Attachment--and loss.

AIM
This paper is a report of selected findings from a study exploring the relationship between belongingness and placement experiences of preregistration nursing students.


BACKGROUND
Staff-student relationships are an important influence on students' experiences of belongingness and their clinical learning. The need to belong is universal and pervasive, exerting a powerful influence on thought processes, emotions, behaviour, health and happiness. People deprived of belongingness are more likely to experience diminished self-esteem, increased stress and anxiety, depression and a decrease in general well-being. Nursing students' motivation and capacity to learn, self-concept, confidence, the extent to which they are willing to question or conform to poor practice and their future career decisions are influenced by the extent to which they experience belongingness.


METHOD
During 2006, 18 third year students from two Australian universities and one United Kingdom university participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically.


FINDINGS
Participants described placement experiences spanning a continuum from those promoting a high degree of belongingness to those provoking intense feelings of alienation. Staff-student relationships (including receptiveness, inclusion/exclusion, legitimization of the student role, recognition and appreciation, challenge and support) were the most important influence on students' sense of belonging and learning. Similarities between sites were remarkable, despite the differences in healthcare and higher education systems.


CONCLUSION
Staff-student relationships are key to students' experience of belongingness. Understanding the types of interactions and behaviours that facilitate or impede students' belongingness and learning are essential to the creation of positive clinical experiences.

Staff-student relationships and their impact on nursing students' belongingness and learning | NOVA. The University of Newcastle's Digital Repository

Insecure attachment and addiction: Testing the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in four potentially addictive behaviors.

Gambling Disorder is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon which requires a careful understanding by analysing both the life experiences and the psychopathological components linked to this type of behaviour. This study aimed to apply a Comprehensive Model of Addiction and to delve deeper the dimensions involved in the vulnerability and maintenance of the disease. Therefore, the effect of alexithymia and traumatic experiences in mediating the relationship between insecure attachment and dissociation, as well as the roles of impulsiveness and compulsiveness in influencing obsessiveness were explored in pathological gamblers. A sample composed of 253 individuals with a mean age of 47.8 years (SD = 12.4) with a diagnosis of Gambling Disorder (82.6% males, 17.4% females) completed the battery of measures. Results showed that alexithymia significantly mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and dissociation, while no significance was found in the effect of complex trauma. Furthermore, a significant impact role of impulsiveness and compulsiveness in determining obsessiveness was found. Therefore, the data suggested that alexithymia may increase the risk of developing a gambling disorder, mediating the association between insecure attachment and dissociation. The model of craving which could have a core role in disease maintenance processes was also confirmed, highlighting a significant influence of impulsiveness and compulsiveness on obsessiveness. Such findings might have relevant implications to increase the effectiveness of both preventive interventions and therapeutic works, favouring positive results for a better mental health of the subjects.

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A Comprehensive Model for Gambling Behaviors: Assessment of the Factors that can Contribute to the Vulnerability and Maintenance of Gambling Disorder

Research has revealed that parental attachment may be a protective factor against problematic smartphone use. However, few studies have examined the underlying mechanisms that may mediate or moderate this association. To fill this gap, this study examined the mediating role of interpersonal adaptation and moderating role of self-control in the association between parental attachment and problematic smartphone use. A sample of 764 Chinese young adults completed measures of parental attachment, problematic smartphone use, interpersonal adaptation, and self-control. Results showed that interpersonal adaptation mediated the relationship between parental attachment and problematic smartphone use. Moreover, this mediating effect of interpersonal adaptation between parental attachment and problematic smartphone use was moderated by self-control, with the effect being stronger for individuals with lower self-control. To our knowledge, this was the first study examining how and when parental attachment leads to problematic smartphone use. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed.

Parental Attachment and Problematic Smartphone Use Among Chinese Young Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model of Interpersonal Adaptation and Self-control

Background: Current models of alcohol problems in emerging adulthood (EA) have not fully considered the developmental context and integrated developmental, social, and emotional mechanisms. Attachm...

Attachment anxiety and avoidance, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties and alcohol problems in emerging adulthood.

The phenomenon of occupational and career burnout in nurses has received recent attention from academia, the media, and health care practitioners. Research surrounding career burnout often adopts a...

Sarah Haller

Papers

Attachment anxiety and avoidance, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties and alcohol problems in emerging adulthood.

The role of career counselling in supporting career well-being of nurses: