It has been shown that a person's mood can influence pain tolerance. Films have been used as a means of inducing a desired mood. The effect on pain perception of film type and film length to induce mood was investigated. Previous research with brief humorous films had not indicated any unique advantage of humor over distraction approaches. Other recent research had indicated that after exposure to film stimulation there is a need to wait approximately 40 min before physiological changes can be obtained. Thus, the present study varied both film type and length and introduced a 30-min waiting period following the mood induction via film prior to exposure to cold-pressor pain. Two hundred subjects in nine different groups participated in the study. Three types of films were used: (1) humorous, (2) holocaust, (3) neutral. Three lengths of each type were also used: 15 min, 30 min, and 45 min. In addition, a tenth no-film group served as a control for the effects of a film. Each subject was given a baseline trial of cold-pressor pain, a trial immediately following the film and a trial 30 min later. Results indicated an advantage in increased pain tolerance for the humorous film and an increased pain tolerance for the longer film regardless of type only after the 30-min waiting period. Results were discussed from a pain theoretical perspective with emphasis placed on returning to psychological manipulations of the sensory aspects of pain and not just the cognitive/emotional/motivational dimensions.

Two psychological interventions given for 8 weeks, supportive and cognitive-behavioral, were compared in achieving psychosocial adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis. Participants were divided into 3 groups of patients and their spouses: a supportive group (18 couples), a cognitive-behavioral group (18 couples), and a no-intervention control group (24 couples). A group of 97 healthy participants served as a baseline control group. Self-report measurements were made before treatment (T1), halfway through (T2), and after treatment (T3). Results indicated that, without treatment, the no-intervention control group demonstrated a deterioration of psychosocial adjustment going from T1 to T3. Both interventions were effective in aiding patients and spouses in maintaining psychosocial adjustment in comparison with the no-intervention control group, with few differences between treatments. Most improvement was obtained in the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal areas, with smaller gains made in the behavioral area.

Depression amongst immigrant students from the former Soviet Union was assessed as an index of the stage of their acculturation into the new host society, Israel. At the beginning of the first year of nursing school, three groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory. The two groups of immigrants: immigrant nurses preparing for licensing (N = 26) and immigrant students (N = 16), reported mild levels of depression, while Israeli students (N = 33) were significantly less depressed, within the normal range. Six months later, both immigrant groups were within the normal range, the immigrant nurses group showing the greatest decrease in depression. This change may be explained by adaptation to the educational setting, mastering the host society's language and social anchorage. The importance of background variables for predicting depression reduction is examined. The findings are discussed within the framework of multistage models of acculturation and the implications for counseling immigrant students are presented.

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The authors studied state anxiety in women awaiting three different medical examinations: abdominal ultrasonography, mammography, and hysterosalpingography. These procedures differ in degree of intrusiveness and cause, respectively, low, intermediate, and high levels of pain and discomfort. The evidence supported the hypothesis that the degree of anxiety will correspond to the level of invasiveness. In addition, the study examined the impact of demographic variables on degree of anxiety. The results suggest that to plan appropriate strategies for stress reduction, the medical team treating women should be aware of the degree of the procedure's invasiveness.