Career Adaptability and Career Success

In this study, we contribute to the ongoing incremental validation efforts of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS). Using primary personality and cognition data from 164 German athletes in vocational careers, we intended to replicate Zacher’s (2014) seminal work in an alternative Western environment while also extending it in two significant ways: first, by adding two components of cognitive ability, and second, by introducing an alternative outcome variable – objective career success. In line with Zacher, we observe a significant role of career adaptability in predicting subjective career success. However, we also note that this initially robust relationship stems from a different psychosocial resource than expected. Interestingly, employing CAAS seems not to possess further incremental validity when predicting objective career success.

Adapting to Involuntary, Radical, and Socially Undesirable Career Changes

Career adaptability is a psychosocial resource that aids in coping with current and anticipated tasks, transitions, and traumas that people experience in their occupational roles. Although there is a great deal of evidence that career adaptability relates to important career outcomes, the role that it is perceived to play in involuntary, radical, and socially undesirable career changes is understudied. Grounded in career construction theory, we conducted a study with an experimental vignette methodology to ascertain whether career adaptability moderates the influence of different types of career transitions on ratings of hypothetical employees adapting effectiveness. Findings suggest that career adaptability can be seen as an important resource for managing radical career changes. This is one of the first papers to test a key tenet of career construction theory—that career adaptability is efficient for managing career related transitions and traumas. Moreover, we extend the scope of this tenet to include the notion that people can readily identify qualities of career adaptability in others.

Following up Previously Bullied Pupils: How can Schools Ensure a High-Quality, Systematic Approach?

Pupils exposed to bullying experience severe negative consequences, including reduced academic performance and development of mental health problems. Little is known about effective interventions to prevent and/or reduce such consequences. This study explores how schools can follow up previously bullied pupils. Four focus groups were conducted. In three, informants were national experts representing the school system, the health system, attorneys, researchers, and user organizations in Norway (n = 31). A focus group interview with a primary and lower secondary school in southwest Norway (n = 9) was also carried out. Data were analyzed via content analysis. Findings suggest that school-based psychosocial resource groups can ensure that follow-up work after bullying is systematic and of high quality. Findings provide new knowledge on how schools can organize follow-up work and suggests support systems for schools to provide high-quality follow-up work. Further research on organizing follow-up work and the specific content of follow-up work is needed.

Gratitude, Self-Esteem and Optimism in People with Physical Disabilities

The psychological problems experienced by people with physical disabilities are feeling hopeless and uncertain of their future. They feel the future will be dismal. They also feel afraid of not having proper education, jobs, and place in society, not be able to work normally, fail in lives, rejected, and not be able to give the best to their loved ones. This condition indicates non-optimistic. Optimism is an essential psychosocial resource for protecting the health and influencing human functioning. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between gratitude and self-esteem with optimism in people with physical disabilities. The samples of this study were people with physical disabilities, aged 18 - 35 years old, attended social rehabilitation and totaled 106 people. Data collection methods were gratitude scale, self-esteem scale, and LOT-R. Analysis of the data used multiple regression analysis. The analysis indicates that there is a significant relationship between gratitude and self-esteem with optimism in people with physical disabilities. The contribution of gratitude and self-esteem variables to optimism is 48.1%. People with physical disabilities have optimism and gratitude in the high category, while self-esteem in the medium category.

79 Acceptability and impact of psychosocial screening in the emergency department

Background Psychosocial concerns in youth are prevalent and undertreated. Early identification through screening may promote appropriate management before youth present in crisis. Objectives Our primary objective was to assess the acceptability of psychosocial screening in the pediatric emergency department (ED) setting. Secondarily, we report the prevalence of psychosocial issues among youth with non-psychiatric ED presentations, and the impact of screening on mental health resource-seeking behaviour. Design/Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of youth aged 10-17 years at two pediatric EDs. Youth with a mental health-related reason for visiting the ED were excluded. Eligible and consenting youth (and their families) completed a comprehensive psychosocial self-assessment delivered on an electronic tablet, followed by standardized clinician assessment. Consent to participate in the study was used as a proxy measure for acceptability of screening. Participants with identified psychosocial resource needs were followed up at 30 days with a semi-structured telephone/email interview to assess whether they had sought recommended resources and to explore barriers to accessing care. Results Of the 1432 eligible youth given the opportunity to enrol, 795 consented. Among the 637 youth who declined enrolment, 467 specified that they declined for reasons other than not wanting to conduct a psychosocial self-assessment. This suggests that at least 55.5% (95% CI = 52.9%, 58.1%) and up to 88.1% (95% CI = 86.4%, 89.8%) find screening acceptable. Among the 760 participants who completed clinician assessment, 276 (36.3%) were identified as having a psychosocial resource need. Resources were already in place for 105 youth, leaving 171 (22.5%) with newly identified or unmet psychosocial needs. Only 41 (33.1%) of the 124 participants and/or their families who completed a 30-day follow up interview reported attempting to access the recommended resources, despite 92 (74.2%) stating they agreed with the original recommendations. The most common reason for not accessing care was the belief that the recommendations were not yet necessary or were not a priority. Of those who had attempted to access resources, 18 (43.9%) were unsuccessful at the time of interview, with the most common barrier being access delay (e.g. on a waitlist). Conclusion We found that previously unidentified/unmet psychosocial needs are prevalent among youth in the ED, and that screening is generally acceptable. However, a limited number of those who screened positive attempted to access resources, and when they did, access was often unsuccessful or delayed. More work is needed to address barriers to timely psychosocial care.

Assessment of psychosocial support in the family with cancer patient

Oncology patients experience high levels of stress both physically and psychologically, which can cause a lack of personal psychological resources. Psychosocial help is able to compensate the lack and be the basis for the recovery of patients in the future. On the base of informed consent, 286 cancer patients examined: 174 women and 114 men. Patients examined at different stages of the treatment process, namely, 78 women and 51 men were examined at the first episode of the disease, and 96 women and 63 men were examined after return of the disease or its relapse. Methods FACES-3, MSPSS were used in the study. It was shown, that in general women evaluated their own psychosocial resource more positively than men. The main source of support for patients, especially women, was family in comparison to significant others and friends. Families with a sufficient level of family adaptability characterized by high levels of psychosocial support, whereas impaired family functioning resulted in reduced external resources. Psychosocial help is an important component of complex psychological help for patients with cancer. The development of medical-psychological help measures should take into account the actual level of psychosocial support in patient and his / her perception by the participants of the treatment.

Abstract P081: Psychosocial Resources Are Protective of Diabetes Among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

Introduction: African Americans (AAs) have among the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the U.S. Research has shown that positive affect and supportive networks are associated with better health outcomes and may improve regulation of physiological processes. We examined the extent to which psychosocial resources were protective of diabetes outcomes among a sample of 5,306 AAs. Hypothesis: Psychosocial resource measures are inversely associated with prediabetes and diabetes [defined by hemoglobin (Hb)A1c categories] and prevalent diabetes (defined by self-report diabetes status and medication use). Methods: Using data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), we evaluated the cross-sectional associations of four psychosocial-resource indicators (social support, optimism, religiosity, social networks) with two diabetes outcomes [1) HbA1c categories: normal (HbA1c ≤ 5.7%), at risk/pre-diabetic (5.7% < HbA1c < 6.5%), diabetic (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) and 2) prevalent diabetes (vs. no diabetes)]. For each psychosocial-resource measure, we created high vs. low categories (median split) and continuous standard deviation (SD) units. Associations with HbA1c categories were examined using multinomial logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR 95% confidence interval-CI) of pre-diabetes (vs. normal) and diabetes (vs. normal). Associations with prevalent diabetes were examined using Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR 95% CI) of diabetes (vs. no diabetes). Models adjusted for demographics, SES, waist circumference, health behaviors, and depression. Results: Participants with diabetes reported fewer psychosocial resources than those with pre-diabetes and normal HbA1c ( p <0.01). After full adjustment, 1-SD unit increase in social support was associated with an 11% lower odds of pre-diabetes (vs. normal HbA1c) (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81-0.99). High (vs. low) religiosity was associated with an increased odds of diabetes (vs. normal Hba1c) (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.01-1.64) after full adjustment. Optimism and social networks were only associated with lower diabetes prevalence after adjustment for demographics and education, respectively. Conclusion: With the exception of religiosity, psychosocial-resource measures were inversely associated with diabetes. Social support and social networks, especially, should be considered when addressing the reduction of diabetes burden among AAs.