Arab and Israeli counseling trainees: A comparison of ethnically homogeneous and heterogeneous groups.

The study compared Arab and Jewish trainees in ethnically homogeneous and heterogeneous groups, in 1 counselor training program in Israel. The 60 participants were divided into 4 conditions: Jewish trainees in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups (n=15 in each), and Arab trainees in homogeneous and heterogeneous groups (n=15 in each). Functioning in the group was measured through group climate (engagement, conflict, and avoidance), group intimacy, self-disclosure, and regret of disclosure. Results indicated cultural differences only on self-disclosure, with Arabs scoring lower than Jews on several dimensions. Group composition differences were mainly indicated on the climate measure, with higher scores in the heterogeneous group on conflict and avoidance, and lower scores on regret of feeling exposure. Culture-by-group interactions were found for engagement, self-disclosure, and regret after disclosure about self, with Arabs in heterogeneous groups scoring higher on the first 2 and lower on the third. These results recommend placing Arab trainees in heterogeneous groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapeutic Bonding in Group as an Explanatory Variable of Progress in the Social Competence of Students With Learning Disabilities.

This study, conducted in Israel, explores the efficacy of an expressive-supportive group psychotherapy in helping adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficits (ADD and ADHD) to increase social competence and friendship. Bonding with the therapist and group members was tested as an explanatory variable of outcomes. The study included 87 students with LD from seven different schools who had been referred to school counseling centers because of social, emotional, and behavior difficulties. The students in each school were randomly divided into experimental and wait-list conditions. Children in the experimental conditions (n = 42) participated in seven small groups, in 15 weekly sessions of group therapy conducted by trained school counselors. Results indicated gains on the social competence measure, but not on the friendship-intimacy measure. Therapist-related bonding was more frequently related to outcomes than member-related bonding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How does group process research inform leaders of counseling and psychotherapy groups?

This article focuses on processes in groups with children conducted in the school and the lessons that practitioners can learn. It includes issues of screening and selection processes, therapeutic factors, feedback in the group, child behavior, and leader behavior. Overall, it seems that group processes with children are somewhat unique. Knowing and understanding them may help group therapists improve their work with children in small counseling groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patients' reported initial reactions to abrupt disruption of psychotherapy: The aftermath of a doctors' strike.

Interviewed 20 patients (aged 19–70 yrs) whose psychotherapies were interrupted by a strike by medical doctors. Two patterns were indicated by interview data. One was characterized by initial emotional distress reaction, reactivation of previous trauma, and intensification of psychiatric symptoms. The other was characterized by relative absence of these phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of wax coatings and postharvest storage on sensory quality and aroma volatile composition of ‘Mor’ mandarins

BACKGROUND: Mandarins suffer from accumulation of off‐flavours after harvest. In this study the sensory quality and aroma profile composition of homogenised segments of untreated (control) and wax‐coated ‘Mor’ mandarins after 7 days at 20 °C or 3 or 6 weeks of cold storage at 5 °C were examined. RESULTS: Fruit taste score decreased during storage and following wax coating, and this was attributed to decreases in sourness and mandarin flavour and accumulation of off‐flavours. Aroma profiling identified 31 volatiles that decreased by at least 50% during storage and after waxing and thus may be involved in the observed flavour loss. In contrast, 13 volatiles, mostly belonging to ethanol fermentation and fatty acid and amino acid catabolism pathways, significantly increased at least twofold and probably contributed to off‐flavour enhancement. CONCLUSION: The results showed that after harvest there was a progressive decrease in sensory quality of ‘Mor’ mandarins. It is proposed that observed decreases in contents of sesqui‐ and monoterpenes and short‐chain oxygenated fatty acids may contribute to the decrease in mandarin flavour, whereas increases in the contents of ethanol fermentation metabolites and derivates of fatty acid and amino acid catabolism are most likely involved in causing the enhanced sensation of off‐flavours. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Identification of aroma‐active compounds in fresh and stored ‘Mor’ mandarins

In this study, gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC‐O) (sniffing) combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analysis was applied to identify volatile aroma‐active compounds in homogenised segments of fresh and stored ‘Mor’ mandarins. The GC‐O nasal impact frequency method was used to identify Twenty‐three aroma‐active compounds, of which seventeen odorants were identified by GC‐MS. The aroma of fresh ‘Mor’ mandarins derived from a mixture of eleven odorants that contribute ‘green’ [(E)‐3‐hexenol and hexanal], ‘fresh’ [(E)‐carveol], ‘fruity’ (ethyl 2‐methylbutanoate), ‘citrus’ (limonene), ‘floral’ (linalool), ‘musty’ (β‐myrecene and γ‐terpinene), ‘potato’ (α‐terpinene), ‘mushroom’ (unknown 2) and ‘cabbage’ (α‐cubebene) odours. During postharvest, storage losses were observed in ‘green’ [(E)‐3‐hexenol] and ‘fresh’ [(E)‐carveol] odours, accompanied by increases in ‘fruity’ (ethyl propanoate) and several unpleasant aromas, such as ‘alcohol’ (ethanol), ‘musty’ [α‐pinene, (E)‐2‐nonenal and 1‐terpinen‐4‐ol] and ‘fatty’ (octyl acetate and δ‐cadinene) odours, all of which possibly account for the observed decrease in sensory acceptability after harvest.