Preferences and life evaluations of older adults with and without dementia: Reliability, stability, and proxy knowledge.

This study assessed the reliability and stability of care preferences and life evaluations among older adults with and without dementia. The study also examined spouse proxy predictions of partner responses. Test-retest reliability over 1 week, stability over 1 year, and proxy knowledge were all moderate to good, but lower for people with dementia. In all 3 areas, however, there was broad interindividual variability. People with dementia may become less reliable and stable in their self-reports, and some spouse proxies may have flawed knowledge about their partner, but dementia status alone is not sufficient to presume poor reliability or knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability shifts in measurement reactivity: Driven by content engagement or self-engagement?

Self-report measures require respondents to comprehend the inquiry and then engage the self. Two studies investigated how these 2 processes affect the answers produced. In Study 1, 480 participants completed a locus-of-control scale describing themselves, their best friend, or Bill Cosby. Item answers became more reliable as the items moved from the beginning to the end of the measure. The similar increase for self, friend, and Cosby suggested that exposure to the content, rather than self-engagement, was driving the reliability shift. Self-engagement did activate an actor–observer difference in scale means. Study 2 focused on the content engagement process. With more item experience, respondents were better able to distinguish that prototypic items belonged to the locus-ofcontrol scale and that distractor items did not. These studies imply that early questions clarify the meaning of a measure and improve the reliability of later answers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A measure of the quality of union–management relationships.

Examined a scale developed by the US Civil Service Commission for a study of federal sector union–mangement relationships. The content of the scale covers the aspects of union–management relationships widely discussed in the literature. The scale was administered to 28 managers and 29 union officers from 6 federal government organizations. The measure had a very high internal consistency reliability. Union and management leaders within the same organization had fairly high agreement on the quality of their relationship. The measure correlated highly with 2 other quality criteria. Thus the scale appears to be a useful tool for measuring and comparing the quality of union–management relationships. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-esteem and organization of valenced information about others: The "Jekyll and Hyde"-ing of relationship partners.

The authors theorize that individuals with high self-esteem functionally integrate positive and negative partner information in memory, whereas those low in self-esteem segregate such information. The authors obtained support for this view in 7 studies. In a first set, participants judged whether positive and negative traits presented in an alternating or nonalternating order applied to a partner. Low but not high self-esteem individuals were slowed by the alternating order when judging relationship partners (but not inanimate objects). In a 2nd set, participants answered questions tapping integrated thinking, self-esteem, and other attributes. Higher self-esteem was associated with more integrated thinking when other attributes were controlled. In a final study, anxiously attached individuals were more labile in rating their spouse over a 5-day period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Refining the association between attributions and behavior in marital interaction.

Evidence in support of an association between attributions and behavior in marital interaction is incomplete and subject to alternative interpretations. To address this problem, 120 newlywed spouses completed measures of marital satisfaction and marital attributions and participated in 2 interaction tasks. In one task, spouses discussed a marital difficulty with their partner. In the other task, one spouse described a personal difficulty that he or she wanted to resolve while the partner provided support; these roles were then reversed. To the extent that wives offered maladaptive attributions, they tended to behave in ways that hindered problem resolution in both tasks. Attributions and behavior were more strongly related among wives than husbands and among relatively distressed spouses than nondistressed spouses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spouse criticism and support: Their association with coping and psychological adjustment among women with rheumatoid arthritis.

Examined whether psychological adjustment of women with rheumatoid arthritis would be related to the support and criticism the patient received from the husband. Interviews were conducted with the husbands of 103 women with rheumatoid arthritis. Spouse interviews were content coded for critical remarks. Wives completed a revised version of the Ways of Coping Scale and a scale of the perceived supportiveness of the spouse. Husbands completed rating scales assessing their perceived vulnerability to illness and the degree of burden they experienced in providing assistance to their wives. Path analyses revealed that patient adjustment was significantly related to the attitude of the spouse. Patients with a highly critical spouse engaged in more maladaptive coping behaviors and reported a poorer psychological adjustment. Independent of spousal criticism, patients who perceived their spouse as being supportive engaged in more adaptive coping. A path model was fit to the data that suggested that the spouse may affect adjustment indirectly through influencing the patient's selection of adaptive or maladaptive coping responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The possibility for treating certain forms of endometrial and ovarian carcinomas with GnRH agonists]

