Coaching Clients to Take Psychological and Neuropsychological Tests: A Clash of Ethical Obligations.

The coaching of clients by attorneys on how to "beat" psychological tests in the context of personal injury or disability litigation poses a serious concern for the practice of psychological assessment. This article reviews the empirical literature with respect to the effects of coaching on psychological tests, discusses current ethical and legal standards relevant to coaching on psychological tests, and offers suggestions on how the field of assessment psychology might deal with this challenge. This review has important implications for all clinicians conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments in forensic settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance.

The happy–productive worker hypothesis has most often been examined in organizational research by correlating job satisfaction to performance. Recent research has expanded this to include measures of psychological well-being. However, to date, no field research has provided a comparative test of the relative contribution of job satisfaction and psychological well-being as predictors of employee performance. The authors report 2 field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to simultaneously examine the relative contribution of psychological well-being and job satisfaction to job performance. In Study 1, psychological well-being, but not job satisfaction, was predictive of job performance for 47 human services workers. These findings were replicated in Study 2 for 37 juvenile probation officers. These findings are discussed in terms of research on the happy–productive worker hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perspectives and Research on the Positive and Negative Implications of Having Multiple Racial Identities.

Much attention has been directed toward understanding the impact having a multiracial background has on psychological well-being and adjustment. Past psychological research has focused on the challenges multiracial individuals confront in defining a racial identity. The implication is that these challenges lead to outcomes that are psychologically detrimental. However, evidence to support this assertion is mixed. The authors review qualitative and quantitative empirical research examining multiracial individuals' identity development, depression, problem behaviors, peer relationships, school performance, and self-esteem, finding support for detrimental outcomes only in studies sampling clinical populations. Studies on nonclinical samples find that multiracial individuals tend to be just as well-adjusted as their monoracial peers on most psychological outcomes. Earlier assertions of maladjustment may have been due to reliance on qualitative research that sampled clinical populations. Other implications and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological treatment of benign headache disorders.

Information on the efficacy of psychological treatments of chronic benign headache (HA) disorders is selectively reviewed. Strong consistent evidence for efficacy is found, and the HA relief apparently persists for up to 5 yrs. Little information is available on cost-effectiveness, although largely homebased treatments with limited therapist contact have been shown to be efficacious. The limited number of comparisons of drug therapies to psychological therapies have yielded mixed results; more systematic research is needed. The side effects of psychological treatments are generally positive (reduction in negative affect). Research has begun to identify subpopulations of HA sufferers who are relatively refractory to psychological treatments, and in some instances newer treatment regimens have solved some of the problems of refractory groups (e.g., HA in the elderly). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons' self-esteem and psychological distress.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 56(2) of Journal of Counseling Psychology (see record 2009-04542-008). The DOI was incorrect. The correct DOI is 10.1037/a0013317.] Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) persons come from diverse cultural groups with diverse racial and ethnic identities. However, most research on LGBQ persons has used primarily White samples, and most research on African Americans has used largely heterosexual samples. Thus, research has largely failed to attend to and investigate the complexity of African American LGBQ persons' experiences. This study examined the relations between multiple internalized oppressions and African American sexual minority persons' self-esteem and psychological distress. Results indicated that when examined together, internalized racism and internalized heterosexism (also known as internalized homophobia) were both significant negative predictors of self-esteem, but only internalized heterosexism was a unique positive predictor of psychological distress. The interaction of internalized racism and internalized heterosexism was not a significant predictor of self-esteem or psychological distress. Finally, the authors' findings indicate that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between internalized heterosexism and psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New directions for research on the psychological maltreatment of children.

This article identifies several research directions for psychologists interested in studying the psychological maltreatment of children and youth. The field of child maltreatment in general has been criticized for its isolation from psychological theory and for compartmentalizing each of the various forms of maltreatment. In order to organize research on psychological maltreatment and on its relationship to other maltreatment forms, two conceptual perspectives are suggested: ecological and developmental. These perspectives are then used to discuss the following three research areas: definitional issues; ecological processes and child outcomes; and protective factors and child outcomes. Attention is also given to policy issues that emerge in our efforts to understand psychological maltreatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost effectiveness and medical cost-offset considerations in psychological service provision.

