SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “PROBLEM SOLVING”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

PubMed1990

Styles of problem solving in suicidal individuals.

This study compared qualitative aspects of problem solving among suicide attempters, suicide ideators, and nonsuicidal patients. The subjects completed a suicidal intent scale and a problem-solving task involving three dilemmas. Problem solving was analyzed along eight qualitative categories: versatility of the various solutions, reliance on self versus others, activity versus passivity, confrontation versus avoidance, relevance of the solution to the problem, positive versus negative affect, reference to the future, and extremity of the solution. The statistical analysis yielded differences among the three groups. In general, the solutions of suicidal patients showed less versatility, more avoidance, less relevance, more negative affect, and less reference to the future than the solutions of the nonsuicidal patients. The suicide attempters and nonsuicidal patients offered more active solutions than did the suicide ideators. Our findings emphasize the importance of general coping styles, as well as energetic/motivational aspects and affective aspects of the problem-solving process. Some applications to therapy are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

Identifying problems in clinical problem solving. Perceptions and interventions with nonproblem-solving clinical behaviors.

Students and practicing physical therapists are expected to be clinical problem solvers. The absence of clinical problem solving may result in decreased individuality of patient services. The purpose of this article is to assist clinical supervisors in identifying specific difficulties in clinical problem solving and to clarify confusions in the supervisor's perception of the problem-solving behaviors of students and therapists. I present a model by comparing the behaviors of the problem solver with the behaviors of the nonproblem solver at each step in the problem-solving process and then discuss sources of confusion in the perception of problem solving. I provide examples and suggest applications of the model for improving clinical problem-solving abilities.

Data Collection↗

PubMed2003

Problem solving in diabetes self-management: a model of chronic illness self-management behavior.

Management of chronic illnesses is a significant public health concern that is made more challenging by problems of regimen adherence. Effective self-management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes requires not only technical skill to perform regimen behaviors but also problem-solving skills to manage daily barriers to regimen adherence and to make appropriate adjustments to the self-care regimen. A review of the empirical literature on the relation between problem solving and disease self-management in diabetes, a chronic illness exemplar, illuminates methodological limitations that indicate a need for a theoretical framework for problem solving applied to chronic disease self-management. A problem-solving model of chronic disease self-management is proposed, derived from theories of problem solving in cognitive psychology, educational/learning theory, and social problem solving. Four essential components of problem solving in disease self-management are identified: (a). problem-solving skill, (b). problem-solving orientation, (c). disease-specific knowledge, and (d). transfer of past experience. The model is illustrated, and empirical support for this problem-solving model in the diabetes literature is discussed. The model has utility in driving testable hypotheses regarding the relation of disease-specific problem solving to chronic illness management, in developing problem-solving assessment instruments relevant to disease self-management, and in guiding disease self-management training and interventions.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2004

Rumination, mood and social problem-solving in major depression.

BACKGROUND: Ruminating when depressed is thought to lower mood and impair problem-solving, while distraction is thought to alleviate mood and assist problem-solving. The present study investigates each of these proposals using both naturally occurring and experimentally induced rumination and distraction in a sample of patients with major depression. METHOD: Thirty-six patients with major depression and 36 control participants were randomly allocated to either a rumination or distraction induction condition. Levels of trait rumination and distraction were measured at baseline, mood and problem-solving were measured before and after the inductions. RESULTS: In terms of trait measures, depressed patients with higher levels of trait rumination reported poorer mood and gave less effective problem solutions than those who were less ruminative. Trait distraction was not associated with mood or problem-solving. In terms of induced responses, depressed patients who were made to ruminate experienced a deterioration in their mood and gave poorer problem solutions. For those receiving the distraction induction, mood improved in all patients and problem-solving improved in patients who were not naturally ruminating at a high level. Neither induction had an impact on mood or problem-solving in control participants. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment for depression associated with adverse life events may need to target rumination as well as problem-solving deficits if interventions are to be effective. The differential effects of self-applied versus experimentally induced distraction require further investigation. Future research will need to consider that high levels of trait rumination may interfere with the impact of experimental inductions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1980

An evaluation of the clinical problem-solving process using a simulation technique.

