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Intervention Research (intervention + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	67%
Psychology	16%
Humanities and Social Sciences	13%

Distribution within Medical Sciences

Psychiatry	23%
Nursing General	11%

Selected Abstracts

BRIEF ALCOHOL INTERVENTION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE,TOWARDS A BROADER PERSPECTIVE

ADDICTION, Issue 6 2010
PER NILSEN
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Predicting Patterns of Mammography Use: A Geographic Perspective on National Needs for Intervention Research

HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2002
Julie Legler
Objective. To introduce a methodology for planning preventive health service research that takes into account geographic context. Data Sources. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) self-reports of mammography within the past two years, 1987, and 1993,94. Area Resource File (ARF), 1990. Database of mammography intervention research studies conducted from 1984 to 1994. Design. Bayesian hierarchical modeling describes mammography as a function of county-level socioeconomic data and explicitly estimates the geographic variation unexplained by the county-level data. This model produces county use estimates (both NHIS-sampled and unsampled), which are aggregated for entire states. The locations of intervention research studies are examined in light of the statewide mammography utilization estimates. Data Extraction. Individual level NHIS data were merged with county-level data from the ARF. Principal Findings. State maps reveal the estimated distribution of mammography utilization and intervention research. Eighteen states with low mammography use reported no intervention research activity. County-level occupation and education were important predictors for younger women in 1993,94. In 1987, they were not predictive for any demographic group. Conclusions. Opportunities exist to improve the planning of future intervention research by considering geographic context. Modeling results suggest that the choice of predictors be tailored to both the population and the time period under study when planning interventions. [source]

Introduction to the Miniseries on Intervention Research

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 4 2005
Addison Stone
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Nurse Home Visits to Maternal,Child Clients: A Review of Intervention Research

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2004
Diane B. McNaughton Ph.D.
Abstract Home visiting has been considered a promising strategy for addressing the multiple needs of families at risk. Research reviews are a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who develop and support new home-visiting interventions. This review examines 13 research studies published between the years of 1980 and 2000 that test the effectiveness of home-visiting interventions using professional nurses as home visitors. Findings indicate that a wide range of client problems are addressed during home visits using a variety of nursing interventions. Missing from most of the reports is a clear theoretical link between the client problem addressed, the nursing intervention, and target outcomes. About half of the studies were successful in achieving desired outcomes. Future research should be directed by middle-range practice theory, clearly explicate the nursing intervention being tested, use power analysis to determine sample size, and report reliability and validity of dependent variable measures with culturally diverse samples. [source]

Drug use patterns and mental health of regular amphetamine users during a reported ,heroin drought'

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2004
Amanda Baker
ABSTRACT Aims The present study extends the findings of a pilot study conducted among regular amphetamine users in Newcastle, NSW, in 1998. It compares key features between current participants in a state capital city (Brisbane) and a regional city (Newcastle) and between the 1998 and current Newcastle sample. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Brisbane and Newcastle, Australia. Participants The survey was conducted among 214 regular amphetamine users within the context of a randomized controlled trial of brief interventions for amphetamine use. Measurements Demographic characteristics, past and present alcohol and other drug use and mental health, treatment, amphetamine-related harms and severity of dependence. Findings The main findings were as follows: (i) the rate of mental health problems was high among regular amphetamine users and these problems commonly emerged after commencement of regular amphetamine use; (ii) there were regional differences in drug use with greater accessibility to a wider range of drugs in a state capital city and greater levels of injecting risk-taking behaviour outside the capital city environment; and (iii) there was a significant increase in level of amphetamine use and percentage of alcohol users, a trend for a higher level of amphetamine dependence and a significant reduction in the percentage of people using heroin and benzodiazepines among the 2002 Newcastle cohort compared to the 1998 cohort. Conclusions Further longitudinal research is needed to elucidate transitions from one drug type to another and from recreational to injecting and regular use and the relationship between drug use and mental health in prospective studies among users. Implications Intervention research should evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at: preventing transition to injecting and regular use of amphetamines; toward reducing levels of depression among amphetamine users and interventions among people with severe psychopathology and personality disorders; and toward reducing the prevalence of tobacco dependence among amphetamine users. [source]

