Links between Adolescents' Closeness to Adoptive Parents and Attachment Style in Young Adulthood

This study examined whether adolescents' closeness to adoptive parents (APs) predicted attachment styles in close relationships outside their family during young adulthood. In a longitudinal study of domestic infant adoptions, closeness to adoptive mother and adoptive father was assessed in 156 adolescents (M = 15.7 years). Approximately 9 years later (M = 25.0 years), closeness to parents was assessed again as well as attachment style in their close relationships. Multilevel modeling was used to predict attachment style in young adulthood from the average and discrepancy of closeness to adolescents' adoptive mothers and fathers and the change over time in closeness to APs. Less avoidant attachment style was predicted by stronger closeness to both APs during adolescence. Increased closeness to APs over time was related to less anxiety in close relationships. Higher closeness over time to either AP was related to less avoidance and anxiety in close relationships.     

Posttraumatic stress or posttraumatic growth? Using network analysis to explore the relationships between coping styles and trauma outcomes

Trauma can produce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but may also foster positive outcomes, such as posttraumatic growth. Individual differences in coping styles may contribute to both positive and negative sequelae of trauma. Using network analytic methods, we investigated the structure of PTSD symptoms, elements of growth, and coping styles in bereaved survivors of a major earthquake in China. Hypervigilance and difficulty concentrating were identified as the most central symptoms in the PTSD network, whereas establishing a new path in life, feeling closer to others, and doing better things with life ranked highest on centrality in the posttraumatic growth network. Direct connections between PTSD symptoms and elements of growth were low in magnitude in our sample. Our final network, which included PTSD symptoms, growth elements, and coping styles, suggests that adaptive and active coping styles, such as positive reframing, are positively related to elements of growth, but not appreciably negatively related to PTSD symptoms. Conversely, maladaptive coping styles are positively related to PTSD symptoms, but are not negatively associated with growth. Future longitudinal studies could shed light on the direction of causality in these relationships and their clinical utility.     

潜艇军人的述情障碍特点及与应对方式关系

目的探讨潜艇军人的述情障碍特点以及述情障碍程度与所用应对方式的关系。方法采用20个条目多伦多述情障碍量表(TAS-20)、应付方式问卷(CSQ)、自编一般资料问卷对369名潜艇军人进行测评。据一般资料特征将被试分为义务兵、士官、军官组,独生子女与非独生子女组,对不同组别的TAS得分进行比较;以TAS得分区分述情障碍高、中、低分组,对3组的CSQ各分量表得分进行比较;对369名潜艇军人的CSQ得分与TAS得分进行相关分析。结果义务兵、士官与军官组的TAS总分、F1、F3因子分间差异具有统计学意义(F=8.18,11.19,3.42;P<0.05);独生子女组F3因子分高于非独生子女组差异具统计学意义(t=2.67,P<0.01);述情障碍高、低、中分组的CSQ6个分量表得分差异均具统计学意义(F=12.48,37.58,20.24,23.88,32.40,23.19;P<0.01),两两比较中,高分组在不成熟型或混合型应对方式自责、幻想、避让和合理化因子得分上高于中、低分组(P<0.01);在成熟型应对方式解决问题、求助分量表得分上低于中、低分组(P<0.01)。相关分析显示,应付方式分量表中解决问题、求助分量表得分与TAS总分及各因子分间负相关有统计学意义(r=-0.192～-0.350,P<0.01),自责、幻想、退避、合理化各分量表得分与TAS总分及各因子分间正相关有统计学意义(r=0.169～0.505,P<0.01)。结论义务兵、士官、军官的述情障碍程度不同,主要体现在情感辨认与外向性思维上;潜艇军人的应对方式与述情障碍程度有关,高述情障碍者倾向于采用不成熟应对方式。     

影响孤独症儿童母亲抑郁的相关因素

目的探讨孤独症儿童母亲的复原力、应对方式、社会支持对抑郁的影响。方法采用抑郁自评量表、复原力量表、简易应对方式问卷和社会支持评定量表对76名孤独症儿童母亲进行调查。结果①孤独症儿童母亲抑郁得分高于全国常模;②孤独症儿童母亲的抑郁与复原力、社会支持、积极应对方式间存在显著负相关,与消极应对方式呈正相关;③复原力、消极应对和积极应对3因子能显著预测抑郁(R2=0.563,F=30.901,P<0.001)。结论复原力和积极应对方式可有效减少孤独症儿童母亲抑郁的发生。     

Maternal attachment influences mother–infant styles of regulation and play with objects at nine months

We examined the association between the quality of maternal representations of attachment evaluated by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and mother styles of regulating attention and emotion during free play with objects in 41 mother dyads when infants were nine months old. The secure mother dyads showed a greater duration of engagement matches, with more positive matches, and a greater capacity to move from non-matched to matched states. Secure mother dyads demonstrated greater involvement in play with objects than insecure mother dyads. Insecure mother dyads showed a greater duration of mismatches and spent more time in negative matches. Correlations between maternal AAI scores and the variables studied also showed that the maternal Passivity and Unresolved scales were associated with less adequate dyadic attention and emotion regulation, while the maternal Coherence scale was associated with more adequate dyadic attention and emotion regulation.     

