The status of women in Bangladesh has long been an issue, with high reports of negative perceptions regarding women’s capabilities. This is reflected in the poor position of women in the labor market, and combined with reports of poor mental health among women in Bangladesh, it raises the question of whether these issues are related. Previous research has found a relationship between perceived gender-based discrimination in the labor market and mental health. Since such research can justify preventative policy measures, we wanted to investigate if the same relationship can be found in a country heavily experiencing these issues, like Bangladesh. Based on the stress process theory and the cognitive appraisal theory, we expected to find a relationship between perceived gender-based discrimination and mental health. We investigated the relationship by analyzing survey data (N = 957) collected from the Sylhet district in Bangladesh through systematic random sampling. We used linear probability models in our main analysis, which indicated that women who experienced higher levels of discrimination were more than 30 percentage points likelier to suffer from poorer mental health than women who experienced lower levels of discrimination. We found the same relationship for all of our discrimination measurements. In addition, having decision-making power in the job role, having more wealth, and living in an urban area decreased the likelihood of suffering from poorer mental health when exposed to discrimination. There was no significant difference between using emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping. We suggest that policies promoting higher education for women, accessible childcare, and women in high-status jobs could reduce gender-based discrimination in the labor market, improving mental health. / Kvinnors status har länge varit ett problem i Bangladesh där negativa uppfattningar om kvinnors förmågor är utbredda. Det speglas i kvinnors svaga position på arbetsmarknaden vilket, i kombination med rapporter om höga nivåer av mental ohälsa bland kvinnor i Bangladesh, väcker frågan om huruvida de relaterar till varandra. Tidigare forskning visar på ett förhållande mellan uppfattad könsdiskriminering på arbetsmarknaden och mental hälsa. Sådan forskning skulle kunna användas som stöd för motverkande politiska åtgärder. Vi ämnade därför att undersöka om förhållandet även finns i ett land som starkt erfar båda dessa problem, så som Bangladesh. I enlighet med teorierna “stress process theory” och “cognitive appraisal theory” förväntade vi oss ett förhållande mellan uppfattad könsdiskriminering och mental hälsa. Vi undersökte förhållandet genom att analysera enkätdata (N = 957) som samlats från Sylhetdistriktet i Bangladesh med hjälp av systematiskt urval. Vi använde linjära sannolikhetsmodeller i den huvudsakliga analysen. Resultatet visade att kvinnor som upplever högre nivåer av diskriminering hade mer än 30 procentenheter större sannolikhet att lida av sämre psykisk hälsa än kvinnor som upplever lägre nivåer av diskriminering. Vi fann samma förhållande för alla diskrimineringsmått. Utöver det minskade sannolikheten att lida av sämre psykisk hälsa vid exponering av diskriminering med beslutsfattande i sin arbetsroll, högre välstånd och bosättning i stadsområde. Det fanns ingen signifikant skillnad mellan att använda känslofokuserade copingstrategier och problemfokuserade copingstrategier. Vi föreslår att policyer som främjar högre utbildning hos kvinnor, tillgänglig barnomsorg och kvinnor i högstatusyrken kan minska könsbaserad diskriminering på arbetsmarknaden vilket skulle leda till bättre psykisk hälsa.

End of life (EOL) caregiving can be a daunting and challenging endeavor as caregivers adjust to the ever-changing care demands associated with dying. Increased personal care, assisting with symptom and medication management, and attending to the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying person require caregivers to learn new tasks and to assume new roles such as social worker, nurse, and chaplain. As families continue to play an essential role in meeting the health care needs of their dying loved ones, it is imperative for social workers to understand the complexities of the end of life caregiving experience in order to better serve this population. One way to better understand this experience is by examining it within the context of the stress process model of caregiving. This model provides a comprehensive way to examine the relationship among multiple risk and protective factors within the "caregiver-in-environment" context. Using a secondary dataset, the best fit predictive model of caregiver depression included a mix of sociodemographic characteristics, primary objective and subjective stressors, and mediating variables. Two protective factors, social support and the fulfillment of spiritual needs lessened the effects of caregiver depression among the most vulnerable caregivers. Findings from this study help to bridge the gap between theory and social work practice. The stress process model of caregiving is a well-tested theoretical model, which can be utilized to guide social workers in developing comprehensive assessment measures and interventions that target specific aspects and sources of stress within the EOL caregiving experience.

