Displaying 1 - 6 of 6
Behavioral trajectories during middle childhood are predictive of consequential outcomes later in life (e.g., substance abuse, violence). Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed to promote trajectories that reflect both growth in positive behaviors and inhibited development of negative behaviors. The current study used growth mixture models to examine effects of the Positive Action (PA) program on behavioral trajectories of social-emotional and character development (SECD) and misconduct using data from a cluster-randomized trial that involved 14 schools and a sample of predominately low-income, urban youth followed from 3rd through 8th grade. For SECD, findings indicated that PA was similarly effective at improving trajectories within latent classes characterized as "high/declining" and "low/stable". Favorable program effects were likewise evident to a comparable degree for misconduct across observed latent classes that reflected "low/rising" and "high/rising" trajectories. These findings suggest that PA and perhaps other school-based universal SEL programs have the potential to yield comparable benefits across subgroups of youth with differing trajectories of positive and negative behaviors, making them promising strategies for achieving the intended goal of school-wide improvements in student outcomes.
Behavioral trajectories during middle childhood are predictive of consequential outcomes later in life (e.g., substance abuse, violence). Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed to promote trajectories that reflect both growth in positive behaviors and inhibited development of negative behaviors. The current study used growth mixture models to examine effects of the Positive Action (PA) program on behavioral trajectories of social-emotional and character development (SECD) and misconduct using data from a cluster-randomized trial that involved 14 schools and a sample of predominately low-income, urban youth followed from 3rd through 8th grade. For SECD, findings indicated that PA was similarly effective at improving trajectories within latent classes characterized as "high/declining" and "low/stable". Favorable program effects were likewise evident to a comparable degree for misconduct across observed latent classes that reflected "low/rising" and "high/rising" trajectories. These findings suggest that PA and perhaps other school-based universal SEL programs have the potential to yield comparable benefits across subgroups of youth with differing trajectories of positive and negative behaviors, making them promising strategies for achieving the intended goal of school-wide improvements in student outcomes.
OBJECTIVE:We sought to determine if we could reduce symptoms of depression in individuals with a traumatic brain injury using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
SETTING:
The study was conducted in a community setting.
PARTICIPANTS:
We enrolled adults with symptoms of depression after a traumatic brain injury.
DESIGN:
We conducted a randomized controlled trial; participants were randomized to the 10-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention arm or to the wait-list control arm.
MAIN MEASURES:
The primary outcome measure was symptoms of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II.
RESULTS:
The parallel group analysis revealed a greater reduction in Beck Depression Inventory-II scores for the intervention group (6.63, n = 38,) than the control group (2.13, n = 38, P = .029). A medium effect size was observed (Cohen d = 0.56). The improvement in Beck Depression Inventory-II scores was maintained at the 3-month follow-up.
CONCLUSION:
These results are consistent with those of other researchers that use mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to reduce symptoms of depression and suggest that further work to replicate these findings and improve upon the efficacy of the intervention is warranted.
OBJECTIVE:We sought to determine if we could reduce symptoms of depression in individuals with a traumatic brain injury using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
SETTING:
The study was conducted in a community setting.
PARTICIPANTS:
We enrolled adults with symptoms of depression after a traumatic brain injury.
DESIGN:
We conducted a randomized controlled trial; participants were randomized to the 10-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention arm or to the wait-list control arm.
MAIN MEASURES:
The primary outcome measure was symptoms of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II.
RESULTS:
The parallel group analysis revealed a greater reduction in Beck Depression Inventory-II scores for the intervention group (6.63, n = 38,) than the control group (2.13, n = 38, P = .029). A medium effect size was observed (Cohen d = 0.56). The improvement in Beck Depression Inventory-II scores was maintained at the 3-month follow-up.
CONCLUSION:
These results are consistent with those of other researchers that use mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to reduce symptoms of depression and suggest that further work to replicate these findings and improve upon the efficacy of the intervention is warranted.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve depression symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI), with medium to large effect sizes. The goal of this study was to determine the clinical significance of individual changes in depression symptoms by examining data from three studies. Three criteria were used to assess the clinical significance of pre- to post-treatment change in Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores: (1) reliable change to account for measurement error, (2) five-point change to detect minimally important clinical differences, and (3) severity change to measure the severity of depression symptoms. The number of participants who met all three of these criteria (i.e., the three-criterion standard) was calculated for (a) all MBI participants across the three studies (N = 90) and for (b) only participants who completed the randomized controlled trial (study 3). According to the three-criterion standard, 50 % of TBI participants had BDI-II scores that clinically improved (45/90) and none had scores that deteriorated. When this standard was applied to study 3, more participants in the treatment group (20/38) had improved scores compared to controls (13/38). The majority of all participants also showed clinically improved BDI-II scores according to each of the separate criteria: reliable change (64/90), five-point change (49/90), and severity change (51/90). We suggest that (a) the three-criterion standard be considered the gold standard for assessing treatment-related change in depression symptoms, and (b) reporting the clinical significance of individual change may be more informative to clinicians when assessing the impact of MBIs on clients with TBI compared to findings based exclusively on group averages.
Background: School-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) programs can influence not only SECD but also academic-related outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of one SECD program, Positive Action (PA), on educational outcomes among low-income, urban youth. Methods: The longitudinal study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design. Student-reported disaffection with learning and academic grades, and teacher ratings of academic ability and motivation were assessed for a cohort followed from grades 3 to 8. Aggregate school records were used to assess standardized test performance (for entire school, cohort, and demographic subgroups) and absenteeism (entire school). Multilevel growth-curve analyses tested program effects. Results: PA significantly improved growth in academic motivation and mitigated disaffection with learning. There was a positive impact of PA on absenteeism and marginally significant impact on math performance of all students. There were favorable program effects on reading for African American boys and cohort students transitioning between grades 7 and 8, and on math for girls and low-income students. Conclusions: A school-based SECD program was found to influence academic outcomes among students living in low-income, urban communities. Future research should examine mechanisms by which changes in SECD influence changes in academic outcomes.