Diagnostik und Therapie Dissoziativer (Identitäts-) Störungen

In North America, dissociative disorders have gained a central position in psychiatric research of the last 20 years. Their most severe form, the dissociative identity disorder has been explored with utmost thoroughness. The dissociative identity disorder seems to be a complex posttraumatic disorder with a central etiological role of sexual traumatizations in early childhood. Critics, however, expressed their doubts about the validity of the posttraumatic model and the psychiatric diagnosis itself. They assume it to be a matter of the cultural and suggestive impact of the media and of improper psychotherapy. In the present article evidence is provided about the arguments of the socio-cognitive model being scientifically unsubstantiated. A bulk of empirical results supports the assumption that dissociative identity disorder and similar diseases regularly occur both in North America and Europe, but they are rather rarely diagnosed. Therefore, it seemes both to make sense and be necessary to develop diagnostic and treatment programs for dissociative identity disorders and to promote their implementation.     

Risk it? Direct and collateral impacts of peers' verbal expressions about hazard likelihoods*

When people encounter potential hazards, their expectations and behaviours can be shaped by a variety of factors including other people's expressions of verbal likelihood (e.g., unlikely to harm). What is the impact of such expressions when a person also has numeric likelihood estimates from the same source(s)? Two studies used a new task involving an abstract virtual environment in which people learned about and reacted to novel hazards. Verbal expressions attributed to peers influenced participants’ behaviour toward hazards even when numeric estimates were also available. Namely, verbal expressions suggesting that the likelihood of harm from a hazard is low (vs. higher) yielded more risk taking with respect to said hazard. There were also inverse collateral effects, whereby participants’ behaviour and estimates regarding another hazard in the same context were affected in the opposite direction. These effects may be based on directionality and relativity cues inferred from verbal likelihood expressions.     

Neuroimaging studies in eating disorders

The understanding of the eating disorders (EDs) anorexia (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) has undergone remarkable advancements in the past decade. Most studies that have been done in AN show brain gray and white matter volume loss during the ill state that, at least in part, remit with recovery. Similar patterns occur for brain phospholipids assessed using magnet resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Imaging studies have been used to provide functional information regarding serotonin neuroreceptor dynamics, regional cerebral blood flow, or cerebral glucose metabolism. Such studies have implicated cingulate, frontal, temporal, and parietal regions in AN. Investigators have found that challenges such as food and body image distortions may activate some of these regions, raising the possibility that such studies may shed light on puzzling AN symptoms, such as body image distortions or extremes of appetitive behaviors. Emerging data suggest these disturbances persist after recovery from AN, suggesting the possibility that these are traits that may create a vulnerability to develop an ED. While fewer studies have been done in BN or binge eating disorder, there may be disturbances of serotonin metabolism in similar brain regions. Taken together, these findings give promise for future investigations with the hope of delineating brain pathways that contribute to the etiology of EDs     

Development and structural dynamics of personal life investment in old age

The development of personal life investment (PLI) during old age was investigated with longitudinal and cross-sectional data from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516, ages = 70-103 years). PLI measures motivational energy expended in life domains that require (obligatory PLI) or do not require (optional PLI) investment in old age. The authors used structural modeling to determine developmental trajectories and dynamics of the PLI types. On average, obligatory PLI remained unchanged between 70 and 101 years. Optional PLI declined during the transition to the 4th age (between 80 and 90 years). When change on the intraindividual level was considered, reductions in optional PLI were not related to changes in obligatory PLI, but declining obligatory PLI was associated with declining optional PLI.     

Evolution of the brain and intelligence

Intelligence has evolved many times independently among vertebrates. Primates, elephants and cetaceans are assumed to be more intelligent than 'lower' mammals, the great apes and humans more than monkeys, and humans more than the great apes. Brain properties assumed to be relevant for intelligence are the (absolute or relative) size of the brain, cortex, prefrontal cortex and degree of encephalization. However, factors that correlate better with intelligence are the number of cortical neurons and conduction velocity, as the basis for information-processing capacity. Humans have more cortical neurons than other mammals, although only marginally more than whales and elephants. The outstanding intelligence of humans appears to result from a combination and enhancement of properties found in non-human primates, such as theory of mind, imitation and language, rather than from 'unique' properties.     

Postural control in otolith disorders

It was the aim of the present paper to investigate the influence of otolith disorders on human postural control by different methods. The 33 patients of our study had undergone a minor head injury and suffered subsequently from an utricular or sacculo-utricular disorder as evidenced by vestibular evoked myogenic potential recordings and eccentric rotation recordings of the otolith-ocular responses. Postural control was assessed by performing stance/gait tests (standard balance deficit test, SBDT) and by evaluating trunk sway (using angular velocity sensors). Moreover, classical tests of the posterior column of the spinal tract (Romberg/Unterberger) and the dynamic posturography (sensory organization test, SOT) were included. It could be shown that SBDT tasks with reduced proprioceptive and visual cues (e.g. standing on foam, eyes closed) are most sensitive for an otolith disorder. The patients showed an increased trunk sway in the pitch plane (i.e. linear motion as adequate utricular stimulus) and an increase in sway velocities (i.e. tilting movements as adequate saccular stimulus) compared to controls. The SOT was most sensitive for combined (sacculo-utricular) otolith disorders (78%) while vestibulospinal tests are not enough sensitive. In essence, otolith disorders evidently impair human postural control and have been possibly underestimated as a source of posttraumatic postural imbalance as yet.     

A comparison of coping factors in Western and non-Western cultures

This study presents convergent support for the use of three empirically constructed factors, across four samples, from the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Planning, Positive Reappraisal, and Distancing factors were congruent for comparisons made between U.S. healthcare workers, Chinese healthcare workers, Chinese teachers, and Taiwanese teachers. Additional evidence of congruency was provided on specific factors between specific pairs of groups. The results support the usage of common factors across languages, cultures, and occupational groups but also highlight the importance of not administering a test in a different cultural setting without assessing its dimensionality.     

The effects of gender role orientation on team schema: a multivariate analysis of indicators in a US Federal health care organization

In this empirical study of 649 employees at a federally supported health care facility in the United States, the authors investigated the effects of individual gender role orientation on team schema. The results indicated (a) that nontraditional male and female employees perceived the greatest amount of group cohesion in their team schemas and (b) that both traditional and nontraditional male employees perceived greater problem-solving potential in their team schemas. Meaningful implications for team composition are discussed.     

Construct Validity Evidence for the Intercultural Readiness Check against the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire

The psychometric qualities of the intercultural readiness check (IRC) were evaluated against an existing instrument for multicultural effectiveness: the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). The IRC has scales for intercultural sensitivity, intercultural communication, intercultural relationship building, conflict management, leadership and tolerance of ambiguity. A sample of in majority employees who were trained for an international position (N=137) participated in the study. The IRC scales were moderately to sufficiently reliable. Correlations with the MPQ scales were in the expected direction. Both instruments were equally strongly related to international inspiration, with open‐mindedness (MPQ) and intercultural sensitivity (IRC) as most important predictors. The IRC scales explained more variance in international experience.