The geology of the western Tehachapi Mountains, California

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, 1982.Microfiche copy available in Archives and ScienceBibliography: leaves 207-215.by John Sharry.Ph.D

Parenting groups, how long is enough? The efficacy of a community-run Parents Plus Early Years Program as a preschool parenting intervention of modifiable duration

Evidence shows that low-intensity community parenting interventions are effective in addressing child behavioral problems. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) parenting intervention delivered as a single workshop or a seven-week course to a non-clinical community sample by trained preschool practitioners. A between groups, repeated measures, matched pairs design was used. 121 parents of preschool aged children participated in a PPEY seven-week course (N=89) or a single workshop (N=32). Participants were compared pre-intervention and seven weeks later on measures of child difficulties and prosocial behavior and parental satisfaction and stress. A paired samples t-test found that parents reported the seven-week intervention significantly improved child prosocial behavior. Both group formats significantly improved child difficulties, parental satisfaction, and stress. The seven-week group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in parental stress and satisfaction than the workshop group. Effect sizes showed that while both groups were beneficial, the seven-week group produced greater parent-reported gains. Findings suggest that single session parenting workshops are beneficial, though the longer courses are likely to facilitate a greater magnitude of change. Further study using a control group and follow-up testing is suggested

Parenting groups, how long is enough? The efficacy of a community-run Parents Plus Early Years Program as a preschool parenting intervention of modifiable duration

Evidence shows that low-intensity community parenting interventions are effective in addressing child behavioral problems. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Parents Plus Early Years (PPEY) parenting intervention delivered as a single workshop or a seven-week course to a non-clinical community sample by trained preschool practitioners. A between groups, repeated measures, matched pairs design was used. 121 parents of preschool aged children participated in a PPEY seven-week course (N=89) or a single workshop (N=32). Participants were compared pre-intervention and seven weeks later on measures of child difficulties and prosocial behavior and parental satisfaction and stress. A paired samples t-test found that parents reported the seven-week intervention significantly improved child prosocial behavior. Both group formats significantly improved child difficulties, parental satisfaction, and stress. The seven-week group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in parental stress and satisfaction than the workshop group. Effect sizes showed that while both groups were beneficial, the seven-week group produced greater parent-reported gains. Findings suggest that single session parenting workshops are beneficial, though the longer courses are likely to facilitate a greater magnitude of change. Further study using a control group and follow-up testing is suggested

Internet-delivered treatment: its potential as a low-intensity community intervention for adults with symptoms of depression: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Depression is a high prevalence disorder, displaying high rates of lifetime incidence, early age onset, high chronicity, and role impairment. In Ireland 12-month prevalence of depression has been reported to be 10.3%. A large percentage of affected individuals have no medical diagnosis nor seek treatment. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has established itself as an option for the treatment of depression. Many Irish adults with depression find it difficult to access evidence-based CBT, this is due to several factors, like stigma and costs. However, systematic factors including the shortage of trained professionals and the relative underdevelopment of services also make access difficult. Stepped-care can increase access to evidence-based CBT. One option is tailored internet-delivered treatment programs. Preliminary research from Ireland needs now to include large-scale studies on effectiveness. Thus the current study seeks to examine the potential of an internet-delivered low-intensity treatment for symptoms of depression in an Irish adult community sample. METHOD/DESIGN: The study is a randomized controlled trial of an online CBT (iCBT) program for the treatment of adults with depressive symptoms. The trial will include an active treatment group and a waiting-list control group. The active condition will consist of 8 weekly modules of iCBT, with post-session feedback support. Participants in the waiting list will receive access to the treatment at week 8. Participants will complete the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and eligibility criteria will also apply. Primary outcomes are depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include quality of life indicators, significant events and satisfaction with online treatment. Data will be collected at baseline and at post-treatment, week 8, and at follow-up week 20 (3-months) and week 32 (6-months). Analysis will be conducted on the intention-to-treat basis. DISCUSSION: The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of an online delivered treatment for depression in a community sample of Irish adults with symptoms of depression. The study will be a first contribution and depending on the sample recruited the results may be generalizable to people with similar difficulties in Ireland and may therefore give insight into the potential of low-intensity interventions for Irish people with depressive symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN03704676. DOI: 10.1186/ISRCTN0370467

Effectiveness of an internet-delivered intervention for generalized anxiety disorder in routine care: A randomised controlled trial in a student population

AbstractBackgroundCognitive behavioural therapy is one of the main and preferred treatments for generalized anxiety disorder. Numerous barriers can hinder an individual from seeking or receiving appropriate treatment; internet-delivered CBT interventions offer a relatively new means of increasing access to treatment.MethodsA service-based effectiveness randomised waiting list control trial examined the impact of an internet-delivered CBT intervention, Calming Anxiety, amongst Irish university students (N=137). Primary outcome was self-reported GAD and secondary outcomes included depression and work and social functioning.ResultsAnalyses returned inconclusive results. Both treatment and waiting list conditions displayed significant decreases in anxiety symptoms post-treatment, but we did not observe a significant between-group effect (p=0.076). Significant within-group differences from pre to post time points were observed for depression (BDI-II) and work and social functioning (WASA), and between group differences were also significant for depression (d=0.46) and functioning (d=0.36). Both groups demonstrated cases of remission and recovery from anxiety, however differences in the number of cases reaching clinically meaningful change between conditions were non-significant.ConclusionsSeveral explanations regarding the results are presented, examining issues related to active waiting lists, study limitations and treatment expectancies.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN16303842

Identifying behavior change techniques for inclusion in a complex intervention targeting antipsychotic prescribing to nursing home residents with dementia

Nursing home residents with dementia are commonly prescribed antipsychotics despite the associated increased risk of harms. Interventions to optimize prescribing practice have been found to be effective in the short term, but there is a lack of evidence to support sustainability of effects, along with a lack of theory, public involvement, and transparency in the intervention development process. Using theory has been advocated as a means of improving intervention sustainability. The aim of this study was, therefore, to identify behavior change techniques (BCTs) for inclusion in a complex intervention targeting antipsychotic prescribing to nursing home residents with dementia. A comprehensive approach to identifying a long list of all potential BCTs from three different sources was undertaken. The most appropriate BCTs were then selected through a two-round Delphi consensus survey with a broad range of experts (n = 18 panelists). Advisory groups of people with dementia, family carers, and professional stakeholders provided feedback on the final BCTs included. After two Delphi survey rounds, agreement was reached on 22 BCTs. Further refinement of the selected BCTs based on advisory group and panelists' feedback, along with use of the APEASE criteria (Affordability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Acceptability, Side effects/safety, and Equity) resulted in a final list of 16 BCTs. The next step in intervention development will be to identify the most appropriate mode of delivery of the 16 BCTs identified for inclusion. The study provides a case example of a systematic approach to incorporating evidence with stakeholder views in the identification of appropriate BCTs

Exploring Memory Interventions in Depression through Lifelogging Lens

Depression is a major affective disorder with significant socio-economic cost. Distinctive autobiographical memory impairments in depression include overgeneralization, negative-bias, and repetitive negative thinking. Some psychotherapeutic interventions are designed to address these impairments, with insufficient technological support. This paper reports on an analysis of four memory-based interventions proven effective in therapeutic practice for depression, while explores the memory impairments addressed by these interventions. We address these findings into three design implications for digital tools in this space. We suggest supports for enriched positive memory recall, strategically negative memory reappraisal and future episodic imagination