Research suggests that the relatively low rates of former foster youth enrolling in and graduating from a postsecondary institution may be related to lack of foster care system support. This study examined whether perceived support from the foster care system was related to the postsecondary enrollment and academic performance of former foster youth, and whether males and females differed in perceived support from the foster care system. Forty-five former foster youth aged 18-24 years who had transitioned from a southeastern state completed a measure of social support and reported whether they had attended a postsecondary institution and, if so, their cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Analysis showed no significant relationships between participants' perceptions of foster care system support and their postsecondary attendance or performance. Analysis also showed no difference between genders in perceived support from the foster care system based on gender. Two notable results of the study were that over half the sample reported they had attended or were attending a postsecondary institution, with over 90% of those planning to continue, and nearly 40% reported a college GPA of 3.0 or above, suggesting considerable success in postsecondary classes. A limitation of the study was its reliance on self-report data. Recommendations included repeating the study by surveying former foster youth in several states to obtain ample participants. A social change implication was that a number of former foster youth are overcoming the unique challenges they face that might hinder their postsecondary attendance and success.

The purpose of this study was to identify if the rate of behavioral health rehabilitation services (BHRS) impacts depressive symptoms of mothers with children receiving these services and if the perception of social support moderates the severity of depression. The stress-buffering hypothesis and Bowen's family systems theory were used for the theoretical framework. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from mothers of children receiving BHRS Provider 50 services in northeast Pennsylvania. The Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used to assess depression and perceived social support. A self-made demographic form was used to identify the rate of BHRS and demographic characteristics. Linear regression and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to identify relationships between the study variables. According to study results, the rate of BHRS did not predict the severity of maternal depression, and perceived social support did not moderate the relationship between rate of BHRS and maternal depression. However, it was found that perceived social support was negatively correlated with the severity of maternal depression. This study provides information to the behavioral health community about maternal depression and raises awareness of the importance of caregiver well-being within the BHRS Provider 50 programs. Specifically, mothers caring for a child with special needs may benefit from additional support within a wraparound program.

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O objetivo da presente tese foi examinar como otimismo, autoestima e suporte social relacionam-se para predizer qualidade de vida em mulheres com CA de mama. Para tanto o trabalho foi dividido em três estudos. O primeiro estudo caracterizou-se por uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica sobre as relações entre otimismo e suporte social em mulheres com câncer de mama a partir da perspectiva da psicologia positiva. Como resultados observou-se que a produção científica sobre a temática estudada ainda é pouca e apresenta um crescimento lento. Os resultados sugerem que as mulheres com maior otimismo e suporte social tendem a se envolver em comportamentos mais saudáveis, contribuindo para melhor qualidade de vida. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo validar e adaptar a escala de suporte social percebido (2-WAY SSS). A dimensionalidade da escala, suas características psicométricas e evidências de validade foram verificadas. O terceiro e, último estudo, testou dois modelos: 1) Modelo de moderação – no qual otimismo, autoestima e suporte social percebido interagem e afetam a qualidade de vida; 2) Modelo de mediação – no qual foram observados os efeitos diretos e indiretos do otimismo na qualidade de vida, tendo como variáveis mediadoras autoestima e suporte social percebido. Os resultados demonstraram que os dados do estudo foram mais consistentes com o modelo de mediação, ou seja, autoestima e suporte social funcionam como mediadores do otimismo para a qualidade de vida. Conclui-se que as implicações desses resultados podem ter um impacto significativo sobre como as mulheres acometidas de câncer de mama vivenciam as diferentes etapas da doença, desde seu diagnóstico até a remissão total ou parcial. / The aim of this thesis was to examine how optimism, self-esteem and social support are related to predict quality of life in women with breast cancer. Therefore the work was divided into three studies. The first study was characterized by a systematic review of the scientific literature about the relationship between optimism and social support in women with breast cancer from the positive psychology perspective. The results showed that the scientific literature on the subject studied is still scarce and shows a slow growth. The results suggest that women with greater optimism and social support tend to engage in healthier behaviors, contributing to better quality of life. The second study was the adaptation and validation of a scale to assess the perceived social support. The psychometric characteristics, internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity were tested and the instrument is ready for use with the Brazilian population. The last study tested two models: 1) Moderation model - in which optimism, self-esteem and perceived social support interact and affect the quality of life; 2) Mediation model – were observed the direct and indirect effects of optimism on quality of life, with the mediating variables self-esteem and perceived social support.. In general, the data from the current study were more consistent with the mediation model. In other words self-esteem and social support act as mediators of optimism for the quality of life. We conclude that the implications of these results may have a significant impact on how breast cancer affects women´s experiences in the different stages of the disease, from diagnosis to the total or partial remission.

