The effects of marital adjustment and spouse involvement on the behavioral treatment of agoraphobia: A meta-analytic review

Abstract

In a meta-analysis of 12 recently published therapy outcome studies, the effects of marital distress and spouse-involved therapy on the outcome of exposure-based treatments for agoraphobiawere evaluated. Analyses indicated that the better the pre-treatment marital functioning of the patient, the greater the reduction in agoraphobic symptomatology up to one year following treatment. The effectiveness of spouse-involved exposure treatment, at least as currently practiced, was not found to be significantly different from the effectiveness of the more commonly used spouse-noninvolved exposure treatments. Specific research suggestions which may assist in providing a better understanding of the relations among agoraphobia, marital functioning, treatment modality, and treatment outcome are offered. In addition, we present guidelines for the conduct and reporting of future agoraphobia treatment research.     

Toward an Integration of Interpersonal Risk Models of Depression and Cognitive‐Behaviour Therapy

Empirical research has increasingly focused on interpersonal variables associated with the development and maintenance of depression. This article outlines some key interpersonal risk factors for depression, including anxious attachment, sociotropy, excessive reassurance seeking, interpersonal stress generation, reduced social support, social skills deficits, and social avoidance. Recommendations are made for how cognitive‐behavioural therapy may be adapted to address such factors. Specifically, suggestions are offered for how cognitive and behavioural interventions, such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, behavioural experiments, and skills training, may be used with depressed clients to promote positive relationships and reduce maladaptive interpersonal behaviours.     

Women's knowledge of prenatal ultrasound and informed choice

This study evaluated women's understanding of prenatal ultrasound in terms of meeting the requirements for informed choice. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate (1) how information is provided, (2) women's perceived value of the information received and, (3) their understanding of ultrasound in relation to the principles of informed choice. Women (n = 113) completed a questionnaire prior to their 18-week ultrasound. Fifty-five percent stated they received no information from their care provider. Only 31.9% considered health care providers as a very helpful source of information. Yet, 69.0% stated their care provider gave them information that facilitated their understanding. Gaps were identified in women's understanding of ultrasound. Specifically, 46.0% did not view ultrasound as a screen for anomalies; some were uncertain about the safety (18.6%), diagnostic capabilities (26.5%), and limitations of testing (37.2%). These results suggest that women's understanding of ultrasound does not meet the requirements of informed choice.     

An objective automated method for digitizing pictorial material for computer manipulation

An inexpensive device to digitize existing pictorial material in conjunction with a digital computer is described. Slides (35-mm) are used as source material, and the slide is scanned to produce a two-level output (i.e., dot present or dot absent). The system has spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm and a complete scan (30 times 19 points) is completed in about 20 sec. Although we are using the system to produce only two level outputs, there is no reason a gray scale could not be constructed.     

What a High School Class Did with Fifty Years of Life

This article is a résumé of the working-lifetime story of a class of high school boys and girls graduating in 1916 in San Jose, California–who went on to college, who didn't; who “succeeded,” and who failed in life, with a hint or two as to why; what the main avenues of endeavor were; and how these now-older people regard their span of life and its meaning.     

Parent-report and performance-based measures of executive function assess different constructs

A total of 405 children of 5–18 years of age were administered performance-based and parent-report measures of executive function (EF), and measures of motor, attention, reading, and mathematics performance. Attention, reading, and mathematics abilities were associated with a parent-report measure of EF. Reading and mathematics abilities were also associated with performance-based measures of EF, including the Animal Sorting, Inhibition, and Response Set subtests of the Developmental NEuroPSYchological Assessment-II. In contrast, motor functioning was only associated with performance-based measures of EF. Findings suggest that different constructs of EF are measured by parent-report versus performance-based measures, and that these different constructs of EF are associated with different neurodevelopmental processes.     

Activating children's thinking skills (ACTS): The effects of an infusion approach to teaching thinking in primary schools

Background Recent interest in the teaching of thinking skills within education has led to an increase in thinking skills packages available to schools. However many of these are not based on scientific evaluation ( DfEE, 1999 ). This paper endeavours to examine the effectiveness of one approach, that of infusion, to teaching thinking. Aims To investigate the impact of an infusion methodology, activating children's thinking skills (ACTS), on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children in Year 4–6 in primary schools. This is a sister project to research being conducted in Northern Ireland ( McGuinness, 2006 ). Sample The study involved 404 children from 8 primary schools in one local authority. These were divided into 160 in the experimental group and 244 in the waiting list control group. Methods A quasi‐experimental design was used with pre‐, post‐, and delayed post‐tests to ascertain changes in children's cognitive abilities, self‐perceptions, and social/behavioural skills using quantitative measures. In addition qualitative techniques were used with pupils and teachers to evaluate effectiveness. Results The experimental group made significantly greater gains in cognitive ability skills over a 2 year period compared to the waiting list control. Qualitative data demonstrated a positive impact on children's social and emotional development. In addition teacher professional development was reported to be enhanced. Conclusions This research indicated that children's cognitive abilities can be developed following a 2 year period of the ACTS infusion intervention. While some positive effects were evidenced on the social and emotional development of children, further study will be necessary to examine these in more detail.     

Middle school victims of bullying: Who reports being bullied?

This study examined factors that influence a student's decision to report being bullied at school. An anonymous survey of 2,437 students in six middle schools identified 898 students who had been bullied, including 25% who had not told anyone that they were bullied and 40% who had not told an adult about their victimization. We investigated chronicity and type of bullying, school climate, familial, demographic, and attitudinal factors that influenced victim reporting to anyone versus no one, to adults versus no one, and to adults versus peers. Logistic regression analyses indicated that reporting increased with the chronicity of victimization. Reporting was generally more frequent among girls than boys, and among lower grade levels. Students who perceived the school climate to be tolerant of bullying, and students who described their parents as using coercive discipline were less likely to report being bullied. Implications for improving victim reporting of bullying are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 30:373–388, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Is that what I wanted to do? Cued vocalizations influence the phenomenology of controlling a moving object

The phenomenology of controlled action depends on comparisons between predicted and actually perceived sensory feedback called action-effects. We investigated if intervening task-irrelevant but semantically related information influences monitoring processes that give rise to a sense of control. Participants judged whether a moving box "obeyed" or "disobeyed" their own arrow keystrokes (Experiments 1 and 2) or visual cues representing the computer's choices (Experiment 3). During 1s delays between keystrokes/cues and box movements, participants vocalized directions ("up", "down", "left", or "right") cued by letters inside the box. Congruency of cued vocalizations was manipulated relative to previously selected keystrokes and upcoming box movements. In Experiment 1, reported obey moves and feelings of control reflected the true frequency of obey moves, but were also modulated by vocalizations. Incongruent vocalizations reduced reported obey moves, whereas congruent vocalizations increased them. In Experiment 2, vocalizations had stronger effects when their congruence with primary-task box movement was consistent for several consecutive moves before congruence changed. In Experiment 3, analogous impacts of vocalizations occurred when the computer selected the directions and participants judged whether the computer had control of the box. We conclude that predicted and perceived action-effects associated with semantically related but separate and ostensibly irrelevant actions can be conflated with one another. This interference is not restricted to actions performed with the same effector or within the same modality, or even by the same actor. Thus in estimating degrees of control, the mind integrates across ongoing action systems, whether or not they are logically task-relevant.