Treatment of adolescent agoraphobics: Effects on parent-adolescent relations

Three adolescent agoraphobics, accompanied by their mothers, were treated in a small group. Treatment consisted of self-initiated exposure, panic management and cognitive restructuring, with the parent acting as co-therapist. Measures of adolescent-parent relationships were administered as well as measures of agoraphobia. As with adult agoraphobics treated with their spouse, results indicated a parallel relationship between phobia and family relations; that is, as phobia improved, the relationship improved. Unlike adult agoraphobics, adolescents were unable to comprehend that agoraphobic fears concerning health or dying were unrealistic. This interfered with motivation and underscored the need of the parent as a co-therapist.     

Assessment of social anxiety: a controlled comparison among social phobics,obsessive-compulsives,agoraphobics, sexual disorders and simple phobies

The construct validity of the Willoughby Personality Schedule (WPS) as an index of social anxiety was established in the present study. The WPS correctly identifies social phobics from controls in 88% of the cases.     

Behavioral training for myopia: generalization of effects

The present study assessed generalization of training effects using a video computer system (VCS) as a training medium for modifying acuity. Eighteen myopic volunteers were matched according to pre-training acuity and assigned to either fading and feedback training group or a practice only control. Subjects were pre- and post-tested on three measures: the Snellen Letter Chart, a Behavioral Acuity Test and a performance test with the VCS. Compared to controls, trained subjects displayed significant improvements in acuity on the Behavioral Acuity Test. These results suggest that training effects generalize to untrained stimuli. Implications for the clinical implementation of behavioral training procedures for modifying myopia are discussed.     

A comparison of social-skills training, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for depression

This study compared four treatments for unipolar (non-psychotic) depression: Amitriptyline, Social-Skills Training (SST) + Amitriptyline, SST + Placebo and Psychotherapy + Placebo. In addition, 25 normal women were assessed on the behavioral measures in order to evaluate the ecological validity of the dependent measures and the changes produced by treatment. The four treatments, conducted by experienced clinicians, all produced statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful changes in symptomatology. However, there were several notable differences. The SST groups had greater improvement on measures of social skill, and were more similar to the normal women after treatment. In addition the SST + Placebo group had the lowest level of attrition and had the highest proportion of patients who were significantly improved. Significance of the results for future research on SST and role-play measures of social skill was discussed.     

Efficacy of self-instructional training for reducing children''s anxiety in an evaluative situation

Fifty-six fourth-grade children were categorized as either high or low in trait anxiety and then assigned to a self-instruction treatment, minimal-treatment, or no-treatment control condition. At both pretest and posttest, the subjects recited a memorized poem while being videotaped with the expectation that they would be judged on their performance. State anxiety measures, a behavior rating of anxiety, a measure of performance accuracy and the time involved in reciting a poem were obtained at both pretest and posttest. Contrary to expectation, the self-instructional training resulted in subjects' exhibiting greater signs of behavioral anxiety, subjects' hurrying through the task (taking less time to recite the poem) and high trait-anxiety subjects' reporting more state anxiety while anticipating reciting the poem. Correlational analyses indicated that trait anxiety was significantly related to the measures of state anxiety and the behavior rating of anxiety but not to performance accuracy.     

Generalization of treatment effects in training public speakers

Three studies compared the efficacy of various treatments for public-speaking incompetence. These effects were evaluated for the target behavior as well as for generalization effects across situations (conversations), settings (different sizes and types of audiences) and time (6-month follow-up). The first study showed that Self-instructional Training, either alone or in combination with other procedures, produced little or no benefits. The second study demonstrated the superiority of a Skills Training program over flooding therapy, while the final study failed to detect any enhancement of treatment benefits for the addition of home-practice to the Skills Training. In the first two studies generalization occurred across the three dimensions (settings, situations and time), while in the final study it was shown that the program was effective for a clinical population as well as recruited volunteers.     

