Social support and cardiovascular responding to laboratory stress: Moderating effects of gender role identification,sex, and type of support

The objective of the present study was to examine moderating effects of gender role identification, sex, and type of support on the buffering role of social support on cardiovascular responses. We hypothesized that (a) gender role identification, more than sex, would moderate the effect of social support and (b) to obtain optimal attenuating effects of social support, type of support provided should match type of support preferred in terms of one's gender role identification. That is, feminine participants would benefit more from relatively direct support, whereas masculine participants would benefit more from indirect support. Healthy participants (N = 100) performed a psychological stressor in the presence of a friend, after mental activation of a friend, or alone. Results revealed no moderating effects of gender role identification whether or not in combination with type of support. Nevertheless, results demonstrated an attenuating effect of mental support on heart rate and cardiac output in men. It is concluded that pathways linking social relationships and health may differ between women and men.     

The prediction of safe sex behaviour: The role of intentions,attitudes, norms and control beliefs

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine the utility of the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Azjen, 1975) in relation to people's propensity to engage in a range of different safe sex strategies, including engaging in an exclusive sexual relationship, avoiding casual sex, and asking sexual partners about their previous sexual and IV drug use history. It was proposed that the intention to engage in a particular safe sex practice would be influenced by the person's attitude towards engaging in the practice, as well as his or her perception of the extent to which others thought they should do so (subjective norm), while behavioural intentions were proposed to predict actual behaviour. The study was also designed to examine whether, after control of the effects of the components of the theory of reasoned action, the person's generalised control beliefs would explain any additional variance in either behavioural intentions or actual behaviour. One hundred and two sexually active heterosexual students participated in the study. At the first wave of data collection, subjects completed measures of intentions, attitudes, and norms appropriate to each of the different behaviours. Measures of actual behaviour were obtained at follow-tip (three months after first period of data collection). The results of the study indicated that attitudes and norms predicted intentions for avoiding casual sex and asking sexual partners about their previous sexual and IV drug use history, while intentions predicted actual behaviour for all three safe sex strategies. Although there were no significant main effects of control beliefs on intentions or behaviour, subjects with internal control beliefs were more likely than their counterparts with external control beliefs to behave in accordance with their intentions to engage in an exclusive sexual relationship and ask sexual partners about their previous sexual and IV drug use history. Additional analyses revealed that the levels and determinants of intentions and actual behaviour were, in general, similar for males and females.     

The impact of information about the prevalence of AIDS-Preventive behavior among men and women: The mediating role of social norms

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine the effect of information about the high prevalence of safe sex on condom use intention, and to investigate the possible mediating role of the perceived social norm of friends, and the perceived social norm of future. sexual partners. Participants were provided with gender specific prevalence information, that is with the information that most men have exclusively safe sex, or with the information that most women exclusively engage in safe sexual behavior. The results show some gender differences. Information about the high prevalence of safe sex among men tends to increase women's condom use intention, and this effect seems to be mediated by the paceived social norm of future sexual partners. Men's intention, on the other hand, seems to be unaffected by high prevalence information of safe sex. Implications for research and prevention are discussed     

How Many is Enough? Determining Optimal Sample Sizes for Normative Studies in Pediatric Neuropsychology

The purpose of this investigation was to determine how confidence intervals (CIs) for pediatric neuropsychological norms vary as a function of sample size, and to determine optimal sample sizes for normative studies. First, the authors calculated 95% CIs for a set of published pediatric norms for four commonly used neuropsychological instruments. Second, 95% CIs were calculated for varying sample size (from n?=?5 to n?=?500). Results suggest that some pediatric norms have unacceptably wide CIs, and normative studies ought optimally to use 50 to 75 participants per cell. Smaller sample sizes may lead to overpathologizing results, while the cost of obtaining larger samples may not be justifiable.     

Characterization of Children's Decision Making: Sensitivity to Punishment Frequency,Not Task Complexity

On a gambling task that models real-life decision making, children between ages 7 and 12 perform like patients with bilateral lesions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), opting for choices that yield high immediate gains in spite of higher future losses (Crone &; Van der Molen, 2004 Crone, E. A. and Van der Molen, M. W. 2004. Developmental changes in decision-making: Performance on a gambling task previously shown to rely on ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Developmental Neuropsychology, 25(3): 251–279. [PUBMED][INFOTRIEVE][CROSSREF][Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The current study set out to characterize developmental changes in decision making by varying task complexity and punishment frequency. Three age groups (7–9 years, 10–12 years, 13–15 years) performed two versions of a computerized variant of the original Iowa gambling task. Task complexity was manipulated by varying the number of choices participants could make. Punishment frequency was manipulated by varying the frequency of delayed punishment. Results showed a developmental increase in the sensitivity to future consequences, which was present only when the punishment was presented infrequently. These results could not be explained by differential sensitivity to task complexity, hypersensitivity to reward, or failure to switch response set after receiving punishment. There was a general pattern of boys outperforming girls by making more advantageous choices over the course of the task. In conclusion, 7–12-year-old children—like VMPFC patients—appear myopic about the future except when the potential for future punishment is high.     

