The purpose of the present study was to prepare a Stress Management Program for the mothers of children with autism and to evaluate the effects of the program on depression, anxiety, and suicidal probability. It was hypothesized that the mothers of children with autism who attended the Stress Management Program would have lower depression, anxiety and suicidal probability whereas there would be no change in the depression, anxiety, and suicidal probability of mothers of children withautism who did not get any treatment. The participants of the study were 44 mothers of children with autism from Uyum Special Education Center and Ilgi Special Education Center. The data were gathered by administering four instruments / Beck Depression Inventory, Back Anxiety Inventory, Suicidal Probability Scale, and Demographic Information Form. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance Technique was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicated that there was a significant decrease in depression levels of mothers of children with autism after the Stress Management Program whereas anxiety and suicidal probability did not change significantly as a function of the Stress Management Program. For the mothers of children with autism who did not get any treatment, it was indicated that there were no difference in depression, anxiety and suicidal probability. The results were discussed within the context of the relevant literature.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of gender, acculturative stress, coping skills, cultural distance, and perceived social support in predicting college adjustment scores of international students who attend universities in Ankara. The sample of the study consisted of 170 (135 males and 35 females) volunteered international students from one private and four state universities in Ankara. A Personal Data Sheet developed by the researcher, Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Baker &amp / Siryk, 1984), Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (Sandhu &amp / Asrabadi, 1994), Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), Cultural Distance Scale (Bekta

This study aims to examine the role of television in rural women&rsquo / s everyday life experiences in terms of information, socialization, identification and entertainment. The focus is on rural women&rsquo / s experiences with a feminist perspective conducting an ethnographic study using the methods of in-depth-interviews, survey, participant observation and group discussions in Topakli village. The findings of the study is the role of television as an information source for rural women and it&rsquo / s role on rural women&rsquo / s socialization process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:30:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5774.pdf: 5912926 bytes, checksum: c12ae3c92ffb15555578d0bff0da6cea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-09 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The objective of this study was to construct and analyze the psychometric properties of an instrument capable of assessing the anticipatory coping skills for abstinence from substances. For the elaboration of items, 18 classes of the anticipatory coping skills as described in literature and obtained from interviews with people in abstinence from substances have been selected. Each one was described and subclasses, that could represent it, were drafted in the form of 92 items. After a semantic analysis and evidences of content validity made by referees, the instrument contains now 68 items. This version was submitted to tests to check application procedures and interpretation of responses, therefore another item was deleted, with others being rewritten. The instrument with 67 items was named Inventory of Anticipatory Coping Skills Inventory for the Abstinence from Alcohol and Other Drugs (IDHEA-AD, as in portuguese). To check evidences of its internal structure validity, it was subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The samples for this stage were 422 people in treatment for alcohol or crack cocaine abuse or dependence. The data obtained were considered adequate for performing factorial analysis, with KMO index of 0.88 and significant Bartlett sphericity test (&#967; ² = 9032.1, p < 0.001). The Maximum Likelihood method of extraction was used with Promax rotation and variables with factorial loading lower than 0.40 supressed. A structure composed of three factors revealed itself adequate and reliable, with 30 items, Cronbach's alpha of 0.88 and total explained variance of 43.02%. The first factor, named "Assertiveness and planning for high-risk situations of substance use" is composed of 14 items with a Cronbach s alpha of 0.89 and mainly involves refusal skills to the offer of substances. The second, "Expression of positive feelings for abstinence sustenance" is related to ability to demonstrate affection, which contributes to the development of less stressful social situations. It has eight items and Cronbach s alpha of 0.83. Finally, the third factor "Emotional self-control facing adverse situations" involves mainly the self-control of anger, has eight items and Cronbach s alpha of 0.77. This structure also showed good evidence of convergent validity by construct-related (self-efficacy for abstinence), concurrent criterion validity (with level of involvement with the substance and abstinence length), reliability for temporal stability and reliability by consistency in relation to the content. Furthermore, as expected, it was observed that variables such as gender, educational level and type of consumed substance seem not to affect the obtained results. When using the instrument to characterize the repertoire of coping skills in substance dependents or abusers, only abstinence length has proved to be a critical variable. A longer abstinence is related to a higher repertoire of anticipatory coping skills. All results indicate the quality of the IDHEA-AD, which allows the proceeding of the investigation in order to meet the requirements set by the Federal Council of Psychology, so it can be used by professionals in the clinical evaluation. / O objetivo deste estudo foi construir e analisar as propriedades psicométricas de um instrumento capaz de avaliar habilidades de enfrentamento antecipatório para a abstinência de substâncias. Para a redação dos itens, foram selecionadas 18 classes de habilidades de enfrentamento antecipatório descritas na literatura e obtidas de entrevistas com pessoas em abstinência de substâncias. Cada uma foi descrita e subclasses que poderiam representá-la foram redigidas na forma de 92 itens. Após análise semântica e de evidências de validade de conteúdo por juízes, o instrumento passou a conter 68 itens. Esta versão foi submetida a testes para avaliar procedimentos de aplicação e interpretação das respostas e mais um item foi excluído, com outros sendo reescritos. O instrumento com 67 itens recebeu o nome de Inventário de Habilidades de Enfrentamento Antecipatório para a Abstinência de Álcool e Outras Drogas (IDHEA-AD). Para verificar evidências de validade da sua estrutura interna, ele foi submetido à Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE). A amostra para esta etapa foi de 422 pessoas em tratamento por abuso ou dependência de álcool ou crack. Os dados obtidos foram considerados adequados para a realização de análise fatorial, com índice KMO de 0.88 e Teste de Esfericidade de Bartlett significativo (&#967;² = 9032.1; p < 0.001). Foi utilizado o método de extração Máxima Verossimilhança, com rotação Promax e supressão de variáveis com carga fatorial inferior a 0,40. Uma estrutura composta por três fatores se mostrou adequada e confiável, com 30 itens, alfa de Cronbach de 0.88 e total de variância explicada de 43.02%. O primeiro fator, nomeado Assertividade e planejamento para situações de alto risco de consumo de substâncias , composto por 14 itens e com alfa de 0.89, envolve principalmente habilidades para recusar oferta de substâncias. O segundo, Expressão de sentimento positivo para manutenção da abstinência está relacionado a habilidades para demonstração de afeto, que colabora para o estabelecimento de situações sociais menos estressoras. Possui oito itens e alfa de 0.83. Por fim, o terceiro fator Autocontrole emocional de situações adversas , envolvendo principalmente autocontrole da raiva, tem oito itens e alfa de 0.77. Esta estrutura apresentou também boas evidências de validade convergente por construto relacionado (autoeficácia para a abstinência), validade de critério concorrente (com nível de envolvimento com a substância e tempo de abstinência), fidedignidade por estabilidade temporal e fidedignidade por consistência em relação ao conteúdo. Além disso, como esperado, observou-se que variáveis como gênero, escolaridade e tipo de substância consumida não parecem interferir nos resultados obtidos. Ao utilizar o instrumento para caracterizar o repertório de habilidades de enfrentamento em abusadores ou dependentes de substâncias, apenas tempo de abstinência mostrou ser uma variável crítica. Maior tempo de abstinência está relacionado a repertório mais elevado de habilidades de enfrentamento antecipatório. Todos os resultados indicam qualidade do IDHEA-AD, o que permite prosseguir com as investigações, de forma a atender aos requisitos exigidos pelo Conselho Federal de Psicologia para que possa ser utilizado por profissionais, na avaliação clínica.

