Effects of an early intervention group program for anxious and depressed adolescents: a pilot study

The Resourceful Adolescent Program is an early intervention program designed to enhance psychological resilience in adolescents with emotional problems. Eight adolescents with high anxious and/or depressive symptoms were treated with this 11-session group program. Treatment effects were examined by means of self-report questionnaires of anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy. Pre- and postintervention data showed reductions in anxiety and depression scores and a concomitant increase in adolescents' self-efficacy.     

Telehealth for underserved families: An evidence-based parenting program

Families with a child diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder completed an 8-session parenting program, the Group Triple P Positive Parenting Program, provided by videoconferencing technology. Families reported improved child behavior (effect size of d = -1.23) and decreased parent distress (d = -0.34). Parent training implemented with videoconferencing technology can be an effective way of delivering evidence-based services to families with specialized needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Test of a cultural framework of parenting with Latino families of young children

This study examined the mental health and academic functioning of 442 4- and 5-year old children of Mexican (MA) and Dominican (DA) immigrant mothers using a cultural framework of Latino parenting. Data were collected on mothers' self-reported acculturative status, parenting practices and cultural socialization, and on children's behavioral functioning (mother- and teacher-report) and school readiness (child test). Results provide partial support for the validity of the framework in which mothers' acculturative status and socialization of respeto (a Latino cultural value of respect) and independence (a U.S. American cultural value) predict parenting practices. For both groups, English language competence was related to less socialization of respeto, and other domains of acculturative status (i.e., U.S. American/ethnic identity, and U.S. American/ethnic cultural competence) were related to more socialization of respeto and independence. Socialization of respeto was related to the use of authoritarian practices and socialization of independence was related to the use of authoritative practices. Socialization of respeto was also related to lower school readiness for DA children, whereas socialization of independence was related to higher school readiness for MA children. Independence was also related to higher teacher-rated externalizing problems for MA children. For both groups, authoritarian parenting was associated with more parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems. The discussion focuses on ethnic subgroup differences and similarities to further understanding of Latino parenting from a cultural perspective.     

The roles of respect for parental authority and parenting practices in parent-child conflict among African American, Latino, and European American families

In this study, the authors examined whether parent-child conflict during the middle childhood years varied among families characterized as having different cultural traditions regarding issues of respect for parental authority and parenting practices. The sample included 133 African American, European American, and Latina girls (M age = 8.41 years) and their mothers. African American and Latina girls showed significantly more respect for parental authority than did European American girls. Furthermore, African American and Latina mothers reported significantly more intense arguments when respect was low than did European American mothers. Higher levels of discipline and better communication by mothers were both associated with reports of lower frequency of conflict; ethnicity did not moderate this association. Thus, respect for authority was most salient to group differences in conflict.     

A search for parenting style: a cross-situational analysis of parental behavior

Cross-situational stability in parents' emotional warmth and guidance was studied by observing parents (N = 77, M age = 38 years) with their school-aged child in 2 dyadic problem-solving situations and in a family discussion concerning a moral dilemma. The observational data were coded by independent observers using dimensional ratings and dichotomous frequency counts as the 2 coding procedures. These procedures yielded a similar pattern of findings. Parents tended to behave consistently across situations, although the type of situation did affect the amount of emotional warmth and guidance manifested by the parent. Stability was further analyzed by means of structural equation modeling to test whether variance in parents' emotional warmth and guidance across situations was attributable to a generalized parenting style factor. A Parenting Style factor was identified that reflected the parents' child-centeredness; this factor explained, in part, parental behavior within each situation, although contextual factors also contributed to situation-specific variations from task to task.     

Engaging families in therapy: A pilot study

Engagement is reviewed as a central component of marriage and family therapy and presented as a viable means of assessing the nature and outcome of therapy. A tentative model containing six differentiated engagement categories is described and documented with clinical data and case examples. Conclusions drawn indicate engagement has merit as a construct for evaluating marriage and family therapy and as a means of generating process hypotheses in research. Recommendations to validate, refine and revise the model are posited and further research relative to engagement is advocated.James P. Trotzer, Ph.D. is Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Visconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, marriage and family therapist in private practice     

A responsive parenting intervention: the optimal timing across early childhood for impacting maternal behaviors and child outcomes

This study examined the optimal timing (infancy, toddler-preschool, or both) for facilitating responsive parenting and the intervention effects on maternal behaviors and child social and communication skills for children who vary in biological risk. The intervention during infancy, Playing and Learning Strategies (PALS I), showed strong changes in maternal affective-emotional and cognitively responsive behaviors and infants' development. However, it was hypothesized that a 2nd intervention dose in the toddler-preschool period was needed for optimal results. Families from the PALS I phase were rerandomized into either the PALS II, the toddler-preschool phase, or a Developmental Assessment Sessions condition, resulting in 4 groups. Facilitation of maternal warmth occurred best with the PALS I intervention, while cognitive responsive behaviors were best supported with the PALS II intervention. Behaviors that required responsiveness to the child's changing signals (contingent responsiveness, redirecting) required the intervention across both the early and later periods.     

