Children of Prenatally Depressed Mothers: Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms are Accompanied by Reductions in Specific Social-Emotional Competencies

Studies have shown that child development is negatively affected by prenatal depression. A dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pregnant woman, passed to the fetus, is one discussed key mechanism. Studies, investigating primary-school age children, have found effects on antisocial behavior. Effects on internalizing symptoms were not found, but the analysis did not distinguish between anxiety and depression symptoms. Additionally, until now, no objective test data operationalizing social-emotional competencies have been included. The present study examined: 1.Whether the effects on child externalizing symptoms could be replicated; 2. If there are specific effects on child internalizing symptoms, separated for anxiety and depression; and 3. Are child clinical symptoms reflected in reductions in social-emotional competencies. A sample of 61 prenatally depressed and 143 prenatally not-depressed women and their 6–9 year old children were compared, controlling for key confounders in both the perinatal period and in middle childhood. Children of prenatally depressed mothers had more antisocial behavior and depression symptoms reported by their mothers. The prediction of antisocial behavior scores tended to be more significant for boys than for girls. Child anxiety symptoms were primarily explained by current maternal depressive symptoms. Children of prenatally depressed mothers also showed a reduction in social-emotional competencies, specifically regarding the ability to interpret complex social situations. This study showed that, even in a non-clinical sample, there are distinct effects of prenatal depression on child externalizing and internalizing symptoms which are accompanied by reductions in specific social-emotional competencies. These results emphasize that treatment for depressed pregnant women and/or early support for affected families is worthwhile. Additional work is required to identify the underlying biological mechanisms.     

Short- and long-term consequences in decision-making under risk: immediate feedback about long-term prospects benefits people tending to impulsive processing

Many decisions in everyday life involve weighing up immediate and expected future outcomes that may be conflictive. Yet, it is still unclear which cognitive functions may affect decision-making in such situations. We examined 150 healthy subjects using a new decision-making task that measures people’s ability at handling short- and long-term consequences under objective risk. Two task versions were developed to investigate the effects of feedback about long-term consequences on decision-making. One version includes feedback about changes in long-term prospects while the other does not. Both groups revealed that advantageous decision-making correlated with reasoning and working-memory abilities, however, no correlations with executive functions were found. The effect of feedback on decision-making performance was moderated by impulsivity and need for cognition. Our findings contribute to recent dual-system approaches for risky decision-making by showing that individuals with predispositions towards impulsive rather than reflective information processing could profit from feedback about long-term prospects.     

Reconsidering the “relative” in relative ingroup prototypicality

Relative ingroup prototypicality (RIP) is an important concept in the ingroup projection model (IPM) of social discrimination and tolerance. This paper reviews measures of RIP currently in use and critically examines how the notion of RIP is captured by statistical tests treating RIP as a single variable. It is concluded that composite measures of RIP imply multiple statistical hypotheses that have previously been confounded. The value of an alternative multiple regression approach is illustrated in a study testing the hypothesis of a negative relationship between RIP and outgroup attitudes. Results based on the conventional univariate analyses would have confirmed or disconfirmed the hypothesis depending on the scoring method. In contrast, the multiple regression approach described in this paper resolves this ambiguity by suggesting that only outgroup prototypicality may be necessary to predict outgroup attitudes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zum Unterstützungsbedarf von Partnern schizophrener Patienten

The aim of this paper is to define concepts regarding the psychological assistance for partners of schizophrenic patients. A total of 28 in-depth interviews were analysed focussing on burdens and needs specific to partners of schizophrenic patients. Additionally, a focal group discussion was carried out. Partners often feel disappointed and dissatisfied with the information and the cooperation provided by psychiatric services. Criticism is directed towards inadequate information and insufficient counselling by physicians, the lack of integration of partners into long-term treatment and neglecting the specific needs of partners by professionals. Partners wish, in contrast, comprehensive information on an individual basis as well as the possibility of an exchange with other partners confronted with similar or identical problems. Generally, psychological assistance and cooperation should be made available as soon as possible after the diagnosis of the disorder. In addition to detailed individual conversations with the treating physician, regular meetings between partners, patient and treatment staff are recommended. Furthermore, specific workshops for partners of schizophrenic patients should be offered, with topics centered on possible changes within the relationship, such as problems with family and household organisation, questions of child education and sexual impairments.     

