Work environments, stress, and productivity: An examination using ASSET.

In this study (N = 16,001), the predictors of productivity (i.e., work performance) were investigated with A Shortened Stress Evaluation Tool (E. B. Faragher, C. L. Cooper, & S. Cartwright, 2004), which incorporates individual work stressors, stress outcomes (physical and psychological wellbeing), and commitment (both to and from an organization). Psychological well-being, commitment from the organization to the employee, and resources were found to be predictive. Physical health, individual work stressors (with the exception of resources), and commitment from the employee to the organization were not identified as important. The findings are discussed with reference to both previous and future research. The large sample size and broad range of occupations included suggest the findings are generalizable to other employee groupings. Implications for both stress and management theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race, arousal, attention, exposure and delay: An examination of factors moderating face recognition.

A large percentage of people recently exonerated by DNA evidence were imprisoned on the basis of faulty eyewitness identification. Many of these cases involved victims and suspects of different races. Two studies examined the recognition of Hispanic and Black target faces by Hispanic participants under nonoptimal viewing conditions. When viewing time decreased, recognition performance for same- and other-race faces systematically shifted downward. Recognition accuracy for faces of both races decreased under conditions of high negative arousal and attention load; however, recognition of same-race faces was differentially affected by attention distractors. Face recognition accuracy was not affected by a delay between initial presentation of the faces and the face recognition test. An understanding of how recognition of other-race persons differs from that of same-race persons can assist by reducing misidentifications and ensuring that the perpetrator rather than an innocent person is imprisoned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scaling peer ratings: An examination of the differential validities of positive and negative nominations.

Peer ratings obtained by the nomination technique are typically scaled by algebraically combining the top nominations with the bottom nominations. It is thus implicitly assumed that top and bottom ratings are equally valid measures of performance. This assumption was tested in 2 studies of Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets (ns = 113 and 87) by correlating several kinds of peer rating scales with a number of criteria. Results suggest that negative nominations contribute little to peer rating scales and that the frequency of positive nominations may be the most useful index. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive self-schemas, life stress, and vulnerability to depression.

Tested a vulnerability model of depression by hypothesizing that depressogenic self-schemas that interact with schema-congruent negative life events will be associated with depression. 93 undergraduates selected to represent an array of depressed and nondepressed students scoring high and low on the Beck Depression Inventory were followed prospectively for 4 monthly assessments of both interview- and questionnaire-measured stressful life events and clinical interview- and questionnaire-measured depression. An information-processing schema model of vulnerability was used to define subgroups of 46 dependent and 32 self-critical schematic Ss at the beginning of the study; the schema groups were based on clinical subtypes discussed both by A. T. Beck (1982) and by psychodynamically oriented theorists. As predicted, the dependent subgroup showed significantly stronger associations between depression and schema-relevant interpersonal life events than between depression and schema-irrelevant negative achievement events. The predicted opposite pattern for self-critical schematics was observed but was less often statistically significant. Results are discussed in the terms of the need for integration of cognitive and life-stress models of depression. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job stress and job performance controversy revisited: An empirical examination in two countries.

This study examined the relationship between the measures of job stress and job performance among employees working in a large North American-based multinational corporation in Malaysia (N = 305) and Pakistan (N = 325). Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire from employees on job stress and turnover intention. Job performance and absenteeism data were obtained from the company's records. In both countries, data were more supportive of the negative linear relationship between stress and performance than other types of relationships. Overall, 90% of comparisons supported the negative linear relationship, whereas a u-shaped/curvilinear relationship was supported in 10% of instances. Implications of the findings are discussed for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An empirical examination of self-reported work stress among U.S. managers.

This study proposes that self-reported work stress among U.S. managers is differentially related (positively and negatively) to work outcomes depending on the stressors that are being evaluated. Specific hypotheses were derived from this general proposition and tested using a sample of 1,886 U.S. managers and longitudinal data. Regression results indicate that challenge-related self-reported stress is positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to job search. In contrast, hindrance-related self-reported stress is negatively related to job satisfaction and positively related to job search and turnover. Future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cynical hostility and vulnerability to disease: Social support, life stress, and physiological response to conflict.

