Monthly Archives: April 2016

Caregiving demands and caregivers’ psychological outcomes: the mediating role of perceived injustice

Posted on April 30, 2016 by






CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that perceived injustice plays an important role in the well-being of family caregivers and caregivers’ well-being may be improved by changing their perceptions about their caregiving tasks and their condition. Continue reading →

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A Reconsideration of the Self-Compassion Scale’s Total Score: Self-Compassion versus Self-Criticism.

Posted on April 29, 2016 by






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A Reconsideration of the Self-Compassion Scale’s Total Score: Self-Compassion versus Self-Criticism.

PLoS One. 2015;10(7):e0132940

Authors: López A, Sanderman R, Smink A, Zhang Y, van Sonderen E, Ranchor A, Schroevers MJ

Abstract
The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is currently the only self-report instrument to measure self-compassion. The SCS is widely used despite the limited evidence for the scale’s psychometric properties, with validation studies commonly performed in college students. The current study examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the SCS in a large representative sample from the community. The study was conducted in 1,736 persons, of whom 1,643 were included in the analyses. Besides the SCS, data was collected on positive and negative indicators of psychological functioning, as well as on rumination and neuroticism. Analyses included confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and correlations. CFA showed that the SCS’s proposed six-factor structure could not be replicated. EFA suggested a two-factor solution, formed by the positively and negatively formulated items respectively. Internal consistency was good for the two identified factors. The negative factor (i.e., sum score of the negatively formulated items) correlated moderately to strongly to negative affect, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, as well as to rumination and neuroticism. Compared to this negative factor, the positive factor (i.e., sum score of the positively formulated items) correlated weaker to these indicators, and relatively more strongly to positive affect. Results from this study do not justify the common use of the SCS total score as an overall indicator of self-compassion, and provide support for the idea, as also assumed by others, that it is important to make a distinction between self-compassion and self-criticism.

PMID: 26193654 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

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Depressive symptom trajectories in women affected by breast cancer and their male partners: a nationwide prospective cohort study.

Posted on April 19, 2016 by






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Depressive symptom trajectories in women affected by breast cancer and their male partners: a nationwide prospective cohort study.

J Cancer Surviv. 2016 Apr 15;

Authors: Rottmann N, Hansen DG, Hagedoorn M, Larsen PV, Nicolaisen A, Bidstrup PE, Würtzen H, Flyger H, Kroman N, Johansen C

Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of breast cancer patients and their partners based on distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms, to examine how relationship quality and medical and sociodemographic factors were associated with these trajectories, and to explore whether patients and partners had similar trajectories.
METHODS: A nationwide, population-based cohort of couples dealing with breast cancer was established in Denmark. Participants completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale at baseline and 5 and 12 months later. Sociodemographic and medical characteristics were retrieved from registers. A trajectory finite mixture model was used to identify trajectories.
RESULTS: The trajectories of depressive symptoms over time were analyzed in 546 patients and 508 partners. Among patients, 13 % had a high stable trajectory, 38 % an intermediate decreasing trajectory, and 49 % a low trajectory. Similar trajectories were found for partners (11, 22, and 67 %, respectively). Compared to the low trajectory, trajectories with higher depressive symptoms were associated with poorer relationship quality and previous use of antidepressants for patients and partners and with younger age, comorbidity, basic education, and chemotherapy for patients. The trajectories of patients and their partners were weakly correlated.
CONCLUSIONS: A considerable minority of patients and partners had a persistently high level of depressive symptoms. Poorer relationship quality and previous antidepressant use most consistently characterized patients and partners with higher depressive symptom trajectories.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: In clinical practice, attention to differences in depressive symptom trajectories is important to identify and target patients and partners who might need support.

PMID: 27084710 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Depressive symptom trajectories in women affected by breast cancer and their male partners: a nationwide prospective cohort study

Posted on April 17, 2016 by






CONCLUSIONS: A considerable minority of patients and partners had a persistently high level of depressive symptoms. Poorer relationship quality and previous antidepressant use most consistently characterized patients and partners with higher depressive symptom trajectories. Continue reading →

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