An empirical study of medical termination of pregnancy

Several studies (Senturia and Rothman, 1967; Simon et al., 1969; Stewart et.al., 1973) have shown that therapeutic abortion may be accompanied by various psychological problems (e.g., psychiatric illness, confused sexual identity, sadomasochism). This study attempts to determine the personality characteristics, e.g., extraversion-introversion, neuroticism-stability and manifest anxiety of women who seek abortion and compare them with a control group. The Eysenk Personality Inventory and the Manifest Anxiety scale adapted by George (1965, 1974) were administered to 2 groups, the experimental group (n=50; mean age, 25.8) consisting of women seeking abortion, and the control group (n=30; mean age, 25.4 years; matched for age and socioeconomic status with the experimental). Mean values for extraversion-introversion, neuroticism-stability, and manifest anxiety for the experimental group were 11.08, 15.5 and 23.74 respectively. Corresponding figures for the control group were 11.00, 10.46, and 11.96 respectively. The results show that the experimental group differed significantly from the control group in the dimensions of neuroticism and manifest anxiety. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups in terms of extraversion. The stressful nature of pregnancy is briefly discussed.     

CROSS-CULTURAL SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN DYNAMIC STEREOTYPES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES

This study examined cross-cultural similarities and differences in beliefs about men and women of the past, present, and future. These dynamic stereotypes , or beliefs that a group's present characteristics differ from its past or future characteristics, correspond to the actual role change experienced by the group ( Diekman & Eagly, 2000 ). Participants in Germany and the United States perceived that women were increasing in their masculine characteristics from the past to the future, whereas they perceived comparatively more stability in men's characteristics. The largest cross-cultural difference stemmed from beliefs about 1950s women, who were perceived as possessing greater positive masculine personality, negative feminine personality, and less feminine physical traits in Germany than in the United States. This greater nontraditionalism of postwar German women reflects their assumption of stereotypically male-dominated roles immediately after World War II. Consistent with social role theory, perceived role nontraditionalism mediated the relationship between time period and levels of gender-stereotypic characteristics.     

Gender differences in mate selection preferences: a test of the parental investment model.

Evolutionary-related hypotheses about gender differences in mate selection preferences were derived from Triver's parental investment model, which contends that women are more likely than men to seek a mate who possesses nonphysical characteristics that maximize the survival or reproductive prospects of their offspring, and were examined in a meta-analysis of mate selection research (questionnaire studies, analyses of personal advertisements). As predicted, women accorded more weight than men to socioeconomic status, ambitiousness, character, and intelligence, and the largest gender differences were observed for cues to resource acquisition (status, ambitiousness). Also as predicted, gender differences were not found in preferences for characteristics unrelated to progeny survival (sense of humor, "personality"). Where valid comparisons could be made, the findings were generally invariant across generations, cultures, and research paradigms.     

The Rorschach Records of Suicidal Patients. An Application of a Comparative Matching Technique

The experiment examined whether reliable personality differences exist between (a) women who suffer from spasmodic and congestive dysmenorrhea and (b) women who experience dysmenorrhea and women who do not. A sample of 12 congestive dysmenorrhea sufferers, 12 spasmodic dysmenorrhea suffers, and 24 nonsufferers obtained from a larger sample of university women, completed the Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and Personality Research Form. Results indicated that congestive sufferers differed from spasmodic sufferers only in their level of impulsivity. However, dysmenorrhea sufferers differed significantly from nonsufferers in that dysmenorrhea sufferers were more similar to a neurotic sample, were depressed, anxious and introverted, and less independent, playful, satisfied with themselves, positive about their physical and social selves than nonsufferers. In spite of these differences, standard scores from the personality measures suggested that dysmenorrhea sufferers were not maladjusted.     

