Hope and Life Satisfaction in Black College Students Coping With Race-Related Stress

This exploratory study examined the effects of hope and coping with race-related stress on life satisfaction in Black college students. Findings indicated that students with high hope had greater coping efficacy and used more problem-focused coping than students with low hope. Neither coping nor hope had a direct effect on life satisfaction. However, six of the nine Coping × Hope interactions were significant. Contrary to expectations, the pattern of interactions suggested that for students with high hope, life satisfaction was associated with less frequent use of active coping strategies, and for students with low hope, life satisfaction was associated with greater use of active coping strategies. We suggest future directions for research on the role of hope and coping in Black individuals dealing with race-related stress.

Coping and Social Support as Mediators of the Relation of Optimism to Depressive Symptoms Among Black College Students

This investigation examines mechanisms through which optimism may influence psychological adjustment among 133 Black college students. Specifically, this study evaluates the extent to which active and avoidant coping and social support account for the association between optimism and depressive symptoms. Participants completed questionnaires that included the Life Orientation Test-Revised, the COPE, the Social Provisions Scale, and the 12-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Avoidant coping and social support mediated the relation between optimism and depressive symptoms, whereas active coping did not mediate this relationship. Results partially replicate those of prior research and illustrate the need for culturally sensitive theory regarding the combined effect of personality, coping strategies, and social support on psychological adjustment to stressful situations.

Examining patterns of association with defensive information processing about colorectal cancer screening

To reduce negative psychological affect from information or behavior that is inconsistent with one's positive self-concept, individuals use a variety of defensive strategies. It is unknown whether correlates differ across defenses. We examined correlates of four levels of defensive information processing about colorectal cancer screening. Cross-sectional surveys were completed by a convenience sample of 287 adults aged 50-75 years. Defenses measures were more consistently associated with individual differences (especially avoidant coping styles); however, situational variables involving health-care providers also were important. Future research should examine changes in defenses after risk communication and their relative impact on colorectal cancer screening.

Coping with Negative Emotions: The Cognitive Strategies of HIV-infected Gay/Bisexual Men

While the managing of negative emotions has been identified as a central adaptive task for those living with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, little is known about the specific coping strategies used to achieve this task. The present study employed unstructured interviews to examine illnessspecific cognitive strategies used by an ethnically diverse sample of HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in their attempts to manage the negative emotions associated with the illness. Fourteen specific cognitive strategies were identified, many of which were specific to coping with chronic illness or HIV/AIDS. These strategies were categorized into four major conceptual categories: (1) distancing the threat of death; (2) reducing the sense of victimization; (3) gaining a sense of control; and (4) mentally preparing for emotional upset. The findings have implications for what coping assessments may be neglecting and may provide insights for therapeutic application.

Quitting is not an option: An analysis of online diet talk between celiac disease patients

This is an empirical study of the way in which celiac disease patients manage the risk of gluten intake in their everyday life.The article examines naturally occurring conversational data in order to study how patients cope interactionally with constantly being at risk in their day-to-day living. They reject quitting the diet as a valid option, and instead construct a 'diet world' in which dietary transgression is presented as an integrated part of everyday life. In this way, patients can manage occasional diet lapses without putting the validity of the diet itself at stake. By examining how the gluten-free diet is treated in interaction, we find out more about the pre-existing everyday strategies that have to be taken into account when new therapies are being introduced.

Children's and young people's experiences of chronic renal disease: a review of the literature, methodological commentary and an alternative proposal

AIM

The aims of this paper were to review and critique existing research literature on children's and young people's experiences of chronic renal disease and to propose alternative approaches that may be more fruitful in addressing existing research shortcomings.

BACKGROUND

Chronic renal disease, which results in approximately 1.6-4 new cases per year per million population in the 0-15 years age group, is a serious illness that causes severe and irreversible reduction in kidney function. Despite modern medical advances, its significance and implications for the lives of the children and young people concerned are profound.

METHOD

Salient literature for this review was obtained using the major health and social science electronic databases such as Medline, CINAHL, Psyclit and Sociofile. Manual searching of relevant books, journals and 'grey literature', combined with the genealogy approach, extended and strengthened the search.

