Coping Resources among Forced Migrants in South Africa: Exploring the Role of Character Strengths in Coping, Adjustment, and Flourishing

This phenomenological qualitative study explored how forced migrants in South Africa cope with violent, traumatic experiences and precarious resettlement conditions. Data came from a larger empirical project examining migration, psychological distress, and coping. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 refugees and asylum seekers (Mage = 30.27, SDage = 9.27; male = 71.43%) who migrated from five African countries to Durban, South Africa. Despite overwhelming stressors, participants described pathways to transcend victimhood and hardship through engaging character strengths in ways that promote post-traumatic growth. Qualitative analysis revealed five overarching domains: spirituality and religiousness, love and kindness, hope and optimism, persistence and fortitude, and gratitude and thankfulness. Findings are framed within positive existential psychology and dual-factor understandings of mental health, which attend to both human suffering and flourishing. Limitations, future research directions, and clinical and community implications are discussed, with attention to the role of character strengths in adaptive coping and psychological well-being. The intergenerational transmission of strengths is explored as one potential means of buffering intergenerational trauma impacts and promoting family post-traumatic growth.

Not All Injuries Are the Same: Different Patterns in Sports Injuries and Their Psychosocial Correlates

Sports injuries are ubiquitous and can have far-reaching consequences for athletes (e.g., health, performance). Previous studies have examined various psychosocial influencing factors (e.g., stress), but have mostly focused on only one or two injury characteristics (e.g., frequency), neglecting the broader injury pattern. Thus, the present study aimed to obtain a more differentiated picture of potentially different injury patterns and related profiles of psychosocial factors. We investigated a sample of 213 athletes from a cross-sectional online study. Current injury status, frequency, severity, chronicity, medical treatment, and rehabilitation measures were subjected to cluster analysis indicating a 3-cluster solution with predominantly chronically injured athletes (n = 54), athletes not seeking treatment (n = 62), and athletes utilizing medical treatment and rehabilitation (n = 97). Building on the Model of Stress and Athletic Injury, we subsequently conducted three multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) to examine whether the obtained clusters differed in terms of personality factors (e.g., athletic identity), history of stressors (e.g., life events), and coping resources (e.g., self-compassion). We observed significant differences in all three categories of psychosocial variables implying different intervention possibilities for different injury patterns in the future.

A Latent Class Analysis of Personal Coping Resources and Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Latinx Adults

Objectives: To identify coping profiles and evaluate their implications for depressive symptoms among Latinx adults. Methods: Data come from a community-dwelling sample of Latinx adults ages 45+ in Florida (N = 461). Latent class analysis was used to identify profiles of personal coping resources based on patterns across spirituality (spiritual coping, divine fate), ethnic identity (centrality, connectedness), and personal control (mastery, self-esteem). Multivariable linear regression assessed differences in depressive symptoms across coping resource classes. Results: Four coping resource profiles were identified: (1) low resources overall, yet high spiritual coping; (2) high spirituality and personal control; (3) high spirituality and ethnic identity; and (4) high resources overall. Members of Class 4 had significantly fewer depressive symptoms than members of Class 1 and Class 3, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, p < .001. Discussion: Results elucidate nuances in personal coping resources among aging Latinx adults, identify under-resourced groups, and suggest that resource profiles characterized by few personal coping resources are linked with more depressive symptoms. Findings clarify the underpinnings of the latent coping construct and have implications for mental health promotion interventions among aging Latinx adults.

Effect of sense of coherence on long-term work participation among rehabilitation patients: a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the causal effect of sense of coherence on long-term work participation after rehabilitation, including stratification by age and diagnoses.

DESIGN

Longitudinal cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged ≤ 60 years, employed and accepted for somatic interprofessional rehabilitation in 2015 (n = 192).

METHODS

Patients reported sense of coherence before rehabilitation in 2015 and mental and physical functioning in 2016. Register data were used to measure work participation during 2018 and days working without social security benefits during 2016-18. Regression models were used to explore the total effect of sense of coherence and the possible mediation of functioning. Results are reported as odds ratios (95% confidence intervals).

