Teacher change and development during training in social and emotional learning programs in Sweden

The paper presents the results from a thematic analysis of the process diaries of teachers involved in teacher training in social and emotional learning (SEL) in Sweden. Twentynine out of the 122 diaries available were analyzed until saturation was reached. The following themes and sub-themes were extracted: development (professional and personal, and classroom climate), and concomitants of development (need for collaboration and unease). The themes and sub-themes are related to theoretical aspects of specialised teacher education and to the debate in Sweden on how to proceed with SEL programs, and more generally with life skills programs. The results suggest that training generates both general teacher improvement and better implementation of SEL programs.peer-reviewe

Psychometric analysis of the Swedish panic disorder severity scale and its self-report version

Panic Disorder, with or without agoraphobia (PDA or PD, respectively), is a major public health problem. After having established a PD diagnosis based on the DSM or the ICD systems, the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is the most widely-used interview-based instrument for assessing disorder severity. There is also a self-report version of the instrument (PDSS-SR); both exist in a Swedish translation but their psychometric properties remain untested. In a sample of 221 adults with PD/PDA recruited to a randomized controlled preference trial of cognitive-behavioural and brief panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy, both forms possessed excellent psychometric properties (internal consistency, test-retest reliability) and convergent validity. A single factor structure for both versions was not confirmed. In terms of clinical utility, the PDSS had very high inter-rater reliability and correspondence with PD assessed via structured diagnostic interview. Both versions were sensitive to the effects of PD-focused treatment, although subjects scored systematically lower on the self-report version

Constraining the geometry of the reflection nebula NGC 2023 with [O I]: Emission & Absorption

We have mapped the NGC 2023 reflection nebula in the 63 and 145 micron transitions of [O I] and the 158 micron [C II] spectral lines using the heterodyne receiver upGREAT on SOFIA. The observations were used to identify the diffuse and dense components of the PDR traced by the [C II] and [O I] emission, respectively. The velocity-resolved observations reveal the presence of a significant column of low-excitation atomic oxygen, seen in absorption in the [O I] 63 micron spectra, amounting to about 20-60% of the oxygen column seen in emission in the [O I] 145 micron spectra. Some self-absorption is also seen in [C II], but for the most part it is hardly noticeable. The [C II] and [O I] 63 micron spectra show strong red- and blue-shifted wings due to photo evaporation flows especially in the southeastern and southern part of the reflection nebula, where comparison with the mid- and high-J CO emission indicates that the C+ region is expanding into a dense molecular cloud. Using a two-slab toy model the large-scale self-absorption seen in [O I] 63 micron is readily explained as originating in foreground low-excitation gas associated with the source. Similar columns have also been observed recently in other Galactic photon-dominated-regions (PDRs). These results have two implications: for the velocity-unresolved extra-galactic observations this could impact the use of [O I] 63 micron as a tracer of massive star formation and secondly the widespread self-absorption in [O I] 63 micron leads to underestimate of the column density of atomic oxygen derived from this tracer and necessitates the use of alternative indirect methods.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Effect of Patient’s Choice of Cognitive Behavioural or Psychodynamic Therapy on Outcomes for Panic Disorder: A Doubly Randomised Controlled Preference Trial

Introduction: It remains unclear whether offering psychiatric patients their preferred treatment influences outcomes at the symptom level. Objective: To assess whether offering patients with Panic Disorder with/without Agoraphobia (PD/A) a choice between two psychotherapies yields superior outcomes to random assignment. Methods: In a doubly randomised, controlled preference trial (DRCPT), 221 adults with PD/A were randomly assigned to: choosing Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Therapy (PFPP) or Panic Control Treatment (PCT; a form of CBT); random assignment to PFPP or PCT; or wait-list control. Primaryoutcomes were PD/A severity, work status and absences at post-treatment. Outcomes at posttreatment, 6-, 12- and 24-month follow-ups were assessed using segmented multilevel linear growth models. Results: At post-treatment, the choice and random conditions were superior to the control for panicseverity but not work status/absences. The choice and random conditions did not differ during treatment or follow-up for the primary outcomes. For panic severity, PCT was superior to PFPP during treatment (SMD = -0.64; 95% CI = -1.02 to -0.25); PFPP was superior to PCT during follow-up (SMD = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.27 to 0.98). There was no allocation by treatment type interaction (SMD = -0.57; 95% CI = -1.31 to 0.17). Conclusions: Previous studies have found that offering patients their preferred treatment yields small to moderate effects but have not employed designs that could rigorously test preference effects. Inthis first DRCPT of two evidenced-based psychotherapies, allowing patients with PD/A to choose their preferred treatment was not associated with improved outcomes. Further DRCPTs are needed

Therapist-guided internet-based psychodynamic therapy versus cognitive behavioural therapy for adolescent depression in Sweden: a randomised, clinical, non-inferiority trial

