Evaluation of the effects of a childhood depression prevention program

The study aimed to design and evaluate a program for the prevention of childhood depression (“Pozik-Bizi” [in English, “Live-Happily”]), comparing its effects with a socio-emotional intervention program based on cooperative play. The sample comprised 420 students aged 7 to 10?years from the Basque Country, 51.9% were randomly assigned to the experimental condition (“Pozik-Bizi”) program and 48.1% to the control group (“Play program”). Using a pretest-posttest repeated measures experimental design, 7 evaluation instruments were administered. When comparing the two interventions, it was confirmed that those who participated in the “Pozik-Bizi” program significantly decreased their level of clinical maladjustment, school maladjustment, emotional, and behavioral problems, and they increased positive behaviors that inhibit depression. However, the cooperative play program improved self-concept and social skills significantly more than the “Pozik-Bizi” program. The effect size in all the variables was small. The discussion analyzes the effectiveness of specific programs of prevention of childhood depression versus global programs of social-emotional development. This work provides a program to prevent childhood depression that has been shown to be effective in the reduction of clinical variables. In addition, this study confirms the positive potential of programs of cooperative play, to increase self-concept and social skills.     

Impact of a school-based disordered eating prevention program in adolescent girls: general and specific effects depending on adherence to the interactive activities

This study assessed the impact of a school-based program aimed at preventing disordered eating. The program was based on the media-literacy approach and has interactive format. The program was assessed under strong methodological conditions. Seven schools with 263 Spanish adolescent girls in the area of Barcelona, were randomly assigned to either the complete prevention program condition, the partial program condition or the non-treatment control condition, and assessed at pre, post and 6-month follow-up. The program was effective in generating positive changes at follow-up. The effects sizes (ES(d) = 0.29 to ES(d) = 0.38) were greater, on average, than that obtained up to now in selective-universal programs, and similar or greater than that achieved by targeted prevention programs. The results indicate a greater and relevant effect size of the intervention in those participants who completed the inter-session interactive activities (ES(d) = 0.29 to ES(d) = 0.45) although the differences were not significant. These results suggest the importance of monitoring adherence to the activities in all programs defined as "interactive". The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.     

Transdiagnostic Internet treatment for anxiety disorders: A randomized controlled trial

Clinician-guided Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) programs are clinically effective at treating specific anxiety disorders. The present study examined the efficacy of a transdiagnostic Internet-based cognitive behavioural treatment (iCBT) program to treat more than one anxiety disorder within the same program (the Anxiety Program). Eighty six individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and/or social phobia were randomly assigned to a treatment group, or to a waitlist control group. Treatment consisted of CBT based online educational lessons and homework assignments, weekly email or telephone contact from a clinical psychologist, access to a moderated online discussion forum, and automated emails. An intention-to-treat model using the baseline-observation-carried-forward principle was employed for data analyses. Seventy-five percent of treatment group participants completed all 6 lessons within the 8 week program. Post-treatment data was collected from 38/40 treatment group and 38/38 control group participants, and 3-month follow-up data was collected from 32/40 treatment group participants. Relative to controls, treatment group participants reported significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety as measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 Item, Social Phobia Screening Questionnaire, and the Panic Disorder Severity Rating Scale - Self Report Scale, but not on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, with corresponding between-groups effect sizes (Cohen’s d) at post-treatment of 0.78, 0.43, 0.43, and 0.20, respectively. The clinician spent a total mean time of 46 min per person over the program, participants rated the procedure as moderately acceptable, and gains were sustained at follow-up. Modifications to the Anxiety program, based on post-treatment feedback from treatment group participants, were associated with improved outcomes in the control group. These results indicate that transdiagnostic programs for anxiety disorders may be successfully administered via the Internet.     

Increasing Marital Intimacy: Lessons from Marital Enrichment

Both marriage and family therapists and family life educators work to increase marital intimacy. In this study the effectiveness of two marriage enrichment programs was assessed with implications for practicing therapists. Participants were randomly assigned to an Adventure or ACME (Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment) treatment group or to a control group. Marital intimacy was assessed before and after treatment. Findings demonstrated that both enrichment groups had a statistically significant increase in marital enrichment. Suggestions for adopting adventure-based interventions for traditional therapy are discussed.     