RESULTS

During 2018, 77% of the total study cohort participated in work activities. The subgroup with musculoskeletal diagnoses had the fewest days of working without social security benefits. A causal relationship was found between sense of coherence and long-term work participation. Some of the effect of sense of coherence was mediated by mental functioning. The total effect of sense of coherence was strongest for patients with musculo-skeletal diagnoses (work participation: 1.11 (1.05, 1.17), days working without social security benefits: 1.05 (0.01, 109)).

CONCLUSION

Improving coping resources may be beneficial to facilitate long-term work participation after injury or illness, especially for individuals with musculoskeletal diagnoses.

Coping resources and stress due to demands in parents to children with autism spectrum disorder

Introduction

Parents to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are exposed to numerous demands in their daily lives and exhibit high levels of stress. The present study aims to find out which coping resources are mediators that help parents cope with these demands and which of those coping resources amplify or reduce stress arising from the demands. Studies often only focus on the connection between coping resources and stress without taking the demands into account at the same time.

Methods

For this reason, a mediation model was set up to answer the research question. Data from a German questionnaire survey with N = 266 parents who have children with ASD (two to 23 years old) were used. Subjectively perceived demands in everyday life (scale "Parental demands in everyday life"), parental stress ("Parental Stress Inventory", based on Abidin's parenting stress model) and the following coping resources were collected: parental self-efficacy beliefs ("Parents' sense of competence questionnaire"), available social support of parents (scale "Availability of social support") and parental coping strategies (German version of the Brief COPE).

Results

An exploratory factor analysis revealed four mediators: dysfunctional coping, functional coping, social support, and self-efficacy. The use of dysfunctional behavior and parental self-efficacy were found to be significant mediators that mediated between daily demands and parental stress. A direct effect of demands on parental stress was also found, implying partial mediation. The two factors of functional coping and support were not found to be significant mediators.

Discussion

Key findings indicate that parental stress resulting from the daily demands of parenting children with ASD can be reduced by high parental self-efficacy and increased by dysfunctional coping. For practice, it can be deduced that dysfunctional coping strategies of parents to children with ASD should be reduced and parental self-efficacy should be strengthened in order to reduce stress which arises from the multiple demands in everyday life.

Loneliness before and after COVID-19: Sense of Coherence and Hope as Coping Mechanisms

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major threat to public health, with long-lasting consequences for the daily habits and practices of people around the world. The combination of hazardous health conditions and extensive changes to people's daily routines due to lockdowns, social restrictions, and employment uncertainty have led to mental health challenges, reduced levels of subjective wellbeing, and increased maladaptive behaviors and emotional distress. Nevertheless, some studies have reported increased adaptive functioning and resilience after the pandemic, suggesting a more complex pattern of effects. The goals of the current study were to explore the role of two coping variables, sense of coherence and hope, in people's emotional wellbeing and adaptation in dealing with loneliness before and after such a stressful period. In a cross-sectional study, 974 Israeli participants (sample 1: 540 participants before the pandemic; sample 2: 434 participants after the pandemic restrictions) answered online questionnaires about their loneliness, hope and sense of coherence levels before and after the pandemic. While the two groups did not differ in their levels of hope, the participants in the group before COVID-19 reported lower levels of loneliness and sense of coherence. However, the results also indicated that although the COVID-19 pandemic was related to increased levels of loneliness, the participants' sense of coherence mediated this increase and their levels of hope moderated it. The theoretical contribution of these findings is discussed, as well as interventional implications and future directions.

Long-Term Change and Predictors of Change in Physical and Mental Function after Rehabilitation: A Multi-Centre Study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate changes and predictors of change in physical and mental function over a 3-year period after rehabilitation.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients, across diseases, living in western Norway, accepted for somatic specialized interprofessional rehabilitation (n = 984).

METHODS

Physical and mental function were assessed at admittance (baseline), and after 1 and 3 years using the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36). Associations between changes in SF-36 component summary scores and sense of coherence, pain, disease group (musculoskeletal, neoplasm, cardiovascular, neurological, other), exercise habits and demographic variables were analysed using linear mixed modelling.

