bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health Psychology, Embodiment and the Question of Vulnerability
Authors: Radley Alan
Published: April 2009

The topic of the body is now firmly on the agenda for psychology, as it has been for sociology for some time. What contribution will health psychology make to this debate? This article argues that the biomedical view of the physical body is inappropriate for a psychology addressing the key concerns of suffering and healing. Instead, health psychology needs to theorize what it means to be embodied in the context of illness and of health care. To do this requires investigation of the practical relationships between staff and patients as well as of experiences of sufferers. By reflecting critically upon the relationship between clinical practice and the conceptualization of the body, a health psychology embracing the idea of embodiment becomes possible.
Qualitative Inquiries into Social Representations of Health
Authors: Flick Uwe
Published: April 2009

Concepts of health and illness have been a major topic for social representations research. Whereas studies on cognitive representations of health and illness develop a general, decontextualized schema of illness, social representations research focuses on the diversity of lay concepts of health and illness and how health and illness are socially constructed in different contexts. Two qualitative studies about the social representations of health are presented. The episodic interview and theoretical coding were used to study health concepts of nurses and clerks in East and West Germany and among Portuguese and German women. Results in both studies show different forms of awareness of health as the core of the health concepts in the various groups. Social representations theory connects these differences back to the political and cultural backgrounds of the study participants.
The Social Negotiation of People’s Views on the Causes of Illness
Authors: Hodgetts Darrin , Chamberlain Kerry
Published: April 2009

Over the last two decades increasing attention has been given to lay views of health and illness. An important area within this research is the views that different socioeconomic groups hold on the causes of illness. Generally it is concluded that people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely than those of more affluent standing to talk about the causes of illness in lifestyle rather than structural terms that involve overt connections with the material impact of social inequality. We draw on 20 semi-structured interviews with New Zealanders of lower socioeconomic status to explore the ways various causes are assigned to illness. Our participants voice multiple and often contradictory views when assigning cause, and include references to structural issues in addition to lifestyle risk factors and medical ideas about biological functioning and disease. There appears to be a range of sociocultural explanations available for these people to draw on when making sense of illness. We argue that the prevalence of structural explanations may be due, in part, to cultural shifts and increased critical reaction to various social reforms. Our findings support the idea that people’s views are socially constructed to account for the complexities of health and illness as part of everyday life.
Examining Media Representations: Benefits for Health Psychology
Authors: Lyons Antonia C.
Published: April 2009

Health psychology has tended to undervalue analyses of media representations of health, disease and illness. In this article I argue that critical approaches to media texts and images are valuable for health psychologists because:

(1) individuals are socially located and gain their beliefs about health and illness from the discourses and constructions that are available to them;

(2) media representations of health, illness and disease produce and reproduce meaning concerning health and illness, for lay people and professionals alike; and

(3) media representations mediate individuals’ lived experiences. These arguments are illustrated throughout with examples from critical and feminist research on representations of women, menopause and midlife. I go on to argue that critical approaches are particularly important in analysing media representations because they explicitly examine the social, cultural and political context of health and illness. Critical approaches increase awareness of control and power issues surrounding dominant representations and also provide possibilities for change and resistance.
Anger Expression and Natural Killer Cell Activity in Family Caregivers Participating in a Physical Activity Trial
Authors: Wilcox Sara , King Abby C. , Vitaliano Peter P. , Brassington Glenn S.
Published: April 2009

Associations between psychological functioning and natural killer cell activity (NKA) were examined in 23 older (62.2 ± 7.5 years) family caregivers randomized to a moderate intensity four-month exercise program or to a wait-list control condition. At baseline, although NKA was related to anger-control ( r = –.42; trend p < .06) and anger-out ( r = .50; p < .03), it was not related to depression, anxiety, perceived stress, or caregiver burden. After controlling for baseline NKA, changes in anger-control explained 14 percent of the variance in NKA four months later. Decreases in anger-control predicted increases in NKA. Group assignment (exercise vs control) was unrelated to changes in NKA over the four-month period; however, the study was not powered to detect this effect. These results are consistent with reported relationships of anger expression with other physiological measures, and extend the importance of anger expression to immune functioning in older family caregivers.
Health, Fear of Crime and Psychosocial Functioning in Older People
Authors: McKee Kevin J. , Milner Caroline
Published: April 2009

Fear of crime is thought to limit social activity in older people. Sixty older people, recruited via day centres, were given questionnaire-based interviews. A series of questions produced two scales of crime awareness and a scale of perceived crime prevalence. Fear of crime was operationalized through a catastrophizing technique, and by a single-item measure of perceived safety. Physical health, mental health and psychosocial limitation were assessed. Physical health was found to moderate a relationship between crime awareness and fear of crime. In multivariate models, fear of crime was not a significant predictor of psychosocial limitation, which was predicted by physical and mental health. Implications of the findings for models of fear of crime and health psychology are discussed.
Educational Status and Risk of HIV in Young Gay Men
Authors: Janssen Marc , De Wit John , Stroebe Wolfgang , Griensven Frits
Published: April 2009

