Biomedical subjects

Howard Berenbaum

Publications and source records attributed to Howard Berenbaum.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The relation between worrying and concerns: the importance of perceived probability and cost.

The relation between worrying and individuals' concerns was examined in a sample of 197 college students. Participants described the five undesirable outcomes that they thought about most often, indicated how likely they thought the outcomes were, and how upset they would be by them. Worry severity was measured using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. The relation between worry severity and the life domains about which individuals were concerned was quite weak. In contrast, as predicted, greater worry was associated with higher probability and cost estimates. In addition, cost estimates moderated the relation between worry severity and probability estimates. The potential importance of perceived threat for understanding worrying is discussed.

Achievement↗

PubMed2006

Emotional correlates of the different dimensions of schizotypal personality disorder.

Two studies explored which different dimensions of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) were associated with negative affect, attention to emotions, clarity of emotions, and emotional intensity/instability. Study 1 included 247 college students, and questionnaires were used to measure SPD. Study 2 included 225 community residents, oversampling for individuals with elevated levels of SPD, and semistructured diagnostic interviews were used to measure SPD. In both studies (a) higher levels of negative affect were associated with higher levels of both cognitive-perceptual and interpersonal symptoms, (b) cognitive-perceptual disturbances were associated with greater attention to emotion, whereas interpersonal disturbances were associated with less attention to emotion, and (c) lower levels of emotional clarity were associated with higher levels of suspiciousness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

A naturalistic examination of positive expectations, time course, and disgust in the origins and reduction of spider and insect distress.

We used a naturalistic method to examine the causes of changes in individuals' reactions to, and feelings about, spiders and insects. In this descriptive retrospective study, 50 college students who reported substantial changes in their attitudes toward spiders and/or insects (in the absence of professional treatment) underwent telephone interviews about the change process. We found that individuals frequently describe the role of positive experiences and expectations in positive change and some individuals report sudden changes. Further, descriptions of the important role of disgust in the change process were common. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding the etiology and treatment of spider and insect distress and make a case for the usefulness of naturalistic methods in expanding scientific knowledge.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

The relationship between formal thought disorder and executive functioning component processes.

In 2 studies, associations between formal thought disorder (FTD) and 2 components of executive functioning, processing of context and interference resolution, were investigated. One study, involving people with schizophrenia, examined associations between performance on processing of context (N-back) and interference resolution (interference in Steinberg probe recognition) tasks and FTD. The second study, involving nonpsychiatric participants, was an analogue study that examined the effects of simulated processing of context (performance of 1-back with distraction) and interference resolution (telling new stories about previously seen pictures) deficits on FTD in a speech production task. In both studies, processing of context deficits predicted FTD. Moreover, in both studies, the effect of processing of context deficits on FTD was especially pronounced when combined with interference resolution deficits.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Brain injury in battered women.

The goals of the present study were to examine (a) whether battered women in a sample of both shelter and nonshelter women are sustaining brain injuries from their partners and (b) if so, whether such brain injuries are associated with partner abuse severity, cognitive functioning, or psychopathology. Ninety-nine battered women were assessed using neuropsychological, psychopathology, and abuse history measures. Almost three quarters of the sample sustained at least 1 partner-related brain injury and half sustained multiple partner-related brain injuries. Further, in a subset of women (n = 57), brain injury severity was negatively associated with measures of memory, learning, and cognitive flexibility and was positively associated with partner abuse severity, general distress, anhedonic depression, worry, anxious arousal, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Psychological trauma and schizotypal symptoms.

In a sample of 75 women recruited from the community, we measured trauma/maltreatment history and symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder, using both questionnaire and interview measures. As hypothesized, individuals with histories of trauma/maltreatment had elevated levels of schizotypal symptoms. Among types of trauma/maltreatment, reported childhood neglect was especially strongly associated with schizotypal symptoms. Although posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity, depression, dissociation, and difficulty identifying one's emotions were all associated with schizotypal symptoms, they could not account completely for the association between trauma/maltreatment and schizotypal symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Culture and alexithymia: mean levels, correlates, and the role of parental socialization of emotions.

Two studies examined the relationship between culture and alexithymia. In Study 1, mean levels and correlates of alexithymia were examined in 3 cultures: European American (EA), Asian American (AA), and Malaysian college students. Both Asian groups had higher alexithymia levels than the EA group. Somatization was more strongly associated with alexithymia in the Asian groups than in the EA group. Mood and life satisfaction were associated with alexithymia in similar ways across groups. In Study 2, the relations among culture, gender, retrospective reports of parental socialization of emotions, and alexithymia were examined among EA and AA college students. Cultural and gender differences were found in alexithymia and emotion socialization levels. Most important, parental emotion socialization mediated the relations among culture, gender, and alexithymia.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Cognitive impairments associated with formal thought disorder in people with schizophrenia.

Formal thought disorder (FTD), or disorganized speech, is one of the central signs of schizophrenia. Despite extensive research, the cognitive processes associated with FTD are still unclear. However, the authors' review of FTD theories and research indicates that considerable progress has been made in identifying possible cognitive impairments associated with FTD. Specifically, FTD is strongly associated with impaired executive functioning and with impaired processing of semantic information. Their review indicates that previous research has not yet supported an association between FTD and either an increase in spreading activation or an impairment within the language production system.

Cognition Disorders↗