Smoking research: basic research, intervention, prevention, and new trends

Smoking is a behavior that is influenced by a variety of factors that cut across methodologies, disciplines, and content areas within health psychology. The present article is designed to show the diversity and richness of smoking research by examining smoking from four perspective: basic laboratory research, intervention, prevention and deterrence, and new directions in smoking research. Methodologies that were derived from such varied sources as psychopharmacology, behavioral pharmacology, behavior therapy, clinical psychology, public health and health promotion, and social and developmental psychology have been used to study the smoking problem. The subject populations in these investigations ranged from animal models, to the individual smoker attempting to quit, to communities involved in health promotion and public health approaches. Future research should seek to provide new and improved examples of interdisciplinary research within the field of health psychology to multidisciplinary approaches from the basic and applied sciences.     

Assessing elements of women's decisions about mammography.

We investigated motivational and cognitive processes of behavior change with respect to mammography screening. One hundred forty-two women (ages 40 and older) recruited from three worksites answered a 41-item questionnaire consisting of statements based on constructs from the transtheoretical model of behavior change. Principal-components analysis identified two factors: a six-item component representing positive perceptions of mammography (Pros) and a six-item component representing avoidance of mammography (Cons). Analysis of variance showed that Pros, Cons, and a derived Decisional Balance measure (Pros minus Cons) were associated with stage of mammography adoption. Results are consistent with applications of the model to smoking cessation. The model is also discussed as it relates to other theories of behavior change and as a general strategy for analyzing perceptual data pertinent to health-related actions and intentions for behavioral change.     

Fight,Flight, or Remain Silent? Juggling Multiple Accountabilities throughout the Formative Stage of a Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative

This paper describes the experiences of a research team as they navigated uncertain ethical and political terrain throughout the formative stage of a public housing redevelopment project. Specifically, we discuss the challenges related to balancing multiple accountabilities and the tensions among the various roles and responsibilities that emanated from different accountabilities. Due to contractual obligations to our funding source, established relations with community partners, and an ethical imperative to align with those holding the least power, we grappled with embodying multiple and often conflicting roles. Without oversight provided by our university institutional review board or a clear ethical framework for community psychology research and action, our team was left to negotiate the challenges that emerged through critical reflection and financial considerations. Throughout the case example presented in this paper, we highlight our difficulty in ethical decision‐making with respect to the principles of obligation, disclosure, consent, commitment, and professionalism. Community psychologists often straddle the realms of academia, community partnerships, and conscious engagement with little guidance in navigating often conflicting roles and value systems. We present our narrative to highlight the complexity of scholar‐activism in the context of community psychology and the necessity for developing ethical standards and guidelines tailored to meet the unique needs of community psychologists.     

Interpersonal feedback: a social relations perspective

The social relations model (SRM; Kenny, 1994) is a statistical model for studying interpersonal perception and behavior that can be meaningfully applied to the group therapy situation. It consists of four primary components that correspond to (a) the general emotional or attitudinal climate of the group, (b) the perspective of the perceiver providing the feedback, (c) the group's consensual view of the target who receives the feedback, and (d) the unique relationship between the perceiver and the target. Because of its rigor and specificity, the components of the SRM may serve as a heuristic for thinking about interpersonal feedback in group therapy. A case example is used to demonstrate how an SRM perspective could guide therapists' ways of conceptualizing feedback.     

Outcome of patients rehabilitated through a New Zealand forensic psychiatry service: A 7.5 year retrospective study

This paper describes a 7.5 year retrospective study of all patients discharged from inpatient forensic services to forensic community team (FCT) follow-up from the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service. Patients' files were studied for clinical, criminal, and risk data, type of service delivered, and final level of function achieved in the community. Rearrest, re-hospitalization, and reimprisonment data were obtained from clinical, court, and prison records.105 patients were included. The most common diagnosis was a psychotic disorder, and index offending behaviour was typically violent. The median period of inpatient stay was 36 months and mean subsequent FCT follow-up 21.7 months (SD 17.8). The majority of patients were from Maori and Pacific Island ethnic groups. At the end of the study, half were in independent living, half were in some form of employment, and 19% were readmitted to a forensic hospital.One patient was rearrested but not reimprisoned whilst under forensic community team care. However, 9 of the 48 who were discharged to general mental health services were rearrested and 5 reimprisoned. Only two offences were as serious as the original index offence.Broad based assertive, mandated, and committed forensic rehabilitation can achieve high quality outcomes. These levels of function may not be sustained under less assertive care.