Puncky Paul Heppner

• PhD
• Professor Emeritus at University of Missouri

In previous studies, problem solving appraisal has been identified as playing a key role in promoting positive psychological well-being. The Problem Solving Inventory is the most widely used measure of problem solving appraisal and consists of 32 items. The length of the instrument, however, may limit its applicability to large-scale surveys consis...

Current theories, frameworks, and measures informing the conception of well-being draw heavily from a nonminority worldview, which often neglect both cultural factors and frameworks. Using a qualitative design, we investigated how Spanish-speaking immigrant adults conceptualize and experience well-being from a psychosociocultural framework, an inte...

Objective Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among Latina women in the United States. One aspect of recovery that has been underrepresented in the English-language literature is the recovery of Latina women who have developed lymphedema, a debilitating condition characterized by...

The living editors of The Counseling Psychologist provide reflections on their editorial terms to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Journal. They recall their vision for the Journal and include noteworthy accomplishments and changes during their terms. Two members of The Counseling Psychologist’s 50th Anniversary Committee provided retrospect...

The current study reports the development of a dispositional Chinese Proactive Coping (CPC) Inventory to assess proactive coping activities, which intend to interfere with or prepare for potential future stressors, among Chinese college students. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using two samples of Chinese college studen...

This article focuses on the application of mentorship strategies to develop cultural competencies and promote social justice in future generations of counseling psychologists. Moreover, the emphasis is on building pedagogical structures that provide necessary learning opportunities for mentees, guidance and mentoring, as well as needed social chang...

We report the development of a situation-specific Chinese Relational Coping (CRC) inventory to assess perceived coping effectiveness in a collectivistic Chinese cultural context. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using 3 samples of Chinese college students (N = 1,807) suggested the viability and stability of a 4-factor mod...

Taiwanese international students are among 1 of the top 10 international populations on American campuses; thus, more research is needed to address the particular issues related to their transition process. This is among the first studies to empirically test the cross-national cultural competence model as a conceptual framework by examining predict...

The present study examined the relationship between problem-solving appraisal (problem-solving inventory), various personality styles (Myers–Briggs Type Indicator), and learning strategies. Specifically, it was hypothesized that problem solving appraisal would mediate, fully or partially, the relationship between personality styles and learning str...

The demographic and labor department data we have indicate that there have been many dramatic changes in men's lives over the last couple decades-both in their workplace and in our society-that have direct implications for counselors. This chapter presents what we know about these changes and offers implications for the counseling profession. It hi...

Content & Focus A notable number of actions and programmes have taken place to internationalise the US counselling psychology profession. This article expands the previous work by examining the growing international perspectives within the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), specifically those associated with recent presidential initiatives and...

We assessed the impact of lymphoedema (defined as ≥10% limb volume change) on quality of life (QOL), ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and coping in 277 melanoma patients. Limb volume was measured prospectively, pre-operatively and every 3-6 months for 18 months post-operatively using a perometer. Three questionnaires were admini...

Despite considerable research, a major challenge today is to define and assess the development of cross-cultural competence. The aim of this study is to better understand the role of cultural competence in the adjustment of international students studying in the United States. We examined distinct trajectories of cultural intelligence (CQ) over tim...

In contrast to the number of training programs that have been developed to promote multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, relatively few training programs exist to develop cross-national cultural competencies. This article describes an innovative combination of utilizing a semester-long preparatory seminar course where students are first i...

To test the Cultural and Contextual Model of Coping, 2 studies examined the psychometric properties of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; Heppner, 1988) among Chinese college students. Study 1 (N = 736) examined the generalizability of the factor structure of the PSI through confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, as well as its relationship...

Clients come to psychotherapy because they have difficult and stressful problems that they are unable to resolve on their own. Advances in the applied problem-solving literature can now inform clinical interventions. This article focuses on the most commonly used problem-solving assessment tool, the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI); empirical findin...

The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) is one of the most widely used applied problem-solving measures in the United States. The purpose of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of the PSI within Italian adolescent samples. Four separate data sets were used in this investigation involving 5,100 Italian adolescents. The first study r...

