874 research outputs found
Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit Social Work: An Empirically Based Approach to Assessment and Treatment
No full textThe second edition represents a major revision from the original book, featuring numerous case studies and a robust companion website including demonstration videos and reproducible client handouts
Efficacy of psychosocial group intervention for Chinese women undergoing in-vitro fertilization: aprospective randomized controlled study
No full textpublished_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Spirituality and psychoeducation of pregnant Chinese women in Hong Kong: an evaluation of the effect of anEastern based meditative intervention on maternal and foetal healthstatus
No full textpublished_or_final_versionBuddhist StudiesDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Grief experience of bereaved mothers who loss of children in Sichuan earthquake 2008
No full textBereavement, an unavoidable event in everyone’s life, brings endless missing, grief, and suffering to people. Among all kinds of bereavement, losing a child is considered the most sorrowful and traumatizing. It is extremely difficult for parents who lose a child to recover from their deepest pain. On May 12, 2008, an earthquake, measuring 8.0 Ms, occurred in Wenchuan, Sichuan province, China. The earthquake killed more than 70,000 people and left about 20,000 missing. During the earthquake, some school buildings collapsed and as a result, hundreds of students died. Their parents experienced overwhelming bereavement.
To understand what bereaved mothers experience and how they cope with bereavement after the loss of children, the author conducted this longitudinal study based on the dual process model of coping with bereavement (DPM), and applied qualitative inquiry using interpretative phenomenological analysis. In this study, the author has reported on her 4 waves of interviews with these parents, regarding how they coped with grief over 2 years.
The author conducted 4 waves of in-depth, face-to-face interviews with mothers who lost their children during the Wenchuan earthquake (N= 43). The findings reveal that three levels of stresses exist in these bereaved mothers’ (BMs) grief experiences, including individual, family, and society levels. On the individual level, they experienced not only emotional distress, such as overwhelming grief, despair, and anger, but they also experienced cognitive distresses, such as regret, guilt, meaninglessness and hopelessness. On the family level, BMs experienced various stresses, such as family incompleteness, despair of their family life, and tensions with their spouses. On the society level, these BMs experienced pressure from social expectations and public opinion. They felt segregated and detached from their social networks. Life became meaningless to these BMs, resulting in suicidal thoughts.
These BMs practiced a variety of coping strategies to deal with their endless grief and stresses in their daily lives. These BMs actively worked through their grief and negative emotions. They adjusted their cognition to deal with their children’s deaths, and made efforts to reconstruct their lives; through things like having another child, rebuilding their life purpose, and rebuilding relationships with others. Avoidance strategies included proactive avoidance and reactive avoidance coping. Respite was manifested in the BMs temporarily devoting themselves to other things in order to distract themselves from tremendous bereavement.
This study verifies and enriches the DPM in the Chinese socio-cultural context, while indicating suggestions for social work practice and social policy.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Long-term care need in urban China : Haidian, Beijing
No full textBackground: Results from various studies of Long-term Care (LTC) need in China have remained confusing with LTC rates ranging from 2.4% to 22%. Therefore, it has been difficult to ascertain LTC’s sustainability in China.
Methods: 672 households with people aged 60+ in Haidian, Beijing, were successfully interviewed between June – August, 2011. interRAI – Home Care assessment tool and scales were used to identify LTC impairment, LTC services use and want, and LTC services drivers.
Findings: If LTC need refers to LTC impairment, based on population of Haidian in 2010, it was estimated 3.7% or 14,000 persons aged 60+ in Haidian have LTC impairment. If LTC need refers to people’s use or want of LTC services, it was estimated 38.7% or 147,000 persons aged 60+ in Haidian used and wanted LTC services. In specific, 11.9% (45,000) used Community Care (CC), 6.7% (25,000) and 20.1% (77,000) wanted Residential Care and CC respectively. LTC impairment rate as identified by this study was lower than most of other LTC studies in China, probably due to varied impairment identification and measurement mechanisms.
LTC impairment tended to be affected by social activity level (OR: Odds Ratio = 0.29), subjective environmental hazards (OR = 0.20) and poor self-rated health (OR = 2.00). In addition, as compared to their counterparts, respondents with LTC impairment tended to be older; with “fewer” education, social activity and good health practice; and “high” in caregiver stress, objective environmental hazards, behavioral problems and depressive symptoms.