BACKGROUND: Adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent and associated with lifelong adversity. Evidence-based treatments exist, but accessible treatment alternatives are needed. We aimed to compare internet-based psychodynamic therapy (IPDT) with an established evidence-based treatment (internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy [ICBT]) for the treatment of adolescents with depression. METHODS: In this randomised, clinical trial, we tested whether IPDT was non-inferior to ICBT in the treatment of adolescent MDD. Eligible participants were 15-19 years old, presenting with a primary diagnosis of MDD according to DSM-5. Participants were recruited nationwide in Sweden through advertisements on social media, as well as contacts with junior and senior high schools, youth associations, social workers, and health-care providers. Adolescents who scored 9 or higher on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology for Adolescents (QIDS-A17-SR) in an initial online screening were contacted by telephone for a diagnostic assessment using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Participants were randomly assigned to ICBT or IPDT. Both interventions comprised eight self-help modules delivered over 10 weeks on a secure online platform. The primary outcome was change in depression severity measured weekly by the QIDS-A17-SR. Primary analyses were based on an intention-to-treat sample including all participants randomly assigned. A non-inferiority margin of Cohen's d=0·30 was predefined. The study is registered at ISRCTN, ISRCTN12552584. FINDINGS: Between Aug 19, 2019, and Oct 7, 2020, 996 young people completed screening; 516 (52%) were contacted for a diagnostic interview. 272 participants were eligible and randomly assigned to ICBT (n=136) or IPDT (n=136). In the ICBT group, 51 (38%) of 136 participants were classified as remitted, and 54 (40%) of 136 participants were classified as remitted in the IPDT group. Within-group effects were large (ICBT: within-group d=1·75, 95% CI 1·49 to 2·01; IPDT: within-group d=1·93, 1·67 to 2·20; both p<0·0001). No statistically significant treatment difference was found in the intention-to-treat analysis. Non-inferiority for IPDT was shown for the estimated change in depression during treatment (d=-0·18, 90% CI -0·49 to 0·13; p=0·34). All secondary outcomes showed non-significant between-group differences. INTERPRETATION: IPDT was non-inferior to ICBT in terms of change in depression for the treatment of adolescents with MDD. This finding increases the range of accessible and effective treatment alternatives for adolescents with depression. FUNDING: Kavli trust

Capabilities, Performance, and Status of the SOFIA Science Instrument Suite

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is an airborne observatory, carrying a 2.5 m telescope onboard a heavily modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. SOFIA is optimized for operation at infrared wavelengths, much of which is obscured for ground-based observatories by atmospheric water vapor. The SOFIA science instrument complement consists of seven instruments: FORCAST (Faint Object InfraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope), GREAT (German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies), HIPO (High-speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations), FLITECAM (First Light Infrared Test Experiment CAMera), FIFI-LS (Far-Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer), EXES (Echelon-Cross-Echelle Spectrograph), and HAWC (High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera). FORCAST is a 540 m imager with grism spectroscopy, developed at Cornell University. GREAT is a heterodyne spectrometer providing high-resolution spectroscopy in several bands from 60240 m, developed at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. HIPO is a 0.31.1 m imager, developed at Lowell Observatory. FLITECAM is a 15 m wide-field imager with grism spectroscopy, developed at UCLA. FIFI-LS is a 42210 m integral field imaging grating spectrometer, developed at the University of Stuttgart. EXES is a 528 m high-resolution spectrograph, developed at UC Davis and NASA ARC. HAWC is a 50240 m imager, developed at the University of Chicago, and undergoing an upgrade at JPL to add polarimetry capability and substantially larger GSFC detectors. We describe the capabilities, performance, and status of each instrument, highlighting science results obtained using FORCAST, GREAT, and HIPO during SOFIA Early Science observations conducted in 2011

Rating the outcomes of psychotherapy or psychoanalysis using the Change After Psychotherapy (CHAP) scales. Manual and commentary

In what follows we shall describe the model for rating a kind of psychotherapy change that has been developed at the Institute of Psychotherapy in Stockholm. It has been inspired by American studies with follow-up interviews after psychoanalysis by Pfeffer (1959) and Schlessinger and Robbins (1974), among others. The model has two parts, one (or more) interviews and a set of ratings on the basis of this or these interviews. The interviews are basically focused on the patient’s subjective experience of the state of having changed or not. The patients are encouraged to tell about the way they feel now, compared to what they used to feel, and how their situation in life is at present, compared to what it used to be, and how their life has changed since they began or ter-minated therapy. The interviews are quite informal, unstructured from the point of view of the patient, roughly as in a therapeutic session, but they are also different in the sense that the interview has a defined focus and that there is also an interviewing guide, on paper or in the interviewer’s mind. It is also possible to use regular therapy sessions, on tape or in the form of process notes or similar documents, for the same purpose of rating the experience of change. The method may not only be used for research or more formal evaluation; it may also be important for the therapist once in a while systematically to judge for himself/herself how a therapy is developing. Reliability, norms and psychometric properties are reported

On the Value of Double Vision

This article is, first, an analysis of arguments that have been leveled against systematic empirical research in psychoanalysis. The arguments are basically two: It cannot uncover unobservable processes, and it cannot account for the uniqueness of the psychoanalytic dyad. Therefore, systematic empirical research is said to be incompatible with basic tenets of psychoanalysis. Both arguments are refuted as being based on mistaken assumptions. The study of unobservable phenomena is not specific to psychoanalysis but is what psychological research in general is about, and over and above the striking variation among human beings, there are systematic commonalities to be revealed. Then, a method to study these regularities, while safeguarding systematic individual differences, is demonstrated and suggested to offer a kind of double vision in psychoanalytic research

Influence of personal therapy on learning and development of psychotherapeutic skills

The aim of the present study was to investigate psychodynamic psychotherapists’ experience of the influence of personal therapy on professional growth during training with a focus on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of psychotherapeutic skills. Thematic analysis was conducted on interviews with former students (N=10) at two training institutes for psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The resulting theme “professional subjectivity” indicated that personal therapy was experienced as having a positive effect on learning and growth of professional skill by facilitating the development of a theory- and knowledge-based professional subjectivity, a personally founded, professional attitude. Important elements of this development are “shared experience,” “personal influence,” and “knowledge integration.” The emergence of professional subjectivity proved to be an important factor in terms of professional advancement for future psychotherapists. Finding and relating to their own subjectivity was crucial in the process of developing a personally founded, professional attitude in the clinical work