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Aims: To test whether showing spectators counter‐advertisements exposing alcohol harms alone, or exposing alcohol harms and alcohol sponsorship, before watching an alcohol‐sponsored sporting event promotes less favourable post‐event attitudes and intentions towards alcohol sponsor brands and alcohol in general. Design: On‐line between‐subjects experiment. Setting: Australia. Participants: A sample of Australian adults aged 18–49 years who planned to watch an alcohol‐sponsored National Rugby League (NRL) State of Origin series game was recruited through an online panel. Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three counter‐advertising conditions: control (neutral advertisement); counter‐advertisement exposing alcohol harms; and counter‐advertisement exposing alcohol sponsorship and harms, to view at least four times during the week before watching the alcohol‐sponsored sporting event. Measurements Participants (n = 1932) completed a pre‐test questionnaire a week before the sporting event. Within 4 days of watching the sporting event, participants completed post‐test measures assessing sponsor brand awareness, attitudes and preferences towards the brand, as well as knowledge, attitudes and intentions for alcohol in general (n = 1075). Findings Compared with the control advertisement, the counter‐advertisement exposing alcohol sponsorship and harms promoted higher (6–13%) awareness of sponsor brands, less favourable attitudes towards sponsor brands and drinking beer, lower purchase intentions for sponsor brands (Cohen's d = 0.15, 0.31, 0.27, respectively) and perceived less image‐based similarity and fit between the sporting event and sponsor brands (Cohen's d = 0.20 and 0.56). Both counter‐advertisements promoted lower perceptions of the appropriateness of consuming alcohol while watching sport (Cohen's d = 0.22 and 0.34), higher awareness of alcohol harms (6–34%) and higher intentions (8–13%) to reduce alcohol consumption than the control advertisement. Conclusions: At alcohol‐sponsored sporting events, counter‐advertisements addressing alcohol harms may promote knowledge of harms and intentions to drink less. Counter‐advertisements that additionally expose and critique alcohol sponsorship may detract from perceptions of sponsor brand image and intentions to purchase the sponsor's products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Minimum unit price (MUP) policies establish a retail floor price below which alcohol may not be sold, and have been shown to reduce harmful alcohol use. We aimed to collect retail price data to estimate the proportion of alcohol products that would potentially be impacted by a MUP policy in Western Australia. Methods: We purposively sampled the four largest off‐premises alcohol retail chains, a further random sample of other off‐premise alcohol outlets (n = 16) and on‐premise inner‐city outlets (n = 11). Using website data from May to June 2021, we estimated the proportion of products across four beverage categories priced ≤A$1.30, ≤A$1.50 and ≤A$1.75 per standard drink (10 g alcohol). Results: Of 27,797 off‐premise products identified, 5.7% were available at ≤$1.30 per standard drink, 7.6% at ≤$1.50 and 10.4% at ≤$1.75. The proportion of products available at ≤$1.30 per standard drink varied by beverage category: 7.8% wine, 2.9% beer and cider, <0.1% spirits, 0.0% ready‐to‐drink spirits. Cask‐packaged wines represented only 1.9% of off‐premise wine products and 98.9% of this cask wine was priced ≤$1.30 per standard drink. No on‐premise products were priced ≤$1.75 per standard drink. Discussion and Conclusions: A comprehensive survey of alcohol prices in Western Australia found only a small proportion of products would potentially be affected by a MUP of $1.30 to $1.75 per standard drink. A MUP policy has potential to target the small proportion of alcohol products available at very low prices (i.e., off‐premise cask wine), with negligible impact on other off‐premise beverage categories, and no impact on on‐premises products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to alcohol advertising and sponsorship through elite sport is associated with harmful use of alcohol. Owing to strong financial and cultural ties between alcohol and sport in Australia, policy action to restrict alcohol sport sponsorship is unlikely to occur without strong public support for change. This study tested whether exposure to counter-advertising exposing industry marketing of harmful products—a technique shown to be effective in tobacco control—promotes higher support for policy change and less favourable beliefs about the alcohol industry among sport spectators. Methods: A sample of 1,075 Australian adults aged 18–49 years who planned to watch an National Rugby League (NRL) State of Origin series game, featuring prominent alcohol sponsorship, was recruited through an online panel and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: control (neutral advertisement); counter-advertisement exposing alcohol harms; counter-advertisement exposing alcohol sponsorship and harms. Participants completed a pre-test questionnaire and viewed their assigned counter-advertisement multiple times in the 5–7 days before the NRL game. Within four days of watching the game, participants