Browsing by Subject "Hope"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
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    Differential Relationships of Hope and Optimism with Adjustment in Breast Cancer Patients
    (2012-03-20) Rock, Emily E.; Rand, Kevin L.; Stewart, Jesse C.; McGrew, John H., 1953-
    Psychological and marital adjustment are two important outcomes for patients with breast cancer. Personality traits, such as hope and optimism, may influence adjustment to adversity. It was hypothesized that patient and partner hope and optimism would differentially predict patient marital and psychological adjustment. Measured variable path analysis with 56 patient-partner dyads found that patient and partner hope equally predict patient marital adjustment, while there was a trend for patient optimism predicting patient psychological adjustment. These results suggest that hope and optimism differentially predict adjustment outcomes, and that the partner also has a role in the patients’ adjustment. Regression analyses were used to examine the hypothesis that discrepancies in patient and partner personality would result in maladjustment. No interaction effects were found predicting patient psychological adjustment. Three out of six interactions were found for patient marital adjustment. These analyses suggest that complementary personality styles among couples coping with breast cancer may result in optimal patient marital adjustment.
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    Dyadic influence of hope and optimism on patient marital satisfaction among couples with advanced breast cancer
    (Springer, 2014-09) Rock, Emily E.; Steiner, Jennifer L.; Rand, Kevin L.; Bigatti, Silvia M.; Department of Psychology, School of Science
    PURPOSE: An estimated 10-40 % of breast cancer (BC) patients report negative changes to their partnered relationships. Literature suggests that for these patients, marital satisfaction is related to depression and other quality of life factors which are associated with survivorship and treatment response. However, existing literature does not provide a clear explanation of the factors that strengthen vs. create strain in couples facing cancer. Given the benefits of a satisfying relationship to patient quality of life, it is important to better understand factors that put patients at greater risk for marital difficulties. This study examined the differential and combined roles of hope and optimism among BC patients and their partners on patient marital satisfaction. METHOD: Fifty-six breast cancer patient-partner dyads completed study questionnaires as part of a larger study. Regression analyses were used to examine the main and interaction effects of patient and partner hope and optimism on patient marital satisfaction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Higher patient and partner hope predicted greater patient marital satisfaction, whereas optimism did not. These results are divergent from the literature on optimism and well-being, which shows the importance of studying these two traits concurrently. Interaction effects suggest certain combinations of patient and partner hope and optimism are more beneficial than others for patient marital satisfaction and suggest a dyadic approach is important for investigation of well-being in breast cancer.
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    Everyone Wants An "A": The Role of Academic Expectations in Academic Performance
    (2019-08) Fortney, Sarah Katherine; Rand, Kevin L.; Cyders, Melissa; Stewart, Jesse C.
    Expectations are a key aspect of human success and behavior that predict outcomes in a variety of settings, including academics. Trait expectations (e.g., hope and optimism) and previous experiences appear relevant to the formation of specific expectations. Specific expectations predict outcomes, with positive expectations predicting better outcomes. In academics, positive specific expectations predict improved academic performance; however, there are aspects of this relationship that are unclear. This study sought to examine the formation of specific academic expectations and the relationship between these expectations and academic performance. The current study aimed to replicate previous research about the unique influences of academic expectations, expand this knowledge by examining possible mechanisms of the relationship between academic expectations and academic performance, and test how previous academic experience affected this relationship. Results of this study showed that previous GPA and optimism, but not hope, predicted academic expectations. Academic expectations predicted academic performance, but this relationship was not mediated by study time or stress. Finally, previous GPA moderated the relationship between academic expectations and academic performance, such that the positive association between academic expectations and academic performance was stronger for those with poorer prior performance.
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    Hope, optimism, and hopelessness : conceptual distinctions and empirical associations with suicidal ideation
    (2018-12) Shanahan, Mackenzie Lynmarie; Rand, Kevin L.; Hirsh, Adam T.; Stewart, Jesse C.
