| 1. |
- Arnberg, Filip K, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
-
Can Demographic and Exposure Characteristics Predict Levels of Social Support in Survivors from a Natural Disaster?
- 2013
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:6, s. e65709-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Lack of social support is a strong predictor for poor mental health after disasters. Psychosocial post-disaster interventions may benefit from targeting survivors at risk oflow support, yet it is unknown whether demographic and disaster exposure characteristics are associated with social support. This study assessed if age, gender, educational status, cohabitation, and disaster exposure severity predicted aspects of informal social support in a cohort of Swedish survivors from the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami.Methods The participants were 3,536 disaster survivors who responded to a mail survey 14 months after the disaster (49% response rate). Their perceptions of present emotional support, contact with others, tangible support, negative support and overall satisfaction with informal support were assessed with the Crisis Support Scale and analysed in five separate ordinal regressions.Results Demographic factors and exposure severity explained variation in social supports although the effect size and predictive efficiency were modest. Cohabitation and female gender were associated with both more positive and more negative support. Single-household men were especially at risk for low emotional support and younger women were more likely to perceive negative support. Higher education was associated with more positive support, whereas no clear pattern was found regarding age as a predictor. Disaster exposure severity was associated with more negative support and less overall support satisfaction.Conclusions After a disaster that entailed little disruptions to the community the associations between demographic characteristics and social support concur with findings in the general population. The findings suggest that psychosocial disaster interventions may benefit from targeting specific groups of survivors.
|
|
| 2. |
- Arnberg, Filip K, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
-
Is Social Support Equally Important for Both Directly and Indirectly Affected Disaster Victims?
- 2011
-
Ingår i: European Journal of Psychotraumatology. ; , s. 72-72
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- There has been much research on social support and its association with both general mental and physical health, and social support is an important salutogenic factor after traumatic events. Still, the magnitude of the effect of social support on posttraumatic stress (PTS) is not fully understood. In particular, the importance of social support after disasters may be contingent on exposure severity. In a survey of Swedish tourists 14 months after the tsunami in Southeast Asia (N4910), in which the survivors were exposed to few post-disaster adversities, detailed information on exposure severity allowed for an examination of the effect of the interaction between social support and exposure severity on PTS. Social support was assessed by the Crisis Support Scale and PTS by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Preliminary analyses will be presented, and the size and significance of the effect will be discussed.
|
|
| 3. |
- Folke, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression : A Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial for Unemployed on Long-Term Sick Leave
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. - : Elsevier BV. - 1077-7229 .- 1878-187X. ; 19:4, s. 583-594
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This preliminaly study investigated the feasibility of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in a Swedish sample of unemployed individuals on long-term sick leave due to depression. Participants were randomized to a nonstandardized control condition (N = 16) or to the ACT condition (N = 18) consisting of 1 individual and 5 group sessions. From pretreatment to 18-month follow-up the ACT participants improved significantly on measures of depression, general health, and quality of life compared to participants in the control condition. The conditions did not differ regarding sick leave and employment status at any time point. The results indicate that ACT is a promising treatment for depression. The need for further refinements of future ACT protocols for this population is discussed.
|
|
| 4. |
- Forster, Martin, et al.
(författare)
-
A randomized controlled trial of a standardized behavior management intervention for students with externalizing behavior
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. - : SAGE Publications. - 1063-4266 .- 1538-4799. ; 20:3, s. 169-183
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study reports the results from a Swedish randomized controlled trial of a standardized behavior management intervention. The intervention targeted students with externalizing behavior in a regular education setting. First- and second-grade students (N = 100) from 38 schools were randomly assigned to either the intervention or an active comparison group. Observer, teacher, and peer ratings were collected at pretest, posttest (6 months later), and follow-up (14 months after pretest). Significant intervention effects were found on student externalizing behavior and teacher behavior management at both posttest and follow-up. The intervention effect on student externalizing behavior was mediated by change in teacher behavior. Moderating effects of demographic and classroom variables were explored, as well as the social validity of the intervention. The results are discussed in relation to cost-effectiveness and feasibility of behavioral interventions in typical school settings.