34 extremely high and 34 low scorers on the hostility (Ho) scale proposed by W. Cook and D. Medley (1954) were selected from a pool of male undergraduates. Consistent with previous findings, high-Ho Ss reported greater anger proneness and a more cynical view of others than did low-Ho Ss. The high-Ho group also tended to be more hostile and less friendly during role-played interactions involving high and low levels of interpersonal conflict. High-Ho Ss displayed greater diastolic blood pressure reactivity during interpersonal conflict and reported less social support and more negative life events and daily irritants then did low-Ho Ss. Results support the interpretations of the Ho scale as a measure of cynical hostility and are consistent with the hypothesis that hostility is related to disease by way of excessive physiological reactivity and a generally stressful, unsupportive social network. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disasters and youth: A meta-analytic examination of posttraumatic stress.

Objective: Meta-analyze the literature on posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in youths post-disaster. Method: Meta-analytic synthesis of the literature (k = 96 studies; Ntotal = 74,154) summarizing the magnitude of associations between disasters and youth PTS, and key factors associated with variations in the magnitude of these associations. We included peer-reviewed studies published prior to 1/1/2009 that quantitatively examined youth PTS (≤18 years at event) after a distinct and identifiable disaster. Results: Despite variability across studies, disasters had a significant effect on youth PTS (small-to-medium magnitude; rpooled = .19, SEr = .03; d = 0.4). Female gender (rpooled = .14), higher death toll (disasters of death toll ≤25: rpooled = .09; vs. disasters with ≥1,000 deaths: rpooled = .22), child proximity (rpooled = .33), personal loss (rpooled = .16), perceived threat (rpooled = .34), and distress (rpooled = .38) at time of event were each associated with increased PTS. Studies conducted within 1 year post-disaster, studies that used established measures, and studies that relied on child-report data identified a significant effect. Conclusion: Youths are vulnerable to appreciable PTS after disaster, with pre-existing child characteristics, aspects of the disaster experience, and study methodology each associated with variations in the effect magnitude. Findings underscore the importance of measurement considerations in post-disaster research. Areas in need of research include the long-term impact of disasters, disaster-related media exposure, prior trauma and psychopathology, social support, ethnicity/race, prejudice, parental psychopathology, and the effects of disasters in developing regions of the world. Policy and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress and alcohol use: A daily process examination of the stressor–vulnerability model.

The authors used a daily diary methodology to examine over 60 days how the within-person associations among event stress, alcohol consumption, and desire to drink varied as a function of gender, positive and negative alcohol-outcome expectancies,' and avoidant coping in a sample of 88 regular drinkers. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that men who more strongly anticipated positive outcomes or a sense of carelessness from drinking drank relatively more on stressful days compared with low-stress days. Similar results were found predicting desire to drink. Men who anticipated greater impairment from drinking drank relatively less on stressful days. In general, these effects did not hold for women. Little evidence was found for the predicted effects for avoidant coping style, and some results showed that avoidant coping style buffered the exacerbating effects of careless unconcern expectancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological vulnerability and stress: The effects of self-affirmation on sympathetic nervous system responses to naturalistic stressors.

Objective: Everyday stressors can threaten valued aspects of the self. Self-affirmation theory posits that this threat could be attenuated if individuals affirm alternative self-resources. The present study examined whether self-affirmation would buffer cumulative stress responses to an ongoing academic stressor. Design: Undergraduate participants provided 15-hr urine samples on the morning of their most stressful examination and baseline samples 14 days prior to the examination. Participants were randomly assigned to the self-affirmation condition where they wrote two essays on important values over the 2-week period prior to exam, or a control condition. Main Outcome Measures: Samples were analyzed for urinary catecholamine excretion (epinephrine, norepinephrine), an indicator of sympathetic nervous system activation. Participants also indicated their appraisals of the examination experience. Results: Participants in the control condition increased in cumulative epinephrine levels from baseline to examination, whereas participants in the self-affirmation condition did not differ from baseline to examination. The buffering effect of self-affirmation was strongest among individuals most concerned about negative college evaluation, those most psychologically vulnerable. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that sympathetic nervous system responses to naturalistic stressors can be attenuated by self-affirmation. Discussion centers on psychological pathways by which affirmation can reduce stress and the implications of the findings for health outcomes among chronically stressed participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and statistics: An examination of construct validity.

