B. Ann Bettencourt

University of Missouri | Mizzou · Department of Psychological Sciences

Background Medical students have high levels of stress, which is associated with higher incidents of burnout, depression, and suicide compared to age-matched peers. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce stress among medical students. Purpose The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine if mindfulness interventio...

Introduction Somatic symptoms related to mental health in medical students are under-researched, with nothing on the topic being published in the United States in over three decades. This scoping review is the first of its kind to explore the prevalence, type and severity of somatic symptoms induced by stress, anxiety, depression and burnout amongs...

Objectives Meditative practices have grown in popularity, but the results of meditative intervention studies on immune functioning have been inconsistent. Although prior reviews have been conducted, the present meta-analysis provides a more comprehensive and updated examination. Methods One hundred and five eligible studies, including mindfulness-...

The current study investigated the assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress during normal and COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Generalisability theory (G-theory) was applied to examine stable and dynamic aspects of psychological distress and the overall reliability of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), using data from two indepe...

We propose that awe has multifaceted relations with existential isolation, a feeling of separation between the self and others or the world. Three studies examined the relation between awe and existential isolation via feelings of small self (vastness, self-size, self-perspectives) and a sense of connectedness. Awe (vs. a control topic) was induced...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mental health disorders contribute to significant healthcare expenses. Lifestyle approaches that empower and enable patients to participate in their recovery are needed with the increasing complexity of cardiac patients. Traditional Tamil medical practice of Siddha self-inquiry meditation targets holistic health thr...

System justification theory suggests that high-status group members endorsing status hierarchies will favor their ingroup and may show less positive outgroup attitudes. Understanding which variables influence these relationships is important. We explored whether trait mindfulness would decouple the relationship between racial-system justification,...

Objectives People conceptualize their identities, in part, by their social roles. We defined the construct of “selfing” as excessive identification with a social role. This over-identification may influence feelings of psychological stress; research to understand this theorized association requires reliable and valid measurement of the selfing cons...

Objectives The Interpersonal Mindfulness Scale (IMS) was recently developed to assess the qualities of mindfulness relevant to interpersonal interactions. The objective of the current study was to create a valid and reliable short-form version from the existing 27-item IMS. Methods Rasch modeling methods were used to evaluate a 17-item version and...

Faculty at institutions of higher education face increasing pressure to publish and become productive writers, which may lead to distress and subsequent lack of productivity. The current pilot study examined the effects of a modified version of Robert Boice’s “Blocked Writers Program”, in conjunction with formal training in mindfulness meditation....

People’s proclivity for favoring their ingroups over outgroups has negative consequences for individuals, groups, and societies. Social psychologists have explored a variety of techniques to reduce these intergroup biases. Emerging research suggests that mindfulness may be effective for this purpose. Mindfulness is defined as present-moment attenti...

Objectives The Interpersonal Mindfulness Scale (IMS) is a recently developed measure to assess mindfulness in the context of interpersonal interactions. The IMS showed promising psychometric properties and is considered to be a trait measure, but its temporal reliability and ability to distinguish trait from state have not been rigorously examined...

Purpose: Young breast cancer survivors (YBCS) face unique challenges in coping with disease, distress, and relationship concerns. The purposes of this study were to understand the acceptability and feasibility of an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) for YBCS and their partners (i.e., Couples Mindfulness-Based Intervention: C-MBI) and to c...

Existing trait mindfulness scales primarily assess mindfulness as it occurs outside interpersonal contexts. To more fully understand the possible relational benefits of mindfulness, the authors propose the construct of interpersonal mindfulness—mindfulness as it occurs during interpersonal interactions. The current work describes psychometric devel...

Three studies examined whether Democrats and Republicans expressed favoritism toward an ingroup political candidate, even when the candidates were presented as positive and bipartisan. Participants rated electability and traits, after reading party consistent (Passage 1) and positive, bipartisan information (Passage 2). Conservatism (Studies 1–3),...

There is growing interest in understanding the ways in which mindfulness influences interpersonal relationships. Two studies investigated the relationship between a newly proposed construct, interpersonal mindfulness, and the quality of a best or close friend. Interpersonal mindfulness is conceptualized as mindfulness during interpersonal interacti...

In prior literature, intergroup contact has been associated with better attitudes toward outgroups, but intergroup anxiety mediates this relationship. Higher anxiety is associated with less-favorable outgroup attitudes. We hypothesized that this meditational association would be moderated by frequency of mindfulness and contemplative practices. Stu...

