Actual change and inaccurate recall contribute to posttraumatic growth following radiotherapy.

People with cancer often report that they experience personal growth as a result of the disease, but such reports have unclear validity. Some suggest such growth results from Rogers's (1951) hypothesized organismic valuing process (OVP), an innate tendency for people to gravitate toward well-being; others suggest this growth may be a positive illusion resulting from temporal self-comparisons. To test these conceptualizations, the authors examined 83 individuals with Stages 0-III breast or prostate cancer. Patients completed measures of positive attributes and personal life goals before radiotherapy (Time 1) and after radiotherapy (Time 2). At Time 2, participants also attempted to recreate their Time 1 responses and completed a posttraumatic growth (PTG) measure. PTG was significantly related with actual increases (but not perceived increases) in the relative importance of intrinsic goals versus extrinsic goals and with perceived increases (but not actual increases) in positive attributes. These measures were unrelated to one another and thus explained unique variance in PTG. Data suggest that both actual change processes related to the OVP and biases in autobiographic recall may independently contribute to PTG reports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control and distress following sexual assault: A longitudinal test of a new model.

Longitudinal data were collected from female sexual assault survivors (N=171) at 4 points postassault. Consistent with the predictions of the temporal model (P. Frazier, M. Berman, & J. Steward, 2002), past, present, and future control were differentially related to posttrauma distress. Both personal past (behavioral self-blame) and vicarious past (rapist blame) control were associated with higher distress levels. In addition, the belief that future assaults are less likely was more strongly associated with lower distress levels than was future control. Present control (i.e., control over the recovery process) was most adaptive. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that changes in perceived control were associated with changes in distress after linear change in distress over time was accounted for. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive processing and posttraumatic growth after stroke.

Objective: To examine whether posttraumatic growth (PTG) after stroke is associated with cognitive processing and psychological distress and whether time since stroke moderates relationships between these variables. Method: A sample of stroke survivors (N = 60) completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Cognitive Processing of Trauma Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: PTG correlated positively with four indicators of cognitive processing (i.e., positive cognitive restructuring, downward comparison, resolution, and denial) and negatively with depression. Time since stroke moderated a number of these relationships. As length of time since stroke increased, the relationships between PTG and anxiety and depression became more negative and significant, and the relationships between PTG and downward comparisons and resolution became more positive and significant. Discussion: The findings indicate the possibility of PTG after stroke and suggest that cognitive processing is an important process for engendering such growth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Frazier et al. (2011).

Reports an error in "Perceived past, present, and future control and adjustment to stressful life events" by Patricia Frazier, Nora Keenan, Samantha Anders, Sulani Perera, Sandra Shallcross and Samuel Hintz (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 100[4], 749-765). There is an error on page 758. In the sentence “Present control predicted later event-specific distress in Sample 1(β = .17, p 2011-02001-001.) Perceived control is a central construct in psychology and is key to understanding individual differences in poststress outcomes (Frazier, Berman, & Steward, 2001). The goals of the current studies (using 4 samples of undergraduate students, total N = 1,421) were to examine the relations between different aspects of perceived control and poststress outcomes and to differentiate perceived control over specific events from related constructs (i.e., general control beliefs, coping strategies). To accomplish these goals, we first developed a new measure of perceived past, present, and future control over stressful life events. The data supported the content validity, factor structure, internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity of the new measure. Consistent with the temporal model of control (Frazier et al., 2001), these 3 forms of control had very different relations with adjustment. Present control was consistently related to lower distress levels in cross-sectional, longitudinal, and prospective analyses. Present control also predicted outcomes beyond the effects of general control beliefs and coping strategies. Past and future control had nonsignificant or positive relations with distress, although future control was associated with better outcomes (i.e., course grades) when the stressor was controllable. Thus, our measure can be used to assess the relations between perceived past, present, and future control and outcomes across a range of stressors. Because the relations between these 3 forms of control and outcomes differ markedly, measures that combine these aspects of control hinder the understanding of the important role of perceived control in adjustment to stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech: The roles of resource loss and gain.

