Dan J. Segrist

Negative and positive urgency may both be risk factors for compulsive buying

Background and aims: Descriptions of compulsive buying often emphasize the roles of negative moods and trait impulsivity in the development of problematic buying habits. Trait impulsivity is sometimes treated as a unidimensional trait in compulsive buying research, but recent factor analyses suggest that impulsivity consists of multiple components that are probably best treated as independent predictors of problem behavior. In order to draw greater attention to the role of positive moods in compulsive buying, in this study we tested whether negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly while in negative moods) and positive urgency (the tendency to act rashly while in positive moods) account for similar amounts of variance in compulsive buying. Methods: North American adults (N = 514) completed an online survey containing the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale (Ridgway, Kukar-Kinney & Monroe, 2008), established measures of positive and negative urgency (Cyders et al., 2007), ad hoc measures of buying-specific positive and negative urgency, measures of extraversion and neuroticism obtained from the International Personality Item Pool (http://ipip.ori.org/), and demographic questions. Results: In several multiple regression analyses, when demographic variables, neuroticism, and extraversion were controlled, positive urgency and negative urgency both emerged as significant predictors of compulsive buying. Whether the two urgency variables were domain-general or buying-specific, they accounted for similar amounts of variance in compulsive buying. Conclusions: Preventing and reducing compulsive buying may require attention not only to the purchasing decisions people make while in negative states, but also to the purchasing decisions they make while in positive states.

The Influence of Payment Method on Psychologists' Diagnostic Decisions Regarding Minimally Impaired Clients

Are psychotherapy clients who pay via health insurance more likely to receive Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM–IV], American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnoses than identical clients who pay out of pocket? Previous research (Kielbasa, Pomerantz, Krohn, & Sullivan, 2004) indicates that when psychologists consider a mildly depressed or anxious client, payment method significantly influences diagnostic decisions. This study extends the scope of the previous study to include clients whose symptoms are even less severe. Independent practitioners responded to vignettes of clients whose profiles deliberately included subclinical impairment and a high level of functioning. Half of the participants were told that the clients would pay via managed care; the other half were told that the clients would pay out of pocket. As in the earlier study, payment method had a highly significant impact on diagnosis such that relative to out-of-pocket clients, managed care clients were much more likely to be assigned DSM–IV diagnoses. In addition, a noteworthy percentage of participants assigned diagnoses regardless of payment method. Ethical implications are discussed.

The effect of psychologists’ disclosure of personal religious background on prospective clients

How would prospective clients be influenced by information presented by a psychologist at the outset of therapy regarding the psychologists’ personal religious background? The current study examined this question via five written vignettes in which hypothetical psychologists described themselves in terms of a variety of variables. The five vignettes varied only in the religious affiliation of the psychologist: atheist, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and no mention of religion. Regarding the self-reported likelihood that participants would see the psychologist, significant differences emerged between various therapist religious affiliations, especially for participants high in religiosity. Overall, results suggest that personal religious background disclosed by a psychologist at the outset of therapy may have a significant effect on the likelihood that a prospective client would choose to see the psychologist. Specifically, participants reported that they were more likely to see psychologists who described themselves as having an affiliation to a major religion than a psychologist described as atheist. This finding was especially true for participants who rated themselves high in religiosity. Clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Beliefs About the Biological (vs. Nonbiological) Origins of Mental Illness and the Stigmatization of People with Mental Illness

The present study focuses on the relationship between an individuals attributions of cause regarding mental illness (i.e., the degree by which psychopathology is perceived as biologically or nonbiologically caused) and resulting stigmatization (particularly social distancing, a form of social rejection). To date, much of the research concerning attributional beliefs and stigma use general terms such as “mental patient” and “psychiatric client,” thereby overlooking the variance apparent between individuals of varying pathology. When specific pathologies have been mentioned, nearly all the research has focused on the diagnoses of schizophrenia, depression, and alcoholism. In this study, one hundred eighteen Midwestern university students were surveyed regarding their attributional beliefs toward mental illness. Regression analysis found that attributional beliefs, both biological and nonbiological, failed to predict social distance. A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant variance between conditions; this variance was then investigated with paired-samples t tests. Participants preferred more social distance for the vignettes portraying schizophrenia and alcohol dependence, the latter being the most stigmatized and socially rejected mental illness.

