Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of an Artificial-Intelligence-Enabled and Speech-Based Distress Screening Mobile App for Adolescents and Young Adults Diagnosed with Cancer: A Study Protocol.

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer are an age-defined population, with studies reporting up to 45% of the population experiencing psychological distress. Although it is essential to screen and monitor for psychological distress throughout AYAs' cancer journeys, many cancer centers fail to effectively implement distress screening protocols largely due to busy clinical workflow and survey fatigue. Recent advances in mobile technology and speech science have enabled flexible and engaging methods to monitor psychological distress. However, patient-centered research focusing on these methods' feasibility and acceptability remains lacking. Therefore, in this project, we aim to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled and speech-based mobile application to monitor psychological distress among AYAs diagnosed with cancer. We use a single-arm prospective cohort design with a stratified sampling strategy. We aim to recruit 60 AYAs diagnosed with cancer and to monitor their psychological distress using an AI-enabled speech-based distress monitoring tool over a 6 month period. The primary feasibility endpoint of this study is defined by the number of participants completing four out of six monthly distress assessments, and the acceptability endpoint is defined both quantitatively using the acceptability of intervention measure and qualitatively using semi-structured interviews.

The Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions Delivered by Teachers in Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The growing mental health needs of students within schools have resulted in teachers increasing their involvement in the delivery of school-based, psychosocial interventions. Current research reports mixed findings concerning the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions delivered by teachers for mental health outcomes. This article presents a systematic review and meta-analysis that examined the effectiveness of school-based psychosocial interventions delivered by teachers on internalizing and externalizing outcomes and the moderating factors that influence treatment effects on these outcomes. Nine electronic databases, major journals, and gray literature (e.g., websites, conference abstract) were searched and field experts were contacted to locate additional studies. Twenty-four studies that met the study inclusion criteria were coded into internalizing or externalizing outcomes and further analyzed using robust variance estimation in meta-regression. Both publication and risk of bias of studies were further assessed. The results showed statistically significant reductions in students' internalizing outcomes (d = .133, 95% CI [.002, .263]) and no statistical significant effect for externalizing outcomes (d = .15, 95% CI [-.037, .066]). Moderator analysis with meta-regression revealed that gender (%male, b = -.017, p < .05), race (% Caucasian, b = .002, p < .05), and the tier of intervention (b = .299, p = .06) affected intervention effectiveness. This study builds on existing literature that shows that teacher-delivered Tier 1 interventions are effective interventions but also adds to this literature by showing that interventions are more effective with internalizing outcomes than on the externalizing outcomes. Moderator analysis also revealed treatments were more effective with female students for internalizing outcomes and more effective with Caucasian students for externalizing outcomes.

The practice of solution-focused brief therapy in mainland China.

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based approach that was developed by American social workers and a team of interdisciplinary colleagues in the early 1980s. This article provides a review of SFBT in mainland China, showing the cross-cultural and transdisciplinary use of SFBT by diverse professionals within China. In particular, this article discusses how SFBT has spread from the United States to China and how the practice of SFBT has grown in mainland China. This is the first article in English to review the Chinese literature and further summarize the use of SFBT in mental health and health care fields within China. Practice implications for the future use of SFBT with Chinese people are also discussed.

School-based social work interventions: a cross-national systematic review.

Across the globe, social workers serve schools in a variety of capacities, providing services such as skills training; individual, group, and family counseling; crisis intervention; home visits; parent support and education; and advocacy for students, families, and school systems. To date, no synthesis of the literature exists examining tier 1 and tier 2 cross-national school-based social work interventions. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was twofold: (1) to identify tier 1 and tier 2 school-based interventions that involve social workers and (2) to examine the extent to which the interventions are efficacious with school-based youths. A computerized search with inclusion and exclusion criteria was conducted using several databases. Eighteen studies were included for the final sample in this review. Effect sizes were calculated for all outcomes to determine magnitude of treatment effect. Results indicated that most of the studies were conducted in the United States (n = 14) and half (n = 9) of the included interventions were tier 1. Many positive effect sizes were found. Interventions aimed to treat a variety of outcomes such as sexual health, aggression, self-esteem, school attendance, identity, and depression. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of school-based social work worldwide.

Acceptance and commitment therapy for psychological and physiological illnesses: a systematic review for social workers.

Social workers provide services to a variety of clients and are challenged with finding interventions that meet the multifaceted needs of diverse populations. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is becoming an increasingly popular therapy that offers flexibility and effectiveness in treating challenging cases. The purpose of this review is to provide social work researchers and practitioners with an explanation of the clinical application of ACT. The article provides a systematic review of the existing efficacy of ACT with various health illnesses. The authors gathered articles from multiple databases that investigated ACT as an intervention with psychological and physiological health illnesses and calculated corresponding effect sizes. Effect sizes indicated that ACT is a promising intervention for those with anxiety disorders, depression, psychosis, trichotillomania, epilepsy, chronic skin picking, and diabetes. The research on ACT and its promising applications to help clients with various health illnesses provide social workers with promising alternatives for approaching challenging illnesses. Although the empirical base continues to show promise for ACT, additional research using larger sample sizes and more rigorous designs is needed before more definitive claims can be made about the effectiveness of ACT.

Is employment associated with reduced recidivism?: the complex relationship between employment and crime.

This article explores the association between employment and recidivism for parolees released from Texas prisons. Along with determining whether obtaining employment on release from prison is associated with decreased odds of reincarceration, this article analyzes whether obtaining employment is associated with increased time to reincarceration. Proportional hazard models were used to examine the effect of employment on reincarceration over time. This analysis allowed a unique view of desistance from crime as a process of behavioral change with multiple stages. Results generally support this perspective, finding that although obtaining employment is not associated with a significant decrease in likelihood of reincarceration, it is associated with significantly greater time to reincarceration. Thus, among parolees who are reincarcerated, those who obtain employment spend more time crime-free in the community before returning to prison. This article argues that increased time crime-free is an indicator of positive behavior change that should be supplemented with clinical interventions to help formerly incarcerated persons maintain the initial motivation associated with employment.

Age group differences in depressive symptoms among older adults with functional impairments.

This study used data from the 2000 interview wave of the Health and Retirement Study to examine age group differences in the likelihood of self-reported depressive symptomatology among a nationally representative sample of 3,035 adults age 55 years or older who had at least one activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) limitation. Depression was defined as scoring three points or higher on the eight-point Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The results show that respondents age 75 years or older with one ADL/IADL impairment or more were significantly less likely to be depressed than were those between ages 55 and 64 with the same degree of functional impairment. It is recommended that doctors, social workers, and other health care and social services providers pay special attention to younger old adults with health problems and functional limitations because they have a greater risk of being depressed.