Participant Perceptions of Relationship Education Programs Adapted for Same-Sex Couples

Mixed methods data were collected from 57 couples who participated in the Strengthening Same Sex Relationships (SSSR) Programs, relationship education programs adapted for same-sex couples. Quantitative and qualitative data yielded key themes, including high program satisfaction, appreciation that the program was designed specifically for same-sex couples, and requests for more detailed content addressing same-sex couples' unique needs. Participants expressed preferences for specialized programs for male or female same-sex couples. Women strongly preferred female sexual minority program leaders; men valued leader competency over match in gender or sexual orientation. Results can inform efforts to provide culturally sensitive relationship education to same-sex couples.     

Exercise training can improve spatial characteristics of time-critical obstacle avoidance in elderly people

Fall prevention programs have rarely been evaluated by quantitative movement analysis methods. Quantitative movement analyses could provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the effects of training. A treadmill obstacle avoidance task under time pressure has recently been used to evaluate a fall prevention exercise program for community-dwelling elderly people and it showed that participants improved their obstacle avoidance success rates. The mechanism, by which the increased success rates were achieved, however, remained to be determined. Participants were elderly who had fallen at least once in the year prior to participation. They were assigned to either the exercise or the control group. The control group did not receive any specific treatment. The exercise group was administered a five week exercise program, which consisted of exercises on a functionally oriented obstacle course, walking exercises, and practice of fall techniques. Pre- and post-intervention laboratory obstacle avoidance tests were conducted. Three possible determinants of success were investigated, namely avoidance reaction times, the distribution of avoidance strategies, and three spatial parameters (toe distance, foot clearance and heel distance). Analysis yielded significant TimexGroup interactions in heel distances. The exercise group increased heel distance, while the control group did not. Increased heel distance may result in reduced risk of heel contact with the obstacle and, consequently, larger success rates. The remaining parameters showed no effect of training. In conclusion, the training program was effective in improving time-critical obstacle avoidance skills. In every day life, these effects of training may contribute to less obstacle-related fall incidents in elderly. In addition, these findings could indicate that the execution of other time-critical events, like an actual fall, could also be improved by training.     

Group Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program with Troubled Adolescents: A Learning Experience

ABSTRACT

Group CBT programs are widely used for assisting teenagers with anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. The majority of reported programs have targeted school or clinical populations, however, few have specifically targeted adolescents from highly troubled and disadvantaged backgrounds. This paper describes a group CBT program that was developed for teenagers who have not responded well to the formal structures of school and traditional models of classroom management. Problems such as low levels of motivation, poor attention span, learning difficulties, poor impulse control, substance abuse, and other mental health problems are common within this population. A number of challenges arose in running the program and several modifications were made in order to make it more relevant to participants. These changes resulted in more rapid engagement with the program, improved cooperation within the group, fewer interruptions, and improved rapport. The clinical outcomes associated with the program could not be measured due to difficulties with completing administering self-report questionnaires.     

Effectiveness of school-based prevention and intervention programs for children and adolescents with emotional disturbance: A meta-analysis

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of school-based prevention and intervention programs for children and adolescents at-risk for and with emotional disturbance. Published outcome studies (k = 29) from December, 1988, to March, 2006, including 1405 children and adolescents were reviewed. Each investigation was coded on several variables describing the child, parent, and teacher samples, as well as reported outcome results. The overall mean weighted effect size was 1.00 at post-test and 1.35 at follow-up. Mean weighted ESs were 0.42 for between-subjects design studies, 0.87 for within-subjects design studies, and 1.87 for single-subject design studies. Prevention programs yielded a mean weighted ES of 0.54 and intervention programs produced a mean weighted ES of 1.35. Findings for specific outcome foci are presented and implications are discussed.     

Home-based early intervention: Emerging purposes,intervention approaches,and evaluation strategies

Infant and toddler home visiting programs constitute an important subgroup within the rapidly growing field of early intervention. Scores of such programs have been implemented by health, educational, and mental health agencies during the past decade. Recent reviews have reported on home-based early intervention for specific populations, such as biologically impaired infants or infants from economically disadvantaged families. Other reviews have focused on the effects of home-based early intervention in particular outcome domains, such as I.Q., or infant health. In this review the author draws together the information emerging from partial reviews and specific program reports in order to describe the full range of purposes and strategies encompassed by home-based early intervention and to draw inferences about its potential to enhance infant health and development and broader family functioning.     

