Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate both depression and psychological distress as determinants of breast and cervical cancer screening. Methods: Ontario female respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey version 1.2 (2002) were assessed for both Major Depressive Disorder (World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview for depression) and psychological distress (Kessler 6-item Distress Scale (K6)>/= 8). Respondents eligible for screening (N=4042 for cervical cancer; N=1403 for breast cancer) were linked to Ontario administrative health service data to prospectively ascertain screening outcomes. Results: Women with K6 >/= 8 had reduced breast cancer screening compliance in adjusted analyses (AOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.97). The association between K6 >/= 8 and cervical cancer screening approached significance in women over age 40 (AOR=0.65, 95%CI 0.41-1.04). Conclusion: Decreased likelihood of screening in women with clinically significant psychological distress suggests that attention to adequacy of preventive services is a potential target for intervention.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate both depression and psychological distress as determinants of breast and cervical cancer screening. Methods: Ontario female respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey version 1.2 (2002) were assessed for both Major Depressive Disorder (World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview for depression) and psychological distress (Kessler 6-item Distress Scale (K6)>/= 8). Respondents eligible for screening (N=4042 for cervical cancer; N=1403 for breast cancer) were linked to Ontario administrative health service data to prospectively ascertain screening outcomes. Results: Women with K6 >/= 8 had reduced breast cancer screening compliance in adjusted analyses (AOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.97). The association between K6 >/= 8 and cervical cancer screening approached significance in women over age 40 (AOR=0.65, 95%CI 0.41-1.04). Conclusion: Decreased likelihood of screening in women with clinically significant psychological distress suggests that attention to adequacy of preventive services is a potential target for intervention.

Self-reported psychological distress is quite common in the Swedish elderly population. Feelings of psychological distress may have devastating consequences. The overall aim of this study was to explore associations between socioeconomic position and work complexity during midlife with psychological distress in old age. Ordered logistic regression was used to investigate the associations between, (I) socioeconomic position during midlife and psychological distress in old age, (II) work complexity during midlife and psychological distress in old age, (III) the association between socioeconomic position and psychological distress independent of work complexity, and (IV) the association between work complexity and psychological distress independent of socioeconomic position. The results show that (I) higher socioeconomic position during midlife is associated with less psychological distress in old age (II) higher work complexity during midlife is associated with less psychological distress in old age, and that (III) higher work complexity is associated to less psychological distress independent of socioeconomic position, (IV) but the association between socioeconomic position and psychological distress diminishes adjusting for work complexity. The main conclusion from this study is that individuals with high socioeconomic position benefits from both their position in society and from their working conditions while individuals of lower socioeconomic position are more likely to also suffer the drawbacks of disadvantageous working conditions in relation to late life psychological distress.

Midwives experience both occupational and organisation episodes of work-related psychologicl distress. As the wellbeing of health professionals is linked with the safety and quality of care, these episodes of distress should be met with adequate support. Midwives can be reluctant to speak openly about episodes of work-related distress. Additionally, they may not be able, or prefer not to access, face-to-face support. As such, an online intervention may be one option that midwives turn to when seeking support, as it can provide confidential and flexible access to support. This research makes a case for the development of an online interevention, designed to effectively support midwives in work-related psychological distress. Firstly, a narrative literature review integrates contemporary research to build an overview of the nature, prevalence, and origin, of work-related psychological distress in midwifery populations. A critical literature review then explores some of the ethical considerations in relation to providing midwives with anonymous and confidential online support. This review concludes that the provision of anonymity and confidentiality online would ensure the greatest benefit overall to the greatest number of people using and working within maternity services. A systematic mixed-methods literature review then concludes that there are currently very few targeted interventions designed to support midwives in work-related distress, none of which are currently delivered online. Moreover, this review identifies insufficient high-quality research to comprehensively understand which particular interventions or techniques could deliver effective support to midwives in work-related psychological distress. Lastly, a multi-stakeholder Delphi study is presented to establish consensus in relation to the content development, design and delivery of an online intervention to support midwives and/or student midwives in work-related psychological distress. In this case, an expert panel prioritised confidentiality and anonymity, along with 24-hour mobile access, effective moderation, an online discussion forum, and additional legal, educational, and therapeutic components. Consensus also supported the inclusion of a simple user assessment to identify people at risk of either causing harm to others or experiencing harm themselves, in order to direct them to appropriate support. The impact of any future intervention of this type will be optimised by utilising the findings from this Delphi study throughout the intervention development process. Furthermore, as the ethical, practical and evidence based arguments for the development of an online intervention designed to support midwives in work-related psychological distress have now been formed, it will be important to build and rigorously test this intervention in response to the identified gaps in research. This thesis demonstrates that there is a case for the development of an online intervention designed to support midwives in work-related psychological distress. Future research will require feasibility studies, pilot studies and adequately powered randomised controlled trials in order to sercure the evidence base for any new online support for this professional population.

