Structural Personality Organization as Assessed With Theory Driven Profile Interpretation of the Dutch Short Form of the MMPI Predicts Dropout and Treatment Response in Brief Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for Axis I Disorders

It is generally believed that people "normally" see male figures on Card III and females on Card VII, and that seeing females on III by males may be an indication of confused sexuality. Brown (1971) suggests that recently there has been a marked increase in the number of males who see females on III and that this indicates a cultural change toward a blurring of sex roles. Present findings are that male subjects through 60 years of age see substantial numbers of females on Card III. More males do see females on III in 1970 than earlier, but it seems to be the age of the subject more than the decade in which he lives that primarily determines response.     

Differing Perceptions of Mothers,Fathers, and children Concerning Children's Academic Performance

This study examined the hypothesis that mothers' views of their child's performance on an academic task are more synchronous with those of their child than are fathers' views. Parents of 30 sixth-grade children were asked to predict their child's memory spans on a recall and a recognition task given to each child. Parents and children were also asked to judge the importance for the child's performance on 10 attribution factors created for use with memory tests. In line with the hypothesis, mothers predicted the child's memory span more accurately than fathers, and the mothers' attributions were more congruent with those of their children. Mothers were also more aware than fathers of the different demands of the two memory tasks. These findings suggest that mothers may be more aware than fathers of their child's academic progress and that mothers' attitudes and expectations may be more influential in determining the child's path of development.     

Development and validation of the Dutch Questionnaire God Image : Effects of mental health and religious culture

This article presents the Dutch Questionnaire God Image (QGI), which has two theory-based dimensions: feelings towards God and perceptions of God's actions. This instrument was validated among a sample of 804 respondents, of which 244 persons received psychotherapy. Results showed relationships between the affective and cognitive aspect of the God image. The God image of psychiatric patients had a more negative and threatening nature than the God image of the non-psychiatric respondents. Also, religious culture appeared to affect the God image.     

Habitual Self‐Control: A Brief Measure of Persistent Goal Pursuit

Habitual self‐control is defined as a trait‐like personal resource factor that facilitates the enactment of difficult intentions. A 14‐item Habitual Self‐Control Questionnaire (HSCQ) was developed to assess this trait. Reliability, factorial validity, and criterion validity were assessed in five undergraduate student subsamples with an overall N of 2224. Internal consistency was .81 across the entire sample, and test–retest reliability was .83 over a one‐month interval. The HSCQ showed a theoretically meaningful pattern in terms of convergent and discriminant validity and criterion validity in predicting a variety of health behaviours that relate to self‐control, including exercise, dieting behaviour, binge eating and weight loss success. Further, the HSCQ contributed uniquely to the prediction of health behaviours beyond alternative self‐control scales. In a longitudinal part of the study, the HSCQ added to the prediction of action plan completion and satisfaction beyond motivation and moderated the relationship between motivation and enactment of action plans as theoretically expected. In sum, the results provided strong evidence for the reliability and validity of the HSCQ and highlighted some theoretically meaningful differences to already existing measures of self‐control. Theoretical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Illness perceptions in dialysis patients and their association with quality of life

The present study explored illness perceptions of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on both haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment, and their associations with quality of life. Leventhal's self-regulation model (SRM) was used as a theoretical framework. Illness perceptions and quality of life were assessed with the IPQ-R and the SF-36 in 91 HD and 42 PD patients participating in the NECOSAD-study. Compared to HD patients, PD patients experienced more personal control and had a better understanding of the illness. Illness perceptions explained from 17 to 51% of the variance in quality of life scores. Perception of more symptoms, more consequences and lower personal control were associated with lower well-being. The concept of illness perceptions is useful in understanding the impact of ESRD and of dialysis treatment on quality of life. Interventions aimed at providing more knowledge about ESRD and dialysis, and provision of skills to coping with the illness and its consequences may improve quality of life in dialysis patients.     

Constructing a Theory and Evidence-Based Approach to Promote and Evaluate Autonomy in Addiction

ABSTRACT

In this article we use theory and empirical evidence to synthesize a model for the analysis of autonomy in people with addictions. We review research on motivation and denial as accepted addiction constructs that need to be replaced with non-stigmatizing and autonomy-supportive language when seeking to ‘treat’ addicts. We present three main factors involved in relational autonomy in addiction (mentalizing, positive self-concept, and stigma), and illustrate our model by examining variations on these parameters in two case studies of heroin addicts. We conclude that a growth perspective is needed to assess functioning in populations believed to be ‘addicted’ and make suggestions for assessment.     

Predictors of Diabetes Self‐care,Metabolic Control,and Mental Health in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

The purpose of this study was to explore the psychosocial predictors of diabetes self‐care (adherence to care regimes), metabolic control (glycated haemoglobin), and mental health among rural‐ and urban‐dwelling youth with type 1 diabetes. One hundred and twenty three adolescents/young adults (aged 13?25 years, mean = 16 years, standard deviation = 3.8 years) with type 1 diabetes, 50 males and 73 females, completed questionnaires reporting on diabetes self‐care, metabolic control, mental health (negative affect, quality of life), risk‐taking behaviours and attitudes, diabetes self‐efficacy, community engagement, and perceived social support. No rural/urban differences were detected on key predictors or outcome variables. Structural equation modelling revealed that high diabetes self‐efficacy, lower risk behaviour, and more conservative attitudes to risk taking predicted better diabetes self‐care, which in turn predicted better metabolic control and mental health. Social support and engagement in community activities did not influence diabetes self‐care. The study has significance because both diabetes self‐efficacy and propensity towards risk behaviour are potential targets for educational and counselling interventions designed to improve diabetes self‐care regimes and resultant metabolic and mental health outcomes.     

Knowledge junkies or careerbuilders? A mixed-methods approach to exploring the determinants of students' intention to earn a PhD

What are the determinants of students' interest in earning a PhD? In this study, we use a mixed-methods approach to pursue this question. Based on qualitative interview data, we develop a model in which academic motivation and academic achievement interact with contextual factors such as working conditions to influence career intentions. We then test this model using a sample of 229 students currently enrolled in master-level courses of study at a German university. Our results speak to the role of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations in the context of PhD intentions. In contrast to our expectations, results suggest that while intrinsic life aspirations and the intellectual challenge of gaining a PhD play a significant role for students' intention to pursue a PhD, extrinsic life aspirations and contextual determinants seem to be less influential. Furthermore, results highlight the importance of gaining familiarity and experience with academic work for students' career decisions.     

Subtle cognitive deficits in severe alcohol addicts – Do they show a specific profile?

Although alcohol dependency is a burden to society, data on cognitive performance in therapy‐resistant patients after multiple withdrawals are poor. In this study, 22 patients without reported cognitive deficits and 20 control subjects performed extensive cognitive testing and a motor task assessing short‐term memory. Patients displayed subtle deficits (mainly in executive function), while memory functions were relatively unimpaired. Our results suggest that subtle frontal‐executive deficits may contribute to a poor prognosis, but could be missed by routine clinical tests.     

Conventions’ Revenge: Davidson,Derangement, and Dormativity

Davidson advocates a radical and powerful form of anti-conventionalism, on which the scope of a semantic theory is restricted to the most local of contexts: a particular utterance by a particular speaker. I argue that this hyper-localism undercuts the explanatory grounds for his assumption that semantic meaning is systematic, which is central, among other things, to his holism. More importantly, it threatens to undercut the distinction between word meaning and speaker’s meaning, which he takes to be essential to semantics. I argue that a moderate form of conventionalism can restore systematicity and the word/speaker distinction while accommodating Davidson’s insights about the complexities and contextual variability of language use.