Influence of adolescent maternal characteristics on infant development

The present study proposed that several adolescent maternal variables would be associated with infant development. Using a sample of 71 adolescent mother‐infant dyads, the study examined the relative influences of the adolescent's level of separation‐individuation (Separation‐Individuation Process Inventory), feelings of attachment towards the infant (Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale), and feelings of anxiety regarding separation (Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale) on infant mental and motor development (Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 2nd ed.). As it was assumed that the adolescent's perceptions of being parented would provide the foundation for each of these independent variables, this factor was also included (Parental Bonding Instrument). In the current sample, adolescent separation‐individuation was the only maternal psychological variable to uniquely predict infant development, but only on the mental scale. Present findings highlight the importance of considering critical developmental processes of adolescence when exploring cognitive functioning and other outcomes in infants of adolescents. A number of possible mechanisms for the influence of separation‐individuation are considered in the discussion.     

Processes and outcomes in prevention-focused time-limited groups for girls

Processes and outcomes in 8-week prevention-focused, school-based groups for preadolescent girls were assessed in a naturalistic study. Specifically, whether such groups would facilitate their social-emotional development and whether affiliative processes in the groups were related to outcome were explored. In addition to expecting the groups to be effective, it was hypothesized that affiliative processes would be directly related to outcome and, more particularly, that increased positive affiliative feelings from the group toward the individual would be more predictive of positive treatment outcome than increased positive feelings from the individual toward the group. While findings did not support these hypotheses linking process to outcome, ancillary analyses revealed that different patterns of affiliation over time (i.e., U-shape pattern versus inverted U-shape pattern) distinguished the high- versus low-outcome participants, respectively.     

Changing the body image concern and eating behaviour of chronic dieters: The effects of a psychoeducational intervention

Abstract

A program designed to diminish body image concern and to normalise the eating of chronic dieters was evaluated experimentally and by monitoring outcomes for 12 months. The subjects were 82 females (mean age 44.4 years, mean BMI 31.4). Data from repeated measures of eating style, self-esteem and body shape concern revealed a strong, positive and enduring intervention effect. At 12 months the majority (86%) of the subjects were not dieting and 73% reported “sometimes” or “often” engaging in natural eating, i.e., unrestrained and physiologically cued eating. A positive relationship was found between extent of natural eating and the likelihood of weight loss or weight maintenance. It is concluded that female dieters can derive considerable benefits from programs promoting natural eating.     

Sorting the Liars from the Truth Tellers: The Benefits of Asking Unanticipated Questions on Lie Detection

We examined the effect of asking unanticipated interview questions on lie detection. We set up a room in which truth tellers (N = 40) performed five tasks. Liars (N = 40) observed the activity room through a window and were asked to generate a story in which they claim to have performed five tasks. The interview schedule included four thematically related pairs of questions. The first question of each pairing was easy for interviewees to anticipate, as it reflected how events are typically recalled. However, the second included a perspective shift (temporal or spatial), which made the question harder to anticipate. We also measured cognitive load via performance on an object sorting secondary task that interviewees undertook during interview. Compared with truth tellers, liars' verbal responses showed a greater decline in details across three out of four question pairs. Liars also sorted significantly fewer objects per minute on the secondary task. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

De‐reifying risk

Risk: Analysis, Perception and Management, by the Royal Society Study Group, London: Royal Society, 1992, 201 pages, pb £15.50

Social Theories of Risk, edited by Sheldon Krimsky and Dominic Golding, London/NY: Praeger, 1992, 412 pages, hb £48.50, pb £18.50

Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity, by Ulrich Beck, London: Sage, 1992, 260 pages, hb £35.00, pb £13.00     

Event Centrality,Posttraumatic Cognitions,and the Experience of Posttraumatic Growth

This study tested the extent to which negative appraisals following traumatic events and the centrality of traumatic events predicted posttraumatic growth (PTG; Tedeschi &; Calhoun, 1996 Tedeschi, R. G. and Calhoun, L. G. 1996. The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9: 76–80. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Participants were 405 undergraduates at a Midwestern university who reported experiencing at least one traumatic event. Regression analyses indicated that the centrality of the event was a significant predictor for all five domains of PTG. Negative appraisals of the world were related to some domains of growth, but neither negative cognitions about the self nor self-blame was a significant predictor of any of the growth domains. Interpretation of these results is considered in light of the consistencies with Janoff-Bulman's (2004) Janoff-Bulman, R. 2004. Posttraumatic growth: Three explanatory models. Psychological Inquiry, 15: 30–34. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] explanatory models of development of PTG.     

Ego Psychological Contributions to Understanding Microaggressions in Clinical Social Work Practice

Although the concept of microaggressions is highly useful for social work, current discussions of this concept have failed to adequately address some of the complex clinical issues associated with the recipient's experience of microaggressions. The complexity of these issues is especially noteworthy in work with clients who have mental illness, and/or have experienced trauma. Our understanding of microaggressions and the assessment and treatment process can be enriched by applying a psychoanalytic lens, and in particular, an ego psychological framework.     

Behavior Problems at 5 Years of Age and Maternal Mental Health in Autism and Intellectual Disability

We examined child behavior problems and maternal mental health in a British population-representative sample of 5 year-old children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), controlling for the presence of an intellectual disability (ID). Behavior problems were significantly higher in children with ASD with/out ID compared to typically developing children, but compared to children with ID only hyperactivity was significantly higher in children with ASD/ID. After controlling for ID and maternal mental health, the presence of ASD significantly increased the odds for hyperactivity, conduct problems and emotional symptoms. Negative maternal outcomes (serious mental illness, psychological distress, and physical health limitations) were not consistently elevated in ASD. The findings highlight the early age at which behavior problems emerge in ASD, and suggest that at this age , there may not be a clear disadvantage for maternal mental health associated with having a child with ASD in the family, over and above that conferred by child behavior problems.