No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) is a constellation of emotion-related self-perceptions and dispositions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies (see Petrides & Furnharn, 2000,2003; Petrides, Furnham, & Mavroveli, 2007). Trait EI provides comprehensive coverage of the affective aspects of personality and has been validated in several studies with adults and, less often, with adolescent samples. Research with children within the domain has been generally neglected. Therefore, the main goal of the thesis was the psychometric validation of trait EI in middle and late childhood where research was lacking. This venture included both the development of an age-appropriate conceptual definition and a measure of trait EI. The initial operationalisation of the construct was based on data generated through a qualitative method, which aimed at identifying and defining salient facets of children's affective personality. The preliminary pool of facets in children's trait EI sampling domain included 11 theoretical constructs, which were subsequently reduced to 9 constructs based on correlational methods (see Robinson, Shaver, & Wrightsman, 1991). The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Child Form (TEIQue-CF) was developed to measure trait EI in children. The structure of the measure mirrored the conceptual definition of trait EI and provided comprehensive coverage of children's trait EI sampling domain. The psychometric properties of the TEIQue-CF were examined in a string of seven studies, which provided sufficient evidence for the measure's internal consistency, temporal stability, and construct validity. Specifically, internal consistency indices varied from 73 to 84, and the evidence for construct validity was consistent with the theoretical postulates of trait EI and related research with adults and adolescents. Overall, the empirical findings showed low to zero correlations between trait EI and indices of cognitive ability, such as verbal and nonverbal IQ, reading and spelling scores, and SAT scores on English, math, and science. Additionally, trait EI scores differentiated between a) pupils with unauthorised absences or exclusions from school and their well-adjusted peers and b) pupils with special educational needs and those without such needs. Higher trait EI scores were also positively related to teacher- and peer-rated positive (prosocial) behaviour, negatively related to negative (antisocial) behaviour, and predicted emotion perception accuracy. The data from all seven studies showed that the TEIQue-CF has sound psychometric properties and is a potentially useful trait EI tool. On the whole, our findings provided support for the validity of trait EI and for its saliency in predicting and explaining important psychological, socioemotional, and behavioural criteria in middle and late childhood.

Individuals who survive a life-threatening cardiac event (myocardial infarction or unstable angina) subsequently face the struggle of having to make the necessary adjustments to re-establish their purpose and meaning to life. Previous studies on life adjustment post-cardiac event have been limited and focused mainly on the short-term period, or on specific variables of cardiac recovery. In this study, an in-depth understanding of the long-term life adjustment was explored with a group of cardiac individuals (n=14), using a Heideggerian phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Themes and sub-themes were first identified by means of an adapted version of Colaizzi's framework, which were 'then further analysed interpretively for an ontological understanding of the phenomenon. The key findings from this study revealed that (1) a cardiac event has a de-stabilising and disruptive imposition in the lives of affected individuals (2) as existential beings, such individuals have pre-determined ways of relating and engaging with such an event and (3) long-term life adjustment involved a process of re-appraisal, re-energising and reassertion of the Self. The study further illuminated the dynamic manifestations of underlying forces that guided the individuals towards their life adjustment. 'Becoming The Active Self Again' (referred as the BTASA model) emerged as the 'hidden' drive that primordially propelled these individuals to rediscover their purpose and meaning to life after such an event. In conclusion, the illuminations from this study could be effectively used to stimulate a review of current thinking and practices among cardiac health practitioners, 'educators and other agencies, involved in supporting this group of individuals meet their long-term adjustment needs. Long-term cardiac care provisions could be further enhanced if future policy-initiatives reflected aspects of the study's findings and illuminations, as well as through further research into this phenomenon.

Research has revealed that siblings may moderate the negative impact of parental divorce however, relatively little is known about the extent of influence siblings may have upon adjustment following parental divorce. Likewise previous research has acknowledged variations in sibling relationships as a function of sex, but little is known about the significance of sibling sex constellation upon individual outcomes, particularly following parental divorce. The relationship between the sex constellation of siblings in a family (taking sex of participants into account), psychological distress, the psychosocial correlates of distress, family environment, and family structure (intact versus non-intact) was investigated in two studies of 708 and 574 emerging adults respectively. Study 1 was a student sample of294 males and 414 females and assessed parental relationship and sibling sex constellation in relation to participants' perceptions oftheir family environment, social support, perceived control, optimism, pessimism and psychological distress. Multivariate analysis ofvariance (Manova) produced significant main effects and interactions which show that sibling sex constellation impacts on psychological distress, the psychosocial correlates of distress, and the family environment. Furthermore, sibling sex constellation appears to moderate the impact of intact versus non-intact home on these variables. These findings were further supported by multiple regression analysis (MRA). Study 2 replicated Study 1 in a general population sample of 251 males and 323 females and, in addition, explored the sibling sex constellation effects on achievement motivation, problem-solving style and coping. The majority of the effects from Study 1 were corroborated and main effects and interactions using Manova were shown for achievement motivation and problemsolving style, while results on coping were less clear. Again these findings were supported by MRA. It appears that the presence of female siblings has a positive impact upon adjustment and associated variables, while the presence of male siblings has the reverse effect. These findings have implications for family therapy and counselling and can usefully inform the practice of anyone working with families and children.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.