Showing papers on "Coping (psychology) published in 2006"
TL;DR: A speculative peer-socialization model is presented based on this review of sex differences in several peer relationship processes, including behavioral and social-cognitive styles, stress and coping, and relationship provisions, which suggests that sex-linked relationship processes have costs and benefits for girls' and boys' adjustment.
Abstract: Theory and research on sex differences in adjustment focus largely on parental, societal, and biological influences. However, it also is important to consider how peers contribute to girls' and boys' development. This article provides a critical review of sex differences in several peer relationship processes, including behavioral and social-cognitive styles, stress and coping, and relationship provisions. The authors present a speculative peer-socialization model based on this review in which the implications of these sex differences for girls' and boys' emotional and behavioral development are considered. Central to this model is the idea that sex-linked relationship processes have costs and benefits for girls' and boys' adjustment. Finally, the authors present recent research testing certain model components and propose approaches for testing understudied aspects of the model.
2,036 citations
TL;DR: Benefit finding was related to less depression and more positive well-being but also more intrusive and avoidant thoughts about the stressor and was unrelated to anxiety, global distress, quality of life, and subjective reports of physical health.
Abstract: The authors conducted a meta-analysis to examine the relations of benefit finding to psychological and physical health as well as to a specific set of demographic, stressor, personality, and coping correlates. Results from 87 cross-sectional studies reported in 77 articles showed that benefit finding was related to less depression and more positive well-being but also more intrusive and avoidant thoughts about the stressor. Benefit finding was unrelated to anxiety, global distress, quality of life, and subjective reports of physical health. Moderator analyses showed that relations of benefit finding to outcomes were affected by the amount of time that had passed since stressor onset, the benefit finding measured used, and the racial composition of the sample.
1,620 citations
TL;DR: Results supported hypotheses regarding the relationship of resilience to personality dimensions and coping styles and augment the literature that seeks to better define resilience and provide evidence for the construct validity of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale.
1,130 citations
TL;DR: A two component cognitive model of PTG will be proposed that may explain the contradicting empirical findings in regard to the relationship between mental health and PTG.
1,122 citations
TL;DR: This study examined experiences of weight stigmatization, sources of stigma, coping strategies, psychological functioning, and eating behaviors in a sample of 2671 overweight and obese adults.
Abstract: The total sample of 2671 overweight and obese adults were partitioned into two subsamples for investigation. Sample I was comprised of 2449 adult women, and Sample II was a matched sample of adult men and women (N = 222) that was disaggregated to investigate gender differences. Both samples completed an online battery of self-report questionnaires measuring frequency of weight stigmatization and coping responses to deal with bias, the most common sources of the bias, symptoms of depression, self-esteem, attitudes about weight and obesity, and binge eating behaviors .Experiences of weight stigmatization was common in both samples. A variety of coping strategies were used in response. More frequent exposure to stigma was related to more attempts to cope and higher BMI. Physicians and family members were the most frequent sources of weight bias reported. No gender differences were observed in types or frequency of stigmatization. Frequency of stigmatization was not related to current psychological functioning, although coping responses were associated with emotional well-being. These findings raise questions about the relationship between stigma and psychological functioning and have important implications for obesity treatment and stigma reduction intervention efforts, both of which are discussed.
881 citations
TL;DR: The present data show that cognitive reappraisal, a primary process of traditional cognitive-behavior therapy, was much less predictive of the quality of psychological experiences and events in everyday life compared with EA.
859 citations
TL;DR: Meta-analytic findings indicate that optimists may adjust their coping strategies to meet the demands of the stressors at hand, and that the optimism-coping relationship is strongest in English-speaking samples.
Abstract: The relation between dispositional optimism and better adjustment to diverse stressors may be attributable to optimism's effects on coping strategies. A meta-analytic review (K = 50, N = 11,629) examined the impact of dispositional optimism on coping. Dispositional optimism was found to be positively associated with approach coping strategies aiming to eliminate, reduce, or manage stressors or emotions (r = .17), and negatively associated with avoidance coping strategies seeking to ignore, avoid, or withdraw from stressors or emotions (r = -.21). Effect sizes were larger for the distinction between approach and avoidance coping strategies than for that between problem and emotion-focused coping. Meta-analytic findings also indicate that optimists may adjust their coping strategies to meet the demands of the stressors at hand, and that the optimism-coping relationship is strongest in English-speaking samples.