Objective: Despite the efficacy of clinical treatments (e.g., adjuvant hormonal therapy) for breast cancer survivors (BCS), nonadherence rates remains high, increasing the risk of recurrence and mortality. The current study tested a theoretical model of medical nonadherence that proposes depression to be the most proximal predictor of medical nona...

We hypothesized that negatively valenced expectancy violations about the quality of 1's life would predict negative emotionality. We tested this hypothesis in a 4-wave longitudinal study of breast cancer survivors. The findings showed that higher levels of negatively valenced expectancy violation, at earlier time points, were associated with greate...

A meta-analysis that included more than 1,100 effect sizes tested the predictions of three theoretical perspectives that explain evaluative extremity in social judgment: complexity-extremity theory, subjective group dynamics model, and expectancy-violation theory. The work seeks to understand the ways in which group-based information interacts with...

A number of theoretical perspectives suggest that expectancy violations (EVs) threaten a person's sense of meaning and prompt efforts to reinstate meaning. Yet, little to no research has explicitly examined whether EVs predict actual efforts to search for meaning. The current research redresses this gap in the literature among a sample of breast ca...

It is important to identify predictors of psychological health among breast cancer patients that can be relatively easily identified by medical care providers. This article investigates the role of one class of such potential predictors: easily identified demographics that have potential social and/or practical implications. Specifically, we examin...

The authors propose that competence need fulfillment within valued role domains (i.e., spouse, parent, worker) will account, in part, for associations between autonomy and relatedness need fulfillment and psychological health. Testing these assertions in cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys of women in two independent community samples, the fin...

The current study examined whether the association between perceived sexual stigma and psychological distress is influenced by individuals' level of identity disclosure and their typical coping strategies. Regression analyses were conducted with data from a survey of 79 gay men and lesbians. Results revealed a 3‐way interaction between participants...

Evidence suggests that more depressed breast cancer patients will less likely adhere to treatment plans. This study presents evidence that the theory of planned behaviour mediates the relation between depression and intentions to adhere to treatment plans and between depression and lack of adherence to medication regime. Two hundred and thirteen wo...

These studies investigate whether group salience contributes to the greater in-group favouritism expressed by numerical minorities after intergroup cooperation, as compared with majorities. In Study 1, using real social categories, situationally heightened salience exacerbated bias only among numerical minorities. Using real social categories, Stud...

To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing an in-home expressive-writing intervention among breast cancer survivors living in urban and rural areas. Women who had completed radiation therapy were selected to participate in either expressive writing or a usual-care control condition. All materials were completed in the privacy of...

This concluding article outlines the themes related to successful grassroots organizing that were recurrent in the other articles of this journal issue. These themes include group dynamics, characteristics of grassroots activists, intergroup coalitions, leadership and other resources, and the role of technology. In addition, this paper highlights s...

We suggest that key components of intragroup dynamics, including coordination, motivation, and group identification, are important for determining whether a grassroots group will function well, maintain itself over time, and regularly achieve “successes” as defined by the group. These processes were examined in a case study of a grassroots peace or...

This study investigated whether the legitimacy of the status structure influences the interactive effects of group status and numerical representation on intergroup attitudes. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 (level of status; high, low) by 2 (legitimacy of status; legitimate, illegitimate) by 2 (numerical representation; ma...

The present study examines the ways in which breast cancer survivors' perceptions of emotional and instrumental social support from an intimate partner and need satisfaction in their partner role influence depression during and after breast cancer treatment. Our sample was comprised of 163 women who were an average of 57 years old, mostly White/Cau...

Two studies examine the impact of individual differences in group identity on psychological empowerment and well-being among members of the ethnic minority and majority. Study 1 revealed an interaction between ethnicity and group identity in predicting empowerment and well-being. Moreover, the results revealed that psychological empowerment partial...

Many studies have revealed that individual differences in coping responses to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are associated with psychological adjustment. The vast majority of these studies, however, focus exclusively on urban breast cancer survivors despite that rural breast cancer survivors are likely to have distinct experiences bo...

Previous research has focused on the influence of HIV-related stigma for the psychological adjustment and physical health of persons with HIV/AIDS. Few studies, however, have examined the impact of HIV-related stigma on close relationships where one or both couple members have HIV/AIDS. The current review will integrate previous research findings t...

