Dispositional optimism, as a stable outcome expectancy, has been shown to predict health outcomes in several contexts. Research has demonstrated that health-impaired subjects with optimistic outlooks fared better than those with a pessimistic outlook. Choice of coping strategies has been theorized as the mediating factor through which optimism operates. However, the construct of dispositional optimism has been challenged as a polar opposite of neuroticism, thus contending that optimism is not an independent notion. The present study was designed to evaluate further the theoretical underpinnings of dispositional optimism theory. Subjects were selected from a population of cardiac patients who received an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD). This device, designed to save the patient from sudden cardiac death, dispenses an electric shock to the heart should it exhibit sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. This research project examined the relationship of dispositional optimism, coping, and neuroticism to psychological distress, life satisfaction, health perception, and frequency of prior AICD discharges. Intact data from 50 of the 60 participants were examined in multiple regression analyses. The results of the analyses were diverse. Principal findings were (a) general psychological distress was predicted solely by neuroticism but optimism predicted the majority of unique variance in the "style" with which subjects approach the assessment of distress; (b) optimism was subsumed under neuroticism in predicting health perception; (c) avoidance coping interacted with optimism in predicting a significant amount of unique variance over and above neuroticism in the number of AICD discharges experienced by the patients. In this latter finding, pessimistic patients who did not use avoidance coping received a greater number of discharges. Thus, optimism and neuroticism were not parallel constructs in all dependent variables. Also, the optimism/avoidance coping interaction in predicting an actual medical outcome was unprecedented. Limitations and directions for future research were discussed.

