Tinnitus

Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. With a prevalence of about 10-15% among adults tinnitus is a common symptom. If tinnitus persists for a longer time and if the patient does not adapt to it, a range of associated problems can be found. The most common problems are sleep disturbance, emotional disturbance and concentration problems. Given the distress caused by tinnitus the risk of patients falling into a vicious circle of increased attention to tinnitus, dysfunctional appraisal processes, negative emotions and avoidance behaviour increases. This in turn, can severely affect tinnitus distress and quality of life in the long run. Different treatment approaches for tinnitus have been developed and cognitive-behavioural forms of treatment in particular were found to be effective in reducing tinnitus distress. The present paper provides an overview of the symptom tinnitus, etiological models, diagnostic approaches and different forms of treatment.     

What do these clinical trial results mean? How product efficacy judgments are affected by data partitioning,framing, and quantification

Organizations often present data related to clinical trials, and other product efficacy information, in partitioned or aggregated formats, as successes or failures, and as frequencies or percentages. We examine how such different data presentation formats might interact to influence product efficacy judgments. The results of five experiments indicate that partitioned (vs. aggregated) frequency data affect judgments regarding perceived product efficacy and these effects are moderated by data frames (success vs. failure) and quantification (frequencies vs. percentages). Specifically, success-framed, partitioned, frequency data enhance product efficacy judgments and choice, while failure-framed, partitioned, frequency data have the opposite effects. However, these effects get attenuated when data are aggregated or presented as percentages.     

What's mine is yours: The crossover of day-specific self-esteem

This diary study examines the daily crossover of self-esteem within working couples. By integrating self-esteem research into the crossover framework, we hypothesized that the day-specific self-esteem experienced by one partner after work crosses over to the other partner. Furthermore, we proposed that this daily crossover process is moderated by the other partner's general level of self-esteem and empathic concern. We conducted a diary study over five consecutive working days among 102 working couples. Multilevel analyses using the actor-partner interdependence model supported our hypotheses. Day-specific self-esteem experienced by one partner after work crossed over to the other partner in the evening, particularly when this partner had a generally low level of self-esteem and a generally high level of empathic concern.     

Perceived control and long-term changes in disability in late middle-aged and older persons: An eight-year follow-up study

This article examined the predictive role of perceived control in long-term changes in disability among 1541 independently living older persons. Disability referred to self-reported difficulties with (instrumental) activities of daily living. Perceived control referred to the extent to which one assumes oneself as having control over one's life chances, unlike the fatalistic assumption that one's life is ruled by external factors. Data on disability and perceived control were collected in 1993 and recollected in 2001. Covariates included age, gender, living arrangement, level of education, and the number of chronic medical conditions. Regression equations were estimated with disability in 2001 as outcome and the selected variables as predictors. The level of perceived control decreased and the level of disability increased significantly over an 8-year period. The predictive role of perceived control for subsequent change in disability was statistically significant but not very strong. The association between perceived control in 1993 and disability in 2001 was stronger for older persons (>65 years) compared to younger persons (≤65 years).     

Einstellungen zu Psychotherapie

In a representative survey 2,129 subjects were questioned about their attitudes towards outpatient psychotherapy. This study was carried out on behalf of the Apotheken Umschau (Pharmacy Review) by the “GfK Nürnberg” (Society for Consumer Research Nuremberg) from January 2012 to February 2012. In the survey also people who had once received or were currently undergoing outpatient psychotherapy took part and these respondents were surveyed about their reasons for seeking treatment and their experiences with outpatient psychotherapy. When available results were compared with the findings from a survey carried out in 2003. The majority of respondents appraised psychotherapy as being essential and helpful in treating mental disorders and as being useful in personal crises. Women were more open-minded about psychotherapy than men; nevertheless 34 % considered that it would be embarrassing if neighbours or friends were aware that they were undergoing psychotherapy. Of the respondents 28 % categorically excluded psychotherapy for themselves, 216 declared that they had undergone psychotherapy and of the latter 83 % judged the psychotherapy to be successful.     

Depressive Symptomatology among HIV-Positive Women in the Era of HAART: A Stress and Coping Model

Objective: An enhanced stress and coping model was used to explain depression among HIV-positive women in healthcare and community settings where highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) was commonplace. Method: HIV-infected women in four cities (N=978) were assessed, cross-sectionally, for mental and physical health, stress, social support, and other background factors. Results: Self-reported level of depressive symptomatology was high. Number of physical symptoms, illness intrusiveness, and perceived stress were positively associated with depressed mood, while coping self-efficacy and social support were negatively associated. Stress mediated the effect of health status on depression and coping self-efficacy mediated the effect of psychosocial resources on depression. Our enhanced stress and coping model accounted for 52% of variance in depressive symtpomatology. Conclusions: Interventions focused on improving coping self-efficacy, bolstering social supports, and decreasing stress in the lives of HIV-positive women may help to reduce the negative effects of HIV disease on mood.     

Superiority of form% over Lambda for research on the Rorschach Comprehensive System

Lambda is an important variable in the Rorschach Comprehensive System. However, because of the way it is calculated it has properties that can produce problems for parametric statistical analyses. We illustrate these difficulties and encourage the use of Form% (i.e., pure form responses/total responses) instead of Lambda in research. Form% is easy to calculate, and it is conceptually and mathematically comparable to Lambda. Because it is much more normally distributed, Form% is suitable to use in parametric analyses (e.g., t tests, analyses of variance, correlations, factor analyses, multiple regressions).     

Modifying the Rorschach Human Experience Variable to create the Human Representational Variable

The Human Experience Variable (HEV; Perry & Viglione, 1991) provided information about interpersonal perceptions not previously available within the Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1993). Research data suggests that it was related to interpersonal functioning and as a result, psychological impairment and health. In this article, we present the rationale and empirical basis for recent psychometric refinements to the HEV, consequently renamed the Human Representational Variable (HRV). Research addressing the reliability and validity for the HRV is summarized. Based on data and experience with the HEV, this study summarized some small modifications to the original algorithm. The refined variable, the HRV, has been added to the CS (Exner, 2000). Data presented here suggest that the HRV has improved psychometric properties compared to the HEV and that it is simpler to understand. Research recommendations and interpretive suggestions are also presented.     

Neuropsychological aspects of facial asymmetry during emotional expression: A review of the normal adult literature

This review focuses on facial asymmetries during emotional expression. Facial asymmetry is defined as the expression intensity or muscular involvement on one side of the face (“hemiface”) relative to the other side and has been used as a behavioral index of hemispheric specialization for facial emotional expression. This paper presents a history of the neuropsychological study of facial asymmetry, originating with Darwin. Both quantitative and qualitative aspects of asymmetry are addressed. Next, neuroanatomical bases for facial expression are elucidated, separately for posed/voluntary and spontaneous/involuntary elicitation conditions. This is followed by a comprehensive review of 49 experiments of facial asymmetry in the adult literature, oriented around emotional valence (pleasantness/unpleasantness), elicitation condition, facial part, social display rules, and demographic factors. Results of this review indicate that the left hemiface is more involved than the right hemiface in the expression of facial emotion. From a neuropsychological perspective, these findings implicate the right cerebral hemisphere as dominant for the facial expression of emotion. In spite of the compelling evidence for right-hemispheric specialization, some data point to the possibility of differential hemispheric involvement as a function of emotional valence. An earlier version of this paper by the first author was presented at the XV Annual Symposium of the Society of Craniofacial Genetics, July 12, 1992, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.