Morphine is the most widely prescribed opiate for alleviation of persistent pain; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that morphine is less potent in women compared to men. Morphine primarily binds mu opioid receptors, which are densely localized in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG). Anatomical and physiological studies conducted in the 1960s identified the PAG, and its projections to the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) and spinal cord dorsal horn, as an essential neural circuit mediating opioid-based analgesia. Remarkably, the majority of studies since then were conducted in males with the implicit assumption that this circuit was the same in females; this is not the case. It is now well established that morphine produces greater analgesia in males compared to females in a wide range of vertebrates, however, the mechanism(s) driving this sex difference is not clear. Our recent studies indicate that two factors appear to be contributing to the sexually dimorphic effects of morphine. First, there are sex differences in the anatomy and physiology of the descending inhibitory pathway on which morphine acts to produce analgesia. Specifically, the projections from the PAG to the RVM are sexually dimorphic and activated to a greater degree by both inflammatory pain and systemic morphine in males. In the absence of pain, the PAG-RVM circuit is activated to a greater degree in males compared to females, while this activation steadily declines during the development of tolerance in males only. We also have evidence of a sexually dimorphic expression of mu opioid receptor within the PAG that appears to contribute to sex differences in morphine potency. Microinjection of morphine directly into the PAG produces significantly greater analgesia in males, indicating that the PAG is sufficient for eliciting this sexually dimorphic behavior. Furthermore, mu opioid receptor-expressing PAG neurons are necessary for eliciting a sexually dimorphic response to morphine as lesioning mu opioid receptor-expressing neurons attenuates analgesia in males only. Together, these data indicate that the PAG-RVM pathway and mu opioid receptor expression in the PAG is sexually dimorphic and provides a primary mechanism for sex differences in morphine potency.

Moderate and severe pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with significant familial stress and child cognitive and adaptive sequelae (Taylor et al., 1999). Research has demonstrated a relationship between familial stress and resources and child recovery of functioning following TBI (Taylor et al., 1999). We built on these findings by examining authoritarian parenting values and styles as a mediator of the relationship between parental stress and child adaptive outcomes 12-36 months following TBI or orthopedic injury (ORTHO). Participants were 21 children/adolescents with traumatic brain injuries and 23 with orthopedic injuries and one of their parents/guardians. Parents completed measures of demographics, parental stress, parenting values and styles, and child adaptive functioning. Child participants completed brief demographic questionnaires and intelligence screeners. Moderation was examined using hierarchical multiple regression. Mediation and moderated mediation were examined using bootstrapping tests of the indirect effect of parental stress on child adaptive functioning. After controlling for family insurance status, higher levels of parental stress were associated with reduced child adaptive functioning in the TBI group but not the ORTHO group. An examination of the mediational analyses revealed that higher levels of parental stress were associated with a greater reliance on authoritarian parenting styles, which was associated with reduced overall adaptive functioning and daily living skills across the two injury groups. Therefore, across groups, the relationship between parental stress and child overall adaptive functioning and daily living skills was found to be partially mediated by an authoritarian parenting style. Moderated mediation results revealed the presence of a significant interaction and 95% confidence interval on the socialization domain and indicated that the relationship between authoritarian parenting styles and child adaptive social skills differed significantly between the two groups. Our findings suggest a relationship between parental stress, authoritarian parenting styles, and child adaptive functioning in the 12-36 months following pediatric traumatic injury. Future research should explore the association among these, as well as other potentially mediating variables, both within and between the two groups with the goal of further elucidating the relationship between familial/environmental variables and child adaptive functioning following traumatic brain and orthopedic injury.

The current study examined the effects of parenting congruence on child outcome behaviors. Participants were 144 African American families with a child between 9 and 12 years old. Mothers and fathers provided self report on their behavior regarding monitoring, positive parenting, and parental beliefs. Children provided self report regarding child problem behavior, and sexual intentions. Results revealed the more congruent parents were on positive parenting behaviors the more boys thought about sex; however, results for girls were not significant. Additionally, moderation trends suggested when both parents are high on monitoring behaviors girls have thought about sex less, whereas boys think about sex less when both parents are low on monitoring behaviors. Another trend suggested the more conservative both parents are regarding attitudes about dating, the less likely boys are to have thought about sex. Thus, the combined behavior of both parents on specific parenting factors can affect boys and girls differently.