RESULTS

In the total group, mean (standard deviation) physical component summary scores improved by 2.9 (8.4) and 3.4 (9.3) points at 1 and 3 years, respectively. Mental component summary scores improved by 2.1 (9.7) and 1.6 (10.8) points. Improvement in physical component summary was significantly greater for patients with higher sense of coherence (b = 0.09, p = 0.001) and for the neoplasm disease group (b = 2.13, p = 0.046). Improvement in mental component summary was significantly greater for patients with low sense of coherence (b = -0.13, p = < 0.001) and higher level of education (b = 3.02, p = 0.0302). Interaction with age (physical component summary: b = 0.22, p = 0.039/mental component summary b = 0.51, p = 0.006) indicated larger effect at 1 year than at 3 years.

CONCLUSION

Physical and mental function improved in the total study group over the 3-year period. Sense of coherence at baseline was associated with improved physical and mental function, suggesting that coping resources are important in rehabilitation.

Are Personal Resources and Perceived Stress Associated with Psychological Outcomes among Israeli Teachers during the Third COVID-19 Lockdown?

Teachers’ psychological responses during a pandemic, such as COVID-19, play an important role in their adaptation to the new routine. This research aimed to explore the association between personal resources (sense of control, social support), perceived stress, and three psychological outcomes (resilience, depression, loneliness) among teachers during the third COVID-19 lockdown in Israel. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 208 teachers. Significant associations were found between perceived stress, resilience, depression, and loneliness. Sense of control was significantly associated with perceived social support. The research model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling. The model yielded appropriate indices of fit (χ2(10) = 10.31, χ2/df = 1.03, p = 0.413, NFI = 0.970, NNFI = 0.997, CFI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.012, 95%CI RMSEA = 0.077), demonstrating that the model fits the data well. Findings suggest that in order to improve teachers’ psychological health during a virus outbreak, it is recommended to pay attention to their personal resources and perceived stress.

Do Racial Differences in Coping Resources Explain the Black-White Paradox in Mental Health? A Test of Multiple Mechanisms

A central paradox in the mental health literature is the tendency for black Americans to report similar or better mental health than white Americans despite experiencing greater stress exposure. However, black Americans' higher levels of certain coping resources may explain this finding. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (n = 1,186), we examine whether black Americans have higher levels of self-esteem, social support, religious attendance, and divine control than white Americans and whether these resources, in turn, explain the black-white paradox in mental health. In adjusted models, the black-white paradox holds for depressive symptoms and any DSM-IV disorder. Findings indicate that black Americans have higher levels of self-esteem, family social support, and religiosity than white Americans. Causal mediation techniques reveal that self-esteem has the largest effect in explaining black-white differences in depressive symptoms, whereas divine control has the largest effect in explaining differences in disorder.

Everyday Lives of Middle-Aged Persons with Multimorbidity: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review

The healthcare burden of patients with multimorbidity may negatively affect their family lives, leisure time and professional activities. This mixed methods systematic review synthesizes studies to assess how multimorbidity affects the everyday lives of middle-aged persons, and identifies skills and resources that may help them overcome that burden. Two independent reviewers screened title/abstracts/full texts in seven databases, extracted data and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess risk of bias (RoB). We synthesized findings from 44 studies (49,519 patients) narratively and, where possible, quantitatively. Over half the studies provided insufficient information to assess representativeness or response bias. Two studies assessed global functioning, 15 examined physical functioning, 18 psychosocial functioning and 28 work functioning. Nineteen studies explored skills and resources that help people cope with multimorbidity. Middle-aged persons with multimorbidity have greater impairment in global, physical and psychosocial functioning, as well as lower employment rates and work productivity, than those without. Certain skills and resources help them cope with their everyday lives. To provide holistic and dynamic health care plans that meet the needs of middle-aged persons, health professionals need greater understanding of the experience of coping with multimorbidity and the associated healthcare burden.

Perceived social support in the social distancing era: the association between circles of potential support and COVID-19 reactive psychopathology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic are risk factors for psychopathology, but psychosocial protective factors might play a crucial role in buffering the pathogenic effects of the outbreak.

