Interpretation of ambiguous emotional information in clinically anxious children and adolescents

Cognitive theories of anxiety based on adult data predict that individuals vulnerable to anxiety should show threat - related interpretations of ambiguous material and it is proposed that this is an important maintaining factor in anxiety disorders. In the present study, interpretation of ambiguous emotional/neutral information was examined in child and adolescent anxious patients. Two groups of participants, anxious patients (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 40), were presented with a series of homographs, each with a threatening and a neutral interpretation. For each homograph, the participants were asked to construct a sentence using the homograph. Anxious children and adolescents produced significantly more sentences consistent with threatening homograph interpretations and less consistent with neutral interpretations than did normal controls. Regression analyses revealed no relationship between age and this interpretive bias. Preliminary developmental and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Learning to be mindful of difference: teaching systemic skills in cross‐cultural encounters

In this paper the author shares some of his experiences of teaching in areas of ‘race’ and culture to mainly white middle‐class family therapy and clinical psychology trainees. He presents a framework for a systemic teaching session on working interculturally. Specific exercises are described that trainers can use to design a new session or incorporate into existing ones. It is meant to increase the cultural awareness and sensitivity of trainees with limited experience of cross‐cultural therapeutic work.     

Posttraumatic Symptoms, Functional Impairment, and Coping among Adolescents on Both Sides of the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Approach

This study assessed the effects of the ongoing violence on the mental health of Palestinian and Israeli youths. Parallel instruments were developed and adapted, as part of a collaborative project, in order to assess, in each society: (1) differential rates of exposure to the conflict, (2) the association between exposure and the severity of posttraumatic symptoms (PTS), and (3) the inter‐relationships among PTS, functional impairment, somatic complaints, and coping strategies. Participants were 1,016 Israeli and 1,235 Palestinian adolescents. A self‐report questionnaire assessed exposure. PTS was measured using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index, functional impairment and somatic complaints were measured with the DISC, and coping strategies were assessed with Brief Cope. In both societies, greater exposure to conflict‐related violence was associated with more PTS and more somatic complaints, with girls reporting more distress than boys. A total of 6.8 per cent of the Israeli students and 37.2 per cent of the Palestinian students met criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In both societies, but more pronounced in the Palestinian Authority, adolescents reported significant levels of functional impairment, mainly in the area of school functioning. Students with PTSD reported more somatic complaints as well as greater functional impairment. The results show the serious psychological impact of the ongoing violent conflict on Israeli and Palestinian students and point to the need to develop appropriate school‐based interventions to address their mental health needs. Cette étude évalue les effets de la violence continuelle sur la santé mentale des jeunes palestiniens et israéliens. Des instruments analogues ont été développés et adaptés, dans le cadre d’un projet de collaboration, afin d’évaluer dans chaque société: (1) les différences de taux d’exposition au conflit, (2) l’association entre l’exposition et la sévérité des symptômes post‐traumatiques (PTS) et (3) les interrelations entre les PTS, les troubles fonctionnels, les plaintes somatiques et les stratégies de faire‐face. 1016 adolescents israéliens et 1235 adolescents palestiniens ont participéà cette étude. Un questionnaire auto‐administré mesure l’exposition au conflit. Les PTS sont mesurés par l’utilisation de l’UCLA PTSD Reaction Index, les troubles fonctionnels et les plaintes somatiques sont approchés par le DISC, et les stratégies de faire‐face par le Brief Cope. Dans les deux sociétés, une plus grande exposition au conflit et à ses violences est associée à des PTS plus importants et à plus de plaintes somatiques, les filles manifestant plus de détresse que les garçons. Un total de 6.8% des étudiants israéliens et 37.2% des étudiants palestiniens répondent à des critères du Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dans les deux sociétés, mais de façon plus prononcée dans l’Autorité palestinienne, les adolescents rapportent des niveaux significatifs de troubles fonctionnels, principalement dans le domaine du fonctionnement scolaire. Les étudiants avec PTSD manifestent plus de plaintes somatiques, il en va de même pour les troubles fonctionnels. Les résultats montrent le sérieux impact psychologique d’un conflit violent et continuel sur les étudiants israéliens et palestiniens et signale le besoin de développer des interventions scolaires appropriées à leurs besoins en matière de santé mentale.     

The relationships between religiosity,prosociality, satisfaction with life and generalised anxiety: a study on Turkish Muslims

ABSTRACT

The reason for research on Muslim samples is the perceived weakness in existing measures of prosocial behaviours. The current study's three aims are: Developing a suitable prosociality scale, examining the links between religiosity, prosociality, anxiety, and satisfaction with life, and investigating the mediating roles of anxiety and prosociality on the link between religiosity and satisfaction with life. The sample consists of 678 Turkish Muslims, 428 females and 250 males, ranged from 14 to 56, with mean age of 31 (SD?=?8,973). In the current study, the Individual Religion Inventory, the Turkish Prosociality Scale (TPS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Generalised Anxiety Scale are applied to the sample. Findings of the correlation matrix indicated positive correlations between religiosity, prosociality and satisfaction with life, and demonstrated that anxiety is related negatively to religiosity and life satisfaction. According to the path analysis, prosociality and anxiety mediate the link between religiosity and satisfaction with life.