A multi‐component approach to the treatment of chronic rumination

A multi‐component intervention was used to treat chronic rumination exhibited by an adult female diagnosed with a developmental disability. The intervention consisted of: (a) interruption of precursor behavior, (b) the alternation of 10‐min periods of continued instruction that involved walking and working with (c) 10‐min periods in which instructions were not delivered but a variable time 5‐s schedule of noncontingent attention was programmed, and (d) a 1‐min differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedule. During the intervention, rumination decreased by 82% relative to baseline. Next, components of the multi‐component intervention were systematically removed to evaluate their individual contribution. Results suggested that each individual component contributed to the overall treatment effects. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ALCOHOL AND DATING RISK FACTORS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AMONG COLLEGE WOMEN

American societal norms frequently link alcohol, dating, and sexuality. This cross-sectional study examined the role of alcohol and dating risk factors for sexual assault among a representative sample of female students at a large urban university. Over half of the 1,160 women had experienced some form of sexual assault. Ninety-five percent of these assaults were committed by someone the woman knew and almost half of these assaults involved alcohol consumption by either the man, the woman, or both. Discriminant function analyses indicated that dating, sexual, and misperception experiences and alcohol consumption during these experiences predicted assault group status. Furthermore, alcohol consumption during consensual sex and sexual misperceptions were positively related to alcohol consumption during the sexual assault. The predictors of assault group status were similar for African American and Caucasian women. Theoretical implications are discussed and suggestions are made for combining alcohol and sexual assault prevention programming.     

Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Schools: Consideration of Relationships Between Theory and Practice

Current research has found that students who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) in school are not identified early, their behaviours (and causes) are often misrepresented, and they may not receive appropriate intervention. In this paper we review current theories (and their shortcomings) on the identification and recommended actions for students who experience EBDs, acknowledging the importance of teachers' initial identification (as schools are the social arena within which most students who experience EBDs are first identified). We suggest that teachers' identification may not be informed by the full range of theories and explanations for EBDs and that they often disregard the emotional and relational aspect of EBDs which focus on individual students and fail to recognize the social context in which the students operate. These suggestions were supported in a questionnaire-based study. Teachers' identification of EBDs coincides with predominant theoretical explanations based upon an individual's inability to fit into society, seeing EBDs as a product rather than social process. Such a situation may encourage instability in classrooms and may not allow for adequate intervention for EBDs.     

Mediational effects of sensation seeking on the age and financial risk-taking relationship

The current study examined the potential mediating role of sensation seeking in the well-established negative relationship between age and financial risk-taking. A total of 299 participants, aged 17–90 years, allocated hypothetical money into mutual funds that varied in risk and completed a sensation seeking measure. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that the amount of variability age accounted for in risk-taking (4.1%; β = −.22) was significantly reduced when sensation seeking was controlled for (0.8%; β = −.12). A Sobel test revealed that sensation seeking fully mediated the aforementioned relationship. Results suggest sensation seeking’s role as a mediator in more physiologically arousing risk-taking contexts (e.g., surfing). Discussion recommends investigating potential biologically and cognitively-rooted mediators and moderators of the age and risk-taking relationship.     

Discussions of Diversity in a Classroom: A Phenomenological Study of Students in an MFT Training Program

Discussions about diversity, particularly race, gender, religion and spirituality, and sexual orientation, in marriage and family therapy courses can generate emotional responses in students and professors that vary from shame to anger. These discussions are necessary to help students understand diverse families as well as how one’s biases can affect his/her clinical work. Our qualitative study consisted of phenomenological interviews, which focused on discussions of diversity by six students from a marriage and family therapy program. Findings revealed that the ability of students to be aware of and discuss their reactions to these discussions is complex and influenced by their families of origin, their perceptions of other students, their views of the professor, and their race. Teaching implications are discussed in light of these findings.     

Enhancement of phonological memory following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Phonologically similar items (mell, rell, gell) are more difficult to remember than dissimilar items (shen, floy, stap), likely because of mutual interference of the items in the phonological store. Low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), guided by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to disrupt this phonological confusion by stimulation of the left inferior parietal (LIP) lobule. Subjects received TMS or placebo stimulation while remembering sets of phonologically similar or dissimilar pseudo-words. Consistent with behavioral performance of patients with neurological damage, memory for phonologically similar, but not dissimilar, items was enhanced following TMS relative to placebo stimulation. Stimulation of a control region of the brain did not produce any changes in memory performance. These results provide new insights into how the brain processes verbal information by establishing the necessity of the inferior parietal region for optimal phonological storage. A mechanism is proposed for how TMS reduces phonological confusion and leads to facilitation of phonological memory.     

Psychology in the public sector: addressing the psychological effects of combat in the U.S. Navy

The response of military psychology in times of war or other great public crises may presage the success of the profession in less perilous times. The ability of public-sector psychologists to provide assistance and improve the common welfare during conflict or turmoil is generally followed by an increased demand for psychological services. This likely reflects the success of the psychological response during those crises, and it underscores the fact that psychological consequences of war or disaster require both immediate clinical attention and long-term policy development. The U.S. Navy serves as a model for public-sector psychological service provision. A brief history of Navy psychology is provided, followed by an examination of how Navy psychologists are responding to the issues raised by the current conflict in the Middle East and the problems associated with stigma in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.     

Adapting to Context in Community-Based Participatory Research: “Participatory Starting Points” in a Chinese Immigrant Worker Community

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is increasingly being used to better understand and improve the health of diverse communities. A key strength of this research orientation is its adaptability to community contexts and characteristics. To date, however, few studies explicitly discuss adaptations made to CBPR principles and processes in response to community context and partners’ needs. Using data from our CBPR study, the San Francisco Chinatown Restaurant Worker Health and Safety Project, and drawing from literature on immigrant political incorporation, we examine the links between the contexts of the Chinese immigrant worker community, adaptations made by our collaborative, and study outcomes. In particular, we explore the concepts of contexts of reception and participatory starting points, which may be especially relevant for partnerships with immigrant communities whose members have historically had lower rates of civic and political participation in the US. We discuss contextual findings such as worker partner accounts of language barriers, economic and social marginalization, and civic skills and participation, as well as subsequent adaptations made by the partnership. We also describe the relative effectiveness of these adaptations in yielding equitable participation and building partners’ capacity. We conclude by sharing lessons learned and their implications for CBPR and partnerships with immigrant communities more broadly.     

Lucy's dividing family: My discovery of the person in the subject

Abstract

This essay is excerpted from a larger project the author conducted with adolescent and preadolescent children of divorce. It tells the personal story of the author's first interview experience with her first participant in this project, here called Lucy. At the time of the interview, she was 11 years old and her parents had been divorced for 3 years. In the effort to engage the reader as an outside interpreter of her story, this essay invites the reader in, to the “raw data” of Lucy's experiences, as described in her words. Presented here in dialogue are the two voices of participant and researcher, as well as researcher reflections and recollections of this memorable experience.