Nearly 10% of college students experience chronic insomnia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is an empirically validated multi-component treatment that has been demonstrated to produce reliable and durable benefits in the general adult population. However, there have been no studies examining the effectiveness of multi-component CBTi in a college student population, even though many studies have examined the efficacy of single treatment modalities. These young adults are different from the general adult population because they are in a unique transitional developmental phase as they are maturing from adolescence into adulthood, they are sleepier than adults, they tend to have irregular sleep schedules, and their living situations are often different from the general adult population. In this study college students with chronic insomnia were randomly assigned to either six sessions of CBTi or a wait list control (WLC) group. All participants completed sleep diaries, sleep measures, and psychosocial measures. The results indicated students who received CBTi showed improvements in sleep efficiency (SE), sleep onset latency (SOL), number of awakenings (NWAK), time awake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep quality (SQ). They also had decreased insomnia severity (ISI), dysfunctional beliefs about sleep (DBAS), and general fatigue (MFI), as well as increases in global sleep quality (PSQI).

Major depressive disorder is a common, impairing disease, but current treatments are only moderately effective. Understanding how processes such as reward and punishment learning are disrupted in depression and how these disruptions are remediated through treatment is vital to improving outcomes for people with this disorder. In the present set of studies, computational reinforcement learning models and neuroimaging were used to understand how symptom clusters of depression (anhedonia and negative affect) were related to neural and behavioral measures of learning (Study 1, in Paper 1), how these alterations changed with improvement in symptoms after cognitive behavioral therapy (Study 2, in Paper 1), and how learning parameters could be directly altered in a learning retraining paradigm (Study 3, in Paper 2). Results showed that anhedonia and negative affect were uniquely related to changes in learning and that improvement in these symptoms correlated with changes in learning parameters; these parameters could also be changed through targeted queries based on reinforcement learning theory. These findings add important information to how learning is disrupted in depression and how current and novel treatments can remediate learning and improve symptoms. / Ph. D. / Major depression is very common and current treatments are sometimes helpful and sometimes not. In order to create more effective treatments, we need to better understand what exactly goes wrong when people are depressed. The present set of studies uses computational modeling and imaging of brain function to gain a clearer understanding of how people with depression learn from rewarding and punishing events differently, how these differences in learning improve with symptom improvement after receiving treatment for depression, and how learning differences can be directly targeted by teaching people to learn differently. I found that a reduced ability to experience pleasure, or anhedonia, in depression was related to differences learning from good outcomes while low mood was related to perceiving bad outcomes as worse. Both of these differences improved with successful treatment, and asking people questions related to learning also changed the way people learned in a way that may be useful for improving treatments.

No description available.

Antenatal depression (depression under graviditeten) drabbar 10–20% av gravida och innebär risker för både den gravida och barnet. Forskning visar att internetbaserad kognitiv beteendeterapi (IKBT) tycks vara effektivt jämfört med sedvanlig mödravård. Uppsatsen var en sambands- och prediktionsstudie som genomfördes inom den randomiserade DANA-studien för IKBT vid antenatal depression. En inomgruppsdesign med upprepade mätningar tillämpades där 40 kvinnor med antenatal depression deltog. Syftet var att undersöka (a) patientnöjdhet med bedömningssamtalet i relation till behandlingsföljsamhet, avhopp och minskning av depressionssymtom under IKBTbehandlingen, samt (b) jämföra förändring i depressionssymtom mot två tidigare studier. Resultatet visade att en högre patientnöjdhet med bedömningssamtalet signifikant predicerade en mindre minskning av depressionssymtom mellan screening och förmätning. Inga signifikanta samband hittades mellan patientnöjdhet med bedömningssamtalet och behandlingsföljsamhet eller avhopp. Slutsatser bör dras med stor försiktighet utifrån metodologiska begränsningar. Resultatet visade även att depressionssymtom jämfört med förmätningen signifikant minskade från andra veckomätningen i behandlingen till och med eftermätningen vecka tio. Detta bekräftade tidigare studiers resultat. Framtida randomiserade prövningar kan ge underlag till utvecklingen av bedömningssamtal och IKBT mot antenatal depression. / Antenatal depression (depression during pregnancy) affects 10–20% of pregnant women and involves risks for both the pregnant woman and the child. Research shows that internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) seems to be effective compared to conventional maternity care. The thesis was a correlational predictive study that was conducted within the randomized DANAstudy for ICBT during antenatal depression. An in-group design with repeated measurements was applied in which 40 women with antenatal depression participated. The purpose was to examine (a) patient-satisfaction with the assessment interview in relation to adherence, dropouts and remissionof depressive symptoms during ICBT treatment, and (b) compare changes in depressive symptoms against two previous studies. The result showed that a higher patient-satisfaction with the assessment interview significantly predicted a lesser reduction of depressive symptoms between screening and pre-measurement. No significant correlations were found between patient-satisfaction with the assessment interview and treatment adherence or dropouts. Conclusions should be drawn with great caution based on methodological limitations. The result also showed that depressive symptoms compared with the pre-measurement decreased significantly from the second weekly measurement in the treatment until the post-measurement week ten. This confirmed the results of previous studies. Future randomized trials may provide a basis for the development of assessment interviews and ICBT for antenatal depression.

