Psychological consequences of positive results in cervical cancer screening

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the psychological impact of abnormal cervical smear results. Existing literature contain only uncontrolled studies or controlled studies with non-standardised measures. Subjects were recruited from women attending two general practices for routine cervical smears over a six month period. A comparison was made between women with positive results who were referred for colposcopy, with mild abnormalities who were asked to return for a repeat smear in six months, or negative smear results. Psychometric assessment by postal questionnaire was carried out one week after receiving the result. The measures used were the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Spielberger State Anxiety (STAI), and a measure designed specifically for use in the study, the Cervical Screening Questionnaire (CSQ). Results indicated that women with positive smear test results who were referred for colposcopy had significantly higher scores on GHQ (p<.01) STAI-S (p<.05) and CSQ (p<.001) than women with mild abnormalities or negative results. Significant differences between the groups with mild abnormalities and negative results were found on the CSQ (p<.05). These findings suggest that positive results on cervical screening are associated with a significant psychological impact including a range of specific concerns about gynaecological health and cancer, increased anxiety and impaired well-being. Even mildly abnormal results, which involve a recommendation for early repeat screening, cause raised concern about cancer for the recipients. The procedures for providing smear results should be organised to minimise the level of distress.     

The Role of Parenting in Relational Aggression and Prosocial Behavior among Emerging Adults

This study investigated the role of remembered parenting styles and parental psychological control in the prediction of relational aggression and prosocial behavior in a college student sample (N = 323). Participants’ retrospective ratings of how they were parented were related to relational aggression and prosocial behavior; however, somewhat different relationships emerged for African American and White participants. Permissive parenting, authoritative parenting, and parental psychological control predicted relational aggression. Participant race and all 3 parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive) predicted prosocial behavior. Participant race moderated the relationship between psychological control and prosocial behavior. Specifically, parental psychological control was inversely related to prosocial behavior for African American, but not White, participants.     

Reducing the Gap in Reading Performance Between Israeli Lower- and Middle-Class First-Grade Pupils

This study investigated the impact of prompting to achieve a faster reading rate on the reading performance of 100 Israeli first-grade students from lower- and middle-class backgrounds. In both groups, reading comprehension and decoding skills improved under the fast-pace condition. However, the children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds showed the greatest degree of overall improvement. Having scored significantly lower at self-pace, disadvantaged pupils nearly attained the level demonstrated by advantaged children when reading at the faster pace. The enhanced reading skills exhibited under accelerated speed are explained.     

Educational Performance and Psychological Disengagement Among Ethnic-Minority and Dutch Adolescents

The authors used a questionnaire (N = 587) among ethnic-minority and majority group adolescents in The Netherlands to examine the idea that under certain conditions minority group members tend to psychologically disengage their self-evaluation from educational performance. The results showed that only among ethnic minorities, perceived discrimination in school was related to psychological disengagement. Furthermore, among both groups of participants, perceived diagnosticity of performance feedback was negatively related to disengagement. However, among the ethnic minority group this effect was found for only those participants with relatively high educational performance. The results showed that negative experiences in school can lead to psychological disengagement from the academic domain and that disengagement is not restricted to African American students.     

A Functional Analysis of Psychological Terms Redux

In his seminal paper, “An Operational Analysis of Psychological Terms,” Skinner (1945) offered the revolutionary suggestion that, rather than endlessly debating the meanings of psychological terms, psychologists should analyze the variables that control their occurrence as verbal behavior. Skinner''s suggestion reflected the essence of his 1957 book, Verbal Behavior, wherein he argued that the behaviors of which language is composed (i.e., speaking and listening) are controlled by variables found in the social environment (which he called the verbal community), and that analyzing those variables would lead to an understanding of the behaviors. Although Skinner formally introduced his radical approach to language in 1945, it has yet to be fully realized. The result is that psychologists, including behavior analysts, still debate the definitions of terms. In the present paper, I review Skinner''s functional approach to language and describe ways in which behavior analysts have already applied it to traditional psychological terms. I conclude by looking at other current terms in behavior analysis that engender some confusion and encourage behavior analysts to apply a functional analytic approach to their own verbal behavior.     

Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience

This study examined the role of intensive mindfulness training on changes in day-to-day experiential processing, psychological symptoms, resilience, and well-being in two groups of community adults (N = 69). Using both quasi-experimental and longitudinal methods, the study found that intensive training, operationalized as 10–12 hours of formal mindfulness practice per day for 1 month, was significantly related to increases in training-specific experiential processing capacities, namely trait mindfulness and decentering (reperceiving), in comparison to pre–post-training wait-list controls. In both training groups combined, mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance increased over the pre-training to 1-month follow-up period. Intensive mindfulness training was also related to declines in anxiety and enhanced both subjective well-being and self-compassion from pre-training to follow-up in the two training groups. Finally, increases in trait mindfulness and acceptance were related to improvements in psychological symptoms, well-being, and resilience. Future directions for this novel area of mindfulness research are discussed.     

休谟的同情原则探析

休谟认为同情是人性中强有力的原则 ,同情在表现形式上是自然的 ,而同情感的实际内容是人为的。同情是道德区别和道德判断的心理机制 ,是沟通他的心理学和伦理学的桥梁。但由于同情原则建立在抽象人性论的基础上 ,休谟调和个体情感的特殊性与道德原则的普遍性的努力不可能成功。     

不同年龄广告名人效应的心理加工机制研究

本研究从自动化加工和控制性加工这个视角研究了名人效应的心理加工机制。实验运用加工分离程序,探讨了不同年龄阶段的受众对名人广告的信息加工模式。结果发现：(1)名人效应是一个普遍存在的现象,与用一般消费者做代言人相比,青少年、成年人(大学生)以及老年人对名人广告均明显存在更多的自动化加工,且加工水平没有年龄差异。但是,老年人的控制性加工明显低于其他两组;(2)在非注意条件下,代言人的专业化程度明显地影响了大学生组的控制性加工,但与各组被试的自动化加工都关系不大。这些研究发现为广告策略的制定带来了一些新的启示。     

终末期癌症病人诊治中的心理特征与人文关怀

在诊治终末期癌症病人过程中不仅要关心他们的躯体方面,更要关心他们的心理方面,在诊治过程中要根据他们的独特的心理特征来进行人文心理关怀,维持生命质量和保证他们应有的人格尊严.     

Evaluating Genetic Counseling: Client Expectations,Psychological Adjustment and Satisfaction with Service

Periodic evaluations of genetic counseling services are useful for determining the effectiveness of counseling in meetings its psycho-educational aims, as well as identifying where improvements to the service may be made. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic counseling services provided by Genetic Services of Western Australia (GSWA) to determine the impact of counseling on client expectations, satisfaction with the service, and psychological adjustment, defined as wellbeing and perceived personal control (PPC). A total of 122 clients participated in a self-administered survey conducted pre- and post-counseling. Client expectations of the service as a means of providing information were met, and opportunities for counselors to meet client’s expectations of psychological support were identified. Furthermore, counseling was found to maintain and enhance psychological wellbeing of clients. The role of counseling in facilitating the development of PPC was a key contributor to a high sense of satisfaction in clients.