The relationship between exposure to trauma and the development of both Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and general distress has been widely discussed in the empirical literature. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the specific processes through which trauma exposure leads to distress. This lack of research is particularly apparent in research involving residential fire. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the four types of resource loss (object resource loss, condition resource loss, personal characteristics resource loss, and energy resource loss) mediate the relationship between fire exposure and total distress (as well as intrusion and avoidance symptom clusters). Additionally, total resource loss (a sum of the four types of resource loss) will be examined as a fifth potential mediator. The sample consists of 120 children (mean age = 12.31, SD = 2.83) exposed to residential fire who were interviewed three months after their experience. The proposed mediational analyses were explored through use of regression techniques. With regard to the relationships that showed the necessary significant correlations to perform mediational analyses, the findings of the current investigation provided some preliminary evidence for the mediational role of object resource loss and total resource loss (though these results generally failed to retain significance under the Bonferroni correction). Furthermore, the role of resource loss in the development and maintenance of PTSD was supported. Implications for future research and clinical intervention are discussed. / Master of Science

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African Americans have reported higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms than their Caucasian counterparts in some studies. Variables hypothesized to contribute to differential levels of PTSD symptoms between African Americans and Caucasians that have not been adequately explored in these studies include ethnicity, resource loss, religious coping, and social support. The purpose of this study was to test portions of a model that characterizes the relationship between traumatic events and PTSD symptoms in African Americans and Caucasians. It was hypothesized that ethnicity, perceived ethnic identity, socioeconomic status (SES), resource loss, religious coping, family support, and professional support would be significant predictors of PTSD symptoms. Data from 59 African American children and adolescents, aged 4 to 20, and 54 of their Caucasian counterparts from the Residential Fire Project were used to examine the role of ethnicity, SES, resource loss, religious coping, family support, and professional support in the development of PTSD symptoms. Data from 86 African Americans and 417 Caucasians, aged 15 to 21 from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), were used to examine the role of ethnicity, perceived ethnic identity, SES, religious coping, family support, mental healthcare, and non-mental healthcare in the development of PTSD symptoms. Participants in the Fire Project were interviewed individually, and completed self-report questionnaires. Results indicated that only resource loss factors contributed significantly to the prediction of variance in PTSD symptoms. Participants in the NCS were also interviewed individually. Results indicated that mental healthcare, family support, SES, ethnicity, and religious coping contributed significantly to the prediction of variance in PTSD symptoms in this sample. Findings are discussed within a psychosocial model. / Master of Science

ABSTRACT This study focuses on immigrant women in Sweden and how their perceptions of resource loss may affect their motivation to learn Swedish. Focus group discussions were conducted with immigrant women who partake in a Swedish language learning project. Their Swedish language skills were very limited, and all of them had no or very few years of elementary level education. Results of the study suggest that the strongest motivator to learn Swedish is its potential role in facilitating everyday activities.

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been demonstrated as the primary pathway through which morbidity and mortality is achieved post-trauma. However, less is known about protective factors to PTSD, depression, and self-reported health outcomes of adults following a traumatic event. Through examination of residential fire survivors, the current project evaluated the predictive validity of protective factors of PTSD as they relate to PTSD, depression, and somatic health outcomes. Additionally, the project collapsed the three outcomes variables into a unified health construct and evaluated protective factors ability to predict health. It was hypothesized the peritraumatic emotionality, social support, and resource loss would predict PTSD, depression, and somatic health. Additionally, it was predicted that peritraumatic emotionality, social support, and resource loss would predict a unified construct of health. Participants were assessed via self-report and semi-structured interviews approximately four months post-fire. Results of the current project demonstrated strong associations amongst peritraumatic emotionality and resource loss for many of the outcome variables. However, social support was not found to be a predictor of any of the outcomes variables. When evaluating the unified health construct, resource loss was found to significant predict a resilient group of trauma survivors four months post-fire. The present study suggests lower peritraumatic emotionality and lower sustained resource loss are significant protective factors for resiliency from trauma. / Ph. D.

