Student Number : 0316820H - MA research report - School of Human and Community Development - Faculty of Humanities / The diagnosis of a serious disability brings many changes to the family of the newly diagnosed member. Each type of disability and each child is unique. The characteristics of autism make raising an autistic child challenging and places great stress on the family. The diagnosis of autism therefore presents the family with a great deal of unique challenges. Coping is necessary for the maintenance of the family and for the quality of life to remain intact for the individual family members. Traditionally the emphasis has been on treating the autistic child. However, recently more attention has been devoted to providing supportive and counselling services to the families of autistic children. Research has shifted its focus towards identifying those resources that enable the family to cope successfully in the face of chronic stress. The present study used the process model of stress and coping (Folkman & Lazarus, 1984) to examine the variables that may alleviate parental stress. These variables include both personal and socio-ecological coping resources, for example, personality variables, parenting skills, previous coping skills, social support and support from formal agencies. The sample selected consisted of 31 parents of autistic children. The parents were recruited through schools that cater specifically to autistic children and the parents were all volunteer participants. The results indicated that intervention and parent education levels are associated with the level of stress experienced by parents of autistic children. These results highlight the need for family-based intervention programmes that are specifically tailored to suit the needs of the family being helped. Without adequate services, it is unlikely that any amount of psychosocial support will be able to prevent family stress.

Despite the negative psychological, emotional, relational, and physiological impact of traumatic events that often persist into adulthood (Breslau, Davis, Andreski, Peterson, 1991; Briere, 2004), some individuals may also experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) as they struggle to resolve their traumatic experiences. PTG is a process that originates from a cognitive response to cope with traumatic events, and an outcome that yields positive personal changes (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1998). Several factors are linked to the increased likelihood of PTG such as symptom severity, coping resources, and personality characteristics (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). This study examined the contributory roles of life-style themes, coping resources, trauma symptoms, and their interaction on different forms of PTG in a sample of college graduate and undergraduates. Wanting Recognition, Tension Control, Social Support, and trauma symptoms were significantly related to PTG. Significant interaction effects were revealed between Wanting Recognition, Social Support and trauma symptoms. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

The multidimensional construct of perfectionism is well studied as it relates to coping with stress and burnout (Flett & Hewitt, 2002). Bontempo and Napier (2011) identify the personality trait of conscientiousness, which includes perfectionistic traits, as beneficial to an interpreter’s job performance. In contrast, several studies suggest that constructs related to maladaptive perfectionistic traits play a role in the development of burnout among interpreters, although perfectionism has not been explicitly identified or used as a research variable (Qin, Marshall, Mozrall, & Marschark, 2008). These studies identify key components of both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in the assessment of stress-related outcomes, thereby laying the groundwork for a more focused study on the particular role of perfectionism among interpreters who experience burnout. The multidimensional construct of perfectionism is well studied as it relates to coping with stress and burnout (Flett & Hewitt, 2002). Bontempo and Napier (2011) identify the personality trait of conscientiousness, which includes perfectionistic traits, as beneficial to an interpreter’s job performance. In contrast, several studies suggest that constructs related to maladaptive perfectionistic traits play a role in the development of burnout among interpreters, although perfectionism has not been explicitly identified or used as a research variable (Qin, Marshall, Mozrall, & Marschark, 2008). These studies identify key components of both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in the assessment of stress-related outcomes, thereby laying the groundwork for a more focused study on the particular role of perfectionism among interpreters who experience burnout. The current study evaluated the relationship between perfectionism, stress, coping resources and burnout in a sample of sign language interpreters. The results provided support for the mediating role of stress in the association of maladaptive perfectionism and burnout within a sign language interpreting sample. Coping resources did not serve as a moderator between perfectionism variables and burnout or a moderated mediator between perfectionism variables and perceived stress. The implications of these findings for sign language interpreters are discussed. The current study evaluated the relationship between perfectionism, stress, coping resources and burnout in a sample of sign language interpreters. The results provided support for the mediating role of stress in the association of maladaptive perfectionism and burnout within a sign language interpreting sample. Coping resources did not serve as a moderator between perfectionism variables and burnout or a moderated mediator between perfectionism variables and perceived stress. The implications of these findings for sign language interpreters are discussed.