The purpose of the current study is determine if the presence of a natural mentor, and/or the quality of relationship within protégé-mentor relationships, predicts the development of Future Orientation (FO) among African American girls living in conditions of risk. A sample of 160 girls of African descent was recruited from 6 elementary and middle schools. An exploratory factor analysis of 19 FO items suggested a 2-factor model consisting of (1) motivation and (2) planning. The model did not support the third expected factor, evaluation. The presence of natural mentors failed to predict concurrent levels of FO. Relationship quality did significantly predict concurrent levels of FO. Post-hoc analyses indicated that the consistent presence of a natural mentor predicted the development of FO. Post-hoc analyses also indicated the relationship quality with one’s, significantly predicted the development of FO among consistently mentored girls. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

The purpose of the current study is to revise the wording of the items in the Strong Black Woman (SBW) attitudes scale and investigate the psychometric properties of this revised scale (renamed the SBW Cultural Construct Scale, SBWCCS). Another goal is to determine if the scale predicts racial identity, stress, and social support. The sample consisted of 152 women of African descent, who were recruited from a community based organization. An exploratory factor analysis on the SBWCCS scale suggested a 3-factor model consisting of (1) caretaking, (2) affect regulation, and (3) self-reliance. These factors parallel those found in the original scale (Thompson, 2003). The internal consistency was adequate for the overall scale and the caretaking subscale, but somewhat low for affect-regulation and self-reliance. The SBWCCS scale predicted centrality of racial identity and stress (measured as perceived stress and number of stressful events). Specifically, women who reported higher levels on the SBWCCS also reported higher levels of centrality and stress. In addition, higher levels on the caretaking subscale predicted lower reciprocity of social support. Other aspects of racial identity (public and private regard) and social support (received and satisfaction) were not predicted by SBWCCS. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

