Psychosocial predictors of distress in parents of children undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To examine psychosocial predictors of distress (mood disturbance, perceived stress, caregiver burden) in parents of children undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplantation (BMT). METHOD: Measures of prior illness experiences, premorbid child behavior problems, family environment, social support, and parental coping behavior were obtained from the resident parents of 151 children prior to the children's admission for BMT. Parents subsequently completed assessments of their mood disturbance, perceived stress, and caregiving burden on a weekly basis through week +6 post-BMT, and then monthly through month +6 post-BMT. RESULTS: Significant changes were observed in parental distress across the course of BMT. After correcting for demographic and medical factors, several significant predictors of parental distress trajectories were identified, including prior parent and patient illness-related distress, premorbid child internalizing behavior problems, the family relationship dimensions of the family environment, and parental avoidant coping behaviors. Multivariable models were developed using a hierarchical modeling approach. The best-fit model accounted for approximately 50% of the variance in parental global distress. CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups of parents at higher risk for increased distress during the acute phase of transplant have been identified. These findings can help target parents who may be in greater need of intervention aimed at reducing transplant-related distress.     

Active-Passive Coping and Skin Conductance and Heart Rate Changes

Sixty subjects were administered 33 tasks, selected from the Raven Progressive Matrices, in conditions that differed by type of monetary reinforcement (reward, frustration, and control group). Subjects were tested in pairs. One subject, assigned as the active one, was asked to solve a problem while the other was only a passive observer. Heart rate level and the amplitude of evoked skin conductance responses were measured. Statistical analysis detected a higher heart rate level in active versus passive subjects at the beginning stage of the experiment, as well as a faster heart rate decrease in the former versus the latter group during subsequent blocks of four tasks. Changes in skin conductance response magnitude during the ensuing task phases exhibited a descending trend in passive subjects and an ascending trend in active subjects. The monetary reinforcement manipulation was not effective. The results support a concept put forward by Fowles (1988), who maintained that tonic heart rate and skin conductance response amplitude may serve as indices of the behavioral activation system and behavioral inhibition system, respectively, as postulated by Gray's model of arousal.     

深圳市警察心理素质研究Ⅲ.心理健康与应对方式调查

目的：探讨深圳警察的心理健康和应对方式及其与人口学特征的关系。方法：通过团体测试方式对6107名深圳警察进行症状自评量表(SCL-90)和简易应对方式问卷调查。结果：深圳警察SCL-90的总均分、阳性症状均分及l0个因子分均显著低于全国常模；其积极应对得分显著高于全国常模，而消极应对得分显著低于全国常模。深圳男性警察的躯体化、强迫、人际敏感、敌对、偏执、精神病及总均分均显著高于女性，其积极应对得分显著低于女性。36-40岁年龄段及副科级警察SCL-90多项因子分在各年龄段及各职务级别警察中得分最高；45岁以前，随着年龄的递增，积极应对和消极应对两维度的均分均相应递增。结论：年龄、性别、文化程度和职务级别的不同对深圳警察的心理健康状况和应对方式存在一定影响。积极应对有利于心理健康。     

Defensive hostility and anger expression: Relationship to additional heart rate reactivity during active coping

The main purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to assess the relationship between defensive hostility (high hostility/high defensiveness) and additional heart rate reactivity during active coping and (b) to determine if the construct of anger-out might lend additional, sensitivity to the predictive power of the defensive hostility model. Forty individuals were randomly assigned to complete a mental arithmetic task with or without the threat of shock. Participants also completed the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory (Ho), the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC), and the Spielberger Anger Expression Scale. Defensive hostile subjects (high Ho/high MC) were significantly more reactive than any other subgroup. In addition, the combination of low Ho/high anger-out scores yielded a subgroup significantly less reactive than any other subgroup. These findings clarify the complex relationship of hostility and cardiovascular reactivity.     

Stress,coping, family conflict,and adolescent alcohol use

This study examined alcohol use among seventh graders in relation to life events, daily hassles, the supportive quality of the family environment, coping, and anxiety. Four hundred twenty-five students participated, 228 girls and 197 boys. Stepwise regression and discriminant function analyses indicated that the students reported more alcohol use if they also reported more life events, more daily hassles, and more conflict in the family. A stress-buffering effect of low family conflict on life events could not be substantiated for extent of alcohol use. The results are discussed in the context of the developmental transitions of adolescence.     

