scholarly journals Does Sexism Affect Thai Women's Psychological and Behavioural Responses? The Stereotype Threat-Buffering Effect of Mindfulness

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prapimpa Jarunratanakul ◽  
Kamonkan Jinchang

Few studies have examined the linkage of perceived sexism with stereotype threat and psychological responses in a work setting and moderators that may buffer this negative effect. In Study 1, the relationships among perceived sexism, stereotype threat, and psychological responses were explored among Thai female employees (N = 296) in a self-report questionnaire study. The aim of Study 2 was to investigate whether mindfulness can mitigate the disastrous effect of sexism on performance, using an experimental design. In Study 1, the standard error of measurement (SEM) results observed a partial mediation effect of stereotype threat for the sexism-disidentification relationship, and sexism only had a significant direct effect on career aspirations. In Study 2, the interaction effect of sexism × mindfulness on the female participants’ reasoning test scores was significant, indicating that those with mindfulness practice performed better when being exposed to sexist behaviours. The current research provides additional information on understanding the impact of sexism on disengagement and decreased career aspirations among Thai female employees in male-dominated industries. In practice, Thai organisations should be concerned about the impact of sexism on disengagement and the protective factor of performance decrements by encouraging anti-sexist norms and fostering the cultivation of mindfulness through practice.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Moritz ◽  
Insa Happach ◽  
Karla Spirandelli ◽  
Tania M. Lincoln ◽  
Fabrice Berna

Abstract. Neurocognitive deficits in patients with mental disorders are partially due to secondary influences. “Stereotype threat” denotes the phenomenon that performance is compromised when a participant is confronted with a devaluing stereotype. The present study examined the impact of stereotype threat on neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia. Seventy-seven participants with a self-reported diagnosis of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition involving stereotype threat activation or a control condition in an online study. Participants completed memory and attention tests as well as questionnaires on motivation, self-efficacy expectations, cognitive complaints, and self-stigmatization. Contrary to our prediction, the two groups showed no significant differences regarding neuropsychological performance and self-report measures. Limitations, such as a possibly too weak threat cue, are discussed and recommendations for future studies are outlined.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Jacobson ◽  
Rebecca Mulholland ◽  
Nicola Miller ◽  
Laura Baker ◽  
Daniel Glazer ◽  
...  

AbstractBACKGROUNDAdolescents and young people (AYA) with cancer are at greater risk of psychological distress which can impact treatment. COVID-19 has resulted in changes to cancer care delivery and AYA have been disproportionately affected by economic and educational effects of COVID-19, potentially impacting on mental health. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on AYA with cancer is important to inform care.METHODSOnline survey of 16-24 year olds receiving cancer treatment at 8 cancer centres in the UK in December 2020. We measured: self-perceived increased anxiety since COVID-19, impact of COVID-19 on treatment, life and relationships and used the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-8), 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale(GAD) and the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale(CD-RISC).RESULTS112 AYA participated (17.8% of total eligible). 62.8% were female, 67.3% were 21-24 years. 83% were white. 59.8% had previously experienced mental health difficulties. 67.9% received cancer treatment during the pandemic and 33.9% were diagnosed during the pandemic. 78.6% reported COVID-19 having a significant impact on their life, 55.4% on their key relationship and 39.3% on their treatment. 79% reported experiencing some degree of increased anxiety since COVID-19.43.4% had moderate-severe PHQ-8 scores and 37.1% for GADS-7. Self-report of impact on life was associated with greater anxiety during COVID-19 and moderate-severe PHQ-8 score (OR 3.64, 95% CI 2.52 to 19.40, p <0.01; OR 5.23, 95%CI 1.65 to 16.56, p < 0.01). Impact on relationships was associated with greater anxiety and moderate-severe GADS-7and PHQ-8 score (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.11 to 7.54, p = 0,03; OR 3.54, 95% CI 2.32 to 15.17, p<0.01; OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.25, p =0.03). Greater CD-RISC score was associated with lower risk of anxiety and mod-severe GADS-7and PHQ-8 scores (OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.41 to 0.81, p <0.01; OR 0.55 95% CI 0.4 to 0.72, p <0.01; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.69, p <0.01)CONCLUSIONSWe found high levels of psychological distress in AYA with cancer, which is important knowledge for clinical teams working with this age group. Perceived impact of COVID-19 on relationships and life was predictive of poorer mental health, with resilience a potential protective factor.