One hundred and eighty six adult heterosexual females enrolled in colleges across the United States were sampled to determine the influence of personality and coping variables on female Intimate Partner Aggression (IPA). The research instruments administered included online versions of: the Revised-Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2; Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996), which explored female Intimate Partner Psychological Aggression and Physical Assaultiveness; the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP; Goldberg, 1999), which measured the personality trait of Neuroticism; and the Coping Resources Inventory for Stress-Short Form (CRIS-SF; Matheny, Curlette, Aycock, Pugh, & Taylor, 2007), which assessed the coping resources of Tension Control and Social Support, and provided an overall Coping resource score called Coping Resource Effectiveness (CRE). The role of Neuroticism was highlighted. Neuroticism, but not CRE or specific coping resources, was predictive of Psychological Aggression in females. Neither CRE nor Neuroticism was a significant predictor of Physical Assaultiveness. Implications for reducing psychological aggression in intimate partner relationships were offered.

This study aims to find coping resources in two different paradigms of pastoral care using coping theory from the psychology of religion. The intention is to find coping resources that are functional coping strategies to help priests and chaplains in their work with pastoral care. The research questions are: What coping resources can be found in the pastoral clinical paradigm and the contextual paradigm? What are the differences and similarities? The method used is template analysis style where the theories form a framework for the material used to analyse in this study. The theories used for this study are religious coping theory and pastoral care theory. The materials used in this study are two books about pastoral care by Bergstrand & Lidbeck (1997) Själavård I and Patton (2005) Pastoral Care An essential Guide. The analysis points out that the coping resources in pastoral care theory are: tutoring, delimitation, prayer and education. These were represented in both of the pastoral care paradigms. In the pastoral clinical paradigm the coping resources focus was on the individual level whereas in the contextual paradigm the focus was on the group and organisation level. / Detta är en uppsats som via två olika själavårdsparadigm, kontextuellt själavårdsparadigm samt pastoralkliniskt själavårdsparadigm söker finna copingresurser i orienteringssystemet som kan fungera som funktionella copingstrategier för själavårdarens stresshantering i sin yrkesroll som själavårdare. Jag söker efter att finna likheter och skillnader själavårdsparadigmen emellan. Frågeställningarna i denna uppsats är följande: 1. Vilka copingresurser erbjuds för själavårdare av pastoralkliniskt själavårdsparadigm? 2. Vilka copingresurser erbjuds för själavårdare av kontextuellt själavårdsparadigm? 3. Vilka likheter och skillnader kan urskiljas? För att besvara frågeställningarna har jag använt mig av två böcker om själavård, en svensk bok som är skriven för blivande själavårdare, nuvarande själavårdare samt människor intresserade av själavård av Bergstrand och Lidbeck (1997) som heter Själavård I. Jag har även använt mig av en bok som är skriven i en amerikansk kontext om själavård av Patton (2005) som heter Pastoral care an essential guide. Som metod för denna uppsats har jag använt mig av en teoristyrd analys, template analysis style. Denna metod innebär att teorierna är referensramen för uppsatsen. Teorierna jag använt mig av är själavårdsteori samt religionspsykologisk copingteori. Resultatet jag fått fram visar på flera olika copingresurser som funktionella copingstrategier: handledning i grupp eller enskilt, gränsdragning, bön och utbildning. Dessa har varit gemensamma för de båda själavårdsparadigmen dock på olika nivåer, främst individuell nivå eller främst gruppnivå. I pastoralkliniskt själavårdsparadigm är nivån mer åt det individuella medan i kontextuellt själavårdsparadigm är nivån på gruppnivå samt organisationsnivå. I de båda själavårdsparadigmerna fanns inslag av både den individuella nivån samt gruppnivån.

