Child and Family Team Meeting Characteristics and Outcomes in a Statewide System of Care

Systems of care (SOC) have relied on the wraparound care process to individualize community‐based services for children and youth with serious emotional and behavioral difficulties. A core element of wraparound care is Child and Family Team meetings (CFTs), which are designed to give youth and families a leadership role in developing and guiding their plan of care. The National Wraparound Initiative (NWI) has identified Practice Standards regarding CFT implementation. This study examined CFT characteristics and the association between those characteristics and youth and family outcomes in a statewide SOC. Participants were 363 youth (M_age = 10.89, SD = 3.72) and their caregivers. Families completed measures of youth and caregiver functioning and symptoms at enrollment and 6‐month follow‐up. Care coordinators completed a survey assessing CFT implementation and characteristics following each meeting. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between CFT characteristics and youth and caregiver outcomes. Results indicated that a higher number of CFTs was associated with poorer outcomes, while a higher percentage of natural supports at meetings was associated with better youth outcomes. Number of days to the first CFT was associated with greater caregiver strain. Implications for CFT implementation within wraparound are discussed.     

The effectiveness of SpeechEasy during situations of daily living

A multiple single-subject design was used to examine the effects of SpeechEasy on stuttering frequency in the laboratory and in longitudinal samples of speech produced in situations of daily living (SDL). Seven adults who stutter participated, all of whom had exhibited at least 30% reduction in stuttering frequency while using SpeechEasy during previous laboratory assessments. For each participant, speech samples recorded in the laboratory and SDL during device use were compared to samples obtained in those settings without the device. In SDL, stuttering frequencies were recorded weekly for 9-16 weeks during face-to-face and phone conversations. Participants also provided data regarding device tolerance and perceived benefits. Laboratory assessments were conducted at the beginning and the end of the longitudinal data collection in SDL. All seven participants exhibited reduced stuttering in self-formulated speech in the Device compared to No-device condition during the first laboratory assessment. In the second laboratory assessment, four participants exhibited less stuttering and three exhibited more stuttering with the device than without. In SDL, five of seven participants exhibited some instances of reduced stuttering when wearing the device and three of these exhibited relatively stable amounts of stuttering reduction during long-term use. Five participants reported positive changes in speaking-related attitudes and perceptions of stuttering. Further investigation into the short- and long-term effectiveness of SpeechEasy in SDL is warranted. Educational objectives: The reader will be able to summarize: (1) issues pertinent to evaluating treatment benefits of wearable fluency aids and evaluate (2) the effect of SpeechEasy on stuttering frequency and the perceived benefits of device use in situations of daily living, as assessed weekly over the course of 9-16 weeks of wear, for seven adults who stutter.     

Gender differences in "social portraits" reflected in MySpace profiles.

The internet has brought about an entirely new method of self-presentation in such online social networking Web sites as MySpace in which individuals create profiles that reflect their identity. This cyber social tool provides a new site of analysis to examine the extent of patterns of gendered identity in which females tend to turn to others for validation in contrast to males, who are more apt to maintain their individuality and whose relationships are more of an extension of their already-complete selves. In this study of 51 female and 49 male MySpace profiles, males were less apt to mention their significant other in the "About Me" section: 43% mentioned their significant other 0 times compared to 16% of females, and 14% of males mentioned their significant other between 2 and 10 times compared to 37% of females (p = 0.003). In the "Interests" section, the majority of males (67%) did not mention their significant other at all compared to 47% of females, and 33% mentioned her between 1 and 5 times compared to 53% of females (p = 0.05). These results reveal that online data sources manifest identity formation consistent with traditional gender roles in which females are dependent on others for their sense of self.     