completed post-test measures. Results: Compared to both the control advertisement and the counter-advertisement exposing alcohol harms, participants who viewed the counter-advertisement exposing alcohol sponsorship and harms were significantly more likely to indicate support for each of four policies aimed at restricting sports-related alcohol marketing, including the complete removal of alcohol sponsorship from sport (51% vs. 32% and 37%). They were also significantly less likely to agree with statements such as "alcohol companies should be allowed to sponsor sport since their products are legal" (39% vs. 63% and 60%) and significantly less likely to report liking alcohol companies in general (38% vs. 59% and 54%). There were no significant differences in policy support or industry beliefs between participants who saw the counter-advertisement exposing alcohol harms and those who saw the control advertisement. Conclusion: Counter-advertising employing messages that expose and critique the intent and impact of pervasive alcohol sponsorship in sport has potential to bolster public support for policies targeting alcohol sport sponsorship, diminish beliefs supportive of alcohol industry marketing strategies and enhance negative views of alcohol companies and their marketing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Homelessness is one of the most significant harms associated with gambling and appears to affect older adults disproportionately, but the relationship has received little research attention. This exploratory study investigated how gambling and homelessness is linked in older adults. Methods: Using qualitative research methods, we undertook in‐depth semi structured face‐to‐face individual and group interviews to gather data from a purposive sample (n = 48) of key informants working in service provision for older adults (aged 50+ years) experiencing gambling‐related harm and/or homelessness in Victoria, Australia. Thematic analysis of data focused on evaluating mechanisms and identifying contextual conditions that activate pathways between gambling and homelessness. Results: The relationship between gambling and homelessness in older adults is often indirect and non‐linear, and can represent a reflexive cycle. Experiencing periods of homelessness into older age can contribute to gambling, often because the adverse impacts of homelessness on older adults' mental and material wellbeing increase the appeal of gambling. Additionally, comorbidities (e.g. substance use, mental illness, past trauma) and structural conditions (e.g. gambling accessibility, poverty, housing insecurity) can activate gambling. Furthermore, because gambling in the older homeless adult population is frequently hidden and regularly overlooked by service providers, it often continues unabated. Gambling in older adults can also contribute to the onset of first‐time homelessness. Large and rapid losses from high‐intensity gambling frequently characterize this route to homelessness. Such gambling is often triggered by major life events and changes (e.g. bereavement, job loss, relationship difficulties), and the outcomes are often worsened by the conduct of gambling operators and creditors. Conclusions: The link between gambling and homelessness in older adults is complex, with connecting mechanisms often contingent upon individual, interpersonal and structural conditions and contexts. There is potential for preventative and ameliorative action given many of the underlying conditions appear modifiable through policy intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia included closures of businesses where alcohol is sold for on‐premises consumption (pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes), but not where alcohol is sold for off‐premises consumption (take‐away and home delivery). This study aimed to compare beer consumption before and after restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of COVID‐19 in Australia. Design Interrupted time–series analysis. Setting: Australia. Participants: Estimated resident population aged 15+ years. Measurements: Seasonally adjusted estimates of beer per capita consumption measured in litres of alcohol (LALs) per week, disaggregated by on‐ and off‐premises sales. Findings First‐wave restrictions (week beginning 23 March 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption [−0.013 LALs, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.013 to –0.012, P = < 0.001], but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Partial removal of first‐wave restrictions (week beginning 18 May 2020) was associated with a significant immediate increase in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (+0.003 LALs, 95% CI = 0.001 to 0.004, P = 0.006), but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Second‐wave restrictions (week beginning 06 July 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (−0.004 LALs, 95% CI = −0.006 to –0.002, P = 0.001) but, again, no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Conclusion: Restricting the availability of on‐premises alcohol during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia was associated with significant reductions in on‐premises beer consumption, but no significant changes in off‐premises beer consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key arguments given to oppose the "sin taxes" is that they are regressive in nature and place disproportionately higher cost on the poor thereby reducing their net wealth. The response to a reduction in net wealth attributed to tax can potentially have significant effects through an increase in alcohol purchase by heavy drinkers reinforcing or even offsetting the direct price or substitution effect of these taxes in reducing alcohol consumption. Comparatively little is known empirically about the net wealth effect associated with changes in alcohol tax policy, and this study aims to help fill this gap in the literature. In this study we aim to estimate how the wealth effects of introducing a minimum unit price (MUP) of A$2.00 per standard drink vary over the distribution (quantiles) of alcohol consumers. The data used in this study is a longitudinal panel of 1,395 households' daily alcohol purchases (scanner data) recorded over a full year. Our analysis involves (i) quantile regression to estimate income elasticity over the distribution of consumption, and (ii) using these elasticities to estimate the potential wealth effects of a hypothetical change in alcohol prices from introducing an MUP policy. We control for consumer demographic characteristics, alcohol product prices and prices of close substitutes, and quarterly seasonal effects. We find that the estimated wealth effect from increasing the price of alcohol under a MUP policy is not significant at any point over the distribution of alcohol consumers. The policy increases per capita tax impact by less than A$5.00 per week for light/moderate consumers (50th—80th quantile) and decreases their daily per capita alcohol consumption by less than 0.02 standard drinks. Wealth effects attributable to an MUP policy are likely to be negligible. Substitution effects of the policy dominate the wealth effects in generating key health related outcomes such as reductions in alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: The link between alcohol and experience of violence is well-documented, but there is a paucity of empirical research on the role of alcohol specifically in family and domestic violence (FDV) in Australia. The aim of the current study was to describe the relationship between alcohol use and FDV in the Australian population, and to examine key differences between three different types of violence: family violence, intimate partner violence (IPV) and other violence.Design and Methods: An online panel survey was conducted using a stratified random sampling design.Results: In total, 5118 respondents were included, of whom 44.5% reported experiencing violence in their lifetime, and 6.0% reported recent (past year) experience of violence. Recent violent incidents were comprised of IPV (41.8%), family violence (13.1%) and other violence (45.1%). Approximately one-third of all violent incidents experienced (either as a victim or perpetrator) were alcohol-related, and 37.8% of respondents who experienced IPV and 27.8% of those who experienced family violence reported past year heavy-episodic drinking. Alcohol use was associated with higher rates of physical violence and injury at IPV incidents. Alcohol consumed at IPV incidents was most often purchased from a supermarket liquor store (37.0%) and consumed at the respondent's home, regardless of the distance between the purchase location and incident location.Discussions and Conclusions: This study found that alcohol is frequently involved in FDV incidents, particularly IPV. Alcohol use was associated with a higher chance of physical violence and of injury at IPV incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reducing the affordability of alcohol, by increasing its price, is the most effective strategy for controlling alcohol consumption and reducing harm. Sources of data: We review meta-analyses and systematic reviews of alcohol tax/price effects from the past decade, and recent evaluations of tax/ price policies in the UK, Canada and Australia. Areas of agreement: While the magnitudes of price effects vary by subgroup and alcoholic beverage type, it has been consistently shown that price increases lead to reductions in alcohol consumption. Areas of controversy: There remains, however, a lack of consensus on the most appropriate taxation and pricing policy in many countries because of concerns about effects by different consumption level and income level and disagreement on policy design between parts of the alcoholic beverage industries. Growing points: Recent developments in the research highlight the importance of obtaining accurate alcohol price data, reducing bias in estimating price responsiveness, and examining the impact on the heaviest drinkers. Areas timely for developing research: There is a need for further research focusing on the substitution effects of taxation and pricing policies, estimation of the true tax pass-through rates, and empirical analysis of the supply-side response (from alcohol producers and retailers) to various alcohol pricing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: Exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with greater alcohol consumption in children and adolescents, and alcohol advertising is common in Australian sport. We examine child, adolescent