Study of the role of personality factors in health and disease suggests that motivational variables are related to and influence physiological systems. Affiliative trust and a greater sense of agency are associated with better health, while affiliative cynicism and a sense of helplessness are associated with more illness. (AF)

Investigates the perceived balance of control of negative caregiving outcomes in 2 studies involving 40 undergraduates and 40 mothers in counseling at a child abuse agency. Findings indicate that low perceived control is a potentially important moderator of negative affect in response to difficult children. (RJC)

A case study of a primary school principal in New South Wales (Australia) was conducted using a physiological device, the Stephens Tissue Perfusion Monitor, to measure the levels of stress associated with various situations encountered by the principal. Study identified 14 categories of "uplifts" that assist principals in lowering stress…

Implications for suicide prevention efforts are examined. It is concluded that psychiatric treatment of depression and restricting access to lethal methods for suicide are more useful tactics for suicide prevention programs in elderly, and crisis counseling from suicide prevention centers and educational programs are more useful in younger adults.…

Of 47 help-seeking, adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, 69% were found to meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Significant correlations were found between several overall exposure measures and PTSD diagnostic status and the intensity of PTSD symptomatology. (Author/JDD)

Sleep patterns of 103 institutionalized individuals with profound mental retardation were explored. Almost 40% were found to have short-sleep patterns. Short-sleep was predicted by blindness; nonshort-sleep was predicted by diagnosis of cerebral palsy and sodium valproate usage. Techniques for minimizing possible negative consequences of…

Nine adult males with mental retardation resulting from Fragile X syndrome were compared to males with mental retardation of other etiology. Fragile X males showed a distinct psychological profile with more autistic features, more schizoid features, and more schizotypal features. These males were also more shy, more socially withdrawn, less…

A survey of 215 American and Korean teachers and parents of gifted children found that American respondents perceived such factors as low self-concept, hostile behavior toward authority, peer acceptance, and lack of discipline to be more important in fostering underachievement than did Korean respondents. Important factors to both groups were…

Analyzed whether feelings have a disproportionate impact on the way people perceive and remember unusual, atypical people. The results of four experiments suggest that mood has a significantly greater influence on judgments when the targets do not fit a prototypical pattern, thus requiring more lengthy, extensive processing. (RJM)

Examined whether having had a friend or family member experience rape heightens empathy for rape victims. Subjects who knew a rape victim reported experiencing more empathy for a patient presented on videotape than did subjects not knowing a rape victim. This empathy extended to all victims of trauma. (RJM)

Explored whether vicarious emotional reactions of macho males reflect a lack of empathy and a tendency to respond with anger. Male subjects (n=107) viewed videotapes of a crying, quiescent, and smiling baby, respectively. Macho males reported more anger and less empathy for the crying baby than did less macho males. (RJM)

Demonstrated the emotion-specific priming effects of negatively valenced emotions (anger, sadness, and fear) in a divided attention task. Results indicated that a negative emotion displayed by a target that matched the emotion induced by a priming manipulation was significantly stronger than an incongruous priming manipulation and displayed…

Suggests that control be seen as a compensatory process where people are most likely to control their partners when control over the environment is challenged, as it is when relationships exhibit low mastery, low trust, or high conflict. Controlling one's partner serves to compensate for a perceived lack of control. (RJM)

Reviews research on work-related, psychological, and somatic effects of sexual harassment. Addresses victims' responses and attempts to cope. Elaborates reasons for the lack of research on the outcomes of sexual harassment. (67 references) (SK)

Of 69 female undergraduates participating in an eating attitudes investigation, 49 reported some form of unwanted sexual experience. Of these, 34 had attempted some form of disclosure, of whom 7 had received an adverse response to disclosure. Adverse response to disclosure was associated with greater levels of psychopathology, particularly oral…