Prospective predictors of suicidality: defeat and entrapment lead to changes in suicidal ideation over time

Theoretical perspectives into suicidality have suggested that heightened perceptions of defeat and entrapment lead to suicidality. However, all previous empirical work has been cross-sectional. We provide the first longitudinal test of the theoretical predictions, in a sample of 79 students who reported suicidality. Participants completed self-report measures of suicidal ideation, depression, defeat, and entrapment at two time points, approximately 12 months apart. People higher in defeat became more suicidal over time (β= .45), with baseline levels of suicidality and depressive symptoms controlled. The current results support the posited role of perceived defeat in driving suicidal ideation.     

A Role for Biology in Gender-Related Behavior

We take the opportunity of the 35th anniversary of Sex Roles to examine the journal and the field of gender research from a biological perspective. We discuss the limited coverage of biological perspectives in the pages of the journal and likely reasons for it in light of historical perspectives on the role of biology in gendered psychological processes and behaviors, review briefly contemporary research on biological (especially hormonal) influences on gender-related behavior, advocate for greater attention to biological perspectives, and suggest ways to integrate biological and socialization approaches into questions of interest to gender researchers.     

Measuring romantic jealousy: Validation of the multidimensional jealousy scale in Australian samples

Although a number of questionnaires have been developed to measure romantic jealousy, there is a lack of independent research that has substantiated their psychometric properties and minimal research that has tested and applied these measures in a consistent and reliable way. We aimed to address these gaps by providing the first validation study of an existing measure of romantic jealousy—the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (MJS). The MJS was subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in two separate samples of individuals in romantic relationships of at least 2 months duration. A 17‐item Short‐Form MJS (SF‐MJS) was supported, with three factors representing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural jealousy. Internal reliabilities were high. Consistent evidence supported the discriminant and concurrent validity of the SF‐MJS. Overall, the current research provides a brief, validated measure of romantic jealousy for use in the general population. Potential clinical uses are discussed.     

Predicting borderline personality disorder features from personality traits, identity orientation, and attachment styles in Italian nonclinical adults: issues of consistency across age ranges

The aims of this study were to assess whether Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features could be predicted by Big Five traits, impulsivity, identity orientation, and adult attachment patterns in a sample of 1,192 adult nonclinical participants, and to evaluate the consistency of these regression models across four age groups (<30 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, and >50 years, respectively). In the full sample, measures of neuroticism (N), impulsivity, and anxious insecure attachment were substantial predictors of BPD features (adjusted R(2) = .38, p < .001). Attachment scales were significant predictors of BPD features across all age groups, but different scales were relevant in different age groups. Our results suggest that in nonclinical populations, BPD may represent a complex constellation of personality traits and disturbed attachment patterns.     

Loss of Humanness: The Ultimate Trauma

This paper is about chronic illness and its impact on the chronically ill and their loved ones who live through the illness and the eventual death. A new concept is introduced, the concept of "passing": physically ill people may pass as healthy even though they are physically ill. In addition to a discussion about why people choose to pass, two major paradoxes are considered. One concerns the paradox that results from "passing." The paradox is that while the falseness of "passing" keeps the self alive, it also deadens it before death. Specifically, "passing" enables the person with a physical illness to keep his well self alive with others, but results in one feeling dead, disconnected, detached, and inauthentic, before death. The second paradox involves the pressure on the chronically ill person to be heroically agentic in fighting the illness and overcoming it and, also, the pressure for this same person to be totally submissive and compliant with treatment. While in analytic treatment, the ill person can be helped to access authentic emotions and aliveness and to feel the power of authenticity.     

Ambulatory accelerometry to quantify involuntary movements and tics in the syndrome of Gilles de la Tourette

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder characterizedby recurrent and involuntary tics, in addition to complex behavioral symptoms. Objective quantification of the nonspecific movements in Tourette patients can contribute much to understanding the pathophysiology of this disease. We used three accelerometersto characterizehead movement patterns and to objectively quantify head motility in the lateral, sagittal, and transversal planes in 9 Tourette patients and 14 controls during periods of rest, conversation, and watching a videotape with an entertaining program. Characteristic head movement patterns can be documented by means of accelerometry. Head motility levels in the lateral, sagittal, and transversal planes were significantly higher in the patients than in the controls during all the procedures. The patients and the controls showed a similar significant increase in head motility during conversation, but not during video watching. This first study shows that for both standardized and ambulatory research, accelerometry may provide an objective tool by which to quantify the severity and temporal dynamics of tics or nonspecific movements.     

In Between States: NationalIdentity Practices Among German Jewish Immigrants

Recent critiques of the identity literature have bemoaned the lack of clarity in conceptualizations of identity. R. W. Connell's (1987) theory of practice and Dorothy Smith's (1987, pp. 88–97) notion of "the everyday as problematic" provide the foundation for articulating the construct of identity practices. Identity practices refer to the routine actions and ways of thinking, as well as the representations of those acts and thoughts, that enable people to claim collective identities. Although identity practices mark group membership, they also signal marginality to or exclusion from other groups. This paper explores the importance of understanding identity practices at micro levels of interaction as well as macro-level structures and dominant culture narratives. The specific empirical focus—on German Jewish immigrants who fled Nazi Germany and arrived in the United States by 1945—enables an interrogation of the meanings associated with national identity practices.     

Factors influencing therapist selection among gays,lesbians and bisexuals

For this study 609 gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals were surveyed with respect to openness about sexual orientation and preference for a therapist with a particular sexual orientation. Other factors considered important in selecting a therapist such as licensure, referral source, gender, cost and specialty were also examined. Data for this study was collected using two different methods. In the first method, data was collected from respondents subscribing to internet listervers serving gay, lesbian and bisexual subscribers. In the second, more traditional method, surveys were distributed by mail or hand delivered to various organizations serving gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities in two southwestern states. Findings suggest that significantly more lesbians than gay men and bisexuals in the e-mail sample prefer a therapist of the same sexual orientation. No significant relationships were found between degree of openness and importance of the therapist's sexual orientation. Other factors related to therapist preference were explored, and results are discussed.