and young adult exposure to alcohol advertising during three televised sports in Australia: Australian Football League (AFL), cricket and the National Rugby League (NRL).Methods: Alcohol advertising and audience viewing data were purchased for all AFL, cricket and NRL TV programs in Australia for 2012. We estimated children and adolescents (0-17 years) and young adults (18-29 years) exposure to alcohol advertising during AFL, cricket and NRL programs in the daytime (06:00-20:29 h), and night-time (20:30-23:59 h).Results: There were 3544 alcohol advertisements in AFL (1942), cricket (941) and NRL programs (661), representing 60% of all alcohol advertising in sport TV, and 15% of all alcohol advertisements on Australian TV. These programs had a cumulative audience of 26.9 million children and adolescents, and 32 million young adults. Children and adolescents received 51 million exposures to alcohol advertising, with 47% of this exposure occurring during the daytime. Children and adolescents exposure to alcohol advertising was similar to young adults and peaked after 8.30pm.Discussion and Conclusions: Child and adolescent and young adult's exposure to alcohol advertising is high when viewing sport TV in Australia in the daytime and night-time. Current alcohol advertising regulations are not protecting children and adolescents from exposure, particularly in prominent televised sports. The regulations should be changed to reduce children and adolescent excessive exposure to alcohol advertising when watching sport. [Carr S, O'Brien KS, Ferris J, Room R, Livingston M, Vandenberg B, Donovan RJ, Lynott D. Child and adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising in Australia's major televised sports. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:406-411]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To compare estimated effects of two policy alternatives, (i) a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol and (ii) specific (per-unit) taxation, upon current product prices, per capita spending (A$), and per capita consumption by income quintile, consumption quintile and product type. Methods: Estimation of baseline spending and consumption, and modelling policy-to-price and price-to-consumption effects of policy changes using scanner data from a panel of demographically representative Australian households that includes product-level details of their off-trade alcohol spending (n = 885; total observations = 12,505). Robustness checks include alternative price elasticities, tax rates, minimum price thresholds and tax pass-through rates. Results: Current alcohol taxes and alternative taxation and pricing policies are not highly regressive. Any regressive effects are small and concentrated among heavy consumers. The lowest-income consumers currently spend a larger proportion of income (2.3%) on alcohol taxes than the highest-income consumers (0.3%), but the mean amount is small in magnitude [A$5.50 per week (95%CI: 5.18–5.88)]. Both a MUP and specific taxation will have some regressive effects, but the effects are limited, as they are greatest for the heaviest consumers, irrespective of income. Among the policy alternatives, a MUP is more effective in reducing consumption than specific taxation, especially for consumers in the lowest-income quintile: an estimated mean per capita reduction of 11.9 standard drinks per week (95%CI: 11.3–12.6). Conclusion: Policies that increase the cost of the cheapest alcohol can be effective in reducing alcohol consumption, without having highly regressive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent literature review of meaning and bereavement suggests a conceptual distinction betweensense-making,or the integration of a loss with beliefs and narratives, andlife significance,or perception of value associated with an aspect of one's life experience. The present study aims to develop and validate a new measure: the Perceived Life Significance Scale (PLSS). Exploratory (n = 353) and confirmatory (n = 483) factor analyses support three factors: active pursuit of goals and activities; emptiness/insignificance (reverse-scored); and receptivity to beauty in everyday life. The PLSS demonstrates convergent and discriminant validity with respect to general measures of meaning, negative affect, depression, and sense-making. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Prior research suggests that assessment of the pathology of religious beliefs is influenced by conventionality and harm, with less conventional and more harmful beliefs resulting in higher pathology ratings. This study, involving 313 participants, investigated levels of pathology assigned to religious beliefs when the beliefs were either helpful or less severely harmful than those used in prior research, and when the associated religion was either stigmatised (Islam) or non-stigmatised (Christianity). Results indicate that an attenuated form of harm results in elevated pathology ratings. Furthermore, religious stigma impacts these perceptions when beliefs are harmful but not when beliefs are helpful. Ratings in the harm condition were higher for Christianity than for Islam, suggesting that perceived pathology of religious beliefs may depend less on general stigma assumptions and more on perceived consistency between harmful