Thomas W. Durham

The psychological impact of disaster on rescue personnel

Seventy-nine rescue, fire, and medical personnel and police officers who treated victims of an apartment building explosion completed a questionnaire describing their emotional and coping responses to the disaster. Eighty percent had at least one symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eight of 21 PTSD symptoms were present in at least 10% of respondents. The most frequently reported symptom, intrusive thoughts about the disaster, occurred in 74% of those working with or searching for victims at the disaster site. On-the-scene rescue workers had significantly more (P less than .02) PTSD symptoms than did inhospital staff. Fifty-two percent of the respondents reported that family members and coworkers were supportive or very supportive in meeting their emotional needs following the disaster; 36% noted that support networks were not helpful. The coping behaviors most frequently used were to remind oneself that things could be worse (57%) and to try to keep a realistic perspective on the situation (53%). Eleven percent reported seeking emotional support from others or looking to others for direction. Emergency workers responding to a contained, small-scale disaster are likely to experience mild stress responses. Planning for the emotional aspects of these events is needed.

Norms, reliability, and item analysis of the Hopelessness Scale in general psychiatric, forensic psychiatric, and college populations.

Administered the Hopelessness Scale to 99 criminal psychiatric inpatients, 118 general psychiatric inpatients, and 197 upper-level college students. Normative data were reported for each group. Both of the psychiatric groups endorsed significantly more items in the hopeless direction than did the college student sample. The scale was found to be more reliable with the psychiatric patients than with the college students. The difference in reliability may reflect the restriction of range of hopelessness scores among college students. An item analysis of the Hopelessness Scale for each of the three groups was presented. These data suggest that three items (4, 5, 13) were not measuring hopelessness as reflected in the other items. Suggestions for further research with the Hopelessness Scale to clarify the components of hopelessness in nonpsychiatric populations were presented.

The MMPI-2 GM and GF scales as measures of psychological well-being

The MMPI-2, Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), and Tennessee Self-Concept Scales (TSCS) scores were analyzed for 117 male and 139 female college students. A median split on the MMPI-2 GM and GF scores by gender divided subjects into high and low groupings on the MMPI-2 gender variables. Multivariate analyses revealed that scores on the MMPI-2, TSCS, and SCL-90-R consistently differed by GM and GF status with differences most pronounced for the GM scale. Higher scores on the GM variable were associated with scores on the MMPI-2, TSCS, and SCL-90-R that reflected less psychopathology. Similar trends were noted for higher scorers on the GF variable, but fewer significant differences across the scales were found. The results are consistent with an interpretation of GM and GF as correlates of psychological wellbeing.

Religious Mysticism and gender orientation

This study of 411 undergraduates utilized the short form of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and a modified version of the Hood Mysticism Scale (M-scale) to examine the relationship of gender orientation with mystical experience. The hypothesis - that participants classified on the BSRI as feminine or androgynous each would score significantly higher on mysticism than persons classified as masculine - was confirmed. The suggestion is made that persons who score high on mysticism are persons who have developed a feminine self-schema cognitive structure through which they process data in a way that emphasizes the unity of and identification with reality. The finding can be interpreted as lending support to theorists who argue for a constructivist understanding of the mystical experience.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Positive Health Scale

Abstract Background: Health educators have long advocated health promotion, yet their health measurement techniques have a pathogenic focus. Pathogenesis refers to the origin of a disease and the chain of events (precursors) leading to that disease. Traditional health measurement tools with this focus therefore measure health by assessing for the absence of disease or associated risk factors. Salutogenesis, as proposed by Aaron Antonovsky, refers to associated factors and precursors of good health similar to how pathogenesis focuses on associated factors and precursors of bad health. Purpose: This study proposes a health measurement scale with a salutogenic focus that measures health by assessing for the multidimensional capacity or potential for good health. Methods: Two samples of university students (N=226, N=365) were surveyed to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Salutogenic Wellness Promotion Scale (SWPS). Results: The SWPS demonstrated a multidimensional structure with good internal consistency, that positively correlated with and predicted perceived health (p<.001), and did not invoke socially desirable responses. Discussion: The SWPS demonstrated preliminary evidence of reliability and validity in its measurement of health potential. Translation to Health Education Practice: Using the SWPS could assist health educators in developing methodologies and practices that facilitate improved health status.