DESIGN

In the current study, we examined the association of inner resources and potential external sources of support for coping with the pandemic and related lockdowns to mental health during the pandemic, while controlling for sociodemographic variables as covariates.

METHODS

We tested the model in a probability-based internet survey of a representative sample of the Israeli adult population (N = 812) conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Perceived support in close relationships was negatively associated with the intensity of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Larger rings of potential support such as perceived belongingness to a community and trust in government were also negatively related to anxiety and depression but were positively associated with the intensity of OCD and PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support the "tend and befriend" theory in the social distancing era and highlight the importance of keeping personal relationships alive when facing a mass trauma.

The intervention of the emergency psychologist: the SIPEM SoS Emilia Romagna during the first lockdown from COVID-19

Background and purpose of this work: WHO 11 March 2020 declares that Sars-Cov-2 infection is not only a health emergency but must be considered a pandemic. Covid-19 required the urgency of a new psychological intervention model to better address the crisis and ensure a direct support response to the people involved in the pandemic. The present study aimed to detect the symptoms and reactions of the population with respect to the event. The survey was carried out by describing the clinical symptoms that emerged from the triage card used by SIPEM SoS Emilia Romagna (Italy), connoting the criteria of emergency psychology.

METHODS

A retrospective quantitative study was conducted on 288 psychological triage cards.

RESULTS

only 11% of users who ask for support say they are positive while 85% report not having contracted the virus. Of the total, 40.9% call for psychological support in the management of anxiety symptoms, a need also reported by 55% of the subsample who declared previous psychological problems. In reaction to the pandemic event, 51.1% of the total refers to coping resources and availability for help.

DISCUSSIONS

the need for support of the population to manage symptoms highlights the need for early interventions, also to facilitate that slice of the population that does not have effective individual coping strategies and resources available to help.

CONCLUSIONS

it can be deduced that interventions during these types of emergencies must be timely and aimed not only at those affected but also at the general population.

The Use of Online CB-ART Interventions in the Context of COVID-19: Enhancing Salutogenic Coping

Community crises require the provision of short-term reflective intervention methods to help service users identify stressors, and access and intensify their adaptive coping. Here, we demonstrate the use of a single-session online cognitive behavioral- and art-based (CB-ART) intervention within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this method, the individual draws three images: his/her COVID-19-related stress, his/her perceived resources, and an integration of stress and resources. This method provided a reflective space in which individuals could identify their experienced stressors, acknowledge their coping resources, and integrate these two elements within the context of the current pandemic. In this article, we use illustrative examples from a study implemented during the first national lockdown in Israel and present a tool that can be easily implemented by mental-health professionals in ongoing community crises. The aims of this intervention were to co-create knowledge with service users, access their self-defined needs and strengths, and enhance their coping by enabling them to view stress and coping as part of the salutogenic continuum.

Developing a Latent Coping Resources Factor for Recovery from Substance Use Disorder

It is crucial for individuals with substance use disorders, especially those with a co-occurring mental health disorder, to access effective coping resources. We quantify coping through four domains of individual resources (self-esteem, self-efficacy, perceived social support, and hope) to examine the extent to which individuals with varying psychiatric severity can access coping-related resources. Since sex is an additionally important consideration in treatment, we also explore both sexes' access to coping-related resources. We generate a multilevel latent variable of coping resources in class structures, one for males and one for females, to measure (1) the extent individuals with varying psychiatric presentations (types, symptoms, severity) are able to access this latent resource and (2) to control for house level effects. Our variables of self-esteem, self-efficacy, perceived social support, and hope all coalesced into a latent variable, named coping resources. Furthermore, we find that psychiatric severity is negatively related to coping resources at the individual level, but function differently for males and females at the house level. Treatment guidelines should address the nuanced needs of individuals and consider individual differences, such as sex, that impact access to coping resources.

