Affective deficits and pain insensitivity in schizophrenia

Affective deficits have long been considered a prominent feature of schizophrenia and play a central role in recent theory and research on the pathophysiology of this disorder. However, it has recently been argued that current approaches to the conceptualization and assessment of affective flattening in schizophrenia are confounded by the social and neuromotor deficits that are also prevalent in this disorder. Insensitivity to pain in individuals with schizophrenia — a phenomenon that has been reported frequently but never systematically investigated — provides one approach to examining affective flattening unconfounded by social and neuromotor deficits. Two studies are described in which signal detection theory measures of thermal pain sensitivity were examined in patients with schizophrenia, mood disorder, and normal controls; in addition, in the patients with schizophrenia, the relationships between these measures and measures of affective deficits were examined. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly poorer sensory discrimination of painful thermal stimuli than control subjects, but did not differ from controls with respect to their response criterion for reports of pain; patients with mood disorder had a significantly higher (i.e., more stoical) criterion for reports of pain than controls. As predicted, among the patients with schizophrenia, higher response criterion was significantly correlated with greater affective flattening and less intense affective experience (as well as with fewer positive symptoms and poorer premorbid adjustment). The results of these studies suggest that pain insensitivity in schizophrenia may reflect affective as well as sensory abnormalities, and that pain insensitivity in schizophrenia may provide a method for studying affective flattening in this disorder that is relatively independent of the social and neuromotor deficits that confound existing measures of this symptom. Continued examination of the relationship between pain insensitivity and affective deficits in schizophrenia is also important because numerous clinical reports have suggested that pain insensitivity is detrimental to health and can have life-threatening consequences in individuals with this disorder.This research was supported, in part, by research grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to Robert H. Dworkin (NS-30714) and W. Crawford Clark (NS-09263, NS-20248).     

Pairs of Latin squares that produce digram-balanced Greco-Latin designs: A BASIC program

It is possible to create pairs of Latin squares that are digram balanced (in other words, that counterbalance immediate sequential effects) in a Greco-Latin design. A behavioral researcher can use these squares to design an efficient, well-balanced study without relying on chance. Researchers can apply these squares to any experiment in which they must pair conditions with different stimuli in a within-subject design. For experiments with a large number of conditions, however, the procedure is very time-consuming if done manually. A BASIC program is described that generates the correct pairs of squares for experiments with as many as 80 conditions.     

Book reviews and notes

THE RUSHDIE FILE. By L. Appignanesi and S. Maitland. London: Fourth Estate, 1989. 258pp. £5.95. ISBN 0–947795–84–7.

BE CAREFUL WITH MUHAMMAD! — THE SALMAN RUSHDIE AFFAIR. By S.Akhtar. London: Bellew, 1989. 136pp. £6.95. ISBN 0–947792–27–9.

A SATANIC AFFAIR: SALMAN RUSHDIE AND THE RAGE OF ISLAM. By M. Ruthven. London: Chatto & Windus, 1990. 184pp. £14.95. ISBN 0–7011–3591–3.

LES NOMS DIVINS EN ISLAM. By Daniel Gimaret. Collection Patrimoines. Paris: Cerf, 1988. 448pp. FF295.00. ISBN 2–204–02828–2.

DIE FESTUNG DES GLAUBENS: TRIUMPH UND SCHEITERN DES ISLAMISCHEN RATIONALISMUS IM 11. JAHRHUNDERT. By Tilman Nagel. München: Beck, 1988. 423pp. Hardback, DM94.00. ISBN 3–406–33280–3.

ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY FOUNDATIONS. Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987. 450pp. Hardback, £39.50. ISBN 0–7102–1097–3.

ALLÄH TRANSCENDENT: STUDIES IN THE STRUCTURE AND SEMIOTICS OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY, THEOLOGY AND COSMOLOGY. By Ian Richard Netton. London and New York: Routlege, 1989. xiii + 383pp. Hardback, £45.00. ISBN Hb. 0–415–01893–5.

