The effect of pre-treatment enquiries on child dental patient's post-treatment ratings of pain and anxiety

Abstract

The aim of this study was to attempt to replicate a study in adults: to determine whether pre-treatment enquiries about anxiety and pain in children, attending the dentist, influenced their subsequent reports of pain and anxiety immediately after treatment. One hundred and ninety five children aged from seven to 16, attending four Community Dental Clinics, were allocated at random to five groups. Before treatment the first group was asked questions about their dental anxiety, expectations and memories of pain. The second group was asked about dental anxiety and expectations of pain. The third group was asked only about dental anxiety; the fourth was asked only about pain. The fifth, the control group, was asked about none of these topics. All the children were asked after treatment to rate 1) their anxiety about dentistry and 2) their experience of pain in the treatment just completed. The children experienced less pain than they had expected. There were no differences between the groups in disruptiveness or in the amount of pain experienced. However, the children who were asked about both pain and dental anxiety (groups one and two) reported significantly less dental anxiety than the control group. These results are consistent with the conclusion that pre-treatment enquiries about both anxiety and pain have no effect on disruptiveness or the experience of pain but do reduce anxiety about dentistry.     

Processing mental objects directly: Therapeutic application of phenomenology

Abstract

When the phenomenological method is applied to mental phenomena their object aspect becomes apparent in a way that contrasts with their meaning aspect. William James described this objective aspect of mental life as early as 1904, but it seems to have been overlooked as an approach to psychopathology. In stepping outside of the natural attitude and directly viewing psychopathology, a hidden, “tangible,” element of inner turmoil is disclosed that is described here as a Phenomenologically Observable Dictate or POD. The technique for dealing with PODs is described. The author claims that the technique opens new avenues of access to some forms of psychopathology, although it does not consist of a complete therapy unto itself.     

Meta-analytic Reviews in the Organizational Sciences: Two Meta-analytic Schools on the Way to MARS (the Meta-analytic Reporting Standards)

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to review the Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS) of the American Psychological Association (APA) and highlight opportunities for improvement of meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The paper reviews MARS, describes “best” meta-analytic practices across two schools of meta-analysis, and shows how implementing such practices helps achieve the aims set forth in MARS. Examples of best practices are provided to aid readers in finding models for their own research.

Implications/Value

Meta-analytic reviews are a primary avenue for the accumulation of knowledge in the organizational sciences as well as many other areas of science. Unfortunately, many meta-analytic reviews in the organizational sciences do not fully follow professional guidelines and standards as closely as they should. Such deviations from best practice undermine the transparency and replicability of the reviews and thus their usefulness for the generation of cumulative knowledge and evidence-based practice. This study shows how implementing “best” meta-analytic practices helps to achieve the aims set forth in MARS. Although the paper is written primarily for organizational scientists, the paper’s recommendations are not limited to any particular scientific domain.     

Ophthalmic disorder may affect visuo-attentional performance in childhood

The aim of this study was to explore the visuo-attentional skills of children with an ophthalmic disorder. Twenty-four patients and 60 healthy controls between the ages 4 and 7 years, all right-handed with normal or corrected-to-normal close visual acuity, were divided into four age groups. Patients' diagnoses included refractive disorders (e.g., myopia, hypermetropia), strabismus, amblyopia, cataract, and nystagmus. All participants performed nine paper-and-pencil visuospatial tasks aiming to assess selective attention (cancellation tasks), spatial working memory (symbol orientation task), fine visual analysis (embedded figures test), and simple perceptual analysis (shape-matching task). In healthy children, the results showed that performance on all visuo-attentional tasks improved with age. While perception, orientation of attention, and visual working memory develop by the time children begin school (age 5), more sophisticated abilities such as attention disengagement and motor control continue to develop during late childhood. Moreover, a spatial bias in attention orienting appeared with reading acquisition (6–7 years). In ophthalmic children, at 4 years of age defects were observed in all assessed functions, but at 7 years an attentional deficit was virtually the only one remaining. Overall, the results demonstrate that children with an ophthalmologic disorder may experience difficulties with visuospatial tasks despite corrected-to-normal visual acuity.     