女性軍訓教官具有陽剛之軍人身分被要求凡事以服從為天職，工作性質、負荷與男性軍訓教官並不因性別而調整工作內容。再者為迎合學校及家長的期望，軍訓教官不但擔任許多非制度面的角色，工作量也與日俱增。然女性軍訓教官仍需肩負較多的家庭責任，換言之，其除了職場的工作壓力之外，在家庭中亦承擔傳統觀念對女性角色的期待壓力。因此，女性軍訓教官之家庭親子關係與生活滿意情形值得深究。 本研究採質性研究深入訪談法，以臺北市政府教育局所屬已婚且育有子女的12位女性軍訓教官為訪談對象，經歸類分析所得研究結果發現如下： 一、權威管教，嚴母慈父 已婚育有子女之女性軍訓教官受到傳統權威管教方式，其每天忙於工作與家庭生活，通常會以恩威並濟方式管教子女，對子女的要求較高。 二、工時延長，影響生活 女性軍訓教官工作時間長，宿舍管理及24小時備勤使得同時面對不可預測的角色衝突之煎熬及壓力，對於已婚育有子女的女性軍訓教官的家庭而言壓力相對是重的。 三、母職天性，家事吃重 在現實生活雙薪家庭中的母親不僅是家事的主要勞動者，同時也扮演教養子女的主要角色。研究發現「女為主，男為輔」仍是受訪女性軍訓教官家庭中家務分工的主流模式。 四、轉化學生，互動良好 女性軍訓教官大部份進入學校場域是基於對「女教師之認同」，最大的成就就是感受到學生喜愛，輔導學生心智轉換變好、協助學生處理問題或幫助找到問題的解決方法，讓學生恢復到正軌。 五、升遷機會、隨緣以對 本研究發現從受訪女性軍訓教官發現其對升遷的看法是隨緣順其自然；而服務年資較短者及尚未晉升中校階級對升遷是不抱希望，這顯示女性軍訓教官對於升遷認為是沒有機會的。 六、重視休閒，休憩為主 女性軍訓教官休閒生活是在家休息為主，有些於假日從事親子戶外活動，少部分寒、暑假視經濟條件情況規劃全家出國。其休閒知覺自由度並不低，在休閒需求方面，具有較高的認同感。 根據以上研究結果，提出具體建議如下：（一）推動軍訓教官師資合格化，降低工作不確定感；（二）拔擢優秀人才，提高工作滿意；（三）適度運用校內人力，營造合諧組織氣氛；（四）開設選修課程，提昇學生生活輔導成效；（五）提供協助幼兒托育，降低育兒情緒壓力；（六）加強女性軍訓教官之支持系統，減少家庭與工作的衝突；（七）重視親子溝通品質，維持良好的關係；（八）積極參與在職進修，增加工作成就感；（九）釐清善用替代角色，提升家庭幸福感；（十）積極生涯規劃，爭取自我實現。 / Due to their virile military status, female military education officers are required to obey orders as part of the profession; their assignments and burdens are never adjusted because of gender difference. Moreover, to meet expectations of school authorities and parents, military education officers in general have to assume roles that may not be specified in the system, thus increasing their daily work. Female officers, however, need to take more familial responsibilities. That is to say, they must face the pressure from work place as well as the pressure from family, caused by traditional expectations of female roles. It is, therefore, worthwhile to investigate the familial/parent-child relationship and life satisfaction of female military education officers. This study adopts qualitative research method and interviews, in depth, 12 female military education officers working in schools supervised by Department of Education, Taipei City Government, who are married and raising children. After categorization and analyses, the findings are listed as follows: I、 Discipline through authority—strict mother vs. kind father Owing to the traditional training and requirements by profession, plus a busy schedule imposed upon life and work, married female officers mostly resort to authority and favors at the same time when disciplining children, thus appearing to be more demanding. II、Prolonged working hours—familial life affected With long office hours as in school dormitory management or on duty around the clock, female officers have to tackle pressure resulting from unpredictable role conflicts, which is comparatively intense for subjects’ families. III、Family as focus—housework amassed In actual life, the mother in a double-income family not only does most housework, but also plays a major part in bringing up children. This study discovers that “female as primary, male secondary” remains the prevalent model for housework sharing in subjects’ families. IV、Transforming students—positive interaction encouraged Most female military education officers applied to assignments in school settings because they identified themselves with “female teachers.” And their greatest sense of accomplishment comes from being liked by students, success in counseling, assisting students in solving problems or finding solutions to problems, and helping them get back to enjoying their student life. V、Promotion opportunities—whatever turns up is accepted According to this study, the interviewed female officers’ attitude toward future promotion may be summed up as “whatever turns up is accepted.” The juniors with few years of service and those not yet awarded the rank of major do not consider themselves hopefuls, which may indicate that most of them do not believe they stand a chance in promotion. VI、Leisure is emphasized—relax at home When off duty, most female officers stay at home and relax; some may participate in outdoor activities with children on holidays, and depending on financial circumstances, few may take a family trip overseas during winter or summer vacation. While the subjects show considerable leisure awareness, they display high conformity regarding leisure requirements. Based on study findings, concrete suggestions are listed as follows: (1) military education officers are certified and legalized as regular teachers to reduce work instability (2) excellent personnel are promoted to guarantee job satisfaction (3) human resources from other departments are properly utilized to cultivate a harmonious working environment (4) relevant electives are offered to enhance student counseling (5) daycare is provided to reduce child-raising pressure (6) the support network for female military education officers is facilitated to minimize conflicts between family and work (7) quality of parent-child communication is emphasized to maintain good relationship (8) sign up for training in job to uplift sense of achievement (9) substitute roles are clearly defined and properly utilized to improve familial relations (10) career planning is strongly recommended for self-realization.

<p>This dissertation has two parts. Firstly, satisfaction with life as a whole and with 10 life domains (using an instrument termed LiSat-11 with 6-graded scales) is described in a nationally representative sample aged 18-64 years (n: 2,533) and is related to some socio-demographic circumstances. Secondly, vocationally disabled people (n: 109) at an employability institute are prospectively followed in order to determine their life satisfaction and to identify early predictors of vocational rehabilitation outcome.</p><p><u>Main results</u>: Gender independently, 70 % of the national sample were satisfied with life as a whole (were happy). The ten domains formed a 4-factor pattern: ”Closeness, Health, Spare time, Provision”. Seven domains were sizeable predictors of overall life satisfaction. In a complex manner socio-demographics were predictive of (gross levels) all LiSat-11 items. Main predictors were perceived health, immigrant status and educational level. </p><p>Generally, the vocational rehabilitees had low LiSat-11 levels except for the closeness items. They had relatively poor background resources (low “sense of coherence“ level) for successful coping. Whereas a positive rehabilitation outcome was accompanied by increases in several LiSat-11 aspects, only satisfaction with the vocational situation was clearly responsive. Three early predictors of outcome were identified: belief in vocational return, educational level and sense of coherence. </p><p><u>In summary</u>: Besides providing reference values for the LiSat-11 instrument, this dissertation demonstrates that different socio-demographic factors influence different areas of concern (domains) in 18- to 64-year-old Swedes. In turn, satisfaction derived from different areas heavily influences level of overall life satisfaction. Moreover, the vocational rehabilitees generally seemed to be predisposed to being poor copers, possibly a major background of low levels of many LiSat-11 aspects. The identified set of predictors of the outcome of vocational rehabilitation emphasizes a need for focusing on psycho-social aspects within vocational rehabilitation.</p>

