180 BOOK REVIEWS

The volume comprises 1 I individual chapters by 13 distinguished researchers and academics, providing the reader with insights into adults’ perceptions of child witnesses. The main contribution of the volume lies in the variety of new research techniques and findings which will undoubtedly appeal to many researchers.

The various contributions. which are predominantly research oriented, have important implications for future research. What the volume focuses much less on, are the potential applied and practical implications of the research findings. The volume leaves the reader with the impression that there is still a wide gap between empirical research and the judiciary’s acceptance of research findings.

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P. H. WILSC% S. H. SPENCE and DAVID J. KAVANAGH: Cag~iti~e-Behacioural Inremiewingfor Adult Disorders. A Practical Handbook. Routledge, London (1989). 247 pp. f10.95 paperback; E25.00 hardback.

Following an introductory chapter which attempts the unenviable task of defining ‘cognitive-behavioural interviewing’, a chapter is devoted to each of these problem categories: Fear and Anxiety; Depression; Obesity; Interpersonal Problems; Sexual Dysfunction; Insomnia; Headaches; Substance Abuse. DSM-III-R, though not accepted uncritically by the authors, provides the diagnostic framework of the book. Each chapter presents a review of the problems which establishes the main theoretical standpoints, a structured interview, a brief review of specific assessment methods and a summary of the dominant treatment approaches. Given that this purports to be an interviewer’s handbook, I feel that the authors could have devoted much more time and space to reviewing and detailing specific assessment measures. They provide little more than a brief listing which leaves the reader with an array of choices and a virtually unaided task of selection and evaluation. Though important material such as this is presented rather too economically, the book can perhaps be recommended to students as a directory rather than as a handbook of interviewing and assessment methods. Early-career clinicians who move into the speciality of adult psychological disorders may find that the book provides a most useful orientation to their new held of work.

DOUGLAS FRASER

J. RUST, I. BENNUN, M. CROWE and S. GOLOMBOK: The Golombok Rust Incentary of Marital State. NFER-NELSON, Windsor (1988). 27 pp. f30.00.

This is an instrument for the assessment of the quality of the reiatioRship between marital partners. In brief, it consists of 28 items, and has a carbonized self-scoring sheet which makes its use easy and convenient. The inventory, GRIMS as the authors refer to it and as no doubt it will be commonly known. is a companion to the previously published GRISS (Golombok Rust Inrentory of Sexual Satisfaction, reviewed in Behaciour Research and Therapy, 25, 438-439, 1987). While the GRISS helps in the assessment of the sexual functioning of a couple, the GRIMS focuses on the general aspects of the marital relationship. They are therefore complementary instruments.

The manual gives a brief but useful account of marital therapy including the assessment of marital state, and data on the design, standardisation, reliability and validity of the GRIMS. The brevity and fluent style of the authors are very welcome. and will encourage many therapists to use GRIMS as a routine device in clinical practice with couples. It is also likely to have a useful role in research, where a quantified and easily used measure is needed for quality of marriage. Some might see the absence of sub-scale scores to be a problem. However, for clinical purposes, scrutiny of the individual item responses by the therapist can effectively compensate for this deficit.

The GRISS has clearly established itself within a short period of time. It is more than likely that the GRIMS will do the same.

P. DE SILVA

M. L. RUSSEL (Ed.): Stress Management for Chronic Diseases. Pergamon Press, New York (1988). x + 319 pp. $45.00.

The importance of stress in the etiology and maintenance of chronic disease is now widely accepted and, with the increasing involvement of psychologists in non-psychiatric health care, Russell’s book is most timely. The idea for the book grew out of a conference sponsored by the Houston Behavior Therapy Association. Such books often lack tight editing, but this is not the case here. Russell has compiled 16 chapters covering three sections: one on the nature of stress and its impact on health and disease, a second section on frequently used intervention procedures, and a third (the largest) section on stress management interventions for a variety of medical disorders.

The conceptual presentation of stress does justice to the complexity of stress as being a potential cause for, and a consequence of, chronic disease. The section on procedures covers only relaxation training, hypnosis and nutrition: this is in contrast to the claim in the foreword that each chapter represents the most active, emerging areas in the held. If the book lived up to this promise I would have expected additional chapters on physical exercise, imagery, cognitive restructuring, and emotion expression training for example. Among standard topics in the application section are various pain syndromes and cardiovascular problems. Less popular and much appreciated additionai topics were obstetrics and gynecology, diabetes, and respiratory dysfunctions. The latter chapter also stands out in being the most research oriented whereas other chapters clearly have a strong clinical application bent. I missed chapters on the effect of stress management on immune diseases like arthritis, cancer, and/or AIDS. These would have made timely additions.

The writing style is consistent and pleasant, and the chapters are generally well-researched although not always reflecting the latest adoitions to the research literature. Despite the noted omissions, this is a well-balanced book primarily for the practitioner and student interested in working directly with medical patients.

W. LlNDEN