Acceptability of,and Information Needs Regarding,Next-Generation Sequencing in People Tested for Hereditary Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Next generation sequencing (NGS) for patients at risk of hereditary cancer syndromes can also identify non-cancer related mutations, as well as variants of unknown significance. This study aimed to determine what benefits and shortcomings patients perceive in relation to NGS, as well as their interest and information preferences in regards to such testing. Eligible patients had previously received inconclusive results from clinical mutation testing for cancer susceptibility. Semi-structured telephone interviews were subjected to qualitative analysis guided by the approach developed by Miles and Huberman. The majority of the 19 participants reported they would be interested in panel/genomic testing. Advantages identified included that it would enable better preparation and allow implementation of individualized preventative strategies, with few disadvantages mentioned. Almost all participants said they would want all results, not just those related to their previous diagnosis. Participants felt that a face-to-face discussion supplemented by an information booklet would be the best way to convey information and achieve informed consent. All participants wanted their information stored and reviewed in accordance with new developments. Although the findings indicate strong interest among these individuals, it seems that the consent process, and the interpretation and communication of results will be areas that will require revision to meet the needs of patients.     

Transition to motherhood: A longitudinal study

A prospective longitudinal study assessed the development of the mother-child relationship within the context of other important aspects of transition to parenthood. In the prenatal phase, 238 women who were 8 months pregnant with their first child completed a set of questionnaires. At 1 month post-partum, 165 of these women completed a second set of questionnaires, and a subset of 86 were observed for 1 hour at home with their infants. When their child was 2 years old, 62 of the 86 mothers completed questionnaires and were observed in interaction with their toddler in the laboratory. The several hundred individual variables were reduced to internally consistent composite variables, 5 in the prenatal phase, 7 postpartum, and 14 in the toddler phase. Preliminary analyses reported in this paper assessed the structure of relationships among the composite variables within each phase (Pearson correlations) and whether there was significant prediction from one dimension to another across the phases, beyond stability in the predicted dimension (multiple regressions). Causal modeling analyses are still in progress. The results indicate that the development of maternal attachment is a gradual process and that feelings of attachment are related to a number of other measures of women's psychological well-being. Parenting confidence was found to play a central role in adaptation to motherhood within each phase, as well as from the prenatal to postpartum and postpartum to toddler phases.     

“I think you understand me.” Studying the associations between actual,assumed, and perceived understanding within couples

The current study examined the associations between actual, assumed, and perceived understanding and partners’ levels of dyadic adjustment. One hundred fifty-two couples provided questionnaire data (assumed and perceived understanding), participated in a videotaped conflict interaction, and in a video-review task to assess actual understanding (empathic accuracy). The data were analyzed by means of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. The results suggest that (a) some aspects of how well someone assumes that (s)he has understood the partner during a preceding conflict interaction were positively associated with his/her own objective level of understanding (actor effect), (b) that someone's perception of how understood (s)he feels was not associated with the partner's objective level of understanding (partner effect), and (c) perceived understanding, but not actual understanding, was positively associated with dyadic adjustment.     

Gender differences in subjective distress to emotional and sexual infidelity: Evolutionary or logical inference explanation?

Men and women were asked to imagine a romantic partner being sexually unfaithful and/or emotionally unfaithful. Three hypotheses regarding gender differences in subjective distress to sexual and emotional infidelity, and in the inferences linking the infidelities were tested. The results indicated that more men than women were distressed by imagining a partner enjoying passionate sexual intercourse with another person, and more women than men were distressed by imagining a partner forming a deep emotional attachment to another person. Asking another group of women and men to imagine a partner committing both infidelities at the same time, and then to indicate which component of the combined infidelity was the most distressing, produced the same sexual asymmetries. The prediction that men will infer from a partner's sexual infidelity the co-occurrence of emotional infidelity and that women will infer from a partner’s emotional infidelity the co-occurrence of sexual infidelity was not supported. An evolutionary perspective, rather than an alternative analysis emphasizing the different inferences men and women draw from sex and love, provided a satisfactory explanation of the sexual asymmetries in the cues to jealousy.     