There was no statistically significant relationship between LTC impairment and LTC services use/want. For those who used/wanted LTC services, 95% had no LTC impairment. For those with LTC impairment, 54.2% used or wanted LTC services. As compared to their counterparts, respondents who used or wanted LTC services tended to be in more favorable conditions: younger, higher education, more income, living with others, socially active, good self-rated health and more good health practice. These people also tended to have fewer objective environmental hazards, caregiver stress, chronic conditions, behavioral problems, and depressive symptoms.
Use of CC was driven by higher age (OR: Odds Ratio = 1.088), being female (OR = 0.268), higher education (OR = 0.260), higher income (OR =3.218), and more objective environmental hazards (OR = 2.522). CC want was driven by higher age (OR = 1.050), being female (OR = 0.625), higher education (OR = 0.348) and more depression (OR = 1.235). Good health practice was the only factor that affecting RC want (OR = 2.842). The overall Pseudo R^2 was 0.219.
Implications: Better projection of LTC impairment and LTC services use/want via standardized assessment tool is needed in China. There is also a need to address the issue of mismatch in LTC impairment and services. This is to ensure allocation of LTC services is based on LTC impairment and not because of higher income or education.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Prevalence and risk factors of child victimization in China
No full textChildren are among the most vulnerable to violence. A global problem, child
victimization has been extensively studied in the context of public health research.
As negative consequences of victimization are demonstrated, estimation of its
prevalence and identification of its risk factors are two major concerns of
researchers. Intimate partner violence (IPV), a worldwide prevalent family
problem in itself, is directly or indirectly demonstrated in association with risk of
different child victimizations. However, majority of previous studies on child
victimization were fragmented into clusters that center on specific forms of
victimization, primarily those involving conventional crime, maltreatment, peer
and sibling abuse, sexual violence, and witnessing of violence.
Efforts for assessing complete pattern of victimization in children emerged
only in recent years. Nevertheless, this initial development that has clear research
gaps is far from being enough. In such a context, the present study was conducted,
in a comprehensive perspective, to uncover pattern and prevalence, and to identify
risk factors of child victimization in the Chinese context. IPV was particularly
examined on its relationship with child victimization. The ecological theory and
family systems theory were integrated to build the conceptual research framework,
a family-based ecological model comprising levels of individual, family,
community, and social culture.
This study adopts a quantitative approach. Questionnaire survey was
successfully conducted among 953 parents of children aged 0-17 years old in
Wuhan, China. The respondents were identified through a four-stage stratified
sampling method. For the sake of ethical consideration and research requirement,
child victimization cases were reported by the parents. The Juvenile Victimization
Questionnaire (JVQ) was employed for measuring child victimization.
Approximately one in two children was reported having victimization. Of
these victims, the proportion of those who suffered from two or more types of
victimization was as high as half; children whose parents reported IPV accounted
for one-third. Through multiple logistic regression analyses, the hypothesis that
prior victimization can increase the risk of other victimizations was confirmed. A
series of factors in the ecological model, including IPV, were identified to have
association with child victimization. All the ecological factors were further
examined using a structured multiphase logistic regression analysis. The results of
two regression models were compared. The factors identified to be associated
with the risk of child victimization involve all four levels of the ecological model.
The finding suggests that occurrence of child victimization and IPV are associated
and share common risk factors in the family-based ecological system.
The findings emphasize the necessity of a comprehensive screening for child
victimization, and highlight cooperation between services for partners and for
children. The implications also include the application of family-based ecological
perspective in research, and the formulation of family-based systematic
prevention policies on child victimization and related family problems. In general,
the reexamination of the ecological theory with emphasis on family in this study
promotes the theoretical indigenization in China. The research findings contribute
to the scientific database on child victimization and provide valuable implications
for policies and practice of child protection.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Marital interdependence of infertile couples in mainland China
No full textBackground: Infertility, defined as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy after one year of regular unprotected sexual intercourse, represents not only a health condition, but also a source of ambivalence regarding martial strain and intergenerational stress. Yet, little studies had been conducted to articulate and interpret their complex feelings during infertility experiences, epically with a dyadic perspective.
