The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not self-monitoring of stressors and physiological response to stressors enhances the effectiveness of a stress management technique, specifically relaxation training. The primary hypothesis which stated that the RSMS group would experience a greater reduction in depression (on the Beck Depression Inventory), and enhancement in self-efficacy (on the General Self-efficacy Scale) than all other groups, was not supported.

The current study explored the effects of simulated adjustment domains (i.e., partial denial and social desirability) on specialized substance abuse measures in a sample of 104 inpatient offenders with substance use disorders. Results indicated nearly two thirds (57.9%) of offenders successfully escaped detection on the SASSI-4 and InDUC-2R. Further, subtle approaches employed by the SASSI-4 failed to detect unacknowledged substance use by simulators, and the remaining decision rules were redundant and most likely contributed to the false positive rates for non SU offenders. More promisingly, the current study developed an empirically based validity scale to bolster the SASSI-4's effectiveness in detecting response styles that showed initial promise. Results, a review of detection strategies for SU validity scales, and implications for assessment are further explored.

The effects of a monetary reward and self-monitoring on reducing interdialytic weight gain (IWG) were compared for 6 hemodialysis patients in an outpatient setting. A single-subject experimental design (A-B-BC-B-BC) was used to examine each variable individually and in combination, with alternating phases to control for possible sequencing effects. Monetary reward (50 cents - $3) was administered in a titrated manner according to standardized criteria, ranging from 3 % and 4% of patients' dry weight on weekdays and weekends, respectively, to 3.5% and 4.5% for weekdays and weekends. Self-monitoring involved recording daily fluid and diet intake. Results indicated that by the end of the treatment program, the 6 participants averaged a 14% reduction in weekday IWG and a 15.45% reduction in weekend IWG; however, due to significant variability, it cannot be concluded that the reductions are treatment effects. Four out of 6 participants reduced their average IWG for both weekends and weekdays by .75 kg (1.65 lb.). The average weekend reduction for these 4 participants was .85 kg (1.87 lbs.) while the average weekday reduction was .65 kg (1.43 lb.). All 6 participants showed reductions in weekday IWG that averaged .53 kg (1.17 lb.). However, only 2 participants demonstrated IWG reductions …

Unipolar depression is a leading cause of disability and overall burden of disease for millions of individuals across the world. Depressive symptoms (e.g., depressed mood, anhedonia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, difficulties concentrating, etc.) can drastically affect an individual's life leading to occupational, social, and personal impairment. Past research shows significant ethnic and racial differences in depression rates and treatment. Moreover, previous literature has also begun to explore the multidimensional nature of depression, investigating its occasion-like (or episodic) and trait-like (or stable) factors. However, prior studies have not explored differences in occasion and trait depression by race or ethnicity, nor have they explored these questions in nurses, a group that faces substantial workplace stressors. To redress these gaps, the current study investigated trait and occasion depression in a large sample of nurses (N = 390) tracked across 12 months and aimed to understand whether trait versus occasion rates of depression differed by racial and ethnic minority status. Findings indicated substantially more trait depression (65.93%) than occasion depression (34.11%) across the year in nurses. However, there were no significant differences based on racial and ethnic minority status. Results highlight the importance of understanding depression as a much more stable aspect of an …

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the ways in which religious behaviors and perceived social support are associated with the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life for this group. We hypothesized (1) that religious behaviors moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life, (2) perceived social support mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life and (3) that religious behaviors moderate the mediational indirect effect of perceived social support in the depression and health-related quality of life relationship. Findings from a sample of 244 HIV-positive individuals provided evidence to support direct, conditional, and indirect effects on the depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life relationship. A discussion of the findings, implications for future research and clinical practice are provided.

The present study is an attempt to determine the effect of anxiety, hostility, and depression on responses to the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank when it is scored according to the manual instructions. Whether the score fluctuates or not will have implications on how psychologists should use this test as a diagnostic tool.