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher rates of HIV infection as well as higher rates of unsafe sex. The behavioral determinants that might mediate the effect of SES on risky sex have not been studied thus far. We investigated the involvement of social cognitions in the link between educational status and unprotected anal sex in 292 participants of the Amsterdam Young Gay Men Study. We found that poorly educated men had poorer knowledge about HIV and preventive behavior, perceived social norms to be less favorable towards condom usage with casual partners, and had lower perceived control over that behavior than the better educated men. Poorly educated men were also more likely to have engaged in unprotected anal sex with casual partners in the six-month period that followed the assessment of the social cognitions. However, the education-related behavioral difference could not be explained by social cognitions. We concluded that cognitive models of behavior might not explain all of the risk behavior in gay men with lower SES. These men's risk-taking behavior might result from specific psychological characteristics of men with lower SES that interfere with traditional cognition–behavior correlations as posited in prevailing models of behavior.
Psychosocial Issues in the Era of New AIDS Treatments from the Perspective of Persons Living with HIV
Authors: Bogart Laura M. , Catz Sheryl L. , Kelly Jeffrey A. , Gray-Bernhardt Michelle L. , Hartmann Barbara R. , Otto-Salaj Laura L. , Hackl Kristin L. , Bloom Frederick R.
Published: April 2009

In the past, HIV disease meant an almost invariably downward health course. New highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens have improved the health outlook for many persons living with HIV/AIDS but may create new psychological and coping challenges. In this study, open-ended, in-depth interviews were undertaken with an ethnically diverse sample of 44 purposively selected men and women with HIV disease who were on HAART regimens. The interviews were transcribed and qualitatively coded to identify major themes. While patients responding well to the regimens held optimistic views for their future, some who continued to have detectable viral load exhibited depression and feelings of hopelessness. Many patients reported stress associated with the demands of adhering to complex HAART regimens. Other common themes emerging in the interviews involved concerns about employment, romantic and non-romantic relationship formation, sexual behavior and serostatus disclosure, whether to plan families, and experiences of AIDS-related discrimination. There continue to be critical roles for psychological services in the care of persons living with HIV.
Coping with Negative Emotions: The Cognitive Strategies of HIV-infected Gay/Bisexual Men
Authors: Siegel Karolynn , Schrimshaw Eric W.
Published: April 2009

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.
Employment Status and Health in Young Adults: Economic and Behavioural Mediators?
Authors: Sadava S. W. , O'connor R. , McCreary D. R.
Published: April 2009

In a sample of young Canadian adults, questionnaire data indicated that both unemployment and selfreported underemployment represent health risks, as defined by subjectively rated health, experienced symptoms and illness measures. While health behaviours, including substance use, diet and exercise, medical compliance and unsafe driving practices contributed independently to health outcomes, they did not explain the linkage between employment status and health. Household income, but not personal income, predicted health and mediated this relationship only in the case of symptoms. The results are discussed in terms of an expanded understanding of the socioeconomic gradient in health.
Longitudinal Influences of Knowledge and Self-efficacy on Exercise Behavior: Tests of a Mutual Reinforcement Model
Authors: Rimal Rajiv N.
Published: April 2009

The central tenet of social cognitive theory, that individuals' construal processes and behaviors mutually reinforce each other, is tested for exercise behavior. Two longitudinal data sets (year 1 to year 2 and year 1 to year 6) from the Stanford Five-City Project, a field experiment to promote cardiovascular disease prevention in California, are analyzed through structural equation modeling techniques to evaluate the effects of demographics, exercise knowledge, and exercise self-efficacy on exercise behavior. The effects of exercise behavior on subsequent knowledge and self-efficacy are also examined. In both data sets (year 1 to year 2, N = 1254 and year 1 to year 6, N = 939), education, income, age, and sex were significant predictors of exercise behavior. Self-efficacy and knowledge also predicted behavior. Prior exercise behavior predicted subsequent knowledge and self-efficacy. Prior knowledge and self-efficacy, in turn, predicted subsequent exercise behavior. Recommendations are made for enhancing the effectiveness of public health efforts designed to promote healthy behaviors.
Relaxation Training and Cortisol Secretion in Adult Asthmatics
Authors: Smyth Joshua , Litcher Leighann , Hurewitz Adam , Stone Arthur
Published: April 2009

