Hemispherectomy has gained widespread endorsement as a useful technique for treating seizures in patients with cerebral hemispheric dysfunction. Following this procedure, most patients experience seizure-freedom or a substantial decrease in the number of seizures occurring. Regarding other areas of functioning, patients generally maintain the same level of intelligence, language abilities, motor functioning, and visual ability, and experience improvements in behavioral disturbances and social skills. However, the current outcome literature lacks information regarding the effect of hemispherectomy on executive function. The purpose of this study is to evaluate executive function in pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy following a hemispherectomy. The parents of children who had undergone this surgical intervention completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, and Kenworthy, 2002) and their children's scores were compared to those of children with epilepsy treated with anticonvulsant medications (AEDs) only. The impact of clinical variables (i.e. age at time of surgery, lateralization of hemispherectomy, and amount of time since surgery) on BRIEF scores were also examined. Results indicated that children undergoing a hemispherectomy produced lower scores (less impaired) on several of the BRIEF scales as compared to those taking AEDs only. The left and right hemispherectomy group differed only on a subscale measuring behavioral inhibition, with the right hemispherectomy group producing a higher mean (meaning more impairment). Several BRIEF scores in the aggregate hemispherectomy group were positively correlated with time since surgery, such that longer post-operative periods were associated with poorer performances on the BRIEF. Several BRIEF measures were negatively correlated with age at time of surgery, suggesting that younger patients fared worse on the BRIEF than older patients.

Social anxiety describes a marked and persistent fear of negative evaluation in social performance situations that invariably evokes anxiety. In the following study, three dimensions of perception and information processing in context of social anxiety were covered: distinctions between state and trait anxiety, implicit associations, and subliminal priming. Implicit associations may be defined as unconscious cognitive processes related to one's preferences and biases. Implicit associations may also affect how quickly an individual perceives a threatening situation. Exposure to subliminal stimuli also appears to have an effect on the perception of stress-inducing stimuli. This research examined how subliminal priming may influence implicit associations. Results from the present study suggested that the implicit associations of social anxiety were minimally but significantly related to explicit reports of anxiety. Subliminal priming significantly influenced the participants' implicit associations of social anxiety.

Research has illuminated high levels of burnout among stockbrokers and has identified significant correlations between elevated burnout levels and decreased work productivity, mental health, and quality of life (Cass, 2000; Millward, 2001). Though correlations between personality and job-related outcomes have been demonstrated with various professions, research on stockbrokers is noticeably lacking. One of the aims of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the individuals in this profession. Additionally, the study examined the income, job burnout, and job satisfaction levels of South Florida stockbrokers and the relationships between these job-related outcomes and personality characteristics. Forty male stockbrokers between the ages of 22 and 34 participated in the study and completed the California Psychological Inventory, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Abridged Job Descriptive Index, and a demographic questionnaire. Hypothesis testing utilized seven personality subscales: Dominance, Capacity for Status, Social Presence, Sociability, Self-control, Responsibility and Femininity/Masculinity. Results revealed partial support for study hypotheses: stockbrokers differed significantly from business executives on Responsibility and Self-control. Income was significantly correlated with Dominance, Social Presence, Sociability, Self-control, and Femininity/Masculinity and modestly correlated with Responsibility. Job satisfaction was modestly correlated with Dominance and Social Presence. However, burnout was not significantly correlated with any of the personality subscales. Stepwise multiple regression analysis utilizing the seven personality subscales to predict income revealed the best-fitting model to include Self-control and Dominance. The model containing Dominance, Capacity for Status, and Sociability was significantly predictive of satisfaction. However, no significant model emerged to predict burnout. When examining the interrelationships between job-related outcomes, satisfaction was positively correlated with income and negatively correlated with burnout; however, income and burnout were not significantly correlated. This study offers partial support for Cass (2000) and Millward (2001): high levels of burnout were found among the stockbrokers, though no significant relationship was found between Depersonalization and income. Additionally, the current study found Personal Accomplishment to be positively correlated with income. Like previous research that has identified self-esteem as important to job performance and offsetting negative work environments, this study found that more confident stockbrokers earned higher incomes and endorsed higher satisfaction levels.

