The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of parental contributions to perfectionism on depressive symptoms for Asian American adolescents and whether perceived parental support and/or social support may buffer/moderate the relationship. Perceived support from parents and peers may serve as protective factors from experiencing distress associated with the high pressures experienced by Asian Americans to succeed academically and be perfect in school. Asian American adolescents will fill out self-report measures for dimensions of perfectionism, depressive symptoms, and perceived parental and social support. Multiple regressions will be used to test the hypothesis of this study. Implications for the proposed study suggested the development of an intervention to help cultivate coping skills related to parent-driven stress for Asian American adolescents. / text

In breast cancer patients, symptoms of depression decrease quality of life and may have other serious consequences, such as increasing mortality. Few studies have focused on psychosocial issues and their relation to breast cancer in African-American women. Thus, only limited information has been published on the breast cancer experience of African American women. A grounded theory approach was used to explicate the social psychological and social structural processes of African American women with breast cancer experiencing depressive symptoms. The sample included nine African American women with breast cancer who experienced depressive symptoms. Unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant.Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. The data indicated that African American women used the basic social process of Transcending the now to manage the basic social problem of having breast cancer and experiencing depressive symptoms. The five phases of the basic social psychological (BSP) process Transcending the Now that emerged during data analysis were Relying on Faith, Being Strong, Seeking Support, Dealing with Life Too, and Enduring Breast Cancer. The findings of this study provide nurses with new knowledge regarding the experience of depressive symptoms in African American women with breast cancer and provide a theory of transcending that can be used in building a research-based practice.

Depression is the most common mental illness worldwide, and although aspects of the social environment, including social capital and neighbourhood disadvantage, have been linked to depression, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Debates within the social capital and neighbourhood disadvantage literatures have yielded mixed findings in studies of depression and an understanding of how social capital may differentially relate to symptomatology in men and women must be solidified. In the first manuscript of this thesis, I assess whether (1) network and psychosocial measures of individual social capital are each associated with depressive symptoms, and (2) the association varies according to whether the capital lies outside or inside an individual’s neighbourhood. The second manuscript investigates whether: (1) neighbourhood disadvantage has a stronger association with depression in women compared to men and (2) if specific social capital factors mediate the association between neighbourhood disadvantage and depression. Data came from the Montreal Neighbourhood Networks and Healthy Aging Study conducted in 2008. Data included telephone interview responses from 2624 adults from 300 census tracts in the Montreal metropolitan area. The CESD-10 instrument was used to assess depressive symptoms. Name and position generator instruments and self-reported questions were used to assess psychosocial and network components of social capital. Multilevel logistic regressions adjusted for a range of socio-demographic and economic characteristics. Manuscript 1 results indicated that core tie diversity as well as the psychosocial measures of generalized trust, trust in neighbours, and perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion may be beneficial to those suffering from depressive symptoms. Manuscript 2 results, stratified by gender, indicated that neighbourhood disadvantage was associated with depressive symptoms in women only and that perceived neighbourhood cohesion mediated this association. Core tie diversity, generalized trust and trust in neighbours were associated with depression in women but did not act as mediating variables. It is suggested that network and psychosocial, as well as general- and neighbourhood specific measures of social capital be included in studies of depressive symptoms. Health promotion initiatives meant to combat depression may wish to consider the gender differences in the design and implementation of neighbourhood or peer-based programs. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-21 09:32:28.57