MUSLIM PREACHER IN THE MODERN WORLD. By Richard T. Antoun. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989. 289pp. Hardback, $49.50; paperback, £15.95. ISBN Hb. 0–691–09441–1; Pb. 0–691–02847.

DISCOVERING ISLAM: MAKING SENSE OF MUSLIM HISTORY AND SOCIETY. By Akbar S. Ahmed. London: Routledge, 1988. 251pp. Hardback £25.00; paperback £9.95. ISBN Hb. 0–7102–1049–3; pb. 0–415–03930–4.

OUVERTURES SUR L'ISLAM. (New Perspectives on Islam). By Mohammad Arkoun. Paris: Jacques Grancher, 1989. 189pp. FF69.00. ISSN 0993–5754.

AL MUWATTA OF IMAM MALIK IBN ANAS: THE FIRST FORMULATION OF ISLAMIC LAW. Translated by Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley. London: Kegan Paul International, 1989. xxxvii + 464pp. ISBN 07103–0351–0.

ARAB HISTORY AND THE NATION‐STATE: A STUDY IN MODERN ARAB HISTORIOGRAPHY 1820–1980. By Youssef M. Choueiri. London: Routledge, 1989. 238pp. Hardback, n.p. ISBN 0–415–13113–3.

ÇABRA HACHMA: SEXUALTTE ET TRADITION. By Lilia Labidi. Tunis: Dar Annawras, 1989. 427pp. FF130.00. ISBN 9–973–733–00–2.

THE ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK: A CASE STUDY OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION. By S.A. Meenai. London: Kegan Paul International, 1989. xii + 226pp. Hardback, £65.00. ISBN 0–7103–0329–7.

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF JUSTICE: LAW AS CULTURE IN ISLAMIC SOCIETY. By Lawrence Rosen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 101pp. Paperback, £7.50. ISBN 0–521–36740–9.

THE QUR’ Än IN ISLAM: ITS IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ON THE LIFE OF MUSLIMS. By ‘Allämah Sayyid M. H. Tabätabä'i. London: Zahra Publications, 1987. 118pp. n.p. ISBN 0–7103–0266–5.

JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE AS EXPOUNDED IN THE QUR’ ÄN. By SHAYKH FADHLALLA HAERI. London: KPI and Zahra Publications, 1985.102pp. Hardback £15.00. ISBN 0–7103–0149–9.

THE CIRCLING SONG. By N. El Saadawi. London: Zed Books, 1989. 88pp. Hardback, £7.95; paperback, £3.95. ISBN Hb. 0–86232–816–0; Pb. 0–86232–817–9.

MYSTICAL ISLAM: AN INTRODUCTION TO SUFISM. By J. baldick. London: I.B. Tauris, 1989. 192pp. Hardback, £24.95. ISBN 1–85043–137X.

THE MUSLIM CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF NORTH AFRICA AND SPAIN. By A. D. Taha. London: Routledge, 1989. 280pp. Hardback, £49.50. ISBN 0–415–00474–8.

WA AND THE WALA: ISLAM AND POLITY IN NORTHWESTERN GHANA. By I. Wilks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 256pp. Hardback, £27.50. ISBN 0–521–36210–5.

LIBYA, CHAD AND THE CENTRAL SAHARA. By John Wright. London: Hurst, 1989. 168pp. Hardback, £23.00. ISBN 1–85065–050–0.

PRELUDE TO THE MAHDIYYA: PEASANTS AND TRADERS IN THE SHENDI REGION. By A. Bj?rkelo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 192pp. Hardback £25.00. ISBN 0–521–35336‐X.

RELIGION IN CALABAR: THE RELIGIOUS LIFE AND HISTORY OF A NIGERIAN TOWN. By R. I. J. Hackett. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1989. 481pp. DM158.00. ISBN 0–89925–394–6.

FRANCE AND ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA, 1860–1960. By Christopher Harrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 242pp. £25.00. ISBN 0–521‐ 35230–4.

ROOTS OF NORTH INDIAN SHT'ISM IN IRAN AND IRAQ: RELIGION AND STATE IN AWADH 1722–1859. By J. R. I. COLE. Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies, vol. 6. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988. xiv + 32pp. $38.00. ISBN 0–520–05641–8.