CONCLUSIONS

Research in this area focuses mainly on two areas, namely psychological adjustment and adaptation to end-stage renal disease. This research is grounded within a framework of empirical psychology that values objectivity, measurement and quantification. This predominantly psychometric approach is critiqued for simplifying the complex experience of end-stage renal disease and for pathologizing children and young people with this disease. We identify a significant gap in the research literature, namely the lack of research that takes into account these children's and young peoples'own perspectives of their experiences.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Chronic renal disease has a significant impact on children's and young people's lives. Understanding the experiences of these children is important for the provision of effective healthcare. Conducting child-centred qualitative research in this area would allow us to explore vital questions of meaning, perception and understanding. If health and social care organizations claim to provide 'consumer-focused' services, it behoves us to develop first a clearer understanding of the lives and experiences of children and families who seek our help and to use this knowledge and understanding to plan and provide more grounded and responsive services.

Is it beneficial to involve a family member? A meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for chronic illness

Links between chronic illness and family relationships have led to psychosocial interventions targeted at the patient's closest family member or both patient and family member. The authors conducted a meta-analytic review of randomized studies comparing these interventions with usual medical care (k=70), focusing on patient outcomes (depression, anxiety, relationship satisfaction, disability, and mortality) and family member outcomes (depression, anxiety, relationship satisfaction, and caregiving burden). Among patients, interventions had positive effects on depression when the spouse was included and, in some cases, on mortality. Among family members, positive effects were found for caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety; these effects were strongest for nondementing illnesses and for interventions that targeted only the family member and that addressed relationship issues. Although statistically significant aggregate effects were found, they were generally small in magnitude. These findings provide guidance in developing future interventions in this area.

Benefit-Finding Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Positive Effects on Interpersonal Relationships

This longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis used mixed methods to identify and describe the positive effects of illness on relationships, examine correlates of benefit-finding, and test the relationship between benefit-finding and adjustment outcomes. When asked about interpersonal benefits of their illness, 71.3% of the respondents described interpersonal benefits, whereas 16.2% reported another type of benefit, and 12.5% reported no benefits. The most frequently described benefit was appreciation of support received from loved ones. Less pain, lower psychological distress, and perceiving fewer social constraints were related to finding interpersonal benefits in the illness experience. Interpersonal benefit-finding predicted lower levels of disability at a 12-month follow-up. Findings are discussed with regard to conceptual issues, methodological recommendations, and implications for interventions.

What is coping? A critical review of the construct and its application in audiology

The term 'coping' is increasingly used in audiology, in particular by researchers and clinicians interested in the psychosocial aspects of hearing disorders. Coping has been defined as the process of managing demands (external or internal) that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person. It is seen as a process involving at least two stages: primary appraisal (is this something to bother about?), and secondary appraisal (what can I do about it?). It is proposed to serve two distinct purposes: to do away with the problem (i.e. problem-focused coping), and to regulate emotional reactions (emotion-focused coping). The following observations are made: (1) there is a lack of correspondence between what people in general mean by coping and how the concept is used in research; (2) coping is most often measured by checklists with questionable validity; (3) the outcome of using different coping strategies is largely unexplored; and (4) what is regarded as coping in some circumstances (e.g. telling about your hearing impairment) can become a problem in another situation, or even the same situation (e.g. stigma). Finally, some recommendations regarding the future use of the coping construct in audiology are made.

The psycho-social impact of infertility on young male cancer survivors: a qualitative investigation

Intensive treatment regimes that are known to have a potential risk of infertility sometimes have to be given to boys who have aggressive malignant disease. Long-term care must therefore include further discussion of these patients' impaired fertility. This study describes the results of a series of semi-structured interviews with 15 young male cancer survivors regarding their experience of receiving feedback on their probable fertility status. All the interviews were conducted by a psychologist formerly uninvolved with their treatment. The interviews were analysed qualitatively using a grounded theory approach. The findings of the study are organised under four headings: (a) Emotional reaction to news of probable infertility. (b) Coping style adopted. (c) Response to the offer of semen analysis. (d) Implications for clinical practice.The results of this thematic analysis are compared to the wider research literature in oncology and health psychology.