From adolescence to adulthood: Development of psychopathology in kibbutz and town subjects

The unique contribution of the National Institute of Mental Health—Israeli longitudinal high-risk study is the comparison of the development of children at high risk for schizophrenia from two divergent socialization environments: the Israeli urban nuclear family and the collective education in the kibbutz. The study began with 100 preadolescent children who were followed up into adolescence, with outcomes measured in their 20s and 30s. No difference in the prevalence of schizophrenia was found at the last follow-up phase, with subjects at an average age of 32, but a higher incidence of major depression was found in the kibbutz than in the urban high-risk group. The data suggest adolescence as the period in which the differential effects of environment began to appear. Environmental factors, related to the social structure of the kibbutz, which may have led to this outcome, are discussed.Received Ph.D. in psychology from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Engaged in research on socialization in the kibbutz as well as in the NIMH-Israel High-Risk project, and is a practicing psychotherapist.Member of Kibbutz Biet-QeshetAn educational psychologist practicing within the Jerusalem school system. Has taken a leading part in the fourth phase of the NIMH-Israel High-Risk Study and currently completing a doctoral dissertation in psychology.Received Ph.D. from Columbia University. Has served as Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Education of Israel. Involved in the NIMH-Israel High-Risk Study from its start and has served as the Israeli principal investigator during its fourth phase.     

PTSD Symptoms Experienced and Coping Tactics Used by Crime Scene Investigators in the United States

Few investigations have assessed the prevalence of posttraumatic stress experiences among Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs). We recruited a nationwide sample of 225 CSIs to complete online questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms, use of specific coping tactics, perceived social support, trait resilience, and demographics. Seven symptoms had been experienced by at least 50% of participants during the previous month, and 9.3% had total checklist scores suggestive of PTSD. A significant regression analysis revealed that higher PTSD scores were associated with drinking alcohol more frequently to deal with stress, admitting more frequently one could not deal with stress and not trying to do so, lower social support, getting angry and letting emotions out more frequently, lower resilience, and finding comfort in one's religious beliefs. Given the proportions of CSIs that experience exposure‐related stress, more should be done to mitigate the prevalence and severity of these symptoms.     

The Return of the Middle Kingdom in a Post-American World

Not long after the conclusion of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, I was invited by my friend Eric Xu, an editor at Shanghai's largest paper, The Xinmin Evening News , to attend a seminar in Shanghai with some of China's top philosophers and scholars. They had gathered to assess the "powershift" in China's self-image and in global esteem as a result of such a successful execution of the games. The following short essay reports on their views and puts them in historical perspective.