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Results for “PROBLEM SOLVING”

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PubMed2005

The Chinese version of the social problem-solving inventory: some initial results on reliability and validity.

The development of an instrument that measures social problem solving of Chinese adolescents is reported. The Social Problem-Solving Inventory Revised (SPSI-R) was translated to Chinese, and content validity, cultural relevance, and reading level of the translated measure were reviewed by panels of experts. The Chinese version of the scale (C-SPSI-R) was then administered to a sample of 352 junior secondary-school students. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a 5-factor structure that was largely consistent with the structure of the original English-language SPSI-R. The C-SPSI-R and its subscales were found to be internally consistent and temporally stable over time. The scores of the subscales were also correlated with depression scores, a correlation that supported the convergent validity of the subscales. Adolescents with high and low Chinese Beck Depression Inventory scores had significant differences in four out of five subscales of the C-SPSI-R (except Rational Problem-Solving). On the whole, the results supported that the C-SPSI-R is a reliable and valid instrument in the assessment of social problem solving in Chinese adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Interpersonal problem-solving in depressed students.

This study investigated whether depressed students suffer from a deficit in interpersonal problem-solving and attempted to specify the hypothesized deficit using a qualitative analysis of problem-solving strategies. Twenty depressed students were compared with 20 nondepressed controls with respect to the strategies they developed on a Situation Specific Problem-Solving Inventory. Results supported the hypothesis of a problem-solving deficit in depressed students. Although depressed students seemed to have an adequate definition of the problem and the target, they showed a significant lack of action-oriented strategies.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Problem-solving abilities in unipolar depressed patients: comparison of performance on the modified version of the Wisconsin and the California sorting tests.

Problem solving relies on such abilities as decision-making, planning, initiation and hypothesis testing. Although problem-solving deficits have been consistently reported in depression, the specific nature of these deficits is not fully elucidated. In order to assess and isolate cognitive processes underlying problem-solving impairments in depression, depressed patients and normal controls were evaluated with the modified version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the California Card Sorting Test (CCST). The California Card Sorting Test, unlike the modified WCST, provides several different measures of concept generation, concept identification and concept execution. Compared with controls, depressed patients did not show any deficits on all the measures of the modified WCST. In contrast, depressed patients evidenced mild impairment on the CCST with a specific deficit on concept generation but no major problems in concept identification and concept execution. The deficit in concept generation may be rooted in multiple factors such as hypothesis-testing deficits, a loss of cognitive flexibility and a conservative style of response. Since a positive relation between problem-solving deficits and the mean duration of the depressive episode was observed, problem-solving abilities might be predictive of poorer outcome in patients with unipolar affective disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

How we measure problem-solving ability.

A review of some of the more recent literature on problem solving is presented. An attempt is made to identify factors which may lead to discrediting the PMP (Patient Management Problem) as a measure of problem-solving ability. A definition of competence in problem solving is proposed and the question of scoring is discussed. A possible method for future research is suggested.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

Worrying about chronic pain. An examination of worry and problem solving in adults who identify as chronic pain sufferers.

Worry is a common feature of chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of worry experienced by adults with chronic pain, and to explore features of problem solving associated with worry and chronic pain. A further purpose was to investigate whether there were differences in worry and problem solving for those presenting at a pain clinic for treatment, compared to those who identified as chronic pain sufferers but who were not presenting for treatment. A final purpose was to examine whether the extent of worry and problem solving attitudes helped to predict the primary clinical features of chronic pain such as intensity, disability and depressive mood. One hundred and eighty five adults with chronic pain provided completed questionnaires assessing worrying, problem solving, pain severity, disability, catastrophic thinking and depressive mood. Analyses showed that worry and problem solving approaches sampled in this study were not abnormal. Furthermore, no differences were found between the clinical and non-clinical sample for worrying and problem solving. In relation to the predictive value of worrying and problem solving, analyses revealed that only worrying had a unique contribution in explaining depressive mood. The results are discussed within a context of a model of worry and chronic pain, in which worry about chronic pain may be functioning to promote awareness of an insoluble problem.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Planfulness and problem solving in older adults.

The applicability of problem solving concepts such as planfulness and depth of search to older adult cognitive behavior was considered. Eighteen males (sixty to eighty-nine years) and eighteen females (sixty to eighty-two years) solved isomorphic inquiry problems involving elimination of number and letter alternatives from a twenty-four item stimulus array. Half of the participants were given planning instructions designed to deepen their search through existing knowledge, while half received no instructions. Analyses of the total number of questions to solution and the percentage reduction in number of alternatives produced by each question revealed no reliable gender-related differences. Planning instructions, however, reduced the number of questions prior to solution and increased the informational value of most inquiries. The results were interpreted in terms of a metacognitive strategy deficiency in later life. Theoretical issues related to the construction and validation of information-processing models that depend on "real-world" knowledge were discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

Social problem solving among popular and unpopular children.

