Despite the level of concern generated by adolescents who repeatedly self-harm, there is a dearth of empirically validated interventions for this client group. In the adult domain, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993) is the only evidence-based intervention for individuals at high risk of repetition, and preliminary research has suggested its utility with adolescents. This study employed a qualitative methodology to evaluate an existing inpatient DBT programme for adolescents with multiple presenting problems including deliberate self-harm. Four female adolescents were interviewed in depth about their experiences and the perceived impact of receiving DBT. Transcripts were analysed for significant and recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Overall, the results supported existing quantitative data indicating that this client group can benefit from DBT. Participants emphasised the role of applying DBT skills in gaining a sense of control over internal experiences and overt behaviours (including self-harm). However, there were marked individual differences in the degree to which such control was attained. Furthermore, for most participants, the effective use of DBT skills was at least partially dependent upon the continued receipt of therapy. Motivation to engage in and comply with therapy appeared to be significantly influenced by participants' perceptions of staff and peers within the inpatient unit. A sense of connection or identification with others emerged as an important source of learning and inspiration, as well as serving to normalise participants' difficulties. The role of social comparison was particularly salient in participants' attempts to make sense of the changes in self since entering DBT. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature, with particular emphasis on the extent to which therapeutic processes deemed important by DBT theory were concordant with participants' experiences. Implications for clinical practice are highlighted and directions for future research suggested.

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) had been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Group 1 carcinogens, in which it has been identified to be related with the development of gastric carcinoma. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is less commonly found in Asia, while the number of H.pylori infection is considerably to be higher than that of the Western population. The relationship between H.pylori and GERD still remains ambiguous nowadays. One of the contributing factors affecting the level of gastric secretion might be due to the genetic cause. The aim of this review is to assess whether the current first-line therapy on GERD would be effective or not in relieving the symptoms of the patients with H.pylori infection. / published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

This qualitative interview study explored the responses of child participants and their primary caregivers to the experience of completing a multi-stage screening process designed to identify depressed youth. Participants were sixteen girls ages 9 to 11 and caregivers of twelve of the girls. The child participants selected for this study were those who reported symptoms of a depressive disorder at the initial stages of screening without receiving diagnosis of a depressive disorder at the final stage of screening. Qualitative interviews were completed separately with child participants and their caregivers using a semi-structured interview format. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze interview transcripts and generate an integrated explanation of child and caregiver responses to depression screening and assessment (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Results of this study indicate that depression screening and assessment serves the function of creating a forum for the child perspective by raising the child‘s emotional state and concerns to the attention of both the child and the parent. The child participants in this study reported experiencing emotional distress or a sense of burden prior to the first stage of screening. A process of reflecting on their emotions, beliefs, and stressors began as child participants completed screening questionnaires, followed by a sense of relief or improved mood in response to talking with interviewers during a brief interview. The forum for the child perspective expanded as parents received interviewer feedback about child emotions and concerns and began to assess the information in light of their own observations and situational factors. The extent to which parent and child maintained the forum for the child perspective through sustained communication about the child‘s emotions and concerns influenced the type and intensity of interventions subsequently introduced by parents. The chief means through which depression screening affected the child participants was through enhancing their understanding of themselves, promoting positive coping processes, facilitating parent/child communication, and influencing parent perceptions and the parenting agenda. / text

Most toddlers with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Autism are non-compliant, have language delays and immature play; however, some have intact information processing ability, while others do not. Play data from two treatment outcome studies of children with PDD and Autism, and one normative longitudinal study were analysed to (1) compare play of normally developing children to delayed children with intact versus impaired processing; (2) investigate differential impact of a parent-implemented cognitive-behavioural treatment on children with intact versus impaired processing; and (3) investigate the use of information processing, and non-verbal play measures, including sustained attention, for use with children with delays. Both children with intact and those with impaired processing, but particularly children with impaired processing, displayed immature play relative to normally developing children. With treatment, sophistication of play improved substantially for children with intact processing and less for children with impaired processing confirming the usefulness of both information processing and play as alternative assessment procedures for children who are non-verbal and non-compliant.

