Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Zuckerman, Marvin; Sola, Steven; Masterson, Jill; Angelone, James V.

doi: 10.1037/h0076738pmid: 1159116

Administered MMPIs to 145 17-23 yr old male and female drug abusers on admission to 3 therapeutic communities. Retests were done after 3 mo for the females and at the finish of the 1st phase of the program (6-8 mo) for all who stayed. Comparisons of stayers and quitters showed quitters higher on the F and psychotic scales with more 2-point codes containing 2 psychotic scales. Stayers more frequently showed a psychopathic (49-94) pattern. With the exception of Ma, most clinical scales decreased after residence in the communities, leaving a residual psychopathic profile (49-94) in 63% of the residents. Depressive-neurotic patterns virtually disappeared and were assumed to have been reactive rather than causal in the drug abuser.

Hepner, Alain; Cauthen, Nelson R.

doi: 10.1037/h0076740pmid: 239971

Investigated the influence of 2 of the variables in H. Leitenberg's graduated exposure technique for treating phobias, graduated exposure, and S control of the exposure time. 15 snake-phobic 18-60 yr old undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: Group 1, S control, graduated exposure, feedback; Group 2, E control, graduated exposure, feedback; and Group 3, E control, nongraduated exposure, feedback. The exposure time of Group 2 was yoked to Group 1, and the exposure time for Ss in Group 3 was equal to the average time in Group 1. All treatments significantly reduced phobic behavior, as measured by avoidance behavior in the presence of the phobic object. Greatest reduction in behavioral avoidance was shown by Group 1, followed by Group 2. Group 3 showed the least reduction. Subjective fear significantly decreased from pretesting to posttesting for all groups, but the groups did not differ from each other on the posttest. (18 ref)

Felner, Robert D.; Stolberg, Arnold; Cowen, Emory L.

doi: 10.1037/h0076718pmid: 1159117

Conducted 2 studies investigating the impact of 2 types of potential crisis-producing experiences on the referral patterns of maladapting 5-10 yr old school children: parental separation and divorce and parental death. Ss in Study 1 were 108 children with a history of parental separation or divorce and 32 with a history of parent death. Study 2 used 226 Ss, 188 with separation-divorce histories and 38 with parental death histories. Both "crisis" groups were compared first to demographically matched referred controls, without crisis histories, and then directly to each other. Each crisis group had a significantly higher overall maladjustment score than its respective control group. Ss with histories of parent death were significantly more anxious, depressed, and withdrawn than their matched controls; whereas separation-divorce Ss had significantly more aggression and acting-out problems than their controls. These effects remained (a) when initial maladjustment differences were ruled out and (b) in a direct comparison of matched death and divorce Ss. The association between specific crisis history and specific school maladjustment patterns is seen to have implications for early detection and preventive efforts. (31 ref)

Holmes, David S.; Urie, Robert G.

doi: 10.1037/h0076735pmid: 1159118

Prior to beginning therapy, 88 6-12 yr olds participated in either a therapy preparation interview (i.e., they were told what therapy was for, what the therapist would do, and what they should do) or a social history interview that was irrelevant to therapy. Results show that prepared Ss were less likely to terminate therapy prematurely. Ratings made after the 1st, 3rd, and 6th therapy sessions revealed that over sessions therapists indicated greater liking for Ss and both therapists and parents perceived improvement in Ss, but in no case was the effect enhanced by therapy preparation. Finally, there was no agreement (r = .07) between therapists and parents when rating improvement in general, but there was very high agreement (r = .66) when rating improvement on "target symptoms," a finding with implications for future therapy research.

