Sense of Coherence : Determinants and consequences

ABSTRACT Sense of coherence (SOC) is a core concept within Antonovsky s salutogenic theory and is argued to be a psychological determinant of health. The present social-epidemiological study explores the associations between a wide range of generalized resistance resources of SOC among Finnish- and Swedish-speaking women and men with a view to gaining deeper insight into its developmental circumstances and determinants. Secondly, a five-year follow-up study was conducted in order to assess the stability of SOC in difficult life events. Finally the role and effect of SOC in the intentions to retire early was investigated in a prospective study. The above studies were based on two data sets: the Finnish 'Survey on Living Conditions' (ELO-94) conducted in 1994 by means of personal face-to-face interviews (N=6506), and a prospective postal survey of the 15-year Health and Social Support (HeSSup) study for which the baseline data was collected in 1998 (N=25 898) and the follow-up in 2003. The present study reveals that the level of SOC in adulthood is strongly dependent on close and successful social relationships during both childhood and adulthood, and that there is a strong association with qualitative work features. Not having a partner as well as being unable to use one s skills at work proved to threaten men s SOC in particular, whereas a lack of social support did the same for women. Otherwise, the association with generalized resistance resources turned out to be quite similar in both genders. Swedish-speaking Finns appear to have a slightly stronger SOC due to the better psycho-emotional circumstances in the childhood home and work circumstances in adulthood, in other words higher levels of generalized resistance resources compared to Finnish speakers. These language group differences did not concern any social-life factors included in the present study. The results of the five-year follow-up study suggest that SOC is not stable, and that the level clearly decreases after a negative life event. Even a strong SOC decreased during the follow-up period and, furthermore, was no more stable than a mediocre or weak SOC. There seems to be a clear and independent association with the intentions to retire early among both men and women following full adjustment. Swedish speakers appear to be less inclined to retire early than Finnish speakers. In the light of the present study, it seems that SOC is determined not only by socio-economic factors but also by close and successful social relationships during both childhood and adulthood. This applied to both genders and language groups. Interventions aimed at promoting the health of the disadvantaged should therefore focus on families with children, and extend later also to other than socio-economic spheres of life. SOC theory could also be applied in efforts to inhibit early retirement: management practices aimed at providing employees with a work environment and tasks that are comprehensible, manageable and meaningful could potentially decrease the intentions to retire early.

Indian Ocean dipole mode events in an ocean general circulation model

The evolution of the dipole mode (DM) events in the Indian Ocean is examined using an ocean model that is driven by the NCEP fluxes for the period 1975-1998. The positive DM events during 1997, 1994 and 1982 and negative DM events during 1996 and 1984-1985 are captured by the model and it reproduces both the surface and subsurface features associated with these events. In its positive phase, the DM is characterized by warmer than normal SST in the western Indian Ocean and cooler than normal SST in the eastern Indian Ocean. The DM events are accompanied by easterly wind anomalies along the equatorial Indian Ocean and upwelling-favorable alongshore wind anomalies along the coast of Sumatra. The Wyrtki jets are weak during positive DM events, and the thermocline is shallower than normal in the eastern Indian Ocean and deeper in the west. This anomaly pattern reverses during negative DM events. During the positive phase of the DM easterly wind anomalies excite an upwelling equatorial Kelvin wave. This Kelvin wave reflects from the eastern boundary as an upwelling Rossby wave which propagates westward across the equatorial Indian Ocean. The anomalies in the eastern Indian Ocean weaken after the Rossby wave passes. A similar process excites a downwelling Rossby wave during the negative phase. This Rossby wave is much weaker but wind forcing in the central equatorial Indian Ocean amplifies the downwelling and increases its westward phase speed. This Rossby wave initiates the deepening of the thermocline in the western Indian Ocean during the following positive phase of the DM. Rossby wave generated in the southern tropical Indian Ocean by Ekman pumping contributes to this warming. Concurrently, the temperature equation of the model shows upwelling and downwelling to be the most important mechanism during both positive events of 1994 and 1997. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cumulative exposure to traumatic events in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the impact of cumulative trauma exposure on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity in a nonclinical sample of adults in their 60s. The predictive utility of cumulative trauma exposure was compared to other known predictors of PTSD, including trauma severity, personality traits, social support, and event centrality. METHOD: Community-dwelling adults (n = 2515) from the crest of the Baby Boom generation completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Centrality of Event Scale, and rated their current social support. RESULTS: Cumulative trauma exposure predicted greater PTSD symptom severity in hierarchical regression analyses consistent with a dose-response model. Neuroticism and event centrality also emerged as robust predictors of PTSD symptom severity. In contrast, the severity of individuals' single most distressing life event, as measured by self-report ratings of the A1 PTSD diagnostic criterion, did not add explanatory variance to the model. Analyses concerning event categories revealed that cumulative exposure to childhood violence and adulthood physical assaults were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity in older adulthood. Moreover, cumulative self-oriented events accounted for a larger percentage of variance in symptom severity compared to events directed at others. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the cumulative impact of exposure to traumatic events throughout the life course contributes significantly to posttraumatic stress in older adulthood above and beyond other known predictors of PTSD.