Unfortunately, many individuals will be exposed to traumatic events during their lifetime. The experience of loss and gain of valued resources may represent important predictors of psychological distress following these experiences. The current study examined the extent to which loss and gain of interpersonal and intrapersonal resources (e.g., hope, intimacy) predicted psychological distress among college women following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech (VT). Participants were 193 college women from whom preevent psychological distress and social support data had been obtained. These women completed surveys regarding their psychological distress, coping, and resource loss and gain 2- and 6-months after the VT shooting. Structural equation modeling supported that resource loss predicted greater psychological distress 6 months after the shooting whereas resource gain was weakly related to lower levels of psychological distress. The study also revealed that social support and psychological distress prior to the shooting predicted resource loss, and social support and active coping with the shooting predicted resource gain. Implications of the results for research examining the roles of resource loss and gain in posttrauma adjustment and the development of interventions following mass trauma are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prospective relationship of interpersonal forgiveness and psychological distress symptoms among college women.

Forgiveness has frequently been theorized to be related to decreased psychological distress, and longitudinal survey research is important for the examination of this relationship. The prospective relation of forgiveness to psychological distress symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) at a later time point (an average of 36 weeks later) was examined in a sample of 182 female undergraduate students. Through use of structural equation modeling, it was observed that offense-specific (as compared with dispositional) forgiveness toward an offender of a self-identified interpersonal transgression was significantly negatively related to psychological distress symptoms at Time 2, above and beyond the impact of symptom levels at Time 1. Perceived severity and time since the offense at Time 1 were examined as possible moderators of this relationship; time since offense was found to moderate the relationship between forgiveness and change in psychological distress symptoms between Time 1 and Time 2. Implications for acceptance-based interventions and prevention of psychopathology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism, stress, and social (dis)connection: A short-term study of hopelessness, depression, and academic adjustment among honors students.

This study tested models of perfectionism predicting psychological distress and academic adjustment and moderators and mediators of those associations in 2 successive cohorts of high-achieving university honors students (N = 499). Participants completed measures early and late in the semester. Adaptive (high standards) and maladaptive (self-critical perceptions of inadequacy in meeting performance expectations) dimensions of perfectionism were found to be significantly associated, in generally expected directions, with concurrent and prospective perceived stress, social connectedness, depression, hopelessness, and perceived academic adjustment. However, some perfectionism effects were reduced when earlier psychological distress and adjustment were controlled in analyses predicting later distress and adjustment. Several effects were moderated and at least partially mediated by perceived stress and social connection. The results suggest several counseling implications for high-achieving, perfectionistic students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Terrifying movie stimuli: A new design for investigating precursors for posttraumatic stress.

Necessarily retrospective experimental investigations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms make determinations of vulnerability factors difficult. Terrifying movies can and do produce anxiety and significant posttrauma distress symptoms like those associated with PTSD, but have not been explored as modalities for understanding vulnerability factors (i.e., diatheses) for PTSD. The current investigation sought to determine whether 1) significant posttrauma distress symptoms could be experimentally elicited by fictional events, and 2) which, if any, of several vulnerability factors (i.e., state anxiety, trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, depression, peritraumatic dissociation) predicted significant posttrauma distress symptoms. Undergraduate women participants (n = 62; Mage = 21.2) completed prestimulus, poststimulus, 1-week follow-up, and 4-week follow-up questionnaires, wherein the stimulus was a terrifying movie. Significant and substantive increases occurred in state anxiety immediately after the movie (p     

Posttraumatic growth among Norwegian children and adolescents exposed to the 2004 tsunami.