Author(s):  
Benita Wielgus ◽  
Witold Urban ◽  
Aleksandra Patriak ◽  
Łukasz Cichocki

Social distancing plays a leading role in controlling the spread of coronavirus. However, prolonged lockdown can lead to negative consequences in terms of mental health. The goal of the research is to examine the relationship between anxiety and general psychosomatic functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of psychological flexibility and mindfulness is also considered. Variables were measured with self-report questionnaires and symptom checklists. The sample included 170 people (M = 27.79, SD = 8.16). Pearson’s correlation, stepwise regression, and path analysis were conducted. The results showed a significant positive relationship between state anxiety and somatic and psychological responses to the pandemic. Path analysis revealed that mindfulness had a direct negative impact on and decreased the level of state anxiety (b = −0.22, p = 0.002), whereas psychological flexibility influenced the variable indirectly (b = 0.23, p = 0.002) by enhancing psychosomatic functioning (b = −0.64, p < 0.001). Psychological flexibility and mindfulness may mediate the development of mental disorders and facilitate achieving overall wellbeing. The study points to the usefulness of mindfulness practice as a form of self-help with anxiety symptoms; this is crucial during the pandemic because contact with clients is restricted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1148
Author(s):  
Lisa Simon ◽  
Talita Jiryis ◽  
Roee Admon

Exposure to acute stress elicit physiological and psychological responses that can impact decision-making, often expressed as an increased tendency to act in an impulsive manner following stress. Delay discounting (DD) task has emerged as a reliable measure of impulsive behavior in the form of choice impulsivity (CI). Interestingly, studies that examined the effect of acute stress on DD performance reported mixed results. To address this, we conducted a within-subject examination of the impact of acute stress on CI, focusing on individual differences in response patterns. One hundred and fifty healthy female participants completed the DD task twice, before and after undergoing an acute laboratory stress induction procedure. Saliva samples and self-report mood and affect measures were collected at four time points throughout the session. Fifty-nine matched healthy control participants completed only the DD task twice, with no stress in between. Results indicate that the acute stress procedure elicited the expected effects of increased cortisol release and increased negative mood and affect, at the group level. With respect to DD, stress indeed increased CI at the group level, yet participants differed in the magnitude and direction of this effect. Interestingly, regression analysis revealed quadratic relations between stress-induced changes in CI and cortisol release. Indeed, dividing the sample into three sub-groups based on the impact of stress on CI revealed that, compared to participants that exhibited no substantial change in their CI following stress, participants that exhibited either stress-induced increase or decrease in their CI also exhibited more stress-induced cortisol release, as well as more negative affect. Taken together, these findings suggest that elevated physiological and psychological responses to stress are associated with either increased or decreased choice impulsivity, thus depicting quadratic relations between stress and impulsivity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Lyn Murphy

As enrollment in online graduate education increases, retention continues to be problematic for many colleges and universities across the United States.  Non-traditional students, who represent the majority of online graduate student enrollment, have unique issues related to persistence considering they often must juggle the demands of graduate school with work and families.  The competing demands can lead to increased levels of perceived stress, which can impact academic performance due to increased mind wandering and decreased attention.   Mindfulness is a practice that has been shown in the literature to decrease levels of perceived stress and mind wandering, therefore, the integration of mindfulness practice could have a positive effect on student persistence in online graduate education.  Therefore, an online open access mindfulness course was created at one large urban university. The purpose of this explanatory sequential study was to explore the impact of teaching mindfulness to online graduate students.  Self-report levels of perceived stress and mind wandering were significantly lower after students completed Module One of an open access mindfulness course.  Self-reported perceived persistence levels were found to be significantly higher after Module One with students in the first or second quarter of their program, students with little or no mindfulness experience, and students who meditated four or more times a week.  Furthermore, students interviewed felt that the course provided excellent foundational information about mindfulness that could be immediately applied, and therefore should be a requirement for all incoming students. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L. Murphy ◽  
Vicki L. McKenzie

