Emotional factors were studied in 30 adults with Down's syndrome, 18 controls with Alzheimer disease, and 25 elderly controls without mental retardation. Primary emotional factors separating Down's syndrome and Alzheimer disease groups from elderly control subjects without mental retardation were indifference, pragnosia, and inappropriateness.…

Outcome of abuse-focused treatment was examined with 105 children (ages 8 through 15) who had been sexually abused, 71 of whom completed at least 3 months of treatment. Measures of depression and trauma symptoms showed continuing declines in some areas (such as anxiety, posttraumatic stress, dissociation, and sexual concerns) over a 1-year…

This essay argues that humans are capable of a large number of affect states; a distinction should be made among acute emotions, chronic moods, and temperamental vulnerabilities to a particular emotion state; and research on human effects will profit from a return to, and reinterpretation of, Sigmund Freud's suggestion of unconscious affect…

This essay asserts that clinical conceptualizations of emotion that stress its disruptive influences and functional models of emotion that emphasize its adaptive aspects can be integrated into a developmental psychopathology framework. Under certain conditions, emotion regulation may develop dysregulatory aspects that can become a characteristic…

This essay reviews research on mother-infant roles during early interactions and how these serve to foster the development of infant emotion regulation. It provides illustrations of the ways in which physical unavailability (resulting from hospitalization or other separation) and emotional unavailability (resulting from mental illnesses such as…

A follow-up study of bereaved individuals who had participated in an interview study of funeral rituals revealed that the participants viewed the overall experience as positive. They also believed that their participation was beneficial to themselves and to others. These preliminary findings raise questions about the relationship between stress…

Explores the extent of preschoolers' knowledge of mixed emotions, and whether difficulty in discerning mixed emotions stems from beliefs about how emotions are portrayed on the face. Found that both four- and five-year olds can identify mixed emotions. Only five-year olds (with appropriate scaffolding and with simple, clear stories) can…

Examined multiple measures of 82 young children's emotionality, regulation, and social functioning over a 2-year period, finding that social functioning was predicted by low negative emotionality and high levels of regulation. Also found that vagal tone was positively related to competent social functioning and emotionality/regulation for boys,…

When Issaquah (Washington) superintendent, after battling a brain tumor, entered the hospital for the last time, school district had to develop a crisis plan to deal with the possible death of the superintendent. A contingency planning team developed a telephone tree for school officials to keep in close contact with teachers and administrators.…

A survey of the attitudes toward people with visual impairments in rehabilitation agencies or health care centers in the Netherlands received 263 responses from the general public and rehabilitation workers. Analysis supported the usefulness of distinguishing between the emotional and cognitive components of attitudes. Implications for public and…

Argues for the compatibility of various elements of cognitive therapy and systems therapy. These compatible elements can be combined so as to enhance the effectiveness and outcome of a counseling session. Focuses on how mental health counselors can operate from a cognitive-systems approach when working with clients. (RJM)

In individual interviews, 80 children ages 4-8 predicted which of 5 emotions they would feel, and how intensely, to 15 affect-laden situations. Results indicated that responses involve three dimensions of emotion cognition (intensity, multiplicity, and valence) that emerge in four developmental stages. By age eight, children can predict multiple…

Study of how 94 men and 63 women perceived and coped with job loss found no significant differences in psychological and behavioral distress. However, men relied more on problem-focused activities such as job search, whereas women relied more on symptom-focused activities such as seeking social support. Marital status affected coping behavior and…

The study investigated the attitudes, perceptions, emotional reactions, and affective dispositions of 100 students at the University of Haifa (Israel) toward various test formats, item types, and methods of test administration. The use of examinee feedback systems in college student evaluation, applications of feedback inventories for assessing…

Preschoolers' appraisals of others' emotions were compared with adults' appraisals. The accuracy of children's appraisals varied with age and with type and intensity of emotion. Children's appraisals were biased toward attribution of causes to external factors. Attributions to internal factors varied with age, emotion, and type of internal factor.…