Understanding Girls' Circle as an intervention on perceived social support, body image, self-efficacy, locus of control, and self-esteem

The Girls' Circle is a support group for adolescent girls developed by Beth Hossfeld and Giovanna Taormina as a unique program that addresses the needs of girls by focusing on increasing connections, building empathic skills, and developing resiliency. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of the Girls' Circle intervention on improving social support, body image, locus of control, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Sixty-three girls from 9 support groups (comprising 5 to 15 girls each) across the United States completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale, the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey, Schwarzer's General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale both before and after the 10-week Girls' Circle program. Results revealed a significant increase in social support, body image, and self-efficacy after completion of the program.     

The Working for Wellness Program: RCT of an Employee Well-Being Intervention

This paper details the design and evaluation of a positive psychology-based employee well-being program. The effect of the program on well-being was evaluated using a mixed method design comprising of an RCT to assess outcome effectiveness, and participant feedback and facilitator field notes to assess process and impact effectiveness. Fifty government employees were randomly allocated to either an intervention or a control group (reduced to n = 23 for complete case analysis). The intervention group participated in the 6-week Working for Wellness Program and completed measures of subjective, psychological, affective and work-related well-being (SWB, PWB, AWB and WWB) at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three and 6 month follow-ups. The control group completed the questionnaires only. As predicted, mixed ANOVAs revealed improvements in SWB and PWB for intervention group participants over time relative to control participants but these effects had reduced by time 4. There was a main effect of group on AWB in the predicted direction but no effect on WWB. Participant feedback indicated that the focus on strengths and group delivery were the most effective components of the program. Key issues were sample attrition and a lack of on-the-job support for change. Findings suggest employees can learn effective strategies for sustainably increasing their subjective and psychological well-being.     

Formal mentoring programs: The relationship of program design and support to mentors’ perceptions of benefits and costs

This study investigates the relationship of formal mentoring program design elements (i.e., voluntary participation, input to matching, and effectiveness of training) and management support to the benefits and costs perceived by formal mentors. Data were collected from 97 formal mentors from a Midwestern financial institution. Multiple regressions were performed controlling for time as a mentor in the program, hours spent mentoring, and number of protégés. Voluntary mentor participation was positively related to perceiving rewarding experiences and negatively related to being more trouble than it was worth. Input to the matching process was negatively related to nepotism, and perceptions of training effectiveness were positively related to generativity. Finally, perceived management support for the program was positively related to rewarding experience and recognition, and negatively related to generativity and bad reflection. Three supplemental group interviews were conducted to further explore some of the survey findings. Directions for future research and implications for formal workplace mentoring programs as well as mentoring programs in cross-disciplinary contexts are discussed.     

What Works Best for Reducing Symptoms and Improving Quality of Life? A 6-Months Follow-up Study on the Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Group Information and Support for Adults Suffering from Depression

A non-randomized effectiveness trial was conducted in an urban secondary care public mental health service in Ireland. The effectiveness of an 8 session group cognitive behavior therapy program (gCBT-8), where the focus was on behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring, was compared with that of an enhanced 12 session group cognitive behavior therapy program (gCBT-12), which contained additional sessions on schema work, and a 12 session information and support control group program (gIS-12) in which there was no CBT skills training. One hundred and eighty-one adults with unipolar mood disorders were allocated to gCBT-8 (N?=?67), gCBT-12 (N?=?62), or gIS-12 (N?=?52). Before and after treatment, and at 6 months follow-up participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation, the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, and the brief World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale. An intention-to-treat analysis of mean scores showed that the three programs had similar outcomes. There were significant improvements on all dependent variables with post-treatment gains maintained at follow-up. The three programs also led to similar remission and combined reliable improvement and remission rates on the BDI-II. It was concluded that all three programs had similar levels of effectiveness.     

