Examining the influence of group diversity on the functioning of community-based participatory research partnerships: A mixed methods study

Public health has endorsed the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address health inequities involving diverse and marginalized communities. However, few studies have examined how group diversity among members of CBPR partnerships influenced how well the partnerships achieve their goals of addressing health inequities through equitable collaboration. We conducted secondary, convergent, mixed methods analysis to (1) evaluate the association between group diversity and participatory decision-making within CBPR partnerships, and (2) identify the perceived characteristics, benefits, and challenges of group diversity within CBPR partnerships. Using data from a cross-site study of federally funded CBPR partnerships, we analyzed and integrated data from surveys of 163 partnerships (n = 448 partners) and seven in-depth case study interviews (n = 55 partners). Quantitatively, none of the measured characteristics of group diversity was associated with participatory decision-making within the partnerships. Qualitatively, we found that partnerships mainly benefited from membership differences in functional characteristics (e.g., skillset) but faced challenges from membership differences in sociocultural characteristics (e.g., gender and race). The integrated findings suggest the need to further understand how emergent group characteristics and how practices that engage in group diversity contribute to collective functioning of the partnerships. Attention to this area can help promote health equity achievements of CBPR partnerships.     

An evaluation of positive psychology intervention effectiveness trials using the re-aim framework: A practice-friendly review

Meta-analyses indicate the efficacy of positive psychology interventions in promoting well-being. But, despite accumulating empirical and anecdotal evidence of these interventions’ implementation in real-world settings, no review of effectiveness research exists. Accordingly, we identified 40 positive psychology intervention effectiveness trials targeting adults, and scored their reporting using the practice-friendly RE-AIM tool which assesses five dimensions of intervention utility: Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance. Reporting levels varied substantially: reporting on Reach scored 64%; Efficacy scored 73%; Adoption scored 84%; Implementation scored 58%; and Maintenance scored 16%. Within these five dimensions, reporting on participation rates, methods to select delivery agents, differences between participants and non-participants, programme maintenance and costs, was particularly sparse. The studies involved 10,664 participants, approximately half required specialist delivery, and 12 were researcher delivered. To maximize the potential of PPIs for population health promotion, expanded reporting on effectiveness trials is required. Recommendations to assist this process are offered.     

The added value of the positive: A literature review of positive psychology interventions in organizations

This paper systematically reviews research investigating the effects of positive psychology interventions applied in the organizational context. We characterize a positive psychology intervention as any intentional activity or method that is based on (a) the cultivation of positive subjective experiences, (b) the building of positive individual traits, or (c) the building of civic virtue and positive institutions. A systematic literature search identified 15 studies that examined the effects of such an intervention in organizational contexts. Subsequent analyses of those studies revealed that positive psychology interventions seem to be a promising tool for enhancing employee well-being and performance. As a side-effect, positive psychology interventions also tend to diminish stress and burnout and to a lesser extent depression and anxiety. Implications of those findings for theory and praxis and recommendations for future research on positive psychology interventions in organizations are discussed.     

Addressing the role of personality,ability, and positive and negative affect in positive psychology interventions: Findings from a randomized intervention based on the authentic happiness theory and extensions

The present study explores the role of personality, ability, and affect in a randomized, group-based positive psychology intervention program based on Seligman’s authentic happiness theory and extensions. A total of 100 adults (M = 45.7, SD = 12.8) were randomly assigned to the 12-week intervention program (five training sessions) or a waiting list control group. The intervention consisted of basic information, group activities, and homework assignments. Participants in the intervention group demonstrated higher levels of happiness, pleasure, and engagement after completion of the program. Baseline levels of psychometric intelligence moderated the intervention effectiveness (greater effects for those higher in reasoning, vocabulary, and general intelligence). There were no effects for the big five personality traits. Finally, increases in positive affect before and after the homework assignment were associated with greater levels of happiness after the program. The relevance of these findings for the development of new programs is discussed.     

The space of reflection: thirdness and triadic relationships in family therapy

This article explores ideas about threes and the triadic space of reflection. Early family therapy theory offered rich ideas about triadic relationship patterns. Contemporary practice frameworks have generated reflective therapeutic practices and an attention to reflexivity. Meanwhile, a contemporary theory constellation allied with psychoanalysis has studied the capacity for ‘thirdness’ in intersubjective relating, reflective functioning and mentalization, and the triadic space of thinking. The article reviews this psychoanalytic theory, explores symbolic thirdness alongside actual triadic relating, and maps an understanding of the space of reflection as triadic and relational. Thinking about the space of reflection as triadic and relational offers one way of orienting ourselves to reflective processes and an inclusive frame for valuing both the earlier family therapy attention to relationship patterns and the different, current contemporary family therapy practices of reflection.     

