Along with positive developments in psychology, the self-help movement is becoming widespread, based on the belief that people are capable of growing and achieving positive change with only minimal help. This article addresses the potential of a solution-focused self-help tool to improve university students' well-being by comparing its outcome to…

The self-help University of the Third Age (U3A) is an adult education approach for older people in which all the teaching and administration is carried out by unpaid volunteers. The purpose of this study was to reveal some of the successful ageing characteristics of the 205 independent U3As in Australia and the 60 independent U3As in New Zealand…

Surveyed 80 Canadian university counselors to determine whether they prescribed self-help books and to compare titles of most prescribed books to those selected by Canadian psychologists. Found that 74.4 percent of 78 counselors answering question responded affirmatively to recommending books with 56 titles being prescribed. Lists 10 books most…

Smoking cessation behaviors of college students using a university health service were examined. Forty successful and 32 unsuccessful quitters were interviewed through an open-ended questionnaire. Differences in success seemed related to techniques used to remain abstinent from cigarette smoking, expectations of ease or difficulty in quitting, and…

Examined applicability of Bednar, Melnick, and Kaul's model of early group development to college student self-help groups using undergraduates (N=101) who met in high-structure or low-structure groups. Found amount of group structure was positively related to ownership of group functioning; importance of performing group behaviors was positively…

Forty-three undergraduates underwent stress induction and were then assigned to a paradoxical, stress management, or self-help treatment. In the stress management and self-help groups, better performance was exhibited by less stress-prone subjects. Initial stress proneness, continued stress, and resistance facilitated performance in the…

Reports a study that evaluated the appropriateness and effectiveness of a self-help manual for postsecondary education students who used smokeless tobacco. Students participated in groups that received either two or four sessions of support for using the self-help manual. Results indicated both groups produced similar cessation rates. (SM)

Assessed self-responsibility for wellness of incoming college freshmen (N=404). Found no need differences between male and female students. Found a positive relationship between grade point average and age and self-responsibility scores. Results suggest need for comprehensive self-help programs that promote individual self-responsibility for…

Both urine alarms and dry bed training (DBT) have been used in the treatment of enuresis. To investigate the acceptability of the most recent version of DBT and urine alarm training, two studies were conducted. In the first study, the evaluation of 42 parents, who had participated in an 8-week program of either DBT or urine alarm training, were…

Determined was the effect of autotutorial instruction in the laboratory portion of a general biology course designed for nonbiology majors. Results indicate positive effects in enrollment, increased retention, and improved student achievement. (CS)

Use of a self-help tape program as part of a campus telephone counseling service is discussed. Most frequently requested tapes are presented to illustrate the primary concerns of callers. Data indicate that the program is a well-used mode for obtaining mental and physical health information. (Author)

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (n=34) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions for 8 weeks: individualized cognitive treatment, support group, or control. Results indicated significantly greater reductions in gastrointestinal symptoms and amelioration of depression and anxiety for the cognitive therapy group, and these results…

Used Holland high-point code and Self-Directed Search scale scores to predict benefit from a self-help career counseling intervention for 52 students undecided as to career. Participants with realistic, investigative, or conventional high-point codes showed greater changes in vocational identity when compared with participants with artistic,…

While numerous approaches to inhibit smoking have appeared in the literature, self-management is one technique that allows the client to take a more active part in the treatment. To study the effectiveness of self-management in a single-subject design, an 18 year old female college student who smoked mostly on weekends was told to self-monitor her…

Compared the interpretive format of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII), the Self-Directed Search (SDS), and the Vocational Card Sort (VCS). The SDS and VCS Holland themes were more closely related to the expressed choices of subjects. Few treatment differences existed. (Author)