Integrating Decision Making and Mental Health Interventions Research: Research Directions

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2006
Celia E. Wills
The importance of incorporating patient and provider decision-making processes is in the forefront of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) agenda for improving mental health interventions and services. Key concepts in patient decision making are highlighted within a simplified model of patient decision making that links patient-level/"micro" variables to services-level/"macro" variables via the decision-making process that is a target for interventions. The prospective agenda for incorporating decision-making concepts in mental health research includes (a) improved measures for characterizing decision-making processes that are matched to study populations, complexity, and types of decision making; (b) testing decision aids in effectiveness research for diverse populations and clinical settings; and (c) improving the understanding and incorporation of preference concepts in enhanced intervention designs. [source]

Commentary: At the Center of Decision Making in Mental Health Services and Interventions Research: Patients, Clinicians, or Relationships?

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2006
Lisa A. Cooper
Wills and Holmes-Rovner (2006) highlight the fact that despite growing interest in the role of patient preferences and shared decision making with clinicians in the general health services research community, relatively little is known about the impact of these preferences and processes on actual decisions, service delivery engagement, or intervention outcomes in the mental health field. This commentary expands on three important points raised in Wills and Holmes-Rovner's article: (a) the need for more and better research on values assessment, (b) contextual factors in the decision-making process, and (c) the measurement of patient preferences regarding their level of involvement in decision making. [source]

Articles published in four school psychology journals from 2000 to 2005: An analysis of experimental/intervention research

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 6 2008
Stacy L. Bliss
Using an experimenter-developed system, articles from four school psychology journals for the years 2000,2005 (n = 929) were classified. Results showed that 40% of the articles were narrative, 29% correlational, 16% descriptive, 8% causal-experimental, 4% causal-comparative, and 2% were meta-analytic. Further analysis of the causal-experimental studies suggested that both single-subject and group designs were used to evaluate the effects of interventions delivered in schools (setting data) that improved students' (participant data) academic and/or social behaviors (target behavior data). Although results show that these journals are publishing few experimental studies, the experiments that are published appear to be derived from field-based research evaluating interventions that readers may find useful for remedying problems in school settings. Discussion focuses on factors that may limit experimental studies and recent trends in education and school psychology. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

The Australian experience of deinstitutionalization: interaction of Australian culture with the development and reform of its mental health services

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2006
A. Rosen
Objective:, To describe the Australian experience of deinstitutionalization of the Australian National Mental Health Strategy in the context of the history of mental health services in Australia, and of Australian culture. Method:, The development of Australian Mental Health Services is described with reference to developments in both psychiatric intervention research and Australian culture. The effects and achievements of national mental health reforms are described and critically examined. Results:, The relationship in Australia between the development of mental health services and the development of Australian society includes the stories of colonization, gold rushes, suppression of indigenous peoples' rights, incarceration of mentally ill people, and incompatible state service systems. Mental health services required reform to provide consistent services and support for full citizenship and rights for such individuals who are still on the margins of society. Recent national developments in service models and service system research have been driven by the Australian National Mental Health Strategy. The translation of national policy into state/territory mental health service systems has led to a ,natural' experiment between states. Differing funding and implementation strategies between states have developed services with particular strengths and limitations. Conclusion:, The effects of competition for limited resources between core mental health service delivery and the shift to a population-based public health approach (to prevention of mental illness and promotion of mental health), leaves our services vulnerable to doing neither particularly well. The recent loss of momentum of these reforms, due to failure of governments to continue to drive and fund them adequately, is causing the erosion of their considerable achievements. [source]

Prevalence of Active Epilepsy and Health-Related Quality of Life among Adults with Self-Reported Epilepsy in California: California Health Interview Survey, 2003

