Parent–Child Interaction Therapy and Chronic Illness: A Case Study

We examined the outcome of parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) for a child diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and cancer. Robert, a 4-year-old Caucasian male, showed significant and meaningful changes in his behavior over the course of 13 weeks of PCIT, and Robert no longer met diagnostic criteria for ODD following treatment. His scores on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist were in the clinical range before treatment and in the normal range at the conclusion of treatment. His mother also reported dramatic improvements in Robert's behavior during medical visits. Physician and social worker reports were consistent with her report. Such anecdotal data may have implications for the generalization of compliance to the medical setting for children with chronic illnesses. The results of this case study should prompt further investigation of parent-training interventions for children with chronic illnesses and disruptive behavior.     

The impact of developmental speech and language impairments on the acquisition of literacy skills

Children with developmental speech/language impairments are at higher risk for reading disability than typical peers with no history of speech/language impairment. This article reviews the literacy outcomes of children with speech/language impairments, clarifying the differential risk for three groups of children: speech production impairments alone, oral language impairments alone, and speech production and oral language impairments. Children at greatest risk for reading and writing disabilities are children with language impairments alone and children with comorbid speech impairments and language impairments. For children with speech impairments alone, there is limited risk for literacy difficulties. However, even when reading skills are within the average range, children with speech impairments may have difficulties in spelling. Children with language impairments are likely to display reading deficits in word decoding and reading comprehension. It is not clear what role early literacy interventions play in the amelioration of reading difficulties in these populations.     

The interpersonal expression of perfection: perfectionistic self-presentation and psychological distress

A concept involving the interpersonal expression of perfection, perfectionistic self-presentation, is introduced. It is argued that perfectionistic self-presentation is a maladaptive self-presentational style composed of three facets: perfectionistic self-promotion (i.e., proclaiming and displaying one's perfection), nondisplay of imperfection (i.e., concealing and avoiding behavioral demonstrations of one's imperfection), and nondisclosure of imperfection (i.e., evading and avoiding verbal admissions of one's imperfection). Several studies involving diverse samples demonstrate that perfectionistic self-presentation is a valid and reliable construct and a consistent factor in personal and interpersonal psychological distress. It is argued that the need to promote one's perfection or the desire to conceal one's imperfection involves self-esteem regulation in the interpersonal context.     

Restraint stress and corticotropin releasing hormone modulation of murine cutaneous POMC mRNA

The skin is a unique immunological defense barrier that protects the organism from occupational and environmental exposures and provides a model system in which to evaluate the interaction of the central nervous system with the peripheral immune response. In the studies presented here, we tested mild, acute restraint stress activation of the cutaneous corticotropin releasing hormone-pro-opiomelanocortin (CRH-POMC) axis. We verified that 2 h restraint stress increased the serum concentration of corticosterone and alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone. We report for the first time that CRH upregulates POMC mRNA expression in mouse skin in vitro. We also demonstrated, by RT-PCR, that 2,4 di-nitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) upregulates cutaneous POMC mRNA expression, the production of which is suppressed by restraint stress. These data confirm the presence and functionality of two hormones of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis in the skin and suggest that activation of the central hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis may over ride activation of the cutaneous CRH-POMC mechanism in the development of DNFB-stimulated allergic contact dermatitis.     

Behavioural genetics: why eugenic selection is preferable to enhancement

Criminal behaviour is but one behavioural tendency for which a genetic influence has been suggested. Whilst this research certainly raises difficult ethical questions and is subject to scientific criticism, one recent research project suggests that for some families, criminal tendency might be predicted by genetics. In this paper, supposing this research is valid, we consider whether intervening in the criminal tendency of future children is ethically justifiable. We argue that, if avoidance of harm is a paramount consideration, such an intervention is acceptable when genetic selection is employed instead of genetic enhancement. Moreover, other moral problems in avoiding having children with a tendency to criminal behaviour, such as the prospect of social discrimination, can also be overcome.     

