Nonword repetition and phoneme elision in adults who do and do not stutter: Vocal versus nonvocal performance differences

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to enhance our understanding of phonological working memory in adults who stutter through the comparison of nonvocal versus vocal nonword repetition and phoneme elision task performance differences.MethodFor the vocal nonword repetition condition, participants repeated sets of 4- and 7-syllable nonwords (n = 12 per set). For the nonvocal nonword repetition condition, participants silently identified each target nonword from a subsequent set of three nonwords. For the vocal phoneme elision condition, participants repeated nonwords with a target phoneme eliminated. For the nonvocal phoneme elision condition, participants silently identified the nonword with the designated target phoneme eliminated from a subsequent set of three nonwords.ResultsAdults who stutter produced significantly fewer accurate initial productions of 7-syllable nonwords compared to adults who do not stutter. There were no talker group differences for the silent identification of nonwords, but both talker groups required significantly more mean number of attempts to accurately silently identify 7-syllable as compared to 4-syllable nonwords. For the vocal phoneme elision condition, adults who stutter were significantly less accurate than adults who do not stutter in their initial production and required a significantly higher mean number of attempts to accurately produce 7-syllable nonwords with a phoneme eliminated. This talker group difference was also significant for the nonvocal phoneme elision condition for both 4- and 7-syllable nonwords.ConclusionPresent findings suggest phonological working memory may contribute to the difficulties persons who stutter have establishing and/or maintaining fluent speech.Educational Objectives: (a) Readers can describe the role of phonological working memory in planning for and execution of speech; (b) readers can describe two experimental tasks for exploring the phonological working memory: nonword repetition and phoneme elision; (c) readers can describe how the nonword repetition and phoneme elision skills of adults who stutter differ from their typically fluent peers.     

An exploration of an integrated counselling and coaching approach with distressed young people

This mixed methods study explored the effectiveness and experience of an integrated counselling and coaching approach with young people. An effectiveness study allocated 80 young people aged between 13 and 25 years from four Youth Information Advice and Counselling Services centres in England to two groups: an integrated counselling and coaching group, based on the Personal Consultancy (PC) model, and a humanistic counselling group. Self-report measures of distress were administered at baseline and endpoint. Findings of the quantitative analysis showed that although baseline distress levels between groups were equivalent, post-intervention levels were significantly lower in the integrated group. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of qualitative experiences from five young people from the integrated group explored possible reasons for these results. Five master themes emerged: making sense of past, present and/or future, developing a sense of agency, management of affect, enhancing interpersonal relationships and development of self. Findings indicated that young people responded well to the integrated treatment; attending to intra-psychic issues alongside their developmental challenges seemed to have a beneficial effect on their sense of agency in particular. In conclusion, PC may be an effective means of reducing distress in young people.     

Effects of lifestyles and the Mediterranean diet on elderly people’s quality of life according to gender / Efectos de los estilos de vida y la dieta mediterránea en la calidad de vida en personas mayores en función del género

Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been associated with certain eating habits, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD) and lifestyles. However, the specific role of gender in this association is not yet known. The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between the consumption of the MD essential foods and lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol consumption and exercise) with the HRQoL of 340 elderly people aged over 60 living in the Spanish Mediterranean area. The results show a better HRQoL in males. Compared to females, the lifestyles of males include a moderate consumption of alcohol and tobacco in addition to a greater frequency of physical activity. The predictive models of HRQoL were also different between males and females, as the influence of lifestyles and MD were greater in males. These results are clinically useful for the designing of programmes that promote successful ageing as they can be specified for sex.     

Developing and Adapting a Mindfulness-Based Group Intervention for Racially and Economically Marginalized Patients in the Bronx

