Depression and Suicidal Ideation After Predictive Testing for Huntington's Disease: A Two-Year Follow-up Study

The present study reports a two-year follow-up of psychological effects of predictive testing for Huntington's disease. Questionnaires assessing depression, general health, well-being, self injurious behavior, life satisfaction, and lifestyle were completed by 35 carriers and 58 non-carriers before the predictive test, and 2, 6, 12, and 24 months afterwards. Both carriers and non-carriers showed high suicidal ideation before the predictive testing. Depression scores and frequency of suicidal thoughts increased for carriers, compared to non-carriers, over time. There were no differences regarding life satisfaction or life style between carriers and non-carriers. Predictive testing was beneficial in reducing overall ill-health symptoms and increasing well-being for those initially expressing concern about Huntington's disease. The importance of assessing suicidal ideation and of continuing to provide adequate support is emphasized.     

A Survey of Patients’ Experiences with the Cancer Genetic Counseling Process: Recommendations for Cancer Genetics Programs

In order to promote ongoing quality improvement of not only the Penn State Cancer Genetics Program, but also other cancer risk assessment programs throughout the country, we developed, piloted and conducted a survey to explore patient expectations, experiences, and satisfaction with the cancer genetic counseling process. The comprehensive survey was mailed to 340 eligible patients, 156 (45.9%) of whom returned the completed survey within the allotted time. Responses to closed-ended questions were tallied and open-ended questions were content analyzed. Major findings show that: (1) Patients were seeking cancer-related information and support throughout the cancer risk assessment process and were interested in participating in available research studies; (2) The setting in which patients are seen for cancer risk assessment may pose potential emotional ramifications; (3) Misperceptions regarding insurance discrimination and lack of insurance coverage persist; (4) Patients view the genetic counselor as responsible for updating them about new discoveries. Specific recommendations for cancer genetics programs are included.     

An immunochemical approach to model and long-term suppression of depressive and anxiety behavior

The inhibitor of monoaminooxydase isatin and the ligand of B-receptors cholecystokinin-4 play a significant role in the suppression and induction of depressive and anxiety states. We induced the formation of auto-antibodies to these compounds against their conjugates with antigen-carrier by immunization of white rats. The result was long-term (more than 2 months) stimulation of depressive and anxiety behavior after immunization to isatin and, in contrast, the suppression of such behavior after immunization to cholecystokinin. The perspective of immunochemical approach to long-term correction of behavior is discussed.     

Getting hammered? ‥‥ students coping with alcohol

• This research draws on identity and coping theories to develop an understanding of the ways in which students with differing stances towards alcohol (both drinkers and light/non‐drinkers) deal with alcohol‐dominated social situations. We report findings from two studies, the first based on the stories of 160 students and the second based on in‐depth interviews with eight students. Our research found that many undergraduates view alcohol as playing a central role in ‘student life’, with excessive drinking being the norm. However, there is a significant group who are not comfortable with this view, nor do they ascribe to it. Choosing not to engage with the stereotypical student image presents a very real set of problems, stresses and barriers and the students discussed the various coping strategies they had in place to deal with these problems. We discuss the implications of these findings and the challenges for public policy in this area.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

"In the storminess": multi-disciplinary approaches to scriptural images representing ethical challenges in the pastor-congregant relationship

In this qualitative study the authors examine the Scriptural images that 10 Lutheran pastors employed in describing the ethical challenges in the pastor-congregant relationship. The analysis of Scriptural images is part of a larger study on pastors' experiences of a mandatory workshop, "Crossing the Boundaries (CTB),"which is required of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) seminarians. The pastors' images were analyzed from the four perspectives of depth psychology, theology, social ethics, and sociology. In commenting on tensions in the pastors' Scriptural images the authors note commonalities among the four theoretical perspectives and discuss implications for practice and future research.     

Recurrence plot analyses suggest a novel reference system involved in newborn spontaneous movements

The movements of newborns have been thoroughly studied in terms of reflexes, muscle synergies, leg coordination, and target-directed arm/hand movements. Since these approaches have concentrated mainly on separate accomplishments, there has remained a clear need for more integrated investigations. Here, we report an inquiry in which we explicitly concentrated on taking such a perspective and, additionally, were guided by the methodological concept of home base behavior, which Ilan Golani developed for studies of exploratory behavior in animals. Methods from nonlinear dynamics, such as symbolic dynamics and recurrence plot analyses of kinematic data received from audiovisual newborn recordings, yielded new insights into the spatial and temporal organization of limb movements. In the framework of home base behavior, our approach uncovered a novel reference system of spontaneous newborn movements.     