CB-Art Interventions Implemented with Mental Health Professionals Working in a Shared War Reality: Transforming Negative Images and Enhancing Coping Resources

Research on mental health professionals (MHPs) exposed to a shared war reality indicates that they are subject to emotional distress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and vicarious trauma. This article focuses on a CB-ART (cognitive behavioral and art-based) intervention implemented during the 2014 Gaza conflict with 51 MHPs who shared war-related experiences with their clients. The intervention included drawing pictures related to three topics: (1) war-related stressors, (2) coping resources, and (3) integration of the stressful image and the resources drawing. The major aims of the study were (1) to examine whether significant changes occurred in MHP distress levels after the intervention; (2) to explore the narratives of the three drawing and their compositional characteristics; and (3) to determine which of selected formats of the integrated drawing and compositional transformations of the stressful image are associated with greater distress reduction. Results indicate that MHP distress levels significantly decreased after the intervention. This stress-reducing effect was also reflected in differences between the compositional elements of the 'stress drawing' and the 'integrated drawing,' which includes elements of resources. Reduced distress accompanied compositional transformations of the stressful image. MHPs can further use the easily implemented intervention described here as a coping tool in other stressful situations.

Self-reassurance and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts predict depression, anxiety, and perceived stress in help-seeking female family caregivers

OBJECTIVES

Providing care for an older family member is a common experience for women and has been linked with increased depression, anxiety, and stress for some caregivers. This study aimed to investigate the role of self-reassurance and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts in mitigating the negative effects of caregiving stressors on mental health.

DESIGN

Measures were collected during a pre-intervention assessment for a larger study in the U.S.A. evaluating online interventions for intergenerational caregivers. Hierarchical linear regressions were used to examine the contribution of self-reassurance and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts on mental health outcomes, after controlling for caregiving-related contextual variables and stressors.

SETTING

Participants completed online questionnaires on a computer or tablet at their convenience.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 150 help-seeking adult women providing health-care assistance to older relatives living in the community.

MEASUREMENTS

Measures were completed for the mental health outcomes of depression, anxiety, and stress. Measures also included contextual factors of caregiving and demographics. Cognitive impairment, caregiver assistance, role overload, percentage of care provided, family conflict, self-reassurance, and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts were also measured.

RESULTS

Regression models revealed that both self-reassurance and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts predicted depression, anxiety, and perceived stress after controlling for caregiving contextual factors and stressors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that self-reassurance and self-efficacy for controlling upsetting thoughts are effective resources linked to mental health outcomes. Although results were obtained with cross-sectional data, these findings suggest the potential of targeting these resources in transdiagnostic interventions for family caregivers.

[Coping with stress caused by workplace bullying: umbrella review]

The knowledge about victims' reactions to stressful events is important when it comes to the selection of the appropriate intervention strategies by people responsible for dealing with workplace bullying whenever it occurs in the organization. Early initiation of interventions is important, especially because workplace bullying is a situation not controlled by the victim who remains with a small selection of the possible forms of coping. For people experiencing workplace bullying, the knowledge about common reactions to this phenomenon may prove useful in itself, both reducing the discussed reactions and facilitating behaviors based on seeking help. The purpose of this review was to determine whether and which styles and strategies for coping with stress can play an important role in the process of experiencing bullying in the workplace. The review covered articles published in 1984-2018. The results of previous research may indicate that, in the face of workplace bullying, all forms of coping are indifferent, and sometimes may even worsen the situation of the victim. Undoubtedly, the reason for this is the fact that experiencing workplace bullying is a highly traumatic situation which continues over an extended period of time. Therefore, bullying can be included into those objective, universal stressors that will put most individuals, regardless of their perception, under strong stress. Med Pr. 2019;70(2):249-57.

Analysis of the Differential Relationship between the Perception of One's Life and Coping Resources among Three Generations of Bedouin Women

Bedouin society has undergone rapid changes over the past decade. The younger generation of Bedouin women is better educated, which has enabled them to enter different professions, increased their incomes and elevated their social status. We examined the sense of coherence (SOC) and its components of meaningfulness, manageability and comprehensibility as well as the use of coping strategies among Bedouin women from three age groups. We also investigated the coping resources and strategies before determining the relationships between these variables in the three groups. One hundred ninety-six women participated in the study. Differences were found mostly between the oldest age group (61 years and older) and the two younger groups (21⁻40 and 41⁻60 years old). The oldest women reported less meaningfulness and used less positive reframing, planning, humor and acceptance. In terms of coping strategies, venting was used more by the youngest group whereas behavioral disengagement was used more by the oldest group. In the younger groups, SOC and its components were positively correlated with the use of coping strategies that are considered to be adaptive and with emotional support. However, the correlations between these factors were negative among the oldest group, which points to non-adaptive coping strategies used by these women. These results are discussed in light of the salutogenic, stress-appraisal and coping theories.

