Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a mental disorder with high prevalence but low treatment accessibility. A way to facilitate care to these patients is through Internet based treatment. As is the case of most psychological treatments, much has been studied about positive effects but there is a gap regarding adverse effects. This study seeks to fill this gap in the case of an Internet delivered treatment. From a total of 127 participants who took part in a treatment that combined attention biased modification (ABM) and Internet based cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT), 21 (16.5%) presented adverse effects. Most of the adverse effects were detected after participants had received iCBT (13.4%), and these were mostly related to deterioration of symptoms (5.5%), negative wellbeing (3.9%) and emergence of new symptoms (1.6%). Perceived side effects after attention training were less common (4.7%). A thematic analysis showed also that the techniques used in treatment, the lack of time to complete treatment and becoming aware with the impairments of the disorder and its consequences could influence the emergence of adverse effects.

The present study was an exploratory investigation of the efficacy and acceptability of a parent-teacher mediated intervention program for young boys demonstrating externalizing behavior problems. A primary purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy of three indirect models of service delivery: a highly individualized behavioral consultation model (BC); group videotape therapy with minimal consultation (GVT); and a self-administered videotape therapy (VT) program. A second purpose was to investigate the acceptability and satisfaction with these programs as evaluated by parents. More specifically, the relationships between treatment acceptability and outcome as well as factors influencing parent treatment acceptability were examined. Thirty preschool and elementary school children, their parents, and teachers were assigned to one of three intervention conditions (BC, VT, and GVT). A total of 37 parents (29 mothers, 7 fathers, 1 grandmother) participated in the delivery of intervention services over an 8 to 10 week period. An A-B research design was used to analyze the effectiveness of consultation. Outcome variables included parent and teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors as well as direct observations. Results indicated that children's target behaviors improved from baseline to treatment in all three intervention conditions. Pretest and posttest parent treatment acceptability was assessed via rating scales, and at the end of the program parents also completed a satisfaction questionnaire. During the intervention phase, a brief semi-structured interview was used to assess parental perceptions of acceptability. High acceptability and satisfaction ratings were reported by parents in all three intervention conditions. There was partial support indicating a relationship between treatment effectiveness and acceptability but there was little evidence of an association between parental perceptions of problem-solving skill, parenting competence, an

The present analogue study compared the effects of 2 theoretically divergent Life Review group psychotherapies on aspects of late life adjustment and development. Thirty-six adult non-patients, ages 65 years and older, from the Muncie - Delaware County vicinity, were randomly selected from an available subject pool of screened volunteer respondents and randomly assigned to one of three analogue treatment conditions with two groups for each treatment condition. These three treatment conditions were the structured reminiscence life review group (SRLR), the Gestalt life review group (GLR) and a Wait List control group (WLC). Demographic, mental status, and Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) data were obtained from initial respondents by telephone interview and followed by written completion of the Symptom Checklist (SCL 90-R). The differential effects of treatment were measured by pre and post testing on four dependent variables: (1) depression, (2) congruence, (3) helplessness, and (4) ego integrity.Results indicated that neither of the two life review group psychotherapy treatments had any statistically significant effect upon the dependent variables. In a post hoc exploratory analysis, evidence emerged which suggested that the participants in the GLR treatment condition may have shown significant improvement on several state mental health variables. The dimensions of improvement for participants in the GLR were Interpersonal Sensitivity, Hostility, Depression, and Positive Symptom report as measured by the SCL 90-R. This contrasted with those in both the SRLR or WLC condition for whom no improvement was shown. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Having a child diagnosed with cancer is stressful and many parents of children on treatment for cancer report symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTSS). The overall purpose was to, among parents of children on treatment for cancer, investigate the factor structure of PTSS; investigate the relationships between experiential avoidance (EA), rumination, PTSS and depression; and to develop, test, and evaluate a guided self-help intervention provided via the internet. In a longitudinal study with three assessments (n = 249-203) results indicated that a four-factor solution of PTSS including the factors re-experiencing, avoidance, dysphoria, and hyper-arousal provided best fit and that the pattern and size of factor loadings were equivalent across the three assessments (Study I). In a case study with pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments a guided self-intervention was well received with clinical significant and reliable improvements in PTSS, depression, and quality of life (Study II). Furthermore, in cross-sectional analyses (n = 79) EA and rumination were positively associated with PTSS and depression and provided incremental explanation in depression while controlling for demographic characteristics, anxiety, and PTSS. In longitudinal analyses (n = 20), EA but not rumination predicted PTSS and depression while controlling for initial levels (Study III). Finally, in a randomized controlled trial with parents fulfilling the modified symptom criteria on the PTSD-Checklist allocated to guided self-help via the internet (n = 31) or to a wait-list control condition (n = 27) there was a significant intervention effect with a large effect size for the primary outcome PTSS. Similar results were observed for the secondary outcomes depression and anxiety, but not for EA and rumination. Exploratory analyses suggested that the relationships between EA and PTSS and between EA and depression were weakened in the intervention group (Study IV). The studies included in the current thesis suggest that a four-factor solution should be used when assessing PTSS in parents of children on cancer treatment. Furthermore, rumination and EA in particular seem to be important constructs to consider when understanding PTSS and depression in this population. Finally, guided self-help via the internet shows promise in reducing PTSS and depression among parents of children on cancer treatment who report a high level of PTSS.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) / Overgeneral autobiographical memory is thought to be a clinically meaningful phenomenon which is related to affect regulation, problem solving ability, and treatment outcome in clinical populations (see J. M. G. Williams et al., 2007, for review). Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are thought to be particularly prone to developing an overgeneral style of memory due to their temperamental difficulties in controlling affect (J. M. G. Williams, 1996). However, research in this population has so far yielded inconsistent findings. In a series of three studies, this thesis addresses the question whether overgeneral memory is associated with BPD, as well as exploring the relationship between memory specificity, affect regulation, problem solving ability, and response to treatment in this population. Findings indicate that individuals with BPD display reduced autobiographical specificity relative to controls, however, this appears to be a reflection of differences in cognitive ability as IQ and education mediated the association between specificity and diagnosis. Reduced specificity was not associated with Borderline traits in a non-clinical sample. Results failed to confirm the hypothesis that autobiographical memory specificity would be related to affect regulation in individuals with BPD, although there was some indication that memory specificity is associated with reduced rates of deliberate self-harm. Specificity was related to problem solving performance in individuals with BPD, although this relationship did not extend to self-reported problem solving ability. Memory specificity also appeared to change significantly over the course of treatment in a year-long Dialectical Behavior Therapy program, however, there was little indication that change in memory specificity was associated with the observed improvement in symptomatology, affect regulation or problem solving ability. Lastly, an experimental study with university students found no relationship between memory specificity and affect dysregulation, although low specific students reported greater reductions in positive affect following a negative event than individuals with a specific style of autobiographical recall. The assimilation model is considered as a framework for conceptualising these results.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007 / Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-108).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Research paper (M.A.)--Cardinal Stritch College--Milwaukee, 1979. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Education of Learning Disabled Children). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed September 22, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-29)