Neuroimaging and disorders of consciousness: envisioning an ethical research agenda

The application of neuroimaging technology to the study of the injured brain has transformed how neuroscientists understand disorders of consciousness, such as the vegetative and minimally conscious states, and deepened our understanding of mechanisms of recovery. This scientific progress, and its potential clinical translation, provides an opportunity for ethical reflection. It was against this scientific backdrop that we convened a conference of leading investigators in neuroimaging, disorders of consciousness and neuroethics. Our goal was to develop an ethical frame to move these investigative techniques into mature clinical tools. This paper presents the recommendations and analysis of a Working Meeting on Ethics, Neuroimaging and Limited States of Consciousness held at Stanford University during June 2007. It represents an interdisciplinary approach to the challenges posed by the emerging use of neuroimaging technologies to describe and characterize disorders of consciousness.     

Factor structure of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale in Hong Kong adolescents

We present data from the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) for 2 samples of Hong Kong community adolescents (combined N = 1,385). The 4 positive affect items related poorly to the remainder of the scale. Using 16 items, the data were consistent with 2 models with highly correlated factors: (a) a 2-factor model, 1 of which merged somatic and affective items, and (b) a 3-factor model separating somatic, depressed, and interpersonal items. Correlations with related constructs provide preliminary support of validity. Hong Kong adolescents are influenced both by traditional concepts of mind-body holism and Western psychological models separating psychological and somatic symptoms.     

ANZSJA's Songlines and Haerenga model of training

Part One and Part Two of this article present the Australian and New Zealand Society of Jungian Analysts' 2006 model of training. The authors describe the process and thinking behind ANZSJA's recent revision of training. The influences on the development of analytical psychology and analytic training in ANZSJA are traced in the first paper. The training review undertaken indicated the desire for ANZSJA to continue to train Jungian analysts by exploring new ways of conceptualizing training. The images, metaphors and thinking, which underlie this innovative training model, are explored. The challenge involved in providing and developing training across a large geographic region with widely distributed and slender resources was embraced. ANZSJA have acknowledged the traditional practices of Australian and New Zealand indigenous peoples. The motif of journey and movement is at the core of the ANZJSA model. The ANZJSA training is not held or contained in a building or buildings but rather held at 'meeting sites' across the landscape of these two countries. Accountability and transparency are central to this training model. In Part Two of the article the structure and documentation developed for this model are contextualized, outlined and linked to the ethos underpinning the current thrust of analytical training in Australia and New Zealand. The focus is the practical mechanisms and processes, which we have evolved to deliver our new training model. The process of engaging analysts in the new model is discussed.     

Examining Race/Ethnicity and Fears of Children and Adolescents in the United States: Differences Between White,African American,and Hispanic Populations

The American Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC‐AM; J. J. Burnham, 1995, 2005) has been used to measure fears of children and adolescents. The FSSC‐AM is based on the 2nd revision of a psychometrically sound and well‐known fear scale (i.e., FSSC‐II; E. Gullone & N. J. King, 1992). In this study, age and gender differences, fear intensity scores, and fear prevalence scores were analyzed across race/ethnicity (i.e., White, African American, and Hispanic populations). Multivariate analyses of variance yielded significant effects for race/ethnicity.     

A follow-up of a media-based,worksite smoking cessation program

Described an examination of data collected 2 years following the onset of a media-based, worksite smoking cessation intervention. Thirty-eight companies in Chicago were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions. In the inital 3-week phase, all participants in both conditions received self-help manuals and were instructed to watch a 20-day televised series designed to accompany the manual. In addition, participants in the group (G) condition received six sessions emphasizing quitting techniques and social support. In the second phase, which continued for 12 months, employees in G participated in monthly peer-led support groups and received incentives, while participants in the nongroup (NG) condition received no further treatment. Twenty-four months after pretest, 30% of employees in G were abstinent compared to only 19.5% in NG. This study is one of the few experimentally controlled worksite smoking cessation interventions to demonstrate significant program differences 2 years following the initial intervention. Our thanks to Lori Klett and Libby Yeager-Turner for their help in data collection. Work on the project was supported in part by National Institute on Drug Abuse grant DA-04406-01 and a grant from the Chicago Lung Association to the second author.