Children's reactions to second-hand tobacco smoke.

Interviews with 2,365 7-15 yr. olds reveal that the majority (a) disliked being exposed to tobacco smoke; (b) experienced 1 or more symptoms upon exposure, e.g., eye irritation; (c) disapproved of parental smoking; and (d) indicated that parental smoking reduced the love and respect accorded the parent by the child. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological and related characteristics of smokers and nonsmokers.

The relatively few (44) studies available comparing smokers and nonsmokers on a variety of variables (e.g., age, sex, anxiety, alcohol consumption) reveal many statistically significant differences along with considerable overlap between the 2 groups. Variables such as divorce, anxiety, neuroticism, and high consumption of coffee or alcohol are a few of the factors found to be more characteristic of smokers. Variables such as race (white vs. negro), education, and IQ do not differentiate between smokers and nonsmokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological reactions to films by chronic schizophrenics.

40 chronic schizophrenic patients had their psychophysiological responses to 1 of 2 tension-arousing movies recorded. Following assignment to drug (thiordizane) or placebo status for 1 wk, they were retested on a similar film. The results were that the drug Ss showed a decrease in skin resistance and heart rate but not finger-pulse volume over their responses to the 1st showing while the placebo group showed opposite trends. Interview data collected after the films indicated no correlation between the autonomic changes and plot comprehension. Pilot work on word-association test responses indicates that the drug group showed a decrease while the placebo group showed an increase in idiosyncratic responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Describing the crime victim: Psychological reactions to victimization.

There is now a growing research literature on the types of reactions that are experienced by crime victims of all types. We review research on systematic differences in such reactions over time. Such reactions often seem more severe than might be expected on the basis of the material loss or physical injury caused by the victimization. Theories developed to explain the stress resulting from being a crime victim are outlined. They include a loss of a sense of self, a loss of safety or invulnerability, and feelings of inequity or injustice. Also reviewed are the cognitive and behavioral coping responses of victims. Redefining the victimization experience as less severe than it originally seemed or as occurring for some other purpose is one common coping mechanism. Another is to blame oneself as a means of reestablishing control over the situation. Behavioral coping through withdrawal or through assertive action and help seeking is also discussed. Some of the special issues associated with family violence and with children who are victimized, as well as another special type of victim, the friend or relative of someone else who has been killed or seriously injured, are discussed. Needs for future research are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

IgE antibody response of smokers, nonsmokers, and "smoke-sensitive" persons to tobacco leaf and smoke antigens

Serum samples from cigarette smokers, nonsmokers, and persons reporting "smoke sensitivity" were tested for IgE antibodies to tobacco leaf and smoke extracts by the radioallergosorbent test. Results indicated that none of the serum samples tested contained detectable IgE antibodies to smoke extracts. Occasionally, serum specimens from smokers or nonsmokers demonstrated reactivity to leaf antigen. The most significant reaction to leaf antigens was detected in serum from one of the 7 smoke-sensitive subjects tested. These results demonstrate that smoking, nonsmoking, and clinical "smoke sensitivity" are not correlated with the presence of IgE antibodies to tobacco leaf or smoke antigen.     

Psychological reactions to radiation therapy: Reconsideration of the adaptive aspects of anxiety.

Individual differences in the psychological reactions of 45 16–75 yr old patients undergoing external radiation treatment were examined in the context of the I. L. Janis's (1958) model and the linear decline model by C. D. Spielberger et al (see record 1973-21109-001) of medical stressor anxiety. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Profile of Mood States, and self-reports of symptomatology were completed by Ss pre- and posttreatment. Technologists administering the daily treatments assessed behavioral indicants of affective distress. Data analyses revealed that increases in complaints and side effects were reported by all Ss at treatment conclusion. Significant changes in state anxiety were obtained from pre- to posttreatment: (a) Ss with an initial high level of anxiety reported a significant reduction, although they remained the most anxious subgroup; (b) Ss with a moderate level of pretreatment anxiety reported no change; and (c) Ss with low levels of anxiety reported significant increases in state anxiety. No change in trait anxiety was found for any group, suggesting that the foregoing changes in state anxiety were not simply attributable to regression. Findings are consistent with the Janis model, which posits that in threatening situations the level of fear can potentially determine the adequacy of adaptation. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring secondhand smoke exposure in babies: The reliability and validity of mother reports in a sample of low-income families.

The reliability and validity of mother's reports of their infants' exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of low-income, low-education families (N?=?141 mothers). At baseline and posttest, smoking mothers reported about their infants' SHS exposure at different locations and by different sources during the previous week. Findings show that mothers can give reliable accounts of the degree to which they contribute to their babies' SHS exposure. Mothers are able to differentiate between their own smoking behavior and the extent to which they expose their infants. Consistent with the overall exposure pattern, exposure caused by the mother and exposure occurring at home showed the strongest associations with biological and environmental measures. These findings suggest that smoking mothers can provide reliable and valid reports of the degree to which their infants are exposed to SHS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear reactivity to bodily sensations among heavy smokers and nonsmokers.

Individuals who smoke are more likely to experience panic attacks and develop panic disorder than those in the general population. One possible explanation is that smokers may experience a heightened fear response to somatic disturbances. To date, few laboratory studies have tested this hypothesis directly. The present study examined 24 adult heavy smokers (10 females) in 12-hr nicotine withdrawal and 24 adult nonsmokers (12 females) on subjective and physiological reactivity to a 4-min carbon dioxide rebreathing challenge. Results indicate that, despite an attenuated acceleration in respiration during the challenge, smokers experienced a significantly greater increase in self-reported panic symptoms than nonsmokers. In addition, smokers reported significantly greater trait levels of suffocation fear prior to the challenge. Findings are discussed with respect to the role of smoking in panic vulnerability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electroencephalographic responses to photic stimulation in habitual smokers and nonsmokers.

