Black students' counselor preference and attitudes toward counseling center use.

Surveyed 42 female and 33 male Black college students to determine factors related to Black student use of the university counseling center. Counselor preference, sex of client, sex of counselor, race of counselor, and type of problem were analyzed as to their effects on counseling center use. Results indicate that Black clients preferred Black counselors and that the likelihood of taking a problem to the counseling center increased as counselor preference increased. Also, the likelihood of taking a problem to the center was significantly greater if the counselor to be seen was Black rather than White. Client and counselor sex, and type of problem (personal or educational-vocational) had no effect on potential counseling center usage. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of neuroticism in daily stress and coping.

The authors examined the influence of neuroticism (N) on the occurrence of different types of daily events, primary and secondary appraisals of those events, use of specific coping strategies, and end-of-day negative mood. College students completed questionnaires at the end of every day for 14 consecutive days. When reporting their most stressful event of each day, high-N individuals, compared with low-N individuals, reported more interpersonal stressors and had more negative primary and secondary appraisals and reacted with more distress in response to increasingly negative primary and secondary appraisals. Compared with low-N individuals, high-N individuals used less-adaptive coping strategies (e.g., hostile reaction) and reacted with more distress in response to some types of coping strategies. The appraisal findings, in particular, help to explain the chronic negative affectivity associated with neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor race and experience effects on black clients.

Investigated how black freshmen Ss rated counselor effectiveness and if these ratings reflected the race or experience level of the counselors. 17 Ss participated in initial interviews with 4 counselors, 2 black counselors, 1 experienced and 1 inexperienced, and 2 white counselors, with the same experience differences as the black counselors. Upon completion of the 4 interviews, Ss rated each of the counselors on 3 counselor dimensions and indicated those counselors they would be willing to return to for future counseling. Unlike previous research findings, Ss did not show a preference for the counselors as a function of race but did show a preference as a function of the counselors' experience level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antidepressants and biochemical theories of depression.

Reviews recent biochemical and neurophysiological findings on depression. Early interest in amine uptake systems, notably serotonin and norepinephrine, which dominated the literature for many years, has now shifted to research on more complex amine receptor systems and the importance of amine receptor changes in depression. It is concluded that although much important work has been done, a singular or comprehensive theory of depression from the biological perspective has not yet been developed. There may be multiple biochemical and psychological pathways to depression. (101 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment and treatment of suicidal clients in a university counseling center.

Two studies addressed assessment and treatment issues pertaining to suicidal student-clients. In Study 1, the theoretical construction and psychometric properties of the Suicide Status Form (SSF) were described. Results suggest that SSF items have good convergent validity, strong criterion-prediction validity, and moderate test-retest reliability. In Study 2, the SSF was applied to a sample of suicidal student-clients. Results suggest differences between client and clinician pretreatment SSF ratings. Client (not clinician) pretreatment SSF ratings could be used to correctly classify clients into acute resolver and chronic nonresolver treatment-outcome groups. Whereas all suicidal student-clients globally improved with treatment, chronic nonresolvers remained suicidally preoccupied throughout the academic year. These findings are discussed with regard to training, clinical practice, and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy of elderly and adolescent volunteer counselors in a nursing home setting.

Reliance on the use of volunteers and lay paraprofessionals in human services delivery has increased with the rising demand and shortage of professional providers. We examined the effects of a volunteer training program on depression levels of nursing home residents. The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was used to identify 60 moderately depressed residents. A total of 20 volunteer counselors (10 elderly, 10 adolescent) were trained in empathic listening, and 20 volunteer counselors (10 elderly, 10 adolescent) were only given information regarding the aging process. Counselors and nursing home residents met twice a week for 5 weeks. Zung SDS posttest results showed that residents who received a volunteer counselor significantly improved (p