Dois estudos avaliaram o impacto e o processo de um modelo de grupoterapia cognitivo-comportamental para 49 meninas vítimas de abuso sexual com idade entre 9 e 16 anos. O Estudo I avaliou: o impacto do modelo na redução de sintomas de depressão, stress, ansiedade, transtorno do estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) e crenças distorcidas sobre o abuso e o efeito do tempo de espera por tratamento nestes sintomas; a manutenção do impacto da grupoterapia após 6 e 12 meses do término; e os fatores preditores para a resposta à grupoterapia. Os resultados, obtidos através do teste t para amostras pareadas apontaram que o modelo de grupoterapia apresentou impacto positivo, reduzindo significativamente os sintomas avaliados; o efeito da espera entre os grupos não revelou diferença significativa; os efeitos terapêuticos se mantiveram após um ano; e, os fatores preditores da resposta à grupoterapia foram: idade de início do abuso, presença de estupro e sintomas de revivência do TEPT antes da grupoterapia. O Estudo II avaliou o processo terapêutico a partir da análise clínica descritiva de dois casos, considerando as participantes que obtiveram escores extremos na análise da redução de sintomas. Os resultados apontaram que a idade de início do abuso, forma de abuso, experiência de abrigamento, resposta ao treino de inoculação do estresse e percepções de culpa foram aspectos que diferenciaram a resposta à grupoterapia. O modelo avaliado se mostrou efetivo para tratamento de meninas vítimas de abuso sexual. / Two studies assessed the effectiveness impact and process of a cognitive behavioral group therapy model applied to 49 female children and adolescents victims of sexual abuse (9-16 years). The Study I evaluated: the impact of the model in the reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the beliefs on the abusive experience and the effect of being in a waiting list for treatment in these symptoms; the permanence of the group therapy effects impact in a 6 and 12 months follow ups; the predictors factors for a group therapy response. The results, analyzed through the test t, revealed: the model showed positive impact, reducing the evaluated symptoms; the effect of being in the waiting list did not reveal significant difference in both groups; the therapeutic impact were maintained through the follow ups; the predictor factors for a response to group therapy were: age of the sexual abuse, rape presence and re-experiencing symptoms of the PTSD before the group therapy. The Study II assessed the therapeutic process using a two cases clinic analysis, considering the participants that obtained extremes scores in the analysis of symptoms reduction. The results pointed out to: the age of the sexual abuse, rape presence, sheltering, response the stress inoculation training and self perceptions of blame were aspects that explained the different response to the group therapy. The model was effective to the treatment of the girls victims of sexual abuse.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-04-24T17:58:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana da Rosa Pureza.pdf: 1746305 bytes, checksum: 1269d0c651ad291f9b63480eddd161e4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-24T17:58:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana da Rosa Pureza.pdf: 1746305 bytes, checksum: 1269d0c651ad291f9b63480eddd161e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-01-31 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A presente dissertação teve como objetivo estudar as intervenções para o fenômeno bullying na infância. Ela encontra-se composta por dois estudos organizados no formato de artigo. O primeiro deles, apresenta uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre intervenções para o fenômeno bullying na infância, datadas de 2002 a 2013 e localizadas nas bases MEDLINE, LILACS, SCIELO, ASP (EBSCO), Oxford University Press, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect e Web of Science. Foram analisados 19 artigos, cuja maioria destacou que as intervenções tiveram como objetivo a diminuição dos índices de bullying e ocorreram no ambiente escolar no formato grupal, envolvendo participantes de toda a escola. Também se identificou- a existência de diversos procedimentos de avaliação para o bullying na infância e a escassez de estudos realizados com crianças menores de oito anos, além da falta de clareza acerca dos modelos teóricos que fundamentaram as intervenções e da pouca associação do bullying a outros fenômenos psicológicos. Já o segundo estudo teve como objetivo avaliar uma intervenção baseada na psicologia positiva e na terapia cognitivo-comportamental para o tratamento de crianças envolvidas no bullying. Participaram 40 crianças (10 a 12 anos), matriculadas em escolas estaduais de Porto Alegre-RS, que responderam a instrumentos sobre o envolvimento no bullying, as habilidades sociais e os indicadores de depressão. Dessas, 26 compuseram o grupo de intervenção e 14 o grupo de comparação. A coleta foi realizada nas escolas, coletivamente, em oito encontros semanais. Análises estatísticas revelaram que antes da intervenção o grupo de intervenção era mais deprimido (p<0,00) e o grupo de comparação mais habilidoso socialmente (p<0,02). Porém, depois da intervenção os grupos se mostraram mais homogêneos, somente o grupo de intervenção apresentou um aumento quanto ao papel de testemunha (p<0,01). Esses resultados indicam que a intervenção pode ser considerada efetiva para algumas variáveis relacionadas ao bullying, principalmente para o papel de testemunha e das vítima extrema e. A discussão desses resultados a luz da psicologia positiva é relevante devido à sua importância para a prevenção e promoção da saúde mental na infância. / The present Master Degree thesis aimed to study interventions on bullying in childhood. It