Moderators of the benefits of psychoeducational interventions for men with prostate cancer.

The authors examined whether 3 individual difference variables--self-esteem, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms--interacted with psychoeducational group interventions for men with prostate cancer (n = 250) to predict general and prostate-specific quality of life. Men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer were randomly assigned to an education intervention, an education plus group discussion intervention, or usual care and followed for 12 months. Eight groups of 10 to 12 men were convened in each condition. Men who began the study with lower self-esteem, lower prostate-specific self-efficacy, and higher depressive symptoms benefited the most from the interventions. Of these 3 moderator variables, the most consistent results emerged for self-esteem. That is, the benefits of the intervention were strongest for men with low self-esteem.     

Social Comparisons Among Women With Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Investigation1

We examined social comparisons made by women with breast cancer who participated in peer‐support interventions. This setting. in which participants were exposed to similar others, allowed for a longitudinal investigation of the frequency, antecedents. and consequences of social comparison. Consistent with the literature, the majority of comparisons were made to worse‐off others (downward), and the majority of comparisons were associated with positive affect (positive comparisons). Low self‐esteem. low internal locus of control, and high illness uncertainty were associated with making more negative comparisons. In addition, negative comparisons were associated with a decrease in perceived control and an increase in uncertainty over time. whereas positive doanbard comparisons were associated with an increase in self‐esteem. Implications for support groups are discussed.     

Is it beneficial to involve a family member? A meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for chronic illness.

Links between chronic illness and family relationships have led to psychosocial interventions targeted at the patient's closest family member or both patient and family member. The authors conducted a meta-analytic review of randomized studies comparing these interventions with usual medical care (k=70), focusing on patient outcomes (depression, anxiety, relationship satisfaction, disability, and mortality) and family member outcomes (depression, anxiety, relationship satisfaction, and caregiving burden). Among patients, interventions had positive effects on depression when the spouse was included and, in some cases, on mortality. Among family members, positive effects were found for caregiving burden, depression, and anxiety; these effects were strongest for nondementing illnesses and for interventions that targeted only the family member and that addressed relationship issues. Although statistically significant aggregate effects were found, they were generally small in magnitude. These findings provide guidance in developing future interventions in this area.     

The effects of venlafaxine and cognitive behavioral therapy alone and combined in the treatment of co-morbid alcohol use-anxiety disorders

The effects of the antidepressant venlafaxine (VEN-225 mg daily) and transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) alone and in combination on alcohol intake in subjects with co-morbid alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and anxiety disorders were compared. Drinking outcomes and anxiety were assessed for 81 subjects treated for 11 weeks with one of 4 conditions: 1) VEN–CBT, 2) VEN-Progressive Muscle Relaxation therapy (PMR), 3) Placebo (PLC)-CBT and 4) a comparison group of PLC-PMR. For subjects who reported taking at least one dose of study medication, the Time × Group interaction was significant for percent days of heavy drinking and drinks consumed per day. For the measure of percent days heavy drinking, the paired comparison of PLC-CBT versus PLC-PMR group indicated that the PLC-CBT group had greater drinking reductions, whereas other groups were not superior to the comparison group. In Week 11, the proportion of subjects in the PLC-CBT group that had a 50% reduction from baseline in percent days heavy drinking was significantly greater than those in the comparison group. Of the 3 “active treatment” groups only the PLC-CBT group had significantly decreased heavy drinking when contrasted to the comparison group. This finding suggests that the transdiagnostic CBT approach of Barlow and colleagues may have value in the management of heavy drinking in individuals with co-morbid alcoholism and anxiety.     

Complex Reaction Time and General Intelligence: A Refinement

College students (N = 28) completed a reaction-time task that yielded decision times for simple and complex conditions. Each student was also administered the revised edition of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales (WAIS-R). Decision-time parameters generally correlated negatively with WAIS subscales. These correlations reached significance, however, mainly with timed performance subscales. The results were consistent with Vernon's (1983) results.     

Factors Affecting the Psychodiagnostic Significance of Color Perception

50 males, 17 and 18 years of age, and their natural parents were given the Blacky Defense Preference Inventory to determine if there are commonalities of defense preferences within families and within sex groups.

The results tended to support the hypothesis that male adolescents manifest defense preferences more similar to those of their father than to nonrelated adult males but failed to support a comparable hypothesis concerning the adolescent's similarity of defense preferences to his mother versus nonrelated adult females. The adolescent males did not reveal defense preferences more similar to those of their father than of their mother nor were sex differences in defense preferences observed. An additional finding suggested that the adult males are more heterogeneous in their defense preferences than are adult females.     

Interplay Between Service Era,PTSD Symptom Expression,and Treatment Completion Among Veterans

The current veteran population has grown significantly as a result of 3 recent major conflicts: Vietnam, Persian Gulf War, and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Despite a strong presence in VA PTSD specialty clinics nationwide, little is known about how these veteran cohort groups differ in PTSD symptom presentation. Additionally, it is unclear how variations in PTSD symptom presentation may in turn affect treatment adherence and completion. Understanding factors associated with treatment dropout from exposure-based therapy for PTSD is an important area of study, as individuals who drop out of treatment are likely to remain symptomatic and experience significant impairment across a number of psychosocial domains. The present study examined the relationship between service theater affiliation and pretreatment symptom expression as predictors of treatment completion in a sample of 164 veterans. Although treatment completion did not differ by service era, study data revealed statistically significant differences in initial PTSD symptom expression. Implications of the results and future directions are discussed.