Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Regulation Following Lesions of the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala

Previous reports indicate that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) stimulates adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone secretion, suggesting a role for this region in central hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) stress regulation. To evaluate this hypothesis, this study assessed the impact of CeA lesion on the response of hypophysiotrophic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons to acute restraint and chronic unpredictable stress exposure. In contrast to previous reports, CeA lesions did not affect corticosterone or ACTH secretion induced by acute stress. Acute restraint increased PVN corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression, increased the number of parvocellular PVN neurons expressing the co-secretagogue arginine vasopressin (AVP), and induced cFOS mRNA expression in the parvocellular PVN. However, there was no additional effect of CeA lesion on any measure of PVN activation. Chronic unpredictable stress exposure induced long-term activation of the HPA axis, noted by thymic involution, adrenal hypertrophy and increased PVN CRH mRNA expression. Stress-induced changes in thymus and adrenal weights were not affected by CeA lesion. Further, CeA lesion rats did not differ from controls in post-stress CRH mRNA expression. However, basal CRH mRNA expression was increased in the PVN of CeA rats, suggesting that the CeA plays a role in long-term inhibition of the PVN. The results of these studies are not consistent with the hypothesis that the CeA is necessary for stress-induced pituitary-adrenocortical activation. Rather, this region may play a stressor-specific modulatory role in regulation of HPA function.     

Availability of family support as a moderator of exposure to community violence.

Examined the role of availability of family support in moderating the negative effects of exposure to community violence on internalizing symptoms. Participants were 75 low-income African American children between the ages of 10 and 15. Two measures of availability of family support (mother's presence in the home and family size) were evaluated as moderators of the relations between exposure to community violence and depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. After controlling for age, sex, and concurrent life stress, mother's presence in the home moderated the relation between exposure to community violence and depressive symptoms but not the relation between exposure to community violence and PTSD symptoms. Children living in mother-absent families were at increased risk of depressive symptoms as exposure to community violence increased. In addition, family size approached significance as a moderator of depressive symptoms but not PTSD symptoms, revealing a trend toward children from smaller families being at increased risk of depressive symptoms as exposure to community violence increased. These findings suggest that although availability of family support is an important moderator for depressive symptoms, this is not the case for PTSD symptoms.     

Effects of client presenting syndromes on client and therapist dominance and affiliation during early sessions of Rational-Emotive psychotherapy

This is a study of effects of presenting clinical status on interpersonal presentation during early Rational-Emotive therapy (RET). Independent variables were intake scores for clients from the axis I scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1983). Dependent variables, from audiotapes of sessions at the Institute for RET (IRET), were Revised Interpersonal Adjective Scale (IAS-R; Wiggins, Trapnell and Phillips, 1988) ratings of clients and therapists. MCMI scales associated with stimulation seeking (N, hypomania; T, drug abuse) were significantly positively correlated with client dominance. Therapist affiliation was negatively correlated with all client MCMI scales, and these were significant for scales that assessed the most severe intake presenting problems (A, anxiety, D, dysthymia).     

Quality of life research: a case for combining photo-elicitation with interpretative phenomenological analysis

In this article, we provide practical and theoretical discussion of the use of two complementary research methods to explore quality of life. We present a case example of the use of photo-elicitation alongside interpretative phenomenological analysis and use examples from our research with people living with paraplegia and chronic pain to demonstrate how these methods can be combined to provide a participant-led understanding of quality of life. This discussion includes consideration of practical and ethical issues relevant to others wishing to combine these research methods. Furthermore, we highlight some of the potential practical and therapeutic opportunities provided by the approach through an illustration of how photographs work to enhance self-reflection and promote hermeneutic sense making.     

PORTRAYAL OF MARRIED SEX IN THE MOVIES

While media research has incidentally addressed the portrayal of sex between married partners, this study specifically analyzed how sexuality between married couples is depicted in popular films, as represented by the top 25 movie video rentals of 1998. Of the occurrences of sexual behavior (N=105), married partners represented 15 percent of the total compared to 85 percent for unmarried couples. The most common sexual behavior among husbands and wives was passionate kissing, which accounted for 63 percent of their sexual activity. By comparison, implied intercourse was the most common sexual behavior among unmarried partners, occurring in 38 percent of their sexual encounters. This and other findings suggest that sexual behavior among married characters is rare and rather mundane compared to those having unmarried sex. These findings and their implications are discussed. The authors wish like to thank kim Vetter and Andrew McIntosh for their assistance in coding the films and to Craig Henderson for assistance with data analysis. In addition, this research was partially funded by Blockbuster Entertaiment and Payless Video.     

The Moderating Effect of Anxiety on Development in Atypically Developing Toddlers

In typically developing children, researchers have found that anxiety disorders are associated with poorer intellectual abilities (Davis et al. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 30:43–51, 2008). The aim of the current study was to examine the impact anxiety symptoms had on the developmental quotients of toddlers. A total of 170 toddlers ranging in age from 17 to 37 months were selected for inclusion in this study, all of whom were at risk for or had a developmental delay. Two factors indicative of behavioral symptoms of anxiety from the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part2 were utilized as the independent variables and the total developmental quotient from the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition was utilized for the dependent variable. Examination of results revealed that atypically developing toddlers with symptoms of anxiety had significantly lower developmental quotients when compared to toddlers without any anxiety symptoms. A discussion of the implications and limitations of this study are included.     

The effect of communication deficits on anxiety symptoms in infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are life-long developmental disorders characterized by impairments in the development of reciprocal social and communication skills, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. While it has been known for some time that children with ASD can evince elevated rates of anxiety symptoms, little research has been conducted on whether deficits in communication skills affect the range of anxiety symptoms in infants and toddlers with ASD. This study represents a first attempt to determine whether deficits in communication skills have an effect on the expression of anxiety in infants and toddlers with autistic disorder and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. Seven hundred thirty-five infants were evaluated with respect to the nature and extent of anxiety symptoms and developmental functioning. Both receptive and expressive communication skills appeared to play a significant role in the manifestation of anxiety symptoms.     

Integrating Diabetes Self-Management Interventions for Mexican-Americans into the Catholic Church Setting

Churches provide an innovative and underutilized setting for diabetes self-management programs for Latinos. This study sought to formulate a conceptual framework for designing church-based programs that are tailored to the needs of the Latino community and that utilize church strengths and resources. To inform this model, we conducted six focus groups with mostly Mexican-American Catholic adults with diabetes and their family members (N = 37) and found that participants were interested in church-based diabetes programs that emphasized information sharing, skills building, and social networking. Our model demonstrates that many of these requested components can be integrated into the current structure and function of the church. However, additional mechanisms to facilitate access to medical care may be necessary to support community members’ diabetes care.