Exposure and communications training in the treatment of agoraphobia

Twenty-one agoraphobics participated in a 6-month study designed to (a) compare imaginal flooding under high- (no sedation) and low- (sedation used) anxiety conditions: (b) examine the long-term effects of imaginal flooding in the absence of further exposure treatment; and (c) explore the impact of communications training on chronic anxiety and panic attacks. A reevaluation of the effects of sedation is presented in this report.Imaginal flooding without sedation was, on the whole, superior to the attention control placebo and imaginal flooding with sedation on therapists' and clients' ratings of fear and avoidance. However, the superiority of the non-drug flooding group cannot be attributed (as was concluded in an earlier report) to higher levels of anxiety across flooding sessions. Rather the drug (methohexitone sodium) appears to have impeded across-session habituation, perhaps by interfering with long-term memorial processes.The effects of imaginal flooding without sedation were stable over 4 months without further exposure treatment. These clients did receive training in solving important interpersonal problems through self monitoring and increased expressiveness. Contrary to hypotheses, not only was no further improvement obtained on fear and avoidance with this treatment, but also anxious mood and panic attacks remained unaffected. It is surprising to note that in-vivo treatment was no more effective than imaginal flooding on fear and avoidance. These and other findings suggest imaginal flooding well warrants further study.     

Cognitive-behavioral treatment of agoraphobia: paradoxical intention vs self-statement training

Twenty-six agoraphobics were randomly assigned to either Paradoxical Intention (PI) or Self-Statement Training (SST) which consisted of 12 weekly 90-min group sessions with 4–5 patients per group. Major assessments were carried out at pre-treatment, 6th week and 12th week of treatment, and at 1- and 6-month follow-ups. Measures included clinical ratings of severity of condition, phobia, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, a behavioral test was administered during which changes in subjective units of discomfort and cognitions were assessed. The results indicated statistically-significant improvement over time with both treatments. ANCOVAs performed revealed superior effects on several agoraphobia measures for the PI condition at post-treatment. However, by the 6-month follow-up assessment, the groups were equivalent due to marked improvement during the follow-up phase in the SST condition. Cognitive changes were marked by a decrease in self-defeating statements without concomitant increase in coping statements. These results and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Anxiety management training in the treatment of essential hypertension

The study was conducted to assess the efficacy of Anxiety Management Training as an adjunctive treatment for essential hypertension. Twenty-one patients with essential hypertension, all but one of whom were on antihypertension medication, were randomly assigned either to an Anxiety Management Training condition or a waiting-list control condition. At the time of a posttest assessment session, compared to subjects in the control condition, subjects in the Anxiety Management Training condition manifested a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure following a stressful task. At the time of a follow-up assessment session, subjects in the Anxiety Management Training condition not only manifested good maintenance of reduced blood pressure but also exhibited a further decrease in resting systolic blood pressure and a decrease in systolic blood pressure during the stressful task.     

Assertion training: the effectiveness of a comprehensive cognitive--behavioral treatment package with professional nurses

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment package with a professional population of registered nurses using multiple self-report and role-play measures. Twenty-six self-referred registered nurses were randomly assigned to either a Treatment or Control group. The treatment package consisted of five weekly 2-hr sessions of group assertion training using the cognitive-behavioral model of Lange and Jakubowski. The Assertiveness Self-statement Test, the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, the Adult Self-expression Scale, two Likert scales and role-play were used to evaluate changes over time. The results indicated: (1) the nurses in both groups at Pretreatment were clearly subassertive; (2) by Posttraining the Treatment-group members increased significantly their assertiveness as indicated on the self-report tests; (3) Treatment-group members had successfully maintained their improved assertiveness by the 2-month Follow-up; (4) the role-play ratings paralleled and supported the self-report results, but not at significant levels; (5) there was strong empirical support for the social validity of the treatment package; and (6) there was a high degree of treatment credibility for the cognitive-behavioral Assertion-training group. Overall, the results indicate clear support for the effectiveness of a broad-based cognitive-behavioral treatment package for treating subassertive behavior in a professional population of registered nurses.     