This study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with trauma, in children and adolescents exposed to a high-impact disaster, after which their experience of secondary adversity was minimal. The study also examined whether reduction in posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time related to reports of PTG. There were 105 participants, age 6 to 17 years, who were directly exposed to the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. They were interviewed 10 and 30 months after the disaster—PTSS was assessed at both time points, and PTG was assessed at 30 months. The individual's subjective reactions to the event and concurrent PTSS (30-months post-tsunami) were independently and positively related to PTG, whereas the decrease in PTSS was not related to growth. Children and youth in this study reported lower absolute levels of PTG than those in other studies. Taken in sum, findings suggest that secondary adversities may influence posttraumatic reactions and ongoing distress, which are hypothesized to play a key role in the development of PTG. In the absence of such secondary stressors, continued distress in the form of PTSS may serve to catalyze the growth process. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Sheese et al. (2004).

Reports an error in the original article by B. Sheese et al (Health Psychology, 2004[Sep], Vol 23 [5], 457-464). On page 459, Table 1 contained errors in the reported values. The corrected table is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2004-18051-003.) Research has shown that writing about emotional topics can positively influence physical and mental health. The current study tested the efficacy of an e-mail-based writing treatment and shows how such an implementation can aid in the search for moderators. Participants (N = 546) were randomly assigned to either a long- or short-interval traumatic writing condition or to a nonemotional writing control condition. In contrast to previous disclosure research, participants received and submitted their writing responses via e-mail. Health outcomes were assessed weekly for 5 weeks after treatment and were reported at the conclusion of the study. Results supported the effectiveness of an e-mail-based writing treatment in producing positive health outcomes and successfully identified several moderators of the writing treatment effect. The moderators implicated varied depending on the nature of the health outcome assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking goal progress to subjective well-being at work: The moderating role of goal-related self-efficacy and attainability.

Although goal progress is often hypothesized to be positively linked to well-being, existing research points to an inconsistent relationship and suggests that potential moderators need to be examined. This longitudinal study investigated whether 2 aspects of goal cognition—goal attainability and self-efficacy—influence the relationship between goal progress and well-being (viz., job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion) in a sample of 172 nurses. Work goal progress was not directly associated with well-being. Rather, the link between goal progress and well-being was moderated by goal cognition. Individuals who started off with unfavorable goal cognitions but who managed to achieve goal progress reported an increase in well-being, compared with those who had favorable goal cognitions and similar rates of progress. Progress appears to have compensated for low initial goal cognition in the prediction of well-being, and high initial goal cognition appears to have undermined this predictive relationship. Also, goal progress was associated with an increase in self-efficacy and goal attainability from Time 1 to Time 2. Results are discussed in relation to goal theories and the concept of self-correcting goal cycles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of psychological distress following armed robbery

Although mental health professionals have long been aware of the impact of traumatic events, it was not until 1980 that the term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was introduced into the DSM-III. Since then, one major goal of research has been to identify factors associated with distress following trauma; as yet, few reliable indicators have emerged. Within the population of armed robbery victims, this is particularly true. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible correlates of posttrauma distress in armed robbery victims, and to assess the overall level of distress within this group. A questionnaire was mailed out of 57 robbery victims, aged 15 to 65, who were recruited as study volunteers via community outreach. Severity of the trauma, vulnerability attributions, and avoidant coping were significantly related to distress level, and victims exhibited a high level of distress.     

Stress-related growth, positive reframing, and emotional processing in the prediction of post-trauma functioning among veterans in mental health treatment.

The role of stress related growth (SRG) in posttrauma functioning is currently uncertain and may be obscured by the overlap between SRG and key coping strategies. Utilizing a veteran sample in mental health treatment, the current study examined whether SRG accounts for unique variance in the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS) beyond the effects of two general coping strategies, emotional processing and positive reframing. Curvilinear relationships were evident between SRG and outcome measures, such that individuals with moderate SRG reported the greatest distress, and individuals with the lowest and highest SRG scores reported lower distress. In regression analyses, SRG accounted for significant variance in lower PTSD, depression, and DESNOS while accounting for demographics, trauma type, emotional processing, and positive reframing. The results suggest that SRG captures variance in posttrauma functioning that may be distinct from general emotional processing and positive reframing coping and provides further evidence for a curvilinear relationship between SRG and measures of psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-evaluative appraisals of coping capability and posttraumatic distress following motor vehicle accidents.

