Interaction Effects between Maternal Lifetime Depressive/Anxiety Disorders and Correlates of Children��s Externalizing Symptoms

We investigated the interaction effects between mother??s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and psychosocial correlates of 6 to 11 year-old children??s self-reported externalizing symptoms in the Quebec Child Mental Health Survey. A representative subsample of 1,490 Quebec children aged 6 to 11 years was selected from the original sample. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses using externalizing symptoms as reported by children through the Dominic questionnaire and multiple child, family and socioeconomic characteristics. Two variables interacted significantly with mother??s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders to predict 6 to 11 year-old children??s self-reported externalizing symptoms: physical/sexual abuse and mother??s caring behaviours. Results underline the main contribution of mother-child relationship and stressful events in the association between mother??s lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and children??s externalizing symptoms. It is suggested to develop preventive intervention programs oriented towards children of lifetime depressed/anxious parents who also report parent-child relational difficulties.     

Psychopathology, childhood trauma, and personality traits in patients with borderline personality disorder and their sisters

The aim of this study was to document and compare adverse childhood experiences, and personality profiles in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their sisters, and to determine how these factors impact current psychopathology. Fifty-six patients with BPD and their sisters were compared on measures assessing psychopathology, personality traits, and childhood adversities. Most sisters showed little evidence of psychopathology. Both groups reported dysfunctional parent-child relationships and a high prevalence of childhood trauma. Subjects with BPD reported experiencing more emotional abuse and intrafamilial sexual abuse, but more similarities than differences between probands and sisters were found. In multilevel analyses, personality traits of affective instability and impulsivity predicted DIB-R scores and SCL-90-R scores, above and beyond trauma. There were few relationships between childhood adversities and other measures of psychopathology. Sensitivity to adverse experiences, as reflected in the development of psychopathology, appears to be influenced by personality trait profiles.     

Individually-tailored, Internet-based treatment for anxiety disorders: A randomized controlled trial

Previous studies on Internet-based treatment with minimal to moderate therapist guidance have shown promising results for a number of specific diagnoses. The aim of this study was to test a new approach to Internet treatment that involves tailoring the treatment according to the patient’s unique characteristics and comorbidities.A total of 54 participants, regardless of specific anxiety diagnosis, were included after an in-person, semi-structured diagnostic interview and randomized to a 10 week treatment program or to a control group. Treatment consisted of a number of individually-prescribed modules in conjunction with online therapist guidance. Significant results were found for all dependent measures both immediately following treatment and at 1 and 2 year intervals. Mean between-group effect size including measures of anxiety, depression and quality of life was Cohen’s d = 0.69 at post-treatment, while the mean within-group effect size was d = 1.15 at post-treatment and d = 1.13 and d = 1.04 at 1 and 2 year follow-up respectively.The tentative conclusion drawn from these results is that tailoring the Internet-based therapy can be a feasible approach in the treatment of anxiety in a homogeneous population.     

Information search patterns for gift purchases: a cross‐national examination of gender differences

This exploratory study examines the underlying determinants as well as the dimensionality of in‐store information searches for a Christmas clothing gift, focusing specifically on the differential effect of gender on information acquisition. A self‐administered survey, containing personality, situational and standard demographic measures, was administered to actual consumers in three Western countries, shortly after the Christmas season. Confirmatory factor analysis verified that in‐store information is indeed a multidimensional construct, composed of three distinct factors: macro information search, micro information search and salesperson help. Consistent with expectations, compared to males, females tended to acquire macro and micro information to a greater extent; males were more apt to seek the assistance of store sales personnel than females. This pattern was generally robust across the three countries. Other observed gender and/or country‐sample differences are discussed. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

Scene perception, gaze behavior, and perceptual learning in virtual environments.

More and more immersive environments are developed to provide support for learning or training purposes. Ecological validity of such environments is usually based on learning performance comparisons between virtual environments and their genuine counterparts. Little is known about learning processes occurring in immersive environments. A new technique is proposed for testing perceptual learning during virtual immersion. This methodology relies upon eye-tracking technologies to analyze gaze behavior recorded in relation to virtual objects' features and tasks' requirements. It is proposed that perceptual learning mechanisms engaged could be detected through eye movements. In this study, nine subjects performed perceptual learning tasks in virtual immersion. Results obtained indicated that perceptual learning influences gaze behavior dynamics. More precisely, analysis revealed that fixation number and variability in fixation duration varied with perceptual learning level. Such findings could contribute in shedding light on learning mechanisms as well as providing additional support for validating virtual learning environments.     

Norms of subjective frequency of use and imagery for a sample of 1,916 French nouns.

