Predictors and moderators of improved social-emotional functioning in mothers with substance use disorders and their young children enrolled in a relationship-based case management program

Mothers with substance use disorders (SUDs) typically have trauma histories and psychosocial difficulties that lead to poor social-emotional functioning and disrupted mother–child relationships. This 12-month study explored associations of family adverse circumstances and services (case management, therapeutic, and community-based) received by 57-mothers with SUDs and their infants (less than 24-months-old) with changes in social-emotional functioning. All mothers were enrolled in a relationship-based case management program (Parent–Child Assistance Program [PCAP]) that emphasized connecting mothers to appropriate community services. A subset of mothers was additionally provided a trauma-focused psychotherapeutic intervention (infant–parent psychotherapy [IPP]). Dyads in both treatment groups improved in overall social-emotional functioning as assessed by the Functional Emotional Assessment Scale (FEAS). A combined-sample regression analysis revealed that improved FEAS scores were significantly predicted by the number of community services received but not by PCAP case management hours (IPP was not included in this analysis). More adverse circumstances were associated with less improvement in social-emotional functioning in the children; but among the mothers trauma level did not predict FEAS scores. We also found a moderating effect of trauma: Dyads with relatively more adversity showed a significantly greater association of community services received with improvement in FEAS scores than did those with relatively less adversity.     

Role of female aggression in prevention of infanticidal behavior in male common voles,Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1779)

Infanticidal behavior of male common voles (Microtus arvalis) was investigated in relation to the age of unfamiliar pups. Sires from 18 pairs were removed after parturition of their offspring and replaced by unfamiliar males at different ages of the neonates. In group 1, containing six females with their offspring, the new male was introduced into the females' cages on day 1 after the parturition. In group 2 the new male was introduced on day 5 after parturition and in group 3 on day 9 after parturition. The male was removed after 3 days and the neonates recounted. Male common voles killed up to 100% of the neonates in litters containing neonates younger than 9 days by rapid bites to the head of the neonates (groups 1 and 2, mortality rates of 0.86 and 0.38). However, with older pups, a mortality rate of 0.06 was observed while 33% of the intruder males showed signs of injuries (group 3). These findings show that infanticidal behavior of male common voles represents one factor of pup mortality. The results are discussed in relation to changes in the degree of maternal aggression and in the context of the social system of the common vole for solving the conflict between postpartum estrous mating and infanticidal behavior of male common voles. Aggr. Behav. 23:293–298, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

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.     

Poetry and song in a language without sound

We examine distinctive characteristics of a primary language (American Sign Language) which is manual-visual rather than oral-aural. It is proposed that attributes of the mode of this language predispose not only the language itself but also its art forms to certain special characteristics. An analysis is presented of some instances of ‘art-sign’, a poetic tradition developing within our own time, where gestural analogs are suggested to poetry and perhaps even to song.     

Increasing purposeful activity of severely and profoundly mentally-handicapped adults

A time-series reversal design was used to evaluate the effect of a ‘room manager’ procedure on the level of purposeful activity of severely and profoundly mentally-handicapped people in a residential home. The room manager procedure consisted of systematic prompts to participate in recreational activity and social reinforcement contingent on engagement. Data were collected on group and individual client behaviour and two measures of staff performance were taken to assess whether the procedure was implemented consistently across subjects and in line with the experimental design. The results showed that, as well as a group of subjects who engaged at a higher level during the room manager condition, there were consistently ‘high-engaging’ and ‘low-engaging’ groups, reflecting in part the general level of ability of the subjects. However, data on the independent variables show that the the contingency of staff contact did not vary across conditions and it cannot therefore be assumed that these subjects would not respond to the intervention. Some limitations of the procedure as used are discussed, and areas where further work is needed are indicated.     

Book reviews

Religion in Prison: ‘Equal Rites’ in a Multi‐Faith Society James A. Beckford & Sophie Gilliat, 1998 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press xiv + 232 pp., £35.00, US$54.95 ISBN 0–521–62246–8

The Dynamics of Emerging Ethnicities: Immigrant and Indigenous Ethnogenesis in Confrontation Johan Leman, ed., 1998 Frankfurt a. M: Peter Lang 179 pp., DM 32.50 (pb) ISBN 3–631–33107‐X, US ISBN 0–8204–3572–4

Testing the Global Ethic: Voices from Religious Traditions on Moral Values? Peggy Morgan & Marcus Braybrooke, eds., 1998 Oxford: The World Congress of Faiths/Ada, MI: CoNexus Press 172 pp., £11.99, US$19.95 UK ISBN 0–95–24140–1–5, US ISBN 0–9637897–6–7

Embodying Charisma: Modernity, Locality and the Performance of Emotion in Sufi Cults Pnina Werbner & Helene Basu, eds., 1998 London: Routledge 243 pp., £18.99 ISBN 0–415–15100–7

Appropriating Gender: Women's Activism and Politicized Religion in South Asia Patricia Jeffery & Amrita Basu, eds., 1998 New York, London: Routledge 276 + xi pp., £42.50 (hb), £12.99 (pb) ISBN 0–415–91865–0 (hb), ISBN 0–415–91866–9 (pb)

Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds Mary Evelyn Tucker & Duncan Ryuken Williams, eds., 1997 Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions xlii + 467 pp., £19.95 (hb), £13.50 (pb) ISBN 0–945454–13–9 (hb), 0–945454–14–7 (pb)

The Book of Enlightened Masters: Western Teachers in Eastern Traditions Andrew Rawlinson, 1997 Chicago & La Salle, Illinois: Open Court Publishing xix + 650 pp, £23.95 (pb) ISBN 0–8126–9310–8

American Buddhism: Methods and Findings of Recent Scholarship Duncan Ryuken Williams & Christopher S. Queen, eds., 1999 Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press 329 pp., £40.00 ISBN 0–7007–1081–7

China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society Richard Madsen, 1998 Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press 183 pp., £19.95 ISBN 0–520–21326–2

Anti‐Catholicism in Ireland, 1600–1998: The Mote and the Beam John D. Brewer with Gareth I. Higgins, 1998 London: Macmillan 248 pp., £47.50 (hb), £16.99 (pb) ISBN 0–333–74634–1 (hb), ISBN 0–333–74635‐X (pb)

Mary and Human Liberation: The Story and the Text Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, 1997 London: Mowbray 262 pp., £14.99 ISBN 0–264–67459–6

Beyond the Darkness: A Biography of Bede Griffiths Shirley Du Boulay, 1998 London: Rider 308 pp., £20.00 ISBN 0–7126–7429–2

Honest to Goddess: Russia, Sophia and the Celtic Soul Geraint Ap Iorwerth, 1998 Foreword by Caitlin Matthews Southampton: Crescent Books 136 pp., £12.99 ISBN 1–844086–001–4

Freud and Jung on Religion Michael Palmer, 1997 London: Routledge 238 pp., £45.00 (hb), £13.99 (pb) ISBN 0–415–14746–8 (hb), ISBN 0–415–14747–6 (pb)

Science Meets Faith: Theology and Science in Conversation Fraser Watts, ed., 1998 London: SPCK 166 pp., £12.99 ISBN 0–281–05112–1