A church-based peer-led group intervention for mental illness

Religion and spirituality (R/S) can be powerful supports and provide important coping resources for individuals in recovery. Faith communities seem to offer many advantages for recovery-oriented support, but have rarely been the setting for empirically examined psychosocial rehabilitation efforts. This study describes the outcomes for individuals in Living Grace Groups (LGGs), a peer-led group intervention for mental illness that is based in churches and integrates R/S. Persons at all active LGGs were surveyed before and after participation using well-validated scales for recovery, psychiatric symptoms, and spirituality. LGGs attracted individuals with a broad range of persistent psychiatric difficulties, who described religion as important to them and rated the groups as very helpful. Participants reported improvements in recovery and spirituality as well as reductions in psychiatric symptoms. R/S-integrated support groups may improve care by increasing cultural match, as well as providing more access to recovery-oriented care by tapping the resources of faith communities.     

MMPI-2 at the crossroads: aging technology or radical retrofitting?

Paradigmatic shifts are uncommon in psychological assessment, which is often steeped more in tradition than innovative practices. The introduction of the Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales by Tellegen et al. (2003) represents a radical shift in the development and validation of the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). In broadening the debate over the merit of the RC Scales, in this article, we examine current challenges to MMPI-2 interpretation including issues with discriminant validity and imprecision (e.g., standard errors of measurement).We evaluate the RC alternative in the context of these interpretive challenges. Although we note several improvements, the incremental validity for MMPI-2 interpretative statements remains to be established. MMPI-2 researchers may wish to test several innovative models for their comparative strengths in establishing scale properties and providing empirically based interpretations.     

The MMPI-2 Restructured Clinical Scales: a paradigmatic shift in scale development

Tellegen et al. (2003) proposed fundamental changes in MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) scale development by discarding empirical scale development in favor of construct validation via Jackson's (1970) sequential system of scale development. As a result of their efforts, a general distress factor (Demoralization) was identified and 8 Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales were developed. Using 7,330 clinical cases from Caldwell's (1997) data set, in this study, we sought to cross-validate the MMPI-2 RC Scales. Scale homogeneity was confirmed with high alpha coefficients and interitem correlations in the expected range. We also achieved a major objective of reducing interscale correlations. In replicating Tellegen et al.'s principal components analysis, we achieved a high concordance for 6 of the 8 RC Scales. We critically examine these results in light of Jackson's construct validation. We discuss the clinical usefulness of the MMPI-2 RC Scales within the context of current and future research.     

Developing the group mind through functional subgrouping: linking systems-centered training (SCT) and interpersonal neurobiology

This article introduces the systems-centered concept of the "group mind" by linking systems-centered thinking and interpersonal neurobiology, building on Siegel's definition of mind as the process of regulating the flow of energy and information. Functional subgrouping, the systems-centered group method for resolving conflicts, discriminates and integrates the flow of energy and information within and between group members, subgroups, and the group-as-a-whole, thus potentiating survival, development, and transformation. This article uses the interpersonal neurobiological framework to discuss functional subgrouping as a tool for developing the group mind: considering how functional subgrouping facilitates emotional regulation, creates a secure relational context, and potentiates neural integration.     

Measuring the Ability to Express Sexual Thoughts

Ratings were obtained from 30 male college students as to the sexual stimulus relevance of a number of pictures from magazines, each depicting a man and a woman. Then a different group of 72 male students were asked to tell stories about the situations depicted in pictures representing 4 levels of rated sexual stimulus relevance. Half were given ambiguous instructions, while the other half were instructed to tell sexy stories. In general, sexier pictures elicited sexier stories, the effect being more marked with ambiguous instructions. Sexy instructions led to sexier stories except at the highest level of stimulus relevance. The results were interpreted within the framework of an abilities conception of personality.     

Emergent Motivation to Read in Prekindergarten Children

This study aimed to develop and validate a measure of emergent reading motivation designed for prekindergarten children, called the Emergent Reading Motivation Scale (ERMS). The development of the ERMS was to overcome the limitation that current existing reading motivation measures are not developmentally appropriate for young children. Fifty-six native-English speaking children who were enrolled in a prekindergarten program participated in the study. The ERMS had 17 items that were drawn from reading self-concept, reading performance goal, and reading learning goal. The scale was administered through two sock puppets. For each item, the puppets represented contrasting behaviors regarding reading motivation. The children were asked to choose the puppet that was most like themselves. Results suggested that the ERMS is an age-appropriate reading motivation measure for prekindergarten children and has a three-factor structure as assumed even though its internal consistency is moderate and is of limited predictive power of emergent literacy skills.     

Examining Spouse/Partner Presence as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Mental Health Symptoms and Alcohol Use in OEF/OIF Veterans

Veterans from the conflicts in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom; OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF) have reported elevated rates of alcohol consumption, and greater depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with increased alcohol use. Presence of a spouse/partner, which has been associated with reduced drinking, may buffer the relationship between mental health symptoms and alcohol consumption. To examine this hypothesis, the current study utilized baseline survey data from OEF/OIF veterans (N = 325) enrolled in a brief alcohol intervention. Spouse/partner presence moderated the relationship between depression symptoms and alcohol consumption such that depression was positively associated with drinking for veterans without a spouse/partner. Exploratory analyses indicated that the relationship between depression and alcohol use may be particularly salient for veterans without a spouse/partner and a lower number of deployments. Spouse/partner presence did not moderate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Strength of hand preference and dual task performance by common marmosets

Study of avian and piscine species has shown that animals with stronger lateralization of the brain are able to perform two tasks presented simultaneously better than can animals with weaker lateralization. We investigated whether this might apply also to primates by testing common marmosets to see whether there is a relationship between the strength of hand preference, as an indicator of strength of brain lateralization, and the ability to carry out two tasks simultaneously. A model predator was introduced into the testing room while the marmoset was foraging. Marmosets with stronger hand preferences detected the ‘predator’ after shorter latency than those with weaker hand preferences. Furthermore, the marmosets with stronger hand preferences produced more mobbing (tsik) vocalizations when they reacted to the predators than did those with weaker hand preferences. There was no such association between hand preference and either latency to respond to the predator or mobbing reaction when the marmosets were not foraging at the time the predator was introduced. Hence, strength of lateralization is associated with the ability to perform foraging and predator detection simultaneously. These results are discussed with reference to the evolution of brain lateralization.     

Women Experiencing Psychological Abuse: Are They a Homogenous Group?

Dichotomizing women as “abused” versus “not abused” assumes that any psychological maltreatment results in similar outcomes. A national sample of women in conflictual relationships completed an online survey. Women with no incidence (N = 33), the lowest quartile (N = 86), and the top quartile (N = 81) of psychological maltreatment demonstrated significant differences in reactions to the maltreatment, mental health indicators, personality variables, perceived harm, problematic relationship schemas, and response styles. Women with no psychological abuse and women in the lowest quartile produced similar scores that were typically distinct from the top-quartile women. Effective treatment of women with lower amounts of psychological abuse might not require a unique intervention likely necessary for women experiencing much psychological abuse.