is organized in two separated studies in article formats. In the first paper, a systematic literature revision is presented about studies on bullying interventions in childhood, published in the years 2002 to 2013 and taken from MEDLINE, LILACS, SCIELO, ASP (EBSCO), Oxford University Press, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect e Web of Science data bases. Nineteen scientific papers were analyzed and it was possible to observe that the majority of interventions described in these studies aimed to decrease bullying levels or behaviors as well as occurred inside schools, involving participants from the whole the school in a group format. It was also possible to identify the existence of a greater diversity in what refers to the measures about bullying in childhood and a lack of theoretical models as backgrounds to the development of these interventions. Besides that, few studies focused oneight-year-old or younger children and verified the association between bullying and other psychological phenomena. At study 2, the objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention based on Positive Psychology and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to children involved in bullying. Forty children from 10 to 12 years-old, students of public schools in Porto Alegre city, South Brazil, answered questionnaires about bullying, social skills, and depression symptoms. The intervention group included 26 children and the control group had 14. Data collection was held in schools, collectively, during eight days, one per week. Statistical analysis by Mann Whitney showed that before intervention (T1), the intervention group was more depressed symptoms (p<0,00) and the control group showed higher levels of social skills (p<0,02). After the intervention (T2), the groups were more homogeneous and the intervention group showed an increase of witness role in bullying (p<0,01). These results indicate that intervention can be considered effective to some variables related to bullying, mainly extreme victimzation and 15 bystander. The discussion of these results based on Positive Psychology approach is essential, due to its importance to prevention and mental health promotion in childhood.

<p>The present dissertation comprises four empirical studies within the area of behavioral treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia. The focus is on studying issues pertaining to outcome, treatment process and determinants of change. The first study is a randomized controlled treatment study of 73 patients undergoing 16 sessions of either exposure in vivo (E), or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Both treatments showed clear improvements at post-treatment that were well maintained at 1-year follow up, and there were no significant differences between the treatments.</p><p>The second study concerned prediction of outcome in the same sample. From a variety of pre-treatment characteristics severity of avoidance was the one most related to outcome. Most predictors were found unrelated. Two approaches of prediction were also compared: treating outcome as a categorical vs. continuous variable. The different approaches yielded a somewhat dissimilar picture of the impact of pre-treatment severity of avoidance. The third study examined different aspects of the therapeutic relationship, and their relation to outcome. Clients’ perceptions of therapists and their ratings of the working alliance were generally not related to outcome at any point. On the other hand, therapists’ perceptions of patients as showing goal-direction and active participation were related to outcome from early on in therapy. The fourth study examined different aspects of change. It was found that change in indices of the frequency of panic attacks was not closely related to change in agoraphobic avoidance at post-treatment. Change in avoidance was also more related to other aspects of outcome. At one-year follow-up, a more unitary picture, regarding the different aspects of change was observed.</p>

The present dissertation comprises four empirical studies within the area of behavioral treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia. The focus is on studying issues pertaining to outcome, treatment process and determinants of change. The first study is a randomized controlled treatment study of 73 patients undergoing 16 sessions of either exposure in vivo (E), or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Both treatments showed clear improvements at post-treatment that were well maintained at 1-year follow up, and there were no significant differences between the treatments. The second study concerned prediction of outcome in the same sample. From a variety of pre-treatment characteristics severity of avoidance was the one most related to outcome. Most predictors were found unrelated. Two approaches of prediction were also compared: treating outcome as a categorical vs. continuous variable. The different approaches yielded a somewhat dissimilar picture of the impact of pre-treatment severity of avoidance. The third study examined different aspects of the therapeutic relationship, and their relation to outcome. Clients’ perceptions of therapists and their ratings of the working alliance were generally not related to outcome at any point. On the other hand, therapists’ perceptions of patients as showing goal-direction and active participation were related to outcome from early on in therapy. The fourth study examined different aspects of change. It was found that change in indices of the frequency of panic attacks was not closely related to change in agoraphobic avoidance at post-treatment. Change in avoidance was also more related to other aspects of outcome. At one-year follow-up, a more unitary picture, regarding the different aspects of change was observed.