Perceiving vocal age and gender: An adaptation approach

Aftereffects of adaptation have revealed both independent and interactive coding of facial signals including identity and expression or gender and age. By contrast, interactive processing of non-linguistic features in voices has rarely been investigated. Here we studied bidirectional cross-categorical aftereffects of adaptation to vocal age and gender. Prolonged exposure to young (~ 20 yrs) or old (~ 70 yrs) male or female voices biased perception of subsequent test voices away from the adapting age (Exp. 1) and the adapting gender (Exp. 2). Relative to gender-congruent adaptor-test pairings, vocal age aftereffects (VAAEs) were reduced but remained significant when voice gender changed between adaptation and test. This suggests that the VAAE relies on both gender-specific and gender-independent age representations for male and female voices. By contrast, voice gender aftereffects (VGAEs) were not modulated by age-congruency of adaptor and test voices (Exp. 2). Instead, young voice adaptors generally induced larger VGAEs than old voice adaptors. This suggests that young voices are particularly efficient gender adaptors, likely reflecting more pronounced sexual dimorphism in these voices. In sum, our findings demonstrate how high-level processing of vocal age and gender is partially intertwined.     

Profiling work-related signature strengths of “Born Free” South Africans: A gender perspective

This study investigated the importance of signature strengths of South African trainees in the hospitality industry who are the “Born Free” generation, who have only lived in a democracy, and were given equal opportunities. Utilising a cross-sectional research design, we sampled hospitality industry trainees (n = 290) attending a large South African university (females = 70.3%; black = 91%; mean age = 20.59 years, SD = 3.86 years). For the data analysis we rank order scored the hospitality trainees’ key strengths, and differentiating these by gender. Results indicated the participants to rank Honesty, Love, and Fairness as most important; while Love of learning and Self-regulation were ranked least important of the strengths. Both males and females ranked Fairness highly, while the males ranked Hope as most important, and the females viewed Honesty as an important strength. Moreover, the males scored Leadership significantly higher than the females, while the females scored Forgiveness and Kindness significantly higher than the males. Recognising the signature strengths valued by the South African “Born Free” generation may be important for their self-awareness to provide superior service to guests by using their positive skills.     

Psychosomatic Health: The Body and the Word

Abstract

Why do men get firsts and women gets seconds? This question is currently being debated by some in Oxford University, but not elsewhere, where men's educational under-achievement - in secondary-school league tables, for instance (see, e.g., Phillips 1993) - is more often a matter of concern. Stephen Frosh (1998) has considered both issues in terms of the way young men are constructed and construct themselves through performing and acting on prevailing stereotypes about men and masculinity. These stereotypes include recklessness, not caution, which Maryanne Martin (1998) says contributes to men getting firsts at Oxford by virtue of this trait being rewarded by Oxford University's tutorial and examination system.

In the following pages I too will talk about the equation of men with recklessness. Or, more accurately, I will talk about the way in which men and women act on nightmares and dreams that often glorify men, not least as reckless heroes, in large part because, despite the gains of feminism, glory is still more often men's than women's prerogative in male-dominated society, of which Oxford University is a prime example. I too will consider how this might contribute to men more often getting firsts, and to women more often getting seconds in finals in Oxford. I will end with some implications of my findings for therapy - at least, for the kind of therapy I do as a Freudian therapist. I will therefore begin with Freud.     

The Changing Role of Fatherhood: The Father as a Provider of Selfobject Functions

Fatherhood is evolving. The way that men carry out their paternal role is reflective of the historical time era in which they live, social and cultural forces, both the mother and the father's expectations for fathering behaviors, as well as the father's own innate capabilities, wishes, and desires. Fatherhood is also greatly influenced by men's relationships with their own fathers, the quality of that relationship, and the extent to which the father was emotionally available. The ever-changing role of fathers has been a challenge for the psychoanalytic literature. There is no comprehensive theoretical body of knowledge about fatherhood that takes into account the changing nature of fathering, especially considering men's desires to be emotionally responsive and nurturing parents. This article examines the changing role of the father and suggests a model of paternal involvement that expands the nurturing and available father role to include the father as a selfobject. It discusses the importance of understanding men's relationships with their fathers, a central dynamic in shaping fathers’ involvement with their children. The residual impact of paternal deprivation is explored, followed by two clinical vignettes that symbolize the search for missing selfobject functions. This article concludes by outlining clinical implications and questions to pose to assess the selfobject relationship with one's father.     

Supporting Transgender and Sex Reassignment Issues

SUMMARY

For the care provider unfamiliar with supporting transsexual and transgender persons, as well as their partners, it becomes an imperative to be able to identify this population's unique needs, transition concerns and relationship dynamics. New challenges arise as transgender clients become more prevalent within the GLBT community and contact community clinical resources. These include distinguishing between sexual orientation and the complexities of gender identity; differentiating actual transgender issues and ordinary relationship concerns; and recognizing characteristics of strong relationships versus those doomed to fail when one or both partner's needs can no longer get met.

This article reviews an abundance of stereotypes adversely affecting transgender individuals, relationships and which can taint the treatment environment. At a core level, there exists the need for care providers to recognize when having a transgender identity stops being a disorder, such as when the client is no longer gender dysphoric, and where the care provider needs to advocate the individual's right of self-determination. This includes recognizing when situational depression or anxiety and social discrimination are the actual root of ongoing individual and relationship concerns. With basic transgender knowledge, effectively supporting transgender persons and their relationships is possible for cross-specialty providers, and is recommended.