Later-life depression: Influences of irrational thinking and cognitive impairment

The relationship of personality styles to depression at later-lifeand the influence of irrational thinking and cognitive impairment on this relationshp are addressed. Sixty older (>55) male psychiatric patients at a large medical center were given a battery of psychological tests, including the MCMI, BDI, the Idea Inventory, and the Hooper VOT. A record review for background/treatment factors was also conducted. Results showed that personality styles at later-life are distinctly related to depression, with four styles having an inverse relationship. The personality styles also have the same relationship to irrational thinking. When the influence of irrational thinking and cognitive impairment were removed from the relationship of each personality style to depression, there were only minimal changes in correlation coefficients. These components, therefore, are largely independent of the personality style and depression relationship with later-life inpatients.Leon Hyer, a clinical psychologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Augusta, Georgia and assistant professor at the Medical College of Georgia, is Co-Director of the Psychogeriatric Unit at the Augusta VA Medical Center.William R. Harrison is the coordinator of the Augusta VA Medical Center's Psychodiagnostic Laboratory.Rebecca H. Jacobsen is currently a staff psychologist at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, where she works with psychiatric inpatients on the Psychosocial Unit. Dr. Jacobsen also is an assistant professor at the Medical College of Georgia.     

Covenant making and pastoral counseling

The biblical concept of convenant refers to realities that place God beyond the gods of the philosophers. It also suggests the kinds of relationships the people of God should seek to establish with others. Helping establish such relationships constitutes one important goal of pastoral counseling, incorporating and transcending the more usual counseling goals. The biblical concept of convenant making also integrates counseling with larger pastoral and theological concerns.Richard C. Erickson, an ordained Presbyterian minister, is staff psychologist on the inpatient unit at Portland VA Medical Center and an associate professor of Medical Psychology at the Oregon Health Sciences University. His address is: Portland VA Medical Center (116 B), 3710 SW U.S. Veterans Hospital Road, Portland OR 97201.     

Anxiety symptom interpretation in high-anxious, defensive high-anxious, low-anxious and repressor sport performers

For the first time in a sport setting this study examined the intensity and direction of the competitive state anxiety response in collegiate athletes as a function of four different coping styles: high-anxious, defensive high-anxious, low-anxious and repressors. Specifically, the study predicted that repressors would interpret competitive state anxiety symptoms as more facilitative compared to high-anxious, defensive high-anxious, and low-anxious performers. Separate Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) were performed on the intensity and direction subscales of the modified Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). A significant main effect was identified for trait worry revealing that low trait anxious athletes reported lower intensities of cognitive and somatic anxiety and higher self-confidence and interpreted these as more facilitative than high trait anxious athletes. The prediction that performers with a repressive coping style would interpret state anxiety symptoms as more facilitative than performers with non-repressive coping styles was not supported.     

Cognitive-behavior therapy in the treatment of cancer patients

Cognitive-behavioral strategies are employed in the treatment of cancer patients to eliminate nausea, control anxiety, pain, and depression. Specific techniques including relaxation, systematic desensitization and hypnosis are discussed. It is shown how cognitive strategies can create a more favorable environment for treatment.William L. Golden, Ph.D. — Licensed psychologist in private practice in New York City and Westchester, New York. He also is on the faculty of Cornell Medical College, New York City, the Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy, New York City, and the Institute for Behavior Therapy, New York City.Wayne Gersh, Ph.D. — Licensed psychologist and co-director of the Westchester Center for Behavior Therapy, White Plains, New York. He also is a psychologist for the American Cancer Society.     

Approaches to religiosity related to anxiety among college students

To date, the literature on religiosity and anxiety has yielded mixed results. Available results suggest that constellations of religious attitudes, commitment and denominational subcultures have diverse relationships with types of anxiety. A sample of college students from a predominantly conservative Christian area responded to the Prayer Functions Scale, the Religious Commitment Inventory, the Scriptural Literalism Scale, the Fowler Religious Attitudes Scale, the Anxiety Control Questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A principal components analysis suggests that a constellation of religious variables—which involves religious commitment; aspects of one's prayer life, and relating to others in the religious reference group—has a significant negative relationship with trait anxiety. Although further confirmatory studies are necessary, at this point available data suggest that a committed, related approach to religiosity may be associated with lower levels of general anxiety.     

