Abusive Supervision in Advising Relationships: Investigating the Role of Social Support

The present study examines the consequences of abusive supervision in an educational setting. The study contrasts the cross-domain stress-buffering hypothesis with the within-domain stress exacerbation hypothesis in examining the moderating role of advisor and team member support on the relationship between abusive supervision and student outcomes in student–advisor relationships. Using a temporal research design, results provided support for both hypotheses. In support of the stress exacerbation hypothesis, in the presence of high advisor support, there was a significant positive relationship between abusive supervision and anxiety, and a significant negative association between abusive supervision and psychological well-being. Consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis, in the presence of high team member support, there was a negligible association between abusive supervision and satisfaction and anxiety.     

Development of memory for pattern and path: Further evidence for the fractionation of visuo-spatial memory

Evidence from a number of sources now suggests that the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) of working memory may be composed of two subsystems: one for maintaining visual information and the other for spatial information. In this paper we present three experiments that examine this fractionation using a developmental approach. In Experiment 1, 5-, 8-, and 10-year old children were presented with a visuo-spatial working memory task (the matrices task) with two presentation formats (static and dynamic). A developmental dissociation in performance was found for the static and dynamic conditions of both tasks, suggesting that the activation of separable subsystems of the VSSP is dependent upon a static/dynamic distinction in information content rather than a visual/spatial one. A highly similar pattern of performance was found for a mazes task with static and dynamic formats. However, one strategic activity, the use of simple verbal recoding, may also have been responsible for the observed pattern of performance in the matrices task. In Experiments 2 and 3 this was investigated using concurrent articulatory suppression. No evidence to support this notion was found, and it is therefore proposed that static and dynamic visuo-spatial information is maintained in working memory by separable subcomponents of the VSSP.     

Factors Associated with the Medical Severity of Suicide Attempts in Youths and Young Adults

T his study examined factors associated with the medical severity of suicide attempts focusing on demographic characteristics, mental health characteristics, and the circumstances of the suicide attempt. Analyses were based on 153 nearly lethal suicide attempters and 47 less lethal suicide attempters aged 13–34 years who presented to emergency departments in Houston, Texas. The results show that young age was significantly associated with a nearly lethal suicide attempt. Prior suicide attempts, hopelessness, depression, and help‐seeking (ever) were significantly and negatively associated with a nearly lethal suicide attempt. None of the suicide attempt factors occurring prior to the attempt were associated with a nearly lethal suicide attempt.