Depression is a significant mental health concern with a pivotal increase of incidence during adolescence, specifically for females. Currently, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely tested treatment for depression. Yet, it is unclear how CBT functions to produce effective outcomes. Adult studies have shown that behavioral components of CBT are more effective than cognitive components in reducing depression at acute treatment. Both behavioral and cognitive components have been shown to be effective in preventing relapse of depressive symptoms at follow up. Yet less is understood about how treatment components work together to provide positive outcomes, particularly for depressed youth. The overall goal of this study was to examine which parts of treatment (cognitive and/or behavioral) aid in symptom reduction and to determine if treatment outcome is mediated by cognitive change. Forty two pre-adolescent girls, aged 9-14, participated in a 20-session manualized group CBT program. The first portion of treatment (session 1-9) focused the behavioral intervention and the second portion of treatment (sessions 11-19) focused on cognitive interventions while continuing to reinforce behavioral interventions when necessary. Self report measures and diagnostic interviews were completed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Using multiple regression analyses, the findings of this study supported the role of behavioral and cognitive interventions in reducing depression. Behavioral interventions were found to significantly reduce depression at post-treatment. Additionally, cognitive interventions were found to play a small, but significant role in post-treatment outcome, with preliminary evidence that cognitive interventions could also be linked to treatment outcome one year later. Treatment specificity could not be tested, as the cognitive change of depressed girls was not directly influenced by the behavior and cognitive interventions. Exploratory analysis demonstrated the significant role of behavioral techniques such as behavior activation, positive reinforcement, homework review, and skills training in predicting outcome of treatment. Implications of the results, limitations, and recommendations for future research are provided. / text

Self-monitoring, lowered arousal training (i.e., biofeedback and relaxation training) and maintenance follow-up appeared to contribute to effective treatment of hypertension. Cognitive therapy, while effective in treatment of some stress-related disorders, has not been studied as a specific treatment component for hypertension. The present study explored the use of cognitive therapy as a treatment variable to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive persons. The effectiveness of a multi-element treatment including cognitive therapy, blood-pressure biofeedback, and relaxation training was also assessed. Self-monitoring and maintenance training were included as a part of each treatment process.

