Attrition in worksite weight-loss interventions: The effects of an incentive procedure.

48 20–69 yr old hospital employees were randomly assigned to either an incentive or control group and completed a 14-session behavioral weight-loss program. Results indicate that the incentive procedure significantly decreased attrition. More Ss in the incentive condition completed treatment (60 vs 20%) and attended significantly more of the sessions than did Ss in the control group. Results are discussed with reference to cost effectiveness of behavioral worksite weight-loss interventions. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational predictors of weight loss and weight-loss maintenance.

Self determination theory proposes that behavior change will occur and persist if it is autonomously motivated. Autonomous motivation for a behavior is theorized to be a function both of individual differences in the autonomy orientation from the General Causality Orientations Scale and of the degree of autonomy supportiveness of relevant social contexts. We tested the theory with 128 patients in a 6-month, very-low-calorie weight-loss program with a 23-month follow-up. Analyses confirmed the predictions that (a) participants whose motivation for weight loss was more autonomous would attend the program more regularly, lose more weight during the program, and evidence greater maintained weight loss at follow-up, and (b) participants' autonomous motivation for weight loss would be predicted both by their autonomy orientation and by the perceived autonomy supportiveness of the interpersonal climate created by the health-care staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The stages and processes of exercise adoption and maintenance in a worksite sample.

Applied the model of the stages and processes (SPs) of change to exercise adoption and maintenance. Questionnaires dealing with the SPs of exercise change were developed and administered to 1,172 employees in a worksite health promotion project. Ss were split randomly into halves for (1) initial model development and testing and (2) confirmatory measurement model testing. Additional model confirmation was obtained by examining the hierarchical structure of the processes of change and by conducting stage and process analyses. Results suggest that the underlying constructs derived from smoking cessation and other addictive behaviors can be generalized to exercise behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Efficacy of a brief worksite intervention to reduce smoking: The roles of behavioral and implementation intentions.

The effectiveness of worksite interventions to reduce smoking needs to be enhanced because randomized controlled trials to date have produced mixed findings. The present study tested the ability of social-cognitive variables to mediate the past behavior-future behavior relationship and the effectiveness of implementation intentions to break the past behavior-future behavior relationship in a brief theory-based worksite intervention designed to reduce smoking. Smoking behavior and psychosocial orientation to quit (operationalized by theory of planned behavior variables and temptations) were measured at baseline; participants (N=90) randomized to the experimental condition were also asked to form an implementation intention in their place of work. Identical measures taken 2 months postbaseline revealed that intention was a potent mediator of the past behavior-future behavior relationship. More important, significantly more people quit smoking in the experimental condition than in the control condition. Decomposition of these effects showed that implementation intentions worked best for individuals who were more motivated to quit at baseline and suggest that harnessing both motivational and volitional processes might enhance the effectiveness of worksite smoking cessation programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral intervention for stress management in sports.

This article covers stress management for athletes beginning with a brief behavioral conceptualization of athletic performance and analysis of stress. Examples of external and internal stressors are offered, as well as of stress responses from autonomic, somatic, and cognitive domains. Further discussed are specific types of stress management approaches used with athletes, and associated with external vs. internal sources of stress, and with the 3 stress response domains. Although the article focuses on the author's own conceptualization and experiences with sport interventions, relevant research results from the current literature are cited to provide a broader context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral intervention to reduce AIDS risk activities.

Behavior change can curtail the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, 104 gay men with a history of frequent AIDS high-risk behavior completed self-report, self-monitoring, and behavioral measures related to AIDS risk. The sample was randomly divided into experimental and waiting-list control groups. The experimental intervention provided AIDS risk education, cognitive-behavioral self-management training, sexual assertion training, and attention to the development of steady and self-affirming social supports. Experimental group participants greatly reduced their frequency of high-risk sexual practices and increased behavioral skills for refusing sexual coercions, AIDS risk knowledge, and adoption of "safer sex" practices. Change was maintained at the 8-month follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral intervention in cancer treatment: Controlling aversion reactions to chemotherapy.

