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Development and psychometric validation of a Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure (DV-CSE)

DOI:10.1007/s10960-004-5799-3
Authors:
Charles C Benight at University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Charles C Benight
Alexandra S Harding-Taylor
Alexandra S Harding-Taylor
Alexandra S Harding-Taylor
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Amanda M Midboe at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Amanda M Midboe
Robert Durham at University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Robert Durham
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Abstract

Psychometric properties of a Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure were examined. Two-hundred eighty three women assaulted within the past 6 months were recruited. Internal reliability of the measure was very good (alpha = .97). Principle components factor analysis indicated one primary factor accounting for 56% of the variance. The measure was positively associated with optimism, adaptive coping, and healthy psychological functioning, and negatively associated with trauma-related distress, negative mood, and maladaptive coping. A small positive association with social desirability was found. This measure may have significant clinical utility in helping survivors by indicating areas where individuals feel especially vulnerable or empowered.
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Journal
of
Traumatic
Stress.
Vol.
17,
No.
6,
December
2004,
pp.
505-508
(8
2004)
Dot:
I0.1OO7/~10%0-OO4-57~-3
Development and Psychometric Validation
of
a Domestic
Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure (DV-CSE)
Charles C. Benight,l** Alexandra
S.
Harding-Taylor,l Amanda
M.
Midboe,'
and
Robert
L.
Durham'
Psychometric properties of a Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efficacy Measure were examined.
lbo-
hundred eighty
three
women assaulted within the past
6
months were recruited. Internal reliability of
the measure was very
good
(a
=
.97).
Principle components factor analysis indicated one primary
factor accounting for
56%
of
the variance. The measure was positively associated with optimism,
adaptive coping, and healthy psychological functioning, and negatively associated with trauma-related
distress,
negative mood, and maladaptive coping.
A
small positive association with social desirability
was found.
This
measure may have significant clinical utility in helping survivors by indicating areas
where individuals
feel
especially vulnerable
or
empowered.
KEY
WORDS:
domestic violence; self-efficacy; resilience; coping: trauma.
Domestic violence coping self-efficacy (CSE) is the
perceived capability to manage posttraumatic recovery
demands. During posttraumatic recovery, CSE has consis-
tently predicted posttraumatic symptoms (Benight et al.,
1997, 1999,
2000,
Benight
&
Bandura, 2004; Benight,
Flores,
&
Tashiro. 2001; Benight
&
Harper, 2002;
Benight, Swift, Sanger, Smith,
&
Zeppelin, 1999; Lerner
&
Kennedy,
2000,
Solomon, Weisenberg, Schwarzwald,
&
Mikulincer, 1988) and positively correlated with opti-
mism and well-being (Benight, Swift, et
al.,
1999; Benight
et al., 2001). Domestic violence CSE provides a di-
rect measure of self-schemas related to abuse recovery.
Negative cognitive schemas have been associated with
PTSD symptoms in domestic violence survivors (Dutton,
Burghardt, Pemn, Chrestman,
&
Halle,
1994).
Lerner and
Kennedy (2000) found self-efficacy for leaving the abuser
to
be
a strong predictor of successful leaving, however
'~epartment of ~sych~~ogy,
University
of
~010rad0
at
colorado
Springs,
Colorado
Springs,
Colorado.
2To
whom correspondence
should
be.
addressed
at
Department of
Psychology, University of
Colorado
at
Colorado
Springs.
1420
Austin
Bluffs
Parkway,
Po
Box
7150,
Colorado
Springs,
Colorado
80933-
7
150 e-mail: be.night@mail.uccs.edu.
their efficacy measure did not assess the demands
asso-
ciated with recent abuse recovery. This study attempted
to
fill this void by evaluating a domestic violence CSE
measure anchored in assault recovery demands. This di-
rect measure of cognitive self-schema provides targets for
clinical intervention. Internal reliability, factor structure,
and convergent validity were assessed.
Method
DVCSE Measurement Development
Two focus groups (10 domestic violence advocates
and
10
female survivors of a recent attack) were held sep
arately in order to develop a context-specific Domestic
Violence Coping Self-Efficacy measure (DVCSE). Indi-
viduals answered questions regarding the demands (phys-
ical, financialfiegal, emotional, interpersonal, and
spiri-
tual) faced by survivors during the first
6
months following
an attack. Initially 78 items were generated. Items deemed
redundant were deleted, resulting in a 50-item question-
naire.
