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Biomedical subjects

K R Ronan

Publications and source records attributed to K R Ronan.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Concluding causation from correlation: comment on Burns and Spangler (2000).

This commentary critiques the study conducted by D. D. Burns and D. Spangler (2000) in which the relationship between homework compliance and therapy outcome was estimated using structural equation modeling (SEM). Although the authors of the commentary advocate the use of SEM, they suggest greater caution in the indiscriminate endorsement of a causal relationship based on (a) correlational data and (b) retrospective accounts of the main predictor variable within a cross-sectional design. This discussion also highlights a need to address the issue of therapist competence in homework administration. The results of Burns and Spangler's report are consistent with existing empirical evidence suggesting that compliance with homework facilitates therapeutic outcome. However, the gold standard for determining causal inferences rests on prospective, experimental research rather than on retrospective, correlational models.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Correlates of hazard education programs for youth.

Virtually no research has examined the hypothesized benefits of hazard education programs for youth in helping to increase community resilience. This exploratory study examined the role of these programs in helping to increase child and family resilience to a range of future hazards. Various aspects of hazards programs were examined in relation to a wide range of child- and parent-reported hazard adjustments in a sample of 560 schoolchildren. Additional factors assessed included childrens' risk perceptions, knowledge of response-related protective activities, and hazard-related emotional factors. Overall, the results supported the role of hazards education programs in increasing hazard adjustments in the home. The findings also supported various aspects of education program involvement as being related to more realistic risk perceptions, increased knowledge, and increased interaction with caregivers. Analyses identified the following features of these programs as being particularly important: provision of specific knowledge (e.g., an emergency management perspective); multiple program involvement over time; and, importantly, promotion of increased interaction between children and parents. Overall, findings supported the idea that hazards education programs for youth provide one gateway through which communities can increase their resilience to the effects of a major hazardous event. Findings also provided an initial foundation for further research in this emerging area.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effects of a series of volcanic eruptions on emotional and behavioural functioning in children with asthma.

AIMS: To determine whether children with asthma experienced disruptions in emotional and behavioural functioning following a series of volcanic eruptions. METHODS: Multitrait, multimethod assessment was carried out with children living in the volcanic area. Self reports, teacher reports, and parent reports were collected on 118 children and addressed issues related to psychiatric disruptions resulting from the eruptions. RESULTS: Asthma was reported by 30% of the sample and this figure compares favourably with previous findings with other New Zealand samples. These asthmatic children were compared with a group of nonasthmatic children on a range of psychiatric symptoms following the volcanic eruptions. Asthmatic children reported, and were observed by parents and teachers, to manifest greater levels of eruption related distress when compared to a group of nonasthmatic children. Children with asthma were found to have significantly higher symptom scores on several indices including those related to eruption-related general distress and context-specific problems (eg, upset at home, upset when eruptions were discussed). Additionally, these children perceived their parents to be significantly more upset than the parents themselves reported. It is important to note that asthmatic children, while clearly more distressed, did not as a group evidence clinical levels of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: Children with asthma were more psychologically vulnerable to the volcanic eruptions than children without asthma. These findings have implications for the behavioural management of asthma in children. Discussion integrates current findings with other recent data in highlighting the potential in supplementing traditional asthma management techniques.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Self-talk in distressed youth: states-of-mind and content specificity.

Tested hypotheses derived from a States-of-Mind (SOM) model in a sample of 542 children ages 7 to 15. SOM ratios were computed using empirically determined items. Support was found for the SOM model. Negative self-talk (but not positive) was consistently related to increasing levels of affective distress. Thus, children comorbid for anxiety and depression demonstrated the highest levels of negative self-talk (and most dysfunctional SOM ratios). Support for content specificity (specific cognitive content relating uniquely to affective conditions) was mixed. However, specificity was increased when attention was paid to more rationally derived content. Age was not a predictor of positive or negative self-talk. Discussion considers the use of the SOM model in child psychopathology and psychotherapy research.

Adolescent↗