Currently, research does not agree as to the extent to which medical content and problem-solving processes underlie clinical problem-solving. The results of research in this area fall into two categories: (1) clinical problem-solving is primarily dependent upon medical content specific within the case, and (2) clinical problem-solving is a skill, or series of skills, which can be applied to all clinical problems. In the study reported in this paper, seventy-one second-year medical students who had completed a 2-year, body-systems oriented curriculum were given an examination designed to measure clinical problem-solving. The results indicated that gathering data on patient history and hypotheses generation were specific skills common to clinical problem-solving, while hypotheses refinement, identification of relevant physical examinations, ordering laboratory investigations and making a diagnosis were case-related.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mathematical problem-solving profiles of students with mathematics disabilities with and without comorbid reading disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to describe the mathematical problem-solving profiles of students with mathematics disabilities (MD) with and without comorbid reading disabilities (RD). The disability status of fourth-grade students was verified through testing (n = 18 MD; n = 22 MD + RD). Then a hierarchy of mathematics problem-solving tasks was administered. The results demonstrated large deficits for both groups; however, the differences between students with MD and those with MD + RD were mediated by the level of problem solving (arithmetic story problems vs. complex story problems vs. real-world problem solving) and by performance dimension (operations vs. problem solving). On arithmetic story problems, the differences between the disability subtypes were similar for operations and problem solving. By contrast, on complex story problems and real-world problem solving, the differences between the subtypes were larger for problem solving than for operations.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Frontal lobe dysfunction and everyday problem-solving: social and non-social contributions.

Everyday problem-solving involves both non-social executive processes, social and emotional processes, and draws upon social and practical knowledge. A series of studies including both adult-acquired lesions and neurodevelopmental disorders is reviewed examining problem-solving on a real-life-type task that involves generating a range of solutions to brief problem scenarios and selecting preferred solutions to solve the problems. Impairments in problem-solving are described in groups of participants with left anterior frontal lobe lesions, Tourette's syndrome and Asperger's syndrome. By contrast, healthy older people did not show problem-solving deficits on the same task. The possible contributions of non-social executive skills, social and emotional skills, and knowledge acquired from experience are each considered in relation to everyday performance. Multiple cognitive/emotional routes to the development of everyday life difficulties pose a complex challenge both in understanding the nature of the relevant processes and in developing adequate methods for management and rehabilitation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

A pilot study of the relationship between problem-solving skills and outcome in major depressive disorder.

Three methods of assessing problem-solving skills are described in the literature: questionnaires, self-report inventories and verbal assessment of the resolution of problem scenarios. These three approaches were used to assess problem-solving ability in a sample of 20 patients with unipolar major depressive disorder, who were treated with antidepressant medication alone at a hospital out-patient clinic. It was found that baseline deficits in problem-solving skills were significantly associated with prognosis at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Self-ratings of perceived self-control and confidence rather than subjective problem-solving effectiveness were important predictors of final outcome. Differences in perceived and actual problem-solving ability emerged over time. The reasons for these differences in subjective and observer assessments are unclear. The data appear to demonstrate that problem-solving deficits in depression represent both state and trait phenomena.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Problem-solving strategies for teaching mathematics to deaf students.

Three teaching and learning strategies for problem solving were implemented with first- and second-year deaf college students enrolled in mathematics courses at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), Rochester Institute of Technology. These strategies involved the students in (a) giving an explanation to a peer observer in sign language, after which they would put their understanding of a problem and its solution in writing; (b) visualizing the problem-solving process prior to starting to solve a problem; and (c) observing their teacher modeling the analytical process step by step for a sample problem prior to solving math word problems. The students were asked to solve two types of problems: typical word problems, and a visual/manipulative puzzle that would provide a problem-solving experience that would contrast with the experience of solving a problem presented in text format. The results showed that these kinds of instructional strategies can enhance the problem-solving performance of deaf and hard of hearing college students.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

The access of relevant information for solving problems.