A
sample of 283 women seeking assistance for
domestic violence answered the items by using a scale of
505
0894-9867104/12000505/l
0
2004
Springer
kience+Busineu
Media.
IK.
Benight,
Hanling-Taylor,
Midboe,
and
Durham
Ofnot
at all capable)
to
100
(totally capable).
A
copy of
the
complete measure is available from the first author.
Participants
Data were collected from a sample of 283 women
who reported that they had experienced a domestic assault
within the past 6 months. The 6-month cutoff was used to
measure CSE for recovery from a recent attack. Only the
first 89 women were paid $20 for their time because of
funding limitations. There were no differences between
the compensated
or
noncompensated groups on any of
our measures. Mean age of the sample was 33.4 years
(SD
=
8.6). The sample was relatively diverse with 71%
Caucasian, 12% African American, 7% Hispanic, 4%
Native American, 2% Asian American, and 4% other.
Median income level was less than
$lO,OOO.
Fifty-three
percent reported high school education
or
less. Concern-
ing marital status, 48% were separated, 39% indicated an
unspecified
living situation, and
5%
reported living with
their partner. The unspecified group may
be
due to the
difficulty in deciding to leave the abuser. The severity of
the most recent abuse was reported on average as moder-
ate
(M
=
6.07.
SD
=
2.49;
10
=
severe abuse).
Approxi-
mately a third sought emergency care following the attack.
Measures
The Life Orientation Test
(LOT)
measured dispo-
sitional optimism (Scheier
&
Carver, 1985). The Short
Psychological Well-Being Scale
(SPWB)
is an 84-item
measure of autonomy, environmental mastery, personal
growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and
self-acceptance (Ryff, 1989). The COPE measures 14 dif-
ferent coping subscales combined into four coping styles
(active, social support seeking, acceptance, and giving-
up; Carver, Scheier,& Weintraub, 1989). The 37 item
Short Form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF)
measures current mood (Curran, Andrykowski,
&
Studts,
1995). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is a
22-item scale of posttraumatic stress symptoms (Weiss
&
Marmar, 1997). The Marlowe43owne Social Desirability
scale (MCSD) consists of 33 items (Crowne
&
Marlowe,
1960).
Procedure
Participants were recruited through the local
Do-
mestic Violence (DV) Center and Safe House. Partici-
pants were included
if
they had experienced abuse within
the past
6
months. The questionnaire information was
included in the intake paperwork
for
all
survivors at
both locations. Informed consent was obtained from all
participants.
No
information was gathered on individ-
uals who declined participation due to confidentiality
concerns. The first
89
participants completed all of the
measures taking approximately 45 min to complete.
An
additional 194 participants completed only the DVCSE
and demographics taking approximately
10
min to fin-
ish. Counseling resources were provided through the Safe
House and the DV Center. No information was col-
lected on how many of the participants sought coun-
seling. The study was conducted in accordance with
the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological
Association.
ReSUltS
The DVCSE mean was 58.1
(SD
=
22.5) out of
a possible
100,
suggesting moderate levels of perceived
CSE. Table
1
documents the mean average responses per
item. The lowest perceived CSE was related to trust and
abandonment concerns (Items 2 and 22), and the high-
est CSE perceptions related to managing spiritual issues
and dealing with appearance since the latest attack (Items
21 and 23). Each item demonstrated good variability of
responses.
An
exploratory factor analysis for quantitative item
deletion was used to eliminate
poor
items. Items with
factor loadings
of
<.40 were deleted. Thirty items were
retained for the final measure.
See
Table I for item
content. Items were summed to get a total score of
DVCSE.
The Principle Components Factor Analysis con-
ducted on the 30-item final version of the DVCSE indi-
cated one primary factor (eigenvalue
=
16.82) accounting
for 56% of the variance. The factor loadings were all very
good ranging from .52 to .85. Table I depicts the item to to-
tal
correlations, Cronbach’s alpha with each item deleted,
and factor loadings. The internal reliability of the DVCSE
was excellent
(a!
