Family Therapy with English Caribbean Immigrant Families in the United States: Issues of Emigration, Immigration, Culture, and Race

Many English Caribbean families in the United States are referred for therapy because of difficulties related to their adaptation to a new country/culture. This paper focuses on the intra-familial, and the family-larger system transitional/adjustment difficulties experienced by these families and presents issues specific to therapy with them. Effective therapy with English Caribbean families and their subsystems requires that therapists communicate to these families an understanding of their concerns, be knowledgeable about heterogeneity in cultural values and traditions, and create a therapeutic atmosphere in which families can feel valued and respected. Recommendations for therapists are presented and discussed.     

Specific modes of anxiety and arousal

Although it may be oversimplistic to regard the cognitive and behavioral effects of anxiety as simply being due to associated increases in arousal, this is essentially what many theories of anxiety do. Indeed, some theorists go so far as to equate anxiety with arousal. This experiment questions the appropriateness of this assumption by showing that increases in arousal do not necessarily accompany increases in anxiety. First, a 14-item arousal questionnaire was validated using factor analytic and multivariate analysis of variance techniques. Two factors were identified: cognitive activation and somatic activation. The validated questionnaire was then administered to eight very experienced rock-climbers in six different environments, together with a cognitive-somatic anxiety questionnaire. Heartrate and oral temperature were also measured. The six environments were: morning and evening; during a prolonged “bouldering” session; and immediately prior to leading pitches at two grade, one grade and zero grades below their leading capacity. The experimental hypothesis that activation would be increasingly impaired in the latter two conditions while anxiety would continue to increase, was confirmed by a multivariate analysis of variance (p<0.001). The results are interpreted as supporting the sort of two-factor theory of arousal that has been proposed by Gray.     

Bridging the gap between long- and short-term group psychotherapy: A viable treatment model

The purpose of this paper is to support the efficacy of short-term insight-oriented, process group psychotherapy and to present a unique treatment model. The format for a time-limited, dynamic group therapy model with the opportunity to recontract for additional segments will be discussed. Evidence will be presented that supports the effective use of this model for providing continuity of care for patients with both long- and short-term treatment goals. The referral process,contracting for appropriate goals, group development, the cotherapy relationship, and other specific treatment issues will be addressed.     

A microcomputer-based cardiotachometer with video display

A KIM-1 single board microcomputer implementation of a cardiotachometer that provides a low-cost versatile heart-rate data acquisition system is described. Unique features include telemetry, a composite video output signal of a video frame displaying elapsed time and heart-rate, and a TV camera signal of the behavior. Data is videotape- and/or audiotape-recorded for further analysis with a larger computer.     

Self-Defeating Behavior Workshops: Systems Approach for Hard-to-Serve Veterans

For the past two and one-half years, the self-defeating behavior (SDB) theory has been applied to a population of veterans who had a history of problems in job training, vocational placement, and academic settings. A group-therapy structure meeting eight times during a four-week period is the basic approach of the SDB seminar. In conjunction with the SDB seminar, a variety of support people and agencies have combined efforts to develop a systems approach to helping the veterans eliminate behaviors that are self-defeating. Results from the systems approach have been excellent.     

A Re-Examination of the Current Status and Future of Family Therapy in India

Marital and family counseling has existed in India for many decades. However, the formalized discipline of marital and family counseling/therapy has its theoretical foundation in the West. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the need for and the current status of the practice of marriage and family therapy (MFT) in India. Based on our limited experiences we have attempted to prognosticate the future of the profession of family therapy in India by proposing a number of salient issues that we think would be useful discussion points as the development and advancement of family therapy in India is considered.     

Factor structure of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in male and female college athletes

The study explored the psychometric properties of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among 1637 university students. Participants were divided into male (n = 432) and female (n = 544) competitive athletes, and male (n = 229) and female (n = 429) comparison groups comprised of individuals who had not engaged in competitive sports for at least one year. All groups were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the fit of the published factor structure in this population, and then exploratory FA (EFA). A three-factor solution was the best fit for three out of four groups, with a two-factor solution providing best fit for the male comparison group. The first factor for all groups resembled a combined Shape and Weight Concern subscale. The factor structure among male and female competitive athletes was remarkably similar; however, non-competitive athletic/low activity males appear qualitatively different from other groups.