Extraversion as a Moderator of the Efficacy of Self-Esteem Maintenance Strategies.

Four experiments explored how extraversion's connection with self-esteem may depend on specific self-enhancement strategies. Participants' self-esteem threatening feedback indicating that they had performed poorly on a vocabulary or emotional intelligence test. In Experiment 1, participants (N = 80) were randomly assigned to either a control condition (no self-enhancement) or a downward social comparison condition. The procedures for Experiments 2 (N = 470) and 3 (N = 514) were similar, adding a self-serving attribution condition (Experiments 2 and 3) and Basking-in-Reflected-Glory (BIRG) condition (Experiment 3). Across the experiments, extraversion was more related to self-esteem under downward social comparison versus other conditions. BIRGing produced higher self-esteem in Experiment 3 across extraversion levels. Experiment 4 (N = 355) focused on downward social comparison versus control, and provided evidence that an increased perception of being similar to the comparison targets may partially explain extraversion's self-esteem link. Theoretical implications concerning both extraversion and self-enhancement are discussed.

The Intermediary Role of Burnout in the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Job Satisfaction Among Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Self-compassion is the process of treating oneself kindly especially when suffering. Self-compassion is associated with decreased symptoms of burnout in nurses such that those high in self-compassion are less likely to report emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among self-compassion, burnout, job satisfaction, and sleep quality.Method and Participants: Recruited from MTurk, a final sample of 158 nurses living in the United States (57.6% female) completed indices of self-compassion, burnout, and outcomes of satisfaction and sleep via an online survey. RESULTS: Self-compassion was positively associated with satisfaction and sleep quality and negatively associated with burnout. In addition, increased burnout was associated with lower satisfaction and poorer sleep quality. Mediational models suggested that the relationships between self-compassion and outcomes were accounted for by the shared variance between self-compassion and burnout. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed the predicted associations among self-compassion, burnout, and outcomes. Importantly, self-compassion was associated with lower burnout that, in turn, was associated with higher job satisfaction and better sleep. Despite the limitations of the study, these results add to the growing literature on the benefits of self-compassion for nurses for preventing and/or ameliorating symptoms of burnout.

The impact of mindfulness on leadership effectiveness in a health care setting: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of mindfulness awareness practice (MAP) on mid-level health-care managers' leadership. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In total, 11 mid-level health-care managers in eastern Canada took part in an intensive weekend retreat and a follow-up webinar on mindfulness awareness. Perceived stress and leadership effectiveness were assessed pre- and post-intervention (i.e. four and eight weeks). A control group (n=10) also completed the same measures twice. Additionally, informants (n=28) provided assessments of participants' leadership pre- and post-intervention. Follow-up interviews were carried out with eight participants 12-16 weeks post-intervention. FINDINGS: In comparison to controls, retreat participants showed significant increases in mindfulness and corresponding decreases in stress that were sustained across eight weeks post-retreat; retreat participants reported significant positive changes in their leadership effectiveness that were corroborated by informants. Qualitative data, however, suggest that sustaining a mindfulness practice presents significant challenges to middle managers in a health care setting. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The findings are useful to management working in health services that are plagued by increasing demands and changes. Despite the small sample and lack of random assignment, the pilot data support the efficacy of MAP in improving leadership. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Little empirical research supports the claim that MAP enhances leadership. The present study employed a mixed methods approach to address this gap and demonstrates the potential benefits of MAP among mid-level managers.

Body talk among undergraduate women: why conversations about exercise and weight loss differentially predict body appreciation.

Undergraduate women (N = 143) completed self-reports on exercise behavior, body orientation, body appreciation, and body-related talk. Results showed that conversations about weight loss/dieting and conversations about exercise differentially predicted body appreciation. Importantly, multiple regression analyses showed that the relationship between talk type and body appreciation was explained by the object-process dichotomy: Conversations about exercise oriented women to consider what their bodies can do which, in turn, predicted appreciation of one's body. In contrast, the relationship between conversations about weight loss/dieting and body appreciation was mediated by negative attitudes about one's body but not by an object orientation.

A study of the motivations of British hospice volunteers.

In all, 162 British hospice volunteers completed the Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMHPCV) of Claxton-Oldfield, Wasylkiw, Mark, and Claxton-Oldfield.(1) The IMHPCV taps into 5 different categories of motives for becoming a hospice palliative care volunteer: altruism, civic responsibility, leisure, self-promotion, and personal gain. Altruistic motives were the most influential reasons for choosing to join hospice; personal gain motives were the least influential reasons for becoming a hospice volunteer. Altruistic motives were found to be a significant predictor of volunteers' length of service to the hospice. Compared to previously collected data from a sample of Canadian hospice palliative care volunteers,(1) the current study's sample of British hospice volunteers scored significantly different on 2 of the 5 categories of motives on the IMHPCV.

Exploring the link between self-compassion and body image in university women.

The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationships between self-compassion and women's body image. In Study 1, female undergraduates (N=142) completed three measures of body image and measures of self-esteem and self-compassion. Results showed that high self-compassion predicted fewer body concerns independently of self-esteem. Moreover, when both self-compassion and self-esteem were included as predictors, self-compassion accounted for unique variance in body preoccupation and weight concerns whereas self-esteem did not. In Study 2, this finding was partially replicated with one component (self-judgment) of self-compassion uniquely predicting body preoccupation in undergraduate women (N=187). High scores on self-compassion also predicted less eating guilt independent of self-esteem. Additionally, self-compassion was shown to partially mediate the relationship between body preoccupation and depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the possibility that a consideration of self-compassion for body image may contribute to identifying who is most at risk for body/shape concerns.

