Positive and negative religious coping,depressive symptoms,and quality of life in people with HIV

The present study examined the relationships of positive and negative types of religious coping with depression and quality of life, and the mediating role of benefit finding in the link between religious coping and psychological outcomes among 198 individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The results of multiple hierarchical analyses revealed that negative religious coping was significantly associated with a high level of depressive symptoms and a low level of quality of life, controlling for demographic and clinical variables. On the other hand, positive religious coping was significantly associated with positive domains of outcome measures such as positive affect and life satisfaction, but not with overall depressive symptoms or quality of life. Tests of mediation analyses showed that benefit finding fully mediated the relationship between positive religious coping and the positive sub-domains of psychological outcomes. The importance of investigating both positive and negative types of religious coping in their relationships with psychological adaptation in people with HIV was discussed, as well as the significance of benefit finding in understanding the link between religious coping and psychological outcomes.     

Religious coping and depression among spouses of people with lung cancer

A cancer diagnosis frequently activates a range of coping responses in patients and their spouses and may affect their emotional well-being. The authors hypothesized a curvilinear relationship between religious coping and depression in 156 spouses of lung cancer patients. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with blocks of variables entered as follows: demographic characteristics; cancer stage; perceived control, self-efficacy, and social support; religious coping (linear); and religious coping squared (quadratic). There was a significant association between religious coping squared and depression. Spouses who used moderate levels of religious coping were rated as less depressed than those who used lower or higher levels.     

Relationship between religiosity,religious coping and socio-demographic variables among out-patients with depression or diabetes mellitus in Enugu,Nigeria

BackgroundReligion is a powerful coping strategy. Diabetes and depression are common conditions in our environment that induce psychological distress, thus requiring coping for better outcome. Studies indicate that increased religiosity is associated with better outcome in clinical and general populations. Therefore, studies of the distribution of religiosity and religious coping among these populations are essential to improve outcome.ObjectivesTo assess the association between religiosity, religious coping in depression and diabetes mellitus, and selected sociodemographic variables (age, gender and occupational status).MethodsUsing simple random sampling we recruited 112 participants with diabetes and an equal number with depression consecutively, matching for gender. Religiosity was determined using religious orientation scale (revised), religious coping with brief religious coping scale and socio-demographic variables with a socio-demographic questionnaire.ResultsIntrinsic religiosity was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=5.02,p<0.001); no significant difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=1.47,p=0.15).Positive religious coping was greater among older people with depression than among older people with diabetes(t=2.31,p=0.02); no difference among young people with depression and diabetes(t=0.80,p=0.43). Females with depression had higher intrinsic religiosity scores than males with depression(t=3.85,p<0.001); no difference in intrinsic religiosity between females and males with diabetes(t=0.99,p=0.32).Positive religious coping was greater among participants with diabetes in the low occupational status(t=2.96,p<0.001) than those in the high occupational status.ConclusionReligion is indeed a reliable coping method, most commonly used by the elderly and females with depression. Positive religious coping is more common among diabetic patients who are in the low occupational status.     

The many methods of religious coping: development and initial validation of the RCOPE

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new theoretically based measure that would assess the full range of religious coping methods, including potentially helpful and harmful religious expressions. The RCOPE was tested on a large sample of college students who were coping with a significant negative life event. Factor analysis of the RCOPE in the college sample yielded factors largely consistent with the conceptualization and construction of the subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis of the RCOPE in a large sample of hospitalized elderly patients was moderately supportive of the initial factor structure. Results of regression analyses showed that religious coping accounted for significant unique variance in measures of adjustment (stress-related growth, religious outcome, physical health, mental health, and emotional distress) after controlling for the effects of demographics and global religious measures (frequency of prayer, church attendance, and religious salience). Better adjustment was related to a number of coping methods, such as benevolent religious reappraisals, religious forgiveness/purification, and seeking religious support. Poorer adjustment was associated with reappraisals of God's powers, spiritual discontent, and punishing God reappraisals. The results suggest that the RCOPE may be useful to researchers and practitioners interested in a comprehensive assessment of religious coping and in a more complete integration of religious and spiritual dimensions in the process of counseling.     

