Browsing by Author "Fischer, Ian C."

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    Examining Cross-Cultural Relationships Between Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being in Turkey and the United States
    (Springer, 2021-03) Fischer, Ian C.; Secinti, Ekin; Cemalcilar, Zeynep; Rand, Kevin L.; Psychology, School of Science
    This study explored the extent to which meaning in life (i.e., presence and search) relates to different aspects of psychological well-being in American and Turkish students. It also assessed whether presence of meaning moderated the relationship between search for meaning and psychological well-being. American (N =377) and Turkish (N =225) undergraduates completed demographics and self-report measures. Simple and moderated moderation analyses were conducted. In both samples, presence and search were negatively associated. In addition, presence of meaning was positively associated with measures of psychological well-being, while search was negatively associated. Presence of meaning buffered the relationship between search for meaning and psychological well-being, but only in the Turkish sample. American and Turkish undergraduates may typically search for meaning when presence of meaning is low. Presence of meaning appears to be adaptive across these two cultures, whereas search for meaning appears to be culturally-specific and may produce differential effects on psychological well-being.
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    Examining the associations between PTSD symptom clusters and alcohol-related problems in a sample of low-SES treatment-seeking Black/African American adults
    (Elsevier, 2022) Fischer, Ian C.; Bennett, Melanie E.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Kok, Brian C.; Roche, Daniel J.O.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) often co-occur. This comorbidity negatively influences treatment outcomes, functioning, and quality of life. To better understand the relation between PTSD and AUD, research has begun to examine the influence of PTSD symptom clusters on alcohol-related problems. The current study is the first to analyze the associations between PTSD symptom clusters and alcohol consumption and AUD symptom severity in a treatment-seeking sample of Black/African American (AA) adults with co-occurring AUD and PTSD symptoms. Examination of these associations may help to facilitate greater recovery in this underserved population by identifying more precise targets for treatment. PTSD symptom clusters were identified from both the current 4-factor model identified in the DSM-5 and from a recently proposed 7-factor model. Participants were Black/AA adults (50.6% male) who endorsed trauma exposure and were seeking treatment for alcohol misuse. The majority (66%) were unemployed and almost half (45%) reported an income at or lower than $20,000. In the 4-factor model, results showed Cluster D symptoms of PTSD (i.e., negative alterations in cognitions and mood) were independently associated with alcohol consequences. Use of the 7-factor model, which divides Cluster D into symptoms of negative affect and anhedonia, further demonstrated that only anhedonic symptoms were independently associated with alcohol consequences. No symptom clusters were uniquely associated with alcohol consumption. Results suggest the absence of positive emotions, rather than the presence of negative emotions, are primarily associated with alcohol-related problems in a sample of trauma-exposed, Black/AA adults seeking treatment for alcohol misuse.
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    Hope and Optimism as Predictors of Academic Performance and Subjective Well-Being in College Students
    (Elsevier, 2020-07) Rand, Kevin L.; Shanahan, Mackenzie L.; Fischer, Ian C.; Fortney, Sarah K.; Psychology, School of Science
    Objective Snyder's (1994) hope and Scheier and Carver's (1985) optimism have been shown to independently predict academic performance and changes in subjective well-being. This study seeks to clarify their unique associations. Method An undergraduate class (N = 334, 59.6% female, 75.7% Caucasian, M = 19.89 years) was studied at two time points in a semester. Students predicted their expected grade in the course and completed measures of hope, optimism, and subjective well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) the first week of classes. The final week of classes, students completed subjective well-being measures and final grades were obtained from the instructor. Results Path analysis showed that hope, but not optimism, predicted grade expectancy. Grade expectancy, in turn, predicted final grades, even after controlling for previous academic achievement. Hope did not directly predict final course grade, but had a significant indirect effect through grade expectancy. Path analysis showed that hope significantly predicted increases in positive affect and life satisfaction over the semester; whereas, optimism predicted decreases in negative affect. Conclusion These findings extend previous research demonstrating that hope and optimism, while conceptually similar, have differential longitudinal associations with academic performance and subjective well-being among college students. Implications for screening for at-risk college students and employing targeted interventions are discussed.