Tradicionalmente, a escolha pelo tipo de intervenção psicoterápica para diferentes quadros clínicos depende fundamentalmente da experiência profissional do terapeuta e de sua predileção por determinadas estratégias clínicas. Esse cenário, entretanto, tem se modificado no contexto da prática baseada em evidências, definida pela American Psychological Association como o processo individualizado de tomada de decisão clínica que ocorre por meio da integração da melhor evidência disponível com a perícia clínica no contexto das características, cultura e preferências do cliente. O paradigma de prática baseada em evidências está em perfeita harmonia com a ideologia da análise do comportamento aplicada, que, desde a sua origem, apresenta um forte comprometimento com a sustentação empírica de seus procedimentos terapêuticos. Apesar desse comprometimento, é de fundamental importância avaliar em que medida a área está ou não produzindo evidências de eficácia. Em vista disso, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a produção de evidências empíricas da terapia analítico-comportamental (TAC) e da psicoterapia analítica-funcional (FAP), na literatura nacional e internacional, de modo a complementar as revisões sistemáticas já realizadas sobre outras modalidades de análise do comportamento clínica terapia de aceitação e compromisso (ACT), terapia comportamental dialética (DBT) e ativação comportamental (BA). Para cumprir esse objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura conduzida de forma a localizar o maior número possível de estudos empíricos sobre TAC e FAP, publicados ou não, que abarcou onze bases de dados globais e três bases de dados específicas da análise do comportamento. A seleção dos estudos obedeceu aos seguintes critérios de inclusão: ser relato de caso, experimento de caso único ou pesquisa de grupo que descreve os resultados obtidos num processo de terapia individual; ter participantes com desenvolvimento típico e idade igual ou superior a 18 anos; ter ocorrido exclusivamente no ambiente de consultório; ser fundamentado no behaviorismo radical e utilizar conceitos da análise do comportamento na descrição do processo terapêutico. No total, foram selecionados 54 trabalhos que apresentaram 72 casos. As informações de cada um dos casos foram organizadas numa planilha do Microsoft Excel e diferentes categorias de análise foram construídas de modo a possibilitar dois tipos de análise. A primeira, descritiva, abarcou a denominação dada à terapia, idade, gênero e diagnóstico dos clientes, método de pesquisa, número de sessões, avaliação da fidelidade ao procedimento, apresentação de análise de contingências, alvos da intervenção, procedimentos utilizados, eficácia, medidas de resultado e follow-up. A segunda análise consistiu em diversos cruzamentos entre esses dados. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que a TAC e a FAP carecem de evidências empíricas que comprovem ou rejeitem sua eficácia. À luz desses dados e das revisões sistemáticas sobre ACT, DBT e BA, argumenta-se que terapeutas e pesquisadores brasileiros têm três opções: (1) utilizar apenas os princípios comportamentais básicos, isto é, a teoria, para guiar sua prática clínica, o que é insuficiente para garantir a eficácia da intervenção; (2) adotar um dos modelos internacionais de análise do comportamento clínica; (3) sistematizar a TAC para, posteriormente, pesquisá-la experimentalmente. Espera-se que, além de oferecer o estado da arte da pesquisa clínica sobre TAC e sobre FAP, este trabalho contribua para o desenvolvimento científico das terapias comportamentais e para o fortalecimento da análise do comportamento como ciência e profissão / Traditionally, the choice of the type of psychotherapeutic intervention for various clinical conditions fundamentally depends on the professional experience of the therapist and his/her predilection for certain clinical strategies. However, this scenario has been changing in the context of evidence-based practice, defined by the American Psychological Association as the individualized process of clinical decision-making that takes place through the integration of the best available evidence with clinical expertise in the context of the characteristics, culture and preferences of the client. The paradigm of evidence-based practice is in perfect harmony with the applied behavior analysis ideology, which, since its inception, has a strong commitment to the empirical support of its therapeutic procedures. Despite this commitment, it is of fundamental importance to assess to what extent the area is or is not producing evidence of efficacy. In view of this, this thesis aimed to analyze the production of empirical evidence of behavioral-analytic therapy (TAC) and functional-analytic psychotherapy (FAP), in national and international literature, in order to complement the systematic reviews already conducted on other modalities of clinical behavior analysis acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and behavioral activation (BA). To achieve this goal, a review of the literature was conducted in order to find the largest possible number of empirical studies of TAC and FAP, published or not, which covered eleven global databases and three specific databases of behavior analysis. The selection of studies followed the following inclusion criteria: to be a case report, single-case experiment or group research that describes the results obtained in an individual therapy process; to have participants with typical development and age up to 18 years of age; to have taken place exclusively in the office environment; to be based on radical behaviorism and to use behavior analysis concepts in the description of the therapeutic process. In total, 54 works that presented 72 cases were selected. The information regarding each one of the cases has been organized in a Microsoft Excel worksheet and different analysis categories have been designed so as to enable two kinds of analysis. The first kind was a descriptive one, and embraced the name given to the therapy, age, gender and diagnosis of clients, research method, number of sessions, evaluation of procedure fidelity, description of analysis of contingencies, targets of intervention, procedures used, efficacy, outcome measures and follow-up. The second kind consisted of the analysis of different combinations of these data. The results lead to the conclusion that TAC and FAP lack empirical evidence to support or reject their efficacy. In light of these data and the systematic reviews on ACT, DBT and BA, it is argued that Brazilian therapists and researchers have three options: (1) use only the basic behavioral principles, i.e. the theory, to guide their clinical practice, which is insufficient to ensure the efficacy of the intervention; (2) adopt one of the international models of clinical behavior analysis; (3) systematize TAC so that it can be researched experimentally afterwards. It is expected that, in addition to offering the state of the art of clinical research on TAC and on FAP, this work will contribute to the scientific development of behavioral therapies and to the strengthening of behavior analysis as a science and profession

