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Another breed of “service” animals: STARS study findings about pet ownership and recovery from serious mental illness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study elucidates the role of pets in recovery processes among adults with serious mental illness. Data derive from interviews with 177 HMO members with serious mental illness (52.2% women, average age 48.8 years) in the Study of Transitions and Recovery Strategies (STARS). Interviews and questionnaires addressed factors affecting recovery processes and included questions about pet ownership. Data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory method to identify the roles pets play in the recovery process. Primary themes indicate pets assist individuals in recovery from serious mental illness by (a) providing empathy a...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Wisdom, Jennifer P.; Saedi, Goal Auzeen; Green, Carla A. Source Type: journals

Factors associated with the adjustment of foster children in the Netherlands.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Information obtained from 419 case files was used to investigate the associations between the foster child’s adjustment to the foster family and factors in the histories of the child and the parents, as well as factors in the relationship between foster children and their biological parents while they are placed in foster care. Problems in the foster child’s prior history, particularly attachment disorders and the experience of replacements, affect the extent of adjustment to the foster family. In-home visits by the child and the absence of parental permission to stay with the foster family are two factors related to t...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Strijker, Johan; Knorth, Erik J. Source Type: journals

Peer sexual harassment victimization at school: The roles of student characteristics, cultural affiliation, and school factors.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examines the links between students’ reports of sexual harassment victimization by peers and a number of individual and school contextual factors. It is based on a nationally representative sample of 16,604 students in Grades 7 through 11 in 327 schools across Israel who completed questionnaires during class. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to examine the links. Overall, approximately one in four students (25.6%) were victims of at least one unwanted and unwelcome act of harassment by peers (such as being touched or pinched in sexual manner) in the prior month. The most vulnerable groups were Israeli-Ara...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Attar-Schwartz, Shalhevet Source Type: journals

Traumatic events involving friends and family members in a sample of African American early adolescents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study found that violent and nonviolent traumatic events were pervasive in the lives of these urban youth, and that they were as likely to report loss and injury of a close other through an accident as an act of violence. There were strong gender differences in the data. Unexpectedly, injury or loss of a close friend or family member from nonviolent events, but not from violent events, predicted PTSD, internalizing, and depression for boys. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for school-based universal interventions in communities where large numbers of children live with loss and trauma. (PsycINF...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jenkins, Esther J.; Wang, Edward; Turner, Larry Source Type: journals

Sociocultural disadvantage, traumatic life events, and psychiatric symptoms in preadolescent children.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Previous research has demonstrated impact of psychosocial adversity on the mental health of children. This cross-sectional study examined specific influences of psychosocial adversity on internalizing versus externalizing symptoms, as explained by relative neighborhood disadvantage, sociocultural disadvantage, and exposure to interpersonal and non-interpersonal traumatic life events. Participants included 258 children aged 6 to 12 years from two Swedish elementary schools located in two socioeconomically distinct neighborhood settings. Information was obtained from their parents by means of questionnaires (a demographic fo...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Gustafsson, Per E.; Larsson, IngBeth; Nelson, Nina; Gustafsson, Per A. Source Type: journals

Thriving as becoming resolute in narratives of women surviving childhood maltreatment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study offers a new understanding of the experience of women gaining solid footing in their lives, the peace of knowing the abuse is over, and power to move in an upward trajectory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Hall, Joanne M.; Roman, Marian W.; Thomas, Sandra P.; Travis, Cheryl Brown; Powell, Jill; Tennison, Clifton R.; Moyers, Karen; Shoffner, Dava H.; Bolton, Kimberly M.; Broyles, Tonya; Martin, Tracey; McArthur, Polly M. Source Type: journals

Conducting filial therapy with homeless parents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article’s purpose is to (a) educate clinicians about the psychological complexities of homelessness with parents and their children and (b) highlight the benefits of using filial therapy as an evidence-based intervention with this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kolos, Amie C.; Green, Eric J.; Crenshaw, David A. Source Type: journals

