Exploring attentional disruption in fibromyalgia using the attentional blink

Disrupted attentional function in individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has been noted in a number of previous studies. The cognitive mechanisms related to this disruption are not well-understood. This study sought to identify whether differences exist in early attentional processing and attentional capacity in individuals with FMS measuring the attentional blink (AB). Early attentional function was assessed in 16 females with FMS and compared with 16 healthy age-matched females without FMS. Simple early visual stimulus target detection accuracy was not significantly different between groups. However, as target detection difficulty increased, individuals in the FMS group showed significantly poorer performance compared to healthy participants. Our findings suggest that attentional disruption in individuals with FMS is associated with deficits in the early allocation of attentional resources during the completion of tasks with higher attentional demand.     

Predictors of Health Care Use Among Individuals Seeking Therapy for Marital and Family Problems: An Exploratory Study

A number of studies have examined variables associated with health care use. However, no study is known to have considered health care use among people seeking services for marital and family problems. In this study, health care use of persons (N = 110) seeking these services was investigated to determine the strongest psychosocial correlates of health care use. The goal was to identify potential “targets” of clinical intervention that may be driving excessive health care use. “Informational support” and “somatization” were the strongest correlates for the complete sample, with the model explaining 24% of the variance in health care use. For “high users” of health care, “hostility” was the strongest correlate, accounting for more than 36% of the variance in health care use.     

Psychologist suicide: Incidence, impact, and suggestions for prevention, intervention, and postvention

Psychologist practitioners are not immune to some mental health problems, including suicidality, for which they provide services. In the aftermath of two recent psychologist suicides, the American Psychological Association's Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance (ACCA) initiated the formation of a conjoint ad hoc committee consisting of members from ACCA, the American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Directorate, and the Section on Clinical Emergencies and Crises (Section VII of APA's Division 12) to investigate the incidence of psychologist suicide and its impact on colleagues, students or interns, patients or clients, and the profession. The committee reviewed the extant empirical literature on suicide rates for psychologists, evaluated unpublished data on psychologist suicide provided by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), interviewed colleague survivors, reviewed published case reports of the impact of therapist suicides, and linked their findings to the literature on professional distress, impairment, and self-care. The committee concluded that there is evidence suggestive of an elevated risk of suicide for psychologists in past decades. It further concluded that there is a need for further research to confirm if there is a heightened risk of suicide for psychologists in the present day, and to determine factors that might contribute to such risk. Accounts from colleague-survivors suggest that the impact of a psychologist's suicide can affect many people including family, colleagues, students, and patients or clients. This article offers suggestions for possible preventive approaches, for intervention with potentially at-risk colleagues, and for postvention efforts in the wake of a colleague suicide.     

Violent and nonviolent video games differentially affect physical aggression for individuals high vs. low in dispositional anger

Although numerous experiments have shown that exposure to violent video games (VVG) causes increases in aggression, relatively few studies have investigated the extent to which this effect differs as a function of theoretically relevant individual difference factors. This study investigated whether video game content differentially influences aggression as a function of individual differences in trait anger. Participants were randomly assigned to play a violent or nonviolent video game before completing a task in which they could behave aggressively. Results showed that participants high in trait anger were the most aggressive, but only if they first played a VVG. This relationship held while statistically controlling for dimensions other than violent content on which game conditions differed (e.g. frustration, arousal). Implications of these findings for models explaining the effects of video games on behavior are discussed.     

THE MOTHERS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM, AN ATTACHMENT-BASED PARENTING INTERVENTION FOR SUBSTANCE-USING WOMEN: RESULTS AT 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL PILOT

