Stalking perpetrators and psychological maltreatment of partners: anger-jealousy, attachment insecurity, need for control, and break-up context

Two studies of the correlates of self-reported courtship persistence, stalking-like behaviors following a relationship break-up, and psychological maltreatment of partners were conducted in samples of male (N = 46 and 93) and female (N = 123 and 110) college students. Approximately 40% (38.5% and 44.6%) engaged in at least one stalking behavior following a break-up. A total of 10.7% (study 1) and 7.6% (study 2) engaged in 6 or more stalking behaviors. Stalking was significantly related to psychological maltreatment of the partner (PMP) prior to the break-up. Being the recipient of the breakup was associated with feelings of anger, jealousy and obsessiveness and with higher levels of courtship persistence, and stalking. A replicated path model showed that anxious attachment and need for control were related to PMP and that need for control had a direct contribution to stalking. For anxious attachment, its connection to stalking was indirect, mediated by the degree of anger-jealousy over the break-up.     

Research on stalking: what do we know and where do we go?

Findings of the article in this two-volume series on stalking are reviewed. Building on the findings of the National Violence Against Women Survey (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998), this series of studies adds to the literature in defining and measuring stalking behaviors. Repeated stalking victimization is reported by up to 62% of young adults, although frequencies depend on the sample and the precise definition used. Self-definitions of stalking victimization may be quite different from legal definitions. Although the majority of legally defined stalkers (where victim fear is a key component) are men stalking women, studies utilizing other definitions find many more women as stalkers, with no significant gender differences in many studies. In many cases, it does appear that stalking is one part of a larger pattern of relationship physical and psychological abuse. Data on emotional reactions and coping strategies of victims are also reviewed, along with findings on characteristics of stalkers.     

Are you ready for generation X?

Generational analysis considers the differences in world view and attitude between various generations of Americans and uses this information to develop insight and business strategies. The much discussed generation gap between the Baby Boomers and their elders during the 1960s and 1970s is equaled or exceeded by the differences between Generations X and Y and the Boomers. Generation X physicians will be coming into practice over the next two decades. Successful medical leaders must understand Gen-Xers to create clinical environments that meet their unique needs and concerns. This article describes some of the philosophical and attitudinal differences between the generations and what these differences may mean to the future of medicine and health care organizations.     

Assessment of Airborne Exposure to Trihalomethanes from Tap Water in Residential Showers and Baths

This study evaluates airborne concentrations of common trihalomethane (THM) compounds in bathrooms during showering and bathing in homes supplied with chlorinated tap water. Three homes in an urban area were selected, each having three bedrooms, a full bath, and approximately 1,000 square feet of living area. THMs were concurrently measured in tap water and air in the shower/bath enclosure and the bathroom vanity area using Summa canisters. Chloroform (TCM), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), and chlorodibromomethane (CDBM) were quantified using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method TO-14. Air samples were collected prior to, during, and after the water-use event for 16 shower and 7 bath events. Flow rate and temperature were measured, but not controlled. The increase in average airborne concentration (+/- standard error) during showers (expressed as microg/m3 in shower enclosure or bathroom air per microg/L in water) was 3.3+/-0.4 for TCM, 1.8+/-0.3 for BDCM, and 0.5+/-0.1 for CDBM (n = 12), and during baths was 1.2+/-0.4 for TCM, 0.59+/-0.21 for BDCM, and 0.15+/-0.05 for CDBM (n = 4). The relative contribution of each chemical to the airborne concentrations was consistent for all shower and bath events, with apparent release of TCM > BDCM > CDBM. The results are therefore consistent with their relative concentration in tap water and their vapor pressures. When the shower findings for TCM are normalized for water concentration, flow rate, shower volume, and duration, the average exposure concentrations in these urban residences are about 30% lower than those reported by other investigators using EPA analytical methods. This difference is likely attributable primarily to greater air exchange rates in residential shower/bath stalls compared to more "airtight" laboratory shower chambers. This appears to be the first field study to thoroughly evaluate THM exposures from residential showers and baths, and can be used to validate previously published models of tap water volatile chemical transfer to indoor air.     

Adoption in Clinical Psychology: A Review of the Absence, Ramifications, and Recommendations for Change

Practicing clinical psychologists reported that 5 to 10% of their patients are adoption triad members (Sass & Henderson, 1999) and yet recent studies concluded that the majority of psychologists are not being taught about adoption-related issues in their preservice raining (Post, 1999; Sass & Henderson, 1999). This article discusses the need for training on adoption in the context of the APA Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology; Domain D, which states that programs must provide students with relative knowledge and experiences about the role of cultural and individual diversity in psychological phenomenon as they relate to the science and practice of professional psychology (1996, p. 15), the omission of adoption from curricula, and potential ramifications of this absence.     

Effects of the Mechanism of Receptor-Mediated Gene Expression on the Shape of the Dose-Response Curve

A mathematical model of receptor-mediated gene expression that includes receptor binding of natural and xenobiotic ligands, protein synthesis and degradation, and metabolism of the xenobiotic ligand was created to identify the determinants of the shape of the dose-response profile. Values of the model's parameters were varied to reflect alternative mechanisms of expression of the protein. These assumptions had dramatic effects on the computed response to a bolus dose of the xenobiotic ligand. If all processes in the model exhibit hyperbolic kinetics, the dose-response curves can appear sigmoidal but actually be linear with a positive slope at low doses. The slope of the curve only approached zero at low dose, indicative of a threshold for response, if binding of the xenobiotic ligand to the receptor exhibited positive cooperativity (ligand binding at one site increases the affinity for ligand at another binding site on the receptor). Positive cooperativity in the rate-limiting step of protein synthesis produced dose-response curves which were "U-shaped" at low doses, also indicative of a threshold. Positive cooperativity in the metabolism of the xenobiotic ligand produced dose-response curves that increased more rapidly than linearly with increasing dose. The model illustrates the fact that response cannot be predicted from qualitative mechanistic arguments alone; any assessment of risk to health from xenobiotic chemicals must be based on a detailed quantitative examination of the kinetic behavior of each chemical species individually.