A meta-analysis of play therapy outcomes

A meta-analysis of play therapy outcomes with children was conducted to determine the overall effectiveness of play therapy and the variables related to effectiveness. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to analyse the data. The analysis showed an average treatment effect of 0.66 standard deviations. A strong relationship between treatment effectiveness and the inclusion of parents in the therapeutic process was reported. The duration of therapy also appeared to be related to treatment outcomes, with maximum effect sizes occurring after approximately 30 treatment sessions. Play therapy appeared to be as effective as non-play therapies in treating children experiencing emotional difficulties. Recommendations for future researchers focus on explaining therapeutic or participant characteristics that are related to treatment effectiveness.     

"When no means no": can reactance augment the theory of planned behavior?

A longitudinal study examined women's clinic attendance for treatment and follow-up after having received an abnormal cervical screening result. Participants (N = 660) completed questionnaire measures of variables specified by the theory of planned behavior and J. Kuhl's (2000) measure of low volitional control--reactance--prior to receiving up to 3 subsequent appointments during the following 15 months. The theory of planned behavior was capable of predicting persistent attendance and discriminated women who kept all of their scheduled appointments from those who dropped out from treatment. Consideration of reactance enhanced prediction of behavior and discriminated between women who delayed appointment keeping and women who ceased attending.     

Emotional availability and psychosocial correlates among mothers in substance‐abuse treatment and their young infants

Emotional availability (EA) was investigated among low‐income mothers enrolled in substance‐abuse treatment and their young infants (n = 21) compared with a demographically matched group of mother–infant pairs who, by self‐report, were not at risk for substance abuse (n = 27). The mother–infant dyads in the treatment group generally demonstrated poorer EA functioning than those in the comparison group, but few differences between the groups on individual dimensions of EA were significant. This finding was notable considering that mothers in treatment reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and psychological stress. Treatment effects may have buffered the negative impact of depression and psychological stress on mothers' EA scores. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed as they relate to substance‐abuse‐treatment services for pregnant and parenting women.