This chapter documents major developments within the field of counseling psychology since the late 1970s. The first section identifies some of the broader issues and governmental policies that provide a context for understanding the continuing evolution of the counseling psychology profession in the last 20 years. The second section discusses devel...

Carter (2007) proposed the notion of race-based traumatic stress and argued that experiences of racial discrimination can be viewed as a type of trauma. In a sample of 383 Chinese international students at 2 predominantly White midwestern universities, the present results supported this notion and found that perceived racial discrimination predicte...

This is the first study to empirically identify distinct acculturative adjustment patterns of new international students over their first 3 semesters in the United States. The sample consisted of 507 Chinese international students studying in the United States. Using psychological distress as an indicator of acculturative adjustment, measured over...

The overall goal of the paper is to illuminate some of the substantial challenges, joys, issues and lessons involved with international counseling and to lend impetus to advancing its progress by embracing globally-relevant cultural principles. Five U.S. counseling professionals with extensive international experience recount aspects of their schol...

This study examined a threshold model that proposes that social support exhibits a curvilinear association with adjustment and distress, such that support in excess of a critical threshold level has decreasing incremental benefits. Women diagnosed with a first occurrence of breast cancer (N = 154) completed survey measures of perceived support (Soc...

How people typically respond to life's problems is of critical importance, particularly how they appraise their problem-solving skills and whether they generally approach or avoid the many problems of life. A critical strength or resource for coping with life's demands is a person's appraisal of his or her problem-solving skills and style. This cha...

Essentials of Cross-Cultural Counseling is a brief, supplemental book derived from the International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling. Edited by a high-profile team with international expertise, the book focuses on the history, issues, challenges, and opportunities for the counseling profession worldwide. It includes nine chapters discussing t...

Based on Berry's (1997) theoretical framework for acculturation, our goal in this study was to examine whether the use of a culturally relevant coping strategy (i.e., forbearance coping, a predictor) would be associated with a lower level of psychological distress (a psychological outcome), for whom (i.e., those with weaker vs. stronger identificat...

In this study, we aimed to explore the experiences of 10 female Taiwanese childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors (age range = 20-39 years) to broaden our understanding of the post-abuse coping process in a Chinese sociocultural context. This investigation was grounded on a feminist paradigm, and the consensual qualitative research method (Hill et a...

This article focuses on life career perspectives within the field of counseling psychology. The first goal is to promote reflection and discussion of counseling psychologists’ planning and decision making as it pertains to their career journey; the second goal is to promote additional discussion around implicit and explicit cultural perspectives in...

The current research comprises two samples that investigated the psychometric properties of the Problem-Focused Style of Coping (PF-SOC; Heppner, Cook, Wright, & Johnson) scale using two Taiwanese samples. In Sample 1 (N = 809), we investigated the structural dimensions of the PF-SOC using a principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmed three si...

There is limited knowledge about coping and psychological adjustment in Latter-Day Saint (LDS) Polynesians. This study examined religiosity, collectivistic coping, and psychological well-being among 94 LDS Polynesians residing in the Midwest. As hypothesized, religiously committed LDS Polynesians were more likely to have a healthy psychological wel...

Aims: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are faced with numerous life-changing issues, including a lifetime risk for developing lymphedema (LE), a chronic condition that also negatively impacts quality of life. The goal of this research was to examine trends in scores on selected psycho-social instruments related to quality of life for a group of breast...

The purpose of our study was to explore: (a) the association between racial discrimination stress and depressive symptoms, and (b) how coping (e.g., individualistic/collectivistic and dispositional/situation-specific coping) attenuated or strengthened this association specifically among Asian Americans. Data were collected from 201 Asian Americans...

This article reports on the development and initial validation of the multidimensional Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale (MTCS). Data from 506 pre- and in-service teachers were collected in three interrelated studies. Exploratory factor analysis results suggested a 16-item, two-factor solution: (a) multicultural teaching skill and (b) multicu...

This study with 508 Korean college students examined the mediation effects of maladaptive coping styles and self-esteem on the links of evaluative concerns perfectionism and psychological distress. Structural equation modeling analyses supported a full mediation effect of maladaptive coping between evaluative concerns perfectionism and distress. Th...