The World Health Organization has proposed for the ICD-11 a differentiation of symptoms to distinguish separate disorders of PTSD and complex PTSD (CPTSD), rather than one disorder of PTSD as in the current DSM-5. In addition, the accuracy and usefulness of the borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis has been debated for years due to this history of trauma often associated with the diagnosis. New instruments have been developed to assess CPTSD, allowing needed research to expand our understanding of CPTSD and how it may differ from PTSD. The present study explored the relationships between the three different patterns of symptom expression associated with these disorders and various coping strategies in a sample of trauma survivors. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA) showed a significant relationship between trauma symptoms and coping strategies and suggested that individuals with higher borderline personality disorder symptoms, and subsequently complex PTSD and PTSD symptoms, were more likely to cope using avoidant coping strategies- behavioral disengagement, denial, and substance use. This finding was similar to previous research findings that suggested high rates of negative psychological outcomes for adults cognitive and behavioral avoidant coping strategies. Contributions from other coping techniques, such as restraint and venting, also showed significant, but …

Despite high levels of exposure, firefighter posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates are unclear. Likewise, questions remain regarding how social interactions and beliefs about emotion might interact to influence PTSD in firefighters. In this study, U.S. urban firefighters (N = 225) completed measures of social support, negative social interactions, and fear of emotion which were then used via regression analyses to predict PTSD symptoms. Each independent variable predicted PTSD beyond variance accounted for by demographic variables. Additionally, fear of emotion emerged as the strongest individual predictor of PTSD and a moderator of the relation between social interactions and PTSD symptoms. These findings emphasize the importance of beliefs about emotion; both in how these beliefs might influence the expression of PTSD symptoms, and in how the social networks of trauma survivors might buffer distress.

The present study examined various psychosocial variables that may influence success in a stop smoking program (QuitSmart) used by the North Texas Veterans Health Care Service (NTVHCS). The QuitSmart program utilizes the Stages of Change Model, with its focus on the last three stages (preparation, action, and maintenance). It was proposed that factors including shame-proneness, guilt, anger/hostility, depression, self-efficacy - both global and smoking situational, neuroticism, and level of nicotine dependence might individually or in combination predict attrition from the NTVHCS smoking cessation program. Results indicate that shame-proneness, guilt, anger/hostility, and depression did not individually predict attrition. Persons with high levels of smoking situational self-efficacy tend to utilize self-change strategies leading to greater success in smoking cessation. Participants with a psychological diagnosis, when combined with neuroticism and shame-proneness, appear to have more difficulty with cessation than those with only a medical diagnosis. Clinical implications and suggestions for change to the NTVHCS smoking cessation program are discussed.

Psychological assessment ofjuveniles being considered for waiver to adult criminal courts often requires systematic evaluation of dangerousness, maturity-sophistication, and amenability to treatment (ATX). Despite the importance of these constructs to the evaluation of juveniles, little is known about the criteria that constitute these three constructs. This study was designed to assist in clarifying the constructs of dangerousness, maturity-sophistication, and ATX that typically guide juvenile transfers. Generally, prototypicality ratings were aligned with the current literature on dangerousness, sophistication-maturity, and ATX.

These studies led the experimenter to investigate the use of chemical aversion therapy using anectine as the aversive stimulus with a morphine addict. The success of Thomason and Rathod with heroin addicts suggested that their experimental method would be useful as a reference while designing this study. The treatment hypothesis was that the patient's use of intravenous narcotic drugs would be eliminated through the application of chemical aversion therapy. Chemical aversion therapy was operantly defined as the injection intravenously of anectine into the patient concurrent with his self-injection of his narcotic of choice.

The purpose of the present study is to compare a "traditional" behavioral therapy approach (based on selfcontrol techniques) with a previously unresearched "contextual therapy" for the treatment of overweight. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of a variety of relevant behavioral techniques, an evaluation of them, and a discussion of a contextual model for the treatment of overweight.

Masculine gender role conflict (MGRC) occurs when externally-imposed male gender role expectations have a negative impact on and consequences for men. The purpose of this study was to examine how men in a homogeneous setting (i.e., a college campus) compare on MGRC and psychological well-being, based on their self-identified sexual orientation. Utilizing canonical correlation analysis, 96 heterosexual men and 102 gay men were compared on four factors of MGRC (conflict between work and family, restrictive emotionality, restrictive affectionate behavior between men, and success, power, and competition) and five factors of psychological well-being (anger, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and attitudes toward seeking psychological help). Findings for the heterosexual men were highly consistent with previous studies on MGRC and psychological well-being in a college-age population. Findings for the gay men indicated they had more problems with MGRC and psychological well-being than college-age and older gay men surveyed in the one published study on gay men and MGRC. Gay men who were single also reported more problems with restrictive emotionality, anger, anxiety, and depression, and had lower self-esteem, than gay men who were in a relationship. Between group differences were few, with gay men reporting significantly less restrictive affectionate behavior between men than heterosexual …

