A Comprehensive Review and a Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Internet-Based Psychotherapeutic Interventions

ABSTRACT

Internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions have been used for more than a decade, but no comprehensive review and no extensive meta-analysis of their effectiveness have been conducted. We have collected all of the empirical articles published up to March 2006 (n = 64) that examine the effectiveness of online therapy of different forms and performed a meta-analysis of all the studies reported in them (n = 92). These studies involved a total of 9,764 clients who were treated through various Internet-based psychological interventions for a variety of problems, whose effectiveness was assessed by different types of measures. The overall mean weighted effect size was found to be 0.53 (medium effect), which is quite similar to the average effect size of traditional, face-to-face therapy. Next, we examined interacting effects of various possible relevant moderators of the effects of online therapy, including type of therapy (self-help web-based therapy versus online communication-based etherapy), type of outcome measure, time of measurement of outcome (post-therapy or follow-up), type of problem treated, therapeutic approach, and communication modality, among others. A comparison between face-to-face and Internet intervention as reported on in 14 of the studies revealed no differences in effectiveness. The findings of this meta-analysis, and review of additional Internet therapy studies not included in the meta-analysis, provide strong support for the adoption of online psychological interventions as a legitimate therapeutic activity and suggest several insights in regard to its application. Limitations of the findings and recommendations concerning Internet-based therapy and future research are discussed.     

Fitting Roc Curves Using Non-linear Binomial Regression

The performance of a diagnostic test is summarized by its receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Empirical data on a test's performance often come in the form of observed true positive and false positive relative frequencies, under varying conditions. This paper describes a family of models for analysing such data. The underlying ROC curves are specified by a shift parameter, a shape parameter and a link function. Both the position along the ROC curve and the shift parameter are modelled linearly. The shape parameter enters the model non-linearly but in a very simple manner. One simple application is to the meta-analysis of independent studies of the same diagnostic test, illustrated on some data of Moses, Shapiro & Littenberg (1993). A second application to so-called vigilance data is given, where ROC curves differ across subjects, and modelling of the position along the ROC curve is of primary interest.     

Meta-Analysis of Food Safety Information Based on a Combination of a Relational Database and a Predictive Modeling Tool

The management of microbial risk in food products requires the ability to predict growth kinetics of pathogenic microorganisms in the event of contamination and growth initiation. Useful data for assessing these issues may be found in the literature or from experimental results. However, the large number and variety of data make further development difficult. Statistical techniques, such as meta-analysis, are then useful to realize synthesis of a set of distinct but similar experiences. Moreover, predictive modeling tools can be employed to complete the analysis and help the food safety manager to interpret the data. In this article, a protocol to perform a meta-analysis of the outcome of a relational database, associated with quantitative microbiology models, is presented. The methodology is illustrated with the effect of temperature on pathogenic Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes, growing in culture medium, beef meat, and milk products. Using a database and predictive models, simulations of growth in a given product subjected to various temperature scenarios can be produced. It is then possible to compare food products for a given microorganism, according to its growth ability in these products, and to compare the behavior of bacteria in a given foodstuff. These results can assist decisions for a variety of questions on food safety.     

“计量模型多样性悖论”研究

在排除模型误用以后,将经济学研究中针对同一问题的研究,不同计量模型的结果各不相同,甚至结论截然相反问题称为"计量模型多样性悖论"。分析此问题产生的原因,主要是关键变量的多样性、方程形式设定的多样性和计量模型的多样性,提出采用元分析来解决这个问题,指出在元分析应用过程中应力求单个模型的精确,尽可能多地采用合适的模型,注意同类性质的结果才能进行元分析。同时,讨论元分析带来的新问题,比如对研究团队的计量经济学水平要求较高,增加了成本,延长了研究的时间,也加大了论文的篇幅等,但这是计量经济学发展过程中的正常现象,并不涉及采用元分析解决"计量模型多样性悖论"问题的科学性。     

