Pakistan Journal of Applied Psychology (PJAP)

Understanding Happiness and Meaning of Life from Perspective of a Transgender: A Qualitative Study

Madiha Arshad — 2023-08-31

Transgender beings are most miserable and neglected regarding violation of their rights, physical and mental health. Current study was conducted to explore the happiness and meaning of life among transgender. The study was based on a thematic approach and themes were explored to find out the happiness and meaning of life for them. Sample was recruited through snowball sampling technique from the city of Rawalpindi. It consisted of (N=12) who were involved in begging within age range of (27-50 years). Seven themes were generated through thematic analysis including, 1) Low level of happiness among transgender, 2) Adverse social life is related to low happiness, 3) Adverse impact on psychological health, 4) Ambiguous meaning of life, 5) Family difficulties, 6) Financial crises are related with ambiguous meaning of life and 7) Future desires. Overall, low level of happiness is related with such main factors as; lack of social support, adverse psychological impact and endless social rejection. Ambiguous meaning of life is related to factors such as dissatisfaction in life, financial crises and family difficulties. Future desires include religious activities, employment and social acceptance which are related to both happiness and meaningful life. Thus, these issues need be addressed urgently to overcome adverse well-being of transgender.

Impact of Psychological Contract Breach on the Counterproductive Work Behavior among Nurses: Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence and Forgiveness

Iram Batool — 2023-08-31

Interest in counterproductive work behavior is increasing due to the extreme harm it causes to organizations. This study extended past studies on counterproductive work behavior by exploring the impact of psychological contract breaches on counterproductive work behavior among nurses. Furthermore, the current study investigated the moderating role of emotional intelligence and forgiveness in the relationship between psychological contract breach and counterproductive work behavior. Data were collected from 200 nurses working in private and public hospitals in Multan city. Based on findings, psychological contract breach perception resulted in nurses' involvement in counterproductive work behavior. Moreover, results revealed that emotional intelligence does not moderate the relationship between psychological contract breach and counterproductive work behavior. Still, forgiveness moderated this relationship. This study's results demonstrate how a psychological contract breach shapes an employee's negative behavior. In addition, human resource departments are advised to avoid psychological contract breach cases by making realistic promises to employees when hiring. This study also recommends adopting a forgiveness culture in organizations, which will increase the quality of workplace relationships and aid employees in managing their emotions.

Self-Efficacy as a Determinant of Depression Among Muslim Trainee Nurses in Pakistan

Rabia Mushtaq — 2023-08-31

Objective of this research was to study the cognitive model of depression (i.e. self-efficacy) among Muslim trainee nurses in Pakistan. Self-efficacy is referred as the person’s beliefs in one’s competences to perform well in a specific situation. Researchers found that people with high level of self-efficacy take their tasks as challenge and cope effectively with their obstacles as compare to those with low self-efficacy as they face difficulty recovering from failures (Bandura, 1977). Studies further found that low self-efficacy have significant negative relationship with depression (Motl, McAuley, & Snook, 2007; Tahmassian & Jalali, 2011; Tak, et al., 2017) and interventions tailored to increase self-efficacy would reduce depression (Joekes, Elderen, & Schreurs, 2007; Wu, Chau, & Twinn, 2007). After literature review it was proposed that self-efficacy would predict depression in Muslim trainee nurses in Pakistan. Within group research design was used in this study and data was gathered from several schools of nursing situated in Karachi. The sample consisted of 294 Muslim trainee nurses of age’s 19-26 years (X = 21.05, SD=1.885) recruited by using purposive sampling technique. Demographic Form, Urdu version of Generalized Self Efficacy Scale (Tabasum & Rehman, 2003) and Siddiqui-Shah Depression Scale (Siddiqui & Shah, 1997) were used as research tools. Result Revealed that self-efficacy is a statistically significant determinant of depression in Muslim student nurses in Pakistan (r=-.324, p<.01). On the basis of findings, it could be concluded that trainee nurse having high self-efficacy are less likely to experience depressive symptoms.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on the Depressive Symptomology of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Sarah Baig — 2023-08-31

The current research aimed to determine the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to reduce depressive symptoms in women diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. A quantitative pre-test-post-test design was employed and six women with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, aged between 19-40 years were recruited using purposive sampling technique using the Patient Healthcare Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (Spitzer et al., 2001). It was hypothesized there will be a relationship between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and symptoms of depression and that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy would be effective in ameliorating the effects of depression in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Quasi research design was used. A total of seven group therapy sessions were conducted and Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse the results. Result indicated that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy significantly reduced the symptoms of depression in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (p <0.05). This research can aid medical practitioners in creating structured holistic treatment programs to treat the physiological as well as emotional factors of the disorder.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Social Comparison and Social Media Addiction among Young Adults

