A cognitive stress-reduction intervention program for adolescents.

We examined the effectiveness of a cognitive intervention to help adolescents cope with stress and other forms of negative emotional arousal. Through this intervention procedure, youths learned how to identify and monitor stress-promoting cognitions, restructure these cognitions into more adaptive thoughts, use self-instructions to control stress-engendering self-statements, and practice and apply these acquired skills. The youths who received training were compared to a waiting list control group on measures of anxiety, anger, self-esteem, depression, and self-reports of cognitions in hypothetical stress situations. The training group showed significant reductions in levels of anxiety and anger, improvement in self-esteem, and an increase in the number of reported positive cognitions in response to a hypothetical situation. These treatment gains were maintained at a 10-week follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The identification of high risk knee bleeds in adolescents with severe haemophilia A

One hundred and thirty-seven knee bleeds treated with an initial dose of 11-16 units of factor VIII/kg have been reviewed in an attempt to find the predictive factors for bleeds requiring retransfusion. Thirty-two bleeds (23.4%) were retransfused within 48 hours because of extension of bleeding or poor progress. Fifty-nine per cent of bleeds which were retransfused presented with pain and 72% were tender at presentation. These figures contrasted with those for bleeds which were not retransfused of 30% and 45%. The difference in each case is significant. Forty-seven per cent of retransfused bleeds presented with less than 50% of normal movement against 12% who were not retransfused. This difference was also highly significant. It is suggested that knee bleeds presenting with pain, tenderness and/or more than 50% restriction of movement should be considered for higher initial doses of factor VIII.     

Contested adoption cases: Grounds for conflict between psychology and the law.

Conflicting psychological testimony, statutory limitations, and judicial naivete with respect to child development concepts can often result in decisions in contested adoption cases that are not in the child's best interests. Illustrative case studies are presented, and 3 recommendations are made that might reduce this potentially harmful conflict between psychology and the law: (1) education of the legal profession, (2) more effective use of a child advocate system, and (3) legislative recognition of the concepts of children's rights and "psychological parenting." (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating a brief prevention program for improving marital conflict in community families.

Marital conflict is related to well-being in children and adults (E. M. Cummings & P. T. Davies, 2002). Marital conflict is likely most effectively ameliorated before it becomes clinically significant. However, families without significant problems may be unwilling to participate in couples therapies or other lengthy or intensive interventions. Responding to this gap, the authors developed a 4-session psychoeducational program about marital conflict for community families. Couples with children 4-8 years of age were randomly blocked into 1 of 3 groups: (1) a parent-only group (n = 24), (2) a parent-child group (n = 33), or (3) a self-study group (n = 33). Pre- and posttest and 6-month and 1-year assessments were conducted. This report evaluates (a) whether participation in a psychoeducational program for parents improved marital conflict, especially concerning ways of expressing disagreements, and (b) whether changes in marital conflict subsequently improved marital satisfaction, parenting, and child adjustment. Greater constructive and less destructive marital conflict was observed at all assessments for treatment groups, and these changes were linked with improvements in other family processes. The findings support the promise of brief, psychoeducational programs for improving marital conflict for community samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A risk management program for dental schools

Risk management is an organized activity designed to reduce the risk of legal claims and minimize the awards that arise as a result of professional and general negligence by the staff of an institution. As a result of the malpractice crisis, the accompanying unprecedented rise in insurance costs, and the transformation of dental school clinics to include the role of providing services to the community, Risk Management Programs are assuming an ever-increasing prominence. This article describes the development and organization of the Risk Management Program at one school.     

A pilot study of a cognitive restructuring program for treating posttraumatic disorders in adolescents.

The study explored the feasibility and efficacy of a manualized cognitive restructuring program for treating adolescents suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nine girls and 3 boys (mean age 16 years; range = 14–18), with PTSD, were recruited from a community mental health center and a tertiary health care center and enrolled in a pilot study. The adolescents were seen weekly for 12–16 weeks of individual treatment. Variables assessed included: trauma history, PTSD diagnosis and severity, depression, substance abuse, and client satisfaction. Twelve adolescents consented to treatment; 9 completed the program. The number of types of traumas reported averaged 6.5 (range = 1–13). Paired t tests were used to test prepost change for PTSD symptoms and depression, in completers. From baseline to posttreatment, there were statistically significant improvements in PTSD and depression. Treatment gains were maintained at 3 month follow-up. Preliminary results suggest the feasibility of implementing a manualized cognitive restructuring program to treat PTSD in adolescents. Completers rated themselves as improved and satisfied at posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. Feedback from referring clinicians also indicated high satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reducing the risk of AIDS in adolescents.

