Investigating Posttraumatic Growth in Midlife Using an Intensive Longitudinal Research Design: Posttraumatic Growth Is Not as Prevalent as Previously Considered

2021 ◽  
pp. 089020702110418
Author(s):  
Frank J. Infurna ◽  
Suniya S. Luthar ◽  
Kevin J. Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Stressor

The notion that adversity leads to enduring improvements in psychological functioning carries promise given the diverse adversities individuals confront over their life course. However, research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) has relied on cross-sectional research designs, which severely limit the ability to discern whether growth transpires following adversity. Our goal was to examine whether PTG is possible across a diverse array of outcomes and identify factors that promote PTG. We analyzed data from a longitudinal, prospective study that assessed midlife participants monthly for a period of 2 years. Over the study period, 276 participants experienced a major life stressor, and multiphase multilevel models were used to examine whether PTG transpired in life satisfaction, gratitude, compassion, generativity, meaning-making, and religiosity/spirituality. On average, life satisfaction, generativity, and meaning-making declined following adversity; substantial between-person differences were observed across all outcomes. Our multidimensional approach revealed that, on average, individuals experienced PTG in less than one outcome. More anticipated support and less interpersonal strain were consistently associated with positive functioning in each outcome. Our discussion focuses on how multidimensional approaches to studying PTG promise to disentangle which outcomes potentially grow following adversity and illuminate best research practices for examining PTG, laying the groundwork for future research.

scholarly journals Development of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire among a sample of people who have consumed psilocybin or LSD

2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112096787
Author(s):  
Alan K Davis ◽  
Frederick S Barrett ◽  
Sara So ◽  
Natalie Gukasyan ◽  
Thomas C Swift ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Therapeutic Outcomes

Background: Several measures have been developed to examine acute psychedelic effects (e.g. mystical-type and challenging experiences), but no measure assesses acute psychologically insightful experiences that may occur during psychedelic experiences. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire. Method: A cross-sectional survey study among psilocybin and LSD users. Respondents ( n=1661; Mage=22.9, standard deviation=8.5; Caucasian/White=83%; non-Hispanic=91%; men=72%; United States resident=66%) completed an Internet-based survey. Results: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire consists of 23 items with two subscales: (a) Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and (b) Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights. Construct validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire was supported by strong correlations of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores with the insight subscale of the Session Impacts Scale, and weak-to-moderate correlations with the Mystical Experiences and Challenging Experiences Questionnaires. Furthermore, Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores were moderately-to-strongly correlated with retrospectively reported increases in psychological flexibility, and well-being/life satisfaction that were attributed to a memorable psychedelic experience. Lastly, incremental validity was established showing that the Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights subscale) scores predict unique variance in changes in psychological flexibility, and Psychological Insight Questionnaire (and Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns Insights and Goals and Adaptive Patterns Insights subscales) scores predict changes in well-being and life satisfaction, beyond measures of acute mystical-type and challenging effects. Conclusions: The Psychological Insight Questionnaire has the potential to extend the understanding of the acute and enduring effects of psychedelics. Further longitudinal research is necessary to determine the long-term predictive validity of the Psychological Insight Questionnaire and to examine the role of psychological insight in predicting therapeutic outcomes.

scholarly journals Are Perfectionistic Thoughts an Antecedent or a Consequence of Depressive Symptoms? A Cross-Lagged Analysis of the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avi Besser ◽  
Gordon L. Flett ◽  
Simon B. Sherry ◽  
Paul L. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Automatic Thoughts ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Cross Sectional

Perfectionistic automatic thoughts have been linked with depressive symptoms in numerous cross-sectional studies, but this link has not been assessed in longitudinal research. An investigation with two timepoints was conducted to test whether perfectionistic automatic thoughts, as assessed by the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory (PCI), are contributors to subsequent depression or vice versa. The possible role of a third factor (major life events stress) was also evaluated. A sample of 118 university students completed the PCI, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Life Experiences Survey on two occasions with a 5-month interval. A cross-lagged analysis using structural equation modeling showed that above and beyond within-time associations and across-time stability effects, perfectionism automatic thoughts contributed to subsequent depressive symptoms and not vice versa. Negative life events stress was correlated significantly with both depressive symptoms and perfectionism automatic thoughts but did not have an influence on Time 2 depressive symptoms or on perfectionistic automatic thoughts. Our discussion focuses on perfectionistic automatic thoughts as a contributor to depressive vulnerability according to the perfectionism cognition theory.