The problem-solving inventory (PSI) is the most widely used applied problem-solving measure in the United States. Although a great deal of validity and reliability information exists for the PSI, much of this data has been collected in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the PSI’s psychometric estimates with a large sample o...

The purpose of this article is to review the literature related to men who pursue nontraditional career choices such as gender atypical occupations outside the home or being stay-at-home fathers. Key foundational findings and current studies that provide information about what factors influence men's pursuit of nontraditional careers both in the pa...

The purpose of this study was to promote greater understanding among counselors and other helping professionals regarding the stressors associated with lymphedema, how women cope with the stressors, and the role of social support. An intensive qualitative study was conducted; data were analyzed using a consensual qualitative research approach. The...

Emotional care of the breast cancer patient is not well understood; this lack of understanding results in both a high cost to the patient, as well as the health care system. This study examined the role of problem-solving style as a predictor of emotional distress, adjustment to breast cancer, and physical function immediately post-surgery and 12 m...

Date revised - 20100208, Language of summary - English, Number of references - 51, Pages - 53-67, ProQuest ID - 621975175, PubXState - CA, SubjectsTermNotLitGenreText - 1916 562 6640 870 7687 7259; 1913; 3408; 1915 6639 6476 6058; 1925 6476 6058, Target audience - Psychology: Professional & Research, Last updated - 2012-09-10, docISBN - 97814129595...

The purpose of this article is to suggest an expansion of the conceptualizations and measurement of applied problem solving and, relatedly, coping. The author discusses the evolution of his programmatic line of research over the last 30 years to illustrate the changing landscape in applied problem solving and, to a lesser extent, in the coping lite...

This journal article contains a citation, biography, and selected bibliography of Puncky Paul Heppner, the 2008 recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology. An article written by Heppner is also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Twenty-five years ago, when the men's movement was in its beginning stages, O'Neil recognized the importance of understanding more about the impact of men's gender role conflict. This ensuing quarter century of research has produced a much more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of gender role conflict than we had then. In his integrative revi...

Date revised - 20091005, Language of summary - English, Number of references - 80, Pages - 68-85, ProQuest ID - 622175056, PubXState - NJ, SubjectsTermNotLitGenreText - 1916 562 6640 870 7687 7259; 4207 5733; 4208 6640 870 7687 7259; 3716; 5732 5717, Target audience - Psychology: Professional & Research, Last updated - 2012-09-10, docISBN - 9780470...

Date revised - 20080915, Language of summary - English, Number of references - 77, Pages - 231-258, ProQuest ID - 622131552, PubXState - NY, SubjectsTermNotLitGenreText - 1916 562 6640 870 7687 7259; 2002 6640 870 7687 7259; 3408; 4209; 6463 1682; 1913; 1925 6476 6058; 1929; 2000 7707; 2027; 5185, Target audience - Psychology: Professional & Resear...

The present study examined whether maladaptive perfectionism (i.e., discrepancy between expectations and performance) and length of time in the United States moderated the association between acculturative stress and depression. Data were collected through online surveys from 189 Chinese international students from China and Taiwan attending a midw...

This study used a longitudinal design to examine whether maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping served as 2 mediators of the relation between adult attachment and future depression. Data were collected from 372 undergraduates at 2 time points. Results indicated that (a) the impact of attachment on future depression was mediated through fu...

This research consisted of 3 studies, with a sample of over 3,000 Taiwanese college students, aimed at developing and validating a situation-specific Collectivist Coping Styles (CCS) inventory from an Asian perspective. The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a stable 5-factor structure of the CCS: (a) Acceptance...

The central thesis of this article is that focusing on cross-cultural competence will enhance both the science and the practice of counseling psychology. Developing cross-cultural competence is a lifelong journey, replete with many joys and challenges, that will (a) increase the sophistication of our research, (b) expand the utility and generalizab...

One mission of the International Forum section in The Counseling Psychologist is to increase the globalization of counseling psychology (Leong & Ponterotto, 2003). The goals of this study are in line with this mission: (a) to replicate U.S. counseling research on the working alliance to Taiwan by examining clients’perceptions of their counselors’ c...