Finding and Correcting Flawed Research Literatures

Humanistic psychology has always viewed scientific psychology with skepticism. Good reasons for this skepticism continuously appear. One is then left with the choice, "Is a scientific approach to humans inherently wrongheaded?" or "Is scientific psychology an imperfect but improving enterprise?" This article reviews another domain where research in scientific psychology proves misleading. Suppose a psychologist was asked a question such as, "Is psychotherapy effective?" or "Is remote intercessory prayer effective?" or "Do humans possess psychic powers?" How might a psychologist reply? The most common strategy would be to conduct a meta-analysis over the relevant research literature and report the results. In all 3 cases (i.e., psychotherapy, efficacy of remote intercessory prayer, and telepathic powers) the answer would be a significant, positive effect size, suggesting that all 3 are real, efficacious phenomena. Unfortunately, in at least 2 of the 3 cases, the literature likely gives an incorrect answer to the question. How can one show that some literatures yield "incorrect" answers to research queries, whereas other literatures give "correct" answers? Finally, how should psychology's publication practices change to avoid flawed literatures?     

The Correspondence Between Attachment Dimensions and Prayer in College Students

Attachment theory applied to religious behavior suggests that at a given point in time, "avoidant" individuals (who experience discomfort with closeness) engage in less prayer overall, and less prayer during times of stress than nonavoidant individuals. Additionally, "anxious" individuals (who worry about abandonment) would be expected to engage in more help-seeking prayer than nonanxious individuals. To test these hypotheses in a college sample, the frequency of three types of prayer were individually regressed on avoidance, anxiety, anxiety × avoidance, stress, stress × avoidance, stress × anxiety, in addition to the control variables of age, church attendance during childhood and adolescence, gender, gender × avoidance, and gender × anxiety. The hypotheses were supported in so far as: (a) avoidance was significantly and negatively related to colloquial (conversational) and meditative (contemplative) prayer, (b) stress × avoidance showed the predicted relation to colloquial and meditative prayer, and (c) anxiety was a significant predictor of petitionary (materialistic help-seeking) prayer, only.     

Attachment and Religious Beliefs––Attachment Styles in Evangelical Christians

Attachment styles, interpersonal problems, and personality variables were identified in male members of two German charismatic Christian congregations. To assess attachment styles and interpersonal relations, a semi-structured attachment interview was applied. In addition, self report measures focusing on aspects of self concept, self regulation, and interpersonal problems were used and analysed in relation to attachment styles. Significant differences were found between the investigated group and corresponding norm samples in a number of measures related to interpersonal problems, self regulation, and self concept. Focussing on attachment styles, the results are compared with findings of the literature and discussed accordingly. Dr Ross is a clinical psychologist working mainly in the field of forensic psychology and psychotherapy. At the University of Ulm, Germany, he holds the position of a research fellow. He studied psychology and clinical psychology at the Universities of Freiburg, Germany, and Edinburgh, Scotland. His main research interests are: offender treatment and rehabilitation, risk assessment and risk prediction, migration studies, human attachment, the psychology of religion. He has been involved in a large scale thematic network study funded by the European Commission and devised or participated various other research projects on all abovementioned research areas.     

Treatment of urethral catheter dependence: A case study of intervention in the interdisciplinary geriatric setting

This case report describes the assessment and treatment of a 69-year-old male medical patient with urethral catheter dependence. Assessment revealed an anxiety/phobic component to the dependence and hypothesized detrusor muscle deconditioning. Retraining of the bladder and desensitization to the anxiety-provoking situation were achieved by exposure to decatheterization in the context of a supportive adult day health care setting. Interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing and psychology were associated with successful functional, social, and psychological outcomes.A psychology intern at the Portland VA Medical Center at the time the study was conducted.     

