Opportunities in public policy to support infant and early childhood mental health: the role of psychologists and policymakers

Infant and early childhood mental health practices can be supported by policies and professional standards of care that foster the healthy development of young children. Policies that support infants and toddlers include those that strengthen their families to provide a family environment that promotes mental wellness. Policy issues for infants, toddlers, and young children have come to the forefront of thinking as children need a "voice" to advocate for their support and care. This article (a) highlights several important policy areas that support the social-emotional development of very young children and (b) gives examples of current policy accomplishments and challenges. The article offers a policy agenda to promote the mental health of infants and young children and suggests ways that psychologists can engage with policymakers to promote policies that foster infant mental health, including contributing to the knowledge base that informs policy decisions, educating the public and policymakers about early childhood development and mental wellness, forming community partnerships to identify and address infant mental health risks, and participating in the development of policy recommendations that improve access to evidence-based practices in infant mental health.     

Effects of daily morphine administration and deprivation on choice and demand for remifentanil and cocaine in rhesus monkeys

Choice procedures have indicated that the relative reinforcing effectiveness of opioid drugs increases during opioid withdrawal. The demand curve, an absolute measure of reinforcer value, has not been applied to this question. The present study assessed whether mild morphine withdrawal would increase demand for or choice of remifentanil or cocaine. Four rhesus monkeys chose between remifentanil and cocaine during daily sessions. Demand curves for both drugs were subsequently obtained. The effects of daily injections of 3.2 mg/kg morphine on both choice and demand for these drugs was assayed 3 and 20.5 hr after each morphine injection, and then during a postmorphine period. Three hours following morphine injections, choice of remifentanil over cocaine decreased and demand for remifentanil--but not cocaine--became more elastic. During morphine withdrawal (20.5 hr postinjection), choice of remifentanil increased and remifentanil demand became more inelastic in 3 of 4 monkeys. Cocaine demand also became more inelastic during this period. Four to five weeks following the morphine regimen, demand for both drugs was more inelastic relative to the initial determination. The results suggest that both the relative and absolute reinforcing effectiveness of remifentanil decreased following morphine administration and increased during morphine withdrawal. The absolute reinforcing effectiveness of cocaine also increased during morphine withdrawal. In addition, extended exposure to drug self-administration and/or exposure to the morphine regimen produced long-term increases in demand for both drugs.     

The impact of brief teacher training on classroom management and child behavior in at-risk preschool settings: Mediators and treatment utility

Teachers from fourteen classrooms were randomly assigned to an adaptation of Incredible Years (IY) teacher training or to teacher training-as-usual. Observations were made of the behavior of 136 target preschool boys and girls nominated by teachers as having many or few conduct problems. Peer and teacher behavior were observed at baseline and post training. IY training resulted in increases in teachers' positive and reductions in teachers' negative behavior relative to training as usual, in decreased peer negative behavior toward target children, and in decreased negative behavior of target children high on conduct problems. The impact of IY training on the behavior of target children was mediated by changes in peers' behavior with no direct effects of teacher behavior and differential effects for high and low conduct problem children. Teacher training focused on altering the whole classroom environment may be an effective strategy, even for children with significant conduct problems.     

Rewarding Good Citizens: The Relationship Between Citizenship Behavior,Gender, and Organizational Rewards1

The relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and two organizational rewards—salary and promotion—was examined. Employee gender also was tested as a moderator. Data from 440 individuals employed in multiple settings indicated that individuals who reported engaging more frequently in OCB directed toward the organization (OCBO) also reported receiving more promotions. Further, results indicated that gender was a moderator such that the relationship between OCBO and promotion was stronger for males than for females. The results also revealed an interaction between OCB directed toward individuals (OCBI) and OCBO. Specifically, high OCBI and low OCBO related to lower promotion rates than did low OCBI and low OCBO. Results are discussed in terms of implications for individual career development.     

Role models in self-esteem of college women

This study examined the relationship between self-esteem and the existence of role models among a sample of 36 female college students. Participants completed a questionnaire which included demographic questions, the Self-esteem Inventory, and questions concerning use of childhood and contemporary role models. Independent t-test results indicated that participants who reported having current role models had higher self-esteem scores than participants who did not, suggesting that role models may contribute to higher self-esteem in college-age women. No significant differences in self-esteem were by sex of the role model.     

Effects of conflict resolution training integrated into a high school social studies curriculum

The authors examined the effectiveness of conflict resolution and peer mediation training among California high school students. The authors randomly assigned 2 of 4 classes to receive 5 weeks of conflict resolution and peer mediation training integrated into the required social studies curriculum. The remaining 2 classes studied the same social studies curriculum for an identical amount of time (105 min every other day) without conflict resolution and peer mediation training. The authors investigated 2 issues. The 1st was the effectiveness of the conflict resolution and peer mediation training. The trained students, compared with the untrained students, learned the integrative negotiation and peer mediation procedures better, applied the procedures more completely, chose an integrative over a distributive approach to negotiation, and developed more positive attitudes toward conflict. The 2nd issue was the impact of the training program on academic achievement. Integrating conflict resolution and peer mediation training into an academic course promoted higher achievement, greater long-term retention of the academic learning, and greater transfer of academic learning in social studies to language arts.     

