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Purpose: Research supports holistic expansion of the construct of resourcefulness by adding spiritual practices to the existing personal and social dimensions. This study describes the development and testing of items to measure spiritual resourcefulness. Methods/Design: Study phases were: (1) focus group development of item stems and responses; (2) expert testing; (3) scale construction; (4) field testing in 234 family caregivers; and (5) psychometric analysis to identify items for inclusion in a final scale. Findings: A focus group developed 40 item stems with potential responses reflecting three conceptual components of spiritual practices (rational, ritualistic, and relational). Content experts selected the best response for each item. A six-point Likert scale consistent with the Resourcefulness Scale© was constructed. Data from field testing were factor analyzed. The best solution revealed two factors containing 12 items. Ritualistic and relational items loaded together (44.7% variance explained). Rational items loaded separately (19.5% variance explained). Higher-order factor analysis indicated the two subscales reflected a single construct (71.93% variance explained; r =.44, p <.001). Conclusion: Availability of a psychometrically sound measure of spiritual resourcefulness is critical to expand resourcefulness training interventions to be more holistic. Clinical interventions can be enriched by including strategies to enhance personal, social, and spiritual resourcefulness skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although caregiver identity theory asserts there is no single generic caregiver identity, comparisons on demographic characteristics and burden of care have not been made among caregivers of persons with various health conditions. Using social media to access study participants, this cross-sectional study of 234 family caregivers of persons with various health conditions examined their demographic characteristics (age, gender, and race/ethnicity) and burden of care (daily care hours and caregiving years) using online data collection. Nine groups of caregivers were formed by the care recipient's health condition. Caregiver groups were similar in gender (95% women) and race/ethnicity (88% white), and differed on age (F=4.74; p<.001) daily care hours, and caregiving years (F's=2.76 and 2.84; p<.01). The findings suggest that caution is needed when recruiting caregivers through social media as the sample may not represent all caregivers. However, differences by care recipient condition on age and burden of care warrant further consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the growing number of family members who provide care to adults with a disability or illness, this study examined differences in coping resources and mental health among family caregivers of persons with various health conditions. Within the context of Ensel and Lin's stress paradigm, 234 family caregivers participated in an online study by completing validated measures of resourcefulness, spiritual practices, caregiver burden, anxiety, and depression. Caregivers were categorized into nine groups according to their care recipient's condition. The groups differed significantly on burden and resourcefulness. Greatest burden and lowest resourcefulness were found in caregivers of persons with traumatic brain injury, stroke, and dementia. Caregivers across all groups were found to be at a similarly high risk for anxiety and depression. These results provide insights for tailoring interventions for caregivers, particularly those whose care recipients have traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia, who may benefit from resourcefulness training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Approximately 20% of children and adolescents in the United States are affected by mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) disorders. Child flourishment and family resilience contribute to healthy family development, including the promotion of child MEB wellbeing. Identifying factors that promote child flourishment and family resilience are critical. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and parenting factors associated with family resilience and child flourishment among children aged 6–17 years with MEB disorders. This was a secondary analysis of the 2016–2017 National Survey of Children's Health. The sample consisted of parents and their children (n = 1,900, weighted n = 5,375,670). Data were weighted to be representative of the US population and analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. We found that only 6.3% of children aged 6–17 with an MEB were optimally flourishing. Parental aggravation was negatively associated with child flourishment, and parental coping was positively associated with child flourishment. In total, 66.5% of families with children exhibited resilience. Parental coping and availability of parental emotional support were positively associated with family resilience. Potential interventions that leverage study findings include parent training to increase parental emotional regulation (e.g., increase frustration tolerance, coping skills) and family navigation services to increase parental support (e.g., emotional support, coping skills) through the child's treatment trajectory. Overall, this study provides evidence of a disparity in flourishment in America's youth with MEB disorders, and despite this adversity, families are resilient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy is a sensitive period of life where mental health is of utmost importance to the mother's and child's well-being peripartum and beyond. To better prevent and treat common mental health conditions such as depressive symptoms and perceived stress (defined in this study to encompass psychological and physiological (heart rate variability (HRV)) dimensions), it is crucial to examine and report differences in mental health outcomes among demographically diverse pregnant women. Therefore, the purpose of this secondary analysis (N = 79) was to determine if there are differences in mental health outcomes between pregnant women who differ across demographic factors, as well as to determine if demographic factors predict mental health outcomes when controlling for other demographic variables. Findings indicate that there were significant differences in depressive symptoms and perceived stress by all demographic factors except age. Marital status and total household income were the only significant predictors of depressive symptoms and perceived