beliefs and assumed religious schemata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We estimate the effect on light, moderate and heavy consumers of alcohol from implementing a minimum unit price for alcohol (MUP) compared with a uniform volumetric tax. Methods: We analyse scanner data from a panel survey of demographically representative households (n = 885) collected over a one-year period (24 Jan 2010–22 Jan 2011) in the state of Victoria, Australia, which includes detailed records of each household's off-trade alcohol purchasing. Findings: The heaviest consumers (3% of the sample) currently purchase 20% of the total litres of alcohol (LALs), are more likely to purchase cask wine and full strength beer, and pay significantly less on average per standard drink compared to the lightest consumers (A$1.31 [95% CI 1.20–1.41] compared to $2.21 [95% CI 2.10–2.31]). Applying a MUP of A$1 per standard drink has a greater effect on reducing the mean annual volume of alcohol purchased by the heaviest consumers of wine (15.78 LALs [95% CI 14.86–16.69]) and beer (1.85 LALs [95% CI 1.64–2.05]) compared to a uniform volumetric tax (9.56 LALs [95% CI 9.10–10.01] and 0.49 LALs [95% CI 0.46–0.41], respectively). A MUP results in smaller increases in the annual cost for the heaviest consumers of wine ($393.60 [95% CI 374.19–413.00]) and beer ($108.26 [95% CI 94.76–121.75]), compared to a uniform volumetric tax ($552.46 [95% CI 530.55–574.36] and $163.92 [95% CI 152.79–175.03], respectively). Both a MUP and uniform volumetric tax have little effect on changing the annual cost of wine and beer for light and moderate consumers, and likewise little effect upon their purchasing. Conclusions: While both a MUP and a uniform volumetric tax have potential to reduce heavy consumption of wine and beer without adversely affecting light and moderate consumers, a MUP offers the potential to achieve greater reductions in heavy consumption at a lower overall annual cost to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article presents a study regarding the possible impact of modifying Australian alcohol taxation on public health, alcohol consumption and the revenues of the government. The study has used models for four scenarios including volumetric tax, 10% tax increase on ready-to-drink alcohol products, and an excise tax rate. It concludes that the four scenarios for possible modification on alcohol taxation would be cost-effective for health care intervention.

Introduction and Aims. To identify general and specific features of health information warning labels on alcohol beverage containers that could potentially inform the development and implementation of a new labelling regime in Australia. Design and Methods. Mixed methods, including a cross-sectional population survey and a qualitative study of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding alcohol beverage labelling. The population survey used computer-assisted telephone interviews of 1500 persons in Victoria, Australia to gauge the level of support for health information and warning labels. The qualitative study used six focus groups to test the suitability of 12 prototype labels that were placed in situ on a variety of alcohol beverage containers. Results. The telephone survey found 80% to 90% support for a range of information that could potentially be mandated by government authorities for inclusion on labels (nutritional information, alcohol content, health warning, images). Focus group testing of the prototype label designs found that labels should be integrated with other alcohol-related health messages, such as government social advertising campaigns, and specific labels should be matched appropriately to specific consumer groups and beverage types. Discussion and Conclusion. There are high levels of public support for health information and warning labels on alcohol beverages. This study contributes much needed empirical guidance for developing alcohol beverage labelling strategies in an Australian context.[Thomson LM, Vandenberg B, Fitzgerald JL. An exploratory study of drinkers views of health information and warning labels on alcohol containers. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:240-247] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Religion and psychopathology” is a phrase of hidden tensions, epistemological clashes, and a complex historical aetiology. Contemporary theory and research attempt to sort out the relation between the two, but overlooked, unseen, and unappreciated is the historical context that shapes inquiry. It is only at the end of the nineteenth century that religion and psychopathology can be juxtapositioned. This paper examines the prehistory of “religion and psychopathology”, tracing the emergence of “psycho” as an entity distinct from religious encumbrances and, equally important, its scientific legitimisation. It is only after both have been accomplished that psychopathology becomes possible. The history of hypnosis offers unique insight into how this happened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion may not be simply another variable in the assessment of treatment-seeking but an alternative worldview about the nature of suffering and its appropriate treatment. This study examines the relation of religious fundamentalism