The Advanced Programmer's Reliance on Program Semantics: Evidence from some Cognitive Tasks

This study examined the effects of programming expertise on the semantic processing of computer programs. Experiment 1 showed that sensitivity to semantic changes (i.e. changes of actual program functions) in a BASIC program recognition task increased with programming experience. No such pattern was observed for surface changes (i.e. changes of program syntax without functional alterations). The magnitude of semantic priming for BASIC keywords in a lexical decision task also increased with expertise, but the pattern was not found with normal English priming. In Experiment 2, novice BASIC programmers detected more semantic changes than the controls (non-programmers) in BASIC programs; the reverse was found for surface changes. Both the controls and the novices detected more semantic than surface changes in English passages. The BASIC priming effect was found only with the novices whereas English priming was demonstrated with both the control and the novice participants. The present findings support the view that the programming expert relies particularly on semantic processing and such reliance is specific to programming activities. Practical implications of the present results are discussed.     

Attracting new customers to loyalty programs: The effectiveness of monetary versus nonmonetary loyalty programs

What type of reward attracts customers to loyalty programs? Given the increasing importance of loyalty programs, this question matters. Six sequential studies investigated whether monetary rewards universally attract people more than nonmonetary rewards. Results suggest that monetary rewards elicit a very robust attractiveness premium both on the level of individual rewards as well as on the level of entire reward programs. Across different industries, the more monetary loyalty program was consistently perceived as more attractive, and it was more likely to inspire intentions to join the program. Even in light of variations in consumption goals (hedonic vs. utilitarian), the effect persisted. The effect is not only consistent; it is also nonnegligible with medium effect sizes emerging in most settings. We discuss ensuing variations in effect sizes and conclude that monetarism holds a pervasive temptation for consumers that managers cannot ignore.     

The Application of Latent Curve Analysis to Testing Developmental Theories in Intervention Research

The effectiveness of a prevention or intervention program has traditionally been assessed using time-specific comparisons of mean levels between the treatment and the control groups. However, many times the behavior targeted by the intervention is naturally developing over time, and the goal of the treatment is to alter this natural or normative developmental trajectory. Examining time-specific mean levels can be both limiting and potentially misleading when the behavior of interest is developing systematically over time. It is argued here that there are both theoretical and statistical advantages associated with recasting intervention treatment effects in terms of normative and altered developmental trajectories. The recently developed technique of latent curve (LC) analysis is reviewed and extended to a true experimental design setting in which subjects are randomly assigned to a treatment intervention or a control condition. LC models are applied to both artificially generated and real intervention data sets to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention program. Not only do the LC models provide a more comprehensive understanding of the treatment and control group developmental processes compared to more traditional fixed-effects models, but LC models have greater statistical power to detect a given treatment effect. Finally, the LC models are modified to allow for the computation of specific power estimates under a variety of conditions and assumptions that can provide much needed information for the planning and design of more powerful but cost-efficient intervention programs for the future.     

Effectiveness of two smoking prevention programs according to type of applicator

Although research on the prevention of drug use has shown that the effectiveness of programs depends partly on who applies them, the results of studies designed to clarify this issue are contradictory. This study compared the effects on smoking, in the short and medium term, of the implementation of two school-based prevention programs, depending on the type of applicator. The sample was made up of 200 seventh-grade students distributed among five experimental conditions: four of intervention, in which the programs were implemented by teachers from the school or by external psychologists, and one of control. The results show that teachers applying the Barbacana program and psychologists applying the Construyendo Salud (Building Health) program succeeded in reducing the incidence of cigarette smoking (BR-teachers 15%; C.S-psychologists 5%) and strengthening attitudes against smoking. An interaction effect between type of program and type of applicators was clearly observed.     