=
.97). Table 2 depicts the means and
standard deviations for the main study variables
as
well
as
bivariate correlations between DVCSE and theoreti-
cally relevant constructs. In support of convergent validity,
the DVCSE was positively associated with optimism, ac-
tive coping, acceptance coping, and healthy psychological
functioning; and
was
negatively associated with trauma-
related distress, negative mood, and giving-up coping. A
modest positive association with social desirability was
found.
Domestic
Violence
Coping
Self-Efficacy
507
Table
1.
Item Analysis and Internal Reliability for the Domestic Violence Coping Self-Efticacy Measure
(N
=
283)
Item
iY
Item-total Without Factor
M
SD
r
item loading
1.
Feeling
good
about myself, since the most recent assault.
2.
Managing feelings
of
grief,
loss,
and abandonment after the latest attack.
3.
Managing
my
housing, food. clothes, and medical needs. since the
most
recent
assault.
4.
Managing feelings
of
depression and/or suicidal thoughts, since my partner attacked me.
5.
Handling feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, since the most recent assault.
6.
Controlling thoughts that
I
am going crazy, since my latest
awult.
7.
Managing my feelings of guilt and self-blame about the abuse.
8.
Handling fears of being alone after the latest assault.
9.
Handling feelings of angedraga at my partner. since the most recent assault.
10.
Managing my desire to have closure of my relationship with the
abuser.
11.
Controlling feelings
of
anxiety and panic after the latest assault.
12.
Coping with loneliness and isolation, since the most rexent assault.
13.
Dealing with nightmareslflashbacks concerning the latest assault.
14.
Thinking that
I
am
a competent woman. since the most recent assault.
15.
Dealings with feelings of shame concerning the abuse.
16.
Coping with feeling completely overwhelmed with everything, since the most recent assault.
17.
Being able to concentrate and effectively handle my home, and parenting responsibilities.
18.
Dealing with anxiety about the future without my partner.
19.
Controlling thoughts that
"I
just can't handle this."
20.
Being strong emotionally for my family and friends.
21.
Managing my own spiritual pain, since
the
most recent assault.
22.
Trusting anyone.
23.
Coping with my appearance, since the most recent assault.
24.
Dealing with feelings of sadness.
25.
Controlling negative thoughts about myself (fe.g.,
"I
am stupid,"
"I
am to blame,"
"I
am a loser.")
26.
Coping with the
loss
of the
"good"
aspects of my relationship with the man who assaulted me.
27.
Coping with the feelings that family and friends
just
don't understand.
28.
Handling feelings of embarrassment.
29.
Dealing with rejection from others, since the latest attack.
30.
Handling feelings of inadequacy.
52.0 27.9
49.3 28.4
58.2 31.8
59.5 29.9
52.1 28.6
65.2 30.6
60.2
30.9
53.8 31.0
62.1 28.1
63.6 31.0
56.9 29.1
53.8 29.7
59.4 30.9
60.5 30.5
61.4
30.4
51.3 29.7
59.8 29.7
60.2 32.4
57.9
30.2
61.8
29.1
6.5.5
28.8
41.8
30.7
64.4
30.6
51.4
29.1
S8.6 33.2
58.0 31.0
63.5 31.4
61.6
31.2
61.3
30.8
S7.7 29.7
.72
.73
.55
.69
.83
.72
.73
.73
.64
.65
.74
.s
I
.63
.84
.73
.82
.79
.67
33
.79
.5
1
.6f
.82
.77
.72
.7
I
.74
.?3
.80
.m
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
97
.97
.97
97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.Yl
.Y7
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.97
.74
.75
.57
.72
.84
.75
.75
.75
.66
.67
.76
.83
.65
.85
.76
.84
.8
I
.70
s4
.Q
I
.70
.53
.65
.83
.79
.74
.73
.76
.75
.8
1
Table
2.
