The standardization of compliance procedures: or The mass production of ugly ducklings.

Describes attempts to develop a standardized compliance approach to medical/psychological problems in children and summarizes the results of these efforts. Such procedures have been successfully employed in the treatment of enuresis and encopresis. Increased standardization of these procedures will facilitate their generalizability to other psychological problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obscure encopresis, other incontinence, and their treatments.

Examines research on psychological aspects of bowel incontinence as well as T. Ferguson's (1979) review of diagnostic and treatment approaches to encopresis with respect to the validity of psychogenesis. It is maintained that psychologists should make their treatments consonant with physical and psychological conditions present in the patient (e.g., the eliminatory tract and patient's motivation). Outlined are treatment procedures and a case report of a 13-yr-old male with multiple birth defects as an illustrative example. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relevance of food for children's cognitive and behavioural health.

Explores 4 areas in which psychologists have contributed to an understanding of the relationship between food and children's behavior: (1) malnutrition and mental development, in which behavioral scientists have investigated the long-term sequelae of severe deprivation; (2) cognitive performance and mood, including discoveries about the effects of carbohydrates; (3) hyperactivity, arousal, and attention, in which B. F. Feingold's (1976) hypothesis has been evaluated; and (4) nonnutritive effects of dietary fiber in the treatment of recurrent abdominal pain and encopresis. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of HIV treatment advances for behavioral research on AIDS: Protease inhibitors and new challenges in HIV secondary prevention.

Protease inhibitor combination therapies can reduce HIV viral load, improve immune system functioning, and decrease mortality from AIDS. These medical developments raise a host of critical new issues for behavioral research on HIV/AIDS. This article reviews developments in HIV combination therapy regimens and behavioral factors involved in these regimens and focuses on four key behavioral research areas: (a) the development of interventions to promote treatment adherence, (b) psychological coping with HIV/AIDS in the context of new treatments for the disease, (c) the possible influence of treatment on continued risk behavior, and (d) behavioral research in HIV prevention and care policy areas. Advances in HIV medical care have created important new opportunities for health psychologists to contribute to the well-being of persons with HIV/AIDS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some comments on "A behavioral approach to nitrogen narcosis."

In a previous article, R. D. Jennings (see record 1968-08598-001) argued that almost no attention has been paid to the behavioral aspects of nitrogen narcosis, and that the problem has been approached only from the physiological and medical viewpoint. The present paper reviews a number of behavioral studies of nitrogen narcosis not covered by Jennings and notes certain inaccuracies in his paper. It is concluded that considerable attention has been paid to the behavioral aspects of nitrogen narcosis involving skilled performance, but that there is now a need to apply new analytic approaches to this problem. (31 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Civilian post-traumatic stress disorder: Clinical syndromes and psychotherapeutic strategies.

Reviews the clinical features of the major classes of civilian PTSD that psychotherapists are most likely to encounter including medical procedures, pain, crime and the social environment, traffic accidents, traumatic brain injury, and the toxic stress syndrome. Psychotherapeutic strategies that clinicians can productively employ to treat civilian PTSD are discussed including supportive therapy, behavioral approaches, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community Health Centers: Exciting Opportunities for the 21st Century.

What are important and increasingly available settings for psychologists interested in practicing primary behavioral health care? Community health centers (CHCs) represent the medical "safety net" for millions of uninsured and medically underserved Americans. The recent push to expand mental health services at CHCs creates the need for psychologists and other mental health providers, particularly those familiar with primary behavioral health care approaches. Federal funding to recruit and retain psychologists at CHCs has increased along with opportunities for multidisciplinary service approaches and training. The potential ways in which psychologists can respond to demonstrated societal needs and develop new clinical skills and methods at CHCs are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of preferences for self-treatment and information in health care.

Reports the development and validation of the Krantz Health Opinion Survey, a measure of preferences for different treatment approaches. This measure yields a total score and 2 relatively independent subscales that measure preferences for information and for behavioral involvement (i.e., self-care and active participation) in medical care. The pilot studies with 764 undergraduates and 3 related studies with 230 Ss demonstrated the ability of the subscales or total score to predict with some specificity (a) criterion group membership (clinic users and enrollees in a self-care course), (b) reported use of clinic facilities, and (c) overt behavior (e.g., inquisitiveness, self-diagnosis) in a medical setting. Discriminant validity of the instrument was also established. Theoretical implications of the preference constructs are described in terms of personal control; practical implications of the measure are also presented. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Current approaches to the etiology and treatment of anorexia nervosa.

Reviews the literature on the incidence, clinical findings, and outcome of anorexia nervosa. Methodological problems with outcome statistics and data on the family background of anorexic patients are discussed. The etiological and therapeutic approaches of psychodynamic, family interactional, behavioral, and medical models are evaluated. The problems inherent in viewing anorexia nervosa as either a physiological or psychological disorder are considered. The importance of continuing research into all facets of anorexia nervosa is emphasized. (5? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Critical issues in the instruction of the learning disabled.

This article addresses several issues and trends relevant to the instruction of the learning disabled (LD). Although the concept of LD has received some support as a diagnostic category, limited data exist that demonstrate the effect of different instructional methods on the academic deficits of LD students. In this review, attempts to remediate LD are examined according to the adequacy of the theoretical context that guides the instruction and the efficacy and validity of the remediation procedures. Selected studies representative of medical, psychoeducational, neuropsychological, behavioral, linguistic, and cognitive treatment approaches are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychobiological control of seizures.

