Effects of resources and stressors on burden and depression of family members who provide care to an HIV-infected woman.

This article describes the effect of resources and stressors on 156 family members who provided care and support for an HIV-infected woman. Both resources and stressors were related to the family members' perceived burden and depressive mood, and resources did little to buffer the associations between stress and burden and between stress and depression. Together, resources and stressors accounted for 50% of the variance in family members' perceived burden and 21% of the variance in their depressive mood. The only variable important in predicting both burden and depressive mood was the family member's feelings of stigma. These results suggest that efforts should be made to reduce the stigma felt by family members and to help them obtain additional family and community resources to ameliorate the burden of caregiving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postoperative education that works

Perioperative nurses have acquired greater responsibility for patients' and family members' postoperative education. Recent nursing research indicates that patients may not be getting specific information about dealing with the everyday practical matters they encounter while recovering at home from their surgical procedures. This article addresses some of these issues (e.g., food, sex, driving, bathing, wound care, return to work, limits on activities). The authors answer questions most often asked by patients and their family members.     

Patients and family members: the role of knowledge and attitudes in cancer pain

Cancer pain theoretically comprises sensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions, implying that patients and family members perceive and report cancer pain based on these factors. The study reported here investigated the relationship between specific knowledge and attitudes (cognitive factors), and patients' and family members' reports of pain due to cancer. The relationship between cognitive factors and reports of cancer pain was investigated in interviews with 122 patients and their family members. Pain was measured using the Brief Pain Inventory; knowledge and attitudes were measured using a form previously developed by the authors. Patients' and family members' reports of patient pain and performance status were highly correlated, although family members consistently reported more pain and disability. Using regression analysis, cognitive factors were strongly related to family reports of patients' pain (R2 = 0.27), but contributed little to explaining pain reported by patients themselves (R2 = 0.06). Improved understanding of patients' pain assessments depends on further investigation of other cognitive factors and of sensory and affective factors. Family members' assessments of pain are significantly related to appropriate knowledge and attitudes.     

A Social Relations Model analysis of parent and child play.

Introduces the Social Relations Model (Kenny & LaVoie, 1984) as a new approach for understanding reciprocity during parent–child and sibling play. 32 12-month-old infants and their 3- to 4-year-old siblings were videotaped during separate dyadic sessions in a laboratory playroom with their mothers, their fathers, and each other. Each partner's play was coded using a detailed classification system consisting of six discrete play behaviors. Multivariate analyses indicated that mother–child dyads engaged in more instructive play than father–child dyads, although both parents demonstrated age-appropriate adjustments in their play with their two children. Infants and preschoolers engaged in more elaborate types of play with their parents than with their less socially competent siblings. Social Relations Model analyses revealed that the unique adjustments that family members made to one another outweighed family members' general tendencies to behave in particular ways and the partners' tendencies to elicit particular behaviors from family members. Furthermore, these analyses suggested that parents may be primarily responsible for much of the structuring occurring in children's early social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of family members' reports of parental physical aggression toward clinic-referred children.

This study examined (a) differences among mothers', fathers', and children's reports of parental physical aggression toward children; (b) the reliability and validity of family members' reports of aggression using confirmatory factor analysis; and (c) the discriminant validity of the construct of mother–child and father–child aggression. Participants were 72 dual-parent families in which the parents were seeking clinical services for their children's (ages 7–9 years) conduct behavior problems. Each participant completed the parent–child version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (P-CTS). Results indicate that children reported lower levels of mother–child and father–child aggression than either mothers or fathers reported. Although the reliability (total systematic variance accounted for by observed variables) of family members' reports on the P-CTS ranged from moderate to high, convergent validity was generally low. The constructs of mother–child and father–child aggression were highly correlated but could be distinguished from each other when relationships among rater effects were considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Level validity of self-report whole-family measures.

This article introduces an approach to testing the level validity of family assessment instruments (i.e., whether a family instrument measures family functioning at the level of the system it purports to assess). Two parents and 2 adolescents in 69 families rated the warmth in each of their family relationships and in the family as a whole. Family members' ratings of whole-family warmth assessed family functioning not only at the family level (i.e., characteristics of the family as a whole) but also at the individual level of analysis (i.e., characteristics of family members as raters), indicating a lack of level validity. Evidence was provided for the level validity of a latent variable based on family members' ratings of whole-family warmth. The findings underscore the importance of assessing the level validity of individual ratings of whole-family functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital conflict and parental hostility: Links with children's sibling and peer relationships.

