The current study explored whether differentiation of self and family communication styles were protective factors of secondary traumatic stress (STS). A sample of 215 Jewish Americans/Canadians whose families emigrated from Europe prior to or after World War II completed an online survey consisting of self-report measures. Four groups were created based on the participants' Holocaust background and demographics: Second generation (2G; n ϭ 77) and third generation (3G; n ϭ 52), who self identified as having at least one parent or grandparent, respectively, who is/was a Holocaust survivor, and a matched control group for each generation (n ϭ 50; n ϭ 36, respectively) consisting of Jewish Americans/Canadians of European descent with no direct relatives who were Holocaust survivors. 2G and 3G referenced the Holocaust as the traumatic event on the STS measure, while the control group referenced non-Holocaust events. Results showed that levels of STS were generally within the normal range for all groups; however, 2G and 3G reported significantly higher levels of STS, lower levels of differentiation of self, and poorer family communication compared to their control groups. Greater differentiation of self and better family communication were associated with lower levels of STS. Differences between groups were consistent with other studies suggesting a mixture of resilience and vulnerability factors among 2G and 3G.

Reported baseline findings from the neurological assessment component of the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study (HGDS). HIV-positive (HIV+; n = 207) and HIV-negative (HIV-; n = 126) young males with hemophilia ages 6 to 18 years, were enrolled in a prospective study of their growth and development. At baseline, HIV+ and HIV- subjects were not significantly different in test performance. The number of subjects exhibiting below-average performance in three or more areas assessed was about 25% overall. For both groups, mean test scores were within the average range. Academic and adaptive skills were lower than expected based on mean IQ scores, and more behavioral/emotional problems than expected were reported by parents. Absolute CD4 cell counts per mm3 were not related to neuropsychological performance at baseline. Results suggest that the subjects with HIV were relatively free of HIV-related neuropsychological impairment at baseline and that observed differences from a general population reflect effects of hemophilia as a chronic illness.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be associated with neurocognitive deficits. The Hemophilia Growth and Development Study enrolled HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients and a group of nonhemophiliac siblings. After controlling for multiple factors, HCV monoinfection was not associated with deficits in adaptive behavior, intelligence, or attention/concentration.

The present study examined the relative effectiveness of organization strategy use at study versus test in a single-trial, free-recall learning task, 90 subjects from each of 3 grade levels (second vs. sixth vs, college) were presented with 36 pictures selected equally from 6 different taxonomic categories. 3 levels of organizational strategy use were factorially crossed during study and test: Categorical cues were either (a) absent, (b) available, or (c) imposed. Developmental increases in performance were observed for the dependent measures of correct recall, study-trial organization, test-trial organization, frequency of cue use, and self-reported study activities. Generally speaking, imposed organization at study attenuated age differences in correct recall performance and study-trial organization, whereas imposed organization at test served to attenuate age differences in verbal clustering. Performance in the available cue condition at study or test was indistinguishable from performance in the control condition (i.e., cues absent). The results from the present study are generally consistent with previous assessments of organizational effects and provide new evidence concerning their independent and additive functions at study and test in developmental free-recall performance.

No abstract