A Psychometric Investigation of the Suicide Status Form II with a Psychiatric Inpatient Sample

We investigated the psychometric validity and reliability of the Suicide Status Form‐II (SSF‐II) developed by Jobes, Jacoby, Cimbolic, and Hustead (1997) . Participants were 149 psychiatric inpatients (108 suicidal; 41 nonsuicidal) at the Mayo Clinic. Each participant completed assessment measures within 24 hours of admission and 48–72 hours later. Factor analyses of the SSF core assessment produced a robust two‐factor solution reflecting chronic and acute response styles. The SSF core assessment had good to excellent convergent and criterion validity; pre‐post SSF ratings also demonstrated moderate test‐retest reliability. The results replicated previous research and show that the SSF‐II is psychometrically sound with a high‐risk suicidal inpatient sample.     

Assessment of Depression and Suicidal Actions: Agreement between Suicide Attempters and Informant Reports

Knowledgeable informants may be able to provide useful information about depressive symptoms and suicidal actions when a suicidal patient is uncooperative with a clinical interview or not available for a psychiatric evaluation. The present study was designed to examine information gathered from psychiatric inpatients who had attempted suicide as compared to similar information obtained from a close friend or family member. From a larger sample of adult psychiatric inpatients diagnosed with major depression, 25 suicide attempters were assessed and their reports were compared to similar information solicited from a close friend or family member. The assessment focused on depressive symptoms from the SCID and the presence of various suicidal actions. Moderate to high agreement was found on all measures. Psychiatric patients and their informants tended to agree on the presence of depressive symptoms, the presence of recent stressful life events, and specific actions taken during the suicidal crisis, suggesting that informants may be capable of providing useful information about the patient.     

Suicide Ideation and Attempts among Low‐Income African American Adolescents

We examined the impact of risk and protective factors on the odds that African American adolescents seriously think about or attempt suicide. Data from students in grades 5–12 in a mostly urban, southeastern U.S. school district were analyzed. Findings support earlier work documenting differences in gender and grades. Risk factors were uniformly significant in understanding both ideation and attempts. Protective factors were not consistent predictors; the lowering role of religious protective factors was limited, though student's belonging to or their perception of belonging to a spiritual community was a significant factor in lowering the odds of suicide ideation.     

A Review of: “Editor's Note”

Three components of a self-regulation approach-self instruction, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement-were used in training programs for three hyperactive, disruptive boys. Hyperactive behaviors and academic performance during reading and math were monitored in both clinic and school settings. Self-instructional training did not improve performance in the absence of adult supervision and self-monitoring did not significantly affect responding. A combination of self-monitoring and self-reinforcement techniques, introduced first in the clinic and then in the school environment, resulted in improved levels of academic performance and reciprocal decreases in hyperactive behaviors. The investigation represents an initial step toward teaching hyperactive children the skills necessary for successful self-regulation and improvement of their academic performance in the absence of direct adult surveillance.     

The Contribution of the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) Warm-Up Segments in Assessing Parent-Child Interactions

This study evaluated the inclusion of uncoded segments in the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, an analogue observation of parent-child interactions. The relationships between warm-up and coded segments were assessed, as well as the segments’ associations with parent ratings of parent and child behaviors. Sixty-nine non-referred parent-child dyads engaged in the observation. Parents completed measures about their parenting and children's behaviors. Significant differences were observed between the first situation's warm-up and coded segments, whereas minimal differences were found for the second situation. Findings suggest that the second warm-up segment may not be necessary for optimal assessment of parent-child interactions.     

Measuring Change During Behavioral Parent Training Using the Parent Instruction-Giving Game with Youngsters (PIGGY): A Clinical Replication

This is the second study to investigate the clinical use of the Parent-Instruction Game with Youngsters (PIGGY) which is a structured observation system derived from the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System II (DPICS-II; Eyberg, Bessmer, Newcomb, Edwards, & Robinson, 1994) and the Behavior Coding System (BCS; Forehand & McMahon, 1981 Forehand , R. L. , & McMahon , R. J. ( 1981 ). Helping the noncompliant child . New York , NY : Guilford Press . [Google Scholar]). In a previous study, the PIGGY demonstrated strong reliability and validity as well as clinical utility (Hupp, Reitman, Forde, Shriver, & Kelley, 2008). The present study is a replication of the previous research on clinical utility by using the PIGGY to monitor changes in parent and child behavior during and after behavioral parent training.     

ABA-Based Programs for Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parental and Professional Experiences at School and at Home

Having a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) poses a range of challenges to families, many of which can be addressed through appropriate intervention. A study of parental (n = 95) and professional (n = 67) experiences was carried out in relation to two settings: (a) schools that provided intensive interventions based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and (b) non-intensive ABA-based home programs. Results show that parents whose children attend ABA-based schools were generally more satisfied with their child's educational provision, monitoring procedures, and level of staff training, than parents who were not offered ABA-based education in schools.     

Treatment of Comorbid Conduct Problems and Depression in Youth: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study was to pilot a cognitive behavioral treatment protocol for adolescents with co-occurring conduct problems and depression. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. A sample of five adolescents, aged 11 to 14 years, participated; all five families completed the protocol. Results indicated that symptoms of oppositionality were significantly reduced. Moreover, maternal ratings suggested significant improvements in emotion regulation in their children and cohesion in the family. However, symptoms of depression showed little improvement. Results of this study have implications for improving treatment outcomes for youth with these comorbid conditions and may lead to increased conceptual understanding of these comorbid problems.