Prevalence of mental disorders, psychological distress, and mental services use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States.

Recent estimates of mental health morbidity among adults reporting same-gender sexual partners suggest that lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals may experience excess risk for some mental disorders as compared with heterosexual individuals. However, sexual orientation has not been measured directly. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 2,917 midlife adults, the authors examined possible sexual orientation-related differences in morbidity, distress, and mental health services use. Results indicate that gay-bisexual men evidenced higher prevalence of depression, panic attacks, and psychological distress than heterosexual men. Lesbian-bisexual women showed greater prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder than heterosexual women. Services use was more frequent among those of minority sexual orientation. Findings support the existence of sexual orientation differences in patterns of morbidity and treatment use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences among sexually abused and nonabused women from functional and dysfunctional families.

This study identified a previously unexamined group of sexual abuse survivors (those from functional families) and addressed methodological flaws in previous research by examining differences among abused women from functional families, abused women from dysfunctional families, nonabused women from dysfunctional families, and nonabused women from functional families. Measures of depression, anxiety, and interpersonal problems were completed by participants along with a measure of overall distress across a cluster of symptoms associated with childhood sexual abuse. On all four measures, the abused-dysfunctional group reported the highest level of psychological distress. Conversely, the level of psychological distress reported by the abused-functional group did not differ from that of the nonabused-functional or nonabused-dysfunctional groups. Research and counseling implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex trading and psychological distress among women on methadone.

This study examined the relationship between sex trading and psychological distress among a nonrandom sample of women recruited from 3 methadone maintenance clinics in New York City. Face-to-face interviews with 280 women (M age?=?40.7) revealed that 32% had traded sex for money or drugs in the previous year. Compared to other participants, these women reported less education and higher rates of incarceration in the past year, sexually transmitted diseases, childhood sexual abuse, partner abuse, and current regular crack/cocaine and alcohol use. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that sex traders scored 0.41 units higher than non-sex traders on the General Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory after controlling for all relevant covariates. The findings emphasize the need to consider the interrelation of psychological distress, abuse, and addiction in designing public health interventions addressing methadone maintained women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of childhood relationships with mother and father: Daily emotional and stressor experiences in adulthood.

Adults who report having had high-quality relationships with their parents during childhood have better overall mental health and are at decreased risk for mental disorders compared with those who report low parental relationship quality. Researchers have predominantly focused on the relationship with the mother, oftentimes excluding the unique role that fathers may play in the long-term development of their offspring. The current study examined the unique associations of recalled childhood experiences of mother–child and father–child relationship quality with daily emotional experiences and stress processes in adulthood. Men and women (N = 912, ages 25–74) retrospectively reported the quality of their childhood relationships with their mother and father. Later, they reported their daily psychological distress and stressor exposure every night over 8 consecutive evenings. Results indicate that mother–child relationship quality was related to lower levels of daily psychological distress. The quality of both mother–child and father–child relationships was related to stressor exposure, but only father–son relationship quality was related to lower levels of emotional reactivity to stressors during adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of psychological distress among infertility clinic patients.

One in every 6 couples is infertile, and the literature suggests that a number of individuals experience psychological distress associated with infertility. The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of psychological distress among infertility clinic patients. Analyses indicated that infertile men (n?=?86) and women (n?=?120) reported greater psychological distress than normative data from the general population. Separate hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that self-blame and avoidance coping was the best predictor of psychological distress among men and women. Increased age and not already having biological children added to the prediction among men but not among women. The limitations and implications of the findings are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in male professionals, college students, and clients.

Previous studies that have suggested that masculinity is a strong predictor of mental health have been generally limited to college student populations or have focused specifically on women. This study investigated the relation of masculinity to self-esteem and self-acceptance in male professionals (n?=?96), clients (n?=?55), and college students (n?=?73). The Personal Orientation Inventory, Bem Sex Role Inventory, and Rotter Internal–External Locus of Control Scale were administered to the subjects, along with a demographic data sheet. Correlations were used to investigate the relation and relative predictive significance of masculinity, femininity, education, occupation, and locus of control to self-esteem and self-acceptance. Masculinity was found to be the best predictor of self-esteem for male professionals and clients, and the best predictor of self-acceptance for clients. Femininity did not correlate with self-esteem or self-acceptance in any group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of alcohol misuse and work behavior among professionals: Identification and intervention.