Because problem-solving appraisal has been demonstrated to be a critical variable in psychological adjustment, this study examined its potential role as both a static and dynamic client attribute influencing the process and outcome of career counseling. Participants were 151 adults who received an average of five sessions of naturally occurring car...

The relations among masculine role conflict, problem-solving appraisal, and 3 aspects of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and dissatisfaction with social support) were investigated using latent variable modeling in a sample of 260 male college students. The final model indicated acceptable representation of the data and explained 35% of...

This article reviews and synthesizes more than 120 studies from 20 years (1982-2002) of research that has examined problem-solving appraisal as measured by the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI). The goals of the article are fourfold: (a) introduce the construct of problem-solving appraisal and the PSI within the applied problem-solving literature, (b...

We are very grateful for the thoughtful, scholarly, and insightful comments of the reactants and appreciate the kind words about our Major Contribution. One of the goals of the Major Contribution was to review the existing literature on problem-solving appraisal as measured by the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) (Heppner, 1988) and, subsequently, t...

Two hundred sixty African American college students attending predominantly White institutions completed the Black Student Stress Inventory (BSSI) and a measure of psychological adjustment; academic performance indices on a subsample were obtained via archival records. Principal components analysis of the BSSI yielded a three-factor solution: race-...

This study examined perceived coping (perceived problem-solving ability and progress in coping with problems) as a mediator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and psychological distress (depression, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and interpersonal problems). Survey data from 515 undergraduate students were analyzed using structural equ...

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Drinking Motives Measure (DMM) on a sample of 227 collegiate athletes. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the 4-factor structure of the DMM provided a better fit than either 2- or 1-factor models, but the overall fit of the 4-factor model was moderate at best. A revised 3-factor model...

Remarkably little is known about what underlying processes and mechanisms lead to effective change in career counseling. This article examines potential reasons why career counseling process research has been infrequently conducted and provides 10 avenues from psychotherapy process research, and the limited pool of existing career counseling proces...

Two studies examined the generalizability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; P. P. Heppner, 1988) through research with Black South African samples. Study 1 examined the generalizability of the factor structure of the PSI through confirmatory factor analysis. Study 2 examined the relationship between problem solving and psychological distress a...

Current research seems to underscore the impact of parental expectations on college students’ psychological distress. This study examined whether parental expectations or living up to parental expectations served as better predictors on Taiwanese college students’ psychological distress. Study 1 developed and validated a scale for measuring parenta...

Psychology after World War II became a science largely devoted to healing. It concentrated on repairing damage using a disease model of human functioning. This almost exclusive attention to pathology neglected the idea of a fulfilled individual and a thriving community, and it neglected the possibility that building strength is the most potent weap...

To examine the role of self-appraised problem-solving ability in the prediction of psychosocial impairment, depression, hopelessness, average pain unpleasantness, and current pain ratings among persons with chronic low-back pain. A second purpose was to enhance theoretical understanding of the mechanisms by which problem-solving appraisal influence...

This article provides a test of an application of M. Zeidner and D. Saklofske's (1996) adaptive model of coping to counseling through the development of a brief multidimensional outcome measure for psychotherapy that specifically examines clients' resolution of their presenting problems. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed 4 prima...

This study examined the effects of a 2-step practice poster session on first-year doctoral students' self-efficacy beliefs about making professional presentations, and evaluated the usefulness of an active-learning teaching assignment. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from participants after each of 2 practice poster sessions. The r...

This study commemorates the 30th anniversary of The Counseling Psychologist (TCP), the official publication of Division 17 since 1969. The investigation analyzes trends in the professional citations of the Major Contribution articles from the inception of TCP in 1969 through 1995. Results indicate (a) the impact factors and citation half-life stati...

This article describes The Counseling Psychologist’s (TCP’s) format and content, policy issues, editing experiences, and the interplay of professional and social forces during the first two editorial years of P. Paul Heppner (1997-1998). Given the real heritage of the journal and existing resources, the primary mission has been to extend the tradit...

