Perceived Control in Prison: Its Relation to Reported Crowding,Stress, and Symptoms1

Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of perceived control in two men's prisons, one housing 181 inmates and the other housing 623 inmates. In both prisons, inmates' perceived control over the environment was found to be significantly related to their ratings of their living accommodations, experienced stress, and physical symptoms, even when type of cell was held constant.     

An Experimental Examination of the Cohesion-Performance Relationship in an Interactive Team Sport

Abstract

This study experimentally examined the cohesion-performance relationship. Undergraduate male volunteers were randomly assigned to 3-man basketball teams and teams were randomly assigned to receive either a cohesion-producing or a cohesion-reducing manipulation before competing. Level of cohesion and individual as well as team performance variables were assessed prior to and after each game. The manipulation successfully created teams higher and lower in cohesion. The results indicate that cohesion had a negligible impact on team performance. A stronger effect was found for the impact of performance on cohesion with winning teams having higher levels of cohesion than losing teams. These findings are consistent with previous literature and lend experimental support to the conclusion that performance has more impact on cohesion than cohesion has on performance.     

Toward a Multicultural Model of the Stress Process

Stress and coping models are potentially useful frameworks for multicultural counseling and research because of their focus on the effects of social environmental factors on human functioning. This article attempts to expand a “standard” model of the stress process (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) to include a number of culture-relevant dimensions. Cultural factors are discussed that influence each component of the stress model including (a) the types and frequency of events experienced, (b) appraisals of the stressfulness of events, (c) appraisals of available coping resources, (d) selection of coping strategies, and (e) manifestations of adaptational difficulties. Implications of the expanded model for both research and counseling practice are discussed. Los modelos de estrés y la adaptación al estrés tienen la potencia para ser cuadros útiles en la consejería e investigación multicultural por su enfoque sobre los efectos de factores ambientales sociales en la función humana. Este artículo intenta extender un modelo “normal” del proceso de estrés (Lazarus y Folkman, 1984) para incluir un número de dimensiones culturalmente pertinentes. Se discuten los factores culturales que influyen en cada componente del modelo de estrés, incluyendo: los tipos y la frequencia de los eventos experimentados, la apreciación del nivel de estrés de acontacimientos, la apreciación de los recursos de adaptación disponibles, la selección de estrategias de adaptación, y las manifestaciones de dificultades de adaptación. Se discuten las implicaiones del modelo extendido para la investigación y la práctica de consejeria.     

A Test of the Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness1

Randomly formed groups of 160 male students a t St. Francis Xavier University performed both a structured and an unstructured task. Style of leadership and leader position power were experimentally manipulated, while leader member relations were held constant. Although manipulation checks were positive, results failed to support any of the hypotheses derived from Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership effectiveness.     

A Comparison of Work Motivation in Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Netherlands: Test of a Model

This article describes a study into the antecedents and consequences of job involvement and organisational commitment of workers in Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Netherlands. On the basis of the literature a general model of work motivation is developed which depicts job characteristics, opportunities to satisfy needs, and extrinsic work factors as determinants of job involvement and organisational commitment, and considers effort expenditure, performance, job satisfaction, turnover, and work stress as outcomes. Data from worker samples in the three countries obtained with equivalent instruments are used to test the validity of the model. Path analysis shows that the model has a modest fit when applied to the three samples simultaneously. A better fit and more meaningful results are obtained by developing optimal models for each country. The peculiarities of these models can be largely explained from cultural and economic factors. Since the differences between Bulgaria and Hungary are as great as the differences with the Netherlands, there seems to be little evidence for a motivational after-effect of communism.     

Managerial Stress, Locus of Control, and Job Strain in Taiwan and UK: A Comparative Study

This study investigated managerial stress in Taiwan and UK using the Occupational Stress Indicator-2 (OSI-2) and the Work Locus of Control (WLCS) scale. Results showed that the reliability and validity of the measures used were acceptable and comparable in the two samples. There were similarities as well as differences in managerial stress in the two countries. Recognition and Managerial role were important predictors of strain for the Chinese managers, whereas Relationships, Organizational climate, and Personal responsibility were important predictors of strain for UK managers. There were consistent moderating (vulnerability) effects of internal control for the Taiwanese managers. Results corroborated some previous studies conducted in the West. However, caution was also suggested for generalizing Western-originated concepts and theories across cultural boundaries.     

