Exercise as a buffer of life stress: A prospective study of adolescent health.

Investigated stress and well-being in adolescence to examine the ability of exercise to buffer stress-induced deteriorations in physical health. 384 female 7th–8th graders completed a life events survey, the Seriousness of Illness Rating Scale, and an activity questionnaire at the beginning and end of the academic year. Analyses revealed that the negative impact of stressful life events on health declined as exercise levels increased. Findings suggest that exercise may be a valuable resource for combating life stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health practices and hardiness as mediators in the stress-illness relationship.

Two stress and illness models that included the joint mediating effects of health practices and hardiness were tested prospectively over a 2-mo period. 86 undergraduates completed 5 subscales indexing hardiness. Stress, health practices, and illness for the prior month were assessed at this time as well as 1 and 2 mo later. In the 1st model, illness was measured by the severity of physical symptoms. In the 2nd model, it was measured by the number of symptoms reported. In both models, path analyses revealed that stress acted directly to affect illness as well as indirectly by changing health practices. Hardiness also had a direct effect on illness as well as an indirect effect through health practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Thinking positive" as a stress buffer: The role of positive automatic cognitions in depression and happiness.

To explore whether positive automatic thoughts (PATs) may function as stress buffers and mood enhancers, this study tested whether PATs and the PATs?×?Negative Events interaction predicted unique variance in future depression and happiness. The Life Experiences Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Happiness Measures (M. W. Fordyce; see record 1989-17580-001), the Hassles Scale (A. D. Kanner et al, 1981), and both state and trait versions of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (S. D. Hollon and P. C. Kendall; see record 1981-20180-001) and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire—Positive (R. E. Ingram and K. S. Wisnicki; see record 1989-10602-001) were administered to 152 undergraduate volunteers twice, with 6 weeks between testings. PATs predicted happiness, and PATs about social self-worth interacted with negative events to predict depression. For higher levels of such PATs, negative events had a weaker relation to depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviews as catalysts in a community setting.

Examined the effects of interviews about community experience on subsequent attitudes and behavior of adult residents in 2 new condominium communities. Volunteer (23 households) and randomly selected experimental (17 households) groups of respondents were interviewed in their homes. Questionnaires about community experience were administered shortly after the interviews (at 1 condominium) and 6 mo later (at both), and observers rated the activism of community leaders during the interim. Interviewed respondents gave less socially desirable and more extreme responses to the first questionnaire, reported more involvement in the community, and were rated more active in community affairs than uninterviewed controls (103 households). The dynamics of interviews as catalytic events are considered, and the implications of these findings for future use of interviews are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-complexity as a cognitive buffer against stress-related illness and depression.

This prospective study tested the self-complexity buffering hypothesis that greater self-complexity moderates the adverse impact of stress on depression and illness. This hypothesis follows from a model that assumes self-knowledge is represented in terms of multiple self-aspects. As defined in this model, greater self-complexity involves representing the self in terms of a greater number of cognitive self-aspects and maintaining greater distinctions among self-aspects. Subjects completed measures of stressful events, self-complexity, depression, and illness in two sessions separated by 2 weeks. A multiple regression analysis used depression and illness at Time 2 as outcomes, stressful life events and self-complexity at Time 1 as predictors, and drepression and illness at Time 1 as control variables. The Stress?×?Self-Complexity interaction provided strong support for the buffering hypothesis. Subjects higher in self-complexity were less prone to depression, perceived stress, physical symptoms, and occurrence of the flu and other illnesses following high levels of stressful events. These results suggest that vulnerability to stress-related depression and illness is due, in part, to differences in cognitive representations of the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trust in management as a buffer of the relationships between overload and strain.

This study examined the role of trust in management as a moderating factor in work overload's impact on personal strain (i.e., burnout, psychological strain, and work's interference with family). Participants were 94 employees of an accounting firm responding to a survey. The results were supportive of all study propositions. Both work overload and trust in management had the expected negative and positive main effects on the outcomes variables, respectively. The impact of work overload on the outcome variables was moderated by employees' trust in management. The significance of these results and areas of future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigativeness as a moderator of stress.

