Effects of stimulation intensity on sociopathic avoidance learning.

On the basis of scores on standardized tests (e.g., the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale), 90 public offenders were selected to represent low, medium, and high levels of anxiety and low and high levels of sociopathy. Ss were exposed to an avoidance situation under either low, medium, or high levels of background auditory stimulation. The avoidance task allowed shock to be averted through appropriate active and passive avoidance responses in the presence of visually presented cues. Anxiety, sociopathy, and auditory stimulus intensity interacted in their effects on avoidance behavior. Primary sociopaths learned to avoid shock more effectively under conditions of higher auditory stimulus intensity, while avoidance behavior of control Ss was not affected by changes in the level of auditory stimulation. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of structure of marathon group therapy and locus of control on therapeutic outcome.

84 institutionalized female drug addicts were assigned to either direct marathon, nondirect marathon, or no-treatment control groups on the basis of the locus of control scores. Findings suggest that internals are better therapeutic risks than externals, regardless of a direct or nondirect therapist technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of an attachment-focused group preventive intervention on insecure women.

Research indicates that insecure individuals are at risk for relationship distress. A recently developed 17-hr manualized attachment-focused (AF) group intervention targets the attachment concerns of insecure individuals. AF group intervention involves four sequential segments: (a) dysfunctional relationship beliefs, (b) childhood factors influencing partner choices and relationship styles, (c) relationship skills training, and (d) relationship strategies. This study tested the effectiveness of AF group intervention conducted over a 3-day weekend on 13 young adult women with insecure adult attachment patterns. At the 6-month follow-up, AF intervention participants reported improved interpersonal styles, enhanced satisfaction with family relationships, decreased agreement with dysfunctional relationship beliefs, and less fearful and more secure attachment patterns compared with controls. Participants with a fearful-avoidant attachment pattern reported the greatest gains. These findings support using attachment theory principles in group preventive interventions with insecure individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatments of psychogenic female sexual dysfunctions.

Evaluates research evidence on the effectiveness of the treatments of psychogenic female sexual dysfunctions. Included are analyses of design, methodology, and outcome criteria. The studies are reviewed within 7 categories: individual verbal psychotherapy, couple reeducation, systematic desensitization, extensive retraining programs, combination approaches, group therapy, and vaginal exercise. Over half of the studies were case reports. The studies reflected various methodological weaknesses, including the confounding of treatment procedures, the failure to control for the differential treatment effects on the types of disorders, and the failure to use valid and reliable methods of data collection. Treatment successes were usually defined differently across the studies, a characteristic that inhibits the generalizability of the findings. Various methods of systematic desensitization have been successful in treating vaginismus, dyspareunia, orgasmic dysfunctions, and feelings of aversion toward sexual stimulation. Retraining programs seem to be effective in treating orgasmic dysfunctions. Recommendations for future research include the suggestion that controlled investigations should determine the most effective treatment methods for each of the dysfunctions. (71 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of parent counseling on the family system.

To study the impact of a parent counseling program, all members of 11 experimental families and 9 lecture-control families were evaluated before and after 7 wkly counseling sessions and at a 6–8 mo follow-up. Parents in both conditions reflected a significant increase in perceived marital adjustment (Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale) at posttesting and at follow-up. The children of parents in both groups demonstrated significant increases in self-esteem (Self-Esteem Inventory) after treatment; improvement was maintained at follow-up. Findings suggest that for educated, middle-income families, the critical components in parent counseling may be the mere presentation of information and didactic instruction. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The marathon encounter group: A review of the outcome literature.

45 investigations of the marathon encounter group are systematically evaluated. Comparisons are made within sections on time format, Ss, leaders, treatment, testing periods, and outcome criteria. All but 6 studies used "normal" college volunteers as Ss. Some positive results were found in varied aspects of personal or social functioning, although the group effects seemed to be temporary. The methodological shortcomings are considerable. The superiority of the marathon encounter group over traditional spaced group treatment is not established, and the treatment methods most effective in the extended session still need to be identified. Critical limitations of the studies indicate that further investigations of variables predictive of desired outcomes should use treatment control groups, defined treatment formats, multiple outcome criteria, and comprehensive follow-up investigations. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mothers as family change agents.

Studied the impact of a counseling program for mothers on the perceptions and behavior of family members. The mother, father, and 1 8-12 yr old problem child of 13 experimental and 11 control families were evaluated before and after 7 weekly counseling sessions. Pre- and postexperimental measures included the Family Concept Q Sort, a family decision-making task, and a behavioral data chart maintained by the mother. The experimental spouses experienced a significant increase in perceived family integration. The experimental families reflected a significant increase in the number of positive responses and a significant decrease in the number of negative responses used by the 3 family members. The undesirable behaviors of problem children within the experimental families decreased significantly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The scope and effectiveness of sex therapy.

Reviews clinical findings in sex research, noting that, although sex therapy is a relatively new field, there are enough case reports and controlled studies to reach tentative conclusions about its effectiveness. Short- and long-term therapeutic outlooks are examined. Best results are achieved with men with premature ejaculation and women who have never had orgasms. While sex therapy is less successful with erection problems and situational orgasmic complaints, it is still at least as effective as any other method. With all these problems, sex therapy appears to be the psychological treatment of choice in terms of both absolute and cost effectiveness. Client and therapy factors associated with success and failure are outlined. Differences between sex therapy and more traditional treatment approaches and their implications for changing human behavior are discussed. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)