Relaxation techniques can lead to symptom reduction and improved pulmonary functioning in asthmatics, although the mechanism is not clear. One possibility is by influencing cortisol secretion, as cortisol is implicated in inflammatory processes and relaxation has been shown to alter cortisol secretion in healthy individuals. This study explored the effect of relaxation training on cortisol levels and cortisol reactivity to stress in asthmatics. Twenty adult asthmatics participated for 21 days in their natural environment, and received relaxation training halfway through the study. Cortisol was assessed from saliva five times per day for three weeks. Relaxation training was successful, but did not lead to the hypothesized reduction in overall cortisol levels. Participants using corticosteroid medication showed increases in cortisol after relaxation, whereas those not using corticosteroids showed decreases in cortisol ( p< .05). Relaxation altered the cortisol reactivity to stress ( p= .007); before relaxation training cortisol levels increased after a stressor, whereas following relaxation training cortisol levels decreased after a stressor. This study suggests that relaxation training can influence cortisol secretion in asthmatics, but that these effects differ from those observed in healthy individuals and may be influenced by corticosteroid medication use.
Proximal and Distal Predictors of AIDS Risk Behaviors among Inner-city African American and European American Women
Authors: Schröder Kerstin E. E. , Hobfoll Stevan E. , Jackson Anita P. , Lavin Justin
Published: April 2009

AIDS risk behavior and attitudes towards safer sex were studied in a sample of 666 African American and 626 European American women. Condom use, AIDS-related knowledge, risk perception, self-efficacy beliefs, attitudes and perceived partner attitudes, and an assertive coping style were analyzed with regard to mean differences and predictive power in both ethnic groups. Compared to European American women, African American women had less knowledge and lower self-efficacy beliefs towards safer sex behavior, but they perceived themselves to be at more risk and reported greater condom use. Further, ethnicity was found to moderate the effects of the psychological predictors on safer sex behavior. This moderator effect was tested using a structural equation modeling design. In both groups, risk perception was the strongest predictor of condom use. Among African American women, social-cognitive barriers (e.g. low self-efficacy beliefs, negative attitude towards condom use) worked as a second predictor and mediator of the effects of risk perception on condom use. In contrast, among European American women, social-cognitive factors had no effect on condom use. In general, prediction of safer sex behavior was stronger among African American women.
Narrative Identities and the Management of Personal Accountability in Talk about ME: A Discursive Psychology Approach to Illness Narrative
Authors: Horton-Salway Mary
Published: April 2009

This article takes a discursive psychology approach to the analysis of illness narrative. The controversial topic of ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), otherwise known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is used as a case study to examine the dilemmatics of illness talk. Using data from an ME narrative, I explore the complex and subtle discursive work performed by participants to show how attributional stories and identity formulations are linked together in a narrative that works to construct ME as a physical disease while countering potential accusations of malingering or psychological vulnerability. In working to counter such explanations, sufferers paradoxically implicate themselves in an interpretation of their illness as self-inflicted through overwork and mismanagement. In previous research, tales of frenetic lifestyles prior to the onset of ME have provided analysts (and journalists) with grounds for constructing their own attributional stories in the form of ‘opt-out’ or ‘burnout’ theories of ME/CFS. An ethnomethodologically informed discursive psychology provides a non-cognitivist approach to analysis which looks in detail at how sufferers themselves make sense of ME as a practical activity and how their identities are constructed as part of that process.
The Use of Narrative in Understanding how Cancer Affects Development: The Stories of One Cancer Survivor
Authors: Lee Christina Sunmi
Published: April 2009

Although cancer disrupts development, the experience of having cancer is often understood using developmental theories that do not assume serious illness at an early age. This article presents a narrative analysis of one patient's story of survivorship. She tells three interrelated stories: how others have reacted to her illness; her struggles to understand her illness; and how it has changed her priorities. Taken together, her stories comprise an account of how the experience has affected her development. Her story is an example of how individuals integrate unusual life events into their development. It suggests that focusing more on how unusual life experiences contribute to development may expand and enrich our understanding of developmental processes.
Cancer Patients and their Spouses: Gender and its Effect on Psychological and Social Adjustment
Authors: Peleg-Oren Neta , Sherer Moshe
Published: April 2009

The aim of this research was to examine the effects of gender on the social adjustment and psychological distress experienced by cancer patients and their spouses. A total of 87 patients and spouses participated in the study, with the patients undergoing active medical treatment (chemotherapy, radiation or both) and three months post-diagnosis. Three questionnaires were used to collect data: a personal information one; the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), in which stress was examined; and the PAIS-SR, in which psychosocial adjustment to physical illness was examined. Both cancer patients and their spouses reported the same level of psychological distress and difficulties in social adjustment in most areas studied. Patients reported more difficulties in relationships with extended family and in sexual relations than their spouses did. In the area of social environment, spouses reported higher levels of difficulties than patients. Both men and women reported difficulties with social adjustment in most areas studied. Women reported more difficulties with social environment. As for psychological stress, generally men as patients and as spouses reported higher levels of anxiety. As patients, men reported higher levels of paranoia.
Article Predictors of Wellbeing and Autonomy Before and After Geriatric Rehabilitation
Authors: Wahl Hans-Werner , Martin Peter , Minnemann Elisabeth , Martin Sabine , Oster Peter
Published: April 2009