and religious coping on relative preference for psychological or religious help-seeking in 142 undergraduate students. Higher levels of religious fundamentalism and deferred religious coping were found to be associated with greater preference for religious rather than psychological help-seeking. The results suggest that religious issues need to be included in the investigation of help-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of deferring and self-directed religious coping on the assumptive worldviews of women following the death of a child, the death of another friend or family member, or diagnosis with type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 284). Participants completed the World Assumptions Scale (Janoff-Bulman, 1989), the Religious Problem-Solving Scales (Pargament et al., 1988), and the Deistic and Supportive but Nonintervening God Scale (Phillips, Pargament, Quinten, & Crossley, 2004). Women who had lost a child saw the world as least meaningful, followed by women otherwise bereaved, followed by women diagnosed with diabetes. Different religious coping styles offered different advantages in coping with these stressors. Across groups, deferring coping was associated with greater world meaning, whereas self-directed coping was associated with greater self-worth. The findings are discussed in the context of previous research finding inconsistent relationships between deferring and self-directed religious coping styles and adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors investigated the relation of religious fundamentalism (RF) and need for cognitive closure (NCC) on helping. Participants were 161 undergraduates, 99 of whom met inclusion requirements. Helping was assessed by two pairs of vignettes requesting funding allocations. One pair contrasted a religious, homogenous in-group with a religious, heterogeneous out-group; the other pair contrasted a nonreligious, homogeneous in-group with a nonreligious, heterogeneous out-group. RF was significantly positively related to helping religious in-groups, and there was a significant interaction with NCC. No significant effects were found for nonreligious group contrasts. The results indicate that context influences helping and that both RF and NCC play a role when religious beliefs are activated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special educators are a high risk group, prone to low job satisfaction, low self-efficacy, and increased stress and burnout. The attrition rate of special educators is particularly high, contributing to an overall shortage of qualified teachers throughout the United States. While the problems of special educators are widely discussed in the literature, scant intervention research has targeted this population, and what has been done suffers from design limitations, lack of a guiding theoretical framework, and a focus on symptom reduction, rather than mediating psychological processes. Acceptance and commitment therapeutic (ACT) interventions hold promise for addressing special education teacher burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although delusion is a central characteristic of psychosis, problems with the DSM definition make identification difficult, especially when religious content is involved. This study, involving 255 participants, sought to (1) determine if untrained participants' assessment of religious beliefs would be similar to that of trained clinicians in a previous study and (2) determine whether participants' Religious Fundamentalism (RF) influenced assessment. Three sets of religious beliefs, with varying levels of conventionality, were assessed. Results indicate that untrained participants rated religious beliefs in much the same way as did clinicians in a previous study, suggesting that social norms play an important role in the assessment of religious ideation. It was also found that High RF participants rated beliefs similar to their own as less pathological than did Low RF participants. Furthermore, High RF participants did not lower pathology ratings for beliefs from the least conventional religion, even when identified as religious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) responses on a picture-naming task were used to test the hypothesis that dyslexia involves phonological, but not semantic, processing deficits. Participants included 16 children with dyslexia and 31 control children between 8 and 10 years of age who did not differ in receptive vocabulary. As hypothesized, children with dyslexia demonstrated more TOTs and proportionally more errors in the phonological, but not semantic, step of word retrieval. Longer and low-frequency words also prompted more TOTs. The groups did not differ in phonological errors on a follow-up recognition task. The results provide evidence of text-independent, on-line phonological processing deficits in readers with dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the authors' comments on reforming alcohol taxation in Australia. According to the authors, alcohol and related industries reserve their greatest hostility for proposals to reform alcohol taxation. They state that though there is a good understanding of the flaws in the alcohol taxation system in Australia more scholarly work in the area is required to find solutions.

