Objectives: A systematic literature review was conducted to investigate whether aging impacts on emotion regulation and whether there are relationships between aging, emotion regulation and psychosocial outcomes. An empirical study used a cross-sectional quantitative design to examine the nature of trauma exposure in a clinical group of older people. A novel model was developed to investigate the relationship between trauma exposure and psychosocial outcomes and to examine whether emotion dysregulation and resilience had a role in this relationship. Method: The search strategy used in the review identified 15 relevant papers which met the inclusion criteria which were assessed for quality and relevant findings extracted. The empirical study recruited 47 participants from psychological therapy services who completed six self-report measures of trauma exposure, resilience, emotion dysregulation, PTSD symptoms, quality of life, anxiety and depression. A bootstrapped corrected procedure was used to test the indirect effects of resilience and emotion regulation. Results: Results of the review indicated that older people used positive reappraisal more than younger people. Examining the relationship between age, emotion regulation and psychosocial outcomes was difficult because of differences in the nature of relationships investigated, the definition and measurement of variables and additional variables examined. Results of the empirical study indicated trauma exposure to be reported by all participants and to be directly related to PTSD symptoms. Further analysis indicated that emotion dysregulation partially mediated this relationship. Trauma exposure was not directly related to anxiety, depression and quality of life but was indirectly related through emotion dysregulation. Resilience was not found to be associated with trauma exposure. Conclusions: The review highlighted the complexity of the relationship between age, emotion regulation and psychosocial outcomes. Results of the empirical study improved understanding about the nature of trauma exposure in a clinical group of older people. It also supports the importance of emotion dysregulation as an intervening variable in the relationship between trauma exposure and psychosocial outcomes. Clinical practice issues and areas for future research were identified.

Research on age differences in heart transplant patients has focused primarily on medical outcomes, with mixed findings regarding mortality and morbidity rates and limited research regarding age differences in psychosocial and quality of life outcomes. To gain a more complete understanding of psychosocial adjustment after heart transplant, this study examined age differences in: satisfaction with quality of life, satisfaction with social support, depressive symptoms, negative affect, symptom distress, stress related to heart transplant, overall health functioning, coping strategies, and aspects of adherence. Results indicate that older patients, compared to younger patients, report better adjustment and quality of life across numerous outcomes 5-10 years after heart transplant. These findings are consistent with previous literature examining age differences in developmental changes with emotion regulation and coping. This study hopes to contribute to the discussion of age and heart transplant, highlighting the importance of considering quality of life in addition to medical outcomes.

Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to poor behavioral outcomes of adults. Even though lots of studies have been conducted to examine the impact of family violence on children, not many studies have conducted research for understanding the long-term impact of family violence on adults later. In the current study, the long-term effect of domestic violence in childhood will be measured by using undergraduate students at University of Louisiana, Lafayette. First, the correlation between domestic violence in childhood and their current dating violence tendency will be examined. In addition, it will be examined how the experience of domestic violence in childhood is related to their academic achievement and their psychosocial status, such as depressive symptoms.

Purpose: Food cravings are common, more prevalent in the obese, and may differ in those who pursue surgical treatment for obesity. Food craving tools are most often validated in non-clinical, non-obese samples. Methods: In this retrospective study, 227 bariatric surgery candidates at a large medical center completed the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T). The aim was to explore the factor structure of the FCQ-T. Results: Principal components analysis with varimax rotation revealed a seven-factor structure that explained 70.89 % of the variance. The seven factors were: (1) preoccupation with food, (2) emotional triggers, (3) environmental cues, (4) loss of control, (5) relief from negative emotions, (6) guilt, and (7) physiological response. The preoccupation with food factor accounted for 49.46 % of the variance in responses. Conclusions: Unlike other populations, food cravings in bariatric surgery candidates appear to be related most to preoccupations with food.

No description available.