abstract: In 2012, there were an estimated 43.7 million adults in the United States that had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (US Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2013). Given the large frequency of disorders, it is beneficial to learn about what factors influence psychological distress. One construct that has been increasingly examined in association with mental disorders is time perspective. The current study will investigate whether or not time perspective, as measured by the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), has a unique contribution to the prediction of psychological distress. Studies have shown that time perspective has been related to psychological symptomology. Also, previous studies have shown that time perspective has been related to the constructs of neuroticism and negative affect, which have also been shown to be related to psychological distress. I also included the deviation from an optimal time perspective (DOTP) as a predictor separate from the ZTPI scales. So, I investigated whether or not time perspective has a unique influence on psychological distress when controlling for the previously mentioned related constructs. I also controlled for gender and age by including them as covariates in the regression analyses. I found that the past positive sub-scale and DOTP were significant predictors of psychological distress. Implications of these findings are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Counseling 2015

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that a history of childhood maltreatment can lead to significant negative consequences across multiple domains of functioning. A significant minority of individuals remain resilience to such negative consequences, necessitating further research into the factors which protect against negative outcomes in young people who have experienced adversity. A systematic review of the literature was carried out in order to assess the evidence base for factors that predict adolescent resilience following childhood maltreatment. Several factors across the individual, family and community level were identified, however, evidence regarding these factors was mixed. Factors that have been shown to predict resilience in other age groups require further validation within adolescent samples. Aim: The first aim of this study was to investigate the role of resilience in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and psychological distress. The second aim was to address a possible role for attachment in mediating the relationship between childhood maltreatment and resilience. Method: Adolescents aged 13 – 17 who were attending Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services were asked to complete measures of childhood maltreatment, individual resilience, attachment and psychological distress. Results: Resilience was shown to mediate the relationship between maltreatment and psychological distress. Attachment avoidance was found to mediate the relationship between maltreatment and resilience but not when emotional reactivity was included in the resilience index. Attachment anxiety did not mediate the relationship between maltreatment and resilience, however, maltreatment history was found to moderate the relationship between attachment anxiety and resilience. Discussion: Generalisability of this study was limited due to possible bias within the recruited sample. Implications of the significant results are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

The purpose of the study was to explore the statistical relationships among selected variables related to gay divorced fathers in order to develop a better understanding of their gender role conflict and help-seeking behaviors. Participants (N=105) self-identified as Caucasian (91%), resided in the United States (90%), holding a bachelor's degree or higher (80%), and annual incomes of less than $80,000 (52%). The men ranged in age from 29 to 78 (M= 54), married from 1 to 38 years (M= 18), and divorced from 5 months to just under 37 years (M= 10). Participants completed an on-line questionnaire that included (a) Gender Role Conflict Scale, (b) Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, (c) Intentions to Seeking Counseling Inventory, (d) Hopkins Symptom Checklist, (e) two open-ended prompts, and (f) demographic questions. Participants who had received mental health services in the past were asked to report on what prompted them to seek services and the helpfulness of those services. Analysis of Pearson r was used to answer each of the research questions related to (a) GRC and psychological distress (positive correlation); (b) GRC and attitudes and intentions towards seeking psychological help (negative correlation); and (c) years married and psychological distress (negative correlation). Significance was not identified between time since divorce and any other variable. Over 80% of the participants had used mental health services with the three main reasons being coming-out, depression, and sexual identity. The most beneficial resources they had available to them and/or they would recommend to others were support groups, counseling/therapy, and general support. Findings are limited by a lack of cultural and ethnic diversity among the sample. Implications include using group counseling methods and/or a coaching model for service delivery. An informed integrated approach that focuses on systems, role development, and strategic thinking is recommended. Interventions should include depression and suicide assessments, brief solution focused methods, narrative work, social networking, and community resource guides. Future research should seek to determine between group differences with regards to the impact GRC has on one's ability to adjust to change, establish and maintain relationships, and willingness to seek help. / Ph. D.

