Elder mistreatment predicts later physical and psychological health: Results from a national longitudinal study

Stress process theory predicts that elder mistreatment leads to declines in health, and that social support buffers its ill effects. We test this theory using nationally representative, longitudinal data from 2,261 older adults in the National Social Life Health and Aging Project. We regress psychological and physical health in 2010/2011 on verbal and financial mistreatment experience in 2005/2006 and find that the mistreated have more anxiety symptoms, greater feelings of loneliness, and worse physical and functional health 5 years later than those who did not report mistreatment. In particular, we show a novel association between financial mistreatment and functional health. Contrary to the stress buffering hypothesis, we find little evidence that social support moderates the relationship between mistreatment and health. Our findings point to the lasting impact of mistreatment on health but show little evidence of a buffering role of social support in this process.     

Mid-Adolescents’ and Adults’ Recognition of Vocal Cues of Emotion and Social Intent: Differences by Expression and Speaker Age

Previous research has suggested that the ability to recognize vocal portrayals of socio-emotional expressions improves with age throughout childhood and adolescence. The current study examined whether stimulus-level factors (i.e., the age of the speaker and the type of expression being conveyed) interacted with listeners’ developmental stage to predict listeners’ recognition accuracy. We assessed mid-adolescent (n = 50, aged 13–15 years) and adult (n = 87, 18–30 years) listeners’ ability to recognize basic emotions and social expressions in the voices of both adult and youth actors. Adults’ emotional prosody was better recognized than that of youth, and adult listeners were more accurate overall than were mid-adolescents. Interaction effects revealed that youths’ accuracy was equivalent to adult listeners’ when hearing adult portrayals of anger, disgust, friendliness, happiness, and meanness, and youth portrayals of disgust, happiness, and meanness. Our findings highlight the importance of speaker characteristics and type of expression on listeners’ ability to recognize vocal cues of emotion and social intent.     

Countertransference: A vehicle for reciprocal growth and repair in women psychotherapists treating women patients

In 1986 research the author described a constellation of gender related issues emergent in the transference and countertransference of women psychotherapists treating women patients. Shared gender-linked issues appear to foster special resonance between women psychotherapists and their patients. This paper posits that shared themes in the interplay of transference and countertransference can be reparative and growthful for the psychotherapist as well as her patient. Three examples from the author's clinical experience are used to demonstrate the process by which countertransference can give the patient greater access to unconscious material while simultaneously promoting growth in the therapist.     

Reducing high blood cholesterol in children

There is compelling evidence that the process of atherosclerosis begins in childhood as a result of elevated levels of blood cholesterol and that preventing or slowing this process in childhood can extend the years of healthy life for many Americans. Health professionals need to use a variety of strategies to affect social policy in order to decrease the abuse of children whose elevated blood cholesterol has been ignored by the health care system. Through these strategies we can begin to improve the health of our children and thus ultimately improve the health of all Americans.     

ABSTRACTS

Gurman, A. S. & Knudson, R. M. Behavioral marriage therapy: I. A psychodynamic systems analysis and critique.
Gurman, A. S. & Kniskern, D. P. Behavioral marriage therapy: II. Empirical perspective.
Jacobson, N. & Weiss, R. L. Behavioral marriage therapy: III. The contents of Gurman, et al ., may be hazardous to our health.
Gurman, A. S., Knudson, R. M. & Kniskern, D. P. Behavioral marriage therapy: IV. Take two aspirin and call us in the morning.     

Attachment theory: Application to clinical practice with adults

An application of attachment theory to clinical practice with adults is based on psychoanalytic-object relations theory, expanding and emphasizing the influence of affectional bonds with others. The role of the therapist is to provide the conditions in which to explore current and past experiences, especially those related to attachment, separation and loss, helping patients reappraise and reconstruct their inner representations of attachment relationships with others.     

Integration of Daniel Stern's developmental theory into a model of couples therapy

Therapists commonly use a combination of techniques derived from psychodynamic, cognitive and systemic approaches in their attempts to treat the resistant patterns brought into therapy by couples. In this paper we utilize Dan Stern's concept of RIGS (Representations of Interactions that have been Generalized) to generate an integrative model of conjoint therapy. The model presented here presents a framework within which these modalities can be effectively integrated.