Assessment of the efficacy of a peer mentoring program in a university setting

In the present study, the efficacy of a formal mentoring program applied to fourth and fifth year students of the Psychology Faculty of the Complutense University is assessed. In this program, fifth-year students took on the role of mentors and fourth-year students, the role of mentees. To assess the efficacy, the group of mentors was compared with a group of non-mentors and the group of mentees with a group of non-mentees, before and after the program, taking into account the variables related to career development function (knowledge acquired of the academic setting and satisfaction with the career of Psychology) and the psychosocial function (self-concept, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and involvement). The results show a statistically significant increase in the knowledge acquired about the academic setting as a consequence of the program, both in the group of mentors and in the group of mentees. Moreover, the mentors achieved a better average grade in the subjects of the specialty of Work Psychology. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in satisfaction with the career of Psychology, or in self-concept, self-esteem, or self-efficacy.     

The Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program (MBSR) reduces stress-related psychological distress in healthcare professionals

This semi-experimental study examines how Mindfulness facilitates a distress reduction in a group of health professionals. The sample comprises 29 professionals seeking stress reduction who undertook an 8 weeks psico-educative intervention, involving 28 hours of class, based on a program called Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction or MBSR. Results show a 35% reduction of distress, from percentile 75 to 45, combined with a 30% reduction in rumination and a 20% decrease in negative affect. These benefits lasted during the 3 months of the follow up period. The correlation analysis indicates that the decrease in distress is significantly related to the other two variables. These results confirm the effectiveness of MBSR to decrease distress and its applicability in training programs for health professionals.     

Neurobehavioral Assessment of Children Presenting Diverse Congenital Cardiopathologies

Brain maturation in 1–36 month old children suffering from congenital cardiopathologies was assessed after a study of psychomotor development. The Rogers’ test (Rogers et al., Developmental programming for infants and young children. Volume 2. Early intervention developmental profile, Revised edition, ESL/ELT Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1981) was applied to 65 children, of whom 21 presented with simple cardiopathologies (CpS) and 22 with complex cardiopathologies (CpC). All children were matched by age, sex and socioeconomic status to 22 healthy children in a control group (C). Mean differences between the three groups were established by applying the Kruskal–Wallis test, and mean differences between the C and CpS/CpC groups were determined using the Mann–Whitney test. The proportion of cases evaluated as “low” in each group was calculated by applying the Rogers’ test, and a test of proportion differences was applied between the C and CpS/CpC groups. CpS children performed similarly to the C, whereas CpC children scored significantly lower than C children on all variables. It is highly likely that the suboptimal psychomotor performance observed in CpC children was due to compromised hemodynamics and related to subclinical immaturity of cerebral development.     

FEMINIST ATTITUDES TOWARD PORNOGRAPHY CONTROL

Feminist attitudes toward legislative control of pornography were investigated. A sample of 119 recipients of the National Organization of Women Newsletter in a Southern California community responded to a questionnaire assessing variables expected to be related to pornography control: demographic variables, and attitudes toward pornography, censorship, free speech, and the harm of pornography. Values were related to attitude toward pornography control, especially the prioritizing of responsibility versus freedom. Attitudes toward pornography were also significant predictors; however, beliefs about importance of protecting free speech and the harm of pornography were the strongest predictors, with the protection of free speech making the largest contribution. In understanding "mainstream" feminists' attitudes toward pornography control, the most important variables appear to be those that assess the consequences of pornography.     

Clinical application of attachment theory in permanency planning for children in foster care: The importance of continuity of care

Permanency planning is a critical issue facing all children in foster care. Foster children frequently suffer from developmental delays and severe behavior problems, often leading to repeated displacements that in turn increase the risk for attachment disorders. To prevent the emergence of such disturbances, an Attachment Clinic was developed in Montreal to offer consultation to Youth Protection workers. A specific problem has frequently been identified in this Clinic: Should a child who has developed a significant attachment to his or her foster parents return to the biological parents or stay in the foster family? The choice between the two families is even more difficult when the parenting competencies of the biological parents seem to have progressed while the child has developed secure attachments in the foster family. Clinical cases will be presented to illustrate such dilemmas. Concepts rooted in attachment theory have been very useful to understand such problems, and have led us to believe that children's best interests lie in the preservation of their attachment ties and that repeated ruptures of such ties constitute a severe trauma. Resistances of the milieu to our position will be discussed as well as the Court's decisions in light of Canadian jurisprudence.     

Environmental,Social, and Psychological Experiences of Asian American Undergraduates: Examining Issues of Academic Persistence

A total of 160 Asian Americans (55 Chinese, 13 Filipino, 27 Japanese, 32 Korean, 15 Pacific Islander, and 18 Vietnamese) completed a series of standardized instruments assessing their environmental, social, and psychological experiences as undergraduates. The purpose of this study was threefold: to provide a composite of student experiences; to investigate the interrelationships of comfort in the university environment, social support, and self‐beliefs; and to examine the influence of these constructs on the academic persistence decisions of Asian American undergraduates. Overall, social support variables were the strongest predictors of academic persistence. Research‐derived implications for university personnel and professional counselors are provided.     

Barking up the wrong tree? Industry funding of academic research

This case raises ethical issues involving conflicts of interest arising from industrial funding of academic research; ethical responsibilities of laboratories to funding agencies; ethical responsibilities in the management of a research lab; ethical considerations in appropriate research design; communication in a research group; communication between advisor and graduate student; responsibilities of researchers for the environment; misrepresentation or withholding of scientific results.     

Effects of Rational Emotive Cognitive Behavioral Coaching on Depression Among Type 2 Diabetic Inpatients

Depression is a human illness that may prevent sustainable goal attainment. People with Type 2 diabetes mellitus have a much higher risk of being depressed than the nonclinical population, which may be due to associations between the neurobiological mechanisms that play a role in the two diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of rational emotive cognitive behavioral coaching (RE-CBC) on depressive thinking in a group of inpatients with Type 2 diabetes in Nigeria. A pretest–posttest control group design was used. Eighty participants were randomly allocated to the treatment and control groups. Outcomes were evaluated using Nigerian language (Igbo) versions of the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and the intervention was delivered in Igbo. An Igbo version of the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Manual for Depression was used as the intervention package. Data were analyzed using mean rank, repeated measures ANOVA, and the Mann–Whitney U test. At the end of the intervention, a significant decline in depression was observed among the participants in the group that received RE-CBC, but not in those that received standard counseling (control group). The effects of RE-CBC were maintained at follow-up. The present results suggest that RE-CBC is an effective and time-efficient intervention for managing depression in inpatients living with Type 2 diabetes. Further evaluations are warranted in other countries.     

Lifetime Abuse and Mental Health Among Older Persons: A European Study

This study aimed to investigate the association of lifetime abuse and mental health among older persons, considering associated factors (e.g., demographics) through a cross-sectional design. We recruited 4,467 women and men ages 60–84 years from 7 European cities. Mental health was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and physical injuries) based on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale and the UK survey of abuse/neglect of older people. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that country of residence, low educational level, and experienced financial strain increased the odds of probable cases of anxiety and depression. Female sex, white-collar profession, and financial support by social/other benefits/or partner income were associated with higher odds of anxiety, while older age and experience of lifetime injury were associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms. The findings of this study indicate that socioeconomic factors, as well as experienced lifetime severe physical abuse leading to injuries, are significant in perceived mental health of adults in later life.