Uses principles of latent trait theory to derive conditions under which mean differences on an observed variable are indicative of mean differences on an underlying construct, focusing on the logistic curve as a model for describing the relation between the observed variable and construct. In this situation, and with normally distributed scores on the construct, a t test comparing groups on the observed variable produces correct inferences at the construct level only if group variances on the construct are homogeneous or the difficulty level of the test equals the mean ability level of the examinees. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conscientiousness and longevity: An examination of possible mediators.

Objective: Conscientious individuals tend to experience a number of health benefits, not the least of which being greater longevity. However, it remains an open question as to why this link with longevity occurs. The current study tested two possible mediators (physical health and cognitive functioning) of the link between conscientiousness and longevity. Method: We tested these mediators using a 10-year longitudinal sample (N = 512), a subset of the long-running Health and Retirement Study of aging adults. Measures included an adjective-rating measure of conscientiousness, self-reported health conditions, and three measures of cognitive functioning (word recall, delayed recall, and vocabulary) included in the 1996 wave of the HRS study. Results: Our results found that conscientiousness significantly predicted greater longevity, even in a model including the two proposed mediator variables, gender, age, and years of education. Moreover, cognitive functioning appears to partially mediate this relationship. Conclusions: This study replicates previous research showing that conscientious individuals tend to lead longer lives, and provides further insight into why this effect occurs. In addition, it underscores the importance of measurement considerations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the relationship between general life stress, racism-related stress, and psychological health among black men.

This study explored the relationship among general life stress, racism-related stress, and psychological health in a sample of 220 Black men. Participants completed a personal data form, the Perceived Stress Scale (S. Cohen, T. Kamarck, & R. Mermelstein, 1983), a modified version of the Schedule of Racist Events (H. Landrine & E. A. Klonoff, 1996), and the Mental Health Inventory (C. T. Veit & J. E. Ware, 1983). Results of hierarchical regressions indicated that when general stress was controlled, racism-related stress predicted an additional 4% of variance in psychological distress for working class men and an additional 7% for middle-upper class men. Racism-related stress also predicted an additional 5% of variance in psychological well-being for middle-upper class men; however, it was not predictive of psychological well-being for working class men. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basal forebrain neurons and memory: A biochemical, histological, and behavioral study of differential vulnerability to ibotenate and quisqualate.

Investigated the differential vulnerability of basal forebrain cells to ibotenate (IBO) or quisqualate (QUIS) in 60 male rats. IBO was also coinjected with cystine (CSY) or zinc (Zn). Cortical choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamate decarboxylase activity, neurotensin receptors, and high-affinity choline uptake sites were quantified in conjunction with radioimmunoassays for neurotensin, substance P, and somatostatin; immunocytochemistry for neurotensin-, somatostatin-, Leu-enkephalin-, and ChAT-positive cells; and in situ hybridization histochemistry of somatostatin, substance P, and enkephalin mRNAs. Compared with the performance of controls, continuous alternation performance in a T maze of IBO?+?Zn or IBO?+?CYS rats was better than that of IBO rats, whereas the performance of QUIS rats was unimpaired. Of those neurotransmitter systems examined, only ChAT-immunoreactive cells were vulnerable to IBO or QUIS. However, cholinergic cell loss did not correlate with impaired performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the co-morbidity between chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder on U.S. Veterans.