808 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that understanding the relationships among the gender role, the levels of depressive symptomatology, and thelevels of stress exhibited by college freshmen may be important in facilitating their transition and adjustment to university life.
Abstract: Attending a university for the first time can be a stressful experience for many new college students. This study examines the relationships among femininity and masculinity, depressive symptomatology, levels of stress, and the types of coping strategies used by college freshmen. Results of this study suggest that these variables were related uniquely for first-year college students. Masculinity and femininity significantly predicted problem-focused coping, and femininity significantly predicted emotion-focused coping. Further, the levels of family and college stress reported by college students, as well as their endorsement of avoidant coping, significantly predicted their levels of depressive symptoms. Overall, the results of this study suggest that understanding the relationships among the gender role, the levels of depressive symptomatology, and the levels of stress exhibited by college freshmen may be important in facilitating their transition and adjustment to university life.
790 citations
TL;DR: The CSE scale provides a measure of a person's perceived ability to cope effectively with life challenges, as well as a way to assess changes in CSE over time in intervention research.
Abstract: Stress and coping theory has provided a foundation for a wide range of descriptive studies of the stress process. There is less evidence for its utility as a foundation for coping interventions. One of the impediments of the translation of stress and coping theory into intervention has to do with well-documented problems with the measurement of intervention-associated changes in coping (Folkman & Moskowitz, 2004). The present study describes a measure of coping self-efficacy (CSE), which provides an alternate approach to the measurement of coping for intervention studies. This measure focuses on changes in a person’s confidence in his or her ability to cope effectively, which, according to self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997), is an important prerequisite to changing coping behaviour. Stress and coping theory defines stress as a person-environment relationship that is evaluated as personally significant and as exceeding a person’s resources for coping. This process is referred to as ‘primary appraisal’. Coping is defined as behavioural or cognitive efforts to manage situations that are appraised as stressful (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Coping involves both emotion-focused coping (i.e. responses that focus on managing emotional responses to stressful events), and problem-focused coping (i.e. responses that focus on changing problematic aspects of stressful events). The choice of coping strategy is influenced by the appraisal of options for coping, referred to in stress and coping theory as ‘secondary appraisal’ (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Secondary appraisal refers to the question, ‘What can I do?’ A key aspect of secondary appraisal is the judgment concerning the extent to which the individual can control the outcome of the situation. Self-efficacy contributes to this judgment, which in turn influences coping (see Park & Folkman, 1997 for review). Maladaptive coping (e.g. coping that fails to regulate distress or manage the underlying problem) occurs when people respond to uncontrollable stressors primarily with problem-focused coping strategies, or when people respond to controllable stressors primarily with emotion-focused coping strategies (Strentz & Auerbach, 1988; Vitaliano, DeWolfe, Maiuro, Russo, & Katon, 1990). Adaptive coping refers to situations in which there is a fit between the controllability of the stressful situation and the choice of coping strategy (i.e. emotion-focused versus problem-focused). When people obtain a ‘fit’ between stressful events and their coping strategies, they experience fewer psychological symptoms than when there is a lack of fit (Park, Folkman, & Bostrom, 2001).
Cognitive behavioural interventions such as coping effectiveness training (CET; Chesney, Chambers, Taylor, & Johnson, 2003; Chesney, Chambers, Taylor, Johnson, & Folkman, 2003; Chesney, Folkman, & Chambers, 1996; Folkman & Chesney, 1995), which are based on social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997) as well as stress and coping theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), strive to increase adaptive coping, and, by doing so, reduce psychological distress and improve well-being. Perceived self-efficacy, defined as a belief about one’s ability to perform a specific behaviour, is a pivotal component of social cognitive theory in that beliefs of personal efficacy determine the acquisition of knowledge on which skills are founded (Bandura, 1997). Thus, beliefs about one’s ability to perform specific coping behaviours, or CSE, would be expected to influence outcomes of interventions designed to improve coping. This concept is also relevant to stress and coping theory and the secondary appraisal of controllability. Part of secondary appraisal is the judgment that an outcome is controllable through coping; another part addresses the question of whether or not the individual believes he or she can carry out the requisite coping strategy. Beliefs about self-efficacy are not a general disposition; a high level of efficacy in one domain does not necessarily correlate with high levels of self-efficacy in other domains (DiClemente, 1986; Hofstetter, Sallis, & Hovell, 1990).
