Father absence and children's cognitive development.

Reviews literature showing detrimental effects of father absence on children's cognitive development as assessed by standardized IQ and achievement tests and school performance. Differential effects associated with characteristics of the absence (cause, duration, onset), the child (age, sex, race, socioeconomic status), and the skill tested (quantitative, verbal) are examined. The evidence suggests that financial hardship, high levels of anxiety, and, in particular, low levels of parent–child interaction are causes of poor performance among children in single-parent families; sex role identification, however, does not play an important role. An alternative hypothesis concerns the representativeness of father-absent families. The mother's ability to compensate for loss of the father is also considered. (77 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Father absence during early childhood and anti-social behavior.

Parson's suggestion that difficulties in achieving adequate sex-role identification is a significant source of male antisocial behavior, leads to the hypothesis that father absence during early childhood will be related to antisocial acting out. A comparison of the responses of 51 "father-absent" male medical students to an anonymously administered antisocial behavior scale with those of 89 comparable "father-present" students supports the hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of acute progesterone administration upon responses to acute psychosocial stress in men.

Animal studies suggest that neuroactive steroids, in particular progesterone and its metabolites, have stress-dampening effects. However, few studies have explored these effects in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of acute progesterone administration on responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Healthy men participated in the TSST 3.5 hrs after intramuscular injection of 0, 50, or 100 mg progesterone (N = 16, 14, and 14). We measured cardiovascular (heart rate, blood pressure), hormonal (plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone, cortisol, and noradrenaline), and subjective (e.g., anxiety, arousal) responses to stress in the three groups. Before the TSST, progesterone injections increased plasma levels without altering physiological or subjective states. Stress produced its expected physiological and subjective effects among placebo-treated individuals. Progesterone 50 mg attenuated peak increases in plasma cortisol and reduced changes in negative mood and alertness after stress, yet it increased plasma noradrenaline and systolic blood pressure. Progesterone 100 mg also attenuated stress-induced increases in alertness and arousal, yet it potentiated stress-induced increases in diastolic pressure. Thus, progesterone dampened some of the psychological effects of stress but produced inconsistent effects on physiological stress responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental status and psychosocial functioning in XYY males

Human anisakidosis is a parasitic infection caused by the larvae of Anisakis simplex. Classical clinical manifestations include epigastric pain, occlusion, diffuse abdominal pain, appendicitis, and anaphylactoid reactions. Arthralgias or arthritis have been infrequently reported. We present three patients with proven hypersensitivity to A. simplex together with rheumatologic complaints after ingestion of parasitized fishes. A. simplex must be considered in the differential diagnosis of arthralgias/ arthritis especially if associated with urticaria.     

Father absence in low-income Mexican-American families: Children's social adjustment and conceptual differentiation of sex role attributes.

Investigated the effects of paternal deprivation on 248 4th-grade Mexican-American students. Drawings of the human figure--1 male and 1 female--were obtained from each S, following the procedures of the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test. Ss were also administered Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and the Bender Gestalt Test. Each S was rated on degree of personal adjustment by his/her classroom teacher on a 4-point scale, ranging from well adjusted, no problems in relating to others, to serious maladjustment. Results show that father-present Ss obtained significantly higher Goodenough-Harris scores than father-absent Ss on both the male and the female figures drawn. The female figures drawn by the father-absent Ss had significantly fewer feminine attributes than those drawn by father-present Ss. Whereas teachers found father-present males and females and father-absent females fairly well adjusted, father-absent males were found to show significantly more signs of social and emotional maladjustment than all the other 3 groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Father absence, educational preparedness, and academic achievement: A test of the confluence model.

Investigated predictions of academic deficits due to early and continuing parental absence, as derived from R. Zajonc and G. Markus's (see record 1975-09290-001) and Zajonc's (see record 1976-20589-001) confluence model. To test these predictions, equal numbers of father-present and father-absent lower-class Black kindergartners (60 of each sex) were assessed on 12 educational preparedness measures. Two years later, they were tested for reading, mathematics, and language arts achievement. A Father Absence?×?Sex analysis of covariance (with social class controlled) of preparedness factor scores revealed no significant effects. Similar multivariate analysis of the achievement criteria revealed main (favoring father-present Ss) and interaction effects on the mathematics test. Pair-wise comparisons suggested that father presence facilitated the mathematics performance of girls more than boys. Results only partially support the confluence model predictions. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childbearing and child development: Demographic and psychosocial trends.