Two issues were investigated concerning the retrieval of recently acquired relevant information for solving riddle problems. First, although earlier research indicated that problem solvers often fail to retrieve relevant information unless they are explicitly informed of its relevance, Bowden (1985) suggested that uninformed subjects would benefit greatly from additional problem-solving time. In two experiments, we found that uninformed subjects solved more problems than did subjects who did not receive the information, but a simple model attributed this difference to these uninformed subjects "catching on" to the information's relevance after solving some problems. Second, the retrieval characteristics were examined by varying the proportion of problems for which clues were given. Informed subjects given clues for only half of the problems benefited (though perhaps not fully) from being informed, without incurring any cost from being misdirected on the unclued problems. The discussion focuses on some ways in which accessing relevant information may affect problem solving.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Designing cases in problem-based learning to foster problem-solving skill.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of case segmentation schemes in problem-based learning (PBL) on the development of problem-solving skill, self-directedness and technical knowledge. Seventy-four dental education students were randomly assigned to 12 PBL groups. Six groups experienced PBL cases that were formatted in short segments and six groups experienced PBL cases that were formatted in long segments. Pretest measures of problem-solving skill, self-directedness and technical knowledge were administered at the beginning of the Fall 1998 semester. Students studied three PBL cases in their assigned groups in the ensuing semester. Posttest measures were administered at the conclusion of the semester. Analysis of the data found that students who experienced PBL with a short case segmentation scheme were better able to solve problems highly similar to the problems in the teaching cases than students who experienced PBL with a long case segmentation scheme. No significant differences were found for self-directedness, technical knowledge, or ability to solve problems distinctly different from the teaching cases. Explanations of these findings and their implications for research and practice in PBL are discussed.

Education, Dental↗

PubMed2002

Rumination and social problem-solving in depression.

We tested the hypothesis that impaired social problem solving in depression is a consequence of state-oriented rumination, which can be ameliorated by improving awareness of mental processes. 32 currently depressed, 26 recovered depressed, and 26 never depressed participants completed the Means Ends Problem Solving Test while randomly allocated to no questions, state-oriented ruminative questions, (e.g. focusing on why you have a problem) or process-focused questions (e.g. focusing on how you decide to solve a problem). In the no question condition, the currently depressed group was significantly impaired at problem solving compared to the never depressed and recovered depressed groups, which did not differ from each other. As predicted, the process-focused questions significantly improved social problem solving in depressed patients, compared to no questions and state-oriented questions, which did not differ from each other. As predicted, compared to the process-focused questions, the state-oriented questions significantly impaired social problem solving in the recovered depressed group. These results are consistent with recent theories and treatment developments which suggest that increased awareness of mental processes can shift people away from ruminative thinking, thereby, reducing depressive relapse.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Stressors and problem-solving: the individual as psychological activist.

Sociological researchers have tended to deemphasize the degree to which people are conscious, active agents in their own lives, focusing instead on factors which promote vulnerability to stress. But people are often motivated to act deliberately to resolve both acute and chronic role-related stressors. Thus, the relationship between stress experiences and negative psychological outcomes may be attributable primarily to stressors which individuals are unable to resolve. Using panel data on 532 married and divorced respondents in Indianapolis, I illustrate the effects of solved and unsolved problems (in the domains of work and love/marriage) on changes in psychological distress and substance use. People who failed to solve their job or love problems had more psychological symptoms, while the symptoms of successful problem-solvers did not differ from those of individuals whose situations were nonproblematic. Further exploratory analyses showed that the personality characteristics of mastery and self-esteem served to select individuals into--and out of--stressful circumstances, and that individuals were affected by the outcomes of problem-solving efforts in the work domain, or by attempts to solve problems in the love/marriage domain. These illustrative findings suggest that it can be theoretically and empirically fruitful to view individuals as agents making and shaping their lives, rather than primarily as passive subjects overwhelmed by situational stress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

Social problem-solving in depressed, conduct-disordered, and normal adolescents.

