Group psychotherapy with mastectomy patients.

Compared 20 women who participated in 10 weekly sessions of group psychotherapy with 20 women placed on a waiting list after they had mastectomies. Ss were matched on age (33–65 yrs old), marital status, time since surgery, prognosis, and SES. A structured, scaled interview was used to assess maladjustment, and 2 inventories were used to assess therapy outcome; all Ss were administered all measures before the treatment program began, when it finished 10 wks later, and 4 wks after the end of treatment. Results show that over the course of the therapy period, both groups showed changes in a positive direction; however, Ss in the treatment group showed significantly greater improvement. In the 4-wk follow-up period Ss in the treatment group continued to show significant positive change. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation training for the treatment of depression in adolescents.

30 moderately depressed high school students were randomly assigned to either cognitive-behavioral treatment, relaxation training, or a wait-list control condition. Treatment Ss met in small groups for 10 50-min sessions over 5 wks in a high school setting. Outcome measures included a modified Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The cognitive-behavioral and relaxation training groups were superior to the wait-list control group in the reduction of depressive symptoms at both posttest and 5-wk follow-up assessments. There was no significant difference between active treatments in their effectiveness for reducing depression. Ss in the cognitive-behavioral and relaxation training conditions went from moderate levels of depression at pretest to nondepressed levels at posttest, and they maintained these levels at follow-up. Improvements in anxiety and academic self-concept were also demonstrated by the active treatments. Findings demonstrate that these short-term group-administered therapies are effective in significantly decreasing depression in adolescents. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive processing therapy for sexual assault victims.

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) was developed to treat the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in rape victims. CPT is based on an information processing theory of PTSD and includes education, exposure, and cognitive components. 19 sexual assault survivors received CPT, which consists of 12 weekly sessions in a group format. They were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3- and 6-mo follow-up. CPT Ss were compared with a 20-S comparison sample, drawn from the same pool who waited for group therapy for at least 12 wks. CPT Ss improved significantly from pre- to posttreatment on both PTSD and depression measures and maintained their improvement for 6 mo. The comparison sample did not change from the pre- to the posttreatment assessment sessions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety management training and relaxation as self-control in the treatment of generalized anxiety in medical outpatients.

55 23–72 yr old outpatients expressing interest in a 6-wk program on coping with stress and anxiety were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: relaxation as self-control (RSC), anxiety management training (AMT), or waiting-list control groups. Pre- and posttreatment assessments included the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List. At posttreatment and 4-wk follow-up assessments, AMT and RSC groups reported significantly less trait and state anxiety and stress reactivity in 2 stressful situations, general physiological arousal, person-specific anxiety symptoms, depression, and anger than the control group. Among these measures only 1 difference was found between AMT and RSC, and it was not significant at follow-up. No between-groups differences were found on systolic or diastolic blood pressure. No differences were found on resting heart rate posttreatment. At follow-up, however, the RSC group had a significantly lower heart rate than the control group. Results are interpreted in terms of both the efficient development of relaxation coping skills for medical outpatients and the potential for counseling psychology in behavioral medicine. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing organizational stress: A field experiment.

79 public agency employees (mean age 39 yrs) were randomly assigned to stress-management training or control conditions. The training program consisted of 16 hrs of group exposure over 8 wks. Using procedures based on those developed by D. H. Meichenbaum (1975), treatment Ss were taught to recognize and alter their cognitive interpretations to stressful events at work. Ss were also taught progressive relaxation techniques to supplement this process. Dependent variables were epinephrine and norepinephrine excretion at work, anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), depression, irritation, and somatic complaints, all measured at 3 times (pretest, posttest, and 4 mo after treatment). Treatment Ss exhibited significantly lower epinephrine and depression levels than did controls at posttest, and 4-mo follow-up levels did not regress to pretest levels. However, treatment effects were not replicated in a subsequent intervention on the original control group. The general adoption of such stress management programs is not recommended. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cognitive and behavioral group treatment on the depressive symptomatology of Puerto Rican women.

