Comparative effectiveness of guided mastery and exposure treatments for intractable phobias.

Compared the exposure model and the self-efficacy model by randomly assigning 32 18–76 yr old individuals with driving or height phobias to 1 of the treatment conditions or to a control condition. Results show that treatments were equivalent in duration of exposure and in degree of inducement to confront threats rapidly, but the self-efficacy (mastery) model was significantly more effective than exposure in restoring Ss' behavioral functioning and diminishing their anticipated anxiety and performance-related anxiety. Both treatments were more effective than the control condition. It is suggested that self-efficacy predicted therapeutic behavior change significantly better than did anxiety, exposure duration, or performance level achieved during treatment. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Local anesthetic treatment significantly attenuates acute pain responding but does not prevent the neonatal injury-induced reduction in adult spinal behavioral plasticity.

Recent findings indicate that neonatal injury results in decreased spinal plasticity in adult subjects (E. E. Young, K. M. Baumbauer, A. E. Elliot, & R. L. Joynes, 2007). Previous research has shown that acute manipulations of pain processing (i.e., administration of formalin, carrageenan, capsaicin) result in a loss of spinal behavioral plasticity (A. R. Ferguson, E. D. Crown, & J. W. Grau, 2006). Moreover, neonatal injury results in a lasting reduction in adult spinally mediated plasticity resembling the deficit seen following acute manipulations in adults (E. E. Young et al., 2007). The present study was designed to determine whether the effects of neonatal injury could be prevented by lidocaine administration during the initial healing period. Subjects (injured or uninjured) received lidocaine or saline on 1 of 4 administration schedules (preinjury only, postinjury only, for 24 hr postsurgery, or for 72 hr postsurgery). Results demonstrated that lidocaine administration did not prevent the hypersensitivity and reduced spinal plasticity associated with neonatal injury. This suggests that (a) the mechanisms underlying neonatal injury are independent of peripheral input in the initial healing period and (b) lidocaine is ineffective at preventing long-term spinal plasticity changes following neonatal injury. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neonatal hind-paw injury disrupts acquisition of an instrumental response in adult spinal rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the impact of neonatal injury on adult spinal plasticity in rats. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions: (a) hind-paw injury at Postnatal Day (PD) 2, (b) hind-paw injury at PD 5, (c) anesthesia exposure only on PD 2, or (d) anesthesia exposure only on PD 5. Subjects receiving a unilateral neonatal hind-paw injury showed decreased mechanical threshold (hyperalgesia) on the previously injured hind paw throughout development. This decrease in threshold survived spinal transection (at T2) at 12 weeks of age. Injured subjects also showed significant impairment in a spinal instrumental learning task performed by the previously injured hind paw. This disruption of learning indicates a disruption of spinal plasticity that may be due to induction of long-term changes in nociceptive processing within the spinal cord. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Movement abnormalities and the progression of prodromal symptomatology in adolescents at risk for psychotic disorders.

The link between movement abnormalities and psychotic disorders is presumed to reflect common neural mechanisms that influence both motor functions and vulnerability to psychosis. The prodromal period leading to psychotic disorders represents both a viable point for intervention and a developmental period that, if studied, could shed light on etiology; however, no published studies have examined the temporal progression of this link. A group with high levels of prodromal symptomatology (i.e., adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder [SPD]; n = 42) and both psychiatric controls (with other personality disorders or conduct disorder [OD]; n = 30) and nonpsychiatric controls ([NC]; n = 49) were recruited. Videotapes of structured psychiatric interviews were coded for movement abnormalities by raters blind to participants' diagnostic status, and follow-up assessments were conducted 1 year later. Controlling for psychotropic medications, the authors found that adolescents with SPD exhibited significantly more motor abnormalities in the face and upper body than did OD and NC controls. At baseline, movement abnormalities were positively correlated with the severity of positive, negative, and total prodromal symptoms. Within the SPD group, baseline movement abnormalities predicted symptom severity 1 year later. Movement abnormalities represent an early risk indicator that may be predictive of later symptom severity and potentially of psychosis onset. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Male gender role conflict and willingness to seek counseling: Testing a mediation model on college-aged men.

