WISC-III Cognitive Profiles in Children with ADHD: Specific Cognitive Impairments and Diagnostic Utility

This study aimed to investigate the presence of specific cognitive impairments and the diagnostic utility of the WISC-III in children with ADHD. Ninety-eight children with ADHD and 81 children without ADHD matched by age and gender (control group), between the ages of 6 and 12?years, participated in the study. Children with ADHD revealed the most pronounced deficits in the subtests tapping working memory and processing speed. Freedom from Distractibility was the cognitive profile most impaired and that showed the highest diagnostic accuracy to discriminate children with ADHD. The optimal cutoff scores of the most common WISC-III cognitive profiles revealed greater diagnostic accuracy than the traditional approach of full or partial profiles. Taken together, these results suggested that in the context of a comprehensive psychological assessment, the WISC may provide knowledge about the specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses that characterize this disorder and may be useful in the decision-making process relative to ADHD diagnosis.     

Brazilian version of the Protocole Montréal d'Evaluation de la Communication (Protocole MEC): normative and reliability data

The lack of standardized instruments to evaluate communication disorders related to the right hemisphere was verified. A new evaluation tool was developed: Protocole Montréal d'Evaluation de la Communication--Protocole MEC, adapted to Brazilian Portuguese--Bateria Montreal de Avalia??o da Comunica??o--Bateria MAC (Montreal Evaluation of Communication Battery). The purpose was to present stratified normative data by age and educational level, and to verify the reliability parameters of the MEC Battery. 300 individuals, between the ages of 19 and 75 years, and levels of formal education between 2 and 35 years, participated in this study. They were divided equally into six normative groups, according to three age categories (young adults, intermediary age, and seniors) and two educational levels (low and high). Two procedures were used to check reliability: Cronbach alpha and reliability between evaluators, Results were established at the 10th percentile, and an alert point per task for each normative group. Cronbach's alpha was, in general, between .70 and .90 and the average rate of agreement between evaluators varied from .62 to .94. Standards of age and education were established. The reliability of this instrument was verified. The psychometric legitimization of the MEC Battery will contribute to the diagnostic process for communicative disorders.     

Foster Families: A Systematic Review of Intention and Retention Factors

Background: Compared to residential care, family foster care is the preferable type of alternative care for neglected or abused children as it provides a familiar context that supports children’s developmental needs. New foster families are needed to care for these children. Objective: This systematic review aims to provide a critical analysis of the literature, identifying factors that explain the intention to become and to continue as a foster family. This review was performed following the PRISMA checklist and guidelines, through a search conducted in the following databases (no restrictions were made): PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science. Study eligibility: The review includes empirical quantitative and/or qualitative studies in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with community and/or foster parents’ samples and explores the factors for becoming and/or retention of foster parents. Results: Forty-nine studies were included. The results revealed that the intention to become a foster parent is largely influenced by motivational factors, personal and family characteristics, individual values and beliefs, social context influences, and perceived familiarity with the child protection system. The retention of foster families is closely related to factors within the child protection system, personal or family characteristics, foster child characteristics, and placement challenges. The relationship with agencies and professional support stands out as the most important factors. Limitations and Implications: This review did not include studies focused on children with specific needs and characteristics, and future research should consider the particular challenges of fostering this group. Practice implications of these findings for the recruitment, selection, and retention of foster families will be discussed.

     

Individual differences in episodic memory abilities predict successful prospective memory output monitoring

Output monitoring refers to memory for one’s previously completed actions. In the context of prospective memory (PM) (e.g., remembering to take medication), failures of output monitoring can result in repetitions and omissions of planned actions (e.g., over- or under-medication). To be successful in output monitoring paradigms, participants must flexibly control attention to detect PM cues as well as engage controlled retrieval of previous actions whenever a particular cue is encountered. The current study examined individual differences in output monitoring abilities in a group of younger adults differing in attention control (AC) and episodic memory (EM) abilities. The results showed that AC ability uniquely predicted successful cue detection on the first presentation, whereas EM ability uniquely predicted successful output monitoring on the second presentation. The current study highlights the importance of examining external correlates of PM abilities and contributes to the growing body of research on individual differences in PM.     

Acute pain disrupts prospective memory cue detection processes

Prospective memory refers to the planning, retention, retrieval, and execution of intentions for future behaviours and it is integral to the enterprise of daily living. Although prospective memory relies upon retrospective memory and executive processes often disrupted by pain, limited research has explored the influence of acute or chronic pain on the ability to complete prospective memory tasks. In the present study we investigated the influence of acute pain on prospective memory tasks that varied in their demands on executive processes (i.e., non-focal versus focal prospective memory cues). Complex-span working memory tasks were also administered to examine whether individual differences in working memory capacity moderated any negative impact of pain on prospective memory. Acute pain significantly impaired prospective memory performance in conditions that encouraged non-focal strategic processing of prospective memory cues, but not in conditions that encouraged more spontaneous focal processing. Individual differences in working memory capacity did not moderate the effect of acute pain on non-focal prospective memory. These findings provide new insights into prospective memory dysfunction created by painful experiences.     