Previous studies have shown that exposure to early life stress (ELS) is associated with reduced volume of brain regions critical for information processing, memory and emotional function. Further, recent studies from our lab utilizing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have found alterations in the microstructural integrity of white matter pathways among adults exposed to ELS. However, it is not clear if these relationships extend to children and adolescents, and it is also unclear if these DTI abnormalities are associated with cognitive performance. The present study examined the relationship between ELS and the microstructural integrity of the corpus callosum among a sample of otherwise healthy controls between the ages of 8 and 73. The participants were subdivided into four age groups (8–12, 13–18, 19–50, 51–73). Individuals with three or more ELS events were compared to individuals with fewer than 3 ELS events on fractional anisotropy (FA) in the genu of the corpus callosum. Separate analyses examined the two groups on tests of verbal memory, information processing speed, psychomotor speed and cognitive flexibility. Results revealed that the youngest group and the oldest group of individuals with ELS exhibited significantly lower FA in the genu compared to individuals without ELS. However, there were no group differences on any of the cognitive tasks. Our results indicate that ELS is related to subtle alterations in brain structure, but not function. The effects found with regard to DTI occurred during periods of critical age-related developmental windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the associations of 3 types of psychological coping (task-based, emotion-based, avoidance), 2 types of religious coping (positive, negative), and their interactions with grief of 57 mothers bereaved by the sudden death of a child. Results indicated that mothers who use emotion-based coping report significantly higher levels of grief, whereas mothers who use avoidance coping report lower levels of grief. The interaction of task coping and positive religious coping was also associated with lower self-reported grief. The findings support the differential utility of various coping styles on mothers’ grief reactions to the sudden death of a child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined situational and denominational differences in the use of religious coping activities. A sample of 153 members of Catholic (n = 75) and Disciples of Christ (n = 78) churches read hypothetical vignettes representing three types of stressful situations (the death of one's father, being in a sailboat during a storm, a job promotion) and were assessed on the types of religious coping strategies that they would employ in each situation. Both the type of stressful situation and religious denomination significantly influenced participants' ratings of the extent to which they would engage in various religious coping activities. Participants reported that they would use the majority of the coping strategies measured to a significantly greater extent in response to the death of their father as compared to the other two vignettes. Catholics reported that they would engage in significantly more coping activities involving pleading with God and experiencing feelings of discontent than Disciples of Christ members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence indicates that hypnotic responsivity in children younger than 8 years of age differs significantly from that of older children and adults. The sudden increase in responsiveness around age 8, differing patterns of item difficulty for young children, specific problems with hypnotic dream and age regression items, and the lack of conceptual distinction between volition and nonvolition argue for a fundamental discontinuity between young children and adults regarding responsivity. These differences result from underlying developmental processes that characterize young childhood, including limitations in executive cognitive functioning, more overt forms of involvement, and reliance on authoritative others for direction, regulation, and support. The unique features of young children's hypnotic responsivity offer the opportunity to reconsider hypnosis within a developmental context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined if attitudes about grief communication are related to grief reactions and marital satisfaction in bereaved parents. The sample consisted of 36 couples who experienced the loss of a child. For the couple as a unit, the relation between attitudes about communication and grief changed over time, and the nature of the change was related to the level of communication; positive attitudes about open communication were related to high grief in the early stages of bereavement and to low grief in later stages. No relation to marital satisfaction was found. Spouses were correlated in their attitudes about communication, but women valued open communication significantly more than men. Positive attitudes about grief communication were related to men's grief reactions but not marital satisfaction; whereas for women, positive attitudes were related to marital satisfaction but not grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines how mental health professionals make judgments about the religious authenticity and mental health behaviors motivated by religious ideation. Variation of the context of religious behavior on six dimensions and on three levels of conventionality; Influence of the degree of the deviation of experience from conventional religious beliefs and practices.