This thesis is an evaluation of two coping skills programs and their effects on inmates' mental health status. The original computer coping skills program designed for the general population was modified to address the specific needs of an incarcerated population.This thesis evaluated the differences in the mental health status of the two treatment groups compared with the control group and with each other to assess the effectiveness of the two programs. The results of this study showed substantial improvement in the mental health status for the two treatment groups. There are indications from this study that specialty software designed specifically for inmates may result in lower levels of depression than non-tailored software.

The thesis focuses on the Zippy's Friends prevention program, which is aimed at promoting social skills among children between 5-7 years of age. The first part of the thesis presents the theoretical framework for the main practical part. The goal was to conduct an evaluation of the implementation of this programme. The thesis is focused on alternative uses of the methodology and application. The data was obtained through semi-structured interviews with five respondents. The research shows that working with the methodology is not just a matter of the teacher within the classroom, but it involves a wider sphere of professionals working with children. In practice, the methodology is used not only for children between 5-7 years of age, but also for older children with various specificities. According to the respondents, some flexibility in working with the methodology and adapting it to the needs of specific children seems to be effective. According to interviewees, the Zippy's Friends methodology is a very versatile tool that can be used in different ways. However, the essence of the programme in the form of "Zippy Tips" and the Zippy's Friends story remains in most cases. Despite the fact that none of the evaluations conducted so far have dealt directly with alternative uses, some similar conclusions...