Examined the prevalence and effects of alcohol misuse and mental health problems on work behavior among 507 members (mean age 44.3 yrs) of the American Psychological Association (APA) who completed the Needs Assessment Survey (P. E. Nathan et al [1983]). Results indicate that at least one-third of the Ss knew of colleagues who misused alcohol on the basis of fairly overt signs of impairment. Only a select few of the Ss (n?=?61) confronted colleagues about their alcohol misuse; those confronters tended to be older men who saw clients with alcohol problems. In contrast, more Ss confronted colleagues about their mental health problems (n?=?182) and had better treatment outcomes. Considering the ambivalence of psychologists to confront colleague alcohol misuse in the presence of job-related detriment, use of the employee assistance program model of confrontation on demonstrable evidence of job decline seems appropriate. The roles of professional self-help organizations such as Psychologists Helping Psychologists in facilitating recovery of alcohol misusing psychologists and of APA in assisting psychologists in distress are discussed. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors that mediate and moderate the link between partner abuse and suicidal behavior in African American women.

Findings from a study comparing partner abuse in African American women suicide attempters (n?=?148) and nonattempters (n?=?137) revealed higher rates of physical and nonphysical partner abuse among attempters than their demographically similar nonsuicidal counterparts. The partner abuse–suicidal behavior link was mediated by psychological distress, hopelessness, and drug use and moderated by social support. Results also revealed that nonphysical partner abuse accounted for unique variance in the prediction of suicide attempt status beyond that attributable to childhood maltreatment. Implications of the findings for assessing both suicidal and abused women are discussed, and recommendations for preventive interventions for women at risk for suicidal behavior are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, family dysfunction, parental alcoholism, and interpersonal distress in late adolescence: A structural model.

Parental attachment was hypothesized as a mediational variable, explaining the relationship between parental alcoholism, family dysfunction, and the expression of interpersonal distress. Undergraduate students (N?=?152) were administered questionnaires to assess parental attachment, parental alcoholism, family dysfunction, and interpersonal distress; structural analysis was used to specify the relations among measured constructs. Parental alcoholism was not a significant predictor of attachment to parents or interpersonal distress; however, the mediating role of parental attachment was evident when family dysfunction was examined. As the level of family dysfunction increased, participants reported less parental attachment and more interpersonal distress. Viewing parental attachment as a mediator has important implications for theory and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The public's knowledge about psychologists and other mental health professionals.

A random sample of New London County, Connecticut, residents received a questionnaire about 9 mental health professions or professionals (MHPs): clergyperson, marriage and family counselor, nonpsychiatric physician, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, psychologist, psychotherapist, social worker, and telephone crisis counselor. Respondents defined each MHP and reported their satisfaction with treatment, which MHP they would recommend, their referral source(s), licensure requirements, and fees. A mixed-design ANOVA was computed, with comfortableness as the dependent variable; age, sex, saw an MHP, and education, the between-Ss variables; and the 9 MHPs, the within-Ss variable. A significant MHP effect showed that physicians were perceived as slightly more comfortable than were psychologists (nonsignificant), who, nevertheless, were perceived as exceeding all other trained MHPs in the comfortableness experienced by their clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family functioning and adolescent alcohol use disorders.

Adolescents with alcohol dependence or abuse (n?=?126) were compared with 124 adolescents with other (nondrug) mental disorders and with a control group of 94 adolescents with no mental disorders on dimensions of family functioning. General family functioning, mother–adolescent relationships, and parental monitoring and discipline practices were assessed by using both adolescent and mother reports. Although overall the groups differed significantly on all family variables, the relationships among groups differed for adolescent and mother reports. By mother reports, families of adolescents with alcohol use disorders functioned less well than did families of adolescents with other mental disorders, whereas by adolescent reports these groups were not significantly different. Examination of both adolescent and mother perspectives may be important in understanding the relationship between family functioning and adolescent alcohol use disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of university mental health needs priorities identified by professionals and students.

