Are you in or out? Recruitment of adolescent smokers into a behavioral smoking cessation intervention.

IntroductionEven though many adolescent smokers want to quit, it is difficult to recruit them into smoking cessation interventions. Little is known about which adolescent smokers are currently reached by these measures. In this study we compare participants of a group-based, cognitive behavioral smoking cessation intervention with adolescent smokers who decided against participating.MethodsWithin a non-randomized controlled trial, data of 1053 smokers (aged 11-19) from 42 German secondary schools were analyzed. Of these smokers, 272 were recruited into 47 courses of the intervention. An in-class information session, individually addressing potential participants, and incentives were used as means of recruitment. Personal predictors of participation were analyzed using regression analyses and multivariate path analyses to test for mediation.ResultsIn the path analysis model, nicotine dependence, quit motivation, and a previous quit attempt were directly positively related to participation. Heavier smoking behavior was indirectly positively associated with participation through nicotine dependence and negatively through quit motivation, yielding an overall positive indirect effect. The positive effect of a previous quit attempt on participation was partially mediated through nicotine dependence and quit motivation. The proportion of smoking friends were indirectly positively related to participation, mediated through nicotine dependence.ConclusionsSince adolescents with heavier smoking behavior and stronger nicotine dependence are less likely to undertake a successful unassisted quit attempt, the reach of these young smokers with professional cessation interventions is desirable. Further measures to improve the recruitment of those currently not motivated to quit have to be examined in future studies

Preventing Child Behavior Problems in the Erlangen-Nuremberg Development and Prevention Study: Results from Preschool to Secondary School Age

A brief overview of the prevention part of the long-term Erlangen-Nuremberg Development and Prevention Study, which combines a prospective longitudinal and experimental design. Findings up to five years after intervention are reported. From a sample of 609 families with kindergarten children, subgroups participated in the universal prevention program EFFEKT (child social skills training, a parent training and a combination of both) or were assigned to equivalentcontrol groups. The short-term evaluation showed significant effects in mediating constructs (social problem solving and parenting behavior) and in educators’ ratings of children’s social behavior. In a follow-up after two to three years, school report cards showed fewer children with multiple behavior problems. In a further follow up after four to five years program children reported fewer externalizing and internalizing problems than the control group. There were no significant effects in the mothers’ reports on their children’s behavior. Most significant effect sizes ranged between d = 0.20 and d = 0.40. The findings suggest various positive long-term effects of the intervention. However, one need to be cautious with regard to over-generalizing the positive findings, because effect sizes vary over time and the positive findings could not be replicated in all investigated variables

The Newly Normed SKT Reveals Differences in Neuropsychological Profiles of Patients with MCI, Mild Dementia and Depression

The SKT (Syndrom-Kurztest) is a short cognitive performance test assessing deficits of memory and attention in the sense of speed of information processing. The new standardization of the SKT (2015) aimed at improving its sensitivity for early cognitive decline due to dementia in subjects aged 60 or older. The goal of this article is to demonstrate how the neuropsychological test profile of the SKT can be used to provide valuable information for a differential diagnosis between MCI (mild cognitive impairment), dementia and depression. n = 549 patients attending a memory clinic (Nuremberg, Germany) were diagnosed according to ICD-10 and tested with the SKT. The SKT consists of nine subtests, three for the assessment of memory and six for measuring attention in the sense of speed of information processing. The result of the SKT test procedure is a total score, which indicates the severity of overall cognitive impairment. Besides the summary score, two subscores for memory and attention can be interpreted. Using the level of depression as a covariate, statistical comparisons of SKT test profiles between the three patient groups revealed that depressed patients showed more pronounced deficits than MCI patients in all six attention subtests. On the other hand, MCI patients displayed significantly greater mnestic impairment than the depressed group, which was indicated by significant differences in the memory subscore. MCI and dementia patients showed similar deficit patterns dominated by impairment of memory (delayed recall) with MCI patients demonstrating less overall impairment. In sum, the SKT neuropsychological test profiles provided indicators for a differential diagnosis between MCI and beginning dementia vs. depression

Antisocial behaviour and violent delinquency among boys with a migration background: A German panel study

