A phenomenological approach was the method chosen to explore, describe, and understand the impact of perinatal loss among adolescent parents. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the psychological grieving, female and male development, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, and parenting experiences of adolescent parents with perinatal loss. Eight participants met the criteria for individuals who, within the past 24 months, experienced the loss of a child by miscarriage or stillbirth. Data collection took place using face-to-face or telephone interviews validated by each participant individually. The results identified five common themes that included emotional states, grief responses, pregnancy loss, relationships, and source of support. Healthcare providers, friends, family, and agency staff working with adolescent parents who experienced a perinatal loss must (a) provide crisis intervention and grief counseling and understand the underlying causes of grief-related anger and their function in adolescents’ lives； (b) provide support, validation, and assistance in planning for the adjustment period after a perinatal loss and the parent’s discharge from the hospital； (c) provide the services of a chaplain or a social worker to help the parent and family with bereavement and funeral planning； (d) provide the adolescent with pregnancy prevention counseling after the loss to prevent a subsequent pregnancy； and (e) encourage adolescent parents who experience a perinatal loss to seek support from family and friends to prevent feelings of isolation and potentially complicated grief.
Posts Tagged ‘Psychology’:
Development of a task assignment tool to customize job descriptions and close person-job fit gaps
Does the knowledge worker fit the job or should the job fit the knowledge worker? This research developed a methodology and a tool to customize a knowledge workers job design to better fit their knowledge, skills, abilities and characteristics. The research outcomes support the customization of the job design to improve person-job fit, the documentation of the customized job design as a position description, and the use of a structured person-task assignment process. The recommended task assignment process includes a job aid that uses multivariate equations to predict expected task performance. Data were collected from two knowledge worker sub-groups: lean leaders and youth leaders. The data were used to evaluate the hypotheses and to develop and test the person-task assignment tool. A valid and reliable measure of the level of job customization was developed and tested. The measure demonstrated significant correlations with measures of person-job fit and the job outcomes of task performance, job satisfaction and intent to quit. A method for developing a tool to predict expected task performance for a task assignment decision was developed and tested. The method reduced twenty-four person-task fit and preference variables to ten predictive variables for problem solving, project and routine task performance. The research also investigated the effect of the incumbents preferred behavior style on ratings of person-job fit and the occurrence of job customization.
Out of control: When and why consumers yearn for boundaries
Instead of believing that the outcomes in our lives are randomly determined and facing the fears that would accompany such a belief, we generally prefer to believe that we have personal control over our lives. In other words, we choose to believe that we can intentionally produce desired outcomes and prevent undesired ones Skinner, Chapman, & Baltes, 1988). But, what happens when this sense of control is shattered? How do we then combat the anxiety-inducing fear of a random world? In what follows, I argue that individuals will seek greater order and structure in consumption when their sense of personal control is threatened. More specifically, I focus on how consumers erect and prefer boundaries that dictate a “place for everything and everything in its place” as a means of enhancing their perceptions that there is order and structure to the way things work in the world as opposed to pure randomness and chaos. Across the two essays of this dissertation, I demonstrate that such boundaries appear in a variety of forms in consumption behavior, each of which I describe as an element of “structured consumption.” Essay 1 explores how boundaries in the environment serve as meaningful symbols of structure. Several experiments demonstrate that when personal control is threatened and consumers consequently have a heightened motivation for structure, they prefer logos, products and environments that are tangibly or intangibly bounded over those that are unbounded. Essay 2 focuses on how boundaries are erected in individuals beliefs about brands when feelings of control are threatened and the need for structure is subsequently heightened. More specifically, I demonstrate across several studies that when feelings of personal control are low, consumers seek greater structure i.e., fit) in how brands are connected to new products e.g., as in brand extensions). Consequently, many ideas that pass the threshold of acceptable fit when feelings of personal control are high are unable to do so when feelings of personal control are low.