Preventing the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among adolescents is crucial. Urgently needed are prevention programs that influence diverse populations (e.g., men and women, Blacks and Hispanics). Effective AIDS prevention programs and research must draw from promising programs in other health areas (e.g., smoking prevention, prevention of teenage pregnancy). AIDS prevention programs aimed at adolescents should (a) use an expanded cognitive-social learning theory perspective, (b) consider level of intervention and the unit analysis (e.g., individuals, networks, organizations, and communities), (c) recognize differing goals of primary and secondary prevention, and (d) use social marketing methods in tailoring programs to subgroups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental model for risk avoidance in adolescents confronting AIDS

Epidemiologic studies indicate that HIV infection is on the rise within the adolescent population. Much of this increase has been attributed to the teenager's developmental proclivity for risk-taking behavior. Intervention programs designed to curtail high-risk behaviour among adolescents have focused primarily on educational methods alerting teenagers to modes of disease transmission. Among these programs, demonstration and role-playing techniques have shown promise, but have not significantly modified behavior patterns. In contrast, a new developmental technique known as previewing advocates the use of representation and enactment to promote risk deterrence. Previewing may serve as a productive alternative to traditional interventions, since it directly addresses the adolescent's cognitive limitations with regard to the prediction of behavioral outcomes. This paper recommends a prevention model using previewing that is designed to lower the incidence of AIDS transmission among adolescents.     

Anger and cardiovascular risk in adolescents.

Examined the relationship between anger and elevations in cardiovascular risk among 213 13–18 yr old adolescents. Ss were assessed on an anger index and also on certain physical (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol) and psychological (e.g., anxiety, life dissatisfaction) variables associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The anger index was factor analyzed, producing a terminal solution of 2 factors: Frequent Anger Directed Outward and Anger-Producing Situations. Regression analyses showed that the factor scores were predictive of the physical and psychological measures of cardiovascular risk, and that the factor scores were differentially related to these indices. Findings are supportive of systematic study both of the multidimensional nature of anger and of the associations of the dimensions of anger with indices of cardiovascular risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

论冲突法中最密切联系例外条款

许多国家国际私法典不仅确立最密切联系在法律适用中的一般原则地位,还进一步赋予其具有排除一般冲突规则的效力,即肯定最密切联系例外条款.最密切联系例外条款立法模式常表现为:总则性立法,特殊性立法和兼容式立法.最密切联系例外体现法律正义,中国应考虑引入最密切联系例外条款,并采纳兼容式立法模式,确立最密切联系例外条款的总则性地位,并在信托、合同、侵权等具体领域加以明确,以避免例外条款的滥用.     

Involving parents in cancer risk reduction: A program for Hispanic American families.

The authors explored changes in dietary behavior, nutrition knowledge, and parental support among inner-city, low-income, Hispanic American families. Thirty-eight families were randomly assigned to receive a 12-week, culture-specific dietary intervention or be in a control group. Results showed that parental support was related to changes in diet, nutrition knowledge, and attendance for both mothers and children. Dietary behavior changes (e.g., reduction in dietary fat) were seen only in the treatment group. Distribution of health-related pamphlets to the control group may have promoted cognitive changes (e.g., increased nutrition knowledge) seen in this low-literacy sample. Further research is needed to document behavioral changes after ethnic-specific interventions and the maintenance of those changes over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of play therapy with adolescents in high school.

Describes appropriate play therapy techniques for use with adolescents In a high school setting and provides specific case examples of the use of a variety of creative, expressive play therapy techniques that can help emotional development. The review of the literature on using play therapy techniques with children and adolescents included in the article provides support for the appropriateness of using creative techniques with adolescents and provides evidence of the need for current information on this topic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Registered criminality in families with children at high risk for schizophrenia.