Previously, we reported posttreatment findings from a randomized pilot study testing a new attachment-based parenting intervention for mothers enrolled in substance-use treatment and caring for children ages birth to 3 years (N.E. Suchman, C. DeCoste, N. Castiglioni, T. McMahon, B. Rounsaville, & L. Mayes, 2010). The Mothers and Toddlers Program (MTP) is a 12-session, weekly individual parenting therapy that aims to enhance maternal capacity for reflective functioning and soften harsh and distorted mental representations of parenting. In a randomized pilot study, 47 mothers who were enrolled in outpatient substance-abuse treatment and caring for children between birth and 3 years of age were randomized to the MTP versus the Parent Education Program (PE), a comparison intervention that provided individual case management and developmental guidance. At the end of treatment, mothers in the MTP condition demonstrated better reflective functioning, representation quality, and caregiving behavior than did mothers in the PE condition. In this investigation, we examined whether the benefits of MTP at posttreatment were sustained at the 6-week follow-up. Recently, we also identified two components of parental reflective functioning: (a) a self-focused component representing the parent's capacity to mentalize about strong personal emotions (e.g., anger, guilt, or pain) and their impact on the child and (b) a child-focused component representing the parent's capacity to mentalize about the child's emotions and their impact on the mother (N. Suchman, C. DeCoste, D. Leigh, & J. Borelli, 2010). In this study, we reexamined posttreatment outcomes using these two related, but distinct, constructs.     

Are alexithymia and Type D personality distinct or overlapping constructs? A confirmatory factor analysis of the Toronto alexithymia and Type D scales

Theoretically and conceptually the constructs of alexithymia and Type D personality share many common characteristics. Despite both measures being utilized widely in psychosomatic research, to-date no study has examined the constructs simultaneously. The present study was undertaken to determine if alexithymia and Type D personality are distinct or overlapping constructs. A cross-sectional sample of 1016 healthy participants completed the 20-item version of the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20), and the Type D personality scale (DS14). Confirmatory factor analysis of the 14 items of the DS14, and 20 items of the TAS-20 was conducted. Based on the underlying theoretical structures of the DS14 and TAS-20 a five-factor model was examined (corresponding to the five subscales of the DS14 and TAS-20). The analysis revealed that the five factor model was an acceptable fit for the data (χ²/df = 4.7; CFI = .94, RMSEA = 0.06). These results provide evidence to suggest that alexithymia and Type D are distinct and separate constructs. However, future research should aim to replicate these findings in population and clinical samples.     

Epistemic Side Constraints and the Structure of Epistemic Normativity

In this paper, I develop the notion of an epistemic side constraint in order to overcome one of the main challenges to a goal‐based approach to the structure of epistemic normativity. I argue that the rationale for such side constraints can be found in the work of John Locke and that his argument is best understood as the epistemic analog to David Gauthier's argument as to the rationality of being moral.     

Role of Effect Sizes in Contemporary Research in Counseling

Effect sizes (e.g., Cohen's d, Glass's Δ, η², adjusted R², ω²) quantify the extent to which sample results diverge from the expectations specified in the null hypothesis. The present article addresses 5 related questions. First, is the advocacy for reporting and interpreting effect sizes part of the controversy over statistical significance testing? Second, why cannot p values be used as effect sizes? Third, what are the various categories of effect sizes and some commonly used examples of each type? Fourth, how should effect sizes be interpreted? Fifth, what are some recommendations for further reading?     

Psychological type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the United Kingdom

This study explores the psychological type profile of Roman Catholic priests. A sample of 79 priests completed the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (Form G). The study shows that Roman Catholic priests tend to prefer introversion over extraversion, feeling over thinking and judging over perceiving. Near equal preferences are shown for sensing and intuition. The type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the UK are compared and contrasted with the type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the USA and Protestant clergy in the UK. These findings are explored within the context of the role of the priest within the Roman Catholic Church.     

Physicians’ views on men's mental health and the role of counselling services – a pilot study

This pilot study aimed to explore how physicians understand men's avoidance of mental health counselling services and to elicit physicians’ views on pairing mental health assessment with routine physical examination. Initially, physicians’ views on men's avoidance of mental health counselling services were explored through a focus group. A short survey exploring views on pairing mental health assessment with a routine physical examination was then developed and sent to 125 physicians at a local medical centre. Physicians discussions indicated that male socialisation processes, the stigma of needing help, and ignorance about counselling sessions, all contribute to men's avoidance of mental health counselling services. The survey results suggest that combining a mental health assessment with an annual physical examination was viewed positively by most physicians (80%), that they would encourage this approach (75%), and would appreciate the support of counselling services in this process (80%). However, these survey results were influenced by the age and sex of the physician. The focus group suggestion to pair mental health assessments with routine medical examinations, with support from counselling services, was viewed by most physicians as a positive way to engage men. Preliminary services could be established that utilise this approach and examine its efficacy.