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Results for “Problem Solving”

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PubMed2003

Preventing adolescent depression: an evaluation of the problem solving for life program.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Problem Solving For Life program as a universal approach to the prevention of adolescent depression. Short-term results indicated that participants with initially elevated depressions scores (high risk) who received the intervention showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms and increase in life problem-solving scores from pre- to postintervention compared with a high-risk control group. Low-risk participants who received the intervention reported a small but significant decrease in depression scores over the intervention period, whereas the low-risk controls reported an increase in depression scores. The low-risk group reported a significantly greater increase in problem-solving scores over the intervention period compared with low-risk controls. These results were not maintained, however, at 12-month follow-up.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Risk of suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in university students.

The present paper investigates the risk of lifetime suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in a sample of 328 university students (41% male, 59% female). The response rate was 77% based on the total number of students registered for the relevant courses. A series of questions assessed lifetime suicide ideation, while problem solving and attitudes toward suicide were measured using the Self-Rating Problem Solving scale and four subscales of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire, respectively (McLeavey, 1986; Domino et al., 1989). Almost one-third of the students surveyed had lifetime suicide ideation. Both genders were similar in terms of their suicide ideation history, problem solving, and attitudes toward suicidal behavior with the exception that male students were more in agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior lacks real intent. Compared with 2% of nonideators and ideators, one in four planners reported that they would more than likely attempt suicide at some point in their life. Greater agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is normal was associated with significantly increased risk of being an ideator, as was poor problem solving and less agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is associated with mental illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The impact of two multiple-choice question formats on the problem-solving strategies used by novices and experts.

BACKGROUND: Pencil-and-paper examination formats, and specifically the standard, five-option multiple-choice question, have often been questioned as a means for assessing higher-order clinical reasoning or problem solving. This study firstly investigated whether two paper formats with differing number of alternatives (standard five-option and extended-matching questions) can test problem-solving abilities. Secondly, the impact of the alternatives number on psychometrics and problem-solving strategies was examined. METHODS: Think-aloud protocols were collected to determine the problem-solving strategy used by experts and non-experts in answering Gastroenterology questions, across the two pencil-and-paper formats. RESULTS: The two formats demonstrated equal ability in testing problem-solving abilities, while the number of alternatives did not significantly impact psychometrics or problem-solving strategies utilized. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the notion that well-constructed multiple-choice questions can in fact test higher order clinical reasoning. Furthermore, it can be concluded that in testing clinical reasoning, the question stem, or content, remains more important than the number of alternatives.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Academic achievement, situational stress, and problem-solving flexibility.

Academic overachieving (n equals 12) and underachieving (n equals 10) tenth grade boys were randomly assigned, with their parents, to either a success or a failure treatment in a problem solving task to determine the effects of induced stress on problem solving flexibility. For the underachievers, Ss in the success treatment were the most flexible, while for the overachievers, Ss in the failure treatment were the most flexible. A curvilinear proposition, consistent with Hebb's cue-arousal postulate was proposed to explain the results and also to explain the apparent discrepancies in the literature as to whether situational stress increases or decreases flexibility in problem solving. An implication of the proposition is that for persons with feelings of personal inadequacy, increases in situation stress result in decreased problem solving flexibility, but for persons with feelings of personal adequacy such increases enhance their problem solving flexibility.

Achievement↗

PubMed2006

Exploring the role of GIS during community health assessment problem solving: experiences of public health professionals.

BACKGROUND: A Community health assessment (CHA) involves the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in conjunction with other software to analyze health and population data and perform numerical-spatial problem solving. There has been little research on identifying how public health professionals integrate this software during typical problem solving scenarios. A better understanding of this is needed to answer the "What" and the "How". The "What" identifies the specific software being used and the "How" explains the way they are integrated together during problem solving steps. This level of understanding will highlight the role of GIS utilization during problem solving and suggest to developers how GIS can be enhanced to better support data analysis during community health assessment. RESULTS: An online survey was developed to identify the information technology used during CHA analysis. The tasks were broken down into steps and for our analysis these steps were categorized by action: Data Management/Access, Data Navigation, Geographic Comparison, Detection of Spatial Boundaries, Spatial Modelling, and Ranking Analysis. 27 CHA professionals completed the survey, with the majority of participants (14) being from health departments. Statistical software (e.g. SPSS) was the most popular software for all but one of the types of steps. For this step (detection of spatial boundaries), GIS was identified as the most popular technology. CONCLUSION: Most CHA professionals indicated they use statistical software in conjunction with GIS. The statistical software appears to drive the analysis, while GIS is used primarily for simple spatial display (and not complex spatial analysis). This purpose of this survey was to thoroughly examine into the process of problem solving during community health assessment data analysis and to gauge how GIS is integrated with other software for this purpose. These findings suggest that GIS is used more for spatial display while other software such as statistical packages (the "What") are used to drive data management, data navigation, and data calculation (the "How"). Focusing at the level of how public health problems are solved, can shed light on how GIS technology can be enhanced to encompass a stronger role during community health assessment problem solving.