EPILEPSIA, Issue 10 2007
Rosemarie Kobau
Summary:,Purpose: To examine the prevalence of self-reported epilepsy and active epilepsy, associated burden of impaired health-related quality of life, risk factors, and access to care in adults with self-reported epilepsy, and those classified as having active epilepsy with and without recent seizures. Methods: We analyzed data from adults aged ,18 years (n = 41,494) who participated in the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Results: In California, 1.2% of adults reported ever being told they had epilepsy or seizure disorder, and 0.7% were classified as having active epilepsy. About three-fourths of adults with active epilepsy with recent seizures reported fair or poor health status. Adults with active epilepsy with recent seizures reported almost two weeks of poor physical or mental health and activity limitation days compared with two to 4 days per month in those without epilepsy. Among adults with active epilepsy and recent seizures, about one-quarter reported not taking any medicine to control their seizure disorder or epilepsy. About one-third reported physical disability/unable to work compared to a small proportion of the general population. The majority of adults with active epilepsy reported having a regular source of medical care. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the burden of epilepsy among adults in California. CHIS serves as a model demonstrating the value of including questions about epilepsy on public health surveillance systems to ascertain the burden of the disorder and to guide intervention research and public policy to improve HRQOL in people with epilepsy. [source]

Advances in Latino Family Research: Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-Based Interventions

FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 2 2009
GUILLERMO BERNAL PH.D.
The stark contrast between frequent calls for research and practice that are applicable across a broad spectrum of cultural and ethnically diverse groups and the dearth of empirical knowledge about Latino families provided the impetus for this special issue on advances in Latino family research. A focus on empirically based practice frames the issue, focusing specifically on how concepts (expressed emotion, parenting style) can be used within interventions, how Latino parents perceive efforts to deliver evidence-based interventions, and how pilot projects that delivered culturally adapted interventions in three separate cities impacted family functioning. In all, the introduction highlights the complexities for researchers in meeting the needs of the field to ensure that effective interventions are applicable across cultural groups. Meeting the challenges is important to address the need of the growing Latino population. Advances in intervention research with ethnic minorities also stand to contribute to the advancement of intervention research broadly. This special issue provides examples of efforts that are underway to better understand what treatments work for Latino families, provided by whom, for what specific problems, and in which specific circumstances, paving the way to begin attempting to answer a challenge posed more than 40 years ago by Gordon Paul. RESUMEN El marcado contraste entre las frecuentes convocatorias para investigaciones y prácticas aplicables a un amplio espectro de grupos de distintas culturas y razas, y la escasez de conocimiento empírico sobre las familias latinas sirvieron como impulso para publicar este número especial sobre los avances en las investigaciones relativas a las familias latinas. La publicación está enmarcada en el análisis de la práctica sustentada empíricamente, centrándose específicamente en cómo los conceptos (emoción expresada, estilo de crianza de los hijos) pueden utilizarse dentro de las intervenciones, en cómo los padres latinos perciben las iniciativas de realizar intervenciones sustentadas empíricamente y en cómo los proyectos piloto que ofrecieron intervenciones adaptadas culturalmente en tres ciudades distintas influyeron sobre el desenvolvimiento familiar. En general, la introducción destaca las complicaciones que enfrentan los investigadores a la hora de responder a las necesidades del campo para garantizar que puedan aplicarse intervenciones eficaces a distintos grupos culturales. Resolver estas complicaciones es importante para responder a la necesidad de la población latina en aumento. Los avances en las investigaciones sobre intervenciones con minorías étnicas también contribuyen al avance de las investigaciones sobre intervenciones en general. La publicación especial ofrece ejemplos de iniciativas que están en marcha para comprender mejor qué tratamientos son eficaces para las familias latinas, quiénes deben proporcionarlos, para qué problemas específicos y en qué circunstancias específicas, allanando el camino para comenzar a responder un problema que planteó Gordon Paul hace más de 40 años. Palabras clave: Latinos/hispanos, familia, adaptación cultural, intervención, salud mental de los latinos [source]