During the protracted course of cancer chemotherapy, approximately 25% of patients develop aversion reactions to treatment by becoming nauseated and/or vomiting before their chemotherapy treatments. This phenomenon has been conceptualized as a result of respondent conditioning. Since commonly used antiemetic drugs do not reliably control anticipatory nausea/emesis, behavioral techniques of control have been studied. They include hypnosis used in conjunction with guided-relaxation imagery, progressive muscle relaxation with guided imagery, and systematic desensitization. (67 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral intervention to reduce child and parent distress during venipuncture.

This study investigated a behavioral intervention incorporating parent coaching, attentional distraction, and positive reinforcement to control child distress during invasive cancer treatment. Children (N?=?23) requiring physical restraint to complete venipuncture were alternately assigned to either a behavioral intervention or an attention control condition. Child distress behaviors were recorded, and self-reports of parent, child, and nurse distress were obtained. Parent and nurse also rated child distress. Results of planned comparisons indicate that observed child distress, parent-rated child distress, and parent ratings of his/her own distress were significantly reduced by behavioral intervention and were maintained across the course of three intervention trials. The use of physical restraint to manage child behavior was also significantly reduced. Child self-reported pain and nurse ratings of child distress were not significantly affected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking cessation programs at the worksite: the need for its implementation in Spain

Tobacco smoking is the most important health problem in Spain, as in the rest of the developed countries; been also recognized as the most preventable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the western world. Interventions to reduce tobacco consumption in Spain, has been mainly addressed by means of physician-patient interaction, lacking the approach for community and workplace interventions. This article emphasize the need for the implementation of strategies of smoking cessation programs in the worksite, encouraging to health professionals to design, to apply and to evaluate these interventions. The most often used approaches to reduce tobacco smoking at the worksite are considered, addressing cost-effectiveness issues related with the characteristics of the Spanish Health System.     

Medical crisis counseling in a health maintenance organization: Preventive intervention.

Mental health clinicians can play a cost-effective role in reducing distressing psychological symptoms accompanying diagnosis of chronic illness. Medical crisis counseling (MCC) is a focal short-term intervention directly addressing illness-related psychosocial problems. A randomized clinical trial tested the effectiveness of MCC. Counseling was offered to patients who had cancer that was newly diagnosed, 1st heart attacks, or adult-onset diabetes and was contrasted with a control group receiving an HMO's standard mental health care. Significant reductions in distress attributable to MCC were noted in some patient groups. No increases in overall medical costs and some decreased mental health utilization and costs were noted with MCC use. Practitioners can easily apply MCC to improving patients' quality of life and mental health, without adding to health care costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing HIV infection and AIDS in children and adolescents: Behavioral research and intervention strategies.

This article focuses on pediatric and adolescent AIDS. Literature is reviewed on the incidence of AIDS in various age groups, highlighting differences in demographic patterns among pediatric, adolescent, and adult AIDS cases. Behaviors that increase the likelihood that a child or adolescent will contract AIDS, as well as prevention strategies that target the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, are discussed. Finally, recommendations are made for social science research directed toward altering behavior associated with HIV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infant day care: Behavioral effects at preschool age.

Based on 8 mo of observation in the same setting, 19 3-4 yr olds who had been in day care from infancy were compared on 9 behavior traits (e.g., tolerance for frustration, cooperativeness with adults, and success in problem-solving) with matched Ss who had had no day-care experience prior to the study. The infant day-care group was significantly more aggressive, motorically active, and less cooperative with adults. Consideration of these results in the light of other findings with the same and other samples suggests that early day-care experience may not adversely affect adjustment with peers but may slow acquisition of some adult cultural values. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computerized smoking cessation program for the worksite: Treatment outcome and feasibility.

This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a computer-delivered smoking cessation program for the worksite. 58 VA Medical Center employees were randomly assigned to a computer group (computerized nicotine fading and stop-smoking contest) or a contest-only group. In comparison with the contest-only group, the computer group had nonsignificantly higher abstinence rates across follow-up, had marginally lower CO levels at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, and smoked cigarettes with lower nicotine levels at the 10-day and 6-month follow-ups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral and psychoanalytic perspectives at therapeutic choice points.

