The Role of Relapse Prevention and Goal Setting in Training Transfer Enhancement

This article reviews the effect of two post-training transfer interventions (relapse prevention [RP] and goal setting [GS]) on trainees’ ability to apply skills gained in a training context to the workplace. Through a review of post-training transfer interventions literature, the article identifies a number of key issues that remain unresolved or underexplored, for example, the inconsistent results on the impact of RP on transfer of training, the lack of agreement on which GS types are more efficient to improve transfer performance, the lack of clarity about the distinction between RP and GS, and the underlying process through which these two post-training transfer interventions influence transfer of training. We offer some recommendations to overcome these problems and also provide guidance for future research on transfer of training

The effect of pre-treatment psychoeducation on eating disorder pathology among patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Pre-treatment psychoeducation can be effective for bulimic groups, but little is known about its effect on patients with anorexia nervosa. This study investigated the impact of a pre-treatment psychoeducational intervention on outpatients with diagnoses of full or atypical anorexia nervosa (N = 54) or bulimia nervosa/atypical eating disorder at a normal weight (N = 43). Each attended a four-session psychoeducational group whilst awaiting outpatient treatment. They completed measures of eating and personality disorder pathology pre-intervention, repeating the measures of eating pathology post-intervention. Effectiveness was tested for each diagnostic group using intention-to-treat analyses. Results confirm that such psychoeducational groups reduce unhealthy eating attitudes among bulimic patients, regardless of initial levels of eating and personality pathology. In contrast, the groups were not effective for anorexia nervosa sufferers. Such groups should be considered routinely during waiting periods for bulimia nervosa treatment, but further research is needed to determine how to help anorexia nervosa patients at this stage

Survey of micrometeorological parameters within a forest canopy at Fort Polk, Louisiana, A

CER80-81WZS-FWL-WEM44.Includes bibliographical references (page 44).February 1982.A field investigation of micrometeorological parameters inside and above a forest canopy at Fort Polk, Louisiana, was conducted in conjunction with the Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory Dusty Infrared Test IIIA. The three orthogonal components of the wind, ory- and wet-bulb temperatures and total solar radiation were measured inside this forest canopy by means of an instrumented meteorological tower. In addition, turbulence inside the forest canopy was monitored by means of hot-wire anemometers. Tethersonde balloon sounding above the forest canopy was further performed. The meteorological data was reduced by means of three different statistical methods. Single sample period values, one-minute sample averages and sequential sample values were computed. The latter two methods led to the construction of time series which can readily be used to perform advanced statistical analyses. Totals of 27 h 29 min of meteorological tower data and 2 h 50 min of balloon data were reduced. The results are presented in tabular form in 1422 tables and partially displayed in 1795 figures under separate cover in view of their large volume. Selected samples of the results are, however, presented herein. The results supply a data base for analyses of airflow in a forest canopy. Suggestions for future work of significance for mission-oriented cases and for modeling of airflow in a forest canopy are outlined.Contract DAAG29-76-D-0100 conducted for the U.S. Army Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory, White Sands Missile Range

Understanding Individual Differences for Tailored Smoking Cessation Apps

Finding ways to help people quit smoking is a high priority in health behavior change research. Recent HCI studies involving technologies using specific quitting techniques such as social support and SMS messaging to help people quit have reported some success. Early studies using computer generated print material report significant success of tailored versus non-tailored material, however, there is limited understanding on what aspects of digitally delivered quitting assistance should be tailored and how. To address this, we have conducted an empirical investigation with smokers to identify perceived importance of different types of help when quitting and the potential role of technology in providing such help. We found that people are highly individual in their approach to quitting and the kind of help they regard as relevant to their situation. Our contribution is a collection of empirically derived themes for tailoring smoking cessation apps to individual quitting needs. Author Keywords Smoking cessation; tailoring; individual differences; healt

Redefining smoking relapse as recovered social identity – secondary qualitative analysis of relapse narratives

Although many people in the general population manage to quit smoking, relapse is common. Theory underpinning the determinants of smoking relapse is under-developed. This article aims to specify theoretical insight into the process of relapse to smoking, to underpin effective intervention development. Secondary qualitative analysis of extended narratives of smoking relapse (n=23) were inductively coded within our conceptual framework of a socially situated narrative theoretical approach to identity. Smoking relapse is conceptualised as a situated rational response to a ‘disruption’ in individual narrative identity formation, and an attempt to recover a lost social identity. Emotional reactions to relapse, such as pleasure, but also guilt and shame, support this assertion by demonstrating the ambivalence of re-engaging in a behaviour that is situated and rational in terms of individual identity formation, yet ostracised and stigmatised by wider culture

