The Relationship of Physiological Arousal with Demand and Withdraw Behavior: Examining the Accuracy of the Escape-Conditioning Hypothesis

The escape-conditioning model suggests that husbands experience greater physiological arousal during marital conflict than their wives. This greater arousal is hypothesized to lead to withdrawal from conflict in order to lessen the arousal. The present results, based on a U.S. sample of 64 heterosexual couples, found no support for this model. During problem-solving discussions, husbands did not exhibit greater skin conductance and did not report greater arousal than their wives. Furthermore, skin conductance was negatively linked to withdraw behavior. These results, while not consistent with the escape-conditioning model, are in line with recent studies that have explicitly examined gender differences in other types of physiological arousal during marital conflict.     

Predicting individual change in support over time among chronically impaired older adults

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the degree of individual change in friendship and family networks and support over time as a function of sociodemographic characteristics, rehabilitation use, and disability. Participants, 449 older adults, had age-related vision loss, a common, chronic impairment that tends to worsen over time. Three interviews were conducted (baseline and 6- and 18-month follow-ups). All network and support variables showed a decrease over time. Regarding factors predicting individual variation, age (younger) and education (lower) were associated with greater baseline friendship support, rehabilitation was related to maintaining a larger friend network, and disability was positively associated with family network and support. Results supported the importance of examining rates of individual change and factors associated with variability in multiple support components by relationship type.     

Factors Influencing Men's Interest in Gene Testing for Prostate Cancer Susceptibility

Interest in genetic testing for inherited cancer susceptibility is high in the general population. Women at risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations represent the best-studied population undergoing genetic testing for cancer susceptibility. However, it is unclear whether factors influencing interest in genetic testing in women are directly applicable to men. We designed a study to examine factors associated with men's interest in genetic testing to identify prostate cancer susceptibility. Our sample consisted of 267 men present in waiting rooms of a urology clinic in an urban area. We examined whether the concept of monitoring could be used to predict the interest of men in a genetic test for prostate cancer susceptibility. Our results indicated that monitoring trait was positively associated with interest in genetic testing in these men, but principally for patients rather than nonpatients. Moreover we found that monitoring was associated with over estimation of risk in those men with prostate cancer. Other factors found to influence interest in genetic testing included recommendation by a doctor, family history of prostate cancer, and cost. This study indicated that interest in genetic testing and estimation of risk is influenced by a complex interaction between both psychological factors (monitoring) and nonbehavioral factors (such as patient status, cost, and doctor recommendation).     

Disappointment for others

Two studies examined when and why people experience disappointment for others. Study 1 demonstrated that participants reported disappointment for another's outcome only when the outcome had strong personal implications. Study 2 demonstrated that self-image concerns rather than empathy or resource concerns mediated the experience of disappointment for others. Collectively, these findings suggest that people experience disappointment for others when those outcomes implicate the self-image.     

Genetic Risk,Perceived Risk,and Cancer Worry in Daughters of Breast Cancer Patients

This study explored relationships between worry, perceived risk for breast cancer, consulting a genetic counselor, having genetic testing, and genetic risk for women whose mothers had breast cancer. Analyses involved data from a community-based phone survey of women whose mothers had breast cancer. Participants were categorized as having low, intermediate, or high genetic risk based on their reported family history, in accordance with an accepted classification scheme. The Lerman Breast Cancer Worry Scale measured worry, and participants reported their perceived lifetime likelihood of breast cancer, risk compared to others, and chance from 1 to 100. ANOVA, chi-square, and multiple regression analyses were conducted as appropriate. One hundred-fifty women participated. Mean age was 38 years, and 81% were Caucasian. Fifty-two women had low, 74 had intermediate, and 24 had high genetic risk for breast cancer. There were no significant differences in worry or perceived risk by hereditary risk category. Most high-risk women (91%) had not spoken with a genetic counselor, and no one had previous genetic testing. These findings suggest perceived risk, worry about breast cancer, and use of expert consultation do not match the genetic contribution to risk. There is a need for effectively stratifying and communicating risk in the community and providing tailored reassurance or referral for high-risk assessment.