Social relationships,stressful life events,and self-reported physical health: Genetic and environmental influences

Abstract

This study investigates how the associations between self-reported health, stressful life events, and social relationships are mediated by genetic and environmental influences and how much of the variance in health is in common with variation in these psychosocial factors. The analyses are based on questionnaire data from 576 pairs of twins reared apart and twins reared together. The data revealed that for men environmental influences were solely important for variation in the psychosocial measures and were the primary mediators of the relationship with health. For women, on the other hand, a substantial portion of the variance in the psychosocial factors was due to genetic influences and these influences also contributed to the bulk of the correlations with health. The gender differences for the relationships and their mediation indicate that what should be regarded as a psychosocial factor of importance for health might differ between genders.     

Perceived stress, quitting smoking, and smoking relapse

Assessed perceptions of stress prior to quitting and at 1, 3, and 6 months following quit date. Self-reported smoking status was augmented by a bogus pipeline procedure at each interview, and abstinence at 6 months was verified by carbon monoxide and saliva cotinine. The analyses provide strong evidence for a relation between changes in stress levels and changes in smoking status. Those who failed to quit smoking for more than 24 hr maintained a relatively high and consistent level of stress over the entire 6-month period. For those remaining continuously abstinent over the course of the study, stress decreased as duration of abstinence increased. Increases in stress with relapse were found across all three panel lags (prequit to 1 month, 1 to 3 months, and 3 to 6 months), and decreases in stress with quitting were found across the two lags where that comparison was possible. The possibility that the relation between smoking and stress is bidirectional is discussed as a possible interpretation of the results.     

A Behavior-Analytic Approach to Smoking Acquisition: Some Recent Findings1

A behavior-analytic account of the smoking acquisition process is presented and contrasted with other formulations. Assessment implications of the approach are described and briefly illustrated. Data from studies on the onset of experimental smoking and the transition to regular smoking are presented and evaluated with respect to the proposed framework. These data are quite consistent with the behavior-analytic account but do not disconfirm alternative accounts. The implications of the data for both prevention programs and future research are discussed.     

Signal detection and localization by real observers

A model for detection and localization (DAL) was applied to the processing of a noise-masked tonal signal by human Ss. The model was supported in that consistent values of d’ were obtained from rating. forced-choice (FC). and DAL procedures. Also. the rating d’ accurately predicted per cent correct on the FC and DAL trials. A shortcoming of the theory was its failure to account satisfactorily for the details of FC and DAL stimulus-response matrices.     

Effects of perception versus imagery on later recognition of visual patterns.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the role of imagery in aiding memory for visual information and to compare its effectiveness relative to direct perception. Subjects engaged in orienting tasks in which they had to decide whether the second of two sequentially presented meaningless patterns was a part of the first. They later received unexpected recognition tests for the original drawings. Increasing the interval between patterns by adding an extra post-stimulus period for imaginal processing improved later recognition scores. Experiments comparing continued perception with an equal blank interval suggested that periods of direct perception and of imagery are about equally effective in promoting memory. The results are discussed in the frame work of Craik and Lockhart (1972) with regard to type I and type II processing, and in the light of Neisser's (1967) view on imagery and perception.     

Video-based assessment of interpersonal problem solving skills in patients with schizophrenia, their siblings and non-psychiatric controls

The aim of this study was to analyze social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and their biological relatives with a Swedish version of the video-based vignette test Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS). In a new video production with simulated "real life" situations we tested the ability to receive, process and send social information in 25 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, 20 siblings to patients with schizophrenia and 25 randomly selected non-psychiatric controls. The test proved to have good validity and interrater reliability. After controlling for positive or negative symptoms, patients had poor performance especially in acting out solutions leading to effective problem solving. Siblings generally did not differ from controls, but showed some deficiencies in non-verbal language. To conclude, AIPSS is appropriate for use in a Swedish-speaking context and might be useful in research on vulnerability indicators and in assessment of treatment interventions.     

Commentary on Nikolay Mintchev’s “Object-Relations and Cultural Narratives in the Analysis of Racism”

Nikolay Mintchev’s (this issue) consideration of the use of psychoanalytic thought as a critical framework for the analysis of racism focuses on the differences between the Kleinian and Lacanian schools. While his depiction of their differences and the relevance of those differences for social theory is fundamentally fair and accurate, he overlooks the fact that as clinical theories, they may indeed have more in common than their apparent differences suggest. Their shared attention to the importance of unconscious fantasy and to the mechanisms of transference or the encounter with the Other in clinical work undermines the rigid distinction between them that is necessary for Mintchev’s thesis. By accepting the common view of their differences, Mintchev assumes a weaker version of each and sacrifices the dialectical dimension of psychoanalytic thought that indeed enhances its utility as social analysis.     

The Swedish version of the parent-rated Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI)

To evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Swedish version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI), it was sent to parents of 9- and 12-yr.-old twins in Sweden. The final number of responders was 196 parents who rated 92 female and 104 male twin pairs. The inventory of one twin, randomly chosen from each pair, was included in the analyses. Reward Dependence, Persistence, and Cooperativeness were scored higher in girls; Novelty Seeking was higher in the 9-yr.-olds and Persistence in the 12-yr.-olds. Pearson's correlations showed that some dimensions were not statistically independent from each other, even if the covariance was moderate. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was satisfactory for Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness (.68-.81), while it was lower in those dimensions that had fewer items. The Swedish parent version of the J-TCI shared about the same psychometric characteristics as found in international samples.