Social support as a multifaceted concept: Examination of important dimensions for adjustment

Four commonly used operationalizations of the social support concept: network contact frequency, satisfaction with support (including nine dimensions), perceived availability of support, and use of support, were related to two measures of psychological adjustment (Beck Depression Inventory and Symptom Checklist-90) and to one measure of physical adjustment (Cornell Medical Index). Subjects were 68 45- to 85-year-old, highly stressed care-givers to spouses with Alzheimer's disease. Results indicate that of the four operationalizations, Satisfaction with Support was the only significant predictor of depression and general psychopathology. The set of four support variables showed the strongest relationship to depression level, next strongest to general psychopathology, and least to physical health. The satisfaction with nine social support dimensions related differentially to the types of adjustment. Results suggest the importance of specificity (sample, support operationalization, dimensions, adjustment measures) in social support research.     

Cognitive models of stereotype change: (1). Generalization and subtyping in young people's views of the police

We report investigations of change in, and cognitive representation of young people's stereotypes of the police, in response to a police-schools liaison programme. This programme provides a real-life application of the ‘conversion’ model of stereotype change (in which stereotypes change radically in response to salient instances of disconfirming information). Study 1 revealed that school police officers were rated significantly more positively than the police in general, but that this view did not generalize to perceptions of the police in general. Stereotypes of the police became less positive over one year, although females were more positive than males, and school police officers were not judged typical of the category. Study 2 revealed that subjects categorized their school police officer separately from the police in general, and perceived him to share features with ‘caring and welfare’ professions, rather than other police officers and authority figures. Both studies converge on the limitations of the conversion model and tend to support the subtyping model (in which extremely disconfirming individuals are isolated from other group members).     

Interpersonal issues in the Wanglie case

The case of Helga Wanglie involved a conflict between the medical team, which concluded that a respirator was providing no medical benefit to the 87-year-old woman and should therefore be discontinued, and Ms. Wanglie's family who did not want the respirator removed. Most published commentary on the case has analyzed the medical team's conclusion. In contrast, this article examines the impact of the conflict on the conduct of the clinical case, and on the relationships among the various parties involved.     

Does the Beck Anxiety Inventory measure anything beyond panic attack symptoms?

The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) has become a popular measure in anxiety assessment and the BAI does not overlap in content with measures of depression. There is also some factor analytic evidence to support this distinction. However, an inspection of the BAI's content indicates that many of its items resemble, or are identical to, the symptoms of panic attacks listed in the DSM-IV. Further empirical support for this suspicion is provided from the results of a factor analysis of the BAI items and the individual DSM-IV panic symptoms contained in the Panic Attack Questionnaire, using data from a sample of 157 panic disorder patients. A three-factor model (dizziness related, catastrophic cognitions/fear, cardiorespiratory distress) emerged that replicated a three-factor model of panic symptoms identified in earlier work with another panic disorder sample. All but one of the BAI items loaded highly on the three panic symptom clusters and no separate BAI factor was obtained. The BAI appears to be confounded with, or actually measures, panic attacks rather than anxiety in general. Several implications of this finding are discussed.     

The Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory profiles of depressed adolescents

The evidence indicates that adolescent depression may be more difficult to recognize than its adult counterpart, although the reasons for this difficulty remain unclear. The research in this area is in part impeded by the lack of adolescent-specific measures of personality functioning. In this study the personality styles, expressed concerns, and behavioral tendencies of depressed adolescents were investigated by means of the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI), a relatively new personality inventory designed specifically for this age group. Three hundred sixty-six high school students completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the MAPI, resulting in 332 valid and reliable MAPI profiles. The data were reduced to two factors, accounting for 65.1% of the total variance, by means of a principal components analysis. The two factors were interpreted as two dimensions of personality functioning associated with depression in adolescents. The first dimension suggested a socially withdrawn, overtly recognizable depression, whereas the second presents acting-out tendencies that may overshadow depressive symptomatology. The findings are integrated with the theoretical positions represented in the literature. Theoretical and practical implications for the use of the MAPI with depressed adolescents are discussed.     

Environmental stress and blood glucose change in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Blood glucose (BG) response to psychological stress in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients has not been firmly established. We report a study designed to address the gaps and methodological difficulties reviewed. Subjects with IDDM were exposed to two sessions (12 weeks apart) of two 20-min standardized stressors (active and passive) and a control condition administered in counterbalanced order. To measure BG response, subjects were connected to a glucose/insulin infusion system providing continuous BG measurement. Mood checklist measures were obtained at prestressor, poststressor, and recovery periods. During the first session of testing, the active stressor was associated with significantly more absolute change in BG response than the passive stressor. Results also indicate that IDDM subjects' BG response to this active stressor was idiosyncratic but significantly reliable over time.     

Personality profiles of women attending an artificial insemination by donor clinic

The EPQ was administered to 43 women attending an artificial insemination by donor (AID) clinic. The results indicated that relative to age-norms, the women were significantly lower on Psychoticism and Neuroticism, and significantly higher on the Lie scale. There were no differences between those women who did, and those who did not, become pregnant over a 6-month period. On the basis of the personality scores obtained, we would describe women attending AID clinics as calm, controlled individuals who have chosen, in conjunction with their partner, what is a socially-acceptable solution to the problem.