Addressing HIV risk behavior among pregnant drug abusers: An overview.

Both sex- and drug-related HIV risk behavior are common among pregnant drug abusers. In the absence of intervention, these behaviors are likely to continue throughout pregnancy, placing the women and their unborn children at risk of contracting HIV. Drug treatment programs have been found to have limited impact on these behaviors. Although certain drug risk behaviors have been shown to decrease during drug treatment, sex-related risk behavior remains largely unaffected. Similarly, knowledge- and skill-based HIV risk reduction interventions have demonstrated modest efficacy. Therefore, there is a need to develop new interventions that directly target sex- and drug-related HIV risk behavior among pregnant drug abusers, taking advantage of a period in the women's lives in which the potential negative consequences of risk behavior are more significant given the possible impact on their unborn children and in which there may be a heightened desire to make healthier behavior choices. Recent work suggests that a promising new direction for the field may be incorporating motivational interviewing components into traditional HIV risk reduction interventions, which focus on providing HIV risk information and building sex- and drug-related HIV risk reduction skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in most industrialized countries. Moreover, it has increasingly been recognized that the major risk factors for development of CVD are behavioral. Risk factors that relate to life-style or behavioral tendencies include smoking, hypertension, obesity, elevated serum cholesterol, exercise habits, alcohol consumption, aspects of the Type A behavior pattern, environmental stressors, and psychophysiological responsivity to stressors. This special series addresses the current status of research on behavioral variables in CVD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Problems of alcohol and drug abuse among children and adolescents are drawing unprecedented attention from researchers, policymakers, and the lay public. Clearly warranted, that attention focuses on vexing questions about the nature and prevention of substance abuse among youth. The most common questions include these: Are substance rates among youth on the rise? Why do young people use alcohol and drugs? How can we prevent substance abuse among youth? What works in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse? Do we need special programs to prevent substance abuse among youths from different backgrounds? Where should we put our resources to exert a maximum impact on the demand for drugs and alcohol among youth? By answering these and other questions, the 10 articles in this special series lay a foundation for future practice, policy, and research on alcohol and drug abuse among youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

This special issue of the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors includes papers that were presented the second annual symposium of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors (SPAB), held in New Orleans in August 1989. The symposium offerings sampled several significant addiction treatment and research issues, including new treatment populations and new treatment interventions, biogenetic factors in chemical dependency, and the impact of AIDS on the addiction field and on psychologists' roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal and emotional problem solving among narcotic drug abusers.

"Real-life" interpersonal and emotional problem solving was measured in 40 narcotics abusers in ambulatory treatment, 20 in "good" standing and 20 in "poor" standing. A modified means–ends problem-solving procedure was used that required narrative responses containing relevant means (RMs) for solving 7 problems. Good Ss had more total RMs, used more introspective and emotional RMs, were better at RM recognition, but did not have more sufficient narratives than the poor Ss. Results are consistent with those of previous studies of problem-solving thinking. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on research in utilizing competency-based criteria for training psychotherapeutic skills. The introduction of manuals for practicing psychotherapy reactivates an old debate about the value of competency-based education for the mental health disciplines. In a general way, this special series approaches and explores this debate. The articles included are of two types: (a) those that address general issues of criteria-based training and (b) those that explore standards for training in specific approaches. Altogether, the articles cover a variety of therapeutic approaches, including most of those that are applied by contemporary mental health practitioners. Moreover, the articles address the problems of negative effects, common versus specific variables, and the roles of cognitive and experiential learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on basic social support processes. Despite the large number of studies documenting the positive impact of social ties on health and well-being, the processes involved are still unclear. Just how does social support operate? What are its effective components, and under what conditions are support effects maximized? The articles in the current series sharpen our understanding of social support by focusing on both conceptual and methodological issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on cross-cultural clinical applications. The broader application of clinical assessment and treatment technology with diverse populations and settings has increased in the United States and has expanded to numerous other countries as well. The application of psychological procedures and methods with patients from different cultural backgrounds raises numerous methodological issues. This special series is devoted to those issues and problems inherent in applying techniques developed in one culture with individuals from another—either in other lands or with immigrant populations here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

A symposium was conducted at the 94th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (Cox, 1986) that depicted psychologists' innovative, nontraditional work with alcohol-dependent veterans. The articles in this special series represent expansions of a portion of the earlier convention presentations. Psychologists from other VA medical centers (and elsewhere) might wish to incorporate the approaches that are discussed into their own treatment programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on learning disabilities (LDs) in children. Despite an extensive literature on this topic, questions and controversy remain about the etiologies, definitions, subtyping, assessment, remediation, and prognosis of LDs. This special series addresses the current status of research on several important topics related to LDs. Some of the topics discussed include selective deficits in basic psychological processes, the role of socioemotional disturbance, reading disability, genetics, early detection, remedial instructional frameworks, and long-term prognosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

