Self-reported attenuated psychotic-like experiences in help-seeking adolescents and their association with age, functioning and psychopathology

OBJECTIVE Self-rated attenuated psychotic-like experiences (APLEs) are increasingly used to screen for ultra-high-risk (UHR) across all ages. However, self-rated psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), in particular perception-related ones, were more frequent in children and adolescents, in which they possessed less clinical significance. We therefore explored the prevalence of different factors of APLEs in help-seeking adolescents, and their relationship with age, functioning and psychopathology METHOD As a part of the "Liberiamo il Futuro" project, help-seeking adolescents (N=171; 11-18years, 53% male) were screened with the 92-item Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-92). A factor analysis was performed on the PQ-92 positive items (i.e., APLEs) to identify different APLE-factors. These were assessed for their association with age, functioning and psychopathology using regression analyses. RESULTS APLEs were very common in help-seeking adolescents, and formed four factors: "Conceptual Disorganization and Suspiciousness", "Perceptual Abnormalities", "Bizarre Experiences", and "Magical Ideation". Associations with age and functioning but not psychopathology were found for "Perceptual Abnormalities" that was significantly more severe in 11-12-year-olds, while "Conceptual Disorganization and Suspiciousness" was significantly related to psychopathology. CONCLUSION In line with findings on PLEs, prevalence and clinical significance of APLEs, especially perception-related ones, might depend on age and thus neurodevelopmental stage, and may fall within the normal spectrum of experience during childhood. This should be considered when screening for UHR status in younger age groups

Significance of social cognitive remediation therapy within a comprehensive treatment concept

Objectives: The final goal in the successful treatment of schizophrenia patients is defined in improved functional recovery. Thus the integration of social cognitive tasks within a comprehensive treatment concept should offer significant advantages in generalization and transfer of therapy effects. Recent therapy outcome research supports these advantages. Empirical modeling identified social cognition as a mediating factor between neurocognition and functional recovery. Regarding this, we first developed the Integrated Psychological Therapy Program (IPT). It consists of 5 subprograms and combines interventions on neurocognition, social cognition, and social competence. As a further development of the cognitive part of IPT we developed the Integrated Neurocognitive Therapy (INT), which focuses on all social and neurocognitive domains defined by MATRICS. Methods: The aim was to investigate whether the application of the complete IPT is superior in comparison to the use of single IPT subprograms. Data were based on 37 independent IPT studies including a total sample of 1692 schizophrenia patients. Additionally, the proximal outcome in cognitive domains as well as in more distal outcome areas was investigated in an international RCT on INT including 169 schizophrenia outpatients. Results: All IPT subprogram variations obtained significant effects in proximal outcome. Each subprogram domain reached the largest effects in the targeted area. With regard to distal outcomes, combinations of subprograms showed a significant reduction of negative symptoms and an improvement in not targeted areas of functioning. This strongly supports vertical generalization effects to other functional domains. Regarding INT, results support efficacy compared to TAU in various cognitive domains, in psychosocial functioning and symptoms after therapy and at 1-year-follow-up. Conclusion: Results support evidence for the efficacy of longer lasting integrated therapy. The success of these treatment concepts is strongly based on successful therapy of social cognitive functions.

The impact of traditional psychiatric services and case management services on the functioning of people with schizophrenia: A cross-national study in Nova Scotia and Texas

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of traditional psychiatric services with case management services on the functioning of people with schizophrenia. Traditional services were defined as routine clinic services consisting of medication follow-along, psychotherapy, and support services. Case management consisted of activities involved in linking, planning, and monitoring services for the outpatient client who has schizophrenia. The target population was adult schizophrenics who had been receiving outpatient clinic services for a minimum of six months. Structured interviews were conducted using standardized scales (e.g., Quality of Life, Self-Efficacy, and Brief Symptom Inventory) with 78 outpatient client volunteers from two sites: Nova Scotia (Canada) and Texas (USA). The researcher tested for differences in psychiatric symptomatology, recidivism, and quality of life for persons with schizophrenia receiving traditional psychiatric services in Nova Scotia and traditional plus case management services in Texas. Data were collected from the structured interviews and medical records review forms. Types of services were blocked into low and high levels of Intensity (frequency x minutes) and compared to determine the relative contribution of each. Finally, the role of clients' self-efficacy was tested as an intervening variable. Although the findings did not support the hypotheses in the direction anticipated, there were some interesting and useful results. From the Nova Scotia site, clients who received low levels of services were hospitalized less compared to the Texas site. The more psychotic a patient was the higher their involvement in medication follow-along and the more monitoring they received. The more psychotherapy received, the lower the reported satisfaction with social relationships. Of particular interest is the role that self-efficacy played in improved client outcomes. Although self-efficacy scores were related to improved functioning, the mechanism for this still needs to be clarified through subsequent research. ^

