A schema-focused approach to group psychotherapy for outpatients with borderline personality disorder: A randomized controlled trial

This study tests the effectiveness of adding an eight-month, thirty-session schema-focused therapy (SFT) group to treatment-as-usual (TAU) individual psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients (N = 32) were randomly assigned to SFT-TAU and TAU alone. Dropout was 0% SFT, 25% TAU. Significant reductions in BPD symptoms and global severity of psychiatric symptoms, and improved global functioning with large treatment effect sizes were found in the SFT-TAU group. At the end of treatment, 94% of SFT-TAU compared to 16% of TAU no longer met BPD diagnosis criteria (p < .001). This study supports group SFT as an effective treatment for BPD that leads to recovery and improved overall functioning.     

Which constructs can predict emotional exhaustion in a working population? A study into its determinants

The main objective of this study was to examine the psychosocial stress model developed by Taylor and Aspinwall with emotional exhaustion as the outcome variable. Respondents, 409 men and 346 women, who had a paid job for at least 20 hours per week, completed questionnaires concerning demographic variables, personality, temperament, work pressure, workload, perceived social support, appraisal, coping, and emotional exhaustion. Structural equation analyses provided only partial support for the validity of the model. First, on theoretical and statistical grounds, one more path linking external resources to social support was added. Second, contrary to expectations, coping styles did not predict emotional exhaustion. To conclude, when coping is measured retrospectively, it does not add to our understanding of emotional exhaustion. It is suggested that future studies should be longitudinal and include objective measures of stressors and psychosocial health outcomes in addition to self‐reports. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

小学生个性影响因素研究

【目的】分析影响儿童个性的有关因素，为培养儿童的健全人格提供依据。【方法】对西安市所属的七个区各随机抽取一所学校，每所学校抽取四、五、六年级各两个班．采用龚耀先修订的艾森克个性问卷（Eysenck Personality Questionnaire，EPQ）（儿童用）和自编的个人一般情况调查表，对2000名儿童进行调查。将调查所得数椐进行多元逐步回归分析。【结果】影响小学生个性精神性（Psy choticism，P）的因素有性别、是否班干部、父母关系；影响内外向（extrovision and intrnision，E）的因素有性别、父母关系、是否班干部、住所、母亲文化程度、所在学校；影响情绪稳定性（nearoticism，N）、掩饰性（lie,L）的均为性别、父母关系2个因素。【结论】儿童个性受家庭、学校环境等的多重影响。家长、教师应创造良好的家庭、社会环境，保持情绪乐观、稳定，避免对子女儿童的负面影响，以利于其个性向积极方向发展。     

Differences between urban and rural suicides

As part of a nation-wide psychological autopsy we examined the differences in DSM-III-R mental disorders, recent life events and other characteristics between urban (n=143) and rural (n=85) completed suicides in a random sample of 229 cases from the National Suicide Prevention Project in Finland for the period 1987-1988. Psychoactive substance use disorders (48% vs. 34%), cluster B personality disorders (24% vs. 9%) and psychiatric comorbidity (66% vs. 42%) were found more commonly among urban than rural suicides. Urban suicides were also more often reported to be preceded by a recent separation (25% vs. 8%), whereas rural suicide victims tended to have lacked a close companion of the opposite sex (36% vs. 18%) and to have had physical disorders (56% vs. 40%). Overall, urban and rural suicides may vary with regard to the prevalence of some mental disorders, their comorbidity, and physical disorders, as well as the preceding life situation. This variation may also imply the need for differences in strategies for suicide prevention in each setting.     

Preference awareness education as stress management training for academic staff

This paper describes a response directed stress management intervention (SMI) in the form of a Jungian based preference awareness education (PAE). It uses the Insights System of personality types to increase awareness of behaviour and communication preferences of self and different others. Eighteen self‐recruited academic employees participated for 7 weeks and received feedback about work preferences and personality type. The aim was to reduce perceptions of stress and interpersonal stress and to increase feelings of job satisfaction and interpersonal satisfaction. The data were analysed using two‐tailed t‐tests. No significant findings were observed for the total sample after training, however, interesting results were found for certain sub‐sample groups. Extravert‐thinking types, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.018), and participants suffering high stress/interpersonal stress pre‐PAE, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.010–0.018). Participants suffering low job/interpersonal satisfaction pre‐PAE, reported increased job satisfaction (p > 0.015–0.016). These results suggest that individuals who report high levels of stress and dissatisfaction are most likely to benefit from this type of intervention. Future PAE research might: (a) use pilot studies to meet the intervention preferences of employees that are reluctant to participate in SMIs; (b) include a wait‐list control group; use: (c) a follow up education/measures; (d) and organizational level (stressor directed) SMIs at the same time as response directed initiatives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Norepinephrine transporter and α2c adrenoceptor allelic variants and personality factors

It has been suggested that reward dependence, as measured by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), is related to central noradrenergic activity, a proposition supported by two studies of urinary norepinephrine metabolite. In the current investigation, 190 normal young Han Chinese were examined, with genetic polymorphisms determined for the norepinephrine transporter (1287G/A) and the α_2c‐adrenoceptor (Del322–325) to test the association with TPQ personality traits. No significant association was demonstrated for these two polymorphisms and any of the TPQ personality‐factor scores, including reward dependence and its subscales. Our negative findings suggest that the investigated polymorphisms of the norepinephrine transporter and the α_2c adrenoceptor do not play a major role in the reward‐dependence personality trait as assessed by TPQ. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

82例高血压患者16项人格特质测验

研究目的应用卡特尔16项人格特质测验探讨原发性高血压患者的人格特征。研究背景高血压病是危害人类健康的常见病之一，发病率逐年上升，但其病因至今尚未阐明，故有必要从心理、人格方面来探讨高血压的发病原因，以利于高血压病的防治。研究方法本文对82例均由2名以上内科医师确诊为原发性高血压、且现在高压仍保持在20／12．7kPa以上的患者进行卡特尔16项人格特质测验，并与78例人群对照分析。结果高血压患者在C－稳定性、E－峙强性、Q－紧张性以及在双重人格因素类型中的适应与焦虑方面与正常对照组有显著差异（P＜0．05）。结论心理－社会因素是促使高血压发生的重要因素，它对高血压病因的阐明有重要意义，同时也使我们越来越重视运用心理、行为疗法，如生物反馈、各种松驰疗法等去防治高血压。     

Childhood precursors of age at first intercourse for females

Age at first intercourse for a sample of adult white women using variables measured during childhood is predicted. Childhood predictors were measured at birth, and ages 5 and 9–11, using existing public-use data on the women. Median age at first intercourse for the sample was 17.5 years. Early family predictors, early developmental characteristics, and temperamental characteristics during childhood together could predict about a fourth of the variance in age at first intercourse. The strongest predictors were motor skills and nightmares at age 5, church attendance with family at age 9, and domineering and mature personality at age 9.This research was supported by grants R01-HD23454 and P30-HD05798 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meetings of the Population Association of America, Denver, Colorado, April 30–May 2, 1992.