The overall aims of this thesis are to describe women’s experiences of breast cancer from a gender perspective, describe women’s experiences of an art therapy intervention and the effects of an art therapy intervention on self-rated coping resources and quality of life. The thesis presents results from a study with 42 women with primary breast cancer without distance metastasis who participated in a randomized intervention study with art therapy carried out between 2001 and 2004. All women were recruited as they were referred to the Department of Oncology at Umeå University Hospital in northern Sweden for postoperative radiotherapy. They were randomized to an intervention group (n = 20) with individual art therapy for 1 hour/week during postoperative radiotherapy, or to a control group (n = 22). The women were between 37–69 years old and had a range of educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. All 42 women completed questionnaires in connection with three interview occasions during six months: at baseline (start of radiotherapy), two and six months later. The questionnaires assessed coping resources, quality of life, symptoms, and self-image. In addition, all women were interviewed about their experiences, and were asked to write a weekly diary about their experiences of breast cancer during the six months of participation. All women signed a written consent form in which they were assured voluntariness and that ending their participation would not affect the care or medical treatment in any way. The study protocol was approved by the Umeå University Ethical Committee at the Medical Faculty (archive number 99-386). In this thesis, part of results from the study is reported. The results presented in the first study show an overall increase in coping resources as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) among women with breast cancer after taking part in the art therapy intervention. Significant differences were seen between the study group and the control group in the total score on the second occasion and in the social domain on the second and third occasions. The second study reports results of the art therapy intervention, with regard to quality of life aspects as measured by the instruments WHOQOL-BREF and EORTC QLQ-BR23, at baseline (start of radiotherapy) and two and six months later. Significant increases in total health, total quality of life, physical health and psychological health were found in the art therapy group compared to the control group. A significant positive difference was also found within the intervention group, concerning future perspectives, body image and systemic therapy side effects. The third study builds on previous quantitative results, drawing on gender theories and, taking a discursive approach in analyzing the women’s use of interpretative repertoires in diaries and interviews. The results show a connection between participation in art therapy, talking about protecting one’s own boundaries, and scoring higher on the CRI compared to the control group. A connection between the control group, repertoire conflicts, and lower scores on the CRI was also found. The fourth study presents further knowledge about women’s trajectories, in art therapy, towards helpful management of restraining boundaries. We were inspired by discursive psychology and the analytic concept of subject position. The result shows that art therapy helped women to get access to subject positions that enabled them to protect and strengthen their boundaries and put forward their own needs. Taken together, the results from all four studies support art therapy as a valuable complement in oncology care and rehabilitation of women with primary breast cancer in similar contexts.

Few studies have examined the relationships among personal factors, acculturative stress, coping resources, and depression of Korean immigrant elders residing in areas without any Korean ethnic enclave. Based on the stress and coping model and the sociocultural model of stress, coping, and adaptation, this cross-sectional study examined the relationships among acculturative stress, coping, and depression in 111 non-institutionalized Korean immigrant elders aged 60 and older residing in areas without any Korean ethnic enclaves in three neighboring states of Southwestern Ohio, North Central Region of Kentucky, and Southern Indiana. A majority of convenience and snowball sample participated in self-administered mailed surveys, and a remaining few used phone surveys and personal interviews. Multiple regression analyses indicate that social support is the strongest predictor of depression, followed by somatization and acculturative stress. Principal component analysis indicates that the participants appraised limited English proficiency as the most stressful aspect of acculturative stress. Path analyses further reveal that acculturative stress had the largest total effect on depression and partially mediated the effect of the level of acculturation on depression. The results also show that social support had the large direct effect on depression and partially mediated the effect of acculturative stress on depression. Unexpectedly, religiosity was not a predictor of depression and did not have any effect on depression. Interestingly, somatization had the positive direct effect on depression. This study suggests that the level of acculturation, socioeconomic status and social support may influence acculturative stress and depression negatively; however, acculturative stress is the most significant risk factor for depression among the participants, decreasing coping efficacy of social support and increasing somatic symptoms. Implications for future research and practice are examined on social support from family and friends and on acculturative stress. It seems that culturally relevant programs and services are important vehicles through which to enhance personal resources and social support and reduce lingual and cultural barriers among Korean immigrant elders residing in areas without any Korean ethnic enclave.

