Should Trust Be Stressed? General Trust and Proactive Coping as Buffers to Perceived Stress

Measuring dysfunctional interpersonal beliefs: validation of the Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale among a heterogeneous German-speaking sample

BACKROUND

Dysfunctional interpersonal beliefs (DIBs) are a key symptom domain in numerous mental disorders. Because DIBs exert a strong influence on social experience and behavior, they play an important role in a mental disorder's development and progression. To date, only the Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale (ICDS) captures DIBs independently of specific disorders, populations, or contexts. The present study's aim was to psychometrically evaluate and validate a German translation of the ICDS.

METHODS

The ICDS was administered along with indicators of convergent (rejection sensitivity, depressive expectations, interpersonal trust, interpersonal problems, perceived social support), discriminant (self-efficacy, perseverative negative thinking, optimism), and clinical validity (psychopathology, perceived stress, well-being) to a pooled sample incorporating non-clinical (N = 114) and clinical (N = 94) participants.

RESULTS

An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a five-factor solution (factor loadings: .44 to .85). Correlational analyses demonstrated acceptable convergent (ρ = -.29 to -.35, ρ = .27 to .59), suboptimal discriminant (ρ = -.27 to -.38, ρ = .52), and acceptable clinical validity (ρ = -.21, ρ = .36 to .44) at the total-scale level. However, results at the subscale level were mixed and required nuanced interpretation. Likewise, internal consistency was acceptable at the total-scale level (α = .76), but ranged from good to poor at the subscale level (α = .61 to .80). DIBs mediated the negative relationship between mental disorder onset and psychopathology levels.

DISCUSSION

Our results imply DIBs' relevance to mental health and related outcomes. When working with the ICDS's German version, we recommend employing only the "insecurity" subscale, as this was the only scale revealing acceptable psychometric properties. Future studies should improve the construct validity of the ICDS (and its subscales), e.g., by adding more items to the respective subscales and further classes of DIBs.

Bridging the Gap Between Competencies and Uncertainties in Postgraduate Training in Family Medicine: Results and Psychometric Properties of a Self-Assessment Questionnaire

PURPOSE

One of the reasons for postgraduate trainees not to choose working in a rural area is uncertainty related to the lack of competencies. The aim of this study was to investigate the concept of uncertainty by measuring competencies and to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument that measures competencies related to uncertainty in the self-assessment of postgraduate trainees in family medicine.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A questionnaire was created based on pre-existing instruments. It was distributed to participants of postgraduate training seminars in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in 2016. Descriptive statistics and a partial correlation analysis were calculated for measuring the degree of association between year of postgraduate training and items' responses. Psychometric properties were assessed by calculating descriptive item analysis, factor analysis and internal consistency.

RESULTS

The response rate was 85% (105/124). More than one-fifth of the participants stated to show only seldom or sometimes the following skills: ability to balance work and life (N=25, 24%), letting a mild disorder run its own way (N=24, 23%) and ability to conduct interventions that decreased aggression from the patient (N=22, 21%). More than half of the participants felt (very) insecure in performing routine child check-ups, the application of a below elbow backslab and the partial removal of a toenail. Nine out of 21 items showed positive statistically significant correlation between level of competence and progress in training. Factor analysis led to a final instrument with 12 items (Cronbach's α=0.736) and a three-factor-structure: "doctor well-being and resilience", "communication" and "skills".

CONCLUSION

In order to reduce uncertainty with all its consequences, a focus on teaching of competencies regarding the physicians' well-being and resilience, communication and skills has to be continued in postgraduate training.

Teachers' Personality, Perfectionism, and Self-Efficacy as Predictors for Coping Strategies Based on Personal Resources

Many psychological constructs as personality, perfectionism, and self-efficacy have been identified to have a strong contribution to teachers’ coping strategies, but how these variables collectively predict different types of coping has received little attention. The present study aimed to explore the personal resources (personality traits, perfectionistic strivings, and self-efficacy) which predict teachers’ proactive coping strategies. The sample study consisted of 284 pre-service teachers, with ages ranging from 18 to 34years old (M=19.9; SD=2.1). Four hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for every proactive coping strategy based on personal resources as criterion variables. Results showed that conscientiousness and openness were predictors for all four coping strategies based on personal resources (proactive, reflective, strategic planning, and preventive coping), extraversion and neuroticism predicted only proactive coping strategies, and agreeableness did not predict any kind of these coping strategies. Planfulness was a predictor for reflective, strategic planning, and preventive coping strategies; striving for excellence predicted only proactive coping, and organization was a predictor only for reflective coping strategies. Self-efficacy predicted the first three proactive coping strategies but preventive coping. Because coping strategies can be learned, knowing what personal resources may help teachers to cope with stressful situations inside and outside the school, could be organized training programs to improve activity and well-being in the teaching profession.