Men who experience negative consequences of their socialized gender roles--that is, have greater gender role conflict--report less positive attitudes and willingness to seeking counseling. Using structural equation modeling with data from 575 undergraduate men, the authors examined 3 mediators (self-stigma associated with seeking counseling, tendency to disclose distressing information, and attitudes toward seeking counseling) regarding the link between gender role conflict and willingness to seek counseling for psychological and interpersonal concerns. Results indicated that this link was partially mediated by these 3 factors. Men experiencing greater gender role conflict were more likely to self-stigmatize and less likely to self-disclose. High self-stigma and less disclosure then led to less positive attitudes and subsequently to less willingness to seek counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Robust dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: Development and initial validation of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3.

Accumulating evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (fear of arousal-related sensations) plays an important role in many clinical conditions, particularly anxiety disorders. Research has increasingly focused on how the basic dimensions of anxiety sensitivity are related to various forms of psychopathology. Such work has been hampered because the original measure--the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI)--was not designed to be multidimensional. Subsequently developed multidimensional measures have unstable factor structures or measure only a subset of the most widely replicated factors. Therefore, the authors developed, via factor analysis of responses from U.S. and Canadian nonclinical participants (n = 2,361), an 18-item measure, the ASI-3, which assesses the 3 factors best replicated in previous research: Physical, Cognitive, and Social Concerns. Factorial validity of the ASI-3 was supported by confirmatory factor analyses of 6 replication samples, including nonclinical samples from the United States and Canada, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain (n = 4,494) and a clinical sample from the United States and Canada (n = 390). The ASI-3 displayed generally good performance on other indices of reliability and validity, along with evidence of improved psychometric properties over the original ASI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior of Am(V) in concentrated HNO<Subscript>3</Subscript> solutions containing potassium phosphotungstate K<Subscript>10</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>W<Subscript>17</Subscript>O<Subscript>61</Subscript>

The Am(V) disproportionation in (2–10) × 10^?3 M K₁₀P₂W₁₇O₆₁ (KPW) solutions in 1–7 M HNO₃ was studied spectrophotometrically. Under the experimental conditions, Am(VI) and Am(III) are the final products of Am(V) transformation; the process is described by the rate equation of a reversible reaction. The direct reaction follows the first-order rate equation with respect to Am(V) concentration, and the reverse reaction, the zero-order equation.     

Marriage and the spiritual realm: The role of proximal and distal religious constructs in marital functioning.

Ninety-seven couples completed questionnaires about their involvement in joint religious activities and their perceptions regarding the sanctification of marriage, including perceived sacred qualities of marriage and beliefs about the manifestation of God in marriage. In contrast to individual religiousness and religious homogamy (distal religious constructs), these proximal religious variables directly reflect an integration of religion and marriage, and they were associated with greater global marital adjustment, more perceived benefits from marriage, less marital conflict, more verbal collaboration, and less use of verbal aggression and stalemate to discuss disagreements for both wives and husbands. The proximal measures also added substantial unique variance (adjusted R2 change ranged from .06 to .48) to specific aspects of marital functioning after controlling demographic factors and distal religious variables in hierarchical regression analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Just teasing: A conceptual analysis and empirical review.

Drawing on E. Goffman's concepts of face and strategic interaction, the authors define a tease as a playful provocation in which one person comments on something relevant to the target. This approach encompasses the diverse behaviors labeled teasing, clarifies previous ambiguities, differentiates teasing from related practices, and suggests how teasing can lead to hostile or affiliative outcomes. The authors then integrate studies of the content of teasing. Studies indicate that norm violations and conflict prompt teasing. With development, children tease in playful ways, particularly around the ages of 11 and 12 years, and understand and enjoy teasing more. Finally, consistent with hypotheses concerning contextual variation in face concerns, teasing is more frequent and hostile when initiated by high-status and familiar others and men, although gender differences are smaller than assumed. The authors conclude by discussing how teasing varies according to individual differences and culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phase separation of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) solutions and gels using a near infrared fiber laser

We used a tunable near infrared fiber laser in the wavelength range of 1533–1573 nm to induce photothermal phase changes in poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) aqueous solutions and hydrogels. The laser induces the hydrophilic to hydrophobic transition of the polymer by heating the surrounding water. We report our observations of the phase changes based on using a novel fiber backreflectance method coupled with visual cloud point measurements. At 1533 nm the phase transition was induced at the end of a single mode optical fiber with 9 mW of power at an ambient temperature of 24°C. We found that the power required to reach the lower critical solution temperature was inversely proportional to the absorption spectrum of water. In addition, phase changes in both solutions and gels occurred very rapidly (<1 s) as the laser was turned on and off. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007