Breaking the cycle of violence: an examination of factors relevant to treatment follow-through

To examine differences between a group of battered mothers who followed through with treatment recommended for their children and those who did not, 10 women from each of two comparable women's shelters who followed through with recommended therapy for their children were compared with 10 women from each shelter who did not follow through, in regard to age, years of education, job history, economic status, and prior exposure to therapy. Analysis indicated that women who followed through had significantly more years of education than those women who did not follow-through. Furthermore, women who followed-through were significantly more likely to have had prior experience in counseling or therapy as were their mates. Implications, including education of mothers about the emotional needs of their children by peers, staff, or liaison workers from mental health agencies as a positive means of curtailing transmission of violent patterns from parents to children, are discussed.     

The connubial crucible: newlywed years as predictors of marital delight, distress, and divorce

This study showed that couples' newlywed marriages and changes in their union over the first 2 years foreshadow their long-term marital fate after 13 years. Consistent with the enduring dynamics model, differences in the intensity of newlyweds' romance as well as the extent to which they expressed negative feelings toward each other predicted (a) whether or not they were happy 13 years later (among those who stayed married) and (b) how long their marriage lasted prior to separation (for those who divorced). The results provide little support for the idea that emergence of distress (e.g., increasing negativity) early in marriage leads to marital failure but instead show that disillusionment--as reflected in an abatement of love, a decline in overt affection, a lessening of the conviction that one's spouse is responsive, and an increase in ambivalence--distinguishes couples headed for divorce from those who establish a stable marital bond.     

Health Problems and Male Firearm Suicide

Drawing on constructs of masculinity as it relates to both gun ownership and men's health, we use a rich data set, the New Jersey Violent Death Reporting System as well as hospital discharge data, to analyze 3,413 completed male suicides between the years of 2003 and 2009. We test the hypotheses that the use of firearms is more common when physical health problems are cited as suicide circumstances, and that suicide decedents who use firearms have poorer physical health than those who used other methods. Results show that firearms are disproportionately used in male suicides when physical health is listed as a circumstance. Additionally, among suicide decedents with a hospitalization during the 3 years prior to death, those who used firearms were in poorer health than those who used other methods. These findings have implications for prevention efforts, because restricting access to lethal means is an important aspect of suicide prevention.     

Processing speed in children treated for brain tumors: effects of radiation therapy and age

The current study examined processing speed in children two years post-treatment for brain tumors (BT) with radiation therapy (RT) compared to those treated with without RT. Participants included 59 children (4–17 years) with BT assessed as part of the Brain Radiation Investigative Study Consortium (BRISC). Processing speed was assessed at two time points: Time1 (3–9 months post-surgery) for 26 children who received whole brain or focal RT (RT group) and 33 treated without RT (no-RT group), and again two years later (Time2) for 42 participants (17 RT, 25 no-RT). Linear mixed effects (LME) regression analyses examined differences in cognitive and motor speed between groups and across visits, with age at Time1 (age1) treated as a moderating variable, and sex and primary tumor size as covariates. No effects for treatment group or visit were found for motor speed (Pegboard) or mean reaction time (Attention Network Task). On the Wechsler Processing Speed Index (PSI), the no-RT group performed better than the RT group, with a group-by-age interaction such that across visits, the difference between the no-RT and RT groups was larger among children who were older at initial treatment (≥10 years) than among those who were younger (<10 years). Cumulative brain injury earlier in life (tumor, surgery, plus RT) may result in greater impact on more complex tasks of cognitive efficiency. Children receiving RT showed reduced processing speed over time, with a larger group difference among those who were over 10 years at treatment.     

Peer relationships and academic achievement as interacting predictors of depressive symptoms during middle childhood

This article reports a longitudinal investigation that examines academic and social difficulties as predictors of depressive symptoms during middle childhood. Participants were 199 elementary school children (M=9.1 years) who were followed for 2 consecutive school years. In both years of the project, children completed a questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms and a peer nomination inventory assessing friendships and social standing. Grade point averages (GPAs) were obtained from a review of school records. Low GPAs were predictive of depressive symptoms, but this effect did not hold for children who had numerous friends. Similarly, children who had relatively few friends tended to experience depressive symptoms. However, the effect was attenuated for children with high GPAs. Taken together, the findings suggest that competencies in 1 domain can moderate the risks associated with difficulties in the other domain.     