Means,
Standard
Deviations, and Bivariate Correlations
of Study Variables
Discussion
~ ~ ~~ ~
DVCSE
M
SD
r
n
DVCSE
1742.9 675.4
1.00
233
LOT
22.0
5.7
0.58" 89
SPWB
Autonomy
53.4 12.4 0.51*** 88
Personal growth
66.2
10.6 0.49** 87
Positive relations with
others
57.0 13.5
0.48" 87
Purpose
in life
58.33
13.5 0.63" 85
Self-acceptance
48.9
14.3
0.71"
85
Environmental mastery
53.4
12.4 0.69" 86
Active
30.3 5.9 0.26:
84
Social support seeking
24.4 5.4
0.10
86
Acceptance
10.8 3.8 0.52** 85
COPE
Giving up
15.1 4.3 -0.53'* 85
POMS total distress score
80.9 30.3
-0.67'.
87
IES-R
59.2 24.9 -0.59** 82
MCSD
50.6 5.8
0.25**
88
Nore.
DVCSE
=
Domestic Violence Coping Self-Eficacy, LOT
=
Life Orientation Test, SPWB
=
Short
Psychological Well-Being Scale,
COPE
=
Coping Styles Measure, POMS
=
Profile of Mood States,
IES-R
=
Impact of Event Scale-Revised, MCSD
=
Marlowe Crowne
Social Desirability Scale
*p
c
.05
(two-tailed).
* *
p
<
.01
(two-tailed)
Results provide psychometric support
for
the
DVCSE measure. Factor analysis tindings indicate that
this measure is tapping a unidimensional construct. Fac-
tor
loadings are high suggesting strong theoretical cohe-
sion among variables. Internal consistency is superior. The
DVCSE measure is correlating as expected with
theoret-
ically relevant constructs supporting convergent validity.
The DVCSE measure is sharing a maximum
50%
of
the
variance with the most conceptually similar measures sug-
gesting the DVCSE is conceptually distinct. The lack
of
relationship between DVCSE and social support coping
may be because most
of
the DVCE items are intrapersonal
in
nature. Results have limited generalizability. Future
research
with
survivors
not
seeking assistance is needed.
The DVCSE measures
30
critical recovery demands rang-
ing from specific behavioral actions (dealing with the legal
system) to emotionally based recovery (managing feel-
ings
of
grief,
loss,
and abandonment), providing targets
for
clinical intervention. Interventions that
focus
on
in-
creasing
CSE
perceptions (e.g., cognitive behavioral treat-
ment) should increase perceived mastery over recovery
Benight,
Harding-Thylor,
Midboe,
and
Durham
demands facilitating effective coping, reduced distress,
and improved psychological adjustment.
Acknowledgment
This
work was supported
through
the
Colorado
Springs Police Department: Domestic Violence Enhanced
Response Team.
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Article
  • Mar 2019
Dissociation is a lack of information integration resulting from a process that ranges on a continuum from normative experiences (e.g., daydreaming) to a pervasive traumatic response involving alterations and/or fragmentation in mental processes such as memory, emotion, and perception. Perceived coping self-efficacy (CSE) is a cognitive appraisal ability utilized to regulate internal and external stressors that arise from traumatic events, and is crucial for effective adaptation after extreme stress or trauma. Thus, CSE may be a critical component in decreasing dissociative experiences following a traumatic event. In the present study, 136 undergraduate students (M age = 22.36 years, SD = 6.27; 81% female, 69.1% Caucasian, 77.2% attended some college) completed self-report measures of trauma, dissociation, and coping self-efficacy. All measures were completed by the same participants at two different time points (Time 1 and Time 2) two months apart; all participants reported a history of exposure to at least one Criterion A traumatic event (according to the DSM-5) at Time 1. We hypothesized that CSE for posttraumatic coping demands at Time 2 would mediate the relationship between dissociation at Time 1 and dissociation at Time 2, and subsequently found evidence of significant mediation, 95% CI [.02, .18]. These findings suggest that initial levels of persistent dissociation negatively predict CSE, which in turn directly and negatively influence persistent dissociation at a later time point. This highlights how CSE may serve as a protective factor against persistent dissociation.
