Attachment styles and clinical correlates in people at ultra high risk for psychosis

Evidence suggests that attachment styles may influence subclinical psychosis phenotypes (schizotypy) and affective disorders and may play a part in the association between psychosis and childhood adversity. However, the role of attachment in the initial stages of psychosis remains poorly understood. Our main aim was to describe and compare attachment styles in 60 individuals at ultra high risk for psychosis (UHR) and a matched sample of 60 healthy volunteers (HV). The HV had lower anxious and avoidant attachment scores than the UHR individuals (p < .001). Sixty-nine percentage of the UHR group had more than one DSM-IV diagnosis, mainly affective and anxiety disorders. The UHR group experienced more trauma (p < .001) and more mood and anxiety symptoms (p < .001). Interestingly, in our UHR group, only schizotypy paranoia was correlated with insecure attachment. In the HV group, depression, anxiety, schizotypy paranoia, and social anxiety were correlated with insecure attachment. This difference and some discrepancies with previous studies involving UHR suggest that individuals at UHR may compose a heterogeneous group; some experience significant mood and/or anxiety symptoms that may not be explained by specific attachment styles. Nonetheless, measuring attachment in UHR individuals could help maximize therapeutic relationships to enhance recovery.     

Attitudinal maintenance of cognitive categorization

Two experiments were performed that investigated attitudinal influences on cognitive categorization. The studies assessed categorization as a dynamic process with a multiple-sort (MS) technique, having Ss recategorize sentences unti! they ran out of meaningful categories. Condition I allowed Ss to use any dimensions they chose, and Condition It imposed the restraint of the “favorable-unfavorable” dimension. No effects of involvement were found when unrestricted sorting was allowed but were found when the evaluative dimension was imposed. There appeared to be a tendency for attitudinal involvement to maintain complexity across sorts. Results were discussed in terms of the influence of dimensions and the possible effects of certain stimulus properties on the maintenance of categorization complexity.     

Educational–Occupational Mismatch,Race/Ethnicity,and Immigrant Wealth Attainment

This paper uses wealth attainment as an indicator of economic integration and assesses how educational–occupational mismatch (i.e., over/underqualification) and race/ethnicity affect the wealth attainment of a sample of legal permanent residents in the USA. Using data from the New Immigrant Survey, this paper finds that overqualification is positively associated with wealth attainment, but below the rate for adequately qualified workers in the same occupation. Underqualified immigrants are associated with a pattern of wealth attainment that is equivalent to the adequately qualified. Racial/ethnic wealth inequality among legal permanent residents generally reflects the well-documented pattern among the U.S. native-born. This paper concludes with a discussion that places these results alongside previous research that examines the relationship between educational–occupational mismatch and income among immigrants.     

Impact of organ transplantation in heart,lung and liver recipients: Assessment of positive life changes

Objective: The majority of psychological studies with organ transplant recipients have examined negative psychological effects. This study aimed to further investigate the positive effects of organ transplantation and to construct a specific measurement instrument.

Design: The initial pool of 14 items for the Positive Effects of Transplant Scale (PETS) was derived from organ recipient interviews. A cross-sectional postal study included 87 heart, 46 lung and 193 liver transplant recipients. The PETS was subjected to principal components analysis (PCA) using varimax rotation, and associations with other measures investigated.

Main outcome measures: PETS and an open-ended item about positive effects.

Results: Coding of the open-ended item revealed that the majority of recipients attributed positive life changes to the transplant experience. PCA of the PETS indicated three factors that accounted for 58.82% of the variance. The 12-item questionnaire assesses improvements in: (1) life philosophy, (2) gratitude and (3) health. The total PETS scores exhibited adequate internal consistency and validity.

Discussion: Most transplant patients report positive psychological effects, which suggests this may be an understudied area. The initial development of an assessment tool provides researchers and clinicians a way to assess the degree and nature of these life changes.     

Exploring the Efficacy of Telehealth for Family Therapy Through Systematic,Meta-analytic,and Qualitative Evidence

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review - There is a current escalating need for telehealth (TH) options in family mental health services. In the absence of replicated evidence, TH guidelines...     

Assessment of Spirituality in Counseling

A growing body of evidence points to the important role of spirituality in treating medical and psychological conditions. The authors suggest that spirituality is a 5th force in counseling and psychology. Consequently, the assessment of spirituality is a new and growing area of interest for counselors. Assessment can assist both the counselor and client in obtaining a better understanding of the role of spirituality in the issues that bring the client to counseling and in designing treatment interventions appropriate for resolution of those issues. Selected instruments currently in use are described and their psychometric properties and potential uses are examined.     

Reactions to Affirmative Action: Seeking the Bases for Resistance1

It has been argued that affirmative action negatively affects the self‐perceptions of beneficiaries. In contrast, it was hypothesized that this would not occur when individual qualifications were explicitly considered and, indeed, that failure under discrimination would be more self‐detrimental. However, perceptions of reverse discrimination may buffer negative self‐attributions on the part of nonbeneficiaries. Responses in an experimental simulation indicated that, of several affirmative actions for women, passive nondiscrimination was viewed as the fairest response to discrimination. While women's self‐perceptions were not affected by affirmative actions, they did suffer under failure. The presence of affirmative actions did not alleviate the effects of failure on men's self‐perceptions. Possible alternatives for resistance to affirmative action are assessed and discussed.