高中生应对方式及其与学业成绩的关系

目的:探讨高中生面对挫折和烦恼时应对方式的特点及其与学业成绩的关系。方法:以中学生应对方式评定问卷对649名高中生进行了调查。结果:女生比男生更倾向于采用发泄(因子均分2.4±0.7/2.7±0.7,F=23.32,P<0.01)和忍耐(3.2±0.7/3.0±0.8,F=5.08,P<0.05),而男生更倾向于采用幻想(2.4±0.9/2.1±0.8, F=15.52,P<0.01);重点中学比普通中学的高中生更多采用问题解决(3.3±0.6/3.1±0.7,F=20.85,P<0.011幻想(2.4±0.9/2.1±0.9,F=12.87,P<0.01)、退避(2.9±0.6/2.8±0.6,F=7.04,P<0.01)应对;来自城市和农村的高中生应对方式差异不显著;和睦安宁家庭气氛中的高中生采用问题解决应对显著多于偶尔争吵和经常争吵家庭中的高中生;民主型教养方式下的高中生比放任型教养方式的学生更多采用问题解决应对,权威型教养方式家庭中的高中生比民主型教养方式家庭中的高中生更多采用幻想应对。结论:高中生的应对方式存在性别差异。不同家庭气氛和不同教养方式以及学生在学业上的地位对应对方式也有一定影响,但城乡差别不明显。     

军队医科大学学员应对方式特点及心理状况调查

目的:本研究旨在掌握军队医科大学在校学员的应对方式特点,并进一步探讨应对方式和心理健康的关系,以便为军校的心理卫生工作提供重要的理论和实践依据.方法:运用简易应对方式量表和症状自评量表(SCL-90)对军医大学的4786名在校学员进行应对策略特点和健康水平进行评估.结果:(1)军队医科大学学员在面对挫折时,有30～40%的学员采取积极应对方式,而消极应对方式采用的较少(3～28%).(2)军队医科大学学员与国内军校大学生常模比较,其心理状况较好;学员采取的应对方式特点与其心理健康水平有一定的关系.结论: 军队医科大学应加强学员应对方式的教育,以更好的提高学员的心理健康.     

Predicting Emotional Response to Unsuccessful Fertility Treatment: A Prospective Study

The predictive value of a comprehensive model with personality characteristics, stressor related cognitions, coping and social support was tested in a sample of 187 nonpregnant women. The emotional response to the unsuccessful treatment was predicted out of vulnerability factors assessed before the start of the treatment. The results indicated the importance of neuroticism as a vulnerability factor in emotional response to a severe stressor. They also underlined the importance of helplessness and marital dissatisfaction as additional risk factors, and acceptance and perceived social support as additional protective factors, in the development of anxiety and depression after a failed fertility treatment. From clinical point of view, these results suggest fertility-related cognitions and social support should receive attention when counselling women undergoing IVF or ICSI treatment.     

Behavioral Profiles of Genetically Selected Aggressive and Nonaggressive Male Wild House Mice in Two Anxiety Tests

Artificially selected aggressive (SAL) and non-aggressive (LAL) male house mice were tested in a hexagonal tunnel maze and light-dark preference (LD) box to determine if the bidirectional selection for aggressive behavior leads to a coselection for different levels of trait anxiety. The tunnel maze consists of an open, brightly lit central arena surrounded by a complex system of interconnecting tunnels. As in the LD box, animals which spend less time and are less active in the brightly illuminated section of the maze are considered to have higher anxiety levels. In the tunnel maze, the LAL mice showed more exploration and spent more time in the central arena than the SAL animals, but only during the final 2 min of the 6-min test. This reduced preference for the central arena was not due to general inactivity or a failure of the SAL to find the central arena and indicates a higher level of state anxiety in the aggressive animals. In contrast, no anxiety-like differences were found in the LD box, either for the percentage of time spent in the light compartment or for the number of crossings. SAL males actually showed higher levels of moving and rearing, and lower levels of freezing, than did LAL males.