Parenting adults who become homeless: Variations in stress and social support.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article focuses on the stressors of parenting an adult child who experiences homelessness. Parents whose adult children become homeless may provide support to this child, but they may also subsequently experience stress and require social support themselves. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that parents who spend more time or money helping their homeless adult offspring experience higher levels of stress. Results also show higher levels of stress among parents who helped with activities of daily living and among parents who worked to prevent harm involving their adult homeless offspring. Among 37 respon...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Polgar, Michael F.; North, Carol S.; Pollio, David E. Source Type: journals

Effects of social support and conflict on parenting among homeless mothers.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined the impact of conflict and social support on parenting behaviors in a sample of mothers who are homeless and were involved in a study of case management interventions of varying intensity. We found that women who reported high emotional and instrumental social support self-reported greater improvements in parenting consistency over time than those who reported lower levels of support. However, three-way interactions showed that conflict in support networks was a risk factor for harsh parenting practices among participants who reported lower levels of instrumental social support. Results suggest that soc...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Marra, Jaime V.; McCarthy, Elissa; Lin, Hsiu-Ju; Ford, Julian; Rodis, Eleni; Frisman, Linda K. Source Type: journals

Parenting, parental mental health, and child functioning in families residing in supportive housing.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Long-term homelessness is associated with other psychosocial risk factors (e.g., adult mental illness, substance abuse, and exposure to violence). All of these factors are associated with impairments in parenting effectiveness and child adjustment, but there are very limited data investigating parenting among families who are homeless and highly mobile. In particular, there is no literature examining the relationships among observed parenting, parental mental health, and child adjustment in a supportive housing sample. Data are reported from a multimethod study of 200 children in 127 families residing in supportive housing...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Gewirtz, Abigail H.; DeGarmo, David S.; Plowman, Elizabeth J.; August, Gerald; Realmuto, George Source Type: journals

Examining the impact of parental risk on family functioning among homeless and housed families.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study used data from 132 families that were homeless and a comparison group of 434 housed families in order to compare family functioning across the two groups. Family functioning was assessed by family support workers when the families sought help from one of seven family service agencies in Washington, DC. Multiple regression models showed that there were few differences between homeless and housed families; a difference that did emerge showed that homeless families fared better than housed families in terms of children’s developmental stimulation. However, when considering the compounding effects of additi...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Howard, Kimberly S.; Cartwright, Steven; Barajas, R. Gabriela Source Type: journals

What research tells us about the intersecting streams of homelessness and foster care.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper reviews mounting evidence linking foster care and homelessness and considers new approaches for intervention. Although there is no causal evidence that family homelessness leads to foster care or vice versa, the association no longer originates solely from samples of homeless people, but also from samples of people with childhood histories of foster care. Many programs work with families, children or youth based on their current living situations and limits imposed by funders. This results in discontinued services when the living situations change. Given the strong and consistent associations between homelessnes...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Zlotnick, Cheryl Source Type: journals

Parent-adolescent violence and later behavioral health problems among homeless and housed youth.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Parent-adolescent violence (i.e., violence between parents and adolescents) is an important pathway to homelessness and predicts poor behavioral health outcomes among youth. However, few studies have examined links between parent violence and outcomes among youth who are homeless. Existing research has also tended to ignore adolescent violence toward parents, despite evidence that mutual violence is common. The current study examines prospective links of parent-adolescent violence to outcomes among youth who were homeless and demographically matched youth, through two complementary substudies: (a) an exploratory factor ana...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Haber, Mason G.; Toro, Paul A. Source Type: journals

Commentary: A provider perspective on supporting parents who are homeless.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The author, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and member of the Mercy Children’s Health Outreach Project, an expansion program of Baltimore Health Care for the Homeless, works with families who are homeless. Her team consists of three pediatric nurse practitioners, a social worker, an arts program coordinator, and volunteers. They make weekly visits to eight sites, including emergency family shelters, transitional housing, a therapeutic daycare center, and a day drop-in center. The team provides medical and behavioral health care to children who are homeless and assists with educational issues. In this article, the author s...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Schulz, Betty Source Type: journals

Commentary: A consumer perspective on parenting while homeless.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The author describes her experiences of domestic violence, homelessness, and the services and programs she was forced to rely upon. She and her young daughter went in and out of temporary housing programs. At one point she was hospitalized, and her daughter was put into foster care, until her family was located. When she got better, she had to prove that she was a worthy parent to the Department of Social Services. She and her daughter are currently on the road to recovery. They were fortunate to have met some compassionate social workers, service providers who went above and beyond, her caring family doctor, and others in...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Fonfield-Ayinla, Gladys Source Type: journals

