A neglected aspect of refugee relief works: Secondary and vicarious traumatic stress.

The literature demonstrates evidence that secondary traumatic stress (STS) and vicarious traumatic stress (VTS) may adversely affect the well-being of refugee relief workers and, thus, the quality of their services. The present review offers an exploration of (a) the theoretical background of STS and VTS, (b) their appearance among refugee relief workers, (c) intervention studies available, (d) common points among intervention studies and guidelines on STS and VTS released by local and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and (e) the potential problems that can be associated with the insufficiency of standardized intervention programs as assessed in effectiveness studies. This review may help mental health professionals in countries that host large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, to design more effective intervention programs targeting STS and VTS.

The role of sense of coherence and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and grief.

Few studies examine the relationship of grief with interrelated and broad concepts. In this study, the role of sense of coherence and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and grief was investigated with individuals (N = 254) who have lost a close person in the last 5 years. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses revealed that individuals with early maladaptive schemas may experience more complicated grief symptoms through the effect of early maladaptive schemas. For individuals with self-sacrifice schema, difficulties in the grief process were regulated by moderate to high levels of sense of coherence.

Development of a performance anxiety scale for music students.

In the present research, the Performance Anxiety Scale for Music Students (PASMS) was developed in three successive studies. In Study 1, the factor structure of PASMS was explored and three components were found: fear of stage (FES), avoidance (AVD) and symptoms (SMP). The internal consistency of the subscales of PASMS, which consisted of 27 items, varied between 0.89 and 0.91. The internal consistency for the whole scale was found to be 0.95. The correlations among PASMS and other anxiety-related measures were significant and in the expected direction, indicating that the scale has convergent validity. The construct validity of the scale was assessed in Study 2 by confirmatory factor analysis. After several revisions, the final tested model achieved acceptable fits. In Study 3, the 14-day test-retest reliability of the final 24-item version of PASMS was tested and found to be extremely high (0.95). In all three studies, the whole scale and subscale scores of females were significantly higher than for males.

Perception of homosexuality among Turkish university students: the roles of labels, gender, and prior contact.

The author examined three questions: (a) What constitutes participants' causal attributions for the labels "gay," "lesbian," and "homosexual"?; (b) Do participants' attitudes vary by labels?; and (c) Do participants' attitudes vary with previous social contact with homosexuals? Participants were 334 university students (140 women, 194 men). Three labels--"gay," "lesbian," and "homosexual"--served as probes. The author investigated participants' attributions toward causes of homosexuality with Principal-Component Analysis (PCA) and obtained 4 components: disorder, problems, modeling or sensation seeking, and preference. The author found the most negative attitudes toward the label "gay." Finally, participants who had previous contact with homosexual people held more positive attitudes toward homosexuality than did the others. The author also obtained some gender differences. The author discussed the results in the light of the current literature.

Perception of drug addiction among Turkish university students: causes, cures, and attitudes.

In this paper, university students' beliefs about different causes of drug addiction and cures for it were investigated. Principal component analysis (PCA) with Causes of Drug Abuse Scale (CADAS) revealed four components: problems and coping, sensation seeking, social environment, and disposition. PCA with Cures for Drug Abuse Scale (CUDAS) produced four components: help seeking and avoidance, self-change, social activity, and change. Separate MANOVAs were performed and significant gender differences were found between two of CADAS' and three of CUDAS' components. Analysis on attitude scale revealed gender and drug main effects and an interaction effect. Men had more positive attitudes toward "drug" vignette. The most negative attitudes were found toward "heroin" vignette and the most positive attitudes were found toward the "cannabis" vignette. Results indicated that those who has known a drug user had more positive attitudes.