Anxiety and cognitive performance in adolescent women with disruptive behavior disorders.

Comparing 36 disruptive behavior-disordered and 40 normal female adolescents, we found higher levels of anxiety and poorer performance on a measure of verbal fluency in the clinical sample. No group differences were found on a nonverbal measure of reflectivity nor on a measure of interpersonal cognitive problem solving. Nor was evidence found for an hypothesized anxiety-related performance decrement among disruptive behavior-disordered youth. However, anxiety induction facilitated performance across groups on interpersonal cognitive problem solving.

Preliminary investigation of a culturally specific smoking cessation intervention for Hispanic smokers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare a culturally specific, multicomponent behavioral smoking cessation program for Hispanic smokers with a low-intensity, enhanced self-help control condition. DESIGN: Participants who completed pretreatment assessment were randomly assigned to treatment conditions. Smoking status was evaluated at posttreatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up intervals. SETTING: The study was based in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in Queens, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-three Hispanic smokers participated: 48 men and 45 women. INTERVENTION: The multicomponent treatment involved a clinic-based group program that incorporated a culturally specific component consisting of videotaped presentations of culturally laden smoking-related vignettes. The self-help control program was enhanced by the use of an introductory group session and follow-up supportive telephone calls. MEASURES: Smoking outcomes were based on cotinine-validated abstinence and self-reported smoking rates. Predictors of abstinence were examined, including sociodemographic variables, smoking history, nicotine dependence, acculturation, partner interactions, reasons for quitting, self-efficacy, and linguistic competence. RESULTS: Significant group differences in cotinine-validated abstinence rates in favor of the multicomponent group were obtained, but only at posttreatment. With missing data included and coded for nonabstinence, validated abstinence rates at posttreatment were 21% for the multicomponent group and 6% for the self-help group. At the 6-month follow-up, the rates were 13% for the multicomponent group and 9% for the self-help group. By the 12-month follow-up, the rates declined to 8% and 7% for the multicomponent and self-help groups, respectively. A dose-response relationship between attendance at group sessions and abstinence status was shown at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up intervals. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study failed to show any long-term benefit from use of a clinic-based, culturally specific multicomponent smoking cessation intervention for Hispanic smokers relative to a minimal-contact, enhanced self-help control.

Factors predicting participant attrition in a community-based, culturally specific smoking-cessation program for Hispanic smokers.

Factors predicting participant attrition in a community-based, culturally specific smoking-cessation program enrolling 93 Hispanic smokers were examined. Analysis of univariate predictors showed noncompleters (n = 18) to have lower incomes, to have expressed greater initial confidence in their ability to stop smoking, and to have perceived themselves to be in poorer general health and poorer health in relation to peers, than completers. Noncompleters were also more likely to have reported cardiovascular problems. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that confidence in stopping smoking, health compared with that of peers, and reported cardiovascular problems contributed significantly to prediction while controlling for other significant univariate predictors. The results are discussed in terms of factors that might mitigate premature termination in community-based smoking-cessation interventions targeting Hispanic smokers.

Social appropriateness and impaired perspective in schizophrenia.

Self-ratings and judges' ratings of social appropriateness were obtained based upon videotaped role-enactments of schizophrenics (n = 16), mixed psychiatric controls (n = 16), and normal controls (n = 16) in mock social interactions. Schizophrenics were rated significantly lower on social appropriateness and were judged on semantic differential scales as showing greater deficiencies in social behavior. As predicted, impaired perspective among schizophrenics appeared to be limited to appraisals of self. Schizophrenics, like the comparison groups, were able to discriminate significantly between appropriate and inappropriate behavior of others. But unlike the comparison groups, schizophrenics rated their own behavior significantly higher in social appropriateness than did judges.

Training dentally anxious children to cope.

This investigation compared the relative effectiveness of exposure-based, multicomponent treatment of grammar-school-aged children with dental phobia in a school-based program. Multicomponent treatment was administered in three group sessions consisting of coping-skills training, administered in a school dental operatory setting, combined with exposure to a coping-model videotape. Comparison conditions were exposure-based coping-skills training; modeling video-tape; classroom-based (non-exposure) coping-skills training; information dissemination/discussion group; and waiting-list control. Results supported the relative efficacy of exposure-based, multicomponent treatment in reducing subjective anxiety compared with the waiting-list control, information dissemination/group discussion, video-tape-modeling condition, and non-exposure-based coping-skills-training conditions. No treatment group differences were found for pulse or behavioral ratings of anxiety.

Principal components analysis of therapeutic orientations of doctoral programs in clinical psychology.

A principal components analysis was conducted on a data set that consisted of ratings of therapeutic orientations reported by directors of clinical psychology training programs in 96 clinical psychology programs in the U.S. Two principal components emerged, which contrasted (1) behavioral vs. psychoanalytic approaches and (2) humanistic vs. conditioning approaches. A plotting of factor scores revealed relatively clear separation among programs primarily identified with either behavioral or psychoanalytic/humanistic approaches. The majority of training programs, however, clustered around the midpoint on both underlying factor dimensions, an indication of the adoption of multiple approaches in training.

Worksite-based behavioral treatment of mild hypertension.

Two behaviorally-oriented, nonpharmacological treatments - rational-emotive therapy/assertiveness training (RET/AT) and anxiety management training (AMT) - and one control treatment - hypertension education counseling (HEC) - were compared in reducing blood pressures of 22 white-collar mold hypertensives in a worksite setting. Results showed significant reductions by posttreatment in diastolic pressures of participants in the two behavioral treatment conditions, but no significant differential treatment effect across groups. Systolic pressure reductions by postreatment were significant only in the RET/AT training condition. Reductions were generally maintained at an either-week follow-up.

Patient's adjustment to family-care as related to their perceptions of real-ideal differences in treatment environments.

Moos (1974) has extended Roger's (1951) concept of real-ideal self-differences to evaluate patient's perceptions of real and ideal treatment environments. Real-ideal discrepancies in patient's judgments of treatment environments in both inpatient and community treatment programs were found by Moos to be negatively correlated with their ratings of general satisfaction with the program, liking for the staff, perceived opportunity for personal development, and positively correlated with self-rated anxiety.

Sex differences in the resolution of the identity crisis.

Based on Erikson's view of the importance of "inner space" in feminine identity, researchers have added an interview on premarital sex to the standard ego identity interview on occupation, religion, and politics used for males. This study was designed to investigate the relative importance of premarital sexual ideology for males and females, as well as sex differences in identity status on occupation, religion, and politics. Marcia's semi-structured ego identity status interview was given to 70 male and 70 female college students, with premarital sex questions included for both sexes. Consistent with Erikson's theory, females were more likely than males to have experienced a sexual identity crisis, whereas males were very likely to be foreclosed in this area. Males as well as females were more likely to be committed about sex than about any other area. In all areas except sex, female identity followed basically the same pattern as male identity.

The attitudes of nursing students and others about mental illness.

Student nurses tend to report somewhat moderate attitudes toward mental illness in that they appear to be less radical than psychology students, but less conservative than teacher-students in education. The student nurses' attitudes are similar to those of psychiatric residents, but more radical than psychiatric nurses.