The aim of this study was to explore changes in the correlational association between predictors (i.e. sociodemographics, subjective health, social support, anxiety and coping) and outcome measures (i.e. subjective wellbeing and autonomy) before and after rehabilitation treatment. The data came from a sample of 90 patients (mean age 78.8 years; 84 percent female; 37 percent stroke, 44 percent fracture, 19 percent other diagnoses), who were assessed before and after rehabilitative treatment. Results revealed that although changes between predictors and outcomes were not prevalent with respect to subjective wellbeing, they were clearly evident with respect to autonomy. Whereas psychological variables, such as state anxiety and behavioural coping, played no predictive role at entry, they became the strongest predictors of autonomy at discharge.
Being a Mother and Living with Asthma: An Exploratory Analysis of Discourse
Authors: Radtke H. Lorraine , Van Mens-Verhulst Janneke
Published: April 2009

Although contemporary scholarship on the psychology of women has recognized the significance of motherhood for women, this positioning has received little attention from researchers interested in women and chronic illness. In this article we begin to fill this gap by exploring the complexity of being a mother when women are chronically ill. We focus on mothers with asthma and, adopting a discursive approach, analyze three interviews with asthmatic mothers using discourse analysis to explore how they negotiate their identities. The women were white, Dutch autochthones, who ranged in age from 31 to 60 years. Two were diagnosed with asthma in early childhood and one was diagnosed at age 40. We argue that being a mother is relevant to how women live with asthma.
An Exploratory Investigation of the Relationship between Proxy Efficacy, Self-efficacy and Exercise Attendance
Authors: Bray Steven R. , Gyurcsik Nancy C. , Culos-Reed S. Nicole , Dawson Kimberley A. , Martin Kathleen A.
Published: April 2009

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between perceptions of self-efficacy, proxy efficacy, and exercise class attendance of participants involved in a 10-week structured group fitness program. At week 3, 127 females completed measures of self-efficacy and proxy efficacy and their class attendance was monitored for the subsequent four weeks. Self-efficacy was assessed through measures of exercise, scheduling, and barrier self-efficacy. Proxy efficacy was assessed through a measure of fitness instructor efficacy defined as participants’ confidence in their fitness instructors’ communication, teaching, and motivating capabilities. Results revealed positive correlations between self-efficacy variables and proxy efficacy. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that among those who were classified as exercise initiates ( n = 33), self-efficacy and proxy efficacy accounted for 34 percent of the variance in exercise class attendance with the latter variable explaining a unique 12 percent. Consistent with theorizing, these preliminary findings indicate that for instructor-led, group physical activities such as aerobics classes, proxy efficacy perceptions are related to self-efficacy and may also be an important predictor of exercise behavior.
Subliminal Perception: Biased Attributions in Matching Persons with Drawings of Germs?
Authors: Deangelo Leanna
Published: April 2009

Subliminal perception was used to explore the magical contagion paradigm and ascertain whether drawings of germs perceived as harmful or threatening would be assumed to belong to members of stigmatized groups. In study 1, descriptions of persons (primes) were shown subliminally for 50 milliseconds and participants chose which germ they felt belonged to that person after the presentation. The germs perceived as least harmful and threatening were assigned to participants' best friends’ first names, subjects’ own first names, and young Hispanic persons. The groups of persons assigned the most harmful and threatening germs were older black and older Hispanic persons. In study 2, primes were shown for a longer period of time that allowed for conscious processing and males were assigned the more harmful germs at a statistically significant rate.
Accounts of Quitting among Older Ex-smokers with Smoking-related Disease
Authors: Parry O. , Fowkes F. G. R. , Thomson C.
Published: April 2009

This article uses a discourse analytic method to explore how a sample of ex-smokers with smoking-related illness position themselves, and are positioned by, the language they use in their accounts of quitting. The article suggests that discursive constructions (having ‘no choice’ and getting ‘another chance’) used by the respondents position them in a way that constrains behaviour by closing down the option of smoking and/or opening up the possibility of change. In each telling, the respondents' (non-smoking) identities are confirmed anew and this affirmation may assist in sustaining the change and provide protection against relapse. Moreover, the article suggests that the development and exchange of these stories may contribute to the growth of shared beliefs about the experience of quitting, opening up the option of quitting for current smokers. In so doing, accounts of quitting provided by ex-smokers undermine or resist dominant social understandings that even among those highly motivated to stop smoking, quitting is a difficult, if not impossible, endeavour.
Illness Identity and the Self-regulatory Model in Recovery from Early Stage Gynaecological Cancer
Authors: Bradley E. J. , Calvert E. , Pitts M. K. , Redman C. W. E.
Published: April 2009

