Researchers have found that self-esteem and weight status can impact numerous aspects of an individual’s life, including reproductive health issues. However, there has been limited research specifically examining how self-esteem may affect female sexual functioning. The current study aims to examine whether self-esteem is a significant predictor of sexual functioning, and whether this relationship may change as a function of women’s weight status. Participants consisted of 730 women ranging from 18 to 49 years of age, who were recruited through an online questionnaire. Results indicate that higher levels of self-esteem predict better sexual functioning and weight status was found to be a significant moderator of this relationship; specifically, self-esteem was only found to predict sexual functioning for individuals at average or below-average weight status, and not for individuals who were of higher-than-average weight status. Findings have potential implications for physical and mental health professionals working with individuals trying to improve their sexual functioning.

Barriers to competent and safe healthcare disproportionately impact people who are marginalized because of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. It is well documented that transgender patients in particular experience barriers to both accessing care and receiving high quality, non-discriminatory care (Hatzenbuehler & Pachankis, 2016; James et al., 2016; Rahman et al., 2019; Safer et al., 2016). This lack of access to culturally competent healthcare services contributes to health disparities that disproportionately impact the trans community. Literature on barriers to competent care for trans patients indicates that providers experience discomfort related to their ability to provide competent care (Safer et al., 2016). Many providers endorse a median of only five hours of trans healthcare training across their entire medical school curriculum (Hughto et al., 2015), and in some cases, as little as 45 minutes per year (Sawning et al., 2017). Primary care clinics should be the place in which general health and wellbeing are addressed for trans patients, as has been true for cisgender people. Primary care providers should be competent in assessing eligibility for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and surgery (Wylie et al., 2016), as well as providing necessary preventative care. Thus, this makes primary care the ideal setting for the proposed medical education implementation project. The current study aimed to develop and implement a training program for medical residents in primary care in rural South Central Appalachia. A six-stage development and implementation study is described. The intervention was evaluated for pedagogical outcomes including sustainability for future use, usefulness to residents, and accessibility. Evaluation of effectiveness included analyses of changes in providers’ self-reported competency, awareness of discriminatory experiences, and attitudes towards treating trans patients. There were no significant differences in pre-post competency scores (r=22, M=33.29[SD=5.96]; r=31, M=37.33[SD=1.02], SD=8.00) or in pre-post attitudes scores (r=15, M=32.76[SE=0.8], SD=4.69; r=13, M=34.7273[SE=1.00], SD=4.692). Accessibility and sustainability were measured qualitatively and included data such as resident attendance and ease of use of material for future behavioral health provider trainers. These outcomes were found to be satisfactory based on stakeholder feedback. Usefulness included three data points (satisfaction, helpfulness, value of training).

Clergy exhibit higher stress and mortality rates in relation to their nonclergy counterparts. Despite current research on clergy stress and mortality rates, health perceptions and health outcomes of Western religious oriented clergy have been understudied. Even less is known about health perceptions and health outcomes of Eastern religious oriented clergy. The role of stress, coping, and health perceptions in predicting actual health outcomes is important to study in clerical populations because of the impact their health might have on serving their parishioners. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine the relative strength of life stress, coping styles, health perceptions, age, and years in ministry in predicting clerical actual health outcomes (chronic disease). Self-regulation theory was used as the theoretical framework to better understand the relationship among these variables. A convenience sample of 129 Eastern Orthodox clergy across the United States completed an online survey. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relative strength of those variables in predicting actual health outcomes. The results of this study indicated that negative coping style and age were significant predictors of actual health outcomes (chronic disease). As levels of negative coping style and age increased, reports of chronic disease (e.g., cancer, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, and depression) also increased. Health professionals can use the results of this study to improve health outcomes and impact positive social change in clerical populations, which could increase the quality and stability of long-term spiritual care over time.

The purpose of this study was to explore and examine coping with combat stress exposure in a homogeneous group of 132 U.S. Marines who served in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom, and who self-reported that they were coping positively. A mixed methods concurrent triangulation strategy was employed with positive psychology as the quantitative theoretical base and Husserlian transcendental phenomenology as the qualitative conceptual framework. Quantitatively, hardiness, hope, social support, personality, and coping strategies were assessed in the participants to examine how these variables may moderate or mediate the relationship between combat stress exposure and subjective well-being. Five hypotheses were tested using the one sample t test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis for moderation and mediation interaction. It was found that Marines with higher subjective well-being were generally hardy, hopeful, less neurotic, more extraverted, used adaptive coping strategies, and coped best with good social support. Thirteen volunteers from the larger sample were interviewed yielding qualitative data concerning how and why they coped positively. Seven themes emerged using an inductive and descriptive coding method. The themes were: (a) emotionality, (b) moral dilemma/injury, (c) self-awareness, (d) training, (e) job, (f) shared experience, and (g) social support. The negative effects of war can be economically, physically, and psychologically devastating to individuals, families, institutions, and society. Learning more about coping positively with combat stress exposure can enable the U.S. military to foster positive social change by mitigating the negative effects of stress, reducing medical treatment costs, strengthening warriors to be fit to fight, and ensuring that military service personnel return to society as better citizens

