Evidence Based Treatments for Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Limited research has been devoted to developing and testing psychosocial treatments for bipolar disorder (BPD) in children and adolescents, a chronic and impairing mental illness that has received increased attention in recent years. Existing treatments are intended as adjuncts to medication, and share a family-based psychoeducation approach. Components of four treatments are discussed: family-focused treatment (FFT), the RAINBOW Program, multi-family psychoeducation groups (MFPG), and individual family psychoeducation (IFP). Evidence supporting each approach is detailed. Selected components of MFPG are described. A flowchart provides suggestions for sequencing interventions to maximize effectiveness. To illustrate the use of evidence-based treatment for children with BPD, a case example is provided.

Predicting the decision to pursue mediation in civil disputes: a hierarchical classes analysis

Clients (N = 185) involved in civil court cases completed the CPR Institute's Mediation Screen, which is designed to assist in making a decision about pursuing mediation. The authors modeled data using hierarchical classes analysis (HICLAS), a clustering algorithm that places clients into 1 set of classes and CPRMS items into another set of classes. HICLAS then links the sets of classes so that any class of clients can be identified in terms of the classes of items they endorsed. HICLAS-derived item classes reflected 2 underlying themes: (a) suitability of the dispute for a problem-solving process and (b) potential benefits of mediation. All clients who perceived that mediation would be beneficial also believed that the context of their conflict was favorable to mediation; however, not all clients who saw a favorable context believed they would benefit from mediation. The majority of clients who agreed to pursue mediation endorsed items reflecting both contextual suitability and perceived benefits of mediation.     

Effects of verb complexity on speech errors

Two experiments examined whether semantically related verbs that contrast with respect to the absence versus the presence of an additional semantic feature differentially compete for selection during the encoding of a sentence for production. In both experiments, a speech error induction task was used to elicit contextual (misordering) errors involving semantically related verbs that contrasted only in their semantic complexity or in both their semantic and morphophonological complexity. The prediction was that an asymmetry in contextual errors would be observed in which the more complex verbs would replace the simpler verbs more often than the reverse. This prediction was confirmed in both experiments, with more perseverations and anticipations involving the semantically more complex verb of antonym pairs in Experiment 1, and more perseverations and anticipations involving the semantically more-specified verb of a heavy-light pair in Experiment 2. The implications of the results for spreading-activation theories of language production are discussed.     

Multiple visualisation in data analysis: a ViSta application for principal component analysis

Multiple visualisation (MV) is a statistic graphical method barely applied in data analysis practice, even though it provides interesting features for this purpose. This paper: (1) describes the application of the MV graphical method; (2) presents a number of rules related to the design of an MV; (3) introduces a general outline for developing MVs and shows how MV may be implemented in the ViSta statistical system; (4) illustrates this strategy by means of an example of MV oriented to principal component analysis; and, finally, (5) discusses some limitations of using and developing MVs.     

Expectancy-Value Models of Attitude: Measurement and Combination of Evaluations and Beliefs1

Two studies investigated methodological issues arising from the use of the Fishbein-Ajzen expectancy-value model of attitudes. Different expectancy-value models— based on manipulations of scoring procedure (bi-polar vs. uni-polar scoring of beliefs) and combinatorial rule (multiplication vs. addition of value and expectancy components) -were explicitly compared. Although they used different attitudinal items and samples, both studies obtained significantly lower correlations with overall attitude by using the multiplicative/bi-polar belief model than by using multiplicative/uni-polar belief and additive models. Linear transformations of the belief component had a dramatic effect on the multiplicative model, but had no impact on the additive model. The findings are discussed in terms of their practical and theoretical importance.     

Detection of a Psychiatric Diagnosis in Heart Transplant Candidates with the MBHI

The utility of the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) in screening for the formal diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder was investigated in a sample of 90 heart transplant candidates, a population at risk for psychiatric disturbance. Psychiatric disorders were identified in 71% of patients, the majority being adjustment disorder. Sensitivity and specificity rates of >70% were determined in discriminant function analyses, for presence or absence of a psychiatric condition. When Axis I conditions were differentiated as mild (adjustment reaction only) or severe (all other Axis I conditions, including comorbid Axis II disorders), the MBHI correctly identified every severe case as a probable psychiatric diagnosis. The rate of clinically significant elevations on certain MBHI scales and severity of Axis I psychiatric condition was also significantly associated. These findings suggest that the MBHI may have potential utility in identifying high-risk patients with diagnosable psychiatric conditions and help justify mental health consultation referrals at a time when managed care entities are vigorously rationing ancillary services with medically ill populations.     

What Works for the Gander Does Not Work as Well for the Goose: The Effects of Leader Behavior

This study examines the effects of leader behaviors and leader gender on employees' perceptions of support from the organization and employee commitment to the organization. Ninety-one employees completed a survey measuring leader behaviors, perceived organizational support, and organizational commitment. Results confirmed the hypothesis that a high interpersonal orientation and high task orientation had the most positive effect on employee attitudes. However, the high interpersonal orientation and high task orientation were not equally effective for both female and male leaders. Employees perceived more support from the organization when their supervisors, either female or male, used a high consideration–high initiating structure style than when they used a low consideration–low initiating structure style. On the other hand, only those employees who work for a male supervisor who is high in consideration and high in initiating structure were more committed to the organization.     

Chronic Auditory Agnosia Following Landau-Kleffner Syndrome: A 23 Year Outcome Study

We report a 27-year-old woman with chronic auditory agnosia following Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) diagnosed at age 4 1/2 . She grew up in the hearing/speaking community with some exposure to manually coded English and American Sign Language (ASL). Manually coded (signed) English is her preferred mode of communication. Comprehension and production of spoken language remain severely compromised. Disruptions in auditory processing can be observed in tests of pitch and duration, suggesting that her disorder is not specific to language. Linguistic analysis of signed, spoken, and written English indicates her language system is intact but compromised because of impoverished input during the critical period for acquisition of spoken phonology. Specifically, although her sign language phonology is intact, spoken language phonology is markedly impaired. We argue that deprivation of auditory input during a period critical for the development of a phonological grammar and auditory–verbal short-term memory has limited her lexical and syntactic development in specific ways.