Objectives: The current study aims at exploring the ambivalence in the context of infertility among Chinese couples with infertility diagnosis. Furthermore, this study attempts to investigate the impacts of the ambivalence on quality of life for husbands and wives.
Methodology: This study adopts a mixed method. With qualitative descriptive approach, conjoint and individual interviews are used to collect collective and personal perceptions from 16 wives and 8 husbands. In the quantitative investigation, 422 infertile couples were recruited and analyzed. To capture the dyadic connectedness, actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were utilized to analyze dyadic data from husbands and wives with infertility.
Results: Ambivalence described the complex emotions and their psychosocial difficulties experienced by the Chinese infertile couples. There are three categories of ambivalence, being identified from qualitative study as (i) decisional ambivalence on treatment, (ii) partner ambivalence and (iii) intergenerational ambivalence. Based on couple interviews, Chinese infertile couples performed different coping styles, namely, emancipation, solidarity, captivation and atomization to manage their ambivalence. These coping styles affected communication among the couples and thus influenced the couple’s sense of meaning, intimacy and relationships with the parents and in-laws. From the quantitative findings, intergenerational ambivalence tended to be negatively associated with quality of life for infertile couples. After controlling effects of marital affection on outcome variable, the negative effects of maternal familial ambivalence on quality of life decreased significantly, especially for wives. Therefore, high quality marital relationships could be a great buffer to alleviate the negative impacts of intergenerational ambivalence on quality of life for infertile couples.
Discussion: Ambivalence as a meta-emotion is an overarching concept on the mix of positive and negative emotions triggered by infertility. Ambivalence accumulates when these conflicting emotions coexist and interact with each other, which cause psychosocial distress for the couples. Concepts of decisional, partner and intergenerational ambivalence can be applied to understand lived experiences of people with other life circumstances and health conditions. Essentially, ambivalence may be associated with uncertainty of life, ambiguity in treatments, and complex and contradictory emotions caused by fertility. Since ambivalence may threaten psychosocial wellbeing of infertile couples, helping professionals should facilitate infertile couples to identify, articulate and cope with ambivalence to achieve emotional wellbeing.
Conclusion: As a meta-emotion, ambivalence encompasses complex and dynamic interplay of positive, negative and conflicting thoughts, values and feelings. Four coping styles performed by couples, namely, emancipation, solidarity, captivation and atomization, reflect dyadic cohesion and intuitional flexibility in response to infertility. Marital affection could be a buffer to reduce negative impacts of ambivalence and improving psychosocial wellbeing for infertile couples.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Objectification, ambiguity and spiritual transformation among women with polycystic ovary syndrome : a mixed-method study
No full textWomen with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) experience great psychological distress. The imbalanced hormonal levels, changed appearance and uncertain fertility potential brought by PCOS can create anxiety and depression, leading to poor quality of life. Traditional Chinese culture attaches great importance to fertility, while modern China’s media and social environment promote the aesthetics of white skin and slim figures. Therefore, women with PCOS in China may feel highly objectified and stigmatized. However, very little research has focused on their psychological well-being in the Chinese context until today.
The Objectification Theory, the Uncertainty in Illness Theory and the Self-Efficacy Theory provide essential perspectives to understand the living experience of those women. Based on the existing theories and empirical studies, this research aims to present the pattern and relationship of objectification, ambiguity and psychological well-being of women with PCOS in China and explore the mechanism of their spiritual transformation in the long-term adaptation process using a mixed-method study approach.
A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to demonstrate the mental health status of women with PCOS. According to the inclusion criteria, forty-six studies, including 9,265 women with PCOS and 25,638 controls, were qualified for review. Compared to healthy women, women with PCOS reported significantly higher depression, anxiety, lower quality of life, and no significant sexual dysfunction. Besides, participants in China reported a more substantial effect size of depression and anxiety than patients from other countries. Another systematic review on psychosocial interventions for women with PCOS was conducted. Only 13 studies were qualified for the inclusion criteria, with limited effectiveness. Therefore, although patients with PCOS suffer from both physical and mental disorders, a holistic intervention is still lacking, especially in China.
One hundred eleven women with PCOS in China joined a quantitative investigation by filling in a questionnaire containing the scales on body shame, body surveillance, illness ambiguity, illness acceptance, self-efficacy and psychological problems. The results revealed a high level of body surveillance, body shame, illness ambiguity, appearance anxiety, anxiety and depression, verified the negative influence of self-objectification and illness ambiguity on psychological health, and supported the mediation roles of self-efficacy and illness acceptance in this relationship.
