Extending psychology's impact through existing community institutions.

Presents 2 examples that typify the kind of university–community collaboration possible through the medium of a psychological center. Police were trained in crisis intervention techniques, and firefighters were trained in how to handle harrassment and an increase in false alarms. These agencies gained in greater personal safety, more efficient operations, and better community relations while the university received research opportunities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implementation and evaluation of service programs in community settings.

Comments that the implementation process can be divided into 3 phases: (a) gaining program entry, (b) obtaining approval for and implementing research procedures, and (c) resolving the methodological problems affecting program evaluation that arise in natural settings. Meeting these challenges requires a combination of clinical research skills and political sensitivity to the values, goals, and practices of social organizations. Broadly speaking, the change agent must overcome several obstacles to success in natural settings. These obstacles include the agency's emphasis on service and the complex nature of social systems that confounds the effects of innovation. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Listening to discourse in distracting settings: The effects of aging.

Younger and older adults listened to discourse in quiet and in conversational noise, before answering questions concerning the material. Some questions required listeners to recall specific details; others were of a more integrative nature. When the listening situation was adjusted for individual differences in hearing, younger and older adults were equally adept at remembering the gist of the passages in both quiet and in two levels of noise. The two age groups also did not differ with respect to memory for specific details when listening in quiet or in a moderate level of noise, even when required to perform a concurrent task. Only at the loudest noise level did younger adults tend to recall more detail than older adults. However, when no adjustments were made to compensate for the poorer hearing of older adults (all participants tested under identical listening conditions), older adults could not recall as much detail as younger adults, either in quiet or in noise. The results indicate that the speech-comprehension difficulties of older adults primarily reflect declines in hearing rather than in cognitive ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Said another way. Is the ADN graduate prepared to practice in community settings?

The downsizing and closing of acute care facilities and the movement to community-based healthcare services are decreasing the need for RNs in acute care facilities. In the past, the associate-degree nurse (ADN) has filled the majority of positions in acute care. With the trend to provide health services in community setting, will the ADN be prepared for positions in community facilities? ADN educators must reevaluate how they are educating students for practice. The author reviews the 1995 recommendations from the Pew Health Professions Commission and relevant current directives from the National League for Nursing.     

Generalization of persistence: The transfer of approach behaviour to differing aversive stimuli.

In 3 experiments it was found that intermittent punishment with electric shock increased persistence to quantitatively and qualitatively different punishers but failed to increase resistance to extinction. Male albino Wistar rats (N=16, 26, and 17, respectively) served as Ss. It is suggested that while approach tendencies acquired to 1 fear state may be elicited by quite different fear states, generalization between fear and frustration may be limited by fairly narrow boundary conditions. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 response styles: Generalization to alcoholism assessment.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (MMPI—2) Validity scales (L, F, and K) were used to identify subgroups of inpatients seeking treatment for alcoholism and to determine the extent that assessed test-taking attitude could be generalized to other alcoholism assessment instruments. Cluster analysis of the inpatients receiving treatment for alcoholism identified 3 distinct response style subgroups: defensive, straightforward, and exaggerated. These patterns were confirmed in a 2nd sample. Calibration equations were generated and used to classify a subsequent sample into subgroups, and expected differences were found across the subgroups on the Alcohol Use Inventory (J. L. Horn, K. W. Wanberg, & F. M. Foster, 1987) and the Inventory of Drinking Situations (H. M. Annis, 1982). These preliminary results suggest that MMPI—2 response style is associated with response to other alcohol abuse assessment instruments. Future research examining the relationship between test-taking attitude and treatment involvement and outcome is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brief dynamic psychotherapy in community mental health settings: Providing a holding environment on a short-term basis.

Because of funding limitations, Community Mental Health therapists must often apply brief therapy techniques to an inappropriate clientele. Previously developed techniques hasten treatment by means of the therapist actively focusing interpretations on either preoedipal or oedipal issues. An actively focused technique would be inappropriate for most Community Mental Health patients, however, because it would not effectively address their strong dependency needs. Active focusing would not provide the holding environment which is crucial in treating dependent patients. More appropriate is a moderate amount of focusing in the context of tolerant, unfocused listening to provide a holding environment. This approach is illustrated with case examples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural model for antisocial behavior: Generalization to single-mother families.

Tested a structural model (Patterson, 1986) of the effects of parental discipline on child coercive and antisocial behavior using a sample of 65 recently separated single-mother families with 6- to 8-year-old boys. Previous tests of this model used older boys and samples that allowed family structure to vary. The replication model produced acceptable fit, χ–2(61, N?=?65)?=?70.6, p?=?.188, and explained 11% of the variance in antisocial behavior. Five alternative models were tested on this sample and are discussed briefly. The significance of generalization to this sample is discussed for the model's clinical usefulness, and further improvements to increase explainable variance are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generalization of therapeutic changes in agoraphobia: The role of perceived self-efficacy.

