Referrers' Perceived Utility and Outcomes of Clinical Neuropsychological Assessment in an Adolescent and Young Adult Public Mental Health Service

Despite frequent informal or anecdotal acknowledgement of the usefulness of neuropsychological services within various settings, including mental health settings, few studies have formally investigated the satisfaction, perceived utility, or outcomes associated with such a service. This survey‐based study evaluated referring clinicians’ (n = 35) perceptions of the usefulness and outcomes associated with the provision of clinical neuropsychological assessment and feedback within an adolescent and young adult public mental health service in Melbourne, Australia. The results suggest that referrers perceive the neuropsychological service, including formal neuropsychological assessment report and verbal and written feedbacks, as a highly useful adjunct to their clinical practice. In addition, referrers frequently reported clinically meaningful outcomes in association with the neuropsychological service, including diagnostic changes or additions (11% of clients referred), changes to approaches in treatment (52% of clients referred), and increased or appropriate access to services, education, or work (33% of clients referred). Referrers also reported that almost 60% of neuropsychological assessment reports were forwarded to other services or clinicians involved in the client's care. The findings suggest that mental health settings are likely to benefit from routine inclusion of specialist neuropsychology services. However, future research should also examine client and family perceptions regarding the satisfaction and usefulness of neuropsychological services.     

Proximal Outcomes Matter: A Multilevel Examination of the Processes by Which Coordinating Councils Produce Change

Communities are engaged in efforts to create a coordinated response to intimate partner violence. Though coordinating councils are commonly employed vehicles for such efforts, research provides only equivocal support regarding their effectiveness. These mixed findings may reflect methodological and conceptual challenges. Specifically, there is an over-reliance on conceptualizing council effectiveness in terms of distal outcomes (e.g., behavior change), rather than the intermediary processes by which councils affect change. A direct assessment of councils' proximal outcomes may highlight change mechanisms. To that end, this study investigates the extent to which councils impact proximal outcomes and examines the processes through which proximal outcomes are interrelated and linked to distal community change. Study findings suggest that perceived proximal outcomes do significantly predict variability in perceived distal community change across councils. Specifically, promotion of social capital and institutionalized change predict achievement of distal community change, and promotion of social capital also predicts achievement of institutionalized change.     

The high costs of low agreeableness: Low agreeableness exacerbates interpersonal consequences of rejection sensitivity in U.S. and Chinese adolescents

Although personality is a powerful predictor of adjustment, its potential moderating effects have been less studied in youth. This investigation examined why some youth are more susceptible to the negative consequences of rejection sensitivity than others. Two separate studies tested the hypothesis that agreeableness moderates the links between rejection sensitivity and interpersonal outcomes. Study 1 included 198 boys and 264 girls from the U.S.A. (M = 14.24 years old). Study 2 included 86 boys and 115 girls from China (M = 14.21 years old). Across studies, low agreeableness and high rejection sensitivity were uniquely associated with withdrawal, friendship dissatisfaction, and adverse conflict consequences. Cross-cultural replication underscores the universality of the risk confronting low agreeable youth with elevated rejection sensitivity.     

Personality in the age of industry: Structure,heritability, and correlates of personality in middle childhood from the perspective of parents,teachers, and children

Middle childhood is a crucial juncture in the lifespan where children work toward achieving a sense of competence foundational for future development. However, middle childhood has historically been underrepresented in the personality literature. The current study provides a comprehensive examination of personality in middle childhood using a large (N = 2510), longitudinal sample of 10- to 12-year-old twins. The structure, heritability, and correlates of personality in this period were investigated using personality ratings of parents, teachers, and children. Results showed that personality in middle childhood has a coherent structure, is heritable, and is relevant for developmentally salient outcomes such as externalizing behavior, substance use, and academic engagement. Results emphasize the importance of investigating personality in middle childhood across multiple informants.     

A routine perspective on implementing reflective career conversations in education

ABSTRACT

Reflective career conversations are a necessary instrument in the career guidance of students in vocational education. These conversations help students to learn from their (work) experiences and gain a better understanding of their motives on the labour market. Research shows that in a society in which change seems to become the only constant factor, knowing one’s own motives in work is important. However, the introduction and implementation of reflective career conversations in Dutch vocational education is problematic. In this article, we introduce the concept of ‘routines’ to better understand the nature of these problems. The concept ‘routine’ allows us to understand in much more detail what is required to induce the necessary behavioural changes that are required from teachers, students and management. Recognition of the complexity of this process and the willingness to invest are necessary prerequisites to prevent reflective career conversations from becoming the next ‘trick’ or ‘trendy innovation’.     

