Impact of pre-existing levels of hostility and aggression on substance abuse treatment outcome

The impact of the change in level of hostility and aggression on subsequent substance abuse (drug, alcohol, or combined) recovery was investigated. One hundred and thirty-two dually diagnosed veterans completed an inpatient treatment programme at a large DVA Medical Centre. Results showed significant decreases in addiction severity over 3 month and 12 month following-up. At 3 months, pretreatment severity was predictive of drug, alcohol, and drug/alcohol severity whereas change in hostility and aggression scores were not. At 12 months, however, pretreatment severity was predictive only of drug severity whereas change in hostility and aggression were predictive of alcohol and combined drug/alcohol severity. Implications for changes in substance abuse correlates over time are discussed.     

Neighborhood consistency and memory for number facts

Verguts and Fias (Memory & Cognition 33:1-16, 2005a) proposed a new model of memory for simple multiplication facts ( $ 2 \times 3 = 6 $ ; $ 8 \times 7 = 56 $ ) in which learning and performance is governed by the consistency of a problem’s correct product with neighboring products in the times table. In the present study, to directly investigate effects of neighborhood consistency, participants memorized a set of 16 novel “pound” arithmetic equations. The pound arithmetic table included eight tie equations with repeated operands (e.g., 4 # 4 = 29) and eight nontie equations (e.g., 5 # 4 = 39). In the consistent problem set, tie and nontie answers in adjacent columns and rows shared a common decade or unit value. In the inconsistent problem set, neighboring tie and nontie problems did not share a common decade or unit. Across 14 study–test blocks, memorization of the pound arithmetic table presented a robust effect of neighborhood consistency, with the rate of learning nearly doubling that of the inconsistent condition. An analysis of error types showed that consistency fostered the development of a categorical structure based on problem operands and that tie problems were encoded as a distinct subcategory of problems. There was also a substantial learning advantage for tie problems relative to nonties both with consistent and inconsistent neighbors. The results indicate that neighborhood consistency can have a major impact on memory for number facts.     

Interoperation transfer in Chinese–English bilinguals’ arithmetic

We examined interoperation transfer of practice in adult Chinese-English bilinguals' memory for simple multiplication (6 × 8 = 48) and addition (6 + 8 = 14) facts. The purpose was to determine whether they possessed distinct number-fact representations in both Chinese (L1) and English (L2). Participants repeatedly practiced multiplication problems (e.g., 4 × 5 = ?), answering a subset in L1 and another subset in L2. Then separate groups answered corresponding addition problems (4 + 5 = ?) and control addition problems in either L1 (N = 24) or L2 (N = 24). The results demonstrated language-specific negative transfer of multiplication practice to corresponding addition problems. Specifically, large simple addition problems (sum > 10) presented a significant response time cost (i.e., retrieval-induced forgetting) after their multiplication counterparts were practiced in the same language, relative to practice in the other language. The results indicate that our Chinese-English bilinguals had multiplication and addition facts represented in distinct language-specific memory stores.     

Uprooted minds: displacement,trauma and dissociation

The author, English born and living in Sydney, Australia, presents an argument for the usefulness of the recognition of the implicit simultaneous links between the following:

• development of psychic skin and the establishment of the body schema
• development of a sense of identity
• relationship with place

such that the formulation psychic skin< > mind < > body < > self < > place < > world can be thought of as an organising gestalt or implicit continuum of ‘skin’ experience and process upon which the explicit always depends. This constitutes a taken‐for‐granted ground‐plan of the self‐in‐place . The author follows this with an exploration of the consequences for psychic health of a traumatic rupture of this gestalt for both individual and group. Material from two cases is presented: first, a young woman whose family fled the Balkan wars which splintered the former Yugoslavia; second, the transmission of displacement trauma into the third generation of a family who arrived in Australia after WW II from the former Yugoslavia. For the purposes of this paper I will not make a distinction between migrants/exiles/refugees and instead refer to either displacement or dislocation.     

Perceived variety,psychological needs satisfaction and exercise-related well-being

Objective: Perceived variety represents a psychosocial experience that gives rise to, and supports the maintenance of, an individual’s well-being. In this study, we developed an instrument to measure perceived variety in exercise (PVE), and examined whether ratings of PVE predict unique variance in indices of exercise-related well-being in addition to that explained by satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs (for competence, relatedness and autonomy) embedded within self-determination theory (SDT). We also examined the extent to which variance in perceived variety is empirically distinct from (or subsumed by) competence, relatedness and autonomy in the context of exercise.

Methods: A convenience sample of community adults (N?=?507) completed online surveys twice over a six-week period (n?=?367).

Results: PVE was found to prospectively predict unique variance in indices of exercise-related well-being, in addition to that explained by perceived competence, relatedness and autonomy. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures, perceived variety was found to be empirically distinct from perceived competence, relatedness and autonomy.

Conclusion: Results from this work suggest that perceived variety holds potential for theoretical and applied advancements in understanding and predicting well-being in exercise settings.     

Bias in the Reporting of Family History: Implications for Clinical Care

Family history of cancer is critical for identifying and managing patients at risk for cancer. However, the quality of family history data is dependent on the accuracy of patient self reporting. Therefore, the validity of family history reporting is crucial to the quality of clinical care. A retrospective review of family history data collected at a community hospital between 2005 and 2009 was performed in 43,257 women presenting for screening mammography. Reported numbers of breast, colon, prostate, lung, and ovarian cancer were compared in maternal relatives vs. paternal relatives and in first vs. second degree relatives. Significant reporting differences were found between maternal and paternal family history of cancer, in addition to degree of relative. The number of paternal family histories of cancer was significantly lower than that of maternal family histories of cancer. Similarly, the percentage of grandparents' family histories of cancer was significantly lower than the percentage of parents' family histories of cancer. This trend was found in all cancers except prostate cancer. Self-reported family history in the community setting is often influenced by both bloodline of the cancer history and the degree of relative affected. This is evident by the underreporting of paternal family histories of cancer, and also, though to a lesser extent, by degree. These discrepancies in reporting family history of cancer imply we need to take more care in collecting accurate family histories and also in the clinical management of individuals in relation to hereditary risk.