The research on the development of hypnotic responsivity indicates that it emerges, ex nihilo, sometime after the age of 3. The measures used to assess hypnotic responsivity rely on complex verbal instructions, thus precluding investigation of infancy. Recent research on infancy, however, suggests that the ontogenesis of hypnotic responsivity is likely to be found in fundamental human capacities that emerge in the first weeks and months of life. The aims of the article are threefold: (a) to demonstrate that infants possess capacities on the nonverbal plane of communication that are analogous to those required for hypnosis; (b) to identify situations in infancy that are analogous to the hypnotic context; and (c) to examine dispositional and relational attributes in infancy that may account for later individual differences in hypnotic responsivity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents the results of a study which examined the associations among parental divorce, family conflict, sex, and young men's and women's achievement of intimacy. Indications that family conflict and sex, but not divorce, were significantly related to intimacy; What an examination of those within the divorce group suggest.

Investigates factors influencing the adjustment of families of 49 autistic children to the stress of raising an autist ic child. Method; Results; Discussion.

Examines the neuropsychological features and differential diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome in children. Importance of recognizing the signs and effects of pediatric apnea; How sleep apnea can affect children; Listing of some of the diurnal effects.

Examines the effect of the death of a father and family relationships on the psychological functioning of women. Interrelation of family relationships with neuroticism and attachment individuation balance; Measurement of psychological functioning through separation hostility; Significance of environmental variables in the management of death of parents.

Summary Children (N = 45) four through 10 years of age were given open-ended play materials, and various aspects of their play were scored. Children four through five years of age made several simple constructions using few materials and made little attempt to integrate disparate types of materials in their constructions. Children from six to seven made more constructions using more of the materials. Children from eight to 10 made fewer, much more extensive constructions and integrated disparate types of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses the relationship between hypnosis and human development while illuminating common processes underlying both and using research on one to give insights on the other. What is hypnosis; Importance of hypnosis in understanding development; Indepth look at hypnosis and development.

The emergence of the modern concept of development is closely linked with the awakening of a historical consciousness in western thought. Historiography shifted from the veneration of the sacred to the analysis of the secular, and human change came to be viewed as progressive and developmental. Salvationist dogma about the hereafter was replaced by visions of a utopia here on earth. Progressive development involves a natural ordering of values and offers an empirical route for ascertaining the nature of God and the good. This is an impetus for Piaget's genetic epistemology, and is an important, if unacknowledged, feature of developmental theory. It is also the source of troubling difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research on infancy and the philosophy of Levinas are integrated, suggesting that human development is forged within an ethical, relational context, with particular individuals, embodied in ordinary, daily, concrete acts of giving, care and exchange. Ethics is immanent in human conduct and moral principles are derived from the acts of relatedness and care essential to human life, present from the earliest, first moments of life. Ethics as first philosophy suggests that the primordial relational context of development necessarily entails ethical responsibility, revealed most visibly in love and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Children (N = 45) four through 10 years of age were given open-ended play materials, and various aspects of their play were scored. Children four through five years of age made several simple constructions using few materials and made little attempt to integrate disparate types of materials in their constructions. Children from six to seven made more constructions using more of the materials. Children from eight to 10 made fewer, much more extensive constructions and integrated disparate types of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses the 2014-2015 Budge of the Australian government which announced the closure of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA) on June 30, 2014, focusing on whether its review of alcohol advertising rules will remain.

Examines depression and attribution in abused children and their nonoffending caregivers. Relationship between negative attributions and higher scores on depression of both children and caregivers; Relation between non-offending caregivers' self-reported depression and their abused children's self-reported depression.