Identification with arts‐based groups improves mental wellbeing in adults with chronic mental health conditions

People experiencing chronic mental health conditions (CMHC) often report feeling socially marginalised. There is emerging evidence that social and mental wellbeing can be enhanced through participation in arts‐based programmes. In this paper, a social identity theoretical approach was applied to explore how participation in the arts may improve mental health in a longitudinal study. A one‐year prospective study of 34 choir members and 25 creative writing group members (M_age = 46, 51% female) with CMHC, involved three assessments of participants’ group identification and mental wellbeing, measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. The programmes were community‐based and facilitated by arts professionals. Multilevel modelling analyses demonstrated that participants’ mental wellbeing significantly improved over time. Greater identification with their arts‐based group (ABG) was significantly related to an increased rate of improvement in mental wellbeing. The trajectory of improvement in mental wellbeing did not differ between participants partaking in the choir or creative writing group. This study demonstrates that participation in ABGs can be effective in improving mental wellbeing in adults with chronic mental health problems, particularly for those who strongly identify with the group. This study supports ABG participation as an accessible component of mental health services.     

A Transpersonal Way of Relating to Clients

This theoretical paper argues that there are only three ways of relating to clients in therapy: the instrumental, the authentic, and the transpersonal. The transpersonal approach is explained by means of examples, and also by reference to the work of Ken Wilber. As with other approaches to therapy, the transpersonal way requires a form of Being (the state of consciousness necessary), a way of Doing (the actual techniques and methods used), and a form of Knowing (the theory of what is being done). All three of these are explained, and particular attention paid to the question of intuition.     

Do Problems of Clinic-Referred African-American Children Overlap with the Child Behavior Checklist?

Many factors contribute to children's psychopathology. African-American children, members of the largest U.S. minority group, are reportedly at high risk for psychopathology, but researchers and developers of diagnostic measures seldom focus on them. We surveyed the clinic records of 1,605 African-American children, ages 4–18. Coders recorded children's problems, their gender, and age. They coded children's problems according to the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Overlap between some problems African-American children presented and CBCL items emerged but other problems did not match CBCL items. For problems which matched the CBCL, associations between such problems and children's age emerged and boys had more problems than girls. The content and cultural validity of the CBCL for African-American children may, however, be questionable.     

WHY AREN'T DUTIES RIGHTS?

The best analyses of the concept 'rights' maintain that Hohfeldian claims, privileges, powers, immunities, liabilities, and clusters of these positions, all qualify as rights when they satisfy some further condition, such as serving their holder's interests, or fulfilling some alternative function. But duties, disabilities and no-rights can also satisfy this further condition. For example, many duties, disabilities and no-rights serve their holder's interests, and fulfil 'right-like' functions. Why, then, do we disallow such duties, disabilities and no-rights from qualifying as rights?     

Postdeployment Psychological Health and Interpersonal Problems Among Air Force Mental Health Personnel

This study is one of the first to use validated screening measures to examine the rates of self-reported mental health and interpersonal problems following deployment of military mental health personnel (MMHP). Research has examined the impact of deployment on military personnel finding 10.2% to 29.0% screen positive for at least one mental health problem. However, little is known about impacts of deployment among MMHP. Utilizing health data collected three to twelve months post-deployment from a sample of 759 Air Force MMHP, this study examined rates of positive screens for psychological health or interpersonal problems, subsequent confirmation of positive screens by a medical provider upon examination, and the demographic characteristics associated with psychological health or interpersonal problems. The study found 13.9% screened positive for “possible or probable PTSD,” 4.6% for depressive symptoms, 3.9% for alcohol problems, and 12.6% for interpersonal problems. In total, nearly 26% screened positive for one or more psychological or interpersonal problem. Of those who screened positive, 48.5% of depressive problems, 36.0% of PTSD, 20.0% of alcohol problems and 29.7% of interpersonal problems were confirmed upon subsequent examination by a medical provider. Those who screened positive were more likely to be (a) female, (b) separated, widowed, or divorced, (c) a mental health nurse or psychiatric nurse practitioner, and (d) deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. The significance, limitations, and implications of the results, along with recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Psychological Type as a Model of Personality Development

Contemporary psychological type theory is discussed, emphasising its model of development and showing that in this theory 'type' is not used in a static sense (though there is an element of continuity) but rather as indicating each type's different, 'normal' pattern of development. The concepts of good type development and false type development are touched on. A self-development exercise is described which (a) applies and illustrates aspects of the theory, and (b) provides an opportunity to practise listening and action skills.     

Human Eye Movements During Visually Guided Stepping

Visually guided locomotion was studied in an experiment in which human subjects (N = 8) had to accurately negotiate a series of irregularly spaced stepping-stones while infrared reflectometry and electrooculography were used to continuously record their eye movements. On average, 68% of saccades made toward the next target of footfall had been completed (visual target capture had occurred) while the foot to be positioned was still on the ground; the remainder were completed in the first 300 ms of the swing phase. The subjects' gaze remained fixed on a target, on average, until 51 ms after making contact with it, with little variation. A greater amount of variation was seen in the timing of trailing footlift relative to visual target capture. Assuming that subjects sampled the visual cues as and when they were required, visual information appeared most useful when the foot to be positioned was still on the ground.     

Psychological type and counselling

Psychological type as a theory of four major personality characteristics is applied to empathy and choice of strategy. The issues of how versatile counsellors should be and of how, specifically, type can be used in counselling, are discussed. The problem of losing weight is used to illustrate how strategies may be matched with clients of different types or temperaments. Type suggests the possibilities of quicker and deeper empathy, more appropriate challenging, a wider range of strategies, and which kinds of strategy are most and least likely to be effective with which clients.     

Serial-Pattern Learning in Mice: Pattern Structure and Phrasing

The Psychological Record - In two experiments, mice learned 24-element serial patterns. In Experiment 1, patterns either were perfectly structured or had a single violation element and were either...