A random and representative sample of 457 undergraduate and graduate students completed the Needs Assessment Questionnaire that required each respondent to rate on a 5-point scale the seriousness of 24 mental health problems among university students and their families. A similar questionnaire was completed by 30 university-employed mental health professionals. A comparison of the ratings given to specific mental health problems by student and professional groups revealed extensive between-groups differences. The students rated problems of substance abuse as most serious, whereas the professionals rated problems of an academic and neurotic nature as most serious. The results have important implications for the validity and utility of needs assessment strategies. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The association between childhood maltreatment and gambling problems in a community sample of adult men and women.

The association between childhood maltreatment and gambling problems was examined in a community sample of men and women (N = 1,372). As hypothesized, individuals with gambling problems reported greater childhood maltreatment than individuals without gambling problems. Childhood maltreatment predicted severity of gambling problems and frequency of gambling even when other individual and social factors were controlled including symptoms of alcohol and other drug use disorders, family environment, psychological distress, and symptoms of antisocial disorder. In contrast to findings in treatment-seeking samples, women with gambling problems did not report greater maltreatment than men with gambling problems. These results underscore the need for both increased prevention of childhood maltreatment and increased sensitivity towards trauma issues in gambling treatment programs for men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality characteristics of mental health professionals who have engaged in sexualized dual relationships: a Rorschach investigation

This study is the first to empirically investigate the psychological characteristics of mental health professionals who have engaged in sexualized dual relationships. Twenty mental health professionals were administered the Rorschach as part of a comprehensive evaluation to assess rehabilitation potential during or after a disciplinary hearing. The Rorschach protocols were scored according to Exner's (1993) Comprehensive System. Results included a total of seven scores that differed by more than 3 standard deviations from the normative mean. These included measures of distress (especially interpersonal longing, helplessness, and generalized dysphoria), primitive sexualization, and idiosyncratic reality contact. Other indicators differing by 2 standard deviations from the normative mean included measures of vulnerable self-boundaries and long-standing, characterological dysphoria. These characteristics and vulnerabilities are consistent with previous observations emphasizing long-standing conflicts involving interpersonal longing and deprivation, anxiety regarding body integrity or self-boundaries, primitive sexualization of anxiety-provoking issues, and depression (Celenza, 1995b). Awareness of such vulnerabilities may represent useful guidelines to supervisors and educators as a focus of concern in an individual's training and personal development.     

Correction to Kelley and Jouriles (2011).

Reports an error in "An introduction to the special section on U.S. Military operations: Effects on military members' partners and children" by Michelle L. Kelley and Ernest N. Jouriles (Journal of Family Psychology, 2011[Aug], Vol 25[4], 459-460). An author’s name cited in the text and the reference section was misspelled as Knoblock. The correct reference is Knobloch, L. K., & Theiss, J. A. (2011). Depressive symptoms and mechanisms of relational turbulence as predictors of relationship satisfaction among returning service members. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 470–478. The online versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-17889-001.) The deployment of U.S. military personnel to global hot spots, whether as combatants or as peacekeepers, has increased attention to the psychological well-being of military personnel and their family members. Despite the growing awareness that deployments have reverberating effects on all family members, theoretical explanations and empirical research on the impact of deployment on couple, family, and child adjustment, factors that serve to protect families from the demands of military employment, and effective methods of treating the mental health needs of military families are needed. The seven papers in this section increase our understanding of how the demands of U.S. military operations impact couples, family functioning, parenting, and child psychological adjustment and provide an additional resource for mental health professionals who work with these families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associations Among Childhood Trauma, Adolescent Problem Behaviors, and Adverse Adult Outcomes in Substance-Abusing Women Offenders.

