Intrafamily aggression in Turkey: frequency,instigation, and acceptance

The present study was designed (a) to determine the frequency of aggression within different pairs of family members, (b) to define actions that may be construed as instigations of intrafamily aggression when committed by different members of the family, and (c) to investigate acceptance rates for different types of aggression from and toward different family members as reactions to different instigations. Questionnaires were administered verbally to 185 Turkish men and women between the ages of 14 and 75. The reported frequency of aggression was highest in mother-child relationships. Reported frequencies were higher for milder acts of aggression than for harsher acts. Content analyses of definitions of different actions that could be construed as instigations for aggression varied, depending on the person performing the act. Variations were consistent with power differences within the family and with gender stereotypes. The acceptance rate for intrafamily aggression was higher for verbal than for physical aggression and showed variations, depending on the nature of the instigation. Discussion focused on the relationship between intrafamily aggression and control.     

Children's Ideas About What Can Really Happen: The Impact of Age and Religious Background

Five- to 11-year-old U.S. children, from either a religious or secular background, judged whether story events could really happen. There were four different types of stories: magical stories violating ordinary causal regularities; religious stories also violating ordinary causal regularities but via a divine agent; unusual stories not violating ordinary causal regularities but with an improbable event; and realistic stories not violating ordinary causal regularities and with no improbable event. Overall, children were less likely to judge that religious and magical stories could really happen than unusual and realistic stories although religious children were more likely than secular children to judge that religious stories could really happen. Irrespective of background, children frequently invoked causal regularities in justifying their judgments. Thus, in justifying their conclusion that a story could really happen, children often invoked a causal regularity, whereas in justifying their conclusion that a story could not really happen, they often pointed to the violation of causal regularity. Overall, the findings show that children appraise the likelihood of story events actually happening in light of their beliefs about causal regularities. A religious upbringing does not impact the frequency with which children invoke causal regularities in judging what can happen, even if it does impact the type of causal factors that children endorse.     

Cognitive Reactivity in Depressed Outpatients: How Different is Severe Depression?

Cognitive behavioral approaches have been able to demonstrate some of the underlying and perpetuating factors of depression such as cognitive reactivity (CR). The association of CR and the severity of depression is yet to be reported. We aimed to compare the CR of a group of outpatients based on their self-reported severity of depression (SRSD), and to identify the role of specific CR vulnerability markers in depression. The study population consisted of 221 outpatients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. We used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and completed a demographic and clinical data form. The participants completed the Leiden Index of Depression Sensitivity-Revised (LEIDS-R), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. To identify how well CR, as measured by the scores of the LEIDS-R, could discriminate the groups based on the SRSD, one-way analysis of variance was used. To examine the unique associations between the CR and the SRSD, a hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed. To identify group membership to severe depression, the scores of the LEIDS-R were entered in a logistic regression model. Large, and small group differences emerged on the rumination, and control scores, respectively. The other group differences were all in the medium range. The control, risk aversion, and rumination scores were the subscales which explained a significant proportion of the variance in the SRSD. Overall, the logistic regression model classified 93.7 % of the severely depressed patients correctly. These results indicated that rumination, risk aversion, and perfectionism were particularly associated with severe depression.     

The relationship between negative parenting and child and maternal temperament

The purpose of the present study was to examine how negative parenting, namely coercive and abusive parenting, relates to maternal and child temperamental characteristics, based on Belsky’s model of parenting. In addition to the unique effects of child temperamental characteristics (approach, perceptual sensitivity, soothability, persistence, and reactivity), we investigated how child temperamental characteristics play a moderating role between maternal temperamental characteristics (negative affect, effortful control, extraversion and orienting sensitivity) and negative parenting. Participants were 209 mothers of preschool children (M_age = 50.01 months, SD = 5.75) from 48 child care centers across the capital city of Turkey. Two sets of hierarchical regression analyses showed that coercive parenting was predicted by child reactivity, perceptual sensitivity, maternal negative affect, and effortful control. In addition, maternal SES and negative affect were related to abusive parenting. Furthermore, interaction between maternal extraversion and child’s persistence predicted coercive parenting. For children with high levels of persistence, maternal extraversion levels did not make any difference in the level of abusive parenting. However, for children with low levels of persistence, mothers who had high levels of extraversion were more likely to display coercive parenting. Consistent with Belsky’s model, both child and maternal characteristics were related to parenting. While both maternal and child characteristics were associated with coercive parenting, only maternal negative effect was associated with abusive parenting.

