Relations among mothers' expressivity, children's effortful control, and their problem behaviors: a four-year longitudinal study

Longitudinal relations between mothers' expressivity, children's effortful control, and their problem behaviors were examined when children (N = 181) were 6.5-10 years old (T2) and again 2 (T3) and 4 (T4) years later. Mothers reported on their expression of positive and negative dominant emotion. Mothers and teachers reported on children's effortful control and externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. In structural equation models, variables exhibited consistency over time. Further, the relation between mothers' expressivity (positive minus negative dominant emotion) at T2 and children's externalizing problems at T4 was mediated by T3 effortful control. The same process of mediation was significant for teacher- but not mother-reported internalizing problems. The results provide one explanation for how emotion-related socializing behaviors influence children's problem behaviors.     

WAIS-III task perception and performance as a function of stopwatch display

Examiner's instructions for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition indicate that stopwatch display is optional. Since verbal instructions do not consistently inform examinees whether a subtest is timed, examinees may rely upon the visual cue of the stopwatch. Furthermore, examinees' understanding of the actual subtest demands may affect their performances. In the present study, 58 volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups, one in which the examiner displayed the stopwatch and one in which the stopwatch was concealed. Participants were administered the first five subtests. Predictions were that (1) participants to whom the stopwatch was displayed would more accurately perceive whether the subtests were timed, and (2) participants who accurately understood the demands of subtests would score higher than those who did not. Results supported the first hypothesis for three subtests out of five, one remaining inconclusive due to a ceiling effect. The second hypothesis was not supported. Both the implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.     

Seeing ahead: Experience and language in spatial perspective

Spatial perspective can be directed by various reference frames, as well as by the direction of motion. In the present study, we explored how ambiguity in spatial tasks can be resolved. Participants were presented with virtual reality environments in order to stimulate a spatialreference frame based on motion. They interacted with an ego-moving spatial system in Experiment 1 and an object-moving spatial system in Experiment 2. While interacting with the virtual environment, the participants were presented with either a question representing a motion system different from that of the virtual environment or a nonspatial question relating to physical features of the virtual environment. They then performed the target task assign the label front in an ambiguous spatial task. The findings indicate that the disambiguation of spatial terms can be influenced by embodied experiences, as represented by the virtual environment, as well as by linguistic context.     

Engaging Australian Aboriginal youth in mental health services

It is currently estimated that up to 40% of Aboriginal youth (aged 13–17) will experience some form of mental health problem within their lifetime. Of greater concern is the evidence that indicates that Aboriginal youth fail to access mental health services commensurate with this need. This is due, in part, to the characteristically monocultural nature of service delivery of existing services. This paper overviews a model that has been developed specifically for the engagement of Aboriginal youth (aged 13–17 years) in mental health settings. Importantly, a mix of urban (N = 43) and rural (N = 68) Aboriginal youth were represented within the sample to determine its efficacy across different language and tribal groups. The model proved to be effective in engaging 97% of Aboriginal youth (n = 108), with only a small number not effectively engaged (n = 3). The model provides a foundation for the further development of evidence‐based models of best practice that have so far provided to be elusive within this complex field.     

Confidant Relations Among Taiwanese: Implications for Ethnic Chinese Health Care Treatment

The select individual(s) whom one trusts in sharing important personal matters is sometimes referred to as a confidant. The confidant relationship has received increasing attention in recent years as a major social factor contributing to individual health and wellness. Yet, little empirical data has been available to guide health researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners. In this study, 142 adult Taiwanese responded to a structured questionnaire. Participants comprised 105 females, 32 males, and five with sex unspecified (overall mean age?=?33.8, age range?=?18 to 74 years). They were asked whether they had a confidant, and if so, to describe various features of this relationship. Contrary to previous studies conducted in Europe and the Americas, our investigation found that Taiwanese men were equally likely as Taiwanese women to have a confidant (87.5 % of males and 89.5 % for females). Taiwanese women were significantly more likely to have a female rather than a male confidant, whereas males showed no such sex difference. A significantly higher percentage of confidants were non-family members rather than spouses or other immediate/extended family members. This finding is consistent with research on the relatively minor salience of emotional intimacy in Taiwanese marriages and the hierarchical structures of many Taiwanese families. The implications of our findings for enhancing Taiwanese and broader ethnic Chinese health treatment are discussed.     

