Forgiveness and mindfulness have both been associated with a variety of salutary health-related outcomes. Though thought to be related to one another, very little empirical work has examined the association of forgiveness and mindfulness, including in the context of health. Consistent with theory regarding the forgiveness-health association and the definition of health behavior, we hypothesized that mindfulness would play a role in the relationship between forgiveness and health. Cross-sectional mediation-based analyses were conducted on data collected from a sample of 368 undergraduate students in southern Appalachia. Participants were 73.64% female and 88.32% Caucasian, with an average age of 21.62 years. Mindfulness played a role in the association of forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of situations with physical health status, somatic symptoms, mental health status, and psychological distress. In the context of the forgiveness-health association, mindfulness may play a primary role for forgiveness of others and largely a secondary role for forgiveness of self and forgiveness of situations. The role of mindfulness may be explained by the (un)forgiveness-energy hypothesis, such that forgiveness may allow energy to be invested in mindful processes. Religious/spiritual diversity may impact the association of forgiveness and mindfulness. As this study may be the first to examine mindfulness as a health behavior and only the second empirical study to explicitly examine the association between forgiveness and mindfulness, more research is needed to understand the relationships among forgiveness, mindfulness, and health.

Forgiveness and mindfulness have both been associated with a variety of salutary health-related outcomes. Though thought to be related to one another, very little empirical work has examined the association of forgiveness and mindfulness, including in the context of health. Consistent with theory regarding the forgiveness-health association and the definition of health behavior, we hypothesized that mindfulness would play a role in the relationship between forgiveness and health. Cross-sectional mediation-based analyses were conducted on data collected from a sample of 368 undergraduate students in southern Appalachia. Participants were 73.64% female and 88.32% Caucasian, with an average age of 21.62 years. Mindfulness played a role in the association of forgiveness of self, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of situations with physical health status, somatic symptoms, mental health status, and psychological distress. In the context of the forgiveness-health association, mindfulness may play a primary role for forgiveness of others and largely a secondary role for forgiveness of self and forgiveness of situations. The role of mindfulness may be explained by the (un)forgiveness-energy hypothesis, such that forgiveness may allow energy to be invested in mindful processes. Religious/spiritual diversity may impact the association of forgiveness and mindfulness. As this study may be the first to examine mindfulness as a health behavior and only the second empirical study to explicitly examine the association between forgiveness and mindfulness, more research is needed to understand the relationships among forgiveness, mindfulness, and health.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF SARA J. W. BIEBL, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Child Clinical Psychology, presented on June 14th, 2010 Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: A DIATHESIS-STRESS MODEL OF VICTIMIZATION: RELATIONS AMONG TEMPERAMENT, PEER VICTIMIZATION, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND HEALTH PROBLEMS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Lisabeth F. DiLalla, Ph.D. Youth who are victimized by their peers are more likely to develop symptoms of psychopathology and health problems in adolescence and adulthood. Also, temperamental traits of behavioral inhibition and emotional reactivity have been found to be significant risk factors for the development of mental and physical health problems. Diathesis-stress models of psychopathology indicate that the interaction between temperament and experiences of trauma may lead an individual to develop psychopathology. Most studies using a biosocial model of psychopathology, however, have focused more on experiences of physical and sexual abuse rather than experiences of peer abuse. No studies to date have examined how experiences of peer victimization moderate the relationship between temperament and later experiences of psychopathology and health problems, which was the primary focus of the present study. A second aim of the present study was to examine how the stability of victimization throughout childhood related to health problems in adolescence. Seventy 12- to 20-year-old youth participated in the present longitudinal study. This longitudinal study included three specific time points. At time 1, when participants were five years of age, they engaged in a 20-minute peer play interaction and their parents completed temperament measures. Tapes of the peer play interaction were rated by trained coders for instances of peer victimization. During time 2, these same youth were between the ages of 10 and 18 and were contacted again and asked to complete measures related to peer victimization. Finally, at time 3, which was the present study, participants were between the ages of 12 and 20 and completed a 1-hour telephone interview which was used to obtain information about experiences of peer victimization as well as mental and physical health outcomes. Results from the present study indicated that youth with specific early temperamental traits (behaviorally inhibited and difficult) and who experienced peer victimization that is impairing appeared to be at multiplicatively greater risk for developing mental and physical health problems in adolescence compared to youth who did not have these same biological vulnerabilities and environmental experiences. Additionally, youth who chronically experienced peer victimization had significantly more mental and physical health problems than youth who experienced less stable victimization. This study adds to the current research on peer victimization by using a diathesis- stress model to examine the interactive effects of peer victimization and temperament on negative mental health and physical health outcomes. Moreover, findings from this study will provide researchers and professionals with information that can aide in the development of interventions for children who experience peer victimization and who suffer from different types of health problems and symptoms of psychopathology. More specifically, by understanding how innate factors such as temperament interact with a child's experience of peer victimization, researchers and clinicians may be able to design more specialized interventions for children based on the patterns of their victimization experiences and temperamental traits.

