Attention Biases to Threat Link Behavioral Inhibition to Social Withdrawal over Time in Very Young Children

Behaviorally inhibited children display a temperamental profile characterized by social withdrawal and anxious behaviors. Previous research, focused largely on adolescents, suggests that attention biases to threat may sustain high levels of behavioral inhibition (BI) over time, helping link early temperament to social outcomes. However, no prior studies examine the association between attention bias and BI before adolescence. The current study examined the interrelations among BI, attention biases to threat, and social withdrawal already manifest in early childhood. Children (N = 187, 83 Male, M _age  = 61.96 months) were characterized for BI in toddlerhood (24 & 36 months). At 5 years, they completed an attention bias task and concurrent social withdrawal was measured. As expected, BI in toddlerhood predicted high levels of social withdrawal in early childhood. However, this relation was moderated by attention bias. The BI-withdrawal association was only evident for children who displayed an attention bias toward threat. The data provide further support for models associating attention with socioemotional development and the later emergence of clinical anxiety.     

From Survivor to Thriver: A Pilot Study of an Online Program for Rape Victims

Approximately 15% to 20% of women have been victims of rape and close to a third report current rape-related PTSD or clinically significant depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, very few distressed rape victims seek formal help. This suggests a need to develop alternative ways to assist the many distressed victims of sexual violence. Online treatment programs represent a potentially important alternative strategy for reaching such individuals. The current paper describes a pilot evaluation of an online, therapist-facilitated, self-paced cognitive behavioral program for rape victims. Five college women with current rape-related PTSD were recruited to complete the From Survivor to Thriver (S to T) program in a lab setting over the course of 7 weeks. After completing the program, 4 participants reported clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and no longer met criteria for PTSD. All participants reported clinically significant reductions in vulnerability fears and 4 reported significant reductions in negative trauma-related cognitions. Implications of the results for further development of the S to T program and how clinicians could utilize this program in treating rape-related PTSD are discussed.     

A PERSONALIZED SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION FOR TEACHING CHECKING ACCOUNT SKILLS TO ADULTS WITH MILD DISABILITIES

This study evaluated the efficacy of a personalized system of instruction to teach checking account skills to persons with mild disabilities. Using a self-paced manual, 8 participants in two groups were taught to write checks, complete deposit slips, and reconcile monthly bank statements. Four participants were assessed for generalization from the classroom to community sites and demonstrated nearly perfect performance. A multiple probe design showed that acquisition occurred sequentially for each skill only after training using the self-paced manual. Follow-up sessions demonstrated that participants maintained the checking account skills. The results provide evidence of the effectiveness and adaptability of a personalized system of instruction for teaching complex monetary skills to persons with mild disabilities.     

The use of a visual cue to reduce profanity in a brain injured adult

This study evaluated the use of visual cue to reduce profanity in a brain injured client. The visual cue consisted of placing a piece of paper in front of the client and marking the paper each time the client used profanity. Once profanity was reduced, a maintenance procedure of verbal feedback was introduced which consisted of telling the client how many times he used profanity during a therapy session. A multiple base-line design was used across three settings, and the results showed a decrease in profanity in all three settings.     

Existence questions

I argue that thinking of existence questions as deep questions to be resolved by a distinctively philosophical discipline of ontology is misguided. I begin by examining how to understand the truth-conditions of existence claims, by way of understanding the rules of use for ‘exists’ and for general noun terms. This yields a straightforward method for resolving existence questions by a combination of conceptual analysis and empirical enquiry. It also provides a blueprint for arguing against most common proposals for uniform substantive ‘criteria of existence’, whether they involve mind-independence, possession of causal powers, observability, etc., and thus for showing that many arguments for denying entities (numbers, ordinary objects, fictional characters, propositions…) on grounds of their failure to meet one or more of these proposed existence criteria are mistaken.

Parental Modeling,Reinforcement, and Information Transfer: Risk Factors in the Development of Child Anxiety?