The inventory of motivations for hospice palliative care volunteerism: a tool for recruitment and retention.

Given the essential role of volunteers in hospice palliative care, it would be beneficial to have a recruitment and retention tool that is reliable and valid. To address this gap, the current investigation sought to adapt and extend the Inventory of Motivations for Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMPCV) of Claxton-Oldfield, Jefferies, Fawcett, Wasylkiw, and Claxton-Oldfield.(1) The purpose of study 1 was to address methodological concerns of the IMPCV using 141 undergraduate students. After conceptually relevant items were added to the IMPCV, participants indicated the degree of influence each of the motivations would have on their, and another person's, decision to become a hospice palliative care volunteer. In both cases, 5 internally consistent subscales were identified through principal components analysis: altruism, civic responsibility, self-promotion, leisure, and personal gain. Convergent and discriminant validity were demonstrated using an established measure of empathy. In study 2, 141 hospice palliative care volunteers completed the revised and renamed Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism (IMHPCV). Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the 5-factor structure of the IMHPCV. The authors encourage other researchers to use the IMHPCV as a measurement tool in studying the motivations of hospice palliative care volunteers.

Neuroticism and the architecture of the self: exploring neuroticism as a moderator of the impact of ideal self-discrepancies on emotion.

Two studies examined the moderating role of neuroticism in discrepancy-emotion relations. In Study 1, neuroticism, self-discrepancies, and depression were measured. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between neuroticism and ideal self-discrepancies such that the magnitude of ideal self-discrepancies was a stronger predictor of depression for people high in neuroticism than people low in neuroticism. Study 2 used an experimental paradigm to test the same hypothesis. Participants were randomly assigned to an ideal self-discrepancy salience condition or a control condition in which ideal self-discrepancies were not made salient. A significant interaction between self-discrepancy condition and neuroticism emerged such that the ideal self-discrepancy condition produced higher dejection-related affect relative to the control condition for people high in neuroticism compared to people low in neuroticism.

Exploring women's attitudes and intentions to seek care from nurse practitioners across different age groups.

Because public acceptance is critical for the successful integration of nurse practitioners into the Canadian health care system, the current study explored how women of different ages perceive nurse practitioners. Middle-aged women held more positive views of health care professionals in general and were more likely to indicate that they would seek help from nurse practitioners compared to younger and older women. Across all three age groups, respondents were more likely to seek help from physicians than from nurse practitioners, especially for acute (versus preventive) health concerns.

Nurse practitioners in Canada: beginnings, benefits, and barriers.

PURPOSE: The goal of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of nurse practitioners (NPs) 1 year after they were first introduced to a mostly rural Canadian province. DATA SOURCES: Qualitative analyses of individual 45-min interviews with seven of the nine NPs in the province were carried out. CONCLUSIONS: Three main themes of importance were identified. First, a nursing philosophy with a holistic approach was described as being clearly different from medical care. Second, difficulties and barriers encountered in the establishment of the profession in the province were described. Third, despite these barriers, a pioneering outlook characterized by a sense of excitement and pride in the work was expressed. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: For NPs to work effectively to reduce healthcare costs and increase access to health care, they need to be accepted by both the public and the other healthcare professionals. Moreover, it may be difficult for NPs to maintain their philosophy of care in the face of the expectations placed upon them.

Pharmacist or physician: age differences in satisfaction with medical advice.

Two studies examined predictors of medical care satisfaction in communities in Eastern Canada. Both studies focused on how the roles of pharmacists and physicians are perceived by adults of different ages. Using a survey methodology, Study 1 demonstrated that middle-aged adults, older adults, and community pharmacists differ in the extent to which they rate pharmacists as being important members of the health care team. Specifically, community members value pharmacists as health care providers, and this is especially true for older adults. Using an experimental paradigm, Study 2 examined ratings of medical interaction scenarios, ratings that varied as a function of kind of health professional (pharmacist vs. physician) and type of advice (directive vs. non-directive). Results suggest that older adults may have a more complex set of expectations about their health care interactions than do younger adults and that, for older adults, the factors that determine satisfaction differ across the professions being evaluated.

Palliative care volunteers: why do they do it?

Two studies were conducted to examine people's motives for joining a palliative care volunteer program. To generate a pool of reasons for becoming a palliative care volunteer, previous studies of motivations relevant to palliative care were reviewed and interviews were conducted with 15 palliative care volunteers (Study 1). Combining the literature review and interviews, a total of 22 distinct reasons for volunteering were identified and used to create an Inventory of Motivations for Palliative Care Voluntarism (IMPCV). In Study 2, 113 palliative care volunteers responded to the IMPCV. "To help ease the pain of those living with a life-threatening illness" was rated as the most influential reason for becoming a palliative care volunteer. A principal components factor analysis was conducted on the IMPCV. It was decided that four factors adequately represented the items: Leisure, Personal Gain, Altruism, and Civic Responsibility.

Conflicts and missed signals in psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and Gestalt psychology.

At the turn of the 20th century, European psychologists found themselves in conflict situations with respect to the role that private mental states should play in a scientific psychology. Out of this conflict arose 3 of the best-known schools of the 20th century: psychoanalysis, behaviorism, and Gestalt psychology. Each of these schools is discussed with respect to two characteristics. First, the authors discuss the attitude of each school on the meaning of the word unconscious as it was understood around 1900. Second, the authors discuss the influence of each school on the reception accorded to books written around 1900 espousing viewpoints that did not cohere with the school's beliefs. Such books may be considered "missed signals" in the history of psychology. "Hits" associated with each school are also highlighted.