A major trend in the US is the continuing decline in fertility. A steadily decreasing proportion of births are reported by married women as being unwanted at the time pregnancy was discovered. Currently marriage, 1st birth, and family formation are longer delayed. Preference for a smaller family is stronger. Increasing proportions of young wives are childless, while the birth rate for firstborn children is rising for women in their late 20's and early 30's. Improved control of family size is partly a function of effective contraceptive methods but probably is more closely related to higher levels of motivation. Births to women under age 20 now comprise a higher proportion of total births and are of increasing societal concern. International trends are discussed. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overcoming leading questions: Effects of psychosocial task variables.

Conducted 2 studies to examine the extent to which children would be able to overcome the misleading implications of questions and respond in accordance with simple classificatory logic. It was hypothesized that situational variables that decrease the pressure of a child to conform to an adult would diminish the impact of the leading question. In Study 1, results from a group-administered paper-and-pencil test were compared with individually and orally administered questions, using 58 3rd and 62 6th graders. Results indicate that the paper-and-pencil test, designed to increase the psychological distance between the adult speaker and the child, decreased the force of misleading implications. In Study 2, when peers were used as testers for 46 3rd and 46 6th graders, a similar effect was demonstrated with 3rd graders. Results correspond with theories of pragmatics that stress the role of context in the understanding of meaning, demonstrating the strong impact of psychosocial contextual variables on children's tendency to overcome the implication of leading questions. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex-role development and psychopathology in adult males.

Compared the responses of matched groups of 20 nonparanoid schizophrenic, paranoid schizophrenic, neurotic, and normal adult males on measures relating to masculinity-femininity of self-perceptions (Adject Check List) and interests and attitudes (the Femininity scale of the CPI). Results consistently indicate that all the disturbed groups were much less masculine than the normal Ss. There were few clear-cut differences among the disturbed groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation of individuation and psychosocial development.

In this study, the authors examined gender differences in levels of individuation, the relation of individuation and psychosocial development, and whether this relation is of a curvilinear nature. Two hundred and twenty-four students completed the Measure of Psychosocial Development (G. A. Hawley, 1988), the Level of Differentiation of Self Scale (LDSS; J. Haber, 1990a), and the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire, Version C (J. H. Bray & D. M. Harvey, 1987). The authors used a general linear models procedure to examine the hypothesis. A positive relation between individuation and the psychosocial resolution of identity and intimacy was demonstrated. Curvilinearity was found in the relation between the LDSS measure of individuation and identity. Results support C. Gilligan's (1982) argument that gender differences exist in the developmental patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Origins of homophobia in males. Psychosexual vulnerabilities and defense development

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a yolk protein produced in the liver of oviparous animals in response to estrogen. Vitellogenesis is normally observed only in sexually mature females, but it can be induced in male and juvenile animals by exposure to exogenous estradiol (E2) or substances that mimic estrogens. The abnormal production of Vtg by males can, therefore, be used as a biological indicator for exposure to xenoestrogens. In this study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring Vtg in English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) was developed and validated. Plasmatic Vtg was purified from E2-injected male English sole using DEAE ion-exchange and Sepharose size-exclusion chromatography, and polyclonal antibodies against the purified Vtg protein were generated in rabbits. In this assay, a competition for the Vtg antibody was established between Vtg coated onto microtiter plate wells and free Vtg. Detection of adsorbed antigen-antibody complexes was achieved using a horseradish peroxidase conjugated anti-rabbit secondary antibody whose enzyme activity was revealed with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl benzidine (TMB) substrate. Assay conditions provided a detectable Vtg range of 10-450 ng ml-1 (85-20% of binding) of diluted sample. Plasma dilution curves from vitellogenic female and E2-treated male English sole showed parallelism with the standard dilution curve. We are presently conducting field and laboratory studies to investigate estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activity resulting from exposure to contaminants.     

Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and vocational behavior.