本研究主要採用資源保存理論的壓力模式來檢驗921地震發生兩年半後，災區居民的資源流失與因應行為對身心症狀的影響，並比較不同社區組織與族群在資源流失、因應行為及身心症狀上的差異本研究主要採用問卷調查法，研究對象為南投埔里鎮居民，有效樣本共354份。受測樣本的設計分為目前住在組合屋和目前住在自己家中以及原住民和非原住民。研究工具包括「創傷後壓力反應指標問卷」、「資源流失調查表」及「因應量表」。資料的處理以相關分析、路徑分析、階層回歸分析和單因子共變數分析為主。本研究結果發現如下：（1）資源流失與逃避式的因應均能預測災區居民的身心症狀，但資源流失對身心症狀的預測要大於逃避式因應，且在四種類型的資源中，以個人資源流失的預測力最強。（2）在不同社區組織的比較中，組合屋居民出現較多身心症狀和資源的流失，且個人資源的流失和逃避式因應均是預測其身心症狀的最強變項。（2）在不同族群的比較中，原住民族群與非原住民族群在身心症狀和資源流失上沒有明顯差異，但原住民族群報告較多逃避式的因應，且逃避式的因應是預測其身心症狀的最強變項。根據研究結果，本研究對地震後的復建提出以下幾點建議：（1）減緩災難後資源的流失並增加資源的獲得。（2）社區組織的介入。（3）增強原住民族群的因應行為。 關鍵字：921地震、資源流失、因應行為、組合屋、原住民 / This study used the Conservation of Resources stress model to examine the effects of resources loss and coping behavior on psychological/physical symptoms after the 921 earthquake. And compared with the differences of resources loss, coping behavior and psychological/physical symptoms in different community organizations and races. This study was conducted by questionnaire investigation. 354 participants living in Pu-Li Town completed the questionnaires. The design of samples was distinguished between living in Temporal houses and living in own houses, and aborigines and non-aborigines. The measurements applied in this study included "Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index Questionnaire", "Resources Loss Inventory" and "Coping Scale". The obtained data was analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation, path analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis and one-way ANCOVA. The results of this study included: (1) resources loss and avoidant coping could predict psychological/physical symptoms, but resource loss predicted psychological symptoms better than avoidant coping. Personal resources were the strongest predictor among four kinds of resources. (2) In different community organizations. Temporal house's residents reported more resources loss and psychological/physical symptoms. And personal resources and avoidant coping were the strongest predictors. (3) In different races, the level of resources loss and psychological/physical symptoms were no significant differences between aborigines and non-aborigines. But aborigines revealed more avoidant coping and avoidant coping was the strongest predictor. Based on the results, some suggestions to post-earthquake rehabilitation were included: (1) Acting to limit resources loss after disaster and increase resources gain. (2) Considering the intervention of community organization. (3) Enhancing aborigine's coping behavior. Keywords: 921 earthquake, resource loss, coping behavior. Temporal houses, aborigines

