Child Sleep Problems and Parental Depression: Testing a Risk and Resistance Model

Although extensive studies demonstrate a link between infant sleep problems and parental depression, limited research explores this relation in parents of primary school aged children. Using cross-sectional data, we investigated direct, moderating and mediating risk and resistance factors in the relation between child sleep problems and parental depressive symptomatology in a sample of 145 Australian parents of primary school aged children. Parents completed the children’s sleep habits questionnaire, the short temperament scale for children, the perceived stress scale and the depression sub-scale of the depression, anxiety and stress–short form. Correlational analyses confirmed bivariate relations between parental stress and parental depressive symptomatology, and between child sleep problems and parental depressive symptomatology. Multiple regression analyses identified parental stress as a mediator of the relation between child sleep problems and parental depressive symptomatology, and the approach component of child temperament as a moderator of the relation between child sleep problems and parental depressive symptomatology. Findings suggest that parents of children with sleep problems experience increased stress levels and increased levels of depressive symptomatology and may be at increased risk of depression if their child has a difficult temperament characterized by low approachability. Implications for clinical intervention and future research are discussed.     

Task rules, working memory, and fluid intelligence

Many varieties of working memory have been linked to fluid intelligence. In Duncan et al. (Journal of Experimental Psychology:General 137:131-148, 2008), we described limited working memory for new task rules: When rules are complex, some may fail in their control of behavior, though they are often still available for explicit recall. Unlike other kinds of working memory, load is determined in this case not by real-time performance demands, but by the total complexity of the task instructions. Here, we show that the correlation with fluid intelligence is stronger for this aspect of working memory than for several other, more traditional varieties-including simple and complex spans and a test of visual short-term memory. Any task, we propose, requires construction of a mental control program that aids in segregating and assembling multiple task parts and their controlling rules. Fluid intelligence is linked closely to the efficiency of constructing such programs, especially when behavior is complex and novel.     

Telemedicine and adherence to national guidelines for ADHD evaluation: A case study

The pilot project evaluated a telemedicine clinic's adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) evaluation. Real-time videoconferencing linked the patients, the families, and the specialty mental health team. The ADHD Telemedicine Clinic adherence to AAP guidelines was tracked using chart data. The study included 22 patients (Mean age = 9.3 years, SD = 2.3 years) participating in 69 telemedicine visits across 13 different school-related sites. The ADHD Telemedicine Clinic reached extremely high adherence rates across the AAP evaluation guidelines for ADHD, ranging from 95-100% across the six guidelines. No factor inherent to the telemedicine service delivery mechanism impeded adherence to national guidelines for ADHD evaluation. Telemedicine-based outreach had the greatest impact on AAP Guideline #4, stating that information should be obtained from the child's academic setting. The school-based telemedicine clinic allowed increased communication across the school and specialty mental health systems and facilitated greater input across child, parent, school personnel, and mental health professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Cognitive processes in psychological adaptation to miscarriage: A preliminary report

Abstract

Twenty-two women who wished to continue their pregnancies were interviewed several months after their first miscarriage. Levels of anxiety and depression showed an extremely high degree of variability. Cognitive processes in the form of a search for meaning, mastery and self-enhancement hypothesised to be important in adaptation to negative events were assessed. Having an explanation for the miscarriage and the experience leading to a general reappraisal of values were associated with lower levels of intrusive thoughts. A belief in a medical cause was linked to lower anxiety. Women believed that neither they themselves nor their doctors could exert much influence over the outcome of future pregnancies. Stronger belief in personal control was associated with higher anxiety levels. There is a need to consider not only the emotional consequences of miscarriage but also the cognitive mediators influencing such responses and although based upon a small sample this study initiates that process.     

When Traits Are Behaviors: The Relationship Between Behavioral Responses and Trait-Based Overall Assessment Center Ratings

Federal and state court cases were reviewed to determine the legality of banding. Banding specifies a range of test scores that are considered equivalent for selection purposes, which allows the use of other job-related or diversity factors to select among candidates within a particular band. Although the Supreme Court has not ruled on the legality of banding, state, district, and appellate courts have upheld different types of banding (e.g., fixed, sliding, random) under the 14th Amendment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. However, the case review indicated that banding is less likely to survive legal scrutiny when minority preference is the only factor used to choose among candidates within a band. Implications for organizations using or considering banding are discussed.     

Moral Evil,Freedom and the Goodness of God: Why Kant Abandoned Theodicy

Kant proclaimed that all theodicies must fail in ‘On the Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy’, but it is mysterious why he did so since he had developed a theodicy of his own during the critical period. In this paper, I offer an explanation of why Kant thought theodicies necessarily fail. In his theodicy, as well as in some of his works in ethics, Kant explained moral evil as resulting from unavoidable limitations in human beings. God could not create finite beings without such limitations and so could not have created humans that were not prone to committing immoral acts. However, the work of Carl Christian Eberhard Schmid showed Kant that given his own beliefs about freedom and the nature of responsibility one could not account for moral evil in this way without tacitly denying that human beings were responsible for their actions. This result is significant not only because it explains an otherwise puzzling shift in Kant's philosophy of religion, but also because it shows that the theodicy essay provides powerful evidence that Kant's thinking about moral evil and freedom underwent fundamental shifts between early works such as the Groundwork and later works like the Religion within the Limits of Mere Reason.     

Second-Order Change in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Web-Based Modified Delphi Study

Second-order change is a central concept in Marriage and Family Therapy, but still remains poorly operationalized. We conducted a web-based modified Delphi study with 31 established faculty members currently teaching in COAMFTE-accredited Master's and Doctoral programs in the United States and in Canada to identify consensus regarding second-order change concepts, clinical operationalization, evaluation, and teaching principles. Numerous exemplars of first and second-order change were generated, but consensus on most items was low. Consensus was highest for pedagogy and low regarding concepts and clinical examples of first-order change and evaluation of second-order change. Results suggest clearer definitions and better measurement of systemic change are needed.     

The Effects of Imagery Training on Swimming Performance: An Applied Investigation

A multiple-baseline design was used to examine the influence of an imagery intervention on the performance of swimmers’ times on a thousand-yard practice set. Performance times for four swimmers were collected over a 15-week period during preseason training. The intervention took place over a 3-week period and was introduced after the fourth week of the study. The results revealed that three out of four participants significantly improved their times on the one thousand-yard practice set after being introduced to the imagery intervention. The results are discussed in terms of the implications of using imagery to improve athlete's performance on continuous tasks.     

Medical Students' Views on the White Coat: A South African Perspective on Ethical Issues

There is a debate regarding the use of the white coat, a traditional symbol of the medical profession, by students. In a study evaluating final-year South African medical students' perceptions, the white coat was associated with traditional symbolic values (e.g., trust) and had practical uses (e.g., identification). The coat was generally perceived to evoke positive emotions in patients, but some recognized that it may cause anxiety or mistrust. Donning a white coat generally implied a responsibility to the profession. For a few, without the coat, patients would not cooperate, resulting in some perceiving no need to be distinguished from qualified practitioners. There was thus some evidence of entitled (vs. earned) respect. In the light of the underresourced health care setting in which these students learn clinical medicine, we recommend that students be able to recognize the potential for unprofessional or unethical behavior. Students should also be able to identify role models.