Biomedical subjects

Susan H Spence

Publications and source records attributed to Susan H Spence.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Preventing adolescent depression: an evaluation of the problem solving for life program.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Problem Solving For Life program as a universal approach to the prevention of adolescent depression. Short-term results indicated that participants with initially elevated depressions scores (high risk) who received the intervention showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms and increase in life problem-solving scores from pre- to postintervention compared with a high-risk control group. Low-risk participants who received the intervention reported a small but significant decrease in depression scores over the intervention period, whereas the low-risk controls reported an increase in depression scores. The low-risk group reported a significantly greater increase in problem-solving scores over the intervention period compared with low-risk controls. These results were not maintained, however, at 12-month follow-up.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Achieving effective supervision.

Supervision probably does have benefits both for the maintenance and improvement of clinical skills and for job satisfaction, but the data are very thin and almost non-existent in the area of alcohol and other drugs services. Because of the potential complexity of objectives and roles in supervision, a structured agreement appears to be an important part of the effective supervision relationship. Because sessions can degenerate easily into unstructured socialization, agendas and session objectives may also be important. While a working alliance based on mutual respect and trust is an essential base for the supervision relationship, procedures for direct observation of clinical skills, demonstration of new procedures and skills practice with detailed feedback appear critical to supervision's impact on practice. To ensure effective supervision, there needs not only to be a minimum of personnel and resources, but also a compatibility with the values and procedures of management and staff, access to supervision training and consultation and sufficient incentives to ensure it continues.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed2002

Maternal anxiety and depression, poverty and marital relationship factors during early childhood as predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: This paper examines the degree to which symptoms of anxiety and depression at age 14 years are associated with early childhood experience of maternal anxiety and depression, poverty, and mother's marital relationship distress and break-up. METHODS: In a longitudinal study, 4434 families were followed-up from infancy to adolescence. RESULTS: Maternal anxiety and depression during early childhood were found to have small, but significant, influences upon the development of high anxiety-depression symptoms at age 14, after controlling for the effects of poverty and marital relationship factors. This effect was greater with repeated exposure to high maternal anxiety and depression. Poverty, distressed marital relationship and marital break-up during the child's first five years also produced small, but significant, increases in risk of high anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescence. Stable, single-parent status was not found to be a risk factor. There was no evidence of marked gender differences in risk factors, other than poverty, which had a stronger impact for girls than boys. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results suggest that maternal anxiety and depression, poverty, parent relationship conflict and marital break-up during early childhood are associated with small, but significant, increased risk of anxiety-depression symptoms in adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The development and psychometric properties of a measure of social and adaptive functioning for children and adolescents.

Developed, piloted, and examined the psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Social and Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS), a self-report measure designed to examine the social functioning of young people in the areas of school performance, peer relationships, family relationships, and home duties/self-care. The findings of confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis support a 4-factor solution consistent with the hypothesized domains. Fit indexes suggested that the 4-correlated factor model represented a satisfactory solution for the data, with the covariation between factors being satisfactorily explained by a single, higher order factor reflecting social and adaptive functioning in general. The internal consistency and 12-month test-retest reliability of the total scale was acceptable. A significant, negative correlation was found between the CASAFS and a measure of depressive symptoms, showing that high levels of social functioning are associated with low levels of depression. Significant differences in CASAFS total and subscale scores were found between clinically depressed adolescents and a matched sample of nonclinical controls. Adolescents who reported elevated but subclinical levels of depression also reported lower levels of social functioning in comparison to nonclinical controls.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Problem-solving orientation and attributional style: moderators of the impact of negative life events on the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence?

Followed up 733 adolescents, ages 12 to 14 years, from a community sample over a 1-year period. Depressive symptoms at 1-year follow-up, controlling for baseline depression levels, were predicted by negative life events (NLEs) in the previous 12 months, attributional style (AS), negative problem solving orientation (NPSO), and the interaction between NLEs and NPSO. In the presence, but not absence, of high NLEs, NPSO predicted increases in depressive symptoms. In contrast, pessimistic AS predicted future increases in depression irrespective of the occurrence of NLEs. The findings supported a congnitive diathesis-stress model of the development of depression for NPSO but not AS.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Effect of EMG biofeedback compared to applied relaxation training with chronic, upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders.

This study examined the relative effectiveness of EMG biofeedback, applied relaxation training and a combined procedure in the management of chronic, upper extremity cumulative trauma disorder. Forty-eight patients with a history of about 5-6 years of upper extremity pain were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions, namely applied relaxation training, EMG biofeedback, a combined approach or a wait-list control. Treatments were conducted on an individual basis, twice per week for 4 weeks. Patients in all 3 treatment conditions showed significant short-term reductions in pain and psychopathology in comparison to the wait-list group who showed minimal change. Six-month follow-up data were obtained for patients in the treatment conditions, but not the wait-list group. There was some evidence of relapse on measures of depression, anxiety and pain beliefs for treated patients during the 6-month follow-up period, although measures remained significantly below pre-treatment levels for most outcome indices. Self-monitored pain continued to decrease for the treatment groups through follow-up. Contrary to predictions, however, the strongest short-term treatment benefits were shown by patients receiving applied relaxation training on measures of pain, distress, interference in daily living, depression and anxiety. By 6-month follow-up, differences between treatment groups were no longer evident.

Adult↗