Sairauskäsitykset, elämänhallinta ja sopeutumisvalmennusta koskevat odotukset

Sopeutumisvalmennus on kuntoutusmuoto, jonka avulla pyritään tukemaan kuntoutujaa vamman tai pitkäaikaisen sairauden hallinnassa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää sopeutumisvalmennukseen saapuvien aikuisten kuntoutujien elämäntilannetta, sairauskäsityksiä, hallinnan tunnetta, terveyteen liittyvää valtaistumista ja sopeutumisvalmennukseen kohdistuvia odotuksia. Kurssimuotoja oli kolme: syöpää, fibromyalgiaa ja diabetesta sairastavien kurssit. Neljän kuntoutuslaitoksen toteuttamille kursseille osallistui vuosina 2014–15 toteutetun tiedonkeruun aikana 581 kuntoutujaa, joista 377 (65 %) antoi kirjallisen suostumuksen osallistua tutkimukseen ja vastasi alkukyselylomakkeeseen. Kurssiryhmät erosivat sairauskäsitystensä suhteen toisistaan. Kuntoutujien elämäntilanne, sosiaalinen ja institutionaalinen luottamus sekä sairauden rajoitukset olivat yhteydessä hallinnan tunteeseen. Sopeutumisvalmennukseen kohdistuvat odotukset muodostivat neljä ulottuvuutta: palvelutietoja, sairautta ja sen hoitoa koskevia tietoja, psykososiaalista asiantuntijatukea sekä vertaistukea koskevat odotukset. Odotukset vaihtelivat kurssiryhmittäin. Sairauskäsityksiin liittyvät sairauden oireet, huolestuneisuus, tunnereaktiot ja käsitys hoidon vaikutuksista ja omista vaikutusmahdollisuuksista selittivät odotusten vaihtelua. Tietoihin ja psykososiaaliseen asiantuntija-apuun kohdistuvien odotusten todennäköisyyttä lisäsi terveyteen liittyvän valtaistumisen osalta tiedollisen hallinnan vähäisyys, kun taas vertaistukeen liittyvien odotusten todennäköisyyttä lisäsi vahva tiedollinen ja psykososiaalinen hallinta. Abstract Illness perceptions, empowerment and rehabilitation expectations of persons attending psychosocial rehabilitation Adaptation training is a form of psychosocial rehabilitation that aims to empower the client in coping with his or her illness or disability. The aim of the study was to examine the life situation, sense of mastery, illness perceptions, health-related empowerment and rehabilitation needs and expectations of clients attending adaptation training courses for adults with cancer, fibromyalgia or diabetes. In 2014–15, 581 clients attended these courses in four rehabilitation centers; 377 of them gave their informed consent to participate the study and answered the questionnaire at the beginning of the course. The three groups differed according to their illness perceptions and rehabilitation expectations, but there was also much variance between group members. Life situation, perceived disability, and social and institutional trust were associated with sense of mastery. Rehabilitation expectations were grouped into four main dimensions, i.e., information about services and support, information about the illness and treatment and rehabilitation options, psychosocial professional support, and peer support. Illness perceptions, i.e. perceived symptoms, worry, emotional reactions, experienced outcomes of treatment, and perceptions of one’s own possibilities to influence the illness were associated with different dimensions. Health-related empowerment was also connected with expectations. Expectations for information and professional help were stronger in those with weak informational mastery, whereas expectations for peer support were stronger with those whose informational and psychosocial mastery was better than average.

Mastery Goals for Black American Dementia Caregivers

About 5.8 million older American adults live with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; Black American older adults’ prevalence is more than twice that of non-Hispanic white older adults. The Black American dementia caregiving experience can be pictured within the Black Family Social-Ecological Context Model, which provides a conceptual basis for examining social determinants of health at individual, family, community, and societal levels with careful consideration for how the intersecting identities of race, gender, and class of Black American caregivers influence the multiple dimensions of their caregiving experiences. Family dynamics, community setting, and healthcare systems have a potentially bidirectional influence on these caregivers, which is informed by the larger historical reality of systemic racism and general disenfranchisement. This paper outlines how Stress Process and Perceived Control frameworks offer ways for Black American dementia caregivers to achieve a sense of mastery within the complicated and fraught ecology within which their caregiving occurs. We propose a research and development agenda to create a program for enhancing a sense of mastery among Black American dementia caregivers. Two concepts in particular, “constraints” and “efficacy expectations,” provide ways to develop a systematic approach to developing successful coping strategies for the constraints perceived by individuals as they undertake and function in the caregiving role. The recognition of the complexity of the caregiving ecosystem and intersectionality of caregivers’ experience emphasize the importance of individualization: each caregiver’s experience of this ecosystem– and therefore each Black American caregiver’s way to mastery within it– will be uniquely shaped and experienced.