Disaffected Pollyannas: The influence of positive affect on salary expectations,turnover, and long‐term satisfaction

Using a longitudinal sample of MBA graduates, the present study investigates why employees who are high in positive affect (PA) sometimes display higher rates of turnover, as well as the consequences of frequent turnover for long‐term satisfaction. Results show that high PA employees had higher salary expectations than other employees, and that the relationship between low salary and frequent turnover in the 4 years following graduation was stronger among employees higher in PA. High PA employees who changed organizations more frequently in the first 4 years following graduation reported lower job satisfaction and lower life satisfaction 8 years into their careers, a trend that was reversed for low PA employees.     

The Long-term Effects of Early Paternal Presence on Children’s Behavior

A father’s presence in the family is important for promoting adaptive behavioral functioning in children. It is unknown however, if there is a critical time during infancy and childhood for such paternal presence and involvement to affect behaviour. Using data from the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative (ABC) study, we examined the amount of paternal presence children experienced through their first 11 years of life (measured as fathers’ time spent in the same household as their children) and its effect on their behavioral outcomes at 11 years of age. After controlling for potential confounds, children who whose fathers were minimally present (left between 0 and 3.5 years of age) were twice as likely to report clinically significant behavioural difficulties as those whose fathers were present throughout childhood. Those whose fathers were present for early childhood (left between 3.5 and 7 years of age) exhibited no significant differences in their behaviour at 11 years of age when compared to their peers whose fathers remained present. Mothers reported no significant changes in their children’s behavior. Findings suggested that paternal presence early in a child’s life might be most important with regard to promoting adaptive behavioural functioning as they age.     

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCULTURATIVE STRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY AMONG MARRIED MEXICAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN

The purpose of the present study was to describe levels of acculturative stress and individual stressors and their relationship to levels of depressive symptomatology among young Mexican immigrant women. The mean age of the respondents was 25.7 years with a mean of 9.4 years of education. Their age at migration was 18.5 years and their average length of stay in the United States was 7.5 years. Women who in the last three months experienced discrimination, sex-role conflicts, and concern about starting a family in this country had significantly higher (over 16) CES-D scores than women who did not report experiencing those situations. The overall findings suggest that this sample of Mexican women immigrants as a group are at risk for the development of psychological problems.     

Adolescents' participation in organized activities and developmental success 2 and 8 years after high school: do sponsorship, duration, and intensity matter?

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the authors examined relations between educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood and the duration and intensity of participation in organized activities during high school. They also examined these relations as a function of sponsorship (i.e., school- vs. community-sponsored organized activities). They found that youths who participated in organized activities for 2 years demonstrated more favorable educational and civic outcomes in young adulthood than those who participated for 1 year. More intensive participation was also associated with greater educational, civic, and occupational success in young adulthood--particularly among youths who participated in activities for 2 years. Educational attainment often mediated the relations between temporal measures of participation and young adult civic and occupational outcomes. With the exception of analyses examining occupational success, findings varied little as a function of sponsorship. Of note, analyses revealed that both temporal measures of participation were positively associated with young adult outcomes as many as 8 years after high school.     

High school bullying as a risk for later depression and suicidality

This is the first study to examine whether high school students experiencing frequent bullying behaviors are at risk for later depression and suicidality. A total of 236 students who reported frequent bullying behavior without depression or suicidality during a suicide screening were interviewed 4 years later to reassess depression, suicidal ideation, attempts, substance problems, and functional impairment and were compared to at‐risk youth identified during the screen, including 96 youth who also experienced bullying behavior. Youth who only reported frequent bullying behaviors (as bullies, victims, or both) did not develop later depression or suicidality and continued to have fewer psychiatric problems than students identified as at‐risk for suicide. Students who experienced bullying behaviors and depression or suicidality were more impaired 4 years later than those who had only reported depression or suicidality. Thus, assessment of bullying behaviors in screening protocols is recommended.     