Structural Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Pearlin Mastery Scale in Spanish-Speaking Primary Care Patients

The Pearlin Mastery (PM) Scale is frequently used in health research to assess individuals' personal mastery or the extent to which they believe they are in control of their own lives. It has been adapted from English into multiple languages including Spanish. However, no studies have assessed the psychometric properties of Spanish translations of the scale. This analysis evaluated structural validity and measurement invariance of the original Spanish translation of the PM Scale in two groups of Spanish-speaking individuals receiving primary care at community clinics in Florida. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that the 5-item version used in the literature yields a unidimensional factor structure as expected; however, multiple-group CFA revealed that the PM Scale items did not load equivalently on the factor across samples. This indicates that the Spanish version of the PM Scale may not measure mastery consistently across groups, possibly due to differences in respondents' semantic understanding of items or differences in the meaning of the construct itself. Findings suggest that researchers seeking to measure personal mastery in Spanish-speaking participants from diverse cultural backgrounds should consider alternative approaches including the development of new instruments.

Self-perceived coping resources of middle-aged and older adults - results of a large population-based study

OBJECTIVES

Psychosocial resources (personal resources, social resources, and other) are important for coping with aging and impairment. The aim of this study was to describe the resources of older adults and to compare subgroups with frailty, complex health care needs, and/or mental disorders.

METHOD

At the third follow-up of the large population-based German ESTHER study, 3124 elderly persons (aged 55-85) were included. Psychosocial resources were assessed during a home visit by trained study doctors by using a list of 26 different items. Resources were described for the total group, separated by sex, and for the three subgroups of persons with frailty, complex health care needs, and mental disorders.

RESULTS

Family, self-efficacy, and financial security were the most frequently reported resources of older adults. Women and men showed significant differences in their self-perceived resources. Personal resources (self-efficacy, optimism, mastery), social resources, and financial security were reported significantly less frequently by frail persons, persons with complex health care needs, and mentally ill older adults compared to non-impaired participants. Apart from external support, patients who experienced complex health care needs reported resources less frequently compared to frail and mentally ill patients.

CONCLUSION

Coping resources in older adults are associated with sex and impairment. Evaluation and support of personal resources of frail or mentally ill persons or individuals with complex health care needs should be integrated in the therapeutic process.

"A Mixed Blessing": Social Support as a Coping Resource for Parents Who Lost a Child in Terrorist Attacks in Israel

This article deals with the issue of perceived social support among 40 bereaved parents who have lost a child in a terrorist attack in Israel. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the nature and quality of the formal and informal support that the parents received. The parents were interviewed using semistructured in-depth interviews. The content analysis revealed that alongside the positive aspects, the parents also emphasized the negative side of the encounter with the social environment. The positive aspects included feeling of appreciation for the assistance in the coping process. The negative aspects included a sense of abandonment and distress. The dialectic nature of the domain, together with a recognition of its importance, points to the need to reconcile between the desire on the part of the social environment to assist the bereaved parent on one hand and ways to implement it on the other hand.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Coping Resources, and Mental Health Problems among Court-Involved Youth

Background

Mental health problems are gaining attention among court-involved youth with emphasis on the role of childhood adversity, but assessment lags.

Objective

The present study uses a commonly delivered assessment tool to examine mental health problems (current mental health problem, mental health interfered with probation goals, and suicide ideation) as a function of an expanded set of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; childhood maltreatment, family dysfunction, and social disadvantage). Adaptive coping resources-impulse control, aspirations, and social support-were tested as both direct contributors and moderators of the influence of ACEs on mental health.

Methods

Using a diverse sample of youth on probation (N=5,378), this study utilized logistic regression models to test contributions of the three domains of childhood adversity-childhood maltreatment, family dysfunction, and social disadvantage. These models also examined the moderating roles of coping resources.

