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Jaclene A. Zauszniewski 1 and Abir K. Bekhet 2
Recommended by K. R. Shin
1, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-4904, USA
2, Marquette University College of Nursing, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
Received 15 February 2011; Accepted 22 March 2011
1. Introduction
The middle range theory of resourcefulness [1] is grounded in a conceptualization of two forms of resourcefulness: personal (self-help) and social (help-seeking) resourcefulness. According to the theory, the cognitive-behavioral skills are complementary and equally important for attaining, maintaining, or regaining health despite potentially adverse situations [1, 2]. Persons with greater resourcefulness have been found to be better able to deal with challenging situations in a more adaptive, constructive manner than persons with low resourcefulness and to have better quality of life and greater life satisfaction [3-9]. Furthermore, research has shown that those who are high in both personal and social resourcefulness have better adaptive functioning and less anxiety and depression than those who are high on social or personal resourcefulness alone [1].
While the research on resourcefulness has focused on numerous groups, including pregnant women [4], women with diabetes [8], school-aged children [10], elders with chronic conditions [9, 11], and caregivers of elders with dementia [12]. Family members of persons with serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, and others, have received limited attention [13, 14]. Individuals who have a family member diagnosed with a serious mental illness are at risk for poor health and low quality of life because of the stress and stigma by association that they experience [15, 16]. Women typically serve as the primary care providers of persons with serious mental illness [17], and two studies of women family members of adults with serious mental illness have suggested that they may benefit from learning personal and social resourcefulness skills to manage their stress and cope with their daily tasks [16, 18].
The self-help skills that constitute personal resourcefulness, also referred to as "learned" resourcefulness, involve strategies for coping independently with daily tasks and the stress that may be involved in completing them [19]. Personal resourcefulness skills include the use of cognitive reframing, positive thinking, problem-solving, priority-setting, and planning ahead. The help-seeking skills that...