Professional psychologists on college campuses and independent practitioners in university communities have expressed concerns that the problems of university students who seek counseling have worsened in recent years. Initial client intake data gathered from 2, 326 students during 1989 to 1995 at a large Midwestern university counseling center wer...

Professional psychologists on college campuses and independent practitioners in university communities have expressed concerns that the problems of university students who seek counseling have worsened in recent years. Initial client intake data gathered from 2,326 students during 1989 to 1995 at a large Midwestern university counseling center were...

This study examined the relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment. The study used structural equation modeling with latent variables to assess how gender-related personality traits influence aspects of psychological adjustment. Participants included 306 undergraduate and graduate students. Results indicated tha...

This study examined the relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment. The study used structural equation modeling with latent variables to assess how gender-related personality traits influence aspects of psychological adjustment. Participants included 306 undergraduate and graduate students. Results indicated tha...

Examined relations among racial identity attitudes and (a) both general and culture-specific stressors and (b) problem-focused coping styles. 90 African American college students (aged 17–39 yrs) at a predominantly White university completed the Black Racial Identity Attitudes Scale, Black Student Stress Inventory, Problem Solving Inventory, and Pr...

Investigated the role of coping strategies, perceived control, and problem-solving appraisal in farmers' career transition processes. The sample, examined previously by P. P. Heppner et al (1991), included 79 male and female farmers (aged 39.2 and 41.6, respectively) who were participating in career transition workshops. Relationships among the 3 v...

Discusses applications of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI; P. P. Heppner, 1988) in psychological health. The PSI assesses an individual's awareness and evaluation of his or her problem-solving abilities or styles. The PSI is a self-report measure, and thus assesses perceptions of problem solving as opposed to actual problem-solving skills. The P...

This study examined gender roles and gender role conflict in relation to a broad range of indices of psychological well-being in men. Eighty-eight community adult primarily white men (median age = 50) completed ten inventories assessing masculine role constructs and measures of psychological well-being. Whereas instrumentality continued to be the s...

This investigation reports the development of a multidimensional instrument of stable coping styles that focused on whether one's problem-focused coping efforts were facilitating or inhibiting progress toward resolution of a problem. Study 1 describes the steps in scale construction, including the factor analyses, normative information, and reliabi...

Much empirical research has examined the psychological well-being of individuals with varying gender role orientations. This research has typically shown masculinity to be a strong correlate of self-esteem and femininity to be relatively unrelated to self-esteem. This research has often failed to consider the relative environmental influences impac...

The authors describe a teaching activity using a poster-session format to teach first-year counseling psychology doctoral students the history of counseling. Evaluative data suggest that the format was an effective and powerful tool to teach beginning counseling psychology students the history of the profession. The implications of the evaluative f...

This study examined the role of instrumentality, expressivity, satisfaction with social support, and size of the social network in predicting problem-solving appraisal in both male and female college students. Two-hundred fifteen primarily white undergraduates (137 female, 78 male) completed the Problem Solving Inventory, Social Support Inventory,...

15 yrs of research on gender role conflict indicate it has been a fruitful construct in counseling psychology. G. E. Good, J. M. Robertson, J. M. O'Neil, L. F. Fitzgerald, M. Stevens, K. A. Debord, K. M. Bartels, and D. B. Braverman (1995) and R. J. Cournoyer and J. R. Mahalik (1995) add to the empirical knowledge and are certain to stimulate think...

Norman C. Gysbers has been a major contributor to the field of counseling and guidance for more than 30 years, not only through scholarship, but also through leadership. Gysbers is best known for his work in comprehensive school guidance and for his many national leadership positions. In this article, he discusses both his life and the evolution of...

This article describes an assignment using oral history readings to teach the history of counseling and counseling psychology. Student feedback and outcomes are discussed, as well as future research directions.

A multivariate categorization scheme for classifying clients' presenting problems was empirically developed. 611 clients who sought services at a university counseling center completed the Computerized Assessment System for Psychotherapy Evaluation and Research (L. McCullough and A. D. Farrell, 1983). Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, clust...