This study examined the role of stress on irrational health beliefs and health behaviors among individuals 18-45 years old. Previous research has shown that this age group reported higher stress levels, more physical symptoms of stress, and the highest level of negative health behaviors. The theoretical frameworks were health belief model, the transactional model of stress and coping theory, and Ellis's concept of irrational beliefs. A survey using 3 published instruments measured the perceived stress level, irrational health beliefs, and health behaviors of a sample of 97 individuals aged 18-45. The data were quantitatively assessed using a mediation model to test a significant relationship between the predictor variable, perceived stress, and the criterion variable, health behaviors, using the mediating variable of irrational health beliefs. Findings suggest that higher stress levels are related to health behaviors (p ˂ .001), while stress did not make a significant contribution to irrational health beliefs (p = .092). Moreover, findings indicated that greater irrational health beliefs are related to more negative health behaviors (p = .010). Irrational health beliefs were not found to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and health behaviors. This research supports and extends the current body of research examining the relationship between stress, irrational health beliefs, and health behaviors. The results of this study can provide insight into how stress is related to thoughts and behaviors, specifically focusing on health. This study may aid health psychologists by providing information that can contribute to the development of interventions to reduce stress, reduce irrational health beliefs, and improve health behaviors.

This study investigated the relationship between social support and stress in 572 families of disabled children in various parts of the United States. To utilize multidimensional models such as Dunst's ecological model and the Double ABCX model of stress, additional variables were investigated; these included family characteristics and recent life events (FILE). A regression design was used, with family characteristics, recent life events (FILE), perceived helpfulness of social support (FSS), and perceived adequacy of resources (FRS) as independent variables, and parental stress (PSI) as the dependent variable (PSI). Helpfulness of social support, recent life events, and family characteristics all predicted parental stress, though only to a small extent. Perceived adequacy of resources was by far the most significant predictor, accounting for 21% of the total variance in the highest predicting equation. Discussion focuses on perceived family needs and resources within cooperative interventions.

Weight control is an area of research which continues to generate attention in an endeavor to find the most effective and long lasting weight loss methods. In the realm of the behavioral modification of weight control, emphasis has been given to the impact of external stimuli on eating behavior. Less well researched are internal stimuli, that is, cognitive events, feelings, and thoughts which influence eating habits. The literature on obesity has yet to empirically differentiate the effects of the cognitive and external factors on weight control. A cognitive restructuring approach to weight reduction was hypothesized to be the more effective treatment when compared to a strictly external self-modification weight control program. The Cognitive Restructuring group received training in cognitive intervention techniques such as, rehearsal, covert sensitization, relaxation, cognitive countering, recording of moods, and covert imagery, in addition to skills in external cue control. The external group was designed to maximize the incorporation of external cues in a weight control paradigm. The two treatment methods were compared with a control group. Each treatment group and control group consisted of six subjects.

Somatization, the presentation of physical symptoms without an identifiable cause, is among the most common problems in primary medical care. Treatment approaches are typically offered within the medical consultation interview once the medical provider distinguishes between physical and emotional etiology. This dualistic strategy is especially troublesome for patients whose physical complaints cannot be validated and who are recommended for only mental health therapy. The aim of this study was to examine how medical practitioners can instead motivate patients to consider both physical and emotional treatment. An analogue intervention consisting of an enhanced consultation interview was compared to a care as usual consultation interview on the key outcome of motivation to engage in mental health treatment. A total of 129 participants with medically unexplained symptoms were randomly assigned to these two conditions. Motivation to engage in mental health treatment was evaluated with the FMP Questionnaire, Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire, and the newly developed Motivation to Engage in Therapy questionnaire (MET). Results of ANCOVA revealed significant differences between the two analogue consultation interviews on 3 out of 5 outcome measures. The largest effect was found for the MET followed by the credibility and expectancy subscales (1.6, .9, and .8). This finding suggests that a particular type of discourse between medical provider and patient can lead to increased motivation for holistic care treatment for those with somatization.

A treatment program was designed to enable subjects to lose weight through the use of self-confrontation as described in Saslow (1969), and the use of the General Relationship Improvement of the Human Development Institute (HDI), Berlin and Wyckoff (1964). Self-confrontation is a programmed rehearsal of a specific problem by one person alone, for a five-minute period. The rehearsal, or self-confrontation is to be as vivid as possible, intellectually, emotionally, visually and physically. The General Relationship Improvement Program is a 10-week text, worked in pairs, which is aimed at better intrapsychic and interpersonal communication and understanding. Four matched groups were used in the study. Group I, N=10, used nutritional information. Group II: N=8, used the HDI program. Group III: N=9, used the self-confrontation technique. Group IV: N=12, used a combination of the self-confrontation technique and the HDI program. The mean weight losses were as follows: Group I: 1.25 lb. Group II: 2.75 lb. Group III: 10.89 lb. Group IV: 5.91 lb. Approximately 6 hours of experimenter time were spent in actual contact with the subjects. Only 2 weights were recorded by her, the first and the final. The others weights were self-recorded. The study was designed to continue for 12 weeks.

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