When women can’t do math: The interplay of self-construal, group identification, and stereotypic performance standards

The present research examined the interplay of self-construal (independent vs. interdependent), gender group identification, and performance standards (positive vs. negative) on women’s math performance. Female participants were given a subtle self-prime prior to completing a math test under conditions where either a positive or negative group-based performance standard was rendered accessible. We report an interactive effect of self-construal, gender identification, and performance standard such that a negative (compared to a positive) standard decreased performance under interdependent self-prime (“we”) conditions, whereas the reverse pattern emerged under independent self-prime (“I”) conditions. Importantly, we observed this interplay of performance standards and self-construal only in individuals who self-identify with their gender group whereas performance outcomes of low identifiers were not affected by the experimental manipulations.     

Object relations and interpersonal problems in sexually abused female patients: an empirical study with the SCORS and the IIP

In this study, we examined how retrospective reports of experiencing traumatic sexual abuse in childhood relates to both the development of self-representations and object representations and the occurrence of interpersonal problems. A total of 30 psychosomatic female patients who reported sexual abuse in childhood were compared with a corresponding number of eating-disordered patients and a nonclinical control group. The object relations technique (ORT; Phillipson, 1955), evaluated using the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS; Westen, 1985, 1991b), and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (Horowitz, Rosenberg, Baer, & Ureno, 1988) were used to measure the groups. The patients reporting sexual abuse achieved significantly lower scores in the cognitive scales of the SCORS; in the affective scales, they differed from the control group but not from the patients with an eating disorder. Concerning interpersonal problems, the patients reporting childhood sexual abuse reported interpersonal conflicts more frequently. The results of the study support the influence of traumatic sexual abuse on the formation of self-representations and object representations and on the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts.     

Water temperature determines neurochemical and behavioural responses to forced swim stress: an in vivo microdialysis and biotelemetry study in rats

Forced swimming is a behavioural stress model increasingly used to investigate the neurocircuitry of stress responses. Although forced swim stress clearly is a psychological stressor (anxiety, panic), its physical aspects are often neglected. There are indications that behavioural and neurochemical responses to swim stress depend on the water temperature. Thus, we investigated the responsiveness of hippocampal serotonergic neurotransmission (important in the coordination of stress responses), and of behaviour and core body temperature to forced swimming at different water temperatures (19, 25 and 35 degrees C). In vivo microdialysis and biotelemetry in freely-behaving rats were used. Dialysates were analysed for serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Forced swimming in water at 25 and 19 degrees C decreased core body temperature by 8 and 12 degrees C, respectively. A rapid and pronounced increase in hippocampal 5-HT and 5-HIAA was found in rats that swam at 35 degrees C, whereas biphasic responses in 5-HT and 5-HIAA were observed at 25 and 19 degrees C. Also swim stress behaviour and post-stress home cage behaviour depended on the water temperature. Comparing the serotonergic and core body temperature changes revealed that a combination of two different 5-HT and 5-HIAA responses seems to shape the neurotransmitter response. Swimming-induced increases in hippocampal extracellular concentrations of 5-HT and 5-HIAA occurred at all water temperatures, but these increases were temporarily quenched, or concentrations were transistently decreased, when core body temperature fell below 31 degrees C in water at 25 or 19 degrees C. These data demonstrate that water temperature is a key factor determining the impact of forced swim stress on behaviour and neurochemistry, and underscore that changes in these parameters should be interpreted in the light of the autonomic responses induced by this stressor.     

Modular Treatment for Children and Adolescents With Problematic School Absenteeism: Development and Description of a Program in Germany

Problematic school absenteeism is defined as absence from school occurring with a clinical-level mental disorder. It represents a higher-order term for school refusal, school truancy, and the combination thereof and is associated with an increased risk for school dropout, prolonged mental disorders, and unemployment. This article describes the manualized modular treatment of problematic school absenteeism (MT) by a multiprofessional team. The manual was developed to target a broad spectrum of mental disorders characterized by internalizing but also externalizing behavior. The therapeutic focus is on the reintegration into school and on the cognitive behavioral treatment of the mental disorder. The MT is based on a multilevel model of problematic school absenteeism. The treatment is informed by an extensive case-conceptualization and addresses motivational aspects by offering a low-threshold therapeutic design and motivational interviewing. Core interventions are represented in four modules: cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling, school counseling, and a psychoeducational physical exercise program. A case vignette provides an illustration of the treatment and the specific graduated approach for school reintegration. The current modular approach is discussed in relation to other cognitive-behavioral manuals targeting a broad spectrum of mental disorders or school refusal.