Heterosocial-skills training and covert sensitization. Effects on social skills and sexual arousal in sexual deviants

There are few experimental investigations of the effects of social-skills training (SST) on sexual deviation. This study used a multiple baseline across 4 subjects with undesired sexual arousal to investigate the effects of heterosocial-skills training and covert sensitization on heterosocial skills and sexual-arousal patterns. SST produced large increases in heterosocial skills but it had unclear effects on sexual arousal. Subsequently, covert sensitization tended to reduce remaining deviant arousal but did not increase appropriate arousal significantly. These data generally support the view that individual components of sexual arousal require separate assessment and intervention.     

Sequential comparisons of relaxation training and biofeedback in the treatment of three kinds of chronic headache or,the machines may be necessary some time of the time

Two studies are reported in which patients with chronic headache, who did not improve significantly as a result of a 10-session, 8-week relaxation training program, were subsequently treated with biofeedback. For the tension headache sufferers, 36% of the relaxation non-responders showed significant improvement with frontal EMG biofeedback training. For those with vascular headaches, 44% of the relaxation non-responders showed significant improvement with thermal biofeedback. Vascular headache patients with combined migraine and tension symptoms did better than those with only migraine. Psychological test scores significantly differentiated successful vs non-successful biofeedback responders.     

Two factors of restraint: concern for dieting and weight fluctuation

Factor analysis of the Restraint Scale produced two replicated factors: Concern for Dieting and Weight Fluctuation. Concern for Dieting reflects heightened attention to and emotional association with eating. Weight Fluctuation reflects extent of previously-experienced weight gain and loss. Weight Fluctuation was more highly positively correlated with indices of overweight status than was Concern for Dieting. Concern for Dieting was positively correlated with Public Self-Consciousness and Social Anxiety while Weight Fluctuation was not. Both versions of Restraint were weakly and inversely correlated with Body Image, although this relationship was mediated by degree of overweight status. The findings indicate that the two factors are sufficiently distinct to preclude combination into a single scale. Furthermore. Weight Fluctuation appears to be the more promising subscale for future research.     

The factor structure of the state-trait anxiety inventory for children: Kindergarten through the fourth grades

The A-State and A-Trait scales of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) were administered to a total of 1786 kindergarten, 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-grade disadvantaged black children. For the K-2 groups, the STAIC A-State scale was administered twice; it was administered only once in the 3rd–4th grades. The A-Trait scale was administered once to all 10 groups of children. A series of factor analyses, computed separately by sex and grade level, identified 3 factors: trait anxiety and 2 distinct state anxiety factors corresponding to the anxiety-present and anxiety-absent content of the A-State items. Similar 3-factor patterns were observed for both males and females for all five grade levels. Other factor solutions were examined but considered less satisfactory in terms of simple structure and psychological meaningfulness. The results were interpreted as providing strong evidence for the state-trait distinction in anxiety research with children.     

The evidence for interactionism in psychology : A critical analysis of the situation-response inventories

A great deal of the evidence for interactionism in personality psychology arose out of the situation-response (S-R) studies of which there are now over 30. This paper examines closely the evidence for traitism, situationism and interactionism that arises from these studies. Nearly all of the published studies are tabulated, reanalysed and detailed criticisms of the more influential papers are offered. Serious problems are apparent in the methodology and analyses of these studies as well as in the conclusions drawn from them. It is argued that these studies have brought as much confusion as clarity to an area of research bedevilled by both conceptual and methodological problems.     

