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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Dyadic And Longitudinal Investigation Of Adjustment In Couples Coping With Multiple Sclerosis. Research In Developmental Disabilities, Christina Samios, Kenneth Pakenham, Jill O'Brien Aug 2015

A Dyadic And Longitudinal Investigation Of Adjustment In Couples Coping With Multiple Sclerosis. Research In Developmental Disabilities, Christina Samios, Kenneth Pakenham, Jill O'Brien

Christina Samios

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect adjustment at both the individual and couple level. Purpose This study examined differences and associations between MS patient and spouse adjustment, and whether one partner’s adjustment predicts the other partner’s adjustment over time. Methods A total of 160 couples at Time 1 and 98 couples at Time 2 completed questionnaires. Results Mixed-model ANOVAs found that patients reported poorer adjustment than their spouse on a range of adjustment indicators and that positive affect and relationship satisfaction declined over time for both patients and spouses. Intraclass correlations found that patient and spouse scores on all adjustment …


The Protective Role Of Compassion Satisfaction For Therapists Who Work With Sexual Violence Survivors: An Application Of The Broaden-And-Build Theory Of Positive Emotions, Christina Samios, Lisa Abel, Amber Rodzik May 2015

The Protective Role Of Compassion Satisfaction For Therapists Who Work With Sexual Violence Survivors: An Application Of The Broaden-And-Build Theory Of Positive Emotions, Christina Samios, Lisa Abel, Amber Rodzik

Christina Samios

Therapists who work with trauma survivors, such as survivors of sexual violence, can experience compassion satisfaction while experiencing negative effects of trauma work, such as secondary traumatic stress. We examined whether the negative effects of secondary traumatic stress on therapist adjustment would be buffered by compassion satisfaction and whether the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions could be applied to examine the factors (positive emotions and positive reframing) that relate to compassion satisfaction. Sixty-one therapists who work with sexual violence survivors completed measures of secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, adjustment, positive emotions and positive reframing. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that …


Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth: Predictors Of Growth And Relationships With Adjustment, Lisa Abel, Casie Walker, Christina Samios, Larissa Morozow May 2015

Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth: Predictors Of Growth And Relationships With Adjustment, Lisa Abel, Casie Walker, Christina Samios, Larissa Morozow

Christina Samios

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is now recognized as a possible outcome in the wake of trauma that has been experienced either directly or indirectly. With this in mind, the aims of the current study were threefold: to assess the applicability of Calhoun and Tedeschi’s (2006, 1996) five-factor model of PTG in relation to vicarious PTG; assess the factors that are predictive of vicarious PTG; and assess the extent to which vicarious PTG is able to predict adjustment. The sample comprised of 126 university students and general community members. The factor analysis revealed that a two-factor solution (personal growth and changes in …


Trait Mindfulness In Relation To Emotional Self-Regulation And Executive Function, Michael Lyvers, Chloe Makin, Evan Toms, Fred Thorberg, Christina Samios May 2015

Trait Mindfulness In Relation To Emotional Self-Regulation And Executive Function, Michael Lyvers, Chloe Makin, Evan Toms, Fred Thorberg, Christina Samios

Christina Samios

The present study examined relationships of trait mindfulness to indices of mood, executive functions, and emotion regulation in 153 university students of both genders aged 18–30 years. Participants completed a questionnaire battery consisting of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), Negative Mood Regulation (NMR) scale, Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. As predicted, MAAS mindfulness scores were significantly positively related to NMR expectancies and negatively related to DASS Depression, Anxiety and Stress scores, all three FrSBe indices of prefrontal cortex …


Benefit Finding And Psychological Adjustment Following A Non-Marital Relationship Break-Up, Christina Samios, Donna Henson, Hannah Simpson Apr 2015

Benefit Finding And Psychological Adjustment Following A Non-Marital Relationship Break-Up, Christina Samios, Donna Henson, Hannah Simpson

Christina Samios

Many people experience a non-marital relationship breakup, which can lead to poor adjustment outcomes; however, relative to divorce, non-marital breakups have received less research attention, particularly on factors that may predict positive adjustment outcomes. We examined the adaptive role of finding benefits in a non-marital breakup in 140 participants who completed measures of benefit finding, the impact of the event, and adjustment. Regression analyses found that benefit finding related to positive adjustment outcomes and that the benefit finding-depression relationship was moderated by the impact of the event. This study provides empirical support for benefit finding in a non-marital relationship breakup.