Hepatitis C psychoeducation curriculum topics generated by group members

ABSTRACT

Educational programs for hepatitis C (HCV) have been created by professionals. There has not been a focus on whether what clients want to know about HCV differs from what providers want patients to know. This study addresses this gap by examining topics selected by participants in an education/support group model. Data were collected as part of a randomized psychoeducation trial for patients with HCV. Topics were systematically generated by the members uniquely for each group. Topics and rank order for each group were generated and a combined variable was created. Twenty-eight different topics were identified across 12 groups. The total number of topics was 102, averaging 8.5 per group. Topics are divided into three separate conceptual groups, members’ personal relationship to HCV, medical aspects of HCV, and unique concerns. A patient-centered approach that addresses the needs of HCV patients first provides an optimal starting point to discuss HCV disease management.     

Bounds on deviations of estimates arising in finite population regression models

Bounds for the maximum deviation between parameters of a finite population and their corresponding sample estimates are found in the multiple regression model. The parameters considered are the vector of regression coefficients and the value ofthe regression function for given values of the independent variable (or variables). Applications are considered to several widely employed sampling methods.     

Nonparametric prediction analysis for binary data

A nonparametric inference algorithm developed by Davis and Geman (1983) is extended problem. The algorithm and applied to a medical prediction employs an estimation procedure for acquiring pairwise statistics among variables of a binary data set, allows for the data-driven creation of interaction terms among the variables, and employs a decision rule which asymptotically gives the minimum expected error. The inference procedure was designed for large data sets but has been extended via the method of cross-validation to encompass smaller data sets.     

The two-sample t test versus satterthwaite's approximate f test

A comparison between the two-sample t test and Satterthwaite's approximate F test is made, assuming the choice between these two tests is based on a preliminary test on the variances. Exact formulas for the sizes and powers of the tests are derived. Sizes and powers are then calculated and compared for several situations.     

On multiple constraint skewed models

The Azzalini [A. Azzalini, A class of distributions which includes the normal ones, Scandi. J. Statist. 12 (1985), pp. 171–178.] skew normal model can be viewed as one involving normal components subject to a single linear constraint. As a natural extension of this model, we discuss skewed models involving multiple linear and nonlinear constraints and possibly non-normal components. Particular attention is devoted to a distribution called the extended two-piece normal (ETN) distribution. This model is a two-constraint extension of the two-piece normal model introduced by Kim [H.J. Kim, On a class of two-piece skew normal distributions, Statistics 39(6) (2005), pp. 537–553.]. Likelihood inference for the ETN distribution is developed and illustrated using two data sets.     

Pivot to Telehealth: Narrative Reflections on Circle of Security Parenting Groups during COVID‐19

In response to COVID‐19 hygiene and physical distancing restrictions, our service rapidly shifted to delivering Circle of Security‐Parenting? (COS‐P) groups via telehealth. In this article we report the perspectives and experiences of the group facilitator and the parents who received the intervention during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We use semi‐structured, qualitative interviews to explore the advantages, challenges, and positive impacts of the online parenting group from the perspectives of the group leader and the five group participants. Participants’ narrative reflections show that they were satisfied with the convenient and engaging online delivery of the program and would recommend it to other parents. Parents reported significant improvements in their parenting and greater awareness of their strengths and struggles. The online delivery of COS‐P resulted in more efficient service delivery, greater attendance rates, and adherence to the model. The stressors on the experienced facilitator, due to the abrupt transition and multiple technical and communication challenges, may have been mitigated by supervisor and collegial support, as well as careful preparation for herself and the participants. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of online versus face‐to‐face delivery of the intervention, including what works for whom.     

The Construction of Fear

The paper derives applications of an observation about how fears are constructed by people in their daily lives in order to expand upon developments and critiques in constructionist analyses of scares in the news media.     

Social intelligence as moderator in the relation between narcissism and aggression in at-risk adolescents

This study examined the moderating role of social intelligence (SI) in the associations of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism (VN) with peer-reported overt and relational aggression (RA). The sample consisted of 286 adolescents aged 15 to 19 recruited from a residential program for youth who have dropped out of school. Results showed that whereas grandiose narcissism (GN) was related to both forms of aggression, VN was related to neither overt nor RA. However, SI moderated the relation between VN and both forms of aggression such that SI works as either a risk or protective factor for adolescents with higher levels of narcissism depending on the subdimensions of SI and aggression. The findings indicate that SI may play a role in how adolescent peers perceive the behavior of relatively narcissistic individuals.