Results

Childhood maltreatment emerged as the strongest contributor to mental health problems, with significant moderation from social support. Youth aspirations were inversely related to mental health problems and moderated the relation with ACEs and mental health problems that interfered with probation.

Conclusion

Assessment and mitigation of the detrimental effects of childhood maltreatment are important considerations in the intervention programs that target mental health outcomes of court-involved youth. Intervention programs to prevent recidivism and improve mental health should improve impulse control and aspirations.

Women living with AIDS in rural Southern India: Perspectives on mental health and lay health care worker support

In this study, focus groups were conducted with 16 rural Women Living with AIDS (WLA) from Andhra Pradesh, India who had previously participated in a clinical trial wherein 68 WLA were randomized into either an Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) - Life (AL) intervention or a Usual Care program. Findings are discussed in terms of: a) mental health issues, b) perceived stressors, c) individual resources for coping with mental health issues, and d) role of Asha support in coping with mental health issues. These findings highlight the salience of mental health issues in the lives of WLA and the role played by Asha in addressing some of these issues. The discussion section makes a case for increased emphasis on mental health care in future community-based interventions for this population.

Explaining the relation between precarious employment and mental well-being. A qualitative study among temporary agency workers

BACKGROUND

From an employee-perspective, temporary agency employment can be considered in two ways. According to the first perspective, agency jobs are associated with job characteristics that adversely affect mental well-being: job insecurity, low wages, a lack of benefits, little training, poorer prospects for the future, high working time flexibility, minimal trade union representation and problematic triadic employment relations. The other perspective underlines that flexibility, learning opportunities and freedom in agency employment enable workers to build the career of their choice, which may positively affect mental well-being.

OBJECTIVE

This article aims at interpreting and explaining these conflicting perspectives. In particular, we discuss the role of coping resources (control, support, trust and equity) in the stress pathway between characteristics of temporary agency employment and mental well-being.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews with 12 Belgian temporary agency workers were conducted and analysed from a phenomenological perspective.

RESULTS

The results reveal mainly how a lack of coping resources plays a key role in how (precarious) characteristics of temporary agency employment affect employees' mental well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

This study illustrates the earlier assumed stress pathway between precarious employment and mental well-being, in which coping resources play an intermediary as well as a moderating role.

Stress mediates the relationship between past drug addiction and current risky sexual behavior among low income women

This study examined the role of stress as a mediator of the relationship between prior drug addiction and current high-risk sexual behaviour. Eight hundred twenty women aged 18 to 30 years, who received care at community-based family planning clinics, were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Sexual Risk Behavior Assessment Schedule. They also completed the brief version of the Self-Control Scale as a measure of problem-solving strategies and measures of recent stressful events, daily hassles and ongoing chronic stress. Regardless of addiction history, stress exposure during the previous 12 months was associated with risky sexual behaviour during the previous 12 months. Structural equation modelling revealed that 12-month stress levels mediated the relationship between past drug addiction and 12-month high-risk sexual behaviours, as well as the negative relationship between problem-solving strategies and high-risk sexual behaviours. Problem-solving strategies did not moderate the relationship between drug addiction and high-risk sexual behaviours. These findings suggest that stress management training may help reduce risky behaviour among young, low-income women.

Social support, coping resources and codependence in spouses of individuals with alcohol and drug dependence

This study examines the relationship between social support, coping resources and codependence in the wives of individuals with drug and alcohol dependence. Thirty male individuals each with drug and alcohol dependence were assessed for severity of addiction by Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Their wives were administered Social Support Scale (SSS). Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) and Codependence Assessment Questionnaire (CAQ). Of the sixty patients, forty nine were found to be codependent. On ASI, the codependent group had more impairment in the financial and the legal domains of the husbands whereas non codependent group had more impairment in the psychological domain. Codependent wives had lower coping resources and social support. On multivariate analysis, three variables were found to be significant predictors of the development of codependence in the wives. These were (i) husbands'duration of drug or alcohol abuse, (ii) total CRI score and (Hi) husbands' ASI employment score.