This study tested the importance of coping self-efficacy (CSE) perceptions and change in perceptions of CSE for recovery from motor vehicle accident (MVA) trauma. Data were collected 7 days following the accident (Time 1; n = 163), 1 month after the accident (Time 2; n = 91), and 3 months after the accident (Time 3; n = 70). Early changes in CSE (i.e., from Time 1 to Time 2) predicted posttraumatic distress at 3 months after MVA trauma, even after controlling for Time 1 or Time 2 posttraumatic distress and other trauma-related variables (i.e., accident responsibility, litigation involvement, and peritraumatic dissociation). Early changes in CSE perceptions, however, neither moderated nor mediated the effects of early posttraumatic distress (Time 1) on 3-month posttraumatic distress. Time 2 CSE levels, however, did mediate the relationship between acute posttraumatic distress (Time 1) and 3-month posttraumatic distress (Time 3). These findings highlight the importance of early interventions aimed at strengthening self-efficacy after MVA trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contingency management for behavior change: Applications to promote brief smoking cessation among opioid-maintained patients.

Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among patients who are being treated for opioid-dependence, yet there have been limited scientific efforts to promote smoking cessation in this population. Contingency management (CM) is a behavioral treatment that provides monetary incentives contingent upon biochemical evidence of drug abstinence. This paper discusses the results of two studies that utilized CM to promote brief smoking cessation among opioid-maintained patients. Participants in a pilot study were randomly assigned for a 2-week period to a Contingent group that earned monetary vouchers for providing biochemical samples that met criteria for smoking abstinence, or a Noncontingent group that earned monetary vouchers independent of smoking status (Dunn et al., 2008). Results showed Contingent participants provided significantly more smoking-negative samples than Noncontingent participants (55% vs. 5%, respectively). A second randomized trial that utilized the same 2-week intervention and provided access to the smoking cessation pharmacotherapy bupropion replicated the results of the pilot study (55% and 17% abstinence in Contingent and Noncontingent groups, respectively; Dunn et al, 2010). Relapse to illicit drug use was also evaluated prospectively and no association between smoking abstinence and relapse to illicit drug use was observed (Dunn et al., 2009). It will be important for future studies to evaluate participant characteristics that might predict better treatment outcome, to assess the contribution that pharmacotherapies might have alone or in combination with a CM intervention on smoking cessation and to evaluate methods for maintaining the abstinence that is achieved during this brief intervention for longer periods of time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceiving unfairness in the family: Cause or consequence of marital distress?

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 80(3) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2007-17568-001). The key coefficients on the diagonal paths were incorrect. The corrected figures in their entirety appear in the erratum.] This research tests a model suggesting that marital distress leads individuals to scrutinize of what is given and received in the relationship. This scrutiny elicits perceptions of unfairness that maintain or exacerbate marital distress. In a 3-panel longitudinal study tracking married couples across the transition to parenthood, both wives' and husbands' reports of marital conflict and wives' marital dissatisfaction at Time 1 positively predicted perceived unfairness of the allocation of household tasks at Time 2, controlling for earlier perceptions of unfairness. In addition, there was evidence of perceived unfairness of division of labor at Time 2 predicting marital conflict and marital dissatisfaction for wives at Time 3, controlling for earlier conflict and dissatisfaction. This model of relationship distress and perceptions of unfairness is contrasted with prior interpretations of links between perceived injustice and distress in relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Leeman, Toll, Taylor, and Volpicelli (2009).