The purpose of this study was to assess the comorbidity between chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and examine the extent to which PTSD is associated with changes in the multidimensional experience of pain in a sample of Veterans with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that Veterans with comorbid chronic pain and PTSD would report significantly higher scores on measures of pain intensity, pain behaviors, pain-related disability, and affective distress than Veterans with pain alone. Data were obtained from 149 Veterans who completed self-report questionnaires as part of their participation in a Psychology Pain Management program at a northeastern Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility. Analyses indicated that 49% of the sample met criteria for PTSD. A multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted with age, sex, pain duration, and depressive symptom severity as covariates. In partial support of our hypothesis, the presence of PTSD was found to contribute significantly to measures of affective distress, even after controlling for the effects of depressive symptom severity. The implications of these data are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Close encounters: An examination of UFO experiences.

Ss who reported UFO experiences were divided into those whose experiences were nonintense (e.g., seeing lights and shapes in the sky) and those whose experiences were intense (e.g., seeing and communicating with aliens or missing time). On a battery of objective tests Ss in these 2 groups did not score as more psychopathological, less intelligent, or more fantasy prone and hypnotizable than a community comparison group or a student comparison group. However, Ss in the UFO groups believed more strongly in space alien visitation than did comparison Ss. The UFO experiences of Ss in the intense group were more frequently sleep-related than the experiences of Ss in the nonintense group. Among the combined UFO Ss, intensity of UFO experiences correlated significantly with inventories that assessed proneness toward fantasy and unusual sensory experiences. Implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and serotonergic vulnerability to depression: Convergent findings.

Cognitive reactivity (CR) is a psychological vulnerability marker of depression, whereas response to acute tryptophan depletion (ATD; a serotonergic challenge procedure) is a biological vulnerability marker. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these markers. Thirty-nine remitted depressed patients participated in 2 ATD sessions in a double-blind crossover design. CR, assessed prior to the ATD sessions, predicted depressive response to high-dose ATD. CR also diminished the effects of 2 known predictors of ATD response: gender and residual symptoms. Neuroticism and behavioral inhibition were unrelated to ATD response. CR is associated with an increased sensitivity to reductions of serotonin concentrations. These findings present a small step toward unifying cognitive and neurobiological theories of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biological vulnerability to alcoholism.

This article reviews the role of biological factors in the risk for alcoholism. The discussion notes the importance of the definition of primary alcoholism and highlights data indicating that this disorder is genetically influenced. The major emphasis is on studies of men at high risk for the future development of alcoholism. The most promising trait markers of a biological vulnerability to alcoholism include a decreased intensity of reaction to modest ethanol doses for sons of alcoholics compared with control subjects, a decreased amplitude of certain brain waves of the event-related potential, and a different pattern of background cortical electroencephalograms for young men at high risk for future alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Team negotiation: An examination of integrative and distributive bargaining.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 70(3) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2010-03549-001). Susan E. Brodt's department affiliation was listed incorrectly on p. 66. Her correct affiliation is The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. It appears correctly in this record.] Two experiments compared the effectiveness of team and solo negotiators in integrative and distributive bargaining. When at least 1 party to a negotiation was a team, joint profit increased. Teams, more than solos, developed mutually beneficial trade-offs among issues and discovered compatible interests. The presence of at least 1 team increased information exchange and accuracy in judgments about the other party's interests in comparison with solo negotiations. The belief by both teams and solos that teams have a relative advantage over solo opponents was not supported by actual outcomes. Unexpectedly, neither private meetings nor friendships among team members improved the team's advantage. Teams of friends made less accurate judgments and reached fewer integrative agreements compared to teams of nonfriends. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic social stress conditions differentially modify vulnerability to amphetamine self-administration

Using social instability and cohabitation with females as chronic stress, we observed that neuroendocrine systems were differentially activated according to the experimental design. We show here that amphetamine self-administration, a paradigm to study the reinforcing effects of psychostimulants, is also differentially affected by these conditions. Coexistence with females increases amphetamine self-administration and this effect is reduced when social instability is superimposed. On the other hand, locomotor response to amphetamine is not modified by either social factor, suggesting a specific involvement of a subset of dopaminergic neurons.