Rigidity of thought and behavior: 100 years of research

Rigidity is one of the oldest psychological constructs, with systematic research dating back to the late 19th century. The authors review this research in an attempt to clarify the construct of rigidity and to investigate its correlates. Rigidity is described as a multidimensional construct encompassing the tendency to form and perseverate in the use of mental and behavioral sets. A series of meta-analyses was performed based on three measures of behavioral rigidity: the Einstellung Water-Jar Task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, and the motor-cognitive dimension of the Test of Behavioral Rigidity. The results indicated that rigidity is curvilinearly related to age, positively related to authoritarianism (particularly under stressful situations), and negatively related to intelligence; that men are more rigid than women; that obsessive-compulsiveness is positively related to rigidity; and that schizophrenics are more rigid than nonschizophrenic siblings and normal controls. Unresolved issues and gaps in the research are discussed.     

Post-light potentiation at type B to A photoreceptor connections in Hermissenda

We investigated whether the long (approximately 30-s) or short (approximately 3-s) light stimuli that have been used during behavioral training would induce post-light potentiation (PLP) at the type B to A photoreceptor connections of the isolated nervous system of Hermissenda. We found that a single approximately 30-s light step induced PLP at these connections relative to both pre-light baseline and seawater control preparations, as did a series of nine short (approximately 3-s) light steps. In addition, a 30-s step of depolarization-elicited type B cell activity induced potentiation comparable to that induced by a approximately 30-s light step, indicating that light-elicited type B cell activity contributes to the induction of PLP. By contrast, even though a series of short (3-s) light steps induced potentiation, short steps of depolarization-evoked type B cell activity did not. Hence, light-evoked processes other than type B cell depolarization or activity (e.g., perhaps intracellular Ca2+ release) also contribute to the induction of PLP. Further results suggest that these other light-evoked processes interact nonadditively with type B cell activity to generate PLP. Some but not all instances of synaptic potentiation were accompanied by various changes in parameters of type B cell action potentials and afterhyperpolarizing potentials, suggesting diverse underlying mechanisms, including increases in neurotransmitter release. Given that the type A cells have been proposed to polysynaptically excite the motor neurons that drive phototaxis, a light-evoked potentiation of synaptic strength at the inhibitory type B to A photoreceptor connections may play a mechanistic role in light-elicited nonassociative learning.     

Work-Life Boundaries and Well-Being: Does Work-to-Life Integration Impair Well-Being through Lack of Recovery?

Against the backdrop of increasingly blurred boundaries between work and nonwork, the purpose of this study was to investigate the implications of employees’ work-to-life boundary enactment for well-being. Using border/boundary theory (as reported by Ashforth, Kreiner, & Fugate (Academy of Management Review 25(3):472–491, 2000) and Clark (Human Relations 54(6):747–770, 2000)) and the effort-recovery model (as reported by Meijman & Mulder (Handbook of work and organizational psychology vol. 2 55–53, 1998)), we developed a research model that links work-to-life integration enactment to exhaustion and impaired work-life balance via lack of recovery activities (as reported by Sonnentag, Journal of Applied Psychology 88(3):518–528, 2003). The model was tested using structural equation modeling. Our sample consisted of N = 1916 employees who were recruited via an online panel service. Results showed that employees who scored high on work-to-life integration enactment reported less recovery activities and in turn were more exhausted and experienced less work-life balance. Our study contributes to the existing literature on boundary management by investigating the well-being implications of work-to-life boundary enactment and by suggesting and testing recovery as an underlying mechanism. In doing so, we link boundary enactment with existing theory of the work-life interface. Based on our review of existent research on boundary management and well-being, we disentangle previous contradictory findings. Understanding of the well-being implications of boundary enactment and underlying mechanisms can help human resource professionals and practitioners to devise and implement organizational policies and interventions that enable employees to develop boundary management strategies that are sustainable in that they do not impair employees’ well-being.     

The Inclusion of Spiritual Process in Counseling and Perceived Counselor Effectiveness

In this study, client level of spirituality was examined as a potential moderater for the effectiveness of including spiritual process in the counseling process. Using an analogue design, participants were crossed on self‐reported level of spirituality and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 analogue conditions. Results suggested that a spiritual intervention was perceived similarly to a cognitive‐behavioral intervention for all respondents. Those respondents who self‐reported higher levels of spirituality rated the counselor on the analogue as more expert and more trustworthy, regardless of which of the 2 analogue conditions they evaluated. Implications for counselors are provided.