Compared a control, a cognitive, and a behavior therapy group in the reduction of depression in 26 low-income Puerto Rican women (mean age 38 yrs). Ss were identified as depressed by self-report (Beck Depression Inventory), clinical ratings (a revised version of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression), and depression behavior rating scales and were randomly assigned to 3 treatment conditions. Five treatment sessions of 1? hrs each were conducted over 4 wks. Results show a significant reduction in depression for therapy groups and no significant differences between the behavior and cognitive approaches. A 5-wk follow-up assessment revealed that the alleviation of depression had generally been maintained, with a slight advantage for the behavioral approach. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implosive therapy treatment of emotionally disturbed retardates.

Investigated the effectiveness of implosive therapy with institutionalized emotionally disturbed retardates (mean CA, 21 yrs; mean IQ, 70.3). 24 Ss, matched according to age, sex, race, and IQ, were randomly assigned to 1 treatment and 2 control groups. The treatment group received 10 sessions of implosive therapy. The control groups consisted of a no-treatment control and a group that received 10 sessions of pseudotreatment-oriented discussions. All Ss were maintained on psychiatric medication and participated in the regular hospital activities. The Ss were assessed behaviorally, subjectively, and clinically prior to, at the midpoint, at completion of the experimental conditions, and at a 6-wk follow-up. Following treatment, Ss in the implosive therapy group showed significantly more improvement across all indices than those who received the pseudotherapy-oriented and no-treatment control conditions. Although the implosive therapy group continued to show the most pronounced gains at follow-up, their superiority over the control groups was considerably less than when observed immediately after treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and behavioral treatments of agoraphobia: Clinical, behavioral, and psychophysiological outcomes.

39 severe and chronic agoraphobics with panic attacks, diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria, were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 cognitive-behavioral treatments: paradoxical intention (PI), graduated exposure (GE), or progressive deep muscle relaxation training (RT). Treatment consisted of 12 2-hr weekly sessions conducted by experienced therapists whose treatment integrity was objectively monitored. All 31 23–63 yr old Ss who completed the program received an extensive rationale emphasizing self-directed exposure and programmed practice in addition to their primary treatment. A comprehensive assessment battery consisting of clinical ratings of severity, phobia, anxiety, depression, and panic, as well as direct measures of behavioral, psychophysiological, and cognitive response systems was administered at pre-, mid- (6 wks), and posttreatment (12 wks) and at 3-mo follow-up. Analyses revealed significant improvement for all Ss. GE and RT tended to evoke more rapid effects. At follow-up, GE and RT evidenced the greatest potency and stability, as compared with PI. The GE condition experienced twice the drop-out rate of PI and RT. The phenomenon of synchrony appeared to be associated with overall improvement at 12 wks and follow-up. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electromyograph feedback as a relaxation technique.

Compared an EMG feedback group of 10 normal undergraduate males with 2 control conditions of 10 Ss each. One control group was told to relax but given no specific instructions nor feedback, only a constant tone. The 2nd control group was given instructions about relaxation, a constant tone but no feedback. The feedback group received variable-tone feedback from the frontalis muscle. Every S had 1 baseline session and 7 21-min practice sessions over a 2-wk period. The feedback group achieved significantly lower EMG scores than the 2 control groups, which did not significantly differ between themselves. Measures of subjective anxiety (Mattsson's Anxiety Scale) showed significant decreases between the beginning and end of each session for all 3 groups, but only 1 of the 6 measures of state anxiety (e.g., Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, Nowlis Mood Adjective Check List, and Mooney Problem Checklist) favored the feedback group over the controls. No differences between groups emerged on measures of trait anxiety. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obesity and the unbalanced energy equation: Exercise versus eating habit change.

Compared the relative effectiveness of exercise and eating habit change individually and in combination for weight loss and physical conditioning. 44 female volunteers aged 17–46 yrs were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: exercise, eating habits, combination, and delay-of-treatment control. Each group met for 8 1-hr sessions. Ss were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up using measures of weight, physical fitness, and personal adjustment. After the 1 8-wk period, the control group was treated using the same procedures as employed for the combination group. Results indicate significant improvement for all treatment groups in comparison with the delay-of-treatment control on body weight and most measures of physical fitness and personal adjustment. Groups who exercised showed the most improvement in physical fitness. The combination group demonstrated the most improvement in weight and body circumference. At 8-wk follow-up, only the combination group continued to lose weight. Once treated, the delay-of-treatment control group demonstrated results similar to those of the combination group. Results suggest the necessity of combining exercise and eating habit change in dealing with obesity. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two self-control procedures in the reduction of targeted and nontargeted anxieties: A year later.