Do similar patient and spouse perceptions of myocardial infarction predict recovery?

The present study examines whether the degree of congruence between the patient's and the partner's perceptions of myocardial infarction (MI) has an influence on a range of recovery outcomes in the patient. The MI perceptions of 70 Portuguese couples in which the male had suffered a first heart attack were assessed at 3 months after discharge from hospital, using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Several dimensions of patient recovery were assessed at 3, 6 and 12 months post-MI, using standardised measures of psychological well-being, return to work, disability, social functioning, sexual functioning, and indices of lifestyle changes. The degree of congruence in each couple's illness perceptions was assessed and related to each outcome measure. The results suggest that the degree of congruence between patients and partners in their illness perceptions was related to different dimensions of recovery at 3, 6 and 12 months. The results revealed that in couples who had similar positive perceptions of the identity and consequences of the MI, patients showed (a) better physical and psychological functioning, (b) better sexual functioning, and (c) less impact of MI on social and recreational activities. Also, similar positive perceptions of timeline were associated with lower levels of disability, and similar positive cure/control beliefs were linked with greater dietary changes. Separate analyses showed that these effects were not confounded with marital functioning. This study provides clear evidence that the degree of match/mismatch between the patient's and partner's perceptions of the MI is associated with a range of recovery outcomes.     

Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty on the Internet

Purpose  

Although the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty has been the focus of a good deal of research, the complex nature of that relationship continues to pose a good many unanswered questions. The present study proposes a four-way classification of the perspectives that tend to be taken by researchers on the said relationship. By theoretically and empirically reviewing these four approximations in an on-line context, the study aims to clarify the nature and strength of the relationship between these two variables.     

Nonsuicidal self-injury: relationship to behavioral and self-rating measures of impulsivity and self-aggression

Previous research using self-report measures has shown an association between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI) and impulsive tendencies. However, self-injurers have not been shown to be different from comparison groups on laboratory tasks putatively assessing impulsive behavior. One explanation for these contradictory findings is that self-report and laboratory measures of impulsive behavior tap into distinct but related constructs. Moreover, performance on laboratory measures of impulsive behavior can be influenced by myriad contextual and affective factors not present during past self-reported NSSI events. Accordingly, a relationship between behavioral tasks of impulsivity and self-injurious behavior could emerge if both are assessed relatively close in time under controlled laboratory conditions. To test this possibility, both self-ratings and laboratory task measures of self-injurious and impulsive behavior were employed in the current study. This multi-modal assessment approach revealed that self-rated impulsivity was associated with both self-report and behavioral measures of self-injurious behavior. Moreover, behavioral measures of impulsivity were associated with self-injurious behavior, but not NSSI history. These results provide support for the notion that a multi-modal approach to assessing self-injurious behavior is important for better understanding the correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury.     

Modifications in basal and stress-induced hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in rats chronically treated with an angiotensin II receptor blocker

5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a prominent role as a metabolic stress sensor. The role of hypothalamic AMPK in response to restraint and surgical stress has not been previously investigated. It has been recently suggested that the renin-angiotensin system, in addition to its role in stress regulation, may play a significant role in regulating metabolic pathways including the regulation of the AMPK system. This study was thus aimed to evaluate the effects of candesartan, an angiotensin II AT1 receptor blocker drug, on hypothalamic AMPK activity under basal conditions and after restraint in conscious rats or after surgical stress under general anesthesia. Male Wistar rats were treated with 5 mg/kg/day candesartan in the drinking water for 2 weeks. The hypothalamic AMPK activity was determined under basal and stress conditions, using a kinase activity assay. Chronic administration of candesartan significantly increased hypothalamic AMPK activity. Hypothalamic AMPK activity was also increased by restraint stress whereas no change was observed during surgical stress under anesthesia. The high levels of hypothalamic AMPK activation observed in candesartan-treated rats were not changed by restraint stress but were reduced to control levels by anesthesia and surgery. In conclusion, chronic candesartan treatment and restraint stress in conscious rats stimulate the hypothalamic AMPK activity, whereas surgical stress under anesthesia inhibits pathways regulating the AMPK activity even in candesartan-treated rats.     

Social Structure, Self-Conception and Well-Being: An Examination of Four Models with Unemployed People

A cross-sectional questionnaire design ( n = 88) was used to investigate the relationship between social structure, self-conception and well-being. Distinctions were drawn between public and private self-esteem and, within private self-esteem, between self-evaluation and self-affection. Significantly poorer public and private self-esteem scores were observed for unemployed subjects than for an employed control group. The predictions of four accounts of psychological well-being/distress that draw upon these self-concept dimensions were tested. Results supported symbolic interactionist and self-discrepancy theory and, to a lesser extent, self-enhancement theory. No support was found for a self-verification theory approach. Implications of the study for social psychological research on the consequences of unemployment and for accounts of negative affect are outlined.