EMDR Therapy Following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: A Community-Based Intervention Project in New York City.

This article presents the results of a time-limited psychological relief effort using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Clients made highly significant positive gains on a range of outcome variables, including validated psychometrics and self-report scales. Analyses of the data suggest 2 broad conclusions: EMDR is a useful treatment intervention both in the immediate aftermath of disaster as well as later; the longer treatment is delayed, the greater the level of disturbance experienced by clients. Also discussed are problems in conducting research during mass disaster response situations. A demonstration of an analog to a wait-list control group is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community-Based Prevention of Marital Dysfunction: Multilevel Modeling of a Randomized Effectiveness Study.

This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP; H. J. Markman, S. M. Stanley, & S. L. Blumberg, 2001). Fifty-seven religious organizations (ROs), consisting of 217 newlywed couples, were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 intervention conditions: PREP delivered by university clinicians (U-PREP), PREP delivered by RO clergy (ROPREP), and naturally occurring (NO) marriage preparation. Self-reported relationship satisfaction, negative behavior, and positive behavior were assessed at preintervention, postintervention, and 1-year follow-up. Trajectories of relationship satisfaction showed no change over time and did not differ across conditions. Trajectories of negative behavior for RO-PREP wives showed significantly greater linear declines in comparison with NO trajectories. Trajectories of positive behavior for NO and U-PREP partners showed significant declines compared with RO-PREP trajectories. Effectiveness, transportability, and dissemination of marital distress prevention programs in community settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing Disruptive Behavior in Elementary Schoolchildren: Impact of a Universal Classroom-Based Intervention.

A population-based, randomized universal classroom intervention trial for the prevention of disruptive behavior (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, oppositional defiant problems, and conduct problems) is described. Impact on developmental trajectories in young elementary schoolchildren was studied. Three trajectories were identified in children with high, intermediate, or low levels of problems on all 3 disruptive behaviors at baseline. The intervention had a positive impact on the development of all disruptive behavior problems in children with intermediate levels of these problems at baseline. Effect sizes of mean difference at outcome were medium or small. In children with the highest levels of disruptive behavior at baseline, a positive impact of the intervention was found for conduct problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supporting Families in a High-Risk Setting: Proximal Effects of the SAFEChildren Preventive Intervention.

Four hundred twenty-four families who resided in inner-city neighborhoods and had a child entering 1st grade were randomly assigned to a control condition or to a family-focused preventive intervention combined with academic tutoring. SAFEChildren, which was developed from a developmental-ecological perspective, emphasizes developmental tasks and community factors in understanding risk and prevention. Tracking of linear-growth trends through 6 months after intervention indicated an overall eftect of increased academic performance and better parental involvement in school. High-risk families had additional benefits for parental monitoring, child-problem behaviors, and children's social competence. High-risk youth showed improvement in problem behaviors and social competence. Results support a family-focused intervention that addresses risk in low-income communities as managing abnormal challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing attendance at colorectal cancer screening: Testing the efficacy of a mailed, psychoeducational intervention in a community sample of older adults.

This article describes a trial of a psychoeducational intervention designed to modify negative attitudes toward flexible sigmoidoscopy screening and thereby increase screening attendance. The intervention materials addressed the multiple barriers shown to be associated with participation in earlier studies. Adults ages 55-64 (N=2,966), in a "harder-to-reach" group were randomized either to receive an intervention brochure or to a standard invitation group. Attitudes and expectations were assessed by questionnaire, and attendance at the clinic was recorded. Compared with controls, the intervention group had less negative attitudes, anticipated a more positive experience, and had a 3.6% higher level of attendance. These results indicate that psychoeducational interventions can provide an effective means of modifying attitudes and increasing rates of screening attendance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Clinical Trial to Test the Feasibility of a Telehealth Psychoeducational Intervention for Persons With Schizophrenia and Their Families: Intervention and 3-Month Findings.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of a telehealth psychoeducation intervention for persons with schizophrenia and their family members. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Participants: 30 persons with schizophrenia and 21 family members or other informal support persons. Interventions: Web-based psychoeducation program that provided online group therapy and education. Main Outcome Measures: Measures for persons with schizophrenia included perceived stress and perceived social support; for family members, they included disease-related distress and perceived social support. Results: At 3 months, participants with schizophrenia in the intervention group reported lower perceived stress (p = .04) and showed a trend for a higher perceived level of social support (p = .06). Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the feasibility and impact of providing telehealth-based psychosocial treatments, including online therapy groups, to persons with schizophrenia and their families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disseminating a Smokeless Tobacco Cessation Intervention Model to Dental Hygienists: A Randomized Comparison of Personalized Instruction and Self-Study Methods.

This study evaluated 2 methods of disseminating an empirically validated smokeless tobacco intervention delivered during routine dental care. Twenty cities within 12 states were stratified and then randomized to 1 of 3 groups: personalized instruction (PI), self-study (SS), or delayed training (DT) control. Dental hygienists in the SS condition were sent a manual and video. Those in the PI condition were recruited to attend a workshop. Thirty-seven percent of eligible hygienists agreed to participate. At 12 months postenrollment, hygienists in the SS and PI conditions significantly increased their "Assist" behaviors (discuss cessation techniques, help patient set a quit date, and provide cessation materials) and reported fewer perceived barriers to delivering the intervention as compared with hygienists in DT. An economic analysis suggests that SS is more cost-effective than PI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological adjustment among African American breast cancer patients: One-year follow-up results of a randomized psychoeducational group intervention.

The effectiveness of support group interventions for cancer patients has been established among White patients but has been virtually unstudied among minority patients. The current study represents the 1st randomized support group intervention targeted to African American women with breast cancer. Participants (N = 73) with nonmetastatic breast cancer were randomly assigned to an 8-week group intervention or an assessment-only control condition At 12 months, the intervention resulted in improved mood as well as improved general and cancer-specific psychological functioning among women with greater baseline distress or lower income. Subsequent research is needed to address effective methods of enrolling and following women with fewer psychosocial and financial resources, as they were the most likely to benefit from this particular intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impacts on Children of a Policy to Promote Employment and Reduce Poverty for Low-Income Parents: New Hope After 5 Years.

The impacts of New Hope, a program to increase parent employment and reduce poverty, were measured 5 years after parents were randomly assigned to program or control groups. New Hope had positive effects on children's school achievement, motivation, and social behavior, primarily for boys, across the age range 6-16. In comparison to impacts measured 2 years after program onset, effects on achievement were robust, but effects on social behavior were reduced. The program produced improvements in family income and use of organized child care and activity settings, suggesting possible pathways by which the New Hope package of policies influenced children's behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)