To achieve predictive and explanatory power, measures of self-efficacy must be designed and tailored to the sphere of activity (Forsyth & Carey, 1998). For example, self-efficacy regarding diabetic self-care behaviours has been identified as a pivotal psychosocial variable in diabetes research (Glasgow & Osteen, 1992; Jenkins, 1995), with scores on self-efficacy significantly associated with self-care by diabetics in the areas of diet, exercise and blood glucose testing (Williams & Bond, 2002). Efficacy beliefs also predict adherence to habits that lower cardiovascular risk and prevent myocardial infarctions in persons with coronary heart disease (Ewart, 1992; Jensen, Banwart, Venhaus, Popkess-Vawter, & Perkins, 1993). These lines of clinical investigation each developed specialized efficacy scales.
The current study is designed to assess the reliability and validity of the CSE scale, a 26-item measure of perceived self-efficacy for coping with challenges or threats. The original instrument was developed by the authors, in collaboration with Dr Albert Bandura of Stanford University, for use in two randomized clinical trials investigating the efficacy of a theory-based CET intervention in reducing psychological distress and increasing positive mood in persons coping with chronic illness. In this paper, we subjected the CSE scale items to focused analyses with the specific goal of deriving a psychometrically sound and reduced form of the scale for use in future research. Analyses included assessing construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA, respectively), assessing reliability through internal consistency coefficient alphas and test–retest correlations, and assessing concurrent and predictive validity through partial correlations and multiple regression analyses, respectively.
642 citations
TL;DR: The argument that emotions are best studied as narratives is made, and one such narrative is offered in the form of a case study to demonstrate how emotions can best be understood in the context of an interpersonal relationship and by considering individual differences, interpersonal transactions, and relational meaning.
Abstract: This essay describes my theory of emotions. I make a case for studying discrete emotions in the context of four processes that represent the central features of my theoretical system: appraising, coping, flow of actions and reactions, and relational meaning. I explain why coping is a key feature of the emotion process, and I discuss issues related to the measurement of coping and the importance of understanding coping processes in the context of personality and situational demands. I make the argument that emotions are best studied as narratives, and I offer one such narrative in the form of a case study to demonstrate how emotions can best be understood in the context of an interpersonal relationship and by considering individual differences, interpersonal transactions, and relational meaning. I conclude this essay with a caution that field specialization may interfere with our understanding of emotions and other psychological phenomena, and I underscore the virtues of ipsative-normative research designs as a way to move closer to a person-centered personality psychology.
634 citations
TL;DR: Lazarus and Folkman as discussed by the authors identified three distinct change characteristics: the frequency, impact and planning of change, and found that these change characteristics influence individuals' appraisal of the uncertainty associated with change and, ultimately, job satisfaction and turnover intentions.
Abstract: Few organizational change studies identify the aspects of change that are salient to individuals and that influence well-being. The authors identified three distinct change characteristics: the frequency, impact and planning of change. R. S. Lazarus and S. Folkman's (1984) cognitive phenomenological model of stress and coping was used to propose ways that these change characteristics influence individuals' appraisal of the uncertainty associated with change, and, ultimately, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Results of a repeated cross-sectional study that collected individuals' perceptions of change one month prior to employee attitudes in consecutive years indicated that while the three change perceptions were moderately to strongly intercorrelated, the change perceptions displayed differential relationships with outcomes. Discussion focuses on the importance of systematically considering individuals' subjective experience of change.
TL;DR: Results suggest that support from one's family and one's supervisor and the use of problem-focused coping seem most promising in terms of avoiding work-family conflict and/or decreased well-being.
