Personality styles and psychopathy

Administered the Multivariate Personality Inventory (MPI) and established measures of psychopathy to students (N = 71) to determine the relationship between the Character Disorder Style subscale of the MPI and psychopathy. Results clearly showed the independence of the Character Disorder Style subscale and psychopathy. Additionally, the Manic Style subscale was shown to be independent from both psychopathy and the Character Disorder Style subscale.     

Personality variables related to compulsive eating in college women

Investigated personality variables related to compulsive eating (episodic bouts of uncontrolled, excessive eating) in college women. Based on scores on the Compulsive Eating Scale, two groups were selected from a large sample of college women (mean age = 19) and classified high (N = 23) or low (N = 23) with regard to compulsive eating. Participants were administered the Sixteen Personality Factor Test, Social Desirability Scale, Locus of Control Scale, and Bem Sex Role Inventory. Results showed a number of significant differences between high and low groups. On the 16PF, high Ss showed higher inner tension, greater suspiciousness, and less emotional stability (ps <0.001). High Ss were more external in locus of control (p <0.02) and showed a greater need for approval (p <0.025). Sex role data showed a higher Masculine self-ideal (p <0.001) for the high group. There appear to be meaningful differences in personality variables that are related to compulsive eating, Results are discussed in terms of current theories of compulsive eating.     

Personality traits, coping styles, and mood in patients awaiting lumbar-disc surgery

The objective of this study was to characterize personality traits, coping styles, and mood state in patients with lumbar-disc disorders. In two studies (N = 112; N = 84) patients expecting lumbar-disc surgery were compared to patients awaiting another kind of surgery. Personality traits and coping styles were assessed with a personality inventory (FPI-R) and a stress-coping questionnaire (SVF). Mood was measured several times before surgery using a multidimensional self-report inventory [BSKE (EWL)]. The same inventory was used by anesthetists to rate the patient's mood. Heart rate and blood pressure also were measured. The groups did not differ with regard to personality traits, coping styles, self-reported mood state, or somatic variables. The physicians rated lumbar-disc patients as being in a better mood than control patients. Significant correlations between self-ratings and physician ratings were not observed. The results characterize lumbar-disc patients as a subgroup that is not different from other surgery patients and, therefore, does not need a specific form of psychological management prior to surgery. The importance of using patients expecting another type of surgery as a control group rather than healthy individuals is clearly demonstrated.     

Menstrual and circadian variations in time perception in healthy women and women with premenstrual syndrome.

A time production test was performed in seven normal females and seven females with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). We used a time production test for six time intervals (6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 s). Time production tests were performed at 08:00, 14:00 and 20:00 h in the follicular, early luteal and late luteal phases (LLP), respectively. The results are as follows. (1) Normal females showed diurnal variations in time production only in the follicular phase (FP). In this phase, they overproduced time at 08:00 h suggesting that the interval clock in normal females was slowest in the morning. (2) Normal females showed menstrual variations in time production only at 20:00 h. They overproduced time in the LLP suggesting that the interval clock in normal females was slowest in the LLP. (3) Neither diurnal nor menstrual variation was found in PMS subjects at any menstrual stage or at any time of the day. These results suggest that the interval timing system in normal females is under the control of ovarian steroid hormones and the circadian clock, but the control of ovarian steroid hormone or the circadian clock does not operate in PMS subjects.     

Personality and the perception of health in the general population

BACKGROUND: Several population-based studies have shown that self-perceived health is a powerful predictor of health outcomes. The extent to which self-perceived health is associated with personality characteristics is, however, largely unknown. We aimed to study the relationship between self-perceived health and personality among adults in the community. METHOD: Data were drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey, a representative sample of adults age 25-74. MANOVA was used to determine the relationship between self-perception of health and personality using the five-factor model. RESULTS: Personality factors were significantly associated with perception of poor health. Among those without self-reported medical problems (N = 834), openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with perception of good health, while neuroticism was associated with the perception of poor health. In subjects with self-reported medical problems (N = 2772), high scores on agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion and conscientiousness, and low neuroticism scores were associated with perception of good health. These associations remained significant after adjustments for age, gender, race, marital status and education. CONCLUSIONS: Self-perceived health is strongly associated with personality characteristics, both in subjects with and without self-reported medical problems. It is suggested that personality characteristics could contribute to the previously reported associations between self-perceived health and health outcomes.     

Personality and depression in women

Personality disorders and traits should be assessed in studies concerned with the etiology and treatment of depression in women. There has been a considerable amount of research concerned with the effect of personality functioning on the etiology and treatment of depression, and much of this research has concerned personality traits and disorders for which significant gender differences and issues apply. The importance of personality functioning, and the particular relevance to women and gender-related issues, is illustrated in this paper with regard to dependent personality disorder and dependent personality traits. Implications for future research on the etiology and treatment of depression in women are provided.     