Definitions for warning signs and signs of severe dengue according to the WHO 2009 classification: Systematic review of literature

Since warning signs and signs of severe dengue are defined differently between studies, we conducted a systematic review on how researchers defined these signs. We conducted an electronic search in Scopus to identify relevant articles, using key words including dengue, “warning signs,” “severe dengue,” and “classification.” A total of 491 articles were identified through this search strategy and were subsequently screened by 2 independent reviewers for definitions of any of the warning or severe signs in the 2009 WHO dengue classification. We included all original articles published in English after 2009, classifying dengue by the 2009 WHO classification or providing the additional definition or criterion of warning signs and severity (besides the information of 2009 WHO). Analysis of the extracted data from 44 articles showed wide variations among definitions and cutoff values used by physicians to classify patients diagnosed with dengue infection. The establishment of clear definitions for warning signs and severity is essential to prevent unnecessary hospitalization and harmonizing the interpretation and comparability of epidemiological studies dedicated to dengue infection.     

A social cognitive perspective on religious beliefs: their functions and impact on coping and psychotherapy

Religious beliefs are an important part of clients' culture, whether acknowledged or not. Psychological theories about social and cognitive processes can help mental-health professionals better understand the function of religious beliefs in coping and their role in therapy. Religious individuals are likely to use heuristics to form rapid judgments rather than engage in formal information-gathering processes. The confirmatory and in-group/out-group biases support such judgments and shield them from disconfirmatory evidence. Religious beliefs provide order and understanding to an otherwise chaotic and unpredictable world. Many religions advocate forgiveness, which is often helpful in resolving conflicts. Another beneficial religious belief is an ever-present spiritual attachment figure. Negative effects of religion include its exercising aversive control to maintain conformity and its promoting an external locus of control. In contrast, mental-health professionals belong to a tradition of free inquiry and self-development, and guide clients to acquire competencies necessary to change and direct their lives. Therapist attitudes are far less likely to include allegiance to religion than are those of the public and psychiatric patients. Rather than being biased against religion or trying to debate religion, therapists need to engage in problem solving with clients in the context of this example of sociocultural factors.     

山东省18岁以上人群应对方式及影响因素现况调查

目的:调查了解山东省18岁以上人群的应对方式,分析影响人群应对方式的影响因素。方法:采用多阶段分层整群系统随机抽样法,抽取54个县(市、区)、98个街道(乡镇),共计98个村(居委会)的27913人,使用一般情况调查表和简易应对方式问卷(SCSQ)进行调查。结果:调查对象积极应对得分平均(1.68±0.82)分,消极应对得分平均(1.09±0.63)分;常住农村、45岁以上、躯体健康状况差、心理健康状况不好、睡眠质量差的人群倾向于选择消极的应对方式;男性、已婚、受教育年限在7年以上、有医疗保障人群的倾向于选择积极的应对方式。结论:城乡、性别、年龄、婚姻状况、受教育年限、医疗付费方式、身心健康状况及睡眠质量可能是应对方式的影响因素。建议多关注农村居住、女性、中老年人、低受教育程度等特征的重点人群。     

Early warning signs checklists for relapse in bipolar depression and mania: utility, reliability and validity

Background

Recognising early warning signs (EWS) of mood changes is a key part of many effective interventions for people with Bipolar Disorder (BD). This study describes the development of valid and reliable checklists required to assess these signs of depression and mania.

Methods

Checklists of EWS based on previous research and participant feedback were designed for depression and mania and compared with spontaneous reporting of EWS. Psychometric properties and utility were examined in 96 participants with BD.

Results

The majority of participants did not spontaneously monitor EWS regularly prior to use of the checklists. The checklists identified most spontaneously generated EWS and led to a ten fold increase in the identification of EWS for depression and an eight fold increase for mania. The scales were generally reliable over time and responses were not associated with current mood. Frequency of monitoring for EWS correlated positively with social and occupational functioning for depression (beta = 3.80, p = 0.015) and mania (beta = 3.92, p = 0.008).

Limitations

The study is limited by a small sample size and the fact that raters were not blind to measures of mood and function.

Conclusions

EWS checklists are useful and reliable clinical and research tools helping to generate enough EWS for an effective EWS intervention.     

Facilitating problem- and emotion-focused coping in victims of burglary: Evaluating a police crisis intervention program

The impact of a police crisis intervention program on problem- and emotion- focused coping with burglary victims was assessed. Major program components included: conducting a criminal investigation in the victim's home, providing oral and written crime prevention information, and performing a security check. All participating police officers were trained in utilizing interview techniques facilitating emotion- and problem-focused coping with the event. Results suggested that the program actually facilitated coping with the event: Victims' perceived police protection against crime was enhanced; concern about crime was reduced; while preventive cognitions, prevention awareness and responsibility, and preventive intentions were strengthened and more extreme preventive options were generally rejected. Criminal investigations per se, however, may backfire and hamper coping processes. Several implications for future studies on victim intervention programs are discussed.     

