Psychosocial vulnerability, life stress, and suicide ideation in a jail population: a cross-validation study

The purpose of this present investigation was to cross-validate a stress-psychosocial vulnerability model of suicidal ideation and behavior in a jail population. Measures of social alienation, cognitive distortions, adaptive resources, situational (jail environment) stress, depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation were administered to 146 male inmates at a county jail facility. It was predicted that each of the vulnerability factors, in addition to jail stress, would be significantly related to suicide ideation among inmates. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that psychosocial vulnerability among inmates would interact with jail stress to best explain suicide intent. The result of a multiple-regression analysis, stepwise forward-inclusion algorithm, indicated that 51% of the variation in suicide ideation could be accounted for by the linear combination of low reasons for living, irrational beliefs, jail stress, and loneliness. In addition, when the variables were entered into a hierarchical multiple-regression model, interactions between select psychosocial vulnerability factors and jail stress were found to best explain suicide intent. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the proposed model, and implications for future research and prevention efforts in jail suicide are noted.     

Concurrent validity of a stress-vulnerability model of suicidal ideation and behavior: a follow-up study

A follow-up study to test the concurrent validity of a stress-vulnerability model of suicidal ideation and behavior was conducted. A total of 202 college students (139 females, 63 males) completed self-report measures of life stress, loneliness, depression, dysfunctional cognitions, reasons for living, hopelessness, current suicide ideation, and predictions of future suicide probability. The results of a multiple-regression analysis indicated that 30% of the variation in suicide ideation scores could be accounted for by the linear combination of negative life stress, depression, loneliness, and few reasons for living. The linear combination of current suicide ideation, hopelessness, dysfunctional cognitions, and few reasons for living explained 56% of the variance in self-predicted future suicide probability. The results are interpreted as being supportive of the proposed model.     

Personality similarity in twins reared apart and together

We administered the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) to 217 monozygotic and 114 dizygotic reared-together adult twin pairs and 44 monozygotic and 27 dizygotic reared-apart adult twin pairs. A four-parameter biometric model (incorporating genetic, additive versus nonadditive, shared family-environment, and unshared environment components) and five reduced models were fitted through maximum-likelihood techniques to data obtained with the 11 primary MPQ scales and its 3 higher order scales. Solely environmental models did not fit any of the scales. Although the other reduced models, including the simple additive model, did fit many of the scales, only the full model provided a satisfactory fit for all scales. Heritabilities estimated by the full model ranged from .39 to .58. Consistent with previous reports, but contrary to widely held beliefs, the overall contribution of a common family-environment component was small and negligible for all but 2 of the 14 personality measures. Evidence of significant nonadditive genetic effects, possibly emergenic (epistatic) in nature, was obtained for 3 of the measures.     

Judgmental relativism as a validity threat to standardized psychiatric rating scales

Judgemental relativism is a threat to the replicability and validity of measures of client behavior from direct rating scales whenever raters are exposed to different levels of client functioning since the internal standards, or anchor points, used to judge dimensional continua may vary on the basis of prior experience. Traditional interrater reliability indexes fail to identify such effects. The influence of judgmental relativism on summated ratings from the Nurses Observational Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE-30) for 1040 adult mentally ill clients was examined with clinical staff raters from 24 treatment units in which the Time-Sample Behavioral Checklist (TSBC) provided full-week objective measures of actual client functioning via hourly direct observational coding (DOC). Regression analyses found that the same level of objective performance received higher or lower ratings across treatment units dependent on the raters'exposure to client groups that differed in level of functioning. Analyses of rating errors found that clients with better levels of functioning relative to others within treatment units were rated even higher than performance warranted. The operation of halo and contrast effects is explored and guidelines are provided for determining when judgmental relativism may produce or nullify significant differences. DOC assessments should be used instead of retrospective ratings to support most decisions in residential settings. Specific recommendations for the application of rating scales and improving data quality are provided.This study was the basis of a master's thesis at the University of Houston by Betty E. Rich under the direction of Gordon L. Paul and Marco J. Mariotto. Richard M. Rozelle, to whom appreciation is expressed for helpful comments, served on the examination committee. This study was partially supported by grants to Gordon L. Paul from the National Institute of Mental Health, Public Health Service (MH-15353; MH-25464); the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities; the Joyce Foundation; the MacArthur Foundation; the Owsley Foundation; the Cullen Foundation; and the Center for Public Policy, University of Houston.     