This study examines the moderating influence of rural residence on the associations between health locus of control (HLC) beliefs and psychological well-being. Two hundred and twenty-four breast cancer patients were surveyed. The results revealed that rurality interacted with HLC beliefs in predicting psychological adjustment. The pattern indicated...

This research was designed to understand heterosexual men's interpersonal reactions toward a gay male individual and to examine how threat and pre-existing antigay prejudice impact these encounters. In one experiment, we manipulated the ostensible sexual orientation of an assigned work partner and assessed participants' perceptions of threat indire...

This report is a review of studies that focus on rural breast cancer survivorship. It includes a total of 14 studies using large databases and 27 other studies using qualitative and quantitative methods. In our review of this literature, we identified four broad themes, including access to treatment and treatment type, medical providers and health...

This research investigates why cross-cutting role assignments, compared to those that converge, may worsen the intergroup attitudes of numerical majorities. Study 1 manipulated the numerical representation of groups and role assignments in a cooperative setting. As predicted, when the cross-cut role condition included the reintroduction of the nume...

The present survey study examines whether satisfaction with health care predicts breast cancer patients' psychological adjustment and esteem for their communities. Forty-nine women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer completed measures of satisfaction with health care, psychological well-being, community esteem, depression, perceived hea...

The authors conducted a comprehensive review to understand the relation between personality and aggressive behavior, under provoking and nonprovoking conditions. The qualitative review revealed that some personality variables influenced aggressive behavior under both neutral and provocation conditions, whereas others influenced aggressive behavior...

The purpose of this research is to examine how Whites respond to African Americans who differ in their attitudes about racism and strategies for handling racism. In one condition, White participants read about an African American student who described racism as a minor problem and expressed an individualistic strategy for dealing with it (bargainer...

Psychological need satisfaction through social roles Many theoretical traditions in social psychology are predicated upon the assumption that there is a fundamental conflict between the individual and the group – an idea that can be traced to Thomas Hobbes (1650/1931). For example, much research on social dilemmas assumes that individuals face a di...

The present study examines the ways in which satisfaction with health care may be associated with the lives of rural women. One hundred thirty one rural women between the ages of 45 and 70 years completed measures of community esteem, life satisfaction, satisfaction with health care, health status, and mood. The results showed that rural women's sa...

The ways students spend their out-of-school hours can affect their achievement. We present a theoretical analysis of this process. We describe out-of-school activities along two primary dimensions: (a) the extent to which they are related to academic material, and (b) the extent to which they promote identification with school. We discuss both theo...

This study employed the integrated threat theory of intergroup attitudes to examine the attitudes of Black and White students toward the other racial group. This theory synthesizes previous research on the relationships of threats to intergroup attitudes. Structural equation modeling revealed that for both racial groups, realistic threats, symbolic...

This set of studies compares the effects of choice among partners versus assignment to partner in an outcome-dependent context. In both studies, White participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions. In the first condition participants were assigned to a White partner, in a second condition they were assigned to a Black partner, and in a t...

Five candidate measures of psychological need-satisfaction were evaluated as predictors of high positive and low negative mood within the group, intrinsic motivation for group activities, and high commitment to the group. Consistent with self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1991), personal autonomy and interpersonal relatedness both predicted po...

The authors explored ways in which needs for autonomy and relatedness can be simultaneously met within the context of group life. Specifically, it was hypothesized that social role performances provide means of both expressing the self and connecting with group members. Consistent with the assumption that autonomy and relatedness are complementary...

This work examines the moderating effects of status stability, legitimacy, and group permeability on in-group bias among high- and low-status groups. These effects were examined separately for evaluative measures that were relevant as well as irrelevant to the salient status distinctions. The results support social identity theory and show that hig...

This work examines the moderating effects of status stability, legitimacy, and group permeability on in-group bias among high-and low-status groups. These effects were examined separately for evaluative measures that were relevant as well as irrelevant to the salient status distinctions. The results support social identity theory and show that high...

Several models of person perception predict that expectancy violations have both affective and cognitive consequences for the perceiver. Although extant evidence generally supports these claims, the temporal resolution of traditional self-report measures has limited researchers' ability to convincingly link underlying physiological processes with o...

This study examined in-group members' impressions of a fellow member who attempted to join a higher power group, along with the interactive effects of the permeability of group boundaries and relative success of this social mobility attempt on impressions. Because groups with less permeable boundaries are typically more cohesive, a group member's r...

