Predicting mothers' reports of children's mental health three years after Hurricane Katrina

This study explored pathways through which hurricane-related stressors affected the psychological functioning of elementary school aged children who survived Hurricane Katrina. Participants included 184 mothers from the New Orleans area who completed assessments one year pre-disaster (Time 1), and one and three years post-disaster (Time 2 and Time 3, respectively). Mothers rated their children's behavior problems at Time 3 only (n = 251 children; 53.0% male; mean age: 10.19 years, SD = 1.68 years). A path analytic model indicated that hurricane-related stressors were associated with increased maternal psychological distress and school mobility in the first post-disaster year, which were associated with higher child internalizing and externalizing symptoms three years post-disaster. Mediation analysis indicated that hurricane-related stressors were associated with child symptoms indirectly, through their impact on maternal psychological distress. Findings underscore the importance of interventions that boost maternal and child mental health and support children through post-disaster school transitions.     

fMRI responses to Jung's Word Association Test: implications for theory,treatment and research

Jung's Word Association Test was performed under fMRI conditions by 12 normal subjects. Pooled complexed responses were contrasted against pooled neutral ones. The fMRI activation pattern of this generic ‘complexed response’ was very strong (corrected Z scores ranging from 4.90 to 5.69). The activation pattern in each hemisphere includes mirror neurone areas that track ‘otherness’ (perspectival empathy), anterior insula (both self‐awareness and emotional empathy), and cingulated gyrus (self‐awareness and conflict‐monitoring). These are the sites described by Siegel and colleagues as the ‘resonance circuitry’ in the brain which is central to mindfulness (awareness of self) and empathy (sense of the other), negotiations between self awareness and the ‘internal other’. But there is also an interhemispheric dialogue. Within 3 seconds, the left hemisphere over‐rides the right (at least in our normal subjects). Mindfulness and empathy are central to good psychotherapy, and complexes can be windows of opportunity if left‐brain hegemony is resisted. This study sets foundations for further research: (i) QEEG studies (with their finer temporal resolution) of complexed responses in normal subjects (ii) QEEG and fMRI studies of complexed responses in other conditions, like schizophrenia, PTSD, disorders of self organization.     

Political Graphology

The interrelationship of digit span and word span was studied in a group of 112 females, 17-81 years of age. When the subjects were assigned to groups of 38 young ([Xbar] = 25.6 years), 39 middle-aged ([Xbar] = 53.2 years), and 35 old ([Xbar] = 73.3 years), the correlation between the two types of span was larger in the old than in the young, reflecting a predicted greater degree of homogeneity of functioning. When spans were scored without consideration for exact order of recall, this finding no longer held, as was the case with a capacity decrement in digit span with the aged, thus reflecting the importance of the organizational factor in senescent memory ability.     

Physical Abuse and Childhood Disability

SUMMARY

Several authors have hypothesized that children with disabilities are at increased risk for physical abuse. Such a finding would be consistent with current ecological models, which posit that certain child characteristics (e.g., behavior problems) in combination with other risk factors can lead to abuse. The paucity of research in this area makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions at this time. However, the few studies conducted suggest that child characteristics play a minor role in the etiology of abuse. Despite the lack of evidence indicating that children with disabilities are at significantly greater risk for abuse than their nondisabled peers, the presence of a disability raises some unique issues in the identification, assessment, and treatment of special needs children. This article reviews the literature linking abuse and disability as a risk factor. In addition, impediments encountered in the assessment and treatment of abused children with disabilities and their families are discussed and guidelines for practice are presented.     