Another Paradox? The Life Satisfaction of Older Hispanic Immigrants in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocío Calvo ◽  
Dawn C. Carr ◽  
Christina Matz-Costa
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Hispanic Immigrants ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Socioeconomic Resources ◽  
Hispanic White

Objective: To investigate disparities in life satisfaction among older Hispanic immigrants in the United States relative to their native-born Hispanic and non-Hispanic White counterparts, and to identify factors associated with such disparities. Method: Cross-sectional data from 9,798 individuals age 60 and above from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used to estimate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models. Results: Hispanic immigrants reported the highest levels of life satisfaction of all groups. Wealthier older adults, who were socially engaged, had social support, and experienced fewer functional limitations and lower exposure to discrimination, were more satisfied with their lives in the overall sample. Interaction effects revealed that although education was associated with greater life satisfaction only among non-Hispanic Whites, co-residing with children was associated with greater life satisfaction only among Hispanics. Discussion: Although older Hispanic immigrants had the least amount of socioeconomic resources of all groups in our study, they were the most satisfied with their lives. Possible explanations and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Students’ Perceptions of Supervisory Qualities: What do Students want? What do they believe they receive?

10.28945/4361 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 431-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana F Davis
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Supervisor Development

Aim/Purpose: This paper explores students’ perceptions of qualities they believe their ideal supervisor should possess as well as those they see as characterizing their current and past supervisors. Background: Over more than three decades, multiple cultural contexts and diverse methodologies, research studies have demonstrated that what person related human qualities in postgraduate research supervision have greater valence for students than does discipline/research expertise. This paper probes why this might be so. Methodology: Across 15 Australian universities and all disciplines 698 students participated in an opt-in online survey which invited students to provide descriptors of their supervisors’ qualities as well as those of their ideal supervisor. The survey was student centred in that it required them to nominate the qualities of their supervisor/s rather than asking them to respond to statements about supervisors/supervision on a Likert scale. Contribution: This research which was designed to allow students to characterise their actual supervisors and their ideal supervisor in an unconstrained and anonymous way demonstrated their dominant valuing of, firstly, human traits consistent with emotional intelligence and, secondly, the professional aspects of supervision especially in relation to research process. In providing a snapshot of the janus face of supervision, these uniquely student generated perspectives on supervisory qualities provide data not only supportive of previous studies with very different methodologies but also with implications for supervisor development programs and supervisor benchmarking within universities. Findings: The resultant student initiated perceptions of positive and negative qualities of supervisors support the findings of other studies which show that students value and seek cognitive and affective person related qualities in supervisors over discipline/research expertise qualities. For 25 percent of the sample there were no qualities in common between their principal supervisor and their ideal; this increased to 50 percent with one quality in common. Recommendations for Practitioners: In developing and honing individual philosophies of supervision, supervisors should reflect, for example, upon the ways in which they present to and interact with students as individuals, their availability to students, their interest in students' research and career development. Those delivering supervisor development programs should consider the balance in such programs between process- oriented material and human interaction strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: Research in the doctoral space has tended to be summative as in post completion evaluations of the experience or cross-sectional sampling of experience or what is valued as in the current study. Longitudinal research which samples perspectives both within and beyond candidature is needed. This should thus encompass the experiences of those who complete and those who do not over a period of perhaps six years. Impact on Society: Globally since the late 1990s, universities have initiated doctoral training programs and codes of conduct pertaining to the supervisory relationship yet evidence suggests that supervision issues remain vexatious. The sector thus needs to address the efficacy of such programs in ameliorating issues raised by students. The silent acknowledgement of late stage doctoral attrition – and the lack of follow up as to the complex interrelationship of factors prompting such a personally difficult and societally wasteful decision – remains a besetting problem for the sector. Future Research: Two critical issues would usefully guide future research in the doctoral education space. Firstly, the ultimate efficacy of supervisor development programs requires evaluation and follow up. Secondly, the perspectives of those who exit the PhD process virtually without trace need to be investigated and evaluated for policy implications. Further some respondents in this study had supervisory roles themselves and the qualities they attributed to self as supervisor were closer to the ideal than those of real supervisors. This suggests that a more extensive investigation of how supervisors see themselves in the supervisory role would be useful as such research would potentially impact on the nature of supervisor development programs in the future.