This article explores relationships among exposure to childhood abuse and traumatic events, adolescent conduct problems and substance abuse, and adult psychological distress and criminal behaviors in a sample of substance-abusing women offenders (N = 440). Latent variable structural equation models revealed direct relationships between several childhood traumatic events and greater adolescent conduct problems and substance abuse. Conduct problems predicted more adult criminal behavior, and adolescent substance abuse predicted higher levels of current psychological distress. There were direct relationships between several types of traumatic events and current psychological distress and between traumatic events and specific criminal behaviors. Ethnic differences were also found, suggesting different pathways to criminal behavior. The findings underscore the need to provide trauma-related services for substance-abusing women offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social class in childhood and general health in adulthood: questionnaire study of contribution of psychological attributes

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contribution of psychological attributes (personality characteristics and coping styles) to the association between social class in childhood and adult health among men and women. DESIGN: Partly retrospective, partly cross sectional study conducted in the framework of the Dutch GLOBE study. SUBJECTS: Sample of general population from south east Netherlands consisting of 2174 men and women aged 25-74 years. Baseline self reported data from 1991 provided information on childhood and adult social class, psychological attributes, and general health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self rated poor health. RESULTS: Independent of adult social class, low childhood social class was related to self rated poor health (odds ratio 1.67 (95% confidence interval 1.02 to 2.75) for subjects whose fathers were unskilled manual workers versus subjects whose fathers were higher grade professionals). Subjects whose fathers were manual workers generally had more unfavourable personality profiles and more negative coping styles. External locus of control, neuroticism, and the absence of active problem focused coping explained about half of the association between childhood social class and self rated poor health. The findings were independent of adult social class and height. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of negative personality profiles and adverse coping styles in subjects who grew up in lower social classes explains part of the association between social class in childhood and adult health. This finding underlines the importance of psychological mechanisms in the examination of the negative effects of adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood.     

Long-term mental health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: an epidemiologic survey in two former Soviet regions

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the long-term mental health effects of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. METHOD: Two population samples (N = 3,044), one from the Gomel region, close to the accident site, and one from Tver, 500 miles away, were studied 6 1/2 years after the event with the use of a variety of self-report questionnaires and a standardized psychiatric interview. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological distress and DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders was exceptionally high in both regions. Scores on the self-report scales were consistently higher in the exposed region; however, a higher risk of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders could be demonstrated only among women with children under 18 years of age in the exposed region. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial long-term mental health effect of the Chernobyl incident was demonstrated, mainly at a subclinical level.     

Psychological distress among Mexican-American and Mexican women as related to status on the new immigration law.

Psychological distress in relation to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was examined among 90 Mexican-American and Mexican women divided into three groups (n?=?30 each): undocumented immigrants who did not qualify for amnesty, undocumented immigrants who qualified for amnesty, and legal residents of the United States of Mexican descent. Results indicate that the undocumented immigrants who did not qualify for amnesty obtained significantly higher scores on hostility. Contrary to prediction, undocumented immigrants who qualified for amnesty obtained lower scores in anxiety (a statistical trend) than did the other two groups. No differences in global psychological distress were found between the undocumented immigrants and the legal residents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family process and adaptation to children with mental retardation: Disruption and resilience in family problem-solving interactions.

Family problem-solving interactions were examined in families (N?=?165) of school-aged children with mild or moderate mental retardation (MR) and a comparison sample (N?=?52). The results demonstrated a disruptive impact of children with MR in the form of more directiveness by mothers and fathers, less supportive problem solving by single mothers, and less active problem solving by the target children in the MR group. Nevertheless, the absence of high rates of aversive behaviors in the MR group and the similarities in siblings' behaviors across the groups suggested that the MR families were also resilient in the face of special demands. Role differences among mothers, fathers, and siblings also were highly consistent in the two groups. Evidence of difficulties for single mothers and problem behaviors by other children in the family suggested that mental retardation is one of many challenges that families learn to cope with successfully. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)