Developmental changes in attentional performance in urban children from eight to thirteen years

Abstract

In an earlier study of an epidemiological sample of 435 urban 8-year-old children, factor analytically-derived components of attention, as assessed by neuropsychological tests, were identified and were found to be significantly related to adaptive functioning. In this study we followed that cohort longitudinally and assessed developmental changes in specific aspects of attentional function into early adolescence. Significant reductions in omission errors and improvements in reaction times were found from ages 8 to 13 years on different versions of the Continuous Performance Task, a measure of sustained attention, with the effects varying by task difficulty level and subjects' gender. Significant improvements across age also were found on measures of the ability to focus attention and execute a response, shift attentional focus, and encode information in memory. In general, the most rapid changes in attention occurred between ages 8 to 10 years with more gradual changes occurring between ages 10 to 13. The results highlight the importance of developmental epidemiological approaches for assessing and predicting the normal evolution of attentional function in school-aged children.     

Black Athena: Two views

Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization, vol. 1, The Fabrication of Ancient Greece, 1785–1985, by Martin Bemal, Free Association Books, 1987, 576 pages, hb £30, pb £15     

Adaptive midlife defense mechanisms and late-life health

A growing body of research suggests that personality characteristics relate to physical health; however, this relationship has primarily been tested in cross-sectional studies that have not followed the participants into old age. The present study utilizes data from a 70-year longitudinal study to prospectively examine the relationship between the adaptive defense mechanisms in midlife and objectively assessed physical health in late life. In addition to examining the direct effect, we test whether social support mediates this relationship. The sample consisted of 90 men who were followed for over seven decades beginning in late adolescence. Health ratings from medical records were made at three time points (ages 70, 75, and 80). Defense mechanisms were coded from narratives by trained independent raters (Vaillant, Bond, & Vaillant, 1986). Independent raters assessed social supports between ages 50 and 70. More adaptive defenses in midlife were associated with better physical health at all three time points in late life. These relationships were partially mediated by social support. Findings are consistent with the theory that defense maturity is important for building social relationships, which in turn contribute to better late-life physical health. Psychological interventions aimed at improving these domains may be beneficial for physical health.     

Adopted children's language difficulties and their relation to symptoms of reactive attachment disorder: FinAdo study

This study investigated the potential association between symptoms of reactive attachment disorder and language difficulties among internationally adopted children in Finland (the FinAdo study). The language difficulties were assessed using a standardised Five to Fifteen (FTF) parental questionnaire and the symptoms of reactive attachment disorder using a FinAdo questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 689 6–15 year old children (49.2% boys, response rate 48%). Twenty-nine percent of the children were reported to have language difficulties and 8% severe language difficulties (10% and 2%, respectively, in the general population). A child's symptoms of reactive attachment disorder were associated with language difficulties and severe language difficulties, OR 2.15, 95% CI [1.39, 3.31] and OR 4.33, 95% CI [1.57, 11.98], respectively, the associations being robust to adjustments for background factors.     

Are You Minority Enough? Language Ability Affects Targets' and Perceivers' Assessments of a Candidate's Appropriateness for Affirmative Action

In the present study, we focus on Spanish language ability as a predictor of the extent to which Latinos are viewed by both others and themselves as full-fledged minorities. Study 1 shows that perceivers viewed Latinos described as Spanish speakers as more appropriate for race-based affirmative action than Latinos who were unable to speak Spanish (controlling for intellectual competence evaluations). Moreover, the affirmative action advantage that the Spanish-speaking Latinos had over the non-Spanish-speaking Latinos was explained by perceivers viewing the Spanish speakers as having greater minority status. The results of Study 2 suggest that Spanish-speaking ability is related to self-perceptions of minority status among Latinos. Like their perceivers in Study 1, Latinos who have less Spanish-speaking ability feel less Latino and report reluctance to apply for race-based assistance in the form of academic minority scholarships.