The influence of carer fear and self-blame when supporting a loved one with an eating disorder.

Carers often feel disempowered and engage in behaviours that inadvertently enable their loved one's ED symptoms and yet little is known regarding these processes. This study examined the relationships among fear, self-blame, self-efficacy, and accommodating and enabling behaviours in 137 carers of adolescents and adults with ED. The results revealed that fear and self-blame predicted low carer self-efficacy in supporting their loved one's recovery as well as the extent to which carers reported engaging in recovery-interfering behaviours. The relevance of these findings are discussed in the context of family-oriented ED therapies and highlight the importance for clinicians to attend to and help to process strong emotions in carers, in order to improve their supportive efforts and, ultimately, ED outcomes.

Self-reported inattention in early adolescence in a community sample.

OBJECTIVE: Inattention is typically associated with ADHD, but less research has been done to examine the correlates of self-reported inattention in youth in a community sample. METHOD: Associations among self-reported inattention, parent-reported inattention, and self-reported psychopathology in children aged 10 to 11 years are examined. Self-reported inattention is also examined as a predictor of outcomes in peer relationships and victimization at ages 10 and 11 and in peer relationships at ages 14 and 15. RESULTS: Children's self-reports of inattention correlate with parental reports and are associated with self-reports of hyperactivity-impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and conduct problems. Participants in the high-inattention group are at greater risk for victimization and poor peer relationships at ages 10 and 11 years after covarying for psychopathology ratings. Self-reported inattention uniquely predicts poor peer relationships longitudinally at age 14 and 15 years. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of examining children's self-report of inattention and identifies inattention as a risk factor for current and later outcomes.

Therapist emotional reactions and client resistance in cognitive behavioral therapy.

Although extensively discussed in theoretical papers, empirical studies of therapist emotional reactions to clients are lacking, particularly within the context of client resistance and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The present study examined the early positive and negative emotional reactions to clients of four therapists, together with observed client in-session resistance, and changes in resistance from early to midtreatment, in a sample of 30 outpatients receiving eight sessions (14 hr) of CBT for generalized anxiety disorder. Findings indicated that greater therapist early positive reactions to clients, especially liking, enjoyment, and attachment, were associated with significantly lower levels of client resistance midtreatment and greater reductions in client resistance from early to midtreatment. These effects were independent of therapist competence in delivering CBT, suggesting a potentially unique and important role for therapist feelings about clients beyond the skillful delivery of treatment techniques. Greater early negative therapist reactions to clients were less consistently related to client resistance but power struggles, and feeling drained, helpless, guilty, and frustrated were associated with higher levels of client subsequent resistance.

Review of cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and neural-based interventions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Primary evidence-based treatment approaches for ADHD involve pharmacological and behavioral treatments. However, there continue to be investigations of cognitive-behavioral, cognitive, and neural-based intervention approaches that are not considered evidence-based practice. These particular treatments are summarized, as they all involve training in cognitive skills or cognitive strategies. We identified 26 studies (six cognitive-behavioral, six cognitive, and 14 neural-based), and calculated effect sizes where appropriate. Overall, our analysis suggests that further research is needed to determine the efficacy of these approaches on both cognitive and behavioral outcome measures, but that some of these methods show promise for treating ADHD. We discuss some important conceptual and methodological issues that need to be taken into account for future research in order to evaluate the clinical efficacy of these approaches.