This dissertation investigated the relations between values-based acculturation and conceptualizations of internalized distress among immigrant Chinese Canadian families with adolescents. Parents and adolescents were classified into one of three primary acculturation profiles (separated, integrated, or assimilated), according to Berry's (1997) model of acculturation based on their endorsement of Chinese and Western cultural values. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine if the factor structure of measures of internalized distress (e.g., the CES-D) differed according to individual's acculturation profile. Next, multivariate analyses of variance were used to compare the proportion of various symptom types (somatic, affective, interpersonal, low positive affect) across acculturation profiles, as well as with a comparison sample of non-immigrant families. Finally, hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess the relations between the proportion of somatic symptoms reported and both cultural and demographic variables believed to increase one's susceptibility to experience stigma related to mental health symptoms. As hypothesized, the traditional Western four-factor model of the CES-D fit best for participants who endorsed high levels of Canadian values and low levels of Chinese values (i.e., those classified as assimilated). Both the Western four-factor and more holistic three-factor models showed acceptable model fit for individuals who endorsed both Canadian and Chinese values highly (i.e., those classified as integrated), and neither model fit the data among participants who endorsed low levels of Canadian values and high levels of Chinese values (i.e., those classified as separated). Contrary to hypotheses, parents and adolescents from non-immigrant families endorsed higher proportions of somatic symptoms compared to their immigrant counterparts. Furthermore, among immigrant Chinese Canadians, factors believed to lead to less reporting of somatic symptoms because of less perceived stigma (e.g., greater endorsement of Canadian values, younger age, longer time in Canada) were instead related to higher proportions of somatic symptoms. These unexpected findings were understood in the context of the cultural appropriateness of the specific somatic symptoms assessed by the CES-D. The expected pattern of group differences in the proportion of positive affect was found. Females reported a higher proportion of affective symptoms compared to males, and no acculturation-based or gender differences were found with respect to interpersonal symptoms. Several key implications emerged from the results of this dissertation. The value in grouping participants by cultural value endorsement rather than cultural background was demonstrated, in terms of both research and clinical practice. Future research could employ qualitative methods for a more nuanced understanding of how individuals conceptualize the various cultures that influence their perceptions of health, illness, and stigma. In terms of clinical practice, the importance of assessing cultural values in relation to symptom reporting was discussed, as well as the importance of ensuring front line health care professionals have the training needed to identify cultural variations in the reporting of distress. / Graduate

Constipation is the most common gastrointestinal complaint in the United States, resulting in about 2 million annual visits to the doctor. The purposes of this dissertation were to: 1) describe four theories of traditional Korean medicine; 2) review mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion and develop a conceptual model; 3) review findings from randomized controlled trials that tested the effects of acupressure used for the management of symptoms such nausea, pain, and dyspnea; 4) examine the reliability and validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in heart failure patients with constipation compared to those with gastrointestinal disease; 5) describe how Korean women experienced constipation and how constipation affected the quality of life and the experience of using complementary and alternative medicine for constipation; 6) test the effect of acupressure on constipation and to examine the quality of life and depressive symptoms in cancer patients with constipation. Meridian theory explains that acupressure stimulates meridians, a network of energy pathways in the body to increase the flow of bio-energy. Authors of 48 studies supported that acupressure reduced nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, pain, fatigue, and dyspnea. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to examine the depressive symptoms in cancer patients with constipation, but has not been tested in patients with constipation. Therefore, in this study, the psychometric properties of PHQ-9 were tested in patients with constipation. Cronbach’s alphas for the Patient Health Questionnaire were .89 and the correlation between the PHQ-9 and the BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory) was .81 (p<.01) in 382 heart failure patients with constipation. Ten Korean women reported that living with constipation is a stressful and uncomfortable experience which impacts daily activity, lifestyle, social relationships, and diet. In this pilot study, three out of five patients in the acupressure group reported that acupressure was effective in improving constipation. Cancer patients with less than a four-month history of constipation had less depressive symptoms and higher quality of life compared to patient with more than a four-month history of constipation. In conclusion, acupressure can be a safe and cost effective alternative medicine for constipation.