Couple Dynamics of Change-Resistant Smoking: Toward a Family Consultation Model,

FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 1 2001
Michael J. Rohrbaugh Ph.D.
Smoking is North America's leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. Although effective cessation treatments exist, their overall effect is modest, and they rarely reach the high-risk, health-compromised smokers who need them most. Surprisingly, despite evidence that marital relationship variables predict the success of cessation efforts, family systems ideas have had little impact on current intervention research. We review and critique the cessation literature from a systemic viewpoint, illustrate two couple-interaction patterns relevant to the maintenance of high-risk smoking, and outline a family-consultation (FAMCON) intervention for couples in which at least one partner continues to smoke despite having heart or lung disease. Taking into account ironic processes and symptom-system fit, FAMCON focuses on the immediate social context of smoking, aiming to interrupt well-intentioned "solutions" that ironically feed back to keep smoking going, and to help clients realign important relationships in ways not organized around tobacco usage. Currently in its pilot-testing phase, FAMCON is an adjunctive, complementary approach designed to include collaboration with primary-care physicians and to make smokers more amenable to other, evidence-based cessation strategies. [source]

Predicting Patterns of Mammography Use: A Geographic Perspective on National Needs for Intervention Research

A model for intervention research in late-life depression

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 12 2009
George S. Alexopoulos
Abstract Objective To serve as a conceptual map of the role of new interventions designed to reduce the burden of late-life depression. Methods We identified three needs to be addressed by intervention research: (1) the need for novel interventions given that the existing treatments leave many older adults depressed and disabled; (2) the need for procedures enabling community-based agencies to offer interventions of known efficacy with fidelity; and (3) the need to increase access of depressed older adults to care. Results Our model orders novel interventions according to their role in serving depressed older adults and according to their position in the efficacy, effectiveness, implementation, and dissemination testing continuum. We describe three interventions designed by our institute to exemplify intervention research at different level of the model. A common element is that each intervention personalizes care both at the level of the individuals served and the level of community agencies providing care. To this end, each intervention is designed to accommodate the strengths and limitations of both patients and agencies and introduces changes in the patients' environment and community agencies needed in order to assimilate the new intervention. Conclusions We suggest that this model provides conceptual guidance on how to shorten the testing cycle and bring urgently needed novel treatments and implementation approaches to the community. While replication studies are important, propose that most of the support should be directed to those projects that take rational risks, and after adequate preliminary evidence, make the next step along the testing continuum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Randomization in psychiatric intervention research in the general practice setting

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2000
CM Van Der Feltz-Cornelis Faculty of Medicine
Abstract Most studies of psychiatric interventions in general practice settings conform only in part to the requirements of randomization, placebo control and blinding as formulated by the Cochrane Collaboration. It is possible, nonetheless, to develop experimental research designs that are sufficiently near to this standard. These must deal with certain methodological issues specific to psychiatric research. This article discusses scientific standards of psychiatric research with special consideration of interventions in general practice settings. These issues are accompanied by concrete examples and suggestions on how to confront the problems. In psychiatric intervention research, equivalence studies with single-blind outcome assessment, a tested and ethically justified method, are generally used in place of placebo-controlled studies. The article also examines randomization procedures in greater depth. Randomization can be applied across trial subjects or across doctors' practices. Practical consequences of randomizing across subjects, and specific implementations of it such as crossover and pre-post designs in general practice settings, are clarified. Overall, a research design using randomization across doctors' practices is judged preferable to one that randomizes across trial subjects. One potential problem is that the control group may become too small, especially when considerable effects are expected from the intervention being studied. One might consider making the control condition smaller in the first place, or, if indicated on ethical grounds, performing an intermediate analysis and then breaking off the study as soon as a statistically significant effect has been demonstrated. Multilevel statistical techniques offer new opportunities for analysis within such designs. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]

An Exemplar of the Use of NNN Language in Developing Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 1 2008
CRRN-A, Donald D. Kautz PhD
PURPOSE. To explore the use of standardized language, NNN, in the development of evidence-based practice (EBP). DATA SOURCES. Published research and texts on family interventions, nursing diagnoses (NANDA-I), nursing interventions (NIC), and nursing outcomes (NOC). DATA ANALYSIS. Research literature was summarized and synthesized to determine levels of evidence for the NIC intervention Family Integrity Promotion. CONCLUSIONS. The authors advocate that a "standards of practice" category of levels of evidence be adopted for interventions not amenable to randomized controlled trials or for which a body of research has not been developed. Priorities for nursing family intervention research are identified. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE. The use of NANDA-I nursing diagnoses, NIC interventions, and NOC outcomes (NNN language) as research frameworks will facilitate the development of EBP guidelines and the use of appropriate outcome measures. [source]