Families and schools are important environments that contribute to the resilience and positive development of preadolescent children. Sense of mastery, including its two central factors of optimism and self-efficacy, forms an important component of resilience during preadolescence (Prince-Embury, 2007). This study examined the interrelationships between family functioning, school connectedness, and sense of mastery in 75 children (46 girls and 29 boys) from a government school in Melbourne, Australia. Data was gathered from students aged 10 to 12 years through three self-report questionnaires. Negative perceptions of family functioning were significantly associated with the resilience factors of low sense of mastery, optimism, and self-efficacy. Higher school connectedness was significantly associated with greater sense of mastery, optimism, and self-efficacy. Additional evaluation revealed school connectedness to partially mediate the relationship between family functioning and sense of mastery. School connectedness appears to be a protective factor against the negative influence of poor family functioning. Findings highlight the important role of school connectedness in preadolescent resilience, as measured in terms of mastery, and suggest that interventions directed to enhance school connectedness are of value, particularly for children from poorly functioning families.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Jacobson ◽  
Nicola Miller ◽  
Rebecca Mulholland ◽  
Laura Baker ◽  
Daniel Glazer ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young people (AYA) with cancer are at greater risk of psychological distress which can impact treatment. COVID-19 has resulted in changes to cancer care delivery and AYA have been disproportionately affected by economic and educational effects of COVID-19, potentially impacting on mental health. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on AYA with cancer is important to inform care. METHODS: Online survey of 16-24 year olds receiving cancer treatment at 8 cancer centres in the UK in December 2020. We measured: self-perceived increased anxiety since COVID-19, impact of COVID-19 on treatment, life and relationships and used the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-8), 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale(GAD) and the 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale(CD-RISC). RESULTS: 112 AYA participated (17.8% of total eligible). 62.8% were female, 67.3% were 21-24 years. 83% were white. 59.8% had previously experienced mental health difficulties. 67.9% received cancer treatment during the pandemic and 33.9% were diagnosed during the pandemic. 78.6% reported COVID-19 having a significant impact on their life, 55.4% on their key relationship and 39.3% on their treatment. 79% reported experiencing some degree of increased anxiety since COVID-19.43.4% had moderate-severe PHQ-8 scores and 37.1% for GADS-7. Self-report of impact on life was associated with greater anxiety during COVID-19 and moderate-severe PHQ-8 score (OR 3.64, 95% CI 2.52 to 19.40, p <0.01; OR 5.23, 95%CI 1.65 to 16.56, p < 0.01). Impact on relationships was associated with greater anxiety and moderate-severe GADS-7and PHQ-8 score (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.11 to 7.54, p = 0,03; OR 3.54, 95% CI 2.32 to 15.17, p<0.01; OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.11 to 5.25, p =0.03). Greater CD-RISC score was associated with lower risk of anxiety and mod-severe GADS-7and PHQ-8 scores (OR 0.58, 95%CI 0.41 to 0.81, p <0.01; OR 0.55 95% CI 0.4 to 0.72, p <0.01; OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.69, p <0.01) CONCLUSIONS: We found high levels of psychological distress in AYA with cancer, which is important knowledge for clinical teams working with this age group. Perceived impact of COVID-19 on relationships and life was predictive of poorer mental health, with resilience a potential protective factor.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110343
Author(s):  
Michal Mahat-Shamir ◽  
Shani Pitcho-Prelorentzos ◽  
Maya Kagan ◽  
Miri Kestler-Peleg ◽  
Osnat Lavenda

Based on the theoretical view of Terror Management Theory, the current research examines whether higher levels of death anxiety symptoms, in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, increase the extent to which participants are exposed to information regarding the spread of the pandemic, as well as the fear of contagion and symptoms of hypochondriasis, which all in turn increase symptoms of adjustment disorder. A total number of 302 participants filled out self-report questionnaires regarding death anxiety, adjustment disorder, the extent of exposure to information regarding COVID-19, fear of contagion, hypochondriasis, and demographic information. Structural Equation Modeling analysis indicated a very good fit of the theoretical model with the data, confirming the mediation effect of exposure to information, fear of contagion, and symptoms of hypochondriasis on the association between death anxiety and adjustment disorder symptoms. Implications for practice are discussed.


Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 238-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W. C. Wong ◽  
Wincy S. C. Chan ◽  
Philip S. L. Beh ◽  
Fiona W. S. Yau ◽  
Paul S. F. Yip ◽  
...  

Background: Ethical issues have been raised about using the psychological autopsy approach in the study of suicide. The impact on informants of control cases who participated in case-control psychological autopsy studies has not been investigated. Aims: (1) To investigate whether informants of suicide cases recruited by two approaches (coroners’ court and public mortuaries) respond differently to the initial contact by the research team. (2) To explore the reactions, reasons for participation, and comments of both the informants of suicide and control cases to psychological autopsy interviews. (3) To investigate the impact of the interviews on informants of suicide cases about a month after the interviews. Methods: A self-report questionnaire was used for the informants of both suicide and control cases. Telephone follow-up interviews were conducted with the informants of suicide cases. Results: The majority of the informants of suicide cases, regardless of the initial route of contact, as well as the control cases were positive about being approached to take part in the study. A minority of informants of suicide and control cases found the experience of talking about their family member to be more upsetting than expected. The telephone follow-up interviews showed that none of the informants of suicide cases reported being distressed by the psychological autopsy interviews. Limitations: The acceptance rate for our original psychological autopsy study was modest. Conclusions: The findings of this study are useful for future participants and researchers in measuring the potential benefits and risks of participating in similar sensitive research. Psychological autopsy interviews may be utilized as an active engagement approach to reach out to the people bereaved by suicide, especially in places where the postvention work is underdeveloped.


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