No description available.

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is a symptom that can be very distressing owing to hearing sounds not related to any external sound source. Managing tinnitus is notoriously difficult, and access to evidence-based care is limited. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a tinnitus management strategy with the most evidence of effectiveness but is rarely offered to those distressed by tinnitus. The provision of internet-based CBT for tinnitus overcomes accessibility barriers; however, it is not currently readily available in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of internet-based CBT compared with that of weekly monitoring for the management of tinnitus in reducing tinnitus distress; reducing tinnitus-related comorbidities, including tinnitus cognitions, insomnia, anxiety, and depression; and assessing the stability of the intervention effects 2 months after the intervention. METHODS: A 2-arm randomized clinical trial comparing audiologist-guided internet-based CBT (n=79) to a weekly monitoring group (n=79) with a 2-month follow-up assessed the efficacy of internet-based CBT. Eligible participants included adults seeking help for tinnitus. Recruitment was conducted on the web using an open-access website. Participants were randomized via 1:1 allocation, but blinding was not possible. The study was undertaken by English or Spanish speakers on the web. The primary outcome was a change in tinnitus distress as measured using the Tinnitus Functional Index. Secondary outcome measures included anxiety, depression, insomnia, tinnitus cognition, hearing-related difficulties, and quality of life. RESULTS: Internet-based CBT led to a greater reduction in tinnitus distress (mean 36.57, SD 22) compared with that in weekly monitoring (mean 46.31, SD 20.63; effect size: Cohen d=0.46, 95% CI 0.14-0.77) using an intention-to-treat analysis. For the secondary outcomes, there was a greater reduction in negative tinnitus cognition and insomnia. The results remained stable over the 2-month follow-up period. No important adverse events were observed. Further, 16% (10/158) of participants withdrew, with low overall compliance rates for questionnaire completion of 72.3% (107/148) at T1, 61% (91/148) at T2, and 42% (62/148) at T3. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to evaluate and indicate the efficacy of audiologist-delivered internet-based CBT in reducing tinnitus distress in a US population. It was also the first study to offer internet-based CBT in Spanish to accommodate the large Hispanic population in the United States. The results have been encouraging, and further work is indicated in view of making such an intervention applicable to a wider population. Further work is required to improve compliance and attract more Spanish speakers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04004260; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04004260.

Historically, the horse has in many ways been important to human beings. Today, Equine Assisted Therapy is a form of treatment in which the horse is used as a tool from the treatment of the client. Supported Equine therapy has a therapeutic purpose and may vary depending on the patient's needs and the professionals work competence. Various studies show that animals have a positive impact on people. The aim of our study was to explore how Equine Assisted Therapy is used within the practical fields of social work in Sweden. We wanted to  illustrate how professionals in different social work settings utilize this form of treatment. Based on our purpose we have chosen to use a qualitative approach in which we interviewed five professionals who work with Equine Assisted Therapy as treatment method in various activities. In our results, we present the strengths and weaknesses according to the professionals; which approach they consider relevant and how a treatment session might look like.