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes frequently happen across the world. Many of these natural disasters bring destruction to homes, loss of loved ones, and emotional or physical trauma. For children who are still developing coping skills, these natural disasters can bring them emotional distress because they are unable to processes their experiences in a healthy way. In a review of literature on the topic of bibliotherapy and reflective writing to help children learn coping skills, I discovered a need for these processes to be introduced in normal settings, such as school and home, to help children who have experienced natural disasters develop coping skills. My goal in conducting this research was to create a resource that includes a variety of children's literature on the topic of a natural disaster and that demonstrates a coping skill for that trauma. Guiding questions and reflective writing prompts were also added to this resource for the users to guide children in identifying and learning the demonstrated, healthy coping skills. I selected twenty-one quality and award-winning books that address natural disaster for review. Nineteen of them demonstrated a healthy coping skill within the book. Using the information from the book, I created guiding questions and reflective writing prompts to help guide the children in connecting with and learning how to use the coping skill demonstrated. Future developments from my research may include a website with the resource information or a hard copy that can be sent to areas of high-need or high-risk for natural disaster. My goal is that my resource will foster healthy coping skills for children in the school setting, home, or alongside professional help.

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the coping skills of registered nurses in a changed working environment. The research is conducted in the City Health clinics. The objectives of the study are: &#61623; to identify strategies which nurses use to cope with the changes in the health care services; &#61623; to explore appropriate support systems that will enhance the coping skills of registered nurses in clinics in the City Health Department; and &#61623; to deduce guidelines on how to support staff from the literature study and the results of the research. The research problem is the following: nurses in primary health care facilities do not adequately cope with major changes in health care delivery. A qualitative approach for the research was chosen. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were used to identify the coping skills of registered nurses. Data analysis was done manually. Transcriptions of recordings of the individual interviews and group discussions were done. Themes were organized and categorized into meaningful links and relationships. The findings indicate that the following factors improve the coping skills of registered nurses: &#61623; team-work and support; &#61623; to voice your opinion when necessary and good communication between staff; &#61623; regular breaks during working hours; &#61623; inherent factors for example strong spiritual and emotional strength that assist registered nurses to cope; &#61623; family support; &#61623; the provision of quality care is rewarding; &#61623; the assistance and support from the church (congregation); &#61623; the effective re-organisation of health services; &#61623; continuous support programs for staff; and &#61623; continuous education to develop skills of registered nurses. / Advanced Nursing -- Psychological aspects / M.A.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among college students. The disease perpetuates depressive symptoms and potentially leads to chronic depressive episodes. Existing literature has shown that students who use both cognitive and behavioral maladaptive coping skills are more prone to endure depressive symptoms and poorer academic performance. Despite these known associations, little research has examined the relationship between coping skills and self-efficacy in response to warning signs of MDD in college students. This study sought to fill the gaps in the research of MDD related to precursors, predictors, and coping mechanisms among undergraduate students in a national sample of U.S. college students. Secondary data (N = 6,713) were analyzed from the Healthy Minds Study 2012, which used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) with a test-retest reliability. Social learning and social cognitive theories were used as the theoretical frameworks to focus on problems such as management of life activities, academic success, and maladaptive beliefs. Analyses of the data from the cross-sectional survey using multiple linear and logistic regressions indicated a statistically significant relationship between depressive symptoms and the potential predictive factors of MDD. These findings contribute positively to social change by informing the work of therapists and program developers, who may use these results to create programs that reduce depressive symptoms among undergraduates.

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the coping skills of registered nurses in a changed working environment. The research is conducted in the City Health clinics. The objectives of the study are: &#61623; to identify strategies which nurses use to cope with the changes in the health care services; &#61623; to explore appropriate support systems that will enhance the coping skills of registered nurses in clinics in the City Health Department; and &#61623; to deduce guidelines on how to support staff from the literature study and the results of the research. The research problem is the following: nurses in primary health care facilities do not adequately cope with major changes in health care delivery. A qualitative approach for the research was chosen. Personal interviews and focus group discussions were used to identify the coping skills of registered nurses. Data analysis was done manually. Transcriptions of recordings of the individual interviews and group discussions were done. Themes were organized and categorized into meaningful links and relationships. The findings indicate that the following factors improve the coping skills of registered nurses: &#61623; team-work and support; &#61623; to voice your opinion when necessary and good communication between staff; &#61623; regular breaks during working hours; &#61623; inherent factors for example strong spiritual and emotional strength that assist registered nurses to cope; &#61623; family support; &#61623; the provision of quality care is rewarding; &#61623; the assistance and support from the church (congregation); &#61623; the effective re-organisation of health services; &#61623; continuous support programs for staff; and &#61623; continuous education to develop skills of registered nurses. / Advanced Nursing -- Psychological aspects / M.A.