CANCER AS A SOURCE OF POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH: A BRIEF REVIEW

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer represents an experience that is potentially psychologically traumatizing for patients. However, cancer can contribute to the experience of positive psychological changes, namely posttraumatic growth. We conducted a review of empirical studies (n=44) on posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. We focused on the relations of posttraumatic growth to socio-demographic, medical, and psychological adjustment correlates. Results from forty-four reviewed articles indicated that age, gender, and ethnicity were consistently associated with posttraumatic growth in cancer. Regarding illness-related factors, the majority of relationships were positive and were found between subjective severity of cancer, chemotherapy, and experienced growth. The review revealed inconsistent relationships between indicators of psychological adjustment (emotional distress, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and quality of life) and perceived positive changes in the case of the cancer patients. Longitudinal studies might resolve this inconsistency by showing that posttraumatic growth has benefits for later psychological adjustment, as other studies have already documented

CANCER AS A SOURCE OF POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH: A BRIEF REVIEW

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer represents an experience that is potentially psychologically traumatizing for patients. However, cancer can contribute to the experience of positive psychological changes, namely posttraumatic growth. We conducted a review of empirical studies (n=44) on posttraumatic growth in cancer patients. We focused on the relations of posttraumatic growth to socio-demographic, medical, and psychological adjustment correlates. Results from forty-four reviewed articles indicated that age, gender, and ethnicity were consistently associated with posttraumatic growth in cancer. Regarding illness-related factors, the majority of relationships were positive and were found between subjective severity of cancer, chemotherapy, and experienced growth. The review revealed inconsistent relationships between indicators of psychological adjustment (emotional distress, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and quality of life) and perceived positive changes in the case of the cancer patients. Longitudinal studies might resolve this inconsistency by showing that posttraumatic growth has benefits for later psychological adjustment, as other studies have already documented

Online and offline video game use in adolescents: measurement invariance and problem severity

Background: Despite the increasing popularity of videogame playing, little is known about the similarities and differences between online and offline videogame players. However, the characteristics of online and offline gaming might predispose different pattern of problematic use. Objectives: The aims of this study were to (i) test applicability and the measurement invariance of the previously developed Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ) in both online and offline gamers; and (ii) examine the differences between online and offline gamers in the dimensions of problematic use. Methods: A total of 1,964 adolescent videogame players were recruited. Information on videogame use habits were collected and all gamers were administered the POGQ. Those gamers who played at least sometimes in an online context were considered as “online gamers” and “offline gamers” were those who played videogames exclusively offline. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the measurement invariance across online and offline videogame players. According to the multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model, online gamers were more likely to score higher on overuse, interpersonal conflict, and social isolation subscales of the POGQ. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that online and offline gaming can be assessed using the same psychometric instrument. These findings open the possibility for future research studies concerning problematic video game to include participants who exclusively play either online or offline games, or both. However, the study also identified important structural features about how online and offline gaming might contribute differently to problematic use. These results provide important information and ideas that could be utilized in parental education and prevention program about the possible detrimental consequences of online vs. offline video game use

A sportpszichológusokkal kapcsolatos attitűdök, valamint a sportágtípus és a versenyszint közötti összefüggések vizsgálata hazai sportolói mintán

A sportpszichológia az elmúlt évtizedekben rohamosan fejlődő területté vált, főként akadémiai területen (Gee, 2010). Az alkalmazott terület fejlődésének előmozdítása érdekében szükség van a sportolók attitűdjeinek feltérképezésére, mert ezek nemcsak a sportpszichológia gyakorlásának szándékára (Greaser, 1992), hanem az elsajátított mentális készségek alkalmazási szintjére is hatással vannak (Bull, 1994). A sportpszichológusokkal kapcsolatos attitűdök mérésére dolgozták ki a Sport Psychology Attitudes – Revised Form kérdőívet, mely méri a stigma toleranciát, a sportpszichológus felé való nyitottságot és bizalmat, valamint a kulturális preferenciát (SPA-R; Martin és mtsai, 2002), melyet e kutatással célunk magyar mintán is tesztelni, továbbá megnéztük vane különbség a sportágtípusok, valamint a versenyszint alapján. A vizsgálatban 539 sportoló vett részt, akik mindannyian jártak már sportpszichológusnál, közülük 339 fő egyéni, míg 200 fő csapatsportoló; országos bajnokságokon 379 fő, míg nemzetközi versenyeken 160 fő indult. A kérdőívre adott válaszaik alapján a vizsgált sportolóknak alacsony volt a stigmatizációtól való félelme, közepes a kulturális preferenciája, míg magas a sportpszichológusba vetett bizalma és nyitottság értéke. A kulturális preferencián kívül az összes többi faktor esetében szignifikáns különbség jelenik meg az egyéni és a csapatsportolók között, míg a versenyzés szintje alapján mind a négy faktorban mutatkozik szignifikáns különbség a csoportok között. Úgy véljük a kutatással sikerült megerősíteni több, a sportpszichológusokkal kapcsolatos attitűdöket vizsgáló szakirodalmi eredményt, ugyanakkor több érdekes megfigyelést is tettünk a hazai sportolók hozzáállásával kapcsolatban

Happiness around the world: A combined etic-emic approach across 63 countries.

What does it mean to be happy? The vast majority of cross-cultural studies on happiness have employed a Western-origin, or "WEIRD" measure of happiness that conceptualizes it as a self-centered (or "independent"), high-arousal emotion. However, research from Eastern cultures, particularly Japan, conceptualizes happiness as including an interpersonal aspect emphasizing harmony and connectedness to others. Following a combined emic-etic approach (Cheung, van de Vijver & Leong, 2011), we assessed the cross-cultural applicability of a measure of independent happiness developed in the US (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999) and a measure of interdependent happiness developed in Japan (Interdependent Happiness Scale; Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015), with data from 63 countries representing 7 sociocultural regions. Results indicate that the schema of independent happiness was more coherent in more WEIRD countries. In contrast, the coherence of interdependent happiness was unrelated to a country's "WEIRD-ness." Reliabilities of both happiness measures were lowest in African and Middle Eastern countries, suggesting these two conceptualizations of happiness may not be globally comprehensive. Overall, while the two measures had many similar correlates and properties, the self-focused concept of independent happiness is "WEIRD-er" than interdependent happiness, suggesting cross-cultural researchers should attend to both conceptualizations

Relationship between leisure and sports activities and school performance in the light of data from the national assessment of basic competencies (Nabc) 2017 survey

The National Assessment of Basic Competencies (NABC) measures the literacy and mathematics skills & performance of students attending 6th, 8th and 10th grade once a year. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the results of the National Assessment of Basic Competencies (NABC) linked to sport activities. The Authors describe the frequency of regular sporting habits outside school and at school by age groups, gender, an type of school. Highlights: (1) Among both sexes, it can be stated that the 6th grade athlete ratio in the subsequent grades shows a downward trend of about 10-10%. (2) From the point of view of the types of schools, the proportion of regular sports students is by far the most favorable among students attending grammar school. (3) The advantage of athletes is the most consistent in the girls’ mathematical scores: with one exception, athletes in all grades and in all types of schools outperform the athletes. (4) Athletic girls at primary schools and six-year high school students athletes outperformed non-athletic girls in both mathematics and literacy competency scores