Relationship satisfaction often declines after marriage or cohabitation and between 40-50% of marriages end in divorce. Furthermore, many couples who stay together report feeling unsatisfied in their relationships. Thus, it is important to examine factors that contribute to enduring and satisfying relationships. One factor that has been closely linked to relationship satisfaction is the sexual relationship of the couple. One aspect of the sexual relationship that has received little attention is masturbation. Although most psychologists hold positive views about masturbation, and recommend masturbation in many instances, the empirical data examining the association between masturbation and relationship satisfaction has mixed findings, with the majority of studies reporting a small negative relationship between these variables. The purpose of the present study was to further explore the association between masturbation and relationship satisfaction, focusing on possible moderators and mediators of this relationship including: masturbation guilt, openness with an individual's partner about masturbation, gender, object of arousal during masturbation, and reason for masturbating. Overall, masturbation frequency did not have a significant association with relationship satisfaction. However, the object of arousal during masturbation and openness about masturbation moderated the association between masturbation frequency and relationship satisfaction. Specifically, individuals who (a) used objects of arousal other …

Upper limb deficiencies in children may be the result of trauma, disease, or congenital problems. Although biomechanical losses are the primary problem associated with a limb deficiency, the loss of such an obvious body part has cosmetic and psychosocial implications as well. Fitting a child with a prosthesis typically is the treatment chosen by families. Presently, there are three types of prostheses available for pediatric amputees, including passive, cable-operated, and myoelectric arms, but the myoelectric appears to be the most popular choice of children and their families. However, there is growing concern among clinicians that, despite its advanced technological capabilities, the myoelectric prosthesis is chosen for aesthetic rather than functional reasons. It is difficult, then, to justify the expense of fitting a myoelectric prosthesis when a more inexpensive prosthesis, or none at all, would be a more appropriate prescription. The question of when to prescribe a myoelectric prosthesis for a pediatric patient remains one of the most controversial questions in the field of prosthetics today due to this cost/benefit issue. In this study, the researcher examined psychological factors that may influence whether or not a child will wear a prosthesis and how that prosthesis will be used. Thirty prosthetics patients …

Neuronal histamine(HA) may play a role in memory processing. This hypothesis is based upon evidence that the action of histamine at central H1 and H2 histamine receptor sites has been shown to modulate memory of rats and mice in adversely-motivated tasks. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis more thoroughly in mice using two distinct approaches to neuronal HA manipulation. One approach involved the use of new pharmacological agents which act at the histamine H3 receptor. It has been demonstrated that the selective H3 antagonist thioperamide increases HA release in the brain of mice whereas the H3 agonist imetit decreases HA release via modulation of presynaptic H3 autoreceptors. It was expected that an increase in neuronal HA via the autoreceptor mechanism would result in facilitation of memory processing whereas a decrease in HA release would disrupt memory processing. The second approach involved the manipulation of cerebral HA levels via the specific enzyme inhibiting compounds alpha-flouromethylhistidine (alpha-FMH), a potent neuronal HA depleter and metoprine, a histamine-methyl transferase inhibitor which results in accumulation of neuronal HA. Again, effects of increased HA due to metoprine and decreased HA levels due to alpha-FMH were expected to facilitate and disrupt memory processing …

The purpose of the study was to examine whether athletic participation as a child and/or adolescent acts as a protective factor for youth who endure childhood maltreatment. After screening for childhood maltreatment, our 269 participants were separated into either an athlete group or a non-athlete group and compared using two one-way multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA). Emotional neglect served as the covariate due to non-athletes' significantly higher emotional neglect scores than athletes. The first MANCOVA compared athletes and non-athletes on positive outcomes, which included measures of post-traumatic growth, three adaptive coping strategies, and self-compassion. In the second MANCOVA, we assessed for differences between athletes and non-athletes on negative outcomes, which included measures of traumatic, depressive, and anxious symptomology and a maladaptive coping strategy. Neither MANCOVA reached significance, rejecting our hypothesis that athletes would be more resilient than non-athletes to the negative impact of childhood maltreatment. Discussion considers possible reasons for the lack of significance, such as the recency of athletic participation or the specific type of maltreatment experienced, as well as limitations and directions for future research.

