Antenatal caregiving representations and perinatal behavior in mothers with severe lifetime psychopathology

Psychopathology poses a risk for optimal parenting. The current study explored antenatal caregiving representations as markers for later risk of nonoptimal maternal behavior among mothers with severe mental illness. Sixty-five mothers diagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression (psychopathology group), and nonclinical controls participated in a longitudinal study from pregnancy to 16 weeks after birth. Mental health diagnoses and caregiving representations were assessed during pregnancy. Maternal behavior was assessed during the 5-min recovery phase of the still-face paradigm at 16 weeks. Mothers with psychopathology reported significantly higher levels of “heightened” caregiving representations (i.e., separation anxiety from the child) than did controls. The only significant diagnostic group difference in perinatal maternal behavior was that mothers diagnosed with depression exhibited more overriding-intrusive behavior than did nonclinical control mothers. Regression modeling results showed that antenatal caregiving representations of “role reversal” predicted significantly lower levels of sensitivity and higher levels of overriding-intrusive behavior independent of the effect of psychopathology. The findings can be interpreted in the context of representational transformation to motherhood during pregnancy. The results provide preliminary evidence for the potential of a new questionnaire measure of caregiving representations as a screening instrument for antenatal representational risk.     

Semantic interference in the picture-word interference task: Is there a pre-lexical,conceptual contribution to the effect?

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Picture naming takes longer in the presence of a semantic-categorically related distractor word compared to an unrelated distractor word. This semantic...     

How do horses (Equus caballus) learn from observing human action?

Animal Cognition - A previous study demonstrated that horses can learn socially from observing humans, but could not draw any conclusions about the social learning mechanisms. Here we develop this...     

Effects of D- and L-amphetamine on the predatory behavior of Southern grasshopper mice,onychomys torridus

Adult male and female southern grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus) were tested for predatory aggression toward cricket prey 1 hr after single injections of d-amphetamine (1 or 10 mg/kg) or 1-amphetamine (1 or 10 mg/kg). At the lower dose, d-amphetamine decreased feeding behaviors, while I-amphetamine altered attack-related behaviors. At the higher dose, both stereoisomers appeared to be equipotent in significantly decreasing 5 measures of predatory aggression. These results suggest that brain dopamine and norepinephrine play important roles in the regulation of predatory aggression of Onychomys torridus.     

Holocaust survivors in a primary care setting: fifty years later

Past studies have not assessed the prevalence of emotional disturbances in Holocaust survivors seeking medical treatment in a family practice environment. The present study examined the prevalence of lifetime (the presence of symptomatology at any time) and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, general anxiety, and depression in Holocaust survivors seeking medical treatment in a primary care setting. 20 of the 27 Holocaust survivors in our sample received a current diagnosis of PTSD and reported significant symptoms of depression and general anxiety. Although 74% of the survivors were currently diagnosed with PTSD, participants in this study had reported an overall decline in reexperiencing, hyperarousal, and overall PTSD symptoms but exhibited increased avoidance and numbing symptoms throughout the lifespan. These preliminary results suggest that removing avoidance as a defense mechanism during the course of psychotherapy may leave these survivors without an adequate way for coping with their trauma, subsequently increasing their vulnerability to psychopathology. Implications for psychological interventions are provided.     

HMOs and physician conflicts of interest

In a recent issue of this journal, Francis Beckwith's "The Ethics of Referral Kickbacks and Self-Referral and the HMO Physician as Gatekeeper: An Ethical Analysis" provided an admirably provocative defense of the claim that Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) physician gatekeepers are morally indistinguishable from physician referral kickbacks and self-referrals. Here I will argue that Beckwith's defense is weak. I will also make some tentative suggestions about approaching the issue of physician conflicts of interest.