The present study investigated two issues related to children's social status and problem solving: the content of problem-solving measures and judgments of the quality of responses to social problems. Three types of social problem situations were studied: peer entry/initiation, maintaining social interaction, and management of conflict. The quality of children's strategies for solving these problems was rated on two dimensions: effectiveness and social competence. Liked-most children obtained significantly more effective and socially competent ratings than liked-least children for only one of the social problem situations--management of conflict. Significant differences between liked-most and liked-least children were also found between the quality of their best effective and best socially competent solution and their worst socially competent solutions. Results are discussed in terms of the psychometric adequacy of social problem-solving measures and the resultant problems in interpretation.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1994

Coalitions and family problem solving with preadolescents in referred, at-risk, and comparison families.

This study tested the hypothesis that the mother-father coalition, parent-child coalitions, and parental warmth expressed toward the child are associated with family problem solving in families with a preadolescent child referred for treatment of behavior problems (n = 30), families with a child at-risk for conduct disorder (n = 68), and a sample of comparison families (n = 90). Referred and at-risk families displayed less effective problem solving. A regression analysis, which controlled for gender of the child, family structure, family income, marital satisfaction, and severity of child problems, showed that strong parental coalitions were linked to low levels of family problem solving in at-risk and referred families. Parent-child coalitions had little apparent impact while parental warmth was highly correlated with better family problem solving. The results may be interpreted as evidence for a tendency for parents in at-risk and referred families to "scapegoat" a preadolescent during family problem-solving sessions. This may undermine progress on family problem solutions and may complicate family-based prevention and treatment programs that use family problem-solving sessions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

[Development of a questionnaire for problem solving].

Presented is the development of a measuring instrument in order to assess the problem solving ability (PLF). The PLF consists of 5 scales: a) experiencing problems, b) problem denial, c) tendency to solve problems in an unconventional way, d) dealing with the problem and e) tendency to conservative problem solving. Test-theoretical analyses are reported as well as, in greater detail, studies for test validation on various populations. High covariations can be shown especially for personality factors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1999

Customer-centered problem solving.

If there is no single best way to attract new customers and retain current customers, there is surely an easy way to lose them: fail to solve the problems that arise in nearly every buyer-supplier relationship, or solve them in an unsatisfactory manner. Yet, all too frequently, companies do just that. Either we deny that a problem exists, we exert all our efforts to pin the blame elsewhere, or we "Band-Aid" the problem instead of fixing it, almost guaranteeing that we will face it again and again.

Commerce↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Impact of a new cognitive remediation strategy on interpersonal problem solving skills and social autonomy in schizophrenia].

INTRODUCTION: Despite recent developments, the impact of pharmacotherapy on social autonomy and interpersonal problem solving skills in patients with schizophrenia remains limited, with consequences in terms of socio-professional functioning. Indeed, independently of the positive, negative and/or disorganization symptoms, functional deficits in patients with schizophrenia rely mainly on various cognitive impairments. OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of a new Cognitive Remediation Strategy on interpersonal problem solving skills, social autonomy and symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Thirty patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in a program consisting of 14 training sessions of 4 cognitive functions (attention/concentration, topological memory, logical reasoning, executive functions) using the REHACOM software. Measurements of attention (Continuous Performance Test, CPT), memory (Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test, RBMT) and executive functions (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, WCST) as well as interpersonal problem solving skills (Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills, AIPSS) and social autonomy (Social Autonomy Scale, EAS) and finally schizophrenia symptoms (Positive And Negative Syndrom Scale, PANSS) were undertaken at the beginning and the end of the 14 remediation meetings. RESULTS: Cognitive functions, interpersonal problems solving skills, social autonomy and symptoms were significantly improved by the Cognitive Remediation Strategy. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the therapeutic impact of a Cognitive Remediation Strategy among 30 schizophrenic patients stabilised on clinical, therapeutic and functional levels. The question of the long-term maintenance of such improvements still requires further investigation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

A randomised controlled trial and cost analysis of problem-solving treatment for emotional disorders given by community nurses in primary care.

BACKGROUND: We set out to investigate whether community nurses could be trained in problem-solving therapy and, once trained, how effective they would be in treating emotional disorders in primary care. METHOD: Seventy patients with an emotional disorder in primary care were randomly allocated to receive either problem-solving therapy from a trained community nurse or treatment as usual from their general practitioner. Interview and self-rated assessments of clinical and economic outcome were made pretreatment, at eight weeks and at 26 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: There was no difference in clinical outcome between patients who received problem-solving treatment and patients who received the general practitioner's usual treatment. However, patients who received problem-solving treatment had fewer disability days and fewer days off work. The health care cost of problem-solving was greater than that of the general practitioner's usual treatment but this was more than offset by savings in the cost of days off work. CONCLUSIONS: Problem-solving treatment can be given by trained community nurses. The clinical effectiveness and cost-benefit of the treatment will depend on the selection of appropriate patients.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1995

Problem-solving counselling or phone-call support for outpatients with chronic illness: effective for whom?