Age Effects in Cultural Life Scripts.

Life scripts are culturally shared expectations about the timing of life events in an idealized life course. Because they are cultural semantic knowledge, they should be known by all adult age groups including those who have not lived through all events in the life script, but this has not been tested previously. Young, middle-aged and older adults from the Netherlands were therefore asked in this online study to imagine an ordinary Dutch infant and to name the seven most important events that were likely to take place in the life of this prototypical child. Participants subsequently answered questions about at what ages these events were expected to occur and about their prevalence, importance and valence. We found that the cultural life script was similar for young, middle-aged and older adults and for adults with different educational attainment.

Cultural life scripts structure recall from autobiographical memory.

Three classes of evidence demonstrate the existence of life scripts, or culturally shared representations of the timing of major transitional life events. First, a reanalysis of earlier studies on age norms shows an increase in the number of transitional events between the ages of 15 and 30 years, and these events are associated with narrower age ranges and more positive emotion than events outside this period. Second, 1,485 Danes estimated how old hypothetical centenarians were when they had been happiest, saddest, most afraid, most in love, and had their most important and most traumatic experiences. Only the number of positive events showed an increase between the ages of 15 and 30 years. Third, undergraduates generated seven important events that were likely to occur in the life of a newborn. Pleasantness and whether events were expected to occur between the ages of 15 and 30 years predicted how frequently events were recorded. Life scripts provide an alternative explanation of the reminiscence bump. Emphasis is on culture, not individuals.

Are early life factors considered when managing respiratory disease?:A British Thoracic Society survey of current practice

We hypothesised that early life events are not routinely considered by most respiratory specialists.

Suicide and parasuicide: a selected review of the literature.

The increase in adolescent suicides has prompted the World Health Organization to set targets to reduce the incidence of deaths by the year 2000. In order to achieve this target further investigation into the perceptions of adolescent parasuicidal individuals is required to reduce the number of suicide attempts. Statistical evidence shows that parasuicidal individuals are commonly females who attempt suicide by taking an overdose. In the majority of cases help has been sought within the month prior to the attempt. Following an attempt many individuals feel isolated or ignored by health professionals. It appears that communication difficulties and negative attitudes by health professionals often reinforce the stigma associated with suicide. Nurses can contribute to the prevention of parasuicide/suicide by actively providing therapeutic care and counselling parasuicidal individuals to help them deal with major life events.

Aspectos psicológicos da fibromialgia : personalidade e história de vida

Tese de doutoramento, Psicologia (Psicologia Clínica), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Psicologia, 2013

Prestadores de cuidados familiares a doentes com VIH/SIDA: perfil psico-emocional e social