Educational Psychology / Built from a diverse background of theatre-based education and social change theories, drama-based instruction (DBI) employs active, kinesthetic learning strategies to engage students in classroom activities. Much of DBI is grounded in scaffolding students through a Describe, Analyze, and Relate (DAR) thinking process. DAR requires students to consider information in a systematic way, leading them through the steps of Bloom’s Taxonomy and moving from lower-order to higher-order thinking skills. Examining information at this deeper level is a process similar to the automatic thought-stopping mechanism of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). As in CBT, rather than making hasty assumptions, students are guided through steps that allow them to analyze details and to examine stimuli thoroughly. Yet the context of DBI is different from many CBT therapeutic settings because DBI is situated in a classroom environment. DAR is delivered as a whole-class intervention with peer interaction occurring throughout the thinking and questioning process. Social perspective-taking involves one individual’s efforts to discern the thoughts and feelings of another individual, a skill that has been linked to more effective problem solving. When teachers offer structured exposure to thought-stopping and perspective-taking processes, students gain practice with social perspective-taking and problem-solving skills. The current study proposed a multiple baseline, single-case design to explore how practice using the Describe, Analyze, Relate (DAR) questioning technique affects students’ capacity to engage in social perspective-taking and social problem-solving. The school in this study participated in a year-long, campus-wide initiative to train teachers in how to use DAR across subjects and grade levels. Two fourth grade teachers, one fifth grade teacher, and one visual arts teacher were identified as demonstrating proficiency in the DAR technique. In each of the three core teachers’ classes, a letter was sent home explaining the project and requesting opt-in from interested parents. From those who responded, students with special education placements were removed, then two students were randomly selected per class. The researcher met individually with the selected participants to conduct repeated measures of the Interpersonal Negotiating Strategies Interview for baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases of the study over the course of the 2012-2013 school year. Additionally, participants’ teachers were asked to complete the Social Skills subscale of the Behavior Assessment System for Children for each phase of data collection. Post-intervention interviews were conducted with the teachers to assess for their perceptions of the DAR strategy and DBI-based pedagogy in general. Visual analysis was used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment on student social perspective-taking and problem-solving. Overall, the quantitative results of the current study did not conclusively link DAR with social perspective-taking and problem-solving. However, the qualitative data from teacher interviews yielded positive feedback related to the utility of DAR questioning on improving higher-order thinking in their students. Further research is necessary to clarify and deepen understanding of this effect. / text

My passion as a student at the Claremont Colleges is to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder grow and learn as normal children and to help prepare them for life outside the Autism Center at Claremont McKenna College. In my thesis project, I am exploring the concept of silhouettes through photography and my perceptions of the stories told to me by the children I teach. Esthetically, I am inspired by Kara Walker’s installation of large cutout silhouettes but I am using different mediums to accomplish my project: Artistically, I am inspired by the detailed descriptions of the obsessive stories and information provided to me by the children at the Autism Center. Primarily, I will be using photographs that I have taken of the children and creating silhouetted images of them through Photoshop. Afterwards, I will paint my perceptions of the detailed and creative descriptions of the different information relayed to me by each individual child. Secondary, there will be some life size black cutouts, on black paper, of different imagined scenarios with the children. In the spring, I see this as an installation with many separate pieces that contain different sizes, depth, and simplicity.

