Although it has long been assumed that pictures depicting the human suffering of war evoke empathy and compassion, which leads to social action, there is little empirical evidence of that claim. This study aimed to fill the gap in visual communication theory about the effects of war photojournalism on media consumers' emotional and behavioral responses. This mixed methods design included a between-subjects experimental design tested whether photos (from conflicts in Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo) with a human-cost-of-war visual frame had significantly different effects on participants' levels of empathy, compassion, personal distress, other-oriented distress, and information seeking than pictures with a militarism visual frame. A second study used series of focus group discussions, to investigate how media consumers make meaning out of images of conflict. The findings expand our understanding about the way audiences react to conflict photos, and they have implications for how photo editors might present audiences with images of war that will engage audiences. / Media & Communication

Rates of depression, anxiety, and stress have been increasing and college students are especially at risk. College counseling centers often have long waitlists and have difficulty addressing the growing need for psychotherapy. Researchers have suggested that depression and anxiety may arise because of low levels of eudaimonia and self-compassion. Depression and anxiety not only have a toll on mental health but on physical health as well, as researchers have observed decreased HRV in individuals with depression and anxiety. To address the disparity between available resources and treatment need, applied mental health classes were developed to see if teaching psychotherapeutic principles in the classroom setting would lead to decreases in depression, anxiety, stress, and improvements in eudaimonia, gratitude, self-compassion, and HRV. Data was collected from students in the applied mental health classes and were compared to a control group of students who were not in those classes. HRV was measured twice (beginning and end of the academic semester), and questionnaire data was collected three times (beginning, middle, and end of the academic semester). A total of 44 students (86% female) were recruited from the applied mental health classes with 34 completing the whole study and 190 students (62% female) were recruited for the control group with 76 completing the study. SEM was used to analyze change across time for each of these variables. There were not significant changes in distress, eudaimonia, gratitude, self-compassion, or HRV across the semester in both the experimental and control group. More specifically, the students in both the applied mental health class and control group were not significantly distressed at baseline and had high HRV. There were many ceiling and floor effects in this sample which left little room for improvement. Testing this class in a more distressed sample will help elucidate the impact that these classes can have.

Research identifies male athletes as a subpopulation at risk for developing eating disorders and disordered eating (ED/DE). Petrie and Greenleaf's sociocultural model proposes that various correlates contribute to the etiology of ED/DE in athletes. Among the correlates, body satisfaction has been identified as a direct precursor to ED/DE symptomatology in male and female athletes. Recent research has noted self-compassion's utility in alleviating the outcomes of poor body image and ED/DE through several pathways. However, researchers have yet to examine self-compassion in relation to body satisfaction and ED/DE in male athletes or the temporal relationship between these variables. This study longitudinally examined the direct and indirect effects of self-compassion on body satisfaction and ED/DE symptomatology in a mixed-sport sample of 452 male collegiate athletes by testing the cross-lagged, temporal relationships among self-compassion, body satisfaction, and ED/DE symptomatology across a four-month time frame. Time 1 self-compassion was neither directly related to Time 2 body satisfaction (β = 0.02, p = .755), nor indirectly to Time 2 ED/DE (β = -0.002, 95% BCaCI [-0.028, 0.014]) when controlling for Time 1 scores. Recent research supports my finding and suggests that the effects of self-compassion on body satisfaction and ED/DE symptomatology may be dependent on gender. In contrast, Time 2 body satisfaction was directly related to Time 2 ED/DE (β = -0.12, p < 0.05), which adds to a substantial body of research in that body satisfaction is a primary antecedent to ED/DE.

Graduate students in mental health service training programs are at risk of experiencing burnout. Using adult attachment theory as the guiding framework, this study examined a conceptual model which depicted the direct and indirect effect of attachment insecurity on burnout and the subsequent psychological distress via low self-compassion and emotion regulation difficulty with two cultural samples recruited from the U.S. and Taiwan, respectively. The final sample included 216 U.S. mental health graduate trainees and 201 Taiwanese trainees. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings from the final models best supported by the data revealed that in both cultural groups, attachment anxiety contributed to lower self-compassion which subsequently resulted in greater burnout and that emotion regulation did not play a mediational role in the models. Results also demonstrated cultural differences in several paths of the research model. For the U.S. sample, only higher attachment anxiety indirectly contributed to more psychological distress through low self-compassion and burnout was best positioned as an outcome variable similar to psychological distress, instead of being a mediator. For the Taiwanese sample, on the other hand, both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance demonstrated significant indirect effects on higher psychological distress through lower self-compassion and burnout was a 2nd tired mediator through which attachment anxiety indirectly contributed to higher psychological distress. These findings advanced our understanding of the role of adult attachment insecurity in the development of burnout and psychological distress for graduate trainees in mental health fields, as well as the possible cultural differences in the observed variables and their relations. Counseling implications, limitations, and future research directions were discussed.

