江西省某医学院校农村订单定向医学生生命意义感在乐观与生活满意度间的中介作用

目的 探讨江西省某医学院校农村订单定向医学生生命意义感在乐观和生活满意度之间的中介作用。方法 采用乐观人格倾向问卷（LOT）、生命意义感问卷（PIL）以及生活满意度量表（SWLS）,对江西省某医学院校738名定向医学生进行调查。结果 生命意义感和乐观总分、生活满意度显著正相关（r值分别为0.42、0.51,P＜0.001）;乐观总分和生活满意度显著正相关（r = 0.19,P＜0.001）。生命意义感在乐观和生活满意度之间起完全中介效应。中介效应占总效应的比例为84.21%。结论 江西省某医学院校农村订单定向医学生的乐观通过生命意义感影响生活满意度。     

Quality of life in cancer patients: The role of optimism,hopelessness, and partner support

The interaction of optimism, hopelessness and social support as predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) among seriously ill people is not well understood. Also, the impact of partner characteristics on patient quality of life has often been overlooked. In this study the relationships between optimism, hopelessness, partner support and HRQL were investigated in 155 cancer patients and their partners. Special attention was given to the effects of optimism and hopelessness as mediators and moderators in the partner support–HRQL relationship. The impact of partner optimism and hopelessness on perceived partner support and patient HRQL was also studied. The results indicated substantial gender differences in the relationships between the study variables. High levels of partner support were associated with female patients’ optimistic appraisals, and together they predicted better HRQL at 8 months follow-up. Partial support was found for the effect of optimism as a mediator. For male patients, low hopelessness was the key variable predicting good HRQL. Clear evidence for the moderator effects of optimism/hopelessness was not found, and the expected impact of partner’s characteristics on partner support or patient HRQL could not be confirmed. Although partner support, patient optimism and hopelessness all appeared to be important determinants of HRQL in cancer patients, the relationships between these variables differed by gender. The proposed mediation and moderation models needs to be confirmed in future studies.     

Work engagement among breast cancer survivors and the referents: The importance of optimism and social resources at work

Introduction  Despite a growing number of cancer survivors returning to work, little is known about their well-being at work and the work and personal characteristics related to it. The aim of the present study was to investigate personal resources (optimism and pessimism) and job-related resources (organizational climate, social support and avoidance behaviour) as antecedents of work engagement among female breast cancer survivors and their referents. Methods  A community-based postal survey was conducted among female breast cancer survivors and their referents. The final study population consisted of 398 employed survivors (86% response rate) and 560 of their referents (71% response rate). Results  The level of work engagement was high in both study groups, although it was slightly higher among the referents than among the cancer survivors (p < .05). Various social job resources were equally related to work engagement in both groups. However, optimism and pessimism were more strongly associated with work engagement among cancer survivors compared to the referents. In addition, in cancer survivors high optimism buffered against the negative impact of avoidance behaviour by supervisors on work engagement. Conclusions  Personal resources, such as optimism, may be especially important for cancer survivors’ work-related well-being. On the other hand, social resources at work seem to be of similar salience to work engagement in cancer survivors and others. Implication for cancer survivors  Understanding the role of job resources and personal resources appears to be important in efforts to increase a cancer survivors’ commitment to work life even more so than in those working with a out breast cancer history.     

Resilient parenting of children at developmental risk across middle childhood

This paper focuses on factors that might influence positive parenting during middle childhood when a parent faces formidable challenges defined herein as “resilient parenting.” Data were obtained from 162 families at child age 5 and 8 years. Using an adapted ABCX model, we examined three risk domains (child developmental delay, child ADHD/ODD diagnosis, and low family income) and three protective factors (mother's education, health, and optimism). The outcome of interest was positive parenting as coded from mother–child interactions. We hypothesized that each of the risk factors would predict poorer parenting and that higher levels of each protective factor would buffer the risk-parenting relationship. Positive parenting scores decreased across levels of increasing risk. Maternal optimism appeared to be a protective factor for resilient parenting concurrently at age 5 and predictively to age 8, as well as a predictor of positive change in parenting from age 5 to age 8, above and beyond level of risk. Maternal education and health were not significantly protective for positive parenting. Limitations, future directions, and implications for intervention are discussed.     

Relevance of philosophy of life and optimism for psychological distress among individuals in a stage where death is approaching

The purpose was to investigate the relevance of philosophy of life as well as optimism for the psychological distress among Swedish individuals in a stage where death is approaching. Sixty-nine persons were included; of these were 42 patients newly diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal cancer and 26 were partners to these patients. The participants’ philosophy of life was studied through a semi-structured interview. The interview statements were subjected to content analysis. Optimism was measured by the Life Orientation Test and psychological distress by the Hospitality and Depression Scale. The results showed that optimistic respondents had less psychological distress. Two aspects of philosophy of life had relevance for such distress. These were wondering about why the cancer had occurred and having a feeling of being able to live a good life having or living near a person with advanced cancer. In conclusion, the above-mentioned aspects of philosophy of life as well as optimism have relevance for psychological distress among these individuals, which stress the importance that health-care staff address both patients’ and their partners’ concerns about their philosophy of life.     

Higher Dispositional Optimism Predicts Lower Pain Reduction During Conditioned Pain Modulation

Optimism is associated with lower pain sensitivity, positive adjustment to chronic pain, and greater reduction of pain thresholds in a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) paradigm. We hypothesized that participants with higher levels of optimism would experience greater inhibition of suprathreshold pain during CPM. Seventy-seven healthy adults completed a test of optimism, the Life Orientation Test-Revised, as well as measures of depression, pain catastrophizing, and neuroticism. Participants also underwent psychophysical tests of heat pain tolerance, heat pain threshold, and CPM. CPM magnitude was calculated as the change in heat pain ratings when applied alone and simultaneously with painful pressure. Greater optimism was significantly correlated with reduced CPM magnitude (P = .013). Regression analysis was performed using optimism as a predictor of CPM magnitude while controlling for pain catastrophizing, neuroticism, depression, and age. The overall model was significant (P?=?.003). Significant positive coefficients were found for depression (P?=?.014) and optimism (P < .001) scores. These results suggest that greater optimism predicts less inhibition of suprathreshold pain, the opposite of our hypothesis. This unexpected finding may be due to factors such as perceived stress and coping differences, and suggests that modulation of threshold-level and suprathreshold pain involves different underlying mechanisms.