Psychometric properties of the Situational Inventory of Body-Image Dysphoria-Short form in a Spanish sample

The primary objective of this study was to translate and validate Situational Inventory of Body-Image Dysphoria-Short form (SIBID-S) in a Spanish population. The scale consists of 20 items to assess the frequency of dysphoric body-image emotions in certain situational contexts, using a five-point rating scale. The questionnaire was administered to 214 women between the ages of 14 and 29 years, from primary and secondary schools and a university. Principal components analysis indicated a one-factor structure for the entire sample and both younger (<18) and older (≥18) participants. Internal consistency was high (0.94), and the test–retest reliability over 1 month ranged between 0.89 and 0.93. The SIBID-S showed good convergent validity in relation to other pertinent measures of body image, eating pathology, and self-esteem. Moreover, the SIBID-S was differentiated low-risk, subclinical eating disturbed, and clinical eating disordered patients. Results support the potential utility of the SIBID-S in the Spanish female population, including a younger group than previously studied, as well as its usefulness in the assessment of body image among females varying in degrees of eating pathology.     

Eighteen month test-retest stability of the youth self report in a sample of Catalonian adolescents

The aim of this study is to assess the test-retest stability of the Spanish version of Youth Self Report after 18 mo. for a sample of 357 Catalonian high school students (158 boys and 199 girls). At Time 2 the girls' scores increased on Delinquent and Aggressive Behavior scales and, therefore on Externalizing scores. At Time 2 the boys' scores increased on Attention Problems and Delinquent Behavior and decreased on Anxious/Depressed, Social Problems, and Internalizing scales. Significant differences in the remaining scales were not observed. The test-retest intraclass correlations for the broad-band scales ranged between .62 (Internalizing) and .68 (Externalizing) and for the narrow-band scales between .37 and .67. The correlations for girls and boys were similar but slightly higher for girls on Anxious/Depressed and Thought Problems.     

Compensatory and mimetic conditioned responses to effects of heroin in addicted persons

Study 1: The aim of this study was to analyze in persons detoxified of heroin, compensatory conditioned responses (CCRs) that are opposite to the unconditioned physiological, and subjective effects that are induced by this substance. The procedure consisted in presenting slides with images of neutral stimuli (NSs) and conditioned stimuli (CSs) of heroin to both non-addicted and detoxified addicted persons. The evaluated responses were heart rate (HR) and desire for heroin (DH). Study 2: The aim was to facilitate the emission of mimetic conditioned responses (MCRs) to the unconditioned physiological, and subjective effects of heroin in detoxified heroin addicts. Three different stimulus series were manipulated: SA, during which the participant remained alone; SB, administration of a needle prick given by the researcher; SC, performance of the "pump" ritual without drug by the participants. The responses measured were HR and DH. The results of both studies are considered, respectively, to be indicators of compensatory and mimetic conditioned responses.     

Anterior medial temporal lobe activation during encoding of words: FMRI methods to optimize sensitivity

The existence of a rostrocaudal gradient of medial temporal lobe (MTL) activation during memory encoding has historically received support from positron emission tomography studies, but less so from functional MRI (FMRI) studies. More recently, FMRI studies have demonstrated that characteristics of the stimuli can affect the location of activation seen in the MTL when those stimuli are encoded. The current study tested the hypothesis that MTL activation during memory encoding is related to the modality of stimulus presentation. Subjects encoded auditorily or visually presented words in an FMRI novelty paradigm. Imaging and analysis parameters were optimized to minimize susceptibility artifact in the anterior MTL. Greater activation was observed in the anterior than posterior MTL for both modalities of stimulus presentation. The results indicate that anterior MTL activation occurred during encoding, independent of stimulus modality and provide support for the hypothesis that verbal-semantic memory processing occurs in anterior MTL. The authors suggest that technical factors are critical for observing the rostrocaudal gradient in MTL memory activation.