Suggests that empirical evidence has demonstrated that psychological interventions can effectively treat a wide range of child and adult health problems. The focus of this review is on costing issues associated with psychological interventions, including cost-effectiveness and cost offset (i.e., a reduction in health care costs attributable to effective intervention). Recent evidence has demonstrated that psychological interventions can be more cost-effective than optimal drug treatment. For example, although having comparable effectiveness, cognitive-behavioral treatments for panic disorder and for depression have been estimated to cost approximately one-third less than pharmacological treatment. Further, a recent meta-analysis of 91 research studies published between 1967 and 1997 found that average health care cost savings due to psychological intervention were in the range of 20-30% across studies, and 90% of the studies reported evidence of a medical cost offset. In conclusion, the evidence indicates that psychological treatments (1) can be cost-effective forms of treatment and (2) have the potential to reduce health care costs, as successfully treated patients typically reduce their utilization of other health care services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons’ self-esteem and psychological distress”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Examining the relationship between multiple internalized oppressions and African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning persons' self-esteem and psychological distress" by Dawn M. Szymanski and Arpana Gupta (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2009[Jan], Vol 56[1], 110-118). The DOI was incorrect. The correct DOI is 10.1037/a0013317. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-00624-002.) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) persons come from diverse cultural groups with diverse racial and ethnic identities. However, most research on LGBQ persons has used primarily White samples, and most research on African Americans has used largely heterosexual samples. Thus, research has largely failed to attend to and investigate the complexity of African American LGBQ persons' experiences. This study examined the relations between multiple internalized oppressions and African American sexual minority persons' self-esteem and psychological distress. Results indicated that when examined together, internalized racism and internalized heterosexism (also known as internalized homophobia) were both significant negative predictors of self-esteem, but only internalized heterosexism was a unique positive predictor of psychological distress. The interaction of internalized racism and internalized heterosexism was not a significant predictor of self-esteem or psychological distress. Finally, the authors' findings indicate that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between internalized heterosexism and psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distributive justice, procedural justice, and psychological distress: The moderating effect of coworker support and work autonomy.

Recent research has demonstrated that the perception of injustice at work may increase psychological health-related problems. The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of coworker support and work autonomy on the relationships between both distributive and procedural justice and psychological distress. Results, on the basis of responses to questionnaires given to 248 prison employees, show that coworker support moderates the relationships between both forms of justice and psychological distress. Specifically, these relationships are weakened when employees benefit from a high level of coworker support. Furthermore, work autonomy moderates the relationship between procedural justice and psychological distress but not the relationship between distributive justice and psychological distress. Thus, procedural injustice is less likely to increase psychological distress when the level of work autonomy is high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological factors in abortion: A review.

Psychological research is increasingly involved in debates regarding abortion. While recognizing the diversity of ethical and moral issues intertwined with abortion, the American Psychological Association (APA) has focused its involvement on psychological factors, most recently by appointing an expert panel to review the literature on psychological effects. This article notes the history of APA involvement and reports on the panel's conclusions. It presents evidence that abortion is not likely to be followed by severe psychological responses and that psychological aspects can best be understood within a framework of normal stress and coping rather than a model of psychopathology. Correlates of more negative responses following abortion are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of positive psychological capital on employee well-being over time.

The recently recognized core construct of psychological capital or PsyCap (consisting of the positive psychological resources of efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience) has been demonstrated to be related to various employee attitudinal, behavioral, and performance outcomes. However, to date, the impact of this positive core construct over time and on important employee well-being outcomes has not been tested. This study meets this need by analyzing the relationship between a broad cross-section of employees’ (N = 280) level of PsyCap and two measures of psychological well-being over time. The results indicated that employees’ PsyCap was related to both measures of well-being and, importantly, that PsyCap explained additional variance in these well-being measures over time. The limitations, needed future research, and practical implications conclude the article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What neuroimaging and brain localization can do, cannot do and should not do for social psychology.

Interest in bridging social psychology and neuroscience has seen a significant upsurge. Much of this interest has centered on brain localization--the attempt to relate psychological events to locations of brain events. Although many articles have sought to localize brain activity that supports social behavior, scant attention has been paid to the specific methods to be used in integrating brain localization data into psychological theory. The authors describe 4 strategies psychologists can use to integrate brain localization data and psychological theory, and they consider whether social psychology presents special considerations in the use of these strategies. They conclude that brain localization offers a useful tool for some but not all problems in social psychology, and they discuss the types of problems for which it may and may not prove useful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The illusion of mental health.

