The Splitting Index (SI), a self-report scale based on the writings of Kernberg (e.g., 1976) on self and object representations and the defense mechanism of splitting, was constructed. After development over the course of 6 pilot studies, the SI was validated through 2 further studies. Factor analyses revealed a 24-item scale with three 8-item subscales, measuring the splitting of self, family, and others' images. The SI and its subscales were demonstrated to be internally consistent and stable over a 4-week period. Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with measures of borderline and narcissistic personality disorders, self-image stability, self-esteem, depression, and negative affectivity. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by near-zero correlations with two measures of cognitive complexity. Contrary to predictions, the SI was significantly correlated with the Dogmatism Scale (Rokeach, 1960), a third measure of cognitive complexity. Research and clinical applications of the SI are discussed.

Though one could argue that the history of psychoanalysis is intimately linked with the experience of immigration, the fact is that psychoanalytic theorizing about this experience, and its implications for treatment, have lagged far behind, even as psychoanalytic theorists have increasingly examined other nontraditional topics, such as those having to do with culture, class, and race. In this article, we address several of the key issues that are relevant to a contemporary psychoanalytic understanding of immigration as a psychological experience, as well as the implications of this experience for psychoanalytic treatment when the patient, the analyst, or both are immigrants. In some areas, we also draw from literature outside of psychoanalysis in an effort to bridge and expand theoretical conversation with other disciplines. Among the topics and themes

This study evaluated the efficacy of an interactive media-based, computer-delivered depression treatment program (imbPST) compared to a no-treatment control condition (NTC) in a parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial conducted in an outpatient psychiatric research clinic. 45 adult participants with major depressive disorder or dysthymia were randomized to receive either 6 weekly sessions of imbPST or no treatment (No Treatment Control; NTC). The primary outcome measure was the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). There was a significant Group x Time interaction effect [F (1.73, 43)= 58.78; p <.001; η2 = .58, Cohens d = 1.94], such that the patients receiving imbPST had a significantly greater reduction in depressive symptoms compared to the patients in the NTC condition. Participants in the imbPST group improved their depression symptoms significantly from moderate (BDI-II = 21.9 ±4.20) to mild levels of depression (BDI-II = 17.9 ± 4.0) after receiving 3 weekly sessions of imbPST (p <0.001), and progressed to still milder levels of depression after six weekly sessions (BDI-II = 14.5 ± 3.7, p <0.001). NTC participants showed no significant reduction in BDI-II scores (BDI-II =21.8 ± 4.2 pre, BDI-II = 21.5 ± 5.2 post, N.S.). Additionally, 40% of the imbPST group showed a clinically significant and reliable change in depression levels while none of the NTC group met this criterion. imbPST participants rated the program highly usable on the system usability scale (SUS) after the first session (SUS Session 1 = 74.6 ± 7.2) and usability scores increased significantly by the last session (SUS Session 6 = 85.4 ± 5.6). We conclude that imbPST is an effective, engaging, and easily used depression treatment program that warrants further evaluation with heterogeneous depressed populations in a stand-alone, self-administered fashion.

To date, specific mechanisms at work in the link between marital discord and children's problematic behavior remain unclear. In the present study, three types of variables—marital discord (nonconsensus and arguing-related stress), parent-child relationship quality (global quality and daily time spent together), and child interpersonal awareness (ability to infer emotions in social situations)—were used as predictors of children's social behavioral profiles in a sample of 45 5-year-olds. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the efficacy of a mediational model for predicting child behavior problems from marital discord. Evidence was found for indirect relations between marital discord and both social withdrawal and aggression: Marital discord predicted lower quality parent-child relationships, which, in turn, predicted high levels of child aggression. For child social withdrawal, the prediction from marital discord was mediated by both parent-child relationship quality and child interpersonal awareness.

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