Background: Depression is considered the worldwide leading cause of illness and disability in young people and an urgent public health issue. Within the field of public health it is of interest to deepen the understanding of determinants of depressive symptoms (DS) that are possible to address on a political or an organizational level. Also, it is of great importance to find methods to prevent depression in adolescents. To address these issues, the present thesis had two Aims: I) To study determinants of DS in adolescents, and II) to, by means of a non-randomized pragmatic trial evaluation, investigate the effectiveness a cognitive-behavioral intervention (DISA) in a real-world setting in relation to determinants of DS in adolescent girls. This was addressed by asking a) Which determinants on individual, psychosocial and structural levels are associated with DS in adolescents? (Paper I); b) What are the directional pathways between sexual harassment (SH) and DS? (Paper II); c) Which features characterize students who were assigned to a cognitive-behavioral intervention regarding levels of DS, psychosocial aspects and socioeconomic status of the respondents as well as of schools? (Paper III); d) Does DISA have an effect on DS in girls aged 14-16? (Paper IV); and e) Are there differences between the DISA participants and non-participants in the effects of psychosocial and structural determinants on DS? (Paper IV). Method: Data was collected in January 2010, 2011, and 2012, by means of a self-administered, electronic questionnaire in school. Students aged 14-16 in all nine public and one independent high school in a municipality in northern Sweden participated in the study (~1,000-1,200 students depending on the wave). All studies had DS as the single outcome variable. Individual level determinants were self-esteem and self-efficacy. Psychosocial determinants were parental/peer/teacher support; school demands; sexual harassment; and bullying. Structural determinants were family material affluence; parental foreign background, parental employment status; disrupted family, and personal relative affluence. Logistic regression was employed for research question a) (Paper I). Structural equation (SEM) cross-lag models were modeled for research question b) (Paper II). The Mann-Whitney U statistic was employed for research question c) (Paper III). SEM was used for research questions d-e) (Paper IV). Results: Determinants on individual, psychosocial and structural levels were independently associated with depressive symptoms in both genders. Self-efficacy, low teacher support, bullying victimization, and low personal relative affluence was associated with elevated levels of DS in both genders (Paper I). In girls, low parental support, high school demands, and sexual harassment victimization (SH) were also associated with elevated levels of DS. Among boys, parental migrant background was also associated with DS. Among girls, both the targeting of girls with elevated DS, and the consequence of SH explained the relationship between DS and SH victimization over time. In boys, only the predating of DS explained the association between DS and SH (Paper II). Only girls were assigned to DISA during 2011 and DISA participants reported higher levels of DS and lower levels of self-esteem than the non-participants at pre-intervention, which indicates that DISA was used as a targeted intervention for girls with elevated symptoms. Also, DISA participants reported higher levels of SH victimization, less peer support, and lower personal relative affluence (Paper III). In contrast to the non-participants, DISA participants did not increase their mean scoring on DS at an eight months follow-up. However, SEM analyses showed that the effect of DISA participation on DS at follow-up was negligible (Paper IV). Conclusions: This study showed that SH victimization was an important determinant for DS in girls followed by personal relative affluence. Among boys, personal relative affluence and parental migrant background were the most important factors. SH victimization had mental health consequences in girls only. DISA was implemented as a targeted intervention rather than as selective or universal one, and did not have an effect on DS in this group of girls. Implications for further research and health promotion practice in the school setting are discussed. / Bakgrund: Depression anses vara den världsledande orsaken till sjukdom och funktionsnedsättning hos unga människor och en av de viktigaste