Dois estudos avaliaram o impacto e o processo de um modelo de grupoterapia cognitivo-comportamental para 49 meninas vítimas de abuso sexual com idade entre 9 e 16 anos. O Estudo I avaliou: o impacto do modelo na redução de sintomas de depressão, stress, ansiedade, transtorno do estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) e crenças distorcidas sobre o abuso e o efeito do tempo de espera por tratamento nestes sintomas; a manutenção do impacto da grupoterapia após 6 e 12 meses do término; e os fatores preditores para a resposta à grupoterapia. Os resultados, obtidos através do teste t para amostras pareadas apontaram que o modelo de grupoterapia apresentou impacto positivo, reduzindo significativamente os sintomas avaliados; o efeito da espera entre os grupos não revelou diferença significativa; os efeitos terapêuticos se mantiveram após um ano; e, os fatores preditores da resposta à grupoterapia foram: idade de início do abuso, presença de estupro e sintomas de revivência do TEPT antes da grupoterapia. O Estudo II avaliou o processo terapêutico a partir da análise clínica descritiva de dois casos, considerando as participantes que obtiveram escores extremos na análise da redução de sintomas. Os resultados apontaram que a idade de início do abuso, forma de abuso, experiência de abrigamento, resposta ao treino de inoculação do estresse e percepções de culpa foram aspectos que diferenciaram a resposta à grupoterapia. O modelo avaliado se mostrou efetivo para tratamento de meninas vítimas de abuso sexual. / Two studies assessed the effectiveness impact and process of a cognitive behavioral group therapy model applied to 49 female children and adolescents victims of sexual abuse (9-16 years). The Study I evaluated: the impact of the model in the reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the beliefs on the abusive experience and the effect of being in a waiting list for treatment in these symptoms; the permanence of the group therapy effects impact in a 6 and 12 months follow ups; the predictors factors for a group therapy response. The results, analyzed through the test t, revealed: the model showed positive impact, reducing the evaluated symptoms; the effect of being in the waiting list did not reveal significant difference in both groups; the therapeutic impact were maintained through the follow ups; the predictor factors for a response to group therapy were: age of the sexual abuse, rape presence and re-experiencing symptoms of the PTSD before the group therapy. The Study II assessed the therapeutic process using a two cases clinic analysis, considering the participants that obtained extremes scores in the analysis of symptoms reduction. The results pointed out to: the age of the sexual abuse, rape presence, sheltering, response the stress inoculation training and self perceptions of blame were aspects that explained the different response to the group therapy. The model was effective to the treatment of the girls victims of sexual abuse.

Dois estudos avaliaram o impacto e o processo de um modelo de grupoterapia cognitivo-comportamental para 49 meninas vítimas de abuso sexual com idade entre 9 e 16 anos. O Estudo I avaliou: o impacto do modelo na redução de sintomas de depressão, stress, ansiedade, transtorno do estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) e crenças distorcidas sobre o abuso e o efeito do tempo de espera por tratamento nestes sintomas; a manutenção do impacto da grupoterapia após 6 e 12 meses do término; e os fatores preditores para a resposta à grupoterapia. Os resultados, obtidos através do teste t para amostras pareadas apontaram que o modelo de grupoterapia apresentou impacto positivo, reduzindo significativamente os sintomas avaliados; o efeito da espera entre os grupos não revelou diferença significativa; os efeitos terapêuticos se mantiveram após um ano; e, os fatores preditores da resposta à grupoterapia foram: idade de início do abuso, presença de estupro e sintomas de revivência do TEPT antes da grupoterapia. O Estudo II avaliou o processo terapêutico a partir da análise clínica descritiva de dois casos, considerando as participantes que obtiveram escores extremos na análise da redução de sintomas. Os resultados apontaram que a idade de início do abuso, forma de abuso, experiência de abrigamento, resposta ao treino de inoculação do estresse e percepções de culpa foram aspectos que diferenciaram a resposta à grupoterapia. O modelo avaliado se mostrou efetivo para tratamento de meninas vítimas de abuso sexual. / Two studies assessed the effectiveness impact and process of a cognitive behavioral group therapy model applied to 49 female children and adolescents victims of sexual abuse (9-16 years). The Study I evaluated: the impact of the model in the reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the beliefs on the abusive experience and the effect of being in a waiting list for treatment in these symptoms; the permanence of the group therapy effects impact in a 6 and 12 months follow ups; the predictors factors for a group therapy response. The results, analyzed through the test t, revealed: the model showed positive impact, reducing the evaluated symptoms; the effect of being in the waiting list did not reveal significant difference in both groups; the therapeutic impact were maintained through the follow ups; the predictor factors for a response to group therapy were: age of the sexual abuse, rape presence and re-experiencing symptoms of the PTSD before the group therapy. The Study II assessed the therapeutic process using a two cases clinic analysis, considering the participants that obtained extremes scores in the analysis of symptoms reduction. The results pointed out to: the age of the sexual abuse, rape presence, sheltering, response the stress inoculation training and self perceptions of blame were aspects that explained the different response to the group therapy. The model was effective to the treatment of the girls victims of sexual abuse.

