Effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive and psychosocial functioning in patients with mild hypertension.

The effects of 16 wks of physical exercise training on the psychological functioning of 90 patients with mild hypertension were examined. At baseline and after 16 wks of training, patients completed a psychometric test battery that included objective measures of neuropsychological performance and standardized self-report measures of psychosocial functioning. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility exercise, or a waiting list control group. After training, there were no group differences on any of the psychological measures, even though patients who engaged in exercise perceived themselves as functioning better in a number of psychological domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychosocial functioning of wife-dominant families.

Investigated the hypothesis that wife-dominance is associated with psychosocial dysfunction in the family, using data from 94 intact families with male adolescents (mean age 14.9 yrs). Families were classified as wife dominant (WD), husband dominant (HD), or egalitarian based on family and observer's ratings and measures of family psychosocial functioning. Results indicate that (1) family members did not evidence more neurotic symptoms and (2) there was not a higher percentage of adolescent delinquency in WD families compared with either HD or egalitarian families. Results do not support the hypothesis. Rates of positive parental communication by race are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment and adolescent psychosocial functioning

To explore the meaning and function of attachment organization during adolescence, its relation to multiple domains of psychosocial functioning was examined in a sample of 131 moderately at-risk adolescents. Attachment organization was assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview; multiple measures of functioning were obtained from parents, adolescents, and their peers. Security displayed in adolescents' organization of discourse about attachment experiences was related to competence with peers (as reported by peers), lower levels of internalizing behaviors (as reported by adolescents), and lower levels of deviant behavior (as reported by peers and by mothers). Preoccupation with attachment experiences, seen in angry or diffuse and unfocused discussion of attachment experiences, was linked to higher levels of both internalizing and deviant behaviors. These relations generally remained even when other attachment-related constructs that had been previously related to adolescent functioning were covaried in analysis. Results are interpreted as suggesting an important role for attachment organization in a wide array of aspects of adolescent psychosocial development.     

Couples- versus individual-based therapy for alcohol and drug abuse: Effects on children's psychosocial functioning.

The study compared the effect of couples-based vs individual-based therapy for men who entered outpatient substance abuse treatment on the psychosocial functioning of children in their homes. Men were randomly assigned to (1) behavioral couples therapy (BCT), (2) individual-based treatment (IBT) or (3) couples-based psychoeducational attention control treatment (PACT). For both children of alcohol (N=71) and drug-abusing men (N=64), parents' ratings of children's psychosocial functioning was higher for children whose fathers participated in BCT at posttreatment and at 6- and 12-mo follow-up than for children whose fathers participated in IBT or PACT. BCT resulted in greater improvements in parents' dyadic adjustment and fathers' substance use. Thus, couples-based intervention that addresses both issues may have greater benefits for children in these homes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive and psychosocial functioning in patients with mild hypertension": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by T. W. Pierce et al (Health Psychology, 1993[Jul], Vol 12[4], 286–291). Table 4, which was inadvertently excluded, is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1993-46609-001.) The effects of 16 wks of physical exercise training on the psychological functioning of 90 patients with mild hypertension were examined. At baseline and after 16 wks of training, patients completed a psychometric test battery that included objective measures of neuropsychological performance and standardized self-report measures of psychosocial functioning. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility exercise, or a waiting list control group. After training, there were no group differences on any of the psychological measures, even though patients who engaged in exercise perceived themselves as functioning better in a number of psychological domains. (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.     

Effects of antipsychotics on the clinical and psychosocial behavior of patients with schizophrenia

With the arrival of atypical antipsychotic drugs, questions have arisen as to their efficacy, compared with classical antipsychotics, and their impact on the clinical and psychosocial behavior of schizophrenic patients. This paper reviews the development of antipsychotic drugs from the prototype chlorpromazine in the 1950s to the atypical antipsychotics--clozapine, risperidone, olanzapinein--in the 1990s. Particular attention is given to the medications' effect on positive and negative symptoms and on patients' quality of life. Experience to date with the atypical antipsychotic drugs is that they are as effective as traditional treatments, with a possibly greater action in treating negative symptoms and with a lower extrapyramidal side effects profile. For comprehensive treatment of schizophrenia, the author advocates a polydimensional approach encompassing psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, psychosocial interventions (particularly with family members), and vocational training.     