<p>Two main goals of geriatric rehabilitation are to re-establish ability for physical function in order to facilitate independence in activities of daily living (ADL), and to promote an optimal degree of well-being, i.e. life satisfaction, in the individual. In this research a new scale, the General Motor Function assessment scale (GMF), was developed and evaluated. Subsequently, factors perceived as important for the life satisfaction of people undergoing geriatric rehabilitation were investigated. </p><p>The GMF includes both mobility and upper limb functions and comprises three subscales covering different aspects of functioning, namely performance-related Dependence, Pain and Insecurity. The clinical practicality of the GMF was evaluated by a field test. Its psychometric properties were analysed in both hospital and community-based settings of geriatric rehabilitation, using non-parametric statistical methods. The results indicated that the GMF is clinically adequate, possesses good reliability and is sensitive enough to demonstrate changes from pre- to post-intervention in different forms of geriatric rehabilitation. </p><p>For investigation of perceptions of life satisfaction, individual qualitative interviews were conducted with old (80+) care recipients and with their significant others, who had a helping relationship with them. The results revealed that habitual activity, independence and adaptation were generally considered to be important for the life satisfaction of the care recipients. Recalling of pleasant past memories in an effort to achieve current life satisfaction was a commonly used adaptive strategy among the care recipients. This strategy created a temporary sense of life satisfaction, with a potential for concealing dissatisfaction with conditions that might otherwise be correctable. From the perspective of the significant others, protection of the continuity of the care recipients’ self was seen as vital for the latter's life satisfaction, and was thus an underlying general purpose of the informal caregiving. </p>

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This dissertation has two parts. Firstly, satisfaction with life as a whole and with 10 life domains (using an instrument termed LiSat-11 with 6-graded scales) is described in a nationally representative sample aged 18-64 years (n: 2,533) and is related to some socio-demographic circumstances. Secondly, vocationally disabled people (n: 109) at an employability institute are prospectively followed in order to determine their life satisfaction and to identify early predictors of vocational rehabilitation outcome. <u>Main results</u>: Gender independently, 70 % of the national sample were satisfied with life as a whole (were happy). The ten domains formed a 4-factor pattern: ”Closeness, Health, Spare time, Provision”. Seven domains were sizeable predictors of overall life satisfaction. In a complex manner socio-demographics were predictive of (gross levels) all LiSat-11 items. Main predictors were perceived health, immigrant status and educational level. Generally, the vocational rehabilitees had low LiSat-11 levels except for the closeness items. They had relatively poor background resources (low “sense of coherence“ level) for successful coping. Whereas a positive rehabilitation outcome was accompanied by increases in several LiSat-11 aspects, only satisfaction with the vocational situation was clearly responsive. Three early predictors of outcome were identified: belief in vocational return, educational level and sense of coherence. <u>In summary</u>: Besides providing reference values for the LiSat-11 instrument, this dissertation demonstrates that different socio-demographic factors influence different areas of concern (domains) in 18- to 64-year-old Swedes. In turn, satisfaction derived from different areas heavily influences level of overall life satisfaction. Moreover, the vocational rehabilitees generally seemed to be predisposed to being poor copers, possibly a major background of low levels of many LiSat-11 aspects. The identified set of predictors of the outcome of vocational rehabilitation emphasizes a need for focusing on psycho-social aspects within vocational rehabilitation.

