This study investigated the academic adaptation of five Mainland Chinese doctoral students in the Faculty of Education at McGill University, Quebec, Canada. Using individual interviewing as the primary research method, the study revealed 12 major challenge areas, i.e., English as a second language, financial difficulties, outsider feelings, worries about career paths, course work, research network, TA/RA experiences, differences between doctoral and master's studies, isolation, pace of the PhD, motherhood and doctoral study, and adjusting research directions. Through comparing the findings with the literature and the data from secondary sources, this study concluded that the academic adaptation of Mainland Chinese doctoral students in Canada is a process in which cross-cultural adaptation intertwines with disciplinary socialization. The study contributes to literature by (1) documenting an under-researched group---PhD students in education from Mainland China in Canada; and (2) looking at academic adaptation through two lenses: cross-cultural adaptation and disciplinary socialization.

This study examined the influence of activated and chronic interpersonal expectations on primary and secondary appraisal of a stressful life event. Fifty-one female undergraduates were asked to imagine themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy, after which affective state and coping strategies were assessed. A subliminal priming technique was used during the experimental session to activate either positive, negative or neutral interpersonal expectations. Chronic interpersonal expectations were assessed in a telephone interview, using the Collins and Read (1990) attachment scale. Activated negative interpersonal expectations reduced positive affect; chronic interpersonal anxiety heightened overall negative affect, while chronic comfort with closeness and feeling one can depend on others were associated with less feelings of depression. Both activated and chronically accessible positive interpersonal expectations increased intentions to seek emotional support. Chronic anxiety in relationships was related to hostile coping, while a lack of comfort with closeness and depending on others were conducive to self-blaming. Implications of these findings for close relationships and stressful life events and for future priming research are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between hardiness and burnout in medicalsurgical staff nurses at a midwestern hospital. The conceptual framework used in the study was hardiness, developed by Kobasa (1979).The population selected for the study was medicalsurgical staff nurses at a midwestern hospital. The convenience sample consisted of responding staff nurses (n=41). Subject confidentiality was maintained by indicating respondents by number instead of name.The research design for the study was a descriptive correlational design. The research question was analyzed using the Pearson Moment Correlation Co-efficient. Findings of the study indicated a negative, significant correlation between Emotional Exhaustion Burnout subscale and hardiness (p=.001). A positive significant correlation was supported-between the Personal Accomplishment Burnout subscale and hardiness (p=.000). The Depersonalization Burnout Subscale and the overall Burnout Score did not support significant correlations in sample subjects studied.Conclusions from the study were that nurses need opportunities for increasing personal development and decreasing exhaustion. The depersonalization of the environment did not seem to be a factor related to hardiness, and remains to be examined. The study was significant because it was determined that certain subscalBall State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / School of Nursing

The purposes of this study were to determine the adjustment of freshman athletes to intercollegiate athletics and to determine the validity of the Perceptions of Adjustment to Sports Questionnaire (PASQ), which was created for this research. The results of a pilot study that included 62 freshman intercollegiate athletes indicated that Rule 48 status, time of season, residence, interscholastic athletic experience, team cohesion, and revenue do not influence the adjustment of freshman athletes to intercollegiate sports (p < .05). Twelve panelists also rated the construct validity of the PASQ in a three-round Delphi study. The final version of the PASQ resulted in a 69-item, 8 sub scale instrument that measures freshman adjustment to intercollegiate athletics; however, additional research needs to be conducted to confirm its validity. Possible uses of the PASQ are to provide a foundation for counseling freshman intercollegiate athletes and to recognize freshman athletes at risk for psychiatric and physical health problems. / School of Physical Education

The relationship between hardiness, stress and burnout has been established in occupational settings (Kelley, 1994; Talarico, 1989; Topf, 1989). This relationship has not been established with athletic populations, however. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between personality hardiness, perceived stress and burnout in a selected sample of collegiate athletes. Participants were 181 male (n=129) and female (n_=52) Division I athletes from three Midwestern universities representing four sports (baseball, softball, tennis and track). Each subject was asked to complete a survey - consisting of the Third Generation Hardiness Test, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - during the regular season and at least 24 hours prior to an athletic contest. It was hypothesized that hardier athletes would report lower levels of perceived stress and burnout, and that higher levels of stress would be related to higher levels of burnout. Pearson product-moment correlations supported the hypothesized relationships. / School of Physical Education

The present study examined the relationship of sense of humor to affect and coping with humor ability. The participants were 147 Introductory Psychology students from Ball State University. Participants first took the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire (SHRQ: Martin & Lefcourt, 1984), then observed 1 of 3 videos (i.e., sad, neutral, or humorous), which was then followed by the Coping with Humor Scale (CHS: Martin & Lefcourt, 1983) and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL: Zuckerman & Lubin, 1965). The results indicate that sense of humor is inversely related to depression and hostility regardless of video condition but not with anxiety. Low sense of humor participants were influenced greatly as a function of the video condition but the high sense of humor paticipants were not. High sense of humor paticipants used humor to cope more than the low sense of humor participants in the sad video condition. The findings indicate that sense of humor is strongly related to depression, that depression levels can be reduced with a humor stimulus, and that those with a high sense of humor are more likely to use humor to cope with problems. / Department of Psychological Science