Mental contrasting for health behaviour change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effects and moderator variables

Mental contrasting is a self-regulation imagery strategy that involves imagining a desired future and mentally contrasting it with the present reality, which is assumed to prompt the individual to realise that action is required to achieve the desired future. Research has combined mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) (‘if-then’ plans), which is hypothesised to strengthen the effects. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mental contrasting for improving health-related behaviours. A meta-analysis (N = 1528) using random effects modelling found a main effect of mental contrasting on health outcomes, adjusted Hedges’ g = 0.28 (SE = .07), 95% CI [0.13–0.43], p < .001 at up to four weeks, and an increased effect at up to three months (k = 5), g = 0.38 (SE = 0.6), CI [0.20–0.55], p < .001. The combination of mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII; k = 7) showed a similar effect, g = 0.28, CI [0.14–0.42], p < .001. Mental contrasting shows promise as a brief behaviour change strategy with a significant small to moderate-sized effect on changing health behaviour in the short-term. Analysis on a small subset of studies suggested that the addition of implementation intentions (MCII) did not further strengthen the effects of mental contrasting on health behaviours, although additional studies are needed.N/

Alcohol and remembering a hypothetical sexual assault: Can people who were under the influence of alcohol during the event provide accurate testimony?

We examined the influence of alcohol on remembering an interactive hypothetical sexual assault scenario in the laboratory using a balanced placebo design. Female participants completed a memory test 24 hours and 4 months later. Participants reported less information (i.e., responded ‘don’t know’ more often to questions) if they were under the influence of alcohol during scenario encoding. The accuracy of the information intoxicated participants reported did not differ compared to sober participants, however, suggesting intoxicated participants were effectively monitoring the accuracy of their memory at test. Additionally, peripheral details were remembered less accurately than central details, regardless of intoxication level; and memory accuracy for peripheral details decreased by a larger amount compared to central details across the retention interval. Finally, participants were more accurate if they were told they were drinking alcohol rather than a placebo. We discuss theoretical implications for alcohol myopia and memory regulation, together with applied implications for interviewing intoxicated witnesses

Voluntary exercise can strengthen the circadian system in aged mice

Consistent daily rhythms are important to healthy aging according to studies linking disrupted circadian rhythms with negative health impacts. We studied the effects of age and exercise on baseline circadian rhythms and on the circadian system's ability to respond to the perturbation induced by an 8 h advance of the light:dark (LD) cycle as a test of the system's robustness. Mice (male, mPer2luc/C57BL/6) were studied at one of two ages: 3.5 months (n = 39) and &gt;18 months (n = 72). We examined activity records of these mice under entrained and shifted conditions as well as mPER2::LUC measures ex vivo to assess circadian function in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and important target organs. Age was associated with reduced running wheel use, fragmentation of activity, and slowed resetting in both behavioral and molecular measures. Furthermore, we observed that for aged mice, the presence of a running wheel altered the amplitude of the spontaneous firing rate rhythm in the SCN in vitro. Following a shift of the LD cycle, both young and aged mice showed a change in rhythmicity properties of the mPER2::LUC oscillation of the SCN in vitro, and aged mice exhibited longer lasting internal desynchrony. Access to a running wheel alleviated some age-related changes in the circadian system. In an additional experiment, we replicated the effect of the running wheel, comparing behavioral and in vitro results from aged mice housed with or without a running wheel (&gt;21 months, n = 8 per group, all examined 4 days after the shift). The impact of voluntary exercise on circadian rhythm properties in an aged animal is a novel finding and has implications for the health of older people living with environmentally induced circadian disruption

Attitudes to smoking cessation and triggers to relapse among Chinese male smokers

BACKGROUND: Smoking is related to many diseases, and the relapse to smoking after cessation in China is noticeable. We examined the attitudes of Chinese male smokers regarding smoking cessation and reasons for relapse. METHODS: We interviewed 201 male smokers in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang province, China who had tried to quit smoking at least once in order to identify reasons for quitting and situations triggering relapse. RESULTS: The most significant reported reasons for quitting included personal health (77.1%), the cost of cigarettes (53.7%), and family pressures to quit (29.9%). The most common factors triggering relapse were social situations (34.3%), feeling negative or down (13.4%) and times of being alone (8.4%). CONCLUSION: Health and family concerns, personal factors, the influence of others and a lack of cessation resources were cited as salient factors concerning smoking cessation among male smokers in this study. Effective smoking control efforts in China will require attention to these influences if China is to curb its current smoking epidemic