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of perceived social support, psychological distress, prior help-seeking experience, and gender on attitudes toward seeking psychological help of university students. In addition to the main purpose / gender, faculty, living arrangement, and year of study differences in attitudes toward seeking psychological help and students&rsquo / knowledge about the psychological counseling services of the METU Health and Guidance Center were investigated. The sample consisted of 417 (223 female, 194 male) undergraduate students of Middle East Technical University. The data was gathered using the scale of Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help-Shortened (ASPH-S), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and a demographic information form. It was found that nearly half of the participants (47%) had knowledge about the psychological counseling services of the METU Health and Guidance Center. Friends were the most frequently stated sources of help (59%) in times of need for personal problems. Females had more positive attitudes toward seeking psychological help than males. Students of the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences, and students of the Faculty of the Education were found to have more favorable attitudes than of the Faculty of Engineering students. Finally, hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived social support, prior help-seeking experience, and gender significantly predicted attitudes toward seeking psychological help. However, psychological distress was not associated with help-seeking attitudes.

Socialt stöd är ett etablerat begrepp som har undersökts främst i relation till stressreduktion och hälsa. I denna undersökning är syftet att få kännedom om skillnader mellan män och kvinnor i socialt stöd, samt undersöka om det sociala stödet generellt söks från män eller kvinnor. Deltagarna bestod av 113 studenter från en högskola i Mellansverige, varvid 76.6 % var kvinnor. Data inhämtades med Berlin Social Support Scale, samt genom egenutformade frågor beträffande vilket kön människor generellt vänder sig till vid sökande av socialt stöd. Envägs variansanalys för oberoende respektive beroende mätningar användes som analysmetod. Män och kvinnor upplevde samt sökte socialt stöd i lika stor utsträckning. Kvinnor upplevde däremot ett högre behov av stöd än män. Både män och kvinnor vände generellt sig till kvinnor vid sökande av socialt stöd. Slutsatsen som drogs var att kvinnor i högre grad tillskrivs egenskaper som korrelerar positivt med socialt stöd.

O objetivo da presente tese foi examinar como otimismo, autoestima e suporte social relacionam-se para predizer qualidade de vida em mulheres com CA de mama. Para tanto o trabalho foi dividido em três estudos. O primeiro estudo caracterizou-se por uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica sobre as relações entre otimismo e suporte social em mulheres com câncer de mama a partir da perspectiva da psicologia positiva. Como resultados observou-se que a produção científica sobre a temática estudada ainda é pouca e apresenta um crescimento lento. Os resultados sugerem que as mulheres com maior otimismo e suporte social tendem a se envolver em comportamentos mais saudáveis, contribuindo para melhor qualidade de vida. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo validar e adaptar a escala de suporte social percebido (2-WAY SSS). A dimensionalidade da escala, suas características psicométricas e evidências de validade foram verificadas. O terceiro e, último estudo, testou dois modelos: 1) Modelo de moderação – no qual otimismo, autoestima e suporte social percebido interagem e afetam a qualidade de vida; 2) Modelo de mediação – no qual foram observados os efeitos diretos e indiretos do otimismo na qualidade de vida, tendo como variáveis mediadoras autoestima e suporte social percebido. Os resultados demonstraram que os dados do estudo foram mais consistentes com o modelo de mediação, ou seja, autoestima e suporte social funcionam como mediadores do otimismo para a qualidade de vida. Conclui-se que as implicações desses resultados podem ter um impacto significativo sobre como as mulheres acometidas de câncer de mama vivenciam as diferentes etapas da doença, desde seu diagnóstico até a remissão total ou parcial. / The aim of this thesis was to examine how optimism, self-esteem and social support are related to predict quality of life in women with breast cancer. Therefore the work was divided into three studies. The first study was characterized by a systematic review of the scientific literature about the relationship between optimism and social support in women with breast cancer from the positive psychology perspective. The results showed that the scientific literature on the subject studied is still scarce and shows a slow growth. The results suggest that women with greater optimism and social support tend to engage in healthier behaviors, contributing to better quality of life. The second study was the adaptation and validation of a scale to assess the perceived social support. The psychometric characteristics, internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity were tested and the instrument is ready for use with the Brazilian population. The last study tested two models: 1) Moderation model - in which optimism, self-esteem and perceived social support interact and affect the quality of life; 2) Mediation model – were observed the direct and indirect effects of optimism on quality of life, with the mediating variables self-esteem and perceived social support.. In general, the data from the current study were more consistent with the mediation model. In other words self-esteem and social support act as mediators of optimism for the quality of life. We conclude that the implications of these results may have a significant impact on how breast cancer affects women´s experiences in the different stages of the disease, from diagnosis to the total or partial remission.

