State-trait anxiety and mood states in delinquents were studied by administering the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Profile of Mood States to 41 behavior problem adolescents, residents of a facility for youthful offenders. The correlations between the instruments, and sex difference are discussed. (Author/MV)

The present study investigated theoretically and empirically derived similarities and differences between the constructs of enduring happiness and self-esteem. Participants (N = 621), retired employees ages 51-95, completed standardized measures of affect, personality, psychosocial characteristics, physical health, and demographics. The relations…

Past research has shown that the way one walks reflects one's personality traits and mood states. A study was conducted to examine whether the way one walks can reciprocally affect one's mood. The study tested the hypothesis that walking vigorously would cause a person to feel happier, and that a shuffling walk would cause a person to feel more…

Much theoretical interest has been focused on the role that causal attributions play in the development of mood disorders. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of outcomes and performance attributions upon mood. In the first experiment subjects performed different tasks which naturally gave rise to internal or external…

Frequent mood changes in adolescents are often attributed to the influence of shifting hormone levels. The presence and magnitude of menstrual-related mood changes in adolescent women were examined in 10th and 11th grade females (N=158) who completed the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ). Self-reports of the onset date for the next two…

Canonical-redundancy analyses were computed across the Profile of Mood States and the Eight State Questionnaire on a sample of 289 college undergraduates in order to estimate the degree of measurement overlap of the two multidimensional mood-state instruments. (Author/BS)

Described the development of the Mental Health Inventory, a measure of psychological distress and well-being, which was fielded in four large samples having different characteristics (N=5,089). Results provided strong psychometric support for a hierarchical model and scoring options ranging from five distinct constructs to reliance on one summary…

Examined the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA) by factor analytic techniques. Although the results indicated a strong need for caution, there was evidence of an alternative interpretation of the LSIA that has a degree of consistency across racial and gender categories. These findings raise implicit questions about prior research. (Author/JAC)

Demonstrated the emotion-specific priming effects of negatively valenced emotions (anger, sadness, and fear) in a divided attention task. Results indicated that a negative emotion displayed by a target that matched the emotion induced by a priming manipulation was significantly stronger than an incongruous priming manipulation and displayed…

The association between help-seeking and nearly lethal suicide attempts was evaluated using data from a population-based, case-control study. Measures of help-seeking included type of consultant contacted, and whether suicide was discussed. Findings suggest efforts to better understand the role of help-seeking in suicide prevention deserves…

This study is an initial examination of behavioral and emotional differences between male and female juvenile offenders using an omnibus self-report personality inventory. Differences between male and female juvenile offenders were found on 6 of 14 comparisons. Findings provide support for differential treatment planning in addressing the needs of…

Increased divorce rates, declining marriage rates, and a predisposition to widowhood in later life all contribute to the heterogeneous marital histories of women approaching retirement. Existing research on retirement, however, has not considered the diversity in marital status that exists among retired women. The purpose of the present study was…

This study examined the longitudinal effects of coping on outcome one year following completion of a randomized, controlled trial of a group coping intervention for AIDS-related bereavement. Bereaved HIV-positive participants (N = 267) were administered measures of grief, psychiatric distress, quality of life, and coping at baseline,…

Research has sought to establish a connection between positive psychological state and physical health and longevity. It has been suggested that persons with a sense of purpose or meaning in life are better able to withstand stress, and enjoy better health. To study the link between a sense of meaning and a sense of physical well-being, 28 college…

The role of affect in information processing has recently received attention, and several possible influences of affect have been suggested. The informational and directive effects of affect were investigated with subjects (N=61) who either described events in their recent past that made them feel good, described events that made them feel bad, or…