Kristin M. Perrone-McGovern

The Cultural Adjustment of Saudi Women International Students: A Qualitative Examination

The current study is a qualitative exploration of the adjustment experiences of Saudi women students in the United States, using quotes of the participants to demonstrate the variety and complexity of responses. Participants included 25 Saudi women international students who were attending colleges and universities across the United States. Grounded theory was used to explore the adjustment experience of these Saudi women international students. Participant responses were grouped into the following themes: expectations about the United States versus the reality, acculturative stress or cultural adjustment, cultural differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia, experiences of discrimination and/or curiosity, English language proficiency, relationships, social support and help-seeking behavior, and being a Saudi woman in the United States. The adjustment of Saudi women students was affected by their proficiency in English, their relationships and social support, and their ability to successfully navigate the cultural differences found in the United States, including public gender integration, increased mobility, greater acceptance of diversity, and more freedom and decision-making opportunities. Many of the Saudi women in this study reported being changed by their time of study in the United States, and reported increased confidence, independence, intellectual growth, and acceptance of others as some of the results of their academic sojourn.

Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Related to Autism, IQ, and Adaptive Functioning

ABSTRACT This study focused on prenatal and perinatal factors related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The authors hypothesized that mothers who exposed their infants to intrauterine toxicity or who had complications with labor or delivery would be more likely to give birth to individuals with lower IQ scores, higher scores on a measure of ASD, and lower scores on a measure of adaptive functioning. This clinical sample consisted of 33 children who presented for neuropsychological assessment with symptoms of ASD. Results indicated that individuals with a history of intrauterine toxicity had lower IQ scores than individuals who did not have a history of intrauterine toxicity. However, no significant effects were found for intrauterine toxicity and ASD or adaptive functioning. Results indicated that individuals with a history of complications during labor and delivery had lower IQ scores, higher scores on a measure of ASD, and lower scores on a measure of adaptive functioning. Findings may lend support to the oxidative stress theory of ASD.

A neuroscience agenda for counseling psychology research.

Recent advances in the field of neuroscience have dramatically changed our understanding of brain-behavior relationships. In this article, we illustrate how neuroscience can provide a conceptual and methodological framework to understand our clients within a transdiagnostic developmental perspective. We provide directions for integrating neuroscience into future process and outcome research. We present examples on how neuroscience can be integrated into researching the effects of contextual counseling interventions. We posit that interpersonal and environmental factors, such as neurotoxic factors (e.g., emotional neglect, stress), positive neurodevelopmental factors (e.g., nurturing and caring, environmental enrichment), and therapeutic interventions influence psychological processes (executive control, behavioral flexibility, reinforcement learning and approach motivation, emotional expression and regulation, self-representation and theory of mind). These psychological processes influence brain networks (attention, motivational, emotional regulation, social cognition), which influence cognitive, social, emotional, identity, and vocational development.

Marital and Life Satisfaction Among Gifted Adults

Spousal giftedness, dual-career status, and gender were studied in relation to marital and life satisfaction among gifted adults. The data for the present study were collected twice over a 5-year period in order to examine the stability of the findings over time. Results indicated that marital satisfaction was significantly related to life satisfaction at both episodes of data collection. However, differences were found between the first and second data collection period regarding spousal giftedness and dual-career status. No gender differences were found in marital or life satisfaction at either data collection period. Further, qualitative data were collected regarding areas of spousal giftedness. The most commonly identified areas were math and science, interpersonal skills, creativity, and general intelligence. Example responses were provided for each of the identified areas.

Emotions, Cognitions, and Well-Being The Role of Perfectionism, Emotional Overexcitability, and Emotion Regulation

In this study, we examined interrelationships among emotional overexcitability, perfectionism, emotion regulation, and subjective well-being. Dabrowski and Piechowski’s theoretical conceptualization of overexcitabilities and J. J. Gross and John’s constructs of emotion regulation strategies provided a framework to guide hypotheses in the present study. Participants were 191 adults who responded to surveys administered via online methodology. Multiple-regression analyses revealed that participants in the present study with higher emotional overexcitability had lower degrees of emotion regulation overall, whereas individuals reporting higher levels of adaptive perfectionism (strivers) had higher levels of emotion regulation. Furthermore, strivers and those who used cognitive reappraisal strategies for emotion regulation were linked to higher subjective well-being for participants in this study.