Body signals, cardiac awareness, and the perception of time

Recent research suggests that our sense of time intervals in the range of seconds is directly related to activity in the insular cortex, which contains the primary sensory area for interoception. We therefore investigated whether performance in a duration reproduction task might correlate with individual interoceptive awareness and with measurable changes in autonomic activity during the task. Thirty-one healthy volunteers participated in an interoceptive (heartbeat) perception task and in repeated temporal reproduction trials using intervals of 8, 14, and 20 s duration while skin conductance levels and cardiac and respiratory periods were recorded. We observed progressive increases in cardiac periods and decreases in skin conductance level during the encoding and (less reliably) the reproduction of these intervals. Notably, individuals’ duration reproduction accuracy correlated positively both with the slope of cardiac slowing during the encoding intervals and with individual heartbeat perception scores. These results support the view that autonomic function and interoceptive awareness underpin our perception of time intervals in the range of seconds.     

Personality correlates of pain perception and tolerance

Explored personality correlates of pain perception and tolerance in a non-medical sample and setting. In a counter-balanced design, 70 Ss were administered several personality questionnaires and a cold-pressor test for pain perception and tolerance. In Experiment 1, 39 Ss were given the Adjective Check List and Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, while in Experiment 2, 31 different Ss received the Beck Depression Inventory. Results showed no significant correlations with personality measures and cold-pressor scores, but a significant relationship between pain tolerance and cognitive focus; those who focused on the experimental situation had much shorter tolerance times than those who used cognitive distraction. It is suggested that while chronic pain in a medical patient population may be related to personality characteristics, tolerance of pain in a non-patient population is related to situational variables, such as cognitive focus and distraction.     

Sexual behavior of college women in 1975, 1986, and 1989

To compare sexual practices in college women before and after the start of the current epidemics of Chlamydia trachomatis, genital herpesvirus, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection, we surveyed 486 college women who consulted gynecologists at a student health service in 1975, 161 in 1986, and 132 in 1989 at the same university. There were no statistically significant differences in age, age at menarche, or reason for visiting the gynecologist. The percentages of women in this population who were sexually experienced were the same in all three years (88 percent in 1975, 87 percent in 1986, and 87 percent in 1989). Oral contraceptives were used by 55 percent of the women in 1975, 34 percent in 1986, and 42 percent in 1989; the use of condoms as the usual method of birth control increased (6 percent in 1975, 14 percent in 1986, and 25 percent in 1989; P less than 0.001). In 1975, only 12 percent reported the regular use of condoms during sexual intercourse, in some cases in conjunction with other methods of contraception, as compared with 21 percent in 1986 and 41 percent in 1989 (P = 0.0014). No significant differences were found in the three surveys in the number of male sexual partners or the frequency of fellatio, cunnilingus, or anal intercourse. An additional sample of 189 college women who did not consult the health service was surveyed in 1989, and similar sexual behavior was reported by those who were sexually experienced (65 percent). We conclude that in this population there has been little change in sexual practices in response to new and serious epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases, with the exception of an increase in the use of condoms (which still does not reach 50 percent).     

贫困大学生自我效能感应对方式的相关研究

探讨贫困大学生自我效能感的情况及与应对方式的关系,为其心理健康教育提供理论依据.采用一般自我效能感量表(GSES)和简易应对方式问卷(SCSQ)对某校430名贫困大学生进行测量.结果:①贫困大学生一般自我效能感的整体水平较高,但仍有一定比例的学生一般自我效能感水平较低.一般自我效能感的性别差异有统计学意义,男生一般自我效能感水平显著高于女生,但在年级和专业上差异无统计学意义.②不同性别、专业的被试在移凇应对方式上差异有统计学意义,在消极应对方式上差异无统计学意义.不同年级的贫困大学生在积极和消极应对方面差异无统计学意义.③一般自我效能感与应对方式关系密切,与积极应对方式之间呈正相关,与消极应对方式之间呈负相关.     

Associations between depressive symptoms,self-efficacy,eating styles,exercise and body mass index in women

This article explores cross-sectional associations between depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) in women working in schools in the Greater New Orleans area. Self-efficacy for eating and exercise, eating styles, and exercise are examined as potential pathways. This is a secondary data analysis of 743 women who were participating in a workplace wellness randomized controlled trial to address environmental factors influencing eating and exercise behaviors using baseline data prior to the intervention. BMI was the primary outcome examined. Path analysis suggested that increased depressive symptoms were associated with increased BMI in women. Indirect effects of depressive symptoms on BMI were found for increased healthy eating self-efficacy, increased emotional eating, and decreased exercise self-efficacy. The association between greater healthy eating self efficacy and BMI was unexpected, and may indicate a suppressor effect of eating self-efficacy in the relationship between depressive symptoms and BMI in women. The findings suggest the importance of depressive symptoms to BMI in women. Targets for interventions to reduce BMI include targeting depressive symptoms and related sequelae including self-efficacy for exercise, and emotional eating. Further investigation of eating self-efficacy and BMI are recommended with particular attention to both efficacy for health eating and avoidance of unhealthy foods.     