folkhälsofrågorna gällande ungdomar. Inom folkhälsoområdet är det viktigt att fördjupa förståelsen av bestämningsfaktorer för depressiva symtom (DS) som är möjliga att ta itu med på en politisk eller organisatorisk nivå. Det är också av stort intresse att finna metoder för att förebygga depression hos ungdomar. För att adressera detta hade denna avhandling två Syften: I) Att studera bestämningsfaktorer för DS hos ungdomar 14-16 år, och II) Att genom en icke-randomiserad pragmatisk utvärderingsstudie undersöka effekten av en kognitiv beteendemodifierande intervention (DISA) så som den implementerats i praktiken i skolan i förhållande till bestämningsfaktorer för DS hos flickor. Följande frågeställningar formulerades: a) Vilka bestämningsfaktorer på individ, psykosocial och strukturell nivå är förknippade med DS hos ungdomar? (Paper I); b) I vilken riktning går sambandet mellan sexuella trakasserier (ST) och DS? (Paper II); c) Vad karaktäriserar elever som gått en kognitiv beteendemodifierande metod (DISA) avseende nivåer av DS, psykosociala aspekter och respondenternas och skolornas socioekonomiska status? (Paper III); d) Har DISA en effekt på DS hos flickor i åldern 14-16? (Paper IV); och e) Fanns det skillnader mellan DISA-deltagare och icke-deltagare avseende effekterna av psykosociala och strukturella faktorer på DS? (Paper IV). Metod: Data samlades in i januari 2010, 2011 och 2012 med hjälp av en självadministrerad, elektronisk enkät i skolan. Elever i åldrarna 14-16 i samtliga nio kommunala skolor och i en friskola i en kommun i norra Sverige deltog i studien (~1000-1200 elever beroende på datainsamlingsår). Samtliga studier hade DS som enda hälsoutfall. Individfaktorer som antogs ha samband med DS var självkänsla och upplevd förmåga att hantera problem i livet. Psykosociala faktorer var föräldra-, kamrat-, och lärarstöd; krav i skolan; sexuella trakasserier och mobbning. Strukturella faktorer var materiellt välstånd i familjen; föräldrar med utländsk bakgrund, föräldrars arbetslöshet; splittrad biologisk familj och personligt relativt välstånd. Logistisk regression användes för forskningsfråga a) (Paper I). Strukturell ekvationsmodellering (SEM) med en cross-lag design användes för forskningsfråga b) (Paper II). Mann-Whitney U test användes för forskningsfråga c) (Paper III). SEM användes för forskningsfrågorna d-e) (Paper IV). Resultat: Bestämningsfaktorer på individ-, psykosocial och strukturell nivå var associerade med DS hos båda könen. Upplevd förmåga att hantera problem i livet, lågt lärarstöd, utsatthet för mobbning, och lågt personligt relativt välstånd var associerat med förhöjda nivåer av DS för både pojkar och flickor (Paper I). Bland flickor var dessutom lågt föräldrastöd, höga krav i skolan, och utsatthet för sexuella trakasserier (ST) också associerade med förhöjda nivåer av DS och hos pojkar var även föräldrars invandrarbakgrund associerat med DS. Bland flickor förklarades sambandet mellan DS och ST både av att flickor med förhöjda DS blev utsatta för ST, och av att ST ledde till senare DS. Hos pojkar var det endast att pojkar med DS blev utsatta för ST som förklarade sambandet (Paper II). Endast flickor deltog i DISA och de rapporterade högre nivåer av DS och lägre självkänsla än de som inte deltog, vilket tyder på att DISA användes som en riktad intervention för flickor med förhöjda symtom. DISA-deltagare rapporterade även högre nivåer av utsatthet för ST, lägre kamratstöd och lägre personligt relativt välstånd (Paper III). DISA-deltagarnas genomsnittliga nivå av DS hade inte försämrats vid åttamånadersuppföljningen vilket icke-deltagarnas nivåer hade. SEM-analysen visade dock att effekten av DISA-deltagande på DS vid uppföljning var försumbar (Paper IV). Slutsatser: Denna studie visade att utsatthet för SH var en viktig faktor för DS hos flickor, följt av lågt personligt relativt välstånd. Hos pojkar var lågt personligt relativt välstånd den viktigaste bestämningsfaktorn följt av föräldrarnas invandrarbakgrund. Utsatthet för ST hade konsekvenser för psykisk ohälsa för flickor men inte för pojkar. DISA genomfördes som en riktad intervention snarare än som en selektiv eller universell intervention och hade inte en effekt på DS i denna grupp av flickor. Implikationer för fortsatt forskning samt för hälsofrämjande arbete i skolan diskuteras. / <p>Vid tidpunkten för disputationen var följande delarbeten opublicerade: delarbete 4 manuskript.</p><p>At the time of the doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished: paper 4 manuscript.</p>