Saher Parveiz — 2023-08-31

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between FOMO (fear of missing out), social comparison, and social media addiction among young adults. It was hypothesized that i) there is likely to be a relationship between FOMO (fear of missing out), social comparison, and social media addiction, ii) Fear of missing out and social comparison are likely to predict social media addiction in young adults, and iii) significant gender difference in fear of missing out in young adults. The sample consists of 200 participants with the age range of 18-30 years (M = 22.58, SD = 2.41) of which 92 were men and 108 were women. The purposive sampling strategy was used to assess the sample. The self-constructed Demographic sheet, Fear of Missing Out Scale - FOMOs (Przybylski et al., 2013), Social comparison - INCOM Scale (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999) and Social Media Addiction Scale Student Form - SMAS-SF (Sahin, 2018) were used to assess the sample. The results showed that FOMO (fear of missing out) had a significant positive relationship with overall social comparison, social media addiction and their subscales among young adults. The results suggested that FOMO (fear of missing out) and social comparison significantly positively predicted social media addiction. The same predictions were also seen among their subscales in young adults. The results showed significant gender difference in fear of missing out that men have higher fear of missing out than women. This study is important in the field of cyber psychology examining the relationship between fear of missing out, social comparison and social media addiction among young adults.

Dental Anxiety in Relationship to Demographic Variables and Dental Visiting Habits among Dental Patients

Sarwat sultan — 2023-08-31

The study aims to investigate dental anxiety in relationship to demographic variables and dental visiting habits among dental Patients. This study investigated the demographic differences (age, gender) and dental visitation habits among dental patients using the survey questionnaire approach. The goal of this study was to determine how dental anxiety, demographic factors, and dental visit patterns interrelate. 350 dental patients participated in this cross-sectional study and completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the modified dental anxiety measure (MDAS). Additionally, demographic information was gathered. Dental anxiety causes poor dental appointment habits, according to regression analysis (p<.05). Young persons between the ages of 15 and 30 and those who have never seen a dental professional are more likely to experience dental anxiety, according to a posthoc analysis. Females are more likely than males to experience dental anxiety. With age, dental anxiety decreases, and females are more likely to experience it. Poor dental hygiene practices are caused by high dental anxiety, and dental anxiety is worse in people who have never seen a dentist. The findings of this study have significance for oral health and can be applied to health programs to enhance the effectiveness of care.

Resilience and Emotional Intelligence among Students in Karachi, Pakistan: A Comparative Study

Danyah Ali — 2023-08-31

Students find it difficult to deal with life experiences and their challenges can cause stress and adverse effects. Prior research has also supported that clinical practice environments can lead to anxiety and stress among students (Ahmad & Anwar, 2018). A cross-sectional study was designed to explore resilience and emotional intelligence (EI) among university students in three fields: psychology, medical, and nursing, as they go through an extensive training regimen during their academic sessions. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) (Smith et al., 2008) and the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) (Schutte et al., 1998) were used to determine resilience and EI respectively in the sample, which comprised of 301 university students. It was found that there is no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and resilience. However, managing own emotions (subscale of EI) was only found to be weakly correlated (r꞊ .173, p<.05) with resilience. Moreover, a significant difference was found in the emotional intelligence of medical, nursing, and psychology students while an insignificant difference was found for resilience. The findings revealed that higher EI was found among medical students as compared to Nursing students. Moreover, Psychology students had greater EI than nursing students. Advocating a revision in the academic curriculum for developing skills like EI and resilience can facilitate a healthy coping of dealing with life and workplace challenges in their clinical practice.

Effortful Control and Sociability among Caregivers of Psychiatric Patients: A Demographic Lens

Najia Zulfiqar — 2023-08-31

Research has extensively examined socio-emotional and psychological outcomes among caregivers of psychiatric patients but focused less on personality and temperamental factors. The aim of this cross-sectional, face-to-face survey is to compare the levels of effortful control and sociability traits between caregivers and non-caregivers of psychiatric patients. We also examined age, gender, and educational differences in the sample. We recruited families of psychiatric patients during hospital and home visits and shortlisted 93 caregivers and 110 non-caregivers ages 20 through 40. Findings showed that caregivers scored lower on effortful control and sociability than non-caregivers as hypothesized, but mean differences in effortful control were non-significant. Sex and educational differences were non-significant. However, older adults had more effortful control and higher sociability than younger adults. Theoretically, these findings extend awareness about risk factors in the caregiving process that can aid mental health professionals to design psycho-educational and counseling programs for temperament regulation of caregivers of mentally ill people.

