A Method for Tracking Implementation Strategies: An Exemplar Implementing Measurement-Based Care in Community Behavioral Health Clinics

Implementation experts suggest tailoring strategies to the intended context may enhance outcomes. However, it remains unclear which strategies are best suited to address specific barriers to implementation, in part because few measurement methods exist that adhere to recommendations for reporting. In the context of a dynamic cluster randomized trial comparing a standardized to tailored approach to implementing measurement-based care (MBC), this study aimed to (a) describe a method for tracking implementation strategies, (b) demonstrate the method by tracking strategies generated by teams tasked with implementing MBC at their clinics in the tailored condition, and (c) conduct preliminary examinations of the relation between strategy use and implementation outcomes (i.e., self-reported fidelity to MBC). The method consisted of a coding form based on Proctor, Powell, and McMillen (2013) implementation strategy reporting guidelines and Powell et al.’s (2012) taxonomy to facilitate specification of the strategies. A trained research specialist coded digitally recorded implementation team meetings. The method allowed for the following characterization of strategy use. Each site generated 39 unique strategies across an average of six meetings in five months. There was little variability in the use of types of implementation strategies across sites with the following order of prevalence: quality management (50.00%), restructuring (16.53%), communication (15.68%), education (8.90%), planning (7.20%), and financing (1.69%). We identified a new category of strategies not captured by the existing taxonomy, labeled “communication.” There was no evidence that number of implementation strategies enacted was statistically significantly associated with changes in self-reported fidelity to MBC—however, financing strategies were associated with increased fidelity. This method has the capacity to yield rich data that will inform investigations into tailored implementation approaches.     

A historical and contemporary overview of Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences: Immigration, racialization, and liminality

When various contemporary issues of crime, violence, and gangs confronting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are presented, they are often explained from an ahistorical perspective. This leads to a decontextualized understanding of the communities and the challenges they face. The first part of this article will provide a general historical overview of selected AAPI communities that examines salient aspects of immigration and racialization, resulting in generations living a circumscribed life on the margins of mainstream society. The balance of the article will draw on U.S. Census datasets from 1990 to 2000 to capture the size and growth of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and provide population, language, citizenship, education, income, and poverty data to contextualize emerging crime, violence, and gang issues that affect these communities. Data will show commonalities across AAPI communities, but will also reveal information specific to AAPI subgroups, shedding more light on the state of AAPI communities and their diversity.     

Quality of Life of Individuals with Acquired Brain Injuries

This study investigated the quality of life of individuals with acquired brain injuries (ABI) across a one- to fifteen-year post-injury time span. This allows us to identify the health and service needs of individuals with ABI and provide direction for further improvement. Twenty-nine individuals were invited from the local Self-Help Group for the Brain-Damaged to participate in this study. Four instruments were used to help in the investigation of the subjective components of the quality of life, including the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS). The instruments used were the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Lawton Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) Scale. After analysis of the results and their interpretation, there was no significant difference between the post-injury groups in their scores of negative affect. It is suggested that there should be services, such as psychotherapy, to help reduce the existence of negative moods. Improvement in the IADL aspect should be more focused in future rehabilitation services to allow people to enjoy a fuller life.     

Learning to “See” Less Than Nothing: Putting Perceptual Skills to Work for Learning Numerical Structure

How can children's natural perceptuo-motor skills be harnessed for teaching and learning mathematical structure? We address this question in the case of the integers. Existing research suggests that adult mental representations of integers recruit perceptuo-motor functionalities involving symmetry. Building on these findings, we designed a hands-on curriculum that emphasizes symmetry to teach integer concepts to fourth graders. Compared to two control conditions, children who went through the experimental curriculum showed evidence of incorporating symmetry into their mental representations of integers and performed higher on problems beyond the scope of instruction, including negative fractions and algebra-readiness problems. Gains did not come at the expense of basic integer computation skill. This study has direct practical implications, as current integers curricula generally omit symmetry. The research demonstrates an approach to designing instruction that involves identifying perceptuo-motor functionalities underlying numerical cognition and creating learning activities to recruit them.     

Evaluation of the Bifactor Structure of the Dispositional Hope Scale

The Dispositional Hope Scale (DHS; Snyder et al., 1991) is composed of items assessing an individual's perception of his or her agency and pathways. This study examined support for the bifactor structure and relation of the factors in this model with depressive symptoms. It also examined cross-gender measurement invariance for the bifactor model. A community sample of 413 women and 257 men completed the DHS. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated more support for the bifactor model than the 1- and 2-factor models. Results also indicated full measurement invariance across gender for the bifactor and the 2-factor models. The general and the specific agency factors, but not the specific pathways factor, correlated with depressive symptoms. The better support for the bifactor model suggests that ideally hope has to be measured and examined by factors reflecting high covariance for agency and pathways, and also factors reflecting unique variances for agency and pathways. The support for full cross-gender measurement invariance indicated that there are no differences in measurement and scaling properties for the DHS across ratings provided by women and men, and therefore the DHS ratings can be scored in the same way for women and men.     

The socio-ecological psychology of residential mobility

From ancient time, Homo sapiens moved around in search of a better life. Although the development of agriculture and industrialization no longer necessitates frequently moving to find new food sources, people today still change their residences for a variety of reasons. This article highlights key findings from residential mobility, focusing on its implications for the self, social relationships, societies, and well-being. Generally, residential mobility shifts individual attention away from collective attributes toward personal attributes. It also changes people's relationship styles and preferences, leading individuals to favor wider social networks, more open communication, low-commitment groups, and egalitarian helpers. In addition, it increases tolerance for norm violations and moral deviations. Lastly, residential mobility can explain some cross-national and within-nation variations. This article reviews recent psychological research on residential mobility and then discusses limitations, paradoxical findings, and future directions.