Authoritative Parenting, Parenting Stress, and Self-Care in Pre-Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Parent involvement in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) care leads to improved adherence; however, the manner in which parents approach illness management interactions with children must also be considered. It was hypothesized that greater use of an authoritative parenting style and less parenting stress would be associated with greater behavioral adherence and better metabolic control. Ninety-five primary caregivers of preadolescents (ages 8-11) with T1DM completed questionnaires assessing parenting style, pediatric parenting stress, and child behavioral adherence. Caregivers primarily self-identified as using an authoritative parenting style. Greater authoritative parenting was associated with greater behavioral adherence and less difficulty with pediatric parenting stress; no differences in metabolic control were observed. Greater engagement in authoritative parenting behaviors may contribute to increased age-appropriate child behavioral adherence and less pediatric parenting stress. Interventions highlighting diabetes-specific authoritative parenting techniques may enhance health outcomes and improve overall family functioning.     

Dissemination of therapist-assisted internet cognitive behaviour therapy: development and open pilot study of a workshop

There is considerable research suggesting that therapist-assisted Internet cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is efficacious in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Given this research, there is a growing interest in training students in therapist-assisted ICBT in order to assist with the dissemination of this emerging modality into routine clinical practice. In this study, we developed, delivered, and evaluated a therapist-assisted ICBT workshop for clinical psychology graduate students (n?=?20). The workshop provided both research evidence and practical information related to the delivery of therapist-assisted ICBT. The workshop also incorporated an experiential component with students working on and discussing responses to client e-mails. Before and after the workshop, we measured knowledge of therapist-assisted ICBT research and professional practice issues, as well as attitudes towards and confidence in delivering therapist-assisted ICBT. Statistically significant changes were observed in all areas. Eighty-five per cent of students are now offering therapist-assisted ICBT under supervision. We conclude by discussing future research directions related to disseminating therapist-assisted ICBT.     

The effect of explanation in simple binary decision tasks

Many studies of explanation have focused on higher level tasks and on how explanations draw upon relevant prior knowledge, which then helps in understanding some event or observation. However, explanations may also affect performance in simple tasks even when they include no task-relevant information. In three experiments, we show that explanations adding no task-relevant information alter performance in a sequential binary decision task. Whereas people with no explanation for why two events occurred at different rates tended to predict each outcome in proportion to their probability of occurrence (to "probability match"), people with an explanation tended to predict the more likely event more often (to "overmatch," a better strategy). These results suggest a broader view of explanation, which includes a role in shaping simple tasks outside of higher level reasoning.     

Attunement to haptic information helps skilled performers select implements for striking a ball in cricket

This study examined the perceptual attunement of relatively skilled individuals to the physical properties of striking implements in the sport of cricket. We also sought to assess whether utilizing bats with different physical properties would influence performance of a specific striking action: the front foot straight drive. Eleven skilled male cricketers (mean age = 16.6 ± 0.3 years) from an elite school cricket development program consented to participate in the study. While blindfolded, participants wielded six bats exhibiting different mass and moment of inertia (MOI) characteristics and were asked to identify the three bats they preferred the most for hitting a ball to a maximum distance by performing a front foot straight drive (a common shot in cricket). Next, participants actually attempted to hit balls projected from a ball machine using each of the six bat configurations to enable kinematic analysis of front foot straight drive performance with each implement. Results revealed that, on first choice, the two bats with the smallest mass and MOI values (1 and 2) were most preferred by almost two thirds (63.7 %) of the participants. Kinematic analysis of movement patterns revealed that bat velocity, step length, and bat–ball contact position measures significantly differed between bats. Data revealed how skilled youth cricketers were attuned to the different bat characteristics and harnessed movement system degeneracy to perform this complex interceptive action.     

Retest learning in the absence of item-specific effects: Does it show in the oldest-old?

This study examined whether the nonitem-specific retest learning effects, previously shown with young-old adults primarily in their 60s and 70s, could be extended to oldest-old adults aged 80 and onward. Twenty-one oldest-olds participated in an 8-session retest training program with three ability domains: perceptual speed, inductive reasoning, and visual attention. Their data were compared with the data of 30 young-olds collected in a previous work (Yang, Reed, Russo, & Wilkinson, 2009). The two age groups showed largely equivalent retest learning effects. In addition, only young-olds were able to benefit from item-specific retest learning, specifically in reasoning and perceptual speed tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

The control of working memory resources in intentional forgetting: evidence from incidental probe word recognition

We combined an item-method directed forgetting paradigm with a secondary task requiring a response to discriminate the color of probe words presented 1400 ms, 1800 ms or 2600 ms following each study phase memory instruction. The speed to make the color discrimination was used to assess the cognitive demands associated with instantiating Remember (R) and Forget (F) instructions; incidental memory for probe words was used to assess whether instantiating an F instruction also affects items presented in close temporal proximity. Discrimination responses were slower following F than R instructions at the two longest intervals. Critically, at the 1800 ms interval, incidental probe word recognition was worse following F than R instructions, particularly when the study word was successfully forgotten (as opposed to unintentionally remembered). We suggest that intentional forgetting is an active cognitive process associated with establishing control over the contents of working memory.     

The Role and Value of Chaplains in the Ambulance Service: Paramedic Perspectives

Journal of Religion and Health - Chaplains are employed by ambulance services in many states across Australia as one element in a suite of initiatives to support the health and wellness of...     

Promoting Mental Health in Parents of Young Children Using eHealth Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review - Parent stress and mental health problems negatively impact early child development. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the...