Differential activation of the default mode network in jet lagged individuals

Long-term exposure to transmeridian flights has been shown to impact cognitive functioning. Nevertheless, the immediate effects of jet lag in the activation of specific brain networks have not been investigated. We analyzed the impact of short-term jet lag on the activation of the default mode network (DMN). A group of individuals who were on a transmeridian flight and a control group went through a functional magnetic resonance imaging acquisition. Statistical analysis was performed to test for differences in the DMN activation between groups. Participants from the jet lag group presented decreased activation in the anterior nodes of the DMN, specifically in bilateral medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex. No areas of increased activation were observed for the jet lag group. These results may be suggestive of a negative impact of jet lag on important cognitive functions such as introspection, emotional regulation and decision making in a few days after individuals arrive at their destination.

Major Life Decisions of Gifted Adults in Relation to Overall Life Satisfaction

In this study, major life decisions of gifted adults were examined in relation to life satisfaction. Participants were 57 gifted adults who have been participating in a longitudinal study over the last two decades. Qualitative data were collected via written and online surveys, and were analyzed by a research team using phenomenological, postpositivist, consensus-seeking methods. Participants’ decisions were categorized according to their developmental stage at the time of the decision. Their perspectives regarding major life decisions, life satisfaction, career, romantic relationships, family relationships, and personal well-being are described and discussed in relation to existing knowledge and literature on gifted adults. Suggestions for counselors and educators are provided, based on the findings of this study.

Relationships Among Emotional and Intellectual Overexcitability, Emotional IQ, and Subjective Well-Being

This study focuses on intellectual and emotional overexcitabilities and their relationship to emotional intelligence and subjective well-being. Dabrowski’s (1964) theory of positive disintegration (TPD), which proposes that optimum personality development involves the breaking down of current psychological structures, in which individuals consciously investigate their values, emotions, behaviors, and personalities, provided the framework for this study. Emotional intelligence was examined as a possible mediational factor in the relationship between emotional and intellectual overexcitability and subjective well-being in undergraduate students. Participants were 144 undergraduate college students who completed surveys that included demographic information and measures of overexcitability, emotional intelligence, and subjective well-being. Path analysis results indicated that all fit indices supported that the overall model was an adequate fit for the data. In addition, all paths in the model were positive and significant, indicating that greater emotional and intellectual overexcitability were significantly and positively related to higher emotional intelligence and that higher emotional intelligence was significantly positively related to higher subjective well-being. These results provided support for the mediational role of emotional intelligence between emotional and intellectual overexcitability and subjective well-being.

Recalled childhood bullying victimization and shame in adulthood: The influence of attachment security, self-compassion, and emotion regulation.

Bullying during childhood can have negative effects on mental health that last into adulthood and can manifest as shame, but little is known about factors that could attenuate the relationship between bullying in childhood and shame in adulthood. Three hundred twenty-two college students completed surveys regarding bullying and cyberbullying in childhood, attachment security, ability to regulate emotions, self-compassion, and shame. A structural model that was based on an integration of attachment theory and cognitive adaptation theory was tested and compared with an alternate model that did not include the attachment variable or theory. Results from structural equation modeling provided evidence that the primary model was a better fit to the data than the alternate model. Further, attachment was found to relate to shame both directly and indirectly through the path of self-compassion. Results from this study support that shame in adulthood for survivors of childhood bullying is significantly influenced by attachment security, amount of childhood bullying, emotion regulation, and self-compassion. Results also provided evidence of a relationship between attachment security and emotion regulation and between attachment security and self-compassion.

Psychophysiological Reactivity in Couples During a Marital Interaction Task

The ability to regulate our own physiological arousal when dealing with the emotional expression of our partner is crucial for satisfactory and stable intimate relationships. In previous physiological studies of marital interactions, researchers have found greater levels of psychophysiological arousal for members of the couple in conflictual interactions in comparison with positive interactions. Past researchers have established that intense and prolonged autonomic and neuroendocrine arousal during marital conflict can have negative consequences for mental and physical health. In this study we examined the physiological reactivity, as measured by skin conductance level, heart rate and cortisol levels, from both partners during a couples interaction task consisting of a structured conversation about positive and negative aspects of their relationship. Participants were thirty-two heterosexual couples (N = 64) in a committed monogamous relationship with a minimum duration of one year. We found higher heart rate and cortisol levels during negative interaction condition when compared with the positive condition. Skin conductance was higher in the positive interaction condition, when compared with the negative interaction condition. In addition, we found a significant negative association between heart rate variability and autonomic arousal evoked by the interaction task. The implications of these findings for the effects of marital strain on health as well as for the design of risk-reducing interventions, namely biofeedback are discussed.