Dyadic patterns of mental health and quality of life change in partners and patients during three months of cardiac rehabilitation

The effects of mental health on quality of life (QoL) over the course of a couple's recovery from a patient's cardiac event are unknown as partner outcomes are rarely considered within cardiac rehabilitation. To capture the transactional nature of recovery from a cardiac event, this research investigated the link between longitudinal changes in the mental health of couples in which at least one of the partners had cardiac disease and changes in their QoL during cardiac rehabilitation. Participants (N = 184 dyads) completed questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, and QoL at baseline (enrollment) and 3 months (discharge). Dyadic data were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model with integrated latent change scores. The results indicated that improved anxiety was associated with significant positive changes in physical and emotional QoL for both the patient and partner (actor effects). A reduction in depression in both partners from baseline to follow-up predicted an increase in emotional QoL for patients and partners, and an increase in physical QoL for partners (actor effects). Patients whose depression decreased from enrollment to the completion of cardiac rehabilitation were associated with partners' greater positive changes in emotional QoL than were patients whose depression did not decrease, and reductions in partners' anxiety over time predicted positive changes in patients' physical QoL (partner effects). Findings underscore the need to screen for and attend to patients' and partners' mental health outcomes postcardiac event, as positive changes in mental health symptoms may optimize changes in patients' and partners' emotional and physical QoL. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Better together: Relationship quality and mental health among cardiac patients and spouses

Reductions in marital relationship quality are pervasive post-cardiac event. It is not yet understood how relationship quality is linked to mental health outcomes in couples where one member has established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the interdependence within dyads is seldom measured. This research is required as psychological distress has been independently linked to CVD incidence, morbidity, and mortality. This study assessed associations of relationship quality with depression and anxiety among patients with CVD and their spouses. Participants completed questionnaires measuring four dimensions of relationship quality and mental health. Data were analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model with hierarchical moderation analyses. 181 dyads (N = 362 participants) comprised the study sample. Most patients had coronary artery disease (66.3%) and 25.9% were female. Patients reported higher relationship satisfaction and fewer anxiety symptoms than did spouses. Patients and spouses with high dyadic consensus and affectional expression reported fewer mental health symptoms, but only when the other partner also perceived high levels of consensus and affectional expression in the relationship. Patients and spouses with low dyadic cohesion reported worse mental health symptoms (actor effects), but those effects were no longer significant when both the patient and the spouse appraised the relationship as having high levels of dyadic cohesion. Taken together, relationship quality is linked to mental health symptoms in patients with CVD and their spouses. Longitudinal and experimental studies are now warranted to further substantiate the cross-sectional findings of this study.

What's love got to do with it? Relationship quality appraisals and quality of life in couples facing cardiovascular disease

Objective

Changes in couples' relationship quality are common post-cardiac event but it is unclear how relationship quality is linked to patients' and spouses' quality of life (QoL). The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between relationship quality on QoL in patient-spouse dyads within six months of a cardiac event.

Methods

Participants (N = 181 dyads; 25.9% female patients), recruited from a large cardiac hospital, completed validated questionnaires measuring demographic, relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale; DAS) and QoL variables (Heart-QoL & Quality of life of Cardiac Spouses Questionnaire). An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model was used to investigate actor (i.e. responses influencing their own outcome) and partner effects (responses influencing their partner's outcome) of relationship quality and QoL.

Results

Patients' and spouses' perceptions of relationship quality were in the satisfied range (DAS > 108; 65% of sample) and, as expected, patients reported lower general physical QoL than did their spouse (t(180) = -10.635, p < .001). Patient and spouse relationship quality appraisals were positively associated with their own physical (patient β = .25; spouse β = .05) and emotional/social (patient β = .21; spouse β = .04) QoL. No partner effects were identified.

Conclusion

High quality relationship appraisals appear to matter for patients' and spouses' QoL after the onset of CVD.

Because excellencism is more than good enough: On the need to distinguish the pursuit of excellence from the pursuit of perfection

An unresolved and controversial issue in the perfectionism literature is whether perfectionism is beneficial, harmful, or unneeded. The model of excellencism and perfectionism (MEP) was recently developed to address this question by distinguishing the pursuit of perfection from the pursuit of excellence (Gaudreau, 2019). In this article, we report the results of the first empirical test of the core assumptions of the MEP. Across five studies (total N = 2,157), we tested the conceptual, functional, and developmental distinctiveness of excellencism and perfectionism. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with two samples supported the hypothesized two-factor structure of the newly developed Scale of Perfectionism and Excellencism (SCOPE). Study 2 provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity from scores obtained from the SCOPE, and showed that, over and above excellencism, perfectionism was not associated with additional benefits (e.g., life satisfaction) or reduced harms (e.g., depression). Studies 3-4 focused on the academic achievement of undergraduates and showed that, compared to excellence strivers, perfection strivers more often aimed for perfect A+ grades (Study 3), but in fact achieved worse grades (Study 4). Study 5 adopted a four-wave longitudinal design with undergraduates and showed that excellencism and perfectionism were associated with an upward and a downward spiral of academic development. Overall, the results support the core assumptions of the MEP and show that perfectionism is either unneeded or harmful. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Dyadic effects of anxiety and depression on quality of life among couples facing cardiovascular disease

OBJECTIVE

Anxiety and depression are frequently comorbid in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a patient's poor mental health may implicate the quality of life (QoL) of a partner. The bidirectional effects of comorbid anxiety and depression on patient and partner outcomes are inadequately understood. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of the combined role of depression and anxiety on patients' and partners' QoL.