Suggests that recent trends in behavior therapy and psychoanalytic therapy indicate some confluence of attitudes even though each type of therapy retains its own distinctive form. Differences and emerging similarities in the conception and practice of these 2 therapies were clarified during the author's supervision of a behavior therapist conducting psychoanalytic therapy with a male college student concerned about homosexual feelings. Possible behavioral and psychoanalytic interventions at choice points in therapy are compared, and the rationale for each is discussed, along with proposed intersecting directions, in the following areas: (a) goal setting (Are goals determined by the client or therapist?); (b) promoting action vs exploring mental content; (c) challenging vs understanding irrational cognitions; (d) modifying cognitive schemata vs elaborating unconscious fantasies; (e) dissipating vs releasing emotions; and (f) the therapeutic relationship (Is it actual or projected?). Suggestions are made for the psychoanalytic therapist and the behavior therapist who is inclined to incorporate perspectives or attitudes of the other. (107 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral correlates of achievements: A look at high and low achievers.

Examined the relationship of classroom behavior to academic achievement among high and low achieving elementary school children. Classroom behavior of 312 3rd and 4th graders was observed during math and verbal skills instruction and coded in discrete categories using J. A. Cobb's (see record 1972-21857-001) method. Scores from each category were correlated with math and verbal achievement scores for both high and low achievers. Regression equations predicting achievement in each setting were cross-validated in the other setting. Different behaviors were significantly correlated with achievement in each group, and multiple regressions predicting achievement for one group could not be cross-validated in the other group. Results demonstrate that the patterns of behavior stably related to achievement across academic settings may be dissimilar among groups of children in the same setting with different levels of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training in Behavioral Science at Primary-Grade Level.

Comments on an article by Roen (see record 1965-13331-001) that focused on training in behavioral science at the primary-grade level. The current author discusses the systematized text in mental health developed by Roen that teachers are learning in workshops and inservice training in order to teach to fifth grade students. The course has proved to be an intelligible, workable plan, and it is easily grafted onto the regular health course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral science at work for Canada: National Research Council laboratories.

The National Research Council is Canada's principal research and development agency. Its 20 institutes are structured to address interdisciplinary problems for industrial sectors, and to provide the necessary scientific infrastructure, such as the national science library. Behavioural scientists are active in five institutes: Biological Sciences, Biodiagnostics, Aerospace, Information Technology, and Construction. Research topics include basic cellular neuroscience, brain function, human factors in the cockpit, human-computer interaction, emergency evacuation, and indoor environment effects on occupants. Working in collaboration with NRC colleagues and with researchers from universities and industry, NRC behavioural scientists develop knowledge, designs, and applications that put technology to work for people, designed with people in mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral and cognitive effects of a moral reasoning development intervention for high-risk behavior-disordered adolescents.

Because delinquents have consistently been shown to function at lower stages of moral reasoning than nondelinquents, it was hypothesized that adolescents at risk for juvenile delinquency would benefit both cognitively and behaviorally from an intervention designed to accelerate moral reasoning development. Subsequent to participation in a cognitively based moral reasoning development program (16–20 weekly 45-min sessions), 24 White 13–17 yr olds identified by teachers as aggressive and/or disruptive (compared with 24 matched and randomly assigned nonparticipating White controls) demonstrated (a) advance in moral reasoning stage and (b) improvement on several behavioral indices, including behavior referrals, tardiness, academic performance, and police/court contacts. (Results approached significance for teacher ratings). For a subgroup, 1-yr follow-up data show significant effects for moral reasoning, behavior referrals, and academic performance, as well as teacher ratings and absenteeism. Moral reasoning change scores were associated with all outcome change scores for pre- to posttest and with grades for posttest to follow-up. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral medicine: 2002 and beyond.

This article highlights future directions for research and practice in behavioral medicine. Topics addressed include social and environmental issues, the role of technology, translational research, improving and developing interventions, and professional training and retraining. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)