Domestic violence is a pervasive problem. Approximately one quarter of all women will be assaulted by a partner in their lifetime. It is difficult to predict how resilient a woman will be after being abused, and how severe the negative consequences may be. The present study sought to identify variables that are the strongest predictors of traumatic symptoms after experiencing domestic violence, and also test social support as a moderator of these trauma symptoms. One hundred and twenty two women incarcerated in a local south Florida county jail participated in the study. They were administered the BWSQ-3, DAPS, and AAS-R. Types of abuse experienced, number of abusive relationships, time in abusive relationship, and severity of injuries were all found to be significant predictors of clinically significant trauma symptoms; types of abuse experienced and severity of injuries contributed over and above the other variables. It was observed that approximately 71% of women identified as having a secure attachment style sought help outside the relationship for the abuse. It was also determined that women with a secure attachment style significantly differed from those with a preoccupied or fearful attachment style in the rates at which they sought help. The final analysis indicated social support effectively moderates the resulting trauma symptoms after being abused; women who have experienced mild to moderate abuse, who also have adequate social support, had lower rates of clinically significant trauma symptoms. The present findings are important for guiding treatment and the development and implementation of more effective interventions.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major concern for health professionals as it is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Patients can experience difficulties that include intellectual impairment, memory impairment, and executive functioning deficits. Psychometric tests have been used to assist in the diagnosis of head injuries. Specifically, the Wechsler scales are recognized in the scientific and medical communities as the most widely utilized measure of general intellectual function in older adolescents and adults. The recently published Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) is a revision of the WAIS-III. No studies have been published to date relevant to the effects of head trauma or other neurological disorders due to the recent introduction of the test. The purpose of the study was to understand the immediate intellectual consequences of head injury in adults along a continuum of severity, evaluate whether new additions to the WAIS-IV provide additional information about the effects of head trauma, and determine if the length of recovery affects the WAIS-IV indices differently. A total of 47 participants between the ages of 18-89 were selected from inpatient and outpatient admissions at a major trauma center. Participants who had sustained a closed-head injury were selected and tested between 1 month and 36 months post-injury (once any post traumatic amnesia had resolved). Patients were administered the Galveston Orientation Amnesia Test, Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, and WAIS-IV. The main question addressed by the current study was the extent to which brain injured adults display intellectual deficits and if these were consistent with those observed on prior versions of the Wechsler scales. An examination of the pattern of intellectual impairments and the effects of demographic corrections on the WAIS-IV was also conducted. Results indicated that the WAIS-IV IQ and indexes were reduced significantly by traumatic brain injury, and that more severe injuries were likely to show the most pronounced effect on the Processing Speed Index. Abnormalities visualized by brain CT or MRI scans were associated with lower IQ's and index scores than were shown by patients with traumatic head injury that had normal CT scans. There was no evidence that corrections for educational level, ethnicity, and gender improved the sensitivity of the WAIS-IV to injury severity beyond that obtained by corrections for age.

Previous research suggests as more scores are interpreted, there is a coinciding increase in the chance significant scores will be obtained. Interpretation of the MMPI-2 can involve the analysis of as many as 98 or more separate scores, suggesting the measure has a strong proclivity for producing a high frequency of seemingly abnormal scores amongst normal healthy adults. In the current study the incidence of elevated MMPI-2 scores was simulated for the normal population using Monte Carlo methodology. Interscale correlations from the MMPI-2 restandardization sample were obtained to determine the percentage of the population with N or more seemingly abnormal scores. Simulations were conducted for all scales combined, and for the Clinical, Harris-Lingoes, Content, Content-Component, and Supplementary scales separately at varying T-score cutoffs. 36.8% of normal adults are expected exhibit at least one elevated score on the Clinical scales at 65T. The normal incidence of at least one seemingly abnormal score was 38.3% on the Content, and 55.1% on the Supplementary scales. When all scale groups are considered together, approximately 50% of the normal population has three or more significant scores, and at least seven seemingly meaningful scores are found for one out of five normal persons. These results imply that consideration of a large number of MMPI-2 scales should be conducted with caution, and that high T-score cut-points may optimally increase confidence in the absence of corroborative test scores and extra test data.

The older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population is often underrepresented in the current body of research and the needs of this population are not well understood. Most research with this population has focused on wealthy, gay men, creating a deficit in regard to our understanding of the lesbian and bisexual individuals in the population. The present study was designed to add to the body of research on same-sex attracted older adults, by assessing well-being and acceptance of sexual orientation within the population. This study filled gaps in our current understanding of this population and provided new data for the Gay Identity Questionnaire (GIQ) as well as normative data for this population on several measures of well-being. Additionally, it created an image of how older same-sex attracted adults view themselves and the needs that they perceive within their population. Same-sex attracted adults, age 50 and older, were recruited through an anonymous online survey (N = 327; Age M: 59 years old, SD = 6.96). Sexual identity development was assessed with the GIQ (Brady & Busse, 1994; Halpin & Allen, 2004), and psychological well-being was assessed via the Depression-Happiness Scale (Joseph & Lewis, 1993), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Pavot & Diener, 1993), UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1996), Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1989), Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. Regression analysis showed that age was overall a significant predictor of all of the outcome measures, with higher age predicting better well-being scores. The GIQ was not a significant predictor in the final model. The implications of these results in regard to the usefulness of the GIQ as a research and clinical assessment tool are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research with this population. A descriptive analysis of results and participants comments is also provided, with an emphasis on different areas of need within the older LGB population.