This thesis describes coping in pacients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. It focuses especially on the cognitive evaluation of pain and coping strategies. Furthermore it deals with the emotional changes in chronic pain. The theoretical part consists of the development of access to pain and the overview of some current knowledge of biological and psychosocial determinant of pain. Emphasis is placed on a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to the issue. Empirical part consists of research aimed at assesing the important factors that contribute to cope life with pain, as in terms of personal dispositions of an individual, so in terms of environmental influence. The main aim of the research is to identity the most used coping strategies and to assess their effectiveness. Keywords: chronic disease, chronic pain, coping resources, coping strategies

Mainland China has undergone drastic social and economic changes in the last century. Rapid social changes often transform individual values and family structures, which directly affect the personality development process and life quality of human beings. The review of English and Chinese-language publications will enhance the readers¡¯ understanding of the Mainland Chinese personality features, coping resources and social changes. The research assessed the impact of social changes on the patterns of personality traits, stress coping resources, and life satisfaction of 2359 people in Mainland China. Participants completed three surveys: 1) the Coping Resources Inventory for Stress (CRIS) (Matheny, Curlette, Aycock, Pugh, & Taylor, 1987), 2) Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larson, & Griffin, 1985), and 3) Basic Adlerian Scales of Interpersonal Success-Adult Inventory (Wheeler, Kern, & Curlette, 1995). Pearson Correlations, Univariate analysis of variance, Multivariate analysis of variance, and Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between personality types, stress coping resources, and life satisfaction for three generations. Income and gender factors were considered in analysis. The three generations do not have significant difference in personality as measured by BASIS-A. Females scored higher than males on Entitlement, Financial Freedom, and Satisfaction with Life. High income group scored significantly higher than middle and low income groups on Belonging-Social Interest, Softness, Taking Charge, and Wanting Recognition, Self Disclosure, Social Support, Financial Freedom, Physical Health, and Physical Fitness. Old generation scored significantly higher than the middle and young generations on Structuring and Satisfaction with Life. Old generation with low income scored significantly higher on Satisfaction with Life than young generation with high income. Within the young generation, middle income group perceived more Financial Freedom and Satisfaction with Life than the high and low income groups. Females with high income perceived less Physical Fitness than females with low and medium income. Entitlement, Financial Freedom, Coping Resource Effectiveness, age, and Belonging-Social Interest are found to be predictors of Satisfaction with Life among Chinese people. Findings of this study have important implications for the design of training programs aimed at assisting Chinese individuals and families to cope more healthfully with distressing circumstances and events. The results should also be useful in developing cross-cultural mental health tests.

Counselor trainees’ stress and coping resources have the potential to influence the relationships formed with supervisors and clients. Two hundred thirty two (N = 232) Master-level counselor trainees completed surveys designed to measure perceived stress, coping resources, the working alliance, and the supervisory working alliance. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Working Alliance Inventory – Short Form Therapist Version (WAI-S; Tracey & Kokotovic, 1989), the Supervisory Working Alliance Inventory – Trainee Version (SWAI-T; Efstation, Patton, & Kardash, 1990), the Perceived Stress Scale – Short Form (PSS; Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), and the Coping Resources Inventory for Stress – Short Form (CRIS; Curlette & Matheny, 2008). The working alliance was negatively correlated with Perceived Stress (r = -.25, p < .01) and positively correlated with the coping resources Situational Control, (r = .23, p < .01), Emotional Control (r = .18, p = .01), Social Support From Family (r = .19, p < .01), Mental Tension Control (r = .18, p < .01), and Making Plans (r = .15, p < .05). The supervisory working alliance was negatively correlated with Perceived Stress (r = -.23, p < .01) and positively correlated with the coping resources Situational Control (r = .17, p < .01), Emotional Control (r = .18, p < .01), Social Support From Friends (r = .14, p < .05), Mental Tension Control (r = .22, p < .01), Asserting One’s Rights (r = .13, p < .05), and Trusting Oneself (r = .14, p < .05). After controlling for the primary internship setting, Stress (∆R2 = .055, â = -.21, p < .001) and Social Support from Family (∆R2 = .021, â = -.21, p < .025) explained 7.6% of the variance in the working alliance, F (10, 221) = 3.71, p < .001. After controlling for the number of counseling sessions and total number of weekly individual counseling hours, Perceived Stress (∆R2 = .047, â = -.14, p < .10) and Situational Control (∆R2 = .026, â = .18, p < .025) explained 7.3% of the variance in the supervisory working alliance, F (4, 170) = 7.73, p < .001. Implications for counselor training and implications for research are discussed.