Relational Predictors of Psychological Distress in Women and Men Presenting for University Counseling Center Services

Abstract

The authors examined psychological distress and relational patterns in college men and women. Peer, mentor, and community relationships; year in school; and family experiences were hypothesized to predict psychological distress, although predictive patterns were expected to differ in women and men. Overall, results supported the hypotheses. Findings are interpreted from the perspective of the relational-cultural model. Counseling implications focus on interventions congruent with the specific relational needs of women and men.large body of research has emerged over the last several years that emphasizes the relationship between social support and psychological A distress (e.g., Cramer, 1999;Hagerty, Williams, Coyne, & Early, 1996).Initially, this research focused on the quantity of social support as a key factor in ameliorating or preventing distress. Recently, however, there has been a shift toward investigating the association between relational quality and psychological distress (e.g.

Risk and Protective Factors in Mothers With a History of Incarceration: Do Relationships Buffer the Effects of Trauma Symptoms and Substance Abuse History?

“…The RHI allows scores to range from 0 to 48. Frey, Beesley, and Miller (2006) found a mean score of 38 for college women; Frey, Toblin, and Beesley (2004) reported a mean score of 34 for the same population. For the purposes of the present study, no cut-off score was necessary, since the full range of values for this variable was correlated for both hypotheses.…”

“…For the RHI (Liang et al, 2002), the mean score was 33.9 (SD = 9.59, which was consistent with prior studies. Frey et al (2004) reported a mean score of of 1 1.9 for the IFF (Lowman, 1980 reported high affective quality. While these results are contrary to those reported by Poehlmann (2005), who noted that results for the IFF were negatively skewed for a sample of incarcerated women, they are congruent with the data in the present study, demonstrating that low levels of current trauma symptoms were associated with healthy mother-child relationships.…”

The Influence of the Mass Media on Relational Aggression among Females: A Feminist Counseling Perspective

“…However, there is evidence that young adults experience frequent relational aggression, and that the use of these behaviors might escalate during the college years and possibly beyond (Dellasega, 2005;Robbins, 2004). Literature continues to emerge regarding the interrelationship between young adults' relational health, social support, and psychological adjustment (Frey, Beesley, & Miller, 2006;Frey, Beesley & Newman, 2005;Frey et al, 2004;Jordan & Hartling, 2008). Young women seek out intimacy through social connections and place importance on interdependence (Lee & Robbins, 2000), so they might be particularly vulnerable to relational aggression.…”

“…For example, Rayfield, Liabre, and Stokes (1987) found the absence of friendship networks to be associated with feelings of loneliness, depression, and psychosomatic disorders. For young female adults, the quality of their friendships and social support networks is associated with positive psychological functioning and diminished distress (Frey, Tobin, & Beesley, 2004). Therefore, it appears that females' friendships are imperative for their mental health and well-being.…”

Stigma of mental illness and multicultural counseling self-efficacy : investigating the implications of the multicultural training environment, mental health literacy, and empathy.

“…Laing, Tracy, Taylor, and Williams (2002) provided empirical support for RCT in a study in which they found that mentoring relationships characterized by relational qualities such as authenticity and empathy predicted higher self-esteem and less loneliness among college students, beyond that predicted by other relationship components and demographics. Similarly, Frey, Tobin, and Beesley (2004) found, among women and men engaged in counseling at a college counseling center, that increased relational quality predicted decreased psychological distress, even after controlling variables of troubling family experiences. The study supported the authors'…”