Parenting and homelessness: Overview and introduction to the special section.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This overview of parenting and homelessness includes the characteristics and needs of families who are homeless, with a focus on the unique challenges faced by mothers, fathers, and children. In addition, the authors discuss how homeless families are narrowly defined based on the family members who present at shelters and other service programs. In order to fully support parents and their children as they exit homelessness, homeless service programs should consider the broader context of the nontraditional family system and support networks. The overview also includes common challenges to parenting while homeless, a summar...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Paquette, Kristen; Bassuk, Ellen L. Source Type: journals

Special section on parenting and homelessness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The authors recognize those who supported the development of the special section on parenting and homelessness appearing in the current issue of American Journal of Orthopsychiatry., including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; the Journal's staff; and the Homeless Programs Branch, Division of Service and Systems Improvement, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which provided funding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 22, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Bassuk, Ellen L.; Paquette, Kristen; Gillis, Laura M. Source Type: journals

Contrasting concepts of depression in Uganda: Implications for service delivery in a multicultural context.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Depression is a rising public health concern worldwide. Understanding how people conceptualize depression within and across cultures is crucial to effective treatment in a global environment. In this article, we highlight the importance of considering both lay and professional perspectives when developing a culturally competent and contextually relevant model for service delivery. We conducted interviews with 246 Ugandan adults to elicit their explanatory belief models (EMs) about the nature of depression, its causes, social meanings, effects, help seeking, and treatment. Interviews were transcribed, content analyzed, and ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Johnson, Laura R.; Mayanja, Med Kajumba; Bangirana, Paul; Kizito, Simon Source Type: journals

Stigma and self-concept among adolescents receiving mental health treatment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Although studies indicate that adolescents diagnosed with mental disorders are stigmatized by the American public, we know very little about the extent to which stigma is experienced by these youth and its effects on their well-being. This cross-sectional study utilizes interviews with 60 adolescents treated in a wraparound program to examine: (a) the extent to which adolescents diagnosed and treated for psychiatric disorders experience mental illness stigma and cope by using secrecy, (b) the extent to which stigmatization is associated with self-concept (self-esteem, mastery, future outlook) and morale (depression), and (...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Moses, Tally Source Type: journals

Using the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale among Asian American college students: An exploratory factor analysis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, an exploratory factor analysis of the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale (PRIAS; Helms, 1995b) among a sample of Asian American college students (N = 225) was conducted. The factorial structure that emerged revealed mixed results in terms of consistency with the People of Color (POC) theory (Helms, 1995a). The measure’s construct validity for Asian Americans may be improved through further scale development and revision. Directions for future research on the PRIAS are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Perry, Justin C.; Vance, Kristen S.; Helms, Janet E. Source Type: journals

School-age adopted Chinese girls’ behavioral adjustment, academic performance, and social skills: Longitudinal results.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Longitudinal data on 177 school-age adopted Chinese girls (Time 1: mean age = 8.92 years, SD = 1.76; Time 2: mean age = 11.18 years, SD = 1.79) were analyzed to determine their long-term outcomes in behavioral adjustment, academic performance (measured with the Child Behavior Checklist/6–18), and social skills (measured with the Social Skills Rating System) and how these outcomes were related to preadoption adversity. More than 90% of the girls were adopted at 24 months or younger (M = 19.25, SD = 21.67). Results revealed that over a 2-year period, there was a moderate to strong stability in the children’s behavioral a...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tan, Tony Xing Source Type: journals

Coming in: An examination of people with co-occurring substance use and serious mental illness exiting chronic homelessness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Despite national efforts, the number of people who are chronically homeless in our cities remains high. People with serious mental illness and substance abuse problems continue to represent the majority of those experiencing long-term homelessness. Traditional shelters have difficulty engaging and addressing the needs of this group; however, there are an increasing number of alternative models, including the Safe Haven shelter program, developed to better meet their needs. In this article, the authors examine responses from 28 qualitative interviews conducted with 16 residents of a Safe Haven shelter serving chronically ho...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lincoln, Alisa K.; Plachta-Elliott, Sara; Espejo, Dennis Source Type: journals