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review and a conceptual integration of research examining the potential role of learning from parents in the development of child anxiety. Specifically, research in this area is discussed within the framework of three specific mechanisms: parental modeling, information transfer, and parental reinforcement of anxious/avoidant behavior. Implications of the research in this area are discussed, as well as limitations and directions for future research.     

Job search methods,job search outcomes,and job satisfaction of college graduates: a comparison of race and sex

A nationally representative sample of college graduates (N =11,152) were surveyed regarding their job‐seeking behaviors and outcomes. Race and sex differences among the job search strategies used, number of job interviews, number of job offers, annual salary, and job satisfaction were examined. Results indicated significant race and sex differences in job search methods used. There were significant differences in underemployment and job satisfaction as a function of race, and in underemployment and annual salary as a function of sex. There were no significant differences in number of job interviews or job offers regardless of race or sex.     

Social and emotional loneliness and self‐reported difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) in a sample of Norwegian university students

Social and emotional loneliness negatively impact several areas of health, including sleep. However, few comprehensive population‐based studies have evaluated this relationship. Over 12,000 students aged 21–35 years who participated in the student survey for higher education in Norway (the SHoT study) were assessed. Loneliness was assessed using the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale. Difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) was assessed by a single‐item subjective response on the depression scale of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL‐25). Social loneliness was associated with more serious DIMS (unadjusted proportional odds‐ratio [OR] = 2.69, 95% CI = 2.46–2.95). This association was attenuated following adjustment for anxiety (adjusted OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.75–2.10) and depression (adjusted OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.34–1.63), however was not substantially altered when all demographics and psychological distress were accounted for (fully adjusted OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.30–1.63). Emotional loneliness was also associated with more serious DIMS (unadjusted proportional OR = 2.33, 95% CI = 2.12–2.57). Adjustment for anxiety (adjusted OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.78–2.15) and depression (adjusted OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.48–1.80) attenuated, but did not extinguish this relationship in the fully adjusted model (adjusted OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.09–1.31). Mediation analyses revealed that the social loneliness‐DIMS association was fully attributed to psychological distress, while the emotional loneliness‐DIMS association was only partially mediated, and a direct association was still observed. Associations between social and emotional loneliness and subjective DIMS were embedded in a larger pattern of psychological distress. Mitigating underlying feelings of loneliness may reduce potentially deleterious effects on sleep health and psychological wellbeing in young adults.     

Shedding Light on the Relationship Between Personal Standards and Psychopathology: The Case for Contingent Self-Worth

Previous research has revealed some puzzling inconsistencies in the relationship of Personal Standards (PS) to measures of psychopathology. This study was designed to explore the hypothesis that setting high Personal Standards will relate to psychopathology only when meeting these standards is a necessary condition for a sense of self-worth. We generated items that reflected a sense of conditional self-worth based on the meeting of Personal Standards and named this measure the Contingent Self-Worth Scale (CSWS). Factor analysis of the CSWS and the PS subscale of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale yielded three types of Personal Standards: Pure Personal Standards," Success-Based Self-Worth," and Activity-Based Self-Worth." Two of the original PS items did not load on the Pure Personal Standards scale. Correlational analyses revealed that Pure Personal Standards was related to measures of adaptive outcome whereas both measures of Contingent Self-Worth were related to more maladaptive functioning, although with some small differences. We call for further research to explore the relationship of PS to the construct of perfectionism.     

Both overwhelmed or in it together? Similarity in COVID-19-related stress and romantic relationship quality

Stress tends to be negatively associated with romantic relationship quality, but shared stress can bond romantic partners and may actually have a positive effect on relationships. Thus, are similar levels of pandemic-related stress during the COVID-19 pandemic—a time of high stress for many couples—associated with better or worse relationship quality? In this study, we investigated whether similarity in COVID-19-related stress was associated with romantic relationship outcomes in two dyadic samples (N = 300 couples). Generally, we found little evidence that similarity in COVID-19-related stress was associated with relationship outcomes. We did find that similarity in general worry about the pandemic was associated with lower overall relationship quality; however, it was also associated with lower levels of viewing the pandemic as a source of conflict. Therefore, more research is needed to understand the nuances of when and how stress similarity is associated with romantic relationship quality.