An Internet-based self-help intervention for people with HIV and depressive symptoms: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Many people living with HIV suffer from depressive symptoms. In a previous pilot study, self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (in booklet format) was found to be effective in treating depressive symptoms in people with HIV. We developed an online self-help program in Dutch and English (based on the booklet) for people with HIV and depressive symptoms. Besides the main question regarding the effectiveness of the program aimed at lowering depressive symptoms, sub-questions will focus on the moderators of treatment success (for which patients is the program especially beneficial?) and the mechanisms of change underlying the treatment outcome (which mediators affect the outcome of treatment?). In this paper, the protocol of the study will be described. METHODS/DESIGN: The effectiveness of the program will be investigated by comparing the intervention group with a waiting list-control group in a randomized controlled design, by including a pretest and three post-tests. The self-help program contains four main components: activation, relaxation, changing maladaptive cognitions, and goal attainment. Participants with mild to moderate depressive symptoms will work on the program for 6 to 10 weeks, during which a coach will provide motivational support by telephone once a week. Participants in the control condition will receive weekly minimal support from a coach for 8 weeks, and after the second post-test, they can gain access to the self-help program. Depressive symptoms and possible mediators (e.g., activation, cognitive coping, self-efficacy, and goal adjustment) will be assessed by self-report three times during the intervention/waiting period and at the pretest and first post-test. DISCUSSION: The proposed study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online self-help intervention for people with HIV and depressive symptoms. If the intervention is shown to be effective, the program will be implemented. Consequently, many patients with HIV could be reached, and their psychological care may be improved. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register: NTR5407 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-016-1292-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

La natation sportive peut-elle encore évoluer?

Alors que les travaux de chercheurs américains semblent montrer que les forces de portance sont plus rentables dans la propulsion aquatique que les forces de traînées, que l'amélioration des performances passerait donc par des immersions plus prononcées, les dernières prescriptions règlementaires de la Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) continuent de limiter le recours aux ondulations sous-marine

Analyzing Undergraduate Student Graduation Delay: A Longitudinal Perspective

In Italy the number of years in which undergraduate students should complete their education programme is established by law. However, many students obtain their degree after the expected time: a well-known issue affecting numerous Italian universities. In 1999, therefore, the Italian government introduced a reform that, among other aims, intended to reduce the gap between the average number of years in which a student completed the education programme and the official deadline established by the university regulations

7.5 Researching Equity and Effectiveness in Education: Examples from the UK and Germany

Many examples of educational research, including international comparative school achievement studies have clearly documented that school attainments and school careers of children are linked in many countries to their origins (ethnic and cultural) and the socioeconomic situation of the family they grow up in. However, the extent of the equity gap for specific student groups and explanations for it vary. As consequence, a number of longitudinal educational studies have been set up to investigate these phenomena and shed light on the question how to overcome such inequity. The current chapter first explores different definitions of equity and presents then two large, longitudinal studies conducted in England and Germany that investigate children’s development from preschool age through primary education. Both studies were set up to investigate the influences of individual child, family, home learning, preschool and primary school influences on children’s development. A core question of both studies is how (pre-)school can contribute to reducing the negative influence of early childhood disadvantage and thus potentially help reduce inequity in later educational outcomes (see Sammons, Anders and Hall, 2013 for further discussion). The Effective Provision of Pre-, Primary and Secondary Project in England (EPPSE) has tracked 3000+ children since 1996, whereas the German BiKS-study is investigating the development of around 550 children. The two studies share many similarities in their designs and methodological approaches, although there are also some important differences. Recent results of both studies are presented and discussed in terms of both the quantitative modeling strategies adopted and the interpretation of statistical findings