Search results
(1 - 3 of 3)
- Title
- MEDIATORS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN SURVIVORS WITH BRAIN INJURY
- Creator
- Johnson, Kristina S.
- Date
- 2017, 2017-07
- Description
-
Injury to the brain can range in cause, severity, and outcomes. Individuals with brain injury may experience both physical and cognitive...
Show moreInjury to the brain can range in cause, severity, and outcomes. Individuals with brain injury may experience both physical and cognitive impairments. Not only can a patient experience a wide range of symptoms, these symptoms also can vary drastically in severity. Research has shown that these symptoms play a role in a person’s quality of life following injury: the worse a person’s symptoms are, the lower they report their quality of life. However, recent research suggests that psychosocial factors may mediate the relationships between disability severity and quality of life across multiple rehabilitation populations. Two of the previously researched psychosocial constructs include social support and a sense of mastery over the disability or disease. The purpose of this study was to examine a structural model hypothesizing the mediating role of these two constructs on the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life among adults with brain injury. Participants in this study included 183 individuals with brain injury recruited through state brain injury organizations across the United States to participate in an online survey study. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), results demonstrated good model fit. (χ2(15, n = 183) = 13.68). Normed Bentler-Bonnet fit index (NFI) was .97; Goodness-of-Fit statistic (GFI) was .98; Adjusted-goodness-of-fit (AGFI) was .96; and Comparative fit index (CFI) was 1.00 (indices exceeding .90 indicate acceptable fit). Examination of the direct effects showed that perceived social support and sense of mastery are negatively associated with symptom severity (-.19 and -.66 respectively). Additionally, perceived social support was positively associated with mastery (.30). Both mastery and social support were moderately related to quality of life (.46 and .53, respectively). Rmediation analysis revealed perceived social support and mastery fully mediate the relationship between symptom severity and quality of life. Additionally, mastery partially mediated the relationship between social support and quality of life. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating these psychosocial factors into clinical interventions with hopes of increasing levels of perceived social support and mastery, and ultimately promoting quality of life. Further research is needed to explore the best strategies to increase support and mastery within the brain injury population and to identify additional psychosocial factors that may be mediators of quality of life.
M.S. in Psychology, July 2017
Show less
- Title
- Implicit Theory of Willpower and Life Satisfaction Among Persons with Spinal Cord Injury
- Creator
- Cerny, Brian M.
- Date
- 2022
- Description
-
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a leading cause of physical disability and physical, functional, and psychosocial outcomes vary among persons with...
Show moreSpinal cord injury (SCI) is a leading cause of physical disability and physical, functional, and psychosocial outcomes vary among persons with SCI. Persons with SCI are at risk for poor psychosocial adjustment, evidenced by higher rates of mood disorders and lower reported life satisfaction (LS) when compared to the general population. LS among persons with SCI is influenced by sociodemographic, injury-related, and psychosocial factors. Implicit theory of willpower (TOW) refers to individuals’ beliefs about their capacity for self-regulation; specifically, whether or not self-regulatory capacity (i.e., willpower) is depleted with use. TOW has previously been associated with LS and other aspects of subjective well-being. This is the first study to assess TOW among persons with SCI, and aims to investigate the association between TOW and LS among persons with SCI. The study sample consisted of 156 adults with SCI who completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Associations between demographic- and disability-related factors, global perceived stress, TOW, engagement coping, disengagement coping, and LS were assessed via bivariate Pearson correlations and a 3-block hierarchical multiple linear regression with LS as the primary outcome. LS was significantly correlated with age, perceived physical health, self-reported participation, and perceived stress. After controlling for the influence of other variables, age, perceived physical health, and perceived stress were significantly associated with LS, consistent with prior work. Neither TOW nor the interaction between perceived stress and TOW were significantly associated with LS. Post hoc analyses suggest a chronic disability population may have different interpretations of the TOW construct or measure items than populations previously investigated. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed.
Show less
- Title
- Agency and Pathway Thinking as Mediators of The Relationship Between Caregiver Burden And Life Satisfaction Among Family Caregivers Of People With Parkinson’s Disease: An Application Of Snyder’s Hope Theory
- Creator
- Springer, Jessica Gabrielle
- Date
- 2024
- Description
-
In the United States, there are 47.9 million caregivers providing care to family members with disabilities. Those providing care to someone...
Show moreIn the United States, there are 47.9 million caregivers providing care to family members with disabilities. Those providing care to someone who has Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a complex degenerative movement disorder, may have a unique caregiving experience, given that disease-related factors (e.g. motor and non-motor symptoms) can contribute to worsening caregiver burden and life satisfactions (LS). PD has an increasing incidence of 90,000 new cases per year, likely resulting in an increased need for caregivers. Caregiving research frequently focuses on the mediators between caregiver burden and LS including social support, coping skills, and appraisals. Research that has specifically focused on caregivers of people with PD (Pw/PD) is significantly limited. Hope is a “positive motivational characteristic comprised of agency and pathways thinking that can help facilitate drive towards one’s goal while also serving as a buffer against negative events” (Snyder et al.,1991). The goal of this study is to understand Snyder’s hope theory as it relates to caregiver burden and LS for caregivers of Pw/PD. Specifically, we hypothesized that (a) caregiver burden will be negatively correlated with agency thinking, pathways thinking, and LS among caregivers of Pw/PD. In addition, pathways thinking, and agency thinking will be positively associated with LS, and (b) agency thinking, and pathways thinking will mediate the relationship between caregiver burden and LS among caregivers of Pw/PD. The study sample consisted of 249 caregivers of Pw/PD who completed an online anonymous questionnaire. Correlations between agency and pathways thinking, LS, caregiver burden, and sociodemographic factors were evaluated. A parallel mediation analysis was run to evaluate the mediating roles of pathways and agency thinking in the relationship between caregiver burden and LS. Results indicated that LS was significantly and negatively correlated with caregiver burden. LS was significantly and positively correlated with both pathways and agency thinking. Pathways thinking had no indirect effect on the relationship of caregiver burden on LS. Agency thinking had a negative, indirect effect on the relationship suggesting that agency thinking partially mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and LS. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
Show less