Therapeutisches Gruppenprogramm für Stalking-Opfer

Stalking victims show a high level of psychological disturbance and frequently need professional help. Thus, stalking must be considered as a serious issue in the field of psychosocial care. However, specific intervention programs to support stalking victims are not available. This paper reports on a pilot project that offers therapeutic help to stalking victims via a structured outpatient group therapy approach. The program aims at setting up appropriate behavior patterns concerning contact with the stalker, strengthening the victims’ self-efficacy and developing coping strategies for stalking-related stress situations. To investigate the effectiveness of the group program, an evaluation study has been conducted using self-report inventories, interview data and biological parameters. Preliminary results from 4 completed groups with 13 participants, indicating that the approach is highly effective, are reported. The potential of the group approach to improve psychosocial care provision for stalking victims is discussed. The need to integrate psychotherapeutic approaches into a multi-professional support system for stalking victims, comprising legal counsel, police measures and psychosocial interventions, is emphasized.     

Addressing the Challenges Faced by Early Adolescents: A Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Benefits of Peer Support

In this article, we describe a mixed-methods study used to examine the effectiveness of a widely-used peer support program designed to facilitate the transition to adolescence and high school by enhancing self-concept and other desirable outcomes. For the quantitative component, a longitudinal design was employed (930 Grade 7 students, 3 schools, 2 years), with control group and baseline (i.e., pre-program) data against which to compare the effects. Using a multilevel approach, the results provide evidence to suggest that the program was largely successful in achieving its aims of enhancing students’ school self-concept, school citizenship, sense of self and possibility, connectedness, and resourcefulness. A sub-sample of students from the experimental group participated in the qualitative component, which included open-ended survey results (n = 408 Grade 7 students, n = 75 peer support leaders) and focus groups (n = 119 Grade 7 students, n = 44 peer support leaders) to identify students’ personal perspectives of the program. The qualitative results confirmed the quantitative findings that the program has important benefits for Grade 7 students and provided rich and valuable insights into students’ views of the intervention. The findings of this research have important implications and suggest that the provision of peer support has the potential to a make significant contribution to schools’ efforts to orchestrate positive outcomes for adolescents.     

The Children Helping Children Program: A Case Illustration

This article highlights the need for community and school-based programs for children of divorce and describes The Children Helping Children Program which was designed to respond to this need. A review of literature indicates that children of divorce typically experience school related problems including poor academic performance, depression, and disturbances in peer relationships. The review also points out that few support group programs are presently available, either in schools or through agencies for these children. Evaluative evidence consisting of parent comments at the conclusion of the program, followup questionnaire data collected at least four months after the program, and pre-post data pertaining to parenting effectiveness suggest that Children Helping Children may be a promising program. The need for further evaluative data in future implementations is discussed.     

Evaluation of a High School Peer Group Intervention for At-Risk Youth

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of Reconnecting Youth, a prevention program for at-risk high school youth. Data are from a large, independently evaluated effectiveness trial in two diverse urban school districts. A total of 1,218 students participated; 50% were male; average age was 15. We tested whether positive efficacy trial effects could be replicated, and whether any negative behavioral effects occur when clustering high-risk youth. Although mixed program effects were observed at immediate post-intervention, only negative effects were found at 6-month follow-up. These effects included less optimal scores on measures of GPA, Anger, School Connectedness, Conventional Peer Bonding, and Peer High-Risk Behaviors. Overall, we found little support for the use of this social-influence—model intervention aimed at increasing school connectedness for high-risk youth. Further, this study provides evidence that clustering high-risk youth in preventive interventions has the potential for iatrogenic effects.     

A Follow-Up Study of a Reminiscence Intervention and Its Effects on Depressed Mood,Life Satisfaction,and Well-Being in the Elderly

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a reminiscence intervention reduces depressed mood and improves life satisfaction and psychological well-being. 160 healthy elderly people participated in a 10-session intervention. An experimental design with pretest and posttest evaluations was applied, comparing a control group to an intervention group to evaluate the effects of the program. Follow-up measures were also taken to find out whether the intervention's positive effects lasted over time. Mixed Model ANOVAs showed significant increases in the time-group interaction, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being measures, and decreases in depressed mood, after treatment. The effects remained after three months in the case of life satisfaction and some dimensions of psychological well-being, but they were lower on depressed mood. This study provides additional support for the effectiveness of a reminiscence program as a useful intervention to improve the quality of life of older adults.     

