Finding meaning in religious practices: The relation between religious holiday rituals and marital satisfaction.

This study examined the relation between marital satisfaction and religious holiday ritual practices. 120 couples, married 9 years on average, completed measures of religious holiday practices (current family and family-of-origin) and marital satisfaction. Couples were interviewed about how important religion was to their family life. Marital satisfaction was related to religious holiday rituals beyond a global indication of religiousness. A different pattern was found for husbands and wives, with husbands' satisfaction more closely linked to ritual meaning and wives' satisfaction associated with routine practices. Family-of-origin rituals were connected across generations. Wives' marital satisfaction was related to husbands' report of religious holiday rituals but not the converse. Results are discussed in terms of how rituals affirm relationships, connect values and beliefs, and may have differential meaning for men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear of personal death: Attribution, structure, and relation to religious belief.

Hypothesized that individuals attribute the fear of their own death to the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal consequences of human mortality. A multidimensional measure of fear of personal death was constructed and administered together with an index of Jewish belief and practice to 178 18–30 yr old males. Principal-components factor analysis of this measure uncovered a factor structure that paralleled the hypothesized aspects of fear of personal death. This factor structure reflected quantitative differences between persons characterized by varying degrees of religious commitment. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illness attributions and hopelessness depression: The role of hopelessness expectancy.

According to hopelessness theory, hopelessness expectancy is the proximal, sufficient cause of hopelessness depression. Consequently, hopelessness expectancy is viewed as mediating the influence of all other factors on hopelessness depression. Using a longitudinal research design, hopelessness expectancy was examined as a mediator of the relation between illness attributions and hopelessness depression in a sample of 57 adults with rheumatoid arthritis. Although hopelessness expectancy was a strong predictor of hopelessness depression, it moderated rather than mediated the relation between attributions and depression. Finding support for a moderating rather than a mediating model is inconsistent with theory but is consistent with the findings of J. H. Riskind et al (1987). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative efficacy of religious and nonreligious cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of clinical depression in religious individuals.

Two versions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), one with religious content (RCT) and one with standard protocol (NRCT), were used to treat 19–20 religious patients each. 59 religious patients who met the Research Diagnostic Criteria for nonpsychotic, nonbipolar depression were treated in 18–20 1-hr sessions over 3 mo. Religious and nonreligious therapists were used in each CBT group. Pastoral counseling (PCT) treatment-as-usual and waiting-list control (WLC) conditions each contained 10–21 patients. RCT and PCT patients reported significantly lower posttreatment depression and adjustment scores than did either the NRCT or the WLC condition. The CBT difference was due largely to superior performance of the nonreligious therapists (with dissimilar values to the patients) in the RCT over the NRCT condition. Improvement in the 3 treatment conditions was equal at 3-mo and 2-yr follow-ups and greater than posttreatment WLC improvement levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

For God (or) country: The hydraulic relation between government instability and belief in religious sources of control.

It has been recently proposed that people can flexibly rely on sources of control that are both internal and external to the self to satisfy the need to believe that their world is under control (i.e., that events do not unfold randomly or haphazardly). Consistent with this, past research demonstrates that, when personal control is threatened, people defend external systems of control, such as God and government. This theoretical perspective also suggests that belief in God and support for governmental systems, although seemingly disparate, will exhibit a hydraulic relationship with one another. Using both experimental and longitudinal designs in Eastern and Western cultures, the authors demonstrate that experimental manipulations or naturally occurring events (e.g., electoral instability) that lower faith in one of these external systems (e.g., the government) lead to subsequent increases in faith in the other (e.g., God). In addition, mediation and moderation analyses suggest that specific concerns with order and structure underlie these hydraulic effects. Implications for the psychological, sociocultural, and sociopolitical underpinnings of religious faith, as well as system justification theory, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal investigation of depression, hopelessness, social support, and major and minor life events and their relation to suicidal ideation in adolescents

The longitudinal relationship of psychological and social-environmental factors with adolescent suicidal ideation over a 1-year-period was examined in a sample of 374 high school students. Students were assessed twice over a 1-year period with measures of depression, hopelessness, major negative life events, daily hassles, social support, and suicidal ideation. At the initial assessment, daily hassles and negative life events for males and social support and depression for females were significant factors related to suicidal ideation levels 1 year later. Changes in depression and hopelessness were significantly related to changes in suicidal ideation over the 1 year interval for males and females. Differences found between males and females in the relationship of psychological and social-environmental variables with suicidal ideation supports the need to examine gender specific relationships when conducting research on suicidal behavior in adolescents.     

Evaluating the hopelessness model of depression: Diathesis-stress and symptom components.