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs; e.g., MBSR, MBCT, ACT) have been widely used and disseminated for treatment of myriad physical and psychological problems. However, most MBIs have primarily been used with middle-or upper-class White populations, with some instances where they have been adapted for use with diverse populations (e.g., Burnett-Zeigler et al., 2016, Roth and Robbins, 2004). However, even when adapted, most MBIs have not explicitly addressed unique factors faced by the target population, such as racial discrimination, unemployment, lack of financial means, and other stressors. We developed and used an iterative approach to refine a MBI group based on MBSR and MBCT, for a racially and ethnically diverse population in the Bronx, considered by the U.S. census to be the most diverse in the country. Based on a trauma-informed care and centering people of color approach, we developed a longer than usual (16 weeks) mindfulness-based group, where core skills were broken down into smaller chunks to facilitate easier incorporation into daily life. We also used a longer duration and 1-hour weekly meeting time keeping in mind needs of the individuals, who often had limited time to participate due to work limitations and other comorbid physical conditions. While acknowledging that the individuals this group was catering to had experienced multiple traumatic events, we sought to also highlight and further develop the resilience and courage people in the Bronx community bring to the table. We review two clinically rich case vignettes, and also discuss recommendations for working with racially and economically marginalized people, and include a call to action for health care providers and organizations to engage in activism.     

Integrative review on career interventions with unemployed people: Nature,outcomes, and recommendations

The study of career development among unemployed people is vital for effective institutional responses. This integrative review based on Torraco's protocol fills a literature gap by synthesizing research on interventions for this population. Seven keywords, five databases, and six eligibility criteria were defined. Among 324 articles, 36 were reviewed. Findings highlight diverse counseling modalities, emphasizing group interventions and remote delivery. Tailored approaches, including length, frequency, and social-emotional and career dimensions, are crucial. Practical recommendations emphasize comprehensive, psychological support, goal-oriented counseling, and postintervention assistance. These insights underscore vocational psychology's importance in addressing unemployment, impacting government policies, career services, and psychologists.     

Suicide attempts and stressful life events among homeless people in Madrid (Spain)

The article describes a study carried out with a representative sample of homeless people in Madrid (Spain; N = 188). This study aims to corroborate the relationship identified in the literature between stressful life events and suicidal behaviour in a group in a situation of social exclusion, to assess the differences in the number and characteristics of stressful life events experienced by homeless people who are attempters and non‐attempters, and to identify which combination of stressful life events enables discrimination for suicide attempts among homeless people. The results show that 30% of homeless people in Madrid had attempted suicide, and 57.9% of them had done so for the first time when they were homeless. The interviewees are shown to have experienced a large amount of stressful life events, with substantially more stressors experienced by the homeless people who tried to commit suicide, during both their childhood and adolescence and throughout their life. Finally, we found that the combination of 7 stressful life events provided the best possible discrimination between homeless attempters and non‐attempters.     

Attachment,Social Support,Resilience and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Chinese Adults Living with HIV/AIDS

The present study aimed to examine the effects of attachment, social support and resilience on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in people living with HIV/AIDS. One hundred fifty-two HIV+ adults in China were investigated. The results suggested that attachment anxiety had a significant direct effect on PTSD symptoms and impacted PTSD symptoms indirectly though associations with social support and resilience. Attachment avoidance could also be considered a distal risk factor of PTSD symptoms via the mediation of social support and resilience. The findings highlight the importance of identifying trauma and PTSD symptoms in people affected by HIV/AIDS and suggest that people with attachment anxiety and low social support resources might be at high risk for PTSD.     

Aging of theory of mind: The influence of educational level and cognitive processing

Previous studies of theory of mind (ToM) in old age have provided mixed results. We predicted that educational level and cognitive processing are two factors influencing the pattern of the aging of ToM. To test this hypothesis, a younger group who received higher education (mean age 20.46 years), an older group with an education level equal to that of the young group (mean age 76.29 years), and an older group with less education (mean age 73.52 years) were recruited. ToM tasks included the following tests: the second‐order false‐belief task, the faux‐pas task, the eyes test, and tests of fundamental aspects of cognitive function that included two background tests (memory span and processing speed) and three subcomponents of executive function (inhibition, updating, and shifting). We found that the younger group and the older group with equally high education outperformed the older group with less education in false‐belief and faux‐pas tasks. However, there was no significant difference between the two former groups. The three groups of participants performed equivalently in the eyes test as well as in control tasks (false‐belief control question, faux‐pas control question, faux‐pas control story, and Eyes Test control task). The younger group outperformed the other two groups in the cognitive processing tasks. Mediation analyses showed that difficulties in inhibition, memory span, and processing speed mediated the age differences in false‐belief reasoning. Also, the variables of inhibition, updating, memory span, and processing speed mediated age‐related variance in faux‐pas. Discussion focused on the links between ToM aging, educational level, and cognitive processing.