EEBO and Us

This essay responds to criticisms leveled against “How to Think About EEBO” (Gavin [2017] 2019). While my history of Early English Books Online was faulted for paying insufficient attention to the experiences of scholars using the collection, I argue that using digital tools for literary and bibliographical research can create a false sense of mastery that leaves scholars blind to the features of digital textuality that are most important historically and theoretically.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress in Excessive Gambling among Young People: A Four-Country Study

Background and aims: Loneliness and a low sense of mastery are associated with excessive gambling, but the underlying processes of these relationships remain unstudied. Because psychological distress can increase vulnerability to excessive gambling, we investigated its mediating role in these relationships among young people. To meet the need for cross-country research, we also observed how these relationships occur in four countries with different cultures. Design, setting, and participants: Demographically balanced cross-sectional survey data were collected from 15–25-year-olds in Finland (n = 1200; 50% male), the United States (n = 1212; 49.8% male), South Korea (n = 1192; 49.6% male), and Spain (n = 1212; 51.2% male). Measurements: Excessive gambling was measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen, psychological distress was assessed with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, loneliness was measured with the three-item Loneliness Scale, and low sense of mastery was assessed with the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Associations were examined first using zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses with excessive gambling as the outcome. In addition, path analyses were performed to study how loneliness and low sense of mastery relate to excessive gambling, with psychological distress as the mediating variable. Findings: Loneliness and low sense of mastery were associated indirectly with excessive gambling via psychological distress in all country samples. Low sense of mastery was also directly associated with excessive gambling. There was a direct association between loneliness and excessive gambling only in samples from South Korea and Spain. Conclusions: Psychological distress is an important factor in understanding how loneliness and sense of mastery relate to gambling.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress in Excessive Gambling Among Young People: A Four-Country Study

Background and aims Loneliness and a low sense of mastery have been associated with excessive gambling, but the underlying processes of these relationships remain unstudied. Because psychological distress can increase vulnerability to excessive gambling, we investigated its mediating role in these relationships among young people. To meet the need for cross-country research, we also observed how these relationships occur in four countries with different cultures. Design, setting and participants Demographically balanced cross-sectional survey data were collected for 15–25-year-olds in Finland (n=1200; 50% male), the United States (n=1212; 49.8% male), South Korea (n=1192; 49.6% male) and Spain (n=1212; 51.2% male). Measurements Excessive gambling was measured with the South Oaks Gambling Screen, psychological distress was assessed with the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire, loneliness was measured with the Three-Item Loneliness Scale and low sense of mastery was assessed with the Pearlin Mastery Scale. Associations were examined first using zero-inflated negative binomial regression analyses with excessive gambling as the outcome. In addition, path analyses were performed to study how loneliness and low sense of mastery relate to excessive gambling, with psychological distress as the mediating variable. Findings Loneliness and low sense of mastery were associated indirectly with excessive gambling via psychological distress in all country samples. Low sense of mastery was also directly associated with excessive gambling. There was a direct association between loneliness and excessive gambling only in samples from South Korea and Spain. Conclusions Psychological distress is an important factor in understanding how loneliness and sense of mastery relate to gambling.

Residential reasoning: how childless older adults choose between ageing in place (AIP) and institutionalisation in rural China

The decision of whether to grow old in one's home (also referred to as ageing in place (AIP)) or relocating to an institution is an ongoing negotiation process, which involves residential decisions and adaptation. This research aims to explore how childless older adults in rural China choose between AIP and institutionalisation. Through a qualitative study conducted in rural China among childless older adults, we explored the reasons why they make certain residential choices and how they adapted during the decision process. Twenty-five childless participants (aged 60–83) were interviewed. Findings suggested that they referred to the term ku (literally meaning ‘bitterness’; and a metaphor referring to ‘conducting farming and farm-related activities’) to explain their residential decisions. If a person could endure ku – sustain food and basic living through farming and farm-related activities, they tended to choose to age in place; otherwise, they chose to relocate to institutions. Ku represents a sense of mastery, encompassing the stressfulness and suffering aspect that requires adaptation. Three adaptive strategies were identified: (a) positive reappraising of the negative aspect of ku, (b) routinising ku, and (c) transcending the narrative of ku into a toughness identity. Our findings suggest that childless older adults struggled to achieve residential mastery while making residential decisions, even though a sense of mastery was shaped by the individual and structural constrictions.

Understanding the Pathways of Neighborhood Environmental Influences on Health Among U.S. Chinese Older Immigrants

Neighborhood environment has proven to be consequential for older Americans’ physical, mental and cognitive health. However, this topic is much less studied among older Asian immigrants, a fast growing immigrant group who embrace values of collectivism and community connections. The current study used the first wave data (N=2920) of the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE), the largest population-based sample of Chinese older adults in the U.S., 1) to examine the direct associations between neighborhood environment (social cohesion, physical disorder) and health outcomes (self-rated health, depression, and cognitive health); and 2) to identify possible mediators at intrapersonal (sense of hopelessness, sense of mastery) and interpersonal levels (social engagement, cognitive engagement) through which neighborhood environment influences health. The results of Sobel tests from path analysis showed that neighborhood social cohesion was associated with better health outcomes on all the domains: self-rated health (b= 0.050, p<.01), depression (b= -0.202 p<.001), and cognitive health (b=0.092, p<.001), whereas neighborhood physical disorder was associated with poorer self-rated health (b= -0.069, p<.01) and more depressive symptoms (b=0.174, p<.001). Full and partial mediations were detected. For example, neighborhood physical disorder influences depression completely through intrapersonal traits, higher sense of hopelessness (b=1.879, p<0.001) and reduced sense of mastery (b= -2.656, p<0.001). Neighborhood social cohesion contributes to better cognitive health partially through increased social engagement (b=1.696, p<0.001) as well as cognitive activities (b=1.392, p<0.001). The findings identified the ecological component in resilience building processes, and provide evidence for mezzo-level intervention to improve health among aging U.S. Chinese immigrants.