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Biomedical subjects

J W Varni

Publications and source records attributed to J W Varni.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Urodynamic biofeedback treatment of urinary incontinence in children with myelomeningocele.

Eight children with myelomeningocele and chronic neurogenic urinary incontinence were provided urodynamic biofeedback training. During urodynamic biofeedback, six of the eight children demonstrated improved self-regulation of detrusor and/or sphincter functioning. However, substantial improvements in clinical symptomatology (i.e., urinary incontinence) were clearly shown by only one child. Unexpectedly, chronic neurogenic fecal incontinence was reduced in four children. Several methodological modifications are discussed which may improve clinical symptomatology and which may facilitate further urodynamic biofeedback research for these children with congenital neurogenic urinary incontinence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Conceptualizations of health and illness by children with spina bifida.

Forty children with spina bifida participated in interview sessions designed to assess their general cognitive development, their conceptualizations of health and illness, and their understanding of their specific disability. The results of the study indicated that the children's ratings in the area of health and illness were quite similar to ratings in cognitive development, with the ratings successively progressing with chronological age. In general, the children received higher scores in health and illness conceptualizations than general cognitive development, with their ratings being the highest in spina bifida-related explanations. The data suggest the importance of awareness by health care professionals of children's conceptualizations of health and illness in order to provide pediatric patient education information that is sensitive to children's levels of cognitive development and their understanding of health and illness.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1985

Behavior therapy techniques applied to eating, exercise, and diet modification in childhood obesity.

Behavior therapy techniques are receiving increasing attention in the treatment of childhood obesity. This paper provides a selective review of experimental studies of childhood obesity that have utilized behavior therapy techniques with preadolescent populations. It further defines and describes specific behavior therapy techniques utilized in the modification of eating, exercise, and diet patterns in childhood obesity, including stimulus control, stimulus and response generalization, prompting, positive reinforcement, shaping, contingency contracting, and generalization and maintenance strategies.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1984

Behavioral approaches to the management of chronic pain in children.

This article focuses on the basic premises underlying the behavioral assessment and treatment of chronic pain, particularly as they apply to the less distinct pain disorders of childhood, such as obscure headache and abdominal pain. Pain behavior management procedures, relaxation techniques, and biofeedback training are discussed in detail in reviewing recent research developments in this area.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1982

Self-regulation of chronic arthritic pain and long-term analgesic dependence in a haemophiliac.

Haemophilia is characterized by recurrent internal bleeding episodes, with repeated haemorrhages into the joint areas eventually resulting in a chronic condition similar to osteoarthritis. A 31-year-old haemophiliac, with a nine-year history of narcotic analgesic dependence secondary to chronic arthritis pain, learned self-regulation techniques consisting of progressive muscle relaxation exercises, meditative breathing, and guided imagery. Long-term follow-up evidenced clinically significant decreases in arthritic pain intensity and analgesic intake subsequent to self-regulation training.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Behavior therapy in a gait-training program for a child with myelomeningocele. A case report.

A behavior therapy program consisting of positive reinforcement contingent upon walking with braces and crutches was conducted with a four and one-half-year-old child with myelomeningocele. Behavioral physical therapy was begun first in the clinic setting and then in the home. Follow-up clinic assessments document maintenance of functionally independent ambulation over a seven-month period. The results support the efficacy of using behavioral techniques in a physical therapy program for a child with myelomeningocele. The need for further research and development of physical therapy programs using behavioral techniques is briefly discussed.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1981

Behavioral medicine in hemophilia arthritic pain management: two case studies.

Hemophilia represents a congenital hereditary disorder of blood coagulation characterized by recurrent unpredictable bleeding episodes affecting any body part, especially the joints and extremities. Repeated hemarthrosis eventually results in degenerative arthritis accompanied by severe chronic pain. As contrast to acute bleeding pain, which serves as a functional signal, chronic arthritic pain is a debilitating condition often resulting in analgesic abuse and/or addiction. Two adult hemophiliacs with severe chronic arthritis received training in progressive muscle relaxation exercise, meditative breathing, and imagery associated with past experiences of pain reduction. Imagery training resulted in clinically significant reductions in arthritic pain perception for both patients, maintained over an 8-month follow-up period. Concomitant Measures also demonstrated significant therapeutic gains. Thermal biofeedback assessment of the arthritic joint provided a biophysiological measure of learned temperature control through the imagery techniques. The findings are discussed in relationship to medical observations on the therapeutic value of warming and heat application in the management of arthritic joints, as well as other potential mechanisms which might have contributed in the reduction of arthritic pain perception. Finally, the importance of differentiating between acute bleeding pain management and chronic arthritic pain is emphasized, as well as the necessity of the application of the techniques within an interdisciplinary team setting.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Behavior therapy techniques in treatment of exfoliative dermatitis.

We report here a case study in which behavior therapy techniques were used to treat the persistent and severe scratching of a patient with long-standing exfoliative dermatitis. A multiple-baseline clinical design across different body areas was used to evaluate the behavioral treatment program. This program consisted of (1) training the patient to monitor his scratching behavior and to use an incompatible response and distraction procedure contingent on the occurrence of scratching, and (2) differential attention by the therapist, so that the therapist's attention was contingent on intervals of nonscratching, and the therapist ignored the patient when he did scratch. The results indicated that the program was effective in almost completely eliminating scratching when a variety of therapists were and were not present. This suggests that the procedures used might easily be taught to the nursing staff.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

An analysis of observational learning in autistic and normal children.

The present investigation studied observational learning in autistic children. Fifteen autistic and 15 normal children watched an adult model engage in a set of behaviors under specific verbal instructions. After observing this situation, the children were tested to determine what they had acquired through observation. The results showed that (1) the majority of the autistic and the youngest normal children acquired only some limited features of the observational situation and (2) chronological age was related to the amount of learning through observation in the normal children but not in the autistics. The deficit that the autistic children showed in observational learning may be related to a failure to discriminate or attend to the total stimulus input presented. Their failure in observational learning can be seen to contribute in a major way to the severely impoverished behavioral repertoires of these children.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A behavioural parent training programme for single mothers of physically handicapped children.

The single mothers of four children with congenital physical disorders participated in a 9-week parent training programme. The programme was developed to instruct them in the systematic utilization of behavioural techniques in order to enable them to teach their children self-help skills and to reduce behaviour problems. The mothers successfully taught their children seven self-help skills, with average self-help skill performance increasing from 18% correct during baseline to 99% correct during a 5-month follow-up period. In addition, the mothers provided one another with social support and practical suggestions related to psychosocial stresses facing single parents of handicapped children. The findings suggest the potential of behavioural parent training techniques in facilitating functional independence in physically handicapped children, as well as providing single parents with increased feelings of being able to systematically contribute to their children's physical and psychosocial development.

Behavior Therapy↗