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    Hope, Optimism, and Affect as Predictors and Consequences of Expectancies: The Potential Moderating Roles of Perceived Control and Success
    (Elsevier, 2020) Shanahan, Mackenzie L.; Fischer, Ian C.; Rand, Kevin L.; Psychology, School of Science
    Hope and optimism may be differentially influential depending on the situational context. This study sought to (1) experimentally test whether hope and optimism differentially predict specific expectancies in controllable versus uncontrollable situations and (2) examine the relative impact of specific expectancies on affect when desired outcomes are (or are not) achieved. A 2 × 2 independent samples design was used to experimentally manipulate perceived control and situational outcome (i.e., success or failure). Online participants (N = 571) completed self-report measures of hope and optimism before being randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions. Results showed that hope, but not optimism, predicted specific expectancies in the perceived control condition. Conversely, optimism, but not hope, predicted specific expectancies in the no perceived control condition. More optimistic specific expectancies of success predicted greater positive affect regardless of success or failure outcome.
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    “If your feelings were hurt, I’m sorry…”: How Third-Year Medical Students Observe, Learn From, and Engage in Apologies
    (Springer, 2021) Fischer, Ian C.; Frankel, Richard M.; Psychology, School of Science
    Background: Apologies may play a significant role in medical care, especially in the context of patient safety, medical error disclosure, and malpractice. Studies have shown that when state laws, institutional policies, and individual skills align-including the ability to offer a sincere apology-patients and families benefit. However, little is known about how, and under what conditions, physicians offer apologies in day-to-day care. Even less is known about what medical students learn about apologies from observing their superiors in these settings. Objective: Characterize third-year medical students' experiences of observing and engaging in apologies. Design: Qualitative descriptive analysis of student professionalism narratives. Participants: Third-year medical students at Indiana University School of Medicine. Approach: A search of 7,384 unique narratives yielded 238 with apologies. A rubric based on four key elements of genuine apologies ((1) acknowledgement, (2) explanation, (3) regret/remorse, and (4) reparation) was used to classify the kind of apology offered. Apology completeness, impact, and timing were also coded. Key results: Seventeen percent of all apologies were complete (i.e., contained all four elements). Over 40% were coded as incomplete or "non-apology" apologies (i.e., those with only the first two elements). A significant relationship between apology completeness and positive student experience was found. Most apologies were offered by the attending physician or resident to patients and family members. Students were generally positive about their experiences, but one in five were coded as negative. Some students were distressed enough to offer apologies on behalf of the faculty. Apology timing did not make a significant difference in terms of student experience. Conclusions: Few education programs target apologies in the context of routine practice. With little formal instruction, students may rely on adopting what their seniors do. Faculty have an important role to play in modeling the apology process when harms-both great and small-occur.
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    Posttraumatic Stress and Depressive Symptoms and Symptom Clusters in US Military Personnel: The Longitudinal Effects of General Self-Efficacy and Meaning in Life
    (2022-08) Fischer, Ian C.; Rand, Kevin L; Davis, Louanne W; Cyders, Melissa A; Salyers, Michelle P
    US military personnel often experience ongoing distress after being exposed to traumatic events, and many develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both general theories of stress and coping and cognitive theories of PTSD suggest that traumatic events give rise to distress by negatively influencing important beliefs and goals related to the self, other people, and the world. According to these theories, more positive belief- and goal-systems are associated with less severe symptoms of distress. Two constructs that tap into these systems are general self-efficacy and subjective meaning in life. The overall goal of the current study was to examine the ways general self-efficacy and subjective meaning in life relate to posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters in US military personnel, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Data from a VA-funded intervention study (n = 191) were examined. Results demonstrated that meaning in life is consistently associated with posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters cross-sectionally, whereas general self-efficacy is only associated with some aspects of depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analyses further revealed that meaning in life is associated with the Cluster D symptoms of PTSD and the cognitive-affective symptoms of depression. Interpretations, possible explanations, implications, and future directions are provided. Continued research in this area may identify important targets for treatment that enhance ongoing efforts to facilitate recovery from trauma.