Administered a 12 item investigativeness scale with questions on leisure activities, career interests, and preference for challenging or nonchallenging tasks in 2 studies. In Study 1, 59 male and 42 female undergraduates were assessed for negative life events (NLE), mood disturbance (MDB), and sensation seeking. Investigativeness was found to moderate the relationship between NLE and MDB. In Study 2, 161 females suffering from rheumatoid arthritis were assessed for psychological disturbance (PD), pain, (PN), and functional disability (FD). Investigativeness was negatively related to PD, PN, and FD. Findings show that investigativeness operated as a buffer to stressful experiences but did not moderate the relationship between Ss' physical status and their psychological distress. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Team creativity as a function of the creativity of the members.

The relationship between team performance and individual abilities was studied with creative tasks. Data from 3 experiments are presented which indicate that the conclusions of other investigators, who used manual dexterity and cognitive tasks, can be applied to creative tasks. Up to about 70% of the variance in dyadic creativity may be predicted from the individual creative abilities of the 2 members. Multiple correlations for the prediction of group performance from the knowledge of the abilities of the members did not improve when the interaction between the ability scores was considered. In 1 experiment, in which the procedure permitted the determination of the relative "dominance" of the 2 Ss, the correlations of the abilities of the dominant Ss with group performance were higher than the correlations of the abilities of nondominant Ss with group performance. The study is a 1st step towards the determination of the relationship of group and individual performance in groups composed of more than 2 individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Studying community psychology as a community of professionals: An empirical approach.

Based on the seminal work of T. S. Kuhn (1970, 1977), an ecological and developmental conceptual framework is formulated to guide empirical inquiry on the stature of community psychology. An overview of the framework is presented, specifying "stages" of disciplinary growth and parameters for defining those stages. Data from 2 empirical studies, operationalizing aspects of the framework through a questionnaire survey (of 53 members of American Psychological Association Division 27) and archival methodologies (478 journal articles produced by Division 27 members), are presented. Results show (a) a lack of consensus among community psychologists, (b) continuing ties of community psychologists to clinical psychology, and (c) structural deficits within the discipline that may impede professional development unless rectified. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support as a buffer in the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic performance.

The present study was an investigation of the potential moderating effect of social support on academic performance for students living in poverty. Data were collected in one urban middle school from 164 primarily Hispanic students using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott, 2000) and students' course grade point averages (GPA). Regarding socioeconomic status (SES), students were classified as lower-SES if they received free or reduced-cost lunches or higher-SES if they did not receive free or reduced-cost lunches. First, for students with higher SES, correlational analyses revealed no significant associations between social support and academic performance as measured by GPA. Alternatively, for students of lower SES, significant, moderate associations were found between GPA scores and social support scores. Second, as predicted, regression analyses provided evidence that social support may moderate the relationship between poverty and academic performance. Implications for school psychologists and suggestions for future research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nutritional situation of a Chinese community

AIM: To evaluate the anthropometric measurements and dietary intake of the free-living elderly in a Chinese community. METHOD: A survey was carried out on 48 male and female subjects aged 60 to 96 years using anthropometric, dietary intake and questionnaire techniques. RESULTS: The study indicated female subjects to have more health problems, like pain at the joints (33%), hypertension (17%) and diabetes (27%) as compared to the male subjects. Dietary intake analysis showed the Chinese male subjects to have a higher energy intake (1,623 kcal) compared to the females (1,197 kcal) even though they did not fulfill the recommended dietary intake. The intake for energy, fats and carbohydrates, was found to be significantly different (p < 0.05) between both sexes. Anthropometric measurements indicated male elderly subjects to be significantly heavier (p < 0.05, 55.4 kg) and taller (161.8 cm) than female elderly subjects (49.5 kg; 146.2 cm respectively). About half of the elderly were normal in their BMI (male 55.6%; female 50%) and only 6.6% of the female subjects were obese. More male subjects were found to be underweight (33%) compared to female subjects (17%). Waist hip ratio was 0.92 for male and 0.87 for female. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that female elderly subjects had more health problems compared to male elderly subjects. On the whole, the elderly did not fulfill the recommended amount for energy intake while the percentage for carbohydrates, fats and protein from the total calorie intake were not in accordance with the healthy diet guidelines. Anthropometrically, male subjects were heavier and taller than female subjects. Looking at body mass index, most of the male elderly subjects were in the normal to underweight range. With these results, more research is warranted to give a clearer picture of the Chinese elderly in the country.     

The professional psychologist as evaluator in a community agency setting.