Abstract available in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

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Yes / Forced migrant women are increasingly becoming destitute whilst pregnant. Destitution may exacerbate their poor underlying physical and mental health. There is little published research that examines this, and studies are needed to ensure midwifery care addresses the specific needs of these women. This study aimed to explore vulnerable migrant women's lived experience of being pregnant and destitute. Six in-depth individual interviews with forced migrant women who had been destitute during their pregnancy were conducted over one year. A lack of food and being homeless impacted on women's physical and mental health. Women relied on support from the voluntary sector to fill the gaps in services not provided by their local authorities. Although midwives were generally kind and helpful, there was a limit to how they could support the women. There is a gap in support provided by local authorities working to government policies and destitute migrant pregnant women should not have to wait until 34 weeks gestation before they can apply for support. Home office policy needs to change to ensure pregnant migrant women receive support throughout their pregnancy.

Yes / Objectives: Longitudinal evidence documenting health conditions in spousal caregivers of people with dementia and whether these influence caregivers’ outcomes is scarce. This study explores type and number of health conditions over two years in caregivers of people with dementia and subgroups based on age, sex, education, hours of care, informant-rated functional ability, neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognition of the person with dementia, and length of diagnosis in the person with dementia. It also explores whether over time the number of health conditions is associated with caregivers’ stress, positive experiences of caregiving, and social networks Methods: Longitudinal data from the IDEAL (Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life) cohort were used. Participants comprised spousal caregivers (n = 977) of people with dementia. Self-reported health conditions using the Charlson Comorbidity Index, stress, positive experiences of caregiving, and social network were assessed over two years. Mixed effect models were used Results: On average participants had 1.5 health conditions at baseline; increasing to 2.1 conditions over two years. More health conditions were reported by caregivers who were older, had no formal education, provided 10 + hours of care per day, and/or cared for a person with more neuropsychiatric symptoms at baseline. More baseline health conditions were associated with greater stress at baseline but not with stress over time. Over two years, when caregivers’ health conditions increased, their stress increased whereas their social network diminished Discussion: Findings highlight that most caregivers have their own health problems which require management to avoid increased stress and shrinking of social networks / Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) - grant ES/L001853/2. Alzheimer’s Society, grant number 348, AS-PR2-16-001. Sabatini was supported by an ESRC Postdoctoral fellowship (ES/X007766/1).

Mental health issues have been the primary focus of much of the health research concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals over the previous decade. Studies have demonstrated that LGB individuals experience psychological distress due to prejudice and discrimination (Lewis, Derlega, Berndt, Morris, & Rose, 2002; Meyer, Schwartz, & Frost, 2008; Rostosky, Riggle, Horne, & Miller, 2009). Health researchers have not given the physical health of LGB individuals the same level of attention (Dibble, Eliason, & Christiansen, 2007). The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA; 2001) asserted that little was known about LGB physical health disparities and called for more research in this area. However, the Institute of Medicine (2011) showed that comparatively little is known about LGB physical health. There is growing evidence from population-based studies that LGB individuals may be at greater risk than heterosexuals for many physical health conditions (Cochran & Mays, 2007; Dilley, Simmons, Boysun, Pizacani, & Stark, 2010; Sandfort, Bakker, Schellevis, & Vanwesenbeeck, 2009). Many of these studies (e.g., Cochran & Mays, 2007; Sandfort et al., 2009) referred to the stigmatization of LGB individuals; however, none of these studies empirically explored the relation between stigmatization and physical health in LGB individuals. The goal of this study was to test the utility of Meyer’s (2003) minority stress model as a means of explaining the physical health of LGB individuals in the context of a heterosexist society. This study investigated empirical questions about minority stress factors, physical health, and coping self-efficacy (CSE) of LGB individuals. Five-hundred fifteen LGBidentified adult participants (n = 222 women and n = 293 men) were recruited to complete a web-based survey. Participants were primarily recruited through online forums sponsored by LGB-affirming organizations. Results indicated that higher expectations of rejection based on sexual identity, internalized homonegativity, and LGBbased victimization predicted greater reported physical symptoms severity (PSS). CSE fully mediated the relation between expectation of rejection and physical symptom severity and internalized homonegativity and PSS. CSE partially mediated the relation between victimization and PSS. The document proposed several clinical and systemic interventions that may benefit physical health in LGB individuals.