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Results for “benefit finding”

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PubMed2005

Outcome expectations and self-regulation in cancer patients: reliability, initial factor structure, and relationships with benefit finding.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to investigate outcome expectation and self-regulation measures within a sample of cancer patients and to explore relationships of these variables with benefit finding. The outcome expectation and self-regulation measures were evaluated for reliability and initial factor structure. METHOD: A convenience sample of 141 cancer patients completed study measures while waiting for appointments at a cancer center. RESULTS: The measures demonstrated good reliability (alphas = .88 and .92, for outcome expectation and self-regulation respectively). Initial factor structure suggested six outcome expectation factors (managing symptoms, expressing emotions, talking about cancer, learning about cancer, managing self-image, and managing needs) and one self-regulation factor. Gender and treatment status were related to outcome expectations but not self-regulation. Outcome expectations and self-regulation were significant predictors of benefit-finding, F(8, 80) = 3.1, p = .005. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH: Measures of outcome expectations and self-regulation are reliable, are related to gender and clinical variables, and may be useful as predictors of cancer patients' ability to find benefits in their cancer experience.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Finding meaning in parenting a child with Asperger syndrome: correlates of sense making and benefit finding.

This study explored the nature of two construals of meaning, benefit finding and sense making, in parents of a child with Asperger syndrome, and examined relations between both meaning constructs and the Double ABCX family stress model variables (initial stressor and pile-up of demands, appraisal, social support, coping strategies and adjustment) [H.I. McCubbin, J.M. Patterson, Social Stress and the Family: Advances and Developments in Family Stress Theory and Research, Haworth, New York, 1983, pp. 7-37]. A total of 59 parents completed questionnaires. Content analyses of parents' responses to questions inquiring about gains and sense making explanations revealed 8 benefit and 12 sense making themes. Results of correlations indicated that one or more of the meaning variables were related to each of the Double ABCX model predictors of parental adjustment. The meaning variables were positively related to adaptive coping processes: social support, self-efficacy, and problem-focused and emotional approach coping strategies.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

Cognitive-behavioral stress management increases benefit finding and immune function among women with early-stage breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention on emotional well-being and immune function among women in the months following surgery for early-stage breast cancer. METHOD: Twenty-nine women were randomly assigned to receive either a 10-week CBSM intervention (n=18) or a comparison experience (n=11). The primary psychological outcome measure was benefit finding. The primary immune function outcome measure was in vitro lymphocyte proliferative response to anti CD3. RESULTS: Women in the CBSM intervention reported greater perceptions of benefit from having breast cancer compared to the women in the comparison group. At 3-month follow-up, women in the CBSM group also had improved lymphocyte proliferation. Finally, increases in benefit finding after the 10-week intervention predicted increases in lymphocyte proliferation at the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: A CBSM intervention for women with early-stage breast cancer facilitated positive emotional responses to their breast cancer experience in parallel with later improvement in cellular immune function.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive-behavioral stress management reduces serum cortisol by enhancing benefit finding among women being treated for early stage breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) group intervention on serum cortisol levels in women being treated for stage I or II breast cancer. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to undergo a 10-week intervention (N = 24) within 8 weeks after surgery or were placed on a waiting list (N = 10). Cortisol was assessed by means of a radioimmunoassay of blood samples collected at the same time of day just before the start of the intervention and immediately after its completion. The women also reported the degree to which breast cancer had made positive contributions to their lives. RESULTS: Intervention participants showed increased benefit finding and reduced serum cortisol levels, whereas control subjects experienced neither change. Path analysis suggested that the effect of CBSM on cortisol was mediated by increases in benefit finding. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that positive growth enhanced during a time-limited intervention can influence physiological parameters such as cortisol among women with early stage breast cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Small employers and health benefits: findings from the 2000 Small Employer Health Benefits Survey.

Many small employers (between two and 50 workers) are making decisions about whether to offer health benefits to their workers without being fully aware of the tax advantages that can make this benefit more affordable. Fifty-seven percent of small employers did not know that they can deduct 100 percent of their health insurance premiums. Nearly one-half of small employers are not aware that workers who purchase health insurance on their own generally cannot deduct 100 percent of their health insurance premiums. Small employers are largely unaware of the laws that have been enacted by nearly all states and the federal government with the intent of making health insurance more accessible and more affordable for many small employers. More than 60 percent did not know that insurers may not deny health insurance coverage to small employers even when the health status of their workers is poor. Most employers offer sound business reasons for offering health benefits to workers. Many have found that it helps with employee recruitment and retention, increases productivity, and reduces absenteeism. Nearly 50 percent of the employers offering dependent (family) coverage report that the workers do not take coverage for their dependents because the dependents have coverage from somewhere else. Twenty-seven percent report their employees decline dependent coverage because they cannot afford the premiums. Many small employers that do not offer health benefits are potential purchasers. Twelve percent are either extremely or very likely to start offering health benefits in the next two years, and 17 percent are somewhat likely to start offering health benefits. A number of factors would increase the likelihood that a small business would seriously consider offering a health benefits plan. Two-thirds of small-business owners said they would seriously consider offering health benefits if the government provided assistance with premiums. Almost one-half would consider doing so if insurance costs fell 10 percent. In addition, one-half would be more likely to seriously consider offering a health benefits plan if employees demand it. Many small employers with health benefits have recently switched health plans, and 34 percent report that they did so within the past year. Affordability for the employer and the worker is clearly a critical factor affecting the likelihood of switching health plans. Nearly all employers who have switched health plans within the past five years cite cost as the main reason. One-third of companies offering health benefits think they will change coverage, and 5 percent think they would drop coverage if the cost of health insurance were to increase by 5 percent.

