A replication and extension of "Physical attractiveness and mental illness."

A. Farina et al (see record 1978-23202-001) investigated the relation between mental illness and physical attractiveness and found that female psychiatric inpatients were less attractive than normal controls. The current study extended this investigation in 2 ways. First, 28 psychiatric inpatients were compared to 3 separate control groups of 53 low, middle, and high socioeconomic status Ss. Mental patients were judged significantly less attractive than either middle- or high-income controls but were not significantly different from low-income controls. Second, to examine physical attractiveness prior to hospitalization, attractiveness ratings of the patients' high school yearbook pictures were compared with ratings of the adjacent same-sex photographs. Patients' photographs were judged significantly less attractive than their peers' even in high school. Findings suggest that being physically unattractive may predispose an individual to a number of negative social outcomes, one of which is mental illness. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Breakdown in high-risk subjects: Familial and early environmental factors.

Studied 40 children with schizophrenic mothers, selected from a larger study. 20 suffered breakdown; the others were matched controls. The mothers of Ss in the breakdown group experienced more emotional stress during their pregnancies than did the mothers of the improved group. Ss in the breakdown group suffered loss of mother at an earlier age and tended significantly not to acquire a substitute mother. The breakdown group tended to have mentally ill fathers as well as schizophrenic mothers. There were no fathers hospitalized for mental illness in the improved group. Results are discussed in terms of the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizotypy and sustained attention.

We examined sustained attention in 32 schizotypic and 43 normal control Ss from a large, randomly ascertained nonclinical university population. Schizotypy status was determined with the Perceptual Aberration Scale. Sustained attention was measured with the Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs. Schizotypic Ss displayed significantly poorer sustained-attention performance than did control Ss, as measured by d and overall hit rate. Although schizotypic Ss evidenced greater levels of anxiety and depression, sustained-attention performance was not significantly associated with these mental state factors. Our results provide evidence for a subtle sustained-attention deficit among schizotypes and are interpreted in light of previous attention research with actual schizophrenic patients as well as children at risk for schizophrenia. Utility of the psychometric high-risk strategy in psychopathology research is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal competence among college males hypothesized to be at risk for schizophrenia.

Compared the interpersonal competence of undergraduate males hypothesized on the basis of scores on 4 scales designed to identify schizophrenia-prone individuals to be at elevated risk for schizophrenia with male control undergraduates in 2 studies. In Study 1, 96 high-risk Ss were compared with 60 controls on a behavioral measure requiring them to role play responses to problem situations. Results show that responses of anhedonic Ss were significantly less competent and more terse than were those of controls. Responses of impulsive, nonconforming Ss were significantly more hostile and more odd than controls' responses. In Study 2, 78 high-risk Ss and 33 controls used a multiple-choice version of the problem inventory. Results show that nonconforming Ss were significantly less able than controls to recognize competent responses and were significantly more likely than controls to select hostile response alternatives. It is suggested that the interpersonal behaviors of anhedonic and nonconforming Ss were consistent with their designation as high-risk individuals and potentially important to their later adjustment. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial adaptation in juvenile rheumatic disease: A controlled evaluation.

Examined the psychosocial functioning of 93 children (aged 1–18 yrs) with severe or mild rheumatic disease and 93 healthy children from demographically matched families. Ss in the severe patient group showed more parent-reported psychological and physical problems than mild patients and healthy controls. Compared with the mild group, the severe group also missed more school due to illness. Older severe patients were more likely to miss school due to illness and to participate in fewer social activities than controls; however, older Ss reported comparable mood and functioning in other areas. A model for examining risk and resistance factors predictive of psychological and social dysfunction among children with severe chronic disease is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mother and older sibling on the problem-solving behavior of the younger child.

Determined the effects of aid from mother or older sibling on the child's problem-solving behavior in relation to the sex of the 2 siblings and family size. Ss were 120 1st-grade children with a 3rd- or 4th-grade sibling, half from 2-child families and half from larger families; the 4 possible sex combinations were equally represented. Ss worked on practice problems alone or were aided by sibling or mother prior to testing. Ss with older brothers performed as well alone as after aid by sibling or mother, whereas Ss with older sisters showed more advanced problem solving after aid by sibling or mother. Ss with same-sex siblings solved the problems more rapidly; family size had no effect. Results are interpreted in terms of family interaction patterns. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's recognition of rights violations in counseling.

Evaluated the capacity of children and adolescents to comprehend and protect their rights in a mental health setting in 60 male Ss. 20 Ss at each of 3 age levels (8.2–9.7 yrs, 15.2–16.0 yrs, and 20.4–23.1 yrs) were explained 6 rights—refusal of treatment, knowing the reason for refusal, withholding information from counselors, refusal to allow videotaping of a treatment session, confidentiality, and the right of access to records—and then asked to view videotapes in which these rights were violated. Results show that, for 9-yr-old Ss, the experimental effect of providing information about rights was minimal; both experimental Ss and noninformed controls demonstrated low scores on measures of recognition of rights violation and protection of rights. At ages 15 and 21, experimental Ss demonstrated significantly higher scores on both measures than did control Ss. There was no significant difference in the experimental effect between the 15- and 21-yr-old Ss, which suggests that by age 15, the average adolescent is fully capable of comprehending and exercising his or her rights. Guidelines are proposed regarding the provision of information about rights to minors who receive mental health services. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low birth weight and ventricular enlargement in a high-risk sample.

