Following a review of extant reporting standards for scientific publication, and reviewing 10 years of experience since publication of the first set of reporting standards by the American Psychological Association (APA; APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards, 2008), the APA Working Group on Quantitative Research Reporting Standards recommended some modifications to the original standards. Examples of modifications include division of hypotheses, analyses, and conclusions into 3 groupings (primary, secondary, and exploratory) and some changes to the section on meta-analysis. Several new modules are included that report standards for observational studies, clinical trials, longitudinal studies, replication studies, and N-of-1 studies. In addition, standards for analytic methods with unique characteristics and output (structural equation modeling and Bayesian analysis) are included. These proposals were accepted by the Publications and Communications Board of APA and supersede the standards included in the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010). (PsycINFO Database Record
In this chapter we describe the social problem-solving model that has generated most of the research and training programs presented in the remaining chapters of this volume. We also describe the major assessment methods and instruments that have been used to measure social problemsolving ability and performance in research as well as clinical practice.The term social problem solving refers to the process of problem solving as it occurs in the natural environment or "real world" (D'Zurilla & Nezu, 1982). The adjective social is not meant to limit the study of problem solving to any particular type of problem. It is used in this context only to highlight the fact that we are interested in problem solving that influences one's adaptive functioning in the real-life social environment. Hence, the study of social problem solving deals with all types of problems that might affect a person's functioning, including impersonal problems (e.g., insufficient finances, stolen property), personal or intrapersonal problems (emotional, behavioral, cognitive, or health problems), interpersonal problems (e.g., marital conflicts, family disputes), as well as broader community and societal problems (e.g., crime, racial discrimination). The model of social problem solving presented in this chapter was originally introduced by D' Zurilla and Goldfried (1971) II
The Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPSI) is a 70-item, multidimensional, self-report measure of social problem-solving ability that is based on the prescriptive model developed previously by D'Zurilla and his associates. The SPSI consists of 2 major scales and 7 subscales. The 2 major scales are the Problem Orientation Scale (POS) and the Problem-Solving Skills Scale (PSSS). Subsumed under the POS are 3 subscales: the Cognition subscale, the Emotion subscale, and the Behavior subscale. The PSSS is divided into 4 subscales: the Problem Definition and Formulation subscale, the Generation of Alternative Solutions subscale, the Decision Making subscale, and the Solution Implementation and Verification subscale. From samples of undergraduate college students and middle-aged community residents, preliminary data concerning the reliability and validity of the SPSI are presented. Collectively, these data suggest strongly that the SPSI has sound psychometric properties, is a promising multicomponent measure of social problem-solving ability, and can be useful for both research and clinical assessment.
The efficacy of problem-solving therapy (PST) to reduce psychological distress was assessed among a sample of 132 adult cancer patients. A second condition provided PST for both the patient and a significant other. At posttreatment, all participants receiving PST fared significantly better than waiting list control patients. Further, improvements in problem solving were found to correlate significantly with improvements in psychological distress and overall quality of life. No differences in symptom reduction were identified between the 2 treatment protocols. At a 6-month follow-up, however, patients who received PST along with their significant other reported lower levels of psychological distress as compared with members of the PST-alone condition on approximately half of the outcome measures. These effects were further maintained 1-year posttreatment.
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