The purpose of the present work was to study the psychological well-being of shift working single mothers in comparison with shift working cohabiting mothers, single mothers working regular hours and cohabiting mothers working regular hours. This was done using the four scales: Perceived stress, perceived social support, general health and satisfaction with life. The convenience sample consisted of Swedish care workers and nurses, who answered a questionnaire. The responses were tested through a 2 x 2 MANOVA. The results showed that there was a significant difference in psychological well-being between single and cohabiting mothers, but no difference among shift working and regular working mothers, and no interaction effects of the four scales on the four groups of mothers. While single mothers’ psychological well-being was worse than cohabiting mothers’, there was no significant difference among shift workers and regular day workers. The psychological well-being of shift working single mothers did not significantly differ from shift working cohabiting mothers, single mothers working regular hours and cohabiting mothers working regular hours. The results are discussed with respect to previous research and we concluded that among Swedish mothers, being a single mother can have more impact on well-being than working shifts.

O objetivo da presente tese foi examinar como otimismo, autoestima e suporte social relacionam-se para predizer qualidade de vida em mulheres com CA de mama. Para tanto o trabalho foi dividido em três estudos. O primeiro estudo caracterizou-se por uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica sobre as relações entre otimismo e suporte social em mulheres com câncer de mama a partir da perspectiva da psicologia positiva. Como resultados observou-se que a produção científica sobre a temática estudada ainda é pouca e apresenta um crescimento lento. Os resultados sugerem que as mulheres com maior otimismo e suporte social tendem a se envolver em comportamentos mais saudáveis, contribuindo para melhor qualidade de vida. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo validar e adaptar a escala de suporte social percebido (2-WAY SSS). A dimensionalidade da escala, suas características psicométricas e evidências de validade foram verificadas. O terceiro e, último estudo, testou dois modelos: 1) Modelo de moderação – no qual otimismo, autoestima e suporte social percebido interagem e afetam a qualidade de vida; 2) Modelo de mediação – no qual foram observados os efeitos diretos e indiretos do otimismo na qualidade de vida, tendo como variáveis mediadoras autoestima e suporte social percebido. Os resultados demonstraram que os dados do estudo foram mais consistentes com o modelo de mediação, ou seja, autoestima e suporte social funcionam como mediadores do otimismo para a qualidade de vida. Conclui-se que as implicações desses resultados podem ter um impacto significativo sobre como as mulheres acometidas de câncer de mama vivenciam as diferentes etapas da doença, desde seu diagnóstico até a remissão total ou parcial. / The aim of this thesis was to examine how optimism, self-esteem and social support are related to predict quality of life in women with breast cancer. Therefore the work was divided into three studies. The first study was characterized by a systematic review of the scientific literature about the relationship between optimism and social support in women with breast cancer from the positive psychology perspective. The results showed that the scientific literature on the subject studied is still scarce and shows a slow growth. The results suggest that women with greater optimism and social support tend to engage in healthier behaviors, contributing to better quality of life. The second study was the adaptation and validation of a scale to assess the perceived social support. The psychometric characteristics, internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity were tested and the instrument is ready for use with the Brazilian population. The last study tested two models: 1) Moderation model - in which optimism, self-esteem and perceived social support interact and affect the quality of life; 2) Mediation model – were observed the direct and indirect effects of optimism on quality of life, with the mediating variables self-esteem and perceived social support.. In general, the data from the current study were more consistent with the mediation model. In other words self-esteem and social support act as mediators of optimism for the quality of life. We conclude that the implications of these results may have a significant impact on how breast cancer affects women´s experiences in the different stages of the disease, from diagnosis to the total or partial remission.