Gender differences in the psychosocial correlates of suicidal ideation among adolescents.

Gender differences in the psychosocial correlates of suicidal ideation were studied. A sample of 613 high school students (ages 14-19) completed measures of suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, life stress, loneliness, alcohol and drug use, and reasons for living. The results of a discriminant function analysis indicated that males reported higher loneliness and substance abuse scores than females whereas females reported greater suicidal ideation, depression, and reasons for living. The results of multiple regression analyses found that, although the same four variables, depression, hopelessness, substance abuse, and few reasons for living emerged as significant predictors of suicidal ideation in both samples, the predictive equation accounted for more of the variance in ideation scores in females (57%) than in males (46%). In a final analysis a discriminant function analysis of the subscales of the reasons for living inventory revealed that females have a greater fear of death and injury whereas males have a greater fear of social disapproval over having suicidal thoughts. This may account for the greater rate of suicide completing among males. Fear of social disapproval, more anger and impulsivity, and less help-seeking behavior among males are offered as potential variables to explain the observed gender differences.     

IMPROVING CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN THROUGH CORRESPONDENCE TRAINING

Except for a few studies, most research investigating correspondence training procedures has been more analogue in nature. The purpose of the present set of studies was to examine whether a “say-do” correspondence training technique could be used with children in special education classes to improve classroom behavior. The specific behaviors targeted for change included: out-of-seat behavior (Experiment 1), sitting posture (Experiment 2), and on-task behavior (Experiment 3). The say-do procedure used in Experiment 1 resembled that of previous studies, whereas that in Experiment 2 was more elaborate in the specificity of verbal statements required from the children and the feedback given them. The training procedure in Experiment 3 used a format similar to the say-do approach, but stressed visual rather than verbal cuing because it was used with nonverbal children. All three studies used single-subject designs and examined maintenance and/or generalization questions. Experiments 2 and 3 also evaluated whether concomitant changes in performance on academic tasks occurred. The results of the three studies provide strong evidence that correspondence training can be effectively used with educationally handicapped children. Moreover, the successful modification of the “say-do” to a “show-do” procedure in Experiment 3 points out the flexibility of the correspondence training approach.     

Religious institutions and the prevention of mental illness

It is estimated that fifteen percent of the population is in need of some kind of mental health service at any given time, thus constituting a primary health problem. The President's Commission on Mental Health (PCMH) recognized that religious institutions can help to prevent mental illness by providing support in the community. This paper presents types of programs the PCMH found that were supportive and describes the program of one church to illustrate additional ways that clergy and their congregants, working collaboratively with professionals and agencies, can contribute significantly to the prevention of mental illness.is in the private practice of clinical social work and an M.T.S. student at Wesley Theological Seminary.     

The American image of beauty: Media representations of hair color for four decades

The present archival study examined the depiction of women's beauty in our society with respect to hair color, especially blondeness. Raters reliably categorized the hair color of cover models for two women's magazines (Ladies Home Journal and Vogue) and for Playboy magazine centerfolds from the 1950s through the 1980s. These media images from 750 observations were compared among magazines, among decades, and in relation to the proportion of blondes in a normative sample of adult White women. Results revealed that the percentage of blondes in each magazine exceeded the base rate of blondes in the norm group. Blondes were more prevalent in Playboy centerfolds than in the women's magazines. Although temporal patterns varied from magazine to magazine, the average proportion of blondes was lowest in the 1960s and highest in the 1970s. The study's findings have numerous implications for social issues and research regarding the psychology of physical appearance.The authors wish to thank Jill Grant for her assistance in conducting this research.