Counselling for women: The contribution of feminist theory and practice

Much of the literature on the theory and practice of counselling is gender-blind, the assumption being that the emotional worlds of women and men are the same. This view is challenged, the author reviewing the work of feminist theorists and practitioners. Central to this discourse is the argument that to understand the internal psychic structures of women, her concepts of se& we have to acknowledge the effect of external and oppressive structures on her psychological development. This can assist us in our understanding of how the therapeutic relationship might address women's needs and provide the ‘space’ for her to grow and change.     

The uses of mental imagery in athletics: An overview

This article surveys the extant literature on mental imagery as used in athletics for performance enhancement, arousal regulation, affective and cognitive modification, and rehabilitation. For each category of use, applications are discussed, an overview of the empirical and case-study research findings is presented, and the research is critiqued. A concluding section recommends directions for future research on uses of mental imagery in athletics.     

Being female in the eighties and nineties: Conflicts between new opportunities and traditional expectations among white,middle class,heterosexual college women

The eighties and nineties would appear to be an ideal time for a young woman to come of age in American society. Legal barriers to opportunity have been virtually eliminated, and attitudes toward women seem to reflect greater cultural appreciation of their abilities and needs. However, there are indications that females are presented with conflicting images which nurture new career-related expectations while simultaneously stressing traditional expressions of femininity, especially marriage and motherhood. The research in this article explores the dynamics of conflicting demands on young women through a survey conducted at a small liberal arts college with students who are predominantly white and heterosexual, from middle and upper income families. (Only three percent of the students are from minority backgrounds.) Issues explored involve spousal obligations, salary differentials, marriage-career aspirations, responsibilities toward young children, and perceived degree of liberalism-conservatism pertaining to the place of women in society. The article concludes with a focus on the dilemma posed by new opportunities through structural change and the coexistence of cultural lag in the form of traditional norms of femininity.     

Maintenence of improvement in agoraphobic patients treated by behavioural methods—a four-year follow-up

Fifty-six agoraphobic patients who had shown clinical improvement when treated by behavioural methods were followed-up between 3.0 and 6.3 yr (mean 4.3 yr) later. Comparison of pre- and post-treatment and follow-up self-assessment data showed that improvement had been maintained on all the variables assessed—main symptom, other phobias, depression, social relationships and disruption at work. Only one patient reported the emergence of new psychological symptoms. However, only 10 (18%) of the sample described themselves as completely symptom-free, although most of the remainder reported that their symptoms caused them only slight distress, and little disruption in their lives.     

Gender differences in emotional support and depressive symptoms among adolescents: A prospective analysis

Investigated components of perceived emotional support, including support from family members, nonfamily adults, and peers, as predictors of depressive symptoms in a sample of 333 high school students (age 14-18) using a prospective design. Analyses of panel questionnaire data at two points in time suggest there are significant gender differences both in the quality of perceived support reported by adolescents and in the importance of support variables as predictors of depressive symptoms. Although there are no gender differences in the magnitude of perceived support from family members, girls report higher emotional support from both nonfamily adults and peers than boys report. Simple correlations between family support and depression are significantly stronger for girls than for boys. Results of hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for initial level of symptoms, reveal that whereas both nonfamily adult and friend components of perceived support are significant predictors of changes in symptoms for girls, none of these variables significantly predicts changes in symptoms for boys in this sample. In addition, initial symptoms predict changes in family support for girls but not for boys.     

Psychosocial Impact of Familial Adenomatous Polyposis on Young Adults: A Qualitative Study

The aim of this study was to explore in detail the psychosocial impact of either having familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or being at risk for FAP amongst young adults. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven individuals aged 18–35 with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of, or at risk of developing FAP. While being at risk did not seem to have a major psychosocial impact upon clinically unaffected participants, clinically affected individuals discussed a number of major stressors including issues in relation to changes in body image and physical functioning as a result of surgery, concerns about discussing FAP with new partners, difficulties in relation to childbearing decision-making, and impact on employment. Genetic counseling was described as being highly effective in providing support, but most participants were not aware of any other support services. Providing longer-term support through ongoing genetic counseling appears necessary to adequately address the ongoing challenges faced by young adults who are dealing with FAP.