Invented Spelling,Word Stress,and Syllable Awareness in Relation to Reading Difficulties in Children

The study assessed the clinical utility of an invented spelling tool and determined whether invented spelling with linguistic manipulation at segmental and supra-segmental levels can be used to better identify reading difficulties. We conducted linguistic manipulation by using real and nonreal words, incorporating word stress, alternating the order of consonants and vowels, and alternating the number of syllables. We recruited 60 third-grade students, of which half were typical readers and half were poor readers. The invented spelling task consistently differentiated those with reading difficulties from typical readers. It explained unique variance in conventional spelling, but not in word reading. Word stress explained unique variance in both word reading and conventional spelling, highlighting the importance of addressing phonological awareness at the supra-segmental level. Poor readers had poorer performance when spelling both real and nonreal words and demonstrated substantial difficulty in detecting word stress. Poor readers struggled with spelling words with double consonants at the beginning and ending of words, and performed worse on spelling two- and three-syllable words than typical readers. Practical implications for early identification and instruction are discussed.     

The Horizon Model Continued: Incorporating the Somatic Mysticism of Pre-history,and Some Further Theoretical Issues

The paper continues the model I began in a previous issue of Sophia. It is argued that the predominance of purely ascending or ‘top down’ forms of spirituality which stemmed largely from the axial period and have been carried forward into modern, transpersonal theories of evolutionary spirituality is a mistake and that there exists a lost or largely ignored form of spirituality—which I name somatic—which was the predominant domain of early Neolithic and Palaeolithic experience. Aspects of what I call somatic mystical experiences have certainly been acknowledged at times to a limited degree, though they have rarely been fully explored, and have usually been considered as basic to other kinds of mystical experience, rather than fully developed forms in their own right. This article offers a fuller exploration and places such states more accurately within a detailed developmental framework than has previously been the case. Other issues relating to the horizon model across the two papers are also expanded.     

Structural and Functional Neuroplasticity in Relation to Traumatic Stress

ABSTRACT— The body's stress response is an essential adaptive and protective mechanism to cope with threatening situations. However, chronic or traumatic stress leads to structural and functional alterations in the traumatized brain. We argue for a building-block effect: Exposure to different types of traumatic events increases the probability of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), via incremental enlargement of a fear network. We summarize evidence of brain changes in PTSD, including recent results from research on animal models of stress-related neuroplastic remodeling, with an emphasis on structural and functional changes in the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the medial prefrontal cortex.     

Distraction,Control, and Dental Stress1

This study examined the efficacy of external distraction as a coping strategy. Thirty-eight dental patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: incidental music during the dental procedure, music coupled with suggestions that music would help reduce stress, or a no-treatment control group. Patients in both music groups reported experiencing less stress (i.e., less pain. less discomfort, more control) than patients in the no-treatment group. Patient ratings made by dentists, blind to condition, provided converging evidence for the therapeutic effect of distraction. Thus, distracting music was found to be effective in reducing stress and increasing perceptions of control. The relative ease and simplicity of implementing external distraction compared to manipulating actual control in a medical setting may make this manipulation attractive to professionals involved with individuals experiencing stress.     

Moderate Aerobic Exercise, T'ai Chi, and Social Problem-Solving Ability in Relation to Psychological Stress

This study evaluated the importance of exercise mode, social problem-solving ability, gender, and age in relation to anxiety and perceived daily hassles. Adult participants were classified as moderate aerobic exercisers, T'ai Chi exercisers, or sedentary via completion of a questionnaire. Social problem-solving ability, state and trait anxiety, and frequency and severity of daily hassles were measured. As predicted, scores indicating effective social problem-solving ability were associated with fewer reported severe daily hassles and with lower scores on state and trait anxiety. For state and trait anxiety, a main effect of exercise mode emerged after age and gender were controlled. A 3-way interaction involving age, gender, and exercise mode suggested that age and gender moderate the effects of exercise on anxiety, that is, the stress-reducing efficacy of different exercise modes may be dependent on a person's age and/or gender. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.     