Endler, Norman S.; Okada, Marilyn

doi: 10.1037/h0076643pmid: 1159119

Administered the S-R (Stimulus-Response) Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness to 182 male and 204 female normal high school students, 150 male and 197 female normal adults, 34 male and 91 female neurotic patients, and 35 male and 10 female psychotics. Ss responded differentially to the 4 general types of situations (interpersonal, physical danger, ambiguous, and innocuous) and reported the most anxiety for the physical danger situation and the least for the innocuous situation. Neurotic Ss reported more anxiety than either normal or psychotic Ss. Factor analyses indicated the existence of 2 situational factors (Interpersonal and Physical Danger) and 2 modes of response factors (Physiological-Distress and Approach). Individual differences accounted for very little variance, and for normal females, situations accounted for more variance than Person * Situation interactions. Reliabilities for the situations were relatively high, and evidence is presented for the validity of the inventory as a multidimensional measure of trait anxiety. Practical and theoretical uses of the inventory are discussed. (30 ref)

Eisler, Richard M.; Hersen, Michel; Miller, Peter M.; Blanchard, Edward B.

doi: 10.1037/h0076717pmid: 1159120

Administered 32 assertive situations that varied in social-interpersonal context to 60 male 21-67 yr old hospitalized psychiatric patients via role playing. Half of the role-played situations required the expression of negative (hostile) assertiveness, and the other half required positive (commendatory) assertive expression. Situational context was varied by having Ss respond to male and female interpersonal partners who were either familiar or unfamiliar to Ss. Responses were videotaped and rated on 5 measures of speech content and 7 measures of nonverbal behavior. Additionally, groups of high- and low-assertive patients were identified from the total sample using a behavioral measure of global assertiveness and a self-report instrument. Results indicate that interpersonal behavior in assertive situations varied as a function of social context. Further, high- and low-assertive Ss were differentiated on the basis of 9 of the 12 measures of interpersonal behavior. Support for a stimulus specific theory of assertive behaviors and implications for assertive training are discussed. (21 ref)

Stern, Stephen L.; Moore, Samuel F.; Gross, Steven J.

doi: 10.1037/h0076736pmid: 1159121

Conducted a study with 68 male outpatients (mean age, 29.5 yrs) to determine whether previous research in the area of premature termination had confounded personality with social class variables. It was hypothesized that while middle- and lower-class Ss might differ on 3 personality characteristics previously shown to be related to premature termination, no differences on these personality characteristics would be found between Ss who terminated and those who remained within any single social class. The Terminator-Remainer Scale was administered to 34 lower- and 34 middle-class Ss. Half of each group was identified as terminators or remainers. A 2 * 2 factorial analysis of variance with planned comparisons tested the hypothesis. Results confirm the hypothesis for the Behavior Disturbance and Modified F scales but not for the modified Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale. In addition, it was found that the prediction of termination with the Terminator-Remainer Scale seemed to be made primarily on the basis of social class.

Franco, Edward A.; Kulberg, Gordon E.

doi: 10.1037/h0076693pmid: 1159122

Investigated the relationship of male college students' scores on the A-B dimension to the content of their natural language elicited in dyadic situations. 28 Ss randomly paired after having taken the A-B scale were instructed to talk about personal issues for 45 min. 10-min segments of these recorded sessions were transcribed, categorized, and counted according to the Harvard III Psychosociological Dictionary and C. Martindale's Regressive Imagery Dictionary. Correlations between content categories and A-B scores were calculated using a partial correlation procedure controlling for response productivity. As predicted, Bs were more defensive, focused on others, concerned with roles and institutions, and male-oriented than were As. (17 ref)

Lando, Harry A.

doi: 10.1037/h0076741pmid: 1159123

In a study of aversive control of smoking behavior, 27 females and 18 males (mean age, 30.9 yrs; mean yrs as a smoker, 13.1; mean baseline cigarettes/day, 31.6) were randomly assigned to rapid smoking, excessive smoking, or control conditions. Ss attended 6 treatment sessions over a 1-wk period. Prescribed smoking was carried on in both the laboratory and outside environment. A breath test measuring concentration of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream was used as a check on the reliability of self-reports. Overall, there was a statistically reliable treatment effect, according to measures of percentage reductions in smoking and Ss maintaining total abstinence. However, treatment effect had disappeared at 12-mo follow-up. Experimental and control groups showed considerable relapse independent of condition, with only 20% of Ss remaining abstinent.