Women in recovery from early stage gynaecological cancer have extremely good survival and low recurrence rates. Despite this, women continue to feel vulnerable to cancer recurrence for years after treatment. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to explore the factors involved in recovery from gynaecological cancer. This article argues that the illness identity of gynaecological cancer perpetuates a vulnerability to cancer recurrence. The absence of self-diagnosis prior to medical diagnosis is important in the formation of gynaecological cancer illness identity. A lack of self-diagnosis may be due to the ‘normalization’ of initial symptomatology. It is suggested that illness identity is responsible for maintaining fears of symptom-free cancer recurrence. The self-regulatory model is employed to explore this process, looking in particular at the reinforcement of reassurance needs.
Feeling Indecent: Breast Cancer Screening Resistance of Mexican-descent Women
Authors: Borrayo Evelinn A. , Jenkins Sharon Rae
Published: April 2009

This grounded theory study investigated how Mexican-descent women's traditional cultural beliefs, values, and norms regarding the propriety of their behavior and that of their health care providers influence their decision to participate in breast cancer screening. Thirty-four women (aged 49–81 years old) were interviewed in five focus groups using theoretical sampling across levels of acculturation and socioeconomic status. We discovered that the women's basic social-psychological problem is that screening is an insensitive procedure that violates their cultural standards by requiring inappropriate behavior. The risk involved is ‘feeling indecent’ since both touching one's breast and breast exposure to health care providers is prohibited according to cultural norms for respectable female behavior. Thus, women resist participating in breast cancer screening to avoid feeling indecent.
Cue-responding in a Simulated Bad News Situation: Exploring a Stress Hypothesis
Authors: De Valck C. , Bruynooghe R. , Bensing J. M. , Kerssens J. J. , Hulsman R. L.
Published: April 2009

The stress-coping paradigm of Folkman and Lazarus (1984) was applied to investigate if the communicative reactions of the physician in a bad news transaction are related to the stressfulness of the situation. A standardized video bad news consultation was presented to 88 medical students. To examine their communicative reactions we selected 10 patient cues with different levels of expressed emotion to which the participants responded from the physician’s point of view. A strongly positive relationship between expressed emotion and perceived difficulty of the cues and a gender effect occurred, confirming that handling emotions is stressful for physicians. The reluctance of physicians to address the emotionally laden issues of the consultation can be understood as a lack of a frame of reference. The problem-solving strategies, which they apply in the instrumental domain of the consultation, are ineffective when dealing with psychosocial suffering.
Re-appraising HIV Testing among Scottish Gay Men: The Impact of New HIV Treatments
Authors: Flowers Paul , Knussen Christina , Duncan Barbara
Published: April 2009

This paper explores Scottish gay men's understandings of HIV testing within the context of changes stemming from the availability of new treatments for HIV. Transcripts of one-toone interviews with 18 gay men were analysed together with those from four focus groups ( n= 19) concerning HIV testing, HIV status and HIV risk management. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to identify recurrent themes. We focus upon a rise of HIV-optimism, risk-complacency and HIV fatigue and chart the apparent transformation of HIV diagnosis from ‘death sentence’ to ‘life sentence’. In turn, we explore how these changes have impacted upon HIV testing. As HIV management becomes increasingly medicalized, we highlight the ongoing need to attend to psychological and social issues.
Resources for Health: A Social-Ecological Intervention for Supporting Self-management of Chronic Conditions
Authors: Riley Kimberly M. , Glasgow Russell E. , Eakin Elizabeth G.
Published: April 2009

There is a pressing need for practical interventions to support self-management of chronic illness that can be integrated with primary care, and that take into account the patient's social environment. This pilot study was conducted with low-income clients of a community health center and focused on enhancing use of social-environmental resources supportive of self-management. Twenty-eight patients having at least one chronic illness, randomized to immediate versus delayed treatment conditions, met once with a health educator to develop a self-management plan, and received one follow-up phone call and two newsletters. Significant improvements in use of community resources, minutes of physical activity, and medication adherence were obtained compared to control. Integrating brief self-management counseling with social environmental support appeared effective, although much more can be done to better link counseling to primary care practice.
A Comparative Analysis of the SF-12 and the SF-36 among Ischaemic Heart Disease Patients
Authors: Dempster Martin , Donnelly Michael
Published: April 2009

