METANOIA AND HEALING: TOWARD A GREAT PLAINS LAND ETHIC

A Great Plains land ethic is shaped by an intimate knowledge of and appreciation for the evolution, ecology, and aesthetics of the plains landscape. The landscape evokes a sense of wonder and mystery suggested by the word "sacrament." The biblical concept of "covenant" points to God as a community-forming power, a creative process that has evolved into the earth community to which we humans belong. In contrast to an anthropocentric ethic which emphasizes human dominion over nature, a Theo-centric land ethic seeks a balance, reflected in Genesis 1–3, between humans who are members of the earth community and moral agents accountable to God for the earth. A land ethic identifies concrete practices of metanoia and healing: agricultural practices to address the loss and degradation of soil; conservation and protection of water sources; utilization of wind and solar energy; and prescribed burning to restore processes vital to the prairie ecosystem. The concept of subsidiarity suggests that practices of metanoia and healing are a combination of wise public policy balanced by personal, family, church, business, and community responsibility.     

Predictors of treatment outcome for youth receiving intensive residential treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD)

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the predictors of outcome from intensive residential treatment of OCD. This study aimed to examine age, gender, and baseline OCD severity, as well as measures of comorbid anxiety and depressive, internalizing/externalizing, and inattention symptoms, as predictors of treatment outcome in adolescents receiving intensive residential treatment for OCD.

The sample comprised 314 adolescents aged 13–17 years with treatment-resistant OCD and a Children’s Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale Self-Report (CY-BOCS-SR) total score ≥16. Bivariate and multiple regression models were used to evaluate the predictors of continuous OCD severity outcome and treatment response.

Results of the bivariate regression analyses of predictors demonstrated that length of treatment, pre-treatment OCD severity, and symptoms of anxiety and depression significantly predicted post-treatment OCD severity, while only symptoms of depression and anxiety predicted treatment response. When including all predictors in the same model, only baseline OCD severity remained a significant predictor of post-treatment OCD severity, and none of the assessed variables significantly predicted treatment response.

Results indicate that low pre-treatment OCD severity predicts lower OCD severity following treatment, although it did not predict treatment response.     

What Produces Television Attention and Attention Style?

Individual looks at television vary enormously in length, and this has previously indicated differences in ongoing cognitive processes. Furthermore, the relative frequency of looks of different lengths may indicate styles of attention to television. This article compares visual attention of 152 subjects across a variety of genres and examines differences located by situation, person, and media perception variables. Attention style was not consistent for individuals but varied for different types of programming and between‐program breaks. Situational, person, and media belief variables did not predict the proportions of four types of looks. They did, however, predict differences in the proportion of moderately short (orienting) looks across types of content, but not the previously more important very short (monitoring) or moderately long (engaged) looks. The overall importance of type of content in these results suggests that further research should examine within‐program differences in message construction and assess attentional style as patterns or sequences of looks.     

Risk for Suicidal Ideation and Attempt among a Primary Care Sample of Adolescents Engaging in Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury

One in five adolescents in the United States has engaged in nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI), one in eight have had serious thoughts of suicide, and one in 25 have attempted suicide. Research suggests that NSSI may increase risk for suicide attempt, yet little is known about the relationship between NSSI and suicidal ideation or attempts. In a primary care setting, 1,561 youth aged 14–24 years completed a brief, comprehensive, mental health screen as part of a routine well visit to determine which factors were most likely to predict suicidal ideation and attempt among youth engaging in NSSI. Results of recursive partitioning revealed that current depression and history of alcohol use best differentiated youth engaging in NSSI with low versus high risk for suicidal ideation and attempts. This simple algorithm is presented as a clinical screening tool that might aid medical providers in determining which youth would benefit from more intensive assessment and intervention.