Two main goals of geriatric rehabilitation are to re-establish ability for physical function in order to facilitate independence in activities of daily living (ADL), and to promote an optimal degree of well-being, i.e. life satisfaction, in the individual. In this research a new scale, the General Motor Function assessment scale (GMF), was developed and evaluated. Subsequently, factors perceived as important for the life satisfaction of people undergoing geriatric rehabilitation were investigated. The GMF includes both mobility and upper limb functions and comprises three subscales covering different aspects of functioning, namely performance-related Dependence, Pain and Insecurity. The clinical practicality of the GMF was evaluated by a field test. Its psychometric properties were analysed in both hospital and community-based settings of geriatric rehabilitation, using non-parametric statistical methods. The results indicated that the GMF is clinically adequate, possesses good reliability and is sensitive enough to demonstrate changes from pre- to post-intervention in different forms of geriatric rehabilitation. For investigation of perceptions of life satisfaction, individual qualitative interviews were conducted with old (80+) care recipients and with their significant others, who had a helping relationship with them. The results revealed that habitual activity, independence and adaptation were generally considered to be important for the life satisfaction of the care recipients. Recalling of pleasant past memories in an effort to achieve current life satisfaction was a commonly used adaptive strategy among the care recipients. This strategy created a temporary sense of life satisfaction, with a potential for concealing dissatisfaction with conditions that might otherwise be correctable. From the perspective of the significant others, protection of the continuity of the care recipients’ self was seen as vital for the latter's life satisfaction, and was thus an underlying general purpose of the informal caregiving.

Rehabilitation after brain injury is often a process which is spread over several years and runs through different phases. After sub acute in-patient rehabilitation a community based post-acute rehabilitation can follow. In this late phase after injury the rehabilitation focuses on reintegration into the community through a return to work and participation in other occupations in society. The overall aim of this dissertation was to study the long-term outcome of brain injury, with a special emphasis on the return to everyday domestic and productive occupations and the connection these have to life satisfaction as a whole. The aim was also to describe and understand the lived experience of the consequences of brain injury in these areas. This dissertation comprises four studies on different aspects of the long-term outcome of those who have had a brain injury. In a sample of 56 people, the value of occupational therapy assessments as predictors of an eventual return to work was investigated. In a longitudinal follow-up study, the life satisfaction of the participants (n 36) was reported and its correlation to a return to work was evaluated. Interviews were conducted (n 10) to explore the main characteristics of the meaning of work after brain injury in ten respondents. And, finally, in the fourth study, 157 people reported their participation in community activities. The extent of the correspondence between the level of participation and life satisfaction was calculated. The findings showed that occupational therapy assessments were useful in predicting a return to work in the late phase of the recovery after brain injury. A combination of assessments on the level of body function with assessments on activity level appeared to comprise the best predictive model. In two different studies the reported life satisfaction was found to be significantly lower than the level of life satisfaction in a sample of healthy Swedes for almost all domains. When comparing life satisfaction at two points in time with an interval of three years between them in the longitudinal study, no significant improvement was found. There was no difference reported by the participants for their overall life satisfaction regardless of whether they were back at work or in education, or not. On the other hand, participation in daily occupations in a wider perspective was found to have a positive impact on satisfaction with life as a whole. However, half or more than half of the participants claimed that their participation was restricted except for the items self-care and mobility, where a higher degree of participation was reported. The meaning of work after the brain injury had changed: Work had taken on a new place in life and the importance of work had decreased. In contrast, the social dimension of work had expanded in importance. After the brain injury, the perception of the participants’ own competence and work identity had changed and the respondents described their striving to return to normality. To conclude, brain injury has a lasting effect on a person’s life, even many years after the injury; consequently there is need for rehabilitation in this late phase. Life satisfaction, which is often used as an overriding goal for rehabilitation, did not improve over time. This finding raises the question of whether life satisfaction is too broad a concept and/or insufficiently sensitive to improvements. There is need for further research in this area to clarify the factors that have an impact on life satisfaction.

Uppsatsens övergripande syfte var att undersöka profiler av samsjuklighet mellan depressiva symtom och olika undergrupper av social ångest hos unga vuxna (20-24 år) samt dess samband med livstillfredsställelse och upplevd social funktionsnedsättning inom yrkesliv/studier respektive sociala aktiviteter. Data har inhämtats via självskattningsformulär. Resultaten analyserades genom en klusteranalys. Två profiler med samsjuklighet mellan undergrupper av social ångest och depressiva symtom framkom. Denna samsjuklighet verkar vara relaterad till både en lägre grad av upplevd livstillfredsställelse samt till funktionsnedsättning inom två domäner, yrkesliv/studier och sociala aktiviteter. / The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate profiles of comorbidity between depressive symptoms and different subgroups of social anxiety in young adults (20-24 years) and its relationship to life satisfaction and social dysfunction within the domains occupation/education and social activities. The data used was gathered through questionnaires. The results were analyzed with cluster analysis.  Two profiles with comorbidity between subgroups of social anxiety and depressive symptoms were found. This comorbidity seems to be related to a lower level of experienced life satisfaction and to dysfunction within two domains, occupation/education and social activities.