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Self-report Instruments (self-report + instruments)
Selected AbstractsEfficacy of interpersonal therapy-group format adapted to post-traumatic stress disorder: an open-label add-on trialDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 1 2010Rosaly F.B. Campanini MSc. Abstract Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent condition, yet available treatments demonstrate only modest efficacy. Exposure therapies, considered by many to be the "gold-standard" therapy for PTSD, are poorly tolerated by many patients and show high attrition. We evaluated interpersonal therapy, in a group format, adapted to PTSD (IPT-G PTSD), as an adjunctive treatment for patients who failed to respond to conventional psychopharmacological treatment. Methods: Research participants included 40 patients who sought treatment through a program on violence in the department of psychiatry of Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). They had received conventional psychopharmacological treatment for at least 12 weeks and failed to have an adequate clinical response. After signing an informed consent, approved earlier by the UNIFESP Ethics Review Board, they received a semi-structured diagnostic interview (SCID-I), administered by a trained mental health worker, to confirm the presence of a PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria. Other instruments were administered, and patients completed out self-report instruments at baseline, and endpoint to evaluate clinical outcomes. Results: Thirty-three patients completed the trial, but all had at least one second outcome evaluation. There were significant improvements on all measures, with large effect sizes. Conclusions: IPT-G PTSD was effective not only in decreasing symptoms of PTSD, but also in decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression. It led to significant improvements in social adjustment and quality of life. It was well tolerated and there were few dropouts. Our results are very preliminary; they need further confirmation through randomized controlled clinical trials. Depression and Anxiety, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Effects of varying the monetary value of voucher-based incentives on abstinence achieved during and following treatment among cocaine-dependent outpatientsADDICTION, Issue 2 2007Stephen T. Higgins ABSTRACT Aims This study examined whether increasing the amount of abstinence achieved during outpatient treatment for cocaine dependence is an effective method for increasing longer-term cocaine abstinence. Design A two-condition, parallel groups, randomized controlled trial was conducted. Setting The trial was conducted in a university-based research clinic. Participants A total of 100 cocaine-dependent outpatients participated in the trial. Intervention Participants were assigned randomly to receive treatment based on the community reinforcement approach (CRA) plus voucher-based incentives set at a relatively high monetary value (maximal value = $1995/12 weeks) or CRA with vouchers set at a relatively low monetary value (maximal value = $499/12 weeks). Vouchers were earned contingent on cocaine-negative urinalysis results during the initial 12 weeks of the 24-week outpatient treatment. Measurements Outcomes were evaluated using urine-toxicology testing, questionnaires and other self-report instruments. Findings Increasing voucher value increased the duration of continuous cocaine abstinence achieved during the 24-week treatment period. Point-prevalence cocaine abstinence assessed every 3 months throughout an 18-month follow-up period was greater in the high- than low-value voucher conditions. The duration of abstinence achieved during treatment predicted abstinence during follow-up, although that relationship weakened over time. Conclusions Increasing the value of abstinence-contingent incentives during the initial weeks of treatment appears to represent an effective method for increasing during-treatment and longer-term cocaine abstinence, but the positive association of during-treatment abstinence with longer-term outcome dissipates with time. [source] Measures of adherence to epilepsy treatment: Review of present practices and recommendations for future directionsEPILEPSIA, Issue 7 2008Angelia M. Paschal Summary Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide, and the majority of people with epilepsy who live in developed countries manage their condition with antiseizure medication. Surprisingly, therefore, the literature on epilepsy does not document a comprehensive investigation of patient adherence to medication treatment. This paper reviews existing literature on direct and indirect measures of adherence. Based on this review, areas in need for further research have been identified, including improvement of self-report instruments, consideration of cultural factors, attention to patient literacy or numeracy levels, and inclusion of patient-guided measures. While no single method of determining adherence has proved effective, combining direct and indirect measures in a patient-guided, culturally competent atmosphere may increase adherence to treatment, improving health outcomes for this population. [source] Validity and reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum (SCI-OBS) and of the Structured Clinical Interview for Social Phobia Spectrum (SCI-SHY)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2000Liliana Dell'osso Associate Professor of Psychiatry Abstract This paper reports on the psychometric properties of the Structured Clinical Interview for Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum (SCI-OBS) and the Structured Clinical Interview for Social Phobia Spectrum (SCI-SHY). Interviews were administered to 135 patients with psychiatric disorders and 119 controls. During the same session, subjects were given the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), the Checklist for Obsessions and Compulsions and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Patients and raters also answered specific questions on acceptability and usefulness of the interviews. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by administering the interviews to 36 patients with psychiatric disorders and 12 controls. The internal consistency of all domains of the interviews was from moderate to substantial (Kuder-Richardson coefficient >0.60). Discriminant validity was excellent. The concurrent validity of the SCI-SHY versus the LSAS and of the SCI-OBS versus the Checklist for Obsessions and Compulsions was satisfactory. However, no association was found between Y-BOCS and the SCI-OBS domains. Inter-rater reliability was substantial. Both interviews were rated as meaningful and clear by most subjects. Raters' attitudes toward the utility of these interviews for understanding patients and their foreseeable use in their practice varied, but most were in favour of administering them as self-report instruments. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Changes in Sensation Seeking and Risk-Taking Propensity Predict Increases in Alcohol Use Among Early AdolescentsALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010Laura MacPherson Background:, Conceptual models implicating disinhibitory traits often are applied to understanding emergent alcohol use, but, little is known of how inter-individual changes in these constructs relate to increases in alcohol use in early adolescence. The current study utilized behavioral and self-report instruments to capture the disinhibitory-based constructs of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity to examine if increases in these constructs over time related to increases in early adolescent alcohol use. Methods:, Participants included a community sample of 257 early adolescents (aged 9 to 12) who completed a self-report measure of sensation seeking, a behavioral task assessing risk-taking propensity, and a self-report of past year alcohol use, at 3 annual assessment waves. Results:, Both sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity demonstrated significant increases over time, with additional evidence that change in the behavioral measure of risk-taking propensity was not because of practice effects. Greater sensation seeking and greater risk-taking propensity demonstrated concurrent relationships with past year alcohol use at each assessment wave. Prospective analyses indicated that after accounting for initial levels of alcohol use, sensation seeking, and risk-taking propensity at the first assessment wave, larger increases in both constructs predicted greater odds of alcohol use at subsequent assessment waves. Conclusions:, Results indicate the role of individual changes in disinhibitory traits in initial alcohol use in early adolescents. Specifically, findings suggest it is not simply initial levels of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity that contribute to subsequent alcohol use but in particular increases in each of these constructs that predict greater odds of use. Future work should continue to assess the development of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity in early adolescence and target these constructs in interventions as a potential means to reduce adolescent alcohol use. [source] | ||||||||||