Depressive symptomatology during pregnancy: evidence for an association with decreased fetal growth in pregnancies of lower social class women.

The relationship between depressive symptom scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; L. S. Radloff, 1977) at each trimester of pregnancy and a decrement in either fetal growth or gestational duration was evaluated among 666 pregnant women. There was no association overall, but among 222 women from lower occupational status households, each unit increase on the CES-D at 28 weeks gestation was associated with a reduction of 9.1 g (95% confidence interval [CI] = -16.0, -2.3) in gestational-age-adjusted birth weight. When missing data were multiply imputed, the estimate was -4.6 g (95% CI = - 10.7, 1.5). CES-D score was unrelated to fetal growth or gestational duration in analyses among other potentially high-risk subgroups: smokers, women with a history of adverse outcome, and women with social vulnerabilities. These results raise the possibility that among lower status women, depressive mood may be associated with restricted fetal growth.     

Distribution of Traumatic and Other Stressful Life Events by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, SES and Age: A Review of the Research

Much research has shown that reports of stressful life events are related to a wide variety of psychiatric and physical health outcomes. Relatively little research exists, however, on the distribution of the events according to gender, age, racial/ethnic background, and socioeconomic status (SES). Such information would help identify groups at greatest risk for further investigation. This paper presents a review of the relevant studies. We find that traumatic (e.g., life threatening) events appear to be more frequent for men, while men and women differ more consistently on types rather than on overall numbers of stressful events other than traumatic. Traumatic and other stressful events tend to be more frequent in low SES and racial/ethnic minorities groups, and finally, both traumatic and other stressful events are reported more by younger age groups in samples 18 years of age and older. The limitations and implications of these findings for further research and preventive interventions are discussed, especially the need for more detailed information about individual events.     

Good Societies,Financial Inequality and Secrecy,and a Good Life: from Aristotle to Piketty

In this paper we show that for a dataset of 105 countries, four candidate objective indexes (Human Development Index (HDI), Weighted Index of Social Progress (WISP), Social Progress Index (SPI) and Sustainable Society Index (SSI)) and one subjective index (World Happiness Survey (WHS)) of at least aspects of the quality of life or human well-being have good convergent validity among themselves and expected statistically significant negative correlations with Gini measures of wealth and income, and a measure of political jurisdictions’ institutionalized financial secrecy (Financial Secrecy Scores (FSS)). A measure of offshore wealth as a fraction of GDP (FOW) showed only a couple significant correlations with one overall quality of life index (SSI). When we combined the four objective indexes to the subjective index to create overall measures of the quality of life (including Happy Life Years (HLY)), the correlations among the indexes increased. Most of the correlations increased again when we used Gini indexes to create wealth-equality overall quality of life indexes and these correlations were higher on average than those among income-equality overall quality of life indexes. Combining results using 21 quality of life/well-being indexes, we rank ordered 105 countries from best to worst. The top 10 in order were Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Australia, Finland, Netherlands, Slovakia, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark. This is the first time anyone has built the array of index options presented here based on a handful of originals. We offer them as another potential starting point for the next generation of researchers.

     

Koinonia as Ecumenical Opening for Baptists

This article discusses a new opening for Baptists’ role in multilateral ecumenical dialogue since the release of Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. A shift of emphasis toward koinonia has embraced relationship as a model for ecumenical endeavours while maintaining a robust sense of the goal of visible unity. The article will discuss several ecumenical insights and further potential for Baptist ecumenical work as a result of the centrality of koinonia.     

Heteronormative Relationship Education for Same‐Gender Couples

In recent years, same‐gender group‐based relationship education has emerged as a viable intervention to prevent relationship distress among same‐gender couples. However, many of these programs are conducted in metropolitan areas and lack the ability to reach rural populations. The current study sought to investigate whether two wide‐reaching web‐based heteronormative relationship education programs could positively impact same‐gender relationships. In a sample of 49 same‐gender couples, heteronormative relationship education had small (Cohen's d = 0.16–0.39) but reliably positive effects on key areas of relationship functioning and perceived stress relative to a waitlist control group. Additionally, when same‐gender couples were matched with different‐gender individuals with similar baseline characteristics, no reliable differences between the two groups emerged even though the program effects were sometimes half as large for same‐gender couples. Finally, same‐gender participants were as satisfied with the program as the matched different‐gender individuals. Though the results of the present study indicate that heteronormative relationship education can be helpful for same‐gender couples, additional tailoring should be undertaken to ensure that same‐gender couples experience as much benefit as possible. Estimates from the current study could be used in future studies to detect what might be small‐sized differences.     

Preinternship Preparation of Clinical and Counseling Students in Psychological Testing, Psychotherapy, and Supervision: Their Readiness for Medical School and Nonmedical School Internships

Internship directors have been critical of students' preinternship preparation in test-based assessment and psychotherapy but have not, until recently, expressed their quantitative expectations for this training. Using data from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers application form, this study investigated the quantitative statements of 96 counseling and 238 clinical students regarding their preinternship testing, psychotherapy, and supervision training, comparing findings to medical school and nonmedical school directors' quantitative expectations. Results generally demonstrated adequate psychotherapy training but suggested deficiencies in testing training, particularly as related to medical school directors' expectations. Counseling students received more training in individual therapy with adults but not in other forms of therapy. Clinical students produced more integrated test-based reports. Both groups received similar amounts of supervision.     

Intelligence in childhood and risk of psychological distress in adulthood: The 1958 National Child Development Survey and the 1970 British Cohort Study

Lower cognitive ability is a risk factor for some forms of severe psychiatric disorder, but it is unclear whether it influences risk of psychological distress due to anxiety or the milder forms of depression. The participants in the present study were members of two British birth national birth cohorts, the 1958 National Child Development Survey (n = 6369) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (n = 6074). We examined the association between general cognitive ability (intelligence) measured at age 10 (1970 cohort) and 11 years (1958 cohort) and high levels of psychological distress at age 30 (1970 cohort) or 33 years (1958 cohort), defined as a score of 7 or more on the Malaise Inventory. In both cohorts, participants with higher intelligence in childhood had a reduced risk of psychological distress. In sex-adjusted analyses, a standard deviation (15 points) increase in IQ score was associated with a 39% reduction in psychological distress in the 1958 cohort and a 23% reduction in the 1970 cohort [odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.61 (0.56, 0.68) and 0.77 (0.72, 0.83), respectively]. These associations were only slightly attenuated by further adjustment for potential confounding factors in childhood, including birth weight, parental social class, material circumstances, parental death, separation or divorce, and behaviour problems, and for potential mediating factors in adulthood, educational attainment and current social class. Intelligence in childhood is a risk factor for psychological distress due to anxiety and the milder forms of depression in young adults. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this association may help inform methods of prevention.     

Groups perform better than the best individuals on letters-to-numbers problems: effects of group size

Individuals and groups of 2, 3, 4, or 5 people solved 2 letters-to-numbers problems that required participants, on each trial, to identify the coding of 10 letters to 10 numbers by proposing an equation in letters, receiving the answer in letters, proposing a hypothesis, and receiving feedback on the correctness of the hypothesis. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people proposed more complex equations and had fewer trials to solution than the best of an equivalent number of individuals. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people had fewer trials to solution than 2-person groups but did not differ from each other. These results suggest that 3-person groups are necessary and sufficient to perform better than the best individuals on highly intellective problems.