Pupillary and Attentional Responses to Infant Facial Expressions in Mothers Across Socioeconomic Variations.

Maternal responses to infant facial expressions were examined in two socioeconomically diverse samples of South African mothers (Study I, N = 111; and Study II, N = 214; age: 17-44 years) using pupil and gaze tracking. Study I showed increased pupil response to infant distress expressions in groups recruited from private as compared to public maternity clinics, possibly reflecting underlying differences in socioeconomic status (SES) across the groups. Study II, sampling uniformly low-SES neighborhoods, found increased pupil dilation and faster orientation to expressions of infant distress, but only in the highest income group.

Barriers to mental health care and predictors of treatment dropout in the South African Stress and Health Study.

Objective: This study used data from the South African Stress and Health Study (SASH) to examine both structural and attitudinal barriers to treatment initiation among South Africans with mental disorders and to investigate predictors of treatment dropout.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 4,315 adult South Africans living in households or hostel quarters. The interview included a core diagnostic assessment of past-12-month mental disorders and assessments of disorder severity, service use, and barriers to treatment.

Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in youth.

Introduction: There is increasing awareness of the contribution of perceived social support (PSS) to emotional and physical well-being. Numerous scales measuring PSS have been developed, including the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The psychometric properties of the MSPSS have been demonstrated in diverse samples, although its reproducibility in the South African youth has not yet been investigated.

A survey of participants in two internet support groups for people with hair-pulling.

Background: A substantial number of patients suffering from psychological problems or psychiatric disorders have turned to internet support groups for help. This paper reports on the perceived effectiveness of trichotillomania (TTM) internet support groups for people suffering from hair-pulling.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent via e-mail to all subscribers of two mailing lists devoted to TTM, each of which takes a somewhat different approach to the condition.