Aims: The overall aims were to study depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers in early parenthood and how depressive symptoms are related to dyadic consensus (DCS), sense of coherence (SOC), perceiving of the child temperament, separation within the couple and bonding to the infant. Methods: Study I-III was based on the BiT-study, a longitudinal project where 393 couples answered 3 questionnaires including instruments measuring DCS at one week after childbirth, depressive symptoms at 3 months and parental stress at 18 months after childbirth. Study IV was based on the UPPSAT-study, a population based cohort project, where 727 couples answered questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms at 6 weeks and 6 months after childbirth, and impaired bonding at 6 months after childbirth. Results: In the BiT-study, 17.7% of the mothers and 8.7% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms at 3 months after childbirth, using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) cut-off of ≥10. There was an association between depressive symptoms and less consensus (DCS), and the parents partly differed regarding which areas of their relationship they perceived that they disagreed about. Parents with depressive symptoms had a poorer SOC and perceived their child as more difficult than parents without depressive symptoms. Among the couples, 20% were separated 6-8 years after childbirth. Separation was associated with less dyadic consensus, more depressive symptoms and parental stress. In the UPPSAT-study, 15.3% of the mothers and 5.1% of the fathers scored depressive symptoms 6 weeks after childbirth, using the EPDS cut-off of ≥10. Further, there was an association between impaired bonding at 6 months and the parents’ depressive symptoms, as well as experience of deteriorated relationship with the spouse. Conclusions and clinical implications: Health professionals need the knowledge that depressive symptoms are common in both mother and fathers in early parenthood. It is also important to understand how depressive symptoms are associated to dyadic consensus, SOC, separation and impaired bonding in order to optimize conditions for the whole family. This knowledge is also important for the public, so those who are pregnant and new parents as well as the society are aware that there might be problems in early parenthood as depressive symptoms.

Caregiving for a close family member with Alzheimer’s disease is a stressful situation to be in, that often leads to high levels of caregiver burden and subsequent stress and depressive symptoms, and while there are numerous community and government resources available to caregivers, there are aspects of Hispanic cultures that may lead Hispanic caregivers to have higher levels of caregiver burden and depressive symptoms than White caregivers. 80 Hispanic caregivers and 80 White caregivers, with 40 males and 40 females within each group, will be recruited to participate in this study. Scales will be administered to both Hispanic and White caregivers in order to assess levels of caregiver burden, depressive symptoms, familism values, gender role beliefs, acculturation levels, and knowledge, comfort, and use of community resources. Hispanic caregivers will have higher levels of caregiver burden and depressive symptom scores than White caregivers, while women will have higher scores overall than men overall. Hispanic caregivers will have less knowledge, comfort, and use of community resources than White caregivers, while gender role views, familism values, and acculturation levels will be mediating factors of these relationships. Cultural differences in caregiver burden need to be assessed further, so that clinical and practical implications for community and government resources can be discussed.

Systematic review Background: Bipolar disorder is associated with a higher rate of physical health problems and lower levels of physical activity than other clinical and general populations. Despite the potential benefits of physical activity to people with bipolar disorder, little research has been published around this and no recent review of this topic is available. Due to the clinical utility of summarising the available research evidence on this topic, this review aimed to answer the question “Is physical activity associated with manic and depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder?”. Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched using a range of search terms to reflect physical activity and bipolar disorder variables. Results: Ten studies were identified that reported associations between physical activity and mood symptoms of bipolar disorder. There were inconsistent findings on the relationship between physical activity and mood, in particular with relation to manic symptoms, with reports of physical activity being both helpful and harmful to manic symptoms. Findings were more consistent with regards to the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms, with most showing that higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower depressive symptoms. Limitations: Many studies had small sample sizes and very few manipulated physical activity and included a control group. Measures and diagnosis method were heterogeneous. Four studies lacked a direct measure of manic symptoms. Conclusions: Results showed inconsistent findings with regards to the relationship between physical activity and mood symptoms and further research is needed to inform any guidelines developed for this client group. Empirical paper: Background: Despite the published evidence for the benefits of physical activity on mood in the general population and in people with mental illness, there is a lack of research into the associations between physical activity and mood in people with bipolar disorder. The current study therefore aimed to investigate the relationship between symptoms of mania and depression and different intensities, regularity, and total duration of physical activity per day and across the week. Methods: People with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (N = 29) completed daily diaries on physical activity and manic and depressive symptoms over 14 days. Analysis included multilevel modelling, t-tests and correlation analysis. Results: No association was found between manic symptoms and physical activity, either at the within- or the between-person level. An association was found at the within-person level between higher duration of physical activity and lower depression symptoms, however no association was found at the between-person level. Limitations: The small sample size was adequate only to detect large-sized effects for between-person hypotheses. Participants were highly active and may not be representative of the wider BD population. Physical activity levels were assessed via self-report. Conclusions: The relationship between physical activity and manic symptoms in BD remains inconclusive, but a significant within-person association indicates that physical activity may reduce depressive symptoms in the short term. Given previous research on physical activity and manic symptoms, people with BD and professionals working with them may need to remain cautious, modifying any PA engagement depending on mood state.