Commerce↗
PubMed2003

Small employers and health benefits: findings from the 2002 small employer health benefits survey.

Overall, 19 percent of small employers offering health benefits made changes to their health plan between 2001 and 2002. Sixty-five percent increased deductibles and co-pays; 35 percent switched insurers; 30 percent increased the employee share of the premium; and 29 percent cut back on the scope of benefits. Twenty-six percent increased the scope of benefits offered. Nearly one-quarter of small employers offering health benefits think their firm would change coverage and 3 percent think it would drop coverage if the cost were to increase an additional 5 percent. Most small employers offer sound business reasons for offering health benefits to workers. Many report that it helps with employee recruitment and retention, and increases productivity. More than three-quarters report that offering health benefits is "the right thing to do." Most small employers that do offer health benefits report that it has a positive impact on various aspects of the business, such as recruitment, retention, employee attitude and performance, employee health status, and the overall success of the business. Most small employers that do not offer health benefits tend to think that not offering them has no negative impact on the above aspects of their business or the overall success of the business. However, those not offering benefits are more likely than those offering them to report that most of their employees are high-turnover and stay on the job only a few months. Small employers that offer health benefits tend to be distinctly different from those not offering them. Worker income in firms not offering health benefits tends to be considerably lower than in firms that do offer them. Employers not offering health benefits are more likely than those offering them to have a smaller proportion of full-time employees, and employers that do not offer health benefits have a larger proportion of females, workers under age 30, and minority employees. Of small employers that offer dependent coverage, more than 40 percent report that workers do not take coverage for their dependents because the dependents have coverage from somewhere else, but 35 percent report that employees decline dependent coverage because they cannot afford the premiums. Many small employers that do not offer health benefits are potential purchasers. Eleven percent are either extremely or very likely to start offering health benefits in the next two years, and 22 percent are somewhat likely to start offering health benefits.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Do sociodemographic and disease-related variables influence benefit-finding in cancer patients?

This study examined patients' perceptions that having cancer led to positive life changes, or benefit-finding (BF), e.g. improved relationships, enhanced appreciation of life, increased resilience and self-reliance. We investigated the relations between BF, sociodemographic (e.g. gender, age, marital status, education, income) and disease-related variables (e.g. severity of disease or cancer stage, time since diagnosis). The sample was comprised of 83 men and women with various types of cancer, and all 4 stages of disease were represented. Participants were most likely to be Caucasian (90%), married (66%) and well-educated (68% partial college/specialized training). Of the demographic variables investigated, younger age was associated with greater BF scores. As hypothesized, BF also differed by stage of disease in a curvilinear fashion. Individuals with stage II disease had significantly higher BF scores than those with Stage IV or Stage I cancer. Time since diagnosis and treatment status (i.e. currently in treatment, completed treatment, no treatment) were not related to BF. Findings suggest that stage of disease is an important factor to consider when investigating positive perceptions of disease in individuals with cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

How aware are employees of their benefits? Findings from two companies.

This study examines benefit awareness of employees in two companies. Contrary to previous research, the results show that employees are generally accurate in their perceptions of the benefits available to them. However, the results also show a lack of awareness of unemployment insurance and disability insurance as benefits. In addition, employees were somewhat uncertain regarding costs of benefits to employers. These findings suggest that employers should monitor employee awareness of benefits and target communications to specific problem areas.

Attitude↗
PubMed2006

Expressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects.

A randomized trial (n = 60; A. L. Stanton, S. Danoff-Burg, L. A. Sworowski, et al., 2002) revealed that 4 sessions of written expressive disclosure or benefit finding produced lower physical symptom reports and medical appointments for cancer-related morbidities at 3-month follow-up among breast cancer patients relative to a fact-control condition. The goal of this article is to investigate mechanisms underlying these effects. Within-session heart rate habituation mediated effects of expressive disclosure on physical symptoms, and greater use of negative emotion words in essays predicted a decline in physical symptoms. Postwriting mood and use of positive emotion and cognitive mechanism words in essays were not significant mediators, although greater cognitive mechanism word use was related to greater heart rate habituation and negative emotion word use.

Affect↗
PubMed2006

Curvilinear associations between benefit finding and psychosocial adjustment to breast cancer.

