Infertility is a complex condition associated with the inability to conceive a child, frequently manifesting itself as a result of various biological factors. A literature review indicated that being on Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment significantly increases the stress in an individual. While some research has been done on coping processes, and stress and depression levels in individuals on infertility treatment, very little literature is available regarding the coping resources and subjective well-being of individuals on infertility treatment. This psychofortigenic study aimed to explore and describe the coping resources, sense of coherence, satisfaction with life and life happiness of individuals undergoing infertility treatment. Furthermore, this study aimed to compare the coping resources, sense of coherence, satisfaction with life and happiness of males and females undergoing infertility treatment at a privately managed unit. It is imperative to view the results of this study from a gender-based perception as a previous study by Ferreira (2005) indicated significant differences in how males and females perceived infertility treatment. The sample in this study consisted of 62 voluntary participants from a privately managed health care unit in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. Participants were given a package of questionnaires to complete under the supervision of the researcher and research coordinator of the participating health care unit. The assessment consisted of a biographical questionnaire and four standardised paper and pencil measures. The participants’ coping resources were explored using Hammer and Marting’s (1988) Coping Resource Inventory (CRI), while Antonovsky’s (1987) Orientation to Life Scale was used to measure their sense of coherence (SOC-29). Overall satisfaction with life was assessed using Diener, Emmons, Larson and Griffin’s (1985) Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), while Kamman and Flett’s (1993) Affectometer-2 (AFM-2) was utilized to measure the respondents’ subjective happiness. A quantitative, exploratory descriptive research design was employed in this study and the participants were chosen by means of a non-probability purposive sampling procedure. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-testing. Further investigations were made through Chi square tests which enabled the researcher to draw inferences about differences based on cross tabulations. The reliability coefficient was obtained by calculating Cronbach’s coefficient alpha, which measured the internal consistency of the four standardized measures utilised in the present study. The results of the study revealed that participants generally experienced average levels of coping and subjective well-being as measured by the four assessment tools utilised during this study. On comparing the results of the male group and the female group of the particular sample it was found that although both groups obtained relatively average mean scores in general, the men scored slightly higher on the Coping Resources Inventory, Sense of Coherence and Affectometer-2, while the females scored slightly higher than the males on the Satisfaction with Life Scale.

This study was concerned with the extent to which coping behavior, coping efficacy, and their interaction are associated with job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and propensity to leave teaching, after the effects of gender, stressor type, perceived stress, and control over stressor are accounted for. Respondents were 266 teachers from two British Columbia school districts covering smaller urban and rural areas. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire package distributed and collected through the district mail systems including: (a) demographic data, (b) 3 subsales from the revised version of the Teacher Stress Inventory (Pettegrew & Wolf, 1982), (c) 2 subscales from a coping efforts scale (Latack, 1986), (d) a modified version of the coping efforts scale measuring 2 subscales of coping efficacy, (e) the job satisfaction subscale from the Teacher Stress Inventory, (f) the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979), (g) a propensity to leave measure (Lyons, 1971), and (h) 8 single-item questions. Preliminary analysis was done to compare male and female teachers and to determine the influence of reluctance to complete the questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine relations among variables entered in six levels: (1) gender and stressor type; (2) perceived stress; (3) perceived control over stressor; (4) control and escape coping; (5) perceived control and escape efficacy; and (6) control and escape products. The first regression equation reached significance, F(10,213)=13.68, p< .01, and accounted for 39% of the variance of occupational satisfaction. The second regression equation reached significance, F(10,213)=9.33, p<.0l, and accounted for 30% of the variance of propensity to leave teaching. The third regression equation reached significance, F(10,213)=7.6I, p<.0l, and accounted for 26% of the variance of organizational commitment. Partial support was found for the influence with control coping efficacy accounting for a significant increase in the variance of organizational commitment, and the control coping x efficacy interaction accounting for a significant increase in the variance for propensity to leave teaching. Other control efficacy measures, efficacy products, and all escape efficacy measures failed to account for a significant increase in variance. High control coping behavior was related to lower levels of occupational satisfaction, organizational commitment, and a desire to remain in teaching. High escape coping behavior was related to lower occupation satisfaction. Recommendations for the school environment are made as well as directions for future research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to determine how angina pectoris patients experience and cope with their chronic illness following diagnosis. Qualitative methodology, using phenomenological theory, was used to guide the study. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of six male angina patients, ranging in age from 42 to 72 years, with recency of diagnosis from two to thirty-four months. None of these subjects were known to have had a myocardial infarction (MI). Using a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions, the investigator interviewed each subject at home, on two occasions. Data coding and analysis were approached using the constant comparative method developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967). The findings of the study revealed angina patients progressing through four phases of coping experience as they adjusted to their illness and its concomitant need for risk modification. These phases were identified as: (1) Initial Coping Response; (2) Managing Specific Adjustment Areas; (3) Secondary Coping Response; and (4) Awareness of Resulting Changes. The findings supported the use of a chronic illness framework adapted from Strauss et al. (1984) for identifying some of the adjustment areas encountered and coping strategies utilized by the angina patients investigated. Nurses and other health professionals are angina patients investigated. Nurses and other health professionals are in a critical position to assist angina patients in coping with their illness. The phases of coping experience identified in this study may serve as a useful guide to help these health professionals assess the nature of problems and concerns related to coping with angina so that better adjustment in daily life will ensue. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

Taking a positive psychology approach, this research looked at a little-studied subset of working women and men - those who experienced changes affecting their work and self-reported as handling them well. The primary purpose was to explore what strategies they employed that helped them handle change well, what hindered doing well, and whether there were things that would have been helpful but were unavailable. There were two secondary purposes: (1) to gain insight into the nature of the changes they had faced, the impacts of those changes, whether they had always handled change well, and if not, when that changed and why; and (2) to explore whether the research interview itself had an impact on participants. This was primarily a qualitative, exploratory study that used the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) (Flanagan, 1954) to elicit helping and hindering critical incidents and wish list items; and open-ended interview questions (Cozby, 1997; Palys, 1997) to gather information about participants' experiences of change. A quantitative component was embedded in the form of a pre- and post-interview scaling question (Palys, 1997) to determine if the interview had an impact. Data from the CIT portion of the study elicited ten helping, hindering and wish list categories: (1) Personal Attitudes/Traits/Emotional Set; (2) Support from Friends and Family; (3) Internal Framework and Boundaries; (4) Taking Action; (5) Self-care; (6) Support from Professionals; (7) Management Style and Work Environment; (8) Skill/Role Competence; (9) Support from Work Colleagues; and (10) Personal Life Changes/Issues, suggesting strategies can be employed that facilitate handling change well. Data from the quantitative portion resulted in a borderline large effect size, suggesting the interview had an impact on participants. Surprisingly, results from participants' stories of change and its impacts strongly paralleled results of studies in the unemployment, transition, burnout, and posttraumatic growth literature, suggesting this sample of workers was dealing with chaotic environments in many domains of their lives and even though they self-reported as doing well with the changes they were facing, there was a cost involved. Implications for workers, counsellors, vocational psychologists, career counsellors, human resource professionals, organizations, and future research and theory are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

No description available.

It was the purpose of this study to test a possible method of assessing adjustment that could be used quickly and easily by teachers. The tool, to be effective, would (1) have to be administered to groups of children; (2) have clear and concise directions understandable to children in lower grades; (3) be easily scorable; and (4) have a definitive scale of scoring.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.