Implicit Attitudes in Sexuality: Gender Differences

This study examined the role of gender in both implicit and explicit attitudes toward sexuality. Implicit attitudes are judgments or evaluations of social objects that are automatically activated, often without the individual's conscious awareness of the causation. In contrast, explicit attitudes are judgments or evaluations that are well established in awareness. As described in Oliver and Hyde's (1993) meta-analysis of self-report (explicit) data, women report greater negative attitudes toward sexuality than do men. In the current study, we used the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS) developed by Fisher, Byrne, White, and Kelley (1988) to index explicit attitudes and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) developed by Greenwald, McGhee, and Schwartz (1998) to index implicit attitudes. Research has demonstrated that the IAT reveals attitudes that participants may be reluctant to express. Independent variables examined were participant gender, social acceptability of sexual words, and order of associated evaluations in the IAT (switching from positive to negative evaluations or the reverse). The IAT data revealed a significant Order × Gender interaction that showed that women had more negative implicit attitudes toward sexuality than did men. There was also a significant Order × Acceptability interaction, indicating that implicit attitudes were more strongly revealed when the sexual words used in the IAT were more socially unacceptable. As expected, on the SOS, women had more negative explicit attitudes toward sexuality. There was no significant correlation between explicit and implicit attitudes. These data suggest that at both automatic (implicit) and controlled (explicit) levels of attitudes, women harbor more negative feelings toward sex than do men. Portions of this article were presented as a poster at the meeting of the International Academy of Sex Research, Bloomington, Indiana, July 2003.     

Attitudes Toward Male and Female Sexuality Among Men and Women With Intellectual Disabilities

Studies comparing the sexual attitudes of men and women with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been limited. A mixed-methods approach was employed to explore attitudes toward sexuality among men and women with ID in Taiwan and to ascertain the disparities between attitudes among men and women with ID. First, fifty-six men and forty-four women with mild and moderate ID completed a face-to-face interview survey. After this, focus groups were conducted for men and women with ID. Results indicated that women with ID were more likely to have negative attitudes toward parenting and non-reproductive sexual behavior than their male counterparts. Qualitative data indicated that men and women with ID had different sexual attitudes and experiences and were subject to different expectations from people around them. Both men and women with ID had very limited opportunities to develop romantic relationships and a healthy sexual identity. Sexual rights awareness and practice should be matters of concern for this group of adults and women with ID in particular.     

综合性医院医师心理健康状况的性别差异

目的了解综合性医院医师心理健康状况,并探讨其心理健康状况的性别差异。方法采用症状自评量表(SCL-90)对2所医院765名男医师及451名女医师的心理健康状况进行测定,比较其性别差异。结果女医师的SCL-90总分及躯体化、焦虑、抑郁、敌对、人际关系敏感5个因子上的得分明显高于男医师;男/女医师SCL-90总分的差异在初级和中级职称中显著,在高级职称人群中不显著。结论综合性医院女医师的心理健康状况较男医师差,可能与其对性别角色的认知差异有关。     

The consequences of task delegation for the process of care: Female patients seem to benefit more

ABSTRACT

The shift of tasks from primary care physicians to practice nurses and the continuing incease in the numbers of women involved in medical care may have consequences for the provision of health care and communication. The aim of the present study was to examine potential differences in female practice nurses’ application of communication skills, practice guidelines, and motivational interviewing skills during consultations with female and male patients. Nineteen female practice nurses and their patients (n = 181) agreed to have their consultations videotaped (during 2010–2011). The videotaped consultations were rated using two validated instruments: the Maas-Global (to assess generic communication skills and practice guidelines) and the Behaviour Change Counselling Index (to assess motivational interviewing skills). Multilevel linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. Female practice nurses provided significantly more comprehensive information during consultations with female patients (p = .03) and talked more about management with male patients (p = .04). Furthermore, nurses applied motivational interviewing skills more clearly during consultations with female than with male patients (p < .01). The shift in tasks from primary care physicians toward practice nurses may have implications for clinical and patient outcomes as patients will no longer be counseled by male professionals. Conceivably, female patients are motivated more by nurses to change their behavior, while male patients receive more concrete management information or advice.     

