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The Nature Of Benefit Finding In Parents Of A Child With Asperger Syndrome, Christina Samios, Kenneth Pakenham, Kate Soffronoff

Christina Samios

The present study examined the nature of benefit finding in 220 parents of a child with Asperger syndrome (AS) by developing and validating a multi-item Benefit Finding Scale for Parents of Children with AS (BFS-PCAS) and examining the relationships of benefit finding dimensions with positive and negative indicators of adjustment. Parents of children with AS completed questionnaires at Time 1 and 12 months later (Time 2). Exploratory factor analyses identified six benefit finding factors that were moderately inter-correlated: New Possibilities, Growth in Character, Appreciation, Spiritual Growth, Positive Effects of the Child, and Greater Understanding. Cross-sectional analyses showed that benefit finding …

Lifting Without Seeing: The Role Of Vision In Perceiving And Acting Upon The Size Weight Illusion, Gavin Buckingham, Melvyn Goodale

Gavin Buckingham

BACKGROUND: Our expectations of an object's heaviness not only drive our fingertip forces, but also our perception of heaviness. This effect is highlighted by the classic size-weight illusion (SWI), where different-sized objects of identical mass feel different weights. Here, we examined whether these expectations are sufficient to induce the SWI in a single wooden cube when lifted without visual feedback, by varying the size of the object seen prior to the lift.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Participants, who believed that they were lifting the same object that they had just seen, reported that the weight of the single, standard-sized cube that they …

The Downside Of Goal-Focused Leadership: The Role Of Personality In Subordinate Exhaustion

L. A. Witt

No abstract provided.

Stress, Anxiety And Depression Among Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vicki Bitsika, Christopher Sharpley

Vicki Bitsika

In a replication of a previous study of the incidence and contributing factors in anxiety, depression and stress in Victorian parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a sample of 107 Gold Coast parents completed a questionnaire that assessed their demographic backgrounds, anxiety and depression scores on standardised inventories, and also tapped several aspects of those factors that may have contributed to their wellbeing. Over 90% of parents reported that they were sometimes unable to deal effectively with their child's behaviour. Nearly half of the participants were severely anxious and nearly two thirds were clinically depressed. Factors that …

Smoking And Psychological Health In Relation To Country Of Origin, Michael Lyvers, Tessa Hall, Mark Bahr

Mark Bahr

In English-speaking, Western-Anglo countries, where smoking has become stigmatized in recent decades as a result of widespread anti-smoking campaigns, smokers commonly report poorer psychological health on average than non-smokers do. This may be indirectly related to the strong pressures to quit in such countries, as poorer psychological health is associated with a reduced likelihood of quitting, thus leading to a selection bias for smokers with relatively poorer psychological health. In the present study, 147 smoker and non-smoker participants either came from Western-Anglo countries where smoking has become stigmatized (Australia, Canada, U.S.) or countries in regions where smoking remains relatively more …

Book Review 18 Make Room For Happiness By Steven Melemis, William C. Mcpeck

William C. McPeck

This is my review of Make Room for Happiness: 12 Ways to Improve Your Life By Letting Go of Tension. Better Health, Self-Esteem and Relationships by Steven Melemis, published by Modern Therapies in 2008.

Stress-Induced Attenuation Of Acoustic Startle In Low-Saccharin-Consuming Rats., Clinton Chapman, Mitzi Gonzales, Cameryn Garrett, Nancy Dess

Clinton D Chapman

Exposure to stress can lead to either increased stress vulnerability or enhanced resiliency. Laboratory rats are a key tool in the exploration of basic biobehavioral processes underlying individual differences in the effect of stress on subsequent stressors’ impact. The Occidental low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin-consuming rats, which differ in emotional reactivity, are useful in this effort. In the present study, footshock affected acoustic startle amplitude 4h later among LoS but not HiS rats. Surprisingly, shock attenuated startle rather than sensitizing it, a finding not previously reported for male rats exposed to shock. Attenuation was blocked by administering the anxiolytic …

Stressful Life Events As Predictors Of Functioning: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Maria E. Pagano, Andrew E. Skodol, Robert L. Stout, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Donna S. Bender, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Mary C. Zanarini, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective:  Although much attention has been given to the effects of adverse childhood experiences on the development of personality disorders (PDs), we know far less about how recent life events influence the ongoing course of functioning. We examined the extent to which PD subjects differ in rates of life events and the extent to which life events impact psychosocial functioning. Method:  A total of 633 subjects were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS), a multi-site study of four personality disorders – schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) – and a comparison group of major depressive …

Balancing The Rhetoric And Reality Of Workplace Stress, Carol Gill

Carol Gill

Workplace stress and its causes can pose a dilemma for HR practitioners