WOMEN'S RESPONSES TO STATUS INEQUALITY

This study examined women's responses to status inequality using the theoretical framework of Social Identity Theory (SIT). Accordingly, it was predicted that three mutually exclusive clusters of responses would be distinguished: individual mobility, social creativity, and social competition. Fifty women participated in a Q-sort study where the statements used reflected these three strategies. Four main factors emerged in factor analysis. Although some elements of the emerging factors were consonant with Social Identity Theory, important differences were also found. Thus, findings suggested that women draw simultaneously on different ideologies to make sense of their social situation. Furthermore, there was no evidence to suggest that strength of identification with one's own sex group is related to choice of strategy.     

The Role of Attachment and Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Development of Bulimic Symptoms in Adolescents

Following the theoretical propositions of the Emotion Regulation model of attachment, the current study investigated whether attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance might play a differential contributing role in the development of bulimic symptoms, through assumed differences in adopting specific maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in a sample of adolescents. Developmentally appropriate self-report questionnaires were administered to a community sample of 397 adolescents (Mean age: 14.02; 62.7% female) and this at 2 time points with a 1-year time lag. Results provided longitudinal evidence for the Emotion Regulation model of attachment in confirming the differential contributing role of the attachment dimensions on the development of bulimic symptoms in a sample of adolescents. More specifically, attachment anxiety seemed to be related to bulimic symptoms through rumination, while attachment avoidance through emotional control. These results may have clinical implications for assessment and treatment of bulimic symptoms in adolescents.     

Neurocognitive Functioning in Depressed Young People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Depression is among the most common mental health problems for young people. In adults, depression is associated with neurocognitive deficits that reduce the effectiveness of treatment and impair educational and vocational functioning. Compared to adults, less is known about the neurocognitive functioning of young people with depression, and existing research has reported inconsistent findings. Method: This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the literature on neurocognitive functioning in currently depressed youth aged 12–25 years in comparison to healthy controls. Results: Following a systematic review of the literature, 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Poorer performance in the domains of attention (SMD: .50, 95% CI: .18–.83, p?=?.002), verbal memory (SMD: .78, 95% CI: .50–1.0, p?<?.001), visual memory (SMD: .65, 95% CI: .30–.99, p?<?.001), verbal reasoning/knowledge (SMD: .46; 95% CI: .14–.79; p?<?0.001) and IQ (SMD: .32; 95% CI: .08–.56; p?=?0.01) were identified in depressed youth. Relative weaknesses in processing speed/reaction time and verbal learning were also evident, however, these findings disappeared when the quality of studies was controlled for. Moderator analysis showed a tendency for poorer set-shifting ability in younger depressed participants relative to controls (although non-significant; p?=?.05). Moderator analysis of medication status showed taking medication was associated with poorer attentional functioning compared to those not taking medication. Conclusion: The findings suggest that currently depressed young people display a range of neurocognitive weaknesses which may impact treatment engagement and outcome. The findings support the need to consider neurocognitive functioning when treating youth with depression.     

Development and Feasibility of a Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Fear of Cancer Recurrence

This paper describes the development, content, and preliminary results of a group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). A manualized CBT intervention was developed and offered to 38 patients with various cancer types and stages in two hospitals. Four weekly group CBT sessions were administered by two licensed psychologists as part of routine care. Patients completed self-report scales before the first treatment session and, a second time, 1 month after the last session.Overall, 33 patients had clinical levels of FCR at baseline. The participants’ satisfaction toward the group CBT for FCR was high. Significant reductions on the total score and most subscales of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) were observed, as well as significant improvements on most of the other psychological variables measured (i.e., insomnia, anxiety, depression, dysfunctional beliefs about cancer, and intolerance of uncertainty). In addition, 52% of the patients with clinical levels of FCR (FCRI-severity subscale score ≥ 13) at baseline no longer reached this clinical threshold at posttreatment.These preliminary results suggest that our group CBT for FCR is well accepted and feasible, and shows promising efficacy for decreasing FCR and improving other psychological variables among cancer patients. The next step is to investigate the efficacy of this minimal intervention in larger and controlled clinical trials, as well as its usefulness as part of a stepped care approach.This low-cost intervention is easy to implement in various clinical settings and has a strong potential to help large numbers of patients with FCR.     

Effects of post-encoding wakeful rest and study time on long-term memory performance

Recent work shows that post-encoding wakeful rest, in contrast to a cognitive task delay period, supports memory performance. The present study aimed at investigating whether study time modulates the impact of post-encoding rest on delayed memory performance. Healthy young adults were allocated to one of two “study time” groups (fixed-paced vs. self-paced). Participants encoded two word lists. After immediate recall of one word list, participants wakefully rested for 8?min, after the other, they performed a visual problem solving task. A delayed recall took place at the end of the experimental session (Experiment 1) and again after 7 days (Experiment 1?+?2). We found that participants in the self-paced group outperformed those in the fixed-paced group. In Experiment 1, participants showed higher memory performances after 7 days in the resting condition independent of study time. No significant differences between post-encoding (rest vs. problem solving) and study time conditions were found in Experiment 2. Combined analyses of both experiments revealed that an additional recall (Experiment 1) supported memory retention in both post-encoding conditions. Our findings suggest that resting is beneficial over the long term, but only when the encoded information is repeatedly retrieved at the end of a learning session.     

The Development of a Methodology for Examining the Process of Family Communication of Genetic Test Results

It is important to study communication processes in families where members are undergoing testing for genetic conditions because the information received from such testing is crucial not just to the individual concerned but also to other members of the biological family. This topic has received little research attention, in part because of the complexities of methodology required. In this paper we present the development of a method specifically designed for the examination of the content and process of communication of genetic information in families. The method aims to maximize ecological validity as far as is possible. We describe how participants and other family members are recruited and how data were collected. We outline three main data analytic strategies: a graphic to show how genetic information changes as it flows from clinic and through the family, an intensive qualitative analysis of the meaning and impact of the genetic information to different family members, and an informative genogram which plots key family dynamics. This method will be illustrated in relation to a study of ten family-groups where one individual has been found to carry a genetic mutation predisposing them to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.