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Big ideas series: self-regulation shift theory: trauma, suicide, and violence
Article
Background: Traumatic stress, suicide, and impulsive violence arguably are three of the most consequential problems facing societies today. Self-regulation shift theory is introduced to capture the underlying coping dynamics involved in these three grave challenges. Objectives: Self-regulation shift theory, based in a nonlinear dynamical systems framework, focuses on critical psychological self-regulation thresholds and the role of cognitive self-appraisals in human adaptation to help understand these three significant societal challenges. Methods: This essay reviews existing evidence within the posttraumatic adaptation process utilizing SRST for understanding dynamic self-regulation. This is followed by integrating SRST within existing current theoretical models for suicidal behaviors and violent outbursts. Conclusions: The essay concludes with methodological suggestions for future research applying SRST and how this research offers important opportunities to develop early warning systems that promote hope when hope seems impossible.
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Self-efficacy and humanitarian aid workers
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2021
As a result of frequent exposure to trauma, aid workers are at high risk for negative psychological symptoms. Training specifically geared at fostering critical incident self-efficacy in humanitarian aid workers may bolster critical incident self-efficacy as well as general self-efficacy as they relate to experiences of traumatic symptomatology and resilience. Sixty-three aid workers completed questionnaires regarding efficacy, resilience, coping, and posttraumatic stress symptomatology at baseline, and 46 aid workers completed the same measures after the training workshop. Multiple regression analysis indicated that higher levels of self-efficacy related to higher resilience levels. General self-efficacy and critical incident coping self-efficacy (CICSE) were stronger after the training, even when controlling for histories of trauma. Histories of trauma contributed significant variance to CICSE before the training but were insignificant after the training. These findings suggest that aid organizations can support their workers by providing training that promotes resilience through enhancing efficacies.
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Cognitive factors and resilience: how self-efficacy contributes to coping with adversities
Chapter
  • Aug 2011
Humans are remarkably resilient in the face of crises, traumas, disabilities, attachment losses and ongoing adversities. To date, most research in the field of traumatic stress has focused on neurobiological, psychological and social factors associated with trauma-related psychopathology and deficits in psychosocial functioning. Far less is known about resilience to stress and healthy adaptation to stress and trauma. This book brings together experts from a broad array of scientific fields whose research has focused on adaptive responses to stress. Each of the five sections in the book examines the relevant concepts, spanning from factors that contribute to and promote resilience, to populations and societal systems in which resilience is employed, to specific applications and contexts of resilience and interventions designed to better enhance resilience. This will be suitable for clinicians and researchers who are interested in resilience across the lifespan and in response to a wide variety of stressors.
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Sexual Violence and Psychological Distress: The Roles of Coping Self-Efficacy, Self-Blame, Shame, Activism, and Feminism
Article
Full-text available
In the current study, we investigated potential direct and indirect effects of exposure to sexual violence on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and depression, and anti-sexual activism and feminist identification as moderators of these effects, among a sample of 440 United States women who had experienced sexual assault in adulthood. We found that sexual violence exposure was both directly and indirectly related to PTSD symptom severity via less trauma coping self-efficacy, greater behavioral and characterological self-blame, and more shame. Sexual violence exposure was also indirectly related to depression via the same explanatory variables, except for behavioral self-blame. Contrary to our hypotheses, results indicated that involvement in anti-sexual activism and feminist identification did not buffer the direct and indirect links between exposure to sexual violence and PTSD symptom severity and depression. However, we found that involvement in anti-sexual assault activism was associated with greater coping self-efficacy and higher depression, and feminist identification was associated with less self-blame and shame. Results from this study may inform clinical interventions for survivors of sexual violence and improve overall care for this population.
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Hope, optimism, self‐efficacy, and posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta‐analytic review of the protective effects of positive expectancies
Article
  • Nov 2019
Objective: The present meta-analysis consolidated research examining how positive expectancies (e.g., hope, self-efficacy, and optimism) may protect against the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Articles were identified by searching PILOTS, PsycINFO, PubMed, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses databases. Results: Aggregated results from 154 studies indicated that positive expectancies were associated with lower levels of PTSD symptoms. This relationship was stronger for coping-specific self-efficacy (k = 38, r = -.49; -.54 to -.43) and hope (k = 20, r = -.34; -.39 to -.28) compared with general self-efficacy (k = 45, r = -.25; -.30 to -.20) and optimism (k = 59, r = -.29; -.33 to -.25) when examining cross-sectional studies, and results were consistent in prospective studies. Age and gender did not moderate the cross-sectional relationships. Conclusions: These findings indicate that positive expectancies predict post-trauma resilience. Future research should identify moderators and examine positive expectancies as mechanisms of change in therapy.