Community Health Planning↗

PubMed2004

A brief problem-solving intervention for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a brief problem-solving intervention for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer. METHOD: Family caregivers were recruited through oncology clinics of a large tertiary care hospital in Canada. Those providing informed consent completed a baseline survey, received a brief problem-solving intervention, received a detailed home care guide, and completed a follow-up survey over the telephone 4 weeks after receiving the intervention. RESULTS: Thirty-four family caregivers completed all aspects of the study. Sixty-eight percent of caregivers were women, 73.5% were married to the care recipient, and their average age was 53.6 years. This brief intervention resulted in improvements in emotional tension (P<.03), caregiving confidence (P<.06), and positive problem-solving orientation (P<.06). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that even a brief problem-solving intervention may be beneficial for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer.

Caregivers↗

PubMed1993

Adolescent substance users: problem-solving abilities.

Cognitive ability and cognitive egocentrism were examined as predictors of problem-solving ability in adolescent substance users in a vocational training program. Problem-solving outcome variables were significantly predicted by two cognitive ability measures, as well as by measures of cognitive independence and egocentrism in thinking. Extent of substance use did not affect cognitive ability, cognitive egocentrism, or problem-solving ability.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Imagery in thinking and problem solving.

The possible role of imagery in thinking and problem solving was examined by giving 20 subjects a practical construction test (Maier's hat rack problem). 5 men and 4 women solved the problem. Posttest questioning indicated two distinct types of imagery were used to solve the problem, imagination or memory in imagery. The solvers tended to use imagination in imagery and the nonsolvers memory in imagery. In Exp. 2, 40 subjects were specifically instructed to use one or another of these strategies. Those using imagination in imagery were more likely to solve the problem than those using memory in imagery. The conclusion was drawn that imagination in imagery favours and memory in imagery impedes the solving of this problem.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Effective problem solving in suicide attempters depends on specific autobiographical recall.

The relationship between over-general autobiographical memory and interpersonal problem solving was investigated by comparing a group of suicide attempters with a nonsuicidal psychiatric control group and a normal control group. Results showed that suicide attempters were more over-general in memory and displayed significantly poorer problem solving than the other two groups. Furthermore, suicide attempters who were more over-general displayed greater deficits in problem solving. It was concluded that effective problem solving in suicide attempters depends on specific autobiographical recall.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Social problem solving abilities and psychosocial impairment among individuals recuperating from surgical repair for severe pressure sores.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The relationship of social problem solving abilities, health locus of control beliefs, and psychosocial impairment were examined among individuals with spinal cord injuries who were hospitalized following surgical repair of severe pressure sores. METHODS: Individuals were approached after surgical repair and completed measures of problem solving, health locus of control beliefs, and psychosocial impairment after admission to the rehabilitation hospital. RESULTS: The sample reported greater psychosocial impairment than observed in comparative data, but they did not differ from another sample in terms of health locus of control beliefs. Correlational analyses revealed that a negative orientation toward problem solving was significantly predictive of psychosocial impairment, consistent with prior research. However, a second study found persons assigned to a brief problem solving intervention did not differ on any measure from participants in a control group. DISCUSSION: Implications of these results are discussed from theoretical and clinical perspectives. Although social problem solving abilities were predictive of psychosocial impairment in a predicted direction, the lack of effects for the intervention suggests greater precision is needed to understand individual needs and to develop individualized intervention protocols.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1995

Social Problem-Solving Inventory for Adolescents (SPSI-A): development and preliminary psychometric evaluation.

This article describes a multiphase developmental process and psychometric evaluation of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory for Adolescents (SPSI-A). The SPSI-A consists of the following three scales: Automatic Process, Problem Orientation, and Problem-Solving Skills. The three subscales of the Problem Orientation Scale include Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior. The four subscales of the Problem-Solving Skills scale consist of Problem Identification, Alternative Generation, Consequence Prediction, and Implementation/Evaluation/Reorganization. Preliminary internal consistency, stability, content, construct, and criterion validity data are presented for freshmen and sophomore high school students. Collectively, the data provide evidence that the SPSI-A is a promising measure of adolescent problem-solving skills and motivation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Increasing problem solving in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: the choices diabetes program.

UNLABELLED: The purpose of this pilot study was to test the hypothesis that adolescents with type 1 diabetes can learn to become better problem solvers in diabetes self-care and thereby improve their metabolic control. METHODS: Fifty-three adolescents aged 13 to 17 with type 1 diabetes were randomly assigned to either a 6-week problem-solving diabetes education program or to a control group (usual care). A1C levels were obtained as well as assessments of problem solving, frequency of behavior, level of responsibility, and 24-hour behavior recall at baseline and 6 months. RESULTS: The experimental group participants showed significantly improved problem-solving test scores and A1C values from baseline to 6 months, changes not evident in the control group. At 6 months, the experimental group participants were doing blood glucose testing more often than those in the control group. However, there was no significant difference in problem-solving test scores or A1C values. CONCLUSIONS: This 6-week intervention for adolescents with diabetes resulted in better problem-solving skills, more frequent blood glucose testing, and improved A1C values. The results suggest that a diabetes problem-solving program for adolescents can be effective in improving metabolic control.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Knowledge and clinical problem-solving.