Written prayers and religious coping in a paediatric hospital setting

Hospitalised children represent a threatened future to parents. Such stressors call forth people's coping styles. Some individuals cope religiously or spiritually, and religious coping through prayer may be utilised. A sample of prayers written in a paediatric hospital chapel was coded by styles of religious coping evident within them. Styles associated with coping to gain control of their situation and with coping by seeking comfort from God were present. Seeking to cope for gaining control of a situation was more common than seeking comfort from God during the event. Written prayers did not contain evidence of coping by making meaning. Regression analysis showed that the probability of writing a prayer to gain control decreased over time and a trend towards increasing probability of writing a prayer expressing coping by seeking God's comfort. Clinical implications are discussed. Future research should include a larger sample and cognitive interviews with prayer writers.     

Positive Affect and Health

ABSTRACT— Negative affective styles such as anxiety, depression, and hostility have long been accepted as predictors of increased risk for illness and mortality. In contrast, positive affective styles have been relatively ignored in the health literature. Here we highlight consistent patterns of research associating trait positive affect (PA) and physical health. The evidence we review suggests an association of trait PA and lower morbidity and decreased symptoms and pain. PA is also associated with increased longevity among community-dwelling elderly. The association of PA and survival among those with serious illness is less clear and suggests the possibility that PA may be harmful in some situations. We conclude by raising conceptual and methodological reservations about this literature and suggesting directions for future research.     

Relationship of depression and anxiety to cancer patients' medical decision-making

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of depression and anxiety to cancer patients' medical decision-making. Participants were 79 rural and urban cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The four decisional styles of the Decisional Processing Model were the independent variables. Dependent variables were anxiety and depression, measured by Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety and the Center for Disease Control Depression Scale, respectively. Consistent with the Decisional Processing Model, analysis suggested that patients make medical decisions by information seeking, information processing, advice following, or ruminating. Decisional style did not vary according to type or stage of cancer, prognosis, time elapsed since initial diagnosis, or whether cancer was initial or recurrent. Decisional style did not systematically vary with depression and anxiety suggesting how a person makes decisions is a stable personality trait. Thus, decision-making may follow a cognitive schema. It is likely that patients' decisional styles help to manage anxiety and depression when confronted with life-threatening illness. Implications for informed consent and patients' involvement in decision-making are discussed.     

Effect of relaxation on working memory and the Bispectral Index of the EEG

Beneficial effects of relaxation on cardiovascular and immune functions and on memory has been implied but an empirical relationship between task performance and anxiety reduction has not been reported. In this study, we investigated whether guided imagery of relatively short duration would decrease S-Anxiety and electroencephalogram Bispectral Index and improve working memory. 42 participants (age: M=39, SD=11, 14 men, 28 women, university students and VA Medical Center employees, recruited by their professor or by fellow employees) underwent relaxation by 16-min. guided imagery or no treatment (control). Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the WAIS-III Letter-Number Sequencing Test were administered before and after relaxation. S-Anxiety and BIS Index decreased and the Letter-Number test score increased by 30% after relaxation but not in the control group. This score was higher for participants with low anxiety and BIS Index. There was no significant difference between the groups before treatment. The results suggest that guided imagery of short duration produces relaxation as measured by psychological and neurophysiological indices and improves working memory performance.     

Modified group therapy for psychotic and depressed patients

This paper describes a group treatment program for chronically ill patients which has been found to be more economical than traditional modalities of treatment of such patients and to minimize transference and countertransference problems. Technical guidelines and the theoretical rationale are discussed, as are the therapeutic factors in such a group. Case vignettes are given to illustrate both the group process and the individual patient's use of the group.The authors are deeply grateful to the residents of the department who, as cotherapists, shared in the planning and work of the coffee lounge groups. Invaluable to us also were the interest and ideas of Dr. Donald Miller who served as a consultant to this project.This is a revised version of a paper presented at Grand Rounds, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y. in September, 1975.Miss Emery is, and Mrs. Levitan was, a social worker at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y. Mrs. Levitan was formerly Principal Associate in Psychiatry (Social Work), Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Gadlin is Director of the Group Therapy Training Program at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, and Assistant Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.     