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<p>Disertacija je usmerena na dva glavna istraživačka pitanja: na ispitivanje<br />složenih međuodnosa varijabli relevantnih za fenomen stres-procesa u kontekstu<br />ispitne anksioznosti i na istraživanje gre&scaron;aka u sećanjima na emocije, misli i<br />pona&scaron;anja iz konkretne pro&scaron;le stresne transakcije. Teorijsku bazu rada predstavlja u<br />ovoj studiji revidirana verzija modela Tejlora i Aspinvala (The Taylor and Aspinwall<br />Model, 1996), koji podrazumeva sveobuhvatan i savremen konceptualni okvir za<br />razumevanje komponenti generičkog pojma stresa i njihovih međusobnih relacija.<br />Ovde validirani model obuhvata četiri grupe promenljivih: a) stresor (ispitna<br />anksioznost), b) suočavanje sa stresom (tri kategorije mehanizama prevladavanja:<br />suočavanje usmereno na zadatak, suočavanje usmereno na emocije i izbegavanje), c)<br />karakteristike ličnosti (optimizam i generalna samoefikasnost kao internalni resursi za<br />suočavanje sa stresom, i dve stabilne osobine ličnosti, relevantne za domen<br />akademskog života: perfekcionizam i neuroticizam), i d) izlazne varijable stresprocesa<br />(uspeh postignut na kolokvijumu i emocionalno stanje studenata neposredno<br />nakon ispitne situacije).<br />Istraživanje je sprovedeno na prigodnom uzorku od ukupno 263 studenata,<br />koji pohađaju studije psihologije i germanistike na Filozofskom fakultetu u Novom<br />Sadu. Nacrt istraživanja koncipiran je na način, koji je omogućio prikupljanje<br />podataka u dva distinktivna vremena merenja: neposredno pre i odmah nakon<br />polaganja kolokvijuma, te mesec dana posle ove ispitne situacije. Ispitivanje prostora<br />varijabli stres-procesa obavljeno je primenom sledećih mernih instrumenata: upitnik<br />za procenu ispitne anksioznosti (TAI), inventar za registrovanje načina suočavanja sa<br />kognitivnim zadacima (CITS), upitnik za merenje perfekcionizma (APS-R), skala<br />dispozicionog optimizma (LOT-R), skala generalne samoefikasnosti (GSE), subskala<br />neuroticizma iz &bdquo;Big Five&rdquo; inventara ličnosti i upitnik za procenu pozitivnog i<br />negativnog afektiviteta (SIAB-PANAS).<br />Dobijeni rezultati, koji su proizi&scaron;li iz razmatranja prve grupe istraživačkih<br />pitanja, sugeri&scaron;u da mehanizmi suočavanja usmereni na emocije predstavljaju<br />statistički značajne medijatore relacija, koje postoje između visine izraženosti ispitne<br />anksioznosti, s jedne strane, i uspeha na kolokvijumu i emocionalnog stanja ispitanika<br />neposredno nakon ispitne situacije, s druge strane. Nadalje, u radu su detaljno<br />prikazani i prodiskutovani specifični uslovi, pod kojima određeni nivo razvijenosti ispitivanih moderator varijabli (optimizam, generalna samoefikasnost, neuroticizam i</p><p>tri podvrste perfekcionizma) značajno menja sledeće relacije: a) ispitna anksioznost &ndash;<br />izbor strategija za suočavanje, b) primenjeni mehanizmi prevladavanja &ndash; ishodi<br />ispitivane stresne transakcije i c) direktna veza između stresora i izlaznih varijabli.<br />Prilikom ispitivanja memorijskih distorzija, ustanovljeno je da su studenti<br />generalno skloni naknadnom potcenjivanju jačine sopstvene ispitne anksioznosti, koja<br />je postojala u realnoj situaciji polaganja kolokvijuma, kao i precenjivanju pozitivnih<br />ishodnih emocija. Nalazi takođe sugeri&scaron;u da osobina neuroticizma i uspeh postignut<br />na testu znanja nisu u značajnoj meri delovali na gre&scaron;ke u sećanju na osećanja iz<br />pro&scaron;le stresne transakcije. Na posletku, utvrđeno je da su ispitanici relativno tačno<br />evocirali sećanja na primenjene strategije suočavanja, koje spadaju u kategorije<br />prevladavanja usmerenog na zadatak i izbegavanje, dok su potcenili jačinu i učestalost<br />kori&scaron;ćenja mehanizama suočavanja usmerenih na emocije.</p> / <p>The thesis is focused on two main research issues, as follows: examination of<br />complex interrelationships among variables relevant to the phenomenon of the stressprocess<br />in the context of test anxiety and study of distortions in the memory for<br />emotions, thoughts and behavior in a particular previous stressful transaction. The<br />theoretical basis of the thesis presented in this study is a revised version of the Taylor<br />and Aspinwall model (The Taylor and Aspinwall Model, 1996), which includes a<br />comprehensive and contemporary conceptual framework for understanding the<br />components of a generic phenomenon of the stress concept and their mutual relations.