This paper investigated whether the SF-12 could replace the SF-36 in the measurement of health status among ischaemic heart disease patients. The SF-36 and SF-12 were administered to 105 cardiac patients. The SF-36 summary scores were strongly correlated and similar to the SF-12 summary scores. Also, the SF-12 scores were as powerful as the SF-36 summary scores in discriminating between subgroups of patients categorized according to their self-reported health status or angina classification. It is suggested that when there is a need to collect routine information about cardiac patients' general physical and mental health, the SF-12 is preferable to the SF-36 because of its brevity and acceptability to patients.
Self-regulatory Processes in the Adoption and Maintenance of Health Behaviors
Authors: Schwarzer Ralf
Published: April 2009

Specific psychological constructs and comprehensive models or theories have been designed to account for individual differences in the way people abstain from risk behaviors, adopt health behaviors, and succeed or fail in self-regulatory attempts. The present article traces the development of recent health behavior theories and relates them to research in the fields of motivation and self-regulation. Special emphasis is placed on optimism, both as a state and as a trait construct within self-regulatory processes. It is argued that optimistic self-beliefs may be phase-specific. For example, some individuals may have high confidence in their ability to set ambitious goals, whereas others may have high confidence in their ability to recover from setbacks. Moreover, a distinction is made between goal attainment processes and threat appraisal processes. Thus, emotions and behavior may differ when striving for superior health goals as opposed to coping with health threats. The present considerations are put forward to further elaborate the author's Health Action Process Approach (HAPA).
Personality, Preventive Health Behaviour and Comparative Optimism about Health Problems
Authors: Ingledew David K. , Brunning Stuart
Published: April 2009

The aim was to test a model whereby personality influences preventive health behaviour which in turn influences comparative optimism about possible future health problems. Students ( N 5 150) completed measures of personality (five-factor), preventive health behaviour and comparative optimism. The model was tested using structural equation modelling with observed variables. In the final model, agreeableness and conscientiousness had positive main effects and an interactive effect upon preventive health behaviour. Preventive health behaviour had a positive effect upon comparative optimism. In addition, extraversion had a direct positive effect (not mediated by preventive health behaviour) upon comparative optimism. It is speculated that agreeableness and conscientiousness combine to produce a general regard for social convention that is conducive to healthier behaviour. The effect of extraversion is explicable in terms of positive affectivity.
The Young Person's Perspective on Living and Coping with Diabetes
Authors: Schur Helen V. , Gamsu D. S. , Barley Valerie M.
Published: April 2009

Adolescence and young adulthood is a time of significant psychological and psychosocial development, and for young people with Type 1 diabetes mellitus it is a time when self-care and metabolic control of diabetes may become compromised. In order to enhance services’ efforts to meet the complex needs of young people with diabetes, a qualitative interview study with eight young people (aged 16–22 years) was carried out. Young people identified an inherent vulnerability associated with having diabetes and feared that diabetes would take control and overwhelm them. Through learning to live with diabetes, and learning to manage a relationship with diabetes, the young people had developed sophisticated, interrelated self-protective strategies to manage intrapersonal and interpersonal threats from diabetes.
Symptom Interpretation and Medication Adherence among Late Middle-age and Older HIV-infected Adults
Authors: Siegel Karolynn , Schrimshaw Eric W. , Dean Laura
Published: April 2009

All individuals, whether healthy or ill, have bodily ‘expectancies’. Symptoms recognized as deviations from these expectancies necessitate interpretive activities. The behavioral implications of symptom interpretations are explored using data from a psychosocial study of the adaptation to HIV illness among late middle-aged and older men and women. Thematic analysis revealed that rather than the mere presence of symptoms, it was the attributions made for these symptoms that influenced whether patients adhered to multidrug antiviral medications. Decreased adherence was reported when symptoms were interpreted as side-effects because these symptoms were interpreted as evidence that the medications were making them sicker or had greater risks than benefits. Similarly, the failure of medications to relieve symptoms also negatively influenced adherence because they were interpreted as not having any effect. In nearly all cases, physicians were not consulted until after non-adherence, if at all. Implications of symptom interpretations for patient care and intervention are discussed.
Volunteerism and Mortality among the Community-dwelling Elderly
Authors: Oman Doug , Thoresen Carl E. , Mcmahon Kay
Published: April 2009