The influence of empathy priming and social value orientations on the motivation for prosocial behavior
A continuous area of focus in the social sciences is the motivation for prosocial behavior, an act to benefit another, often at a cost to oneself (Simpson and Willer 2008). Previous research demonstrates that taking the perspective of another activates empathy, which then leads to altruistically motivated prosocial behavior (e.g., Toi and Batson 1982). Other research shows that in addition to empathy, perspective taking activates personal distress, sadness and/or oneness. Personal distress, sadness and/or oneness then leads to egoistically motivated prosocial behavior (e.g., Maner et al. 2002). The current research examines the motivation for prosocial behavior by using priming instead of perspective taking to activate empathy. Priming is the incidental activation of knowledge structures by the current situational context (Bargh and Chartrand 2000). Priming, unlike perspective taking, should only make empathy salient (e.g., Bargh, Chen and Burrows 1996). Thus, only empathy should be influencing prosocial behavior. The effects of induced emotional states on motivation and behavior also vary by individual differences (e.g., Nelissen, Dijker and deVries 2007). As such, I examine how priming, emotional responses and behavior are influenced by one’s social value orientation. Social value orientation (SVO) is a preference for different allocations of outcomes for oneself and another (Kramer, McClintock and Messick 1986). Pilot study results show that empathy primes can activate empathic concern. Thus, this empathy prime was used in the main study to make empathy salient. I hypothesize that empathy primed participants will engage in greater prosocial behavior than neutral primed participants. I also hypothesize that prosocial behavior will vary based on one’s SVO. Furthermore, empathy primes will temporarily override one’s SVO if one’s SVO is inconsistent with the goals associated with empathic concern. I also examine if empathic concern, personal distress, sadness and oneness differ based on SVO. Results did not show that empathy primed participants engaged in greater prosocial behavior than neutral primed participants. Empathy primes did not override one’s SVO if one’s SVO was inconsistent with the goals associated empathic concern. Prosocial behavior did vary based on SVO. Additionally, self-reported empathy and oneness did differ by SVO. Conclusions discuss explanations for why the empathy prime was effective in the pilot study but not the main study. I also discuss explanations for why SVO influenced empathic concern and oneness. Furthermore, I discuss possible implications of my findings and areas for future research on emotion priming, heterogeneity of individuals and prosocial behavior.
A Comparison Study of the Decision-Making Processes of Family Court Judges and Child-Custody Evaluators in Southern California
A dilemma known in child custody research involves the difference between the decision-making processes of family court judges and child custody evaluators when reaching custody decisions. This study compared the decision-making processes of family court judges and child custody evaluators in the county of San Diego, in the state of California. Using vignettes and ranking criteria based on the Michigan Child Custody Act Michigan Legislative Council, 1970), this study explored the orientation, philosophy and decision-making processes of judges and child custody evaluators to understand whether, in spite of differing academic backgrounds and professional training and experience, they utilize similar criteria when considering the data available to them in child custody cases. In our modem society, considerations of the best interest of the child has become the mainstay of custody evaluators, judges, attorneys and families. In the past, the courts made decisions based on the quality of the relationship or as a function of time spent as the caregiver, while the custody evaluator made decisions based on information gathered from interviews with parents and family. In both circumstances, the “best interest” of the child was frequently ignored or not considered when making the final custody decision in favor of the quality or necessity of the parent-child relationship. This studys results were in agreement with previous studies: judges and custody evaluators tend to use the same criteria and look for similar factors when rendering a decision or recommendation on child custody cases. The results showed that several types of abuse substance, physical and neglect) were major factors as were legal issues pertaining to the individuals involved in the case. Stability of the environment for the child and parenting/co-parenting skills were also featured factors involved in making effective custody decisions. The overall factors seen in the data were parental performance connection with the children, inflexibility, and lack of participation of the father, all of which are factors commonly seen by both professions in the course of their routine involvement in custody cases.
Impact of parental education on children’s development
Parents education, and in particular, mothers education is shown to have a positive effect on their childrens outcomes. However, questions on its causality, channels by which the effect transmits and the relative importance of each parents education still remain. These issues are very important from a policy standpoint. In this dissertation, we address them using children between the ages of 5 and 14 from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth NLSY-79) and its Child Supplement CNLSY). We decompose the causal effects of maternal education into direct and indirect channels. Ours is the first study on intergenerational returns to education to do this decomposition. We utilize child fixed effects to account for endogeneity of maternal schooling and other inputs due to unobserved time invarying characteristics. Hausman tests indicate that fixed effects are indeed needed. Our results show that an additional year of mothers schooling causally increases Math and Reading test scores and reduces a childs risk of being overweight. Additionally, direct effects of maternal education are more important for Math, Reading and probability of a child at risk of being overweight； while indirect effects are more important for Behavioral problems. Lastly, we find that role of the father figure in the family differs by family structure. In families where father is the biological father, mothers education is equally important as the fathers. However, when father isnt biological, mothers education is more important for behavioral outcomes.
