Spiritual needs of couples facing pregnancy termination because of fetal anomalies

The spiritual needs of couples (9 mothers and 5 fathers) who were planning to terminate wanted second trimester pregnancies because of serious fetal anomalies were surveyed. Their greatest needs were for a "guidance from a higher power" and for "someone to pray for them." Unlike other reported groups of patients, they did not want or expect their healthcare team to discuss their faith, or to pray with them. Most would prefer support from their own pastors, but their religious community was involved to only a small extent. They would welcome support from hospital chaplains, who could play a substantive and unique pastoral role in this clinical context.     

A Dual-Focus Motivational Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancy

Project CHOICES developed an integrated behavioral intervention for prevention of prenatal alcohol exposure in women at high risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Settings included primary care, university-hospital based obstetrical/gynecology practices, an urban jail, substance abuse treatment settings, and a media-recruited sample in three large cities. The intervention was based on motivational interviewing and targeted both adoption of effective contraception and reduction of alcohol use. Treatment included 4 manual-guided sessions delivered by mental health clinicians and 1 contraceptive counseling session delivered by a family planning clinician. This paper describes the rationale for treatment; the use of motivational interviewing and the transtheoretical model for a dual-focused approach to behavior change; the development of the Project CHOICES intervention; development of the study protocol and treatment manual; and selection, training, supervision, and monitoring of study counselors. Implications for future applications of the intervention are discussed.     

The illusion of mental health: in the mind of which beholder?

We reference self-ratings and clinician ratings of childhood anxious symptoms to a third data source well delineated with regard to the pathophysiology of anxiety. A total of 36 children with anxiety disorders and other children were administered yohimbine, an alpha-sub-2-adrenoreceptor antagonist, in response to which anxiety-prone children have blunted output of growth hormone. We assessed neuroendocrine reactions. In general, participants who claimed anxiety that was unconfirmed by clinicians displayed anxiotypic neuroendocrine profiles, whereas those who denied anxiety detected by clinicians did not, suggesting self-report may have had the advantage over clinician ratings in some instances. Nuanced and contextualized conclusions in this area of work are needed. In response to the question "the illusion of mental health: in the mind of which beholder?," we answer "it depends on the sample and the syndrome under study."     

Waskawewin

This paper offers a spiritual and practical insight into Aboriginal dance and movement philosophies. It is written from the point of view of a performance maker who draws upon the connection between movement and life – a fundamental Cree insight – but who also utilizes a range of theatre and performance styles in order to create work.     

No evidence for ethnic and racial bias in the Tryout Edition of the Merrill-Palmer Scale-Revised

This research examined a revised version of the Merrill-Palmer Scale, a test of childhood development, to assess the cultural validity of items, i.e., Differential Item Functioning. Archival data were used to determine the Differential Item Functioning of items for 245 African-American, Euro-American, and Hispanic children, ages 3-6 years. Subjects were gathered from all four regions of the United States. Potential bias was examined through the use of partial correlations. Statistical analyses suggest that the Tryout Edition of the Merrill-Palmer Scale-Revised was not systematically biased toward any of the three racial groups examined.     

Human affection exchange: VI. Further tests of reproductive probability as a predictor of men's affection with their adult sons

The authors examined the communication of affection in men's relationships with their fathers. Drawing from Affection Exchange Theory, the authors advanced four predictions: (a) heterosexual men receive more affection from their own fathers than do homosexual or bisexual men, (b) fathers communicate affection to their sons more through supportive activities than through direct verbal statements or nonverbal gestures, (c) affectionate communication between fathers and sons is linearly related to closeness and interpersonal involvement between them, and (d) fathers' awareness of their sons' sexual orientation is associated with the amount of affection that the fathers communicate to them. Participants were 170 adult men who completed questionnaires regarding affectionate communication in their relationships with their fathers. Half of the men were self-identified as exclusively heterosexual, and the other half were self-identified as exclusively homosexual or bisexual. The results supported all predictions substantially.     

Human affection exchange: II. Affectionate communication in father-son relationships

The father-son dyad might be the most socially significant male-male relationship in the life course, yet its negative qualities have been the sole focus in most research on the relationship. One communicative aspect that has received little scholarly attention is the expression of affection between fathers and sons, despite the strong correlation of affectionate communication with positive involvement, closeness, and relational satisfaction for fathers and sons. In 2 studies, the authors tested hypotheses about father-son affection that were derived from affection exchange theory (K. Floyd, in press). Results indicated that U.S. men are more affectionate with biological sons than with stepsons or adopted sons and that they are more affectionate with their biological sons than their biological sons are with them.     

Norwegian short-form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

A tutorial example demonstrates the effects of social desirability bias on fictional multiculturalism and mental health data and how bias can be moderated by parital correlations using social desirabiliry measures of different degrees of validity. The 33-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale was translated from English to Norwegian and presented to 117 university students and 124 non-students. Using psychometric criteria, and a "seed-crystal" method accretion, a 10-item Norwegian short-form of the Marlowe-Crowne scale was produced.     

“I Love You,Man”: Overt Expressions of Affection in Male Male Interaction

Despite the importance of affectionatecommunication for relational development andmaintenance, individuals expressing affection incur anumber of risks, including possible misinterpretation ofthe expressions as sexual overtures. These risks appear to bemagnified in the male-male relationship, where overtexpressions of affection may be all but prohibited bynormative expectancies. The present study examines expectancies for appropriate male-maleaffection. Although empirical research supports the ideathat overt affection is considered less appropriate inmale-male relationships than in relationships with women, it also suggests that three variablesmay moderate this expectancy: relationship type,emotional intensity of the context, and privacy level ofthe context. An experimental procedure with 140 men (approximately 95% caucasian) confirmed themoderating effects of these variables.     

Managing Attitudes Toward High Achievers: The Influence 0f Group Discussion

For a variety of cultural, contextual, and interpersonal reasons, individual achievement often meets with potentially demotivating resistance from the group. In groups of between three and seven members, 397 psychology and social work students, in East and Northern Australian cities (Newcastle and Darwin), indicated their attitudes toward high achievers before, during, and after a group consensus task. In each location, and at both individual and group levels of analysis, initially slightly pro-achiever attitudes, following discussion of the issues, became polarized. Such changes, across diverse settings and groups, indicate that group discussion may be a robust tool, both for empowering teams and encouraging support for individual initiative.