Older residents ( N 5 1972) in California were investigated prospectively for association of volunteering service to others and all-cause mortality. Potential confounding factors were studied: demographics, health status, physical functioning, health habits, social support, religious involvement, and emotional states. Possible interaction effects of volunteering with religious involvement and social support were also explored. Results showed that 31 percent ( n 5 630) of respondents volunteered, about half ( n5289) for more than one organization. High volunteers ([.greaterequal]2 organizations) had 63 percent lower mortality than nonvolunteers (age and sex-adjusted) with relative hazard (RH) 5 0.37, confidence interval (CI) 5 0.24, 0.58. Multivariate adjustment moderately reduced difference to 44 percent (RH 5 0.56, CI 5 0.35, 0.89), mostly due to physical functioning, health habits, and social support. Unexpectedly, volunteering was slightly more protective for those with high religious involvement and perceived social support. After multivariate adjustment, any level of volunteering reduced mortality by 60 percent among weekly attenders at religious services (RH 5 0.40; CI 5 0.21,0.74). Lower mortality rates for community service volunteers were only partly explained by health habits, physical functioning, religious attendance, and social support.
Religiosity is Associated with Affective Status in Symptomatic HIV-infected African-American Women
Authors: Woods Teresa E. , Antoni Michael H. , Ironson Gail H. , Kling David W.
Published: April 2009

This study examined the relationship between religiosity and the affective and immune status of 33 HIV-seropositive mildly symptomatic African-American women (CDC stage B) in a replication of a prior study that reported an association between religiosity and affective and immune status in HIV-seropositive gay men. All women completed an intake interview, a set of psychosocial questionnaires, and provided a venous blood sample. Consistent with prior work, factor analysis of 12 religious-oriented response items revealed two distinct aspects to religiosity: religious coping and religious behavior. Religious coping (e.g. placing trust in God, seeking comfort in religion) was significantly associated with lower depression and anxiety. Regression analyses revealed the association between religious coping and depressive symptoms appears to be mediated by an active coping style. However, the association between religious coping and anxiety does not appear to be mediated by either active coping or sense of self-efficacy in these women. In contrast to prior work, neither religious coping nor religious behavior was significantly associated with immune status as measured by T helper-inducer (CD41) cell counts.
The Vigil: Religion and the Search for Control in the Hospital Waiting Room
Authors: Pargament Kenneth I. , Cole Brenda , Vandecreek Larry , Belavich Timothy , Brant Curtis , Perez Lisa
Published: April 2009

This study examined how religion is involved in achieving a sense of personal control in a situation that evokes feelings of distress and vulnerability. One hundred and fifty family members, waiting in the hospital while their relative underwent coronary artery bypass surgery, completed a survey about their methods of coping, event-specific outcomes, and adjustment (depression and anxiety). As predicted, religious methods of coping designed to achieve control predicted outcomes and adjustment beyond the effects of non-religious coping measures and traditional general measures of religiousness. A collaborative approach to religious coping, in which the individual shares the responsibility for coping with God, was particularly associated with better outcomes. However, the religious coping measures were also associated with higher self-reported levels of depression and anxiety. Exploratory path analyses suggested that anxiety and depression may be stressors in themselves, eliciting religious coping responses which, in turn, lead to specific outcomes. These findings underscore the practical and empirical value of a closer, more detailed analysis of the roles of religion in coping with uncontrollable life stressors.
Spiritually and Religiously Oriented Health Interventions
Authors: Harris Alex H. S. , Thoresen Carl E. , Mccullough Michael E. , Larson David B.
Published: April 2009

Controlled intervention studies offer considerable promise to better understand relationships and possible mechanisms between spiritual and religious factors and health. Studies examining spiritually augmented cognitive–behavioral therapies, forgiveness interventions, different meditation approaches, 12-step fellowships, and prayer have provided some evidence, albeit modest, of efficacy in improving health under specific conditions. Researchers need to describe spiritual and religious factors more clearly and precisely, as well as demonstrate that such factors independently influence treatment efficacy. Inclusion of potential moderating and mediating variables (e.g. extent of religious commitment, intrinsic religiousness, specific religious coping strategy) in intervention designs could help explain relationships and outcomes. Using a variety of research designs (e.g. randomized clinical trials, single-subject experimental designs) and assessment methods (e.g. daily self-monitoring, ambulatory physiological measures, in-depth structured interviews) would avoid current limitations of short-term studies using only questionnaires.
An Examination of Psychological Variables Relevant to Artificial Tanning Tendencies
Authors: Hillhouse Joel , Turrisi Robert , Holwiski Frank , McVeigh Scott
Published: April 2009

Cognitions relevant to tanning salon decision making were studied using Jaccard's Theory of Alternative Behavior (J. Jaccard. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology1981; 17: 286–307). Questionnaires were administered assessing tanning salon use, attitudes toward tanning salon use, attitudes toward reasonable behavioral alternatives, and cognitive variables underlying these variables. Tanning salon use reports were very high in this sample. The results support the notion that young people make decisions regarding using tanning salons based on the behavioral alternatives available to them. Specifically, subjects with stronger preferences for using clothing to enhance appearance were less likely to use tanning salons. Furthermore, the multivariate approach used clearly delineates the specific cognitive beliefs and orientations that might be targeted to change these attitudes. The relevance of these findings to skin cancer prevention is discussed.
Perceptions of Mental and Physical Illnesses in North-western Ethiopia
Authors: Mulatu Mesfin Samuel
Published: April 2009