Foster Parents’ Involvement in Authoritative Parenting and Interest in Future Parenting Training

We surveyed 191 Southwest Ohio foster parents regarding their involvement in authoritative parenting and interest for additional parenting education. Our results showed that most respondents reported using an authoritative parenting style and were interested in receiving future training. Involvement in authoritative parenting differed significantly based on level of education and number of years as a foster parent. Foster parents with a college degree or higher were significantly more involved in authoritative parenting than foster parents with a high school diploma or less. Those who had been a foster parent for greater than five years were significantly more likely than those who been a foster parent for five years or less to use authoritative parenting and desire future training in authoritative parenting.     

On the relationship between job satisfaction and non‐response in employee attitude surveys: A longitudinal field study

A longitudinal modelling approach is used to examine the effect of job satisfaction on survey non‐response in an applied employee attitude survey. Members of a large electronics company were invited to participate in the survey in each of four consecutive years. Logistic autoregressive modelling revealed a significant effect of prior non‐response on subsequent non‐response. The odds of responding to the survey in any given year were more than twice as high for individuals who had responded to the same survey 1 year before, as compared with those who did not. Prior job satisfaction was also significantly related to subsequent survey non‐response. Participants who were more satisfied on a given occasion were more likely to respond 1 year later than those who were less satisfied. At the facet level, satisfaction with supervisors contributed incrementally to the prediction of survey non‐response in subsequent years. Implications for the theoretical and methodological development of non‐response research and for the practical implementation of employee attitude surveys are discussed.     

Psychoanalytic practice in the early postgraduate years

As a pilot investigation for a longitudinal study of psychoanalytic careers, a survey was conducted of analysts who graduated during the last fifteen years from the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Graduates were asked to describe both their analytic practice and their interest in pursuing appointment as training and supervising analysts. The 23-item questionnaire was completed by 67 of 102 potential respondents (66%). The study identified two subgroups of graduates: those who were not certified and were not training analysts (GAs), 78% of the sample, and certified and training analysts (CAs, TAs), 22% of the sample. GAs started a mean of 1.4 new analytic cases since graduation, as compared to CAs and TAs, who started a mean of 5.4 and 8.3 new cases, respectively. CAs and TAs also saw more twice-weekly therapy cases than did GAs. Once-weekly therapy was the most commonly practiced treatment for all subgroups. Interest in becoming a TA was highest during the first five postgraduate years and was lower among non-TAs five to fifteen years after graduation. Only one of the CA respondents met current APsaA immersion criteria for training analyst appointment.     

Grandparents' psychological well-being after loss of contact with their grandchildren.

This study examined how loss of contact with grandchildren due to parental separation or divorce, family feud, or a sudden event, such as relocation, affected the emotional well-being of grandparents (N = 442). Using data from the Longitudinal Study of Generations, the depressive symptoms of grandparents were tracked over 15 years. Growth curve analysis was used to compare grandparents who had lost contact with their grandchildren with those who had not and to examine preloss to postloss change in depressive symptoms. Grandparents who lost contact with their grandchildren experienced a steeper increase in depressive symptoms as they aged compared with other grandparents. Depressive symptoms of grandparents who lost contact because of a sudden event increased up to 3 years following the loss but returned to equilibrium thereafter. The authors conclude that grandparents who lost contact with their grandchildren experienced a negative impact on their emotional health.     