    Trait expectancies are related to several aspects of psychological well-being. Specifically, hope, optimism, and hopelessness have been associated with positive and negative indicators of mental health, including suicidality. In addition to empirical similarities, these constructs also have substantial conceptual and measurement overlap. Moreover, while current literature suggests hope and optimism are unique constructs, the distinctions between hopelessness, hope, and optimism remain unclear. The main goals of the present study were: 1) to identify the best structural conceptualization of hope, optimism, and hopelessness; and 2) to apply this conceptualization to examine how different trait expectancies uniquely predict suicidal ideation. Undergraduate students (N= 456) completed a battery of questionnaires at two time points, two months apart. To achieve the first goal, a series of a priori factor models of hope, optimism, and hopelessness was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). CFA was also performed to confirm the best factor structure of suicidal ideation. Finally, using results from these CFAs, the differential relationships between trait expectancies and suicidal ideation were examined using latent variable path analysis. Results showed that hope, optimism, and hopelessness are best conceptualized as distinct but related constructs. Results also found that both hope and hopelessness predicted increased suicidal ideation over time; whereas, optimism was not predictive of suicidal ideation. Surprisingly, these results suggest that higher hope may be a risk factor for increased suicidal ideation among undergraduates.
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    Intensive Treatment Near the End of Life in Advanced Cancer Patients
    (2016-04-07) Touza, Kaitlin Kyna; Rand, Kevin L.; Stewart, Jesse; Mosher, Catherine Esther; Grahame, Nicholas J.
    Many advanced cancer patients receive intensive treatment near the end of life (EOL). Intensive treatment near the EOL is often associated with worse outcomes, such as worse quality of life (QOL), greater distress in patients and caregivers, and higher health care costs. For cancers typically unresponsive to chemotherapy such as lung and gastro-intestinal (GI), the side effects of intensive treatment are endured without increasing survival time. To date, research on EOL care in advanced cancer patients has focused on patient prognostic understanding, physician communication, and patient distress. These factors do not fully explain why many patients receive intensive treatment near the EOL when there is no hope for cure. Hence, there is a need to better understand the factors that influence EOL treatment in order to improve patient and caregiver outcomes. Self-Regulation Theory (SRT) provides a framework that may help explain motivations and care decisions in this population. This study had two aims: 1) to examine the associations between EOL clinical encounters (i.e., EOL conversations with a physician) and treatment intensity in advanced cancer patients near the EOL; and 2) to examine the associations between important SRT constructs (i.e., goal flexibility, hope, and optimism) and treatment intensity in advanced cancer patients near the EOL. A sample of 76 advanced lung and GI cancer patients was recruited from Indiana University Simon Cancer Center. Hope predicted receiving chemotherapy closer to death (β = -.41, t (66) = -2.31, p = .025), indicating more intensive treatment near EOL. Other predictor variables were not significantly associated with intensive treatment. Implications and methodological limitations are discussed.
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    The Legacy of the Individual
    (2014) Tury, Colin; Robinson, Cory
    What does it mean to be the Maker? In today’s society, with CNC technology and the ability to create objects without having to physically interact with the medium at hand, why would anyone expel energy doing things “traditionally”? One merely needs to know how to navigate a digital checklist to operate such advanced technology. The internet makes learning this technology even easier. With the help of online tutorials and forums, anyone can get a crash course in such powerful technology. I am not opposed to such technology, for I see it as just a tool that can enable one to work more efficiently if needed, but that is not the question. In a discipline full of artists, craftsmen, fabricators, designers, design-builders, and so on, how does one coexist without being lost in the sea of titles? And more importantly, why do we attempt to define ourselves? I am a maker because it is not about the title, it is about the act.
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    Pieces from the heart of nature
    (2023) Niloofar, Alibakhshi; Holder, Dawn
    This paper discusses the establishment of a new connection between my internal and external world through breaking personal boundaries and transforming geometric forms in artwork. While my inner world is highly organized, my outer world appears disorderly. However, imperfection adds to the world's beauty, and the ultimate goal of this paper is to allow the audience to grasp this transformation and gain a new perspective on life through my artwork. The final form that I present remains faithful to the original forms while meeting the desired outcome of conveying the transformative power of breaking personal boundaries and embracing shortcomings in the external world. This experience brings both my audiences and me a new perspective on life. Using wood as a material in art can help bridge the gap between the internal and external worlds. The process of working with wood can be meditative and introspective, enabling the artist to connect with their inner self while creating a physical representation of their thoughts and emotions. Additionally, the idea of finding order and hope in apparent disorder can be reflected through using letters and wood as materials in art. The composition of the letters can come from an orderly mind, and by overlapping and lining up the letters, the idea is conveyed that there is still order and hope. Similarly, the natural patterns and variations in wood can represent order and beauty in the midst of chaos, making it a fitting material for art.