An Investigation of Treatment Integrity and Outcomes in Wraparound Services

Research on wraparound services has been generally positive, but has failed to include data regarding treatment integrity. Without such data, conclusions drawn from such studies are weakened. This study followed 28 children and adolescents receiving wraparound services in rural central Pennsylvania. Treatment integrity was defined as the percentage of service hours prescribed vs. received, and behavioral outcomes were defined as Total Problem Behavior T Scores on the Child Behavior Checklist. Preliminary analyses failed to reveal significant differences in sample means between included subjects and those excluded due to missing data. Outcome behavior ratings were significantly improved over baseline ratings. Regression analyses, however, failed to find a significant effect for treatment integrity when used in an outcome prediction equation for Therapeutic Support Staff, Mobile Therapy services, or Behavioral Specialist wraparound services. These results suggest that adherence to prescribed treatment hours may not be related to behavioral outcomes in a wraparound service setting.     

Use of Trauma‐Informed Care With Incarcerated Offenders

Regardless of preexisting trauma history, offenders regularly experience traumatic events while incarcerated. Current therapeutic approaches focus on coping skills and behavioral responses. The authors recommend integrating the use of trauma‐informed care to address the deeper emotional responses tied to trauma.     

A business frame perspective on why perceptions of top management's bottom-line mentality result in employees’ good and bad behaviors

Emerging research suggests that bottom-line mentalities (BLMs) (i.e., a sole focus on bottom-line outcomes to the exclusion of other considerations) can have dysfunctional consequences within the workplace. However, research has yet to consider how and why BLMs may result in both beneficial and dysfunctional organizational outcomes. In the present research, we examine employees’ perceptions of top management's BLM as a type of business frame that results in two cognitive states. Under the influence of this business frame, employees may adopt a mental preoccupation with work (i.e., a state of ongoing work-related cognitions) that propels beneficial employee outcomes by reducing customer incivility and enhancing customer service performance. Yet, also in response to top management's high BLM as a business frame, employees may adopt self-interest cognitions (i.e., a cognitive state of self-interest) that instigate customer-directed unethical conduct. Across two field studies, we found general support for our hypotheses. Taken together, our findings suggest that perceptions of top management's high BLM can be a mixed blessing in that it may drive employees to adopt focused work efforts (mental preoccupation with work), but also self-interest cognitions, with each cognitive state predicting beneficial or dysfunctional behaviors. We discuss the implications of these findings and directions for future research.     

Working online due to the COVID-19 pandemic: a research and literature review

Given the contemporary situation of many analysts in the world now being forced to work online due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to review the working online issue. Substantial debate over previous years has questioned whether a genuine analytic process can unfold through online work. This debate is reviewed with the conclusion that such a process is not necessarily precluded. Research outcomes are then reviewed to highlight those things that can facilitate positive outcomes when working online. These cover the ‘online disinhibition effect’, the therapeutic alliance, particular ways of using the screen, focussing on trauma, the importance of self-awareness, knowing the predictors of mental health, certain potential positives of isolation/quarantine and psychotherapy interventions that may be currently needed. Final recommendations and suggestions are then presented as in the diagnosis issue, professional development and guidelines to do with practical and ethical considerations.     

Clinical and functional correlates of processing speed in pediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

It is well established that processing speed is negatively impacted in children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Unfortunately, exactly how processing speed vulnerabilities manifest in daily functioning has not been well established. To support clinical care of youth with ADHD, it is important to better understand the functional consequences and relevant outcomes associated with processing speed deficits. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify the association between processing speed and clinical or functional correlates among children or adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. A total of 409 abstracts were screened, of which, 60 full-text articles were identified as potentially relevant, and 8 of these studies met inclusion criteria. Domains evaluated across these studies included reading skills, mathematics skills, written expression, anxiety, self-appraisals of competence, and adaptive functioning. Six studies reported an association between processing speed and reading skills, allowing for meta-analysis. Processing speed difficulties among youth with ADHD appear strongly associated with several clinical and functional correlates including weaker academic skills, poorer adaptive skills, increased self-reported anxiety, and overestimates of social competence. Meta-analytic results for studies reporting the association between processing speed and reading skills indicate a medium overall weighted mean effect size (r = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.28 –0.39) with minimal heterogeneity (I² = 0.17). Clinical implications of these findings, limitations in the current knowledge base, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Peer victimization and social‐emotional outcomes: The role of teacher and peer support

The relation between peer victimization, risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, and school‐based sources of social support for students in elementary and middle school were examined. Participants included 656 students in third to eighth grade from one school district. Results indicated that peer support mediated the relation between peer victimization and risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, but teacher support did not mediate this relation. Conditional indirect effects analyses revealed that the indirect effect of peer support varied as a function of school level (i.e., intermediate and middle school). The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

     

Behavior Problems in Toddlers With and Without Developmental Delays: Comparison of Treatment Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an in-home parent management program for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays by comparing outcomes for a group of toddlers with developmental delays (n = 27) and a group of toddlers without developmental delays (n = 27). The majority of children lived in single parent, low-income homes. Results suggest that the parent management program is equally effective for children with and without developmental delays. Parents from both groups reported clinically significant improvement in their children's behavior and parenting practices. Clinical implications regarding the importance of these findings for improving outcomes for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays living in poverty were discussed.