Family therapy with delinquents: a critical review of the literature

A critical review of the theoretical and outcome studies on family therapy with delinquents is presented. Assessment of the theoretical developments reveals that families of delinquents may be distinguishable from other families by their interactional sequences and processes. The available outcome studies within the field indicate that family therapy is viable for interventions with this population, with behavioral, structural, strategic, and communication approaches receiving the most support, but more specific and robust evidence is still needed. Trends in the research and critical issues are identified and used to provide suggestions for future research and practice.     

Examining risk of escalation: A critical review of the exhibitionistic behavior literature

While forensic mental health professionals frequently are asked to assess the risk that exhibitionistic offenders will increase the severity of their sexual offending, disparate perspectives exist reflecting the perceived dangerousness of those who engage in exhibitionistic behavior. The present paper critically reviews the literature regarding the reported link between male exhibitionistic behavior and contact sexual offending in 12 peer-reviewed, English-language studies published since 1981. A history of exhibitionistic behavior was prevalent in a minority of perpetrators of various contact sexual offenses. Over an average follow-up period of greater than five years, an estimated 5–10% of exhibitionistic perpetrators were found to escalate to contact sexual offending, while approximately 25% recidivated with a subsequent exhibitionistic offense. The most supported risk factor for escalation was a general clustering of antisocial behavior, including a history of sexual and nonsexual convictions. Common methodological limitations of the research and recommendations for improved validity are provided, along with suggestions for future research directions.     

Individual characteristics related to prison violence: A critical review of the literature

At the end of 2010, prisons in the United States incarcerated over 1,605,127 inmates, yielding an imprisonment rate of 497 per 100,000 residents (Guerino, Harrison, & Sabol, 2011). Approximately 15.6% of correctional officers have been the victim of an inmate assault (Duhart, 2001) and 21% of inmates reported being victims of violence in prison (Wolff, Blitz, Shi, Siegel, & Bachman, 2007). However, which inmates are more likely to perpetuate these violent acts while incarcerated? The present paper critically reviews the empirical literature on the relation between individual characteristics of inmates and prison violence. Variables are divided into three general categories: demographic, criminal history, and psychological variables. From over 500 studies, a representative sample of 20 studies from 1990 to 2011 was reviewed based on specified inclusion criteria, such as adult males incarcerated in English-speaking countries. Although there are some discrepant findings, a general conclusion can be reached regarding most variables. These characteristics are compiled into a prototype of an inmate at “high” risk and an inmate at “low” risk for prison violence. Methodological limitations of the research are presented, as well as suggestions for future research directions.     

The timing of neurodevelopmental abnormality in schizophrenia: an integrative review of the neuroimaging literature

In this paper we will review recent neuroimaging research in schizophrenia, with an aim to critically evaluate several recent proposals concerning the nature and the timing of the neuroanatomic abnormalities underlying the disorder. Specifically, enlargement of cerebrospinal fluid spaces, deficits in cortical gray matter, and reduced volume of mesiotemporal structures have all been reported in patients in the first episode of schizophrenia, their first-degree relatives, and individuals with schizotypal personality disorder, supporting the possibility that these abnormalities reflect a genetically mediated neurodevelopmental disorder. These findings from the empirical literature will be synthesized from the perspective of dual cytoarchitectonic trends theory of neurodevelopment, as well as in relation to current conceptions of the schizophrenia prodrome. We believe that the evidence shows that sufficient groundwork has been laid to begin longitudinal neuroimaging studies of adolescents at clinical risk for schizophrenia, in order to more definitively determine the pathophysiology of the disorder. Such information could have significant implications in terms of understanding the prediction, treatment, and ultimately the prevention of schizophrenia.     