Describes a process evaluation of an industrial work unit for persons with disabilities and comments on the role of the psychologist as evaluator in an agency of this type. The relationship of process evaluation to other aspects of evaluation is discussed, and reasons are offered for establishing aims before embarking on an outcome evaluation. Suggestions are offered for ways of using ranked aims in every phase of the evaluation, and steps to facilitate the implementation of evaluation results are outlined. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The courage and strategies of hardiness as helpful in growing despite major, disruptive stresses.

Comments on an article (see record 2007-14606-001) by King and Hicks which looked at disruptions of expectations and goals as potentially useful developmental pressures. They emphasized imposed, dramatic stresses (e.g., an unexpected divorce or having one's child born with Down syndrome), but they also meant to include more ordinary, developmental stresses (e.g., leaving home to go to college or not getting the job one wanted). Maddi could not agree more with the article's emphasis on the importance of having full awareness of the losses and using that awareness in the process of learning and moving developmentally forward, and how this emphasis requires a redefinition of happiness as more mature than a mere expression of easy comfort and security. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trait self-enhancement as a buffer against potentially traumatic events: A prospective study.

Longitudinal research has associated the disposition toward self-enhancing biases with better adjustment following potentially traumatic events (PTEs). However, self-enhancement was always measured in these studies after the PTE, thus confounding it with exposure. This study used a prospective design that tracked PTEs in college students over a 4-year period using an online checklist (n = 69). Most participants experienced at least 1 PTE, and the mean number of PTEs was 4.40. Trait self-enhancement, measured at the beginning of the study and prior to the PTEs, was associated with reduced distress in both the first and fourth year of college. Participants with greater exposure to PTEs had greater distress in their fourth year; however, individuals high in self-enhancement were relatively unaffected by PTE exposure. High self-enhancement participants were also rated as better copers in anonymous ratings obtained from participants' close friends. Overall, these results offer the first prospective evidence demonstrating that self-enhancement serves as a buffer against the potentially harmful effects of trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social interest as a moderator of life stress.

Tested 3 hypotheses: (1) Social interest (SI) is of value in ameliorating or eliminating many of the unnecessary problems that occur in human relationships; (2) SI moderates the effect of later life stresses on psychological symptoms; and (3) the negative relation between SI and anxiety, depression, and hostility will be stronger in people who recently have experienced greater stress than in those who have encountered little stress. 74 undergraduates were administered the Social Interest Scale (SIS) and the Social Interest Index (SII), and then the Social Readjustment Rating Scale and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List 1 yr later. It was found that scores on the SII and the SIS were negatively related to the number of stressful experiences encountered during the following year. Stress was correlated with anxiety, depression, and hostility more strongly among low- than among high-SI Ss, and SI was more negatively correlated with these symptoms among high-stress Ss compared with moderate- or low-stress groups. The SII and the SIS showed somewhat different patterns of results, and possible reasons for these differences are discussed. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clarification of sampling in some early hardiness articles.

Some of the original studies of hardiness by Kobasa and Maddi and their colleagues in Chicago were characterized by a lack of explicit acknowledgment that samples were drawn from the same large population of business executives and by insufficient information on the number, varying nature, and timing of observations of these research participants. Specifically, two review articles (see record 1990-97699-012) (see record 1988-01423-001) have criticized two early articles (see record 1982-21492-001) (see record 1982-23579-001) as potentially misleading readers about the number of times that the hardiness effect on health has been independently found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intimacy in conversational style as a function of the degree of closeness between members of a dyad.

Analyzed 58 naturally occurring telephone conversations between pairs of female friends, acquaintances, and strangers to investigate how intimacy is conveyed by conversational style. In comparison with strangers, friends used more implicit openings, raised more topics, were more responsive to one another (e.g., by asking more questions), and used more complex forms of closing. Acquaintances were generally more similar to strangers than they were to friends. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Need for stimulation as a source of stress response to perceptual isolation.

The study was undertaken to see if Ss who had shown a greater stress reaction to perceptual isolation could be shown to have a greater "need" for stimulation than those who were not so stressed by isolation. Ss selected on the basis of their high or low reactions to the prior isolation experiment were tested in a second 3-hr perceptual isolation situation, only this time they were given the opportunity to make an operant response which would produce random visual or auditory stimulation depending on their choice. Those previously stressed by isolation made significantly more responses for visual and auditory reinforcement than the low-stress group. All Ss responded more for visual than for auditory reinforcement. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)