Pensar su tiempo, deshilvanar el orden social

Edgardo Antonio Vigo fue un artista plástico que utilizó distintas técnicas y formas de expresión, como la poesía visual, las performances urbanas, el arte correo, la escritura de manifiestos y otros textos, así como la edición de revistas, entre otras actividades. Vigo produjo su poética en clave de rebeldía de su tiempo, especialmente entre los '60 y '70, pero su rebelión transcurrió también por fuera del estereotipo más consolidado para la época. La obra de Vigo retoma algunos procedimientos de las vanguardias, como la utilización del objeto ya hecho, el uso de espacios alternativos de producción y difusión de sus obras, el abandono casi completo del formato de cuadro, entre otros. Interesa pensar en este trabajo de qué modo esta apropiación de técnicas y procedimientos previos, se combina con otra ruptura dirigida no sólo al sistema artístico, sino también al orden social. En este sentido, la obra de Vigo piensa su tiempo. ;Así como tematizó ciertos acontecimientos de relevancia política de los ámbitos nacional e internacional, también realizó una operación novedosa en su obra: la utilización del discurso judicial-administrativo. Se analizan en este trabajo algunos de sus usos en acciones artísticas. Concluimos en que se trató de una materia que incorporaría en su poética para desnaturalizarla de su lugar original, aristocrático y privatista. En este sentido, toma un aspecto no menor del funcionamiento del orden social disociándolo de su lugar normal y, al ofrecerlo a todos a través de acciones artísticas, permite una apropiación descentrada, fuera de los límites impuestos por su naturaleza

El bienestar social durante el peronismo clásico. La expansión de los servicios de salud hacia las áreas rurales de los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza (1946-1955)

Con la llegada del peronismo al gobierno se produjeron reformas en relación a la organización y funcionamiento del sistema de salud pública. Pero más allá de sus éxitos o fracasos, el cuidado y la preservación de la salud de la población, incluyendo la de las zonas más apartadas y atrasadas del interior del país, fue una de las metas principales del gobierno de Juan Domingo Perón. A partir de esto, nuestro objetivo central es estudiar las políticas sanitarias en los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza durante el período 1946-1955, atendiendo a dos aspectos: el primero de ellos, relacionado con el rol del gobierno nacional y provincial en la ejecución de esta política pública, y el segundo, con los resultados, logros y efectos de la misma en los departamentos mendocinos. Este estudio empírico, en el cual se cotejan programas con resultados, permitirá conocer entonces el real cumplimiento de los objetivos establecidos por el peronismo.

El bienestar social durante el peronismo clásico. La expansión de los servicios de salud hacia las áreas rurales de los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza (1946-1955)

Con la llegada del peronismo al gobierno se produjeron reformas en relación a la organización y funcionamiento del sistema de salud pública. Pero más allá de sus éxitos o fracasos, el cuidado y la preservación de la salud de la población, incluyendo la de las zonas más apartadas y atrasadas del interior del país, fue una de las metas principales del gobierno de Juan Domingo Perón. A partir de esto, nuestro objetivo central es estudiar las políticas sanitarias en los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza durante el período 1946-1955, atendiendo a dos aspectos: el primero de ellos, relacionado con el rol del gobierno nacional y provincial en la ejecución de esta política pública, y el segundo, con los resultados, logros y efectos de la misma en los departamentos mendocinos. Este estudio empírico, en el cual se cotejan programas con resultados, permitirá conocer entonces el real cumplimiento de los objetivos establecidos por el peronismo.

