Manipulating Anger Does Not Affect Risky Decision Making

To date, multiple studies have examined the influence of negative mood on per­formance on behavioral decision-making tasks. Self-reported negative mood was inconsis­tently associated with subsequent decision making, and a similar inconsistent pattern was seen when negative mood was manipulated in the study session. The present study sought to examine how deliberately inducing a particular negative mood, anger, would affect risky decision making. College student participants reported their political beliefs, then were randomly assigned to one of several mood manipulation conditions (political anger, anger, sadness, fear, control) prior to completion of standard behavioral risky decision-making tasks including the Iowa Gambling Task, Game of Dice Task, Balloon Analogue Risk Task, and Columbia Card Task. Results indicated an increase in negative mood in the anger condition following the study manipulation, but only minimal effects of negative mood on risky decision making across tasks. Future assessments of mood and decision making should address multiple negative mood affects in addition to manipulation tech­niques in order to determine if a specific mood and/or manipulation is contributing to an individuals’ risky decision making

Bullying escolar: um fenômeno multifacetado

School bullying can involve children in different ways, making them play different roles, among them, victims, bullies and bully-victims. The aim of this study was to describe how bullying occurs in high social vulnerability schools of Florianópolis metropolitan area and the roles played by students in this phenomenon. Overall, 409 children and adolescents from the 3rd to 5th grades and of two public elementary schools aged 8-16 years (X = 11.14) participated in this study. As a tool, the Olweus Questionnaire adapted to the Brazilian population was used. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were applied by the Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests. As for results, 29.8% of boys and 40.5% of girls reported being victims; 32.3% of boys and 24.6% of girls reported being bullies. Victims were the most willing to help a colleague who is suffering from bullying (X = 1.54; p> 0.001), even if they do not know the victims (X = 1.57; p> 0.004). Bullies are differentiated from the group that does not participate (X = 1.73) and the group of victims (X = 2.34), being those who felt less alone (x = 1.47; p> 0.001). It was concluded that the information obtained in this study is indispensable in the search for alternatives to reduce school bullying. The strengthening of relations between school and students and a better preparation of teachers and school staff are extremely necessary to try to minimize the effects of risk factors to which these children are exposed and consequently violence at school.O bullying escolar pode envolver crianças de diferentes maneiras, fazendo com que essas assumam papéis diferenciados. Dentre estes, têm-se vítimas, agressores e vítimas-agressoras. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever como ocorre o bullying em escolas de alta vulnerabilidade social da Grande Florianópolis e os papéis assumidos pelos alunos nesse fenômeno. Quanto ao método, participaram 409 crianças e adolescentes do terceiro ao quinto ano e da quarta à sexta série do ensino fundamental, de duas escolas públicas municipais, com idades entre 8 e 16 anos (X=11,14). Como instrumento, utilizou-se o Questionário de Olweus adaptado à população brasileira. Para a análise dos dados, empregaram-se a estatística descritiva e estatística inferencial por meio dos testes Mann Whitney e Kruskal Wallis. Quanto aos resultados, 29,8% dos meninos e 40,5% das meninas relataram terem sido vítimas; já 32,3% dos meninos e 24,6% das meninas relataram terem sido agressores. As vítimas foram as que se mostraram mais dispostas a ajudar como podem um colega que esteja sofrendo agressão (X=1,54; p>0,001), mesmo que não o conheçam (X=1,57; p>0,004). Em contrapartida, os agressores se diferenciaram do grupo que não participa (X=1,73) e do grupo das vítimas (X=2,34), sendo aqueles que menos se sentiram sozinhos (X=1,47; p>0,001). Concluiu-se que as informações obtidas neste estudo são indispensáveis na busca de alternativas para redução do bullying escolar. O fortalecimento das relações entre escola e alunos, e um maior preparo dos professores e funcionários são extremamente necessários para tentar minimizar os efeitos dos fatores de risco a que essas crianças estão expostas e consequentemente a violência na escola.CAPES - Proc. nº 0815/14-4CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT)Projeto Estratégico da FCT: UID/CED/00317/201

Family Variables Associated with the Onset and Impact of Intrafamilial Childhood Sexual Abuse

Researchers and clinicians have examined variables mediating the onset and consequences of childhood incest. Overall research has illuminated two primary clusters of variables that appear to significantly impact a child\u27s response and adjustment to incest. The purpose of this article was to help elucidate one of these clusters of variables: those family variables which both contribute to the onset of and child\u27s response to incest. Overall, it was evident that little empirically sound research exists in this area. Preliminary results of the few existing well-designed studies suggested that increased risk for onset of and poor adjustment to incest is associated with status of perpetrator, perpetrator substance abuse, nonoffending mother\u27s absence, lack of maternal support toward incested daughter, and other specific family environment characteristics. Articles were critically evaluated for methodological flaws and suggestions for improving future research were mad

Differences in Family Functioning of Sexually Abused vs. Nonabused Enuretics

The present study examined self-reported maternal depression, children\u27s somatic complaints, and perception of family functioning in sexually abused and nonabused enuretics. Forty children with primary nocturnal enuresis served as subjects. Half had documented histories of sexual abuse while the other half did not report a history of victimization. Results indicated that those children with a history of sexual abuse perceived and rated their families as significantly more conflictual and rigid than their nonabused counterparts. Variables such as type of abuse (intrafamilial vs. extrafamilial) and perpetrator did not affect the outcome. However, there were no significant differences in child somatic complaints or maternal depression between the two groups. These results suggest that primary nocturnal enuresis may manifest itself differently in families of sexually abused children than nonabused children. Implications of these findings with respect to intervention are discussed

Treatment in Barnahus : Implementing Combined Treatment for Children and Parents in Physical Abuse Cases.

This chapter addresses the psychological treatment for children who have experienced parental physical abuse, as reported to child welfare services. For children, physical abuse can increase the risk of both internal and external behavioural problems. Since abused children often continue to live with their parents‚ it is important to offer interventions to prevent further abuse and to improve the child´s well-being. In this chapter‚ we describe a specialised intervention, Combined Parent – Child Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CPC-CBT), for families at risk for child physical abuse, which has been implemented in several Swedish Barnahus over the last 9 years. We report the results from an ongoing research study into the effects of the intervention on the risk of victimisation, parenting strategies and child well-being. The results suggest that Barnahus is a suitable context for providing support for families and that CPC-CBT is an effective intervention

Deidentified data used to develop the Math-Biology Values Instrument

This dataset contains the deidentified data used in the validation process for the Math-Biology Values Instrument (MBVI). MBVI_spring2016 contains data collected from undergraduate life science majors (via electronic survey) to develop the MBVI and was used for exploratory factor analyses and establishing convergent and divergent validity. MBVI_fall2016 contains data collected from a second independent sample of undergraduate life science majors (also via electronic survey) that was used for confirmatory factor analyses. The two "key" files contain survey item text, response options, and notes for all column headings in the data files. A full description of the data collection process and analyses can be found in the related publication cited below