A standardized behavioral group treatment program for obsessive-compulsive disorder: preliminary outcomes

This paper provides outcome data about the efficacy of a behavioral group therapy program for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty-six patients completed a 7-week outpatient treatment program which provides: (1) education about OCD and its treatment, (2) instruction in a cognitive and behavioral approach to the self-treatment of OCD and (3) guided behavioral treatment. Significant improvement in obsession, compulsion, and depression scores were observed at completion of the group and at 3 month follow-up. Significant improvement in obsessions and compulsions was observed for both patients taking anti-obsessional medications and those who did not.     

Ladies in waiting: a group intervention for families coping with deployed soldiers

It is widely recognized that military service during wartime can take a toll on a soldier's psychological health. Recent work has revealed effects on the families left behind as well, as reflected, for example, in an increase in child abuse and neglect in these families. My interest in studying the transgenerational transmission of trauma led me to offer the National Guard a pro bono group therapy for women whose husbands had been deployed overseas. A slightly unorthodox approach paved the way not only to group treatment but, ultimately, individual treatment for these women and their children. My hope is that this work can serve as a model for other therapists who share my interest in treating the intergenerational transmission of trauma by implementing group and mother-child psychotherapy.     

A pilot study exploring the use of a telephone-assisted planning intervention to promote parental support for physical activity among children and youth with disabilities

Parent support is an important contributor to physical activity (PA) among children and youth with disabilities (CYD). Although many parents of CYD are motivated to provide parent PA support, CYD remain insufficiently active. The multi-process action control model has been applied to understand parent PA support and highlights behavioral regulation strategies such as action and coping planning as critical for translating intentions into behavior. Parents may struggle to create and carryout planning without support. There is no known research examining telephone support as a tool to promote planning and subsequent parent PA support behavior.MethodParents (43 mothers and 6 fathers) of CYD (child M_age = 12.53 years ± 5.53; 75% male; 38.6% developmental disability) completed a baseline questionnaire and were subsequently randomized to a telephone-assisted planning experimental group twice over four weeks (n = 23) or a control group who had access to planning tools but no telephone assistance (n = 26).ResultsNo significant main or interaction effects emerged for parent PA support behavior. However, a significant time × condition interaction was found for behavioral regulation strategies (i.e., action and coping planning and self-monitoring; F(1,44) = 5.05, p = 0.03) indicating a significant increase in the use of behavioral regulation strategies for parent PA support from baseline, for parents assigned to the telephone-assisted intervention.ConclusionThese findings suggest potential for planning support as a tool to enhance behavioral regulation strategies related to parent PA support among parents of CYD.     

Retrospective reports of parental physical affection and parenting style: a study of Finnish twins

Individual differences in parenting behaviors are due, in part, to genetic factors. In the present study, the authors sought to determine whether the degree of genetic influence varied according to the type of parental behavior under consideration. A population-based sample of 2,334 pairs of Finnish twins provided ratings on the physical affection, control, abusiveness, and indifference shown by their father and mother during childhood. Genetic influences, shared environmental influences, and nonshared environmental influences accounted for a small-to-medium proportion (17%-30%), a small-to-large proportion (22%-44%), and a medium-to-large proportion (37%-55%) of the variance in each parenting measure, respectively. There were no significant differences in effect sizes for mothers and fathers or across the 4 types of parental behavior. The genetic results may reflect characteristic styles with which parents respond to genetically influenced behaviors of individuals (gene-environment correlations) or individual perceptions of this relationship (gene-person correlation processes). The findings have implications for intervention and prevention work with families and for interpretation of evidence for interactions between genes and parenting behaviors.     