父母教育价值观对儿童人格的影响:有调节的中介模型

通过随机取样的方法选取大连市三所幼儿园553名3~6岁幼儿为测查对象,采用问卷方式探讨了家长教育价值观、父母教养方式、儿童气质以及儿童人格之间的关系。本研究构建了一个有调节的中介模型,即父母教养方式在教育价值观和儿童人格间起中介作用,这一中介作用受到儿童自身气质特点的调节。结果表明:(1)教育价值观关系性维度正向预测了儿童人格的智能特征;教育价值观好行为维度正向预测了儿童人格的情绪稳定性;(2)教养方式不一致性维度在关系性与智能特征的关系中起中介作用;教养方式溺爱性维度在好行为与情绪稳定性的关系中起中介作用;(3)气质的情绪性维度和反应性维度分别调节了教养方式不一致性和溺爱性的中介作用。     

不同教学方法激发与调节大学生学业情绪的教育实验

对天津某高校大二3个教学班77名被试,采用教育实验法探讨了传统教学法、归因训练干预、活动教学法在大学生英语课堂教学中学业情绪的激发与调节情况。结果表明:传统教学法无显著影响;归因训练干预后,学生的焦虑、气愤、放松、自豪、厌烦、失望和兴趣等学业情绪有显著改变;活动教学后,学生的焦虑、羞愧、厌烦、愉快和兴趣等学业情绪有显著改变。实施后两种教学法后,正性情绪得分均有所提高,负性情绪得分均有所下降。两种教学法在激发与调节学业情绪的效果上各有侧重。     

西南少数民族教育价值观的调查研究

在文献综述、开放式问卷和个别访谈的基础上,提出了西南少数民族教育价值观的理论构想,自编了西南少数民族教育价值观量表。约1,500名西南地区少数民族被试接受了测试。研究表明,该量表具有良好的信度和效度,西南少数民族的教育价值观包括教育效用、家族荣誉、个人发展、民族传承等四个维度,西南少数民族群众的教育价值观在性别和年龄不存在显著性差异,在民族和文化程度上存在着显著性差异。     

The practice research network: Research into practice,practice into research

The purpose of the broader project on which this report is based was to utilize a Practice Research Network, an alternative to traditional clinical studies to 1) identify demographically one practice group, namely professional counselors in the United States, 2) describe their practice patterns, and 3) identify their client population and the efficacy of their clinical work through client outcomes based on actual client reports. This article describes the development of one such nation‐wide Practice Research Network (PRN) and provides some preliminary findings for each phase of the project. Use of the PRN model can help overcome the traditional “research to practice” gap and provide research results into community practice thus integrating outcomes measures into the daily practice of mental health professionals. During the early phases of this project, a software program was developed upon which the participating practitioners could identify the data elements within the parameters of the focus on their agreed‐upon research interests, enter data following client visits over time, and by comparing their own composite profiles and effectiveness with those of other participating practitioners who had clients presenting with similar diagnoses, could alter their own service delivery patterns, therapeutic interventions, or approaches while working with the clients and thereby improve the efficacy of their service. By participating, the practitioners benefited by access to downloadable and printable reports on profiles of 1) their specific clients, 2) their service delivery patterns, and 3) the outcomes or efficacy by their clients’ direct feedback. They were also able to compare these results with the composite data from other practitioners.     

Humanismo Del Diecisiete En La Postmodernidad Del Veintiuno

It would be possible to be affirmed that the most of the educational goals that modernity assumes, they settled down from the Renaissance. The postmodern age, in its critic to the modern period, demands the recovery of some losses. At the time of fast changes as it happens in the Renaissance, the Humanism originates a fruitful debate. According to the authors protagonists, the controversy became a dialogue plenty of common questions to which we find in the contemporary discussion. The reflection on the thought of one of the most representative and well-known authors, Comenio, it serves to think on the encounter of traditions in Philosophy of Education. He is a thinker who supplies the basis for his educational practice on a Philosophy of education and projects a reform to confront some problems that in the essential are repeated today.