The report of posttraumatic growth in Malaysian cancer patients:relationships with psychological distress and coping strategies

Objective: The challenge of a cancer diagnosis may eventually lead to the experience of positive psychological changes, also referred to as posttraumatic growth. As most research on posttraumatic growth in cancer patients has been conducted in Western countries, little is known about the experience of such positive psychological changes in non-Western countries. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic growth in a Malaysian sample of cancer patients. Secondly, we examined the association of posttraumatic growth with patients' report of psychological distress and their use of coping strategies. Methods: The study was conducted in 113 cancer patients. Posttraumatic growth was measured by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, coping strategies by the brief COPE, and psychological distress by the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R). Results: Results showed that many patients reported posttraumatic growth, mostly in the domain of appreciation of life. As hypothesized, the experience of posttraumatic growth was not significantly related to the level of psychological distress. Findings indicated that greater use of the coping strategies instrumental support, positive reframing, and humor was associated with more posttraumatic growth. Conclusion: Overall, this study suggests that posttraumatic growth is not only a Western phenomenon. Malaysian cancer patients show similar trends in the report of growth as well as in its correlates as their Western counterparts. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Delivering mindfulness in the classroom via a technology-enabled approach:Feasibility and the potential impact on teachers' psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and mindfulness

This longitudinal study included 64 teachers. We examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of a newly designed program, playing pre-recorded mindfulness practices to elementary school students by teachers across one school year. Self-report surveys and logbooks were used to collect data quantitative and qualitative data. During the first four months of implementation, teachers reported significant improvements in self-efficacy in classroom management and lower levels of perceived stress. Levels of mindfulness increased significantly and gradually throughout the school year. Qualitative results underlined potential changes in teachers’ outcomes, suggesting a calming effect and perceived improvement in their teaching skills.</p

Delivering mindfulness in the classroom via a technology-enabled approach:Feasibility and the potential impact on teachers' psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and mindfulness

This longitudinal study included 64 teachers. We examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of a newly designed program, playing pre-recorded mindfulness practices to elementary school students by teachers across one school year. Self-report surveys and logbooks were used to collect data quantitative and qualitative data. During the first four months of implementation, teachers reported significant improvements in self-efficacy in classroom management and lower levels of perceived stress. Levels of mindfulness increased significantly and gradually throughout the school year. Qualitative results underlined potential changes in teachers’ outcomes, suggesting a calming effect and perceived improvement in their teaching skills.</p

Positive Self-Compassion, Self-Coldness, and Psychological Outcomes in College Students:a Person-Centered Approach

Objectives Self-compassion is related to psychological outcomes. By examining wholistic concept of self-compassion, previous research has overlooked the possibility that people may differ in combination of positive self-compassion and self-coldness. This study, using a person-centered approach, aimed to identify subgroups of college students based on different profiles of positive self-compassion and self-coldness. We also examined how these profiles related to socio-demographic variables as well as psychological outcomes.  Methods This cross-sectional study included 1029 Chinese college students. Self-reported questionnaires were used to collect levels of positive self-compassion and self-coldness (including six facets) and psychological outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect). A latent profile analysis was performed to identify different profiles based on the six facets. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars approach was used to examine how profiles related to socio-demographic variables and psychological outcomes. Results Five distinct profiles were identified: high self-coldness, low self-compassion (16.2%), high self-compassion, low self-coldness (17.2%), average self-compassion, average self-coldness (38.9%), low self-compassion, low self-coldness (17.5%), and high self-compassion, high self-coldness (10.2%). Older people tended to report high self-compassion, high self-coldness profile, and females tended to have high self-coldness, low self-compassion profile. People with high self-compassion, low self-coldness profile reported the best psychological outcomes, whereas those in high self-coldness, low self-compassion and high self-compassion, high self-coldness profiles experienced the worst outcomes. Conclusions We identified five subgroups with different combinations of the six facets of self-compassion and self-coldness. People with distinct profiles differed on psychological outcomes. Future research is needed to adopt longitudinal design and replicate our findings in different groups

Compassion for Others and Self-Compassion:Levels, Correlates, and Relationship with Psychological Well-being

Compassion for others and self-compassion are assumed to be closely related concepts. Yet, as they have been mostly studied separately, little is known about their relationship and to what extent they differ or resemble each other with respect to their correlates. This cross-sectional study aimed to gain knowledge on their mean levels, interrelationship, and relationships to psychological well-being and demographic factors. A community sample of 328 adults completed a series of standardized self-report questionnaires to assess compassion for others, self-compassion, depressive symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect. Results showed that compassion for others and self-compassion were not significantly related. Self-compassion was more strongly related to negative and positive indicators of affect than compassion for others. Compassion for others was higher in women than in men, and in low educated individuals compared to higher educated individuals. In contrast, self-compassion was lower in low educated individuals. Future research can build up on these findings to enlarge the understanding of how compassion for others and self-compassion relate and differ from each other