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to determine the effectiveness of problem-solving counselling or phone-call support provided by nurses to outpatients not well adjusted to chronic illness. Subjects (N = 293) completed measures at baseline and after the six-month period of intervention for psychosocial variables including coping behaviours, purpose in life, and psychosocial adjustment to illness. Subjects receiving phone-call support from nurses demonstrated less psychological distress. Results also suggest that problem-solving counselling improves psychosocial adjustment to chronic illness for outpatients who live alone, infrequently use problem-solving coping skills, or frequently use avoidance coping methods. As well, outpatients with a low purpose in life who show infrequent use of problem-solving coping skills appear to benefit most from problem-solving counselling provided by nurses. On the other hand, those not well adjusted who frequently use problem-solving coping seem to be served more effectively by phone-call support.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2000

Problem solving as a core strategy in the prevention of schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To outline the rationale for implementing training in structured problem solving as a primary prevention strategy for major mental disorders. METHOD: The evidence that training people in a structured method of solving their personal problems is an effective strategy in the treatment of established cases of schizophrenic and major mood disorders, is selectively reviewed. RESULTS: Most of the relevant research focused on the prevention of major recurrent episodes of psychosis. There is some evidence to support the hypothesis that this strategy may assist many people to achieve a full and sustained recovery from the clinical and social impairments of these disorders, especially when patients are taught to use structured problem solving with members of their personal resource groups, and they continue to take optimal doses of psychoactive medication. There is support for the hypothesis that the key therapeutic factor associated with these benefits is the improved efficiency of the management of life stress. CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity of problem solving, the educational methods used, and the widespread application to a person's lifestyle would appear to make this a possible candidate for a primary prevention program for major mental disorders. Guidebooks and teaching aids have been developed and show excellent consumer acceptance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Adolescent stealers' and nonstealers' social problem-solving skills.

Eleven adolescents with a history of stealing in the past year were compared to 11 nonstealers on social problem-solving skills. The stealers showed a tendency not to consider the passage of time necessary for solving social problems on the Means-Ends Problem Solving (MEPS) test. In addition, adolescents who exhibited delinquency tendencies, as measured by the Jesness Inventory, showed a cognitive bias for generating ineffective solutions to hypothetical social problems. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Adult age differences on traditional and practical problem-solving measures.

Eighty-four adults between the ages of 20 and 79 were presented with two types of problem-solving tasks. One was a task that is typically used in problem-solving research and the other was a task composed of practical problems that adults might encounter in their daily lives. Performance on the two types of tasks exhibited different developmental functions across age. Performance on the traditional problem-solving task decreased linearly across the page while performance on the practical problems increased to a peak in the 40- and 50-year-old groups and decreased thereafter. The results indicate that the developmental function obtained for problem-solving during the adult years depends on the type of problems that are presented. While performance on the abstract type of problems typically employed in research may decrease with age during the adult years, performance on practical problems may exhibit a different relationship with age.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Who's got the power? Gender differences in partners' perceptions of influence during marital problem-solving discussions.

Previous research on marital communication indicates that women have more influence in marital problem solving because they raise the issues and shape the discussion. Other studies suggest that men have the power in marital problem solving. This study re-examines power and influence from the partners' point of view. Twenty-seven couples-18 with a first child under 2, and 9 undecided about having children-were videotaped while working on a self-selected problem concerning their division of family labor. Data sources included: (a) transcribed audiotaped accounts given by each partner while viewing a videotape of their problem-solving discussion; (b) self-report questionnaires; and (c) ratings by a research team of the concordance between spouses' accounts. Husbands and wives were perceived as having a primary influence on different aspects of the discussion. Women tended to raise the issues and draw men out in the early phase of the discussion, while men controlled the content and emotional depth of the later discussion phases, and largely determined the outcome. The women's accounts emphasized that their influence in the early phase was often illusory: their behavior was shaped primarily by the effort to choose strategies that would avoid upsetting their husbands. In terms of overall satisfaction with marriage, wives had greater tolerance than their husbands for conflict in the area of division of domestic labor, but less tolerance for their husbands' domination of the discussion process. Women's marital satisfaction was higher when there was concordance between spouses in their accounts of their problem-solving discussion. This research highlights the importance of eliciting spouses' own perceptions and definitions in understanding the impact of gender-linked power differences in martial communication.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Problem solving and diabetes self-care.

An important objective of diabetes care is to provide patients with self-regulation skills. For patients to assume responsibility for their own regimens, they need to have good problem-solving skills to cope with ongoing personal, social, and environmental barriers to adherence. Therefore, a Diabetes Problem Solving Interview for adults was developed and evaluated with 126 non-insulin-dependent outpatients. Interviewers elicited problem-solving strategies patients would use to cope with a variety of situations potentially interfering with dietary, exercise, and glucose testing adherence. Interviews were tape recorded and coded by trained raters to produce scores on both overall problem-solving skill ratings and frequency of use of different types of strategies. Results revealed only minor influences of patient characteristics on problem-solving measures. Prospective analyses revealed that problem-solving measures were significant and independent predictors of levels of dietary and exercise self-care at a 6-month follow-up.

Activities of Daily Living↗