Performed 2 studies in which EEGs of 45 habitual cigarette smokers and of 59 nonsmokers were taken before and after they were required to smoke a cigarette. The EEGs were scored for incidence of EEG "driving" responses to photic stimulation, an index that appears to reflect the balance between central adrenergic and cholinergic nervous systems. Findings suggest that smokers tend to have a central autonomic balance less in favor of adrenergic functioning than do nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking may alleviate a possible central adrenergic insufficiency of smokers. These findings suggest a solution to "Nesbitt's paradox," which has reference to the fact that while nicotine is a central adrenergic stimulant, smokers describe the effect of smoking in sedational terms (i.e., as relaxing or calming). (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reply to the ministries' reactions to the Canadian Psychological Association's position paper on beginning reading instruction.

Reactions to the position paper (M. L. Simner; see record 1994-03519-001) approved by the Canadian Psychological Association on beginning reading instruction were received from 8 ministries (departments) of education. Despite widespread media and public support for the Association's claim that the level of phonics instruction in whole language is insufficient to meet the needs of many beginning readers, the majority of the ministries took issue with this claim. The present article clarifies the Association's stand by drawing attention to the differences between the phonics exercises that research shows should be employed in beginning reading instruction and the phonics exercises that teachers are being encouraged to employ as a result of the ministries' endorsement of whole language. Four additional measures are provided that the Association now asks the ministries to adopt to avoid having more children suffer the consequences of improper beginning reading instruction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping with temptations to smoke.

Explored the effectiveness of coping responses reported to a hotline by ex-smokers dealing with temptations to smoke. Earlier findings on the effectiveness of cognitive and behavioral responses for 183 smokers were cross-validated on 75 new Ss. The number of coping responses had no effect, but combining cognitive and behavioral responses enhanced effectiveness. Formal smoking cessation treatment resulted in more behavioral coping, especially relaxation and physical activity, but had no effect on coping effectiveness. Seven types of behavioral coping were equally effective: Each was significantly more effective than no coping response and equal to other behavioral responses in preventing relapse. A similar pattern held for 8 types of cognitive coping, except that the use of willpower was significantly inferior to other cognitive responses, and self-punitive thoughts were entirely ineffective. The implications of these findings for the coping skill model of self-control and for clinical practice are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subjective effects of transdermal nicotine among nonsmokers.

The subjective experience of nicotine, which may be influenced by personality traits as well as environmental factors, may be important for understanding the factors associated with the initiation and maintenance of nicotine dependence. The present study examined the effects of 7 mg transdermal nicotine among a relatively large sample (n = 91; 44 women) of college-aged nonsmokers. Using a placebo controlled, double-blind, within-subjects design, nicotine’s effects were examined at rest and again after participants completed a sustained attention task. Sex and personality factors (Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Approach; BIS/BAS Scales; Carver & White, 1994) were examined as potential moderators. Overall, the effects of nicotine were generally modest and unpleasant. In the context of the cognitive task, nicotine increased nausea and negative affect but reduced fatigue, relative to placebo. In contrast, effects of nicotine during the initial 4 hr of patch administration, in which participants were in their natural environments, were moderated by individual differences in behavioral approach. Neither behavioral inhibition nor gender reliably moderated any subjective effects of nicotine. The present work suggests transdermal nicotine exerts only modest, mostly negative effects among nonsmokers. Future work should examine both contextual and personality moderators in large samples of participants who are exposed to nicotine through multiple routes of administration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibition of smoking-related information in smokers and nonsmokers.

Twenty-four smokers and 24 nonsmokers performed a modified version of M. A. Gemsbacher, K. R. Varner, and M. E. Faust's (1990) suppression task, involving presentations of sentences on a computer screen. Each sentence was followed by a word that either was or was not related to the meaning of the sentence. Participants judged whether the word was related to the sentence by pressing either a "yes" or "no" key on a button box. In the experimental sentences, the test word was related to one meaning of the final word of the sentence, but this was not necessarily the meaning intended in the sentence. In half of the experimental sentences, the last word was a smoking-related word (e.g., tar or ashes). Smokers had relatively longer response latencies and lower accuracy scores than nonsmokers when the final word was smoking related, whereas both groups performed similarly on items unrelated to smoking, suggesting that smokers had more difficulty than nonsmokers inhibiting task-irrelevant, smoking-related information but that they did not have a general inability to inhibit irrelevant information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Greater sensitivity to subjective effects of nicotine in nonsmokers high in sensation seeking.

The personality characteristic of sensation seeking is associated with risk of smoking, perhaps because of greater initial sensitivity to nicotine. Young healthy nonsmokers (N?=?37) were administered 0, 10, and 20 μg/kg nicotine by nasal spray in 3 separate sessions, and subjective responses were assessed. Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS) scores were then correlated with these responses. A comparison group of smokers (N?=?55) was included to determine whether sensation seeking was associated specifically with initial sensitivity to nicotine or with general sensitivity regardless of past nicotine exposure. SSS subscales, particularly Experience Seeking and Disinhibition, were correlated with subjective responses to nicotine in nonsmokers but generally not in smokers. These findings indicate that sensation seeking is associated with greater initial sensitivity to nicotine's subjective effects and may provide directions for further study of individual-differences characteristics that predispose people to the risk of becoming smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)