The authors examined the associations between marital conflict and children's relationships with siblings and peers. Mothers' and fathers' hostility toward children and children's interpretations of parents' marital conflict (self-blame and feeling threatened) were investigated as mediators between marital conflict and children's sibling and peer relationships. The sample included 136 intact 2-child families. Children were 7 and 10 years old. Data were collected from observations of marital and family interaction and from family members' reports. Results showed that marital conflict was associated with problematic sibling and peer relationships. Both maternal and paternal hostility mediated the associations between marital conflict and sibling relationships. The link between marital conflict and sibling rivalry was also mediated by children's feelings of self-blame for their parents' conflict. Fathers' hostility toward children mediated the association between marital conflict and children's problematic peer relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Non-uniformity of sarcomere lengths can explain the ''catch-like'' effect of arthropod muscle

Detailed analysis of family dynamics of 63 adolescent psychiatric in-patients' families was carried out. The results of this project show indicate relatively more dysfunctional relations of the patient with other family members, especially with both parents. Also the study showed undifferentiated needs of family members' for co-operation and support from the psychiatric institution. Attitudes of resistance and anxiety in relation to psychiatry, which are still typical for Polish families at the end of eighties, were indicated.     

A Preliminary Study of Acute Family Needs After Spinal Cord Injury: Analysis and Implications.

Objective: To address the paucity of research on family needs following spinal cord injury (SCI). Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional design. Setting: Inpatient SCI rehabilitation unit within a Level 1 trauma center. Participants: Family members of 17 inpatients with SCI. Main Outcome Measure: Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ). Results: Eighteen of the 40 FNQ needs were rated as important or very important by 100% of the respondents. Health Information Needs were rated as most important and Instrumental Support Needs as least important. Involvement With Care Needs were most often met, whereas Emotional Support Needs were most often unmet. Conclusions: The FNQ is a promising measure of family members' needs after SCI and treatment planning and program evaluation tool. Findings affirm that family education is important during rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's development of alcohol use norms: Contributions of parent and sibling norms, children's temperaments, and parent–child discussions.

This study explored the unique contributions of children's temperaments, parents' and siblings' alcohol use norms, and parent–child discussions to 10- to 12-year-old children's alcohol use norms. Independent assessments of each family member's alcohol use norms, mother- and father-reported child temperament assessments, and child reports of the frequency and nature of parent–child discussions were obtained for 171 families. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed a moderational effect: Children whose temperaments placed them at greater risk for alcohol problems in adolescence and early adulthood reported alcohol use norms that became more liberal as other family members' norms became liberal. Frequent and bidirectional parent–child discussions were linked with less liberal alcohol use norms. The results support a transactional model of norm development that features interplay among children's temperaments and family processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations Between Big Five Personality Characteristics and Perceived Support in Adolescents' Families.

The authors investigated the longitudinal relations between family members' Big Five personality factors and perceived support. Members of 285 two-parent families with 2 adolescent children judged their own and other family members' Big Five factors and the support perceived from the other members on 3 occasions at 12-month intervals. The Big Five factor Agreeableness was particularly related to perceived support. Changes in individuals' Big Five factors were linked to changes in the support they perceived themselves but even more to changes in the support that other family members perceived from them. Results are consistent with the parallel continuities hypothesis: Individual characteristics will be stable when there is stability in the supportive environment, but when the environment is changing, personality tends to change in the same direction, and vice versa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probability of particle and salbutamol deposition in the respiratory tract: comparison between MDI and Autohaler

QOL for children with chronic neurological diseases (CND) depends mainly on the supporting system of children's development and respite measurements of their families. For supporting children's development with CND and for alleviating the burden on the family members, various staffs are needed such as pediatricians, nurses, psychologists, OT, PT, home helpers, etc. Especially children with CND are living at home needs in-home services supplied by these supporting staffs. An in-home care service center is desirable to be established in their living area. According to the maternal and child health law and child welfare law, several measures have been adopted, but these services are not available for children with CND and their family, without registration as handicapped children. All these children should be treated because they have the same problems as physically or mentally handicapped children. The capability of the medical and social service supply has been influenced by recent decrease of the birth rate and improvement of the level in the maternal and child health. The number of facilities, such as pediatric clinics or nursing homes for physically handicapped children, is decreasing because of poor profit. These trends will be continued if appropriate measurements are not introduced. The final estimation of need and supply must be made at the local community level.     

How much should I say to whom?

During the past several decades, attitudes in North America have shifted with regards to disclosing information to patients about their own diagnosis. There is still debate, however, about the extent of the information that should be shared regarding treatment and prognosis. Families have their own set of needs in the face of coping with life-threatening illness and supporting the patient. Receiving clear honest information about the patient's condition, prognosis, and comfort are important to family caregivers. Resolving the issue of disclosing patient information to families demands that health care professionals engage in sensitive communication and achieve a delicate balance between the patient's right to confidentiality and meeting the family members' needs for information.     