Pensar su tiempo, deshilvanar el orden social

Edgardo Antonio Vigo fue un artista plástico que utilizó distintas técnicas y formas de expresión, como la poesía visual, las performances urbanas, el arte correo, la escritura de manifiestos y otros textos, así como la edición de revistas, entre otras actividades. Vigo produjo su poética en clave de rebeldía de su tiempo, especialmente entre los '60 y '70, pero su rebelión transcurrió también por fuera del estereotipo más consolidado para la época. La obra de Vigo retoma algunos procedimientos de las vanguardias, como la utilización del objeto ya hecho, el uso de espacios alternativos de producción y difusión de sus obras, el abandono casi completo del formato de cuadro, entre otros. Interesa pensar en este trabajo de qué modo esta apropiación de técnicas y procedimientos previos, se combina con otra ruptura dirigida no sólo al sistema artístico, sino también al orden social. En este sentido, la obra de Vigo piensa su tiempo. ;Así como tematizó ciertos acontecimientos de relevancia política de los ámbitos nacional e internacional, también realizó una operación novedosa en su obra: la utilización del discurso judicial-administrativo. Se analizan en este trabajo algunos de sus usos en acciones artísticas. Concluimos en que se trató de una materia que incorporaría en su poética para desnaturalizarla de su lugar original, aristocrático y privatista. En este sentido, toma un aspecto no menor del funcionamiento del orden social disociándolo de su lugar normal y, al ofrecerlo a todos a través de acciones artísticas, permite una apropiación descentrada, fuera de los límites impuestos por su naturaleza

El bienestar social durante el peronismo clásico. La expansión de los servicios de salud hacia las áreas rurales de los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza (1946-1955)

Con la llegada del peronismo al gobierno se produjeron reformas en relación a la organización y funcionamiento del sistema de salud pública. Pero más allá de sus éxitos o fracasos, el cuidado y la preservación de la salud de la población, incluyendo la de las zonas más apartadas y atrasadas del interior del país, fue una de las metas principales del gobierno de Juan Domingo Perón. A partir de esto, nuestro objetivo central es estudiar las políticas sanitarias en los municipios de la provincia de Mendoza durante el período 1946-1955, atendiendo a dos aspectos: el primero de ellos, relacionado con el rol del gobierno nacional y provincial en la ejecución de esta política pública, y el segundo, con los resultados, logros y efectos de la misma en los departamentos mendocinos. Este estudio empírico, en el cual se cotejan programas con resultados, permitirá conocer entonces el real cumplimiento de los objetivos establecidos por el peronismo.

Estudo de associação entre déficits de reconhecimento de emoções em faces, flexibilidade mental e adequação social, em pacientes com transtorno bipolar do tipo I eutímicos, comparados com controles normais

