Sharon E. Robinson

Life stress and lymphocyte alterations among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The relation between life stress and immune parameters was investigated for 33 female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients interviewed during three routine monthly clinic checkups. Life stress from major and minor events, coping efficacy, and self-reported psychological distress were assessed, and immunofluorescence of T-cells and B-cells was performed on the blood drawn during each visit. Small stressful events were positively related to the proportion of circulating B-cells, psychological distress was inversely related to proportion of circulating T-cells, and major life events were associated with lower T-helper/T-suppressor cell ratios.

The Effects of Death Education on Death Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis

This study used meta-analytic procedures to examine sixty-two outcome research investigations of the effects of death education on death anxiety. An overall mean effect size of .287 suggests that participants who completed death education interventions reported higher death anxiety than did members of no-treatment control conditions. Didactic death education interventions were found to produce significantly greater increases in death anxiety than experiential interventions. Contrary to earlier research, death education does not appear to be an effective means of lowering death anxiety. These results provide a basis for practical recommendation in altering and shifting the focus and composition of death education.

The Psychological, Social, and Sexual Consequences of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

Seventy-six women diagnosed with gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) from 1985 to 1989 completed questionnaires evaluating their status on mood disturbance, marital satisfaction, sexual functioning, psychosocial response to illness, and report of the most stressful event occurring within the past year. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted on dependent measures to examine differences between diagnostic groups (partial mole, complete mole, persistent disease), time from diagnosis (less than 1 year, 1-2 years, or 3-5 years from diagnosis), and follow-up status (active disease or remission). MANOVAs revealed no significant differences in the dependent measures based on time from diagnosis, type of medical treatment received, or type of molar disease. The metastatic disease group displayed significantly greater mood disturbance (F(1, 66) = 17.63, P less than 0.0001) and reported suffering clinically significant levels of distress and significantly greater levels of distress in response to the illness (F(33, 39) = 2.32, P less than 0.006). Women with active disease also reported significantly greater levels of distress in response to the illness (F(33, 39) = 2.76, P less than 0.001). Across disease types, GTD patients experience clinically significant levels of anxiety, anger, fatigue, confusion, and sexual problems and are significantly impacted by pregnancy concerns for protracted periods of time.

Hardiness and health among women with rheumatoid arthritis

The relations among hardiness (and its components) and demographic variables, objective health, disability, and perceived health were investigated for 33 women with rheumatoid arthritis. Hardiness and demographic variables were measured once while objective health, disability, and perceived health were measured at three monthly intervals. Hardiness and/or component scores were significantly (P < 0.05) related to age and to employment status but were unrelated to education and to marital status. The control dimension of hardiness was positively correlated with the average percentage of circulating T-cells (r = 0.38, P < 0.05), and with average perceived health compared to ones same age peers (r = 0.53, P < 0.01). Hardiness appears to be a useful construct for understanding adaptation to rheumatoid arthritis, and studies of patients with chronic diseases can shed light on the precursors and consequences of hardiness.

Cognitive Abilities, Personality and Gender Differences in Math Achievement of Gifted Adolescents

The purposes of this study were to determine whether mathematically gifted boys and girls were significantly different in cognitive abilities and personality factors and to determine whether these cognnve abilities and personality factors were accurate predictors of mathematical achievement. Mathematically gifted boys (n = 77) and girls (n = 62) completed a mathematics reasoning test (SAT-M), a verbal reasoning test (SAT-V), a measure of spatial ability (Group Embedded Figures Test), and personality test (California Psychological Inventory). They received mathematics achievement ratings depending on the number of summer courses completed. The findings indicated that boys not only have higher mathematical reasoning ability than girls, but alslo that this ability is the single best predictor of their mathematical achievement. Verbal ability is the best predictor of mathematical achievement for the girls. For both the girls and the boys, neither spatial reasoning ability nor personality factors significantly predicted mathematical achievement.

Ethics of Consultation The Canterville Ghost

This article presents an overview of the ethical issues relevant to the counseling psychologist who includes consultation as one of his or her areas of expertise. The existing Ethical Principles of Psychologists are not readily adapted to the practice of consultation; therefore, the possible ethical pitfalls need to be highlighted. Such pitfalls might be viewed as clustering in two global categories: (1) the competencies that the consultant brings to the consulting relationship and (2) the responsibilities that the consultant assumes as he or she provides services to consultees. Under the domain of consultant competencies, the major issues are education and training in consultation; identifying who or what is the client/consultee system and to whom or what the consultant has major responsibility; and determining client/consultee needs and goals as compared to consultant needs and goals. Under the domain of consultant responsibilities, the major responsibilities/issues are presenting qualifications accurately and ethically; negotiating a contract; knowing and respecting client rights; using assessment data; and conducting research and evaluation studies. The issues of confidentiality and informed consent also receive special emphasis.