role attitudes, need for achievement, and employment patterns of 136 women's college graduates out of college 10 yrs and 132 out of college 25 yrs in relation to symptoms of mental illness using a 3-wave mail questionnaire technique. Questionnaire returns totaled 71% of the selected sample and established validity of the Twenty-Two Item Screening Score in mail questionnaire studies. Neither employment status nor achievement motivation, assessed by stories written in response to verbal cues, were significantly related to symptom scores. However, Ss with contemporary sex role orientations, as indicated by the Revised Fand Inventory, exhibited significantly higher symptom scores. Also, the class out of college 10 yrs had significantly more members (a) with high need for achievement, (b) with contemporary sex role orientation, and (c) who had advanced degrees and were earning higher incomes. They also had significantly higher symptom scores. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of psychological distress and well-being in general populations.

Describes the development of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI), a 38-item measure of psychological distress and well-being, developed for use in general populations. The MHI was fielded in 4 large samples (N?=?5089) of Ss aged 13–69 yrs. One data set was used to explore the MHI's factor structure, and confirmatory factor analyses were used for cross validation. Results support a hierarchical factor model composed of a general underlying psychological distress vs well-being factor; a higher order structure defined by 2 correlated factors—Psychological Distress and Well-Being; and 5 correlated lower order factors—Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Ties, General Positive Affect, and Loss of Behavioral Emotional Control. Summated rating scales produced high internal consistency estimates and substantial stability over a 1-yr interval. Results provide strong psychometric support for a hierarchical model and scoring options ranging from 5 distinct constructs to reliance on 1 summary index. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of emotional dysregulation in perfectionism and psychological distress.

Data from a sample of university students (N = 349) were used to test a model in which emotional dysregulation (a composite of emotional reactivity and splitting) was expected to account for the effect of perfectionism on general psychological distress. Significant positive effects were observed between maladaptive perfectionism and distress, whereas significant inverse effects were found for adaptive perfectionism. Structural equations analyses revealed support for a possibly mediational role of emotional dysregulation. Future research suggestions as well as counseling recommendations are proposed that target emotional regulatory features of the client with perfectionistic tendencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive distortion and psychological distress in chronic low back pain.

Examined the association of cognitive distortion with 5 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales—Depression (D), Psychasthenia (Pt), Schizophrenia (Sc), Hypochondriasis (Hs), and Hysteria (H)—in 138 depressed, chronic low back pain patients (mean age 39.9 yrs). Ss completed a cognitive error questionnaire, the MMPI, a sickness impact profile, and daily pain diaries. Results indicate that cognitive distortion was associated with high scores on the D, Pt, and Sc scales but not the Hs and Hy scales. Thus, cognitive distortion is likely to be an important factor in general distress but not in somatization among back pain patients. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in psychological distress between effective and ineffective problem solvers.

213 undergraduates completed the Problem Solving Inventory. 43 Ss who scored at least 1 standard deviation (SD) above the mean were classified as ineffective problem solvers; 38 Ss scoring at least 1 SD below the mean were designated as effective problem solvers. These 81 Ss then completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, and the Problem Check List. MANOVA and univariate tests indicated that self-appraised effective problem solvers, as compared to self-perceived ineffective problem solvers, reported less depression, less trait and state anxiety, a more internal control orientation, less frequent problems, and less distress associated with these problems. Findings suggest that self-appraised problem-solving effectiveness is strongly associated with emotional distress. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists' multiple roles in television broadcasting.

By participating in the broadcast media as consultants, expert interviewees, interviewers, and producer/reporters can increase the public's understanding of human behavior and gain support and awareness of psychologists' unique contributions. Psychology's theoretical constructs and research tools are resources that can be publicized now by appropriate use of the electronic media. The social relevance of psychology is its capacity to guide the public toward an understanding of cultural values and assumptions, personal actions, habits, and options to maximize psychosocial competence and give people information they can use in everyday life. Recommendations for preparing TV news material are presented. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental involvement, psychological distress, and sleep: A preliminary examination in sleep-disturbed adolescents with a history of substance abuse.

The relationships between family environment and psychological distress and between psychological distress and sleep disturbance in adolescents are well established. However, less is known about the influence of family environment on sleep disturbance. The authors' goal is to examine the effects of parental involvement on psychological distress and sleep disturbance in 34 adolescents with a history of substance abuse. Linear regression techniques and confidence intervals were used to test the significance of mediation analyses. Lower levels of parental involvement were associated with higher levels of psychological distress, and higher levels of psychological distress were associated with lower sleep efficiency and more time spent in bed. Follow-up analyses found that higher levels of parental involvement were associated with earlier morning arising times, when controlling for psychological distress. These data indicate that psychological distress is important to consider when examining the relationship between parental involvement and sleep in adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex trading and psychological distress among women on methadone.

This study examined the relationship between sex trading and psychological distress among a nonrandom sample of women recruited from 3 methadone maintenance clinics in New York City. Face-to-face interviews with 280 women (M age?=?40.7) revealed that 32% had traded sex for money or drugs in the previous year. Compared to other participants, these women reported less education and higher rates of incarceration in the past year, sexually transmitted diseases, childhood sexual abuse, partner abuse, and current regular crack/cocaine and alcohol use. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that sex traders scored 0.41 units higher than non-sex traders on the General Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory after controlling for all relevant covariates. The findings emphasize the need to consider the interrelation of psychological distress, abuse, and addiction in designing public health interventions addressing methadone maintained women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and psychological distress: A longitudinal analysis.

Used a multiple regression model of change in a longitudinal framework to examine the relationship between changes in social support and psychological maladjustment, controlling for initial maladjustment and initial levels of life change and social support. Ss were a randomly selected community sample of 245 male and 248 female adult family members who completed 2 surveys administered 1 yr apart. Findings are consistent with previous studies reporting a negative relationship between social support and psychological maladjustment. In addition, when initial levels of maladjustment, life change, and social support were controlled, results generally supported the prediction that decreases in social support in family and work environments would be significantly related to increases in psychological maladjustment over the 1 yr period. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)