Describes a project in which 207 Danish children (mean age 15.1 yrs in 1962) with schizophrenic mothers have been periodically assessed and followed since 1962. 104 children matched in age, whose parents and grandparents had never been psychiatrically hospitalized, served as controls. The number of registered criminal offenses in the Ss, their schizophrenic mothers, and their fathers was found to be higher than for controls. Implications for high-risk research and hypotheses on the relation of schizophrenia and criminality are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-monitoring effects in a program for potential high school dropouts: A time-series analysis.

Instructed 17 "potential high school dropouts" in a special-education program to self-monitor their frequency of oral class participation (or nonparticipation). The reactive and therapeutic effects of this self-monitoring were assessed on 3 dependent variables using a multiple-time-series design with 2 experimental groups, 4 experimental periods, and a crossover of experimental treatments. Self-monitoring significantly affected Ss' rates of oral class participation, and to some extent their daily grades, but not their frequency of extraclassroom visits to the teachers' office. Ss showed an increase in the particular response they were monitoring (i.e., talking or no talking). The use of a time-series methodology is discussed. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A test of the social development model during the transition to junior high with Mexican American adolescents.

Mexican American adolescents have higher rates of externalizing problems than their peers from other ethnic and racial groups. To begin the process of understanding factors related to externalizing problems in this population, this study used the social development model (SDM) and prospective data across the transition to junior high school from 750 diverse Mexican American families. In addition, the authors examined whether familism values provided a protective effect for relations within the model. Results showed that the SDM worked well for this sample. As expected, association with deviant peers was the primary predictor of externalizing behaviors. There was support for a protective effect in that adolescents with higher familism values had slower rates of increase in association with deviant peers from 5th to 7th grades than those with lower familism values. Future research needs to determine whether additional culturally appropriate modifications of the SDM would increase its usefulness for Mexican American adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A French-Canadian scale for suicide ideation for use with adolescents.

Extended the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) and evaluated whether the adaptation of the SSI by A. F. De Man et al (see record 1987-30114-001) that had been validated for use with adults could also be used with adolescents. 110 French-Canadian adolescents (aged 11–18 yrs) participated in an analysis of the reliability and validity of a French version of the SSI. Item analysis and coefficient alpha results suggested good reliability. Correlations with selected personality variables were obtained. Associations were found between suicide ideation and measures of self-esteem, multi-dimensional locus of control, life stress, depression, anomie, and age. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infective endocarditis in adolescents. Analysis of risk factors for hospital mortality

PURPOSE: To study the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutive aspects of endocarditis in a group of patients aging 12 to 20 years-old (mean 15.5). METHODS: Thirty-three consecutive patients (14 males, 19 females) admitted with infective endocarditis were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Infective endocarditis mortality was 42%. Rheumatic heart disease was the predominant underlying condition in 63% of patients. Congenital heart disease (24%) and cardiac prosthesis (12%) were the other affections involved. The majority of patients (78%) were in functional class III and IV, with more deaths than the 22% who were in functional class I and II (p = 0.01). Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated agent (42% of the positive blood cultures, followed by Staphylococcus viridans, 21%). Multivariate analysis identified total leukocyte count above 10,000/mm3 and functional class, both at admission (p = 0.01 and p = 0.004, respectively), and the occurrence of embolic complications (p = 0.03) as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Rheumatic heart disease remains, as in adults, the main predisposing factor for infective endocarditis in adolescents, and S. aureus is, like in children, the leading agent. Mortality is high and functional class at hospital admission, embolic complications and leukocytosis are independent predictors of in-hospital mortality.     

Culturally sensitive psychotherapy for Puerto Rican children and adolescents: A program of treatment outcome research.

Recognition of cultural distance between Hispanic clients and non-Hispanic therapists has prompted efforts to introduce culture into therapy, but there is little evidence that such efforts influence treatment outcomes. This article evaluates treatment outcomes from a program of research on modeling therapy with Puerto Ricans, targeting anxiety symptoms, acting-out behavior, and self-concept problems. Evaluation of outcomes confirmed the impact of culturally sensitive modeling therapy on anxiety symptoms and other selected target behaviors, but negative treatment effects also were evident. Results suggest that new approaches to psychotherapy for special populations, such as Hispanic children and adolescents, should be buttressed by programmatic research oriented toward the comparative evaluation of treatment outcomes and should be attuned to therapeutic processes mediating between culture and outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)