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Biomedical subjects

M Mikulincer

Publications and source records attributed to M Mikulincer.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

The relation between stable/unstable attribution and learned helplessness.

This study assessed the effects of stable/unstable attributions on subsequent task performance. In Expt 1, subjects were exposed to no-feedback, solvable or unsolvable problems in which they received instructions encouraging them to attribute the outcome to stable or unstable causes. In Expt 2, subjects were divided according to their attributional style for bad events into stable, non-defined and unstable attributors and were exposed to no-feedback or unsolvable problems. Both experiments assessed subjects' performance in a subsequent solvable task. It was found that exposure to unsolvable problems worsened subsequent performance only for those subjects who attributed failure to stable causes. An attribution of failure to unstable causes prevented the detrimental effects of unsolvable problems on performance. The role of stability attributions is discussed in terms of Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale's reformulation of learned helplessness.

Adolescent↗

Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder among second-generation Holocaust survivors: preliminary findings.

The authors assessed the impact of the Nazi Holocaust on the course and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Israeli combat stress reaction casualties. They examined a sample of 96 such casualties of the 1982 Lebanon War whose parents had gone through the Nazi Holocaust and compared them to casualties who did not have such family history for 3 consecutive years beginning 1 year after their participation in the war. Results showed that 2 and 3 years after their participation in the 1982 Lebanon War, the children of Holocaust survivors, i.e., "second-generation" casualties, had higher rates of PTSD than did the control subjects, as well as a somewhat different clinical picture. Clinical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

A two year follow-up of somatic complaints among Israeli combat stress reaction casualties.

The relationships of somatic complaints and health related habits to combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder were assessed one and two years after the 1982 Lebanon War. The sample consisted of 285 combat stress reaction Israeli casualties and 198 comparable controls. Results showed that higher rates of somatic complaints were reported by both combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder casualties at the two points in time. Theoretical and methodological implications were discussed.

Adolescent↗

Combat stress reactions, post traumatic stress disorder and somatic complaints among Israeli soldiers.

This study examined the effect of combat stress on somatic health in a sample of 804 Israeli soldiers. Three groups of subjects were assessed: combatants who did not participate in the Lebanon War, combatants who fought and suffered from combat stress reactions, and combatants who participated in the Lebanon War but did not sustain psychiatric injury. One year following the war subjects were asked to report somatic complaints and were screened for post-traumatic stress disorder. Results indicated that participation in combat per se did not have pathogenic effects. However, combat stress reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder were found to be associated with somatic complaints. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗

Exposure to recurrent combat stress: combat stress reactions among Israeli soldiers in the Lebanon War.

This study examined the impact of repeated exposure to combat on combat stress reaction (CSR). Soldiers diagnosed with CSR during the Lebanon War (N = 382) were compared with a matched control group of soldiers who fought in the same units but did not manifest symptoms of CSR (N = 334). CSR in the Lebanon War was found to be related to the psychological outcome the soldier experienced in previous wars. The CSR rate in the Lebanon War was higher in soldiers who had experienced an episode of CSR in a previous war than in soldiers with no past combat experience. However, CSR rates were lower among soldiers who had not had an episode of CSR in a previous war than among soldiers with no prior combat experience. High intensity of combat in Lebanon was found to increase both the detrimental and favourable effects of prior combat experience.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Combat stress reactions, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social adjustment. A study of Israeli veterans.

This study assessed social functioning among three groups of Israeli soldiers: a) front-line soldiers who had been treated for combat stress reaction during the 1982 Lebanon war (N = 382); b) matched control front-line soldiers who did not sustain combat stress reaction (N = 334); and c) combat-ready soldiers who did not participate in the 1982 war (N = 88). Subjects were screened 1 year after the war for posttraumatic stress disorder and social functioning. Results indicated that participation in combat per se did not have adverse effects on postwar social functioning. However, combat stress reactions and posttraumatic stress disorder were found to be associated with a decline in postwar social functioning. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings were discussed.

Adolescent↗

Family characteristics and posttraumatic stress disorder: a follow-up of Israeli combat stress reaction casualties.

This study assessed the role of family status and family relationships in the course of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample consisted of 382 Israeli soldiers who suffered a combat stress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon War. Results showed that one year after the war married soldiers had higher rates of PTSD than did unmarried soldiers. Furthermore, higher rates of PTSD were associated with low expressiveness, low cohesiveness, and high conflict in the casualties' families. Theoretical, methodological, and clinical implications are discussed.

Combat Disorders↗

Posttraumatic stress disorder among frontline soldiers with combat stress reaction: the 1982 Israeli experience.

One year after the 1982 Lebanon War, the authors assessed the prevalence, type, and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder in a large representative sample of Israeli soldiers who had been treated for combat stress reactions. Comparisons were made with a group of soldiers who had fought in the same battles but had not been treated for this reaction. A dramatically higher percentage of soldiers with combat stress reaction (59%) than of soldiers without combat stress reaction (16%) developed posttraumatic stress disorder. Age was significantly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors discuss the differential quality of posttraumatic stress disorder among both groups as well as the factors facilitating recovery.

Adolescent↗

Effects of social support and battle intensity on loneliness and breakdown during combat.

A sample of 382 Israeli soldiers who developed combat stress reactions (CSR) during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War were compared with groups of carefully matched controls who did not develop CSR. Lack of social support from officers was found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and greater likelihood of CSR in soldiers. Lack of social support from buddies was found to be related to greater loneliness. Intensity of battle was also found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and increased likelihood of CSR. A path model was tested and supported. The model suggests that battle intensity and officer support lead to CSR directly and indirectly by causing increased feelings of loneliness. Possible cognitive and psychodynamic explanations for the findings are offered. The limitations of making causal statements from retrospective perceptions is discussed.

Adolescent↗

Attributional processes in the learned helplessness paradigm: behavioral effects of global attributions.

Following the learned helplessness paradigm, I assessed in this study the effects of global and specific attributions for failure on the generalization of performance deficits in a dissimilar situation. Helplessness training consisted of experience with noncontingent failures on four cognitive discrimination problems attributed to either global or specific causes. Experiment 1 found that performance in a dissimilar situation was impaired following exposure to globally attributed failure. Experiment 2 examined the behavioral effects of the interaction between stable and global attributions of failure. Exposure to unsolvable problems resulted in reduced performance in a dissimilar situation only when failure was attributed to global and stable causes. Finally, Experiment 3 found that learned helplessness deficits were a product of the interaction of global and internal attribution. Performance deficits following unsolvable problems were recorded when failure was attributed to global and internal causes. Results were discussed in terms of the reformulated learned helplessness model.

Adult↗

Fear of personal death in adulthood: the impact of early and recent losses.

This study examines the association between the loss of significant others and fear of personal death in adulthood. The sample consisted of a group of 86 Israeli adults who had experienced a significant loss in childhood or adolescence and a matched group of 86 subjects who had not experienced any early loss. Participants in each group were further divided according to the experience of a significant loss during the previous 2 years and completed a multidimensional scale measuring fear of personal death. Whereas early loss was positively related to the interpersonal component of fear of death, recent loss was positively related to the intrapersonal and transpersonal components of this fear. These associations were found to be moderated by the identity of the lost person, the age of the subject at the time of the early loss, and the subject's gender. The discussion emphasizes the complexity of the meanings and antecedents of fear of death in adulthood.

Adult↗