Reports an error in "Alcohol-induced disinhibition expectancies and impaired control as prospective predictors of problem drinking in undergraduates" by Robert F. Leeman, Benjamin A. Toll, Laura A. Taylor and Joseph R. Volpicelli (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2009[Dec], Vol 23[4], 553-563). The table headings in Table 5, p. 561 should have read “Time 2 alcohol related problems” and “Time 2 heavy episodic drinking”. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-24023-001.) Trait disinhibition is associated with problem drinking and alcohol drinking can bring about a state of disinhibition. It is unclear however, if expectancies of alcohol-induced disinhibition are unique predictors of problem drinking. Impaired control (i.e., difficulty in limiting alcohol consumption) may be related to disinhibition expectancies in that both involve issues of control related to alcohol use. Data from a prospective survey of undergraduates assessed during freshman (N = 337) and senior year (N = 201) were analyzed to determine whether subscales of the Drinking-Induced Disinhibition Scale (Leeman, Toll, & Volpicelli, 2007) and the Impaired Control Scale (Heather et al., 1993) predicted unique variance in heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related problems. In Time 1 cross-sectional models, Dysphoric disinhibition expectancies predicted alcohol-related problems and impaired control predicted both alcohol-related problems and heavy episodic drinking. In prospective models, Time 1 impaired control predicted Time 2 alcohol-related problems and Time 1 Euphoric/social Disinhibition expectancies predicted Time 2 heavy episodic drinking. These findings suggest that expectancies of alcohol-induced disinhibition and impaired control predict unique variance in problem drinking cross-sectionally and prospectively, and that these phenomena should be targeted in early intervention efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Urban teens: Trauma, posttraumatic growth, and emotional distress among female adolescents.

Urban teens face many traumas, with implications for potential growth and distress. This study examined traumatic events, posttraumatic growth, and emotional distress over 18 months among urban adolescent girls (N = 328). Objectives were to (a) describe types of traumatic events, (b) determine how type and timing of events relate to profiles of posttraumatic growth, and (c) prospectively examine effects of event type and posttraumatic growth on short- and long-term emotional distress with controls for pre-event distress. Results indicate that type of event was related to profiles of posttraumatic growth, but not with subsequent emotional distress. When baseline emotional distress was controlled, posttraumatic growth was associated with subsequent reductions in short- and long-term emotional distress. Implications for future research and clinical practice with adolescents are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal examination of the parent–child distress relationship in children with juvenile rheumatic disease.

Objective: To examine the longitudinal relationships between parent and child distress in a sample of children with juvenile rheumatic diseases (JRDs). Design: Cross-lagged panel correlation analysis tested the temporal precedence of parent distress versus child distress over a 1-year period. Participants: Thirty-seven children (ages 9–17 years; 22 girls) diagnosed with JRD and their parents completed self-report measures on 2 occasions (assessment interval M = 12 months). Primary Outcome Measures: Child Depression Inventory and Brief Symptom Inventory. Results: Significant cross-sectional parent–child distress associations were observed at both time points. Moreover, Time 1 parent distress predicted child distress at Time 2 after child-reported functional ability was controlled; Time 1 child distress was unrelated to Time 2 parent distress. Cross-lagged panel correlations demonstrated the temporal precedence of parent distress relative to child distress in the parent–child distress relationship. Conclusions: These preliminary findings underscore the importance of parent distress in parent–child transactional adjustment, and suggest a predominant role for parent distress in children's adjustment to JRDs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and AIDS-related psychosocial processes: a study of perceived susceptibility, social distance, and homophobia

Over the past decade, researchers have accumulated evidence that suggests six main factors are associated with AIDS-related risk reduction behavior: (a) perceived susceptibility (Dolcini et al., 1995; van der Plight & Richard, 1994); (b) attitudes toward condoms (Catania et al., 1994; Maticka-Tynadale, 1991); (c) personally knowing someone with HIV/AIDS (Joseph et al., 1987); (d) perceived peer norms about risk-reduction (Maticka-Tyndale, 1991); (e) previous sexual activity (Joseph et al., 1987); and (f) self-efficacy (Aspinwall, Kemeny, Taylor, & Schneider, 1991; van der Plight & Richard, 1994). Furthermore, there is some suggestion that the epidemiology and sociocultural constructions of the disease has led to considerable gender, racial, and class differences in awareness of AIDS, perception of HIV threat, and HIV-relevant behavior (Cohan & Atwood, 1994; Dolcini et al., 1995; Gillies, 1994).