The topic of violence spans multiple disciplines and areas of research. Even within a given discipline, violence is an arena in which several specialty areas can be enacted. Within our own field, theory and research from experimental, comparative, physiological, developmental, social, clinical, and other areas of psychology can be brought to bear on the topic in significant ways. The purpose of the present series is to highlight a segment of the larger topic by focusing on violence in the home. The goal is to draw general attention to the area and to convey the relevance to our clinical focus. The present articles illustrate significant areas of research rather than systematically represent the full set of ways in which violence in the home may be manifest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Infant attachment to the caregiver may serve as the base for later social, affective, and cognitive development, but clinical research focused on the origins of competent or dysfunctional behavior has been rare. This special series examines attachment as it relates to maternal processes and infant temperament and as it predicts later adaptive and maladaptive functioning. Nonpathological attachment to inanimate objects is described, and the impact of maternal drinking, child abuse, and infant prematurity on attachment is considered. The study of the early bonds between infant and caregiver promises to extend our awareness of normal and psychopathological development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

The treatment of emotional and behavioral problems among children and adolescents is an area in great need of research. The range and diversity of problems children and adolescents experience, the number of youth in need of treatment or care, and the costs of impairment to society are enormous (see Institute of Medicine, 1989). As information accumulates on the continuity of dysfunction across the life span, the importance of intervening early in development for both treatment and preventive purposes assumes increased significance. Research advances are evident but often difficult to discern against a backdrop of a more active adult psychotherapy literature and broader work in developmental psychopathology. The present series of articles was developed to highlight research on psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents. The very large number of treatments and problems to which they can be applied preclude exhaustive coverage of the field. The present series is illustrative with articles that evaluate traditional forms of psychotherapy, demonstrate advances in developing and evaluating selected treatments for special groups, highlight the critical role of evaluation for programs designed to ameliorate dysfunction, and characterize current treatment research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Cancer is a term that was once synonymous with death. It affects one of every five individuals and one of every three families. Recent improvements in the identification and treatment of cancer have resulted in improved prognosis of cancer patients. The challenges that have evolved from aggressive treatment strategies and increases in patient longevity have been met by the emergence of the field of biopsychosocial oncology. This special series provides samples from the contributions of clinical psychologists to this rapidly expanding field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on the assessment and treatment of marital and family dysfunction. Despite the absence of a dominant, coherent theoretical model, both clinical practice and research in marital and family therapy have demonstrated exponential growth in the last two decades. More recently, attention has turned to the role of marital and family dynamics not only in psychological difficulties in children or domestic violence but also in such "individual" disorders as depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. The series begins with three articles examining the role of marital and family dysfunction in more traditional psychiatric disorders. Three additional articles examine considerations in marital therapy from both conceptual and empirical perspectives. Altogether, the series argues for the adoption of a broad interpersonal perspective in investigating and treating all emotional, behavioral, and even physical difficulties, regardless of presenting symptoms or diagnostic classifications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Eating disorders represent a major health problem in the United States. This special series cannot hope to answer definitively the many questions about eating problems facing the scientific and health care communities. However, it is the intention of this series to clarify some of the issues facing clinicians and scientists. In accomplishing this task, we have tried first to apprise the reader of the scope and significance of the problem. The first article addresses this broad task and pays special attention to anorexia and bulimia. This article provides a suitable overview for the more specific articles that follow. The remaining articles in the series provide the reader with a view of the most persuasive and innovative views of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Their topics range from normal eating to obesity, and they review primary preventions and provide information on the biological precursors and consequences of eating disturbances as well as on cultural-familial contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Alcoholism is prevalent in virtually all sectors of western society and has serious social, economic, and health consequences. The purpose of this special series is to review the current status of research and to highlight the need for further studies concerning risk factors, prevalence and patterns of abusive drinking in the general population, differences among ethnic minority groups, biological vulnerability to alcoholism, the role of cognitive variables in the development and maintenance of problem drinking, chronic effects of alcohol abuse on the brain and on adaptive abilities, and factors related to treatment outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

The history of human civilization is marked by efforts to improve the quality of life by delegating laborious tasks to other species or to machines. The newest technological revolution, the use of electronic computers, has produced enormous changes in our lives over the last three decades. Computer technology has been widely applied to many fields of psychology. Psychological assessment, a subspecialty of psychology that served as one of the earliest proving grounds of automated technology, has advanced considerably in the last quarter-century. This Special Series highlights some of the advances in computerized psychological assessment methods and discusses some of the lingering issues and contemporary problems with automated psychological assessment approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on the development of chronic pain. The entry of psychology into the field of medical disorders has been gained through the portal of chronic pain. As methodologies have improved and as both psychological and medical advances have accrued, we have been forced to confront the inevitable conclusion that pain, like any other self-observed experience, represents the final common pathway of a variety of factors. The present special series is designed to explore the proposition that pain represents a multidimensional condition whose subjective manifestation is worth understanding and modifying. The articles presented attack the problem from theoretical, conceptual, and applied viewpoints. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delayed nonmatch-to-sample performance in HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative polydrug abusers.

Working memory (WM) deficits are common in HIV-seropositive (HIV+) individuals and can be amplified by manipulating a variety of task parameters, such as increasing memory load or information complexity. The authors investigated the role of timing in HIV-associated WM defects by varying the amount of time required to maintain information online while holding memory load and information complexity constant. The authors studied 50 HIV+ and 35 HIV-seronegative (HIV-) polydrug abusers abstinent at testing and well-matched on demographic variables. The HIV- group outperformed the HIV+ group across all stimulus-response time delays. HIV-associated WM defects are not critically dependent on the amount of time stimulus representations must be maintained and might be attributed to impaired encoding or retrieval of stimulus representations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)