32 research outputs found
Guided self-help cognitive-behaviour Intervention for VoicEs (GiVE): results from a pilot randomised controlled trial in a transdiagnostic sample
Background: Few patients have access to cognitive behaviour therapy for psychosis (CBTp) even though at least
16 sessions of CBTp is recommended in treatment guidelines. Briefer CBTp could improve access as the same
number of therapists could see more patients. In addition, focusing on single psychotic symptoms, such as
auditory hallucinations (âvoicesâ), rather than on psychosis more broadly, may yield greater benefits.
Method: This pilot RCT recruited 28 participants (with a range of diagnoses) from NHS mental health services
who were distressed by hearing voices. The study compared an 8-session guided self-help CBT intervention for
distressing voiceswith a wait-list control. Data were collected at baseline and at 12 weekswith post-therapy assessments
conducted blind to allocation. Voice-impact was the pre-determined primary outcome. Secondary
outcomes were depression, anxiety, wellbeing and recovery. Mechanism measures were self-esteem, beliefs
about self, beliefs about voices and voice-relating.
Results: Recruitment and retention was feasible with low study (3.6%) and therapy (14.3%) dropout. There were
large, statistically significant between-group effects on the primary outcome of voice-impact (d=1.78; 95% CIs:
0.86â2.70), which exceeded the minimum clinically important difference. Large, statistically significant effects
were found on a number of secondary and mechanism measures.
Conclusions: Large effects on the pre-determined primary outcome of voice-impact are encouraging, and criteria
for progressing to a definitive trial are met. Significant between-group effects on measures of self-esteem, negative
beliefs about self and beliefs about voiceomnipotence are consistentwith these beingmechanisms of change
and this requires testing in a future trial
The positive impact of a facilitated peer mentoring program on academic skills of women faculty
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In academic medicine, women physicians lag behind their male counterparts in advancement and promotion to leadership positions. Lack of mentoring, among other factors, has been reported to contribute to this disparity. Peer mentoring has been reported as a successful alternative to the dyadic mentoring model for women interested in improving their academic productivity. We describe a facilitated peer mentoring program in our institution's department of medicine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nineteen women enrolled in the program were divided into 5 groups. Each group had an assigned facilitator. Members of the respective groups met together with their facilitators at regular intervals during the 12 months of the project. A pre- and post-program evaluation consisting of a 25-item self-assessment of academic skills, self-efficacy, and academic career satisfaction was administered to each participant.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At the end of 12 months, a total of 9 manuscripts were submitted to peer-reviewed journals, 6 of which are in press or have been published, and another 2 of which have been invited to be revised and resubmitted. At the end of the program, participants reported an increase in their satisfaction with academic achievement (mean score increase, 2.32 to 3.63; <it>P </it>= 0.0001), improvement in skills necessary to effectively search the medical literature (mean score increase, 3.32 to 4.05; <it>P </it>= 0.0009), an improvement in their ability to write a comprehensive review article (mean score increase, 2.89 to 3.63; <it>P </it>= 0.0017), and an improvement in their ability to critically evaluate the medical literature (mean score increased from 3.11 to 3.89; <it>P </it>= 0.0008).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This facilitated peer mentoring program demonstrated a positive impact on the academic skills and manuscript writing for junior women faculty. This 1-year program required minimal institutional resources, and suggests a need for further study of this and other mentoring programs for women faculty.</p