Using a Constant Family in Role-Plays for Training MFTs

Marriage and Family Therapy training programs use role-plays and simulations to train their students in interviewing skills and in various therapeutic models. A review of literature shows that these training tools do not allow student-therapists to experience therapy beyond the first session. This article presents a modified version of the role-play, in which a constant family is used in preparing student-therapists for clinical work. This article describes a training scenario using the constant family role play and includes feedback from student-therapists. The authors present the benefits, limitations, and potential training considerations that can enhance use of the constant family role play.     

Exploring the psychometric properties of the CES-D-10 and its practicality in detecting depressive symptomatology in 27 low- and middle-income countries

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression-10 (CES-D-10) scale is known for its good psychometric properties in measuring depressive symptoms, however, some researchers question its applicability across various settings. This study explored the factor structure of the CES-D-10 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This cross-sectional survey consisted of 16,723 university students across 27 LMICs that completed self-report instruments assessing socio-demographic information and depressive symptoms using the CES-D-10. Data analysis included: exploratory factor analysis, item response theory and differential item functioning. Results indicate that a two-factor model (depressive affect and positive affect) had the best fit for this population and accounted for 52% of the total observed variance with an internal consistency, α = .77 for the depressive affect items and α = .57 for the positive affect items. The graded response model (GRM), however, indicated that the depressive affect factor had a good fit, unlike the positive affect factor. The depressive affect factor was found to consistently model depression for females better than males. Relative to their Asian counterparts, African, Caribbean and South American participants of similar depressive affect responded differently on all items of the depressive affect factor. The depressive affect factor seems most ideal for LMICs and shows gender and cross-cultural variability.     

The Practice of Marriage and Family Therapists with Managed Care Clients

This study examined the practice patterns of Nebraska marriage and family therapists (MFTs) working with managed care cases. The participants' two most recently closed managed care cases were examined to determine the types of cases seen, the process of treatment, and treatment outcome. Results indicated that the therapists saw cases for a median number of six sessions. MFTs worked with a variety of presenting problems and diagnoses. Depression was the most common presenting problem, and the most common DSM-IV diagnosis was adjustment disorder. A comparison of pre- and post-treatment GAF scores indicated that clients' level of functioning improved significantly during the course of treatment.     

The "common cause hypothesis" of cognitive aging: evidence for not only a common factor but also specific associations of age with vision and grip strength in a cross-sectional analysis.

A prominent hypothesis in cognitive aging is the existence of a common factor that is responsible for age-related deterioration in cognitive and noncognitive processes. A multiple indicators, multiple causes model was used to examine the nature of this common factor and its relationship to age, gender, and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. The common factor was modeled by using 10 indicator variables with 374 participants aged between 77.4 and 98.7 years. A latent factor was identified, with all indicators except blood pressure loading significantly. This factor could be established in 2 age strata within the sample. After controlling for the effects of gender, APOE, and level of education, direct effects of age were seen on visual functioning and grip strength. APOE was significantly associated with memory but not with the common factor. The findings suggest that a number of specific processes may operate concurrently with any common cause factor.     

The Incan Quipus

Quipus, knotted structures of woollen or cotton cords, were used as a bureaucratic tool in the Inca state. In the absense of a writing system, numerals and possibly other pieces of information were encoded on the quipus by tying knots into elaborately structured coloured cords. Though interpretation of the quipu contents is far from complete, some information on Inca mathematics can be deducted from the analysis of ancient specimen, especially when combined with the results of anthropological and linguistic research in contemporary Andean societies. In this paper, the quipus are introduced, their structure is explained, and some results on mathematical concepts of the Incas are presented based on a comparison of mathematical and anthropological literature on the subject.     

Level of aspiration and performance of chronic psychiatric patients on a simple motor task

The level of aspiration and performance was examined for 25 male psychiatric inpatients whose mean age was 57.4 yr. and mean length of hospitalization was 23.6 yr. For a simple motor task involving flipping a plastic chip over a goal line, each patient expressed the ward and his personal pretask levels of aspiration, performed the task, and expressed his personal posttask aspiration. The expressions of both the ward and pretask levels of aspiration were less than the mean score of a nonhospitalized referent group. Both performance and posttask levels of aspiration were greater than the pretask level. More patients predicted they would perform worse than the other patients on the ward than predicted they would perform better. The patients appropriately shifted their levels of aspiration either up after success or down after failure. The results were discussed according to expectations from classical theory as well as findings with schizophrenics. Implications for further research were discussed.     

Affiliative Need,Different Types of Social Support,and Physical Symptoms1

Less tangible types of social support (emotional, informational, and companionship) were shown to predict reports of physical symptoms as a joint function of both affiliative need and negative life events, while the effects of tangible support depended only upon the occurrence of negative life events (the prototypical buffering effect). Low affiliative need individuals tended to benefit from both types of support, while high affiliative need individuals benefited primarily from more tangible support. The results were discussed in terms of the proposal that low affiliative need individuals hold a more problem-focused view of social support, while high affiliative need individuals tend to take a less personally instrumental stance toward interpersonal interaction.