大学生幸福感提升的纵向研究：适合度和努力的调节作用

考察提升大学生幸福感的不同干预练习的效果及其调节变量。120名大学生参与前测,其中104名完成5周的干预和后测。随机分配大学生每周从事感激、乐观和生活事件记录,对他们的幸福感和抑郁进行前测和后测。结果表明,5周干预练习后,与记录生活事件组相比,感激组的幸福感显著上升,感激组和乐观组的抑郁显著下降;另外,与练习活动更匹配和更努力的被试获益更大。可见感激和乐观是对中国大学生有效的幸福感干预练习,且个人与练习的适合度和个体的努力程度调节干预效果。     

The typological approach in child and family psychology: a review of theory,methods, and research

The purpose of this paper was to review the theoretical underpinnings, major concepts, and methods of the typological approach. It was argued that the typological approach offers a systematic, empirically rigorous and reliable way to synthesize the nomothetic variable-centered approach with the idiographic case-centered approach. Recent advances in cluster analysis validation make it a promising method for uncovering natural typologies. This paper also reviewed findings from personality and family studies that have revealed 3 prototypical personalities and parenting styles: Adjusted/Authoritative, Overcontrolled/Authoritarian, and Undercontrolled/Permissive. These prototypes are theorized to be synonymous with attractor basins in psychological state space. The connection between family types and personality structure as well as future directions of typological research were also discussed.     

The Efficacy of Systemic Therapy for Internalizing and Other Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 38 Randomized Trials

Systemic therapy (ST) is one of the most widely applied psychotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of children and adolescents, yet few systematic reviews exist on the efficacy of ST with this age group. Parallel to a similar study on adults, a systematic review was performed to analyze the efficacy of ST in the treatment of children and adolescents. All randomized or matched controlled trials (RCT) evaluating ST in any setting with child and adolescent index patients were identified by database searches and cross‐references, as well as in existing meta‐analyses and reviews. Inclusion criteria were: index patient diagnosed with a DSM‐IV or ICD‐10 listed psychological disorder, or suffering from other clinically relevant conditions, and trial published by December 2011. Studies were analyzed according to their sample, research methodology, interventions applied, and results at end‐of‐treatment and at follow‐up. This article presents findings for internalizing and mixed disorders. Thirty‐eight trials were identified, with 33 showing ST to be efficacious for the treatment of internalizing disorders (including mood disorders, eating disorders, and psychological factors in somatic illness). There is some evidence for ST being also efficacious in mixed disorders, anxiety disorders, Asperger disorder, and in cases of child neglect. Results were stable across follow‐up periods of up to 5 years. Trials on the efficacy of ST for externalizing disorders are presented in a second article. There is a sound evidence base for the efficacy of ST as a treatment for internalizing disorders of child and adolescent patients.     

The application of the satir model of family therapy to the families in Hong Kong: A personal reflection

Practitioners in Hong Kong have shown an increasing interest in various family therapy approaches since the 1980s. This paper offers a critique of the major concepts and techniques of the Satir model applied to families in Hong Kong. Cultural considerations are examined in relation to the family structure and hierarchy, the Chinese self and self-esteem, communication patterns, and family rules. Implications for the application of the Satir model of family therapy in Hong Kong are discussed.     

The effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport using single-case designs: A meta regression analysis of the peer-reviewed studies

We used a novel meta regression analysis approach to examine the effectiveness of psychological skills training and behavioral interventions in sport assessed using single-case experimental designs (SCEDs). One hundred and twenty-one papers met the inclusion criteria applied to eight database searches and key sport psychology journals. Seventy-one studies reported sufficient detail for effect sizes to be calculated for the effects of psychological skills training on psychological, behavioral, and performance variables. The unconditional mean effect size for weighted (Δ = 2.40) and unweighted (Δ = 2.83) models suggested large improvements in psychological, behavioral, and performance outcomes associated with implementing cognitive-behavioral psychological skills training and behavioral interventions with a SCED. However, meta-regression analysis revealed important heterogeneities and sources of bias within this literature. First, studies using a group-based approach reported lower effect sizes compared to studies using single-case approaches. Second, the single-case studies, (over 90 per cent the effect sizes), revealed upwardly biased effect sizes arising from: (i) positive publication bias such that studies using lower numbers of baseline observations reported larger effects, while studies using larger numbers of baseline observations reported smaller – but still substantial – effects; (ii) not adopting a multiple baseline design; and (iii) not establishing procedural reliability. We recommend that future researchers using SCED’s should consider these methodological issues.