PERSONALITY CORRELATES OF AGE AND LIFE ROLES IN ADULT WOMEN

The association between age/family stage, career role, and personality traits was studied using a multivariate statistical approach. Young adult, midlife, and older women from four role groups—homemaker, married career, single career, and student—were compared on a number of personality measures including achievement motivation, affiliation, autonomy, cultural sex role characteristics, self esteem, and adjustment. While some of the expected group differences did not appear, some significant age and role differences were found. Older women showed less achievement motivation and had a greater need for affiliation than young adult and midlife women. Career women had a more internalized locus of control than homemakers and students. When age and role were considered together, the age-role groups were differentiated on autonomy, femininity, and adjustment. There were no differences between either age or role groups on measures of self-esteem, well-being, socialization, or other personality variables.     

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN AND CONSERVATISM

Although one goal of the psychology of women has been to enhance the status of women through social change, this goal has seldom been realized. Theory and research in the psychology of women have focused on gender differences and the personality of women rather than the society that oppresses women. As a result, this research has tended to blame women for their position in society and helped maintain the status quo, which can inhibit the struggle for equality by the women's movement. This process is demonstrated with reference to research on women and achievement. The causes and consequences of the focus on gender differences are discussed and recommendations made for a psychology of women in the service of women.     

PERSONALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN OJIBWA INDIAN YOUTH*

High School Personality Questionnaire profiles, grades, and boarding home information were obtained for almost the entire Grade 9 and 10 native Indian student population in the districts of Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada) in order to discover the factors that relate to the high incidence of academic failure among native students. Native Indian youth as a group differed from white population in personality traits, but the lack of a strong correlation between these personality traits and school grades suggests that the personality traits characteristic of an Indian population are not the primary cause of school failure. Students who came from remote reserves were better adjusted than those who lived within driving distance of white settlements and had greater opportunities for acculturation. There was no correlation between school grades and boarding home conditions. Female students showed less variability in personality structure than males, and seemed less affected by changes in culture and boarding home conditions. A comparison of native students in academic and occupational programs revealed some personality differences among males but none among females.     

Abortion as stigma: cognitive and emotional implications of concealment.

This study examined the stigma of abortion and psychological implications of concealment among 442 women followed for 2 years from the day of their abortion. As predicted, women who felt stigmatized by abortion were more likely to feel a need to keep it a secret from family and friends. Secrecy was related positively to suppressing thoughts of the abortion and negatively to disclosing abortion-related emotions to others. Greater thought suppression was associated with experiencing more intrusive thoughts of the abortion. Both suppression and intrusive thoughts, in turn, were positively related to increases in psychological distress over time. Emotional disclosure moderated the association between intrusive thoughts and distress. Disclosure was associated with decreases in distress among women experiencing intrusive thoughts of their abortion, but was unrelated to distress among women not experiencing intrusive thoughts.     

The thrill of loving a dominant partner: Relationships between preference for a dominant mate,sensation seeking,and trait anxiety

This study investigates whether particular personality traits predict the desire to choose a dominant partner. Specifically examined are the traits of sensation seeking and trait anxiety as predictors of the preference for a dominant female/male partner. Sixty‐eight men and 104 women (N = 172) participated in an online survey. Individuals who avoid boredom and seek out exciting social activities have a stronger desire for a dominant partner. For female participants, we detected experience seeking and trait anxiety as additional factors associated with the preference for a dominant partner. Women higher in trait anxiety and lower in experience seeking have a higher preference for a dominant man. Gender differences are interpreted with regard to sexual selection theory and individual differences with respect to the theory of assortative mating.     

Abortion in adolescence

Sexual attitudes and behavior of adolescent females have been the topic of much interest over the past decade. Feelings about contraception, conception, and abortion have been described in relation to the adolescents' beliefs about the possibility of becoming pregnant, who will or will not "protect" them, and the influence of significant others on their decision making. This study explores differences in 35 women who had abortions during their teenage years with 36 women whose abortions occurred after the age of twenty. A demographic questionnaire, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory were completed by women who were members of a patient-led support group. Premorbid psychiatric histories, the decision-making process itself, and distressing symptoms postabortion are reported. Specific differences in perceptions of coercion, preabortion suicidal ideation, and nightmares post-abortion were found in the adolescent group. Antisocial and paranoid personality disorders as well as drug abuse and psychotic delusions were found to be significantly higher in the group who aborted as teenagers. Hypotheses regarding the influences of adolescent development on mother/child relationships, power struggles, and the use of fantasy as a coping device are explored.     