Spiritual and coping needs of critically ill patients: validation of nursing diagnoses

Although testing of physiologic nursing diagnoses has occurred, critical care nurses have not validated the defining characteristics of the diagnoses, Spiritual Distress and Ineffective Individual Coping. This research report describes how critical care nurses rated the defining characteristics of these diagnoses. Specific strategies are given to assist nurses in recognizing the defining characteristics so that they can effectively intervene in the spiritual and coping needs of patients, thereby enhancing patient outcomes.     

Correction to Kelley and Jouriles (2011).

Reports an error in "An introduction to the special section on U.S. Military operations: Effects on military members' partners and children" by Michelle L. Kelley and Ernest N. Jouriles (Journal of Family Psychology, 2011[Aug], Vol 25[4], 459-460). An author’s name cited in the text and the reference section was misspelled as Knoblock. The correct reference is Knobloch, L. K., & Theiss, J. A. (2011). Depressive symptoms and mechanisms of relational turbulence as predictors of relationship satisfaction among returning service members. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 470–478. The online versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-17889-001.) The deployment of U.S. military personnel to global hot spots, whether as combatants or as peacekeepers, has increased attention to the psychological well-being of military personnel and their family members. Despite the growing awareness that deployments have reverberating effects on all family members, theoretical explanations and empirical research on the impact of deployment on couple, family, and child adjustment, factors that serve to protect families from the demands of military employment, and effective methods of treating the mental health needs of military families are needed. The seven papers in this section increase our understanding of how the demands of U.S. military operations impact couples, family functioning, parenting, and child psychological adjustment and provide an additional resource for mental health professionals who work with these families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental investigation of group members' perceived influence over leader decisions.

The premise that increased perceived influence over leader-made decisions has positive effects on members' satisfaction and commitment was tested in an experiment. One hundred four participants in ad hoc groups of 4 (plus 1 confederate) gave their opinions about the settlement of a civil lawsuit to the group leader (a confederate), who made the decision on behalf of the group. Feedback provided to the participants by the leader manipulated members' perceived personal influence, and the influence of the group as a whole, over the leader's decision. Perceived personal influence predicted levels of satisfaction, whereas perceptions of group influence were important with respect to commitment to the decision. Results are integrated with recent work on leadership and organizational behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thematic relations in adults' concepts.

Concepts can be organized by their members' similarities, forming a kind (e.g., animal), or by their external relations within scenes or events (e.g., cake and candles). This latter type of relation, known as the thematic relation, is frequently found to be the basis of children's but not adults' classification. However, 10 experiments found that when thematic relations are meaningful and salient, they have significant influence on adults' category construction (sorting), inductive reasoning, and verification of category membership. The authors conclude that concepts function closely with knowledge of scenes and events and that this knowledge has a role in adults' conceptual representations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interventions for a scattered generation: Treating adolescents in the nineties.

Psychologists have a critically important role in helping to provide effective interventions for today's adolescents. It is critical that we understand that this is not only a geographically scattered generation, but an emotionally scattered one as well. Adolescents today are faced with the increasingly complex task of integrating their psychological needs for affiliation, connection, and belonging with economic survival and an increasingly burdensome definition of success. The family, school, community, legal, and medical systems which adolescents use to gather the data they need for the adult world they are about to enter are increasingly unstable. Effective interventions for today's adolescents require an integrative approach which selectively draws from the more traditional therapies but which focuses primarily on system interventions and problem-solving. This scattered generation needs psychologists who understand the multi-disciplinary nature of their needs, who will engage in research efforts on their behalf, and who will advocate for public policy which will be responsive to the world they live in. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does the Justice of the One Interact With the Justice of the Many? Reactions to Procedural Justice in Teams.

This article reported the results of 2 studies that examined reactions to procedural justice in teams. Both studies predicted that individual members' reactions would be driven not just by their own procedural justice levels but also by the justice experienced by other team members. Study 1 examined intact student teams, whereas Study 2 occurred in a laboratory setting. The results showed that individual members' own justice interacted with others' justice, such that higher levels of role performance occurred when justice was consistent within the team. These effects were strongest in highly interdependent teams and weakest for members who were benevolent with respect to equity sensitivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of member influence in an organization: Phenomenology versus organization structure.

This study explores the relative tenability of 2 hypotheses concerning the effects on members' loyalty and activity of membership influence in an organization. The phenomenological hypothesis explains the effects in terms of the influence which the members perceive to exist; the structural hypothesis in terms of the influence that actually does exist. This is a secondary analysis of questionnaire data from a previous survey of 104 leagues of the League of Women Voters of the U. S. Significant interleague correlations are found between members' average perceptions of membership influence in their respective leagues and the average loyalty and activity of members in these leagues who are matched on perception of influence. These correlations cannot easily be explained phenomenologically since the members who differ in loyalty and activity report identical perceptions of membership influence. (34 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)