Psychological distress,problem solving,and coping reactions: Sex role differences

Previous research has demonstrated that psychological well-being and distress are strongly associated with masculinity, but unrelated to femininity. The present study provides for a replication of this literature in that results from 211 undergraduate students revealed that high-masculine subjects, compared to low-masculine persons, reported significantly lower scores on self-report measures of depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. No differences in distress were found as a function of sex or the femininity dimension. Further, high-masculine subjects, relative to low-masculine subjects, were also found to rate their problem-solving ability as more effective, to engage in more active-behavioral and less avoidance methods of coping in response to previously experienced stressful reactions and to engage in more problem-focused and less emotional-focused coping styles regarding stressful situations. Sex and femininity differences were not found related to differences in problem solving and coping. However, the relation between masculinity and distress was found to be nonsignificant when the variance due to coping was partialed out, suggesting that sex role relations to distress may be mediated by coping skills.Completion of this article occurred while Christine M. Nezu was affiliated with Beth Israel Medical Center-Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York.     

Helping at the edges of life: Perspectives of a psychedelic therapist

A case history is presented of a 70 year old man treated with psychedelic psychotherapy for depression, anxiety, and pain associated with terminal cancer. Interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects of treatment following a single 90 mg dose of dipropyltryptamine (DPT) are described. Comparisons are made between transpersonal, mystical, and religious elements in psychedelic drug experiences and near-death experiences.This paper is based on a study in which the author participated as a research psychotherapist at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. The author gives special thanks to the late Dr. T. Glyne Williams for his supervision, and to Dr. Albert A. Kurland for his administrative support of this work, and also thanks Friends of Medical Science Research, the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation for the opportunity to carry out this work.     

Religion and behavioral procrastination: Mediating effects of locus of control and content of prayer

Religion is a significant predictor of self-regulatory processes. Procrastination has been described as the very essence of self-regulatory failure. In this study, we examined the relationship between religiousness and procrastination, with locus of control and styles of prayer playing mediating roles. These relationships were tested using data from 196 students. We applied the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, Levenson’s Locus of Control Scale, the God Control Scale, the Content of Prayer Scale, and the Behavioral Procrastination Scale. The results showed that: God control fully mediates the effects of ideology and intellect on procrastination; internal control fully mediates the effect of public prayer and religious experience on procrastination; and passive style of prayer was a mediator in the relationship between centrality of religion and procrastination. Our findings suggest that religious people may give up internal control, believing that their matters are in God’s hands. Being subject to God’s power provides them with a replacement form of control, which reduces problems of self-regulation.

     

Testing a SEM Model of Two Religious Concepts and Experiential Spirituality

Guided by Atchley’s Continuity Theory of the Spiritual Self as presented in Aging, spirituality, and religion, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN (1995), this study tested the validity of two dimensions of religiosity and one dimension of spirituality. It then examined the extent to which each dimension of religiosity influenced having spiritual experiences for 221 chronically ill older adults. Mean age of the sample was 80 years. Structural equation modeling was used to test a conceptual model. Substantive findings were that private religiosity (prayer and coping), but not public religiosity (participation and other church involvement) may influence reporting spiritual experiences by the older adults in the study. Findings revealed a good model fit to the data and strong factor loadings revealed sound construct validity for the latent variables (i.e., public and private religiosities, and experiential spirituality) in the model.     

Anxiety symptom interpretation in high-anxious,defensive high-anxious,low-anxious and repressor sport performers

Abstract

For the first time in a sport setting this study examined the intensity and direction of the competitive state anxiety response in collegiate athletes as a function of four different coping styles: high-anxious, defensive high-anxious, low-anxious and repressors. Specifically, the study predicted that repressors would interpret competitive state anxiety symptoms as more facilitative compared to high-anxious, defensive high-anxious, and low-anxious performers. Separate Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) were performed on the intensity and direction subscales of the modified Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). A significant main effect was identified for trait worry revealing that low trait anxious athletes reported lower intensities of cognitive and somatic anxiety and higher self-confidence and interpreted these as more facilitative than high trait anxious athletes. The prediction that performers with a repressive coping style would interpret state anxiety symptoms as more facilitative than performers with non-repressive coping styles was not supported.