Intracerebroventricular effects of angiotensin II on a step-through passive avoidance task in rats

A wealth of evidence indicates that angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in learning and memory. However, the precise role of this peptide in these cognitive processes is still controversial, with data indicating either an inhibitory or an enhancing action. The present study was designed to further investigate the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of Ang II (0.5, 1 or 3nmol/5microl) on a step-through passive avoidance task in male adult Wistar rats. When administered pretraining, Ang II did not affect the acquisition of passive avoidance, but markedly improved avoidance performance when given before the retrieval test. The latter effect was observed in retest sessions performed up to 72h after training. Administration of the peptide five minutes after training impaired retention of inhibitory avoidance. Therefore, Ang II may exert opposite effects on passive avoidance memory according to its interference with brain mechanisms leading to the storage or retrieval of this aversively motivated task.     

Kunsttherapie in der Behandlung chronifizierter Schmerzpatienten

Integrated in the evaluation of an innovative concept of art therapy a questionnaire for the measurement of effects and progression of art therapy (FB-KT) was developed and evaluated. The study was performed as part of a multidisciplinary pain therapy on patients with somatization disorders at the day-care pain clinic of the University of Münster. It was a twelve month lasting study, which started in November 1998 and finished in November 1999. The dimensions of the questionnaire were defined by a sample testing of 108 people. To validate the scales of the FB-KT four relevant standardised instruments in pain therapy were used. The results show, that the quality criteria of the questionnaire can be described as satisfactory to excellent. The results further demonstrate that the FB-KT shows therapeutic effects in the dimensions of emotional experience just as clearly as other standardised instruments do. In addition, FB-KT gives informations about experiences during the therapy sessions.     

The Adaptation of Patients During the Hospitalization Period of Bone Marrow Transplantation

A longitudinally study was conducted among 42 bone marrow transplantation (BMT) patients to investigate the association between pretransplant psychosocial variables and psychophysiological outcomes during the immediate convalescence period. Family relationships (cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict) and coping resources (cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual/philosophical, and physical resources) were assessed on the admission day (Day –7 Time 1). Data on psychological distress and pain intensity were obtained on Day +7 (Time 2) and Day +14 (Time 3). The average scores at Times 2 and 3 were computed to indicate the overall adjustments of the patients during the hospitalization period after the day of actual transplant (Day 0). It was shown that higher expressiveness family relationships and higher resources to cope effectively with stressful situations were associated with less psychological distress during the above period. Both pretransplant psychosocial variables were not associated with pain intensity during hospitalization. Allogeneic transplant patients reported higher pain intensity than did autologous transplant patients. Psychological distress and pain intensity were positively correlated with each other. Our findings show that pretransplant family relationships and coping resources associate moderately with psychological distress during the immediate convalescent period of BMT. The present findings support the family-centered approach to BMT care and provide a scientific basis for pretransplant psychosocial interventions.     

Interpersonal behaviors and friendship in a Chinese culture

This research is designed to assess the links between interpersonal behaviors and relationship development. A measure of friendship, labeled 'communion', was developed that focused exclusively on the characteristics of the relationship itself. It was hypothesized that greater use by both parties of behaviors promoting the interests of the other, 'beneficence', and of behaviors respecting the rights of the other, 'restraint', would result in greater communion between the roommates by the end of their first 6 months together. Both dimensions of behavior proved to be related to communion, although beneficence by both parties was relatively stronger than restraint. These findings were discussed in terms of other types of relationships where there is less freedom of involvement and greater hierarchy.     

Well-being of mothers of children with mental retardation: An evaluation of the Double ABCX model in a cross-cultural context

The present study was designed to compare the psychological well-being of mothers of children with mental retardation in the USA and Korea. The Double ABCX model of stress proposed by McCubbin and Patterson (1983) was evaluated for the two national groups. Thirty-eight American and 40 Korean mothers participated in the home-visit interview. The path models in the present study partially supported the ABCX model, but different path models for the two national groups provided important explanations for the well-being of mothers from the two nations. The cause of stress for the American mothers was specific to the individual variables. For Korean mothers, cultural values that carry social influence were more strongly associated with their attitudes towards the child and their experience of stress.     

Influence of self-construals on the perception of different self-presentation styles in Korea

The present study investigated how perceivers' self-construals influence the perception of others who use self-enhancement or self-effacement in communication. It was predicated that independent self and interdependent self would differently affect the evaluation of self-enhancing presentation and self-effacing presentation. Two hundred and forty-six Korean college students read a scenario depicting a person using bragging, and positive and negative self-presentations for his/her accomplishment, and then evaluated the presenter in the scenario on intention of future interaction, satisfaction with conversation and likeability. Results showed that people with independent self evaluated the positive presentation more favorably than people with interdependent self, whereas people with interdependent self evaluated the negative presentation more favorably than people with independent self. No significant difference was found in the evaluation of bragging presentation. The results imply that although the purpose of self-presentation is to give positive self to others, it is differently expressed through self-enhancement in North American culture and through self-effacement in East Asian culture. The results also supported previous cross-cultural studies on self-enhancement and self-effacement by providing an examination from individual level analysis.     

Transnationalism among African immigrants in North America: The case of Ghanaians in Canada

This paper explores the types and strength of transnational ties between Ghanaian immigrants in Canada and their country of origin. The study finds that Ghanaians maintain various types of ties to Ghana including communication by telephone, repeat migration, cultural activities, and investments, especially in home ownership. The desire for home ownership in Ghana is related to the immigrants' intentions to return there permanently in the future. The immigrants also maintain collective ties to the homeland through a network of ethnic associations in Canada. These associations provide financial support for local economic development in Ghana. They also provide an organizational structure through which the immigrants seek to address their political needs in Ghana.     

Absence of parallel forms for the traditional individual intelligence tests

The issue of the absence of parallel forms for the traditional individual intelligence tests has received little attention in the area of psychological testing ever since the early demise of the Wechsler Bellevue Form II and the delayed discontinuance of Form M of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Five reasons have been presented here to argue that the availability of parallel forms could have both theoretical and practical benefits, especially if the constructors of individual ability and/or achievement tests employ the recent advances in item response theory and computer technology.     

Anger management style and emotional reactivity to noxious stimuli among chronic pain patients and healthy controls: the role of endogenous opioids.

OBJECTIVE: Previous work suggests that elevated trait anger-out exacerbates pain responses in part through endogenous opioid dysfunction. The authors examined whether this opioid dysfunction affects not only perceived pain intensity, but also emotional responses to being hurt. DESIGN: 79 chronic low back pain (LBP) patients and 46 healthy controls received opioid blockade (8 mg naloxone i.v.) and placebo in randomized, counterbalanced order in separate sessions. During each session, participants sequentially experienced finger pressure pain and ischemic forearm pain tasks, with emotional state assessed at baseline and postpain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Blockade effects indexing opioid modulation of emotional reactivity were derived by subtracting placebo from blockade condition emotional reactivity. RESULTS: Significant Participant Type x Anger-Out interactions on blockade effects indicated that in LBP participants but not in controls, greater anger-out was associated with deficient opioid modulation of anxiety, anger, and fear reactivity to noxious stimulation. Across participant types, greater anger-in was associated with impaired opioid modulation of anxiety and fear reactivity. Anger-in opioid effects were partially due to overlap with general negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: Opioid dysfunction associated with trait anger-out may affect not only perceived pain intensity, but also pain-related suffering in individuals with chronic pain conditions. Implications for understanding the health effects of anger management styles are discussed.