     

Human values in the team leader selection process

The selection process of team leaders is fundamental if the effectiveness of teams is to be guaranteed. Human values have proven to be an important factor in the behaviour of individuals and leaders. The aim of this study is twofold. The first is to validate Schwartz's survey of human values. The second is to determine whether there are any relationships between the values held by individuals and their preferred roles in a team. Human values were measured by the items of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) and the preferred roles in a team were identified by the Belbin Self Perception Inventory (BSPI). The two questionnaires were answered by two samples of undergraduate students (183 and 177 students, respectively). As far as the first objective is concerned, Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) was performed at the outset to examine how well the two-dimensional circular structure, as postulated by Schwartz, was represented in the study population. Then, the results of this analysis were compared and contrasted with those of two other published studies; one by Schwartz (2006) and one by Ros and Grad (1991). As for the second objective, Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to assess the associations between the ratings on the SVS survey items and the ratings on the eight team roles as measured by the BSPI.     

Play Profile Constructions: An Empirical Assessment of Children’s Play in Psychodynamic Play Therapy

Play assessment can be used therapeutically to determine whether and how play would be an appropriate intervention mode for children with clinical diagnoses, and to track their therapeutic progress. However, detailed and standardized play protocols that can catalogue children’s play behaviors in psychodynamic therapy are not widely available. The aim of this study was to empirically construct profiles of play using items selected from the Children’s Play Therapy Instrument (CPTI), reflecting the complex play patterns of children with mental health difficulties. These constructed play profiles integrate quantitative items associated with cognitive, affective, social qualities of play, as well as children’s coping strategies. The initial session of 62 children in psychodynamic play therapy was recorded, transcribed and coded using the CPTI, and children’s play profiles were computed. The reliability of the play profiles, and their preliminary associations with children’s symptomatic and behavioral functioning were tested. Results showed that the play profiles showed good inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and their associations were in expected directions with the majority of the criterion measures. Given the limitations of the current empirical play measures in clinical settings, the preliminary validation provided in this study of the play profiles add a significant contribution to existing literature.     

Dyadic Mental State Talk and Sophistication of Symbolic Play between Parents and Children with Behavioral Problems

Parents’ ability to recognize children’s mental states and use mental state language in their interactions are associated with children’s mentalization, affect regulation, and symbolization in play. However, the relations among these constructs have not been investigated in school-age children with behavioral problems. This study examined the association between 53 Turkish mother-child and 40 father-child dyads’ mental state talk, children’s play characteristics, and behavioral problems at the beginning of psychotherapy. Results indicated that parents’ and children’s play-related mental state talk was associated with children’s interactive role-play, and mothers’ mental state talk was associated with children’s affect regulation in play. Moreover, mental state talk through pretend play was linked with fewer internalizing symptoms; yet a direct focus on children’s mental states out-of-pretend play was correlated with more behavioral problems, highlighting the multidimensional nature of the mentalization construct. These results are discussed taking into account the socio-cultural variations of the Turkish culture highlighting the unique characteristics of the parent-child play in context. The clinical implications point to the importance of parental and child mentalization within pretend play, that provide opportunities for affect processing, which could promote symptomatic improvement.     

Validity and Reliability of a Turkish Version of the Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses

This study examined the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses (MMSQSN). After obtaining permission to adapt the MMSQSN into Turkish, the translation/back-translation method was used with expert opinions to determine content validity. Factor analysis was conducted to examine the construct validity and test–retest was performed on the questionnaire to determine reliability. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to assess for internal consistency. Participants included 272 baccalaureate degree student nurses who took ethics lessons prior to their clinical internship. The factor analysis revealed that even though the factor structure in the original scale was the same, relevant items were categorized with similar components, and factor loads were sufficient. The correlation coefficient in the analyses of test–retest scores was .66 for the total scale (p < .05) and the Cronbach’s alpha was .73 for the total scale. The translated MMSQSN is a valid and reliable measure of ethical sensitivity in student nurses in Turkey.     

Imbalances and Impairments in Mental State Talk of Children with Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

ABSTRACT

The aims of this study were to investigate the associations between impairments and imbalances in children’s mental state talk, attachment security and abuse/neglect experiences, and to study how much of the variance in internalizing and externalizing problems was explained by mentalization problems. The sample included 100 Turkish children (M Age = 7.00 (SD = 2.01), 38% girls) referred to a outpatient psychotherapy clinic. Children were administered an attachment-based story stem task in order to code attachment security and different categories of mental state talk, including the extent of their direction (self vs other), balance, and appropriateness. Parents and teachers filled out socio-behavioral function scales. Findings indicated a significant positive association between externalizing problems and impaired mentalization. Internalizing problems were associated with mentalizing the other at the expense of one’s own mental states and underusing emotions. Attachment insecurity and adverse experiences were associated with mentalization impairments and imbalances. Finally, underuse of emotions and self-focused mental state talk predicted internalizing problems and impaired mental state talk predicted externalizing problems at trend level of significance. Qualitative analyses supported the results, which suggest that whereas children with externalizing problems suffer from severe mentalization deficits, children with internalizing problems undermentalize about themselves and emotions.