Predictors of residential placement following a psychiatric crisis episode among children and youth in state custody.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined the extent and correlates of entry into residential care among 603 children and youth in state custody who were referred to psychiatric crisis services. Overall, 27% of the sample was placed in residential care within 12 months after their 1st psychiatric crisis screening. Among the children and youth placed in residential care, 51% were so placed within 3 months of their 1st crisis screening, with an additional 22% placed between 3 and 6 months after screening. Risk behavior and functioning, psychiatric hospitalization following screening, older age, placement type, and caregiver’s capacity for super...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Park, Jung Min; Jordan, Neil; Epstein, Richard; Mandell, David S.; Lyons, John S. Source Type: journals

Measuring mental health following traumatization: Psychometric analysis of the Kuwait Raha Scale using a random national household data set.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The authors report on the psychometric properties of the Kuwait Raha Scale (KRS), a measure developed to assess well-being among Kuwaitis. Specific aims of the study were to (a) evaluate competing models of the latent structure of the KRS using exploratory factor analysis and identify the best model, (b) compare the model developed from a nationally representative sample with the initial model reported with Kuwaiti undergraduate students, and (c) assess the discriminant validity of the KRS with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Factor analysis suggested that a 5-factor model best suited the data, whereas the developm...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Chapman, Paula; Figley, Charles R.; Ashkanani, Hadi Ridha; Al Naser, Fahad Source Type: journals

Posttraumatic stress symptoms in children after Hurricane Katrina: Predicting the need for mental health services.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study included 7,258 children and adolescents from heavily affected Louisiana parishes. Measures included the Hurricane Assessment and Referral Tool for Children and Adolescents developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN, 2005). Results were generally supportive of our hypotheses, and specific exposure and demographic variables were found to be strongly related to posttraumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Osofsky, Howard J.; Osofsky, Joy D.; Kronenberg, Mindy; Brennan, Adrianne; Hansel, Tonya Cross Source Type: journals

The Lost Boys of Sudan: Coping with ambiguous loss and separation from parents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Lost Boys of Sudan were separated from their families by civil war and subsequently lived in three other countries—Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 refugees about their experiences of separation from parents and ambiguous loss, and the coping strategies the youth used when they did not know if other members of their family were dead or alive. All of the youth reported using both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies. The youth also discussed the importance of support from peers and elders while they lived in the refugee camps. In addition, they reflect...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Luster, Tom; Qin, Desiree; Bates, Laura; Johnson, Deborah; Rana, Meenal Source Type: journals

Too close for comfort: Inadequate boundaries with parents and individuation in late adolescent girls.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This longitudinal study examined the ramifications of psychological control–guilt induction, parentification, triangulation, and blurring in parent–adolescent relationships for girls’ individuation and adjustment. The study followed 120 girls in their transition from high school to military service. Results from the variable-centered and person-centered analyses merged in underscoring the somewhat different developmental path of two groups of inadequate boundary constellations. The group with high guilt induction and psychological control, which involves rejection and invalidation of the child’s autonomous self, ev...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mayseless, Ofra; Scharf, Miri Source Type: journals

Mediating pathways explaining psychosocial functioning and revictimization as sequelae of parental violence among adolescent mothers.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study used structural equation modeling to investigate mediators of the effects of parental child abuse on later psychosocial functioning and revictimization (in the form of intimate partner violence and sexual violence) among adolescent mothers, with longitudinal data spanning 2.4 years. On psychological distress in the final time period, parental physical child abuse had an early and then maintained effect but also effects mediated by earlier psychological distress and revictimization. Psychological distress rather than substance use appeared as the primary psychosocial factor mediating the effects of parental viole...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lindhorst, Taryn; Beadnell, Blair; Jackson, Lovie J.; Fieland, Karen; Lee, Angela Source Type: journals

Women’s perspective on men’s control and aggression in intimate relationships.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The relationship of men’s self-control capability; their need to control their wives; and their use of verbal aggression, threats, and physical forms of aggression against their partners, as reported by women, were examined. Data were obtained from a stratified probability sample of 2,544 women drawn from the general population in Israel. Initially, structural equation modeling analysis showed that (a) men’s need to control their partners and their ability to control themselves were negatively related, and were 2 aspects of personal control; (b) men’s verbal aggression, threats of physical aggression and actual physi...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Winstok, Zeev; Perkis, Eila Source Type: journals