The influences of interdependence, opportunism and technology uncertainty on interfirm coopetition

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 948-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Chai ◽  
Jin Li ◽  
Thomas Clauss ◽  
Chanchai Tangpong
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contextual Condition ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and the conditions of coopetition at the inter-organizational level. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on survey research methodology and analyzes the data from 138 companies regarding the antecedents and the conditions of their coopetition. Findings The results indicate that the interdependence between partners (i.e. the antecedent) positively affects interfirm coopetition, and that this relationship is contingent on the joint occurrence of opportunism (a behavioral condition) and technology uncertainty (a contextual condition). Specifically, highly interdependent firms are more likely to be involved in a coopetitive relationship when both opportunism and technology uncertainty are high. Interestingly, the authors’ data also show that opportunism or technology uncertainty alone may not be adequate in moderating the interdependence–coopetition relationship. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the current literature in two meaningful ways. First, it empirically examines interdependence as a potential antecedent of interfirm coopetition. Second, it improves our understanding of the behavioral and contextual conditions that facilitate the formation of coopetitive relationships by examining the moderating roles of opportunisms and technology uncertainty in the relationship between interdependence and interfirm coopetition. The limitations of this study lie in its confined method of cross-sectional survey from the focal firm’s perspective. Future research may advance beyond this study through experimental and/or longitudinal research designs. Practical implications This study provides managers with two important practical insights in coopetition management. First, the findings suggest a two-step approach to help a firm assess and manage the level of coopetition in its relationship with a business partner. In addition, the findings provide a counterintuitive suggestion to managers that the joint conditions of high opportunism and high technology uncertainty indeed prime the relationship for the rise of coopetition, provided that managerial efforts are made to somewhat increase the level of interdependence in the relationship. Originality/value Despite the growing number of studies on coopetition, research still lacks knowledge about the antecedents and the conditions of inter-organizational coopetition, and this study aims to fill this gap.

Women Breast Cancer Survivors: Stories of Change and Meaning

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Sadler-Gerhardt ◽  
Cynthia Reynolds ◽  
Paula Britton ◽  
Sharon Kruse
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Qualitative Investigation ◽  
Health Counseling

Breast cancer research has addressed prevention, early treatment, and quality of life, but research from the perspective of survivors has been limited. This is a qualitative investigation of the experience of eight women breast cancer survivors, ranging in age from 28 to 80 at diagnosis, six of whom were Caucasian and two African American. The research consisted of a phenomenological and case study examination of change and meaning-making during their experience. The findings support a posttraumatic growth model of change as part of survivorship for the participants, as well as the presence of negative changes and a state of new normal in their lives. Recommendations are made for mental health counseling and for future research.

High performance work systems, cultures and gender demography

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 693-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Pichler ◽  
Arup Varma ◽  
Andrew Yu ◽  
Gerard Beenen ◽  
Shahin Davoudpour
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performance Work Systems ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and test hypotheses about the independent relationships between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and high-performance work cultures (HPWC) and employee turnover. Given the growth of women in the workforce, the authors also develop competing predictions about how organizational gender demography (i.e. a higher percentage of women) may either strengthen or weaken the relationship of HPWSs to turnover. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 171 human resource (HR) executives across organizations of various sizes and industries in the Chicago metropolitan area in the USA was conducted. Findings – The authors found that HPWS and HPWC are associated with lower turnover, though the relationship between HPWC and turnover was stronger. Results also indicate that HPWS are more strongly related to lower turnover among organizations that employ relatively more women. Research limitations/implications – The results indicates that HPWS may not be universalistic in terms of their effectiveness specifically as related to turnover. This was a cross-sectional study; it would be useful for future research to use a longitudinal research design. Practical implications – The findings suggest that organizations should consider how their cultures, use of high-performance work practices, and gender demography are related to important HR metrics such as turnover. Social implications – This paper represents an important contribution to understanding the importance and implications of changes in the workforce demographic characteristics. Originality/value – This is the first study to integrate an organizational demography perspective with HPWS.