幼儿园教师工作压力真的很大吗？

幼儿园教师工作压力不仅影响其队伍的稳定性,而且会影响学前教育事业的可持续发展。笔者采用元分析法探讨我国 幼儿园教师工作压力现状,通过文献检索和筛选,共纳入文献47 篇。结果表明,我国幼儿园教师整体工作压力感受程度偏低; 从幼儿园教师各层面工作压力来看,主要源于“社会地位与工资待遇”“工作负荷”“幼儿园管理”的影响,而“人际关系”与“幼儿 因素”并未给幼儿园教师压力造成影响。研究建议,国家应尽快出台《学前教育法》;幼儿园应切实减轻教师负担;教师应提高 自身的专业化水平。     

Efficacy and safety of mirodenafil for patients with erectile dysfunction: a meta-analysis of three multicenter,randomized, double-blind,placebo-controlled clinical trials

Abstract

Aim: To systematically review evidence on the efficacy and safety of mirodenafil treatment in erectile dysfunction (ED) from randomised controlled trials.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library database up to March 2013. Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. All data were analyzed using RevMan 5.0. Outcome measures assessed were the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), erectile function domain (EFD) score (primary), the Sexual Encounter Profile questions 2 and 3, and the response to the Global Assessment Questionnaire and adverse effects (secondary).

Results: A total of 374 participants from three randomized controlled trials were identified in this meta-analysis. After 12 weeks treatment, mirodenafil was found to be more effective than placebo, and tolerability was good. The pooled results showed that the IIEF EFD score for 100?mg mirodenafil group was higher than placebo group (MD?=?8.13, 95%CI: 6.64–9.61, p?<?0.00001) and the mirodenafil group was also higher than placebo group in the changes from baseline for the IIEF EFD score (MD?=?7.32, 95%CI: 5.56–9.07, p?<?0.00001), respectively. The most common drug-related adverse events were flushing and headache (mirodenafil versus placebo: 15.8% versus 3.2%, 3.1% versus 0%; respectively).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that mirodenafil is effective and well-tolerated therapy for ED.     

Effectiveness of combinations of Gaussian graphical models for model building

Combining statistical models is an useful approach in all the research area where a global picture of the problem needs to be constructed by binding together evidence from different sources [M.S. Massa and S.L. Lauritzen Combining Statistical Models, M. Viana and H. Wynn, eds., American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2010, pp. 239–259]. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of combining a fixed number of Gaussian graphical models respecting some consistency assumptions in problems of model building. In particular, we use the meta-Markov combination of Gaussian graphical models as detailed in Massa and Lauritzen and compare model selection results obtained by combining selections over smaller sets of variables with selection results over all variables of interest. In order to do so, we carry out some simulation studies in which different criteria are considered for the selection procedures. We conclude that the combination performs, generally, better than global estimation, is computationally simpler by virtue of having fewer and simpler models to work on, and has an intuitive appeal to a wide variety of contexts.     

军人症状自评量表测评的元分析

目的:整合军人症状自评测验的研究结果,探索普遍性结论。方法:通过中国期刊网搜索以SCL-90为工具对军人的调查研究报告,进行元分析。结果:以全国常模为对照组,平均效应值都大于0但较低,以军人常模为对照组,平均效应量都为负值,说明全国常模可能由于年代的原因略偏低、军人常模偏高;军人的精神病性因子分较高。结论:症状自评量表在我国被非常广泛地应用于正常人群,但仍存许多问题需要研究和规范。     

人力资源管理实践对组织绩效影响的元分析

鉴于人力资源管理实践对组织绩效影响的研究结论不统一的研究现状,本文通过对国内外重要期刊的60篇文章的元分析发现,人力资源管理实践对组织绩效具有积极影响。同时,本文还对比了中国和西方在这一问题上的研究,发现人力资源管理实践的个别维度在两种社会环境下所起到的作用迥异。论文的研究结果增加了我们对人力资源管理实践的理解,同时也为企业人力资源管理工作者对人力资源管理系统的设计提供了有益的启示。     

变革型领导与工作满意度现有研究之元分析

领导有效性是目前理论研究的焦点之一。随着全球经济一体化的不断发展,对跨文化背景下领导行为有效性的研究显得越来越重要。文章以变革性领导行为为理论背景,以近15年来有关变革型领导与员工工作满意度之间关系的相关研究为研究样本,采用多水平元分析（HLM）的方法,从东西文化的角度进行跨文化分析。结果显示,变革型领导与员工工作满意度的关系存在东西文化的差异,并且在东方文化下,变革型领导与员工的工作满意度之间的相关关系更为显著。