Psychological health and problem-solving self-appraisal in older adults.

This study investigated relations between psychological health and problem-solving self-appraisal in 97 adults aged 65–96 years. Participants completed the Problem-Solving Inventory (P. P. Heppner, 1988) and two measures of psychological health encompassing both well-being and distress dimensions. Results of a canonical correlation analysis indicated that relations between problem-solving self-appraisal and psychological health were complex and sometimes contradictory. On the one hand, as problem-solving self-appraisal became more favorable (more confidence, more control, and increased approaching of problems), well-being increased and distress decreased. Conversely, perceptions of avoidant problem solving and decreased control were also associated with some increases in psychological health. Research and counseling implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mood on learning.

Explored the influence of elated and depressed moods on (a) the affective evaluation of sentences and (b) efficiency in learning these sentences. 105 college students were given sentences from Time magazine that were modified to insure structural equivalence and selected to elicit pleasant and unpleasant reactions. Ss were asked to rate the sentences on affect, memorize them, and recall them. Results indicate that elated moods facilitate the clear differentiation between pleasant and unpleasant sentences as well as the remembrance of them. Depressed moods lead to indifferent evaluations, less recall of propositions, and more total zero recall. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of purpose of the appraisal and expectation of validation on self-appraisal leniency.

Tested the hypothesis that (1) self-appraisals conducted under a grading purpose are more lenient than those conducted under a research purpose and (2) self-appraisals obtained under conditions with high expectation of validation are less lenient than those obtained under conditions with low expectation of validation with 62 undergraduates. Ss completed self-reports of the classroom participation; the questionnaires varied in the purpose of appraisal and the expectation of validation. Both hypotheses were strongly supported. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of self-generated facial expressions on mood.

Two experiments were conducted in which participants looked at photographs (Experiment 1, n?=?129) or slides (Experiment 2, n?=?90) of people engaging in positive or negative facial expressions. Participants attempted to communicate these facial expressions as accurately as they could to a video camera while viewing themselves in a mirror or without viewing themselves in a mirror. Participants in a control group maintained neutral facial expressions. Participants experienced increased positive moods when they engaged in positive facial expressions and decreased positive moods when they engaged in negative facial expressions. These effects were enhanced when participants viewed themselves in a mirror. The effects of facial expressions on positive affect were stronger for participants with high private self-consciousness. Results were integrated with research identifying individuals who are responsive to self-produced versus situational cues and with theory and research on self-awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of severe daily events on mood.

Examined the effects of naturally occurring, daily events on next-day mood. From a sample of 50 men (mean age 41.4 yrs) who had reported events and mood prospectively, 17 whose reports included a severe, negative event were selected. Same- and next-day associations were examined using both self-reports from the men and wives' reports about their husbands' mood; the wives' mean ages were 38.8 yrs. Instruments included the Assessment of Daily Experience and the Mood Adjective Check List. Same-day associations were observed, but there was no strong evidence of changes in next-day mood. Results offer no support for 2-day or longer effects of daily, negative events and highlight the need for prospective studies to address causal questions and cognitive mediational variables such as coping. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of daily stress on negative mood.

This article examines the influence of daily stressors on mental health in a community sample. Ss were 166 married couples who completed diaries each day for 6 weeks. In pooled within-person analyses, daily stressors explained up to 20% of the variance in mood. Interpersonal conflicts were by far the most distressing events. Furthermore, when stressors occurred on a series of days, emotional habituation occurred by the second day for almost all events except interpersonal conflicts. Contrary to certain theoretical accounts, multiple stressors on the same day did not exacerbate one another's effects; rather, an emotional plateau occurred. Finally, on days following a stressful event, mood was better than it would have been if the stressor had not happened. These results reveal the complex emotional effects of daily stressors, and in particular, they suggest that future investigations should focus primarily on interpersonal conflicts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mood on mothers' evaluations of children's behavior.

Examined the effects of mood on mothers' evaluations of their children's behavior. Ss were 54 mothers and their 4- to 5-yr-old children. Families were randomly assigned to a depressed, positive, or neutral mood condition. Mothers evaluated their children's behavior after participating in a mood induction. Independent observers also evaluated children's behavior. Mothers in the positive mood condition evaluated their children's behavior as more favorable than did mothers in the depressed and neutral mood conditions. Mothers in the positive mood condition also evaluated their children's behavior as more favorable than did independent observers of the children's behavior. Evaluations provided by mothers in the depressed mood condition did not differ from those provided by mothers in the neutral mood condition or from those provided by independent observers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of induced mood on diagnostic interviewing: Evidence for a mood and memory effect.