After the fall: An exploration of the coping behavior of positive reappraisal in midcareer adults’ responses to involuntary job loss
This qualitative study explored how midcareer adults cope with involuntary job loss through their identified coping preference of positive reappraisal. The research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. It applies a behavioral assessment instrument to identify participants preferred coping processes, then employs qualitative interviews to deepen and enrich the data gathered. Participants came from corporate settings. They were midcareer adults, between the ages of 35 and 55 years. This research built on prior research by Lazarus and Folkman that identified a coping process called positive reappraisal. This study expands the prior definition of positive reappraisal and applies the new findings to create a new definition and model of the concept. This study supports the authors original definition. Additionally, data analysis revealed the following themes and sub–themes beyond the authors original definition: A Look Inward: Grateful in the Face of Adversity； Personal Growth: A Deepening of Awareness； The Balancing Act: Thoughts and Emotions； Mind Over Matter: Expressing, yet Controlling Feelings； The Pursuit of Happiness: Moving On； Be Who You Are: A New Return to Work Orientation； and Religious Dimension: Turning to a Higher Power. Ultimately each participants story revealed aspects of an inward journey resulting in a recommitment to work that expressed a new, intended, job-loss outcome described as self-reflection. This process of self-reflection resulted in a personal reevaluation and a desire for re-alignment between self and ones future career aspirations. Mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, and financial collapse, the severe downturn in the housing market and the banking crisis of 2010, along with a host of other influences persisted in corporate America in 2008-2010. These events will likely continue to impact employment for years to come, resulting in job loss continuing to be a problem for employees. This study has implications that can potentially inform career transition professionals, as well as those impacted by job loss, to mitigate the duration and intensity of joblessness and enhance the effectiveness of coaching individuals who are navigating this transition. Key Words: coping, job loss, involuntary job loss, positive reappraisal
Limited means and what I can’t buy: Resource constraints and resource use accessibility drive opportunity cost consideration
Every consumer decision incurs a cost. An hour spent researching products is an hour not spent working. Vacation days used in the winter are vacation days not used in the summer. A dollar spent on a car payment is a dollar not spent dining out. What determines the extent to which consumers consider such opportunity costs when making decisions? Although every purchase requires an outlay cost i.e., spending dollars in order to obtain a good), outlay costs only have economic significance because some other good or service must be given up as a result. Consumers have unlimited wants but limited resources, so satisfying one want means not satisfying another the opportunity cost). An opportunity cost is “the evaluation placed on the most highly valued of the rejected alternatives or opportunities” Buchanan 2008) or “the loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen” Oxford English Dictionary 2010). Opportunity costs are foundational to the science of economics and, normatively, consumers should account for opportunity costs in every decision they make. I define opportunity cost consideration as “considering alternative uses for ones resources when deciding whether to spend resources on a focal option.” Because consumers face opportunity costs, every purchase decision is effectively a choice among alternative resource uses, not just a decision of whether or not to make a particular purchase. When consumers consider their opportunity costs, alternative resource uses specify the broadest form of competition that products face: each resource use competes for share-of-wallet with all other potential resource uses. Understanding when consumers consider a purchase decision as an allocation across multiple options, and what those considered options are, allows researchers and practitioners to better understand why consumers make the purchases that they do, why they restrain from making the purchases that they do not, and how to influence purchases of focal options by increasing or decreasing consideration of alternative resource uses. What determines when consumers consider opportunity costs? In Essay 1, I propose that consumers consider opportunity costs when they perceive immediate resource constraints. In Essay 2, I propose that consumers consider opportunity costs when the resource in use increases the accessibility of alternative resource uses in memory. Beyond addressing when consumers consider opportunity costs, I address three additional questions. First, who is more likely to consider opportunity costs? Individuals with a high propensity to plan are likely to consider opportunity costs even when they are not immediately constrained. Second, which opportunity costs are consumers more likely to consider? Consumers are more likely to consider opportunity costs that are more typical of the category of possible resource uses than opportunity costs that are less typical of the category of possible resource uses. Third, what are the consequences of opportunity cost consideration? Individuals who consider their opportunity costs are more sensitive to their value than those who do not consider them. In addition to aiding our understanding of the consumer decision process, understanding opportunity cost consideration has important implications for consumers sensitivities to the structure of the decision environment, understanding the nature of competition and cross-price elasticities, memory for foregone options, and construction of preferences.
Development of a task assignment tool to customize job descriptions and close person-job fit gaps
Does the knowledge worker fit the job or should the job fit the knowledge worker? This research developed a methodology and a tool to customize a knowledge workers job design to better fit their knowledge, skills, abilities and characteristics. The research outcomes support the customization of the job design to improve person-job fit, the documentation of the customized job design as a position description, and the use of a structured person-task assignment process. The recommended task assignment process includes a job aid that uses multivariate equations to predict expected task performance. Data were collected from two knowledge worker sub-groups: lean leaders and youth leaders. The data were used to evaluate the hypotheses and to develop and test the person-task assignment tool. A valid and reliable measure of the level of job customization was developed and tested. The measure demonstrated significant correlations with measures of person-job fit and the job outcomes of task performance, job satisfaction and intent to quit. A method for developing a tool to predict expected task performance for a task assignment decision was developed and tested. The method reduced twenty-four person-task fit and preference variables to ten predictive variables for problem solving, project and routine task performance. The research also investigated the effect of the incumbents preferred behavior style on ratings of person-job fit and the occurrence of job customization.
A registered nurse profile analysis using the sixteen personality factor questionnaire fifth edition
This study examines the personality characteristics associated with Registered Nurses (RNs). Thirty RNs participated in the study and completed the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Fifth Edition. All participants are practicing RNs working in the Midwestern United States. The study intends to provide a group profile of RNs, and identify the personality characteristics associated with the profession. This document contains group means and additional statistics from the study.