The informal social control of intimate partner violence against women: Exploring personal attitudes and perceived neighborhood social cohesion

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
Victoria Frye
Intimate partner violence against women is a major public health and social problem. However, our understanding of how the geographic community or neighborhood influences its distribution is underdeveloped. In contrast, there is accumulating evidence that neighborhood characteristics, such as social cohesion and related neighborhood factors, are associated with general violence both at the neighborhood and individual levels. Drawing insights from social disorganization, feminist, and bystander intervention research and theory, this cross-sectional, exploratory study examines influences on the predicted likelihood of intervening in general and intimate partner violence situations, termed enacting informal social control. Specificially, perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and related neighborhood factors, and personal attitudes toward intimate partner violence are assessed using data from a community sample of 119 New York City residents. Results indicate that perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion were not positively related to predicted likelihood of enacting informal social control of either general violence or intimate partner violence. Personal attitudes towards intimate partner violence were positively associated with predicted informal social control of intimate partner, but not general violence. The need for further research in this area and theoretical and practical implications of the findings for intimate partner violence against women prevention are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 1001,1018, 2007. [source]

Risk factors for psychopathology in children with intellectual disability: a prospective longitudinal population-based study

JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006
J. L. Wallander
Abstract Background This study examined risk factors for the development of psychopathology in children with intellectual disability (ID) in the developmental, biological, family and social-ecological domains. Methods A population sample of 968 children, aged 6,18, enrolled in special schools in the Netherlands for educable and trainable ID were assessed at Time 1. A random 58% were re-contacted about 1 year later, resulting in a sample of 474 at Time 2. Results Psychopathology was highly consistent over 1 year. Risk factors jointly accounted for significant, but small, portions of the variance in development of psychopathology. Child physical symptoms, family dysfunction and previous parental mental health treatment reported at Time 1 were uniquely associated with new psychopathology at Time 2. Conclusions Prevention and early intervention research to find ways to reduce the incidence of psychopathology, possibly targeting family functioning, appear important. [source]

The Present and Future of MFT Doctoral Education in Research-Focused Universities

JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 3 2010
Douglas H. Sprenkle
Doctoral education is greatly impacted by context, and the large majority of marital and family therapy (MFT) doctoral programs are PhD programs in research-focused universities. I believe their primary mission is to equip students to become scientist,practitioners and do original research that will advance the science of the discipline, whereas the mission of the typical master's program is to produce strong practitioners who are research informed. It is the emphasis on the scientific method, not the content specialty area, that should be the hallmark of PhD programs in research-focused contexts. I describe metrics for success that include not only research productivity but also the development of a supportive, open, flexible, and generous program culture. The research mission of these programs has been only modestly helped by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education process and the programs are largely not doing the programmatic intervention research that the field needs. As the universities that house these programs are also "raising the bar," the long-term viability of the programs themselves will likely hinge on success in this arena. [source]

