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Biomedical subjects

E E Levitt

Publications and source records attributed to E E Levitt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Some additional light on the childhood sexual abuse-psychopathology axis.

This exposition is an attempt to unravel the complexities of the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult psychopathology. Four facets of the relationship are examined in some detail: (a) the extent of childhood sexual abuse; (b) the probability that sexual abuse in childhood will result in psychopathology in the adult; (c) the reliability of early life memories in later life; and (d) the role of recovered memory of trauma in the healing process. The conclusions of this logico-empirical analysis are that first, government statistics tend to underestimate the extent of childhood sexual abuse, whereas independent surveys tend to overestimate it. Estimating prevalence is further complicated by variations in the definitions of key terms. Possibly the only safe conclusion is that true prevalence cannot be reliably determined. Second, empirical investigations of childhood sexual abuse conclude that not all victims are emotionally injured. A substantial number of these investigations find that a majority of victims suffer no extensive harm. Other variables such as family dynamics are involved; there may be only a few cases in which emotional harm results from sexual abuse as a single factor. Third, memory research suggests that memory in general is a dynamic, reconstructive process and that recall of childhood events is particularly vulnerable to distortion. Memory cannot dependably produce historical truth. Last, there is some clinical evidence that abreaction of a traumatic event in adulthood may have a remediative effect. Similar evidence for childhood trauma is lacking. The belief in the healing effect of recalling and reliving a childhood trauma depends on the therapist's orientation.

Abreaction↗
PubMed1995

The effect of intracavernosal injection of papaverine hydrochloride on orgasm latency.

The research literature on the employment of various vasoactive drugs to induce penile erection has largely examined assessment and treatment techniques. One study specifically examined the duration of erection, or "orgasm latency," of the drug-induced erection. However, it did not determine the relation of this duration to pre-impotence duration. The intent of the present investigation was to make this determination. Subjects at a urology department impotence clinic were asked to estimate orgasm latency prior to impotence and with papaverine-induced erection. The mean orgasm latency prior to impotence was 9.9 minutes; with papaverine, 15 minutes. It is concluded that papaverine injection not only causes an erection but makes it last longer than naturally occurring erections.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The prevalence and some attributes of females in the sadomasochistic subculture: a second report.

Nonprostitute women in the sadomasochism (S/M) subculture have been believed to be rare. A sample of 45 women from the S/M subculture of whom 34 were determined to be nonprostitutes was obtained. This sample is compared with a similar sample obtained by Breslow et al. (1985). Despite methodological differences between the present investigation and that of Breslow et al., interstudy similarities permit conclusions about women in the S/M subculture in addition to the fact that they occur with sufficient frequency to study. The women become aware of their orientation as young adults and most are satisfied with it. They tend to be better educated and less often married than the general population. A majority designate themselves as heterosexual but a substantial minority are bisexual. They tend more often to prefer the submissive role but preference for the dominant role or no preference are found with considerable frequency. Oral sex and bondage are favored activities.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The effect of MMPI-2 on scoring of special scales derived from MMPI-1.

Twenty-nine special scales derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-1; Hathaway & McKinley, 1983) were scored from MMPI-I and MMPI++-2 (Hathaway et al., 1989) items for a normal and a psychiatric sample. Resulting pairs of mean scores were compared. Absolute differences were found to be small but statistically significant. We concluded that, despite the statistical significance, the small absolute differences suggest that most of the MMPI-I special scales probably can be scored and interpreted from MMPI-2 items. Further research along this line is necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Hypnotically induced auditory hallucinations and the mouth-opening maneuver: a failure to duplicate findings.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to replicate the part of a study by Bick and Kinsbourne in which hypnotically induced auditory hallucinations in normal volunteer subjects were abolished by requiring the subjects to open their mouths. METHODS: Sixty-four normal volunteer subjects were hypnotized, and an attempt was made to induce auditory hallucinations. The subjects in whom hallucinations were successfully induced were then asked to perform the mouth-opening maneuver and the control maneuvers of putting their fingers in their ears or squeezing their eyes shut in an effort to end the hallucinations. RESULTS: Sixteen subjects reported having hallucinations. None of them reported that a hallucination was abolished by opening the mouth or closing the eye; four reported ending hallucinations by putting their fingers in their ears. CONCLUSIONS: Opening the mouth does not affect auditory hallucinations induced by hypnosis in normal persons. The most likely reason for the discrepancy between the results of this experiment and those of the Bick and Kinsbourne study is that the design of the latter study was faulty because it permitted demand characteristics to influence the results.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Some conditions of compliance and resistance among hypnotic subjects.