Abstract: Employees (n = 230) from multiple organizations and industries were involved in a study assessing how work-family conflict avoidance methods stemming from the family domain (emotional sustenance and instrumental assistance from the family), the work domain (family-supportive supervision, use of telework and flextime), and the individual (use of problem-focused coping) independently relate to different dimensions of work-family conflict and to employees' affective and physical well-being. Results suggest that support from one's family and one's supervisor and the use of problem-focused coping seem most promising in terms of avoiding work-family conflict and/or decreased well-being. Benefits associated with the use of flextime, however, are relatively less evident, and using telework may potentially increase the extent to which family time demands interfere with work responsibilities.
TL;DR: Evidence from the Philippines is presented that, in the limited forms in which they are currently employed, CBDP initiatives have the potential both to empower and disempower, and it is warned against treating CBDP as a panacea to disaster management problems.
Abstract: Community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) approaches are increasingly important elements of vulnerability reduction and disaster management strategies. They are associated with a policy trend that values the knowledge and capacities of local people and builds on local resources, including social capital. CBDP may be instrumental not only in formulating local coping and adaptation strategies, but also in situating them within wider development planning and debates. In theory, local people can be mobilised to resist unsustainable (vulnerability increasing) forms of development or livelihood practices and to raise local concerns more effectively with political representatives. This paper focuses on the potential of CBDP initiatives to alleviate vulnerability in the context of climate change, and their limitations. It presents evidence from the Philippines that, in the limited forms in which they are currently employed, CBDP initiatives have the potential both to empower and disempower, and warns against treating CBDP as a panacea to disaster management problems.
TL;DR: Preventative strategies should take into account general, undifferentiated drinking motivation in late childhood, and social and enhancement motives in adolescence, particularly among boys and neurotic, anxious girls.
TL;DR: Workplace stress can be defined as the change in one's physical or mental state in response to workplaces that pose an appraised challenge or threat to that employee as mentioned in this paper, which can lead to increased absenteeism, organizational dysfunction, and decreased work productivity.
Abstract: Workplace stress can be defined as the change in one's physical or mental state in response to workplaces that pose an appraised challenge or threat to that employee. Research has shown that there are a number of factors that contribute to workplace stress. These factors include a toxic work environment, negative workload, isolation, types of hours worked, role conflict, role ambiguity, lack of autonomy, career development barriers, difficult relationships with administrators and/ or coworkers, managerial bullying, harassment, and organizational climate. Should the stressors continue, the employee is at significant risk of developing physiological and psychological disorders that can lead to increased absenteeism, organizational dysfunction, and decreased work productivity. Intervention strategies are discussed to help managers provide support and intervention to employees coping with workplace stress. (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.)
TL;DR: The theoretical distinction between action planning and coping planning as introduced in the present study has proven useful in explaining changes in health-related behaviour.
Abstract: Objectives. The aim of the present study was to test two brief planning interventions designed to encourage cardiac patients to engage in regular physical exercise following discharge from rehabilitation. The interventions comprised action plans on (a) when, where, and how to act, and (b) coping plans on how to deal with anticipated barriers. Design and method. An experimental longitudinal trial was conducted to test two interventions that either focused on action planning alone, or on a combination of action planning and coping planning. A total of 21 I participants completed assessments at baseline and 2 months after discharge. Participants were randomly assigned to either one of the intervention groups or a standard-care control group. Results. Participants in the combined planning group did significantly more physical exercise 2 months post-discharge than those in the other groups. Conclusions. The theoretical distinction between action planning and coping planning as introduced in the present study has proven useful in explaining changes in health-related behaviour. The combined planning intervention can be applied in the context of cardiac rehabilitation programmes. 23 The adoption and maintenance of health behaviours such as physical exercise have been studied in terms of goal setting and goal pursuit. While the former reflects an initial motivation process, the latter refers to self-regulation when it comes to translating a health goal into action. In this second phase, planning has proven useful. The present study addresses this particular issue by experimentally inducing two kinds of planning, labelled action planning and coping planning for improving adherence with prescribed exercise recommendations in patients discharged from cardiac rehabilitation.
TL;DR: The literature examining proximal domains of religion/spirituality in adolescent health outcomes research found constructs such as spiritual coping and religious decision-making were the most often studied and were generally positively associated with health outcomes.