Examined the extent to which experimentally induced mood influenced the report of lifetime symptoms of major depression and dysthymia as assessed by a computerized version of the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. 83 female undergraduates received a "happy" or "sad" mood induction. Ss in the sad condition reported significantly more lifetime symptoms of major depression and dysthymia than did Ss in the happy condition. Although more Ss in the sad condition received diagnoses of major depression, dysthymic disorder, or depression not otherwise specified than did Ss in the happy condition, this difference was not significant. In addition, no difference was found in the report of lifetime symptoms of a manic episode, providing evidence for the specificity of the mood induction. Implications of these results for structured diagnostic interviews and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term effects of occupational stressors on daily mood and health complaints.

Related daily changes in 2 job conditions, workload and social interaction with co-workers and supervisors, to daily mood and health complaints. 52 air-traffic controllers (ATCs) completed measures of subjective well-being and perceived job conditions on 3 consecutive days; objective indicators of daily workload (air traffic volume and visibility at the airport) were also obtained. The results indicate that increases in job stressors are associated with a same-day deterioration in physical and psychological well-being. On days in which workload was perceived to be high, ATCs reported more health complaints and moods that were more negative and less positive. On days in which there was greater air traffic volume (objectively measured), ATCs reported moods that were more negative. On days in which interactions with co-workers and supervisors were described as more distressing, ATCs reported moods that were more negative and less positive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judging health status: Effects of perceived prevalence and personal relevance.

Investigated whether people's evaluations of the seriousness of a health disorder are influenced by the perceived prevalence and personal relevance of that disorder. As part of a study ostensibly concerned with college students' health characteristics, 60 undergraduates were tested for the presence of a fictitious enzyme deficiency. Ss discovered either that they had the deficiency (deficiency-present Ss) or that they did not have it (deficiency-absent Ss) and were led to believe either that 1 of the 5 people in the laboratory had the deficiency (low-prevalence Ss) or that 4 of them had it (high-prevalence Ss). As predicted, the low-prevalence Ss evaluated the deficiency as more serious than did the high-prevalence Ss. In addition, consistent with the view that personal relevance affects perceptions of health disorders, the deficiency-present Ss evaluated the deficiency as less serious than did the deficiency-absent Ss. The deficiency-present Ss also derogated the validity of the test ostensibly used to diagnose the deficiency compared with other Ss. The deficiency-present Ss requested more information about the deficiency than did the deficiency-absent Ss. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

'Public health status and perspectives' 1997. II. Developments in health status]

As a part of the report 'Public health status and forecasts' 1997 recent developments in the health status of the Dutch population and its determinants are described. Developments until the year 2015 are forecast on the basis of expected demographic and epidemiologic trends, according to expert opinions. Important findings are the unfavourable trends in lifestyle factors in adolescents and the expected increase by 25-60% in 2015 of the prevalence of diseases of old age like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, dementia, chronic nonspecific lung diseases, visual and hearing impairments and diseases of the locomotor system.     

Performance attributions: Effects of mood and involvement.

A 2 (good vs bad mood)?×?2 (important vs unimportant)?×?2 (success vs failure) experimental design was used to investigate whether importance could moderate mood effects on students' performance attributions. Attributions were analyzed in terms of their underlying dimensions (locus, stability, and controllability) as specified by B. Weiner (1985). Undergraduate business students (31 men, 49 women) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 8 experimental conditions. Analysis revealed a significant 3-way interaction of mood, importance, and performance outcome (p?     

Effects of mood states, costs, and benefits on helping.

263 college students participated in a factorial experiment designed to test the hypotheses that mood states interact with costs and with benefits in determining helping. Positive and negative mood states were induced by varying the difficulty of a bogus aptitude test; neutral-mood (control) Ss did not take the test. Benefits for helping were manipulated by asking Ss to collect donations for a worthwhile charity (the American Cancer Society) or to a less worthwhile charity (Little League baseball). In the high-costs-for-helping condition, Ss were asked to collect donations by going door to door, whereas in the low-cost condition, Ss were asked to sit at donations desks. Pretests indicated that the manipulations effectively induced the intended mood states, costs, and benefits. The results generally support the hypotheses. Positive-mood Ss volunteered more than neutral-mood Ss, and whether negative-mood Ss volunteered more or less than neutral-mood Ss depended on the costs and benefits. It is suggested that the seemingly conflicting results of previous investigations of negative mood and helping can be explained by interactions of mood states with costs and with benefits. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of member mood states on creative performance in temporary workgroups.