Five experimental approaches to the resolution of the century-old Bernheim/Janet dispute and the issue of involuntariness or coercion (the classical suggestion effect) are presented. Four experiments are reported that follow one of the approaches: attempts to induce hypnotic subjects to resist suggestions made in trance. The design is one in which a "resistance instructor" proposes a reward for the resisting subject. Tentative inferences from the results are that the classical suggestion effect is found with a small number of subjects; for a larger number of subjects there is no classical suggestion effect, and for many subjects the outcome is equivocal. Relational factors in the hypnotic dyad influence responsiveness in the subject, the effect being least for those whose susceptibility is high.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A reversal of hypnotically "refreshed" testimony: a brief communication.

A case is briefly presented in which questioning under hypnosis led to a positive identification of an accused rapist when the victim had previously been uncertain. During the trial, the victim was first certain, then reverted to her prehypnotic uncertainty. An appeal from the conviction of the defendant was denied on the grounds that the witness' uncertainty meant that the hypnotic intervention was harmless error. It is possible that this decision may not be entirely justified.

Female↗
PubMed1989

The hypnotic relationship: an investigation of compliance and resistance.

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the ability of hypnotic Ss to voluntarily resist a neutral suggestion when a monetary reward is offered for resistance. 19 of 40 Ss (47.5%) successfully resisted after money was offered by the "resistance instructor." The correlation between resistance/compliance and hypnotizability was -.44 (high hypnotizables were more likely to comply). Ss' impressions of the hypnotist tended to be positive; impressions of the resistance instructor tended to be neutral. There was a tendency for nonresistors to have a more positive view of the hypnotist but it is not as marked as was found in an earlier study (Levitt & Baker, 1983).

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Relationships among intravaginal pressure, orgasmic function, parity factors, and urinary leakage.

Women's ability to contract pelvic musculature voluntarily was related to reports of ability to have orgasm, parity, and urinary leakage problems. Data collected from 92 women presenting for routine pelvic examinations provided no evidence of a general relationship between strength of voluntary pelvic muscle contractions and orgasmic function. There were negative relationships between strength of voluntary pelvic muscle contractions and parity, weight of the largest baby, and a woman's age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Estimating the duration of sexual behavior: a laboratory analog study.

Estimate of male orgasm latency, a common parameter of the sex history, is hypothetically subject to retrospective distortion. This investigation attempted to assess the degree and direction of the distortion using a laboratory analog procedure. Groups of sophomore medical students were shown a movie depicting a couple engaging in continuous foreplay and coitus. About half were asked to estimate the length of the foreplay and coitus periods in minutes. The other half were required to judge whether time periods were average, below average, or above average in duration for people of their own age. Subjects tended to overestimate the length of the coitus period in the film, but not the foreplay period. Females tended to estimate both periods as significantly longer than males. Nearly half of the group judged the foreplay period to be average, and over 60% judged the coital period to be average. Less than 23% thought that the coital period was below average. Married subjects tended to regard both time periods as above average, compared to single subjects. A possible inference from this investigation is that the mean young adult male orgasm latency is probably in the range of 2-3 minutes.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Differentiating male and female alcoholics from psychiatric outpatients: the MacAndrew and Rosenberg Alcoholism Scales.

The concurrent validity of the MacAndrew and Rosenberg alcoholism scales was investigated in an age matched sample of 190 male and 150 female patients. Scores obtained by male and female alcoholics on the MacAndrew scale were significantly higher than those obtained by psychiatric patients. Although females score lower on the MacAndrew scale than males, the scale proved equally effective with both sexes. Using the standard MacAndrew cutting score of greater than 23, 80% of the male and 81% of female patients were correctly classified as either an alcoholic or a psychiatric patient. Scores on the Rosenberg composite index were not found to significantly discriminate between alcoholic and psychiatric patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The effects of an expectancy state on the fate of applications and psychotherapy in an outpatient setting.

This study describes an attempt to influence the outcome of outpatient psychotherapy by offering pretherapy information to application. The sample consisted of more than 1,300 applicants; the pretherapy information, in the form of a printed leaflet, was included with the application blank for alternate cases. The results suggest that the pretherapy information tended to discourage the completing of application blanks. Among those patients who eventually participated in psychotherapy, pretherapy information had no effect on the duration of treatment or on treatment outcomes as rated by the therapists. Incidentally, the data indicate that having health insurance has a strong, positive effect on the number of treatment interviews.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1979

Intravaginal pressure assessed by the Kegel perineometer.

A first attempt was made to provide norms for intravaginal pressure in normal women measured by the Kegel perineometer. Data obtained from 78 white females and 64 black females indicate that resting pressure approximates 5 mm Hg and pressure with appropriate pelvic musculature contracted reaches an average of 15 mm Hg. The difference between resting and contracted pressures is unrelated to the former. There is a moderate negative correlation between number of vaginal births and contracted pressure in the white sample.

Adult↗