Search

The broad area of psychotherapy research is sometimes subdivided into that which focuses on outcome and that which focuses on process. Research into the active processes of psychotherapy can sometimes be occupied with debates around common versus specific factors. At the same time, within the process literature there has been increasing focus on the qualitative accounts of the service user in therapy and what they found to be significant or useful to them. The aim of this mixed methods study was twofold: first, to identify what elements of a relatively brief CBT intervention contributed to a successful outcome from the point of view of the service user. Participants were recruited at a low-intensity Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) service in the UK; and second, to attempt to frame those results within the common versus specific factor framework. Eight participants (5 males and 3 females) took part in this mixed methods research, which used semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis and brief quantitative questionnaire completion. Five overarching qualitative themes were identified in the data: three relating to common factors ('Insight’, ‘Talking’ and ‘Therapist qualities’); and two relating to specific factors (‘Responding differently to thoughts and feelings’ and ‘Tasks/activities’). Importantly, all participants spoke about the importance of both common and specific factors. The discussion relates the findings back to existing research, highlighting the relative importance of insight within the data set and the participant led focus on talking. Future directions are discussed.

Last year Anna Tsing, Heather Swanson, Elaine Gan and Nils Bubant compiled a collection of essays that highlight the precarious state of living on this planet. Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet is...

OBJECTIVES: In Madagascar, over 75% of the population is impoverished and 50% of children experience stunted growth with lifelong health and developmental implications. Beyond inadequate energy intake, diet homogeneity contributes to macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies underlying underdeveloped organ and skeletal system. Research measuring diet diversity of the rural Malagasy population is lacking. A pilot diet-diversity study was conducted in the rural village of Andasibe to identify specific dietary components missing from the Malagasy diet. METHODS: Diet diversity data were obtained using guidelines established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Over a 6-week period, 24-hour dietary recalls were collected of 150 representative adult household members- typically the mother or father of the household. Subjects provided verbal accounts of food and beverages consumed the day prior. Researchers then guided participants through a list of foods to capture any forgotten items. Foods recorded in the dietary recalls were assigned to categories based on nutrients of interest related to malnutrition and other diseases of nutrition inadequacy. Diet diversity scores (DDS) were assigned corresponding to food categories included in the 24-hour recall. RESULTS: The average DDS of all surveys was 4 of a possible 9, corresponding to “medium” diet diversity. 37% of subjects received a “low” DDS and consumed between 1–3 food categories per day. 15% of participants received a “high” DDS and consumed between 6–8 categories per day. Categories unreported in the average recall were “legumes, nuts, and seeds”; “vitamin A-rich fruit and vegetable”; and “milk and milk products”. Animal protein from sources such as meat or fish, dairy products, or eggs was not reported in most recalls. CONCLUSIONS: Low consumption of protein, vitamin A, and iron-containing items on a given day may be indicative of dietary inadequacies related to stunting and morbidity. Diet diversity data allows for basic quantification of the extent of dietary homogeneity in Andasibe, which likely mimics that of other Malagasy villages and identifies priority areas for future nutrition intervention. FUNDING SOURCES: Funding was provided by Auburn University's Office of Undergraduate Research and the College of Human Sciences.

Nursing home social workers were surveyed regarding facility smoking policy and its compatibility with their professional values and ethics. Respondents were randomly selected from Georgia and Minnesota nursing home associations. Almost all respondents agreed that nursing homes are the resident's home and that residents have the right to make decisions that may not be in their best interest, i.e., continuing to smoke. At smoke-free facilities, significantly more social workers believed that residents should not have the right to make their own decisions regarding smoking (chi-square = 4.90, p = 0.03). Less than 14% of these social workers struggled ethically with their facility's smoke-free policy. Social workers personal smoking behaviors had significant influence on their perception of this dilemma.