Andrew W. Meisler

Reliability and validity of the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale

The present research evaluated the psychometric properties of a brief self-report instrument designed to assess appraisal of diabetes. Two hundred male subjects completed the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS) and provided blood samples that were subsequently assayed to provide an index of glycemic control (i.e., glycosylated hemoglobin). Subjects also completed either (a) additional measures of diabetes-related health beliefs, diabetic daily hassles, perceived stress, diabetic adherence, and psychiatric symptoms or (b) the ADS on two additional occasions. Results indicated that the ADS is an internally consistent and stable measure of diabetes-related appraisal. The validity of the measure was supported by correlational analyses which documented the relationship between the ADS and several related self-report measures.

Psychiatric symptoms in mentally ill chemical abusers.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether mentally ill chemical abusers (MICA patients) report greater distress than do psychiatric patients who do not abuse psychoactive substances. Thirty-two MICA patients and 31 non-substance-abusing patients completed the SCL-90-R. Group comparisons indicated that MICA patients reported greater levels of somatization, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsiveness, paranoia, and psychotic symptoms. MICA patients also reported greater overall distress than did psychiatric patients without substance abuse problems.

Depressed Affect and Male Sexual Arousal

We investigated the effects of elated and depressed affect on sexual arousal in 15 sexually functional males. Subjects received elation and depression mood inductions in a repeated-measures design. Immediately following each induction, subjects viewed a brief erotic film during which penile tumescence and subjective sexual arousal were recorded continuously. Following depression induction there was a trend toward diminished subjective sexual arousal in the early portion of erotic exposure, and achievement of maximum subjective arousal was delayed; however, penile tumescence was unaffected. Multiple regression analysis indicated that tumescence during erotica was predictive of posterotica affect, independent of pre-erotica affect. The findings of delayed subjective arousal with no diminution in tumescence, although contrary to predictions, are consistent with previous research with sexually dysfunctional men. The study provides partial support for the role of depressed affect in the etiology of erectile dysfunction.

Learned Resourcefulness, Drinking, and Smoking in Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learned resourcefulness and two common addictive behaviors, namely, drinking and smoking. Male and female college students (N = 175) completed the Self-Control Schedule (SCS), the Quantity-Frequency-Variability questionnaire, and a smoking history form. Learned resourcefulness was related to self-reported patterns of alcohol consumption; specifically, heavy drinking subjects were lower in learned resourcefulness than were light and moderate drinkers who, in turn, were lower in learned resourcefulness than were infrequent drinkers and abstainers. Learned resourcefulness was only modestly related to smoking, with students who had never smoked evidencing somewhat higher learned resourcefulness than ex-smokers and current smokers. Overall, these data provide correlational support for the notion that learned resourcefulness may protect young adults against substance abuse.

A critical reevaluation of nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring in the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction

The use of nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) monitoring for the differential diagnosis of erectile dysfunction has burgeoned during the last decade. This article reviews the history, development, and attempts at validation of NPT for diagnostic purposes. Problems associated with NPT are discussed, including the potential effects of unrecorded concomitant sleep parameters and variability in data scoring and diagnostic criteria. In addition, less expensive and more convenient methods of NPT monitoring are reviewed, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Finally, theoretical problems related to the use of NPT for differential diagnosis of organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunctions are presented. In light of the problems associated with NPT monitoring, exclusive reliance on this technique for diagnostic purposes is discouraged. Instead, a biopsychosocial approach to the understanding and assessment of erectile dysfunction is advocated

Use of the Malleable Penile Prosthesis in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: A Prospective Study of Postoperative Adjustment

Much of the research on the postoperative adjustment of penile prosthesis recipients and their partners has been hampered by retrospective designs, unreliable assessment procedures and other methodological limitations. To address these shortcomings and to increase current knowledge regarding postoperative adjustment, we completed a prospective, longitudinal study of 19 implant recipients and their partners. Our results suggest that most patients and partners were satisfied with the prosthesis 1 year postoperatively, although use of the prosthesis sometimes was accompanied by short-term complications. Satisfaction tended to be lower among spouses than patients. Frequency of sexual intercourse increased during the followup period but there were no changes in sexual desire. Neither marital nor psychological adjustment changed significantly during this period.

Boundaries Around Group Interaction: A Meta-Analytic Integration of the Effects of Group Size

Abstract We report a meta-analytic integration that summarizes American research by psychologists on the effects of group size on the permeability of group boundaries. Results indicate that the tendency for larger groups to have less permeable boundaries is highly significant but of small magnitude. This impermeability generally increases as a function of the relative size of the larger group and decreases as a function of the interpersonal distance between members of the group. However, the tendency to skirt around the boundary of a larger group was significantly greater when real behavior in real group settings was measured as compared with when paper-and-pencil measures were obtained in imaginary group settings. Moreover, impermeability was greater for real groups when group members stood closer together, whereas it was greater for imaginary groups when they stood farther apart.

Cue-Controlled Relaxation and “Aromatherapy” in the Treatment of Speech Anxiety

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the separate and combined effects of cue-controlled relaxation training and “aromatherapy” as treatments for reducing speech anxiety. Thirty-six speech anxious subjects were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: cue-controlled relaxation with a word cue, cue-controlled relaxation with an aroma cue, “aromatherapy” alone, and a wait list (i.e., control) group. Prior to treatment, subjects completed the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, Fear of Negative Evaluation questionnaire, S-R Inventory of Anxiousness-Speech Form, Cognitive Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire, and Multiple Affect Adjective Check List; subjects also performed a speech which was rated for behavioral signs of anxiety. The assessment protocol was repeated following treatment, and at a two-month follow-up. Thirty-two of 36 subjects (89%) provided complete data at post-treatment, and 23 of 28 treated subjects (82%) provided complete data at follow-up. Results indicated that subjects in both cue-controlled relaxation conditions decreased their speech anxiety more than did the subjects in the aromatherapy or control conditions.

Success and failure in penile prosthesis surgery: two cases highlighting the importance of psychosocial factors

Two cases, carefully selected from a longitudinal, prospective investigation of the relationship between psychosocial variables and postsurgical adjustment to a penile prosthesis implantation, were studied intensively. In both cases, the patient and sexual partner were assessed, presurgically, on a number of psychological, marital, and sexual functioning variables; their subsequent satisfaction with the prosthesis, and their psychological, marital, and sexual adjustment were measured at 6 and 12 months postsurgery. Despite many similarities in medical aspects of the surgery, for one couple a successful outcome was evidenced, whereas the other couple demonstrated a therapeutic failure despite the technical success of the surgery. Psychosocial differences between the couples were identified as they may relate to the discordant outcomes observed. Clinical implications of these results are discussed, as are the strengths and weaknesses of our methodological approach.