Affective disorder is characterized by maladaptive changes in mood, attitudes, energy level, and physical status. These changes constitute the basic dimensions of depression. Depression results from a combination of genetic and experiential factors. There are sex differences and age differences with regard to depression, and there is a high…

This monograph examines the emotions of love and fear and proposes that an individual's understanding of his loving and fearful responses is fundamental to his interactions with himself and with others. This guide is designed to facilitate such understanding. A definition of love is provided in chapter I and fear is explored in chapter II. Chapter…

Research has shown that older persons who have become widowed after many years of marriage maintain deep attachments to their deceased spouses. Case histories, observations and interviews were used to explore some aspects of the persistence of the marital tie after the first few years of mourning had passed. The major element in this tie was…

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…

Subjects in five stress groups were threatened with electric shock while subjects in a sixth group were not. In one of the stress groups subjects were encouraged to misattribute (i.e., project) their feelings from the threat of shock to the experimenter instead of to the shock, while subjects in the remaining stress groups were not encouraged to…

This study investigates sex and age differences in on-going emotionality. Systematic convenience sampling was used in conducting two waves of interviews. The interviews involved approaching subjects (n=1205) and asking them questions concerning their present emotional state, how often they experience emotion, etc. The study gives no evidence that…

Researchers are investigating how emotions affect the ways in which children think and interact with others. The Minnesota Preschool Project used observation measures for general types of positive, negative, and inappropriate emotional expression. "Social competence" was found to be highly correlated with the number of positive expressions minus…

Compared eight lower socioeconomic status abusive mothers with eight matched controls and eight middle class controls on three measures of emotional and somatic distress. Abusive mothers showed far greater depression and physical distress than controls and used more physical punishment. (BH)

Tested relationships between mood states, self-reflection, and helpfulness. Subjects read mood-inducing statements negative in content, containing the personal pronoun "I;" negative but not self-referencing; emotionally positive in content; emotionally neutral; or no statements. Results showed self-reflection was responsible for…

The goal of this study was to track and compare the paths along which young adults arrange and time the entries and exits from marital and cohabiting unions. The focus was on the incidence, durations, and outcomes of dimensions that embrace residential separation. Results show that union trajectories are dynamic and involve a heterogeneous and…

Tested hypothesis that higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect would predict depression during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. Analysis of 100 women indicated that women at risk for depression during pregnancy and in the postpartum period may exhibit heightened negative moods and a dearth of positive affective…

This pilot study aimed to establish the psychiatric morbidity in children remanded to prison custody using an age appropriate instrument, the K-SADS. The 19 boys interviewed showed high rates of affective disorders, substance misuse and conduct disorder. Study highlights the need to develop child and adolescent mental health services for children…

Focuses on: (1) principles that underlie regulation of distress and negative emotions among infants and young children; and (2) developmental trends that occur during the first years of life. Discusses the role of caregivers. Offers ideas that lend themselves to hypothesis testing and empirical validation. (RH)

Explored whether vicarious emotional reactions of macho males reflect a lack of empathy and a tendency to respond with anger. Male subjects (n=107) viewed videotapes of a crying, quiescent, and smiling baby, respectively. Macho males reported more anger and less empathy for the crying baby than did less macho males. (RJM)

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…