Conflict play and its modification in the course of treating children

The authors report their experience with a special form of psychodrama for the treatment in small groups of neurotic children aged five to fifteen. The acting out of ambivalent, partly unconscious and restrained tendencies and inclinations by playing, i.e., by taking roles in spontaneous performances, is followed by alternation of identification in the group and, possibly, careful indirect verbalization by the therapeutist and/or group, of which the purpose is to arrive at a reorientation of the attitudes of patients and a consolidation of the newly won attitude.     

Cardiac autonomic reactivity and recovery in predicting carotid atherosclerosis: the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study.

The present study examined the association of cardiac autonomic task-induced reactivity and recovery to preclinical atherosclerosis. Thirty-three men and 33 women aged 24-39 years participated in the ongoing epidemiological Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. The authors measured heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and preejection period (PEP) during the mental arithmetic and speech tasks in 1999. Carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by measuring the thickness of the common carotid artery intima-media complex (IMT) with ultrasound in 2001. Higher HR, RSA, and PEP reactivity were associated with lower IMT values even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors (lipid levels, obesity, and blood pressure). In addition, better HR recovery after the mental arithmetic task was associated with lower IMT values, and this association persisted after all adjustments. Thus, higher task-induced cardiac autonomic reactivity and better HR recovery were related to less preclinical atherosclerosis. The authors concluded that cardiac pattern of reactivity and quick recovery may be associated with better cardiovascular health, and therefore all reactivity occurring in challenging situations should not automatically be considered as potentially pathological.     

Influences on responsiveness: Interactions between mothers and their premature infants

The responsiveness of mothers to their infants has been found to make an important contribution to children's development. Mothers' cognitive ability, emotional state, and life stresses may influence their responsiveness, as may the medical condition of their infants. The patterns of influence may vary between groups of children with different biological risk conditions and should be examined carefully to determine intervention points for different groups. Forty mothers and their 3-month-old (corrected age) infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) were observed in free play. Mothers' depressive symptoms, cognitive skills, and the degree of infants' IVH were assessed and expected to be influences on mothers' responsiveness. Results indicated that mothers' depressive symptoms and cognitive skills were associated with their responsiveness, but that depressive symptoms were the stronger predictor. Post hoc analyses suggested that socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms may have related effects on mothers' behavior.