|
|
| 5. |
- Forster, Martin, 1971-
(författare)
-
When Cheap is Good : Cost-Effective Parent and Teacher Interventions for Children with Externalizing Behavior Problems
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is strong empirical support for behavioral parent training (BPT) as an intervention for children with externalizing behavior problems (EBP). However, there is a lack of studies that have investigated the effectiveness of BPT in routine care. Furthermore, most families in need of service do not gain access to it. Another issue of concern is that a sizable portion of children who take part in BPT does not show clinical significant improvement. With regard to behavioral teacher training (BTT) for students with EBP, there is a paucity of intervention trials using randomized design. The training procedures have rarely been standardized, which have resulted in interventions that are dependent upon heavy involvement of external consultants. To improve the accessibility to service for students with EBP, intervention models that are feasible for typical school personnel need to be developed. Study I investigated the effects of BPT in routine care. The participants were randomized to BPT with full practitioner support (BPT-P), self-administered BPT with minimal practitioner support (BPT-S), or a waitlist control group (WL). The study showed that BPT implemented by briefly trained social service employees (BPT-P) resulted in at least as large effects as previous efficacy studies. PMT-S also showed significant effects compared to the WL, but was less effective than PMT-P. Improvements in child behaviors were mediated by improved parenting behaviors. Study II investigated the effects of an enhanced version of the BPT-program from study I. The program targeted families with risk factors for non-response that were referred to service within the social services. The results showed strong intervention effects on child EBP and parent anxiety/depression for enhanced BPT compared to regular BPT. Study III used a randomized design to evaluate the effects of a standardized and feasible BTT program. At both posttest and follow-up, significant effects favoring the BTT-group over the active control group were found on student EBP, teacher behavior management, and peer problems. The study also showed that the effect on student EBP was mediated by change in teacher behavior management.
|
|
| 6. |
- Färdig, Rickard, et al.
(författare)
-
A randomized controlled trial of the illness management and recovery program for persons with schizophrenia.
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Psychiatric Services. - : American Psychiatric Association Publishing. - 1075-2730 .- 1557-9700. ; 62:6, s. 606-12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the illness management and recovery (IMR) program on symptoms and psychosocial functioning of individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in an outpatient setting in Sweden.METHODS: A total of 41 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were receiving treatment at six psychiatric outpatient rehabilitation centers were randomly assigned to either an IMR group for nine months or to treatment as usual (control condition). Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment (nine months), and follow-up (21 months) and included self-reports and ratings by clinicians (both blind and nonblind to treatment assignment) of illness management, psychiatric symptoms, recovery, coping, quality of life, hospitalization, insight, and suicidal ideation.RESULTS: As measured by self-report and ratings of nonblinded clinicians, IMR program participants demonstrated significantly greater improvement in illness management than participants in the control condition. Ratings of psychiatric symptoms by blinded clinicians using the Psychosis Evaluation Tool for Common Use by Caregivers and self-reported ratings of psychosocial functioning on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire also showed better outcomes than for participants in treatment as usual. A statistically significant decrease in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up was found for IMR program participants.CONCLUSIONS: The study supports previous findings and suggests that the IMR program is effective in improving the ability of individuals with schizophrenia to better manage their illness.
|
|
| 7. |
- Färdig, Rickard, et al.
(författare)
-
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Illness Management and Recovery Program for Persons With Schizophrenia
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Psychiatric Services. - 1075-2730 .- 1557-9700. ; 62:6, s. 606-612
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the illness management and recovery (IMR) program on symptoms and psychosocial functioning of individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in an outpatient setting in Sweden. Methods: A total of 41 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were receiving treatment at six psychiatric outpatient rehabilitation centers were randomly assigned to either an IMR group for nine months or to treatment as usual (control condition). Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment (nine months), and follow-up (21 months) and included self-reports and ratings by clinicians (both blind and nonblind to treatment assignment) of illness management, psychiatric symptoms, recovery, coping, quality of life, hospitalization, insight, and suicidal ideation. Results: As measured by self-report and ratings of nonblinded clinicians, IMR program participants demonstrated significantly greater improvement in illness management than participants in the control condition. Ratings of psychiatric symptoms by blinded clinicians using the Psychosis Evaluation Tool for Common Use by Caregivers and self-reported ratings of psychosocial functioning on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire also showed better outcomes than for participants in treatment as usual. A statistically significant decrease in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up was found for IMR program participants. Conclusions: The study supports previous findings and suggests that the IMR program is effective in improving the ability of individuals with schizophrenia to better manage their illness.