Pediatric food allergies (FA) are increasing in prevalence and have been associated with decreased quality of life (QOL) and impairment in physical, social, academic, and family functioning; however, little is known about the risk factors for psychological distress in this cohort. This was the first large-scale study to examine child, parent, and FA-related factors that may affect functioning in youth with FA. The sample consisted of 533 mothers of children with FA and 241 mothers of children with no chronic medical conditions, recruited through online forums. Mothers completed online questionnaires assessing their child's psychosocial health, physical health, and FA characteristics, as well as their own parenting behaviors and symptoms of psychological distress. It was hypothesized that (1) FA children would exhibit poorer functioning than healthy children; (2) mothers of FA children would exhibit higher levels of psychological distress than mothers of Healthy Control (HC) children; (3) higher FA severity would predict poorer child functioning; and (4) maternal psychological symptoms, overprotection, and gender would moderate the associations between presence of FA and child functioning, and between FA severity and child functioning. Results showed that (1) FA youth exhibited significantly better functioning than healthy children; (2) mothers of FA youth reported significantly less psychological distress than mothers of healthy children; (3) higher FA severity predicted poorer child functioning; and (4) these associations were moderated by maternal depression, anxiety, stress, and overprotection, but not by gender. Specifically, associations between presence of FA and child health-related QOL, child psychosocial health, and physical health were significantly stronger among children whose mothers were more depressed, anxious, and stressed. The associations between presence of FA and child psychosocial health were significantly weaker among highly overprotective mothers, indicating that in line with the anxiety disorder literature, overprotection in mothers of children with FA may serve a maladaptive function. These findings suggest that FA youth and their mothers are a particularly vulnerable population who may benefit from psychosocial interventions to address the psychological distress and interference associated with having FA.

Thesis (M. A. (Research Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2016 / The study investigated prevalence rates and psychological consequences of bullying in schools within the Sekgosese West Circuit, Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. Participants were identified and drawn through stratified random sampling. The final sample consisted of 670 learners enrolled for Grades 8, 9 and 10, 49% of whom fell in the 14-15 years old age group, and 56% being female. Data were collected using a structured, composite questionnaire, within a cross-sectional research design. The results of the study show that most bullies and the bullied-bullies were male learners, and rates of the bullied were evenly split between male and female learners. The largest proportions of bullies and the bullied-bullies were the youngest and the oldest age groups. The oldest group was the largest group of the bullied. The largest proportions of the bullies and the bullied were in grade 8, and the proportion of the bullied-bullies was almost the same in grades 8 and 10, edging the proportion found in grade 9. The investigation also found that learners who were not involved in bullying experienced the least amounts of psychological distress. However, the bullies, bullied and bullied-bullies obtained mean scores that were not statistically different from each other from the measures of psychological distress used in this study. It is concluded from the results of the study that bullying is common in the Sekgosese West Circuit, and its psychological consequences are same for all the learners who involved in bullying one way or another. It is recommended that the study be replicated in other districts of Limpopo, and the context of bullying itself be considered as a candidate for inclusion in future studies. Key words: Bullied, bully, bullied-bully, learners, psychological distress

The objective of the study was to examine the association between lifetime arrest and marijuana-related first arrest with past-year suicide ideation among Black and White people. We used data from Wave-IV (2008–2009; N = 5114) of the publicly available National Adolescent Health Study (Add Health) data. A total of 4313 Non-Hispanic Black and White participants were selected for this study. Logistic regression was used to assess whether lifetime arrest and marijuana-related arrests were associated with past year suicide. Overall, 28.8% of the sample reported lifetime arrest, 6.3% reported lifetime suicide ideation, and 3.7% reported marijuana-related arrest. A significantly higher percentage of Black people (32.3%) in comparison to White people (27.4%) reported lifetime arrest (χ2 = 9.91; p < 0.001; df = 1). Among Black people, lifetime arrest (AOR = 2.98; 95% CI, 1.66–5.35; p < 0.001) and marijuana-related arrest (AOR = 4.09; 95% CI, 1.47–11.35; p < 0.001) were both associated with lifetime suicide ideation. Given the rate of death by suicide among Black people has been rising for two decades, further efforts are needed to educate and inform key stakeholders including law enforcement and policymakers regarding racial disparities in arrests, which may contribute to reducing risk for death by suicide among Black people.