Masculinity Enactment in a Pakistani Culture: Role of Masculine Socialization

Sara Imtiaz — 2023-08-31

Current study looked into masculine socialization process in order the produce masculinity enactments from men in a Pakistani culture. Specifically gendered messages were focused and a qualitatively analysis was done for the situations in which those gender targeting remarks are received. The study utilized individual interviews and focus group discussions as a data collection tool. Both married and unmarried men and women (N = 35) participated in the study through convenience sampling procedure. Findings indicated that men are seriously charged on any display of femininity/fragility, debased manliness, dubious sex representation, androgyny, subordination to wife, lack of spousal control, disbanded honor, and lack of independent thinking. Moreover, men are pressed hard to regain liberty that has been taken away from them. Importantly, these findings have highlighted that men were protected for their higher social status through these gendered messages. These messages highlighted that systems are implanted within the culture that keep check on gendered behaviors and serve to bring them back on track when they are off the track from what society has devised for them. In other words it can be said that patriarchy is being fostered through these messages. Generating sensitivity about such messages and their impact may prove to be helpful for masses.

Analyzing the Relationship between Multidimensional Perfectionism and Educational Procrastination in University Students

Sarah Mahmood — 2023-08-31

To create perfectionism in academic work, intentionally postponing the completion of the academic task for making it highly approvable and perfect for one’s self and others i.e., peers, teachers, supervisors, and readers, students frequently practice this phenomenon in academia. Therefore, the research aimed to explore the linkage between multidimensional perfectionism and educational procrastination among university students of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. Three hundred and thirty-five students (N=335), including (n=165) males and (n=170) females, were approached from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan through purposive sampling. The age range of participants was between 18-25 years. All the students were asked to fill out the demographic variables sheet along with the questionnaires, i.e., Almost Perfect Scale-Revised and Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS). Results revealed that students with higher scores on the perfectionism scale revealed more academic procrastination. Therefore, the results provide support for the role of perfectionism in the maintenance of educational procrastination. Gender-based differences were also observed and it was found that female university students tend to procrastinate more than male university students. However, no significant effects of demographics such as family systems and residence (urban or rural living) of the participants were noticed to be associated with multidimensional perfectionism and educational procrastination.

Effectiveness of Gratitude Interventions for Managing Daily Stressors among High School Students

Najam Sahar — 2023-08-31

Adolescent mental health problems are frequently caused by daily life stressors. The timely detection and management can lessen the likelihood of more serious issues. Therefore, the present research intends to test the effectiveness of school-based gratitude interventions in reducing daily stressors among high school students. A parallel group experimental design with control is used. 61 students were randomly assigned to the experimental group, while 59 served as wait-control. The experimental group completed a four-week gratitude intervention program (09 sessions with 45-80 minutes). The baseline assessment was carried out through the Inventory of High School Students Recent Life Experiences Urdu version. Mixed-model between-within-subject analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a decrease in the scores related to daily hassles, excessive demands, personal future concerns, and social mistreatment. The effect size was moderate, suggesting the applicability of interventions within school settings. The other important stressors identified in this group were academic challenges, loneliness, and assorted annoyance. The focus on school-related experiences in this stress-reduction program serves as a milestone for considering school life as a buffer and improves the relationship among students, family, and teachers. The components of social interaction are important in reducing stress especially in interdependent cultures.

Development and Validation of Psychosocial Problems and Challenges Scale for Transgender Individuals

Shazia Habib — 2023-08-31

The current study aimed to develop and validate the Psychosocial Problems and Challenges Scale (PPCS) for Transgender Individuals. The mixed method approach was applied. The study was comprised of three phases. In the first phase, data were extracted from the already explored phenomenology on the psychosocial experiences of trans genders (Iqrar & Habib, 2018), and also from the previous literature. In the second phase, the factor structure of the indigenous PPCS was determined through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). A sample of 300 transgender individuals aged range between 20-50 years (Mage = 2.53; SD= 1.34) was selected from different NGOs and community deras )ےریڈ( of transgender in Punjab through the purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The initial item pool comprised 53 items. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used with Varimax Rotation Method to extract the number of factors. After the extraction of unloaded items, a total of 49 items were retained. In the third phase, the psychometric properties of the PPCS were determined. The six-factor solution of PPCS emerged and named Parental Maltreatment, Psychological Issues, Ostracism, Social Inequality, Sexual Harassment, and Religious and Educational Discrimination. The excellent overall scale's Cronbach alpha value (α=.98) was found. The cumulative percentage of variance was 68% and eigenvalues greater than 1 were considered (Kaiser, 1974). The findings of psychometric evaluation revealed that PPCS is a psychometrically reliable and valid measure that could be used as a screening tool in various setups to identify psychosocial issues of transgender individuals based on their life experiences

Indigenous Research and Ethics

Muhammad Saleem — 2023-08-31

no abstract