The hopelessness model of depression posits that latent attributional diatheses combine with stressors to produce a specific subtype of depression characterized by a specific set of symptoms. Associations between attributional diathesis, stress, and symptoms were examined to test the prediction that hopelessness depressions are characterized by a specific symptom profile. 57 depressed outpatients were categorized into subgroups on the basis of whether or not they met the criteria of L. Y. Abramson et al (1988) for hopelessness depression, defined as a match in content domain between attributional diathesis and negative stressor. Support for hopelessness depression was mixed. The hopelessness subtype differed from other major depressions with respect to symptom profile. However, the differences in symptomatology were not wholly consistent with the predictions of the hopelessness model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stable trait components of hopelessness: Baseline and sensitivity to depression.

Hopelessness ( H ) plays an important theoretical and practical role in depression. The authors hypothesized that a patient's H is comprised of (a) a baseline level of H when not depressed and (b) an increment in H related to the severity of depression at the time and the person's rate of increase in H as a function of severity of depression (sensitivity). Baseline and sensitivity are explanatory stable traits; H and depression are observed, time-varying states. The corresponding statistical model described well the longitudinal data of 316 participants. Baseline and sensitivity were uncorrelated and correlated with different clinical and demographic variables. Baseline predicted a future suicide attempt; sensitivity and H when depressed did not. It may be useful to ask "How hopeless is this person when not depressed and how much more hopeless is he or she when depressed?", rather than simply "How hopeless is this depressed person?" (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived problem-solving ability as a predictor of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation in a college population.

A longitudinal design with a mild, naturalistic stressor (poor grade on a midterm exam) tested whether perceived problem-solving ability predicted adjustment in a sample of 303 college students. Participants completed assessments before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the stressor. Individuals who appraised their problem-solving ability as lower at Time 1 were found to be more vulnerable to the stress of a low grade and experienced higher levels of depression and hopelessness, though not of suicide ideation, at Time 2. These results were obtained independent of pretest scores on these adjustment measures. The results support the model of Perceived Problem-Solving?×?Stress as a predictor of adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapeutic orientation and training: Their relation to the practices of clinical psychologists.

Examined the training and professional practices of 244 clinical psychologists to answer questions pertaining to the nature and quality of training. Past and present therapeutic orientations, amount and adequacy of training, areas of specialization, and work settings were studied in relationship to each other and to therapeutic techniques. A factor analysis yielded 9 "technique" factors. Training was most adequate for those who used psychodynamic approaches and least adequate for those who used techniques bearing on social, cultural, and environmental aspects of mental health. Espoused psychotherapeutic orientation appeared to be unrelated to techniques employed. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social problem-solving deficits and hopelessness, depression, and suicidal risk in college students and psychiatric inpatients

The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised was used to examine the relations between problem-solving abilities and hopelessness, depression, and suicidal risk in three different samples: undergraduate college students, general psychiatric inpatients, and suicidal psychiatric inpatients. A similar pattern of results was found in both college students and psychiatric patients: a negative problem orientation was most highly correlated with all three criterion variables, followed by either a positive problem orientation or an avoidance problem-solving style. Rational problem-solving skills emerged as an important predictor variable in the suicidal psychiatric sample. Support was found for a prediction model of suicidal risk that includes problem-solving deficits and hopelessness, with partial support being found for including depression in the model as well.     

Therapist competence ratings in relation to clinical outcome in cognitive therapy of depression.

This study reports on the relationship of therapist competence to the outcome of cognitive-behavioral treatment in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. Outpatients suffering from major depressive disorder were treated by cognitive-behavioral therapists at each of 3 U.S. sites using a format of 20 sessions in 16 weeks. Findings provide some support for the relationship of therapist competence (as measured by the Cognitive Therapy Scale) to reduction of depressive symptomatology when controlling for therapist adherence and facilitative conditions. The results are, however, not as strong or consistent as expected. The component of competence that was most highly related to outcome is a factor that reflects the therapist's ability to structure the treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation of pain and depression with various health-promoting behaviors in African American elders.

Purpose/Objective: In this study, the authors investigated how presence of pain interferes with various health behaviors in a sample of urban African American elders, examining depression as a potential mediator. Research Method/Design: 74 African Americans over the age of 60 years and residing in Detroit participated in both self-report questionnaires and physical performance measures. Regression analyses were used to determine the effect of pain interference on health behaviors, and partial correlations were used to determine whether depression mediated the relations. Results: The authors found that pain interference was significantly related to physical functioning and frequency of aerobic exercise. The latter relation (pain interference and frequency of exercise) was partially mediated by depression. Conclusions/Implications: Given these findings, the effect of pain interference on health behaviors is neither simple nor direct, and depression may be a key variable. Identification and treatment of pain and depression in older persons may reduce physical impairment and health care costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The functional relation between depression and problematic interpersonal behavior.