Reports a 12-mo follow-up of a study by the authors (see record 1979-29126-001) that investigated the effects of self-control interventions on targeted (test) and nontargeted anxieties. One yr after the initial 6-wk follow-up, relaxation-as-self-control and modified-desensitization groups showed maintenance of reductions in debilitating test anxiety and continued to report significantly less debilitating test anxiety than the no-treatment control group. No significant differences among groups were found for either facilitating test anxiety or GPAs. Both self-control groups tended to show maintenance of nontargeted anxiety reductions, with relaxation-as-self-control Ss reporting significantly less nontargeted anxiety than controls; the differences on nontargeted anxiety measures only approached significance for Ss in the modified desensitization condition. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and behavioral therapy for musical-performance anxiety.

Compared the efficiency of cognitive-behavioral therapy, emphasizing self-instruction and attention-focusing techniques, with behavior rehearsal and with a waiting-list control in the treatment of debilitating musical-performance anxiety. Ss were 53 pianists (aged 12–53 yrs old) who experienced extreme anxiety in performing situations. Therapy sessions were conducted over a 3-wk period; Ss met 3 times in small groups for 1?–2 hrs and also completed homework assignments. Self-report (e.g., Subjective Stress Scale, Expectations of Personal Efficacy Scale for Musicians), behavioral, and physiological indexes of anxiety were collected at baseline, treatment termination, and follow-up intervals. Multivariate analyses indicated that both the cognitive-behavioral therapy and behavior-rehearsal programs were effective in reducing musical-performance anxiety in comparison to the control condition at the follow-up assessment, although there were no differences among groups at treatment termination. Cognitive therapy was more effective than the behavior-rehearsal program on several measures. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative effectiveness of social problem-solving therapy and reminiscence therapy as treatments for depression in older adults.

Compared the effects of 2 psychotherapies based on divergent conceptualizations of depression in later life. 75 older adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder were assigned randomly to problem-solving therapy (PST), reminiscence therapy (RT), or a waiting-list control (WLC) condition. Participants in PST and RT were provided with 12 weekly sessions of group treatment. Dependent measures, taken at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-mo follow-up, included self-report and observer-based assessments of depressive symptomatology. At posttreatment, both the PST and the RT conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, compared with the WLC group, and PST Ss experienced significantly less depression than RT Ss. Moreover, a significantly greater proportion of Ss in PST vs RT demonstrated sufficient positive change to warrant classification of their depression as improved or in remission at the posttreatment and follow-up evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anabolic-androgenic steroids: Effects on social behavior and baseline heart rate.

Examined effects of anabolic androgenic steroids on behavior, baseline heart rate (HR), and stress-induced HR responses in 24 monkeys. Ss received 8 wks of im injections of testosterone and were assigned to 4 mixed social groups of both treated and sham control Ss. Testosterone disrupted the social milieu such that all dominant Ss exhibited increased submission. These changes returned to pretest levels 8 wks after termination of the drug intervention. Affiliative behaviors decreased for all Ss as a function of testosterone and, with the exception of play behavior, failed to return to pretest levels after the 8-wk recovery period. Testosterone increased baseline HR, particularly among dominant Ss; subordinate Ss treated with testosterone experienced a decrease in baseline HR from pre- to posttest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept therapy for adolescent females.

14 adolescent females referred for delinquent and acting-out behaviors were compared pre- and posttreatment on measures of self-concept, ideal self-concept, and anxiety. These Ss were in a 10-wk socialization program designed to produce positive changes in self-concept; 9 Ss were in a group run by community volunteers, and 5 Ss were in a group run by mental health professionals. Self-concept changes in a nonreferred comparison group of 8 nondelinquent Ss appeared nearly random in contrast to the systematic improvement for the 14 Ss in therapy. There was some evidence of differential affectiveness in that Ss in the professionally led group appeared to undergo the most marked changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological reactions to radiation therapy: Reconsideration of the adaptive aspects of anxiety.