A consistent finding in the literature on measures of clinical problem-solving scores is that there are very low correlations across different problems. This phenomenon is commonly labelled 'content-specificity', implying that the scores differ because the content knowledge necessary to solve the problems differs. The present study tests this hypothesis by presenting groups of residents and clinical clerks with a series of simulated patient problems in which content was systematically varied. Each subject also completed a multiple choice test with questions linked to each diagnosis presented in the clinical problems. Three of the four problem-solving scores showed low correlations, even to two presentations of the same problem, and no relationship to content differences. None of the scores were related to performance on the multiple choice test. The results suggest that variability in problem-solving scores is related to factors other than content knowledge, and several possibilities are discussed.

Canada↗

PubMed2002

Problem-solving skills and emotional distress in spouses of men with prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in American men, may increase the risk of emotional distress in patients and their spouses. Problem-solving skills may be related to the emotional distress of the spouses. METHOD: Thirty-two spouses of prostate cancer patients completed measures of problem-solving skills and emotional distress. RESULTS: Proactive problem-solving skills were related to less emotional distress in spouses. Subtypes of problem-solving skills were differentially related to emotional distress. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancement of problem-solving skills may contribute to improved health-related quality of life of spouses of prostate cancer patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Cognitive functioning and social problem-solving skills in schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the relationships between symptoms, cognitive functioning, and social skill deficits in schizophrenia. Few studies have incorporated measures of cognitive functioning and symptoms in predictive models for social problem solving. METHOD: For our study, 44 participants were recruited from consecutive outpatient admissions. Neuropsychological tests were given to assess cognitive function, and social problem solving was assessed using structured vignettes designed to evoke the participant's ability to generate, evaluate, and apply solutions to social problems. A sequential model-fitting method of analysis was used to incorporate social problem solving, symptom presentation, and cognitive impairment into linear regression models. Predictor variables were drawn from demographic, cognitive, and symptom domains. Because this method of analysis was exploratory and not intended as hierarchical modelling, no a priori hypotheses were proposed. RESULTS: Participants with higher scores on tests of cognitive flexibility were better able to generate accurate, appropriate, and relevant responses to the social problem-solving vignettes. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that cognitive flexibility is a potentially important mediating factor in social problem-solving competence. While other factors are related to social problem-solving skill, this study supports the importance of cognition and understanding how it relates to the complex and multifaceted nature of social functioning.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

A controlled, problem-solving, group-based intervention with vulnerable incarcerated young offenders.

Recent research has indicated that vulnerable incarcerated young offenders--such as those at risk of suicidal behaviour, those on formal protection due to their inability to assimilate into mainstream, and those who are bullied but remain in normal circulation--display impoverished problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, deficits in their problem-solving skills are significantly correlated with levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a time-limited, group-based problem-solving training intervention compared with a no-treatment control for vulnerable, incarcerated young offenders. A total of 46 young offenders were equally allocated to intervention or control groups. Intervention participants experienced significant reductions in their levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness and improvement in their self-assessed social problem-solving abilities. Gains in aspects of self-assessed problem-solving ability and mental health for the intervention group continued to be evident at 3-month follow-up. Methodological concerns in this study and directions for future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Childhood depression and conduct disorder: I. Behavioral, affective, and cognitive aspects of family problem-solving interactions.

We assessed the family interactions of depressed, conduct-disordered, mixed depressed-conduct-disordered, and nonclinic children, ages 7-14 years, during a standardized family problem-solving discussion in the clinic. The child's and the mother's problem-solving proficiency, aversive behavior, and associated affective behavior (depressed and angry-hostile) were observed. The child and mother also rated each other's affect during the interaction for the dimensions sad, angry, critical, and happy on Likert-type scales. The child's and mother's cognitive constructions about the interaction were assessed using video-mediated recall. Although all clinic groups had lower levels of effective problem solving than did nonclinic children, their deficiencies were somewhat different. Mixed and depressed children displayed high levels of depressed affect and low levels of angry affect, whereas conduct-disordered children displayed both angry and depressed affect. In addition, conduct-disordered children had lower levels of positive problem solving and higher levels of aversive content than did non-conduct-disordered children. Depressed and conduct-disordered children had higher levels of self-referent negative cognitions than did mixed and comparison children, and depressed children also had higher other-referent negative cognitions than did all other groups. The study provides support for theories and treatment that stress the importance of family problem-solving and conflict resolution skills in child psychopathology.

Affect↗

PubMed1982

Problem solving in hyperactive, normal, and reading-disabled boys.

Diagnostic problem solving was examined in groups of hyperactive, normal, and nonhyperactive reading-disabled boys matched on age and verbal IQ. On the matrix solution task employed (a version of the game of 20 Questions) hyperactives used less efficient questions and strategies than the other two groups, in spite of the task being designed to maximize the performance of the hyperactives. Reading-disabled children were not significantly worse than normal children on the task. The results were interpreted as suggesting that the attentional difficulties of hyperactives retard the development of strategies for solving complex problems. Nonhyperactive reading-disabled children may be less affected in this area because of the absence of significant attentional difficulties.

Attention↗