Although past theory and research implicate social problem-solving deficits in both depression and aggressive disorders, research examining carefully diagnosed groups of adolescent depressed and conduct-disordered groups had not previously been conducted. In the current study three groups of adolescents (major depression, conduct-disordered, and normal) were studied using two social problem-solving measures. Both the Means-Ends Problem-Solving task (MEPS) and the Social Situations Analysis measure (SSA) failed to show social problem-solving problem deficits in the depressed group relative to their normal age peers, but did provide corroborative evidence for social problem-solving deficits in the conduct-disordered sample. Relative to the other two groups, the conduct-disordered adolescents were found to generate fewer means to a social end, to anticipate fewer obstacles in the pursuit of solutions to interpersonal situations, and to generate fewer assertive behavioral solutions to difficult social situations. The results are discussed in relation to other work with depressed and aggressive youth, and directions for future research are given.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Cognitive appraisal of problem solving effectiveness: relation to depression and depressive symptoms.

This paper describes two studies that assessed the strength of the relationship between the appraisal of one's problem solving effectiveness and depressive symptomatology. Assessment of problem solving appraisal included the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI). In the first study, 268 college undergraduates completed the PSI and the Beck Depression Inventory. Regression analyses indicated that all three problem solving dimensions were significant predictors of depressive symptoms. The second study compared subjects who were diagnosed as experiencing unipolar major depressive disorder with demographically similar normal controls. Results from multivariate analyses indicated that the depressed group appraised their overall problem solving attempts as less effective, rated their problem solving attempts to be less systematic, and reported lowered ability to maintain personal control in problem situations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

[Constraint-based approach to individual differences in insight problem-solving].

In this study, we explored individual differences in insight problem-solving. According to the dynamic constraint relaxation theory (Hiraki & Suzuki, 1998), there are three sources of individual differences in insight problem-solving: the initial strengths of constraints, the evaluation of problem-solving attempts, and the learning rate that updates the strength value of each constraint. In order to validate the theory's predictions, we compared the subjects who could solve a geometric insight problem within 10 minutes with those who could not. A microscopic analysis of the solution processes and rating task revealed that the initial strengths of the constraints and the adequacy of evaluation are different between the two, but their learning rates are not. These results suggest that insightful problem-solvers try non-standard attempts more often even in the initial phase of their problem-solving and evaluate their attempts more precisely. The results were discussed in contrast with other approaches to insight.

Humans↗

PubMed1992

Coping and academic problem-solving ability in test anxiety.

The present study examined coping tendencies and perceptions of problem-solving ability in test anxiety. A sample of 125 students completed the revised Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Academic Problem-Solving Inventory, and measures of state and trait test anxiety. Correlational analyses confirmed that emotion-focused coping (i.e., avoidant and confrontive coping) was associated positively with test anxiety. Also, test-anxious individuals reported poorer ability to solve academic problems. Finally, regression analyses revealed that coping tendencies and perceived problem-solving ability predicted unique variance in test-anxiety scores. The results are discussed in terms of the need for a multidimensional model of test anxiety that includes coping processes and self-evaluations of problem-solving ability.

Achievement↗

PubMed1983

Clinical problem-solving skills of internists trained in the problem-oriented system.

In the study reported here, the authors test the hypothesis that internists completing residencies in a highly structured, problem-oriented residency program approach clinical problem-solving differently than do internists whose residencies were not problem-oriented. The vehicle for the study was the certifying examination of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in 1978, 1979, and 1980. Performance on patient management problems (PMPs) and multiple-choice questions was analyzed for candidates for ABIM certification whose residency had been problem-oriented, for candidates whose residencies had been classified as nonproblem-oriented, and for the national pool of U.S. medical graduates. Internists trained in the problem-oriented residency program achieved significantly higher PMP scores than did the national pool in two of the three years and on true-false questions in one of the years. No differences were detected between the problem-oriented group and their nonproblem-oriented colleagues.

Clinical Competence↗