Development of a short form Social Interaction Anxiety (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS) using nonparametric item response theory: the SIAS-6 and the SPS-6

Shortened forms of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS) were developed using nonparametric item response theory methods. Using data from socially phobic participants enrolled in 5 treatment trials (N = 456), 2 six-item scales (the SIAS-6 and the SPS-6) were developed. The validity of the scores on the SIAS-6 and the SPS-6 was then tested using traditional methods for their convergent validity in an independent clinical sample and a student sample, as well as for their sensitivity to change and diagnostic sensitivity in the clinical sample. The scores on the SIAS-6 and the SPS-6 correlated as well as the scores on the original SIAS and SPS, with scores on measures of related constructs, discriminated well between those with and without a diagnosis of social phobia, providing cutoffs for diagnosis and were as sensitive to measuring change associated with treatment as were the SIAS and SPS. Together, the SIAS-6 and the SPS-6 appear to be an efficient method of measuring symptoms of social phobia and provide a brief screening tool.     

Investigating trajectories of change in psychological distress amongst patients with depression and generalised anxiety disorder treated with internet cognitive behavioural therapy

Internet based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is efficacious for the treatment of anxiety and depression. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of internet based CBT prescribed by primary care clinicians for the treatment of depression and generalised anxiety disorder. Psychological distress data from 302 patients who completed an online CBT course for depression and 361 patients who completed an online CBT course for generalised anxiety disorder were subjected to growth mixture analysis. For both disorders psychological distress decreased across each lesson in a quadratic trend. Two classes of individuals were identified with different trajectories of change: a large group of individuals who responded well to the courses and a smaller group of individuals with a lower response. Both groups were similar with respect to socio-demographic characteristics however the Low Responders tended to have higher levels of symptom severity and psychological distress at baseline in comparison to the responders. For the majority of patients (75-80%) the internet CBT courses for depression and generalised anxiety disorder were effective. Further research is required to identify and effectively treat the smaller proportion of patients who did not improve during internet CBT.     

Investigating the Factor Structure of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale in Community and Clinical Samples of the Australian Population

The Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a brief dimensional scale designed to measure and monitor trends of psychological distress. Recently the scale has been utilised by general practitioners and clinicians to screen for common mental disorders and measure treatment outcomes. Despite the K10 demonstrating a sound one dimensional structure in the general population, the scale??s structure has yet to be comprehensively tested in clinical samples. The current study aimed to use confirmatory factor analysis to test three theoretical structure models of the K10 and one model for the K6 (a six item variant) in a sample from a tertiary referral clinic for mood and anxiety disorders and compare those results with a population sample from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. The results demonstrated that a two factor model with correlated latent factors representing depression and anxiety fit the clinical sample the best whilst a one factor model with correlated errors between several items fit the population sample the best. The results are discussed further in relation to scoring and interpreting the Kessler scales.     

Using Student Engagement to Relocate Ethics to the Core of the Engineering Curriculum

Science and Engineering Ethics - One of the core problems with engineering ethics education is perceptual. Although ethics is meant to be a central component of today’s engineering...     

The ethos and ethics of translational research

Calls for the "translation" of research from bench to bedside are increasingly demanding. What is translation, and why does it matter? We sketch the recent history of outcome-oriented translational research in the United States, with a particular focus on the Roadmap Initiative of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD). Our main example of contemporary translational research is stem cell research, which has superseded genomics as the translational object of choice. We explore the nature of and obstacles to translational research and assess the ethical and biomedical challenges of embracing a translational ethos.     

Effects of client personality on dominance and affiliation during early sessions of rational-emotive psychotherapy

This is a study of effects of client personality on interpersonal presentation during early Rational-Emotive therapy (RET). Independent variables were intake scores for clients from the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1983). Dependent variables, from audiotapes of sessions at the Institute for RET (IRET), were Revised Interpersonal Adjective Scale (IAS-R; Wiggins, Trapnell and Phillips, 1988) ratings of clients and therapists. Three commonly adaptive axis II traits (histrionic, narcissistic and antisocial) had significant positive effects on clients, increasing their apparent interpersonal dominance. Paranoid traits, which have previously shown either neutral or positive patterns, mirrored the adaptive patterns. Compulsive traits, which have also been helpful in other stressful situations, seemed maladaptive, however, here. Finally, six commonly maladaptive axis II traits (schizoid, avoidant, dependent, passive-aggressive, schizotypal and borderline) had weak, insignificant effects on clients. In general, these findings suggest that the IRET therapeutic setting may be a psychologically “safe” place for clients. Personality traits that are usually troublesome did not impair self presentation in early sessions of RET, and several usually positive traits appear helpful. The order of authorship was determined by mutual agreement, based on the number of hours each author committed to the project. Dempsey's thesis, based on his work, was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Henry Rutgers Scholars honors at Rutgers College. Lamon's thesis, based on his work, was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. at the University of Vermont.     

Dissociation of mechanisms of reading in Alzheimer's disease.

The role of spelling-to-sound correspondence rules in oral word reading was investigated by asking patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and normal controls to read aloud pronounceable letter strings that do not happen to be real words. These pseudowords were of two types: those that have orthographically similar "neighbors," and those that have no neighbors. The patients with AD were mildly impaired relative to the normal controls in reading pseudowords with neighbors, but were markedly impaired in reading pseudowords with no neighbors. The results are interpreted as favoring a model of reading in which words and pseudowords are normally read via the same lexical mechanism. An ancillary route involving the conscious application of spelling-to-sound rules is available only to cognitively intact readers.     

Care teams and pastoral professionals: response to the health care changes of this decade

Demographic changes already in motion will result in unprecedented population changes in the next four decades and beyond for which we have little time to prepare. In particular, as the population aged 65 and over grows, a significant cohort will manifest health-related needs of older age. Even in families with adequate health insurance, confronted with the chronic illness of loved ones, the need for continuous in-home support, including pastoral care, will become dire. For many families whose situations are complicated by low incomes, under-insurance, and membership of minority populations, pastoral support will tax their congregations beyond present capabilities. Interfaith Care Partners' Care Team model of in-home pastoral support is the most effective means of delivering the pastoral support such families need. It calls for a creative linking of hospital out-patient services with individuals' congregations, and, particularly, of a stronger connection between hospital chaplaincy services and community clergy.