The adverse influence of narcissistic injury and perfectionism on college students’ institutional attachment

This study examined the relationship of narcissistic vulnerability, shame-proneness, and perfectionism to college student adjustment. Using a sample of 200 college students, narcissistic injury, socially prescribed perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and self-oriented perfectionism predicted college adjustment as defined as institutional attachment in a canonical correlation analysis. In addition, narcissistic injury, shame-proneness, and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to correlate positively with each other.     

Elucidating the psychosocial context of ‘post‐concussion syndrome’ (PCS): a case study from post‐Milan systemic family therapy

The literature on post‐concussion syndrome (PCS) following mild head injury includes biopsychosocial formulations. However, it is contended that the complexities of the psychosocial remain conceptually underdeveloped. An engagement with this complexity is presented via a case study from post‐Milan systemic family therapy. The work described is with grandparents, a mother and daughter. The latter two both initially experienced PCS following a road traffic accident, yet demonstrated contrasting outcomes in the year post‐injury. Implications for family therapy services and the wider literature are discussed.     

罗红霉素对兔急性心肌缺血再灌注损伤的作用

研究罗红霉素对兔急性心肌缺血再灌注损伤的作用及机制。新西兰大白兔随机分三组。分别于缺血前、后及再灌注结束后测定MDA、IL-6、IL-8、IL-10、中性粒细胞凋亡率。缺血及再灌注后Apo、IR组较Sham组MDA升高(P0.01);再灌注结束后Apo组较IR组IL-6、IL-8减少,IL-10、中性粒细胞凋亡增加(P0.01)。罗红霉素能保护兔心肌缺血再灌注损伤,与减少致炎因子,诱导中性粒细胞凋亡有关。     

Like a phoenix: the journey toward core-self restoration following paediatric skin-burn injury: a psychoanalytic perspective

Severe and sudden injury to the skin during childhood may damage both the child’s outer appearance and mental state. Such a trauma can provoke a complete and utter breakdown of the core-self and regression to an ‘unintegrated’ state. We present the case of 11-year-old Michael, who played with matches, set a fire and sustained severe burn trauma. Michael was treated in our rehabilitation ward over several months and received skin treatment, physical therapy and psychotherapy. Paediatric burn injury is not only a physical struggle but is often accompanied by intense emotional distress of the child and his family. In describing Michael’s therapeutic process, we show how the restoration of the core-self, alongside the healing of the outer skin, provoke issues concerning early infantile skin formation, normative age-related conflicts and vulnerabilities specific to the child. By integrating psychoanalytic thinking into the clinical work of skin rehabilitation, following burn injury, we demonstrate how the significant relationship between the skin and the self manifest in different practice.     

Lifetime Acts of Violence Assessment (LAVA) predictors of laboratory aggression

While self-report data warrants interpretive caution in applied settings, these indices serve an important role in exploratory research. The Lifetime Assessment of Violent Acts (LAVA) inventory is a brief, reliable, face-valid questionnaire for estimating the frequency, triggers, and consequences (including injuries to others) of prior acts of aggression. The LAVA also identifies the situational contexts in which prior violence was triggered and provides a basis for risk classifications based on past reactive, intimate partner, alcohol-related, and/or weapon-related violence. Scores on the LAVA indices have been linked to a range of developmental and maladjustment indicators. Associations were found between lab-provoked (Taylor Aggression Paradigm) responding and both dimensional and risk classification scores in this sample (N = 92) of college men. Participants “competed” with a fictional opponent using electric shock as a retaliatory measure for perceived provocation. The total LAVA dimensional score predicted mean shock intensity ( d = .87), baseline responding ( d = 0.90), and past sexual aggression ( d = 1.01). Shock intensities in response to high provocation were predicted ( M d = 0.57) by all but one LAVA index. Participants who reported inflicting one or more injuries on another showed more intense escalations of aggression ( d = 0.46) in response to provocation than normative counterparts. Prior injuries to another ( RR = 2.71), reactive acts of aggression ( RR = 3.73), or intimate-partner violence ( RR = 4.19) elevated the risk of one or more prior acts of self-reported sexual aggression. The limitations and potential value of self-report data were discussed in regard to aggression research.     

