Myths,metaphors, and mentors

This article begins with a discussion of myths as visions that transform life. The primary myth is that of death and rebirth. Metaphors are images which illumine our myths. Therapists are thus both scientists and poets. The process of being a mentor occurs in a variety of relationships. Our search is for an understanding of this process which then transcends the positions of master and disciple. Mentors need to have a sufficient degree of self-transcendence to enable the focus to be on the person's own unique vision. Mentors light sparks which ignite our myths and metaphors and thereby expand our understanding of ourselves. Mentors become catalysts for our growth and thereby facilitate the process of transformation.The author would like to express his gratitude to Anne Nelson, who helped with editing this article.     

School-Based Secondary Prevention for Children with Disruptive Behavior: Initial Outcomes

First through fourth graders from 22 suburban elementary schools were screened for cross-setting disruptive behavior as eligibility criteria for participation in a longitudinal secondary prevention study aimed at reducing the risk for serious externalizing behavioral disorders. Three hundred nine subjects participated in either a multicomponent competence enhancement intervention (MCEI) or an information/attention control (IAC) condition over a 2-year period. Following baseline measurements, initial intervention effects were assessed at the end of intervention Year 1, at the beginning of intervention Year 2 (fall of the next school year), and at the end of intervention Year 2. Multisource assessments were not supportive of the efficacy of the MCEI over the IAC condition. Children in both groups rated themselves as improved over time in terms of increased adaptive skills and decreased school problems and internalizing symptoms. Teacher and parent ratings of externalizing behavior did not yield evidence of positive change, but teachers noted improved problem solving and observers noted a decrease in behavioral interference in both groups over time, possibly as a result of maturation.     

Comorbidity of ADHD and reading disability among clinic-referred children

Of a consecutive series of 115 boys diagnosed in a university outpatient clinic as ADHD, 39% also demonstrated a specific reading disability. Pure ADHD patients were compared with mixed ADHD + RD and normal controls on a battery of cognitive and attentional measures. The aim was to determine whether a distinct pattern of deficits would distinguish the groups. Both ADHD subgroups performed significantly worse than controls on measures of sequential memory and attentional tasks involving impulse control andplanful organization. Only ADHD+RD boys differed from controls on measures or rapid word naming and vocabulary. The reuslts are discussed within the framework of an automatic versus effortful information-processing model.     

Socrates and psychotherapy

This article examines the basic philosophical ideas of Socrates and how these ideas form a basic part of the philosophical foundation of psychotherapy. His influence is analyzed by observing how Kierkegaard and Nietzsche view his contribution. The controversial thesis of I.F. Stone's recent book,The Trial of Socrates, is used to re-examine the man and his philosophy.He teaches moral philosophy at Notre Dame College in Baltimore, Maryland.     

A Systematic Review of Quality of Life Measures in Pregnant and Postpartum Mothers

Quality of life has emerged as an essential health component that broadens the traditionally narrow concerns focused on only morbidity and life expectancy. Although a growing number of tools to measure quality of life are in circulation, there is a lack of guidelines as well as rigorous assessment for their use with pregnant and postpartum populations. It is also unclear whether these instruments could validly be employed to measure patient-reported outcomes in comparative effectiveness research of maternal care interventions. This paper reviews articles cited in CINAHL, COCHRANE, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, and PUBMED that addressed quality of life in pregnant and postpartum populations. Instruments used to measure quality of life in selected articles were assessed for their adherence to international guidelines for health outcomes instrument development and validation. The authors identified 129 articles that addressed quality of life in pregnant and/or postpartum women. Out of these, only 64 quality (generic and specific) scales were judged relevant to be included in this study. Analysis of measurement scales used in the pregnant and/or postpartum populations revealed important validity, reliability and psychometric inadequacies that negate their use in comparative effectiveness analysis in pregnant and post-partum populations. Valid, reliable, and responsive instruments to measure patient-reported outcomes in pregnant and postpartum populations are lacking. To demonstrate the effectiveness of various treatment and prevention programs, future research to develop and validate a robust and responsive quality of life measurement scale in pregnant and postpartum populations is needed.     

Patterns and temporal changes in peer affiliation among aggressive and nonaggressive children participating in a summer school program

Examined the behavior and affiliation patterns of 118 highly, moderately, and nonaggressive 7-year-old children over the course of a 6-week summer school program. During free play, participants did not selectively associate on the basis of behavioral similarity, but initial mutual friendship choices did show a preference for similarly behaved peers. Nonreciprocated friendships at the beginning and end of the program and mutual friendships at the end revealed a preference of all children to be-friend nonaggressive peers. Moderately aggressive children increased their number of mutual friendships and their association with nonaggressive peers during free play, whereas highly aggressive children lost mutual friends. The aggressiveness of a child's playmates predicted the likelihood of that child behaving inappropriately during free play. Results suggest that selective affiliation may be the result of peer rejection rather than an active process of seeking similarly aggressive peers.     

Child and familial pathways to academic achievement and behavioral adjustment: a prospective six-year study of children with and without ADHD

This longitudinal study examined familial and child predictors of academic achievement and behavioral adjustment. Participants included 115 children with ADHD and 59 normative comparisons. Data analyses spanned three assessment waves from elementary- through secondary-school grades. We evaluated the degree to which child and familial factors present during middle school mediated relationships between childhood ADHD, subsequent academic achievement, and behavioral adjustment during high school. We found that emotional and behavioral well-being of ADHD children during middle school mediated relations between childhood ADHD and adverse academic and behavioral outcomes during high school. In addition, familial factors in middle school years predicted the behavioral adjustment of children in both the ADHD and non-ADHD groups. Academic achievement during high school was strongly associated with previous achievement levels. Our results provide support for tailoring preventive interventions to the unique needs of children with ADHD and their parents at various stages of adolescent development.     

Parceling Component Effects of a Multifaceted Prevention Program for Disruptive Elementary School Children

This study examined predictors and outcomes of attendance in two standard components of a multifaceted preventive intervention aimed at children with early-onset disruptive behavior after 3 years of intervention. Mean rate of attendance in the Family Program, but not the Summer School Program, differed by level of child disruptiveness (grouping variable). Although predictors of attendance (SES, single-parent status, child IQ) did not differ across high- and low-disruptive groups, predictors of outcome were moderated by level of child disruptiveness for academic achievement and aggression outcomes, but not for social competence. Higher attendance in the Summer Program was associated with higher child social competence at Year 3 for all children. For academic achievement, higher attendance in the Summer Program was associated with higher scores for mild/moderately disruptive children and lower scores for highly disruptive children in Year 3. Higher attendance in the Family Program was associated with lower aggression scores for mild/moderately disruptive children. Findings highlight the importance of matching intervention components to the assessed or expressed needs of client subgroups.     

Predicting what questions people ask

Summary A rewrite-rule text grammar was used to predict question asking. Subjects were instructed to write a text according to a known format, i.e., a police report calling for witnesses to an accident, but first they had to find out what had occurred by asking questions. Each question was answered immediately. The results indicate that the established text grammar predicted the content of the questions well, but did not predict their sequence. Deviations from the predictions are discussed in terms of question-asking strategies as evolved from a text grammar.