Multiple channel exposure therapy for women with PTSD and comorbid panic attacks

Multiple channel exposure therapy (M-CET; Falsetti & Resnick, 2000) was developed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with comorbid panic attacks and can be administered in a group format. In addition to being a cost-effective way to provide treatment, group treatment for those with PTSD has been proposed as potentially very beneficial for addressing feelings of shame related to the traumatic event as well as social isolation in general (Foy et al., 2000). Previous studies of M-CET indicate that it may be effective for the treatment of PTSD with comorbid panic attacks (Falsetti et al., 2001, 2003, 2005). The authors examine the relationship of PTSD and panic symptoms pre- and posttreatment and present 6-month follow-up data on the long-term effectiveness of M-CET.     

The masculinity-femininity of women who study college mathematics

The purpose of this study was to contrast women who enrolled in college mathematics courses at the level of introductory calculus and beyond, with those who did not, on the two-dimensional plane of masculinity-femininity. Data were gathered from 179 female undergraduates. Differences between the two groups were explored with respect to masculine-feminine personality traits, attitudes, and role behaviors. It was found that the math group women differed from the non-math group women on a number of variables, including background and vocational interests. There are data in this study that may be interpreted as providing evidence for the importance of social and psychological factors in women's choice of mathematics courses at the college level.This paper is based on the author's doctoral dissertation at New York University. The author wishes to thank William L. Zlot, who served as dissertation advisor, and Robert G. Malgady who served on the committee. The study was carried out at The College of Staten Island. The author wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of the administration, faculty, and staff of the college. Special thanks are due to Dean Barry Bressler for his support.     

School Counselor and School Psychologist: Partners in Minority Family Outreach

This article is adapted from a presentation at the 1987 Convention of the American Association for Counseling and Development, New Orleans, LA.     

Effects of antipsychotic medication on discrimination learning for institutionalized adults who have mental retardation

Reduction in medication levels of drugs used to suppress inappropriate behavior (chlorpromazine, thioridazine and haloperidol) resulted in increases in performance on a discrimination learning task for seven residents of a state institution who are mentally retarded. After training to criterion on a matching-to-sample task, these participants experienced reductions in medication in an N of 1 AB replication paradigm. Two controls were medication free, and one remained on a stable dosage throughout. Improvement of performance on the first dependent variable (number of trials needed to meet criterion) ranged from 13.8% to 53.3% for the seven participants, while the three controls improved less than 1%. Improvement of performance on the second dependent variable (percentage of correct responses) ranged from 2.7% to 19.7% for experimental subjects; five of the seven subjects exhibited a minimum improvement of 8%. The change in percentage of correct responses for the three controls ranged from ?4.9 to 1.3. Treatment implications are discussed.     

宗教认知的多样性:三种一神教传统中自我认知的计量方法

本研究从三种宗教出发考查了一神论宗教的自我认知中的神圣和人类他者的表征。自我认知的概念是以叙事数据中的语义系统和情景知识为基础。考虑到认知图式形成中社会背景的重要性,本研究强调了比较宗教设计中的自我认知。样本包括60名指定的具有宗教背景的被试,对他们进行结构性访谈。在潜在语义分析(LSA)的计量模式中,通过比较自我和其它表征来绘出犹太教徒、伊斯兰教徒和基督教徒的图示。结果表明对所有的被试来说,在认知模式中的神圣表征与其父母相去甚远。与犹太教徒和基督教徒不同,伊斯兰教徒好像是以自我认知为基础来表征人性的其它方面,这种自我认知主要参考对神圣的理解。在考查计量语义空间的时候,被试通常是通过与神圣和类似人物相应的方式来表征自我的。     

Identity Processing Styles and Psychosocial Balance during Early and Middle Adulthood: The Role of Identity in Intimacy and Generativity

Identity styles and Eriksonian psychosocial balance were examined in young adults (N = 163; 64.4% women) and middle-aged adults (N = 132; 51.5% women). Participants completed self-report measures of identity styles (informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant), identity commitment, and psychosocial balance (identity, intimacy, and generativity). Different patterns of psychosocial balance were found for each identity style, with largely consistent findings across age groups. The diffuse-avoidant style was negatively associated with all forms of psychosocial balance, the normative style was positively associated with identity and intimacy balance, and the informational style was positively associated with intimacy and generativity. Structural equation modeling revealed that identity balance predicted both intimacy and generativity for the diffuse-avoidant style (negative prediction) and normative style (positive prediction), whereas the informational style provided direct positive prediction of intimacy and generativity. The importance of an informational identity style for psychosocial balance during both early and middle adulthood is discussed.     

A simultaneous test of the relationship between identified psychosocial risk factors and recurrent events in coronary artery disease patients

Psychosocial factors are increasingly recognized as risk indicators for coronary artery disease (CAD) prognosis and they are likely interrelated. The objective of this study is to simultaneously test the relationship between key psychosocial constructs as independent factor scores and recurrent events in CAD patients. There were 1268 CAD outpatients of 97 cardiologists surveyed at two points. Recurrent events or hospitalization in the intervening nine months were reported. Factor analysis of items from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory, and Hostile Attitudes Scale was performed to generate orthogonal factor scores. With adjustment for prognostic variables, logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between these factor scores and recurrent events. Factor analysis resulted in a six-factor solution: hostility, stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, support, and resilience. Logistic regression revealed that functional status and anxiety, with a trend for depressive symptoms, were related to experiencing a recurrent event. In this simultaneous test of psychosocial constructs hypothesized to relate to cardiac prognosis, anxiety may be a particularly hazardous psychosocial factor. While replication is warranted, efforts to investigate the potential benefits of screening and to investigate treatments are needed.