Investigated the extent and mechanisms of therapeutic generalization across distinct areas of agoraphobic dysfunction. Twenty-seven severe agoraphobics were each given performance-based treatment for some phobic areas while leaving their other phobias untreated. Behavioral tests revealed that (a) the treated phobias improved significantly more than the untreated (transfer) phobias, (b) the transfer phobias improved significantly more than control phobias, and (c) the transfer benefits were highly variable within and between subjects. Analyses of possible cognitive mechanisms revealed that perceived self-efficacy accurately predicted treatment and transfer effects even when alternative factors such as previous behavior, anticipated anxiety, anticipated panic, perceived danger, and subjective anxiety were held constant. In contrast, these alternative factors lost most or all predictive value when self-efficacy was held constant. Agoraphobia thus appears to be neither a unitary entity nor a mere collection of independent phobias, but a complexly patterned problem governed largely by self-perceptions of coping efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The practice of psychology in hospital settings.

Psychologists are taking the lead to ensure that consumers have full access to behavioral science knowledge in America's hospitals. This article recaps the development of psychology's position in hospitals and explores the variety of current and prospective roles of psychologists in inpatient health care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social treatment: The benefits of group interventions in residential care settings.

We report findings from an intervention study that investigates the impact of group reminiscence (GR) and individual reminiscence (IR) activities on older adults living in care settings. This research aimed to provide a theory-driven evaluation of reminiscence based on a social identity framework. This framework predicts better health outcomes for group-based interventions as a result of their capacity to create a sense of shared social identification among participants. A total of 73 residents, living in either standard or specialized (i.e., dementia) care units, were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: GR (n = 29), IR (n = 24), and a group control activity (n = 20). The intervention took place over 6 weeks, and cognitive screening and well-being measures were administered both pre- and post-intervention. Results indicated that only the group interventions produced effective outcomes and that these differed as a modality-specific function of condition: Collective recollection of past memories enhanced memory performance, and engaging in a shared social activity enhanced well-being. Theoretically, these findings point to the important role that group membership plays in maintaining and promoting health and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new psychodiagnostic tool for clients in rehabilitation settings: The MBHI.

The Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI), a 150-item self-report inventory, may provide measures relevant to the client's psychological outlook and prognosis. It also appears useful as a guide for treatment planning and psychological counseling. The rationale, development, and uses of the MBHI are briefly described, and the focus of each of the instrument's 20 scales is outlined. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The need for scientist-practitioner employment settings.

Comments on C. D. Belar and N. W. Perry's (see record 1992-21285-001), L. T. Hoshmand and D. E. Polkinghorne's (see record 1992-21300-001), and J. J. Sullivan and R. P. Quevillon's (see record 1992-21308-001) articles affirming a commitment to the scientist-practitioner model for training practicing psychologists. An important limitation, it is noted, is the lack of postgraduate employment that supports the internalization of the scientist-practitioner role. Organizational models are needed to compliment interdisciplinary work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The MBHI: A new inventory for the psychodiagnostician in medical settings.

The Million Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI), a 150-item self-report inventory, was constructed and validated to provide a wide range of measures relevant to psychological assessment and decision making in a variety of medical settings. The rationale, development, and uses of the MBHI are briefly described; the focus of each of the instrument's 20 scales (e.g., Sociable Personality, Recent Stress, and Emotional Vulnerability) is also outlined. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training for managed care settings: How to make it happen.

Discusses the importance of and resistances to the training of experienced therapists in brief approaches to psychotherapy. Ways are examined of providing such training to psychotherapists who are working in systems where brief treatment is essential. Three principles of adult learning are described (e.g., adults want to apply their new learning immediately) to highlight the important relation between those principles and the training strategies implemented in the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists in health care settings: An introduction.

Summarizes a series of articles that examine such topics as the operation of health maintenance organizations, the training of psychologists for various health care settings, and the legislative and political issues affecting the delivery of health care. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hospital to community: Changes in practice and outcomes.

This article describes the need for psychologists working with persons with disabilities to establish validity procedures within research findings and clinical practices. It highlights the importance of providing a contextual framework for behavior by adopting a socioecological paradigm of disability. Theoretical, research, and clinical practice implications are discussed, such as the evolution of paradigms guiding rehabilitation, the need to move research out of the laboratories and into the field, and the importance of focusing on the broader socioenvironmental needs of persons with disabilities. The author also offers specific recommendations for psychologists engaged in activities across education, research, and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)