Psychological symptoms and competence at three organizational levels of industrial design: the main and moderating role of sense of coherence

This study investigated the role of the sense of coherence in occupational well-being at three organizational positions of industrial designing (top-level designers, designers, and assisting personnel). In a sample of 422 industrial design personnel, sense of coherence was positively related to competence and negatively to psychological symptoms. It also moderated the relation of autonomy to competence and psychological symptoms but more strongly among the designers and the assisting personnel than among the top-level designers. Analysis showed autonomy was beneficial for individuals who also had high scores on sense of coherence. Longitudinal studies are needed on the role of sense of coherence as regards the psychological health of different subgroups.     

Maternal representations and emotional availability among drug‐abusing and nonusing mothers and their infants

Both negative and idealized maternal prenatal representations may constitute a risk for mother–infant interaction. This study analyzed the role of maternal prenatal representations and pre‐ to postnatal representational change in predicting mother–infant emotional availability (EA) among 51 drug‐abusing mothers and their infants who participated in either psychodynamic group therapy (PGT) or received psychosocial support (PSS) and among 50 nonusing comparison dyads. Maternal representations of her child, the child's father, her own mother, self‐as‐mother, and self‐as‐woman were measured during pregnancy and at 4 and 12 months' postpartum with the Interview of Maternal Representations (M. Ammaniti et al., 1992 ; M. Ammaniti, R. Tambelli, & P. Perucchini, 1998). EA was measured with the Emotional Availability Scales, fourth edition (Z. Biringen, 2008 ) at 4 and 12 months. The results showed that drug‐abusing mothers had more negative prenatal representations of the self‐as‐woman and of the child's father. Postnatally, PSS mothers tended to first idealize their child, but later to experience disillusionment of idealization. Both negative and idealized prenatal representations of the self‐as‐mother predicted mother–infant EA problems, but only among the PGT mothers. For all mothers, negative representational change was detrimental for the mother–infant EA whereas for drug‐abusing mothers, also increasing idealization from the prenatal period to the postnatal period was harmful. Clinicians working with drug‐abusing mothers should aim at supporting the development of a realistically positive view of motherhood.     

MATERNAL TRAUMA AFFECTS PRENATAL MENTAL HEALTH AND INFANT STRESS REGULATION AMONG PALESTINIAN DYADS

We examined how diverse and cumulated traumatic experiences predicted maternal prenatal mental health and infant stress regulation in war conditions and whether maternal mental health mediated the association between trauma and infant stress regulation. Participants were 511 Palestinian mothers from the Gaza Strip who reported exposure to current war trauma (WT), past childhood emotional (CEA) and physical abuse, socioeconomic status (SES), prenatal mental health problems (posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms), and perceived stress during their secondtrimester of pregnancy as well as infant stress regulation at 4 months. While all trauma types were associated with high levels of prenatal symptoms, CEA had the most wide‐ranging effects and was uniquely associated with depression symptoms. Concerning infant stress regulation, mothers’ CEA predicted negative affectivity, but only among mothers with low WT. Against hypothesis, the effects of maternal trauma on infant stress regulation were not mediated by mental health symptoms. Mothers’ higher SES was associated with better infant stress regulation whereas infant prematurity and male sex predisposed for difficulties. Our findings suggest that maternal childhood abuse, especially CEA, should be a central treatment target among war‐exposed families. Cumulated psychosocial stressors might increase the risk for transgenerational problems.     

THE LOCUS OF VISUAL AFTER-IMAGES

K olehmainen , K. & T uomisaari , R. The locus of visual after-images. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1969, 10 , 45–48.—Three bright spots of light aligned horizontally were presented, so that the distances between them were equal. Two adjacent lights were flashed on simultaneously and the third one somewhat later. The subjects reported the distance between the midmost light and the light which appeared later to be longer than the distance between the simultaneous lights (the 'tau-effect'). As to the after-images, however, the intervening distances were judged equal. The results are, accordingly, suggestive of a peripheral basis of the after-images.     

Burnout during a long-term rehabilitation: comparing low burnout,high burnout – benefited,and high burnout – not benefited trajectories

Abstract

To focus rehabilitation activities among burnout clients more effectively, it is important to investigate who benefits from burnout interventions. This study (N=85) aimed at identifying burnout trajectories in terms of benefit, that is, subgroups of clients who share similar mean levels and changes in burnout during a one-year rehabilitation intervention (17 days in total) with a six-month follow-up. After identifying the burnout trajectories, the relations of the trajectories with factors describing the clients, antecedents, and consequences of burnout during the one-year intervention were examined. Three burnout trajectories were identified by growth mixture modeling: (a) low burnout (n=39), (b) high burnout – benefited (n=29), and (c) high burnout – not benefited (n=17). Positive changes were detected in antecedents and consequences among the clients in the low burnout and high burnout – benefited trajectories. Recovery from burnout was associated with increased job resources and decreased job demands, as well as with increased job satisfaction and decreased depression. It seems that more precise targeting of rehabilitation is needed since the trajectories revealed not only clients with mild symptoms, but also clients who probably received this treatment too late.     

