Group-based problem-solving therapy in self-poisoning females: A pilot study

Aims: The treatment of suicidal behaviour remains limited in efficacy. This pilot study assessed the effectiveness of a time-limited, group-based problem-solving therapy intervention compared with a treatment as usual control group, in females who self-poison. Method: A total of 18 clients were equally randomised to treatment or control groups. All clients were assessed using standardised questionnaires for depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation and social problem-solving skills, at pre-treatment, post-treatment and two months follow-up. Results: The treatment group experienced significant reductions in levels of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation and improvements in self-assessed social problem-solving skills. Improvements in mental health and aspects of self-assessed problem-solving skills for the treatment group continued to be evident at two months follow-up. The control group did not change significantly over time on mental health measures or social problem solving abilities. Conclusion: Although limited by small sample size, the results suggest that group-based problem-solving therapy is effective in the management of deliberate self-poisoning. This paper is a unique contribution in that it examines the implementation of problem solving therapy with a homogenous population and in a group format. Methodological concerns and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Incidence of Incest Histories Among Clients Receiving Substance Abuse Treatment

Volunteer participants (N = 77) enrolled in eight substance abuse treatment facilities were surveyed in order to examine the prevalence and nature of incest contacts among the group. Results indicated that approximately 49% of the participants had reported histories of incest. Data are presented regarding the age during incest contact; frequency of contacts; and involvement of force, alcohol, and drugs. In addition, comparisons by gender are presented. Implications for substance abuse training and treatment are presented.     

Configural information in facial expression perception

Composite facial expressions were prepared by aligning the top half of one expression (e.g., anger) with the bottom half of another (e.g., happiness). Experiment 1 shows that participants are slower to identify the expression in either half of these composite images relative to a "noncomposite" control condition in which the 2 halves are misaligned. This parallels the composite effect for facial identity (A. W. Young, D. Hellawell, & D. C. Hay, 1987), and like its identity counterpart, the effect is disrupted by inverting the stimuli (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 shows that no composite effect is found when the top and bottom sections contain different models' faces posing the same expression; this serves to exclude many nonconfigural interpretations of the composite effect (e.g., that composites are more "attention-grabbing" than noncomposites). Finally, Experiment 4 demonstrates that the composite effects for identity and expression operate independently of one another.     

The relationship of temperament to tolerance of cold and heat: Beyond “cold hands — Warm heart”

Thermal regulation and peripheral arousal in episodes of emotion are dependent upon similar autonomic and hormonal processes. Thermal-tolerance measure were developed and validated in order to indirectly assess adrenergic (cold tolerance) and cholinergic (heat tolerance) responsivity. We hypothesized that cold tolerance would correlate with reduced emotionality (largely fear and anxiety) and depression, and with increased stimulus seeking and dispositions toward activity; those hypotheses were confirmed. Tentatively advanced hypotheses that heat tolerance would correlate with reduced depression and related emotional states were not confirmed, but heat tolerance was positively associated with activity and (weakly) with some of the same dimensions of temperament that correlated with cold tolerance. Concepts of synergistic rather than oppositional relationships of adrenergic and cholinergic systems are discussed. The roles of autonomic strength and responsitivity in positive temperament dispositions and in coping with stress and challenge are discussed, and a theoretical system is sketched that is derived from these and related findings.We are grateful to Doris Weimer for assistance in the statistical analyses.     

Combining Prototypes: A Selective Modification Model

We propose a model that accounts for how people construct prototypes for composite concepts out of prototypes for simple concepts. The first component of the model is a prototype representation for simple, noun concepts, such as fruit, which specifies: (1) the relevant attributes of the concepts, (2) the possible values of each attribute, (3) the salience of each value, and (4) the diagnosticity of each attribute. The second component of the model specifies procedures for modifying simple prototypes so that they represent new, composite concepts. The procedure for adjectival modification, as when red modifies fruit, consists of selecting the relevant attribute(s) in the noun concept (color), boosting the diagnosticity of that attribute, and increasing the salience of the value named by the adjective (red). The procedure for adverbial modification, as in very red fruit, consists of multiplication-by-o-scalar of the salience of the relevant value (red). The outcome of these procedures is a new prototype representation. The third component of the model is tversky's (1977) contrast rule for determining the similarity between a representation for a prototype and one for an instance. The model is shown to be consistent with previous findings about prototypes in general, as well as with specific findings about typicality judgments for adjective-noun conjunctions. Four new experiments provide further detailed support for the model.     

PRESERVATION OF IMPLICIT MEMORY FOR NEW ASSOCIATIONS IN GLOBAL AMNESIA

Abstract— This study examined whether amnesic patients have preserved implicit memory for new associations between unrelated words, as measured by repetition priming, despite unpaired explicit memory for such new associations. Prior studies provide conflicting and ambiguous results. Amnesic and control participants read aloud visually presented, unrelated word pairs and then attempted to identify old, recombined, and new word pairs shown at threshold durations. Amnesic and control groups showed equivalent priming for new associations by identifying old pairs better than recombined pairs. Amnesic patients were impaired on a matched explicit test of memory far new associations. The preserved priming in amnesia indicates that implicit memory for new associations need not be, supported by the mnemonic processes and brain structures that mediate explicit memory for new associations.     

The psychology of harassment

In recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the ham that could be done to individuals who become the victims of harassment or bullying. Although there have been significant moves to introduce legislation and guidelines that deal with the introduction of organizational policy and procedures on harassment and bullying, the occurrence of harassment is still common in many British organizations (Incomes Data Services, 1992; MSF, 1995). This paper suggests that, although many organizations have introduced harassment policies, most organizational policies concentrate on addressing unacceptable behaviours rather than on the need to define and promote acceptable behaviours at work. Without a change of emphasis from the punishment of inappropriate behaviour to one where appropriate behaviours are rewarded, it is unlikely that the underlying causes of harassment will be recognized or addressed. Organizations are responsible for developing organizational values and behaviours. The way these values and behaviours are promoted and developed has a major impact on the organizational culture. It is this cultural environment that supports or prevents the occurrence of harassment. Psychological evidence suggests that the origins of harassment may be found in the past personal history of the individuals concerned. During development each person learns how to handle difficult situations, it is this prior learning, and the means by which it can be changed or adapted, which provides the key to developing new strategies for addressing the problems of the harassor and the harassee. Helping the victims of harassment handle their problems in a way that frees them from the cycle of victimization and abuse is difficult. The Post office, undaunted by the size of the task, has begun to tackle the problem with the introduction of a programme of peer support and counselling that it hopes will begin to address the underlying problems that make harassment possible. This programme also provides the organization with the information it requires to enable it to strengthen and support a culture, within which, harassment does not have a place.