stress, respectively, when all other factors were controlled. There were no significant differences or correlations between demographic variables and HRV. Pregnant women may be predisposed to adverse mental health outcomes, illustrating the need for more refined interventions that are sensitive to pre-existing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress in pregnancy is an exceedingly common issue that impacts the mother's mental health and the health of her baby. Yet, women with a supportive network of friends and family may experience lower stress and improved mental health. Therefore, the aims of this secondary analysis were to (a) examine relationships between stress experiences (i.e. perceived stress, pregnancy-specific stress) and indicators of mental health (i.e. absence of depressive symptoms and resourcefulness), (b) determine the effects of social support on stress experiences and indicators of mental health, and (c) determine if social support mediates the relationship between stress experiences and indicators of mental health. A convenience sample of 82 women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy participated in the parent study. Findings indicate that stress experiences were moderately correlated with indicators of mental health and social support predicted stress experiences and indicators of mental health. All social support mediation models were not significant with the exception of social support mediating the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. This was the first study to investigate the mediating role of social support on the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. Pregnant women may benefit from social support interventions to meaningfully reduce their stress and promote mental health. Such interventions may be physical activity, group prenatal care, or even peripartum home visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An estimated 80% of clinical trials fail to meet recruitment and enrollment goals. Recruitment can be even more challenging when vulnerable populations are the focus of the study. This problem may be mitigated with the use of contemporary and innovative methods such as Facebook recruitment. Objectives: The purpose of this brief is to detail an account of diversifying recruitment strategies with the use of Facebook to recruit pregnant women into research. Methods: This brief was derived from a parent study that aimed to examine relationships among social determinants of health, psychophysiological stress, and mental health in pregnant women. A Facebook account was created in which the principal investigator (PI) sought permission and posted in private Facebook groups about the research study. All data reported and analyzed in this brief are frequencies of Facebook activity including, likes, shares, comments, referrals (i.e., tags), and participants enrolled. Results: Target enrollment for the parent study was met, with a total enrollment of 82 participants. The PI gained approval from 100% of the 61 private Facebook groups. Over 75% of the total sample was recruited in 48 days via Facebook. The greatest frequency of likes, shares, comments, and referrals by the recruitment flyer were generated from the sell/trade/jobs page. However, the greatest frequency of participants enrolled viewed the flyer in Facebook groups focused on parent discussion. Facebook groups classified as events, nonparent discussion, and miscellaneous were generally unsuccessful in yielding participants. Discussion: In order to decrease the time lag between research and practice, and to enroll more participants, innovative strategies are necessary. Although there is evidence that Facebook was useful in recruiting a sample of pregnant women into research, Facebook may also be a useful resource in recruiting other populations into research as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined relationships among personal and social resourcefulness and spiritual practices and their associations with perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and self-assessed health in 138 women caregivers of elders with dementia. Caregivers who rated high on personal and social resourcefulness and spiritual practices (by median splits) had the lowest perceived stress, fewest depressive symptoms, and best self-assessed health, followed in sequence by women rating high on two of the three, high on one of the three, and low on all three. Hierarchical regression analyses that introduced spiritual practices after resourcefulness showed significant increases in the R-square change by 3% and 5% for perceived stress and depressive symptoms, respectively, but no significant change for self-assessed health. Strong associations among personal and social resourcefulness and spiritual practices, and similar relationships with two health outcomes, suggest that spiritual practices may be a third dimension of resourcefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of depression and intimate partner violence (IPV). Social support and partner support may help explain this association. Few researchers have focused on Chinese immigrant women, who are less likely than native-born women to seek help for mental health challenges and IPV. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediation effects of social and partner support on the relationship between (a) ACEs and (b) depressive symptoms and IPV among Chinese immigrant women living in the United States. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from 475 Chinese immigrant women recruited online. Depressive symptoms, IPV, ACEs, perceived social support, and perceived partner support were measured cross-sectionally. Mediation analyses were conducted to test the mediating role of social and partner support on the associations between ACEs and depressive symptoms and IPV. Results: Social support and partner support fully mediated the relationship between ACEs and depressive symptoms. However, partner support only partially mediated the relationship between ACEs and IPV. Discussion: ACEs indirectly affect depressive symptoms by undermining both general perceptions of support and perceived partner support. The findings of this study underscore the critical influence of a lack of partner support in mediating the effects of ACEs on Chinese immigrant women's risk of IPV. Promoting strong existing support networks, creating new support resources, and improving partner relationships are important targets for interventions to mitigate the effects of ACEs on depression and IPV in Chinese immigrant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]