The Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Promote Mental Health and School Engagement in University Students: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this multisite randomized controlled trial was to determine whether an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was efficacious in improving university students’ psychological flexibility, mental health, and school engagement. Students were recruited in four Canadian universities and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 72) or a wait-list control group (n = 72). Students in the intervention group took part in four 2.5-hour workshops during a 4-week period and were asked to do exercises at home (e.g., meditation, observation grids). Wait-list students received the intervention soon after the post measurements. MANCOVAs and ANCOVAs revealed that students in the intervention group showed greater psychological flexibility at postintervention than those in the control group. They also reported greater well-being and school engagement, and lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Taken together, results of this study suggest that an ACT-based intervention offers a valuable way to promote mental health and school engagement in postsecondary settings.     

Sleep deprivation and hallucinations. A qualitative study of military personnel

Much anecdotal evidence suggests that sleep deprivation not only impairs performance, but also brings about other extraordinary effects like hallucinations. However, knowledge about how sleep deprivation may trigger hallucinations is limited. To qualitatively describe hallucinatory experiences during sleep deprivation 12 male military officers from the Norwegian Armed Forces who all had experienced at least one sleep loss-induced hallucinatory experience were recruited. Data were collected and analyzed by semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. This resulted in the identification of three distinct main themes: (1) Modalities, (2) circumstances/triggers and (3) reactions to hallucinations. Hallucinations were experienced in several modalities (visual, auditory and multi-modality), although visual hallucinations seemed to dominate. Typical reported circumstances/triggers were sleep loss, physical exhaustion, time-of-day, low calorie intake, mental exhaustion and lack of external stimuli (low sensory and social input, boring situations, and monotonous activity). Negative emotions were dominant during the hallucinatory episodes. Often some reasoning and checking on behalf of the officers were necessary to differentiate between real percepts and hallucinations. In some cases the hallucinations caused erroneous actions. Retrospectively, most officers viewed their hallucinatory experiences in light of positive emotions and several emphasized having learned something from them. The results are discussed in relation to the existing literature and suggestions for future studies are outlined.     

Priming and timing: a test of two perspectives

Supporting a ‘stage’ perspective of assimilation and contrast effects, and in contrast to an ‘extremity’ conceptualization, this study demonstrated that priming moderate person exemplars before the behaviour of an ambiguous target person had been encoded results in assimilation, whereas priming such exemplars after encoding results in a small contrast effect. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kooperatives Lernen mit Videokonferenzen: Gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion und individueller Lernerfolg

Summary. Desktop video conferencing enables learners to cooperate while being spatially apart, and to communicate synchronously while working on a collaborative task. Yet, little is known about both the collaborative knowledge construction in these technological settings and the adequate methods of supporting this activity. Therefore, we conducted an empirical study with the following research questions: (1) To what extent does the mode of dyadic collaboration (net-based vs. face-to-face) and the kind of structural support (content-specific vs. content-unspecific) influence the collaborative knowledge construction? (2) To what extent do these factors influence both the individual learning outcomes and the dyadic divergence of learning partners' individual outcomes? Analyzing mean values of collaborative knowledge construction and learning outcome variables, we did not find differences between face-to-face and videoconferencing groups. However, the dyadic divergence of learning partners' individual transfer knowledge was influenced by the learning conditions. The results of this exploratory study are discussed in their relevance for future research on cooperative learning and videoconferencing. Zusammenfassung. Videokonferenzsysteme ermöglichen es, dass sich Lernpartner an verschiedenen Orten aufhalten und bei der Bearbeitung einer gemeinsamen Aufgabe zeitgleich über eine audiovisuelle Verbindung miteinander kommunizieren. Bislang ist kaum untersucht, wie Lernende in videokonferenzbasierten Lernumgebungen gemeinsam Wissen konstruieren und welche Formen instruktionaler Unterstützung dafür angemessen sind. In einer empirischen Untersuchung sind wir deshalb u. a. folgenden Fragestellungen nachgegangen: (1) Inwieweit beeinflussen der Kooperationsmodus (Netz vs. Face-to-face) und die Art des Struktu (inhaltsspezifisch vs. inhaltsunspezifisch) die gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion? (2) Inwieweit beeinflussen der Kooperationsmodus (Netz vs. Face-to-face) und die Art des Strukturangebots (inhaltsspezifisch vs. inhaltsunspezifisch) den individuellen Lernerfolg und die Divergenz des individuellen Lernerfolgs zwischen den Lernpartnern? Im Mittel fanden sich weder Unterschiede im Hinblick auf die Merkmale der gemeinsamen Wissenskonstruktion noch hinsichtlich des individuellen Lernerfolgs zwischen Face-to-face- und Videokonferenz-Bedingungen. Es zeigte sich jedoch, dass sich die Divergenz des Lernerfolges in den verschiedenen Treatmentgruppen unterschied: Lernende, die in der Videokonferenz-Bedingung in derselben Dyade zusammengearbeitet hatten und dabei von dem inhaltsunspezifischen Strukturangebot unterstützt worden waren, waren sich im Lernerfolg weitaus ähnlicher als Lernende derselben Dyaden in den anderen experimentellen Gruppen. Die Befunde dieser explorativen Studie werden in ihrer Bedeutung für weitere Studien des Lernens mit Videokonferenzen und des kooperativen Lernens diskutiert.     

Post-event processing in social anxiety

A psychometric study was conducted in order to collect basic information about post-event processing in social anxiety. It was found that such processing occurs commonly after an anxiety-evoking or embarrassing social event and post-event processing scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.40) with social anxiety. The recollections of the social event tended to be recurrent and intrusive, interfering with concentration. Post-event processing was associated with the avoidance of similar social situations. The results are discussed in terms of the Clark and Wells model of social phobia.     

Possibilities and limits of rehabilitation in a young girl with total (global) aphasia

In the case discussed, the faculties retained and lost are described, and the aims and tasks of rehabilitation set out. The mode of procedure is elucidated by means of examples, the results achieved given, and the possible basis for the effectivity of the rehabilitation measures discussed.     

Diagnostic value of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in the cerebrospinal fluid

Samples from 1415 neurological patients were used to study the diagnostic value of acid alpha 1-glycoprotein in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid. The value of analysis for this substance is considered to lie in the detection of non-specific acute-phase reactions of various causes in the CNS with special reference to barrier problems. The large number of pathologically elevated values associated with acute inflammations of the meninges and cerebral parenchyme is particularly striking. The results of the studies are analyzed on the basis of comprehensive control investigations (n = 559).     

The pre-delirium syndrome in alcoholic patients in ambulatory care and its treatment

In an administrative district of roughly 70,000 inhabitants, two-thirds urban, one-third rural, 60 patients, 46 male, 14 female, received out-patient treatment for alcoholic predelirious syndromes during the period 1982-1986. The total number of predeliorious attacks was 91, age incidence lay between 18 and 65, peaking at 35 to 45. In 61.7% of the cases only one predelirious attack occurred, in 28.3% two, and in 10.0% three or more. Through the period there is a perceptible rising tendency. In eight cases there was an epileptic grand mal fit in the course of a predelirious attack. Out-patient treatment was successful in all but three cases, which definitely called for hospitalised treatment. Diazepam, Diazepam/Haloperiodol, and Distraneurin were administered orally as a regular part of the program of treatment. 30 times Diazepam and Haloperidol effected a cure, while in 61 attacks it appeared that treatment with Chlormethiazol was inevitable. Results are discussed and conclusions drawn.