When oppression is the pathogen: The participatory development of socially just mental health practice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Social justice perspectives have revealed the ways that racist, sexist, heterosexist and classist assumptions are embedded within conventional mental health theory and practice. Moreover, recent research has explored the pathogenic influence of structural oppression on the emotional well-being of people impacted by it. How can practitioners develop socially just interventions in keeping with these findings, especially with regard to their practice with clients from oppressed groups? In addressing this question, the authors propose the participatory development of socially just mental health practice and provide three examp...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Smith, Laura; Chambers, Debbie-Ann; Bratini, Lucinda Source Type: journals

Socioeconomic status in the treatment of depression.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined outcomes and attrition across three treatments for depression in relation to socioeconomic status (SES). The study was based on data available from the Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCRP) of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH; Elkin, 1994), a multisite collaborative study that examined the effectiveness of two forms of psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy. Results indicated that lower SES, measured by the Hollingshead Index of Social Position, was associated with less improvement across all three treatments f...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Falconnier, Lydia Source Type: journals

Profane research versus researching the profane: Commentary on Basoglu (2009).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Torture survivors, therapists, and society look to behavioral science for help understanding the traumatization, needs, and treatment of torture survivors. Any research of torture can and possibly will be used by torturers to refine their abuse of prisoners. It is difficult but necessary to discern profane research from therapeutic research of a profane activity. M. Basoglu’s (2009) study of the traumatization of torture survivors is enormously helpful to clinicians who must heal and to policymakers who must understand the psychological toll of torture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Miles, Steven H. Source Type: journals

A multivariate contextual analysis of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatments: Implications for an evidence-based definition of torture.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Current thinking on what constitutes torture in a detention/interrogation setting focuses solely on particular procedures, without regard for contextual factors that mediate traumatic stress. The present study examined stressor interactions that determined severity and psychological impact of captivity stressors in 432 torture survivors in former Yugoslavia countries and Turkey. A principal components analysis of 46 captivity stressors measured by an Exposure to Torture Scale identified meaningful stressor clusters, which suggested that multiple detention procedures were used in combination to maximize their impact. Percei...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Basoglu, Metin Source Type: journals

Speaking up about the unspeakable.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Torture, an ugly word for an ugly act, evokes in most of us unpleasant visceral reactions. It would be comforting to relegate torture to a less enlightened past and believe that it is a phenomenon that civilized humans have moved past. However, although we may escape to comfortable corners of our mind to avoid the topic, torture does not go away. It has never gone away and until it does, it is a topic that demands our attention. This editorial introduces the article in this issue by Metin Basoglu on torture, as well as a commentary by Steven Miles. Basoglu has devoted his professional career to shedding light on, and scrut...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - June 6, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mohr, Wanda K. Source Type: journals

Cultural influences on help-seeking attitudes in Asian American students.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There is considerable evidence indicating that Asian American college students have less favorable attitudes toward and are less likely to use mental health services than other ethnic groups in the United States. Because a person's attitudes are often strongly associated with their voluntary behaviors, understanding what influences help-seeking attitudes may help shed light on why Asian American college students refrain from seeking mental health treatment. Andersen's Sociobehavioral Model is commonly used as a guide to understand help-seeking in the mainstream population. A modified version of this model that includes cul...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Ting, Julia Y.; Hwang, Wei-Chin Source Type: journals

Attributions to discrimination and depression among Latino/as: The mediating role of competence.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study examined the role of attributions to discrimination and competence in predicting depression among a sample of 93 Latino/a adults. The major findings showed that attributions to discrimination were related to decreases in both general competence and intercultural competence, which were in turn associated with increases in depressive symptoms. This pattern of results suggests that general and intercultural competence partially mediated the relationship between attributions to discrimination and depression. The findings are discussed within the context of the cultural adaptation process and factors that amel...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Torres, Lucas Source Type: journals