International Differences in Nursing Research, 2005,2006

JOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2009
Denise F. Polit PhD
Abstract Purpose: To compare the characteristics of nursing research being done in different countries, using data from studies published in nonspecialty, English-language nursing journals. Design: Data for this cross-sectional analysis were retrieved from a consecutive sample of 1,072 studies published in eight leading English-language research journals in 2005 and 2006. Methods: For each study, data were extracted on the characteristics of the study participants and authors, study focus-specialty area, funding, and methodologic attributes. Studies from 15 countries or regional groupings were compared. Findings: International differences in authors, participants, and study characteristics were typically large and statistically significant. Studies that were focused on nurses were especially prevalent in Europe, Australia, and Canada, whereas patient-centered studies were most common in Asian countries and the US. Qualitative studies were predominant in Norway, Sweden, and the UK. Asian nurse researchers, by contrast, undertook mostly quantitative studies, and were especially likely to conduct intervention research. Significant country differences existed in the omission of demographic (age and sex) information about participants, with omissions most prevalent in the UK and Ireland and least prevalent in Asian countries. Research funding was reported for 62% of all studies, ranging from 13% in Turkey to over 75% in Canada and the US. Conclusions: Although this study had several limitations, especially with regard to potential biases in the sample of studies from non-English-speaking countries, this analysis of over 1,000 nursing studies indicates many important inter-country differences in the focus, methods, and authorship patterns of nursing research published in leading journals. Clinical Relevance: Because research "informs" practice, international differences that exist in the focus and methods of nursing research have implications for nursing practice in the respective countries. [source]

Postpartum Smoking Relapse and Becoming a Mother

JOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2006
Kathleen F. Gaffney
Purpose: To propose an innovative, theoretically-derived conceptual framework for studies of postpartum smoking relapse including concepts of smoking abstinence self-efficacy and becoming a mother. Methods: Presentation of an existing research paradigm followed by evidence from intervention research and studies of factors associated with postpartum smoking behavior, leading to a new approach to postpartum smoking relapse. Findings: Effectiveness of current interventions to prevent relapse is limited. Variables associated with becoming a mother are missing from studies of postpartum smoking relapse. Conclusions: Context-specific variables that influence a woman's progression through the stages of becoming a mother might include protective or risk factors that should be incorporated into the design of postpartum smoking relapse studies. [source]

A Review of Nursing Interventions to Foster Becoming a Mother

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 5 2006
Ramona T. Mercer
Objective:, To determine the current state of knowledge of nursing interventions that foster the process of becoming a mother. Data Sources:, A literature search was conducted using CINAHL and PubMed electronic databases and other key references. Study Selection:, Reports on nursing intervention research published in English that focused on a facet of maternal behavior in the process of becoming a mother during pregnancy or during the first 4 months following birth, or both, were included. Twenty eight reports were found. Data Extraction:, Studies were reviewed, categorized, and analyzed and interventions synthesized to determine the current knowledge base for fostering becoming a mother. Categories included instructions for infant caregiving, building awareness of and responsiveness to infant interactive capabilities, promoting maternal-infant attachment, maternal/social role preparation, and interactive therapeutic nurse-client relationships. Data Synthesis:, Interactive therapeutic nurse-client relationships and maternal/social role preparation had greater impact on variables indicating progress in becoming a mother than formal teaching. Instructions without nurse input were ineffective. Conclusions:, Interactive reciprocal nursing interventions are the most effective in enhancing mother-infant interactions and maternal knowledge about infant care. Evidence is limited on how to foster the mother's feelings about herself in becoming a mother and attachment to her infant. JOGNN, 35, 568-582; 2006. DOI: 10.1111/J.1552-6909.2006.00080.x [source]

Physical Activity, Dietary Practices, and Other Health Behaviors of At-Risk Youth Attending Alternative High Schools

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 4 2004
Martha Y. Kubik
ABSTRACT: This study assessed the interest of alternative high school staff in intervention research on students' eating and physical activity habits und the feasibility of conducting such research in alternative school settings. A two-phase descriptive design incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. In fall/winter 2001,2002, alternative high school administrators in Minnesota were surveyed (response rate = 83%; n = 130/157). During summer 2002, one-on-one, semistruclured interviews were conducted with key-school personnel (n = 15) from urban and suburban schools. Findings indicated few schools had been invited to participate in research on nutrition (11%) and physical activity (7%). However, more than 80% of administrators reported interest in their students participating in such research. Most schools offered health and PE classes and had access to indoor gym facilities and outdoor play areas. While most schools offered a school lunch program, participation was low, cold lunches were common, and food often was unappealing. Beverage and snack vending machines were common. Overall, the physical environment of most alternative schools did not support physical activity and healthy eating as normative behavior. Interest in interventions on physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary practices, und other priority health-risk behavior common in students attending alternative schools was high among teachers and administrators. Results suggest research in alternative high schools is feasible and successful implementation and evaluation of programs possible. [source]