ISLAM IN ASIA: RELIGION, POLITICS AND SOCIETY. By John L. Esposito. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. 272pp. n.p. ISBN 0–19–504082–3.

THE CRESCENT IN THE EAST: ISLAM IN ASIA MAJOR. Edited by Raphael Israeli. London: Curzon Press, 1989 (rpt. of the first ed.: Curzon Press, 1981). 245pp. £6.75. ISBN O‐7007–0219–9. In the USA: Riverdale, MD 20737: The Riverdale Company, 1989. ISBN 0–913215–45–7.

THE POLITICS OF COMMUNITY: THE BANGLADESHI COMMUNITY IN EAST LONDON. By John Eade. London: Gower, 1989. xii + 213pp. Hardback, £24.00. ISBN 0–566–05717–4.

THE SOVIET EMPIRE: ITS NATIONS SPEAK OUT. By OLEG GLEBOV and JOHN CROWFOOT. Chur: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1989. 189pp. n.p. Pb. ISBN 3–7186–5017–7; Hb. ISBN 3–7186–5000–2.

THE TURBAN FOR THE CROWN: THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN IRAN. By Arjoman Said Amir. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 283pp. $21.95. ISBN 0–19–504257–5.

LAW OF DESIRE: TEMPORARY MARRIAGE IN SHII IRAN. By Shahla Haeri. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1989. 256pp. Paperback $14.95. ISBN 0–8156–2483–2.

PALESTINE AND ISRAEL: THE UPRISING AND BEYOND. By David Mcdowall. London: I.B.Tauris, 1989. xiii + 322pp. Hardback, £14.95. ISBN 1–85043–131–0

RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN MODERN TURKEY: THE CASE OF BEDIÜZZAMAN SAID NURSI. By Serif Mardin. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989. 267pp. Hardback, n.p. ISBN 0–88706–996–7.

ISLAM, THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE: ESSAYS ON POLITICAL IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Sami Zubaida. London: Routledge, 1989. 192pp. Hardback, £27.95. ISBN 0–415–01277–5.

ENCOUNTER IN THE SPIRIT: MUSLIM‐CHRISTIAN MEETINGS IN BIRMINGHAM. By A. WINGATE. Risk Book Series, no. 29. Geneva: WCC Publications: 1988. 86pp. £3.50. ISBN 2–8254–0944–8.

MEETING IN FAITH. Compiled by Stuart E. Brown. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1989. 181pp. £6.50. ISBN 2–8524–0949–9.

A TREATISE ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD BY Israel of Kashkar. (d.872). By B. HOLMBERG. Lund: Plus Ultra, 1989. 290 pp. n.p. ISBN 99–86668–28–5.

WELTRELIGIONEN UND FRIEDENSERZIEHUNG: WEGE ZUR TOLERANZ: SCHWERPUNKT: CHRISTENTUN‐ISLAM. Edited by J. LÄHNEMANN. Hamburg: EB‐Verlag Rissen, 1989. 450pp. DM42.00. ISBN‐3–923002–47–5.     

The transition from middle childhood to early adolescence: Sex differences in the social network and perceived self-competence

This study concerns the development of social networks from middle childhood to early adolescence. On a longitudinal sample of 100 children seen at 9 and 13 years of age, three basic questions were addressed: 1) age changes, 2) sex differences, and 3) the relation between network characteristics and self-perceived competence in early adolescence. The number of and frequency of contact with kin, adults and friends for each subject were assessed at 9 and 13 years using maternal report. Teenager report of academic, social, athletic and behavioral conduct was also collected. The transition to early adolescence was marked by several changes in the social network. At 13 years networks become more age segregated. Both opposite and same sex friends show an increase. Sex differences were also evident. For example, adolescent girls had a larger network of friends than boys. Adolescent boys had less segregated adult networks. For adolescent girls but not boys, the friendship network was related to specific types of competence.The preparation of this paper was made possible by the support of the William T. Grant Foundation.     