TL;DR: A series of hierarchical regression analyses found that age at diagnosis, marital status, employment, education, perceived intensity of disease, and active coping accounted for 34%, 35%, and 28% of the variance in growth in relationships with others, new possibilities, and appreciation for life.
Abstract: Wide variability exists with respect to how breast cancer survivors respond to common psychological and psychosocial challenges of their disease, ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder to posttraumatic growth. This cross-sectional study examined contextual, disease-related, and intraindividual predictors of posttraumatic growth in 224 randomly selected breast cancer survivors. A series of hierarchical regression analyses found that age at diagnosis, marital status, employment, education, perceived intensity of disease, and active coping accounted for 34%, 35%, and 28% of the variance in growth in relationships with others, new possibilities, and appreciation for life. These findings suggest that a more comprehensive model of growth will be helpful in understanding the various factors that play a role in breast cancer survivors' perception of psychological and psychosocial growth.
TL;DR: Results indicated that individuals who reported both CSA and ASA had more PTSD symptoms, were more likely to use drugs or alcohol to cope, act out sexually, withdraw from people, and seek therapy services.
Abstract: The present study examined the psychological sequelae of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the factors that contributed to revictimization in the form of adult sexual assault (ASA) using a survey of 577 female college students. CSA characteristics, maladaptive coping in response to CSA, degree of self-blame at the time of the abuse and currently, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were examined as predictors of revictimization. Results indicated that individuals who reported both CSA and ASA had more PTSD symptoms, were more likely to use drugs or alcohol to cope, act out sexually, withdraw from people, and seek therapy services. In addition, the revictimized group reported more self-blame at the time of the abuse and currently. The only factor that predicted revictimization in this study was the number of maladaptive coping strategies used. Implications of these findings are discussed.
TL;DR: Any firm conclusions about the possible beneficial or harmful effects of religious coping with cancer is lacking because many studies suffered from serious methodological problems, especially in the manner in which religious coping was conceptualised and measured.
TL;DR: Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were negatively related to emotional and behavioral problems, whereas perceived stress and maladaptive coping was positively associated with adjustment problems.
TL;DR: A framework for categorizing surgical stress is presented and suggests key elements for effective coping strategies and a framework for identifying senior surgeons with sophisticated strategies for controlling each situation is presented.
Abstract: Background
Although the general literature on stress and performance is extensive, little is known about specific effects of stress in surgical practice. This qualitative study explored key surgical stressors, their impact on performance, and coping strategies used by surgeons.
Methods
Individual in-depth semistructured interviews with surgeons were analyzed by 2 researchers independently. Key themes were discussed within the research team.
Results
Sixteen interviews were performed, including interviews with consultants (n = 9) and surgeons in training (n = 7). A wide range of intraoperative stressors was identified. Although stress had both positive and negative effects, undue levels of stress impaired judgment, decision making, and communication. Although junior surgeons showed uncertainty about their ability to cope, senior surgeons had developed sophisticated strategies for controlling each situation.
Conclusions
Although stress poses significant risks, coping strategies are not taught explicitly during surgical training. This article presents a framework for categorizing surgical stress and suggests key elements for effective coping strategies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of teaching stressors on teacher burnout and the role of self-efficacy and school coping resources as mediator or moderator variables in the stressor-burnout relationship was investigated in Spanish secondary school teachers.
Abstract: The relationships among teacher occupational stressors, self‐efficacy, coping resources, and burnout were investigated in a sample of 247 Spanish secondary school teachers. Concretely, two specific aims were formulated in order to examine the effect of teaching stressors on teacher burnout and the role of self‐efficacy and school coping resources as mediator or moderator variables in the stressor–burnout relationship. Teachers reported that when their pedagogical practice in the school setting was being interfered with or hindered by a set of factors from the multiple contexts involved in students’ learning, problems of burnout occurred. In addition, results revealed that teachers with a high level of self‐efficacy and more coping resources reported suffering less stress and burnout than teachers with a low level of self‐efficacy and fewer coping resources, and vice versa.
TL;DR: Findings show that religious coping plays an important role for the QOL of patients and the types of religious coping strategies used are related to better or poorer QOL.