The purpose of this study was to quantify the proportion of men and women seen in a university emergency department (ED) for treatment of injuries resulting from intimate partner violence (IPV) that require reports to law enforcement authorities. A total of 1,516 adult ED patients were asked to complete a written survey instrument; 1,003 patients (66.2%) completed the survey. Two percent of patients reported they presented to the ED for treatment of injuries resulting from IPV. Three percent reported IPV within the last year, and 10% reported that they had ever been physically abused by a partner. Six percent of respondents reported that they had ever been threatened with a gun or knife by a partner, 2% within the past year. Only the lifetime prevalence of IPV was significantly greater among female patients, 15% versus 6% (P < .001). Approximately 2% of our ED patients require law enforcement intervention for IPV.     

The allure of secret relationships.

Two surveys and a laboratory experiment examined the role of secrecy in attraction to relationships. In the 1st survey, respondents reported that past relationships they currently continued to think about were more likely to have been secret than ones they no longer pondered. In the 2nd survey, those respondents who indicated that a past relationship had been secret also reported that it continued to be a target of their obsessive preoccupation. The laboratory experiment explored attraction between mixed-sex couples who were induced to play footsie under a table in the presence of another couple. When this was secret, greater attraction for the partner was reported than when it was not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preinteraction expectations, marital satisfaction, and accessibility: A new look at sentiment override.

This study investigated spouse expectations immediately prior to a marital interaction and also examined whether the accessibility of evaluative judgments about the partner and the marriage advances understanding of marital satisfaction and its correlates. Ninety-two couples participated in the study. As hypothesized, marital satisfaction correlated with preinteraction expectations of partner behavior and with current affect, and expected partner behavior mediated the relation between satisfaction and affect. Response latency to make evaluative judgments of the partner and the marriage moderated the relation between satisfaction and expected partner behavior for husbands. The findings are integrated with basic research on attitudes, and their clinical implications are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

For better and for worse: Everyday social comparisons between romantic partners.

The authors examined the frequency, direction, and impact of social comparisons between romantic partners. Comparisons were expected to occur on a daily basis, owing to regular interactions between partners. To the extent that one empathizes and shares outcomes with one's partner, one might respond more positively to upward than to downward comparisons. Study 1a was an experience-sampling study in which participants reported comparisons made to their spouse over 2 weeks. Study 1b examined reactions to the most significant comparisons made during the experience-sampling study. Participants reported making comparisons to their romantic partner more than once a day on average and experienced more positive responses to upward than to downward comparisons. Study 2 demonstrated that participants empathized and shared outcomes with their partner to a greater extent than with a friend. Study 3 confirmed that participants responded more positively to upward than to downward comparisons even for domains high in self-relevance and even when the comparison had negative self-evaluative implications. These results suggest that, owing to higher levels of empathy and shared fate with partners, comparisons function differently in romantic than in other relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High HIV prevalence, low condom use and gender differences in sexual behaviour among patients with STD-related complaints at a Nairobi primary health care clinic

Of 22,274 patients > or = 12 years old attending a Nairobi primary health care (PHC) clinic, 1076 (4.8%) had STD-related complaints, of whom 980 underwent assessment of risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and infrequent condom use. Gonorrhoea, chancroid, syphilis seroactivity, trichomoniasis, or objective signs of STD were found in 78%, and HIV seropositivity in 15% of men and 19% of women. Most women were married, living with a spouse; while most men were single, or married, but living separated from a spouse. Among married men, last sex was with a female sex worker (FSW) or casual partner for 60% not living with a spouse and 26% living with a spouse (P<0.005). Two or more partners during the past year were reported by 82% of men and 25% of women (P <0.001), and 55% of men and 11% of women reported the last partner was high risk. HIV seropositivity among both genders was associated with numbers of partners, and among women, with being widowed or divorced. Only 3% reported use of a condom with the last partner. Among men whose last sex was with a FSW, 74% said the reason for not using a condom was not having one. Thus, infrequent condom use, low condom availability, and gender differences in behaviour necessitate modifying development policies that separate families; and better coordination between family planning, PHC, and AIDS/STD programmes, with improved supply, social marketing and community-based distribution of condoms in high-risk settings for STD/HIV prevention.     

