Support seeker expectations, support message quality, and supportive interaction processes and outcomes: The case of the comforting computer program revisited

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 647-666
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Rains ◽  
Corey A. Pavlich ◽  
Bethany Lutovsky ◽  
Eric Tsetsi ◽  
Anjali Ashtaputre
Keyword(s):  
Computer Program ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Supportive Communication ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Interaction Processes ◽  
Personal Problem ◽  
Prime Condition

Developing a complete understanding of supportive communication in personal relationships requires considering the role of support seekers. We examined the influence of seeker expectations and verbal person centeredness (VPC) on the nature and outcomes of supportive interactions. Participants discussed a personal problem during an interaction with a fictional computer program called “ListenerBot.” Participants’ expectations about the helpfulness of ListenerBot and the quality of ListenerBot’s feedback in the form of VPC were manipulated. Participants in the helpful prime condition wrote more words during the interaction and evaluated ListenerBot more favorably than participants in the unhelpful prime condition. Relative to participants who received low VPC feedback, participants who received high VPC feedback evaluated ListenerBot more positively and experienced a greater reduction in emotional distress. Tests for indirect effects showed that VPC and the expectations prime contributed to participants’ reduction in emotional distress through influencing their evaluations of ListenerBot.

Evaluating the Scope and Theoretical Mechanisms of Person-Centered Social Support: The Case of the Comforting Computer Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-540
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Rains ◽  
Corey A. Pavlich ◽  
Eric Tsetsi ◽  
Chelsie Akers
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Computer Program ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Feedback Path ◽  
Personal Problem ◽  
Theoretical Mechanism ◽  
Path Models ◽  
Low Levels

Although the utility of verbal person-centeredness (VPC) as a feature of social support messages has been demonstrated in numerous studies, questions remain about the scope and theoretical mechanisms that explain VPC effects. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate whether the salutary effects of VPC extend to generic VPC messages and to explore the role of validation as a theoretical mechanism. Participants discussed a personal problem with a fictional computer program named “ListenerBot” that provided standardized responses containing high or low levels of VPC. Participants who received high VPC feedback from ListenerBot experienced a greater reduction in emotional distress than participants who received low VPC feedback. Path models consistently showed that high VPC feedback validated participants’ feelings, which led them to reappraise their situation and ultimately reduced their emotional distress. VPC, however, did not impact participants’ discussion of their thoughts and emotions.

Psychisches Befinden, Beschwerden und Belastungen: Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Studie

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Schmidt ◽  
Franz Petermann ◽  
Manfred E. Beutel ◽  
Elmar Brähler
Keyword(s):  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Patient Health Questionnaire ◽  
Health Questionnaire ◽  
Klinische Praxis ◽  
Psychisches Befinden ◽  
Patient Health

Zusammenfassung. Die Erfassung von Beschwerden und der Befindlichkeit sind wesentlicher Teil eines klinisch-diagnostischen Prozesses. Da Angststörungen und Depressionen in hohem Maße mit verschiedenen psychischen und körperlichen Belastung einhergehen, wurden in dieser Studie primär die prädiktiven Eigenschaften der Beschwerden-Liste (B-LR) und der Befindlichkeits-Skala (Bf-SR) in revidierter Form mittels Regressionsanalysen (linear und hierarchisch) an einer Stichprobe von N = 2504 untersucht. Als abhängiges Kriterium galt die Ausprägung von Angst- und Depressionssymptomen, ermittelt über das Kurzscreening Patient-Health-Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Da vermutet wurde, dass entsprechende Symptome auch einen Einfluss auf die Qualität sozialer Beziehungen des Betroffenen haben und die globale Lebenszufriedenheit beeinflussen, wurden zudem das Quality of Personal Relationships Inventory (QRI) sowie der Fragebogen zur Lebenszufriedenheit (FLZM) eingesetzt. Sowohl B-LR als auch Bf-SR verfügten über alle Altersgruppen und geschlechtsinvariant über hohe prädiktive Eigenschaften. Die Qualität sozialer Beziehung (QRI) eignet sich nicht zur Vorhersage von Angst und Depressionen. Globale Lebenszufriedenheit nimmt in der Altersgruppe 14–74 gegenläufig zum Anstieg von Angst- und Depressionssymptomen signifikant ab, in der Altersgruppe der ⩾ 75-jährigen Männern leistet diese jedoch keinen signifikanten Beitrag zur Varianzaufklärung. Bei den Frauen dieser Altersgruppe geht eine Erhöhung der Lebenszufriedenheit mit der Zunahme von Angst- und Depressionssymptomen einher. Die Ergebnisse lassen den Schluss zu, dass der Einsatz von B-LR und Bf-SR eine gute Informations- und Handlungsbasis für Forschung und klinische Praxis darstellen. Die unterschiedlichen Tendenzen innerhalb der Analysen zwischen Männern und Frauen weisen auf geschlechtsspezifische Verarbeitungsmechanismen hin. In höherem Alter sollte die Ausprägung von Beschwerden Indikator für die Ermittlung weiterer Ressourcen darstellen, um einen positiven Einfluss auf die Lebenszufriedenheit auszuüben.

Cognitive Health Counseling 40+

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Eschen ◽  
Franzisca Zehnder ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Pilot Phase ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Main Outcome Variable ◽  
Further Development

This article introduces Cognitive Health Counseling 40+ (CH.CO40+), an individualized intervention that is conceptually based on the orchestration model of quality-of-life management ( Martin & Kliegel, 2010 ) and aims at improving satisfaction with cognitive health in adults aged 40 years and older. We describe the theoretically deduced characteristics of CH.CO40+, its target group, its multifactorial nature, its individualization, the application of subjective and objective measures, the role of participants as agents of change, and the rationale for choosing participants’ satisfaction with their cognitive health as main outcome variable. A pilot phase with 15 middle-aged and six older adults suggests that CH.CO40+ attracts, and may be particularly suitable for, subjective memory complainers. Implications of the pilot data for the further development of the intervention are discussed.

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