The effects of coping style,social support,and behavioral problems on the well-being of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Lebanon

The present study examined the effects of coping styles, social support, and child's behavioral symptoms on the well-being of 65 mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Lebanon. Comparisons to the well-being of 98 mothers of typically developing children were also drawn. Regression analyses showed that disengagement and distraction coping predicted poor well-being, whereas cognitive reframing showed a correlation with better well-being levels. A significant correlation was found between child's behavioral problems and maternal well-being. T-test analyses revealed that mothers of children with ASD differed in terms of coping styles used. Additionally, mothers of children with ASD showed lower levels of perceived social support. Well-being was significantly better for mothers of typically developing children. Study limitations and implications are discussed.     

焦虑障碍的注意偏向特点及其与认知风格、人格特质的相关性

目的：探讨焦虑障碍患者对负性刺激的注意偏向特点,并分析其与认知风格和人格特质的相关性。方法：运用点探测范式和心理问卷分别对36例焦虑障碍患者和36例正常者进行评估,比较2组注意偏向、认知风格和人格特质的差异;比较不同性别焦虑障碍患者负性注意偏向分数的差异;比较社交焦虑症和广泛性焦虑症的负性注意偏向分数的差异;分析注意偏向、认知风格和人格特质的相关性。结果：焦虑组和对照组负性注意偏向分数、注意警觉分数的差异有统计学意义（P ＜0.05）,正确率差异分数、注意解 除分数的差异无统计学意义（P ＞0.05）。焦虑组和对照组自动思维得分、功能失调态度得分、艾森克人格N维度得分的差异均有统计学意义（P ＜0.05）。男性和女性焦虑障碍患者注意解除分数的差异有统计学意义（P ＜0.05）。社交焦虑症和广泛性焦虑症负性注意偏向分数、正确率差异分数、注意警觉分数、注意解除分数的差异无统计学意义（P ＞0.05）。功能失调态度与负性注意偏向分数（r =0.383）、注意警觉（r =0.204）呈显著正相关（P ＜0.05）;注意偏向分数、注意警觉分数与自动思维、艾森克N维度得分无相关性（P ＞0.05）。正确率差异分数、注意解除分数与自动思维、功能失调态度得分、与艾森克人格N维度得分无相关性（P ＞0.05）。结论：焦虑障碍患者存在对负性刺激的注意偏向,主要表现为注意警觉,该注意偏向存在性别差异,且与认知风格相关。     

Attributional styles and stress-related atherogenic plasma lipid reactivity in essential hypertension

Objective

Hypertension and an atherogenic lipid profile are known risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Hypertensives show greater changes in atherogenic plasma lipids to acute stress than normotensives. In this study, we investigated whether attribution of failure is associated with lipid stress reactivity in hypertensive compared with normotensive men.

Methods

18 normotensive and 17 hypertensive men (mean ± SEM; 45 ± 2.2 years) underwent an acute standardized psychosocial stress task that can be viewed as a situation of experimentally induced failure. We assessed external-stable (ES), external-variable (EV), internal-stable (IS), and internal-variable (IV) attribution of failure and psychological control variables (i.e. extent of depression and neuroticism). Moreover, total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and norepinephrine were measured immediately before and several times after stress.

Results

ES moderated TC- and LDL-C-stress reactivity in hypertensives as compared to normotensives (interaction mean arterial pressure [MAP]-by-ES for TC: F = 3.71, p = .015; for LDL-C: F = 3.61, p = .016). TC and LDL-C levels were highest in hypertensives with low ES immediately after stress (p ≤ .039). In contrast, hypertensives with high ES did not differ from normotensives in TC and LDL-C immediately after stress (p's > .28). Controlling for norepinephrine, depression, and neuroticism in addition to age and BMI did not significantly change results. There were no significant associations between lipid baseline levels or aggregated lipid secretion and IS, IV, or EV (p's > .23).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that ES may independently protect from elevated lipid stress reactivity in hypertensive individuals. ES thus might be a protective factor against CHD in hypertension.     

Bella and the white water rapids

Abstract

This article is an exploration of the feeling state engendered in the art psychotherapist when working with a child who had been emotionally and sexually abused. It attempts to discover the meaning of what happened in a therapy when no verbal or thinking interaction could initially take place. It describes the difficulty of finding a way to articulate the fragmented information available, both to bring to consciousness the snippets of memory presented, and to structure them into an organised story.

Thinking appeared to be what the child was desperate to avoid. It was far too painful for her, so anger and abuse were used as a defence. Noise was produced during therapy, so that the artwork, the games and in particular the experience of projective identification could not be thought about. The noise often led to the art psychotherapist being silenced and also unable to think.

Countertransference feelings were communicated, including shame, hatred, love and fear. These were explored to help find meaning, which led to understanding that the child needed to experience attachment to a constant and non-retaliatory Other. This made the experience of both merging and separation from the therapist an enabling space in which to find symbol and thought.