Cerebral blood flow in normal and abnormal sleep and dreaming

Measurements of regional or local cerebral blood flow (CBF) by the xenon-133 inhalation method and stable xenon computerized tomography CBF (CTCBF) method were made during relaxed wakefulness and different stages of REM and non-REM sleep in normal age-matched volunteers, narcoleptics, and sleep apneics. In the awake state, CBF values were reduced in both narcoleptics and sleep apneics in the brainstem and cerebellar regions. During sleep onset, whether REM or stage I-II, CBF values were paradoxically increased in narcoleptics but decreased severely in sleep apneics, while in normal volunteers they became diffusely but more moderately decreased. In REM sleep and dreaming CBF values greatly increased, particularly in right temporo-parietal regions in subjects experiencing both visual and auditory dreaming.     

Well-being on campus: testing the effectiveness of an online strengths-based intervention for first year college students

The present research examined the effectiveness of an 8-week online strengths-based intervention in promoting subjective and psychological well-being of first year university students. The intervention was composed of five modules pertaining to (a) finding and cultivating on character strengths, (b) regulation of emotions and increasing positive emotions, (c) constructive communication, establishing social connectedness and positive relationships (d) effective decision-making and problem solving and (e) achieving flow and practicing gratitude. A total 92 students volunteered to participate in the study. They were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a control group. Students’ quality of life (psychological health and social relations domains), life satisfaction, subjective happiness and ontological well-being were measured before and after the intervention. Significant improvements in well-being of intervention group participants were observed over an 8-week period whereas control group participants did not show a significant increase in any of these well-being variables.     

A Perspective on Evolving Family Therapy in Turkey

This article attempts to summarize the journey of evolving family therapy in Turkey. It aims to provide an overview of the development and history of family therapy. Formulations attempting to explain the context of challenges family therapy faces, include political as well as historical events of the past few decades. The current challenges of training, regulating and legislations of family therapy are taken into account with a lens ranging from micro to macro perspectives.     

DISORGANIZED INFANT ATTACHMENT STRATEGIES AND HELPLESS-FEARFUL PROFILES OF PARENTING: INTEGRATING ATTACHMENT RESEARCH WITH CLINICAL INTERVENTION

In this article, recent research on parenting behaviors associated with infant attachment disorganization is summarized and applied to a parent-infant psychotherapy case. Both hostile/self-referential and helpless-fearful patterns of parentingare described and viewed theoretically as alternate aspects of a single hostile-helpless internal working model of attachment relationships. The case material focuses on the more subtle and harder to identify manifestations of a helpless-fearful parental stance. Some attachment-related treatment guidelines for working with a hostile-helpless parenting stance are suggested, including challenging the hostile-helpless model implicitly in the qualities of the therapist's approach to the parent, explicitly articulating the hostile-helpless bind with the parent, increasing the parent's openness to a wider range of affective experience, differentiating attachment-related needs from other communications of the baby, and developing new skills for balancing the needs of the self and the needs of the other in interaction with the baby.     

Timing of Parenthood and Generativity Development: An Examination of Age and Gender Effects in Turkish Sample

Many studies have been published so far indicating that generativity, which is the psychological need to care for and give back to the next generation, is commonly considered in relation to parenthood. The present study investigates links between the age of first parenthood and the societal generativity development and life satisfaction among the young (aged from 29 to 35) and middle aged (aged from 40 to 55) adults in Turkish male and female sample (n = 156). Data were collected through self-report questionnaires including the satisfaction with life scale, Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS), generative behavior checklist (GBC) and demographic information. Results revealed that in general, women had higher score on generativity behavior (which was measured by GBC) than men. Additionally, the interaction effect of gender and timing of parenthood revealed a significant main effect on both generativity concern (LGS) and generative acts (GBC). Specifically, compared to late fathers (>26 years), late mothers had higher score on both generativity concern (LGS) and generative behavior (GBC), and compared to late fathers, early mothers (<25 years) also had a higher score on generative behavior (GBC). While among women age of parenthood did not differ across groups with regard to generativity, among men, age of parenthood was related to generative behavior. The present study revealed that females were already significantly more generative than males of their age-group and the timing of having one’s first child seems to have some critical effect on the development of father’s generativity. Explanations for the findings are framed in terms of gender roles and cultural factors.     

Reflections of Play and Toys on Impressionist Painting Children and Play as a Pictorial Expression

Play is a significant event and opportunity for experience and discovery for children to find their place in the society, to search for themselves and their identity. This study aimed to analyze how the images of children and play were reflected on impressionist painting in Europe in the 19th century. First, the works of impressionist painters were analyzed because they contain concrete and understandable images. According to the impressionist movement, the artist should give prominence to their personal interpretations and the emotions and the thoughts evoked by what they see instead of being objective and directly reflecting the reality. Children play in such a way. This qualitative study examined the images of children and play in 35 works of 10 impressionist painters within the context of the cultural play. Results indicated that, in the 35 paintings studied, children were depicted mostly in open, natural enviroments or social settings. Most of the children were depicted as girls of high socio-economical appearance and alone. Dolls, sensory toys, hoops, and animal toys were observed frequently. The most common type of play was symbolic. The findings suggest that arts also reflect the child play as a cultural value under the conditions of a certain period. This study traces the historical marks of children and play in art and offers insights for today’s early education.     

Evaluating a home‐based dyadic intervention: Changes in postpartum depression,maternal perceptions,and mother–infant interactions

Psychotherapeutic treatments that focus on improving the relational processes between mothers with postpartum depression (PPD) and their infants, as well as the mother's individual therapeutic needs, have a great potential to positively impact the mother, her infant, and their relationship (K.J. Nylen, T.E. Moran, C.L. Franklin, & M. O'Hara, 2006 ). Utilizing pilot data from an evaluation of a home‐based dyadic therapy for mothers with PPD and their infants, this article reports on a recent academic–community partnership study. The effectiveness of the intervention was examined, specifically regarding changes in mother's mood, parenting experience, and relationship with her infant. In addition, associations were examined among maternal self‐report variables measuring change from pre‐ to posttreatment in PPD, psychological distress, and maternal perceptions of parenting and those variables measuring change in observer ratings of maternal–infant interactions. Results showed improvements in mothers' depression, distress, and perceptions of parenting as well as many ratings of mothers' interactions with their infants. However, only improvements in maternal perceptions of parenting, such as maternal self‐esteem and parenting stress, were associated with better mother–‐infant interactions. Importance of this research for the field of infant mental health as well as clinical implications are discussed.     

A simple and inexpensive transducer for quantitative measurements of penile erection during sleep

The construction of a mercury strain-gauge transducer for measuring penile erection and scoring rules for tumescence episodes are described. The gauge device has been found to be cheap, reliable, and easy to construct. It is capable of transducing changes in circumference in the penis of adults and infants, the clitoris of congenital adrenal hyperplasia patients, and the nipples of adult females.