Monitor on Psychology - September 2011 - (Page 15)

brief In educational talks reduced their use by about 8 percent. (In press in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, http://dx.doi. org/10.1037/a0024076) n Groups of fish that lose their social leaders are slower to learn new behaviors, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers. They used zebrafish to explore social network theory, which holds that key individuals serve as information hubs within groups. The researchers identified, then removed, the most social fish from several groups of three to four fish. Other groups kept their social leaders. When the researchers attempted to teach the fish a new task — associating the appearance of a red card with a brine-shrimp reward — the groups that retained their most social fish learned the task more quickly than the socially leaderless groups. Of the two different breeding strains the researchers tested, one was better than the other at coping with the loss of a leader, suggesting that genetic differences might contribute to resilience to such loss. (In press in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, http// dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023906) n Men and women service members show the same resilience after serving in combat, according to a national sample of U.S. veterans. The study included 340 women and 252 men who experienced wartime conditions involving weapons, exposure to human remains, attending to detainees and other stressors. Men were reported to have seen more combat than women, but not by a significant amount. Based on survey responses, men’s and women’s post-traumatic Photos.com Women service members can mentally handle combat as well as men, research suggests. stress and depression levels were similar, although men reported more substance abuse. These findings highlight the fact that female soldiers can mentally handle combat as well as men can and may lead to more women on the frontlines, researchers say. (In press in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, http://dx.doi. org/10.1037/a0023452) n Mental health screening could help connect low-income black students with school-based mental health services, according to a study led by researchers at the TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University. Previous data show that black young people are much less likely than their white peers to access mental health services and that being poor can lead to increased risk for mental illness. The researchers screened almost 800 black and white sixththrough eighth-grade students using a 14-item questionnaire. Following a clinical interview, students who screened positive for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation or other mental disorders were referred to school-based services for treatment. The black students were more 15 septeMber 2011 • Monitor on psychology http://www.Photos.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0024076 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0024076 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023906 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023906 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023452 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0023452

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - September 2011

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Supreme Court hears psychologists on prison and video game cases
Antipsychotics are overprescribed in nursing homes
New MCAT likely to recognize the mind-body connection
A $2 million boost for military and families
In Brief
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
On Your Behalf
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
TIME CAPSULE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Speaking of Education
SCIENCE WATCH
An uncertain future for American workers
Advocating for psychotherapy
PRACTICE PROFILE
ETHICALLY SPEAKING
Seared in our memories
Helping kids cope in an uncertain world
APA and Nickelodeon team up
Muslims in America, post 9/11
Bin Laden’s death
‘They expect us to be there’
Answering the call of public policy
Candidates answer final questions
APA News
Division Spotlight
New leaders
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Disaster relief training
Honoring teaching excellence
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011