Fifteen women joined a face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interview. Questions about their illness ambiguity, objectified experience, behaviors to pursue beauty, and spiritual growth were asked. Findings presented the problems and obstacles in their body, mind, identity and social interaction. The positive roles of self-efficacy, illness acceptance and self-love in pursuing spiritual growth were found.
Twenty-eight patients participated in a tailored-made Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit (IBMS) intervention. Both laboratory and psychological measurements were taken. Results indicated that the IBMS method could long-termly improve women’s physical, mental and spiritual health with PCOS in China. Longitudinal qualitative follow-ups clarified the practical roles of self-acceptance and self-love to attain holistic well-being.
This research presented a ‘Body-Identity-Self-Mind’ framework to understand Chinese women’s living and adaptation experience with PCOS. The tailored IBMS intervention is a promising method for improving patients’ holistic health with PCOS in the long term.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Self-compassion and bio-psychosocial well-being : the application of mindful self-compassion training on cancer survivors in Hong Kong
No full textBackground: Cancer has profound bio-psycho-social impacts on cancer survivors. There is imminent need for psychosocial program that might address the multi-faceted challenges of cancer survivorship. Although self-compassion training has received increasing attention in the West, little is known about its clinical application.
Objectives: Study 1 explores the psychometric properties of the Chinese adaptation of the Self-Compassion Scale and its short-form. Study 2 and 3 aim to assess the potential benefits of the Mindful Self-Compassion program as a psychosocial support program for Chinese cancer survivors of mixed cancer and of colorectal cancer respectively.
Methods: Study 1 adopted a survey study design. A community sample of 455 adults were surveyed, and a subset of 287 were surveyed in the test-retest administration. An independent sample of 292 healthy adults were surveyed for cross-validation and short-form validation. Confirmatory Factor Analysis, regression analyses, and correlation analyses were conducted to assess the psychometric properties, validity, and reliability of the scale in Chinese.
Study 2 adopted a non-blind, randomized controlled study design with wait-list control. A total of 37 Chinese cancer survivors were surveyed on their level of self-compassion, mindfulness qualities, psychological well-being, quality of sleep, cancer-related symptomatology, and emotional regulation indicated by heart rate variability.
While Study 3 adopted a non-blind, randomized controlled study design with qualitative data from in-depth interviews. A total of 37 Chinese colorectal cancer survivors were surveyed. Repeated measure ANCOVA and Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons were conducted to assess the effectiveness Mindful Self-Compassion program; and themes were identified from the in-depth interviews to obtain fined-grained information regarding the potential effectiveness of the program.
Results: Study 1 suggested that self-compassion could be conceptualized by the 6-factor model proposed by its original author, or by the culturally relevant 2 second-order factors model. Findings demonstrated that the scale in Chinese and its short-form are valid and reliable instruments for use in research and clinical practice.
Study 2 showed statistical significant improvements on self-soothing attitude, mindfulness qualities, depressive symptoms, positive affect, cancer-related psychological symptoms, and emotional regulation as indexed by heart rate variability. Findings also pointed to potential benefits of self-compassion in reducing anxiety and negative affect, as well as in improving sleep and cancer symptoms.
Study 3 showed statistical significant improvement on self-soothing attitude among colorectal cancer survivors. Although not statistically significant, findings also suggested patterns of improvement on measures of psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and cancer-related symptoms. Nevertheless, qualitative data showed that participants of the Mindful Self-Compassion program reported enhanced self-awareness, better sleep, and the ability to response to daily life adversity with acceptance and non-reactivity.
Conclusion and discussion: The scale validation study offered a robust, and psychometrically sound measurement of self-compassion in Chinese. Results of the randomized controlled trials showed that self-compassion can be cultivated through training; they also yielded preliminary evidence to potential benefits of self-compassion on biopsychosocial well-being of cancer survivors. Further research is necessary to yield further support the application of Mindful Self-Compassion program in cancer care, and to further our understanding in the underlying mechanisms of how self-compassion works.published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
Equality and control: the politics of wife abuse in rural and urban China
No full textpublished_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph
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