MMPI–A Forensic Case Studies: Uses in Documented Court Decisions

The preliminary development of a personality test, the Zax Information Profile (ZIP), involving 24 content areas was described. Measures of internal consistency of the items in the separate sub-tests are reported as well-as the factor structure of the test with reference to several different S samples. Although internal consistency measures are not as high as were hoped for, they are consistent with similar measures done on somewhat similar test instruments. Furthermore, an external validation study demonstrated that the test differentiated very effectively between music students and arts college students in the predicted directions. The potential use of the test as a screening device for entering college students, and as an instrument for providing leads for constructing optimal housing arrangements and programs to prevent social maladjustment in college students was discussed.     

Noncompliance in hemodialysis patients as measured with the MBHI

Abstract

Fifteen patients beginning maintenance hemodialysis due to renal failure were administered the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory, the Family Environment Scale and Beck Depression Inventory at the outset of treatment. They were then followed regarding their compliance with fluid, diet and medication, using weight change and serum potassium and phosphorus levels. Statistically significant differences were found on independence/dependence conflicts and between patients showing at least moderate noncompliance with weight and/or phosphorus limitations. Significantly higher levels of depression were associated with consistently poorer compliance patterns.     

Narcissistic Measures of Lutheran Clergy Who Self-Reported Committing Sexual Misconduct

This study sought to determine if narcissism was a factor in Lutheran clergy who self-reported committing sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct was defined as any activity in which a clergyperson, single or married, engaged in sexual behavior (sexual intercourse, kissing, touching or hugging with sexual intent, use of sexually explicit language) with a parishioner, client, or employee of the church (Francis & Turner, 1995). The results indicated that clergy who self-reported having committed sexual misconduct and had high levels of narcissism were not significantly different from those clergy who self-reported not having committed sexual misconduct. Demographic and related findings are also discussed. Former Lutheran minister and is currently an Assistant Professor of education atAssociate Professor of professional counseling in the Division of Professional Psychology at the     

Made in America: Perspectives on Friendship in West African Immigrant Families

This qualitative study compared West African immigrant parents’ and adolescents’ perspectives on parental monitoring of adolescents’ peer groups. Parents (n = 31) and adolescent children (n = 25) were interviewed using focus groups and individual interviews, and data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Parents expressed a general concern about external influences on their children, particularly their mistrust of their children’s friends. Adolescents reported that they were aware of their parents’ fears and described their attempts to manage their parents’ concerns while simultaneously maintaining friendships with same-ethnic and other-ethnic peers. This study offers both parent and adolescent perspectives in an effort to better understand adolescents’ peer socialization and parental monitoring among West African immigrant families, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Recommendations for mental health professions are discussed.     

Slowed Speech Input has a Differential Impact on On-line and Off-line Processing in Children’s Comprehension of Pronouns

The central question underlying this study revolves around how children process co-reference relationships—such as those evidenced by pronouns (him) and reflexives (himself)—and how a slowed rate of speech input may critically affect this process. Previous studies of child language processing have demonstrated that typical language developing (TLD) children as young as 4 years of age process co-reference relations in a manner similar to adults on-line. In contrast, off-line measures of pronoun comprehension suggest a developmental delay for pronouns (relative to reflexives). The present study examines dependency relations in TLD children (ages 5–13) and investigates how a slowed rate of speech input affects the unconscious (on-line) and conscious (off-line) parsing of these constructions. For the on-line investigations (using a cross-modal picture priming paradigm), results indicate that at a normal rate of speech TLD children demonstrate adult-like syntactic reflexes. At a slowed rate of speech the typical language developing children displayed a breakdown in automatic syntactic parsing (again, similar to the pattern seen in unimpaired adults). As demonstrated in the literature, our off-line investigations (sentence/picture matching task) revealed that these children performed much better on reflexives than on pronouns at a regular speech rate. However, at the slow speech rate, performance on pronouns was substantially improved, whereas performance on reflexives was not different than at the regular speech rate. We interpret these results in light of a distinction between fast automatic processes (relied upon for on-line processing in real time) and conscious reflective processes (relied upon for off-line processing), such that slowed speech input disrupts the former, yet improves the latter.