No description available.

The burden of depression requires modalities other than individual psychotherapy if we are to reduce it. Over the past two decades preventative programs for depression have been developed and refined for different populations. The six years since the last meta-analysis of preventative interventions—inclusive of all program types—have seen a number of new studies. The current study used the greater statistical power provided by these new studies to analyze moderators of, and sub-group differences in, the effect of these interventions on depression. Moreover, this meta-analysis synthesized effect sizes for outcomes other than, but often related to, depression (e.g., anxiety) and for within-group change scores with the goal of better informing program implementation and evaluation. Twenty-nine studies met inclusion criteria and indicated that small, robust effects exist for reductions in depression diagnoses and symptomatology. Significant effects were also observed for anxiety, general health, and social functioning.

No description available.

The Office of Programs for Alcohol and Drug Problems is the designated "Single State Authority" for the planning and development of alcohol and drug programs. It is within the State Mental Health Division, and is the interface between the Division, the counties, and the federal government with regard to alcohol and drug programs. The Division's Office of Management Support Services (MSS) is charged with the responsibility of developing an evaluation system for programs. This is being done in regard to the needs of programs and decision-makers concerned with programs. The Program Office is now providing input to MSS largely through this practicum paper, and through the involvement of the author with staff of MSS and the Division's Task Force on Evaluation Systems. The goal of the practicum, and the involvement with MSS, which will continue, is to assist in the development of an evaluation system that will enable the Program Office to better perform the tasks of assessing programs, and planning for this further development. While the subject is beyond the scope of this paper, such an evaluation system would be useful to individuals, organizations, and high level decision-makers outside the Program Office. For an evaluation system to be of use to the Program Office (or the other decision makers involved with alcohol and drug programs), it must provide systematic information regarding the extent to which the alcohol and drug service system and elements within it are able to: Identify the problems of potential clientele; Assign or establish goals which clients may realistically be helped to attain; and Provide treatment or services which enable them to reach their goals. Beyond answering process oriented questions such as these, the system must develop information concerning the impact, on the lives of clients, and on the community, of the services. It must provide this feedback in a way that is usable to programs so they may alter approaches to client problems, to the Program Office, and to the hierarchy of government officials responsible for programs.

The purpose of this project was to clarify the methodological considerations involved in the posttreatment follow-up evaluation of alcohol-abuse patients. A two-part project was undertaken in an attempt to answer the follow-up questions of how and when to measure treatment effects with discharged alcoholics. In Part I, a large-scale survey was utilized to examine return rates across various program evaluation methods and time frames. In Part II, the predictive validity of scores received at short-term follow-up in relation to scores received at 1-year follow-up was assessed for measures of psychosocial functioning and alcohol consumption.

This is a qualitative study examining the experience of students currently enrolled in Steppin' Stone Farm, a residential treatment center in central Florida. In addition to building a more solid foundation of literature in this field, this study investigates at-risk teenage female residents' perceptions of educational experiences within a residential treatment environment. The relationship between formal, informal, and non-informal experiences, preferred learning strategies, and success patterns were explored. This phenomenological study utilized a lens of critical theory to understand the meaning of girls' educational experiences at a residential treatment center. The design includes studying 16 girls' formal, non-formal, and informal educational experiences as well as utilizing the Assessing the Learning Strategies of AdultS (ATLAS) tool to assess learning strategy preference. Results of the study determined student preceptions regarding various educational environments and learning strategies at a residential treatment center. Analysis of interviews and data collected led to many significant findings. Additionally, this study enhances knowledge in the field of residential treatment and has implications for those seeking residential treatment, working in residential treatment, and educators. Research in this field often focuses on outcome and effectiveness literature. This study provides insightful information incorporating the voice of students into the research. / by Krista D. Allison. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.