A computer-based intervention to reduce internalized heterosexism in men

Internalized heterosexism (IH) is a strong predictor of the psychological well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), or other same-sex attracted individuals. To respond to the call for interventions to address IH, the current study developed and tested an online intervention to reduce IH among gay, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted men. A total of 367 self-identified same-sex attracted adult males were recruited through various nationwide LGB-related sources and were assigned by birth month to either the experimental condition (focusing on IH reduction) or the control condition (a similarly structured invention focusing on stress management); 290 of these participants completed the intervention and all post-intervention measures. Mean levels of IH were compared by condition, indicating significant differences on the IH global score and 2 of the 3 IH subscale scores between the participants in the 2 conditions. The study findings support the promise of using the Internet to deliver IH interventions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

A Pilot Randomized Trial of Community-Based Parent Training for Immigrant Latina Mothers

This paper reports on the development and piloting of the Madres a Madres (Mothers to Mothers) program, a new, community-based parent training program designed for immigrant Latina mothers and their children. Promotoras, or female community health workers of Latina background, delivered the program in a home visitation format. A total of 194 mothers and 194 focal children (87 male, 107 female) ages 7–12 were randomized to the intervention (113 mother–child dyads) or wait-list control condition (81 mother–child dyads) over the study period. Outcomes of interest were mother-reported parenting skills, broad family functioning, and child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Data collection occurred at pretest, 3-month posttest, and 9-month follow-up periods. Multilevel growth models revealed increases in intervention mothers’ reported parenting skills, family support, and family organization, and reductions in child internalizing behavior from pretest to follow-up, relative to the control condition. Outcomes did not vary by focal child age, gender, nativity status, or mother acculturative status (years in the United States). Findings are discussed in the context of future directions for research on the Madres a Madres program and on the implementation and dissemination of empirically-supported parent training practices to culturally diverse families.     

Using Motivational Monitoring to Evaluate the Efficacy of Self-disclosure and Self-involving Interventions

Self-disclosures and self-interventions are generally considered useful, although their role remains controversial. This is mainly due to the heterogeneity of research findings on this topic, characterized by the lack of a clear definition of self-disclosure and of systematic and effective methods to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of such interventions. To clarify the concept of self-disclosure, it is essential to understand whether its definition comprehends different interventions, which may have different effects. An accurate and reliable evaluation of such effects may allow clinicians and researchers to differentiate among different kinds of self-disclosures. In this theoretical article, we propose a method to evaluate the clinical efficacy of self-disclosures interventions. This method is based upon the monitoring of motivational systems (Liotti, 2005), which allows therapists to assess the cooperative attunement between patient and therapist in real-time. Our central assumption is that the evaluation of the cooperative attunement between patient and therapist, as well as the patient’s metacognitive functioning, is primary to assess the use of clinical interventions. Indeed, these factors – either acting on their own or synergistically – are the mark, the essence, and the reflection of the therapeutic alliance, which is the strongest predictor of treatment’s outcome.

     

Frontal theta activation associated with error detection in toddlers: influence of familial socioeconomic status

Error detection is one of the functions of the executive attention network, a brain system involved in executive control that includes the anterior cingulate cortex and other prefrontal regions. Despite the key role of this function in a wide range of life outcomes, very limited research has examined the early development of the network and whether its functional efficacy is related to environmental factors. Electrophysiological studies with adults have shown oscillatory activity in theta (4–7 Hz) range arising from medial frontal cortex that follows the detection of self‐committed or observed errors. In the current study, we designed a novel experimental procedure that involved a familiarization phase with simple three‐pieces puzzles followed by an experimental phase in which toddlers observed the puzzles being formed either correctly or incorrectly. Observation of incorrect configurations produced increased potentials in midline channels and greater power theta activity for both toddlers (n = 56) and adults (n = 14). In addition, socioeconomic status of the family in general, and parental education in particular, contributed to individual differences in the amplitude of the error‐related signal and associated theta power in toddlers, indicating that children raised in lower SES families show poorer activation of the executive attention network. These data demonstrate the influence of environmental factors at the earliest stages of development of the executive attention network. Importantly, the results show that error‐detection EEG signals can be used as neural markers of the initial development of executive attention, which can be of great help for the early detection of risk for developmental disorders involving deficits in this function.