Supportive versus cognitive-behavioral intervention programs in achieving adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis.

Two psychological interventions given for 8 weeks, supportive and cognitive-behavioral, were compared in achieving psychosocial adjustment to home peritoneal kidney dialysis. Participants were divided into 3 groups of patients and their spouses: a supportive group (18 couples), a cognitive-behavioral group (18 couples), and a no-intervention control group (24 couples). A group of 97 healthy participants served as a baseline control group. Self-report measurements were made before treatment (T1), halfway through (T2), and after treatment (T3). Results indicated that, without treatment, the no-intervention control group demonstrated a deterioration of psychosocial adjustment going from T1 to T3. Both interventions were effective in aiding patients and spouses in maintaining psychosocial adjustment in comparison with the no-intervention control group, with few differences between treatments. Most improvement was obtained in the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal areas, with smaller gains made in the behavioral area.

Invasiveness of medical procedures and state anxiety in women.

The authors studied state anxiety in women awaiting three different medical examinations: abdominal ultrasonography, mammography, and hysterosalpingography. These procedures differ in degree of intrusiveness and cause, respectively, low, intermediate, and high levels of pain and discomfort. The evidence supported the hypothesis that the degree of anxiety will correspond to the level of invasiveness. In addition, the study examined the impact of demographic variables on degree of anxiety. The results suggest that to plan appropriate strategies for stress reduction, the medical team treating women should be aware of the degree of the procedure's invasiveness.

Stages of acculturation as reflected by depression reduction in immigrant nursing students.

Depression amongst immigrant students from the former Soviet Union was assessed as an index of the stage of their acculturation into the new host society, Israel. At the beginning of the first year of nursing school, three groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory. The two groups of immigrants: immigrant nurses preparing for licensing (N = 26) and immigrant students (N = 16), reported mild levels of depression, while Israeli students (N = 33) were significantly less depressed, within the normal range. Six months later, both immigrant groups were within the normal range, the immigrant nurses group showing the greatest decrease in depression. This change may be explained by adaptation to the educational setting, mastering the host society's language and social anchorage. The importance of background variables for predicting depression reduction is examined. The findings are discussed within the framework of multistage models of acculturation and the implications for counseling immigrant students are presented.