Why Do Adult Patients With Cancer Not Seek Help for Their Depressive Symptoms?:The Role of Illness Perceptions, Coping, and Social Support

Background: Up to 75% of cancer patients with depressive symptoms do not make use of psychological care.Objective: To examine how perceptions of and coping with depressive symptoms and perceived social support in adults with cancer are associated with their need for psychological care, concurrently and over time.Methods: In this longitudinal study, 127 participants who received a cancer diagnosis in the past 5 years, experienced at least moderate depressive symptoms, and were not receiving psychological help, completed 2 self-report questionnaires (3 months apart) including the brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory and Social Support List.Results: Participants with stronger belief in the efficacy of psychological care and more likely to use avoidant coping reported a greater need for psychological care at both data points. Social support was not significantly associated with perceived need for psychological care.Conclusions: Stronger perceived treatment control and greater use of avoidant coping were significantly associated with a greater perceived need for psychological care.Implications for practice: People with cancer may benefit from being informed about the efficacy of depression treatment. Furthermore, health care professionals should be aware that avoidant coping may complicate psychological care seeking for a group of adults with cancer experiencing depressive symptoms and having a need for psychological care.Foundational: Illness perceptions and coping mechanisms can predict cancer patients’ need for psychological care. Providing information about treatment options and its efficacy, together with targeting avoidant coping may increase adequate decision-making and possibly the uptake of psychological care

Cognitive reappraisal, emotional expression and mindfulness in adaptation to bereavement:A longitudinal study

Background and Objectives: Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies increase prolonged grief and depressive symptoms following bereavement. However, less is known about the role of adaptive emotion regulation strategies in adaptation to loss. Therefore, we examined the concurrent and longitudinal associations of three putative adaptive emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, emotional expression, and mindfulness) with prolonged grief and depression symptoms. Design: A two-wave longitudinal survey. Methods: A sample of 397 bereaved Dutch adults (89% female, mean age 54 years) completed validated questionnaires to assess trait cognitive reappraisal, emotional expression, mindfulness and prolonged grief and depression symptoms at baseline (T1) and 344 participants completed symptom measures again six months later (T2). Results: Zero-order correlations demonstrated that mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal and emotional expression relate negatively to T1 and T2 prolonged grief and depression symptoms. In multiple regression analyses, controlling for relevant background variables, all emotion regulation strategies related negatively to T1 prolonged grief and depression symptoms. In multiple regression analyses, controlling for T1 symptoms and background variables, mindfulness predicted lower T2 depression symptoms. Conclusions: Adaptive emotion regulation strategies relate negatively to post-loss psychopathology symptoms, yet only mindfulness longitudinally predicts lower depression symptoms. Dispositional mindfulness may be a protective factor in psychological adaptation to bereavement.</p

Providing emergency remote teaching:What are teachers’ needs and what could have helped them to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic?

When schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, teachers suddenly had to teach remotely. To better understand the possible impact of these measures on teachers' work functioning and well-being, this study examined teachers’ needs. Using a thematic analysis approach analyzing the 1,115 open-ended answers, three domains related to needs were identified: work-life balance and working from home, teaching and interaction with students and parents, and school management and colleagues. Findings are interpreted from existing frameworks (i.e., Jobs Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and Self-Determination Theory (SDT)). We also identified several unique needs, such as adjusting learning goals

Sub-groups (profiles) of individuals experiencing post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: Some people experience post-traumatic growth (PTG), entailing positive changes such as a greater appreciation of life following traumatic events. We examined PTG in the context of the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, notably working from home and social distancing. We aimed to assess whether distinct sub-groups (profiles) of individuals experiencing PTG could be identified by how they appraised and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: For this cross-sectional study, we used convenience sampling. In total, 951 participants from the general population completed an online questionnaire with items focusing on primary and secondary appraisal, positive reappraisal, rumination, and coping flexibility. For the latent profile analysis, we selected a sample of 392 individuals who had experienced moderate degrees of pandemic-related PTG, reporting at least two of the 10 positive changes in the PTG Inventory-Short Form. Results: We identified two distinct profiles among people experiencing PTG. The first was characterised by low levels of primary appraisal and stressfulness and higher levels of secondary appraisal (e.g., resilient group), increased coping flexibility and greater use of positive reappraisal. The second was characterised by higher levels of stressfulness and primary appraisal (e.g., stressed group) and greater use of rumination. Conclusion: The two sub-groups evidently appraised and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic differently. Therefore, future research should account for these different profiles of people experiencing PTG