Religion and Spirituality among American Indian,South Asian,Black, Hispanic/Latina,and White Women in the Study on Stress,Spirituality, and Health

Social scientists have increasingly recognized the lack of diversity in survey research on American religion, resulting in a dearth of data on religion and spirituality (R/S) in understudied racial and ethnic groups. At the same time, epidemiological studies have increasingly diversified their racial and ethnic representation, but have collected few R/S measures to date. With a particular focus on American Indian and South Asian women (in addition to Blacks, Hispanic/Latinas, and white women), this study introduces a new effort among religion and epidemiology researchers, the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health. This multicohort study provides some of the first estimates of R/S beliefs and practices among American Indians and U.S. South Asians, and offers new insight into salient beliefs and practices of diverse racial/ethnic and religious communities.     

Does a panel discussion on analytic technique have any effect on an audience of analysts?

This is a report of a followup study to determine whether attending a panel discussion group on post-termination patient-analyst contact influenced the analytic audience's attitude on that subject. A questionnaire about post-termination contact was given to 21 analysts who did not attend the discussion group and to 45 analysts before they attended. The same questionnaire was given again to both groups six months later. Responses by the 21 analysts who had not been present remained essentially unchanged. Responses of the 45 analysts, after attending the discussion group, when compared to responses of an earlier group of 300 analysts, showed an increase in the proportion of analysts who said, in reference to psychoanalytic psychotherapy patients, either that they hoped to hear from the patient or that they would like the patient to return to see them at some specified period after treatment termination. Attendance at the discussion seems responsible for a significant effect on the analytic audience's attitude on post-termination patient-analyst contact.     

Discussion of Craige's “Terminating Without Fatality”

Craige's concept of termination and the related concept of post-termination contact are based on Freud's early, one-person model of analytic therapy as a medical treatment for the cure of a disease. Post-termination contact was considered appropriate only if the patient needed additional therapy. Subsequent development to a two-person model of treatment, which recognizes the critical importance of the patient–analyst relationship, requires modification both of concepts of termination and of post-termination contact. I propose that whether there should be such contact, and what it's nature should be, should be mutually decided by patient and analyst in the termination phase, based on their risk/benefit evaluation of such meetings. The intimate, loving patient–analyst relationship, which has enhanced the patient's development, should be able to continue in some form after the end of treatment unless substantial, unresolved problems of either patient or analyst proscribe such meetings.