<br />The validated model includes four sets of variables: a) stressor (test anxiety), b)<br />coping (three categories of coping mechanisms: task-focused coping, emotion-focused<br />coping, and avoidance), c) personality traits (optimism and general self-efficacy as<br />internal resources for coping, and two stable personality traits relevant to the domain<br />of academic life: perfectionism and neuroticism), and d) the output variables of the<br />stress-process (success achieved at the colloquium and the emotional state of students<br />immediately after the test situation).<br />The research was carried out on a sample of 263 students of Psychology<br />studies and German Language and Literature studies at the University of Novi Sad.<br />The research design enabled data collection within two distinct times of measurement:<br />immediately before and immediately after passing the colloquium (test), and a month<br />after the test situation. Examination of the stress-process variable space was carried<br />out by application of the following measuring instruments: Test Anxiety Inventory<br />(TAI), Coping Inventory for Task Stress (CITS), The Almost Perfect Scale-Revised<br />(APS-R), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE),<br />the neuroticism subscale from the &quot;Big Five&quot; personality inventory, and the Serbian<br />adaptation of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (SIAB-PANAS).<br />The obtained results, which have emerged after reviewing the first set of the<br />research questions, suggest that emotion-focused coping mechanisms are significant<br />mediators of relations, which exist between the intensity of the test anxiety on one<br />hand, and success achieved at the colloquium and the emotional state of subjects<br />immediately after the test situation, on the other hand. Furthermore, the thesis presents<br />in details and discusses specific conditions under which a certain level of the<br />examined moderator variables (optimism, general self-efficacy, neuroticism, and three subtypes of perfectionism) significantly change the following relations: a) test anxiety</p><p>&ndash; a choice of coping strategies, b) applied coping mechanisms - outcomes of the<br />examined stressful transaction and c) a direct relationship between stressors and<br />output variables.<br />When examining memory distortions, it was found that students generally<br />tended to subsequently underestimate the strength of their own test anxiety, which<br />existed in the real situation of taking the test, as well as to overestimate positive<br />outcome emotions. The findings also suggested that the neuroticism trait and the<br />success achieved on the test were statistically not significant for distortions in<br />memory, and feelings from the previous stressful transaction. Finally, it was found<br />that the subjects relatively accurately evoked memories of the applied coping<br />strategies, which fell into the category of the task-focused coping and avoidance, and<br />underestimated the strength and frequency of application of emotion-focused coping<br />mechanisms.</p>

<div> <p>In the last several years, it has become apparent that racial/ethnic minority graduate students face an increased risk for mental health issues (Clark, Mercer, Zeigler-Hill, & Dufrene, 2012; Paradies et al., 2015). Contextualizing their experiences and determining what factors play a role in increasing this risk specifically for racial/ethnic minority graduate students could help provide information about areas for intervention. However, there is a lack of literature on the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities in graduate school and the implications of those experiences for their mental health. It is important to understand their experience in the context of minority status stress through the use of Stress Process Theory (Pearlin, Menaghen, Lieberman, & Mullan, 1981). As such I hypothesized several positive and unique contributions to depressive symptoms by career and education barriers and minority status stress. Additionally, I hypothesized that minority status stress would mediate the relationship between career and education barriers and depressive symptoms, and that perceived family social support would moderate the relationships between career and education barriers, minority status stress, and depressive symptoms. To this end I used this regression-based, quantitative study to examine the associations