Intuitive eating assesses the degree to which individuals eat based on physiological cues rather than emotional or situational cues. The Intuitive Eating Scale was initially developed using college women. This study extends the work of Tylka and reports on the psychometric evaluation of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES) in a sample of 515 middle school boys and girls. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered 4 factors: unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, trust in internal hunger/satiety cues and awareness of internal hunger/satiety cues; confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this 4-factor model adequately fit the data after 4 items with low factor loadings were deleted. Supporting its construct validity, IES scores were negatively related to body mass index, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, pressure for thinness, and internalization of the thin ideal, and were positively related to satisfaction with life, and experiencing greater positive affect.

A preliminary investigation of the extent to which supportive services contribute to the effectiveness of a methadone treatment program was conducted.

This investigation was concerned with the potential effectiveness of an aerobic running program in the reduction of anxiety. Anxiety was defined in this investigation as a subject's score on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS).

The present study was designed to assess both the construct of psychopathy in a female jail sample as well as the quality of the measures that have been employed to assess this personality style. Utilizing the multitrait-multimethod matrix proposed by Campbell and Fiske (1959), the construct of psychopathy was measured via three instruments: (a) the Antisocial Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory, (b) the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised, and (c) the Antisocial Scale of the Personality Disorder Examination. In addition, the predictive validity of each of these measures of psychopathy was evaluated to determine their ability to predict institutional violence and non-compliance. The results revealed significant convergence and divergence across the three instruments supporting the construct of psychopathy in a female jail sample. In addition, the measures of psychopathy demonstrated moderate predictive validity.

The present study is an exploratory analysis of associations among sexual orientation, childhood abuse, and characteristics of both early and current family environment in a sample of 80 inpatient trauma survivors. Participants were administered a background information questionnaire, Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule, the Family Environment Scale and other instruments not analyzed in the current study. Multi-type abuse was significantly associated with low expressiveness and independence and high control in the early family, but no associations emerged with current family characteristics. Results suggest that the intergenerational transmission of family organization and moral-religious orientation occurred in the entire sample, and the transmission of family conflict patterns occurred only in the L/G/B group. Overall, participants perceived improvements in their current family environments compared to their early family environments. Findings yield support for the sexual minority stress model and mixed support for the intergenerational transmission of family characteristics.

The ability of several psychometric instruments to differentiate between criminal and non-criminal subjects was investigated. The subjects in the study consisted of fifty male individuals between the ages of 18 and 55, half of which had been convicted of one crime and half of which had no history of criminal activity. The tests administered consisted of the Psychopathic Deviation Scale from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Psychopathic Deviation Scale of the Clinical Analysis Questionnaire, and two tests designed by the author. The author's tests consisted of the Test of Criminal Cognitions which evaluated antisocial thought patterns and cognitive flexibility, and the Social Semantics Test which assessed individual role definitions. The Test of Criminal Cognitions was administered as a part of a structured interview, and all other scales were administered in a paper and pencil format. The results indicated that the Psychopathic Deviation Scale of the MMPI, and a portion of both the Test of Criminal Cognitions and the Social Semantics Scales differentiated between the groups at the .05 level or better. These findings indicated that criminals tend to be significantly less flexible in their thought and tend to view others in a much more narcissistic manner than non-criminals. …

Sexual minorities experience higher levels of stress than heterosexuals, which in turn affects coping and psychological quality of life (PQOL). Although many sexual minorities remain mentally healthy, a higher prevalence of mental disorders among members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities exists; thus, LGB PQOL becomes an important area to examine. Several key factors are related to PQOL: shame due to heterosexism, self-esteem and perceived stress. Using minority stress model, I hypothesized that shame due to heterosexism and perceived stress are negatively correlated with PQOL, while self-esteem is positively correlated with PQOL. I hypothesized that collectively shame due to heterosexism, self-esteem and perceived stress account for a significant proportion of the variance in PQOL, that self-esteem moderates the relationship between perceived stress and PQOL and that age moderates the relationship between shame due to heterosexism and PQOL. I calculated Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and found shame due to heterosexism was negatively correlated with PQOL (r(146) = -.21, p = .009), perceived stress was negatively correlated with PQOL (r (146) = -.69, p < .001) and self-esteem was positively correlated with PQOL (r(146) = .72, p < .001). I conducted a regression analysis and found our model accounted for …