RESUMO: Com o presente estudo pretendemos identificar a sobrecarga resultante do envolvimento familiar com os doentes portadores de VIH/SIDA. Numa breve introdução teórica, procedemos à revisão dos conceitos sobrecarga familiar e dos sentimentos/emoções vivenciados pelos prestadores de cuidados. Metodologia: Estudo do tipo descritivo e exploratório, com uma amostra de 51 indivíduos, cuja finalidade consiste na caracterização dos prestadores de cuidados familiares a doentes com VIH/SIDA. Objectivos: Identificar quem o doente com VIH/SIDA, considera ser a pessoa significativa nos cuidados informais. Caracterizar, do ponto de vista sócio-demográfico, os doentes e os prestadores de cuidados familiares. Identificar sentimentos e emoções de vivências, que justifiquem o sofrimento emocional e as repercussões na sobrecarga familiar nos prestadores de cuidados informais. Instrumentos: Na avaliação da sobrecarga familiar, utilizámos o Questionário de Problemas Familiares”- FPQ (Family Problemas Questionnaire). Para identificação dos Acontecimentos de Vida, adoptámos a escala de Holmes e Rahe (Life Events); Para identificação do estrato social escolhemos escala de Graffar. Finalmente, para a caracterização sócio-demografica concebemos dois questionários: um dirigido aos doentes e o outro aos prestadores de cuidados informais. Conclusões: A sobrecarga da doença VIH/SIDA, nos prestadores de cuidados familiares, não é uniforme nas diferentes dimensões. A dimensão sobrecarga subjectiva é superior à objectiva. O suporte social revela-se fraco, relacionado com as perdas familiares, devidas a morte, pelas relações familiares disfuncionais, entre os membros da família, pela falta de apoio e informação dos técnicos de saúde. O sexo feminino é predominante nos cuidadores. As mães e esposas são o grau de parentesco dominante. Os solteiros são o grupo mais afectado pelo VIH/SIDA. Os cuidadores apresentam idade superior à dos doentes. O estrato social preponderante é o médio baixo e o baixo. Os familiares, apesar da atitude negativa dos doentes perante os cuidadores, mantêm-se envolvidos. Segundo a avaliação multiaxial proposta pelo DM-IV, constatámos, ao nível do eixo I, sintomatologia clínica do tipo das perturbações depressivas e perturbações da ansiedade. No eixo IV, os cuidadores evidenciam problemas psicossociais e ambientais, nomeadamente nas categorias problemas com o grupo de apoio primário, problemas relacionados como grupo social, problemas educacionais, problemas de alojamento, problemas económicos. Os problemas relacionados com o grupo de apoio primário, são os que mais parecem contribuir para os problemas psicossociais e ambientais.---------------------------------------ABSTRACT: This study wants to describe several problems as a result of the family’s relationship with HIV/AIDS patients, like overload. In a brief theoric introduction, we made a small revision about the concepts of family’s overload, and feelings or emotions that have been lived by the people who provide cares to the patients with this chronic disease. Methodology: This is a describing and exploratory study, with a sample with 51 individuals, with the aim to characterize the people inside the family who give care HIV/AIDS patients. Aim: To identify who are the most important people in informal cares from the patient perspective. To characterize, in a social-demographic point of view, patients and the people who take care of them. To identify feelings and emotions that could explain an emotional suffer, and some causes in the family burden. Means: to evaluate the family’s overload we used the Family Problems Questionnaire (FPQ). To identify life events we adopted the Holmes and Rahe scale. To identify the social stratum we used the Graffer scale. Finally to do a socio-economic characterization we did two kinds of questionnaire, the first one was directed for the patients, and the second one was chosen for the people who give care. Conclusions: The HIV/AIDS disease burden on the people who takes familiar cares isn’t uniform on several areas that we studied. The subjective overload it is superior to the objective. The social support is weak and poor, and related with family losses by dead, dysfunctional family relationships, and the lack of support and information by the medical staff. Mothers and wives are the dominant relative degree. And the singles are the major group with HIV/AIDS disease. The people who take care are usually older than the sick. The major social status is low or medium-low. The relatives keep evolved though the negative attitude of the sick. According with the evaluation multiaxial proposed by the DM-IV, in axle 1 we note clinic sintomatologic belonging to the type depressive perturbations and perturbations of the anxiety. Regarding with axle IV the caretakers show up psycho-social and environmental problems, namely on the categories: problems with the primary support group and problems related as social group, educational problems, accommodation problems and.

Une analyse descriptive des facteurs pré-crime recensés au sein d'un échantillon d'agresseurs sexuels de femmes

Ce mémoire avait pour but de dresser un portrait clair et exhaustif des facteurs pré-crime recensés au sein d’un échantillon de 37 agresseurs sexuels de femmes. Cette démarche est intimement liée à l’étude des processus de passage à l’acte des agresseurs sexuels. Dans le cadre d’un programme de prévention de la récidive, les participants avaient à identifier divers événements de vie qui sont survenus au cours des deux années précédant le (ou les) délit(s) de référence et qui ont eu un fort impact émotionnel sur eux. Au total, 339 événements de vie ont été recensés. À chaque événement de vie correspond une chaîne comportementale, celle-ci étant composée de six volets : 1) les « situations spécifiques » constituant l’événement de vie; 2) les « cognitions » associées à cet événement de vie; 3) les « émotions » engendrées par ces cognitions; 4) les « fantaisies » déclenchées par ces émotions; 5) les « comportements » adoptés suite à ces fantaisies; et 6) les « conséquences » ayant résulté de ces comportements. Les données, initialement de nature qualitative, ont ensuite été opérationnalisées afin qu’elles puissent être analysées quantitativement. Nos résultats ont démontré que les conflits conjugaux et la consommation d’alcool et/ou de drogues représentaient les situations les plus fréquemment rapportées au cours de la phase pré-crime. Les cognitions les plus souvent recensées suite à l’événement de vie initial étaient le pessimisme et l’adoption d’une position de victime. L’hostilité, la dépression et l’anxiété constituaient les émotions les plus fréquemment engendrées par le volet cognitif. Les fantaisies les plus souvent déclenchées par le volet émotionnel étaient l’agression sexuelle et la violence physique (non sexuelle). La consommation d’alcool et/ou de drogues et le fait de ne pas exprimer ses émotions, son point de vue ou ses besoins représentaient les comportements les plus fréquemment adoptés suite aux fantaisies. Enfin, les conséquences les plus souvent recensées étaient l’accumulation de cognitions et/ou d’émotions négatives et la présence de fantaisies sexuelles déviantes.