between the perception of career and education barriers, minority status stress, perceived family social support, and depressive symptoms among a sample (<i>N</i> = 311) of domestic racial/ethnic minority graduate students currently enrolled in degree granting programs. The results revealed that the perception of career barriers uniquely contributed to depressive symptoms, although not in the hypothesized direction with career barriers being a negative predictor of depressive symptoms. Minority status stress uniquely contributed to depressive symptoms in the hypothesized directions and serves as a mediator between the perception of career barriers and depressive symptoms. The perception of education barriers did not uniquely contribute to depressive symptoms. Additionally, perceived family social support moderated only the relationship between the perception of career barriers and depressive symptoms; a moderator effect was not found in any other relationship. Implications for future research and practice, as well as the study’s limitations are discussed<b></b></p> </div> <b><br></b>

De nombreux travaux se sont intéressés aux facteurs sociaux et scolaires du décrochage situés au niveau de l’école élémentaire ou du début du collège (e.g., difficultés scolaires liées à une origine sociale défavorisée). En complément, un besoin de recherche existe pour mieux comprendre le décrochage au lycée et le « processus de stress » qui le sous-tend (Dupéré et al., 2015). Les travaux de cette thèse visent à combler ce besoin en analysant les données administratives et auto-rapportées portant sur des lycéens des filières professionnelles et générales ou technologiques suivis pendant trois ans à partir de la classe de 2nde (N > 1900, dont 17% de décrocheurs). Premièrement, nos analyses multiniveaux montrent que, à caractéristiques comparables en termes d’origine sociale et de parcours scolaire en amont du lycée, le processus de stress au début du lycée augmente le risque de décrochage scolaire en diminuant les perceptions de justice scolaire, de contrôle sur la scolarité et de soutien enseignant (i.e., ressources et besoins protecteurs face au stress), ainsi que l’engagement et les résultats scolaires (i.e., facteurs proximaux du stress). Deuxièmement, quel que soit le parcours de vie de l’élève, le fait d’intégrer une spécialité de formation offrant des perspectives d’emploi plus défavorables facilite le décrochage. De même, intégrer une spécialité moins prestigieuse augmente le risque de décrocher, mais uniquement chez les élèves qui perçoivent peu de contrôle ou de justice au lycée. Troisièmement, des analyses de trajectoires scolaires indiquent l’existence de 4 profils de décrocheurs qui se distinguent aussi bien au niveau de leur parcours de vie que de leur processus de stress. La majorité d’entre eux (60%) présentent des profils d’élèves « dans la norme » au cours du lycée et s’avèrent surreprésentés dans les filières plus défavorisées. Globalement, ces résultats suggèrent que le décrochage au lycée n’est pas réductible aux facteurs de risque précoces mis en avant dans la littérature, mais qu’il tient aussi à l’existence de formations peu porteuses en termes d’emploi et au processus de stress qui résulte, pour certains élèves, de la relégation socio-scolaire. Des implications sont tirées concernant la manière de concevoir et de lutter contre le décrochage dans une approche combinant ces dimensions (i.e., l’orientation scolaire et le développement individuel). / A number of studies have delved into the social or school factors of dropping out rooted in the contexts of elementary or middle school (e.g., school difficulties associated with a low socioeconomic background). As a complement, more research is needed to better understand dropping out during high school and its underlying « stress process » (Dupéré et al., 2015). The present thesis responds to this need by analysing administrative and self-reported data from vocational and academic students followed during three years starting at the first year of high school (N > 1900, including 17% dropouts). Firstly, our multilevel analyses show that, regardless of students’ social and school background before high school, the stress process at the beginning of high school increases the odds of dropping out by diminishing perceptions of school justice and control and teacher support (i.e., resources and needs that protect against stress) as well as school engagement and grades (i.e., proximal factors of stress). Secondly, regardless of