Preventive interventions among children exposed to trauma of armed conflict: a literature review

Increasing research is available on the preconditions for child mental health and optimal development in traumatic conditions, whereas less is known how to translate the findings into effective interventions to help traumatized children. This literature review analyses the effectiveness of psychosocial preventive interventions and treatments and their theoretical bases among children traumatized in the context of armed conflicts (war, military violence, terrorism and refugee). The first aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive interventions in preventing emotional distress and impairment and promoting optimal emotional‐cognitive and social development. The second task is to analyze the nature of the underlying mechanisms for the success of preventive interventions, and the theoretical premises of the choice of intervention techniques, procedures and tools. We found 16 relevant published studies, but an examination of them revealed that only four of them had experimental designs strong enough that they could be included in the meta‐analysis. While the subjective reports of the researchers suggested that systematic preventive interventions were effective in decreasing PTSD and depressive symptoms among children traumatized due to armed conflict, the more objective results of the meta‐analysis and the weaknesses in designs uncovered during the meta‐analysis undermine such a conclusion. Additionally, a majority of the reported preventive interventions focused only on children's biased cognitive processes and negative emotions, while only a few aimed at influencing multiple domains of child development and improving developmental functioning on emotional, social and psychophysiological levels. It is concluded that substantial additional work needs to be done in developing effective preventive interventions and treatments for children traumatized by exposure to war and violence. Aggr. Behav. 36:95–116, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The role of psychological defences in moderating between trauma and post‐traumatic symptoms among Palestinian men

Psychological defences are conceptualized as protective processes that help individuals to maintain their integrity in the face of threat and danger. Accordingly, their role in defending trauma victims from post‐traumatic symptoms was examined. The sample consisted of 128 Palestinian male political ex‐prisoners who had reported various degrees of torture and ill‐treatment. The first aim was to analyze the dimensionality and distribution of different defence mechanisms. The second was to examine which defences would moderate the association between the reported torture and ill‐treatment and the post‐traumatic symptoms (PTS). Third, the direct associations between reported torture and ill‐treatment and defences and between the defences and symptoms were explored. Defence mechanisms were assessed by a 40‐item version of the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), and Post‐traumatic symptoms by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), and experiences of torture and ill‐treatment by a scale developed for that purpose. The results show, first, that the men used predominantly mature defences such as anticipation, sublimation, suppression, and rationalization, but also relatively frequently somatization and dissociation, which are characteristic responses among trauma victims. Second, the principal component analysis revealed four defence dimensions, differentiated by the level of maturity and the approach to reality: the mature reality‐based, the consciousness‐limiting, the immature reality‐escaping, and the immature reality‐distorting defences. Third, against our hypothesis, the moderating analyses indicated that the reported torture and ill‐treatment were relatively more associated with vigilance, avoidance, and intrusion symptoms if men used consciousness‐limiting defences. Yet as expected, the mature reality‐based defences did not show a protective effect. Furthermore, a high level of reported torture and ill‐treatment was associated with a low level of the mature reality‐based defences, but not with a high level of immature defences. Last, similarly to earlier studies, the immature reality‐distorting and immature reality‐escaping defences associated directly with high, and mature reality‐based defences with low, levels of PTS‐symptoms.     

Job characteristics and burnout among aging professionals in information and communications technology

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between job characteristics and burnout, i.e., exhaustion, cynicism and lack of professional efficacy, in a sample of 115 (49- to 61-yr.-old) information and communications technology professionals. Questionnaire survey data were collected at two time points. In 1995 (Time 1), higher quantitative overload and lower job control were associated with higher exhaustion. Job control was negatively associated with lack of professional efficacy. In 2001 (Time 2), quantitative overload and information overload were positively associated with exhaustion, but with job control negatively. Use of new information was negatively associated with cynicism. In addition, job control and use of new information were negatively associated with lack of professional efficacy. Job characteristics at Time 1 were not significantly associated with burnout at Time 2 when job characteristics at Time 2 were controlled.     

Maternal depression and dyadic interaction: the role of maternal attachment style

Maternal mental health and the contents of her representational world are important determinants of early parent–child relationship. We examined, first, the role of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms and maternal attachment style in predicting the quality of mother–child interaction. Second, we analysed whether the secure‐autonomous attachment style can protect the dyadic interaction from the negative effects of maternal depression. The participants were 59 mother–infant pairs examined during pregnancy (T1), 4–5 months postpartum (T2) and when the children were approximately 14 months old (T3). Maternal attachment style was assessed with a modified Adult Attachment Interview ‐procedure, depressive symptoms with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and observed mother–child interaction with Care Index. The results show that autonomous mothers were more sensitive and responsive and their children more co‐operative than dyads with dismissing maternal attachment style. As hypothesized, mothers with the combination of both prenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms were highly unresponsive in their dyadic interaction. Further, prenatal depressive symptoms had a stronger impact on maternal unresponsiveness than postnatal symptoms. As hypothesized, mother's autonomous attachment style protected the mother–child interaction from the negative impact of maternal postnatal depressive symptoms, whereas dyads with preoccupied mothers were especially at risk for interaction problems when mothers had postpartum depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.