The current study is a two-year case study focusing on an upper-elementary girl who had been diagnosed with selective mutism in 1st grade. While multiple theoretical frameworks have been used to explain selective mutism, the current study borrowed the frameworks of critical sociocultural theory, a social semiotic theory of multimodality, and…

Morita therapy, developed by Shoma Morita (1874-1938) in Japan, is a type of psychotherapy that has been applied to deal with neurotic symptoms. This therapeutic approach is based on the conviction that neurotic symptoms are universal issues that eventually subside if the symptoms are accepted and everyday activities are carried out. By examining…

Using multilevel modeling, this study examined how different types of bullying, involving both peers and teachers, relate to psychosomatic health complaints. Data were obtained via the Stockholm School Survey from 41,032 ninth- and eleventh-grade students in the years 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. Results showed that students involved in bullying as…

Uses three national surveys to document a decline in the relationship between sex and distress. Demonstrates that increased labor force participation by women is partially responsible. Finds no relationship between the decline of psychophysiological symptoms and changes in educational attainment, rates of marriage, marriage dissolution, or…

This study investigated the anorectic's experience in daily living using the Experience Sampling Method. Results suggest that anorectics spend more time alone and experience lower average affect than other young single women. (Author/GK)

This study examined the impact of child sexual abuse and disclosure characteristics on adult psychological and psychosomatic symptoms. Data on abuse characteristics, disclosure-related events, and subjective health were collected through semistructured interviews and questionnaires from 123 adult women reporting having been sexually abused in…

This study examines the relationships between school-related stress, gender and psychosomatic symptoms in a sample of 531 adolescent pupils in years (grades) 8, 9 and 10 (aged 13-16 years) from two compulsory schools in Norway. Results showed that 18.1 percent reported being very much affected by at least one of the assessed psychosomatic…

This study examined the relationship of catastrophizing to fatigue in 80 women receiving chemotherapy (CT) or radiotherapy (RT) for treatment of early stage breast cancer. Findings revealed expected relationships between catastrophizing and fatigue among women receiving RT but not CT. Among RT patients, those high in catastrophizing reported…

To examine the relationship between grief reactions and alexithymia, 54 Japanese women (33 outpatients attending a psychosomatic clinic and 21 normal healthy participants) completed the Texas Inventory of Grief (TIG), the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Each woman had experienced the death of a…

Participants responded to a series of psychological, exposure and health questionnaires. Results suggest that effects of traumatic exposure on perceived health are partially mediated by increases in PTSD after exposure, supporting studies on the effects of stress on health. (BF)

This report considers the effective and varied components of treatment of an uncommon manifestation of conversion disorder in an adolescent girl. The patient was referred for treatment of hearing loss with no apparent organic cause. The treatment approach was multifaceted and based on general principles for treatment of conversion disorder in…

Reflects on the history of anorexia nervosa among adolescent ("fasting") girls, suggesting that its psychodynamics have changed over time. Focuses on the social and cultural processes by which anorexia nervosa became a disease. Argues for a conception of anorexia nervosa that incorporates culture as well as biomedical and psychological…

Studied whether pubertal age affects reports of psychosomatic symptoms among 14- to 16-year-old girls. Considered whether differences in dating and alcohol use might be mediating factors in the relation between pubertal age and psychosomatic symptoms. Subjects were 935 Finnish eighth-grade pupils who completed questionnaires three times during a…

Research pertaining to female athletes' problems with secondary amenorrhea is reviewed. Studies point to stress, weight loss, anorexia nervosa, obesity, arduous athletic training, and age of onset of training as factors which may contribute to this disorder. (PP)

This paper describes a model for an adolescent girls group used as an adjunctive therapy to focus on the issue of maturity. Background information about the group members is provided and the group is described as an ego-supportive group which functions to maintain areas of positive functioning and to aid in the development of personal resources.…