Cognitive-behavioural treatment of pathological gambling in individuals with chronic schizophrenia: a pilot study

The current study aimed to test the clinical effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioural program (CBT) specifically adapted for pathological gamblers with chronic schizophrenia, carried out in a naturalistic setting of community Mental Health Centres. Forty-four pathological gamblers with chronic schizophrenia were assigned either to a standard drug therapy for schizophrenia (control group) or to cognitive-behavioural therapy for pathological gambling plus a standard drug therapy for schizophrenia (experimental group). Psychological treatment comprised a 20-session program including psychoeducation, stimulus control, gradual exposure and relapse prevention. Therapeutic success was defined as abstinence or the occurrence of only 1 or 2 episodes of gambling during the follow-up period. While the patients treated in the experimental group showed a rate of success of 73.9%, only 19% of the participants belonging to the control group gave up gambling at the 3-month follow-up. The CBT group also did better than the control group in the number of gambling episodes and in the amount of money spent on gambling. However, the improvement of the experimental group was weaker at the 6- and 12-month follow-up. These findings support the beneficial effects of CBT as adjunctive therapy for patients with dual diagnoses (schizophrenia and pathological gambling).     

Menstruation and crime: A critical review of the literature from the clinical criminology perspective

The authors review the literature on the relationship between menstruation and crime, focusing upon the methodological limitations of these studies in the broader context of criminological and menstruation research. Based on this review, they conclude: the present state of scientific knowledge is such that it is unknown whether there is an association between any phases of the menstrual cycle and crime; there is no evidence linking fluctuations in reproductive hormones to criminal behavior; and, this lack of scientific knowledge is so glaring that evidence regarding menstruation and crime should not be admissible in criminal trials.     

Smoking following myocardial infarction: a critical review of the literature

This paper critically reviews the available research on the effects of smoking cessation following acute myocardial infarction (MI). Studies that have examined the rate of smoking cessation following an MI indicate that approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the smokers who suffer from MI subsequently reduce or quit smoking. Furthermore, studies that have examined subsequent mortality and morbidity suggest that individuals who quit smoking following MI exhibit lower mortality and morbidity than those who continue to smoke. It is argued that past studies may have overestimated post-MI smoking cessation rates, and by failing to control for a priori differences between quitters and continuing smokers (e.g., MI severity) may have underestimated the negative effects of smoking following MI. Suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Emotional response to abortion: a critical review of the literature

Anti-abortion groups in the US cite the existence of a post-abortion syndrome--a sense of loss, emptiness, and grief similar to that reported by trauma survivors. Although research on the longterm effects of induced abortion is marred by methodological errors, most studies have found no adverse psychological sequelae; rather, there appears to be a sense of relief and opportunity for personal growth. Nevertheless, there is a small group of women who do experience emotional distress after abortion and it is important to identify the demographic, social, and psychological factors that place women at risk of such a reaction. In terms of demographic factors, young age (adolescence), low or nulliparity, 2nd-trimester procedures, and Catholicism have been characteristics of women who suffered post-abortion depression. Of the social variables that have been examined, a lack of support from significant others (parents or partner) has been linked in some studies to emotional distress after abortion. A relatively consistent finding is that women who feel coerced to abort or are ambivalent about their decision at the time of the procedure are most likely to experience regret, depression, and anger. Women whose coping style involves avoiding responsibility are also prone to post-abortion distress. As noted, the literature does not support the contention that abortion causes longterm trauma. On the other hand, given the fact that 1.5 million abortions take place each year in the US, the existence of some post-abortion distress in even as small percentage of acceptors is enough to indicate a need for pre- and post-abortion counseling to help women determine the meaning of the experience and own their decisions.     

Cerebral laterality in Turner syndrome: a critical review of the literature.

Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder in females characterized by the complete or partial absence of one X chromosome. Its most consistent physical features include short stature and ovarian dysgenesis. TS individuals demonstrate a characteristic neurocognitive profile involving weaknesses in visuospatial processing. The hypothesis of defective right hemisphere specialization has been offered to explain the visuospatial deficits in TS. In contrast, an alternative explanation proposes a more uniform dysfunction of the left and right hemispheres, based on findings of symmetrical abnormalities. This article presents an overview of the two hypotheses, along with relevant findings on hemispheric specialization with respect to TS. The impact of the genetic and hormonal mechanisms on the neurocognitive profile of TS is also discussed and directions for further empirical research are identified.     