Chronic pain is a significant public health problem. A large portion of those with chronic pain have had their acute postsurgical pain transition into a chronic postsurgical pain state. The mechanisms contributing to pediatric persistent postsurgical pain is not well understood; however, there is empirical support in the adult literature to suggest that psychosocial factors play a significant role in the maintenance and exacerbation of post-surgical pain. Recent research by our group found high pain prevalence rates up to 5-years post-surgery among children undergoing spinal fusion surgery, particularly among those reporting poor pre-surgical mental health. The current study aims to extend this research by exploring psycho-social functioning and pain among children (10-21 years) who underwent major orthopedic surgery and their parents (n=21 dyads; data collection is ongoing). Measures administered 1-3 years post-surgery included pain ratings, the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire (Child; Parental Impact), Fear of Pain Questionnaire, Functional Disability Inventory, and the Adult Responses to Child Symptoms. Preliminary results found that 52% of patients reported pain in the moderate-severe range in the past 6 months. Additionally, increased child pain was associated with greater child-reported functional disability (p<.01), pain-specific anxiety (p<.01), and fear of pain (p<.05), as well as worse overall emotional functioning (p<.05). Parents of children with increased pain reported worse parental strain (e.g., "found my relationship with my child difficult," p<.05). Identifying correlates of poor long-term outcomes in children with postsurgical pain may prevent the development of chronic pain into adulthood. With recent economic costs of adult chronic pain estimated to be between $560-$635 billion per year research on the role of persistent pain in children is of upmost importance in order to positively impact pre-surgical preparation, postsurgical care, and in potentially preventing disabling pain into adulthood for a population at considerable risk. This investigation was supported by the Boston Children's Hospital Career Development Fellowship Award (CS).

Contexte : La tentative de suicide (TS) concerne 8 à 10 % des adolescents et la récidive précoce 14 à 20% des adolescents. La TS peut avoir des répercussions à long terme chez les adolescents, tant au niveau scolaire/professionnel, qu’au niveau affectif et psychique. Objectifs : 1) Décrire le devenir psychosocial des suicidants et le poids de la récidive sur ce devenir, 2) étudier l’impact du fait de ne plus être joignable par l’équipe de soins 1 an après la TS et 3) étudier les modalités de communication, le soutien social et la santé perçue des jeunes suicidants. Méthode : 1) 309 sujets ont été inclus avec une évaluation au moment du geste et à 10 ans, 2) étude de l’association du fait de ne plus être joignable par l’équipe de soins avec la récidive suicidaire chez 249 patients, 3) modalité d’utilisation des moyens de communication, perception du soutien social et santé perçue de 58 adolescents suicidants. Résultats : Devenus adultes, les jeunes suicidants ont un devenir psychosocial altéré, d’autant plus lorsqu’ils avaient récidivé durant l’année suivant le geste d’inclusion. Le fait de ne plus être joignable par les soignants un an après la TS d’inclusion majore le risque de récidive suicidaire dans les 10 ans. Chez les suicidants, l’utilisation des SMS est privilégiée pour « rester en lien » avec les proches ; soutien social et santé perçue sont évalués de manière moins positive que chez leurs pairs. Perspectives : Dans un but de prévention de la récidive, nous avons développé un dispositif de veille s’appuyant sur l’envoi de SMS qui sera évalué dans un essai randomisé contrôlé. / Background: Suicide attempt (SA) concerns 8% to 10% of adolescents and SA recurrence within the year 14% to 20% of adolescents. SA of young patients may have implications over the long term on an academic/professional level, as well as on an affective and psychic level. Objectives: 1) To describe psychosocial outcomes of SAers and the weight of recurrence on these outcomes, 2) to study the impact of losing contact with caregivers during the year following SA, and 3) to study how young SAers use means of communication, and perceive social support they receive and their health-related quality of life. Methods: Three researches were carried out on adolescent SAers. 1) 309 SAers were evaluated at time of SA and 10 years after SA, 2) study of the correlation between a loss of contact with caregivers and SA recurrence occurring between 1 to 10 years after the initial SA of 249 young patients, 3) how 58 SAers use means of communication, and perceive social support they receive and their health-related quality of life. Results: As an adult, the psychosocial situation of young SAers is impaired, especially for those who have a recurrence of SA during the year after index SA. The risk of recurrence increases in the ten years following index SA for early SAers, and in the year following index SA when contact has been lost with caregivers. SAers preferentially use SMS to “keep in touch” with relatives and they assess on a less positive note than peers their social support and health-related quality of life. Perspectives: We developed a monitoring device based on SMS sending in order to prevent SA recurrence which will be assessed through a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Obesity is related to poor academic achievement, reduced quality of life, discrimination, lower educational attainment, lower earnings, and a number of socio-emotional problems (Dockray et al., 209; Erickson et al., 2008; Gerberding, 2008; Roth et al., 2008; Salvy et al., 2008; Barlow, 2007; Marsh et al, 2007; Storch et al., 2007; Davison & Birch, 2002; Braet et al., 1996). The present study investigates the significance of English, math, and physical self-concept as moderators of the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), academic achievement, and psycho-social outcomes of depression and anxiety. The study includes 15-year-old female and male participants from the database of the Study of Early Child Care (SECC) by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The research controls for prior self-concept measured in 6 th grade, academic achievement measured in 5 th grade, psycho-social factors measured in 6 th grade, and attendance measured in 8 th grade. Other controls measured at the same time as the independent and dependent variables include the amount of TV watched and SES. Overall findings suggest that among females BMI was significantly related to each of the outcome variables with the exception of English achievement. There was a negative relationship between BMI and achievement in math and positive relationships between BMI and depression and anxiety among females. For males, there was only one significant relationship between BMI and an outcome variable, achievement in English (a negative relationship). Overall, BMI does not appear to be correlated with negative socio-emotional outcomes of depression and anxiety nor does it appear to be related to achievement in math among males. However, among females BMI does appear to be related to negative socio-emotional and achievement outcomes. Self-concept in math interacts with BMI in its effects on achievement in math however self-concept does not appear to be a protective factor. For males, physical self-concept interacts with BMI in its effects on depression however; it again does not appear to be a protective factor against these negative outcomes.