|
|
| 8. |
- Färdig, Rickard, et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluation of the Illness Management and Recovery Scale in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Schizophrenia Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0920-9964 .- 1573-2509. ; 132:2-3, s. 157-164
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the parallel client and clinician versions of the Illness Management and Recovery Scale (IMRS) developed to monitor the clients' progress in the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program in schizophrenia. A total of 107 study participants completed assessments of the IMRS, interview-based ratings of psychiatric symptoms, self-ratings of psychiatric symptoms, perception of recovery, and quality of life. Case managers completed the clinician version of the IMRS. Both versions of the scale demonstrated satisfactory internal reliability and strong test-retest reliability. The results also indicated convergent validity with interview-based ratings of psychiatric symptoms, self-rated symptoms, perception of recovery, and quality of life for both versions of the IMRS. These findings support the utility of the IMRS as a measure of illness self-management and recovery in clients with schizophrenia.
|
|
| 9. |
- Färdig, Rickard, 1975-
(författare)
-
Illness Management and Recovery : Implementation and evaluation of a psychosocial program for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- 2012
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the present thesis was to examine the effectiveness of the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program for teaching clients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to better manage their illness and to promote recovery. This was accomplished through an examination of the program’s effects on psychosocial functioning and psychopathology, the evaluation of general and specific impact of neurocognition on learning the fundamentals of illness self-management, and the impact of symptom severity on outcome of the IMR program. The utility of the illness management and recovery scale to evaluate illness self-management of clients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder was also investigated.The effects of the IMR program were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial that compared participants in the program to participants receiving treatment as usual. 41 participants were recruited at six psychiatric outpatient rehabilitation centers in Uppsala, Sweden, and were randomly assigned to IMR groups for approximately 40 sessions or to a treatment as usual control condition. The IMR program participants demonstrated greater improvement compared to participants in treatment as usual in illness self-management, reduced psychiatric symptoms, improved coping skills, and decreases in suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that the IMR program is effective in improving the ability of individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder to better manage their illness.Possible association between neurocognitive functioning and the acquisition of illness self-management skills was investigated in a total of 53 participants who completed the IMR program. Speed of processing was related to client reported illness self-management skills acquisition, before and after controlling for psychiatric symptoms and medication, but neurocognitive functioning did not predict improvement in clinician ratings of client illness self-management skills. The findings suggest that compromised neurocognitive functioning does not reduce response to training in illness self-management.The impact of symptom severity on outcome of the IMR program was explored in 52 participants who completed the program. The results suggest that significantly more participants met the severity criterion of remission at post-treatment, and it appears that participants not reaching the severity criterion at post-treatment, also benefited from the IMR program, as indicated by the similar effect sizes of the two subgroups (meeting versus not meeting the severity criterion at post-treatment).The psychometric properties of the Illness Management and Recovery Scale (IMRS) were evaluated in 107 participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. And an item-by-item investigation was conducted in order to establish their utility in monitoring the clients' progress in the IMR program. Both the client and clinician version of the IMRS demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, large test-retest reliability, and convergent validity with conceptually related measures of psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and perception of recovery. The findings support the utility of the IMRS as a measure of illness self-management and recovery in clients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.The general findings of this thesis support the IMR program to be effective in improving the ability of the participants to manage their disorder. The impact of neurocognitive dysfunction on the participants’ ability to learn the fundamentals of illness self-management seems to be limited, and symptom severity did not limit the benefits of the IMR program. Support for the utility of the IMRS to monitor the participants’ progress in the program was also found, providing a brief and economical method for assessing outcome of the IMR program.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hallman, David M., et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in Subjects with Stress-Related Chronic Neck Pain : A Pilot Study
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1090-0586 .- 1573-3270. ; 36:2, s. 71-80
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies focusing on autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunctions, together with theoretical pathophysiological models of musculoskeletal disorders, indicate the involvement of ANS regulation in development and maintenance of chronic muscle pain. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback (BF) in increasing HRV and reducing the symptoms of different disorders characterized by ANS aberration. The study investigated the effects of resonance frequency HRV BF on autonomic regulation and perceived health, pain, stress and disability in 24 subjects with stress-related chronic neck-shoulder pain. Twelve subjects participated in 10 weekly sessions of resonant HRV BF and were compared to a control group. Subjective reports and HRV measures during relaxation and in response to a standardized stress protocol were assessed for both groups pre- and post-intervention. Group × time interactions revealed a significantly stronger increase over time in perceived health (SF-36) for the treatment group, including vitality, bodily pain and social functioning. Interactions were also seen for HRV during relaxation and reactivity to stress. The present pilot study indicates improvement in perceived health over a 10 week intervention with HRV-biofeedback in subjects with chronic neck-pain. Increased resting HRV as well as enhanced reactivity to hand grip and cold pressor tests might reflect beneficial effects on ANS regulation, and suggest that this intervention protocol is suitable for a larger controlled trial.
|
|