Norms of rated subjective frequency of use and imagery on seven-point scales are reported for 1,916 French nouns. Subjective frequency was defined as the rated frequency of occurrence of words in spoken French, and imagery was defined as the rated case with which a word aroused a mental image. The mean, standard deviation, and percentile rank of the frequency and imagery ratings for each item are presented in the Appendix together with their objective frequency of occurrence in Baudot's (1992) dictionary. Interjudge reliability was assessed by calculating the correlation between the mean ratings of items repeated in the booklet, between the mean ratings obtained from odd-numbered and even-numbered respondents, and by computing the Cronbach alpha statistic for each page of the booklet. These reliability estimates were equal to or greater than .92 for frequency and for imagery, confirming the high level of interjudge consistency. Although the estimates provided by female and male participants were highly correlated (r = .97), the former gave a slightly higher frequency rating to the word sample but a slightly lower imagery rating than the latter did. Moreover, female respondents gave slightly more extreme ratings on the frequency and imagery scales. An analysis of the absolute difference between female and male ratings revealed a discrepancy of one half point or more on 20% of the word sample for frequency and 13% for imagery. On both scales, the mean absolute difference between male and female ratings was larger than that obtained by chance alone. This finding highlights the possibility that some words may not be equally familiar to women and men or may not evoke imagery with the same ease in these groups. Validity estimates for the frequency and imagery ratings were derived from correlations with scale values drawn from other normative studies. These correlation coefficients were equal to or greater than .78 for frequency and .86 for imagery, confirming the high level of consistency between this and other studies. An analysis of the relationship between subjective frequency and imagery ratings indicated that these variables are generally uncorrelated but exceptions occur. In the present study the coefficient of the correlation between subjective frequency and imagery was .24. However, when items with extreme mean frequency were excluded from the calculation, the correlation coefficient dropped to .04 and was no longer significant. Imagery ratings from five independent studies were all positively and significantly correlated with Vikis-Freibergs's (1974) frequency estimates, which were obtained from a free-association task. This finding suggests that word association, as a form of cued recall, may be influenced by several stimulus attributes including prior frequency of association and imagery-evoking value. The pattern of correlation between imagery ratings and text-based frequency estimates is not coherent. It reveals significant correlations only in select cases and no consistent polarity of linear relationship. The main contribution of this research is to provide reliable estimates of subjective frequency and imagery value for a word sample that is larger than those included in previous studies. A close examination of the linear relationship among the various sources of frequency and imagery data underscores the risk of confounding these variables in the selection of lexical stimuli for research.     

Heterogeneity of Incentives for Physical Activity and Self-Efficacy in Highly Active and Moderately Active Women Exercisers

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether persons exercising 2 times per week or less versus 3 times per week or more, with intentions to maintain current level of activity form a homogenous group in terms of motivational features. A group of 86 women recruited from local fitness clubs reported on their exercise incentives, self-efficacy, exercise behavior, and exercise intentions. A discriminant function analysis revealed that self-efficacy and incentives for stress reduction and mental health discriminated highly active from moderately active women. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of stage theory and research in exercise adherence.     

L'INVENTAIRE DE RESOLUTION DE PROBLEMES PERSONNELS: UNE PERSPECTIVE METACOGNITIVE*

Studies on personal problem solving demonstrate important variations in intra- and interindividual problem solving performances. These differences have been associated with different levels of subject's psychological distress. Recently, several investigators have attempted to identify meta-cognitive factors associated with fluctuations in problem solving performance and variations in subject's level of mental health. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric qualities of the French version of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI). The 35-item questionnaire assess people's attitudes toward their personal problem solving competence. Reliability, factorial structure and construct validity of the instrument were evaluated with two different samples of subjects. Results indicated that the French version of the PSI has high internal consistency and, as predicted, a tri-dimensional factorial structure. The observed relation between subject's appraisal of their personal problem solving abilities and level of psychological distress support the discriminant properties and the concurrent validity of the PSI.     

Short versus long term gains of a cognitive-behavioral social skills program targeting the giving and receiving of criticism

Seventy-four university undergraduates (40.2% male and 59.8% female) reporting difficulty in giving and receiving criticism were randomly assigned to either a training group consisting of cognitive behavioral criticism skills including behavior rehearsal, modeling, coaching, cognitive restructuring, or to a control group. Dependent measures were given at pre-test, post-test, and one year follow-up. Included were self-report measures consisting of Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Criticism Concerns Scale (CCS), Criticism Self-Esteem Giving and Receiving Scales, and behavioral role-play measures consisting of judges’ global ratings of subject’s verbal and nonverbal criticism behaviors in role-play scenarios with a live actor. Results for the self-report measures, FNE, and Criticism Self-Esteem Receiving showed both training program and control groups improved at post-test, but only the training program group maintained gains at one year follow-up. For the CCS and Criticism Self-Esteem Giving, the training program group improved over time, yet was only significantly different from control group at post-test. Results were discussed in terms of the pro-active nature of giving criticism versus the more reactive nature of receiving criticism.