In the United States, approximately two million new cancer diagnoses will emerge in 2020, and more than 16 million persons are cancer survivors. Poor mental health is a significant concern among individuals with current or remitted cancer. Approximately 15%-25% of persons in the cancer population experience depression, perhaps attributable to the physical burden of illness and recovery (e.g., treatment side effects), and threat of mortality. Risk for distress may vary relative to the cohesiveness of one’s sense of self across time. Self-continuity, or perceived congruence of how one views their past, current, and future self (e.g., personality; values) may be disrupted by the illness experience but, when present, may promote psychosocial adjustment throughout the illness trajectory. Specifically, stable self-concept may promote engagement in adaptive coping mechanisms (e.g., problem-solving; seeking support), whereas self-discontinuity may deleteriously impact coping (e.g., interpersonal dysfunction; emotion dysregulation). In turn, it is well-established that effective coping is linked to less psychological distress. However, the role of self-continuity in this process has not been previously examined in the context of chronic illness. At the bivariate level, we hypothesized that self-continuity would be positively associated with adaptive coping and negatively related to depressive symptoms, with opposite patterns of correlations for self-discontinuity. At the multivariate level, we hypothesized that adaptive coping would mediate the associations between self-perception type and depressive symptoms; self-continuity would be associated with adaptive coping and, sequentially, to fewer depressive symptoms. Conversely, self-discontinuity would be linked to poorer coping and, in turn, to more depressive symptoms. Our U.S. national sample of persons with current or remitted cancer was recruited online (N=235). Most were female (n=152; 64.4%) and White (n=216; 91.5%). Participants completed self-reported measures including the Self-Continuity Scale and Multidimensional Health Profile-Psychological (coping and depression subscales). Bivariate correlations and mediation analyses, per Hayes (2013), were conducted, covarying age, sex, and ethnicity. At the bivariate level, all variables were significantly (pt=-2.6289, SE=.3389, pt=-1.4125, SE=.3124, p=.159, CI [-1.0579, .1755]), indicating mediation. Coping was also a significant mediator of the relation between self-discontinuity and depressive symptoms; the total effect was significant (t=5.15, SE=.3098, p=.000, CI [.9849, 2.208]), and the direct effect reduced in significance when coping was added to the model (t=3.5539, SE=.2997, p In our sample of persons with or recovering from cancer, self-continuity was associated with better coping and, in turn, to fewer depressive symptoms. Conversely, self-discontinuity was linked to poorer coping and consequent depression. To stabilize temporal self-perception, intervention strategies such as cognitive defusion (e.g., “leaves on a stream” mindfulness) or distress tolerance skills (e.g., sensory grounding) may promote acceptance of uncontrollable situations or inner experiences that threaten self-concept. Encouraging self-continuity (e.g., via nostalgia journaling) and adaptive coping (e.g., problem solving, relaxation may have beneficial effects on mental health throughout the diagnosis, treatment and survivorship phases of the cancer experience.

The literature on identity and acculturation has discussed many aspects of the ethnic minorities‟ experience that have important implications for the mental health status of these individuals. The goal of the present study was to integrate these findings to create an encompassing picture of how these processes may interact with one another in first-generation Asian immigrants and Asian international students in Canada. Results indicated that one‟s identification to the mainstream and heritage cultures were dependent on one‟s stage in ethnic identity development. Second, it was found that ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity achievement were differentially associated with reported levels of race-related stress. Third, bicultural conflict and vertical collectivism were negatively associated with psychological outcomes, whereas ethnic identity achievement was positively associated with well-being. Finally, strategies of self-continuity were not associated with the individualism-collectivism measures assessed in the study / Graduate

Future self-continuity has been noted as a major factor that determines unethical business decisions, but its mediating effect on the difference in individuals from cross-cultural settings is yet to be adequately examined. This study investigated unethical business decisions of Eastern and Western Nigerians; and the mediating role of future self-continuity. A total of 197 post graduate university students selected through convenience sampling were used for the cross-sectional study. Participants filled a self-administered close ended questionnaire measuring their unethical business decisions and future self-continuity. Pearson correlation analysis, independent t-test and Baron and Kenny’s method of mediation analysis were used to analyze the data collected. Result revealed that greater future self-continuity led to fewer unethical business decisions. Significant differences were noticed in the expression of unethical business and future self-continuity of Eastern and Western Nigerians. Future self-continuity did not mediate the difference noticed between the Eastern and Western Nigerians in their unethical business decision. In conclusion, future self-continuity is not a significant mediator of the observed difference in unethical business decisions of Eastern and Western Nigerians.

L’objectif de nos travaux de thèse était de mieux comprendre les troubles de l’identité dans la schizophrénie, et en particulier les perturbations du sentiment de continuité de soi dans le temps. Dans ce but, nos recherches ont consisté en une analyse exhaustive de la cohérence narrative de récits de vie recueillis auprès de patients schizophrènes stabilisés. Nos résultats mettent en évidence un défaut de raisonnement autobiographique au sein des récits de patients accompagné de perturbations de la cohérence temporelle. Ces altérations sont liées aux déficits exécutifs des patients d’une part et à la diminution de leur sentiment subjectif de cohérence personnelle d’autre part. Nos résultats vont dans le sens d’une dysconnexion entre le self et la mémoire autobiographique dans la schizophrénie conduisant à une perturbation du sentiment de continuité de soi dans le temps. Nous concluons notre travail en développant des applications cliniques et thérapeutiques en vue d’aider les patients à recréer un récit cohérent de leur vie et tenter de renforcer leur sentiment de continuité de soi. / The purpose of this project was to better understand disorders of the self in schizophrenia, and more particularly impairments of the sense of self-continuity observed in these patients. In order to do so, we deeply investigated narrative coherence of stabilized patients’ life stories. Our analyses showed a lack of autobiographical reasoning within patients’ narratives and a decreased of temporal coherence. Those impairments were related to patients’ executive dysfunction and to their subjective feeling of less coherent life. Our results suggest a disconnection between the self and autobiographical memory in schizophrenia leading to an impoverishment of the sense of self-continuity across time in those patients. To go further, clinical and therapeutic applications could ensue from our work. Indeed, it would be possible to help patients creating new and more coherent life stories through psychotherapy and by this way help them to retrieve a sense of self-continuity.