The Influence of Families on Early Adolescent School Connectedness: Evidence That This Association Varies with Adolescent Involvement in Peer Drinking Networks

School connectedness is central to the long term well-being of adolescents, and high quality parent–child relationships facilitate school connectedness. This study examined the extent to which family relationship quality is associated with the school connectedness of pre- and early teenagers, and how this association varies with adolescent involvement in peer drinking networks. The sample consisted of 7,372 10–14 year olds recruited from 231 schools in 30 Australian communities. Participants completed the Communities that Care youth survey. A multi-level model of school connectedness was used, with a random term for school-level variation. Key independent variables included family relationship quality, peer drinking networks, and school grade. Control variables included child gender, sensation seeking, depression, child alcohol use, parent education, and language spoken at home. For grade 6 students, the association of family relationship quality and school connectedness was lower when peer drinking networks were present, and this effect was nonsignificant for older (grade 8) students. Post hoc analyses indicated that the effect for family relationship quality on school connectedness was nonsignificant when adolescents in grade 6 reported that the majority of friends consumed alcohol. The results point to the importance of family-school partnerships in early intervention and prevention.     

Statistical learning is related to reading ability in children and adults

There is little empirical evidence showing a direct link between a capacity for statistical learning (SL) and proficiency with natural language. Moreover, discussion of the role of SL in language acquisition has seldom focused on literacy development. Our study addressed these issues by investigating the relationship between SL and reading ability in typically developing children and healthy adults. We tested SL using visually presented stimuli within a triplet learning paradigm and examined reading ability by administering the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-4; Wilkinson & Robertson, 2006). A total of 38 typically developing children (mean age of 9;5 years, range 6;4-12;5) and 37 healthy adults (mean age of 21 years, range 18-34) were assessed. In children, SL was significantly related to reading ability. Importantly, this relationship was independent of grade and also age. The adult data, too, revealed that SL was significantly related to reading ability. A regression analysis of the combined child and adult data revealed that SL accounted for a unique amount of variance in reading ability, after age and attention had been taken into consideration. For the first time, this study provides empirical evidence that a capacity for more effective SL is related to higher reading ability in the general population.     

Randomised trial of expressive writing for distressed metastatic breast cancer patients

Women with metastatic breast cancer and significant psychological distress (N?=?87) were assigned randomly to engage in four home-based sessions of expressive writing or neutral writing. Women in the expressive writing group wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their cancer, whereas women in the neutral writing group wrote about their daily activities in a factual manner. No statistically significant group differences in existential and psychological well-being, fatigue and sleep quality were found at 8-weeks post-writing. However, the expressive writing group reported significantly greater use of mental health services during the study than the neutral writing group (55% vs. 26%, respectively; p?相似文献   

Athletes' experiences of expressive writing about sports stressors

ObjectivesThis study explored athletes' experiences of expressive writing about competitive sport stressors using standard expressive writing and reversal theory framed writing (Apter, 2001).DesignThe study employed a qualitative approach including narrative analysis of expressive writing and semi-structured interviews with athletes.MethodSixteen athletes were randomly allocated to a standard expressive writing or a reversal theory framed writing group. Both groups completed expressive writing about a stressor using standardised instructions. The reversal theory writing group were instructed on reversal theory states and imagery use to recreate them which they employed to write from different state perspectives in four subsequent sessions. Standard writing group participants completed four sessions following usual expressive writing instructions. Both groups completed a final session following these instructions and were interviewed about expressive writing and their perceptions of the stressor.ResultsKey outcomes were: re-evaluation and perspective changes, self development, stressor confrontation, problem solving, emotion management and, future uses of expressive writing.ConclusionsExpressive writing may be a technique that is useful for some athletes and recommendations for its application are made.     

Review article

A training need to help core trainees prepare for the psychotherapy long case was identified. We prepared and showed a training DVD to all core psychiatric trainees at South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS trust. A questionnaire was designed to receive feedback from trainees. A total of 26 trainees participated. All trainees found the DVD informative. Most trainees found the DVD helpful in reducing their anxieties prior to taking on a long case. All trainees found the DVD accurately reflected their experience of psychotherapy and supervision. Using simulated and technology-aided learning material is a useful and economical way of introducing psychotherapy skills to core psychiatry trainees before the clinical supervised experience of a long case.