Intrapsychic and interpersonal guilt: a critical review of the recent literature

Various authors hold that some emotions (i.e., moral emotions) have the function of orienting people toward ethical actions. In addition to embarrassment, shame and pride, the moral emotion of guilt is believed to affect humans’ behavior when they carry out transgressions that violate social and cultural standards. Over the past century, many studies (including controversial ones) have been conducted on guilt. In this study, we analyzed and summarized mainly the most recent literature on this emotion. On one side, the destructiveness of guilt is emphasized. It inflicts punishment and pain on individuals for their errors and can lead to psychopathology (e.g., depression). On the other side, it is described as a “friendly” emotion that motivates behavior adapted to social and cultural rules. How can this asymmetry be explained? Different existing views on guilt are presented and discussed, together with recent proposals, supported by research data. Finally, we discussed some systematic models that try to incorporate these different views in a single framework that could facilitate future researches.     

Coping with coping assessment: A critical review

The recent literature on self-report measures of coping reactions and strategies is reviewed and critically evaluated. Most of the coping research has focused on assessing several basic coping behaviours or reactions. These include dimensions such as task-oriented coping, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance-oriented coping. In general, most of the coping scales that have been developed have a variety of psychometric inadequacies. This state of affairs has created at least two major problems in the coping literature: (1) The proliferation of problematic coping scales, sometimes measuring different constructs, makes it difficult to generalize from one population and/or one health problem to another. (2) Since psychometrically sound instruments are a precondition for studying the relationships among coping, personality, and health, scales with psychometric problems preclude obtaining valid and generalizable information about coping behaviour. Methodological problems in the area have seriously restricted the development of a systematic body of theory and empirical knowledge about coping.     

Child versus peer/adult offenders: A critical review of the juvenile sex offender literature

Sexual offenses are serious crimes and it is believed that adolescents perpetrate 20% of all sexual assaults and 50% of all child sexual abuse (Barbaree & Marshall, 2006). To better understand the etiology of juvenile sexual offending, researchers have explored differences between those who offend children versus those who offend peers/adults. This paper critically reviewed 21 studies that compared juvenile sex offenders who abused children with those who abused peers/adults on a variety of variables including victim, offense, and offender characteristics; psychosocial variables; and predictors and rates of recidivism. Strengths and weaknesses of these studies as well as future directions for the literature are discussed. Common methodological limitations of victim-age based comparisons of juvenile sex offenders included inconsistent definitions, low-powered studies, lack of standardized measures, and recidivism data based solely on conviction rates. Overall, many inconsistent findings limit our ability to give overarching conclusions; however, the research does suggests that not only is it important to examine child and peer/adult offenders, but mixed offenders (i.e., offender with both child and peer victims) as a distinct group need to be included in comparisons as well.     

Anhedonia and the experience of emotion in individuals with schizophrenia

Research shows that individuals with schizophrenia report symptoms of anhedonia when assessed by interview or questionnaire. However, when presented with emotional stimuli, they report emotional experiences that are similar to those of control participants. The authors hypothesized that deficits in working memory and episodic memory contribute to such discrepancies. They administered measures of working and episodic memory, self-report anhedonia questionnaires, and several types of emotional stimuli to 49 individuals with schizophrenia and 47 control participants. All participants reported experiencing similar amounts of pleasant-unpleasant emotion (valence) in response to stimuli, but individuals with schizophrenia reported experiencing less arousal for negative stimuli. Individuals with schizophrenia also reported greater social and physical anhedonia on a traditional anhedonia questionnaire. Disturbances in working memory moderated the relationship between physical anhedonia and participants' emotional experience of positive stimuli.     