Lesbian and heterosexual preadoptive couples' openness to transracial adoption.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study uses data from 147 White preadoptive couples (54 lesbian, 93 heterosexual) to examine adopters' subjective explanations for why they are open or not open to adopting transracially. Participant perceptions of racial-ethnic diversity in their communities and families, perceptions of family support or nonsupport, and attitudes about race were among the factors they cited as influencing their openness. These findings hold important implications for training and service delivery in transracial adoption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Goldberg, Abbie E. Source Type: journals

Female adoptees' perceptions of contact with their birth fathers: Satisfactions and dissatisfactions with the process.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Qualitative data were analyzed to identify factors associated with adoptees' satisfactions or dissatisfactions in their contact experiences with their birth fathers. Participants were 17 women who had been adopted prior to 2 years of age and had subsequently met their birth fathers. All women completed a questionnaire and 7 also took part in a semistructured interview. Four main themes were identified that affected satisfaction with contact: birth fathers' attributes and behavior, adoptees' attributes (e.g., expectations), behavior of others (e.g., birth mother, birth father's family, and adoptive parents), and circumstanc...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Passmore, Nola L.; Chipuer, Heather M. Source Type: journals

Non-suicidal self-injury and eating pathology in high school students.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Although past research has explored self-injurious behaviors and disordered eating among adults in clinical settings, little research has been conducted examining nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating pathology in community samples of adolescents. Four hundred and 40 students were screened for the presence of NSSI; a prevalence rate of 13.9% was found. Those who indicated that they engaged in NSSI (n = 59) and a comparison group of non-self-injurers (n = 57) completed the Eating Disorders Inventory. Results indicate that students who engage in NSSI display significantly more eating pathology than their non-NSSI peers, ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Ross, Shana; Heath, Nancy L.; Toste, Jessica R. Source Type: journals

Victimization, anger, and gender: Low anger and passive responses work.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined the contributions of gender, anger, expectations of positive outcomes, and frequency of victimization by and bullying of peers among school-aged children to predict individual differences in intentions to respond to provocative events with nonassertive behavior. Children between the ages of 9 and 13 (N = 505, 246 female, 259 male) completed the Anger Response Inventory, Child Version (Tangney et al., 1996) and measures of victimization and bullying. Results of regression procedures demonstrated that female gender and low anger predicted ignoring and using distraction. Nonassertive responses, low anger, ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Champion, Kelly M. Source Type: journals

Cocaine-exposed infant behavior during Still-Face: Risk factor analyses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Prenatal cocaine exposure and the role of gender were evaluated using risk factor analyses to determine whether 6-month-old cocaine-exposed male infants demonstrated greater disruptions in infant–caregiver socioemotional interactions during a Still-Face test. Overall, non–cocaine-exposed infants spent more time looking at toys, compared with cocaine-exposed infants; nonexposed female infants spent more time scanning the environment, compared with nonexposed male infants. When caregiver behavior during the Still-Face was evaluated, differences emerged in amount of time the caregiver spent vocalizing to the infant. She v...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lewis, Marilyn W.; Phillips, Gary; Bowser, Melissa; DeLuca, Susan; Johnson, Helen L.; Rosen, Tove S. Source Type: journals

The longitudinal impact of HIV+ parents' drug use on their adolescent children.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The impact of parental substance use on the emotional and behavioral adjustment of their adolescent children was examined over 5 years. A representative sample of 220 parents with HIV (PWH) and 330 adolescent children in New York City were repeatedly assessed. Some parents never used marijuana or hard drugs over the 5 years (nonusers). Among those who were users, substance use varied over time. PWH who used substances during a specific 3-month period were classified as active users and those who abstained from substance use were classified as inactive users. Longitudinal regression analyses were used to analyze the impact ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lester, Patricia E.; Weiss, Robert E.; Rice, Eric; Comulada, W. Scott; Lord, Lynwood; Alber, Susan; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane Source Type: journals

Paternal and maternal influences on problem behaviors among homeless and runaway youth.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using an Attachment Theory conceptual framework, associations were investigated among positive paternal and maternal relationships, and recent problem behaviors among 501 currently homeless and runaway adolescents (253 males, 248 females). Homeless and runaway youth commonly exhibit problem behaviors such as substance use, various forms of delinquency and risky sex behaviors, and report more emotional distress than typical adolescents. Furthermore, attachments to their families are often strained. In structural equation models, positive paternal relationships significantly predicted less substance use and less criminal beh...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Stein, Judith A.; Milburn, Norweeta G.; Zane, Jazmin I.; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane Source Type: journals