Core Beliefs Disruption in the Context of an Election: Implications for Subjective Well-Being

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110213
Author(s):  
Xianghe Zhu ◽  
Shevaun D. Neupert
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Core Beliefs ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Major Life Events ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Daily Diary Study

Major life events often challenge the core beliefs people hold about the world, which is a crucial cognitive process predictive of adjustment outcomes. Elections have been associated with physical and socioemotional responses, but what is unclear is whether core beliefs can be disrupted and what implication this disruption might have for well-being. In two studies, we examined the association between core beliefs disruption and well-being in the context of the 2018 U.S. midterm election. In both studies, participants reported a small degree of disruption of core beliefs due to the election. In Study 1, a 14-day daily diary study spanning the weeks before and after the election, multilevel modeling on 529 daily reports revealed that greater disruption of core beliefs was associated with lower mean levels of life satisfaction and greater changes in positive and negative affect. In Study 2, a cross-sectional study conducted 40 days following the election, linear regression analyses on 767 adults aged 18–77 from all 50 states revealed that the disruption of core beliefs due to the midterm election was positively associated with current life satisfaction. The effect held when controlling for multiple confounding factors. These findings suggest that elections can trigger disruption of core beliefs, and this disruption may spill over to subjective well-being in the short term but may positively contribute to post-election adjustment.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional investigation of parenting style and friendship as mediators of the relation between social class and mental health in a university community.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional

Introduction: This study tested a novel explanation for the positive relation between social class and mental healthamong university students. Students with a higher social class were expected to have experienced more authoritativeand less authoritarian parenting styles; these parenting styles were expected to lead to greater friendship and socialintegration at university; and greater friendship and integration were expected to lead to better mental health.Method: To test this model, the researchers asked 397 Australian undergraduate students to complete an online survey.The research used a cross-sectional correlational design, and the data was analysed using bootstrapped multiple serialmediation tests.Results: Consistent with predictions, parenting style, general friendship and support, and social integration at universitymediated the relation between social class and mental health.Conclusions: The present results suggest that working-class parenting styles may inhibit the development ofsocially-supportive friendships that protect against mental health problems. The potential effectiveness ofinterventions based on (a) social integration and (b) parenting style is discussed. Future research in this areashould employ a longitudinal research design in order to arrive at clearer causal conclusions about therelations between social class, parenting styles, friendship, social integration, and mental health.

scholarly journals Relationships of Sources of Meaning and Resilience With Meaningfulness and Satisfaction With Life: A Population-Based Study of Norwegians in Late Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torgeir Sørensen ◽  
Knut Hestad ◽  
Ellen Karine Grov
Keyword(s):  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Late Adulthood

Health-promoting initiatives incorporating meaning-making to enhance the well-being of people in late adulthood are important, particularly as the number of older people is increasing. Resilience and sources of meaning may be related to individuals’ experience of meaningfulness and satisfaction with life. However, few studies have investigated these relations among people in late adulthood. In the present exploratory study, we asked the following questions: What are the differences regarding scores on sources of meaning, resilience, meaningfulness, and satisfaction between people in late adulthood (≥65) and other adults (18–64)? What is the association between sources of meaning and meaningfulness, and between resilience and meaningfulness? What is the association between sources of meaning and satisfaction with life, and between resilience and satisfaction with life? A cross-sectional design was used. A population-based sample of 925 participants (aged 18–91 years) was recruited from the National Population Register in Norway. Of these, 219 participants were 65 years old and older (mean age 73 years). Additionally, sub-analyses for the age-group ≥ 75 (N = 71) were performed. Independent-samples t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, and linear regressions adjusted for demographics, anxiety, and depression were performed utilizing standardized questionnaires. It was found that people in late adulthood (≥65 years) scored significantly higher on meaningfulness compared to younger adults (18–64). Of the sources of meaning, vertical self-transcendence, including explicit religiosity and spirituality, had the strongest relation to meaningfulness for people in late adulthood, after adjusting for demographics, anxiety, and depression. For the same group, accomplishment, including generativity and unselfish engagement with the surroundings and future generations, also stood out as a prominent source of meaning when related to meaningfulness. No sources of meaning were associated with satisfaction with life in the older group. No associations between resilience and meaningfulness, nor between resilience and satisfaction with life, were found among people in late adulthood. However, positive associations were found between resilience and meaningfulness, as well as between resilience and satisfaction with life, in the 18–64 age group. Longitudinal research and interventional studies are needed to confirm whether the designated sources contribute to meaningfulness in a Norwegian context. The implications of the findings are discussed.

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