Immigrant boys show higher rates of antisocial behaviour. However, results of previous studies showed some contradictory findings in terms of intercultural differences in antisocial behaviour. In our study, we used an intercultural comparison of antisocial behaviour based on two different definitions of migration status (nationality vs. migration background). According to migration background, however not according to nationality, significant but small differences were found only in violent delinquency. A longitudinal mediator model based on the disintegration approach (Anhut & Heitmeyer, 2000) was examined in order to contribute to our understanding of the background of violent delinquency in immigrant boys. The data were from a German panel study conducted in the cities of Dortmund and Nuremberg. The results of the mediator model showed that perceived discrimination and negative parenting affect violent delinquency indirectly through violence attitudes, self-control, and peer delinquency. The findings suggest that preventive measures against violent delinquency should focus on these indirect effects and migrant-specific variables.2-s2.0-8507790622

Change in Juvenile Offending Versatility Predicted by Individual, Familial, and Environmental Risks

Developmental and life-course criminology elucidate the developmental course and change of antisociality over time, considering that longitudinal trajectories differ. Specific relations between risks and different antisociality outcomes are emphasized. We assume that adolescents have different longitudinal trajectories considering the change of offending over time and that risks contribute variably to offending pathways. The current study is based on a German research project in which adolescents (N = 577) were interviewed in two German cities. Based on self-reported crime data, we utilized the slope values of offending versatility (OV) over time as outcome values in regression mixture models capturing the trends for participants over age and exhibiting two components of offending adolescents. We explored the contribution of different risks to OV, defining specific risk patterns: Acceptance of violence and peer delinquency have significant negative effects on the emergence of OV within the group of adolescents with decreasing OV. Acceptance of violence has a significant negative effect, and corporal punishment has a significant positive effect on the emergence of OV within the group of adolescents with increasing or rather stable OV. The results underline the relevance of the violence-related risk factor corporal punishment for the emergence of OV within the last-mentioned group

Adolescents' protection motivation and smoking behaviour

The protection motivation theory (PMT) is a well-known theory of behaviour change. This study tested the applicability of the sub-constructs of threat and coping appraisal in predicting adolescents' smoking-related behavioural intentions and smoking behaviour longitudinally. Adolescents (N = 494) aged 11-16 years and not currently smoking at baseline participated in the study. Predictive validity of PMT constructs was tested in a path analysis model. Self-efficacy significantly predicted behavioural intention at baseline, which significantly predicted behavioural intention at follow-up, which in turn predicted smoking behaviour at follow-up. The effect of self-efficacy on behavioural intention at follow-up was mediated by behavioural intention at baseline and the effect of self-efficacy on smoking behaviour was mediated by behavioural intention at baseline and follow-up. In conclusion, we found support for one part of the PMT, namely for the predictive validity of the coping appraisal construct self-efficacy in predicting adolescents' smoking-related behavioural intention and smoking behaviour. These results fail to support the appropriateness of the PMT's construct threat appraisal in longitudinally predicting adolescents' smoking as well as the applicability of communicating fear and negative information as preventive interventions for this target grou

Effectiveness of a Multimodal, Day Clinic Group-Based Treatment Program for Trauma-Related Disorders: Differential Therapy Outcome for Complex PTSD vs. Non-Complex Trauma-Related Disorders

Background: The effectiveness of the psychotherapeutic treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder is evidence-based and generally considered proven. However, the effectiveness of multimodal, group-based day clinic treatment programs has rarely been investigated. Moreover, there is no consensus in the literature concerning the question whether psychotherapeutic approaches for trauma-related disorders are also applicable for patients with complex PTSD (cPTSD). The aim of the study was to evaluate our multimodal group-based treatment program regarding a change of psychiatric burden, a change of protective factors, and possible differences in therapy outcome for patients with or without cPTSD. Methods: The group-based treatment for patients with trauma-related disorders was examined in 66 patients who filled out the following questionnaires in the first and in the last week of treatment: Essen Trauma Inventory (ETI), Screening for complex PTSD (SkPTBS), Patient Health Questionnaire—somatization module (PHQ-15), Beck Depression Inventory—Revised (BDI-II), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), and Questionnaire on social support (F-SozU). Results: The treatment was shown to significantly reduce depressive symptoms (p < 0.001, d = -0.536) and increase posttraumatic growth (New Possibilities: p = 0.004, d = 0.405; Personal Strength: p = 0.005, d = 0.414). For patients with cPTSD, depressive (p = 0.010, d = -0.63) as well as cPTSD symptoms (p = 0.020, d = -0.796) were significantly reduced; perceived social support was increased after day clinic treatment (p = 0.003, d = 0.61). Contrary to our expectations, somatoform symptoms were increased after therapy. Conclusions: The present work expands previous research by demonstrating that multimodal group-based, day clinic treatment is effective in the treatment of trauma-related disorders, also in their complex form