Individual differences in the psychological reactions of 45 16–75 yr old patients undergoing external radiation treatment were examined in the context of the I. L. Janis's (1958) model and the linear decline model by C. D. Spielberger et al (see record 1973-21109-001) of medical stressor anxiety. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Profile of Mood States, and self-reports of symptomatology were completed by Ss pre- and posttreatment. Technologists administering the daily treatments assessed behavioral indicants of affective distress. Data analyses revealed that increases in complaints and side effects were reported by all Ss at treatment conclusion. Significant changes in state anxiety were obtained from pre- to posttreatment: (a) Ss with an initial high level of anxiety reported a significant reduction, although they remained the most anxious subgroup; (b) Ss with a moderate level of pretreatment anxiety reported no change; and (c) Ss with low levels of anxiety reported significant increases in state anxiety. No change in trait anxiety was found for any group, suggesting that the foregoing changes in state anxiety were not simply attributable to regression. Findings are consistent with the Janis model, which posits that in threatening situations the level of fear can potentially determine the adequacy of adaptation. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of reframing and self-control directives on loneliness, depression, and controllability.

57 female undergraduates who scored at least 1 standard deviation above the mean (47 or above) on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and who scored as moderately depressed (8–26) on the Beck Depression Inventory also completed the Causal Dimension Scale and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: reframing, self-control directives, and a waiting-list control. Treatment groups met for 2 weekly ?-hr interviews. Interviewer responses in the reframing group focused on ways to experience loneliness more positively, whereas self-control responses involved encouraging Ss to overcome loneliness. All 3 groups were again administered the 3 measures posttreatment and 2-wk follow-up. Results indicate that Ss in the reframing group experienced a more significant reduction in depression than Ss in the self-control or control groups. All Ss became less lonely over time, but no treatment was more effective than another in reducing loneliness. No differences were found for controllability. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Broad-spectrum behavioral treatment for chronic alcoholics: Effects of training controlled drinking skills.

Evaluated drinking skills training for 62 male chronic alcoholic veterans (mean age 46.1 yrs) by assigning 10 successive cohorts to trained or untrained conditions in a randomized block experimental design. All Ss received broad-spectrum behavioral treatment consisting of alcohol education, group therapy, individual therapy, self-management training, job-seeking and interpersonal-skills training, drink-refusal-skills training, and relaxation training. Cohorts assigned to the controlled drinking skills condition received 15 hrs of blood-alcohol-level discrimination training, responsible-drinking-skills training, and social-drinking practice sessions. Six-month posttreatment follow-up revealed that Ss in the drinking skills condition had significantly fewer abstinent days and more abusive drinking days than Ss in the untrained condition. Differences between groups were not significant in follow-up Months 7–22, although trends continued. No differences were obtained on moderate drinking days or any adjunctive measures of psychosocial adjustment. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills and cognitive-relaxation approaches to general anger reduction.

Inductive social skills training (ISST), skill assembly social skills training (SASST), and cognitive relaxation coping skills (CRCS) training were compared with a no-treatment control condition for general anger reduction. At 4-wk follow-up, compared with the control group, all treatment groups showed equivalent reductions of the amount of anger experienced in a wide range of situations. ISST and CRCS Ss reported less anger in their worst ongoing provocation than did control Ss, whereas SASST Ss did not differ from Ss of other groups. Treatment groups enhanced anger control equally relative to the control group, but only the CRCS group significantly lowered outward, negative expression of anger, and only the ISST group reduced anger suppression, although active treatment groups did not differ from one another on these measures. The ISST group lowered day-to-day anger more than other groups. No treatment effects were found for nontargeted trait anxiety and assertiveness. Results are discussed in terms of prior findings and the efficacy and flexibility of ISST. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A psychoeducational approach to the treatment of depression: Comparison of group, individual, and minimal contact procedures.

63 16–65 yr olds exhibiting unipolar depression were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions (i.e., class, individual tutoring, minimal contact, or delayed treatment control) with regard to a course of treatment for coping with depression to investigate the efficacy of a psychoeducational approach in treating unipolar depression. The course addressed specific target behaviors (i.e., social skills, thinking, pleasant activities, relaxation) and more general components hypothesized to be critical to successful cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. Ss in the immediate-treatment conditions were assessed pre- and posttreatment and at 1- and 6-mo follow-up sessions; the delayed-treatment group was assessed prior to and following an 8-wk waiting period. Results indicate clinical improvement by all of the active treatment conditions, as compared to the delayed-treatment condition. Differences between active-treatment conditions were small, and some differences between high and low responders to treatment were found. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)