The effectiveness of a biblio-based support group for hoarding disorder

Compulsive hoarding is characterized by the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions and clutter that prevents the use of living spaces as intended. Current successful treatments such as individual and group cognitive-behavioral therapy are lengthy and costly, requiring a time commitment ranging from four to twelve months, trained clinicians to administer treatment, and multiple home visits. Nonprofessional interventions may provide a cost-effective pre-treatment, adjunct, or alternative for individuals who want to work on hoarding problems but are unable or unwilling to engage in treatment. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative program consisting of a 13-session non-professionally facilitated biblio-based, action-oriented support group using Tolin, Frost, and Steketee’s (2007b) self-help book. In study 1, seventeen self-identified hoarding participants experienced significant decreases in clutter, difficulty discarding, and excessive acquisition from pre-treatment to post-treatment, with reductions evident at mid-treatment. Study 2 replicated the findings of study 1 using interview and observational measures taken in participants’ homes. These findings suggest that a facilitated biblio-based group may be a promising intervention for hoarding disorder.     

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Values Clarification Presented as a Personal Computer Program versus a Traditional Therapy Group:

Eight adolescent inpatients were assigned to two groups equated as much as possible by matching the subjects for age, sex, and diagnosis. The experimental group viewed an individual self-paced computer program on values clarification, and the control group attended a single group therapy session covering identical content. Pretesting and posttesting was done using the Tennessee Self-concept Scale and the Internal-External Control Scale. No significant differences were found using these tests as measures of effectiveness, but on the post-treatment attitude survey, subjects in the computer group reported greater perceived effectiveness than those in the control group. The computer program was well accepted and not related to prior exposure to computers. Subjects completed the computer program in less than half the time required to present the material in the therapy group.     

Effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety in community clinics

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety in a community clinic setting in Hong Kong, China. Forty-five clinically-referred children (age 6-11 years) were randomly assigned to either a cognitive-behavioral treatment program or a waitlist-control condition. Children in the treatment condition showed significant reduction in anxiety symptoms—both statistically and clinically—whereas children in the waitlist condition did not. After the waitlist period was over, the control group also received the treatment program and showed a similar reduction in symptoms. For the full sample of 45 children, the effectiveness of the intervention was significant immediately after treatment and in 3- and 6-month follow-ups. In addition, children’s anxiety cognition and their ability to cope with anxiety-provoking situations fully mediated the treatment gains. These results offer empirical support for cognitive-behavioral treatment programs in a non-Western cultural context and plausible mediators for how cognitive-behavioral therapy works.     

F?rderung der Gesundheit und der psychosozialen Selbstwirksamkeit bei Langzeitarbeitslosen

Background

The development of appropriate preventive measures aimed at the promotion of psychosocial capabilities and health behavior is based on the recognition that unemployment is associated with many physical, psychological and social problems.

Objective

A group program ??promotion of health and psychosocial self-efficacy in long-term unemployed?? was developed and investigated with respect to the effectiveness by a study group at the Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine of the University of Rostock. The study was part of a project funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).

Methods

During the period from October 2009 to April 2010 the group program was implemented in 5 different groups and the sample included a total of 35 persons. To examine the effectiveness of the program the participants had to complete standardized questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the program. Information as to what extent the unemployed suffer from mental stress was collected via the brief symptom inventory (BSI; Franke 2000). The questionnaire on resources and self-management skills (FERUS; Jack 2007) was applied to analyze the capabilities and the self-management skills of the participants.

Results

The unemployed subjects reported lower levels of aggressiveness and paranoid thinking (distrust) after their participation in the program. Regarding the self-management skills the participants improved their coping skills, self-instructions skills and also felt more hopeful with regard to their current environment and the future.

Conclusions

A systematic support of unemployed people regarding coping with the psychosocial problems associated with unemployment seemed to be important. The use of low structured group programs is a good possibility to implement them in different contexts with relatively few resources.     

Efficacy of a psychological treatment for sex offenders

The aims of the present paper are the following: firstly, to describe the psychological treatment administered to sexual offenders in Spain; secondly, to assess the effectiveness of the application of this psychological treatment in the prison of Brians (Barcelona). For this purpose, two equivalent groups were selected: a treatment group of 49 subjects who received the whole treatment program, and an untreated control group of 74 subjects. These groups were selected taking into account various risk factors in order to guarantee group comparability. The main results not only show the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioural program for sexual offenders but also that the effectiveness of this program exceeds the average of similar programs in the meta-analytic reviews performed to date.     