Introdução: O objetivo do estudo foi investigar se há associação entre déficits na capacidade de reconhecimento de emoções faciais e déficits na flexibilidade mental e na adequação social em pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar do tipo I eutímicos quando comparados a sujeitos controles sem transtorno mental. Métodos: 65 pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar do tipo I eutímicos e 95 controles sem transtorno mental, foram avaliados no reconhecimento de emoções faciais, na flexibilidade mental e na adequação social através de avaliações clínicas e neuropsicológicas. Os sintomas afetivos foram avaliados através da Escala de Depressão de Hamilton e da Escala de Mania de Young, o reconhecimento de emoções faciais através da Facial Expressions of Emotion: Stimuli and Tests, a flexibilidade mental avaliada através do Wisconsin Card Sorting Test e a adequação social através da Escala de Auto- Avaliação de Adequação Social. Resultados: Pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar do tipo I eutímicos apresentam uma associação de maior intensidade comparativamente aos controles entre o reconhecimento de emoções faciais e a flexibilidade mental, indicando que quanto mais preservada a flexibilidade mental, melhor será a habilidade para reconhecer emoções faciais Neste grupo às correlações de todas as emoções são positivas com o total de acertos e as categorias e são negativas com as respostas perseverativas, total de erros, erros perseverativos e erros não perseverativos. Não houve uma correlação entre o reconhecimento de emoções faciais e a adequação social, apesar dos pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar do tipo I eutímicos apresentar uma pior adequação social, sinalizando que a pior adequação social não parece ser devida a uma dificuldade em reconhecer e interpretar adequadamente as expressões faciais. Os pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar do tipo I eutímicos não apresentam diferenças significativas no reconhecimento de emoções faciais em relação aos controles, entretanto no subteste surpresa (p=0,080) as diferenças estão no limite da significância estatística, indicando que portadores de transtorno bipolar do tipo I eutímicos tendem a apresentar um pior desempenho no reconhecimento da emoção surpresa em relação aos controles. Conclusão: Nossos resultados reforçam a hipótese de que existe uma associação entre o reconhecimento de emoções faciais e a preservação do funcionamento executivo, mais precisamente a flexibilidade mental, indicando que quanto maior a flexibilidade mental, melhor será a habilidade para reconhecer emoções faciais e melhorar o desempenho funcional do paciente. Pacientes bipolares do tipo I eutímicos apresentam uma pior adequação social quando comparados aos controles, o que pode ser uma consequência do Transtorno Bipolar que ratifica a necessidade de uma intervenção terapêutica rápida e eficaz nestes pacientes

Post-Conflict Maternal Communication, Children's Understandings, and Child Functioning in Violent and Non-Violent Families

The last two decades have been marked by a growing public awareness of family violence. Research by social scientists has suggested that family violence is widespread (Gelles and Straus, 1988). It is estimated that every year 1.8 to 4 million women are physically abused by their partners (Novello, 1992). In fact, more women are abused by their husbands or boyfriends than are injured in car accidents, muggings, or rapes (Jaffe, Wolfe, and Wilson, 1990). A recent prevalence study by Fantuzzo, Boruch, Beriama, Atkins, and Marcus (1997) found that children were disproportionately present in households where there was a substantial incident of adult female assault. Experts estimate that 3.3 to 10 million children are exposed to marital violence each year (Carlson, 1984; Straus, 1991). Until recently, most researchers did not consider the impact of parental conflict on the children who witness this violence. The early literature in this field primarily focused on the incidence of violence against women and the inadequate response of community agencies (Jaffe et al, 1990). The needs of children were rarely considered. However, researchers have become increasingly aware that children exposed to marital violence are victims of a range of psychological maltreatment (e.g., terrorizing, isolation;Hart, Brassared & Karlson, 1996) and are at serious risk for the development of psychological problems (Fantuzzo, DePaola, Lambert, Martino, Anderson, and Sutton, 1991). Jouriles, Murphy and O'Leary (1989) found that children of battered women were four times more likely to exhibit psychopathology as were children living in non-violent homes. Further, researchers have found associations between childhood exposure to parental violence and the expression of violence in adulthood (Carlson, 1990). Existing research suggests that children who have witnessed marital violence manifest numerous emotional, social, and behavioral problems (Sternberg et al., 1993; Fantuzzo et al., 1991; Jaffe et al, 1990). Studies have found that children of battered women exhibit more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than non-witnesschildren (Hughes and Fantuzzo, 1994; McCloskey, Figueredo, and Koss, 1995). In addition, children exposed to marital violence have been found to exhibit difficulties with social problem-solving, and have lower levels of social competence than nonwitnesses (Rosenberg, 1987; Moore, Pepler, Weinberg, Hammond, Waddell, & Weiser, 1990). Other reported difficulties include low self esteem (Hughes, 1988), poor school performance (Moore et al., 1990) and problems with aggression (Holden & Ritchie, 1991; Jaffe, Wolfe, Wilson, & Zak, 1986). Further, within the last decade, researchers have found that some children are traumatized by the witnessing experience, showing elevated levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (Devoe & Graham-Bermann, 1997; Rossman, Bingham, & Emde, 1996; Kilpatrick, Litt, & Williams, 1997). These findings corroborate clinical reports that describe many exposed children as experiencing trauma reactions. It appears that the negative effects of witnessing marital violence are numerous and varied, ranging from mild emotional and behavioral problems to clinically significant levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. These incidence figures and research findings indicate that children's exposure to violence is a significant problem in our nation today and has serious implications for the future.

