Level of object representation and psychic structure deficit in obese persons

The structural deficit and external regulation hypotheses of addiction state that addicts do not have adequate psychic structure with which to regulate painful affects internally. They instead use their drug of choice as an external regulator to self-medicate painful affects. This study tests whether the hypotheses can be applied to obese persons, for whom food may be the drug of choice. The level of object representation of 22 moderately obese and 24 normal weight subjects was compared using the Blatt Family Interaction Questionnaire. The mean level of object representation of both parents was lower for the obese subjects than for the normal-weight subjects. This finding supports the structural deficit and external regulation hypotheses of food addiction.     

Adjustment to the stress of simulated captivity: effects of emotion-focused versus problem-focused preparation on hostages differing in locus of control

We instructed 57 subjects about to be exposed to a simulated abduction and 4 days of captivity in either problem- or emotion-focused coping techniques, or we gave them a control orientation presentation. Retrospective self-report data obtained on the Ways of Coping Checklist indicated that subjects tended to use coping processes consistent with the type of prestress preparation they had received. Dramatic fluctuations in State Anxiety scores over the course of captivity indicated that the simulation was perceived to be highly stressful. Subjects given emotion-focused preparation reported the lowest anxiety and emotional distress levels and were rated as exhibiting the lowest levels of behavioral disturbance during captivity. Externals engaged in more emotion-focused coping than internals, but externals given problem-focused preparation responded the most poorly of all subgroups on all response measures. Overall, locus of control differences were of secondary impact (vs. situational variables) in influencing anxiety and adjustment. We discuss the characteristics of the stressor that may have accounted for the major findings and the stressful circumstances under which emotion-focused versus problem-focused coping may be of differential utility.     

Validation of two scales for narcissistic personality disorder

The many theoretical accounts of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) provide no widely accepted method of identifying persons having this syndrome. Undergraduate scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) Narcissistic scale were intercorrelated and were also correlated with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). NPI and the MCMI subtests correlated significantly with each other, r(146) = .55, p less than .001, but not with the MCSDS. These results further the search for a reliable, valid, and easily administered test for NPD while leaving open the question of the relationship between this syndrome and concern with self-presentation.     

"Shaping" of frequency discrimination performance using only intrinsic reinforcement.

This experiment compared two modes of practice at a difficult frequency discrimination, i.e., one in which the frequency difference was initially correctly discriminated only 65% of the trials in a two-alternative forced-choice task. One group of Ss (N = 13) was assigned to a progressive-practice group, in which the frequency difference to be discriminated was progressivley changed from a large, easy, difference to the difficult, small, difference. The other group of Ss (N = 13) received the same amount of practice as the first, but all at the difficult discrimination. Only the progressive-practice group improved their discrimination performance. Since no feedback was given, the effect of progressive practice is interpreted as "shaping" Ss' attentional response by virtue of the information provided by the successively more difficult discriminations. This "shaping" process is potentially available as a learning mechanism for other fine discriminations.     

Gender and Ethnic Differences in Stress Reduction, Reactivity, and Recovery

To assess whether gender and ethnic subgroups differentially self-reported stress reduction, reactivity, and recovery, 313 undergraduate African American and Caucasian students at an urban northeastern American university were randomly assigned to one of three relaxation conditions which they utilized before and after being exposed to a visual stressor. Self-report measures of state anxiety were taken before and after each activity. Females reported the most stress reduction, reactivity, and recovery. Caucasian females reported unique reactions relative to other groups at all phases. African American males reported the least amount of cognitive reactivity. Results from this study suggest that ethnicity should be evaluated with gender differences, affective reactions need to be better understood, and interventions for stress may need to be specifically tailored.     

Examining the Course of Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Outpatient and Inpatient Adolescents

Suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) among youth are major public health concerns. Although a growing body of research has focused on the complex association between nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injury, the temporal relationship between these two classes of behaviors is unclear. The current study addresses this empirical gap by examining the course of SITBs in adolescents receiving outpatient (N = 106; 82.1 % female) and inpatient (N = 174; 75.9 % female) treatment. SITBs (co-occurrence, age-of-onset, and time lag between SITBs) and major psychiatric disorders were assessed at a single time point with well-validated structured interviews. Adolescents in both clinical samples reported high co-occurrence of SITBs: most adolescents reported both lifetime nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal thoughts. A similar temporal pattern of SITBs was reported in the two samples: thoughts of NSSI and suicide ideation had the earliest age-of-onset, followed by NSSI behaviors, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. However, the age-of-onset for each SITB was younger in the inpatient sample than in the outpatient sample. In terms of time lag between SITBs, suicide ideation occurred on average before initial engagement in NSSI, suggesting that pathways to NSSI and suicidal behavior may occur simultaneously rather than in succession from nonsuicidal to suicidal self-injury. Results also indicated that the time to transition between SITBs was relatively fast, and that a key period for intervention and prevention is within the first 6–12 months after the onset of suicidal thinking. Taken together, these findings have important implications for understanding the time-lagged relationship between nonsuicidal and suicidal self-injury.     

Operationalizing the "vulnerability" and "stress" components of the hopelessness theory of depression: a multi-wave longitudinal study

The current study tested of the diathesis-stress component of the hopelessness theory (HT) using (1) a "weakest link" approach towards operationalizing vulnerability (e.g., an individual is as vulnerable to depression as his/her most depressogenic inferential style-DIS) and (2) an idiographic approach towards operationalizing high levels of stress. The procedure involved an initial assessment during which participants completed measures assessing DISs and depressive symptoms. The procedure also involved a series of eight follow-up assessments, occurring every 6 weeks, during which depressive symptoms and hassles were assessed. Hypotheses were tested in two samples of adults (i.e., adults diagnosed with a current MDE and adults diagnosed with a past MDE at Time 1). In line with hypotheses, in both samples, depressogenic weakest links were associated with greater elevations in depressive symptoms following elevations in hassles. At the same time, equally strong support was obtained for the HT when stress was operationalized from a nomothetic perspective and when vulnerability was operationalized as a DIS about causes (but not consequences or self).