Abstract: Background: For patients confronting a life-threatening illness such as advanced cancer, religious coping can be an important factor influencing their quality of life (QOL). Objective: The study's main purpose was to examine the association between religious coping and QOL among 170 patients with advanced cancer. Both positive religious coping (e.g., benevolent religious appraisals) and negative religious coping (e.g., anger at God) and multiple dimensions of QOL (physical, physical symptom, psychological, existential, and support) were studied. Design: Structured interviews were conducted with 170 patients recruited as part of an ongoing multi-institutional longitudinal evaluation of the prevalence of mental illness and patterns of mental health service utilization in advanced cancer patients and their primary informal caregivers. Measurements: Patients completed measures of QOL (McGill QOL questionnaire), religious coping (Brief Measure of Religious Coping [RCOPE] and Multidimensional Measure of Religio...
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, a resource-congruence model of collaborative stress and coping with domestic violence has been proposed for cross-cultural stress in a cross-cultured setting.
Abstract: Beyond Stress and Coping: The Positive Psychology of Transformation.- Theoretical Issues.- Culture: A Fundamental Context for the Stress and Coping Paradigm.- A New Theoretical Model of Collectivistic Coping.- Coping with Suffering: The Buddhist Perspective.- The Way of Nature as a Healing Power.- Advance in the Study of Religious and Spiritual Coping.- Coping Strategies and Culturally Influenced Beliefs about the World.- Personality Systems and a Biosocioexistential Model of Posttraumatic Responses Based on a Korean Sample.- Methodological Issues.- Frequently Ignored Methodological Issues in Cross-Cultural Stress Research.- Problems and Strategies When Using Rating Scales in Cross-Cultural Coping Research.- A Resource-Congruence Model of Coping and the Development of the Coping Schemas Inventory.- Acculturative Stress.- Acculturative Stress.- The Effects of Acculturative Stress on the Hispanic Family.- Coping with Domestic Violence by Japanese Canadian Women.- How Visible Minority Students Cope with Supervision Stress.- Psychological Skills Related to Intercultural Adjustment.- Culture, Coping, and Resilience.- Hardiness Considered Across Cultures.- Resilience as a Coping Mechanism: A Common Story of Vietnamese Refugee Women.- Stress and Coping Among Asian Americans: Lazarus and Folkman's Model and Beyond.- The Agony, Silent Grief, and Deep Frustration of Many Communities in the Middle East: Challenges for Coping and Survival.- Stress, Culture, and Racial Socialization: Making an Impact.- Adjustment and Coping in Aboriginal People.- Occupational Stress.- Towards an Understanding of Occupational Stress Among Asian Americans.- A Multicultural Perspective on Work-related Stress: Development of a Collective Coping Scale.- Conclusion.- Knowledge Gaps about Stress and Coping in a Multicultural Context.
TL;DR: Structural equation path modeling indicated that exposure to terrorism was significantly related to greater loss and gain of psychosocial resources and to greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms.
Abstract: The authors conducted a large-scale study of terrorism in Israel via telephone surveys in September 2003 with 905 adult Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel (PCIs). Structural equation path modeling indicated that exposure to terrorism was significantly related to greater loss and gain of psychosocial resources and to greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. Psychosocial resource loss and gain associated with terrorism were, in turn, significantly related to both greater PTSD and depressive symptoms. PCIs had significantly higher levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms than Jews. Further, PTSD symptoms in particular were related to greater authoritarian beliefs and ethnocentrism, suggesting how PTSD may lead to a self-protective style of defensive coping.
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual framework based on the constructs of role involvement and role conflict is used to examine whether high-growth female entrepreneurs choose more appropriate strategies for reducing work-family conflict than their less successful counterparts.