The transition to college can introduce new roles, opportunities, and challenges for growth and adjustment. Effective management of these challenges promotes personal adjustment and academic success (Chemers, Hu, and Garcia, 2001). However, difficulty in managing aspects of this transition introduces risks for dysfunction in emotional, social, and academic areas (Heiligenstein and Guenther, 1996). These risks are exacerbated for students who from underrepresented backgrounds at their college and within their field of study (Strayhorn, 2012). Among undergraduates, expressive writing interventions have been used to improve adjustment. These brief activities of self-reflection were originally used to address past hurts and have been adapted to attend to life's benefits. Reflections on both negative and positive life experiences have been tied to improvements in well-being, social success, and physical health (Emmons and McCullough, 2003; Sloan and Marx, 2004). This is the first study to directly compare effects of expressive writings focused on strong negative emotional experiences with effects of writings focused on positive emotional experiences (gratitude). Furthermore, questions remain about mechanisms of influence for these two writing paradigms. The current study tested the influence of these paradigms on student adjustment during the college transition, and assessed emotion mechanisms specific to each writing paradigm. One hundred sixty-one incoming college students were recruited into an online study during the fall semester. Students reported on emotional, social, and academic outcomes at the third, fifth, and eighth weeks of the incoming academic semester. Students were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: a group writing on emotion-focused prompts; a group writing on gratitude-focused prompts; and a control group with no assigned writings. During the fourth week of the semester, students in the experimental groups spent four days writing about their respective group prompts. Students in the emotion-focused writing group showed improvements in willingness to share intimate life events with others (i.e., length of writing, comfort with self-disclosure, recent heart-to-heart conversations). Students in the gratitude-focused writing group showed increases and maintenance of psychological resources (i.e., life satisfaction, involvement in group meetings, instances of studying). I discuss the implications of these findings below. / Ph. D.

Previous research has shown that appearance-related pressures from multiple sources can influence body esteem in emerging adults. Furthermore, research has shown that self-compassion and gender play a role in body image and the relation between sociocultural pressures and body esteem. Less research has examined how these variables interact in their association with body esteem in emerging adults. Thus, the current study sought to assess these interactions. Participants (N = 877; 492 women) were primarily White (78.9% for women and 76.4% for men) and ranged in age from 18 to 28 (M = 18.70 for women and 19.10 for men). Participants completed an online survey with measures assessing appearance-related pressures, self-compassion, and body esteem. Results indicated a significant main effect of appearance-pressure from mothers on weight body esteem in women and a significant interaction of maternal appearance-related pressure and self-compassion on appearance body esteem in men.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Farrell J. Webb / This study examined the relationships between and among the factors of compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction and spiritual resiliency in association with the care work of United States Army chaplains who minister to soldiers, families, and Department of the Army (DA) civilians in the military. This investigation breaks new ground in understanding the factors that affect chaplain care work. Data were collected from 408 active duty Army chaplains who responded to and completed the online survey. Information about rank, years of service, battle fatigue/stress and number of deployments was collected. These data along with specific scales were combined into the Chaplain Care Work Model—the tool used in this investigation. Scores from three measurement instruments: Professional Quality of Life Scale R-IV, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Resilience Scale were used to test the hypotheses for this study. Of particular interest, the measurement scales of Spiritual Well-Being and Resiliency were combined to develop a new measurement construct labeled Spiritual Resiliency. The model of Chaplain Care Work was tested using path analysis and structural equation modeling techniques to illustrate the relationships of the predictors (constructed from latent variables—Chaplaincy Status, Deployment Status, and Self Care) to the outcome measure of Care Work (also a latent variable). Overall 85% of the variance in care work can be attributed to the model’s predictors, adding to the value of examining care work among those who provide direct service to others. Findings indicated that spiritual resiliency ebbed and flowed as a function of the different levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction experienced by the chaplains because of their care work. Furthermore, number of deployments and experience (years of chaplain service) had significant relationships with compassion fatigue and burnout. Results from the findings were underpinned by explicit narrative comments provided by chaplains. These comments provided rich material in support of the significant relationships discovered in this study, and offered insights into how care work is both meaningful and necessary for maintaining a healthier chaplaincy.

No description available.