An Evaluation of the Relation Between Distress Tolerance and Posttraumatic Stress within a Trauma-Exposed Sample

The present investigation examined the incremental associations between distress tolerance, or the perceived capacity to tolerate emotional distress, and global posttraumatic stress symptom severity as well as symptom cluster severity, beyond the variance accounted for by number of trauma exposure types and negative affectivity. The sample consisted of 140 adults (72 women; M _age = 25.9, SD = 11.1) who endorsed exposure to traumatic life events, as defined by posttraumatic stress disorder diagnostic criterion A (American Psychiatric Association 2000). Participants did not meet diagnostic criteria for current axis I psychopathology. Distress tolerance demonstrated significant incremental associations with global posttraumatic stress symptom severity (p < .01) as well as re-experiencing (p < .05), avoidance (p = .05), and hyperarousal (p < .001) symptom cluster severity. Given the cross-sectional study design, causation cannot be inferred. Theoretical implications and future directions for better understanding associations between distress tolerance and posttraumatic stress are discussed.     

Information Load Stress,Risk Taking,and Physiological Responsivity in a Visual-Motor Task1

The effects of four levels of information load on performance, risk taking, and physiological responsivity (blood pressure and heart rate) are investigated. Twenty-five adults participated in a handeye coordination task, presented as a video game. Increases in load resulted in performance decrements and increased proclivity to take risks. Participation in the task increased (diastolic) arousal. Load effects on arousal were negligible. Subjects with greater diastolic blood pressure elevations engaged in more risk taking. The potential of two separate groupings of stressor effects, directly producing cognitive performance changes in one case and producing affective/arousal impacts in the other case (with potential indirect effects on cognition and performance), is considered. Suggestions for future research are made.     

A Test of a Model of Consumers' Responses to Product Manual Safety Information1

Product manuals can play a role in marketplace safety and can enhance product utility (Celuch, Lust, & Showers, 1992). Given the current marketplace concern with such issues, it is surprising how little attention product manuals have received in published research. The present study blends theory and research from the threat communication and protective behavior literature as a starting point for the development of a conceptual framework relating to consumer responses to manual safety information. To this end, relationships among arousal, safety-related self-efficacy, behavioral intentions related to safety recommendations, and product use intention were examined and generally supported. Based on the findings of the study, several issues relevant to researchers and practitioners in the area are discussed.     

Stress, Coping, and Differentiation of Self: A Test of Bowen Theory

Differentiation of self from the family of origin is thought to be a significant factor in psychological functioning. Bowen contended that the effects of stress are moderated by differentiation of self, such that high levels of stress would have more impact on individuals lower in differentiation as compared to individuals higher in differentiation in predicting dysfunction. We tested this hypothesis and also assessed the relations among stress, coping, differentiation of self, and dysfunction. Results provided support for Bowen's prediction; differentiation indeed moderated the effects of perceived stress in predicting psychological functioning in expected ways. The interaction of differentiation of self and stress predicted variance in functioning beyond what was accounted for by coping styles, suggesting that although coping and differentiation of self are related, they are not synonymous.     

Stress and the Control Beliefs of Prisoners: A Test of Three Models of Control-Limited Environments1

Three models are proposed to explain the relationship between individual differences in beliefs and stress responses in control-limited environments: (1) the Environmental Incongruency, (2) Differential Stress Responses, and (3) Undifferentiated Responses. The present research examined the support for each model using inmates differing in control beliefs and prison as the control-limited environment. The results did not support either the Incongruency or the Differential models. In contrast with previous studies of control-limited environments, there was no evidence of change in passive stress responses over time in prison, but there was an increase in active responses (e.g., conflicts with other inmates) early during incarceration. As predicted by the Undifferentiated Response M odel, inmates who were more external in Locus of Control experienced significantly more active and passive stress reactions. No differences were found in stress as a function of their internal beliefs.     