Susidomėjimas sporto psichologija Lietuvoje pastaraisiais metais auga, tačiau dauguma žmonių vis dar nesupranta, kas ištikrųjų yra sporto psichologija ir kokią reikšmę ji turi sportininkams. Todėl psichologinė pagalba yra viena iš silpniausi�� sportininkų rengimo grandžių. Treneriai nors ir skiria šiai pagalbai dėmesį, dažniausiai atlieka tai daugiau intuityviai ir svarbiausia – nesistemingai. Tuo tarpu, sportininkai tenkinasi tuo, ką jiems suteikia treneriai, o patys retai kreipiasi į sporto psichologus. Todėl labai svarbu išsiaiškinti, koks pačių sportininkų požiūris į sporto psichologiją, sporto psichologo konsultacijų naudingumą ir veiksmingumą. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti sportuojančių studentų požiūrį į sporto psichologiją. Tyrimo objektas – sportuojančių studentų požiūris į sporto psichologiją. Taikant S. B. Martin Nuostatų į sporto psichologiją (patikslinta forma) metodiką, apklausti 126 sportininkai, dalyvavę 2006 metais Estijoje vykusiose SELL studentų žaidynėse. Iš 126 sportininkų, 24 buvo iš Suomijos, 24 iš Estijos, 38 iš Latvijos ir 40 iš Lietuvos; 83 vyrai ir 43 moterys. Siekdami įvertinti sportuojančių studentų požiūrį į sporto psichologiją, nustatėme studentų tolerantiškumo lygį sporto psichologijos atžvilgiu, pasitikėjimą sporto psichologu, asmenino atvirumo lygį ir požiūrį į kitos etninės kilmės, kultūros ar rasės žmones, ir ar šiuos kintamuosius įtakoja studentų lytis, tautiškumas, išsilavinimas, pagrindinė domėjimosi sritis, sporto šaka bei ankstesnės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Interest in sports psychology has been growing in Lithuania in recent years. However, most people still do not understand what sports psychology is and its significance to sportsmen. Therefore, psychological support is not considered important in preparing sportsmen. Although trainers do provide the psychological support, they usually do it intuitively and irregularly. Meanwhile the sportsmen accept their trainers’ support and rarely seek for help of sports psychologists. Thus, it is important to find out an attitude of the sportsmen themselves towards sports psychology and efficiency and usefulness of consultations provided by the sports psychologist. The aim of this research is to find out the attitude of student sportsmen towards the sports psychology. The object of the research is the attitude of student sportsmen towards the sports psychology. Basing on the S. B. Martin methodology of the Provisions of Sports Psychology (the specified form) 126 sportsmen who participated in the SELL Student Games 2006 in Estonia were interviewed. 24 participants were from Finland, 24 from Estonia, 38 from Latvia and 40 from Lithuania; 83 men and 43 women. In order to estimate the attitude of the student sportsmen, we found out the level of tolerance in respect of the sports psychology, reliance on the sports psychologist, the level of personal openness and the attitude towards people of other ethnic groups, culture and race. We also found out whether sex, nationality, education, the... [to full text]

