The aftermath of 9/11: effect of intensity and recency of trauma on outcome

Does trauma exposure have a long-term impact on the brain and behavior of healthy individuals? The authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the impact of proximity to the disaster of September 11, 2001, on amygdala function in 22 healthy adults. More than three years after the terrorist attacks, bilateral amygdala activity in response to viewing fearful faces compared to calm ones was higher in people who were within 1.5 miles of the World Trade Center on 9/11, relative to those who were living more than 200 miles away (all were living in the New York metropolitan area at time of scan). This activity mediated the relationship between group status and current symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. In turn, the effect of group status on both amygdala activation (fearful vs. calm faces) and current symptoms was statistically explained by time since worst trauma in lifetime and intensity of worst trauma, as indicated by reported symptoms at time of the trauma. These data are consistent with a model of heightened amygdala reactivity following high-intensity trauma exposure, with relatively slow recovery.     

Social phobia: a comparison of specific and generalized subtypes and avoidant personality disorder.

The validity of the social phobia subtype distinction was examined in a large sample of carefully diagnosed social phobics (N = 89). Generalized and specific subtypes were diagnosed reliably, and the generalized subtype showed a consistent pattern of greater symptom severity than did the specific subtype. In addition, generalized social phobics with and without avoidant personality disorder were compared, and a difference was found for only 1 of 4 parameters. The results are discussed in terms of the validity of subtyping in social phobia and the diagnostic boundary between social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.     

Use of a virtual reality car-driving stressor in cardiovascular reactivity research

Eighteen subjects (11 males, 7 females) completed a virtual reality car-driving stressor on two occasions several weeks apart. Immediately before and throughout task performance, blood pressure, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were assessed. Reactivity scores were calculated for each parameter for each subject as the arithmetic difference between task level and baseline level. The task elicited considerable hemodynamic activation on each occasion of testing, as well as high levels of self-reported task realism, engagement, excitement, and nervousness. Correlation analyses of both absolute and reactivity scores revealed evidence of test-retest reliability. Males were found to exhibit greater absolute levels of and greater increases in systolic blood pressure. The development of tasks suitable for inclusion in a battery of behavioral stressors, responses to which may help identify those at risk for later disease, is of considerable interest in cardiovascular behavioral medicine. The present findings suggest that the virtual reality car-driving task may be useful in this context.     

Counselling problem drinkers: The realm of specialists. Alcoholics Anonymous or generic counsellors?

A study was carried out to investigate counsellors' attitudes and experiences in working with people with drinking problems and counsellors' understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous as a helping agent. Ninety-four counsellors responded to a questionnaire about their work with people with drinking problems and their knowledge of AA. Generic counsellors tended not to feel competent working with clients with alcohol problems. Feelings of competence increased with greater experience of the client group and, to a lesser extent, with more hours of specialist training. It was found that counsellors whose intake of alcohol amounted to more than eight units per week were less likely to take on clients with alcohol problems than were those who drank less. Counsellors usually had some knowledge of AA but had little understanding of the 12-step programme that forms the basis of recovery for alcoholics as described by AA. They were, however, in favour of clients attending AA as an adjunct to individual counselling     

BODY, BRAIN, AND CULTURE

Abstract. Recent work in cerebral neurology should be used to fashion a new synthesis with anthropological studies. Beginning with Paul D. Madean's model of the triune brain, we explore Ralph Wendell Burhoe's question whether creative processes result from a coadaptation, perhaps in ritual itself, of genetic and cultural information. Then we examine the division of labor between right and left cerebral hemispheres and its implications for the notions of play and "ludic recombination." Intimately related to ritual, play may function in the social construction of reality analogous to mutation and variation in organic evolution. Finally, we consider how our picture of brain functioning accords with some distinctive features of the religious systems dominant in human cultures.     

Naturalistic studies of aggressive behavior: aggressive stimuli, victim visibility, and horn honking.

Three studies extended laboratory research on aggression to a naturalistic setting which involved horn honking from drivers as a measure of aggression; the studies were adapted from Doob and Gross. The results from a survey (Study 1) of 59 drivers suggested that they were frequently irritated by and aggressive toward other drivers. A second study (using a 3x2 factorial design with 92 male drivers) indicated that manipulations of a rifle in an aggressive context and victim visibility (dehumanization) both significantly influenced horn honking rates subsequent to obstruction at a signal light. A third study with 137 male drivers and 63 female drivers examined the interactive effects of a rifle, an aggressively connotated bumper sticker, and individual subject characteristics (sex and an exploratory index of self-perceived status) on horn honking. The results for three studies in naturalistic settings offer possible extensions of laboratory based findings on aggression. The role of inhibitions in modifying the pattern of results was also discussed.     

Socialization and career orientation among black and white college women

In a study of career orientation among black and white college women, support was found for hypotheses derived from postulates of Rotter's Social Learning Theory. Compared to whites, (1) blacks were less likely to expect the level of work involvement preferred; (2) blacks expected more employment; and (3) blacks were more likely to prefer less employment than they realistically expected. Antecedents of career expectation were categorized as internal, external, or neutral. As hypothesized, variables expressive of external control predicted level of career expectation among blacks, whereas variables expressive of internal control predicted high career expectations among whites.