The Role of Human Resource Practices in Reducing Occupational Stress and Strain

The current study examined the occupational stress-strain relationship among a sample of 109 white-collar employees in Singapore. Participants completed a survey that assessed the presence of 8 human resource practices (job training, communication, job redesign, promotional opportunities, employee involvement, family-friendly policies, pay systems, and individual-focused stress interventions [SMIs]), 2 major stressors (role overload and responsibility), 2 types of strain (vocational and interpersonal), and organizational commitment. Results indicate that human resource (HR) practices did not reduce the sources of stress (role overload and responsibility) within the workplace. However, there was a direct negative relationship between HR practices and interpersonal strain. In particular, family-friendly practices, job training, and SMIs reduced interpersonal strain. An examination of vocational strain showed that it was negatively associated with SMIs and job training. In addition, organizational commitment mediated the relationship between HR practices and vocational strain. It was concluded that HR practices may be effective as part of a symptom-directed approach to stress intervention and that further replication of these results in both Asian and Western samples is required.     

A Test of a Revision of the Job Characteristics Model

This field study tested the GN-GO model of job growth opportunity, a modification of the job characteristics model, with dependent variables and a type of growth opportunity not hitherto investigated. As predicted by the model, employees with high growth need strength responded positively to a growth opportunity while those with low growth need strength did not. The data gave better support to the GN-GO model than to the job characteristics model.
Le champ de cette étude testa le modèle GN-GO des possibilités de promotion professionnelle, modèle modifié du job characteristics, avec des variables dépendantes et une dimension de la promotion professionnelle non encore explorée jusque là. Comme prévu par le modèle, les employés à fort désir de promotion répondent positivement à une opportunité de promotion tandis que ceux à faible désir de promotion ne le font pas. Les résultats donnent la primauté au modèle GN-GO par rapport au modèle job characteristics.     

Use of the Hand Test in the Assessment of Combat-Related Stress

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Hand Test in discriminating the differential symptomatology of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in Vietnam combat veterans (VCVs). Participants were 108 VCV outpatients, 85 of whom met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 23 patients that were found to meet some, but not the minimum criteria, required for a diagnosis of PTSD by the DSM-IV. The latter group of patients was classified into a subclinical PTSD, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) group. Results showed higher levels of overall psychopathology, a vulnerable capacity for coping, and a tendency for feelings of inadequacy and inferiority in the PTSD group. The PTSD group also exhibited more limited interaction with the world around them than the PTSS group, which may be indicative of withdrawal, apathy, or a lack of concern with environmental activities and goals. These findings are discussed in relation to the assessment, understanding, and treatment of PTS symptomatology and PTSD.     

Family Experiences and Self-Criticism in College Students: Testing a Model of Family Stress,Past Unfairness,and Self-Esteem

Marriage and Family Therapists and other mental health professionals are often unaware of the sexual activity of preadolescent girls. The reason for this is the lack of research reporting on the sexual behavior of these young people. Also, in many cases the family may attend therapy for an unrelated issue and the sexual activity goes unnoticed. The present paper is an exploration into the lives of pre-teenagers' (ages 8–13) sex lives as they reported them in Internet chat rooms. Research on the content of chat rooms on the Internet is practically non-existent regarding this age group. Based on reports from over 1,300 pre-teen girls over a five-year time period, the results indicate that for some young girls, their young lives are filled with sexual behavior of one sort or another. They appear to be well versed in sexual terms and behaviors. In some cases the girls are forced into sexuality by a relative; in other cases, they appear to engage freely in sex with their boyfriends; in yet other cases they are forced by an older male. The girls overwhelmingly report that their parents are unaware of their sexual chatting on the Internet, even though it occurred regularly throughout the day. These girls are at risk. They are at risk for pregnancy and for sexual transmitted diseases, including HIV, not to mention the concomitant psychological effects. The data also indicate that the girls do not think about the consequences of their sexual behavior. Birth control and condom use appear not to be issues of concern for these young girls. Given the increased accessibility and use of the Internet by young people and the ability to create private spaces, blogs, and soon which are often sexual in nature, it is important for marriage and family therapists to understand the level of sexualization of some of these young girls in order to better address their needs and the needs of their families.