Reliability and Validity of a French Translation of a Short Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity

The reliability and validity of a French translation of the 7-item short form of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity was examined among a sample of 462 female French university students. Analysis supports the reliability and validity of the scale and commends it for further use among French speaking samples.     

Work, leisure and well-being

Both work and leisure are essential for well-being. Yet the ways in which we conceptualise work, leisure and well-being are in flux, reflecting, in part, the changing societal, economic and community contexts in which work and leisure take place. This paper first discusses the contested nature of work and leisure in relation to well-being, and then considers current evidence concerning the ways in which work and leisure are experienced in contemporary society. The emerging issues are then discussed drawing on two international studies which indicate the increasingly global nature of these concerns. The pervasiveness of the trend towards intensification of work, reducing time and energy for other activities, and the gendered impact of this trend are evident in both studies. Many commentators have noted the negative effects of current working patterns on well-being. Finally, some implications for guidance and counselling as well as future research, are explored.     

Exploring Cultural Psychology: Introduction to a Book Forum on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Towards Cultural Psychology of Religion: Principles,Approaches, Applications</Emphasis> by Jacob A. Belzen

This article introduces a book forum on Jacob A. Belzen’s book Towards Cultural Psychology of Religion: Principles, Approaches, Applications. The introduction discusses the relatively recent “turn to culture” and how it has affected the field of psychology of religion and the variety of concerns examined by the journal Pastoral Psychology.     

Ethical Care for Vulnerable Populations Receiving Psychotropic Treatment

The increasing use of pharmacotherapy raises specific ethical concerns for psychologists working with vulnerable populations. Due to a shortage of trained specialists, professionals without training in mental health, such as primary care providers, are increasingly prescribing and monitoring psychotropic medications. Vulnerable populations (e.g., older adults, people currently low in social status, immigrants, and racial/ethnic minorities) face additional barriers to mental health treatment and are at heightened risk when these factors intersect. Hence, these patients experience unique barriers to receiving optimal psychopharmacological care and are differentially vulnerable to deleterious outcomes associated with misdiagnosis and overmedication. Taken together, these factors fuel inequities in the access, quality, and utilization of mental health care. Psychologists working with these patients are ethically mandated to protect patients from harm and ensure equitable care across patient populations. Specifically, psychologists must respond to the dilemma of how to effectively treat patients within these vulnerable populations who have been misdiagnosed or poorly medicated while remaining within the bounds of their competence. This article recommends pathways to address these dilemmas through education, training, research, and advocacy.     

Selection-based virtual keyboard prototypes and data collection application

An emerging area of research in engineering psychology is the evaluation of text entry for mobile devices using a small number of keys for the control of cursor direction and character selection from a matrix of characters (i.e., selection-based data entry). The present article describes a software tool designed to reduce time and effort in the development of prototypes of alternative selection-based text-entry schemes and their empirical evaluation. The tool, available for distribution to researchers, educators, and students, uses Action Script code compiled into an executable file that has an embedded Adobe Flash Player and is compatible with most operating systems (including Microsoft Windows, Apple OSX, and Linux).     

Predictors of Parenting Stress for Abusive and Nonabusive Mothers

We examined a model of parenting stress for abusive mothers (n = 80) and nonabusive mothers (n = 86) using linear regression analyses. Predictors in the model included (a) the degree to which mothers were bothered by child misbehavior, (b) mothers’ general psychological functioning, and (c) observed child behavior during parent–child interactions. Whether abuse status moderated the relations between each predictor and parenting stress was also explored. Results indicated that mothers’ psychological functioning significantly predicted parenting stress; however, neither mothers’ intolerance for their children’s misbehavior nor observed child behavior were significant predictors of parenting stress in the regression model. A test of moderation revealed a significant interaction between parental intolerance and abuse status such that intolerance predicted parenting stress level only for abusive mothers. A comparison of correlations indicated that abusive mothers’ level of parenting stress was more closely related to their intolerance for child conduct problems than to the child’s behavior during play with their mothers. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for interventions to reduce parenting stress experienced by nonabusive and abusive mothers.