Physical, mental, and social catastrophic cognitions as prognostic factors in cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological treatments for panic disorder.

The authors explored the prognostic value of 3 different types of catastrophic cognitions in the treatment of panic disorder with and without mild-to-moderate agoraphobia using a sample of 143 participants who received either cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or imipramine in a randomized controlled trial. Stronger fears of social catastrophes both prior to and following treatment with CBT or imipramine were associated with a poorer outcome. In contrast, cognitions involving physical or mental catastrophes were unrelated to outcome, regardless of whether these thoughts were measured prior to or following treatment.

Individual differences among undergraduate women in methods of coping with stressful events: the impact of cumulative childhood stressors and abuse.

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to determine if a history of greater exposure to different types of adverse and/or abusive experiences in childhood would influence coping strategies used by undergraduate women to deal with new stressful events in young adulthood.

Method: A sample of 828 women undergraduates from a New England state university participated in this questionnaire study. Disengagement and engagement coping strategies used in response to recent stressors were compared in groups who had none, one, two, or three or more types of adverse and/or abusive childhood experiences (sexual abuse, physical abuse, witnessing domestic violence, having an alcoholic parent, and parental rejection).

College women who had sexual intercourse when they were underage minors (13-15): age of their male partners, relation to current adjustment, and statutory rape implications.

In a survey of 1,439 female college students, 24% reported that they had what they considered consensual sexual intercourse between ages 13 and 15 (2% at age 13, 7% at age 14, and 15% at age 15). Contrary to the impression left by studies of teenage mothers, the majority of their male sexual partners were not substantially older than them but instead were more typically "somewhat older" (2-4 years apart) or similar aged (less than 2 years apart). The percentage of "much older" partners (5 or more years older) was 31% for those who had intercourse at age 13, 17% for those who had intercourse at age 14, and 13% for those who had intercourse at age 15.

Parental caring as a possible buffer against sexual revictimization in young adult survivors of child sexual abuse.

This study examined whether parental caring provided a buffer against the revictimization effect. Nine hundred and seventy-four undergraduate women provided information about child sexual abuse, physical abuse, and whether they witnessed violence between their parents during childhood. They also reported whether they had ever been the victim of sexual assault in adulthood, and offered their perceptions of the degree of care they received as a child from each parent.

The impact of child sexual abuse and stigma on methods of coping with sexual assault among undergraduate women.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to determine whether a prior history of child sexual abuse increased the likelihood of using disengagement methods of coping with a sexual assault that had occurred within the past year. Once this was established, a mediational model was tested in which it was hypothesized that specific traumagenic dynamics and changed world views would mediate the association between child and/or adolescent sexual abuse and increased use of disengagement coping methods in response to a recent sexual assault.

Method: One thousand and fifty women undergraduates from a New England state university completed a survey for research credit.