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between Sense of Coherence (SOC) and subjective report of health in elders. A systematic sample of 400 retirees from Ball State University faculty and staff was used in this study. The participants completed the information sheet and two questionnaires: Orientation to Life and Perceived Health. All data from the 198 responses were entered into the database for statistical analysis, although 169 (85%) had complete sets of data. Pearson r correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between SOC and subjective reports of health. The result revealed a statistically significant relationship between the two variables. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and univariate analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship between SOC and subjective reports of health and other variables such as sex, education level, retirement status, and social support. Results indicate a significant relationship between sex, education level, SOC and subjective report of health. Retirement status and social support did not prove significant. A post hoc analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant relationship between SOC and education. This study has implications for worksite health promotion programs which address more than the physical dimension of wellness. Further march is recommended. / Institute for Wellness

The purpose of the study was to evaluate perceived stressors, coping strategies, and coping effectiveness in older adults. The theoretical framework was Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) theory of stress.Data was collected from 55 independent living adults. Findings showed that primary perceived stressors focused on health, family, and independence. The most frequently used and effective style of coping was optimistic. The least frequently used and least effective style was emotive. The most commonly used and most effective strategy was prayer. Few demographic differences in coping were noted.A major conclusion was that, while individual coping strategies were highly effective, overall older adults coped only somewhat effectively with stressors.The significance of the study was that effective coping strategies and styles as identified can guide nursing interventions for stress management among older adults. Replication of the study is needed with a large sample from a variety of populations. / School of Nursing

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of cultural factors, such as self-construal, and social beliefs, on coping for U.S. and Chinese college students. Data from 325 U.S. and 321 Chinese college students were used for the analyses. It was found that independent self-construal, beliefs in reward for application and social complexity predicted task-oriented coping and self-regulation for both the U.S. and Chinese students. It was also found that beliefs in both fate control and social cynicism were associated with avoidance and emotion-focused coping in both groups. These two patterns of relationships were also observed across gender in each sample. Differences were also noted between the two countries. For the U.S. students, independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal contributed equally to task-oriented coping and self regulation, whereas for the Chinese students, only independent self-construal predicted these coping strategies. Moreover, religiosity was associated with emotion-focused coping and self regulation for the Chinese participants, while this pattern was not found in the U.S. student sample. The results of this study support the transactional model of coping. Consistent with previous findings, significant associations were found between three of the cultural variables (independent self-construal, beliefs in social complexity, and reward in application) and taskoriented coping. In contrast to prior research, the current study indicates that both independent and interdependent self-construal predicted task-oriented coping for the U.S. students. This contradicts Lam and Zane’s (2004) findings which suggested that these two dimensions of selfconstrual affect coping differently. Moreover, the current study found associations in the U.S. sample between self-construal, social beliefs, and coping dimensions which were originally identified in Chinese populations (i.e., self-regulation and help seeking). Similarly, the current research illuminated relationships in the Chinese sample between self-construal, social beliefs, and coping dimensions which were originally identified in the West (i.e., task-oriented and emotion-oriented coping). These findings suggest that current conceptualizations of coping in the West and China may not fully capture important aspects of coping in these two cultures. These results were discussed in relation to past findings in the literature, as well as the cultural contexts of the U.S. and China. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Coronary bypass surgery is an increasingly common occurrence. Current literature does not validate the coping mechanisms involved for patients facing this life-threatening event. Lazarus’ theory of stress and coping was utilized as the framework for the study. The purpose of the study was to identify the degree of threat coronary bypass surgery presents and coping mechanisms utilized with this specific insult. The significance of the study was to assist nurses in identification of perceived risks/benefits of having open heart surgery from the patient’s perspective. The population included patients from a private cardiovascular practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. The convenience sample included 38 subjects recovering from coronary bypass graft surgery. Subjects were identified as uncomplicated post-operative surgical patients and were mailed questionnaires one month after discharge from the hospital. The Jalowiec Coping Scale and a questionnaire for demographic data were utilized to collect data. Procedures for protection of human subjects were followed. The research design was non-experimental and descriptive, correlational procedures were utilized to analyze data.The data supported the notions that clients utilized both problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping strategies were more effective in reducing the threat. Education was significantly related to emotive coping styles and clients that perceived a higher threat intensity utilized more emotion-focused coping strategies. Recognition of the need to minimize stressors can be an important role the nurse facilitates. Through participatory care, the nurse may assist in finding the meaning for the stressor and encourage open communication patterns and emotional responses. Allowing for reduction of threat perception and intensity may enhance the outcome of the experience. / School of Nursing