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Objective Teleneuropsychology (TNP) has been shown to be a valid assessment method compared with in-person neuropsychological evaluations. Interest in delivering TNP directly to patients’ homes has arisen in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, prior research has typically involved patients tested in clinical settings, and the validity of in-home TNP testing has not yet been established. The present study aims to explore the validity and clinical utility of in-home TNP testing in a mixed clinical sample in the wake of COVID-19. Methods Test profiles for 111 in-home TNP patients were retrospectively compared with 120 patients who completed in-person evaluations. The TNP test battery consisted of tests measuring attention/processing speed, verbal memory, naming, verbal fluency, and visuoconstruction. TNP scores of cognitively normal (CN) patients were compared with patients with neurocognitive disorders (NCD), and score profiles were examined among suspected diagnostic groups of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and vascular disease (VaD). Results TNP test scores did not significantly differ from in-person testing across all tests except the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised Discrimination Index. Within the TNP group, significant differences between the CN and NCD groups were found for all tests, and the memory and semantic fluency tests yielded large effect sizes (d ≥ 0.8). Score profiles among the AD, PD, and VaD groups were explored. Conclusions These findings support the validity of in-home TNP testing compared with in-person neuropsychological testing. Practice considerations, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

BACKGROUND This study examined physician experience with the 2007 Expert Committee Recommendations (ECR) on the Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity. METHODS Pediatricians and family physicians (n = 194) practicing in the Midwest completed a survey designed to assess knowledge of, adherence to, and self-efficacy in implementing the 2007 Expert Committee recommendations. RESULTS The majority of physicians (71%) were aware of the ECR and adhered to approximately 60% of the recommendations. Adherence was significantly higher for physicians who were aware of the ECR. Differences in awareness of and adherence to the ECR were noted among physician groups by specialty and location. Self-efficacy for assessing and treating pediatric obesity was significantly positively correlated with adherence to the ECR (Pearson r = 0.46). When asked for strategies that would facilitate improved pediatric weight management, physicians most often reported desiring to learn effective methods to increase patient motivation. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to improve adherence to the Expert Committee recommendations should focus on improving physician awareness of and training in the use of the recommendations and on improved training and development of self-efficacy in pediatric weight assessment and patient counseling skills.

The purpose was to compare self-report and psychophysiological assessment techniques in the measurement of emotional response to body image cues. Female college students (n = 53; % Caucasian = 53.6; M body mass index = 26.1 kg/m2) completed the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3) and viewed photos of themselves both unaltered and morphed to simulate weight gain. Response to the photos was assessed by self-report and the affect modulated startle paradigm. EDI-3 Drive for Thinness (DT) and Body Dissatisfaction (BD) scale scores were correlated with startled amplitude for the largest simulated weight gain photo. Startle eye blink amplitude predicted more variance in DT and BD subscales than self-reported response to the image. The affect modulated startle paradigm may provide unique information in the assessment of eating disorder symptomatology that cannot be captured via self-report techniques, and has potential to inform evaluation of treatment outcomes of eating and body image disorders.

Objective: The startle reflex was used to assess negative emotion in response to body image cues in persons with and without body-related teasing histories. Method: Fifty-three female college students viewed photos of themselves both unaltered and morphed to look heavier and thinner. Participants with a teasing history were compared to participants without a teasing history on self-report measures and the affect modulated startle paradigm when viewing the photos. Results: All participants, regardless of teasing history, self-reported that the photo morphed to look heaviest was more unpleasant than the neutral photo. When assessed by the affect modulated startle paradigm, a significant teasing history by photo interaction was found between the neutral and morphed to look heaviest photos and the neutral and morphed to look smallest photo. Those with a teasing history had greater startle response to the morphed images in comparison to the neutral images than did those without a teasing history. Discussion: College-aged women with weight-related teasing histories may have negative emotional reactions to personally relevant body image cues, as measured by the startle reflex, even when they subjectively report no distress. Objective measures, such as the startle reflex should be considered when assessing emotional reactions to body image cues. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2011; 44:58–64)

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate a pharmacy course on motivational interviewing. Design. A 3-hour elective course was created to train doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in brief patient-centered motivational interviewing counseling strategies that have proven effective with the types of health issues most commonly addressed in pharmacy settings. Students were assisted in developing their skills through required readings, interactive lectures, in-class demonstrations and practice sessions, out of class skills practice, one-on-one supervision provided by doctoral level clinical health psychology students, and written reflections on each class session. Assessment. Students demonstrated significant improvement in motivational interviewing skills and a high level of motivation for and confidence in using these skills in their future practice. Students overall assessment of the course and supervision process was highly positive. Conclusion. This patient-centered counseling skills course was feas...

The prevalence, correlates, and symptom coherence of night eating syndrome (NES) in individuals seeking inpatient treatment for eating disorders were assessed. Inpatients (n=68; M age=29.8 years; % female=94.1; % diagnosed with anorexia nervosa [AN]=47.1; % diagnosed with bulimia nervosa [BN]=47.1) were interviewed with the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory. Additionally, medical charts were reviewed and participants completed measures of eating behavior and quality of life. NES was diagnosed in 25% of patients; significantly more patients diagnosed with BN meet criteria for NES compared to those diagnosed with AN. In general, patients with NES did not differ from patients without NES on eating behaviors, attitudes, or quality of life; symptoms of NES frequently co-occurred. This study supports previous research finding that night eating behavior is common in individuals diagnosed with eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are well-recognized eating disorders clinically. Night eating syndrome (NES) and binge eating disorder (BED) are also of considerable importance and are increasingly recognized in the clinic, because of the distress they cause and their links with obesity. Each of these four eating disorders has the capacity to disturb sleep and in that respect additionally impair quality of life and the ability to function for sufferers supplementary to the characteristic eating disorder symptoms, per se. Sleep disturbance in the form of subjective impairments in sleep quality, initial- and mid-phase insomnia, changes in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) duration and density, and reduced sleep efficiency appear to be most marked in AN and NES. The NES produces the most clinically overt disturbance in sleep with frequent awakenings to ingest food and marked reductions in sleep efficiency being cardinal diagnostic features. It can be distinguished from the parasomnia, sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) by the presence of awareness during and the lack of amnesia for nocturnal eating episodes. Treatment of eating disorders is associated with improvements in quality of life measures. Sleep dysfunction is also ameliorated by successful treatment of the associated eating disorder. Although improvements in functioning and quality of life must no doubt to a large degree ensue from controlling of distressing eating disorder symptoms such as restricting, purging, and bingeing, it is also plausible that improvements in sleep quality and duration also contribute. Further research is needed to assess further links between sleep disturbance in eating disorders and quality of life.