Disfluency clusters in speakers with and without neurogenic stuttering following traumatic brain injury

PurposeAnalyze the characteristics and rate of disfluency clusters in adults with and without neurogenic stuttering after traumatic brain injury (TBI).MethodTwenty adults with TBI participated in this study, including 10 with neurogenic stuttering (Group B) and 10 without -stuttering (Group A). Disfluency clusters in speech samples were classified into three types: Stuttering-like (SLD), other (OD), and mixed (MIX).ResultsSpeakers with and without neurogenic stuttering produced the same mean number of disfluency clusters. In addition, the mean length of clusters did not differ between these speaker groups although the longest clusters did. The most frequently occurring cluster type for people with neurogenic stuttering was MIX and OD for people without stuttering. Although the speakers in Group A produced stuttering-like disfluencies, these never occurred together to form a SLD type cluster. For Group B, the starter units of the clusters were usually stuttering-like disfluencies, while for Group A, the starter units were mostly interruptions.ConclusionsCompared to non-stuttering speakers, stuttering after TBI did not increase the number of clusters, but rather lengthened them. In speakers with neurogenic stuttering, the number and length of clusters were related to the manifestation of other communication deficits, not to the frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies. Still, SLD clusters occurred only in those people with neurogenic stuttering. These findings raise questions about the nature of both neurogenic stuttering and the dynamics of disfluency clustering.     

Gender differences in coordination variability between shank and rearfoot during running

Female recreational runners are 2–3 times more likely to suffer from knee injury compared with male runners. However, the exact reason for this gender difference regarding knee injury remains unclear. Our study aimed to investigate gender differences in coordination variability between shank and rearfoot during running using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Eleven healthy males and eleven healthy females ran on a treadmill. A modified vector coding technique procedure was used to create joint coupling between shank internal/external rotation and rearfoot eversion/inversion. The standard deviation of each coupling was computed as a measure of coordination variability during the stance phase. All trajectory data of coordination variability between genders were analyzed using a two-sample t-test of SPM. No differences in the normalized spatiotemporal parameters of speed, cadence and step length were found between males and females. SPM showed no significant differences between the genders in coordination variability. This study demonstrated that coordination variability between the shank and rearfoot during running may not be associated with the different incidence rates of knee injuries among male and female participants.     

Deployment trauma and seeking treatment for PTSD in US soldiers

Many service members in need of mental health treatment do not seek such treatment. This study investigated the frequency of Army soldiers’ exposure to specific types of deployment stressors and whether different event-types were associated with willingness to seek and actual receipt of treatment. Male soldiers who were married (n = 600) completed online surveys that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), willingness to seek treatment for PTSD, actual receipt of PTSD treatment, and the frequency of exposure to 4 types of potentially traumatizing warzone experiences: committing a moral injury, observing a moral injury, threats to life, and traumatic loss. Soldiers who reported greater exposure to moral injury experiences (committed or observed) were less likely to be willing to seek treatment, regardless of PTSD symptom severity. Although exposure to moral injury did not differentiate actual treatment receipt, soldiers who endorsed loss were more likely to have received treatment, regardless of PTSD symptom severity. These results suggest that the types of trauma experienced during deployment may be a factor in postdeployment treatment-seeking attitudes and behaviors.     

Social Problem-Solving Abilities and Health Behaviors Among Persons with Recent-Onset Spinal Cord Injury

Although many persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at risk for preventable complications, very little research has examined the health behaviors of these individuals. In this study, we examined self-reported health behaviors of persons with recent-onset SCI. We also studied the association between health behaviors and social problem-solving abilities. The results indicated that positive problem-solving characteristics were associated with more adaptive wellness and accident prevention behaviors. A negative orientation toward problem solving and avoidant and impulsive/careless styles was associated with increased traffic and substance risk taking. Implications are discussed in terms of health education, research, and prevention programs.     

Interactive effects of cumulative lifetime traumatic brain injuries and combat exposure on posttraumatic stress among deployed military personnel

Growing research links Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Much of this research has focused on the influence of the presence or severity of a single TBI while neglecting the potential cumulative effects of multiple TBIs incurred across an individual’s lifetime on combat-related PTSD. The present study addressed this gap using a sample of 157 military service members and 4 civilian contractors who underwent structured TBI interviews at a military hospital in Iraq and completed the Combat Experiences Scale (CES) and Posttraumatic Checklist – Military (PCL-M). Results indicated that a greater number of lifetime TBIs were associated with greater PTSD symptoms when accounting for the presence and severity of a recent, deployment-related TBI. Additionally, a significant interaction of number of lifetime TBIs and combat exposure emerged, indicating that exposure to combat yielded greater PTSD symptoms among those with multiple lifetime TBIs compared to those with one or zero lifetime TBIs. These data suggest that incurring multiple TBIs may amplify the link between combat exposure and PTSD and underscore the need to screen for lifetime TBI history.