Objective: The present study tested the hypothesis that improvements in parental sense of competence during multisystemic therapy (MST) lead to positive changes in parenting, which in turn lead to a decrease of adolescent externalizing problems. Mediational models were tested separately for 3 dimensions of parenting (positive discipline, inept…

Objective: This study examined static and time-varying risk factors for perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) among men in treatment for alcohol use disorders. Method: Participants were 178 men diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence and their partners. Most (85%) of the men were European American; their average age was 41.0 years.…

Tested a model of depression that included level of current problems and social problem solving. Path analysis of data from 205 undergraduates showed the model accounted for 42 percent of the variance associated with the prediction of depressive symptoms. (MCF)

Evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the Children's Beliefs about Parental Divorce Scale with three nonclinic samples. Demonstrated six subscales: Peer Ridicule and Avoidance, Paternal Blame, Fear of Abandonment, Maternal Blame, Hope of Reunification, and Self-Blame. The number of problematic beliefs varied by family structure but not by…

Questions assumptions that process variables have fixed meanings, discretely contribute to outcomes, and have a decontextualized net worth, evaluated by their correlations with outcomes. Suggests conceptual framework that integrates theory-driven and discovery-oriented strategies into cyclical, ecologically oriented model. (Author/NB)

Argues that research on child psychopathology would benefit from reduced influence of adult treatment models and from applying developmental perspective to clinical research on children. Research needs, including need to devise and use well-standardized measures and to evaluate interactions between subject and treatment variables, are suggested.…

Develops random-effects probit model for case in which outcome of interest is series of correlated binary responses, obtained as product of longitudinal response process where individual is repeatedly classified on binary outcome variable or in multilevel or clustered problems in which individuals within groups are considered to share…

Empirical studies based on psychoanalytic model have concentrated on study of therapeutic process and diagnostic groups such as borderline personality disorder (BPD). Work in BPD provides paradigm for future approaches in study of second-order inferences removed from immediate observational field. Concept of structure may be clarified by empirical…

Applied latent growth curve methodology to study of patterns of change in client resistance during parent training therapy of 68 mothers of children with confirmed conduct problems. Pretherapy maternal characteristics of inept discipline and antisocial behavior predicted chronically high levels of resistance. Lack of negative curvature of…

High- and low-anxiety groups performed a learning task after receiving either achievement-orienting or neutral instructions. While the results showed an overall superiority of low- to high-test-anxiety groups, there was a significant Test Anxiety x Instructions interaction. The results are interpreted in terms of attentional blocks that…

Tested efficacy of social problem-solving therapy for unipolar depression and examined relative contribution of training in problem-orientation component of the overall model. Dismantling research design, involving 39 depressed subjects, revealed problem-solving to be an effective cognitive-behavioral treatment approach for depression. (Author/TE)

Analyzed limitations of empirical research models in terms of ability to reflect an interactional perspective on suicidal behavior. A new research model was developed. Findings indicated such real-life behaviors cannot be understood by recourse to individual differences variables alone or environmental variables alone. (Author/BEF)

Thais and Americans evaluated one over- and one under-controlled child. Compared to Americans, Thais rated problems of both types as less serious, less worrisome, less likely to reflect personality traits, and more likely to improve over time. Differences were more pronounced for parents and teachers than for psychologists, suggesting that…

Methods are proposed and described for estimating the degree to which relations among variables vary at the individual level. As an example, M. Fishbein and I. Ajzen's theory of reasoned action is examined. This article illustrates the use of empirical Bayes methods based on a random-effects regression model to estimate individual influences…

Examined a model of suicide behavior in college-aged suicide ideators. Results indicate that college-student suicide ideators are under higher levels of negative life stress, are more hopeless, and have higher levels of depression. Poor problem-solvers under high stress were higher on suicide intent than other groups. (Author)