Argues that researchers' reliance on "objective" mental health scales and disregard for clinical judgment has led to many mistaken conclusions. Specifically, standard mental health scales appear unable to distinguish between genuine mental health and the facade or illusion of mental health created by psychological defenses. Evidence is presented indicating that (1) many people who look healthy on standard and mental health scales are not psychologically healthy and (2) illusory mental health (based on defensive denial of distress) has psychological costs and may be a risk factor for medical illness. Clinical judges could distinguish genuine from illusory mental health, whereas "objective" mental health scales could not. The findings call into question the conclusions of many previous studies that rest on standard mental health scales. They suggest new ways of understanding how psychological factors may influence health. Finally, they suggest that clinical methods (which researchers often malign) may have an important role to play in meaningful mental health research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parkinson's disease: The psychological aspects of a chronic illness.

In a review of the literature on the psychological and social aspects of Parkinson's disease, it is noted that since the discovery of the underlying neuropathology of parkinsonism, research on its psychological aspects has had a biomedical orientation and has focused almost exclusively on the depression and cognitive impairment observed in a substantial proportion of Parkinson's patients. Present evidence does not permit firm conclusions about the relative contributions of neurological and psychosocial factors to these symptoms. Methodological problems, reliance on indirect evidence, and the paucity of psychosocial data all contribute to the inconclusiveness of the findings. It is argued that a comprehensive understanding of the psychological aspects of Parkinson's disease depends on combining the investigation of how individual patients experience and adapt to their illness with the prevailing biomedical approach to research. (117 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a better understanding of psychological contract breach: A study of customer service employees.

Experiences of psychological contract breach have been associated with a range of negative behavior. However, much of the research has focused on master of business administration alumni and managers and made use of self-reported outcomes. Studying a sample of customer service employees, the research found that psychological contract breach was related to lower organizational trust, which, in turn was associated with perceptions of less cooperative employment relations and higher levels of absenteeism. Furthermore, perceptions of external market pressures moderated the effect of psychological contract breach on absenteeism. The study indicated that psychological contract breach can arise when employees perceive discrepancies between an organization's espoused behavioral standards and its actual behavioral standards, and this can affect discretionary absence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological aspects of smoker-nonsmoker interaction: Implications for public policy.

Legislated restriction of public smoking has become increasingly common on both the state and federal level over the past 2 decades. The resulting controversy has generally focused on the physiological effects of second-hand smoke while ignoring psychological aspects of smoker–nonsmoker interaction. This article reviews the psychological literature related to this issue and concludes (1) that legislated separation of these groups is necessary and (2) that this can be accomplished successfully only when those creating no-smoking and smoking-permitted areas pay close attention to environmental cues attended to by the users of those areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Deci and Ryan.

Reports an error in "Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains" by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan (Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 2008[Feb], Vol 49[1], 14-23). Figure 1 on page 17 was incorrect. The correct figure is printed in the text. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-03783-002.) Self-determination theory (SDT) differentiates motivation, with autonomous and controlled motivations constituting the key, broad distinction. Research has shown that autonomous motivation predicts persistence and adherence and is advantageous for effective performance, especially on complex or heuristic tasks that involve deep information processing or creativity. Autonomous motivation is also reliably related to psychological health. Considerable research has found interpersonal contexts that facilitate satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness to enhance autonomous motivation, which comprises intrinsic motivation and well-internalized extrinsic motivation. SDT has been applied in varied cultures and in many life domains, and research is reviewed that has related autonomous and controlled motivation to education, parenting, work, health care, sport, and close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A brief reminder about documenting the psychological consultation.

The documentation of clinical services has taken on unprecedented importance for practicing psychologists. Structuring quality care, decreasing liability exposure, and fulfilling requirements for reimbursement are primary objectives in pursuing thorough documentation practices. As a practice aid and a brief reminder, the authors review the basic structure for documenting an initial evaluation, highlighting content areas that are felt to be important for attaining the objectives noted above. The authors suggest that psychologists use the term psychological consultation to specify this procedure, designating it as a distinct process from psychological testing or psychological treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)