Ed de St. Aubin

Psychological well-being after spinal cord injury: perception of loss and meaning making

OBJECTIVE This study examined the influence of medical injury severity, perceived loss of physical functioning (conceptualized as physical resource loss), and global meaning making on psychological well-being among 79 veterans living with a spinal cord injury. MEASURES Structured interviews were completed to assess perceived loss of physical abilities using the Conservation of Resources-Evaluation and SF-36 Health Survey, global meaning making (Purpose in Life scale), and psychological well-being (Sense of Well-Being Inventory). Medical injury severity was calculated from medical records. RESULTS Medical injury severity was not related to psychological well-being, whereas perceived loss of physical functioning was inversely associated. Global meaning making was significantly related to and accounted for a large portion of the variance in psychological well-being. Results suggest that global meaning making partially mediates perceived loss of physical resources and psychological well-being. CONCLUSION The perceived loss of physical abilities and the generation of meaning and purpose in life are important variables that relate to positive adaptation following spinal cord injury. Treatment implications related to factors that increase quality of life following spinal cord injury are discussed.

Personal Ideology: The Intersection of Personality and Religious Beliefs

Individual religious beliefs are conceptualized as a component of personal ideology,which is one’s value-laden philosophy of how life should be lived and of what forces impact human living. Extending Silvan Tomkins’ (1911–1991) writings concerning ideology polarity and his script theory of personality, I suggest that personal ideology theory may be employed to elucidate the content, structure, and development of religious beliefs. This theory examines religiousness as a biologically motivated interpretive structure that is situated within the sociohistorical, age-relevant, and idiosyncratic conditions of the ontogenetic matrix.

Generativity and the Meaning of Life

This chapter examines the manner in which generativity is one potential path to the experience of meaning in life. Generativity is the desire that emerges in adult development to promote the well-being of younger and future generations via behaviors that establish a self legacy. The author reviews relevant research in this area and presents a theoretical model that articulates the interconnectedness of generativity and meaning in life. A brief psychobiographic exploration of Victor Frankl’s life demonstrates the significance of generative striving as an avenue to a felt meaning in life.

Internalized Homonegativity and the Double Bind for Lesbians: Those with Higher Need Perceive More Barriers to Mental Health Treatment

This research uses internalized homonegativity (IH) to understand factors influencing mental health treatment need and treatment seeking in self-identified lesbians (N = 223). Results indicated that IH has significant negative associations with social support, psychological, and social well-being. At the same time, IH has significant positive connections to perceived treatment barriers specifically related to sexual orientation. The authors assert that this can result in a “double bind” for lesbians with high IH, where they perceive treatment need, yet experience their lesbianism as a barrier to accessing help. Implications for counselors, as well as study limitations and suggestions for future research, are presented.

Lesbian Self-Development in Context: Cohort Analysis at Two Points in History

In this research, we investigated essentialist and social constructionist perspectives on lesbian self-development and integrated them through the use of the life course developmental model. We combined 2 participant samples, 1 collected in 1979 and 1 in 2003 to 2004, to ascertain history, age, and cohort effects for 10 milestones concerning lesbian self-development. The results support a model of lesbian self-development that is based on person–environment interaction.

The role of internalized homonegativity in the faith and psychological health of lesbians

ABSTRACT Among lesbians, faith-based beliefs and behaviors may be associated with negative psychological health due to the interplay between religious and sexual identities. The present study examined health outcomes, faith-based beliefs (views of God as loving and controlling), faith-based behaviors (personal spiritual practices, religious activities), and internalized homonegativity in a sample of 225 self-identified lesbians. We hypothesized that internalized homonegativity would moderate the relationship between health outcomes and faith-based beliefs and behaviors among lesbians. Generally, results indicated that some faith-based beliefs and behaviors were related to negative health outcomes among lesbians with higher levels of internalized homonegativity, but among those with lower levels of internalized homonegativity, the negative associations with health were mitigated.

Sexual Perceptions Versus Reality in Undergraduates: Data-Driven Praxis for Sex-Related Campus Programming

Abstract: We explored perceived and reported sex (male and female) differences in heterosexual, cisgender undergraduate sexual engagement across 10 common behaviors. Results from 1,007 students suggest that males are perceived to be more sexually engaged than women despite generally no sex differences in reported behavior. Across behaviors, perception versus report comparisons largely demonstrated significant differences. While no sex-related patterns emerged among differences, patterns regarding behavior type did. More standard, objectively defined behaviors (intercourse) demonstrated greater reported engagement than perceived, whereas more promiscuous behaviors (one night stand) demonstrated greater perceived engagement than reported.

Values Narratives for Personal Growth Formative Evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay Program

Evidence that even very brief writing exercises can change the way people see themselves and promote more positive mental and physical health has led to increased interest in their use in school settings and elsewhere. To date, however, research designs rely heavily on samples of college students and experimental studies of writing tasks carried out in the lab. There has been less investigation of the potential impact of more naturally occurring expressive writing exercises that exist in places like schools and that focus on adolescents. The current study was a process evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay, a values-based narrative program that was part of participants’ secondary school experience. It examined participants’ views of the impact of the program on their personal growth and, given the age range of participants, allowed for process evaluation of its perceived short- and long-term effects. Qualitative, semistructured interviews with 55 adolescent and adult participants were collected. Themes in participants’ responses included the importance of reflection and reappraisal of values, adversity, and relationships. Participants also discussed the importance of an audience for their writing, a novel finding that suggests one possible way to increase the impact of other narrative programs. Participants described variability in their engagement with expressive writing. This is one of the few studies that examined participants’ own views of the value of expressive writing and their responses suggest directions for future research and implications for designing expressive writing tasks to support social emotional learning and character education in schools and promote well-being at key developmental moments.