Severity and cost of unsafe abortion complications treated in Nigerian hospitals

CONTEXT: Each year, thousands of Nigerian women have unintended pregnancies that end in illegal abortion. Many such procedures occur under unsafe conditions, contributing to maternal morbidity and mortality. METHODS: In a 2002-2003 survey of women and their providers in 33 hospitals in eight states across Nigeria, 2,093 patients were identified as being treated for complications of abortion or miscarriage or seeking an abortion. Women's abortion experiences and the health consequences and associated costs were examined through bivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to examine the characteristics of women by type of pregnancy loss and to compare characteristics among three groups of women who had induced abortions in differing circumstances. RESULTS: Among women admitted for abortion-related reasons, 36% had attempted to end the pregnancy before coming to the hospital (including 24% with and 12% without serious complications), 33% obtained an induced abortion at the facility (not withstanding the country's restrictive law) without having made a prior abortion attempt and 32% were treated for complications from a miscarriage. Of women with serious complications, 24% had sepsis, 21% pelvic infection and 11% instrumental injury; 22% required blood transfusion and 10% needed abdominal surgery. The women in this group were poorer and later in gestation than those who sought abortions directly from hospitals. They paid more for treatment (about 13,900 naira) than those who went directly to the hospital for an abortion (3,800 naira) or those treated for miscarriage (5,100 naira). CONCLUSIONS: Policy and program interventions are needed to improve access to contraceptive services and postabortion care in order to reduce abortion-related morbidity and mortality.     

THE MIDDLE AGES: CHANGE IN WOMEN'S PERSONALITIES AND SOCIAL ROLES

It has been argued that the predominant focus of midlife personality development is generativity; other research has found that social roles influence both its onset and its expression. In this article, we examine women's midlife personality development and its relationship to career and family commitments. Results for a sample of 90 women indicated that commitment to particular social projects in early midlife was associated with different patterns of identity, intimacy, and generativity levels at age 62. In addition, women who added social projects to existing projects during adulthood expressed similar levels of identity, intimacy, and generativity at age 62 as women whose social project commitments had stayed the same. For smaller subsamples of women in the study, longitudinal analyses assessed changes in personality development within middle age as well as the relationship between personality and the maintenance or addition of social projects. These results highlight important variation among women who followed different adult life paths.     

PERSONALITY AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A CRITIQUE OF THE TETT, JACKSON, AND ROTHSTEIN (1991) META-ANALYSIS

Tett, Jackson, and Rothstein (1991) recently presented a meta-analysis of the relationship between personality and job performance. Many of their findings, particularly those pertaining to the Big Five personality dimensions, are at odds with one other large scale meta-analytic study (Barrick & Mount, 1991) investigating the relation between personality and performance. In order to reconcile these new results with previous findings, we examined differences in the sample sizes used, the process for assigning pre-existing scales to personality dimensions, and the nature of the jobs investigated. In addition, we found four technical errors in the Tett et al. moderator meta-analyses in computing sampling error, the bias correction, sampling error for bias corrected correlations, and computing sampling error variance across studies. These errors raise serious questions about the interpretation of their results for various moderators of the personality-job performance relationship.     

Sample Attrition in Studies of Psychosocial Sequelae of Abortion: How Great a Problem?1

This study examines sample attrition problems in abortion research and the implications for conclusions reached about psychosocial sequelae of abortion. A review of 17 recent studies shows that the percent of the initial sample lost to follow-up ranges from a low of 13% to a high of 86%. Younger women and Catholic women appear to be less likely to participate in follow-up. Since both of these characteristics are associated with a greater likelihood of negative sequelae, follow-up studies may be underestimating the extent of negative reaction to abortion. Data from a recent study are presented; comparisons are made between characteristics of initial volunteers and the total population and between the volunteers who return for the follow-up interview and those who do not. Results support the suggestion that women for whom the abortion was more stressful are less likely to be represented in the final sample. Factors affecting the likelihood of participating in research are explored and strategies for improving the representativeness of samples are suggested.     