Abstract: Existing theory is extended to predict the effectiveness of strategies for structurally reducing work-family conflict by manipulating roles, given the salience of work and family roles and resources available to the female entrepreneur. A conceptual framework based on the constructs of role involvement and role conflict is used to examine whether high-growth female entrepreneurs choose more appropriate strategies for reducing work-family conflict than their less successful counterparts. Three basic strategies for manipulating roles are discussed: (1) role elimination; (2) role reduction; and (3) role-sharing. The following propositions are advanced: (1) work-family management strategies are a significant determinant of venture growth; (2) women who develop high-growth businesses more effectively reduce work-family conflict by choosing strategies better matched with their internal needs and access to external resources than less successful women; and (3) role-sharing strategies are preferred because they allow women to enjoy the enhancement of both work and family roles while reducing the level of inter-role conflict. As a result, the high prevalence of team-building and participative management practices observed in women-owned businesses may be driven by the need for female entrepreneurs to manage work-family conflicts as well as genetics or socialization. Introduction Managing the demands of both work and family is a continuing challenge for female entrepreneurs. While previous research documents that women experience greater conflict between work and family roles than men (Noor 2004; Welter 2004; Frone, Russell, and Cooper 1992), and the negative results of this conflict on the well-being of women (Hammer et al. 2004), relatively little work has examined the strategies employed to mitigate work-family conflict. While a number of researchers examine psychological means of coping with emotions resulting from work-family conflict (that is, Ashforth 2000; Edwards and Rothbard 2000; Greenhaus and Parasuraman 1999; Kossek, Noe, and DeMarr 1999), very few have examined strategies to structurally alter the interference between work and family roles that generates these emotions. Although Baltes and Heydens-Gahir (2003) test general life management behaviors, they stop short of examining specific methods. Here, existing theory is extended to predict the effectiveness of strategies for structurally reducing work family conflict by manipulating roles, given the salience of work and family roles and resources available to the female entrepreneur. More specifically, the following question is examined: Do high-growth female entrepreneurs choose more appropriate strategies for reducing levels of work-family conflict than women who desire but can not achieve high growth? The conceptual framework and testable propositions resulting from this investigation will be of interest to practitioners and academics alike. As a result of comparing high-growth women entrepreneurs to their aspiring but less successful counterparts, insights are also provided into the differences among female entrepreneurs. By relaxing the implicit assumption that female entrepreneurs are homogeneous, this paper sheds light on the complexity of issues faced by female entrepreneurs. The theoretical framework is based on the constructs of role involvement and conflict (Edwards and Rothbard 2000; Lobel 1991; Greenhaus and Beutell 1985). In addition to illustrating the mediating effect of work-family management strategies on new venture performance, it is also demonstrated that external resources and internal role salience impact the choice and effectiveness of work-family strategies. Guidelines for choosing and implementing various work-family management strategies based on these two factors are also presented. It is argued here that mitigating work-family conflict is an important condition for growth in entrepreneurial ventures. …
TL;DR: The use of vulnerable and vulnerable groups in the lexicon of development has been criticised by as discussed by the authors, who pointed out that vulnerable is used simply as a synonym for poor and that vulnerable groups can refer to pregnant and lactating women, to children, or to disadvantaged communities such as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in India.
Abstract: ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘vulnerability’ are common terms in the lexicon of development, but their use is often vague. They serve as convenient substitutes for ‘poor’ and ‘poverty’, and allow planners and other professionals to restrain the overuse of those words. Some precision can be found in the use of ‘vulnerable groups’ where this refers to pregnant and lactating women, to children, or to disadvantaged communities such as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in India. More often, though, vulnerable is used simply as a synonym for poor.
TL;DR: After controlling for baseline scores, the experimental group participants demonstrated significantly higher levels of self-esteem, optimism, and self-efficacy compared to the control group.
TL;DR: Hardiness is a combination of attitudes that provide the courage and motivation to do the hard, strategic work of turning stressful circumstances from potential disasters into growth opportunities as discussed by the authors. But, there are still many unresolved conceptual and research issues as more variables are being proposed as relevant.
Abstract: The recent emphasis on positive psychology is welcome, and has spurred much relevant research. But, there are still many unresolved conceptual and research issues, as more variables are being proposed as relevant. As part of this process, the present paper proposes hardiness as an addition to positive psychology. Hardiness is a combination of attitudes that provides the courage and motivation to do the hard, strategic work of turning stressful circumstances from potential disasters into growth opportunities. In this regard, the inherently stressful nature of living is discussed. Also clarified are the particular aspects of excellence in performance and health to which hardiness is relevant. The paper concludes with a call for issue-resolving research through which orientations and actions proposed as part of positive psychology can be compared in their contributions to performance and health. Two studies along these lines have found hardiness more powerful than optimism and religiousness in coping with st...