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We randomly assigned 65 women who had been sexually abused by a father, stepfather, or other close relative to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: a 10-week interpersonal transaction (IT) group, a 10-week process group, or a wait list condition. Subjects were evaluated at pretreatment, posttreatment, and (if assigned to a group) a 6-month follow-up on measures of social adjustment, depression, fearfulness, and general distress. Results suggested that both the IT and process group formats were more effective than the wait list condition in reducing depression and in alleviating distress; changes were maintained at follow-up. Subjects in the process group format exhibited improvement in social adjustment, whereas subjects in the wait list condition actually deteriorated.

This study used Kelly's (1955Kelly's ( /1991 Role Construct Repertory Grid (RepGrid) technique to assess cognitive features underlying depressive states. RepGrids from patients with depressive disorders (n = 105, including Major Depression, Dysthymia, and Adjustment Disorder with depressed or mixed symptoms) were compared with a non-clinical group (n = 305). The RepGrids of participants were analyzed using the computer program GRIDCOR (Feixas & Cornejo, 2002). Consistent with hypotheses, those with depressive disorders perceived themselves and others more negatively, perceived themselves as different from others, and generated fewer constructs to describe self and others in comparison to the non-clinical group. There were no differences in use of extreme ratings or in unidimensional construing (percent variance accounted for by the first factor in correspondence analysis) on the RepGrid. RepGrid techniques offer the potential to better understand the processes of construction of the self and others in persons with depressive disorders. Specific RepGrid profiles associated with depression-negativity, resentment, and isolation-may be helpful in further individuating treatment for depression.

This study investigated the impact of acculturative stress on psychological well-being and body image disturbance in a sample of female and male Hispanic individuals. The unique protective effects of differing social support sources, including family and peer support, were examined against acculturative stress and body image disturbance. A total of 399 participants of Hispanic origin were recruited from Texas Tech University in West Texas. Students completed a battery of measures of acculturative stress and internalization of the thin ideal, as well as perceived social support. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that acculturative stress is a significant positive predictor of body image disturbance among Hispanic college students. Thin ideal internalization was found to mediate this relationship such that acculturative stress was associated with heightened body image disturbance through its impact on thin ideal internalization. Social support significantly reduced acculturative stress as well as body image disturbance but did not moderate the relation between these 2 factors. Results highlight the importance of considering acculturative stress as a strong predictor of body image disturbance among college students of Hispanic origin. The mechanisms of influence of acculturative stress on body image disturbance are discussed in relation to thin ideal internalization. The protective role of social support on these negative psychological outcomes is also clarified. This study is the first to examine these issues in a sample of female and male Hispanic college students and provides avenues for clinical interventions and future trials with diverse populations.