Intervening after the loss of a spouse: is it (cost-)effective and for whom?

Cuijpers, W.J.M.J. [Promotor]Bout, J. van den [Promotor]Smit, F. [Copromotor

School-based programmes to reduce and prevent substance use in different age groups: What works for whom? Systematic review and meta-regression analysis

Contains fulltext : 157223.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Background: Findings from systematic reviews and meta-analyses about the effectiveness of school-based programmes to prevent or reduce substance abuse are inconclusive. We hypothesise that in order to be effective, programmes have to be aligned with the developmental stages of the intended target group (childhood, early, middle, or late adolescence). The present study provides an overview of universal and targeted programmes, while distinguishing four age groups and examining which intervention characteristics are the effective components for the respective groups. Methods: Databases were searched for controlled studies of school-based programmes, evaluating their effectiveness on either smoking, alcohol or drug use. Multivariate meta-regression analysis was used to analyse the associations between effects and programme characteristics. Results: Our meta-analysis evaluates 288 programmes with a total of 436,180 participants. The findings support our hypothesis that specific aspects of the school-based programmes are effective in some developmental stages, but not for other age groups. The differences in effectiveness are systematically related to psychological and cognitive needs and capacities. Discussion: Our findings highlight the importance of considering a developmental perspective when designing and offering school-based prevention programmes. The various developmental stages offer different possibilities and opportunities for the reduction and prevention of substance use.15 p

Mood and anxiety disorders in widowhood: A systematic review

The association between widowhood and mental health problems, such as depressive symptomatology and anxiety, has been examined extensively. Few studies, however, have explored the prevalence and incidence of mood and anxiety disorders based on diagnostic criteria after the loss of the partner. We conducted a systematic review, and searched major bibliographical databases for studies examining mood and anxiety disorders in widowhood. We included all studies examining the prevalence or incidence of mood and anxiety disorders in the widowed, according to diagnostic criteria as assessed with a structured diagnostic interview. Eleven studies were identified, exploring the prevalence and incidence of mood and anxiety disorders in 3481 widowed individuals and 4685 non-widowed controls. As expected, the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders were considerably elevated in widowed individuals, especially in the first year after the loss of a spouse. During the first year of bereavement, almost 22% of the widowed were diagnosed as having MDD; almost 12% met diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and there were higher risks of Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The incidence rate of MDD and several anxiety disorders ranged from 0.08-0.50. The relative risk of developing a mood or anxiety disorder ranged from 3.49-9.76, in the widowed, compared to control subjects. © 2006 Taylor & Francis

The intervening role of conversational frequency and valence in a school-based health intervention

School-based health interventions are potentially an effective method to communicate health messages to adolescents. Unfortunately, effectiveness of such interventions is limited. Research in other contexts has shown that interpersonal communication can influence the effectiveness of health programs, but this has not been thoroughly tested for school-based health interventions. Therefore, our study investigated interpersonal communication (i.e., conversational valence and frequency) in a school-based intervention context. We used a three-wave randomized-controlled trial with 1056 students to study three aims. The first aim was to investigate the influence of a health intervention on conversational frequency and valence about drinking, snacking, and exercising. Our second aim was to investigate the influence of conversational frequency and valence on (predictors of) drinking, snacking, and exercising. Our third aim was to investigate whether the health intervention indirectly influenced the program outcomes through conversational frequency and valence. Findings showed that conversational frequency and valence were related to (predictors of) the three behaviors. Additionally, findings showed that the intervention did not influence conversational frequency and valence. Accordingly, findings showed no indirect influence of the intervention on program outcomes through conversational frequency and valence. Our findings show the potential of interpersonal communication for health behaviors and predictors; however, they also stress the importance of a health intervention to properly influence interpersonal communication. If health interventions can successfully influence interpersonal communication, intervention effectiveness can be improved

The antecedents and consequences of interpersonal communication during a school-based health intervention

School-based health interventions often have limited and inconsistent effects. Although interpersonal communication likely is important, hardly any studies have investigated interpersonal communication of students with their friends, classmates, and parents about the health programs and health behaviors in school-based health interventions. In a two-wave prospective study of 389 adolescents focusing on three health behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, snack intake, and exercise), we addressed two aims. Our first aim was to investigate how student evaluations of a school-based health intervention influenced interpersonal communication about health behaviors (i.e., valence and frequency of conversations). Findings showed that positively evaluating a school-based health intervention increased how often students talked about the intervention with friends, classmates, and parents, as well as how they discussed the three health behaviors. Our second aim was to investigate the influence of interpersonal communication with friends, classmates, and parents on predictors of health behaviors. We found for conversational frequency that frequently discussing health behaviors resulted in healthier (more positive) predictors of exercise, but also in unhealthier (more positive) predictors of snacking and drinking. Furthermore, findings showed that positively discussing exercising, and negatively discussing snacking and drinking, resulted in healthier predictors of these behaviors. Our findings show that it is important to understand the impact of post-intervention communication and that post-intervention communication with peers and parents about health behaviors are predictors of health behavior

Butyrate presence in distinct gastrointestinal tract segments modifies differentially digestive processes and amino acid bioavailability in young broiler chickens

The hypothesis was tested that butyrate presence in the digesta of distinct gastrointestinal tract (GIT) segments of broilers leads to differential effects on digesta retention time, gut morphology, and proteolytic enzymatic activities, ultimately resulting in differences in protein digestibility. A total of 320 male day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments: 1) control (no butyrate), 2) unprotected butyrate (main activity in the crop and gastric regions), 3) tributyrin (main activity in the small intestine), 4) fat-coated butyrate (activity in the whole GIT) and 5) unprotected butyrate combined with tributyrin, each replicated 8 times. Rapeseed meal was used in combination with a fine dietary particle size in order to challenge the digestive capacity of young broilers. Birds were dissected at 22, 23, and 24 d of age and samples of digesta at various GIT locations as well as tissues were collected. Butyrate concentration varied significantly across GIT segments depending on treatment, indicating that the dietary contrasts were successful. The apparent ileal digestibility of methionine tended to increase when butyrate and/or propionate was present in colonic and cecal contents, possibly due to modifications of GIT development and digesta transit time. Butyrate presence in the digesta of the crop, proventriculus and gizzard, on the contrary, decreased the apparent ileal digestibility of several amino acids (AA). In addition, butyrate presence beyond the gizzard elicited anorexic effect that might be attributable to changes in intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells secretory activities. The present study demonstrates that, in broilers, effects of butyrate on digestive processes are conditioned by the GIT segment wherein the molecule is present and indicates its influence on digestive function and bioavailability of AA

Wat werkt tegen pesten? Effectiviteit van kansrijke programma's tegen pesten

Doel van dit onderzoeksproject was de effecten van tien veelbelovende antipestprogramma's op pesten en gepest worden binnen één schooljaar te toetsen in de Nederlandse onderwijspraktijk, volgens de meest rigoureuze wetenschappelijke standaarden, en met inbegrip van moderatie door ernst van pesten, ernst van problemen in de klas en programma-integriteit

Wat werkt tegen pesten? Effectiviteit van kansrijke programma's tegen pesten

Item does not contain fulltextDoel van dit onderzoeksproject was de effecten van tien veelbelovende antipestprogramma's op pesten en gepest worden binnen één schooljaar te toetsen in de Nederlandse onderwijspraktijk, volgens de meest rigoureuze wetenschappelijke standaarden, en met inbegrip van moderatie door ernst van pesten, ernst van problemen in de klas en programma-integriteit.95 p