students’ background, being admitted into a vocational track that offers poorer employment prospects facilitates dropping out. Likewise, entering a less prestigious track contributes to dropout, but only among students who feel little control or justice in the high school context. Thirdly, analyses of school trajectories point to the existence of 4 dropout profiles that can be differentiated according to their life course and stress process. Most dropouts (60%) show “normative” student profiles during high school and are overrepresented in the most unfavourable tracks. Overall, these results suggest that high school dropout cannot be reduced to the early risk factors that are highlighted in the literature, but that it is also due to the existence of tracks that show little promise for future employment and to the stress process that results, for some students, from school and social relegation. Implications are drawn regarding the way dropping out can be conceived of and tackled from an approach that combines these dimensions (i.e., school tracking and individual development).

The mental health of healthcare workers during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was a serious concern for healthcare professionals and the mental health field. One area in West Africa where healthcare workers played a significant role during the Ebola outbreak of 2014 and 2015 was Sierra Leone. This qualitative research study was designed to explore the perceptions of Sierra Leoneans healthcare workers' mental health, how they coped, and treatment they received while providing care for Ebola virus patients. This study, with a phenomenological research approach, used purposeful sampling to recruit 10 healthcare workers to participate in semi structured, open-ended interviews. The stress theory model and a hermeneutic phenomenology conceptual framework were used as a lens of analysis to understand the views of healthcare workers who worked directly with Ebola virus patients in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The results of the analysis of the collected data produced 9 major themes. The major themes suggest that healthcare workers experienced mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety, personal thoughts and feelings such as insomnia, and suicidal ideation. Strategies for coping included using the Bible; and the detrimental impact included facing discrimination after the Ebola outbreak. Most of the healthcare workers blame the government for not providing adequate coping resources, which led to the personal consequence of hopelessness. This study may benefit mental health professionals working in an epidemic. Additionally, this study may contribute to social change by providing a deeper understanding of the mental health system and healthcare workers in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

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From 2011 to 2031, the Canadian population living with neurological conditions is expected to double, but the population able to give informal care is not keeping pace, leading to a greater care burden. One element of this increasing care burden is emotional care. However, the effects of giving emotional care on caregiver health outcomes have not been sufficiently explored in the caregiving literature, where the majority of studies focus on instrumental forms of care, or fail to differentiate between different aspects of caregiving. This problem is further complicated by findings from other contexts which indicate that emotional supporting and helping others actually benefits the supporter or helper. Informed by the stress process and other ancillary theories, I use data from the 2012 General Social Survey to test several hypotheses which may help us understand the mental health, functional health, and caregiver burden of caregivers of persons with neurological conditions who emotionally support their care receivers, and of caregivers who are the sole provider of emotional support. The results suggest that emotionally supporting a care receiver with a neurological condition is detrimental to caregiver mental health, and that being the sole emotional supporter is detrimental to caregiver mental health, functional health, and experience of burden. A significant interaction effect also exists between emotional supporting and caregiver gender for functional health. These findings have important implications for future research, for intervention planners, and for caregivers themselves. / Graduate / 2020-08-06