Monitor on Psychology - October 2011 - (Page 25)

News briefs from APA’s 2011 Annual Convention Brief IN administrators and paraprofessionals reported being physically attacked at school in the past year, and more than one in four reported receiving verbal threats, said Dorothy Espelage, PhD, task force chair. Those percentages suggest that violence might be contributing to educator attrition over time, Espelage said. n Parents prefer that their children receive toys that foster unstructured and imaginative play, such as PlayDoh, rather than ones that can only be played with in a specific way, such as games that play songs in response to correct answers, according to research presented by Meryl Gardiner, PhD, of the University of Delaware. However, when choosing a toy as a gift for a child they don’t know well, parents gravitate toward toys that claim to encourage brain development, regardless of whether they encourage structured or unstructured play, she and her collaborators found. n Military women have triple the risk for suicide compared with civilian counterparts and a higher risk for certain eating disorders, said Maj. Ruth Roa-Navarrete, PsyD, an Air Force psychologist who surveyed the research available on the experiences of military women, particularly women of color. Some research also shows that women who’ve deployed report higher levels of heavy drinking than male service members. Women service members who experience sexual assault while serving are nine times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder, RoaNavarrete said. Civilian practitioners need to screen women service members and veterans for suicide risk, and assess for military sexual trauma, violence in the home, substance abuse and disordered eating, she said. n Rural veterans have more negative attitudes toward mental health treatment for combat stress and other problems than their urban counterparts, according to research presented by psychologist Thomas Britt, PhD, of Clemson University. In a survey of 760 service members from the Army Reserves and the National Guard, Britt found that, overall, rural respondents had a poorer attitude about seeking treatment than urban respondents did. Rural veterans cited a variety of reasons they were hesitant to seek care, including that therapy would be “too distressing,” that it required traveling too far and that they might be seen as “weak” by friends and family. Forty-four percent of rural respondents worried that they might be prescribed medication that would interfere with their ability to perform their jobs, added Britt. n Two common bird species, the Carolina chickadee and the tufted titmouse, show signs of stress in response to traffic noise, according to research presented by Jessica L. Owens, a University of Tennessee psychology graduate student. After being bombarded with simulated traffic noise for eight hours a day, the birds acted much as they do when they are in the presence of a predator — bunching up in tight groups, interacting more and behaving more cautiously. n 25 Photos.com Women millionaires are far more likely to do the family laundry and other housework than male millionaires. n In addition to running companies, 44 percent of female millionaires do the bulk of their families’ housework as compared with 4 percent of male millionaires, according to a study presented by Arizona psychologist Jude Miller Burke, PhD, in press in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. Overall, however, male and female millionaires are more alike than different, scoring very high on measures of resilience, networking ability, transformational leadership style and conscientiousness. n Violence against teachers is reaching an epidemic level and might be contributing to attrition, according to an 2010 online survey by APA’s Task Force on Violence Against Teachers. Almost one in five teachers, OCTOBER 2011 • MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY http://photos.com

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

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011
President’s Column
Subtle and stunning slights
Contents
From the CEO
Live science on the showroom floor
Zimbardo re-examines his landmark study
Ready, set, mentor
Attention students and ECPs: Self-care is an ‘ethical imperative’
Suicide risk is high among war veterans in college, study finds
Psychotherapy is effective and here’s why
From toilet to tap: getting people to drink recycled water
What’s ahead for psychology practice?
A push for more accountability is changing the accreditation process
Peer, parental support prove key to fighting childhood obesity
Popular media’s message to girls
Bullying may contribute to lower test scores
A consequence of cuckoldry: More (and better) sex?
Manatees’ exquisite sense of touch may lead them into dangerous waters
Building a better tomato
How will China’s only children care for their aging parents?
‘Spice’ and ‘K2’: New drugs of abuse now on the market
Many suspects don’t understand their right to remain silent
In Brief
Boosting minority achievement
Where’s the progress?
And social justice for all
Helping new Americans find their way
Segregation’s ongoing legacy
A new way to combat prejudice
Retraining the biased brain
Suppressing the ‘white bears’
How to eat better — mindlessly
Protect your aging brain
Must babies always breed marital discontent?
Outing addiction
Flourish 2051
The danger of stimulants
Keys to making integrated care work
Is technology ruining our kids?
Facebook: Friend or foe?
The promise of Web 3.0
NIMH invests in IT enhanced interventions
Science Directions
Science Directions
PsycAdvocates work to safeguard key programs
The psychology of spending cuts
APA’s strategic plan goes live
Visionary leaders
Bravo!
Vote on bylaws amendments

Monitor on Psychology - October 2011