Does uncertainty cause inertia in decision making? An experimental study of the role of regret aversion and indecisiveness

Previous research has shown that often there is clear inertia in individual decision making---that is, a tendency for decision makers to choose a status quo option. I conduct a laboratory experiment to investigate two potential determinants of inertia in uncertain environments: (i) regret aversion and (ii) ambiguity-driven indecisiveness. I use a between-subjects design with varying conditions to identify the effects of these two mechanisms on choice behavior. In each condition, participants choose between two simple real gambles, one of which is the status quo option. I find that inertia is quite large and that both mechanisms are equally important.

The development of anxiety disorders in childhood: an integrative review

We present an integrative review of the development of child anxiety, drawing on a number of strands of research. Family aggregation and genetic studies indicate raised vulnerability to anxiety in offspring of adults with the disorder (e.g. the temperamental style of behavioural inhibition, or information processing biases). Environmental factors are also important; these include adverse life events and exposure to negative information or modelling. Parents are likely to be key, although not unique, sources of such influences, particularly if they are anxious themselves. Some parenting behaviours associated with child anxiety, such as overprotection, may be elicited by child characteristics, especially in the context of parental anxiety, and these may serve to maintain child disorder. Emerging evidence emphasizes the importance of taking the nature of child and parental anxiety into account, of constructing assessments and interventions that are both disorder specific, and of considering bidirectional influences.

A conceptual life event framework for government-to-citizen electronic service provision

In recent years, life event approach has been widely used by governments all over the world for designing and providing web services to citizens through their e-government portals. Despite the wide usage of this approach, there is still a challenge of how to use this approach to design e-government portals in order to automatically provide personalised services to citizens. We propose a conceptual framework for e-government service provision based on life event approach and the use of citizen profile to capture the citizen needs, since the process of finding Web services from a government-to-citizen (G2C) system involves understanding the citizens’ needs and demands, selecting the relevant services, and delivering services that matches the requirements. The proposed framework that incorporates the citizen profile is based on three components that complement each other, namely, anticipatory life events, non-anticipatory life events and recurring services.

Towards a life-event oriented G2C e-service provision: the NoBLE Framework

One of the primary features of modern government-to-citizen (G2C) service provision is the ability to offer a citizen-centric view of the e-government portal. Life-event approach is one of the most widely adopted paradigms supporting the idea of solving a complex event in a citizen’s life through a single service provision. Several studies have used this approach to design e-government portals. However, they were limited in terms of use and scalability. There were no mechanisms that show how to specify a life-event for structuring public e-services, or how to systematically match life-events with these services taking into consideration the citizen needs. We introduce the NOrm-Based Life-Event (NoBLE) framework for G2C e-service provision with a set of mechanisms as a guide for designing active life-event oriented e-government portals.

Differential interference effects of negative emotional states on subsequent semantic and perceptual processing

Past studies have revealed that encountering negative events interferes with cognitive processing of subsequent stimuli. The present study investigates whether negative events affect semantic and perceptual processing differently. Presentation of negative pictures produced slower reaction times than neutral or positive pictures in tasks that require semantic processing, such as natural or man-made judgments about drawings of objects, commonness judgments about objects, and categorical judgments about pairs of words. In contrast, negative picture presentation did not slow down judgments in subsequent perceptual processing (e.g., color judgments about words, size judgments about objects). The subjective arousal level of negative pictures did not modulate the interference effects on semantic or perceptual processing. These findings indicate that encountering negative emotional events interferes with semantic processing of subsequent stimuli more strongly than perceptual processing, and that not all types of subsequent cognitive processing are impaired by negative events.