Understanding linguistic time sequence and simultaneity: A literature review and some new data

This study investigates the difficulty order in (1) sequence comprehension versus simultaneity comprehension and production, and (2) contribution of semantics, syntax, order of mention, and cognitive (Raven's CPM) and linguistic factors (PPVT) in understanding sequence and simultaneity constructions in Greek, which display similar properties to English sequence and simultaneity constructions. In general, results with kindergartners, first-, second-, and sixth-graders, and graduate school students supported the findings of psycholinguists who claimed that Piaget has specified difficulty order of simultaneity over succession. Performance on simultaneity production tasks was lower then performance on sequence. Performance on simultaneity production tasks was better than performance on simultaneity comprehension and consistently lower than performance on sequence. No consistent order of difficulty between the different construction types of sequence and simultaneity was found. Semantics (arbitrary vs. logical sequences) seems to affect performance, as a few studies have indicated. Unlike most previous findings, an order of mention strategy influences performance when the syntax (transformationally simple vs. complex) and semantics effect is partialed out. Syntax (when not confounded with the two previous variables) does not affect performance. Cognitive (Raven's CPM) and linguistic (PPVT) factors contributed approximately equal amounts of variance to performance on sequence and simultaneity by children in kindergarten and first and second grades.Research and Evaluation Department, Ft. Worth Independent School District.     

The protestant work ethic: A review of the psychological literature

Despite criticism of Weber's thesis concerning the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) and the rise of Capitalism, few have challenged the specification of the behaviour patterns, goals and values of those adhering to this ethic. Whereas psychologists have not been very interested in the nature of the historical, political and sociological arguments concerning the PWE, they have devoted a great deal of research to its measurement and correlates. In this paper the concept of the PWE; the literature on the instruments devised to measure the PWE; studies on the relationship between the PWE and work and unemployment; as well as research on the PWE and individual differences is reviewed. Despite great heterogeneity in aims, methodology and instruments used in different studies, a coherent picture of PWE beliefs emerges. Finally an elaboration of a new perspective on PWE research is suggested.     

A critical review of the literature on academic self-handicapping: theory,manifestations, prevention and measurement

Academic self-handicapping is a very popular subject of research in educational psychology, in which a growing number of related findings are reported. However, apart from a recent meta-analysis (Schwinger et al. in J Educ Psychol 106(3):744–761, 2014), the last comprehensive review of the subject was published 17 years ago (Urdan and Midgley in Educ Psychol Rev 13(2):115–138, 2001). This paper integrates relevant findings accumulated since then, which are discussed in a coherent interpretive framework. The first part of the paper discusses the definition and theoretical grounds of academic self-handicapping, then its manifestations in an academic context are enumerated. The second part of the study focuses on the self-protective function of stereotypes based on self-handicapping as well as on the impressions self-handicapping students may make on others at school. A summary of the contributions of goal orientation theory is provided in relation to self-handicapping, and the effects of various goal orientations and goal structures on academic performance are analysed. Based on an analysis of interactions between self-handicapping and academic performance, the authors argue for the importance of prevention and suggest possible ways to prevent self-handicapping. In conclusion, measurement issues of academic self-handicapping and the methodological paradox inherent in questionnaire measures are discussed.     

Employee absenteeism: A review of the literature

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on employee absenteeism as a form of withdrawal behavior apart from turnover. Studies examining the psychometric properties of absence measures are reviewed, along with the relationship between absenteeism and personal, attitudinal, and organizational variables. Studies exploring the relationship between absenteeism and turnover are examined according to the unit of analysis studied in the research. Programmatic efforts to reduce employee absenteeism are also reviewed. Throughout the paper emphasis is placed on the indices used by investigators to measure absenteeism, and the problems that have arisen in the literature through the use of multiple indicators of absenteeism. The review concludes with suggestions for research that are of both theoretical and practical concern.