Psychology and religion: A review of efforts to work at the interface

The ‘field’ of studies under review, here, is something of a patchwork in which authors appear oblivious of the efforts of colleagues from different backgrounds: academicians versus practitioners, psychologists versus religionists, etc. Risking a similar accusation of myopia, this study passes over most publications employing statistical methods in order to focus on those works evincing a (sometimes agonized) consciousness of the interface: whether they psychologize about religion, offer a critique of psychology, or develop a dialogue between the two disciplines. All books and articles have been published since 1970.     

Evolution of the biopsychosocial model: prospects and challenges for health psychology.

Although advances have been made in specifying connections between biological, psychological, and social processes, the full potential of the biopsychosocial model for health psychology remains untapped. In this article, 4 areas that need to be addressed to ensure the continued evolution of the biopsychosocial model are identified and a series of recommendations concerning initiatives directed at research, training, practice and intervention, and policy are delineated. These recommendations emphasize the need to better understand and utilize linkages among biological, psychological, social, and macrocultural variables. Activities that facilitate the adoption of a multisystem, multilevel, and multivariate orientation among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers will most effectively lead to the kinds of transdisciplinary contributions envisioned by the biopsychosocial perspective.     

Development of a structured psychiatric Interview for children: Agreement on diagnosis comparing child and parent interviews

Similar structured diagnostic interviews about the child were given by different interviewers to a cohort of 307 mother-child pairs. A diagnosis was made by computer on each interview, using specified criteria. Diagnoses on mother-child interviews were compared using the kappa statistic. Kappas of .30 or higher were found for the diagnosis of antisocial personality, conduct disorder, enuresis, mixed behavior-neurotic disorder, and possible depression. Comparisons were made for sex and age. Possible depression and enuresis were diagnosed reliably at all age levels and for both sexes. The limitations of the interview and diagnostic system used are discussed. The findings support the need for further efforts to develop diagnostic research interviews for use with children and adolescents.     

Introduction to the Special Section: Advances in psychological prevention and treatment interventions to promote children's mental health

This paper introduces the Special Section on Advances in Psychological Prevention and Treatment Interventions to Promote Children's Mental Health. The three articles in the Special Section provide perspectives on the adaptation, evaluation, and implementation of evidence‐based psychological interventions for children in countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The articles highlight disparate methodologies for the examination of intervention data, including addressing causal inference in the absence of availability of true experiment data (i.e., randomised controlled trial data), randomised trial data from a school‐based prevention programme, and predictors of change in an evidence‐based treatment programme. Together, the articles highlight the movement of evidence‐based practices into routine care settings and emerging strategies for settings in which randomised trial data are not yet available. They demonstrate the contribution of psychological research to the advancement of practices for improving children's mental health.     

Adam M. Grant: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology

Presents Adam M. Grant, the 2011 winner of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology. "For extensive, elegant, and programmatic research on the power of relational job design in enhancing employee motivation, productivity, and satisfaction; for creative and rigorous studies documenting the profound and surprising effects of connecting employees to their impact on others; for highlighting prosocial motivation, not only extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, as a key force behind employee behavior; and for demonstrating by example the feasibility and benefits of conducting field experiments, yielding studies rich in internal validity, external validity, and practical impact. In addition to his accomplishments, Adam M. Grant is known for his generosity as a scholar, teacher, and colleague." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).