How Design Experiments Can Inform Teaching and Learning: Teacher-Researchers as Collaborators in Educational Research

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 4 2005
Asha K. Jitendra
In this commentary, I summarize my own research with colleagues to affirm Dr. Gersten's call for considering design experiments prior to conducting intervention research. I describe how design experiments not only can inform teaching and the learning of innovative approaches, but also hold the promise of effectively bridging the research-to-practice gap to produce meaningful change in practice when innovative practices are fine-tuned and validated by partnerships with teacher-researchers. [source]

General and Specific Issues for Researchers' Consideration in Applying the Risk and Resilience Framework to the Social Domain of Learning Disabilities

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2003
Bernice Y. L. Wong
In this article, I discuss several general and specific issues that pertain to the risk and resilience framework. I propose that these issues deserve consideration by researchers using or interested in using the risk and resilience framework to guide their research in the social domain of learning disabilities. General issues discussed include: (1) integrating current research findings with those from prior longitudinal research by Emmy Werner and her associates, and from research in the 1980s and 1990s on problems in social perception and communication in children with learning disabilities; (2) measurement problems; and (3) the need for more differentiation in research regarding gender and the severity of learning disabilities. The specific issues discussed include: the need to continue to search for potential risk and protective factors; the need to research mediating processes or mechanisms that render a factor a risk or a protection; and the nature of intervention research. [source]

Bridging the Gap Between Genomics and Education

MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION, Issue 4 2007
Stephen A. Petrill
ABSTRACT, Despite several decades of research suggesting the importance of both genetic and environmental factors, these findings are not well integrated into the larger educational literature. Following a discussion of quantitative and molecular genetic methods, this article reviews behavioral genetic findings related to cognitive and academic skills. This literature suggests that (a) the relative importance of genes and environments varies developmentally; (b) genetics, and to a lesser extend the environment, account for a substantial portion of the covariance within and across academic domains; and (c) some forms of disability are qualitatively different from the population, whereas others constitute the lower end of a continuum of ability. Following a discussion of the strengths and limitations of current behavioral genetic research and intervention research, we then discuss the ways in which understanding gene,environment interplay can be used to develop better definitions of learning impairment and better explain the substantial variability in response to intervention. [source]

A systematic narrative review of the studies on structured child-centred interventions for families with a parent with cancer

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Mika Niemelä
Abstract Objective: To perform a systematic narrative review of the current state of published articles on the structured interventions targeted at children with a parent suffering from cancer. Methods: The study was based on a narrative synthesis approach. Eleven structured child-centred intervention studies were systematically searched through PubMed, PsycINFO and MEDLINE. The interventions were grouped into two main categories: ,structured family interventions' and ,structured peer group interventions'. Special attention was focused on the preventive purpose of the interventions. Results: The participants (children, parents and health professionals) reported several positive impacts of interventions on children's and parents' psychosocial well-being, although no improvement or changes were also observed. The effect of interventions on the children was evaluated by structured methods only in five studies. Conclusions: This review showed the lack of valid psychosocial preventive intervention methods focusing on children with parental cancer and highlighted the need of intervention research with controlled study designs and long follow-up periods. However, an intervention method should be easy to train and applicable to the clinical practice of healthcare professionals. By refining the practice-based experiences with scientific research evidence it is possible to move to the next level in providing psychosocial support and prevention for children living in families with parental cancer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Psychosocial interventions for adolescent cancer patients: a systematic review of the literature

