Sexual Abuse Prevention for Individuals with Mental Retardation: Considerations for Genetic Counselors

It is now widely recognized that children, adolescents, and adults with mental retardation are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse. Because at least 10% of genetic conditions are reported to include mental retardation as a feature, the provision of services to individuals with mental retardation represents a substantial portion of the case load for many genetic counselors. Our objective is to educate genetic counselors and other health professionals about this vulnerable population in order to enhance the frequency and efficacy of inquiry into sexual education and sexual abuse prevention training for patients with mental retardation. The following review article is intended to assist genetic counselors by increasing their knowledge of factors that lead to sexual abuse and provides recommendations for integrating this information into the counseling interaction.     

Stop-Think-Relax: An Adapted Self-Control Training Strategy for Individuals with Mental Retardation and Coexisting Psychiatric Illness

Published self-instructional techniques for stress/anger management for those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities are often impractical due to the demands of complex instructional sequencing and of applying the technique during distressing situations. The development and implementation of an adapted, self-instructional, self-control technique employing a simple, 3-step method, reinforced by iconic visual cues, will be presented. The application of this strategy in individuals with mental retardation and concurrent mental illness will be reviewed in 3 detailed clinical cases. The Stop-Think-Relax strategy is a highly versatile and easily taught method for self-control that can be successfully applied in adults with limited cognitive capacities and with coexisting psychiatric features.     

The Siblings of Individuals with Mental Retardation: A Quantitative Integration of the Literature

The sibling relationship has recently become the focus of much research in developmental psychology. The family system perspective implies the presence of a sibling with mental retardation will impact on the psychological development and functioning of their typically developing siblings. Past reviews of the literature have found this impact to be negative but there is the suggestion of positive consequences to having a sibling with mental retardation. The present meta-analysis sought to quantitatively integrate 25 studies and 79 effect sizes from the literature on the siblings of individuals with mental retardation. A small negative effect for having a sibling with mental retardation was discovered that could not be attributed to a publication bias or some other artifact. This negative effect was greatest for direct observation measures, measures of psychological functioning, especially depression, and for children. Limitations to this meta-analysis and directions for future research are discussed.     

轻度智力落后学生心理健康问题的研究

本研究使用心理健康诊断测验(MHT)手册对10-16岁(四至九年级)的轻度智力落后学生与智力正常学生间的心理健康水平进行比较研究,结果发现：轻度智力落后学生有不同程度的心理健康问题,随班就读轻度智力落后学生的心理健康问题尤为突出．有待相应有效的教育支持。     

Clinical Implications for Multi-Racial Individuals

Abstract

Multi- racial individuals experience distinctive struggles and challenges that can impact their mental health. However, despite the growing population and unique presenting issues there remains a scarcity of literature to effectively support them. In addition, there is a lack of research exploring the unique experience of the multiple heritage population. The article offers implications for effectively working with individuals of multi-racial decent as well as a call to action for MFTs to develop multicultural competencies for the profession.     

Group Therapy with Individuals and Families Coping with Illness or Disability in Israel

This paper illustrates a group intervention with individuals and family caregivers coping with illness/disability, and focuses on the relationship between the process of group development and the process of coping with the illness/disability. People experiencing illness/disability cope with a great deal of pressure and stress that stem from the illness's biopsychosocial demands. A group can provide encouragement and support and reduce helplessness, isolation, and despair through cooperation and use of mutual resources. The design of the intervention was based on our clinical experience with numerous groups for ill/disabled individuals or their family. The process is described and analyzed using examples from three documented groups, and is presented in terms of four variables: group process, group atmosphere, group content, and group intervention.     

弱智儿童家长的心理压力及相关因素研究

对200名弱智儿童家长的心理压力及相关因素进行研究,总的来说,弱智儿童的父、母亲之间在心理压力方面没有明显的差异;不同年级儿童的家长在心理压力方面存在明显差异。家长的心理压力与其对事件的应付方式、生活质量以及弱智儿童的行为表现之间有密切关系。     

Exploring Recovery Perspectives in Individuals Diagnosed with Mental Illness

Using a phenomenological research design with a photovoice method, we aimed to understand the lived experience of eight individuals diagnosed with mental illness and identify factors affecting their recovery. We conducted focus group interviews whereby participants discussed their recovery, shared photographs taken of items symbolizing their recovery, and created personalized photobooks or scrapbooks. Data analysis yielded the following themes: (1) caring relationships, (2) leisure and outings, and (3) relaxation, stress reduction, and coping. Findings revealed factors influencing recovery from mental illness and can be used to develop person-centered and occupation-based interventions to promote recovery in clients with mental health issues.     