Visual perception in women during the menstrual cycle

Twelve females were tested at four times during the menstrual cycle with a visual detection task and a visual pattern discrimination task. Mood levels and confidence ratings were evaluated for each session. In addition to the behavioral testing, plasma samples were collected and radioimmunoassayed for estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone levels. Visual detection fluctuated significantly during the menstrual cycle with impaired performance occurring at the premenstrual session. In contrast to previous reports, the impaired performance was not related to lowered confidence ratings or to mood levels.     

大学生的归因方式及灵活性与心理健康

目的:探讨大学生的归因方式及灵活性与心理健康的关系,为大学生心理健康教育提供依据。方法:采用方便取样,选取山东省某大学279名在读大学生,运用自评抑郁量表(SDS)、焦虑自评量表(SAS)、正性负性情绪量表(PANAS)、乐观量表(LOT-R)及归因方式问卷(ASQ)对心理健康状况、归因方式及灵活性进行调查。结果:不同性别大学生在ASQ的正性事件普遍维度和负性事件的内外维度上以及归因灵活性得分上差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),男生得分均高于女生。正性事件内外维度及归因灵活性得分与SDS、SAS及PANAS负性情绪得分均呈负相关(r=-0.42～-0.14,P0.05或0.01),与PANAS正性情绪和LOT-R得分均呈正相关(r=0.20～0.31,P0.01);负性事件内外维度得分与SDS、SAS及PANAS负性情绪得分呈正相关(r=0.38、0.26、0.33,均P0.01),与PANAS正性情绪和LOT-R得分呈负相关(r=-0.17、-0.29,均P0.01)。回归分析表明,正性事件内外维度与抑郁相关(β=-1.42,P0.05),归因灵活性与抑郁、焦虑、负性情绪、正性情绪及乐观度相关(β=-6.12、-5.49、-1.84、2.49、1.67;P0.05或0.01),负性事件内外维度与抑郁、焦虑、负性情绪、正性情绪及乐观度相关(β=4.72、3.09、2.63、-1.45、-1.17;P0.01)。结论:倾向于把正性事件归因为外在的和暂时的、把负性事件的原因归结为内在的、持续的和普遍的个体会体验到较高的抑郁和焦虑情绪;倾向于把正性事件的原因归结为内在的和持久的、把负性事件归因为外在的和暂时的个体会体验到较高的正性情绪,有着较高的乐观水平;归因灵活性得分低的个体抑郁、焦虑情绪较高,正性情绪、乐观度水平较低。     

Interrelations between the perception of time and space in large-scale environments

Interactions between perceived temporal and spatial properties of external stimuli (e.g. duration and size) suggest common neural mechanisms underlying the perception of time and space. This conclusion, however, lacks support from studies in large-scale environments, showing that judgements on travelled distances and associated travel times are independent from each other. Here, we used a different approach to test whether the perception of travelled distances is influenced by the perception of time. Unlike previous studies, in which temporal and spatial judgements were related to the same experience of walking, we assessed time and distance perception in analogous, but separate versions of estimation and production tasks. In estimation tasks, participants estimated the duration of a presented sound (time) or the length of a travelled distance (space), and in production tasks, participants terminated a sound after a numerically specified duration (time) or covered a numerically specified distance (space). The results show systematic overestimation of time and underestimation of travelled distance, and the latter reflecting previously reported misperceptions of visual distance. Time and distance judgements were related within individuals for production, but not for estimation tasks. These results suggest that temporal information might constitute a probabilistic cue for path integration.     

The effect of different styles of medical illustration on information comprehension,the perception of educational material and illness beliefs

ObjectiveTo explore how the addition of a medical illustration and its style affected information comprehension, perception of educational material and illness beliefs.Methods204 people recruited in a supermarket were randomised to read one of the four leaflets about gout and fill out a questionnaire. Three leaflets had a picture showing gout in the form of a cartoon, an anatomical drawing or a computed tomography scan (CT). The control leaflet did not contain images.ResultsSeeing an illustrated leaflet helped correctly identify treatment for gout X²(1, N = 204) = 5.51, p=0.019. Out of the three images, only the cartoon was better than text in conveying information about treatment X²(1, n = 102) = 8.84, p=0.018. Participants perceived illustrated leaflets as more visually appealing t(70) = 3.09, p = 0.003, and the anatomical image was seen as more helpful for understanding of the illness than the cartoon. Pictures did not significantly influence lay illness perceptions about gout.ConclusionPictures aid the understanding of health information and increase the visual appeal of materials. While simpler illustrations convey information more effectively, people prefer more detailed anatomical images; CT scans offer no benefits over simpler images.Practice implicationsThe results can help guide the use of images in gout education material.