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Treatment Seekers (treatment + seeker)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Psychometric evaluation of the mini-social phobia inventory (Mini-SPIN) in a treatment-seeking sample,

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 6 2007
Justin W. Weeks M.A.
Abstract The Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN) is a 3-item, self-rated screening instrument to assess social anxiety disorder, but its psychometric properties have not yet been examined in a sample seeking treatment for psychiatric disorders. We analyzed responses from 291 adults who telephoned the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple (AACT) seeking treatment for social anxiety or generalized anxiety and worry. The Mini-SPIN demonstrated strong internal consistency. Support for the convergent validity of the Mini-SPIN was provided by moderate correlations with several self-report measures and a clinician-administered measure of social anxiety completed by the subsample of callers who later came to the AACT for evaluation. Furthermore, the Mini-SPIN correlated significantly with two of three measures of functional disability, but not with a measure of life satisfaction. Correlations with measures of other constructs were nonsignificant, providing support for the discriminant validity of the Mini-SPIN. In addition, a cutoff score of 6 on the Mini-SPIN yielded strong sensitivity and diagnostic efficiency in the subsample of treatment seekers that later completed pretreatment evaluation, although the specificity of this cutoff score was not optimal in this sample. Overall, the Mini-SPIN demonstrated sound psychometric properties in this treatment-seeking sample. Depression and Anxiety 24:382,391, 2007. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Characteristics of black treatment seekers for eating disorders

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 3 2010
Nisha H. Fernandes BA
Abstract Objective: This study sought to investigate differences in eating psychopathology between black and white treatment seekers at a specialty eating disorders (EDs) center. Method: Participants were drawn from 1680 individuals (n = 32 blacks; n = 1648 whites) who received treatment for an ED at a specialized center between 1979 and 1995, and had completed the EDs Questionnaire. The 32 black participants were matched to 153 white participants for ED diagnosis, year of presentation, and gender. Results: The majority of the participants were diagnosed with eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). No black participants met criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN). Black participants reported more body dissatisfaction and a higher percentage fulfilled the obesity criterion compared to white participants. There were few differences in reported history of previous treatment. Discussion: Black and white participants with EDs appeared similar in most respects, but AN was notably absent among black participants. In contrast to previous research, body dissatisfaction was surprisingly higher in black than in white participants. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010 [source]

Alcohol Expectancies and Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy Mediate the Association of Impulsivity With Alcohol Misuse

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2010
Matthew J. Gullo
Background:, Recent work suggests that 2 biologically based traits convey risk for alcohol misuse: reward sensitivity/drive and (rash) impulsiveness. However, the cognitive mechanisms through which these traits convey risk are unclear. This study tested a model predicting that the risk conveyed by reward sensitivity is mediated by a learning bias for the reinforcing outcomes of alcohol consumption (i.e., positive alcohol expectancy). The model also proposed that the risk conveyed by rash impulsiveness (RI) is mediated by drinkers' perceived ability to resist alcohol (i.e., drinking refusal self-efficacy). Methods:, Study 1 tested the model in a sample of young adults (n = 342). Study 2 tested the model in a sample of treatment-seeking substance abusers (n = 121). All participants completed a battery of personality, cognitive, and alcohol use questionnaires and models were tested using structural equation modeling. Results:, In both studies, the hypothesized model was found to provide a good fit to the data, and a better fit than alternative models. In both young adults and treatment-seeking individuals, positive alcohol expectancy fully mediated the association between reward sensitivity and hazardous alcohol use. For treatment seekers, drinking refusal self-efficacy fully mediated the association between RI and hazardous drinking. However, there was partial mediation in the young adult sample. Furthermore, neither trait was directly associated with the other cognitive mediator. Conclusions:, The hypothesized model was confirmed on a large sample of young adults and replicated on a sample of treatment-seeking substance abusers. Taken together, these findings shed further light on the mechanisms through which an impulsive temperament may convey risk for alcohol misuse. [source]