Cognitive coping and goal adjustment in people with Peripheral Arterial Disease: Relationships with depressive symptoms

Objective

The aim was to study relationships between cognitive coping strategies, goal adjustment processes (goal disengagement and re-engagement) and symptoms of depression in people with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).

Methods

The sample consisted of 88 patients with PAD. Strategies of cognitive coping, goal disengagement, goal re-engagement, and depression were measured by written questionnaires. The main statistical methods were Pearson correlations and Multiple Regression Analyses.

Results

The results showed that a ruminative and catastrophizing way of coping in response to the disabilities was related to more depressive symptoms in this group. In contrast, coping by seeking and re-engaging in alternative, meaningful goals was related to less depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that improvements in cognitive and goal-related coping strategies might reduce the level or risk of depressive symptomatology. This confirms the need for specific intervention programs that bring about effective changes in the coping strategies of people suffering from PAD.

Practice implications

As both cognitive and goal-related coping are generally assumed to be mechanisms that are subject to potential influence and change, the results of this study provide important targets for such an intervention.     

Religious coping among jews: development and initial validation of the JCOPE

Numerous studies have underscored the importance of religious coping in psychological health and illness; however, the majority of research in this area has been conducted with Christian samples and knowledge about other religious groups is lacking. Although recent investigations have developed scales to measure religious coping among Hindus and Muslims, the potential for future research in Jewish populations remains limited as no measures of religious coping have been validated in the general Jewish community. This two‐part study reports on the development and validation of the 16‐item Jewish Religious Coping Scale (JCOPE). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis identified two factors reflecting positive and negative religious coping strategies, and the concurrent validity for the measure was evaluated by examining correlations with indices of Jewish beliefs and practices. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the JCOPE's 2‐factor structure, and the scale's incremental validity was evaluated by examining Jewish religious coping as a predictor of psychological distress over and above significant covariates. Results suggest that the JCOPE has good psychometric properties, and that religious coping is a significant predictor of psychological distress among Jews. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1–14, 2009.     

Life stressors and coping: A longitudinal analysis among depressed and nondepressed adults

This article examines the interrelation between negative life events, ongoing life strains, and coping responses in a longitudinal study of clinically depressed and healthy adults. A two-wave, two-variable panel regression analysis revealed moderate stability of both life stressors and coping over a 1-year interval. The connections between life stressors and coping varied by group status and across specific types of stressors and modes of coping. For depressed persons, there was a relatively strong association between chronic strains and emotional discharge coping. Among the controls, negative events were associated with information and support seeking; however, an increase in chronic strains was associated with a decline in problem-solving coping. Overall, the results suggest that changes in stressful aspects of the psychosocial context are related to changes in the coping responses both clinically depressed and healthy adults use to manage specific stressful experiences.     

Red cell volume and red cell survival in normal aged people

Estimations of red cell and blood volumes using ⁵¹Cr were carried out on a group of 37 people over the age of 70 who were not anaemic. Subjects with clinical conditions known to affect red cell production were excluded. The mean values for red cell and blood volumes were found to be comparable with those of a control group of young adults. Seven people had red cell volumes below the accepted range in young adults but no reason was found for this difference.     

Effects of a coping intervention on transmission risk behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS and a history of childhood sexual abuse

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of a 15-session coping group intervention compared with a 15-session therapeutic support group intervention among HIV-positive men and women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on sexual transmission risk behavior. DESIGN: A randomized controlled behavioral intervention trial with 12-month follow-up. METHODS: A diverse sample of 247 HIV-positive men and women with histories of CSA was randomized to 1 of 2 time-matched group intervention conditions. Sexual behavior was assessed at baseline; immediately after the intervention; and at 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-up periods (5 assessments). Changes in frequency of unprotected anal and vaginal intercourse by intervention condition were examined using generalized linear mixed models for all partners, and specifically for HIV-negative or serostatus unknown partners. RESULTS: Participants in the HIV and trauma coping intervention condition decreased their frequency of unprotected sexual intercourse more than participants in the support intervention condition for all partners (P < 0.001; d = 0.38, 0.32, and 0.38 at the 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-up periods, respectively) and for HIV-negative and serostatus unknown partners (P < 0.001; d = 0.48, 0.39, and 0.04 at the 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-up periods, respectively). CONCLUSION: A group intervention to address coping with HIV and CSA can be effective in reducing transmission risk behavior among HIV-positive men and women with histories of sexual trauma.