Empirically explored the relationship between psychosocial development as described by E. H. Erikson (1963, 1968) and vocational-choice behavior and development. Ss were 123 male undergraduates. Stage resolution attitudes, derived from the 1st 6 stage crises outlined by Erikson, were explored as variables influencing problems in vocational choice and vocational maturity. Ss classified in different vocational-choice adjustment groups and Ss scoring at different levels on the Career Maturity Inventory were compared for differences among Eriksonian stage resolution attitudes as measured by the Inventory of Psychosocial Development and the Dignan Ego Identity Scale. Findings indicate that Ss who had made adjusted vocational choices and developed mature career attitudes had also been more successful in positively resolving the 1st 6 psychosocial stage crises outlined by Erikson. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent satisfaction in family rituals and psychosocial development: A developmental systems theory perspective.

Adolescent satisfaction in family rituals and psychosocial development (E. Greenberger & A. B. Sorenson, 1974) were explored in the context of adolescent personality characteristics (International Personality Item Pool, 1999) and family environment characteristics (S. M. Gavazzi, M. J. Reese, & R. M. Sabatelli, 1998; D. H. Olson et al., 1983). Data were collected from 159 female undergraduates with the Adolescent Satisfaction in Family Rituals Scale (D. G. Eaker & L. H. Walters, 1999). Family ritual satisfaction was positively related to late adolescent psychosocial development and mediated the relation between family boundaries and psychosocial development. Furthermore, the relation between personality (measured as discontentedness, an aspect of neuroticism) and satisfaction with family rituals was found to be mediated by family boundaries in preliminary analyses. These results suggest that the relevance of family ritual experiences to adolescent psychosocial development is in part a function of an individual's personality and the family environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Institutional effects on the psychosocial development of African-American college students.

This study examined the widely reported contention that the social and intellectual development of African-American college students is nurtured better by traditionally Black collegiate institutions (TBIs) than by predominantly White collegiate institutions (PWIs). It was hypothesized that if the reported environmental effects exist, then students at TBIs ought to be more developmentally advanced than their counterparts at PWIs. Three areas of psychosocial development were examined for 250 African-American students attending the 2 types of institutions in the same northeastern state. The Racial Identity Attitude Scale (T. A. Parham and J. E. Helms; see record 1981-21936-001), the Student Development Task Inventory, and the Career Decision Scale were used. The results did not provide clear support for the superiority of the TBIs in facilitating the development of African-American college students. Results and implications for counseling and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Survivors of the Sixties: Comparative psychosocial and political development of former Berkeley student activists.

Compared 30 former Berkeley free speech movement activists with 28 student government contemporaries and a cross-section of the 1964–1965 student body (n?=?25) along the dimensions of self- and ideal-self constructions, locus of control, political beliefs and behavior, occupational choice, and moral development. Mean age of all Ss was 34.2 yrs. Though their personality (e.g., scores on Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale) and political activism (e.g., Politico-Economic Conservatism Scale) profiles were not distinctive, former activists were more likely to endorse leftist convictions, to work in human service and creative occupations, to earn lower annual incomes, and to demonstrate principled moral reasoning than were the comparison groups. Though free speech movement activists appear to have made important life transitions 15 yrs following their arrests, they still remained a distinct social and political cohort. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrainstitutional relocation. Effects on residents'' behavior and psychosocial functioning

INTRODUCTION: Relocation effects in the elderly have been a topic of gerontologic research for many years. Prior research, however, has focused on individuals who could make a cognitive appraisal of the relocation process. With a greater prevalence of cognitive impairments and/or psychiatric illnesses in long-term care residents, research is needed to clarify the impact of relocation on these individuals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine how intrainstitutional relocation affects behavior and psychosocial functioning in residents with and without cognitive, mood, and/or psychotic disorders. METHOD: This prospective study followed 78 residents being relocated intrainstitutionally in a health-related facility that was undergoing major renovations. Medical and nursing information was collected at 1 month pre-move and at 1 and 3 months post-move. Five areas of behavioral and psychosocial functioning (self-care, disoriented behavior, depressed/anxious mood, irritable behavior, and withdrawn behavior) were assessed using the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects (MOSES). RESULTS: A significant increase was seen in the number of medical visits (p = .04) from time of relocation to 1 month post-move. The groups diagnosed with mood disorder and psychotic disorder had a statistically significant weight loss (p = .04) between 1 month pre-move and 1 month post-move. The study revealed an increase in the number of residents who fell immediately after relocation, but the increase did not reach statistical significance (p = 12). Residents who fell after relocation had resided at the facility for a longer time than the remainder of the sample (p = .08). Residents with a diagnosis of cognitive impairment showed a statistically significant difference in self-care (p = 0.01) and withdrawn behavior (p = 0.01) at 3 months post-move. Extensive relocation preparation and support may have been the main contribution to diminishing the stress of relocation over time and across diagnostic categories.     