Effectiveness of partner social support predicts enduring psychological distress after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) survivors who are 1 to 3 years posttransplant are challenged by the need to resume valued social roles and activities—a task that may be complicated by enduring transplant-related psychological distress common in this patient population. The present study investigated whether transplant survivors who receive adequate social support from their spouse or intimate partner experience lower distress. Method: Effects of receiving a greater quantity of partner support (a common approach to studying enacted support) were compared with effects of receiving more effective partner support (i.e., support that more closely matches their needs in terms of its quantity and quality). Men and women (N = 230) who were 1 to 3 years posttransplant completed measures of partner support quantity (Manne & Schnoll, 2001), partner social support effectiveness (Rini & Dunkel Schetter, 2010), and psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory; Derogatis & Spencer, 1982). Potential medical and sociodemographic confounds were controlled in analyses. Results: As hypothesized, survivors reported less distress when they received more effective partner support (p     

Intimate partner violence moderates the association between mother–infant adrenocortical activity across an emotional challenge.

This study examined the relationship between mother and infant adrenocortical levels and reactivity to an emotion eliciting task. The impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on these relationships was assessed as a moderator. The sample (n = 702 mother–infant dyads) was racially diverse and from predominantly low-income, rural communities. During a home visit, the dyad’s saliva was sampled before, 20 min, and 40 min after standardized tasks designed to elicit the infant’s emotional arousal and later assayed for cortisol. Mothers completed self-report measures of their partner’s violence, and parenting behaviors were assessed via structured interview and mother–child interactions. In response to the task, infants had positive, and mothers had negative, cortisol slopes. Contrary to expectations, there were no IPV-related differences in mean pretask cortisol levels or reactivity in the mothers or infants. Mother–infant dyads from households characterized by either (1) violence or (2) restrictive and punitive parenting behaviors exhibited correlated cortisol reactivity measured in response to the infant challenge task. The findings suggest that social contextual features of the early caregiving environment may influence individual differences in the coordination between maternal and infant adrenocortical reactivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age and sex differences in the mental health of older persons.

Administered the Trait Anxiety scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a depression scale, and a general well-being scale to 2,051 respondents (aged 55+ yrs) to explore the age and sex relationships in the scales and the effects of age and sex when other correlated variables are considered. Results show that mental health was curvilinearly related to age with high symptom scores obtained in both 55–59 and 85–89 yr olds and lowest in 60–69 yr olds. Sex interacted with marital status, with higher symptoms among males in the never-married category and in females among the widowed and the married categories. When data were adjusted for correlations among these and other variables, the relationships between mental health with age and sex changed. In males, symptoms were unrelated to age, and in females, symptoms decreased with age down to the 80–84 yr old group. In the adjusted data, married females had lower symptoms than males. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-psychology and career development: Construction of the Superiority and Goal Instability scales.

Ideas from H. Kohut's (1971, 1977) psychology of the self were used to guide the construction of 2 self-report rating scales. Kohut's central developmental constructs of grandiosity and idealization, as the 2 poles of the self, were used to write items. The resulting superiority and goal instability scales were found, in testing with 453 undergraduates, to have sound psychometric properties with high levels of interitem consistency, test–retest reliability, unidimensionality, and factorial stability. The meaning of the superiority and goal instability scales was examined by obtaining concurrent validity estimates with respect to measures such as the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale and Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The 2 scales were then used as part of hierarchical regression models to predict 88 college students' ability to formulate and pursue career plans. Regression analyses indicated that both scales were significant predictors of level of career decidedness following enrollment in career classes and that the superiority scale significantly predicted change in pursuit of career plans. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of gender in social control of smoking cessation.