Tradicionalmente, a escolha pelo tipo de intervenção psicoterápica para diferentes quadros clínicos depende fundamentalmente da experiência profissional do terapeuta e de sua predileção por determinadas estratégias clínicas. Esse cenário, entretanto, tem se modificado no contexto da prática baseada em evidências, definida pela American Psychological Association como o processo individualizado de tomada de decisão clínica que ocorre por meio da integração da melhor evidência disponível com a perícia clínica no contexto das características, cultura e preferências do cliente. O paradigma de prática baseada em evidências está em perfeita harmonia com a ideologia da análise do comportamento aplicada, que, desde a sua origem, apresenta um forte comprometimento com a sustentação empírica de seus procedimentos terapêuticos. Apesar desse comprometimento, é de fundamental importância avaliar em que medida a área está ou não produzindo evidências de eficácia. Em vista disso, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a produção de evidências empíricas da terapia analítico-comportamental (TAC) e da psicoterapia analítica-funcional (FAP), na literatura nacional e internacional, de modo a complementar as revisões sistemáticas já realizadas sobre outras modalidades de análise do comportamento clínica terapia de aceitação e compromisso (ACT), terapia comportamental dialética (DBT) e ativação comportamental (BA). Para cumprir esse objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura conduzida de forma a localizar o maior número possível de estudos empíricos sobre TAC e FAP, publicados ou não, que abarcou onze bases de dados globais e três bases de dados específicas da análise do comportamento. A seleção dos estudos obedeceu aos seguintes critérios de inclusão: ser relato de caso, experimento de caso único ou pesquisa de grupo que descreve os resultados obtidos num processo de terapia individual; ter participantes com desenvolvimento típico e idade igual ou superior a 18 anos; ter ocorrido exclusivamente no ambiente de consultório; ser fundamentado no behaviorismo radical e utilizar conceitos da análise do comportamento na descrição do processo terapêutico. No total, foram selecionados 54 trabalhos que apresentaram 72 casos. As informações de cada um dos casos foram organizadas numa planilha do Microsoft Excel e diferentes categorias de análise foram construídas de modo a possibilitar dois tipos de análise. A primeira, descritiva, abarcou a denominação dada à terapia, idade, gênero e diagnóstico dos clientes, método de pesquisa, número de sessões, avaliação da fidelidade ao procedimento, apresentação de análise de contingências, alvos da intervenção, procedimentos utilizados, eficácia, medidas de resultado e follow-up. A segunda análise consistiu em diversos cruzamentos entre esses dados. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que a TAC e a FAP carecem de evidências empíricas que comprovem ou rejeitem sua eficácia. À luz desses dados e das revisões sistemáticas sobre ACT, DBT e BA, argumenta-se que terapeutas e pesquisadores brasileiros têm três opções: (1) utilizar apenas os princípios comportamentais básicos, isto é, a teoria, para guiar sua prática clínica, o que é insuficiente para garantir a eficácia da intervenção; (2) adotar um dos modelos internacionais de análise do comportamento clínica; (3) sistematizar a TAC para, posteriormente, pesquisá-la experimentalmente. Espera-se que, além de oferecer o estado da arte da pesquisa clínica sobre TAC e sobre FAP, este trabalho contribua para o desenvolvimento científico das terapias comportamentais e para o fortalecimento da análise do comportamento como ciência e profissão / Traditionally, the choice of the type of psychotherapeutic intervention for various clinical conditions fundamentally depends on the professional experience of the therapist and his/her predilection for certain clinical strategies. However, this scenario has been changing in the context of evidence-based practice, defined by the American Psychological Association as the individualized process of clinical decision-making that takes place through the integration of the best available evidence with clinical expertise in the context of the characteristics, culture and preferences of the client. The paradigm of evidence-based practice is in perfect harmony with the applied behavior analysis ideology, which, since its inception, has a strong commitment to the empirical support of its therapeutic procedures. Despite this commitment, it is of fundamental importance to assess to what extent the area is or is not producing evidence of efficacy. In view of this, this thesis aimed to analyze the production of empirical evidence of behavioral-analytic therapy (TAC) and functional-analytic psychotherapy (FAP), in national and international literature, in order to complement the systematic reviews already conducted on other modalities of clinical behavior analysis acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and behavioral activation (BA). To achieve this goal, a review of the literature was conducted in order to find the largest possible number of empirical studies of TAC and FAP, published or not, which covered eleven global databases and three specific databases of behavior analysis. The selection of studies followed the following inclusion criteria: to be a case report, single-case experiment or group research that describes the results obtained in an individual therapy process; to have participants with typical development and age up to 18 years of age; to have taken place exclusively in the office environment; to be based on radical behaviorism and to use behavior analysis concepts in the description of the therapeutic process. In total, 54 works that presented 72 cases were selected. The information regarding each one of the cases has been organized in a Microsoft Excel worksheet and different analysis categories have been designed so as to enable two kinds of analysis. The first kind was a descriptive one, and embraced the name given to the therapy, age, gender and diagnosis of clients, research method, number of sessions, evaluation of procedure fidelity, description of analysis of contingencies, targets of intervention, procedures used, efficacy, outcome measures and follow-up. The second kind consisted of the analysis of different combinations of these data. The results lead to the conclusion that TAC and FAP lack empirical evidence to support or reject their efficacy. In light of these data and the systematic reviews on ACT, DBT and BA, it is argued that Brazilian therapists and researchers have three options: (1) use only the basic behavioral principles, i.e. the theory, to guide their clinical practice, which is insufficient to ensure the efficacy of the intervention; (2) adopt one of the international models of clinical behavior analysis; (3) systematize TAC so that it can be researched experimentally afterwards. It is expected that, in addition to offering the state of the art of clinical research on TAC and on FAP, this work will contribute to the scientific development of behavioral therapies and to the strengthening of behavior analysis as a science and profession

The aim of the research was to determine the extent by wt)ich the home, school and community can provide emotional support to secondary school children. A literature survey focused on these variables. This was followed by the empirical investigation and it was found that there was a significant and positive correlation in the scores of males and females and for all age groups in relation to emotional problems experienced by secondary school children in their homes, schools and communities as a result of external forces (such as their experiences with family members, teachers at school, peer group members and other community members) and internal forces (such as their own physical, social, intellectual, moral and emotional development). This was followed by findings and recommendations for family, teachers at school, community members and the government. / Psychology of Education / Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of South Africa, 1998.

The aim of the research was to determine the extent by wt)ich the home, school and community can provide emotional support to secondary school children. A literature survey focused on these variables. This was followed by the empirical investigation and it was found that there was a significant and positive correlation in the scores of males and females and for all age groups in relation to emotional problems experienced by secondary school children in their homes, schools and communities as a result of external forces (such as their experiences with family members, teachers at school, peer group members and other community members) and internal forces (such as their own physical, social, intellectual, moral and emotional development). This was followed by findings and recommendations for family, teachers at school, community members and the government. / Psychology of Education / Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of South Africa, 1998.