This study examined the utility of the Trail Making Test Quotient (Trails B/ Trails A) in assessing executive functioning relative to that of common tests of executive function such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Category Test, and the Stroop Test. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship of the Trail Making Test Quotient (Trails B/ Trails A) with other common tests of executive functioning (i.e., Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop, Category Test) to determine whether these tests are measuring similar domains of functioning or whether Trail Making Test Quotient (Trails B/ Trails A) offers a more pure measure of executive functioning over and beyond that of Trail Making Test B alone or the difference score, Trail Making Test (Trails B- Trails A). A series of partial correlations were conducted involving the Trail Making Test scores (Quotient, Difference, and B [Raw]), and the scores of the executive functioning measures (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Category Test, and Stroop), controlling for age, education, and gender. Trails Quotient, Trails B Raw, and Trails Difference were found to significantly negatively correlate with WCST Total # of Categories. Only Trails B Raw and Trails Difference were found to significantly positively correlate with WCST Perseverative Responses and Category Error. None of the Trail Making Test measures used in this study were found to significantly correlate Stroop Interference. Correlation coefficients were compared to determine the strength of Trails Quotient's relationship with the aforementioned executive functioning measures relative to that of Trails Difference and Trails B Raw. Contrary to the hypotheses of the current study, the Trails Quotient demonstrated a significantly weaker correlation with WCST Total # of Categories, WCST Perseverative Responses, and Category Error than that of Trails Difference and Trails B Raw. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the correlation coefficients of Trails Quotient, Trails Difference, and Trails B Raw with Stroop Interference. However, upon further investigation using exploratory factor analyses, it was discovered that Trails Quotient may have represented a particular component of executive functioning more so than the Trails Difference and Trails B Raw. The results suggest that Trails Quotient offers a unique estimate of executive skill specific to cognitive organization, whereas Trails B Raw and Trails Difference represent multiple executive domains including regulatory and organizational abilities. Clinical practice will benefit from the current study's findings in that assessment of complex executive functioning will be more precise. Future research is needed to determine the utility of the Trails Quotient in identifying specific types and locations of brain injury. Assessment of specific impaired frontal skills common to degenerative dementias and traumatic brain injury may be possible with the use of Trails Quotient contingent upon further research. Future research into the domains of executive functioning and the Trail Making Test should focus on specific skills within regulatory and organizational components, and the development of normative data for Trails Quotient.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with various immediate and long-term effects, including interpersonal maladjustment. Research has demonstrated a relationship between CSA and subsequent parenting outcomes, such as feeling less confident in the parenting role or being more likely to use harsh discipline practices. The current study examined the relationship between CSA and subsequent parenting skills, specifically perceived parenting competence and parenting practices. This study also examined the potential internalizing, externalizing, and overall problems in children of mothers sexually abused in childhood. Taking into consideration the failure in the literature to account for the role of other variables in determining parenting difficulties, this study examined the mediational role of childhood physical abuse and maternal depression on the parenting outcomes of mothers. The findings of this study indicated that sexually abused mothers did not significantly differ from nonabused mothers in how effective they felt as mothers. Contrary to the hypotheses, the results did not suggest that CSA mothers were more lax or over reactive than their nonabused counterparts. However, the findings revealed that compared to nonabused mothers, sexually abused mothers were more likely to employ hostile parenting practices. In addition, the results of the current study revealed that CSA mothers who reported being more lax in their parenting were more likely to have children who exhibited more externalizing and internalizing behavior problems as compared to the control group. In contrast, there were no significant correlations found between the parenting practices of nonabused mothers and their children's behaviors. The results provided support for maternal depression as a mediator in the relationship between CSA and parenting practices, specifically over reactivity and hostility. Maternal depression did not mediate the relationship between CSA and maternal self-efficacy, or between CSA and laxness. This study found support for the role of childhood physical abuse (CPA) as a mediator in the link from CSA to hostile parenting. However, the findings did not suggest that CPA mediated the relationship between CSA and the other parenting outcomes under study. Possible interpretations of the results are presented. Clinical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

The present study examined acculturation among Asian-Indians, residing in the United States and Canada, and explored: (1) whether acculturation can predict reporting of domestic violence, (2) how acculturation between Asian-Indians immigrants and US/Canadian born Asian-Indians is related to reporting domestic violence, and (3) how traditional practices such as arranged marriage and/or dowry influence the relationship between acculturation and domestic violence. Participants (N=100) were administered the Acculturation Scale for Asian Indians (ASAI; Parekh, 2000) and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus, 1996). Results demonstrated that acculturation was not found to be a good predictor of physical assault or psychological aggression and that acculturation was not significantly related to physical assault or psychological aggression. Significant results were found for birth status and acculturation. Traditional arranged marriage and dowry could not be addressed due to the low number of participants that could be classified into these variables. Therefore, a qualitative analysis was conducted. Factors influencing these results and limitations of the present study were offered.