75 depressed patients (mean age 33.9 yrs) were compared with 69 nondepressed high MMPI controls (mean age 25.7 yrs) and 80 normal controls (mean age 29.9 yrs) on self-reported frequency and comfort of various interpersonal events, verbal and nonverbal behavior in group and dyadic interactions, and interpersonal style. Identified as uniquely associated with depression were (a) infrequent engagement, discomfort, and low levels of obtained reinforcement in social activity and in giving and receiving positive responses; (b) discomfort in being assertive and low levels of reinforcement obtained from such behavior; (c) discomfort experienced in conjunction with negative cognitions concerning personal interactions; and (d) self-, peer-, and observer-rated deficiencies in interpersonal style group interactions. On verbal and nonverbal behavior measures, no deficits uniquely associated with depression were identified. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of eventual suicide in psychiatric inpatients by clinical ratings of hopelessness.

A 9-point clinical rating scale was used to assess the severity of hopelessness in 141 patients hospitalized with suicidal ideation. The patients were followed from 5 to 10 years, and 10 (7.1%) eventually committed suicide. The mean hopelessness rating for the patients committing suicide was significantly higher than that for the patients not committing suicide. A cutoff score of 6 or above successfully predicted 9 (90.0%) of those committing suicide. The results supported previous findings in which self-reported hopelessness on the Beck Hopelessness Scale was reported to predict suicide in both psychiatric outpatients and inpatients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The continuity of depression in clinical and nonclinical samples.

Historically, depression researchers have examined continuity in terms of whether the symptoms and characteristics of mild, moderate, and severe depression differ in degree along a continuum (i.e., a quantitative difference) or in kind (i.e., qualitative difference). The authors propose a differentiated framework that distinguishes 4 direct tests of continuity (i.e., phenomenological, typological, etiological, and psychometric continuity). They use this framework to suggest that most evidence is consistent with the continuity hypothesis. Moreover, they maintain that the findings of future research can be incorporated into a 2-factor model of depression that allows for both continuities and discontinuities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical practices with African Americans: Juxtaposition of standard clinical practices and Africentricism.

Rapidly changing demographics necessitate increased awareness of the impact of race, ethnicity, and levels of acculturation on treatment efficacy and differential diagnosis of ethnic minorities. Increasingly, psychologists are in a position of providing treatment for clients whose cultural background differs from their own. Because African Americans have historically underutilized mental health services, sensitivity to the cultural variables represented by this group is a growing concern. An integrated approach to conceptualizing, evaluating, and diagnosing African Americans from a culturally sensitive, Africentric perspective is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An inclusive response to LGB and conservative religious persons: The case of same-sex attraction and behavior.

How should psychologists demonstrate respect for religion as an aspect of diversity when that aspect of diversity seems inconsistent with another form of diversity? This is a striking challenge when considering conservative expressions of religion in relation to a person's experience of same-sex attraction and behavior. This article (a) asserts that conservative religion is a legitimate, though often overlooked, expression of diversity; (b) identifies ways in which gay-integrative theorists and conservative religious persons fail to appreciate each other's perspective; and (c) presents a continuum of service delivery options to expand clinical services to persons who experience same-sex attraction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adapting best practices in CBT for deaf and hearing persons with language and learning challenges.

This article presents the work of a specialty psychiatric unit for deaf people in adapting best practices in cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) for deaf and hearing mental health clients who have severe language and learning challenges. Research cited shows that large numbers of deaf people referred to psychiatric hospitals have severe language impairments (in their best language, usually American Sign Language; ASL), related mainly to inadequate exposure to ASL as a child. These language impairments accompany other kinds of language and cognitive problems found also in hearing persons. Clinicians on the unit adapted the constructivist narrative CBT of Meichenbaum so that it could inform the treatment of these clients. Specifically, the treatment is oriented around the acquisition and development of psychosocial skills. These skills are understood developmentally; that is, early and simple skills develop into more complex coping and conflict resolution skills. All the skills are presented and taught using hundreds of specially developed pictures. Emphasis is placed on interventions that work at a sensorimotor and concrete operational level. A case study is presented along side of a theoretical discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training and supervision practices in clinical, counseling, and school psychology programs.

This study surveyed the training directors of counseling, clinical, and school psychology programs accredited by the American Psychological Association on training and supervisory practices and perceptions of various modalities of supervision. Response rates were 74%, 56%, and 45%, respectively. Clinical and counseling psychology training directors reported that videotape review was the most used modality of supervision; school psychology training directors reported that self-report only was the most frequently used. The amount of time involved in conducting live supervision and cotherapy as supervision was seen as a moderate barrier to their use. Cotherapy as supervision was rated as having the most strengths by all program directors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)