Expanding the reflexive space: resilient young adults, institutional cultures, and cognitive schemas

For many U.S. young adults, being resilient to stressful events hinges on making meaning of such events and thereby minimizing their negative emotional impact. Yet why are some better able to do this than others? In this study, which uses an innovative outlier sampling strategy and linked survey and interview data, we argue that one important factor is connection to institutional cultures associated with higher education, religion/spirituality, and the military. Such cultures provide material for the development of cognitive schemas that can be adopted and applied to their stressful experiences, which include narratives of social progress, divine providence, and self‐discipline. Using a metaphor adapted from the pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, we argue the resulting schemas have the effect of “expanding the space” of reflexive thought, providing new cognitive material for interpreting stress and supporting resilience. Finally, we argue this framing improves in several ways on the concept of meaning making often used in stress process research.Accepted manuscrip

How parents choose to use CAM: a systematic review of theoretical models

Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used throughout the UK and the Western world. CAM is commonly used for children and the decision-making process to use CAM is affected by numerous factors. Most research on CAM use lacks a theoretical framework and is largely based on bivariate statistics. The aim of this review was to identify a conceptual model which could be used to explain the decision-making process in parental choice of CAM. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was carried out. A two-stage selection process with predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria identified studies using a theoretical framework depicting the interaction of psychological factors involved in the CAM decision process. Papers were critically appraised and findings summarised. Results: Twenty two studies using a theoretical model to predict CAM use were included in the final review; only one examined child use. Seven different models were identified. The most commonly used and successful model was Andersen's Sociobehavioural Model (SBM). Two papers proposed modifications to the SBM for CAM use. Six qualitative studies developed their own model. Conclusion: The SBM modified for CAM use, which incorporates both psychological and pragmatic determinants, was identified as the best conceptual model of CAM use. This model provides a valuable framework for future research, and could be used to explain child CAM use. An understanding of the decision making process is crucial in promoting shared decision making between healthcare practitioners and parents and could inform service delivery, guidance and policy

Associations of sedentary behavior and physical activity with psychological distress: a cross-sectional study from Singapore

Background: Emerging evidence suggests the adverse association between sedentary behavior (SB) and physical with mental health, but few studies have investigated the relationship between volume of physical activity and psychological distress. The present study examined the independent and interactive associations of daily SB and weekly level of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with psychological distress in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Methods. De-identified data of 4,337 adults (18-79 years old) on sedentary behaviors, physical activity patterns, psychological distresses, and other relevant variables were obtained from the Singapore Ministry of Health's 2010 National Health Survey. Psychological distress was assessed using General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), whereas total daily SB and total weekly volume (MET/minutes) of MVPA were estimated using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire version 2 (GPAQ v2). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to estimate the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of the independent and interactive relationships of SB and MVPA with prevalence of psychological distress. Results: The category of high SB was positively associated with increased odds (OR = 1.29, 1.04-1.59) for psychological distress, whereas the category of active was inversely associated with lower odds (OR = 0.73, 0.62-0.86) for psychological distress. Multivariate analyses for psychological distress by combined daily SB and weekly MVPA levels showed inverse associations between middle SB and active categories (OR = 0.58, 0.45 - 0.74) along with low SB and active categories (OR = 0.61, 0.47-0.80). Conclusions: The present population-based cross-sectional study indicated that in the multi-ethnic Asian society of Singapore, a high level of SB was independently associated with psychological distress and meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity along with ≤ 5 h/day of SB was associated with the lowest odds of psychological distress

Quand les méthodes font toute la différence

L’argument principal de cet article est que ce que nous voyons est fonction des méthodes que nous utilisons. Au moyen d’une série d’exemples, nous suggérons que nos connaissances sont régulièrement déviées de leur course par les limites mêmes des cadres méthodologiques utilisés pour l’analyse de données. Chacun des exemples présente une comparaison des méthodes simples et bien connues et d’autres méthodes qui intègrent une plus large gamme d’influences ou qui clarifient l’objet d’étude. Or, lorsque ces dernières sont utilisées, les résultats obtenus changent. Cette constatation donne à penser que les résultats composant la littérature de recherche dans plusieurs domaines pourraient être transformés par l’application de méthodes qui prennent explicitement en compte le temps et l’espace social ; de même, le recours à des méthodes plus appropriées pourrait permettre de résoudre certains conflits entre théories ou de lever certaines des limites de celles-ci. Les exemples couvrent un éventail de questions, depuis les différences entre données transversales et longitudinales, la construction de modèles pour remplacer les équations, l’influence des contextes sociaux sur le comportement individuel, l’importance du temps dans la modélisation des événements, jusqu’aux nuances dans la compréhension de la complexité des processus interdépendants au cours de la vie.The fundamental point of this paper is that methods change what we are able to see. Using a series of examples, this paper suggests that the course of substantive literatures are regularly set off course by the limitations built into widely used methodological frameworks used to analyze data. In each example, simpler and/or better known methods are compared to methods which either incorporate a broader range of possible influences or clarify the issue at hand, and consequently essential findings change. These findings suggest either that the inertial state of findings in research literatures could be redefined or redirected by the application of methods which take into account more clearly the effects of time and place, or that given theories may be transformed by methods which resolve conflicting or limiting features of theoretical debate. Examples cover a wide range of issues, from longitudinal vs. cross-sectional data, to the specification of models to replace equations, to the influence of social context on individual behavior, to the importance of time in the modeling of events, to the nuances of capturing the complexity behind inter-dependent processes over the life course.El punto fundamental de este artículo es que los métodos cambian y que son posibles de ver. Utilizando una serie de ejemplos, este artículo sugiere que el curso de la literatura sustantiva es regularmente desviado por las limitaciones construidas dentro de marcos metodológicos que son conmúnmente utilizados para el análisis de datos. En cada ejemplo, simple y /o mejor conocido método son comparados a otros métodos que incorporan una amplia variación de influencias posibles o clarifican la cuestión, y consecuentemente las conclusiones esenciales cambian. Estas conclusiones sugieren que el estado inerte de las conclusiones en la literatura de investigación puede ser redefinido, o redirigido para la aplicación de métodos los cuales toman en cuenta más claramente los efectos del tiempo y el lugar, o que las teorías dadas pueden ser transformadas por métodos los cuales resuelven contradictoriamente o limitativamente factores del debate teórico. Los ejemplos cubren una amplia gama de preguntas, de datos longitudinales frente a los transversales, de la especificación de modelos para remplazar ecuaciones, de la influencia del contexto social sobre el comportamiento individual, de la importancia del tiempo sobre la modelización de eventos, de los matices que capturan la complejidad detrás de la interdependencia de los procesos durante el curso de la vida