Do tests of malingering concur? Concordance among malingering measures

Malingering test accuracy is increasingly a major issue in psychology and law. Integrating results across measures might offset limitations of a single test, but the practical benefits of using several tests depend on the extent to which they misclassify the same individuals. Data from 66 evaluatees were used to assess the degree of overlap and consistency of classification among several commonly used malingering instruments. Although correlative data indicated that measures were highly redundant even across symptom domains, classification accuracy analyses revealed that findings based on conjunctions of these scales may not overlap to the degree that the correlations might suggest.     

Who Are the Next Generation of Genetic Counselors? A Survey of Students

Genetic counseling students were surveyed about their backgrounds, application process to genetic counseling programs, and career motivations and plans. Program directors from 27 accredited programs were asked to distribute 362 surveys to students. Fifty-two survey items assess demographics; sources of support for pursuing a genetic counseling career (information about genetic counseling, encouragement/discouragement from others); career motivations (reasons for applying and for becoming a genetic counselor); and career certainty. Two hundred and thirty-five usable surveys were returned (64.9% usable return rate). Most respondents were Caucasian females (mean age = 25.4 years). About 13% identified as ethnic minorities, and about one-third reported family histories of a genetic condition(s). Most respondents learned about the field in classes, and most were strongly encouraged by family and friends to pursue genetic counseling. Reasons rated as most important for becoming a genetic counselor included helping others and intellectual stimulation. Recruitment, training, and research recommendations are given.     

Infant communication and the mother–infant relationship: The importance of level of risk and construct measurement

Infants' emerging communication skills are understood to be associated with the maternal relationship, particularly for children experiencing high levels of social risk. This study attempts to determine the extent to which this association is influenced by (a) the mental health risk of the dyad and (b) different operational definitions and measurement of both the dyadic relationship and the construct of “communication.” Ninety‐six infants (10–30 months) and their mothers were recruited: A total of 46 were at‐risk dyads referred to a mental health clinic for relationship‐based emotional and/or behavioral difficulties, and 50 were nonrisk dyads not seeking mental health services and served as a normative reference or comparison group. Several factors were assessed: (a) developmental competence, (b) maternal psychopathology, (c) quality of mother–infant interaction during play, (d) attachment security classification, (e) prelinguistic and social‐affective communication, and (f) linguistic communication. In all infants studied, the quality of mother–infant interaction during play, rather than the attachment security classification, was associated with infants' prelinguistic and social‐affective communication abilities, but not with linguistic communication. Different aspects of mother–infant interaction predicted prelinguistic communication for clinic and comparison infants whereas only infant age predicted linguistic communication. All infants displayed communication abilities in the normal range, but the statistically poorer performance demonstrated by clinic‐referred infants could become clinically meaningful in later childhood. Best practices should include communication screening of infants presenting with attachment problems and screening for relational difficulties in infants presenting with communication delays. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.     

Objectification Theory as It Relates to Disordered Eating Among College Women

Objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T. A. Roberts, 1997) demonstrates how sociocultural variables work together with psychological variables to predict disordered eating. Researchers have tested models that illustrate how certain constructsof objectification theory predict disordered eating, but a more comprehensive model that integrates a combination of constructs central to the theory (i.e., sexual objectification; self-objectification; body shame; poor interoceptive awareness of hunger, satiety, and emotions) has not yet been examined. In this study, we incorporated these variables within an inclusive model based on the assertions of B. L. Fredrickson and T. A. Roberts (1997) and examined it with 460 college women. Structural equation modeling analyses suggested that the model provided a good fit to the data and supported most propositions set forth by objectification theory and the eating disorders literature.     

When is peer rejection justifiable? Children's understanding across two cultures

This study investigated how Korean (N = 397) and U.S. (N = 333) children and adolescents (10 and 13 years of age) evaluated personality (aggression, shyness) and group (gender, nationality) characteristics as a basis for peer rejection in three contexts (friendship rejection, group exclusion, victimization). Overall, peer rejection based on group membership was viewed as more unfair than peer rejection based on personality traits. Children viewed friendship rejection as more legitimate than group exclusion or victimization and used more personal choice reasoning for friendship rejection than for rejection in any other context. Although there were a few cultural differences, overall, the findings provided support for the cultural generalizability of social reasoning about peer rejection.