Emotion-processing deficits in eating disorders

OBJECTIVE: First, we measured both emotional awareness and alexithymia to understand better emotion-processing deficits in eating disorder patients (EDs). Second, we increased the reliability of the measures by limiting the influence of confounding factors (negative affects). METHOD: Seventy females with eating disorders were compared with 70 female controls. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; depression), the Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS; anxiety), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS; alexithymia), and the Level of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). RESULTS: EDs exhibited higher alexithymia scores and lower LEAS scores, with an inability to identify and describe their own emotions, as well as an impairment in mentalizing others' emotional experience. Whereas alexithymia scores were related to depression scores, LEAS scores were not. After controlling for depression, alexithymia scores were similar in EDs and controls. DISCUSSION: The marked impairment in emotion processing found in EDs is independent of affective disorders. Thus, the joint use of TAS and LEAS suggests a global emotion-processing deficit in EDs.     

Alexithymia and facial emotion recognition in patients with eating disorders

OBJECTIVE: Patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa are reported to show high levels of alexithymia and to have difficulties recognizing facially displayed emotions. The current study tested whether it could be that facial emotion recognition is a basic skill that is independent from alexithymia. METHOD: We assessed emotion recognition skills and alexithymia in a group of 79 female inpatients with eating disorders and compared them with a group of 78 healthy female controls. Instruments used were the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Facially Expressed Emotion Labeling (FEEL) test, and the revised Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between patients and controls in their emotion recognition scores, but patients with eating disorders displayed significantly more alexithymia and psychopathology. Emotion recognition in patients was not related to alexithymia, psychopathology, or clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the reported alexithymia of patients with eating disorders is complex and independent from basic facial emotion recognition.     

Comparison of multiple methods of assessing parental emotion language discourse and their effects on Preschooler’s emotion understanding

The current study explored the influence of three methods of parental emotion discourse (structured story-telling, reminiscing, and picture book) and their relation to preschoolers’ emotion understanding. Thirty-seven families participated in the study. Analyses showed that the structured story-telling method produced more emotion words, was high in unique emotion words, and was high for both emotion labelling and explanations. All three methods showed some potential to predict preschooler’s emotion understanding. Structured story-telling was best at predicting role-taking, while reminiscing and the picture book both were better at predicting situation knowledge. Additional studies are needed to further explore the influence of different methods of assessing emotion discourse to enhance validity and reliability of research in this field.     

Emotional feeding as interpersonal emotion regulation: A developmental risk factor for binge-eating behaviors

Emotional feeding is an interpersonal emotion regulation strategy wherein people provide food to others as a means of influencing the recipient's emotional response. Parental emotional feeding has been linked to higher levels of emotional eating in children and adolescents using cross-sectional, retrospective, and prospective designs; however, there is little research on emotional feeding as a developmental risk factor for emotional eating and binge-eating behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. This Idea Worth Researching article explores the rationale for studying emotional feeding as a lifespan construct and its potential implications for understanding eating disorder pathology. Specifically, it offers suggestions for examining emotional feeding as a predictor of emotional eating and binge-eating behavior across the lifespan, assessing potential intergenerational transmission pathways, and researching similarities in feeding styles and emotional eating across a variety of relationships beyond the parent–child dyad.     

Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation,Weight Status and Negative Body Image

Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study (n = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status (β = 1.19, p < 0.01) and negative body image (β = −0.34, p < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (β = −0.46, p < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (β = 0.32, p > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (β = −1.59, p < 0.001) and low (β = −1.00, p < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence.     

Parent–Infant Attachment Insecurity and Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Mediation through Emotion Suppression and Alexithymia

Emotional eating (EE), the propensity to eat in response to emotions, is thought to have its origins in the early parent–infant relationship. This study tested the hypothesis that infant attachment insecurity results in EE in adolescence through the increased use of the emotion regulation strategy suppression of emotions and subsequent alexithymia. At the age of 15 months, parent–infant attachment security (n = 129) was observed with two abbreviated attachment measures: the shortened strange situation procedure (SSSP), and the shortened attachment Q-set (S-AQS). At the age of 12 years, children completed self-report questionnaires to assess the suppression of emotions, alexithymia, and EE. At the age of 16 years, EE was measured again. The mediation models indicated that lower parent–infant attachment security predicted increased use of suppression of emotions, which was related to increased alexithymia, and in turn more EE at the age of 12 years. These results were similar and significant for both attachment measures, and also (marginal) significant with EE at the age of 16 years as an outcome. Lastly, when parental caregiving quality was included, the models with the SSSP as predictor remained significant, but the models with the S-AQS became insignificant. These results indicated that to a certain extent, infant attachment security could predict adolescent EE above and beyond parental caregiving quality.     