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目的：基於初診斷乳癌患者的心理沮喪反應存在個別差異性之假設，本研究旨在探討乳癌患者的心理沮喪發展軌跡及其與資源變化、因應風格之間的關係，並採用動態性的壓力調適觀點來說明影響個體間發展差異與個人內變化之因素。三個主要的目的為（1）初診斷乳癌患者是否具有不同的心理沮喪發展軌跡？（2）隨時序變化的資源變化與因應風格可否區辨不同的軌跡組別；以及（3）不同軌跡組別的資源變化與因應風格對其心理沮喪之影響是否不同？ 方法： 本研究採用貫時性的研究設計，共收錄200名初診斷乳癌患者。患者於診斷後的手術前一天進行評估，並於術後一個月、術後四個月、術後七個月及術後一年進行後續的追蹤。每一點的心理沮喪分數採用中文的醫院版焦慮與憂鬱量表（HADS）來測量，追蹤時間點的資源變化與癌症因應風格之分數，分別是以修編的資源改變量表（資源流失與資源獲得）與台灣版癌症心理調適量表（Mini-MAC）進行評估。 結果：潛在類別成長模式的結果顯示，相較於過去的研究，心理沮喪的變化軌跡可區辨出「韌性組」、「復原組」、「晚發組」及「慢性組」。潛在成長曲線模式的分析顯示，相較於其他三組，「韌性組」的壓力因應特性為：診斷之後維持在低資源流失、較低的初始AP，以及較低的CA成長率；相較於「韌性組」，「復原組」還具有下降較慢的FS；「晚發組」與「慢性組」又比前兩組具有更高的初始HH與較高的AP成長率，而「慢性組」比起其他三組在診斷初期具有最高的資源流失、最高的HH以及最低的FS。階層線性模式的分析顯示，四組之中的資源流失與因應風格皆可預測心理沮喪，作用的差異之處主要出現在「慢性組」的資源獲得與CA具有減緩心理沮喪之效果，以及各組之內的預測因子不同。 結論：本研究支持罹癌後的壓力反應具有個別差異性，並且指出乳癌患者的心理沮喪反應具有四種不同的發展型態。本研究也強調於連續變化的向度中考量不同的心理沮喪發展軌跡及其相關的壓力調適因子亦具有時序變化之重要性。有關的理論與實務意涵將於後作進一步地討論。 / Objectives: This study assumed the psychological distress of newly-diagnosed breast cancer (BC) patients existed the entities of the individual difference, so this study examined distinct development trajectories of psychological distress amongst BC patients and their relationship with resource changes and coping styles, and adopted a dynamic stress-coping perspective to shed light on the factors that contribute to the diversity of inter-individual development and intra-individual change. The three major purposes were (1) to determine if there are distinct development trajectories of psychological distress amongst newly-diagnosis BC patients; (2) to test whether time-varying resource changes and coping styles can distinguish the trajectory groups; (3) to explore whether the effect of time-varying resource changes and coping styles on psychological distress differ within each trajectories group. Methods: A longitudinal reasarch study of 200 newly-diagnosed BC patients was recruited and participants were assessed at the day before surgery, and again at the 1-month, 4-month, 7-month and 1-year post-surgery follow-ups. Psychological distress was measured at the five time-points using the Chinese version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Resource changes and cancer-specific coping were assessed at all follow-ups using the revised Resource Change Scale and the the Chinese version of Mini-MAC Scale, respectively. Results: Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) identified four latent classes of BC patients with distinct developmental trajectories of psychological distress - resilience, recovery, late onset and chronic dysfunction. Latent Growth Curve Model (LGM) revealed that the stress-coping properties of the resilience group featured a stabilized lower level of resource loss after diagnosis, a lower level of initial AP-coping and a lower growth rate of CA-coping when compared with the others. The recovery group was more likely to have a lower decrease of FS-coping than the resilience group. Moreover, the late onset group and the chronic dysfunction group were more likely to have a higher level of initial HH-coping and a higher increase in AP-coping, and the chronic dysfunction group was characterized by the highest level of initial resource loss and HH-coping, and the lowest level of initial FS-coping compared with the other groups. The Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) indicated that resource loss and use of coping styles could significantly predict levels of psychological distress in each trajectory group. The major differences that appeared were in the positive effect of resource gain and use of CA-coping on decreasing distress symptoms amongst people in the chronic dysfunction group, as well as in the different predictors that were found in each trajectory group. Conclusions: The present study shows that there are individual differences in cancer-specific stress responses and outlines four different developmental patterns of psychological distress amongst newly-diagnosed Taiwanese BC patients. This study also stressed the importance of considering time-serial continuity of distinct developmental trajectories with regards to psychological distress as well as the related stress-coping factors which also varies with time. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed in depth in the content of the study.