Difficulty Identifying Feelings, Distress Tolerance and Compulsive Buying: Analyzing the Associations to Inform Therapeutic Strategies

Difficulty identifying feelings (a component of alexithymia) and distress tolerance both appear to play a role in impulse-control problems. The goal of the present study was to build upon past research by developing a model of the relations between these constructs and compulsive buying. Participants from the United States and Canada completed a survey containing well-established measures of demographic variables, difficulty identifying feelings, distress tolerance and compulsive buying. In support of a hypothesized model, the three constructs were significantly related in predicted directions and distress tolerance fully mediated the relationship between difficulty identifying feelings and compulsive buying. These results confirm the relationship between alexithymic tendencies and distress tolerance and extend previous findings concerning the problematic behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, pathological gambling) of people who have difficulty identifying their feelings. They also highlight attributes and skills (e.g., tolerating distress, identifying feelings) which clinicians might beneficially target while working with clients who buy compulsively.

How Impaired Is Too Impaired? Ratings of Psychologist Impairment by Psychologists in Independent Practice

Although psychologist impairment has received attention from researchers, there is a paucity of empirical data aimed at determining the point at which such impairment necessitates action. The purpose of this study was to provide such empirical data. Members of Division 42 (n = 285) responded to vignettes describing a psychologist whose symptoms of either depression or substance abuse varied across five levels of severity. Results identified specific levels of impairment at which psychologists were deemed too impaired to practice psychotherapy, as well as significant differences between ratings of increasingly severe impairment. Practical and ethical implications of these results are discussed.

Current Versus Ideal Skin Tones and Tanning Behaviors in Caucasian College Women

Abstract. Objective: To explore tanning behaviors and whether a discrepancy between current and ideal skin tones exists. Participants: The sample included 78 Caucasian women from a mid-sized midwestern university. Methods: Data were collected in spring 2012 via a paper questionnaire. Results: Sixty-two percent of the sample regularly engaged in salon tanning at least once per week, with an average frequency of 2.5 visits per week. Thirteen percent endorsed regularly tanning 4 or more times per week, and 26% reported visiting a tanning bed more than once in a 24-hour period. Ninety-four percent wished their current skin tone was darker, and ideal tone was significantly darker than current tone. Conclusions: The data suggest that the young Caucasian women in this sample tend to be dissatisfied with their current skin tone to an extent that leads the majority of them to engage in risky, potentially cancer-causing behavior by either salon tanning or considering tanning in the future as time and finances become available.

African American Career Aspirations Examining the Relative Influence of Internalized Racism

The present study examined the relative influence of aspects of internalized racism on the career aspirations of a sample of African American adults. Participants (N = 315), ranging in age from 18 to 62 years, completed measures of internalized racism and career aspirations online. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the relative influence of internalized racism. Regression results indicated that participants who devalued and dismissed an African worldview and its themes had lower career aspirations.

The Mixer: Introducing the Concept of Factor Analysis

This study entailed the development and implementation of a classroom activity designed to introduce students to the concept of factor analysis. We implemented the activity in both a personality theories course and a tests and measurements course. Data suggest that students learned about factor analysis from this activity, while enjoying it. Professors can easily modify this activity to meet the needs of a variety of psychology courses in which factor analysis is relevant or discussed.

When Clients No-Show: An Empirical Analogue Study of Psychologists' Response Strategies

Empirical studies of psychotherapists’ responses to clients who no-show, i.e., fail to attend appointments without notification or follow-up, are notably absent from the literature. The current study surveyed licensed psychologists to assess their responses to outpatient no-show situations. Participants responded to one of two vignettes depicting a client diagnosed with either major depression with a history of suicidality or generalized anxiety disorder. Results indicated that across conditions, the majority of psychotherapists would attempt to contact the client who no-showed; would make their first attempt within a few days of the no-show; would make repeat attempts if necessary; and would rely primarily on phone calls to the client’s cell and home numbers as methods of contact. Compared to those who responded to the vignette featuring the anxious client, participants who responded to the vignette featuring the depressed client reported a significantly shorter wait between the no-show and the contact attempt and a significantly greater number of contact attempts. Implications and clinical relevance are discussed.