An acceptance-based behavioral intervention for weight loss: a pilot study

On average, participants in behavioral weight-loss interventions lose 8 kilograms (kg) at 6 months, but there is marked variability in outcomes with some participants losing little or no weight. Individuals with difficulties with internal disinhibition (i.e., eating in response to emotions or thoughts) typically lose less weight in such programs and may require an innovative, specialized approach. This pilot study examined the preliminary acceptability and efficacy of a 24-week acceptance-based behavioral intervention for weight loss among overweight and obese adults reporting difficulty with eating in response to emotions and thoughts. Participants were 21 overweight or obese men and women (mean age=52.2±7.6 years; baseline mean body mass index=32.8±3.4). Eighty-six percent completed the 6-month program and a 3-month follow-up assessment. Ratings of program satisfaction averaged 4.9 on a five-point scale. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated participants lost an average of 12.0 kg (SE=1.4) after 6 months of treatment and 12.1 kg (SE=1.9) at 3-month follow-up, thus exceeding the weight losses typically seen in behavioral treatment programs. Decreases in internal disinhibition and weight-related experiential avoidance were found at 6- and 3-months follow-up. Greater decreases in weight-related experiential avoidance were associated with greater weight loss at the end of the program (r=.64, p=.002), suggesting a potential mechanism of action. Although there have been a few preliminary studies using acceptance-based approaches for obesity, this is the first study to specifically target emotional overeaters, a subgroup that might be particularly responsive to this new approach. Our findings provide initial support for the feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of this approach for this subgroup of participants. Further study with longer follow-up, a more diverse sample, and comparison to a standard behavioral program is clearly warranted.     

Training program in psychosocial intervention for high-risk infants and their families

A multidisciplinary training program for psychosocial intervention in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was developed. The purpose of the program was to train mental health and health care professionals in a psychosocial preventive intervention model for high-risk infants and their families throughout the infants' hospital course in the NICU. The program was divided into modules that include assessment and intervention with the infant, parents, family, and larger caregiving environment. Over a 3-year period 40 trainees from 9 disciplines were trained. A randomized clinical trial was conducted which showed the positive effects of the intervention. A clinical service including inpatient and outpatient follow-up has been established in the NICU based on the psychosocial model developed from the training program.     

Ethnicity differences in child and parental outcomes following involvement the PACE program

This study investigated ethnic differences in the extent to which engagement (i.e., attendance and quality of participation) in the PACE (Parenting our Children to Excellence) program predicted positive child and parent outcomes. PACE is an 8-week preventive intervention aimed at parents of preschool children. The study investigated the relation of engagement to outcomes in an ethnically diverse sample of 298 African American and 280 European American parents. Overall results demonstrated that engagement in PACE significantly improved child and parent outcomes for both African American and European American participants. Some improvements were evident at post-assessment already and were maintained or became stronger at a one-year follow-up assessment, whereas others only became evident at follow-up. Specifically, results revealed that attendance in PACE significantly improved child coping competence and parenting stress for both the African American and European American samples. PACE attendance also significantly improved child behavior problems, parental satisfaction and parental efficacy for the European American sample. Findings indicate that PACE is a promising intervention for parents of African American and Caucasian preschoolers; although further research and program refinement is necessary in order to understand the mechanisms with the PACE intervention that seem to vary for African American compared to Caucasian families.     

Behavioral group treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescence: a pilot study

This pilot study is a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral outpatient group treatment (CBT) protocol for adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Seven adolescents were treated in a 10-session group CBT program with weekly 2-hour sessions. The treatment protocol was an adaptation of approaches with established effectiveness and emphasized three main components: externalizing the OCD by cultivating mindful detachment; exposure and response prevention (ERP); and refocusing on alternative, constructive behaviors following exposure. An occupational therapy component played a significant role in designing creative exposure and refocusing challenges. Self-report measures at pre, post, and 12-month follow-up suggested clinical improvements for 5 of the 7 patients, thus partially supporting a group treatment format for adolescents with mild to moderate OCD.     

Intensive cognitive behavioural group treatment for social phobia: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of an intensive form of cognitive behavioural group treatment practised routinely in a psychiatric clinic. A total of 27 outpatients with social phobia of long duration were assigned to a 41-hour treatment administered over 2 periods of 3.5 and 4.5 days, 1 week apart. Four groups, each comprising 6-8 patients, participated in the study. All except 1 patient (26/27) completed the treatment and 20 patients participated in all follow-up sessions after 3, 6 and 12 months. Treatment significantly reduced fear and avoidance of social interaction and performance, anticipatory anxiety and symptoms' influence on daily life. Follow-up assessments indicated maintained or increased improvement from post-test to 1 year and large sensitivity to treatment at both post-test and 1 year. Of the patients in the study, 85% were taking a prescribed drug, and 70% had taken medication for at least 1 year before they entered the treatment. At 1-year follow-up 52% had discontinued medication.