Support Group for Parents Coping with Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Objectives

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Active parental involvement, parental support in the diabetes management and family functioning are associated with optimal diabetes management and glycemic control. The purpose of this study was to assess parental satisfaction with participation in the group and their perceptions of the impact of the intervention on living and coping with childrens T1D.

Methods

A sample of 34 parents of children with T1D participated in this trend study. The participants’ experience and satisfaction with support group was measured by a self- evaluation questionnaire, designed for the purpose of the present study.

Results

Quantitative data show that parents were overall satisfied with almost all measured items of the evaluation questionnaire (wellbeing in the group, feeling secure, experiencing new things, being able to talk and feeling being heard) during the 4-year period. However, parents from the second and third season, on average, found that the support group has better fulfilled their expectations than the parents from the first season (p = 0,010). The qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses to the open-ended questions was underpinned by four themes: support when confronting the diagnosis, transformation of the family dynamics, me as a parent, exchange of experience and good practice and facing the world outside the family.

Discussion

The presented parent support group showed to be a promising supportive, therapeutic and psychoeducative space where parents could strengthen their role in the upbringing of their child with T1D.     

Pathways to Adaptive Emotion Regulation Among Adolescents from Low‐Income Families

The current study examined pathways to adolescent anger and sadness regulation in low‐income families. The sample included 206 families with adolescents age 10–18 years. Using a multimethod, multi‐informant approach, we assessed neighborhood violence, mutual emotional support, parental emotion coaching, and anger and sadness regulation. The findings indicated that high levels of mutual emotional support and emotion coaching and low levels of neighborhood violence were correlated with adolescent emotion regulation. In addition, the analyses demonstrated multiple pathways to emotion regulation. Specifically, neighborhood violence was directly and indirectly related to anger and sadness regulation. Moreover, mutual emotional support was indirectly related to emotion regulation via emotion coaching. Overall, there was little evidence of adolescent sex and age differences in the model. Implications regarding the socialization of adolescent emotion regulation are discussed.     

类风湿性关节炎RF和抗CCP抗体检验结果比较

目的探讨类风湿关节炎（RA）病人自身抗体检验方法,为提高RA早期诊断的准确性提供参考。方法随机选择120例RA病人,其中60例进行抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体（抗CCP抗体）检测,另外60例进行类风湿因子（RF）检测,比较2组的阳性率。结果RF组阳性率为68．3％,抗CCP抗体组的阳性率为76．7％,2组比较差异有统计学意义（X^2=1．50,p〈0．05）。有2例患者的以上2种自身抗体检测结果均为阴性。结论采用抗CCP抗体检验比RF检验更有效。     

Dietary Fat Reduction Behaviors among African American,American Indian,and White Older Adults with Diabetes

Dietary self-management of diabetes is often difficult for older adults to practice, particularly in rural communities. We describe patterns and correlates of dietary fat reduction among older rural adults with diabetes of any type. In-home interviews were conducted with a multiethnic random sample of 701 adults 65 years and older with diabetes from two North Carolina counties. The Fat and Fiber Behavior Questionnaire was used to measure dietary behaviors. Separate multiple linear regressions assessed effects of gender, ethnicity, and diabetes education. In general, scores were more favorable for practices that involved modifying food preparation (e.g., avoiding frying) and less favorable for practices that involved changing foods consumed (e.g., substituting fruits and vegetables as desserts or snacks). American Indians and African Americans had less favorable scores than whites, and diabetes education was associated with greater fat restriction for women than men. Older men and ethnic minorities with diabetes should be targeted for dietary change education.     

抗CCP抗体与RF联合检测对类风湿性关节炎的诊断价值

目的探讨联合检测抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体（抗CCP抗体）及类风湿因子（RF）对类风湿关节炎（RA）的临床诊断价值。方法分别用胶体金免疫层析法（GICA）、速率散射比浊法联合检测52例RA患者、37例非RA的自身免疫性疾病患者和15例正常人血清中抗CCP抗体和RF。结果抗CCP抗体和RF联合检测的特异性、阳性预测值、阳性似然比、阴性似然比与任何单一项检测比较差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论联合检测抗CCP抗体和RF可明显提高类风湿关节炎的诊断率。