Introducción: La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 ha presentado una rápida transmisión y diversos efectos en las esferas de la sociedad, por lo que se ha convertido en un evento desencadenante de ansiedad para las personas. La ansiedad por Coronavirus puede causar efectos negativos en el bienestar físico y psicológico. Por lo cual, el apoyo social es una herramienta efectiva para sobrellevar este tipo de situaciones. Objetivo: Evaluar la asociación entre el apoyo social percibido y ansiedad por el COVID-19 en estudiantes universitarios de Ciencias de la Salud mayores de 18 años y otros factores asociados. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal analítico en el cual participaron 242 alumnos pertenecientes a diversas facultades de Ciencias de la Salud de universidades públicas y privadas, seleccionados por conveniencia. La recolección de datos se realizó de manera anónima a través del auto reporte en una encuesta de Google Forms. Se utilizaron las escalas de Ansiedad por COVID-19 (APC) y la Escala Multidimensional de Apoyo Social Percibido (EMAS) para evaluar ansiedad y apoyo social percibido, respectivamente. Asimismo, se construyó un modelo lineal generalizado crudo y ajustado para evaluar esta relación. Resultados: La mediana del puntaje total para EMAS fue 5,5 (RIC: 5,3-6,1) y para APC fue 0 (RIC: 0-4). Se encontró una correlación negativa entre la ansiedad por COVID-19 y el apoyo social percibido (Rho de Spearman=-0,245, p<0,001). Además, en el modelo ajustado, el aumento de una unidad en el puntaje de la escala Multidimensional de Apoyo Social percibido disminuye 2,64 puntos los niveles de Ansiedad por COVID-19 (IC: -3,19 - -2,09). Por último, los factores asociados a mayor puntaje en la escala de Ansiedad por COVID-19 fueron ser del sexo femenino, estar en el segundo y séptimo año de estudios (β = 3,83, p=0,027; β = 3,65, p=0,047) y contar con un familiar fallecido por COVID-19 (β = 1,87, p=0,023). Conclusiones: Se evidenció que existe una relación inversa entre los niveles de apoyo social percibido y ansiedad por COVID-19. Se requieren más estudios para establecer una relación causal y desarrollar futuras intervenciones para fortalecer el apoyo social percibido en esta población. / Background. The disease by coronavirus 2019 (known as COVID-19) has displayed a rapid transmission and having various effects in different aspects of society and daily life. Therefore, it has become a highly stressful event which can elicit anxiety in people. The latter, in the form of Coronavirus anxiety, can have a negative impact in physical and psychological wellbeing. In this context, social support is an effective tool to help overcome these situations. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed in which 242 students from various universities who were enrolled at the Faculty of Human Sciences participated. Information was retrieved through a self-reported online Google Forms format. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to evaluate coronavirus anxiety and perceived social support, respectively. Results. The median total score for the MSPSS was 5,5 (ICR: 5,3-6,1) and CAS was 0 (ICR: 0-4). There was a negative correlation between coronavirus anxiety and perceived social support (Spearman’s Rho=-0,245, p<0,001). Multivariate analysis showed having a higher MPSS overall score by a single point score reduces the CAS score by 2,64 points (CI: 95%: -3,19 - -2,09; p<0,001). Furthermore, being a woman, a second or seventh-year student (β = 3,83, p=0,027 ; β = 3,65, p=0,047) and having lost a relative due to COVID-19 increased anxiety levels (β = 1,87, p=0,023). Conclusions. There is an inverse relationship between perceived social support levels and COVID-19 anxiety. Further studies are needed to establish causal relationships and develop interventions to reinforce perceived social support in this population subset. / Tesis