Parental Alcoholism and Co-Occurring Antisocial Behavior: Prospective Relationships to Externalizing Behavior Problems in their Young Sons

The hypothesis that parental alcoholism and co-occurring antisocial behavior would be indirectly linked to child externalizing behavior problems through child lack of control, current levels of parent depression, family conflict, and parent–child conflict was tested using manifest variable regression analysis. Participants were a community sample of 125 families with an alcoholic father and 83 ecologically matched but nonsubstance abusing families involved in the first 2 waves of an ongoing longitudinal study (with 3 years between each wave). All families had a biological son who was 3–5 years old at study onset. Results revealed that child lack of control mediated the relation between paternal alcoholism and the son's subsequent externalizing behavior problems. Family conflict was a significant mediator of maternal and paternal lifetime antisocial behavior effects and father–son conflict mediated paternal lifetime antisocial behavior effects. Study implications are discussed within the context of parental socialization of antisocial behavior.     

Work attitudes, employment barriers, and mental health symptoms in a sample of rural welfare recipients

Most of the extant research on welfare reform has neglected to consider the experiences of families in rural settings. Fifty women receiving welfare for their dependent children in a rural community were interviewed about their work experiences and aspirations, barriers to employment and service use, as well as mental health and social support. The findings indicate that the majority of participants were connected to the labor force and expressed positive attitudes about work. Barriers to employment (lack of available jobs, child care) and service use (transportation, inconvenient office hours) were endorsed. Perceived social support was negatively related to depression symptoms and positively related to self-efficacy and self-esteem. The importance of understanding the life experiences of welfare recipients in different contexts is discussed.     

Combined Individual/Marital Therapy: A Conflict Resolution Framework and Ethical Considerations

This paper illustrates how couple and individual treatment formats can be intertwined. A conflict resolution theoretical framework structures treatment around three goals: (1) relieving symptoms (anger, depression, and marital distress), (2) facilitating resolution of the couple's conflicts, and (3) building communication and conflict resolution skills. The literature review focuses on why combining individual and couple therapy is often important for married clients. Two Bicycles, an illustrative case incorporating both conjoint and individual interventions, is presented and analyzed with regard to when each format seems beneficial. Ethical and practical issues raised by dual format treatment include potential harm, informed consent, dual roles, confidentiality, and time and financial costs.     

Male Mental Health Problems, Psychopathy, and Personality Traits: Key Findings from the First 14 Years of the Pittsburgh Youth Study

This paper reviews key findings on juvenile mental health problems in boys, psychopathy, and personality traits, obtained in the first 14 years of studies using data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study. This is a study of 3 samples, each of about 500 boys initially randomly drawn from boys in the 1st, 4th, and 7th grades of public schools in Pittsburgh. The boys have been followed regularly, initially each half year, and later at yearly intervals. Currently, the oldest boys are about 25 years old, whereas the youngest boys are about 19. Findings are presented on the prevalence and interrelation of disruptive behaviors, ADHD, and depressed mood. Results concerning risk factors for these outcomes are reviewed. Psychological factors such as psychopathy, impulsivity, and personality are described. The paper closes with findings on service delivery of boys with mental health problems.     

转型期初中生心理健康与父母养育方式的研究

本研究采用《心理健康诊断量表》和《父母养育方式问卷》对196名初中生进行测量,探讨初中生心理健康与父母养育方式的影响因素及其相互之间的关系。结果表明,初中生的心理健康问题的检出率依次是自责倾向、恐怖倾向、冲动倾向和对人焦虑;性别因素只在心理健康的学习焦虑、养育方式上的父亲的惩罚、严厉、母亲的过干涉、过保护、父母的拒绝、否认等因素上表现出了显著差异;独生子女与非独生子女子女比较,在恐怖倾向以及惩罚、严厉的养育方式上存在显著差异;父母的文化程度、职业状况、离异、下岗等因素,只有母亲的职业状况因素对心理健康构成了影响;父母消极的教养方式将使学生的焦虑增加,母亲积极的教养方式将使学生的焦虑减少。     

Treating aerophagia with contingent physical guidance

Contingent physical guidance was used to treat chronic aerophagia. This consisted of guiding the participant's hand over her mouth following each attempt to engage in aerophagia. A wristwatch was then correlated with the contingent physical guidance procedure. Responding remained low in the presence of the wristwatch, even after contingent physical guidance was withdrawn.     

Why Don't Moral People Act Morally? Motivational Considerations

Failure of moral people to act morally is usually attributed to either learning deficits or situational pressures. We believe that it is also important to consider the nature of moral motivation. Is the goal actually to be moral (moral integrity) or only to appear moral while, if possible, avoiding the cost of being moral (moral hypocrisy)? Do people initially intend to be moral, only to surrender this goal when the costs of being moral become clear (overpowered integrity)? We have found evidence of both moral hypocrisy and overpowered integrity. Each can lead ostensibly moral people to act immorally. These findings raise important questions for future research on the role of moral principles as guides to behavior.     

Barbour's Fourfold Way: Problems with His Taxonomy of Science-religion Relationships

In this paper several problems are raised concerning Ian Barbour's four ways of interrelating science and religion—Conflict, Independence, Dialogue, and Integration—as put forward in such publications as his highly influential Religion in an Age of Science (1990) and widely adopted by other writers in this field. The authors argue that this taxonomy is not very useful or analytically helpful, especially to historians seeking to understand past engagements between science and religion.     

The role of subjective group memberships and perceptions of power in industrial conflict

A survey conducted with university academics (N = 187) investigated self‐reported behaviour, explanations, social identification and perceptions of power during a period of industrial disputation. The results point to the importance of subjective experience of group memberships rather than overt group memberships in understanding behaviour and perceptions of power during industrial conflict and demonstrate very little support for the idea that industrial action or inaction reflects coerced behaviour. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Relationship of Functional Variables and Psychopathology to Aggressive Behavior in Persons With Severe and Profound Mental Retardation

A number of hypotheses have emerged regarding the etiology of physical aggression in persons with mental retardation. Although a multicomponent model is appropriate, results of functional analysis-based studies have yielded promising results in identifying instigating and maintaining factors of aggression. However, the relationship between functional variables and conditions such as psychiatric diagnosis to aggressive behavior has yet to be investigated in persons with mental retardation. We conducted a study examining the prevalence of environmental or physical factors in aggressive behavior in mentally retarded persons with and without psychiatric disturbance. One hundred and thirty-five individuals with mental retardation who exhibited physical aggression were assessed with the Questions About Behavior Function Scale (QABF) to identify environmental or physical contribution to aggressive behavior. One or more behavioral functions were identified for 75% of the participants. Additionally, of 66 of the participants scoring above the clinical cutoff on an assessment for dual diagnosis, 75% met criteria for an environmental or physical function for aggression. No significant differences in number of participants with an identifiable function of aggression were found between the no dual diagnosis and dual diagnosis groups. Our findings underscore the importance of identifying functions underlying aggressive behavior in persons with mental retardation, and the need to consider functional variables regardless of psychiatric condition in treatment planning efforts for such individuals.