Acculturation in Women with Mental Retardation and Its Impact on Genetic Counseling

The provision of genetic counseling to women with mild mental retardation poses many challenges, some directly related to their developmental and cognitive disabilities. Traditional genetic counseling models, in which decision-making is largely based on the understanding of factual information, are particularly affected by the intellectual limitations which characterize this population. Equally important, however, are these women's attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to their involuntary inclusion into a highly stigmatized social group. Common themes among these women which surface in the genetic counseling setting include the denial of mental retardation, a hierarchical perception of their own and others' disabilities, and a strong motivation to conceive and parent a child. Such attitudes and behaviors may be symptomatic of acculturation, as these women struggle to take on accepted social roles while rejecting the stigma of intellectual disability. In contrast to factual information, the counselee's ability to discuss emotions and perceptions is not necessarily hampered by her intellectual limitations. A focus on the recognition and discussion of psychosocial issues provides a more meaningful approach than traditional genetic counseling models for facilitating informed reproductive decisions among women with mental retardation.     

A Call for Mental Health Treatment in Incarcerated Settings with Transgender Individuals

Abstract

The U.S. correctional system has become the epicenter for public health and mental health crisis. This article discusses literature documenting incarcerated transgender individuals’ mental health treatment. The severity of mental illness treatment issues within the system amongst transgender and other LGBTQ?+?individuals, clearly displays the need for interventions tailored to this population. Recommended interventions are centered around post traumatic response and cater to those who exist in marginalized populations with consideration given to the significance of family strain and support. Overall, there is a need for a shift in mindset and available services to treat incarcerated transgender individuals.     

Human Intelligence: Implications for Counseling

Sternberg, R.J. (Ed.) (1982). Handbook of Human Intelligence. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.     

Stigma and Mental Health in Japanese Unemployed Individuals

An Internet‐based survey was administered in Japan to compare mental health of and stigma toward unemployed individuals, workers with regular employment, and workers with irregular employment. Unemployed individuals showed higher scores for both anxiety/depression and disturbance of activities, as well as faced more stigma than did employed individuals. In addition, the factor structure of stigma that unemployed individuals have toward the unemployed was the same as that previously found for university students and employed individuals. Financial strain and stigma were the factors with the greatest influence on the mental health of unemployed individuals.     

Bias in Conditional Inference: Implications for Mental Models and Mental Logic

Three experiments are reported in which subjects are given the opportunity to make any of the four inferences associated with conditional statements: modus ponens (MP), denial of the antecedent (DA), affirmation of the consequent (AC), and modus tollens (MT). The primary purpose of the research was to establish the generality and robustness of polarity biases that may be occasioned by systematic rotation of negative components in the conditional rules. In Experiments 1 & 2, three forms of conditionals were used: “if (not) p then (not) q”, “(not) p only if (not) q” and “(not) q if (not) p”. Experiment 1 used a conclusion evaluation task, whereas Experiment 2 used a conclusion production task. In Experiment 3, thematic conditionals were presented with and without a preceding scenario.

The biases investigated were (a) affirmative premise bias—the tendency to draw more inferences from affirmative premises and (b) negative conclusion bias—the tendency to draw more inferences with negative conclusions. The suggestive evidence for affirmative premise bias in the literature was not supported: very little evidence was found for it in the current experiments. Robust findings of negative conclusion bias were, however, found across the three experiments, although the bias was mostly restricted to DA and MT inferences. This suggests that the bias is best regarded as a difficulty with double negation.

The results are discussed with respect to both the mental logic and mental model accounts of propositional reasoning. Neither theory as currently formulated can explain all of our findings, although a plausible revision of each is considered.     

A Playroom Observation Procedure to Assess Children with Mental Retardation and ADHD

Forty-two children (ages 6 to 12 years old) with moderate mental retardation to borderline intellectual functioning were studied in a laboratory playroom setting to determine whether children identified as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or controls differed on activity and attentional measures. Children with ADHD were further divided into ADHD + conduct problems (ADHD + CD) and ADHD-only subgroups (with an ADHD-combined group comprising children of both subgroups). An interval recording system was used to code observations of independent play and a restricted academic task. Results indicated that the ADHD-combined group was significantly more vocal and engaged in a significantly greater number of toy changes than controls during independent play. Significant group differences were also noted during the restricted academic task, with the ADHD-combined and ADHD + CD groups more off-task and engaging in a greater number of toy touches than controls. Discriminant analyses found independent play measures to predict group membership in 70 percent of cases (ADHD-combined vs. controls), but in only 64 percent of cases using measures from the restricted academic task. No significant findings resulted when the ADHD subjects were further divided into two subgroups. Despite some inconsistent findings, such laboratory-based observations may be of value in the diagnosis of ADHD in children with moderate mental retardation to borderline intellectual functioning.     

轻度智障学生心理健康教育干预的形式与方法

轻度智障学生具有学习焦虑、孤独感、好责备自己、缺乏主动性和积极性等心理健康方面的问题。产生这些问题的原因有个体因素、父母教养因素和学校教育因素等。针对这些问题,教育者使用多种辅导形式和方法进行干预,使轻度智障学生的心理健康水平得以提高与改善。本文最后提出了在进行教育干预时需注意的一些问题,为学校开展该方面工作提供参考。     

Identifying Criteria for the Evaluation of the Implications of Brain Reading for Mental Privacy

Science and Engineering Ethics - Contemporary brain reading technologies promise to provide the possibility to decode and interpret mental states and processes. Brain reading could have numerous...