Similarities and differences in mothers'' and fathers'' grief following the death of an infant

The differences between mothers' and fathers' grief following the death of an infant child were investigated. From a total sample of 117 parents, 53% women and 47% men, answering a survey on different grief reactions 1 to 4 years following the death. 55 families where both partners responded, were selected. Measures relating to anxiety, depression, impact of event, bodily discomfort, and general well being were included. The results demonstrated fairly strong differences between the partners' reactions, with mothers typically experiencing more intense and long-lasting reactions than fathers. Mothers also tended to perceive their family and friends as less supportive than fathers, while fathers were least satisfied with the support received from the hospital. Most parents felt the death had brought them closer together, although a considerable number reported feeling more distance to their partner. Mothers scored significantly higher than the fathers on experience of recovery, state anxiety (STAI), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), bodily symptoms (Bodily Symptom Scale) and intrusive images and thoughts (Impact of Event Scale, IES Intrusion). A high score in one spouse was correlated with a high score in the other, and vice versa. It is emphasized that the results showing parental differences in grief should help us tailor psychoeducational and therapeutical intervention for bereaved families.     

Breakdown or Breakthrough? A History of European Research into Drugs and Creativity

ABSTRACT Language barriers have largely prevented American scholars from learning about European studies concerning drugs and creativity. An art historian reports on several Swiss, English, French and German studies conducted from the 1940s to the 1970s, offering new data in a research area that has been banned since drugs like mescalin, psilocybin, and LSD became illegal. Different views of the operations of these drugs, revealed by such terms as “hallucinogens,” “psychotogenics,” and “psychedelics,” appear to have colored researchers' aims to a large extent. The notions of drugs “dictating” or “liberating” the intoxicated artist are criticized by discussing the importance of set and setting. It is proposed that intentional drug use among artists expecting artistic breakthroughs while intoxicated, can be seen as a form of “gaucherie” or disinhibiting technique.     

Stillbirth, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death (SIDS): parental reactions

The differences between parental grief reactions following different types of infant losses were investigated. A total of 117 parents (55 couples) from three groups of parents (stillbirth, neonatal death and Sudden Infant Death), 53% women and 47% men, answered a survey on different grief reactions one to four years following the death. Included in the survey were psychometric measures relating to anxiety, depression, impact of event, bodily discomfort, and general wellbeing. The results demonstrated that the three groups differed in their experience of various grief reactions. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) parents reported significantly more anxiety and intrusive thoughts than the other two groups in the early post-loss period, as well as significantly more anger, restlessness, and sleep disturbances than the neonatal group. The SIDS parents also scored significantly higher on some of the measures (experience of recovery, IES intrusion) relating to how they felt at the time of study. While the death being sudden did not show any correlation with the parents experience of recovery or the psychometric measures, the length of time the child had lived showed a strong relationship to these measures. It is emphasized that counselling to parents must be based on increased knowledge about parental reactions, tailored to the individual family's needs.     

Anxiety and vulnerability in parents following the death of an infant

Empirical data on the subjectively reported anxiety reactions of 117 parents who lost an infant at birth or daring the first year of life are presented. From a retrospective survey conducted 1 to 4 years after the death it was evident that parents experienced a great deal of anxiety following the death of their child. Parents who experienced a sudden death in the home reported the strongest anxiety, but other parents who lost their child in hospital at birth or thereafter also experienced strong anxiety. The anxiety for surviving children and later-born children was extensive. In all areas mothers experienced more anxiety than fathers. More intense and longer grief in one's partner, the perceived lack of support from others, being older, and being a female were significantly correlated with anxiety. The results are interpreted as a confirmation that parents who lose their children experience a fundamental change in their beliefs about their family's future security. Better training of health personnel is required to secure an adequate follow up of families that lose a child.     