The purpose of this project is to gather an understanding of binge eating disorder and effective treatment approaches used for the reduction of binge eating symptoms for adult females. The research focus of this study will be, what are the attitudes and perspectives of binge eating disorder treatments for adult females among students who are in a masters of social work field or study. This research project utilized a post-positivist paradigm where data was gathered qualitatively through the implementation of interviews with MSW students of diverse ethnic backgrounds (e.g. Hispanics, whites, and blacks, professional and personal experiences) from California State University of San Bernardino. The researcher utilized literature review to prepare for the study execution, and participants were provided with an inform consent and debriefing statement. The researcher prepared questions, and audio recorded, transcribe, and then analyzed the interviews. Master’s students’ first-hand knowledge and perspectives contributed to a better understanding of what needs to be known in order to effectively treat binge eating disorder. The results consisted of the following themes: knowledge; basic knowledge of eating disorders, limited knowledge or awareness about binge eating disorder among adult females, no knowledge in regards to effective treatments for adult females with binge eating disorder, need for knowledge or awareness, perceptions; negative perceptions of binge eating disorder and treatments for adult females, experiences; personal and school experiences, and treatments; cognitive behavior therapy for treatment.

The overarching goal of this thesis has been to enhance Internet-delivered psychological treatments for depression and its comorbidity. To this end, three randomized controlled trials (Study II, III and IV) with a total of 313 participants were conducted. A prevalence study (Study I) was also conducted to provide an up-to-date estimate of the prevalence of depression, anxiety disorders, and their comorbidity in the Swedish general population. Study I showed that more than every sixth individual in Sweden suffers from symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Comorbidity between depression and anxiety was substantial and associated with higher symptom burden and lower health-related quality of life. Study II showed that a tailored Internet-based CBT protocol (ICBT) was effective in reducing symptoms of depression when compared to a control group. Among individuals with more severe depression and comorbidities, the tailored ICBT treatment worked better than standardized ICBT. Study III showed that a psychodynamic Internet-based psychotherapy was highly effective in the treatment of depression, when compared to a group who received psychoeducation and online support. In Study IV, an Internet-delivered affect-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy proved to have a large effect on depression and a moderately large effect on anxiety disorders. In conclusion, this thesis shows that in the context of treating depression and its comorbidity, Internet-delivered psychological treatments can be potentially enhanced by psychodynamic psychotherapy and by individualization. / Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling har varit att vidareutveckla internetbaserad psykologisk behandling för depression och dess komorbiditet. Tre randomiserade kontrollerade studier (Studie II, III och IV) med totalt 313 deltagare genomfördes i linje med detta syfte. En prevalensstudie (Studie I) genomfördes också för att tillhandahålla ett uppdaterat estimat av prevalensen av depression, ångest och deras komorbiditet i Sverige. Studie I visade att mer än var sjätte individ i Sverige lider av symptom på depression och/eller ångest. Det fanns påtaglig komorbiditet mellan depression och ångest, vilket var associerat med högre symptombörda och lägre livskvalitét. Studie II visade att en skräddarsydd internetbaserad KBT-behandling var effektiv för att reducera symptom på depression, i jämförelse med en kontrollgrupp. Bland individer med svårare depression och komorbiditet, fungerade den skräddarsydda interventionen bättre än en standardiserad. Studie III visade att psykodynamisk internetbehandling var effektiv vid behandling av depression, i jämförelse med en grupp som fick psykoedukation och stödsamtal online. I Studie IV visades att en affektfokuserad psykodynamisk internetbehandling hade stor effekt vad gällde att reducera symptom på depression, och medelstor effekt vad gällde att reducera symptom på ångest. Sammanfattningsvis visar denna avhandling att internetbaserad psykologisk behandling kan potentiellt vidareutvecklas av psykodynamisk psykoterapi och individanpassning, vid behandling av depression och dess komorbiditet.