Sexual minority adolescents are at higher risk for a variety of difficulties, including traditional victimization and depression. Also, cybervictimization has been associated with higher rates of depression. However, little attention has been paid to investigating the relations between sexual orientation, cybervictimization, and depressive symptoms, especially within the developmental stage of late adolescence. In fact, very little cybervictimization research has been conducted within this age group due to an assumption that cyberbullying is a problem only seen in middle school and high school. One aim of the current study was to determine whether sexual minority older adolescents are at greater risk for cybervictimization than their heterosexual counterparts. Another aim was to identify the specific sexual orientation and gender categories that were associated with the highest levels of cybervictimization. The study also was intended to examine whether current cybervictimization predicts depressive symptoms above and beyond other predictors, such as current traditional victimization and perceptions of high school cybervictimization. Another goal was to determine whether current cybervictimization interacts with these variables to predict depressive symptoms. The final aim of the study was to investigate whether the relation between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms differed between sexual minority and heterosexual participants. The findings from this study demonstrate that older sexual minority individuals, particularly those who identify as homosexual, are at increased risk for cybervictimization. Also, current traditional victimization and cybervictimization interacted to predict depressive symptoms. The importance of current cybervictimization also was highlighted by the finding that the highest levels of depression were associated with high levels of current cybervictimization, with or without high levels of high school cybervictimization. Finally, the relation between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms did not differ significantly between sexual minority and heterosexual participants. This study examined pressing questions that were previously unanswered in the literature, and the implications for future research, cyberbullying interventions, and societal awareness are vast. This study should be used as a foundation for further investigation on both cyberbullying in late adolescence and cyberbullying among sexual minority individuals. Also, the findings from this study should be applied to the development of cyberbullying interventions for older adolescents with special consideration given to the applicability to the sexual minority population.

abstract: Touch appears to be an important component for understanding psychological and emotional well-being, as well as the formation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships later in life. While research about touch in relation to these topics is gaining momentum, there is still little evidence on the specific effects and processes that take place when touch is negative or harmful. The current study examined how women who have experienced physical or sexual abuse perceive touch in the context of interpersonal relations and in turn, how these experiences, perceptions and attitudes are related to depressive symptoms. Taking into consideration the significance of interpersonal touch, I speculated that 1) attitudes towards touch would be more negative among women who reported physical or sexual abuse than among women who did not; 2) among women who reported past abuse, increased abuse severity would predict increased current depressive symptoms; and 3) among women who reported past abuse, current attitudes towards touch would mediate the relationship between abuse severity and depressive symptoms. As predicted, results indicated that women who reported physical or sexual abuse had less positive attitudes towards touch than women who did not report any abuse. Echoing prior research, reports of childhood and adult abuse predicted increased depressive symptoms. Finally, for women who reported childhood abuse, Discomfort with Social Touch was a significant partial mediator of depressive symptoms, whereas for women who reported adult abuse, both Desire for More Partner Touch and Discomfort with Social Touch were significant partial mediators of depressive symptoms. Results suggested that negative attitudes towards general social touch, in particular, may play a strong role in mediating depressive symptoms among women who reported abuse. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2015