A comparison of the DSM-IV and proposed DSM-V PTSD criteria for youth: factor analyses conducted with a low socioeconomic status, hurricane-exposed sample

Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, exposing residents to dangerous storms and significant flooding which resulted in the loss of many families’ homes and possessions. One of the most common psychological disorders experienced by disaster victims, both adult and child, is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Given the debate over the appropriateness of applying adult DSM-IV-TR criteria to children and the current formulation of DSM-V criteria, this study further explored the presentation of PTSD symptomatology in a sample of 276 youth who experienced Hurricane Katrina. Proposed DSM-V criteria were assessed with participant responses on the UCLA PTSD Index for DSM-IV and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2). Both symptom endorsement and PTSD factor structure (i.e. diagnostic clusters) were assessed. Findings indicated similar PTSD prevalence rates when comparing DSM-IV and proposed DSM-V diagnostic criteria. Based on confirmatory factor analysis findings, current DSM-IV-TR factor structure (i.e. diagnostic cluster presentation) was not found to be appropriate for this sample. Although a newly generated model and the proposed DSM-V model produced some indicators of acceptability for this sample, none of the tested models provided a consistently good fit. Finally, it was found that based on proposed DSM-V diagnostic criteria, PTSD symptoms significantly decreased over time (from 4-7 months post-hurricane to 25-28 months post-hurricane). Results of the analyses and a description of symptom endorsement are discussed in light of the developmental appropriateness of PTSD diagnostic criteria in youth and the implications for DSM-V

Reducing homework problems in ADHD adolescents: a comparison of two self-management interventions

Self-managed interventions can be especially beneficial during the adolescent years, as expectations of a child’s academic independence increase. Self-monitoring, a type of self-managed intervention, has been used to assess problem behaviors, evaluate treatment effectiveness, promote behavior change, and increase homework production. Goal-setting, another form of self-management has been associated with improvements in behavior, academics, and homework. However, no known studies have compared the effectiveness of self-monitoring and goal-setting homework interventions in ADHD adolescents. The current study compares two self-managed interventions, goal-setting and self-monitoring, in an attempt to determine their effectiveness with ADHD adolescents with problematic homework behavior. Participants were trained in establishing a structured homework routine and taught one of two student-managed homework interventions in which they either monitored their homework routine and homework completion or monitored their homework-specific goal achievement. Homework problems, as defined by the Homework Problem Checklist (HPC), and teacher-reported homework grades were monitored. No significant treatment effects were observed. Finding implications are discussed

Modelling Public Regulations - A Theoretical Approach

In this article the author explores the concepts of public regulations in regard to real property ownership and land use. The results are used to develop a theoretical, conceptual model for public regulations influencing the landowners’ use of the real property. The proposed classification aim at being independent of the legal systems they are created in and intended to be used for classification of public regulations internationally. The purpose is to establish a terminological framework for international exchange of public regulation information. The development of the public regulation model is in this article exemplified and tested with Swedish public regulations influencing the owner’s right to use his/her real property

Thin-layer agar for detection of resistance to rifampicin, ofloxacin and kanamycin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates

BACKGROUND: In low-income countries there is a great need for economical methods for testing the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the thin-layer agar (TLA) for rapid detection of resistance to rifampicin (RMP), ofloxacin (OFX) and kanamycin (KM) in M. tuberculosis clinical isolates and to determine the sensitivity, specificity and time to positivity compared to the gold standard method. METHODS: One hundred and forty-seven clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were studied. For the TLA method, a quadrant Petri plate containing 7H11 agar with RMP, OFX and KM was used. Results were compared to the Bactec MGIT960 for RMP and the proportion method for OFX and KM. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity for RMP and OFX were 100% and for KM they were 100% and 98.7%, respectively. The use of a TLA quadrant plate enables the rapid detection of resistance to the three anti-tuberculosis drugs RMP, OFX and KM in a median of 10 days. CONCLUSION: TLA was an accurate method for the detection of resistance in the three drugs studied. This faster method is simple to perform, providing an alternative method when more sophisticated techniques are not available in low-resource settings