We examined the processes that unfold from category-based expectancy violations. In Experiment 1, which included both Black and White participants, descriptions of in-group and out-group targets' academic credentials either violated or were consistent with relevant category-based expectancies for their respective group category. The results showed...

This study examines the relationship between allocentrism and subjective well-being among African Americans and European Americans. In addition, for these groups we tested the relationship between idiocentrism and subjective well-being. Eighty-four African Americans and 122 European Americans completed measures of allocentrism, idiocentrism, self-e...

This study investigates whether collective self-esteem predicts adjustment in a particular domain. We measured collective self-esteem as it relates to students' memberships in their residence halls. Our adjustment measures included social and academic adjustment to college, as well as grade point average. Measures were taken at two different time p...

Investigates whether persons' cognitive representations of valued group identities differ in content from their representations of their personal identity. 30 female and 28 male college students completed an adapted version of the Twenty Statements Test, in which participants wrote words and phrases to describe his or her identity. Social identific...

This study investigates whether the greater in-group favoritism typically expressed by numerical minorities could be minimized by cross-cutting role assignment to the tasks in a cooperative setting. Study 1 manipulated the numerical representation of two groups and role assignment to a team task. The results showed that cross-cut role assignment de...

Investigates whether the greater ingroup favoritism typically expressed by numerical minorities, compared with numerical majorities, could be minimized by encouraging an interpersonal social orientation during intergroup cooperation. Study 1 examined how the type of social orientation adopted during cooperation affected the intergroup attitudes of...

The present studies examined the relationship between allocentrism and subjective well-being. In addition, the mediational role of collective self-esteem for ascribed and acquired groups was tested. Study 1 showed that the reliable relation between allocentrism and life satisfaction was mediated by private, public, and membership collective self-es...

Examines the role of category-based expectancy violation in explaining extreme evaluations of ingroup and outgroup members. In three experiments, descriptions about ingroup and outgroup targets were varied to manipulate expectancy violation. Participants evaluated the global favorability and rated the trait characteristics of either an ingroup or a...

Meta-analytically examines experimental studies that include violent cues in the setting and assesses the effects of aversive provocation on gender differences in aggression. The results show that when violent cues are present, men are more aggressive than women under neutral unprovoked conditions. However, when they are exposed to both violent cue...

In this article, we meta-analytically examine experimental studies to assess the moderating effect of provocation on gender differences in aggression. Convergent evidence shows that, whereas unprovoked men are more aggressive than women, provocation markedly attenuates this gender difference. Gender differences in appraisals of provocation intensit...

In this article, we meta-analytically examine experimental studies to assess the moderating effect of provocation on gender differences in aggression. Convergent evidence shows that, whereas unprovoked men are more aggressive than women, provocation markedly attenuates this gender difference. Gender differences in appraisals of provocation intensit...

Conducted a secondary analysis of M. W. Lipsey and D. B. Wilson's (see record 1994-18340-001) meta-analysis (MA) of MAs of psychological interventions. Information from each MA was coded from 5 areas in each MA: mean effect size; treatment type; number of studies, authors, and pages in the MA; publication status and type; and year of report appear...

Results of surveys completed by 130 psychology graduate chairpersons at colleges and universities indicate that formal mentoring programs were rare (6%). However, a substantial percentage of Ss (75%) reported that graduate students interact informally with undergraduates on research projects. In addition, Ss estimated that a large percentage of psy...

suggest how we can study dynamic processes in general, and the negotiation of safer sex in particular / argue for a dynamic paradigm / suggest useful units (or structures) consistent with a dynamic approach that allow us, using more traditional methodologies, to conduct research involving the interpersonal negotiation of safer sex / present new met...

Two studies report a test of aspects of Brewer and Miller's (1984) model of the effects of cooperative contact on intergroup discrimination. Study 1 tested the hypothesis that conditions promoting an interpersonal orientation during contact would reduce ingroup bias between experimentally created social categories more than contact under conditions...

One hundred and one participants received In Control: A Home Video Freedom from Smoking Program. Of 53 completing self-treatment, 31 were verified by CO testing as abstinent one month after completion. Twenty-one per cent of the sample (40 per cent of those completing treatment) had not smoked in the past three months prior to 12 month follow-up an...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southern California, 1992. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-65).