METHOD

In this cross-sectional study, patients with CVD and their partners completed questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, and QoL. Dyadic data was analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model and polynomial interaction for examining the synergistic and dysergistic effects of anxiety and depression (i.e., in combination).

RESULTS

181 dyads comprised the study sample (66.3% coronary artery disease; 25.9% female patients). Anxiety and depression, in synergy was associated with poorer QoL in patients and partners (actor effects). Patients that are more anxious than depressed have greater physical QoL whereas partners that are more depressed than anxious have greater emotional QoL (dysergistic actor effects). Patients' more severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, in synergy, was associated with partners' poorer QoL (partner effect).

CONCLUSION

Anxiety and depression are comorbid and associated with poor QoL in patients and their partners. The results may have implications for secondary prevention programming but future longitudinal studies are warranted to substantiate the cross-sectional findings.

Investigating how autonomy-supportive teaching moderates the relation between student honesty and premeditated cheating

BACKGROUND

Cheating at the post-secondary level is a skewed phenomenon. While personality and environmental factors are associated with cheating, few studies account for the zero inflation when predicting cheating behaviour.

AIM

In this study, we explore a person-situation interaction hypothesis where teacher autonomy support (AS) could modify the relation between students' honesty trait and premeditated cheating.

SAMPLE

Participants were 710 college students and 31 teachers.

METHODS

Teacher and student reports of teacher AS were collected and students also completed self-reports of honesty and premeditated cheating.

RESULTS

Given that cheating had a zero-inflated negative binomial distribution, we can investigate two separate outcomes: likelihood of cheating and magnitude of cheating. Predictably, student honesty trait predicted lower likelihood and magnitude of cheating. AS, whether student- or teacher-reported, moderated the relation between honesty and likelihood of cheating. In low perceived AS teaching environments, student honesty was associated with cheating likelihood. However, there was no such relation in high perceived AS teaching environments.

CONCLUSIONS

Students' honesty generally predicts lower cheating. However, the educational environment provided by the teacher influences the strength of this association. The less autonomy-supportive students perceive the educational environment, the more their personality is important in predicting the likelihood of cheating.

Some days are more satisfying than others: A daily-diary study on optimism, pessimism, coping, and academic satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Feelings of satisfaction fluctuate across time and situations, and focusing on within-person experiences opens up the door to a better understanding of the daily lives of university students.

AIMS

Our overarching goal was to situate academic satisfaction not only as a relatively enduring characteristic but also as a transient state that fluctuates across days in the lives of student. In the present study, we explored how optimism and pessimism related to inter-individual differences in academic satisfaction. We also investigated the association between coping and academic satisfaction at both the between- and within-person levels.

SAMPLE

A sample of 235 undergraduate students (M_age  = 19.14) participated in this study.

METHOD

Students completed baseline measures of optimism and pessimism. They were then asked to complete daily-diary measures of academic coping strategies and academic satisfaction during six consecutive days.

RESULTS

At the between-person level, results from multilevel mediation analyses demonstrated that optimism was associated with greater academic satisfaction and that task-oriented coping was a significant mediator of this association. At the within-person level, our analyses revealed that the daily satisfaction of students varies according to the coping strategies used on those specific days. Almost half of the variance in academic satisfaction can be attributable to daily fluctuations.

CONCLUSIONS

This source of within-person variance is non-negligible and supports the need to also conceive academic satisfaction as a question of when. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the role of personality and daily coping to better conceptualize and understand academic satisfaction of university students.

Les natifs du numérique aux études : enjeux et pratiques | The Digital Natives in Education: Issues and Practices

Largement débattu dans la littérature, il existe tout un débat autour des générations dans la société. Souvent utilisé pour caractériser les individus, les réflexions basées sur les générations peuvent devenir problématique lorsque les décideurs orientent leur décision sur des théories non fondées empiriquement. Cette étude propose d’examiner les natifs du numérique à partir de données empiriques, sous la perspective des usages du numériques en éducation. Nos résultats permettent de nuancer ce que l’on croit connaitre des natifs du numérique tout en appuyant d’autres études menées à travers le monde, qui mettent en exergue les usages technologiques et le numérique éducatif.  Although widely discussed in the public media, there is currently a debate about the characteristics of generations in society (C, X, Y, Z), particularly with regard to their technological habits. Based on 24, 502 college students, this study proposes to examine the digital natives in terms of their use of technologies in education. The results of multivariate analysis challenge our assumptions about digital natives while supporting other studies from around the world that highlight technological uses and educational potential.