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
Diana C. M. Seitz
Abstract Objective: Both cancer diagnosis and the consequent treatment are particularly challenging for adolescent patients. Adjuvant psychological interventions to reduce cancer-related distress are therefore a fundamental part of a multidisciplinary treatment. Assuming that psycho-oncology has to consider developmentally specific aspects, this review summarizes empirical studies of the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for adolescent cancer patients. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted in four databases. Studies were included only if they were exclusively designed for adolescent cancer patients and incorporated a defined outcome measure to evaluate the effects of the implemented intervention. Results: Only four studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One of those studies reported a significant improvement compared with a waitlist control group. The relevant gains were found in the overall level of distress, as well as in additional outcome variables such as knowledge of sexual issues, body image and anxiety about psychosexual issues. The remaining studies revealed no significant changes related to psychological distress and psychosocial functioning. Conclusion: Taken together, the findings point out that there is a lack of intervention research in psycho-oncology with adolescents. So far, there is only limited evidence for the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions to improve coping with cancer-associated problems in adolescent patients. Future research needs to be done in this population. In order to establish more conclusive results, larger samples and interventions particularly designed for adolescent patients ought to be studied. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Empirically supported treatments: will this movement in the field of psychology impact the practice of psychosocial oncology?

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
Ann-Louise Ellwood
This article discusses the likelihood of the empirically supported treatment (EST) movement impacting the practice of psychosocial oncology, with the goal of raising awareness of these issues and encouraging debate within the psychosocial oncology research and practice community. In 1993, the American Psychological Association struck a task force to develop criteria for empirically evaluating psychological interventions. The Clinical Psychology (Division 12) Task Force now evaluates psychological interventions and publishes an updated list of ESTs on a yearly basis. Concerns raised about the EST movement in psychology have included difficulties with the terminology and process of the Task Force, problems with the methodology used in psychotherapy research, and with the possible practical implications of the Task Force list of EST. A review of the literature suggests that psychosocial interventions in oncology are currently beginning to be evaluated by the EST criteria and that the reviewed interventions have yet to attain EST status. Following from this review, it is argued that researchers and practitioners in psychosocial oncology should become aware of the standards established by the Division 12 Task Force and that future psycho-oncology intervention research may need to be designed to meet those standards. The discipline of psychosocial oncology is encouraged to consider the possible implications of accepting or not accepting the EST criteria. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The Future of Occupational Health Psychology

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Wilmar B. Schaufeli
A partir de la prise en considération de la nature changeante du travail, on a identifié trois thèmes prospectifs pour la psychologie de la santé au travail: 1) l'examen des caractéristiques des lieux de travail; 2) la recherche sur les effets des pratiques organisationnelles; 3) la recherche-action. On recense aussi cinq catégories de recherches dans la psychologie de la santé au travail, chacune pouvant contribuer à sa façon aux développements futurs du domaine: 1) la recherche explicative (le développement conceptuel de modèles de stress au travail, le développement d'une perspective d'action personnelle); 2) la recherche descriptive (des études épidémiologiques, les relations avec les paramètres organisationnels objectifs); 3) le développement des outils (la standardisation des questionnaires de stress au travail, l'évaluation des performances); 4) la recherche-action (l'utilisation de programmes de recherche plus rigoureux, l'évaluation coût-efficacité); 5) le changement organisationnel (des comptes rendus plus systématiques des projets de changement, une plus grande attention portée à la mise en oeuvre des projets). Finalement, pour que la psychologie de la santé au travail puisse se développer à l'avenir d'une façon plus équilibrée, on insiste sur la nécessité d'une mutation théorique en passant d'un modèle de la maladie à un modèle de la santé authentique. Taking into account the changing nature of work, three future topics for occupational health psychology were identified: (1) surveillance of workplace characteristics; (2) research on effects of organisational practices; (3) intervention research. Furthermore, five types of research in occupational health psychology are distinguished, each of which may contribute in its own specific way to future developments in the field: (1) explanatory research (e.g. conceptual development of job stress models, development of a personal agency perspective); (2) descriptive research (e.g. epidemiological studies, relationships with objective organisational parameters); (3) tool development (e.g. standardisation of job stress questionnaires, benchmarking); (4) intervention research (e.g. the use of more rigorous research designs, evaluation of cost-effectiveness); (5) organisational change (e.g. more systematic accounts of change projects, more attention for implementation of projects). Finally, the necessity of a paradigm shift from a disease model towards a genuine health model is emphasised so that occupational health psychology may develop in future in a more balanced way. [source]