Career Decision‐Making Self‐Efficacy Change in Italian High School Students

The authors explored the effects of a structured‐group career intervention among 280 Italian high school students. Hierarchical linear models indicated the intervention's effectiveness in increasing career decision‐making self‐efficacy and, consequently, career exploration, but not in decreasing career choice anxiety. In addition, partial confirmation was found for the moderating effects of participants' expectations and motivation to change on the relationship between career decision‐making self‐efficacy and career choice anxiety. The findings support the development of a systematic vocational guidance program in Italian schools.     

Cognitive-behavioural treatment of pathological gambling in individuals with chronic schizophrenia: a pilot study

The current study aimed to test the clinical effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioural program (CBT) specifically adapted for pathological gamblers with chronic schizophrenia, carried out in a naturalistic setting of community Mental Health Centres. Forty-four pathological gamblers with chronic schizophrenia were assigned either to a standard drug therapy for schizophrenia (control group) or to cognitive-behavioural therapy for pathological gambling plus a standard drug therapy for schizophrenia (experimental group). Psychological treatment comprised a 20-session program including psychoeducation, stimulus control, gradual exposure and relapse prevention. Therapeutic success was defined as abstinence or the occurrence of only 1 or 2 episodes of gambling during the follow-up period. While the patients treated in the experimental group showed a rate of success of 73.9%, only 19% of the participants belonging to the control group gave up gambling at the 3-month follow-up. The CBT group also did better than the control group in the number of gambling episodes and in the amount of money spent on gambling. However, the improvement of the experimental group was weaker at the 6- and 12-month follow-up. These findings support the beneficial effects of CBT as adjunctive therapy for patients with dual diagnoses (schizophrenia and pathological gambling).     

Effectiveness of the home‐start parenting support program: Behavioral outcomes for parents and children

This study examined effectiveness of Home‐Start, a program designed to support parents with young children. The aims were (a) to examine whether Home‐Start improved maternal well‐being and (b) to examine whether Home‐Start led to changes in the behavior of mothers or children. Self‐reported and observational data were collected in two waves, using data from 54 mothers and their children between 1.5 and 3.5 years of age who participated in this intervention program for 6 months. These data were compared to 51 comparison families who reported need for parenting support. The results showed a significant improvement in perceived parenting competence, but no effects on maternal depressive moods. Mixed results were found for parenting behavior: Parental consistency and observed sensitivity improved significantly in the Home‐Start group whereas no effects were found on the other parenting variables. Child behavioral problems seemed to diminish at the second measurement in both groups, and therefore these changes cannot be attributed to Home‐Start.     

Improvements in the community-reinforcement approach to alcoholism

This study evaluated a modified Community-Reinforcement program for treating alcoholics. The previously tested Community-Reinforcement program included special job. family, social and recreational procedures and was shown to reduce alcoholism. To increase the effectiveness of the program further, the present study incorporated a Buddy system, a daily report procedure, group counseling, and a special social motivation program to ensure the self-administration of Disulfiram (Antabuse). The alcoholics who received the improved Community-Reinforcement program drank less. worked more, spent more time at home and less time institutionalized than did their matched controls who received the standard hospital treatment including Antabuse in the usual manner. These results were stable over a 2-year period. The program appeared even more effective and less time-consuming than the previous program. The present results replicate the effectiveness of the Community-Reinforcement program for reducing alcoholism and indicate the usefulness of the additions to the program.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in School Discipline: A Preliminary Study

This study assessed the utility of a pilot program in rational behavior therapy (RBT) in the disciplinary processes at a large, urban junior high school. Treatment and control students were contrasted on recidivism rate and teacher behavior assessments after they participated in a condensed RBT treatment program. For two behavior ratings and recidivism rate, students who participated in the intervention differed significantly from those in the control group. Such empirical support demonstrates the potential of cognitive-behavioral interventions in school disciplinary procedures and merits further implementation and research.     

外卖骑手群体的EAP方案设计及其干预有效性

基于互联网技术的餐饮外卖催生出规模不断壮大的外卖骑手这一新兴职业群体,但其身心健康问题日益受到社会关注.员工帮助计划(EAP)是组织为员工设置的一套系统、 长期的福利支持项目.本研究在调查外卖骑手的身心压力状况和EAP服务需求的基础上,设计骑手群体的EAP服务方案,并对方案的有效性进行评估,以探索EAP服务有效性的作用...