Measuring Child Mental Health Status for Services Research

Epidemiological studies of the prevalence of mental health disorders typically contain multiple measures of mental health, using different instruments and different informants (child, parent, and interviewer). We used the Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescents Mental Disorder (MECA) study of U.S. youth to assess the effects of employing a range of these measures in mental health services research. We examined the effect of including various measures of mental health status in regressions of income on mental health service use. The estimated effect of income on service use varied widely, depending on the measure of mental health status used. Some measures of mental health status have little explanatory power in service use regressions. Measures of mental health status based on parental assessment of impairment or need, such as the Columbia Impairment Scale, are less costly to collect and also have good explanatory power, but are more strongly correlated with income. The Non-Clinician Child Global Assessment Scale (NC-CGAS) performs best in terms of explanatory power and correlation with income. Higher income parents appeared to judge behaviors differently from lower income parents, so analyses based on measures derived from parental report may lead to an understatement of the effect of income on service use.     

Evolution and the hormonal control of sexually-dimorphic spatial abilities in humans

A number of hypotheses have been proposed for the evolution of sex differences in spatial ability. Two of these hypotheses assume a sex-based division of labor in foraging during human evolutionary history, three propose sexual selection for spatial ability, and two suggest that human life history has imposed sex-specific selection on spatial abilities. We derive predictions from each of these models and test the predictions against recent data on the effects of hormones on spatial ability across the lifespan. Sexual selection for increased range size in males might be the evolutionary origin of the enhancing effects of testosterone on spatial ability, while the benefits of reduced mobility in women at different stages of reproduction could be the origin of the inhibitory effects of oestrogen on spatial ability.     

Convergence between attention variables and factors of psychometric intelligence in older adults

The purpose of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that individual differences on measures of attention would converge with select factors of psychometric intelligence, especially fluid intelligence and short-term acquisition and retrieval. A sample of 83 elderly adults $\text{(}\text{X}\text{= 71}\text{years}\text{)}$ was administered a battery of 17 psychometric ability tests. Tests were selected to mark four psychometric ability factors (Cattell and Horn's dimensions of fluid and crystallized intelligence, short-term acquisition and retrieval, and perceptual speed). Also, seven tasks representing four aspects of attention—decoding processes, selective attention, attention switching, and concentration—were administered. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the relationships among the four psychometric ability factors and 11 variables obtained from the attention tasks. Results were only partially consistent with the hypothesized pattern of convergence. Two attention measures had significant loadings on a fluid-type intelligence factor, and one had a marginally significant loading on a short-term memory factor. In general, the greatest convergence occured between attention variables and the ability factor of Perceptual Speed. Results were discussed with respect to previous research on psychometric abilities and cognitive processes, the theory of fluid-crystallized intelligence, and their implications for understanding intellectual aging.     

Effects of sexual attitudes and physical attractiveness on person perception of men and women

A sample of 180 males and 180 females completed person perception measures for stimulus women who varied in physical attractiveness and permissiveness of sexual attitudes. The results indicated that both physical attractiveness and sexual attitudes had strong effects on peson perception. Physically attractive stimulus women were rated higher than the unattractive stimulus women on a physical appeal factor and an item measuring interpersonal attraction. The sexually conservative women were rated higher on an evaluative factor, lower on a personability factor, and higher on the interpersonal attraction item than the sexually permissive stimulus women. It was also found that the effects of physical attractiveness were greater for males than for females and that women rated the sexually permissive stimulus women less favorably than did men.     

An Historical Framework for Cohort Differences in Intelligence

This article reviews key issues regarding the controversy on the direction and magnitude of cohort differences in intelligence. Data from the Seattle Longitudinal Study (SLS) illustrate why differences must be studied across multiple cohorts and multiple chronological ages. Differential cohort patterns for multiple dimensions of intelligence are described. A conceptual framework is suggested for the identification of historical influences important for developmental study of cohort differences.     

Educationally-Based,Culturally-Sensitive,Theory-Driven Mentorship Intervention with At-risk Native American Youth in South Dakota: A Narrative Review

Native American youth struggle with many social issues such as poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of high school, as a result of historical trauma and the current conditions on the reservation. This narrative review found that existing mentorship programs lack adequate research, particularly with Native American youth and youth from rural settings, yet the limited research does demonstrate potential promise. Available research findings suggest that mentorship programs are supporting at-risk youth generally, particularly with increasing their self-worth as well as having educational benefit for the youth. Two theoretical frameworks, strengths perspective and social learning theory, have been determined to offer support to increase the value of mentorship programs for Native American youth. This narrative review concludes that by understanding the social issues and the impact of historical trauma as well as understanding the use of applied theories, strong programming, and helpful factors or considerations, a culturally-sensitive, educationally-based mentorship intervention has potential to support at-risk Native American youth feel motivated to move forward with their educational futures.     

Perceiving images and telling tales: A visual and verbal analysis of the meaning of the internet

This paper uses visual and verbal analysis to delve into the multi-faceted ways in which individuals construct their own meanings and shape their own experiences with the Internet. We build on the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique, and the principles of visual rhetoric to show how perceptual processes affect picture choices, and how these choices contribute to the narrative imagination. Numerous perceptual principles [abstraction, concept formation, perceptual problem solving, constancy, closure, symmetry and balance]are identified in the choice and organization of visual images. The argument we make is that images and words (visual and textual processes) provide deeper insights into our understanding of consumer online experiences.     

Gender differences in health anxiety: An investigation of the interpersonal model of health anxiety

Health anxiety (HA) involves persistent worry about one’s health and beliefs one has an illness or may contract a disease. In the present study, gender differences in Noyes et al.’s (2003) interpersonal model of health anxiety (IMHA) were examined. Using a sample of 950 undergraduates (674 women; 276 men), multigroup confirmatory factor analyses suggested the measurement model for key dimensions of the IMHA (i.e., reassurance-seeking, alienation, worry, and absorption) were invariant across gender. This suggests key dimensions of this model are applicable to and generalizable across women and men. Coefficients alpha for and bivariate correlations between these IMHA dimensions were also roughly comparable across women and men. As hypothesized, mean levels of reassurance-seeking and worry were significantly higher in women compared to men. No gender differences were observed in mean levels of alienation or absorption. Reassurance-seeking and worry appear salient in the interpersonal behavior and emotional life of women with HA. The present study helps to clarify gender differences in the IMHA and other HA models involving similar variables.     

Development of an Interactive Decision Aid for Female BRCA1/BRCA2 Carriers

Shared decision making between patients and providers is becoming increasingly common, particularly when there is no clear preferred course of action. As a result, decision aids are being adopted with growing frequency and have been applied to many medical decision-making issues. One such issue where there is uncertainty is breast cancer risk management among BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers. We present the development of a CD-ROM decision aid to facilitate risk management decision making in this population. Our decision aid was developed with the intention of providing it through a randomized clinical trial. The CD-ROM is a multimedia, interactive intervention which provides information about breast cancer, risks associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, risk management options for hereditary breast cancer, and a breast cancer risk management decision aid. The goal of this CD-ROM, offered as an adjunctive intervention, is to reduce decisional conflict and psychological distress and improve comprehension of risk information, decisional satisfaction, medical adherence, and quality of life for this population of women at increased risk for breast cancer.