Use of the MMPI-2 Personality Disorder Scales in the Assessment of DSM-IV Antisocial, Borderline, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders:

This study explored the diagnostic utility of the MMPI-2 Personality Disorder (MMPI-2 PD) scales to correctly classify three Cluster B Personality Disorders (Antisocial, Borderline, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Classification was compared against the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) chart diagnoses checked for interrater agreement. MMPI-2 PD scale scores for 53 outpatients diagnosed with a Cluster B Personality Disorder were contrasted with an Other Personality Disorder group (n = 20) and a nonclinical population (n = 67). Scores for both the overlapping and nonoverlapping scales of the MMPI-2 PD scales were used in calculating diagnostic efficiency statistics. In support of past findings, results suggest the MMPI-2 PD scales should be used conservatively; they are best at screening for presence or absence of a personality disorder, identifying members of personality disorder clusters, and identifying negative occurrences of specific personality disorders or personality disorder clusters. Findings endorse the use of both versions of the Antisocial Personality Disorder scale and the overlapping version of the Borderline Personality Disorder scale. Use of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder scales is recommended for negative predictive power values only. A multimodal approach is recommended, whereby assessment measures may be used conjointly to improve diagnostic efficiency.

Attitudes toward Masturbation

105 male and 123 female college students were shown photographs of college women varying in attractiveness. Subjects were asked to identify the photograph they considered most attractive, the one they felt was of the woman most likely to be a virgin, and the one they felt was of the woman most likely to masturbate. All subjects selected as most attractive one of the photographs rated as high in attractiveness in prior research. When asked to select the picture of the individual most likely to be a virgin, subjects significantly more frequently selected a less attractive individual. This finding was also true when subjects selected the picture of the individual they believed most likely to masturbate. By the “beauty as good” model, these findings suggest that masturbation and virginity are viewed as negative sexual concepts by college students.

A Scale to Measure Embarrassment Associated with Condom Use

Abstract The Condom Embarrasment Scale (CES), an 18-item Likert-type scale, was developed to assess the level of embarrassment associated with condom use. Two hundred and fifty-six college students completed a questionnaire which included the CES, the Sex Anxiety Inventory, a sexually transmitted disease/condom knowledge test, a demographic, and sex behavior items. The CES had a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of .92 and a three-week test-retest reliability of .78. The mean score for women on the CES was significantly higher than the mean score for men, suggesting that women students experience greater anxiety around condom use than do men students. A principal factor analysis revealed three major components of condom embarrassment which accounted for 59.4 percent of the total variance. These factors were interpreted as (a) embarrassment about obtaining or possessing condoms, (b) embarrassment about negotiating the use of condoms, and (c) embarrassment about using condoms. Supporting its construct ...

The Effects of Anxiety on Affective Learning and Serial Position Recall

Sixty-five college-aged adults participated in a study that examined the effects of trait and state anxiety on learning positive and negative emotional words from the Affective Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AAVL). Self-reported state and trait anxiety were measured via Speilbergers State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Each participant completed the five learning trials and delayed recall trial of the positive and negative word lists; order of administration for the word lists was counterbalanced across participants. Using ANOVA, initial analyses revealed significant effects for order of administration of the positive and negative word lists. ANCOVAs (using state and trait anxiety as covariates) yielded a significant interaction involving serial position, trial, and state anxiety as well as an interaction involving serial position, trial, and trait anxiety. Post hoc analyses did not support a priori hypotheses. However, state anxiety was associated with decreased word recall on the first learning trial. The results of this study indicate that state anxiety is initially associated with decreased performance when learning emotional words. However, these initial effects dissipate with subsequent learning trials. Implications for task performance are discussed.

A Brief Screening Instrument for Assessing Parental Alcoholism in College Student Populations

The Children of Alcoholics Short Screening Instrument (CASSI), a four-item Likert-type scale, was developed to fulfill the need for a screening instrument to identify children of alcoholics (COAs) in college student populations. A sample of 369 college students was surveyed to assess the psychometric properties of the CASSI; the scale had a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of .94 and a 4-week test-retest reliability of .81. The CASSI correlated significantly with the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST), which supported its concurrent validity. The CASSI appears to be a promising research tool for identifying COAs, particularly among college student populations.