This study of 93 men and 117 women smokers during an ongoing quit attempt examined the roles of gender and social network influences on quitting. For men, social influences appeared to positively affect their ability to reduce their smoking but were less effective for women. Specifically, increased reports of a spouse or partner's influence, and family and friends' influence, were associated with greater reductions in men's smoking 2 days and 4 months post quit date, respectively. In contrast, for women, greater reports of spouse or partner influence and of family and friends' influence were associated with smaller reductions in smoking. Sex differences in social control strategies and perceived autonomy supportiveness of those strategies are discussed as possible explanations for these results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and work setting differences in career-sustaining behaviors and burnout among professional psychologists.

What factors relate to levels of burnout experienced by male and female psychologists? Five hundred ninety-five psychologists responded to a survey about professional activities, work demands and resources, career-sustaining behaviors, and burnout. Respondents in solo or group independent practice reported a greater sense of personal accomplishment, more sources of satisfaction, fewer sources of stress, and more control at work than respondents in agency settings. In addition, women in independent practice reported less emotional exhaustion than women in agency settings. In general, women tended to give higher ratings to the importance of career-sustaining behaviors; however, 6 strategies emerged as highly important for all respondents: maintain sense of humor, maintain self-awareness/self-monitoring, maintain balance between personal and professional lives, maintain professional identity/values, engage in hobbies, and spend time with spouse, partner, or family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two new measures of attitudes about the acceptability of teen dating aggression.

Aggression in dating relationships is associated with attitudes that justify its use. Attitudes about dating aggression are targeted by prevention efforts, contributing to a need to measure these attitudes sensitively, accurately, and multidimensionally. We describe two new measures of attitudes about aggression, each tapping different attitudinal components, and compare their psychometric properties with an existing scale. The 1st assesses attitudes about physical aggression in provocative situations. The 2nd taps attitudes about verbally aggressive, controlling, and jealous tactics against a dating partner. Data from 2,313 high school students were factor analyzed and cross-validated for each new scale. Compared with an existing measure, the scales had comparable levels of reliability and validity and improved response distributions. A 2nd-order factor analysis lends support to a multidimensional view of attitudes about dating aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self- and spouse ratings of anger and hostility as predictors of coronary heart disease.

Self- and spouse ratings of anger and hostility were examined as predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 185 cardiac patients. Patients completed the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability (MCSD) Scale; the MAI (rewritten to 3rd person) was completed by Ss' spouses or by a peer. Thallium scans were used to measure CHD status. Results show that patient-rated MAI scores were inversely correlated with MCSD. There were no gender differences for patient-rated MAI scores, but spouse ratings showed gender effects for Anger-Arousal and Hostile Outlook: Women rated their husbands higher than men rated their wives. Patients with positive thallium scans were no different from those without CHD on patient-rated MAI scores; however, spouse ratings indicated that those with CHD had higher Hostile Outlook and Anger-In scores. After accounting for the effects of traditional CHD risk factors, only spouse-rated hostility contributed significant incremental variance to the prediction of CHD status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of agency and communion for patient and spouse adjustment to a first coronary event

The present study examined the effects of agency and communion on psychological adjustment to a 1st coronary event. Patients were interviewed about agency and communion and psychological adjustment in the hospital shortly before discharge (Time 1) and then reinterviewed along with spouses in their homes 3 months after discharge (Time 2). It was hypothesized that the extreme agentic orientation (unmitigated agency) and the extreme communal orientation (unmitigated communion) would be associated with poor adjustment for patients and spouses but that agency would promote self adjustment and communion would promote partner adjustment. In general, results confirmed predictions. It was suggested that the most distressed couples consist of a patient high in unmitigated agency and a spouse high in unmitigated communion. Although patients in such couples did not evidence the most distress, spouses did.