Previous individual-level research suggests that positive mood promotes creative problem solving (A. M. Isen, 2000). The current study built on these results to investigate group-level phenomena. Temporary workgroups (N=57) were induced to experience positive, neutral, or negative mood before engaging in a creative production task. The results indicated that positive mood increased creative performance and implementation efficiency, whereas negative mood had no effect. Regarding group process, positive and neutral mood created a stronger task focus, whereas negative mood created a stronger relationship focus within the group, but this effect did not influence group performance. Implications for future research on the role of mood in group creativity and process are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of daily events on mood states in major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by high negative affect (NA) and low positive affect (PA), but little is known about emotional reactivity in daily life. The authors used experience sampling methodology to investigate changes in NA and PA following minor daily events in MDD compared with healthy participants. Contrary to expectation, MDD participants did not report more frequent negative events, although they did report fewer positive events. Multilevel regression showed that both NA and PA responses to negative events were blunted in the MDD group, whereas responses to positive events were enhanced. NA responses to negative events persisted longer in MDD participants. Depressed participants with a positive family history or longer current episodes showed relatively greater NA responses to negative events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Velten Mood Induction Procedure: Effects on mood and memory.

R. O. Frost et al (see record 1980-01011-001) claim that self-devaluative aspects of the Velton Mood Induction Procedure (VMIP) do not lower mood or otherwise mimic depression but that the elements of the VMIP that suggest depression-related somatic states do. An experiment involving 52 undergraduates indicated that both aspects of the VMIP have a powerful impact on mood and that the self-devaluation statements have a priming effect on the accessibility of positive and negative memories different from that of the VMIP elation statements. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autobiographical memory and mood: Effects of electroconvulsive therapy.

An Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) was administered to 75 depressed inpatients and 16 nondepressed controls. Patients were randomized to 1 of 4 forms of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) that varied in electrode placement and stimulus intensity. Short-term retrograde amnesia was assessed during the week following the randomized phase. Bilateral ECT produced more marked deficits than right unilateral ECT. At a 2-mo follow-up, persistent amnesic deficits were related to having received a second ECT course and, to a lesser extent, bilateral ECT during the randomized phase. The magnitude of clinical improvement was not associated with amnesia scores at either time point. There were no differential amnesic effects as a function of the affective valence of memories. It appears that retrograde amnesia for autobiographical information after ECT and mood congruence effects on recall are independent phenomena. The magnitude and persistence of retrograde amnesia is related to how ECT is performed and not to changes in clinical state or the affective valence of memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of marital role problems and the self-concept on wives' depressed mood.

Evaluated the mutual contribution of role interaction problems and self-concept to the depressed mood of wives in the marital relationship, using a linear recursive model incorporating path analysis and multiple regression. A random sample of married couples was interviewed, including 85 couples that had a child or children younger than 6 yrs old and in which the wife was less than 45 yrs old; 88 couples with a child or children aged 6–18 yrs, the wife being of any age; 81 couples with no children at home and the wife aged 45–59 yrs; and 82 couples with no children at home and the wife older than 60 yrs old. Roles selected to measure interaction problems included cooking, housekeeping, companionship to spouse, and caring for children. Role disagreement, depressed mood, and wives' self-concepts and the actual and perceived appraisals of the husbands for the wives were measured. Results indicate that the path model proposed a causal effect of marital role disagreement and reflected self-concept on wives' depressed mood. The key variable in the model was wives' perceptions of husbands' evaluations, which had a direct effect on wives' mood and mediated much of the effect of role disagreement on wives' depressed mood. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mood and severity on memory processes in depression and mania.

This article examines the relation between mood state, severity of psychopathology, and memory in the affective disorders by reviewing the literature concerned with memory processes in depression and mania. On the basis of this review, a model is presented that tries to reconcile the varied findings encountered in the literature. Specifically, this model proposes that memory processes in these disorders result from the operation of two diagnostically nonspecific mechanisms, mood state and severity of psychopathology. Mood state is thought to affect memory in two related ways: (a) by activating a negative self-schema that is responsible for the selective encoding and retrieval of information congruent with the current state, and (b) by providing contextual cues that result in the activation of mood-state-congruent memory associations. The effect of severity of pathology is also proposed to occur via one or both of two possible routes: (a) by disrupting trace processing and storage by its disorganizational nature, and/or (b) by producing low levels of effort in encoding and storage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of motivational interviewing-based health coaching on employees' physical and mental health status.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) based health coaching is a relatively new behavioral intervention that has gained popularity in public health because of its ability to address multiple behaviors, health risks, and illness self-management. In this study, 276 employees at a medical center self-selected to participate in either a 3-month health coaching intervention or control group. The treatment group showed significant improvement in both SF-12 physical (p = .035) and mental (p = .0001) health status compared to controls. Because of concerns of selection bias, a matched case-control analysis was also performed, eliciting similar results. These findings suggest that MI-based health coaching is effective in improving both physical and mental health status in an occupational setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)