Studied the relation between adult ventricle size and perinatal complications and birth weight using Ss from a Danish high-risk sample previously studied by 2 of the present authors (1965) in a longitudinal study of children and subsequently diagnosed in a study by F. Endicott and R. Spitzer (1972). Of the 58 28–37 yr olds available for the present study, 15 had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, 18 as borderline, and 25 as having no mental illness. 10 schizophrenics, 10 borderlines, and 14 normals were given computerized tomography scans. Results show ventricular enlargement was significantly negatively related to length and weight at birth and to midwife ratings of neonate prematurity. A lack of association was found between ventricle brain ration (VBR) and composite complication score. Results suggest that enlarged ventricles might be associated with insults occurring in utero. The possibility that a fetal viral infection caused CNS system damage and consequent atrophy as measured by VBR is hypothesized. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control and academic achievement: Results from a preschool intervention program.

Investigated the relationship between children's beliefs in personal control over their successes and failures and academic achievement. 32 kindergarten and 1st grade children who had been judged to be at risk for academic difficulties and who had participated in a 5-yr efficacy-oriented intervention program were compared to 34 children in high-risk nonintervention low-risk comparison groups. The high-risk intervention and low-risk Ss had stronger beliefs in personal control over academic success, and these beliefs were good predictors of achievement and task-related classroom behaviors. This was not true of the high-risk nonintervention Ss, in whom only IQ was related to achievement. IQ scores were not related to achievement in intervention Ss. The importance of motivational components of achievement is discussed and the influence of socializing environments in establishing relations among beliefs in personal control, subsequent goal-directed classroom behaviors, and achievement outcomes is noted. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pictures, imagery, and retarded children's prose learning.

96 10–16 yr old educable mental retardates were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions to listen to a 20-sentence story: Picture Ss viewed illustrations of the story, imagery Ss were instructed to generate mental pictures of the story, repetition control Ss heard each sentence of the story twice, and control Ss simply listened to the story once. Planned comparisons revealed that picture Ss recalled more story information than did Ss in all other groups. Differences among the other conditions, age by conditions interactions, and age differences per se were not statistically significant. A number of theoretically and practically interesting issues are discussed in the context of recent prose learning findings with normal children. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A prospective four-year follow-up study of children at risk for ADHD: psychiatric, neuropsychological, and psychosocial outcome

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a familial disorder that places the siblings of ADHD children at high risk for ADHD, conduct, mood, and anxiety disorders. Although the pattern of psychiatric risk has been well documented by prior family studies, neither the short- nor long-term outcome of these high-risk siblings has been prospectively examined. OBJECTIVE: To document the 4-year psychiatric, psychosocial, and neuropsychological outcome of the siblings of children with ADHD. METHOD: DSM-III-R structured diagnostic interviews and blind raters were used to conduct a 4-year follow-up of siblings from ADHD and control families. The siblings were also evaluated for cognitive, achievement, social, school, and family functioning. RESULTS: At follow-up, significant elevations of behavioral, mood, and anxiety disorders were found among the siblings of ADHD children. The high-risk siblings had high rates of school failure and showed evidence of neuropsychological and psychosocial dysfunction. These impairments aggregated among the siblings who had ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: The siblings of ADHD children are at high risk for clinically meaningful levels of psychopathology and functional impairment. In addition to supporting hypotheses about the familial transmission of ADHD, the results suggest that the high-risk siblings might be appropriate targets for primary preventive interventions.     

Effect of medial preoptic lesions on sexual behavior of female rats is determined by test situation.

Examined the sexual behavior of 47 female Long-Evans rats with bilateral lesions in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and 27 Long-Evans sham-operated Ss (controls) in 2 testing conditions. In the 1st condition, in which the S could not leave the vicinity of males (no-exit test), lordosis quotients (LQs) were elevated in relation to baseline levels for MPOA Ss. In the 2nd condition, in which the female could control her proximity to males (exit test), MPOA LQs were not different from control levels, and experimental Ss permitted fewer copulatory contacts, exhibited less frequent solicitational behavior, and spent less time with males than the controls did. These findings suggest that the higher LQs seen in no-exit tests as a result of MPOA damage are not due to a lesion-induced potentiation in the Ss' preference to engage in sexual contacts with males. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Verbal associative disturbances in children at high risk for schizophrenia.

Analyzed single-word and continuous association test behaviors of children at high (207 Ss) and low (104 Ss) risk for schizophrenia. A comparison was also made between test scores of those high-risk Ss who later became schizophrenic and scores of others who did not. Although high-risk Ss exhibited more deviant associations than low-risk Ss, premorbid associative disturbance did not characterize those who later became schizophrenic. These findings are not supportive of learning theories of associative disturbance. When combined with recent evidence showing that degree of associative disturbance at initial breakdown is not predictive of chronicity or outcome, these findings call for a reevaluation of the central character of associative disturbance in schizophrenia. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Test-taking sets and the performance of schizophrenics on laboratory tests.