Making and Keeping Friends: A social skills game that promotes parental involvement to more effectively address social deficits in children with ADHD

The social deficits of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have great impact on overall functioning and life satisfaction; however, ways of addressing these deficits to promote positive interpersonal functioning have been limited. The following paper explores the literature that highlights these social deficits, identifies skills that are proposed to target these impairments, discusses child and parent factors that are relevant to positive therapeutic change, and describes the development of a therapeutic game that incorporates variables important to treatment success of these interpersonal difficulties.

Is video-case an efficient tool to complement the practical learning in real contexts? Effects on satisfaction and performance in Social Work Degree students

Este documento es un artículo inédito que ha sido aceptado para su publicación. Como un servicio a sus autores y lectores, Alternativas. Cuadernos de trabajo social proporciona online esta edición preliminar. El manuscrito puede sufrir alteraciones tras la edición y corrección de pruebas, antes de su publicación definitiva. Los posibles cambios no afectarán en ningún caso a la información contenida en esta hoja, ni a lo esencial del contenido del artículo.

GATS and the Social Regulation of Services. IES WORKING PAPER 3/2010

Many service transactions are highly complex, and their quality is difficult to ascertain for consumers. In order to have properly functioning service markets, the services thus often require regulation. However, with the advent of the WTO, international trade in services has become increasingly rule-bound. GATS has considerable, intricate effects on social regulation due to the characteristics of services. The allocation of regulatory jurisdiction between home and host country, for example, is rendered difficult by the process-based nature of a lot of services. The WTO US – Gambling dispute settlement report is the first to address GATS disciplines on social regulation in a detailed manner. This working paper submits that the US - Gambling report has increased interference with domestic social regulation and created regulatory uncertainty for WTO members. However, it is also argued that the real impact of the GATS on social regulation can only be understood by looking beyond the text of the GATS. GATS disciplines may become amplified through their interaction with domestic and other international law. The GATS also contains some “political” counterbalancing mechanisms that allow members to renegotiate their commitments. It is argued that these political mechanisms strengthen subsidiarity in the GATS, and make WTO dispute settlement bodies accountable to WTO members.

Pensar su tiempo, deshilvanar el orden social

Edgardo Antonio Vigo fue un artista plástico que utilizó distintas técnicas y formas de expresión, como la poesía visual, las performances urbanas, el arte correo, la escritura de manifiestos y otros textos, así como la edición de revistas, entre otras actividades. Vigo produjo su poética en clave de rebeldía de su tiempo, especialmente entre los '60 y '70, pero su rebelión transcurrió también por fuera del estereotipo más consolidado para la época. La obra de Vigo retoma algunos procedimientos de las vanguardias, como la utilización del objeto ya hecho, el uso de espacios alternativos de producción y difusión de sus obras, el abandono casi completo del formato de cuadro, entre otros. Interesa pensar en este trabajo de qué modo esta apropiación de técnicas y procedimientos previos, se combina con otra ruptura dirigida no sólo al sistema artístico, sino también al orden social. En este sentido, la obra de Vigo piensa su tiempo. ;Así como tematizó ciertos acontecimientos de relevancia política de los ámbitos nacional e internacional, también realizó una operación novedosa en su obra: la utilización del discurso judicial-administrativo. Se analizan en este trabajo algunos de sus usos en acciones artísticas. Concluimos en que se trató de una materia que incorporaría en su poética para desnaturalizarla de su lugar original, aristocrático y privatista. En este sentido, toma un aspecto no menor del funcionamiento del orden social disociándolo de su lugar normal y, al ofrecerlo a todos a través de acciones artísticas, permite una apropiación descentrada, fuera de los límites impuestos por su naturaleza

Predicting Children’s Early School Outcomes from their Social-Regulatory Profiles: A Person-Centered Approach

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06