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Self-Regulation Shift Theory: A Dynamic Personal Agency Approach to Recovery Capital and Methodological Suggestions
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2018
Recovery capital highlights person and environmental resources associated with overcoming significant life challenges. This paper utilizes social cognitive theory as a framework for understanding how recovery capital functions in trauma adaptation. This theory outlines the bidirectional, dynamic interactions among person (e.g., cognitive and affective), behavioral (e.g., problem focused coping), and environmental variables (i.e., triadic reciprocal determinism). The value of this approach to understanding human adaptation to trauma is that it targets the self-regulatory processes that unfold for trauma survivors as they attempt to put their lives back together. Self-regulation shift theory (SRST), as an extension to social cognitive theory, is offered to explain how self-regulation is involved in both positive and negative adjustment. The theory uses a dynamical systems approach and highlights the mechanisms related to non-linear shifts in both positive and negative trauma recovery. According to SRST, trauma recovery may not be linear with threshold shifts (i.e., bifurcations) from one organized state (broken self) to another (empowered self). Coping self-efficacy perceptions are a critical factor influencing these threshold shifts. This paper concludes with a brief review of study designs and analytic procedures that can facilitate the application of non-linear dynamic research in this area.
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Kadına Psikolojik Eziyet Envanteri Kısa Formu Türkçe Uyarlaması [Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory Short Form - Turkish adaptation]
Article
  • Nov 2017
Objective: This study aims to adapt a short form of Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (Tolman 1989) to Turkish and to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish short form. Method: Participants were 852 women between the ages of 23-55 (32.12±10.97 years), who were either married (48%) or in a romantic relationship (47%) during data collection. The questionnaire was comprised of Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI), Submissive Acts Scale (SAS) and demographic information form. Principal Components Analysis was used for confirmatory construct validity, and Pearson correlation coefficients between SAS and PMWI total scores were calculated for discriminatory validity. Cronbach-Alpha internal consistency coefficients and split-half reliability were measured to establish internal consistency. Results: The three-factor (Restriction/Blaming/Threat; EmotionalVerbal Violence; Responsibility) structure explained 64.3% of variance. Internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach-Alpha) was found to be .93; split half reliability was found to be .90 and .87 for the first and second halves, respectively, and the correlation between the two halves were found to be .71. Conclusion: The Turkish short form of Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory is a valid and reliable tool to measure psychological maltreatment experienced by married women, or women in romantic relationships.
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Combat Stress Reaction and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as Determinants of Perceived Self-Efficacy in Battle
Article
Full-text available
This study assessed the extent to which perceived self-efficacy (PSE) to function in battle was related to combat stress reaction (CSR) and to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Frontline soldiers who were treated for CSR during the 1982 war in Lebanon (F-group) were compared with a matched control group of soldiers who participated in the same battles but did not reveal overt signs of CSR (C-1), and to a second control group of soldiers who were combat-alerted but did not actively participate in battle (C-2). All subjects responded to a series of questionnaires assessing PSE, PTSD, and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) one year following the war. Results indicated a lower level of combat PSE for the F-group compared to the C-1 and C-2 groups. Analysis of PSE by current PTSD status produced an interaction between PTSD and study group. Only soldiers in the F-group diagnosed as PTSD reported a low level of PSE. The remaining soldiers did not differ regardless of PTSD status. A similar interaction was obtai...