Incorporating a developmental perspective in doctoral training: survey of clinical child psychology training programs and introduction to the special section

Examined the degree to which clinical child programs incorporate and integrate developmental theory into their training, and introduced the contributions of 6 leaders in the field to this special section. Fifty-one clinical child doctoral programs responded to the survey. Results indicate that 3 types of training programs are operating: (a) child emphasis (n = 7), which do not have a formal clinical child training program but do have a faculty member who has child research interests; (b) clinical child (n = 37), which have a group of faculty members with specific child research and clinical interests and a formalized program of study; and (c) developmental-clinical programs (n = 7), which are similar to clinical child programs but require a substantive amount of developmental psychology course work and endorse a developmental psychopathology perspective. Findings reveal that clinical child programs have become increasingly differentiated and specialized over the past 20 years, but, with the exception of developmental-clinical programs, most programs are still neglecting to incorporate developmental theory into training. This issue, as well as concerns about the future direction of clinical child doctoral training is addressed in this special section on the Importance of Incorporating Developmental Theory Into Clinical Child Training.     

Effects of Movement Improvisation and Aerobic Dancing on Motor Creativity and Divergent Thinking

Creativity is considered to be an embodied concept, where internal psychological and external behavioral processes are intertwined. Creativity enhancement programs often target the cognitive side of this bi‐dimensionality leaving the impact of motor interventions underexplored. To address this gap in the literature, we tested the effectiveness of two motor programs on motor creativity and divergent thinking (verbal and figural). A total of 92 college students (M_age = 25.36, SD = 2.66) were randomly allocated to a movement improvisation, an aerobic dance, or a control condition. Participants in both motor programs took part in ten 30‐minute classes twice a week over a period of 5 weeks. The findings revealed a significant effect of the motor programs on motor fluency and flexibility. Movement improvisation yielded the greatest effects on those variables, followed by aerobic dancing and control condition. Movement improvisation also impacted significantly more figural originality than the control condition. However, the effects were limited to the motor domain and failed to transfer into other divergent thinking variables. The findings highlighted the contribution of movement programs to creative potential development, and the imperative role of a non‐judgmental environment, where individuals are free to move spontaneously.     

Correlates of self-worth and body size dissatisfaction among obese Latino youth

The current study examined self-worth and body size dissatisfaction, and their association with maternal acculturation among obese Latino youth enrolled in a community-based obesity intervention program. Upon entry to the program, a sample of 113 participants reported global self-worth comparable to general population norms, but lower athletic competence and perception of physical appearance. Interestingly, body size dissatisfaction was more prevalent among younger respondents. Youth body size dissatisfaction was associated with less acculturated mothers and higher maternal dissatisfaction with their child's body size. By contrast, although global self-worth was significantly related to body dissatisfaction, it was not influenced by mothers' acculturation or dissatisfaction with their own or their child's body size. Obesity intervention programs targeted to Latino youth need to address self-worth concerns among the youth as well as addressing maternal dissatisfaction with their children's body size.     

Patching the Pathway and Widening the Pipeline: Models for Developing a Diverse Early Childhood Workforce in Chicago

With the growing appreciation of the importance of early learning experiences for children's healthy development, attention to the cultivation and maintenance of a qualified workforce has steadily increased. Such a workforce must have not just the knowledge and skills related to child development and early learning, but also be linguistically and culturally prepared to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse child and family population. To ensure a highly qualified workforce, programs and policymakers must attend to both the “pipeline” through which new early childhood educators (ECEs) enter the workforce and the “pathways” by which ECEs work toward and obtain the necessary education and credentials for different roles within the field. In line with the aims of this special issue, this paper leverages the first‐person account style to describe barriers to and creative solutions for the development of practitioners in low‐resourced communities in Chicago, with the goal of informing practice and policy. We describe three prior and ongoing partnership programs between community‐based organizations and institutions of higher education, each tailored to support a unique population in the ECE pipeline on the pathway for increased educational attainment and credentialing. Each program is grounded in a specific community of Chicago, a diverse city with a sizable population of children raised in non‐English speaking homes. Each program addresses specific needs of the communities they serve, especially around the recruitment, retention, and promotion of bilingual ECEs. Program administrators and community members describe each programs’ goals, development, and key components unique to their target population as well as key takeaways. We conclude with an overview of critical components that we identified across these programs in order to create pathways for change within the workforce and the communities they serve.