Four hundred and fifty adults (mean age 34 years; 55 percent males) from northwestern Ethiopia were interviewed to explore their causal beliefs about, perceived importance of various treatments for, and attitudes towards, six mental and three physical illnesses. Principal components analysis identified four meaningful illness causal belief dimensions: Psychosocial Stressors, Supernatural Retribution, Biomedical Defects, and Socio-Environmental Deprivation. Psychosocial Stressors and Supernatural Retribution were rated more important causes of mental than physical illnesses. Prayer and home/family care were suggested more strongly for treating mental than physical illnesses. Systematic associations were found between causal beliefs, treatment beliefs, and attitudes towards patients. Respondents' educational level was negatively related with traditional beliefs and positively related with favorable attitudes towards patients. It is concluded that causal beliefs, perceived importance of treatments, and attitude towards patients among northwestern Ethiopians are meaningfully interrelated. Implications for health services and research are discussed.
Surviving a Serious Traffic Accident
Authors: Cagnetta Eva , Cicognani Elvira
Published: April 2009

Research on the consequences of motor vehicle accidents centres mainly on the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic psychological–behavioural reactions of the people involved. Few studies have explored the experience of surviving a serious accident and its impact on different dimensions of individuals' lives. This qualitative study aims at investigating adaptation strategies and quality of life of 20 severely injured accident survivors who spent several months in an intensive care unit of a hospital, and who still suffer permanent injuries of varying extent. Participants completed individual in-depth interviews which were subsequently analysed according to the grounded theory method. The findings indicate that the adaptation process follows a sequence of temporal phases (‘past–present’, ‘present’, ‘future’ and ‘being’), characterized by different emotional and behavioural reactions, perceived needs, and by the adoption of specific coping strategies. The duration of the adaptation process is influenced by the severity of the injury suffered, participants' age at the time of the trauma, the occurrence of coma and the availability of social support in participants' life environment.
Attachment, masculinity, and self-control
Authors: Hayslett-Mccall Karen L. , Bernard Thomas J.
Published: April 2009

Attachment theory and research from developmental psychology suggest that disruptions in attachments to primary caregivers in early childhood have long-term negative consequences. Scholars in the emerging field of men’s studies argue that boys disproportionately experience these disruptions of early attachment and that these disruptions are causally related to elements of what is often described as the masculine gender role. These two bodies of theory and research are combined with Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) theory of low self-control in a new theory of disproportionate male offending.
Subordinating hegemonic masculinity
Authors: Jefferson Tony
Published: April 2009

This article starts with a paradox, namely, the widespread talk of a ‘crisis of masculinity’ alongside the strong endorsement of Bob Connell’s concept of ‘hegemonic masculinity’, a term which implies (following Gramsci’s use of hegemony) the opposite of crisis. This produces the article’s first objective, namely, a critical look at the origins of the term hegemonic masculinity and its subsequent usage. This finds it problematic on several grounds: its tendency to be used attributionally (despite Connell’s insistence on the relational nature of masculinity) and, within criminology, focused specifically on negative attributes; its use in the singular, implying it is not a contingent, context-specific notion; and its oversociological view of masculinity. This last problem produces the article’s second objective, namely, to begin to develop a more adequate, psychosocial view of masculinity. It does this in several stages. It starts with two attempts to produce more psychologically complex accounts of masculinity: one by Wetherell and Edley, which argues for the (Lacanian-inspired) idea of a psycho-discursive subject, but fails to produce an authentic inner world; another by MacInnes which distinguishes between sexual genesis (being born of a woman and a man) and sexual difference (being born as a woman or a man). This recognizes an inner world ‘beyond social construction’ (sexual genesis), but fails to address how this is related to particular investments in positions within gender relations (the social ideology of biological sexual difference). The final section attempts to put together the rudiments of a more adequate psychosocial understanding of masculinity, starting with the importance of sexual genesis and the early vulnerabilities and anxieties to which this gives rise, and the unconscious defences necessarily precipitated. Contrasting accounts of the unconscious follow: Freud’s Oedipal, repression-based account in which gender is inherently implicated versus Klein’s pre-Oedipal splitting/projection-based account in which gender is not implicated. The problems with Freud’s gendered account provide the basis for taking the Kleinian route. Thereafter, how to conceptualize the link between (psychic) anxiety and (social) gender is explored through the writings of Chodorow, Layton and (especially) Benjamin. It is on this terrain, I contend, where both fantasy and the social are co-present but irreducible, that a more adequate, psychosocial understanding of masculinity needs to be produced.