Effects of psychosocial interventions with adult cancer patients: A meta-analysis of randomized experiments.

Meta-analytic methods were used to synthesize the results of published randomized, controlled-outcome studies of psychosocial interventions with adult cancer patients. Forty-five studies reporting 62 treatment control comparisons were identified. Samples were predominantly White, female, and from the United States. Beneficial effect size ds were .24 for emotional adjustment measures, .19 for functional adjustment measures, .26 for measures of treatment- and disease-related symptoms, and .28 for compound and global measures. The effect size of .17 found for medical measures was not statistically significant for the few reporting studies. Effect sizes for treatment-control comparisons did not significantly differ among several categories of treatment: behavioral interventions, nonbehavioral counseling and therapy, informational and educational methods, organized social support provided by other patients, and other nonhospice interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of an empirical psychosocial taxonomy for patients with diabetes.

The main purpose of this study was to develop and to cross-validate an empirically derived psychosocial taxonomy of patients with diabetes. In the first study, 101 patients with Type I or Type II diabetes completed the Multidimensional Diabetes Questionnaire. Cluster analysis identified three clusters, labeled adaptive copers, low support-low involvement, and spousal overinvolvement. In the second study, the taxonomy was cross-validated using an independent sample of 132 patients with long-standing Type II diabetes. The results confirmed that the multivariate classification system was unique and highly accurate. External validation, using general psychological as well as diabetes-specific measures, supported the validity and distinctiveness of the patients' profiles. These findings help establish a multiaxial psychosocial taxonomy of diabetes and may have significant implications for the management of patients with diabetes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social connectedness and mothering: Effects of maternal employment and maternal absence.

We conducted two separate studies to test N. Chodorow's (1978) theory concerning the relationship between mothering and social connectedness, that is, a sense of self in relation to others. In two correlational studies, we examined the effects of maternal employment and maternal absence (because of death or divorce) on young adults' social connectedness, as measured by the Interpersonal Orientation (IO) Scale (W. C. Swap and J. Z. Rubin; see record 1983-22471-001). Although differences in maternal employment were not related to IO, maternal absence was related to IO. Daughters whose mothers had been absent since the daughters' early childhood rated themselves lowest on IO; this was especially true of daughters who did not report having a mother substitute. This finding provides support for Chodorow's theory because it documents a predicted sex difference, a predicted effect of "mothering" versus "fathering," and a predicted difference between early (i.e., preoedipal) and later absence. Future empirical work on moderators of child-rearing experience is warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Schreber: Father and son.

Reviews the book, Schreber: Father and son by Han Isra?ls (see record 1989-98605-000). In 1911, Sigmund Freud published a long paper about a German judge, Daniel Paul Schreber (1842-1911), who had been an inpatient in three psychiatric clinics from 1893 to 1902. Beginning in the 1940s and 1950s, psychiatrists and psychoanalysts began to give intensive attention to the life and illness of Schreber, an interest that has continued to the present day. Now Han Isra?ls, has written a compelling and most unusual book about Schreber and his father, Moritz Schreber. From one point of view it is a historical tour de force, bound to evoke admiration from any professional historian for its research and scholarship. From another vantage point, it is an example of historical overkill. The dominant theme of Isra?ls's book is an exposé of the corrupt scholarship that has grown up around Moritz Schreber and hence Isra?ls's argument that after his death Moritz achieved fame and notoriety far out of proportion to his actual contributions. A second, minor theme is Isra?ls's agreement with the discovery made by the psychoanalyst Niederland that Moritz Schreber's writings provide information about the way he reared his children: "It has become apparent that the method of upbringing has left traces in the psychotic illness [of Paul Schreber]." When all is said and done, we are left with a book which, in spite of its compelling scholarship, yields almost no new information about Judge Schreber that would help us to understand him better. Furthermore, Isra?ls's book is likely to have little impact on the modern and incorrect views about Schreber's father. In the end, Isra?ls's book stands as a cautionary tale to lazy researchers and sloppy scholars. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)