Psychiatric disorders in property, violent, and versatile offending detained male adolescents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examines the past year prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders in detained male adolescents and the relation between psychiatric disorders and type of offending. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) was administered in a sample (N = 245) of male detained adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. Based on lifetime official criminal history, participants were classified into property, violent, and versatile subgroups. High rates of psychiatric disorders were found in all groups. In addition, property offenders reported significantly higher rates of depression, disruptive behavior disorders, substance u...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Colins, Olivier; Vermeiren, Robert; Schuyten, Gilberte; Broekaert, Eric Source Type: journals

Self-regulation and its relations to adaptive functioning in low income youths.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study indicates that self-regulation is robustly associated with a range of important indices of adaptive functioning across many domains. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for theory and intervention for children of diverse economic backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Buckner, John C.; Mezzacappa, Enrico; Beardslee, William R. Source Type: journals

Beyond point and level systems: Moving toward child-centered programming.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Many residential treatment facilities and child inpatient units in the United States have been structured by way of motivational programming such as the point and/or level systems. On the surface, they appear to be a straightforward contingency management tool that is based on social learning theory and operant principles. In this article, the authors argue that the assumptions upon which point and level systems are based do not hold up to close empirical scrutiny or theoretical validity, and that point and level system programming is actually counterproductive with some children, and at times can precipitate dangerous cli...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mohr, Wanda K.; Martin, Andres; Olson, James N.; Pumariega, Andres J.; Branca, Nicole Source Type: journals

The influence of religious participation on the adjustment of female inmates.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Incarcerated women at a state correctional facility (N = 213) participated in a study of the relationship between stress, adjustment, institutional misconduct, and degree of personal support derived from religious participation. A series of multivariate analyses of variance investigated differences on adjustment indicators between four groups of inmates who differed on their self-reported support from religious activities, while controlling for self-reported support for other institutional activities. Inmates who received high-level support from participation in religious activities reported significantly less depression, ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - March 16, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Levitt, Lacey; Loper, Ann Booker Source Type: journals

Relationship of stigma to HIV risk among women with mental illness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study tests the relationship between perceived stigma and HIV risk behaviors among women with SMI. The authors interviewed 92 women attending community mental health programs using the Stigma of Psychiatric Illness and Sexuality Among Women Questionnaire. There were significant relationships between personal experiences of mental illness and substance use accompanying sexual intercourse; perceived ethnic stigma and having a riskier partner type; and experiences of discrimination and having a casual or sex-exchange partner. Higher scores on relationship stigma were associated with a greater number of sexual risk behavi...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - January 5, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Collins, Pamela Y.; Elkington, Katherine S.; von Unger, Hella; Sweetland, Annika; Wright, Eric R.; Zybert, Patricia A. Source Type: journals

The association between timely outpatient visits and the likelihood of rehospitalization for schizophrenia patients.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study aims to examine the association between the frequency of timely outpatient visits and the likelihood of early rehospitalization in schizophrenia patients. After adjusting for gender, age, substance use, and length of stay, patients failing to attend any outpatient appointments within 2 months after discharge had significantly higher rehospitalization rates than those attending at least 1 appointment. Thus, timely outpatient visits, shortly after discharge, may be associated with a decreased risk of rehospitalizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - January 5, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Lin, Herng-Ching; Lee, Hsin-Chien Source Type: journals

How expressions of forgiveness, purpose, and religiosity relate to emotional intelligence and self-concept in urban fifth-grade students.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study investigated how the tendency to express forgiveness, purpose, and religiosity in a free-response essay relates to emotional intelligence and self-concept in 89 5th-graders (mean age = 10.84 years) from an urban public school district in New Jersey. Readers coded essays for expressions of forgiveness, purpose, and religiosity using originally developed rubrics. These data were compared with self-reports on scales of emotional intelligence and self-concept. It was hypothesized that expressions of the predictor variables would correlate positively with emotional intelligence and self-concept. In contrast to expres...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - January 5, 2009 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Van Dyke, Cydney J.; Elias, Maurice J. Source Type: journals