Reading and spelling skills in the first school years predicted from phonemic awareness skills in kindergarten

A series of metalinguistic tasks, including segmentation and synthesis of words, were given to 143 children in kindergarten. The children were followed up in school where reading and writing achievement was assessed with several tests and ratings. A causal model was postulated concering the relationships between general abilities, metalinguistic competence, and reading and spelling skills. The quantitative implications of the model were worked out by path analysis, which revealed an orderly and interpretable picture. The most invariant and important determinant of basic reading and spelling skills was the analysis of simple words. Failure and success in school could be predicted with high accuracy on the basis of preschool data. Over 70% of the children were classified correctly in the extreme quartiles as to their future school achievement. The methodological advantage of applying path analysis instead of conventional multiple regression analysis on the present problem was discussed.     

HIV-related neuropsychological impairment and immunodeficiency. CD8+ lymphocytes and neopterin are related to HIV-encephalopathy

The relationship between neuropsychological test performance and immunological parameters was studied in 52 HIV-positive patients within different stages of the infection. All subjects were neuropsychologically tested, the CD4 + and CD8 4- lymphocyte count were measured in peripheral blood, and the concentration of neopterin and HIV-p24 antigen were measured in serum. Ten patients with AIDS were defined as neuropsychologically impaired. The CD8 + cell count was the only immunological parameter that could significantly discriminate between AIDS patients with and without neuropsychological impairment. For the total group, significant positive correlations were found between neuropsychological test results and the number of CD8 + and CD4 + lymphocytes, and significant negative correlations were observed between serum concentration of neopterin and neurocognitive function. Regression analyses showed that up to 51% of the variance in test performance could be explained by CD8 + cells and neopterin concentration. The possible role of CD8 + lymphocytes and neopterin in the pathogenesis of HIV-related CNS-dysfunction is discussed.     

Strategies for solving simple addition problems: A comparison of normal and subnormal children

Abstract.— Children in the third grade in a normal class and children poor in mathematics attending special classes solved all additions with the sum of the two positive addends smaller than 10. The cognitive processes leading to the solutions were described in relation to a process model predicting solution times. The general model included a counter with two operations, setting and incrementing by one unit. It is assumed that solutions are obtained either by direct retrieval from memory or by a reconstructive process. The first step in this process is finding the starting point for the counter which is the greater addend. When the problem has been defined and the starting point has been found the generation of the answers starts by the counter stepping the number of units denoted by the smaller addend. The results based mainly on latencies showed that children poor in mathematics, in addition to a slower processing rate, seemed to have difficulties in the choice of strategy for processing the information in a problem.     

Subjective probability and everyday life

Abstract.— Recent research on probability judgement indicates that people's ability to estimate probabilities is very limited. It is argued that people may lack the cognitive apparatus necessary for processing probabilistic information, in so far as probability judgements play an unimportant role in everyday life. When probability judgements occasionally are made in everyday life it is argued that they are not based on frequency data but on some more or less well grounded theory.     

Parental grief following the death of an infant—a follow-up over one year

The course of parental bereavement during the first year following an infant's death was investigated. Also, the differences in mothers' and fathers' reactions, the differences according to the mothers' occupational role, and the similarities in couples' reactions were studied. From a total sample of 59 families, 13 families answered their questionnaires at all three time points (1, 6 and 13 months), 22 families responded at two time points, and 37 families responded at some point following the loss. Measures relating to anxiety, depression, bodily discomfort, general well being and impact of event were used at the three time points. The results showed that grief, as measured by the different inventories, decreased over time. The decrease was most evident from 6 to 13 months, and most prominent in women. A considerable number of the parents were still actively dealing with the loss all through the first year of bereavement. In most couples the mother reported most distress. Mothers were significantly more depressed than fathers at all time points, and mothers also had significantly higher anxiety and lower general health at 1 and 13 months, and intrusive scores of 1 and 6 months. Women at home evidenced more grief at all three time points than women employed outside the home. A high or low score in one spouse was more strongly correlated with a similar score in the other at 1 and 13 months, than at 6 months. The implications for counselling of parents, with special emphasis on the employment situation of the mother, is emphasized.