Reviews behavioral treatment approaches to controlling epileptic seizures. The various procedures may be classified into 3 major categories: (a) reward and punishment programs, (b) self-control and psychotherapy, and (c) psychophysiological techniques. This review examines the relevant studies and proposes guidelines to eliminate ambiguities and insufficiencies in future studies. It is suggested that behavioral therapies offer substantial promise for the clinical management of seizure problems and that continued activity in this area of behavioral medicine is important for a better understanding of epilepsy and for theory development in both the behavioral and neurological sciences. (80 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A method for predicting sequelae to meningitis.

Reviews medical and behavioral literature for concomitants to meningitis that might predict the likelihood of intellectual sequelae to the disease. Five variables were identified: (a) occurrence and controllability of seizures, (b) time lapse between onset of the illness and treatment, (c) length of hospitalization, (d) patient's age at time of illness, and (e) concentration of bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid. These variables were used to form a 5-item checklist for rating meningitis patients at the time of dismissal from the hospital. The possibility that such early observations might relate to later development in a manner similar to the Apgar Scale, which is employed at birth, is discussed. It is concluded that physicians and behavioral scientists need to become more aware of intellectual sequelae to meningitis and the variables related to it. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral approaches to medicine: Application and analysis.

Reviews the book, Behavioral approaches to medicine: Application and analysis edited by J. Regis McNamara (1979). In this book, McNamara has taken a different perspective, emphasizing the content of behavioral assessment and treatment as it applies to the activities of psychologists and other health professionals in medical settings. McNamara speaks of the interpenetration of behavior modification into medicine, much as one might speak of the use of behavior therapy in schools or of the application of behavioral psychology in prisons. Instead of involving the reader in a discussion of the nuances of definitions of fields such as health psychology or behavioral medicine, McNamara sticks with the idea of applying principles from a familiar area to particular problems that arise in a different area. Thus, the focus of the book is on practical problem-solving and on developing a behavioral conceptualization of health care problems. This book is very useful to the extent that it consistently presents this point of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Note on Training Psychologists for Careers in Behavioral Medicine.

Discusses the training of psychologists for careers in behavioral medicine, a rapidly growing new field that is becoming increasingly attractive to psychologists and other behavioral and biomedical scientists. The author suggests that the optimum training setting in which to educate the PhD would be in an academic psychology department of a university that also had a medical school. His suggestions also include having a practicum that requires dealing both with emotionally and mentally disturbed patients and with psychosomatic patients, and requiring an additional postdoctoral year that would be used to specialize in cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, or other problems. The recommendations have nothing to say about other disciplines in the behavioral and biomedical sciences but are meant to describe a model for the training of psychologists to participate in this growing and exciting enterprise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral and neural approaches to the function of the mystacial vibrissae.

Reviews the behavioral functions of mystacial vibrissae through studies of (a) the activity of fibrissae during behavior, (b) single-unit responses to stimulation of vibrissae, and (c) the behavioral effects of removing vibrissae. Hypotheses for behavioral investigation are evaluated against older approaches. Neural and behavioral plasticity are discussed in the light of recent investigations of barrel formations in the somatosensory cortex and of locomotor behavior during exploration. (2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prader-Willi syndrome.

Although known for its distinctive food-related behaviors, Prader-Willi syndrome is a multisystem disorder with genetic, developmental, and behavioral features. Two separate and distinct eating disorders are noted: initial feeding difficulties and failure to thrive, and later overeating. Additional outcomes observed with this disorder include hypotonia, obesity, developmental/cognitive disabilities, and significant maladaptive behaviors. Symptoms vary in complexity across age and individuals. This necessitates multidisciplinary approaches to interventions across the life span to address medical, developmental, and behavioral issues. School psychologists have a vital role to play in assessment and consultation for individuals with this syndrome, their families, and school staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the patient as teacher: A training method for family practice residents in behavioral science.

Since the inception of family medicine as a specialty in allopathy and osteopathy in 1969 and 1973, respectively, there has been a need to develop integrative approaches of teaching behavioral science concepts without violating the scope of practice limitations between the fields. We describe a collaborative training method by which we attempt to achieve this balance. Residents referring patients for mental health services are involved in all phases of the mutual patient's treatment. The intake, recommendation, and feedback sessions are videotaped with both health care providers present. In this method, the necessity of keeping within the limited time constraints of medical schedules is recognized, the application of behavioral science concepts over theory is emphasized, and the role of the behavioral scientist as an equal partner in the team approach to health care is strengthened. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to special section: Biomedicine and developmental psychology: New areas of common ground.

New technologies, statistical approaches, and medical therapies have generated new collaborative research opportunities for developmental psychologists and other biomedical researchers. In this special section, 3 areas of biomedicine have been selected as examples. Research on the transition from fetus to newborn, evaluation of early toxin exposure, and the behavioral phenotype associated with genetic syndromes addresses questions central to child health as well as developmental psychology. This special section delineates some of the common ground between biomedicine and developmental psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral marriage therapy: Current status.

Reviews the literature on behavioral approaches to marriage therapy. First, theories regarding the nature, etiology, and maintenance of marital problems are presented; second, behavioral approaches to treatment are described; and third, attempts to assess the efficacy of these treatments are evaluated. Although there is some highly suggestive evidence that behavioral interventions are effective, conclusive demonstrations have not been forthcoming. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)