Using Configural Frequency Analysis as a Person-centered Analytic Approach with Categorical Data

Configural frequency analysis and log-linear modeling are presented as person-centered analytic approaches for the analysis of categorical or categorized data in multi-way contingency tables. Person-centered developmental psychology, based on the holistic interactionistic perspective of the Stockholm working group around David Magnusson and Lars Bergman, is briefly revisited. According to person-centered theory, systems or individuals are seen as a whole and as inseparable units; individuals are embedded and strongly interconnected with their context; the individual and the environment influence each other, and the individual is seen as an active agent or producer of his or her own development. Four models of configural frequency analysis are presented: (1) First-order configural frequency analysis, which is basically the analysis of a main effects log-linear model; (2) prediction configural frequency analysis, which defines one or more dependent variables; (3) two-group configural frequency analysis, which proposes that there is no association between discrimination variables and group membership; and (4) functional configural frequency analysis, which allows us to blank out certain outlier cells in order to test for the quasi-independence of the rest of the cross-table. The use of the open source R-package confreq for computational analysis is demonstrated. The advantages, as well as the limitations, of configural frequency analysis are discussed

Brainspotting – the efficacy of a new therapy approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in comparison to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Objective: This study aims at determining the efficacy of the new therapy approach Brainspotting (BSP) in comparison to the established Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) approach for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Method: The sample consisted of 76 adult seeking professional help after they have been affected by a traumatic event. Clients were either treated with three 60-minute sessions of EMDR (n=23) or BSP (n=53) according to a standard protocol. Primary outcomes assessed were self-reports of the severity of PTSD symptoms. Secondary outcomes included self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Assessments were conducted at pretreatment, posttreatment and 6 month after the treatment. Results: Participants in both conditions showed significant reductions in PTSD symptoms. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) from baseline to posttreatment concerning PTSD related symptoms were between 1.19 - 1.76 for clients treated with EMDR and 0.74 - 1.04 for clients treated with BSP. Conclusion: Our results indicate that Brainspotting seems to be an effective alternative therapeutic approach for clients who experienced a traumatic event and/or with PTSD

Life adversities of clients seeking advice for suicidal ideation from an online peer counseling service: Characteristics and associations with outcomes

Objective: [U25] Germany is a low-threshold, anonymous and free-of-charge online suicide prevention service for people up to 25 years of age. Its special feature is that counseling is provided by trained and continuously supervised voluntary peers. This study addresses the following research questions: (1) Which life adversities are reported by the clients of [U25]? (2) Are the life adversities intercorrelated? (3) According to patients, do life adversities change during the counseling process? (4) What are the associations between life adversities and outcome measures (e.g., reduction in suicidality or improvement in general situation)? Method: Data was collected through an online survey (n = 318). To measure psychological burden, the presence of 16 life adversities (e.g., problems in relationships) was assessed retrospectively. As the dependent variable, the change in suicidality was measured by means of three newly created items. In addition, a short form of the Bochum Change Questionnaire 2000 (BCQ 2000) was used to assess the patients’ subjectively perceived change due to counseling. Results: Regarding life adversities, the clients were heavily burdened. Throughout the course of counseling, many clients’ situations improved, at least concerning several adversities. Some life adversities significantly correlate with each other, but the correlation is mostly small to moderate. Suicidality is positively correlated with self-harming behaviors and loss of someone close to the advice seekers. Conclusions: Possible starting points for improving online counseling for suicidal adolescents and young adults are discussed