Motherhood and well-being in young breast cancer survivors

Aim: This exploratory study aimed to examine differences in well-being between young breast cancer survivors (BCS) with and without children. Materials & methods: Participants (n = 816) completed an online survey relating to quality of life, illness intrusiveness, fear of cancer recurrence, stress and social support. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed similar models of well-being between both groups, but with a stronger relationship between psychological adjustment and illness intrusiveness for BCS with children (r = -0.779, 95% CI: -0.711, -0.848 vs r = -0.525, 95% CI: -0.423, -0.627). Conclusion: Parenting compromises the overall well-being of young BCS with children and they would therefore benefit from interventions and social and oncological support programs, especially for those caring for minor children.

In vitro efficacy of a first-generation valosin-containing protein inhibitor (CB-5083) against canine lymphoma

Valosin-containing protein (VCP), through its critical role in the maintenance of protein homeostasis, is a promising target for the treatment of several malignancies, including canine lymphoma. CB-5083, a first-in-class VCP inhibitor, exerts cytotoxicity through the induction of irreversible proteotoxic stress and possesses a broad spectrum of anticancer activity. Here, we determined the cytotoxicity CB-5083 in canine lymphoma cells and its mechanism of action in vitro. Canine lymphoma cell lines were treated with varying concentrations of CB-5083 and assessed for viability by trypan blue exclusion and apoptosis by caspase activity assays. The mechanism of CB-5083 action was determined by immunoblotting and RT-qPCR analyses of Lys48 ubiquitination and markers of ER stress (DDIT3), autophagy (SQSTM1, MAP1LC3A) and DNA damage (γH2AX). Unfolded protein response markers were also evaluated by immunoblotting (eIF2α, P-eIF2α) and RT-qPCR (ATF4). CB-5083 treatment resulted in preferential cytotoxicity in canine lymphoma cell lines over control peripheral blood mononuclear cells. CB-5083 rapidly disrupted the ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation system, inducing sustained ER stress as indicated by a dramatic increase in DDIT3. Activation of the unfolded protein response occurred through the increase eIF2α phosphorylation and increased transcription of ATF4, but did not re-establish protein homeostasis. Cells rapidly underwent apoptosis through activation of the caspase cascade. These results further validate VCP as an attractive target for the treatment of canine lymphoma and identify CB-5083 as a novel therapy with clinical potential for this malignancy.

TPACK in Elementary and High School Teachers’ Self-reported Classroom Practices with the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) | Connaissances abordées dans les pratiques déclarées d’enseignants du primaire et du secondaire qui exploitent le tableau numérique interactif (TNI) en classe

The interactive whiteboard (IWB) is increasingly used for teaching and learning in the classroom. Nevertheless, the ways that teachers incorporate this tool within their teaching practices remain poorly understood. This paper examines elementary and high school teachers’ self-reported practices with the IWB. The conceptual framework centers on teachers’ self-reported practices as well as the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, a framework for successful integration of technology into teaching. Data were collected from discussion groups with 30 teachers. Overall, the results show a predominance of technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) and technological knowledge (TK) regardless of grade level, gender, or years of teaching experience.Le recours au tableau numérique interactif (TNI) à des fins d’enseignement et d’apprentissage à l’école est de plus en plus fréquent. Cependant, les pratiques des enseignants qui exploitent l’outil sont encore mal connues. L’objectif de cette recherche est de rendre compte des connaissances que des enseignants du primaire et du secondaire mobilisent dans leurs pratiques déclarées au regard du TNI. Le cadre conceptuel repose sur des pratiques enseignantes déclarées et des connaissances (modèle TPaCK) à déployer pour assurer une intégration réussie des outils technologiques. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de 30 enseignants participant à des groupes de discussion et traitées selon une analyse de contenu. Globalement, les résultats montrent une prédominance de connaissances technopédagogiques (TP) et technologiques (T) chez les participants, peu importe l’ordre d’enseignement, le genre de l’enseignant ou l’expérience en enseignement.

A Latent Mediated Moderation of Perfectionism, Motivation, and Academic Satisfaction

The 2 × 2 model of perfectionism conceptualizes perfectionism as the within-person combinations of self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism to define four subtypes of perfectionism. This model posits that each subtype is distinctively associated with self-determined motivation and psychological adjustment. Results of latent moderated structural equation model with data from a sample of 559 university students with our newly developed MPLUS syntax codes to estimate simple slopes and their statistical significance supported this hypothesis. As expected, pure self-oriented perfectionism was associated with higher academic self-determination and academic satisfaction relative to mixed perfectionism. Mixed perfectionism was also associated with higher academic self-determination and satisfaction than was pure socially prescribed perfectionism. Results of a latent mediated moderation structural equation model also showed that academic self-determined motivation significantly mediated the relationships between perfectionism subtypes and academic satisfaction. The indirect effects of the four simple slopes, tested with our newly developed MPLUS syntax codes, all reached statistical significance. On substantive grounds, the different amounts of autonomy or self-determination associated with each of the four subtypes of perfectionism of the 2 × 2 model explicate why they are distinctively associated with academic satisfaction. On methodological grounds, this study offered a roadmap to examine the hypotheses of the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism with latent moderated structural equation modeling.