Factors in the referral of children for behavioral treatment: A comparison of mothers of clinic-referred deviant,clinic-referred non-deviant and non-c

The purpose of this study was to compare a non-clinic sample of mothers and children to two groups of clinic-referred children and their mothers. The two clinic-referred groups differed from one another in that the selection criterion for one group of children (Clinic Deviant) was that they were significantly more deviant and non-compliant than the non-clinic group whereas the selection criterion for the second group of children (Clinic Non-deviant) was that they did not differ significantly from the non-clinic group on deviant and non-compliant behavior. Home observations by independent observers and parent questionnaires examining parental adjustment and parental perceptions of child adjustment were completed. The results indicated that both clinic groups perceived their children as more maladjusted than parents in the non-clinic groups perceived their children. Parents of the children in the Clinic Non-deviant group were significantly more depressed than those in the remaining two groups, whereas parents in the Clinic Deviant group issued more vague, interrupted commands than those in the Clinic Non-deviant group. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

The management of children''s distress in response to painful medical treatment for burn injuries

The purpose of the current study was to develop an initial assessment of the efficacy of astress-management program designed to reduce the behavioral distress of children undergoing highlypainful medical treatments for their burn injuries. The stress-management program was delivered to 4 male patients, ages 5–12 yr and its effects assessed in a combined multiple-baseline and reversal design. Results indicated that the program was moderately effective at reducing behavioral distress during the burntreatment procedures for 3 of the 4 patients and less effective with the fourth. However, the design also revealed that the presence of a therapist to coach the patient in the use of these techniques was essential and that distress levels rose substantially on days when there was no therapist present. Finally, speculations concerning the factors responsible for the effectiveness of the stress-management program as well as its reduced efficacy with 1 S were discussed.     

Behavioral training for myopia: long term maintenance of improved acuity

Two female myopic students participated in a behavioral training program designed to improve uncorrected visual acuity. Following a 3-day baseline, each subject underwent 12 days of training involving stimulus fading and feedback. Acuity measures were taken daily during baseline and training phases and weekly for more than 2 months following the termination of training. Both subjects showed improved acuity as a function of the training program and this improvement was maintained throughout the follow-up period. The results are discussed with respect to the growing body of research evaluating behavioral training for myopia.     

Group differences and first principal-component loadings in the Hawaii family study of cognition: a test of the generality of ‘Spearman's hypothesis’

The generality of Spearman's hypothesis that varying differences between whites and blacks on various tests of mental ability are correlated with their g-loadings was tested by analyzing group data from the Hawaii Family Study of Cognition. Data from the three largest ethnic groups tested in the Hawaii Study (Americans of Japanese, Chinese or European ancestry; total N = 5333) were subjected to a principal-component analysis and the first principal component was used as a measure of g. Ethnic group and generation (parent-offspring) differences on 15 tests of specific cognitive abilities were then correlated with their first principal-component loadings. In general, correlations between ethnic group differences and g-loadings are smaller than those recently reported for white-black differences by Jensen (1983); however, those between generation differences and g-loadings are larger. Ethnic group differences on first principal-component scores in the Hawaii Study are less than parent-offspring differences; thus, the correlation between group differences on tests of mental ability and their g-loadings may be a function of the magnitude of the group difference for general mental ability. Because a group difference on g requires group differences on tests which load on g, an observed group difference in general mental ability may necessarily result in a correlation between group differences on individual tests and their g-loadings.     

Stress responsivity among dysmenorrheic women at different phases of their menstrual cycle: more ado about nothing

Dysmenorrheic and nondysmenorrheic women in the follicular, luteal and menstrual phase of their menstrual cycle participated in a stressful laboratory procedure. Pulse rate, pulse volume and skin conductance were measured continuously during baseline, during confrontation of three stressful tasks (i.e. stress-reactivity periods) and following each confrontation (i.e. stress-recovery periods). The hypothesis that dysmenorrheic Ss in the menstrual phase of their cycle would show greater stress responsitivity was generally not confirmed, and the broader contention that women differ in their stress responsivity as a function of their menstrual cycle phase was shown to be of questionable validity.