Climatic effects on the sociocultural and psychological adaptation of migrants within China: A longitudinal test of two competing perspectives

Little is known about how climatic differences may psychologically impact individuals who migrate from one geographical area to another. A climatic demand theory perspective suggests that migration from more demanding climatic areas to less demanding climatic areas would lead to better psychological outcomes while predicting the opposite for migration from less demanding to more demanding climates. In contrast, a climatic‐fit perspective would predict that moving to areas that climatically are similar to one's home would lead to the best psychological outcomes whereas any major deviation would lead to worse outcomes. To test these competing perspectives, a longitudinal, multisite study was conducted with over 1,000 student migrants who moved from various areas in China to 12 cities. Participants’ life satisfaction and perceived stress were assessed upon arrival and at the end of the semester together with their sociocultural adaptation. Supporting the climatic‐fit perspective, multilevel analyses showed that participants reported the least stress and highest sociocultural adaptation when they migrated to host sites that were climatically similar to their homes. Conversely, individuals who migrated from very demanding to less demanding climatic regions and vice versa reported an increase in stress and lower sociocultural adaptation.     

Utility of verbal-nonverbal correspondence-training techniques in outpatient pediatric settings

Verbal-nonverbal correspondence training is a behavioral approach recommended in the development of adaptive behaviors and the reduction of problem behaviors. This paper summarizes research findings involving 4 verbal-nonverbal correspondence-training techniques and then illustrates the potential utility of these techniques in general pediatric settings. Particular emphasis is placed on strategies pediatricians could employ to teach patients how to use these techniques effectively to decrease problem behaviors at home (e.g., ADHD, refusing to take the prescribed medication, eating problems) among children seen in outpatient pediatric settings.     

Self-concept consistency and culture: the differential impact of two forms of consistency

Self-concept consistency is viewed as central to authenticity and adjustment in Western cultures. The authors propose that the implications of self-concept consistency depend on both the cultural background of the individual and the type of consistency involved. Specifically, although consistency of the self-concept across different contexts may be less important in East Asian than Western cultures, East Asians may still benefit from consistency within specific social contexts over time (i.e., maintaining stable, distinct relational selves). Supporting these ideas, across three studies, inconsistency of trait self-perceptions across different relationship contexts was linked to lower subjective authenticity and relationship quality for European Americans but not East Asian Americans. However, inconsistency within the same relationship context over time showed similar negative associations with these outcomes in both groups. Overall, the results suggest that inconsistency may be less consequential for East Asians relative to Westerners only if it reflects culturally prescribed adjustment to different social contexts.     

Childhood maltreatment, emotional distress, and early adolescent sexual intercourse: multi-informant perspectives on parental monitoring

This prospective investigation used multi-informant models to examine whether parental monitoring moderated associations between child maltreatment and either emotional distress or sexual intercourse. Data included 637 youth in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Child maltreatment was determined by lifetime Child Protective Service records and youth self-report and included sexual, physical, psychological abuse, and neglect (age 12). The moderating variable was youth- and caregiver-reported parental monitoring (age 12). Outcome variables were emotional distress (age 12) and sexual intercourse (age 14). Analyses included multi- and individual-informant models, adjusting for age, ethnicity/race, family income, and study site. Rates of parental monitoring did not differ by gender, but gender-specific analyses found that among girls, but not boys, youth-reported parental monitoring buffered the effect of maltreatment on emotional distress. Subtype analyses found that the buffering effects of monitoring on emotional distress were strongest for sexual and physical abuse and when youth experienced multiple subtypes of maltreatment. Caregiver-reported monitoring was not associated with reduced emotional distress. Youth and caregiver reports of parental monitoring were inversely associated with sexual intercourse, regardless of maltreatment history. Findings suggest that promoting parental monitoring among caregivers, and perceptions of monitoring among youth, may prevent early sexual intercourse regardless of maltreatment history. Promoting parental monitoring among youth with a history of maltreatment, especially girls or those who have experienced sexual or physical abuse or multiple subtypes of abuse, may reduce the likelihood of emotional distress.     

Neighborhood Racial Composition,Racial Discrimination,and Depressive Symptoms in African Americans

While evidence indicates that experienced racial discrimination is associated with increased depressive symptoms for African Americans, there is little research investigating predictors of experienced racial discrimination. This paper examines neighborhood racial composition and sociodemographic factors as antecedents to experienced racial discrimination and resultant levels of depressive symptoms among African American adults. The sample included 505 socioeconomically-diverse African American adults from Baltimore, MD. Study data were obtained via self-report and geocoding of participant addresses based on 2010 census data. Study hypotheses were tested using multiple pathways within a longitudinal Structural Equation Model. Experienced racial discrimination was positively associated with age and sex such that older individuals and males experienced increased levels of racial discrimination. In addition, the percentage of White individuals residing in a neighborhood was positively associated with levels of experienced racial discrimination for African American neighborhood residents. Experienced racial discrimination was positively associated with later depressive symptoms. Neighborhood-level contextual factors such as neighborhood racial composition and individual differences in sociodemographic characteristics appear to play an important role in the experience of racial discrimination and the etiology of depression in African American adults.     

Studies in Substance Learning and Retention: XI. The Effect of Maturity Level on Verbatim and Summary Retention

(Abt, L. E., &; Bellak, L. Projective Psychology: Clinical Approaches to the Total Personality. New York: Knopf, 1950. Pp. 485.) Reviewed by Dorothy Tilden Spoerl.     

Tele‐web Psychology in Rural South Australia: The Logistics of Setting Up a Remote University Clinic Staffed by Clinical Psychologists in Training

There is a significant shortage of clinical psychology services in rural and remote Australia. It is proposed that tele‐web psychology may provide one potential solution to this inequity in health provision. A tele‐web psychology project was developed through a partnership between a university and country health service setting in rural South Australia. Tele‐web psychology was conducted by Provisional Psychologists on their first clinical placement, with patients attending sessions in a community mental health team hub in a regional centre north of Adelaide. This article describes the logistics of setting up a collaborative tele‐web psychology service and makes recommendations on how to expedite the success of this type of venture.