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Effects of Combat Stress Reaction and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Perceived Self-Efficacy in Battle
Article
Full-text available
Examined the long-term effects of combat stress reaction (CSR) and ongoing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on perceived self-efficacy (PSE) in battle. PSE and PTSD were assessed annually for 3 yrs following the 1982 Lebanon War in 213 soldiers who had been diagnosed as suffering from CSR and in 116 soldiers who participated in the same battles but suffered no breakdown. Low levels of PSE associated with battle experience were maintained for 3 yrs following the war, supporting a notion of continuing residual trauma. CSR had pervasive negative impact across multiple aspects of PSE, whereas the impact of PTSD was limited. Changes in PTSD were independent of changes in PSE. A 2-phased model is introduced involving the wartime crystallization of these perceptions when CSR is inappropriately treated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
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Short form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF): Psychometric information
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 1995
The Profile of Mood States (POMS; P. M. McNair et al, 1981) is a commonly used measure of psychological distress. The length of this scale (65 items) may limit its use with physically ill or otherwise impaired populations or prevent its inclusion in multiinstrument assessment protocols. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a shorter, 37-item version of the POMS developed by S. Shacham (1983; POMS-SF). Data were provided by 600 respondents representing five different clinical samples and one sample of healthy adults. For all samples, internal consistency estimates for the POMS-SF subscales were very comparable to those for the original POMS. Furthermore, correlations between total mood disturbance and subscale scores on the POMS-SF and those from the original POMS all exceeded .95. The POMS-SF is considered an excellent alternative to the original POMS when a brief measure of psychological distress is desired. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Battered women's cognitive schemata
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 1994
This study examined battered women's cognitive schema in relation to their cognitions about violence (i.e., the meaning attached to the violence), post-traumatic reactions to violence, and sexual victimization histories. Seventy-two battered women seeking help from an outpatient family violence clinic were subjects. The meaning of the violence (e.g., expectations of recurrent violence and of severe/lethal violence, causal attribution) was found to explain variance in cognitive schemata about SAFETY, SELF, AND OTHER (McCann and Pearlman, 1990a). All measures of cognitive schemata were significantly related to various global and specific measures of posttraumatic stress (GSI, MMPI-PTSD, IES). No differences were found for cognitive schemata based on histories of sexual victimization. Results point to the importance of assessing the impact of traumatic experiences on core cognitive beliefs as a component in the constellation of post-traumatic sequelae.
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Coping self-efficacy buffers psychological and physiological disturbances in HIV-infected men following a natural disaster.
Article
  • May 1997
The importance of coping self-efficacy (CSE) appraisals on psychological and physiological functioning for HIV seropositive patients facing a severe environmental stressor was tested comparing 37 HIV-infected gay men and 42 healthy male control participants following Hurricane Andrew. Results suggested that greater levels of CSE were related to lower emotional distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in both groups. In addition, greater CSE was associated with lower norepinephrine to cortisol ratios in the HIV group but not in the healthy control group. Results are discussed in relation to the coping process for HIV-infected individuals specifically and chronically ill populations in general who face severe environmental stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Conservation of resources and coping self-efficacy predicting distress following a natural disaster: A causal model analysis where the environment meets the mind
Article
  • Jan 1999
Disaster research has increasingly examined how personal characteristics mediate emotional recovery following disaster exposure. We investigated the importance of lost resources, coping self-efficacy, and coping behavior as important variables in acute disaster reaction and medium range disaster recovery following Hurricane Andrew. One hundred and eighty participants living in southern Dade county completed the initial phase of the study (1–4 months post-hurricane), with 135 individuals completing the second wave (8–12 months post-hurricane). Results confirmed that lost resources, coping self-efficacy, and coping behavior are important in understanding psychological reactivity following a natural disaster. These variables together provided the best fitted causal model for describing psychological reactions to the hurricane over time. Results are discussed in relation to how coping self-efficacy may serve as an important intra-personal factor that mediates how lost resources are managed and how effective coping ensues. Implications for clinical interventions are also addressed.
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Coping Self-Efficacy Buffers Psychological and Physiological Disturbances in HIV-Infected Men Following a Natural Disaster
Article
  • May 1997
The importance of coping self-efficacy (CSE) appraisals on psychological and physiological functioning for HIV seropositive patients facing a severe environmental stressor was tested comparing 37 HIV-infected gay men and 42 healthy male control participants following Hurricane Andrew. Results suggested that greater levels of CSE were related to lower emotional distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in both groups. In addition, greater CSE was associated with lower norepinephrine to cortisol ratios in the HIV group but not in the healthy control group. Results are discussed in relation to the coping process for HIV-infected individuals specifically and chronically ill populations in general who face severe environmental stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Happiness is everything, or is it? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081
Article
  • Dec 1989
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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