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Browsing by Author "Condon, Shelley E."

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    Examining emotional intelligence in older adults with chronic pain: a factor analysis approach
    (Routledge, 2021) Condon, Shelley E.; Parmelee, Patricia A.; Smith, Dylan M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook
    Objective: The current study explored whether the three-factor structure of an emotional intelligence measure (attention to emotions, clarity in understanding emotions, and emotion regulation) developed in a sample of college students would replicate in a sample of older adults with chronic pain. Method: Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the factor structure of the 30-item Trait Meta-Mood Scale among 340 older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the original three-factor model of emotional intelligence did not fit well with the data for older adults. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a four-factor model of emotional intelligence: (1) confusion, (2) acceptance, (3) rejection, and (4) insight. Correlations between the original and new subscales were explored. Conclusion: While the newly derived emotional intelligence scales resembled the original conceptualization of emotional intelligence proposed by Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, and Palfai (1995), the current study highlights the differences in emotional intelligence likely representative of older adults with chronic pain.
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    Gratitude and Well-Being in Older Adults with Chronic Pain: a Brief Gratitude Intervention Feasibility Study
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2022) Condon, Shelley E.; Parmelee, Patricia A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Chronic pain is a health problem that disproportionately affects older adults and negatively impacts quality of life. Gratitude interventions have emerged as a promising approach to ameliorate the negative impact of pain and enhance well-being. Despite the high prevalence of older adults with chronic pain, there are no gratitude interventions among older adults with chronic pain. The current study utilized a two-week gratitude daily diary intervention in a sample of 38 older adults (M = 67.53 years) with chronic knee or hip pain to evaluate the effects of gratitude on well-being (Aim 1) and the effects of the intervention on changes in well-being (Aim 2) across the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the gratitude group (n = 21) or the attention-matched control group (n = 17). Participants in the gratitude group wrote three things they were grateful for each day, while the attention-matched control did not journal. All participants completed pre- and post-intervention interviews and received 14 nightly phone calls, which allowed for "global" analyses using pre-and post-intervention data and "daily" analyses using nightly phone call data. The results of Aim 1 revealed that trait and state gratitude were significantly related to physical and mental well-being, controlling for age and income level. In Aim 2, no significant effects emerged for treatment group on global or daily changes in well-being in Aim 2. However, significant main effects emerged for time on global and daily well-being outcomes, indicating improvements in well-being across time, regardless of treatment condition. The impact of small sample size, COVID-19, and methodological limitations are discussed, and clinical implications and future directions for gratitude interventions focused on improving the well-being of older adults with chronic pain are provided.