Administered an abbreviated MMPI, a word association test, and a reaction time test under 2 test conditions (neutral and mental illness) to 3 schizophrenic groups-28 acute and 28 chronic Ss from open wards, and 28 chronic Ss from closed wards. Chronic Ss from open wards were the only group to perform differentially on the tests under the 2 conditions, presenting themselves as "healthier" on the MMPI and giving more common responses on the word association test in the mental illness than in the neutral condition. It is concluded that schizophrenic patients likely to be included in research may perform differently on tests given under different conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Word completion in chronic pain: evidence for schematic representation of pain?

Schematic representation of pain information was investigated in chronic pain patients, health professionals, and nonpatient controls. Under the guise of an English-language experiment, Ss were presented with 12 word stems to be completed with the first 2 English words that came to mind. Four of the stems could be completed with sensory pain words, 4 with effective, and 4 with words associated with pain or illness. All could be completed with at least 3 other nonpain words of equal or greater frequency. Results indicate that chronic pain Ss produced significantly more pain-related completions than control Ss and that in all 3 groups the types of pain words produced were related to the extent of personal experience of pain. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the organization of schema, implicit memory, and the activation of mental representations of pain (schema).     

Span of apprehension deficits in children vulnerable to psychopathology: A failure to replicate.

Tested the findings of R. J. Asarnow et al (see record 1978-05788-001) and D. J. MacCrimmon et al (see record 1981-21451-001) that children vulnerable to psychopathology show performance deficits on the span of apprehension task by examining data from a study by the 2nd and 3rd present authors (1975) that provided a larger sample of high-risk children. Results show that the 34 children (mean age 15.4 yrs) of schizophrenics did not differ from the 54 children (mean age 15.3 yrs) of unipolars, the 52 children (mean age 15.6 yrs) of bipolars, or the 75 children (mean age 15.3 yrs) of normal controls in their span performance. Possible sources of the discrepant results are discussed, and it is suggested that the present findings do not call into question the possibility that some high-risk children show attentional deficits. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kindergarten performance of children born at risk.

Conducted a longitudinal study of 20 children born with medical complications and 15 normal children to assess the effects of home environment on development in high-risk Ss. Ss were studied from birth to completion of kindergarten. Pre- and postkindergarten Ss completed the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, 2 vocabulary and 2 syntax batteries, and an adaptive behavior scale. Data indicate that high-risk Ss exhibited early deficiencies in social, emotional, and cognitive functioning that decreased during kindergarten. It is suggested that adequate home environment may minimize impairment for high-risk Ss. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crisis events and school mental health referral patterns of young children.

Conducted 2 studies investigating the impact of 2 types of potential crisis-producing experiences on the referral patterns of maladapting 5-10 yr old school children: parental separation and divorce and parental death. Ss in Study 1 were 108 children with a history of parental separation or divorce and 32 with a history of parent death. Study 2 used 226 Ss, 188 with separation-divorce histories and 38 with parental death histories. Both "crisis" groups were compared first to demographically matched referred controls, without crisis histories, and then directly to each other. Each crisis group had a significantly higher overall maladjustment score than its respective control group. Ss with histories of parent death were significantly more anxious, depressed, and withdrawn than their matched controls; whereas separation-divorce Ss had significantly more aggression and acting-out problems than their controls. These effects remained (a) when initial maladjustment differences were ruled out and (b) in a direct comparison of matched death and divorce Ss. The association between specific crisis history and specific school maladjustment patterns is seen to have implications for early detection and preventive efforts. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental imagery helps eight-year-olds remember what they read.

To determine whether 8-yr-olds can use mental imagery to improve their memory of prose they read, 43 experimental Ss were given practice constructing mental images of progressively longer prose passages (sentences, paragraphs, and a short story) and were shown examples of good images. 43 controls were exposed to the prose material, but did not practice constructing mental images. Experimental Ss read 17 segments of a short story and constructed a mental image for each segment after reading the segment. Control Ss read the same story segments and were instructed to "do whatever you can or have to" in order to remember the story. Experimental Ss answered significantly more short-answer questions about the story than controls did. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neurological implications of WISC verbal-performance discrepancies in a psychiatric setting.

20 children with at least a 25-point difference between the WISC Verbal and Performance IQs (in either direction) were compared with 20 matched control Ss from the same hospital population. The criterion Ss with Verbal IQs at least 25 points higher than Performance IQs had significantly more medical diagnoses of brain damage, more pathological signs on neurological examinations, more abnormal electroencephalograms, and poorer performance on many psychological tests sensitive to brain damage. Those children with Performance IQs that were 25 points or more higher than Verbal IQs were found not to differ from their controls on any of the brain-injury indicators. A 35-variable correlation matrix was computed. The Lincoln-Oseretsky Motor Development Scale raw scores correlated -7.6 with the neurological examination ratings. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)