Two previously studied cohorts of women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (Ns = 230 and 136) were reexamined. Participants were assessed during the year after surgery and 5-8 years later. Associations were examined between benefit finding (BF) and several indicators of psychosocial adjustment (e.g., perceived quality of life, positive affect, negative affect, social disruption, and intrusive thoughts). Significant curvilinear relations between BF and other outcomes were observed cross-sectionally during initial assessment and at long-term follow-up in both samples. Compared with the intermediate BF group, low and high BF groups had better psychosocial adjustment. Further analyses indicated that the high BF group reported higher optimism and more use of positive reframing and religious coping than the other BF groups. Discussion highlights the need to examine nonlinear as well as linear relationships.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Psychosocial and sociodemographic correlates of benefit-finding in men treated for localized prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) treatment involves decrements in quality of life such as decreased sexual functioning and urinary/bowel incontinence. Prior work in other cancers has identified positive consequences (e.g. personal growth) following diagnosis and treatment, a phenomenon that has been referred to as benefit-finding (BF) and positively related to quality of life. METHOD: The present study evaluated demographic and psychosocial correlates of BF in men treated for localized PCa. Participants were 250 men who were 6-18 months post treatment, who completed measures of coping strategies, perceived social support, and BF. RESULTS: In regression models both coping and social support were positively related to BF scores, even after controlling for income, education and ethnic identification. CONCLUSION: Active coping strategies and greater perceived social support are important correlates of greater BF following localized PCa treatment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Changes in sickness absenteeism following the introduction of a qualifying day for sickness benefit--findings from Sweden Post.

AIMS: In 1993, a qualifying day without sickness benefit was introduced to the Swedish sickness benefit system. The aim of the present study is to investigate sickness absenteeism before and after the introduction of the qualifying day, in the light of conditions inside and outside working life. METHODS: The study was based on 1,952 female and 2,229 male employees of Sweden Post. Sickness absence was measured by sickness incidence one year before and one year after the introduction of the qualifying day (sick-leave events/person days at risk). Information about explanatory factors was collected by a postal questionnaire in 1994. RESULTS: A decrease in sickness incidence was observed after the introduction of the qualifying day as well as an increase in the mean duration of sick-leave events. The proportion of long-term sick-leave events (15-365 days) increased; among men this increase was also found in absolute terms. There were no suggestions of economy being an important determinant for reduced sickness incidence. Women with long-term or serious disease did not show a reduction of sickness incidence to the same extent as those without disease, and for men a coherent result was observed. Men with heavy lifting at work more often showed an increase in incidence compared to men without heavy lifting, and the same tendency was found for women. CONCLUSION: The reduction in sickness incidence following the introduction of the qualifying day was fairly independent of different work-related and non-work-related factors. The impact of the qualifying day differed depending on health status and the physical workload.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention decreases the prevalence of depression and enhances benefit finding among women under treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

The authors tested effects of a 10-week group cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention among 100 women newly treated for Stage 0-II breast cancer. The intervention reduced prevalence of moderate depression (which remained relatively stable in the control condition) but did not affect other measures of emotional distress. The intervention also increased participants' reports that having breast cancer had made positive contributions to their lives, and it increased generalized optimism. Both remained significantly elevated at a 3-month follow-up of the intervention. Further analysis revealed that the intervention had its greatest impact on these 2 variables among women who were lowest in optimism at baseline. Discussion centers on the importance of examining positive responses to traumatic events--growth, appreciation of life, shift in priorities, and positive affect-as well as negative responses.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

Assessment may conceal therapeutic benefit: findings from a randomized controlled trial for hazardous drinking.

CONTEXT: The concept that assessment of a person's health status without subsequent intervention has beneficial effects in itself has stimulated much interest in underlying psychological mechanisms, methodological implications and its public health potential. There have, however, been few experimental studies of assessment effects. AIM: To test the hypothesis that assessment in itself produces a reduction in hazardous drinking. DESIGN AND SETTING: Two conditions (group A, leaflet only and group B, leaflet and assessment but no intervention) of a four-arm randomized controlled trial with enrollment in March-April 2003. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 975 students (17-29 years) attending a primary health-care clinic completed a web-based Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire. Of 599 who scored >or= 8576 consented to follow-up and were included in the full four-arm trial, of whom 293 (153 women) were assigned to groups A and B. INTERVENTION: Group A received an information leaflet at baseline. Group B received the information leaflet and 10 minutes of web-based assessment 4 weeks later. MEASUREMENTS: Drinking frequency, typical quantity, heavy episode frequency, personal problems and academic problems. FINDINGS: Baseline mean AUDIT scores were 15.0 (SD = 5.4) and 14.9 (SD = 5.0) in groups A and B, respectively. Twelve months after baseline, relative to group A, group B reported lower overall consumption (geometric means ratio 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.98), fewer heavy drinking episodes (0.66, 0.47-0.91), fewer problems (0.81, 0.67-0.99) and lower AUDIT scores (beta = -1.63, -0.62 to -2.65). CONCLUSIONS: Brief assessment appeared to reduce hazardous drinking. Controlled trials that rely on assessment may therefore underestimate treatment effects. Limitations include the possibility of measurement artefact due to social desirability bias.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Pa. system finds benefit in bankruptcy.

Two financially troubled hospitals in Philadelphia plan to defy the skeptics by pooling their assets to form a new not-for-profit corporation.

Financial Management↗