Locus of control and decision to abort

The relationship of locus of control to deciding on an abortion was investigated by administering Rotter's Locus of Control Scale to 118 women immediately prior to abortion and 2 weeks and 3 months following abortion. Subjects' scores were compared across the 3 time periods, and the abortion group's pretest scores were compared with those of a nonpregnant control, group. As hypothesized, the aborting group scored significantly more internal than the general population but no differences in locus of control were found across the 3 time period. The length of delay in deciding to abort an unwanted pregnancy following confirmation was also assessed. Women seeking 1st trimester abortions were divided into internal and external groups on the Rotter Scale and the lengths of delay were compared. The hypothesis that external scores would delay the decision longer than internal ones was confirmed. The results confirm characteristics of the locus of control construct and add information about personality characteristics of women undergoing abortion.     

SELF-MONITORING AS A MODERATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PERSONALITY TRAITS AND PERFORMANCE

This study examined the hypothesis that self-monitoring moderates the relationship between Big Five personality traits and interpersonal performance. The findings from a sample of 102 employed Executive MBA students reveal that when self-monitoring was high the relationships between 3 of the Big Five personality traits (Extraversion, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience) and supervisory ratings of interpersonal performance were attenuated. These effects were replicated using peer ratings of interpersonal performance for Extraversion and Emotional Stability but not for Openness to Experience. Further, as expected, self-monitoring did not moderate the relationships between personality traits and supervisory or peer ratings of task performance. Implications for future research in the area of personality and other motivational theories are discussed.     

TURNOVER AND RETIREMENT: A COMPARISON OF THEIR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

This study sought to demonstrate that turnover and retirement intentions were distinct forms of organizational withdrawal and to empirically examine the similarities and differences between their antecedents. In a sample of 375 (126 men and 247 women) working adults, a confirmatory factor analysis supported the contention that items measuring turnover intent and retirement intent were related to 2 separate constructs. In addition, the correlation between the 2 measures was low and not significant. The influence of common and unique variables that influence turnover intent and retirement intent were then examined. The results suggested that there were significant differences between the predictors of turnover intentions and retirement intentions. These findings suggest that there are important differences between turnover and retirement and it is necessary to treat them separately for some purposes.     

Gender role and personality disorders

Many researchers have hypothesized relationships between personality disorders and gender role (i.e., masculinity and femininity). However, research has not addressed if people who are masculine or feminine more often meet the criteria for personality disorders. The present study examined whether college students (N = 665, 60% women) higher in masculinity or femininity more often exhibited features of the 10 DSM-IV personality disorders. Feminine men exhibited more features of all the personality disorders except antisocial. Dependent traits were associated with higher femininity and lower masculinity. Antisocial traits were associated with masculinity. Both men and women who typically behaved consistent with their gender had more narcissistic and histrionic features, whereas participants who typically behaved unlike their gender had more features of the Cluster A personality disorders.     

The Meaning and Impact of Partner's Accompaniment on Women's Adjustment to Abortion1

The present study examined the meaning of accompaniment to an abortion clinic by a male partner and explored the effects of accompaniment on women's immediate and three-week post-abortion psychological distress. A comparison of accompanied and unaccompanied women revealed few differences in demographic or psychological characteristics, although accompanied women perceived greater levels of social support from their partners and reported that they were in more committed relationships. The effects of accompaniment on women's post-abortion distress were neither universally positive nor universally negative, but depended on the personal characteristics of the women involved. Consistent with Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1988), accompaniment was more beneficial for women who were high in personal coping resources than for women low in these resources.