Long‐Term Effects of an Extensive Cognitive Training on Personality Development

Previous research found that cognitive training increases the Big Five personality trait Openness to Experience during and some weeks after the intervention. The present study investigated whether long‐term changes happen in Openness to Experience and other personality traits after an extensive cognitive training of memory and perceptual speed. The intervention group consisted of 204 adults (20–31 years and 65–80 years; 50% female) who received daily 1‐hour cognitive training sessions for about 100 days. The control group consisted of 86 adults (21–29 years and 65–82 years; 51% female) who received no cognitive training. All participants answered the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory before and 2 years after the cognitive training. Latent change models were applied that controlled for age group (young vs. old) and gender. In the long run, the cognitive training did not affect changes in any facet of Openness to Experience. This was true for young and old participants as well as for men and women. Instead, the cognitive training lowered the general increase of Conscientiousness. Even an extensive cognitive training on memory and perceptual speed does not serve as a sufficient intervention for enduring changes in Openness to Experiences or one of its facets.     

Correlates of Vocational Success in Refugee Work Adaptation1

Past research on Indochinese refugees has shown that status inconsistency (loss of socioeconomic status from their last job in Indochina to their most recent job in the United States) has a strong negative effect on acculturation. This study examines refugee adaptation to working in America and the effect of status inconsistency on work performance. After three years in the U.S., there was great improvement in job performance. We had predicted that greater status inconsistency would be associated with poorer vocational performance. The status inconsistency effect was found for those refugees who previously held high-prestige positions in their homeland, but only during the time before they had spent 3 years in America. Previous high-prestige refugees who had lived in the U.S. for less than three years did not stay on their jobs as long as former low-prestige refugees. After three years, however, the former high-prestige refugees outlasted the former low-prestige refugees.     

Perceptions of the acceptability of parent training among Chinese immigrant parents: contributions of cultural factors and clinical need

Parent training (PT) is well established for reducing child externalizing problems; however, lower rates of engagement in PT among ethnic minority/immigrant families have been found. We assessed PT acceptability among Chinese immigrant parents and explored clinical and cultural factors that may be associated with acceptability. Participants were a community sample of 145 Chinese immigrant parents (84% mothers) between the ages of 32 and 65 years (M=43.3 years, SD=6.2) who had children (84 boys, 59 girls) between the ages of 4 and 17 years (M=10.7 years, SD=3.6). Results suggest that parents found positive reinforcement techniques significantly more acceptable, less problematic, and more likely to be supported by others than punishment-based techniques. Parents who endorsed the Chinese child-rearing value of shaming were less likely to find PT acceptable. Parents who reported greater dysfunction in parent-child interactions rated PT as more acceptable, and families with prior Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement rated PT as less acceptable. However, previous mental health treatment appears to bolster acceptability among parents with prior CPS involvement. Clinical implications for addressing barriers to PT engagement and future research directions are discussed.     

Participation in Religious Education and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults

ABSTRACT

Participation in older adult Bible study groups was investigated as a possible correlate to life satisfaction. Two hundred eighty-seven adults, 60 years of age and older, completed the Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale (LSES). Results of an ANCOVA indicated that participation in Bible study groups relates positively and significantly to life satisfaction in older adults when adjusted for the health variable. Older adults who participated regularly in Bible study groups scored significantly higher on the LSES than older adults who did not participate regularly in Bible study groups although they regularly attended worship services. Results suggest that religious education participation and life satisfaction may be related in such a way as to offer implications for improving quality of life in later years.     

Why do even satisfied newlyweds eventually go on to divorce?

Although divorce typically follows an extended period of unhappiness that begins early in marriage, some couples who are very happy throughout the first several years of marriage will also go on to divorce. This study aimed to identify risk factors early in marriage that distinguish initially satisfied couples who eventually divorce from those who remain married. We identified 136 couples reporting stably high levels of relationship satisfaction in the first 4 years of marriage. We compared the couples who went on to divorce by the 10-year follow-up with the couples who remained married on initial measures of commitment, observed communication, stress, and personality. Divorcing couples displayed more negative communication, emotion, and social support as newlyweds compared with couples who did not divorce. No significant differences were found in the other domains, in relationship satisfaction, or in positive behaviors. Overall, results indicate that even couples who are very successful at navigating the early years of marriage can be vulnerable to later dissolution if their interpersonal exchanges are poorly regulated. We speculate that, paradoxically, the many strengths possessed by these couples may mask their potent interpersonal liabilities, posing challenges for educational interventions designed to help these couples.