Bakgrund: Den globala sjuksköterskebristen och omsättningen av sjuksköterskor är idag ett stort problem som bland annat leder till ökade kostnader och svårigheter att behålla en hög kvalitet på vården. En av anledningarna till att sjuksköterskor sjukskriver sig är den emotionella påfrestning som yrket medför. Compassion fatigue är ett begrepp som belyser de negativa effekter som kan komma av en långvarig exponering för andras lidande. Förutom sjukskrivningar kan compassion fatigue leda till högre benägenhet att begå kliniska misstag, försämrad vård och social isolering. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa compassion fatigue inom sjuksköterskeyrket genom att utforska de resurser och strategier som sjuksköterskor använder sig av för att motverka compassion fatigue. Metod: En litteraturöversikt baserad på 13 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet delades upp i två domäner: resurser och strategier. Att få stöd var den mest förkommande resursen, att ventilera genom samtal var den vanligaste strategin och denna resurs respektive strategi förekom i 12 av de 13 artiklarna. Övriga resurser som framkom var: att ges möjlighet till reflektion och att ha tid och plats för vila. Övriga strategier som framkom var att utöva religion och andlighet, att motionera, att ägna sig åt fritidsaktiviteter, att undvika svåra situationer, att förändra sin inställning samt att sätta gränser och hitta balans. Konklusion: Utifrån denna studie kan slutsatsen dras att sjuksköterskor verksamma inom olika verksamheter och i olika länder anser att socialt stöd samt att ventilera genom samtal på ett informellt sätt är betydelsefulla resurser och strategier för att motverka compassion fatigue. Vidare finns det en otydlighet kring begreppet. För fortsatt forskning är det viktigt att tydligt definiera och särskilja compassion fatigue från liknande begrepp. / Background: Shortage and turnover of nurses is currently a major problem, leading to increased costs and difficulties maintaining high quality care. Emotional stress caused by the nature of the profession is one reason for sick leave amongst nurses. Compassion fatigue as a concept sheds light upon the negative effects caused by long-term exposure to the suffering of others. Compassion fatigue is linked to an increased tendency for clinical mistakes, reduced quality of care and social isolation. Aim: The purpose of this review of literature was to shed light on compassion fatigue within the nursing profession while exploring the strategies and resources that nurses use to deal with this. Method: A literature review based on 13 articles. Findings: The findings of this study were divided into two domains: resources and strategies. The resource and strategy most frequently mentioned by nurses, was to get support and to ventilate their emotions. Both occurred in 12 of the 13 articles. Other resources that emerged were: to be given the opportunity to reflect and to have a time and place for rest. Other strategies that emerged were: to practice religion and spirituality, to exercise, engaging in hobbies, to avoid difficult situations, to change their attitude, to set limits and to find a work-life balance. Conclusion: Based on this study it can be concluded that nurses in several different settings and countries consider social support and to ventilate their feelings in an informal way valuable resources and strategies in managing compassion fatigue. The definition of compassion fatigue suffers from a great ambiguity and needs to be further defined and separated from similar terms.

Bakgrund: Målet med omvårdnad är att uppnå hälsa hos patienten genom ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt. Många sjuksköterskor uttrycker att de vill ge god omvårdnad men begreppets innebörd förefaller skilja sig åt sjuksköterskor emellan. Att tillämpa god omvårdnad förhindras av strukturella samt organisatoriska barriärer vilket påverkar patientsäkerheten. För att diskrepansen mellan kunskapen om vad god omvårdnad innebär och kvaliteten på den omvårdnad som ges ska minska, behövs ökad kunskap om vad patienter uppfattar som god omvårdnad. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa patienternas uppfattning om vad god omvårdnad innebär inom slutenvården. Metod: Litteraturöversikten har utförts i enlighet med Fribergs metod. Sökningar utfördes i databaserna CINAHL complete, PsychINFO och PubMed, vilket resulterade i tio kvalitativa artiklar som analyserades och tematiserades och därmed utgör resultatet. Resultat: Två huvudteman och fem subteman identifierades; Ett personcentrerat vårdande med subtemana; Se mig, jag är unik, Behovet av en medmänsklig relation samt Betydelsen av sjuksköterskans närvaro. Sjuksköterskans förhållningssätt med subtemana; Compassion-en vårdande hållning samt Vikten av kompetens och information. Diskussion: Litteraturöversiktens metod diskuteras utifrån dess styrkor och svagheter. Resultatet diskuteras i relation till begreppen i Jean Watsons omvårdnadsteori. God omvårdnad karakteriseras enligt patienterna av en närvarande sjuksköterska vars personliga hållning präglas av compassion. Hållningen främjar en medmänsklig vårdrelation och ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt. / Background: The purpose of nursing care is to achieve patient health through a person-centred approach. Many nurses claim that they want to provide good nursing care but the concept varies between nurses. Implementing good nursing care is prevented by structural and organisational barriers that affect patient safety. To reduce the discrepancy between the knowledge of what quality care means and the quality of the actual care provided, increased knowledge of what patients perceive as good nursing care is needed. Aim: The aim was to illuminate patients’ perceptions of what good nursing care signifies in an inpatient setting. Method: The literature review has been made in accordance with Fribergs method. Searches were conducted using the databases CINAHL complete, PsychINFO and PubMed, resulting in ten qualitative articles that were analyzed and thematized and thus constitute the result. Results: Two main themes and five subthemes were identified; A person-centred care with the subthemes; See me, I am unique, The need for a person to person relationship and The importance of the presence of the nurse. The nurses’ approach with the subthemes; Compassion- a caring attitude and The importance of competence and information. Discussion: The method of the literature review is discussed from its strengths and weaknesses. The result of the literature review is discussed in relation to the concepts in Jean Watsons’ nursing theory. Good nursing care is characterized according to patients by a present nurse whose personal attitude is characterized by compassion. The attitude favours a human caring relationship and a person-centred approach.