Restorative justice dialogue: The Impact of Mediation and Conferencing on Juvenile Recidivism

This is the first meta-analysis that examined the effectiveness of the two most prominent restorative justice dialogue programs in reducing juvenile recidivism. The use of meta-analytic methods provides a useful means for summarizing diverse research findings across restorative justice studies and synthesizing these findings in an objective manner. The use of an effect size is an easily interpreted way of assessing the strength of an intervention effect

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Residual Symptoms and Impairment in Schizophrenia

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions in the treatment of persons with schizophrenia who experienced significant residual symptoms and impaired functioning despite their adherence to medication. The study used an aggregated AB single-system research design across 22 participants to evaluate change in clinical outcomes. Standardized measures of psychosocial functioning, severity of symptoms, attainment of treatment goals, and severity of the impact of illness on self-concept were used to assess change during the course of 18 months of treatment. Of the clients, 86% made statistically significant improvement in psychosocial functioning; 82% of the clients made statistically significant reduction in severity of psychiatric symptoms. All 22 clients exceeded the expected level of attainment of treatment goals. There was a statistically significant reduction in the negative impact of illness on sense of self. Findings support the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions in schizophrenia

Finding A Place in the World: The Experience of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness

This hermeneutic phenomenological study of 45 adults with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) examines the experience of recovery over 3 years. After a brief review of the results from the first two phases, this article reports the findings from the third phase of the recovery process. Five essential themes are identified: (1) reintegration in the community; (2) reintegration with family and friends; (3) reintegration with the case manager; (4) reintegration with oneself; (5) barriers to social inclusion. Findings highlight the unmet needs for consumers in their relationships with case managers and barriers to inclusion at the macro level. Implications for practice include the delineation of client and case manager tasks specific to each essential theme

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Quantitative, Longitudinal Perspective

This effectiveness study examined the course of treatment longitudinally and outcomes associated with psychodynamic psychotherapy for a sample of 1,050 people undertaking this treatment in a community setting, over the course of 4 years, at 3-month intervals, using the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ)-45.2. The authors used multilevel modeling to look at the nature of change over time and at potentially meaningful moderating variables. Results show a robust general improvement, though a more moderate one than described in recent meta-analyses including primarily prospective studies. The treatment was followed by broad improvements, over time, with a general trend and few notable interaction effects. The treatment involved little deterioration, particularly in the first year. Subgroup analysis suggested that (a) clients with more initial symptom severity showed greater improvement and a unique course of recovery with (b) clients who stayed over a year constituting a potentially unique subgroup

African Americans and Recovery from Severe Mental Illness

This mixed methods study examined the lived experience of African American persons recovering from serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and assessed changes in demoralization, engulfment and coping over time. Psychological measures were administered and semi-structured interviews were conducted at three time points (6, 12, and 18 months) with nine African Americans with SPMI. Qualitative analysis was done from an Afrocentric perspective. The interviews were transcribed, read and coded to cluster thematic aspects in each case and across cases. Atlas-ti was used to recode transcripts and retrieve quotes to dimensionalize each essential theme. Four themes were identified: 1) striving for normalcy, 2) striving for a positive and proactive outlook, 3) mastering the challenges posed by mental illness, and 4) leaning on the supports that watch out for and over me. Paired t-tests were performed on the dependent variables of demoralization, coping, and engulfment. There was a significant change in reduction of demoralization and increase in coping from Time 1 to Time 2. There was no significant change in engulfment. These changes are noteworthy as participants averaged 21 years of illness. The relationship between the quantitative results and qualitative findings are discussed. Results have implications for practice and improving recovery-oriented services to African Americans. For example, case managers are advised to consider mental health stigma and anti stigma interventions that are inclusive of racial discrimination and expand their cultural sensitivity to include the sense of endangerment experienced by African American clients. Four African American consultants critiqued the study anonymously

Dynamics and pattern of a managed coniferous forest landscape in Oregon

We examined the process of fragmentation in a managed forest landscape by comparing rates and patterns of disturbance (primarily clear-cutting) and regrowth between 1972 and 1988 using Landsat imagery. A 2589-km(exp 2) managed forest landscape in western Oregon was classified into two forest types, closed-canopy conifer forest (CF) (typically, greater than 60% conifer cover) and other forest and nonforest types (OT) (typically, less than 40 yr old or deciduous forest). The percentage of CF declined from 71 to 58% between 1972 and 1988. Declines were greatest on private land, least in wilderness, and intermediate in public nonwilderness. High elevations (greater than 914 m) maintained a greater percentage of CF than lower elevations (less than 914 m). The percentage of the area at the edge of the two cover types increased on all ownerships and in both elevational zones, whereas the amount of interior habitat (defined as CF at least 100 m from OT) decreased on all ownerships and elevational zones. By 1988 public lands contained approximately 45% interior habitat while private lands had 12% interior habitat. Mean interior patch area declined from 160 to 62 ha. The annual rate of disturbance (primarily clear-cutting) for the entire area including the wilderness was 1.19%, which corresponds to a cutting rotation of 84 yr. The forest landscape was not in a steady state or regulated condition which is not projected to occur for at least 40 yr under current forest plans. Variability in cutting rates within ownerships was higher on private land than on nonreserve public land. However, despite the use of dispersed cutting patterns on public land, spatial patterns of cutting and remnant forest patches were nonuniform across the entire public ownership. Large remaining patches (less than 5000 ha) of contiguous interior forest were restricted to public lands designated for uses other than timber production such as wilderness areas and research natural areas

Measuring forest landscape patterns in the Cascade Range of Oregon, USA

This paper describes the use of a set of spatial statistics to quantify the landscape pattern caused by the patchwork of clearcuts made over a 15-year period in the western Cascades of Oregon. Fifteen areas were selected at random to represent a diversity of landscape fragmentation patterns. Managed forest stands (patches) were digitized and analyzed to produce both tabular and mapped information describing patch size, shape, abundance and spacing, and matrix characteristics of a given area. In addition, a GIS fragmentation index was developed which was found to be sensitive to patch abundance and to the spatial distribution of patches. Use of the GIS-derived index provides an automated method of determining the level of forest fragmentation and can be used to facilitate spatial analysis of the landscape for later coordination with field and remotely sensed data. A comparison of the spatial statistics calculated for the two years indicates an increase in forest fragmentation as characterized by an increase in mean patch abundance and a decrease in interpatch distance, amount of interior natural forest habitat, and the GIS fragmentation index. Such statistics capable of quantifying patch shape and spatial distribution may prove important in the evaluation of the changing character of interior and edge habitats for wildlife

Microarrays Reveal Early Transcriptional Events during the Termination of Larval Diapause in Natural Populations of the Mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii

overwinters in a larval diapause that is initiated, maintained and terminated by day length (photoperiod). We use a forward genetic approach to investigate transcriptional events involved in the termination of diapause following exposure to long-days. is up-regulated under long-day response conditions, is located under a QTL for critical photoperiod and is associated with critical photoperiod after 25 generations of recombination from a cross between extreme phenotypes. as a gene either involved in the photoperiodic switch mechanism or very tightly linked to a gene that is. We conclude that continued forward genetic approaches will be central to understanding not only the molecular basis of photoperiodism and diapause, but also the evolutionary potential of temperate and polar animal populations when confronted with rapid climate change