Utility of computerized case simulations in therapist training and evaluation

The present quasi-experimental study attempted to evaluate the utility of a set of three computer simulations for therapist training and evaluation by comparing psychology students from two universities at three training levels. The three groups consisted of junior and senior level undergraduates, first year graduate students, and third or fourth year graduate students. Analysis of outcome measures indicated subjects were generally accepting of computer simulation use for therapist training and evaluation and performance differences between the groups could be explained by group population differences. The results are discussed relative to the utility for computer simulations use for therapist training and evaluation.     

The impact of synthesis teaching and parent training with mothers of conduct-disordered children

A procedure to enhance the impact of parent training with multistressed mother — child dyads was explored with 29 clinic-referred dyads. The procedure, called synthesis teaching, was provided for one randomly selected group of dyads, while the other group was engaged in problem discussions about their children. Both groups received parent training as the principal intervention for the mothers' conduct-disordered children. Results showed that these interventions had no effects on dyads in the clinic setting, but had a progressively more significant effect at home for the synthesis teaching group. That is, mothers in this group showed reductions in their indiscriminate parenting and their children demonstrated behavioral improvements. In contrast, mothers in the control group did not change their behavior and their children did not demonstrate observed behavioral changes. Interpretations of the results center on how synthesis teaching might have produced these effects.The research data reported in this paper were generated by support from grant R01-1068-58 from the National Institute of Mental Health, Crime and Delinquency Section.     

Neuropsychological rehabilitation: microcomputer-assisted treatment of brain-injured adults.

This study was designed to investigate the contribution of cognitive rehabilitation therapy delivered by computer within an educationally based treatment program for brain-injured adults. The effectiveness of two forms of computer-assisted neuropsychological treatment was examined, 36 head-injured adults received the treatment targeting either attention and memory skills or reasoning and logical thinking skills. Both groups were assessed on three measures of attention and memory and three measures of reasoning before and after the 8-wk. treatment. Analysis indicated significant improvement on five of six measures by both groups. No differential effect was observed by treatment condition. These findings did not support the hypothesis that computer-assisted neuropsychological rehabilitation programs which differ in both content and focus can produce specific effects on cognitive functioning of brain-injured adults.     

Reviews

B rome , V incent . Jung: man and myth
H ill , G., D etloff , V., K irsch , T., M c G uire , W. and S tewart , L. (Eds.). The Shaman from Elko
M attoon , M ary A nn . Applied dream analysis: a Jungian approach
S andner , D onald . Navaho symbols of healing
M alan , D. H. Individual psychotherapy and the science of psychodynamics
B rown , D. and P edder , J. Introduction to psychotherapy: an outline of psychodynamic principles and practice     

Spirituality and Post-Stroke Aphasia Recovery

Journal of Religion and Health - The role of spirituality in post-stroke aphasia recovery has been ignored despite its potential contribution to positive health outcomes, particularly stroke...     

Abusive supervision and subordinates' organization deviance

The authors developed an integrated model of the relationships among abusive supervision, affective organizational commitment, norms toward organization deviance, and organization deviance and tested the framework in 2 studies: a 2-wave investigation of 243 supervised employees and a cross-sectional study of 247 employees organized into 68 work groups. Path analytic tests of mediated moderation provide support for the prediction that the mediated effect of abusive supervision on organization deviance (through affective commitment) is stronger when employees perceive that their coworkers are more approving of organization deviance (Study 1) and when coworkers perform more acts of organization deviance (Study 2).     

Psychological inflexibility in childhood and adolescence: development and evaluation of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth

The authors describe the development and validation of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y), a child-report measure of psychological inflexibility engendered by high levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance. Consistent with the theory underlying acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), items converged into a 17-item scale (AFQ-Y) and an 8-item short form (AFQ-Y8). A multimethod psychometric approach provides preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the AFQ-Y and AFQ-Y8. In 5 substudies, 3 samples (total N = 1369) were used to establish (a) item comprehension (n = 181), (b) initial item selection (n = 513), (c) final item reduction and development of a short form for research (n = 346), (d) comprehensive psychometric evaluation of the AFQ-Y and AFQ-Y8 (n = 329), and (e) convergent and construct validity for both versions of the AFQ-Y. Overall, results suggest that the AFQ-Y and AFQ-Y8 may be useful child-report measures of core ACT processes.     

Quality of Life in Male Osteoporosis Decreases as the Number of Fracture Increases

We would like to evaluate quality of life (QL) using validated indexes (QUALEFFO, SF-36) in non-hospitalised osteoporotic men. We have also compared QL in primary or secondary osteoporosis and we have evaluated QL according to the number of fractures. 142 men aged 18 to 80 years (60.3 ± 12.8 years) completed these questionnaires at least 2 months after a fracture. Among them, 81.6% had osteoporosis with fractures and 58% had 2 or more vertebral fractures. Osteoporosis was primary in 52% of cases. The decrease in quality of life due to osteoporotic fractures in men appears comparable to that caused by post menopausal osteoporosis. The impairment of QL concerns all ITEMs ie pain, mobility, social activities, mental functiun, health perception. The primary or secondary nature of the osteoporosis does not influence the decrease in quality of life. Quality of life decreases as the number of fractures increases.     

A comparison of self‐report of criminal involvement and official arrest records

Self‐reports of arrests and official arrest records were compared for 250 male and 80 female participants in the ongoing Hyperactivity Follow‐Up Study of Young Adults at University of California at Berkeley. For males, kappa coefficients indicated good statistical agreement between arrest records and self‐report measures for 7 of the 12 types of crimes. Statistical agreement, however, may not be the most meaningful yardstick to judge concordance. Additional analyses reveal that for almost all of the crimes examined, one third or more of those with an arrest record for the crime failed to reveal this information on the self‐report measure. Arrests for both some high‐frequency, less serious crimes and some low‐frequency, more serious crimes were not revealed in the subjects’ self‐reports. An examination of the unique information gained from self‐reports found that the subjects most often reported committing public disorder crimes for which they were not caught (over 30%) and were least likely to self‐report crimes against people (less than 10%). Furthermore, subjects with more convictions were more likely to accurately self‐report their criminal involvement. Since both self‐report and official records each contribute unique information and reflect different sources of error, it is proposed that a combination of both types of records is the most inclusive indicator of criminal activity in adulthood. Aggr. Behav. 27:44–54, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Racial Socialization,Private Regard,and Behavior Problems in African American Youth: Global Self-Esteem as a Mediator

Racial socialization messages appear to have varying impacts on the adjustment of African American youth. To further explore this, we examined how two types of racial socialization messages might influence African American youth internalizing and externalizing behavior. The Youth Self Report was used to measure these behavior outcomes. Given that racial socialization messages may not be directly linked to behavior outcomes, we considered private regard, an aspect of racial identity, to serve as a mediator. Additionally, we examined global self-esteem as a mediator of the complex dynamic between racial socialization messages and behavior outcomes. Adolescents in our study completed paper assessments. Majority of the participants were female (56?%) and reside in a metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic region. Adolescent’s ages ranged from 14 to 17 years with the average age being 15 years old. Path analysis revealed cultural pride and alertness to discrimination messages varied in their relation to private regard. Results also indicated a strong linkage between private regard, global self-esteem, and internalizing behaviors. Interestingly, the linkage between private regard, global self-esteem and externalizing behaviors was not as robust. Further, private regard appeared to directly and indirectly impact externalizing behaviors. The implications of these findings for racial socialization strategies, identity development (racial and global) as it pertains to behavior problems for African American adolescents are discussed.