No description available.

Barriers to reaching human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing prevent Canada from achieving The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) target of 90 percent of undiagnosed people living with HIV knowing their HIV status by 2020 and receive treatment.(1) Fourteen percent (9,090 of 63,100) of Canadians living with HIV were unaware of their status by the end of 2016.(1)(p.9)Individuals exposed to HIV through heterosexual contact are overrepresented (28%) among the undiagnosed people living with HIV in Canada compared to other groups, such as men who have sex with men (18%) and people who inject drugs (20%).(2)(par.15)The reasons preventing this population to present themselves for testing in Ottawa, Ontario, remain poorly understood in the literature. Most of the literature on barriers to accessing HIV testing focuses on the traditional key groups who are likely to test, and limits analysis of these barriers on one or two levels. Equally, health service providers rarely understand challenges behind HIV testing for particularly young heterosexual African migrant men. These challenges may be contributing key barriers to HIV testing. On other hand, late presentation to treatment remains a global issue. Psychosocial outcomes especially after a new positive diagnosis can delay reaching early treatment and prevention services. Indeed, all test results negative or positive have consequences. Even those with a new negative test can return to risk taking behaviour if they delay accessing prevention education. Yet no systematic study exists in this area essential for quality improvement. Programming more equitable HIV testing services will require more comprehensive evidence about challenges and barriers behind accessing HIV testing and treatment to achieve UNAIDS target of 90 percent of undiagnosed people living with HIV knowing their status and receive treatment. This research aimed to contribute to this evidence through two phases. Phase 1 used the Joanna Briggs Institute methods to implement a scoping review on psychosocial outcomes and their measurements immediately following a new HIV diagnosis. This review considered all participants who tested for HIV – whether their results were positive or negative, as any test results have consequences, and regardless of age, sex, or setting – reported in published articles between 2007 -to the present date. Paper 1 presents the scoping review. Phase 2 relied on a qualitative methodology using Grounded Theory informed by a socio-ecological framework and a framework of access to healthcare to understand experiences of accessing HIV testing services in two parts: 1) to examine barriers to reaching HIV testing among young heterosexual African migrants, focusing on young men, in Ottawa (Paper 2); and 2) to identify challenges experienced by health service providers who make accessible HIV testing services to this population in Ottawa (Paper 3). There is some ambiguity in the use of the terms “first generation immigrants” and “second generation immigrants” (or children of first immigrants). In this study, the term migrants referred to both. Selecting participants from both groups (first and second generation) was important to include a wide variety of experiences and interpretations that reflect the study population. Furthermore, the term “health service providers” was used to refer to both healthcare providers and frontline service providers. Healthcare providers referred to those who conduct HIV testing in health facilities, whereas frontline service providers referred to those who provide care and support services needed by members in their communities before and after testing within AIDS organizations and community-based organizations.