Objective: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer are highly stressful experiences that can profoundly affect emotional and physical well-being. Hundreds of longitudinal investigations that identify risk and protective factors for psychological and physical adjustment in adults living with cancer and numerous randomized controlled psychosocial…

Spirituality is a multidimensional construct, and little is known about how its distinct dimensions jointly affect well-being. In longitudinal studies (Study 1, n = 418 breast cancer patients; Study 2, n = 165 cancer survivors), the authors examined 2 components of spiritual well-being (i.e., meaning/peace and faith) and their interaction, as well…

Special series of nine articles by Kenneth Heller; Peggy Thoits; Scott Monroe et al.; Toni Antonucci and Barbara Israel; Darrin Lehman et al.; Robin Mermelstein et al.; James Coyne and Anita DeLongis; Morton Lieberman; and Kenneth Heller et al. (Author/ABB)

Proposes a three-phased model of psychotherapy that entails progressive improvement of subjectively experienced well-being, reduction in symptomatology, and enhancement of functioning. A study suggests that improvement in well-being precedes and is probabilistically necessary for reduction in symptomatic distress and that symptomatic improvement…

Data from 604 depressed patients in The Medical Outcomes Study showed improvements in measures of functioning and well-being associated with patients who were employed, drank less alcohol, had active coping styles and higher levels of social support, who had active and less avoidant coping styles, who were physically active, and who had fewer…

Examined how spousal behaviors related to global and daily marital satisfaction. Eighty-two couples completed daily checklists of spousal behaviors for seven days using an individualized or a standardized assessment method. Daily behavioral event measures were significantly related to global and daily measures of marital satisfaction,…

A cluster, stratified randomized design was used to evaluate the impact of universal, indicated, and combined universal plus indicated cognitive- behavioral approaches to the prevention of depression among 13- to 15-year-olds initially reporting elevated symptoms of depression. None of the intervention approaches differed significantly from a…

Examined marital and child factors in predicting divorce potential and divorce occurrence. Participants included 140 adolescents and their parents. For both parents, lower levels of marital satisfaction predicted higher levels of divorce potential. In turn, divorce potential predicted greater likelihood for divorce up to seven years later. No…

Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly have high levels of psychological distress. Black caregivers often report less depression than white caregivers, but the process underlying this difference is poorly understood. With the use of a stress process model, 123 white and 74 black family caregivers of patients with AD…