Integrating Religious Resources Within a General Model of Stress and Coping: Long-Term Adjustment to Breast Cancer

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to explore the role of religious resources in long-term adjustment to breast cancer. A sample of fifty-two survivors was assessed on indices of religious resources (e.g., image of God), nonreligious resources (e.g., cognitive appraisal) and emotional and spiritual well-being. Results indicated that both relationship with God/God image and religious coping behaviour were related to the nonreligious mediator variables of cognitive appraisal and coping in response to the current cancer situation. Various experiences of relationship with God (e.g., Presence) were related to more positive appraisals of the current cancer situation as well as to the greater use of the nonreligious coping behaviour of focusing on the positive. In contrast, religious coping behaviours demonstrated more complex associations with cognitive appraisal and nonreligious coping factors. The same coping behaviour, for example religious avoidance, could be related to both positive and negative appraisals of the cancer situation. Finally, religious resources, but not nonreligious resources predicted emotional and spiritual well-being for these long-term breast cancer survivors.     

Breast Cancer in Men: Emasculation by Association?

The occurrence of breast cancer in men is rare in comparison to women. Public knowledge that men can get breast cancer and of male breast self-examination are lacking. Research in the course and treatment of breast cancer in men is needed. Men generally present in more advanced stages of breast cancer than women, and have a poorer prognosis. In this article, the epidemiology, common symptoms, diagnostic methods, and current treatment of breast cancer in men are described. Gender differences in presentation and course of illness are discussed. Additionally, the psychological implications of breast cancer for male gender roles and masculine identity are explored. Directions for further investigation are given. Treatment providers are encouraged to educate themselves and their male patients on breast cancer in men and male breast examination techniques so that this disease may be identified earlier in its course and survival rates improved.     

Amnesia produced by anisomycin in an appetitive task is not due to conditioned aversion

Two experiments investigated the effects of lithium chloride (LiCl) and anisomycin (ANI) in a water reward Y-maze task. In Experiment 1, male CD-1 mice given weak or strong training were injected post-training with either saline or LiCl (150 mg/kg), which has been reported to produce conditioned aversion in mice. One day after training, both LiCl groups avoided the rewarded arm of the maze and drank less water than saline-injected controls. Two days after training, the strongly trained LiCl mice showed avoidance, while both LiCl groups drank less water. In Experiment 2, weakly trained mice given pre- and post-training ANI (30 mg/kg) were amnesic on the second test day compared to mice that received post-trial saline. However, water consumption was increased on the test day for both groups. LiCl produced a different pattern of results than ANI in this task. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that amnesia produced by ANI is due to impaired memory formation and not to conditioned aversion.     

Comparison and Contrast as a Mechanism of Perceptual Learning?

In a series of flavour aversion experiments, rats received different schedules of pre-exposure to two compound flavours (AX and BX). Discrimination between them was assessed by establishing an aversion to AX and measuring generalization of this aversion to BX. Experiment 1 demonstrated that alternating pre-exposure to AX and BX resulted in less generalization than did blocked exposure, where animals received all exposure to AX before exposure to BX (or vice versa). This difference was not accompanied by any difference in the strength of the aversion conditioned to the common X element. Varying the interval between exposure to AX and BX in the alternating condition from a minute or two to several hours had no effect on generalization. However, Experiments 2 and 3 showed that when the interval between exposure to AX and that to BX was reduced to zero sec, the alternating schedule increased generalization between AX and BX. In this case, the increase in generalization was accompanied by an increase in the strength of the aversion conditioned to X.