Objective: Our objective was to examine sudden gains during developmentally adjusted prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among children and adolescents. We hypothesized that sudden gains would be detected and would be predictive of treatment outcome and follow-up. Method: Sixty-three youngsters (ages 8-17) completed a…

Objective: Test the hypothesis that reductions in thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction mediate the effects of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program on reductions in eating disorder symptoms over 1-year follow-up. Method: Data were drawn from a randomized effectiveness trial in which 306 female high school students…

The authors examined changes over a 1-year period in mothers' attributions for child behavior and child oppositional behavior among 53 mothers and nonproblem sons and 44 mothers and sons with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Boys averaged 8 years of age (SD = 11 months) at Time 1. Families were primarily of European Canadian…

Research has identified a significant increase in both the incidence and prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The present study sought to test both linear and non-linear cusp catastrophe models by using aversive self-awareness, which was operationalized as a composite of aversive self-relevant affect and cognitions, and dissociation as…

Verbal skills were assessed at approximately ages 2, 3, 5, and 9 years for 206 children with a clinical diagnosis of autism (n = 98), pervasive developmental disorders-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS; n = 58), or nonspectrum developmental disabilities (n = 50). Growth curve analyses were used to analyze verbal skills trajectories over time.…

This study examined the impact of treatment adherence and therapist competence on treatment outcome in a controlled trial of individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) for adolescent substance use and related behavior problems. Participants included 136 adolescents (62 CBT, 74 MDFT) assessed at intake,…

Numerous studies have asserted the prevalence of marital conflict among families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but evidence is surprisingly less convincing regarding whether parents of youths with ADHD are more at risk for divorce than are parents of children without ADHD. Using survival analyses, the authors…

Patterns of sexually coercive behavior were examined among 266 Asian American and 299 European American men over 1 year. Noncoercer (n = 358), desister (n = 120), initiator (n = 39), and persistent (n = 48) sexually coercive groups were identified. The strongest predictor of sexual coercion was past sexual coercion. Persistent sexual coercers were…

Follow-up data are presented for 6- and 12-months on male alcoholics (N=20) who received either a multifaceted inpatient alcoholism treatment program alone (controls) or emetic or shock aversion therapy in addition to that program. Both emetic and control subjects compiled more days of abstinence than shock subjects. (Author)

Results of this comparison of treatment methods indicated that all groups improved significantly on drinking measures. Breath testing was found to be unhelpful as an assessment procedure. The degree to which therapists showed accurate empathy proved to be a good predictor of client outcome. (Author)

Contingency management (CM) interventions usually use vouchers as reinforcers, but a new technique awards chances of winning prizes. This study compares these approaches. In community treatment centers, 142 cocaine- or heroin-dependent outpatients were randomly assigned to standard treatment (ST), ST with vouchers, or ST with prizes for 12 weeks.…

Examined the discriminant validity of sexual responses to stories of child sexual assault when told from the point of view of a male perpetrator versus that of a female child victim. Results indicate the relevance of changing deviant preferences and enhancing empathy for the victim while treating child molesters. (RJM)

Studied 137 smokers who were assessed on 12 predictor variables and then randomly assigned to social support or self-control treatment. Social support treatment was more effective than self-control treatment for participants with high baseline self-control orientation scores and participants with high self-efficacy scores. Implications are…