Positive psychology at work: A conceptual review,state-of-practice assessment,and a look ahead

Positive psychological principles have become increasingly prevalent in the workplace in recent years. However, the field still lacks a comprehensive and practice-based overview of this important trend. The present article focuses on reviewing recent research in positive psychology as it relates to the workplace, including research regarding constructs such as resilience, appreciative inquiry, empowerment, gratitude, psychological capital, work engagement, supervisor and organizational support, positive teamwork and co-worker relations, and positive leadership. For each, we synthesize research examining the nature of the construct itself, its nomological network, individual- and organizational-level outcomes, and how organizations can enhance each within their employees for increased organizational success and enhanced employee experience. Finally, we discuss gaps in the relevant literature and make specific recommendations regarding how to ameliorate such oversights in order to enhance the rigor of positive workplace research as well as the frequency and efficacy of relevant organizational interventions.     

虚拟情境测验研究

该文从虚拟情境和心理测量两个方面规划了场帚式、游戏式、投射式三种虚拟情境测验样式;从科学技术层、心理情感层、操作互动层等方面对虚拟情境测验做出心理学分析;文章最后提出创立网络环境下虚拟情境测验的当代数学模型的设想。     

Core self-evaluations as causes of satisfaction: The mediating role of seeking task complexity

This study examined the mediating role of task complexity in the relationship between core self-evaluations (CSE) and satisfaction. In Study 1, eighty three undergraduate business students worked on a strategic decision-making simulation. The simulated environment enabled us to verify the temporal sequence of variables, use an objective measure of task complexity, and control confounding factors. In Study 2, we surveyed 108 full-time employees. In addition to verifying the temporal sequencing of variables in Study 1, both studies demonstrate that people with higher CSE actually choose/seek higher levels of complexity on their tasks, which directly or indirectly increases their task/work satisfaction.     

Dogmatism,Religion, and Psychological Type

A sample of 422 female undergraduate students, attending a university-sector college in Wales specialising in teacher education and liberal arts subjects, completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator together with the Troldahl-Powell Dogmatism Scale. The data demonstrated that higher dogmatism scores are most clearly associated with sensing rather than intuition. Higher dogmatism scores are also associated with extraversion rather than introversion, and with judging rather than perceiving. No significant difference in dogmatism scores were found between thinking and feeling.     

计划生育干部多种量表评定结果的相关分析

本研究采用DSQ、SCL－90、16PF问卷,对河南、陕西两省部分县（市）乡（镇）的计划生育专职机构的169名计生干部进行测试,结果发现：计生干部的防御方式、心理健康及个性特质三者存在着密不可分的内在联系。个性特征、心理健康状况影响制约着防御方式的动用;防御方式的使用影响行为后果及人的适应能力,进而作用于心理健康,心理健康状况又会重塑人格结构,影响防御方式的动用。     

System influences on posthomicide beliefs and distress

Criminal justice system experiences in 150 family members of homicide victims were investigated. The study had two goals: (a) to document the experiences of homicide survivors in the criminal justice system, including case outcomes, criminal justice system activities, and satisfaction with system personnel; and (b) to determine if experiences with the police impacted posthomicide beliefs (cognitive assumptions about the world and one’s relationship to it) and psychological distress. The sample, which was identified through the Medical Examiner’s Office, was drawn from all criminal homicides from 1.5 to 5 years prior to selection. Results showed that family members of homicide victims were very dissatisfied with their experiences in the criminal justice system. Additionally, whereas objective system outcomes (e.g, arrest) did not directly affect posthomicide beliefs and distress, subjective system outcomes (e.g., police satisfaction) directly affected beliefs and indirectly affected distress. There was some support for both equity theory and a cognitive theory of change, the two theories that guided the model specification. This study was funded by a predoctoral National Research Service Award fellowship to Martie Thompson, from the Violence and Traumatic Stress Research Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. We thank Paula Vardaman for her help with sample recruitment and data collection, Nancy Deore and Kelly Harlan for their help with data collection, and Ann Price for help with data entry. Additionally, we would like to thank Lieutenant Agan of the Atlanta Homicide Division, the staff at the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the staff at the Victim Witness Assistance Program for making this study possible by providing access to their files. Finally, we thank Morton Bard for his feedback in quastionnaire development and study design.