The effects of depression and chronic pain on psychosocial and physical functioning

Ray tracing with a personal computer allows realistic simulation of optical properties of the human eye. Patterns of point sources are used as objects. The path of light rays is calculated between the point source and the retina for a Gullstrand eye model with improved parameters; the normal eye model has a resolution limit close to the natural resolution limit of the human eye. The image formed on the retina is projected back to a screen at the distance of the object so as to simulate image interpretation by the brain. Refractive errors are modeled by a change in eye parameters and corrected by eyeglasses or/and contact lenses or by an artificial intraocular lens. For optic correction the parameters of seeing aids can be fitted automatically by a least-squares routine. The effect of faulty eye correction on image quality is visualized by using a photograph of a realistic scene as an object.     

The psychosocial functioning and family environment of depressed adolescents

OBJECTIVE: This study examined measures of functional impairment and family relations in a sample of 62 adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 38 normal controls with no history of psychiatric illness. METHOD: Ratings of the following domains were obtained: mother-child relations, father-child relations, spousal relations, sibling relations, peer relations, and school performance. Ratings of each domain for the 3-month period preceding the assessment were derived from information obtained using a semistructured interview administered independently to the adolescents and one of their parents. RESULTS: Adolescents with MDD were found to have severe difficulties in all areas. Ninety percent of the depressed adolescents had scores greater than 2 SD above the mean of the normal controls on one or more of the domain ratings. In addition, adolescents with difficulties in parent-child relations were more likely than those adolescents without problems in family relations to have difficulties in peer relations and school performance. CONCLUSIONS: The authors discuss the importance of systematically examining psychosocial variables in future studies of the etiology, course, and treatment of MDD in adolescents.     

Psychological functioning and behavior of sexually abused girls.

The psychological functioning and behavior of 46 sexually abused girls (ages 6–14) was compared with that of 46 nonabused girls who were matched on age, race, family income, and family constellation. Sexually abused children demonstrated heightened sexual preoccupation and behavior problems, lower cognitive abilities and school achievement, and more stressful past histories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symptoms versus a diagnosis of depression: Differences in psychosocial functioning.

In studies of clinical depression, individuals who demonstrate elevated levels of symptoms but do not meet interview-based diagnostic criteria are typically labeled as false positive and eliminated from further consideration. However, the implicit assumption that false-positive participants differ in important ways from true-positive (i.e., diagnosed) participants has not been tested systematically. This study compared the functioning of true-positive, false-positive, and true-negative adolescents on clinical and psychosocial functioning. Although the false-positive participants manifested higher levels of current and future psychopathology than did the true-negative participants, they did not differ significantly from the true-positive participants on most of the measures of psychosocial dysfunction. "False positive," therefore, is not a benign condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

A genetically informed study of associations between family functioning and child psychosocial adjustment.

Research has documented associations between family functioning and offspring psychosocial adjustment, but questions remain regarding whether these associations are partly due to confounding genetic factors and other environmental factors. The current study used a genetically informed approach, the Children of Twins design, to explore the associations between family functioning (family conflict, marital quality, and agreement about parenting) and offspring psychopathology. Participants were 867 twin pairs (388 monozygotic; 479 dizygotic) from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden, their spouses, and children (51.7% female; M = 15.75 years). The results suggested associations between exposure to family conflict (assessed by the mother, father, and child) and child adjustment were independent of genetic factors and other environmental factors. However, when family conflict was assessed using only children's reports, the results indicated that genetic factors also influenced these associations. In addition, the analyses indicated that exposure to low marital quality and agreement about parenting was associated with children's internalizing and externalizing problems and that genetic factors also contributed to the associations of marital quality and agreement about parenting with offspring externalizing problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the professional profile of family and community medicine tutors on residents'' training

This cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the relationship of feeling of personal responsibility for miscarriage and personal coping resources (self-esteem and self-efficacy), with symptoms of anxiety and depression in 138 women at 19 to 400 days following the diagnosis of a missed abortion. Multiple regression analyses controlling for demographic and obstetric variables demonstrated that higher feelings of personal responsibility, and lower personal resources were significantly associated with anxiety and depression. Self-esteem had the most salient effect on women's level of affective psychopathology; higher levels of self-esteem were associated with lower anxiety and depression. Women with high levels of self-esteem also reported significantly lower feelings of personal responsibility for miscarriage than those with low levels of self-esteem. Interventions aimed at enhancing feelings of self-worth, and at altering exaggerated feelings of personal responsibility for miscarriage, could lessen the potential negative emotional impact of pregnancy loss on women.     

Chronic malnutrition and child behavior: Effects of early caloric supplementation on social and emotional functioning at school age.

138 chronically malnourished Ss (aged 6–8 yrs) were observed in social interactions in 6-S groups and administered a battery of cognitive tests, including the Bender-Gestalt. Independent variables were measures of maternal caloric supplementation (CAS) during pregnancy, and child CAS from birth to 2 yrs, and from age 2 to 4. High CAS from birth to 2 yrs predicted high levels of social involvement, both happy and angry affect, and moderate activity level at school age. Low CAS was associated with passivity, dependency on adults, and anxious behavior. These relationships were significant when socioeconomic status and maternal CAS were controlled. Cognitive measures were not strongly predicted by supplement intake. Results indicate the importance of adequate energy intake in infancy for later social–emotional development. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental perspective and antisocial behavior: Cognitive functioning.

Comments that G. R. Patterson et al (see record 1989-26278-001) failed to sufficiently address the idea that cognitive functioning is a factor which is related to both school failure and antisocial conduct. Findings consistent with the acculturation learning view are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative effects on family functioning from psychosocial treatments: A recommendation for expanded safety monitoring.

Whereas biomedical products are required to be tested for safety with respect to vulnerable organ systems, psychosocial treatments are not required to be tested for safety with respect to vulnerable social systems such as the family. This article provides some evidence for the need to document the potential negative effects of psychosocial treatments on family-level outcomes. Three randomized controlled trials are reviewed in which independent ratings or self-reports of family functioning were measured. Each of the 3 studies compared the efficacy of a family and a nonfamily treatment. Totally unexpectedly, the nonfamily treatment in each of the 3 trials demonstrated significant declines in family functioning. The authors suggest that psychosocial treatments with vulnerable populations have the potential to produce negative side effects on families. Therefore, it is important to conduct further research to determine whether safety studies should be required for psychosocial treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between psychosocial functioning and body fat in preschool children: A longitudinal investigation.

Examined whether preschool children differed on measures of psychosocial functioning both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. 132 children who varied in levels of body fat participated in the study along with their natural parents. Results indicated that the children did not differ in levels of self-esteem and family functioning as a function of their body fat. Prospectively, physical self-esteem weakly (but significantly) correlated with body fat at ages 1 and 2 yrs, and father's perception of family functioning predicted body fat at age 1 yr only. Results suggested that childhood obesity may not develop as a result of psychosocial factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological performance on tests of frontal-lobe functioning and aggressive behavior in men.

Tested the relationship between frontal-lobe functioning and physical aggression in young men in a laboratory setting. 72 men completed two putative neuropsychological measures of frontal-lobe functioning—the Self-Ordered Pointing (SOP) Task and the Conditional Association Task (CAT)—and an abbreviated version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R). Aggression was measured with a modified version of the Taylor reaction-time aggression paradigm, whereby electric shocks are received from and administered to a fictitious "opponent" during a competitive task within high- and low-provocation conditions. High and low provocation levels were defined by the intensity of shocks the Ss received. Results demonstrated that aggression was significantly related to performance on the CAT but not the SOP. The findings are discussed with regard to the hypothesized link between frontal-lobe functioning and aggressive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)