Assessing clinical progress: A case study of Daryl

In this single case study, the authors conceptually framed their understanding of dissociation and splitting as defensive/adaptive coping mechanisms through which children respond to abusive/neglectful environments and the developmental deficits of abused/neglected children as related to failure in separation/individuation. Case study methodology with a nested experimental research design employed content analysis of process recordings to identify targeted defenses and developmental themes and then to assess therapeutic effectiveness during the first six months of psychodynamic play therapy with Daryl. In-session cliniial progress was assessed through charting changes in defenses and developmental themes, identifying degree of goal achievement, and clinically observing treatment stage progression. Visual analysis of the frequency charts identified a slight cyclical decline in use of splitting and guarding against dissociation and a somewhat uneven increase in the developmental theme of coexistence/integration. While these changes in targeted outcome variables were not statistically significant, the amount of change did exceed the predetermined outcome goals for decreased splitting and increased coexistence but not the goal of decreased guarding against dissociation. Review of the process recordings also identified clear markers of treatment progression through two therapeutic stages in the first six months of long term psychodynamic play therapy and further supported the clinical meaningfulness of the observed changes.     

A changed America? The effects of September 11th on depressive symptoms and alcohol consumption

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, social commentators argued that America had profoundly "changed." In light of these arguments and the literature on disasters, we examine the immediate and longer-term mental health consequences of September 11th using a national sample of full-time American workers. We model the effects of temporal proximity to the attacks on depressive symptoms and alcohol consumption, while controlling for demographic characteristics. Our data revealed a significant increase in the number of depressive symptoms reported during the 4 weeks after the attacks. In the subsequent weeks, levels of depressive symptoms returned to pre-September 11th levels. Contrary to expectations, there was some indication of decreased alcohol consumption after September 11th, although these effects were modest. These analyses provide little support for popular assertions that September 11th resulted in lasting and measurable impacts on Americans' well-being.     

Do expressive mothers have expressive children? The role of socialization in children's affect expression

The effects of maternal expressiveness and children's gender on children's nonverbal expressiveness were assessed in two settings. In the laboratory, 30 boys and 30 girls of kindergarten age were unobtrusively videotaped while talking about happy, sad, and fearful experiences and while experiencing three social situations designed to elicit happy, disappointed, and apprehensive feelings. Videotapes were rated for emotion expression, using global ratings and EMFACS codes. In school, teachers rated these children's expression of four discrete emotions. In both the laboratory and school settings children were more positively expressive than negatively so, and positive and negative expressiveness were unrelated. In the laboratory children's positive expressiveness was consistent across the three social situations, but negative expressiveness varied across affective context. In both settings, children of low-expressive mothers were more positively expressive than children of high-expressive mothers, who tended to be more negatively expressive than children of low-expressive mothers. The difference in negative expression appeared most striking for anger. Gender was not predictive of children's expressiveness in either setting     

Probability computations for an extension of the geometric distribution

An extension of the stochastic process associated with the geometric distribution is presented. Combinatorial arguments are used to derive probabilities for various events of interest. Probabilities are approximated by evaluating truncated series. Bounds on the errors of approximation are developed. An example is presented and some additional applications are noted.     

Walk-in Together: A pilot study of a walk-in online family therapy intervention

Many Australians are requiring mental health care, including families, leading to long wait times in order to access support. Walk-in therapy reduces barriers to mental health support services by providing support at the time that families seek help. This paper presents a proof-of-concept study investigating the acceptability and short-term effectiveness of an online walk-in family therapy service, Walk-in Together (WIT). Part 1 of the paper describes the experiences of 44 family members from 22 families who presented to a public family therapy clinic for a virtual walk-in family therapy session. The session was conducted by a team of three experienced family therapists. Family members' experiences were sought pre-session, post-session, and at 6 weeks follow-up via survey and interview. Part 2 of the paper explores therapist perceptions (n = 7) of the WIT approach, through thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data. Post-session feedback showed 85% of family members found WIT to be helpful and 50% were optimistic about their future as a family after their WIT session. Six weeks post-session it was revealed that WIT supported planning for families in equipping them to move forward with 88% of family members reporting that they knew what to do after the session. All therapists uniformly experienced the model as offering a timely and beneficial service, suitable for diverse presentations and constellations of families. These preliminary results suggest the significant utility of this WIT intervention as a well-received and helpful service for families, who valued the easy access and rapid therapeutic response afforded by the online, walk-in delivery model. This proof-of-concept paper suggests the potential for further development and growth of WIT, as well as other mental health support services using a walk-in, telehealth model to meet the rising demand for therapeutic support for families in distress.     

Evaluating the Possible Impact of Pension Reforms on Elderly Poverty in Europe

Since the 1990s, reforms have changed substantially both the nature of state pension provision and the level of generosity. This article tries to assess the impact of these changes using estimates of pension wealth for a number of hypothetical cases. By focusing on all prospective pension transfers rather than just those at the point of retirement, this approach can provide additional insights, especially on the impact of changes in benefit indexation. These estimates corroborate existing evidence that reforms have decreased generosity significantly. Moves to link benefits to contributions have made systems less progressive, raising adequacy concerns for certain groups. The reforms have, in particular, strengthened the need of ensuring better access to labour markets, of having in place adequate crediting arrangements and minimum pensions.     

Statistical considerations associated with a comprehensive regulatory framework to address the unmet need for new antibacterial therapies

At present, there are situations in antibiotic drug development where the low number of enrollable patients with key problem pathogens makes it impossible to conduct fully powered non‐inferiority trials in the traditional way. Recent regulatory changes have begun to address this situation. In parallel, statistical issues regarding the application of alternative techniques, balancing the unmet need with the level of certainty in the approval process, and the use of additional sources of data are critical areas to increase development feasibility. Although such approaches increase uncertainty compared with a traditional development program, this will be necessary to allow new agents to be made available. Identification of these risks and explicit discussion around requirements in these areas should help clarify the situation, and hence, the feasibility of developing drugs to treat the most concerning pathogens before the unmet need becomes even more acute than at present. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of dualities in arbitrating continuity and change in forms of organizing

A substantial body of literature on new forms of organizing has forecast the end of bureaucracy. More recent empirical studies, however, indicate that high‐performing organizations are adopting dual forms of organizing in which the controllability advantages associated with traditional forms work to complement and support the responsiveness attributes of new forms of organizing. The paradox is that, if organizations discard the key planning, co‐ordinating and direction‐setting mechanisms of traditional forms of organizing, they also remove the stabilizing dimensions of organizational form that are essential in periods of uncertainty and change. The challenge for organizations lies in learning how to manage the tensions or dualities between traditional and new forms of organizing, a process demanding the arbitration of continuity and change. This paper explores the concept of dualities and its salience in the management of organizing forms. First, the nature of dualities is explained; secondly, a set of characteristics is developed to describe the behaviour of dualities; and thirdly, suggestions are presented for arbitrating the tensions that exist in organizing form dualities. These three contributions are relevant because they signal the route to the effective creation and management of organizing form dualities, the benefit of which is the constructive combination of dynamic capabilities (underpinning innovation and responsiveness, the hallmarks of new forms of organizing) and operational capabilities (underpinning stability and efficiency, the hallmarks of traditional forms of organizing).     

How complex is your love? The case of romantic compromises and polyamory

This article highlights a somewhat neglected aspect of love (and of emotions in general): their complexity. We suggest distinguishing between three major related types of emotional complexity: emotional diversity, emotional ambivalence, and emotional behavior. The notion of emotional complexity has far‐reaching implications for understanding emotions and our wellbeing. This is illustrated by examining the notion of emotional complexity in two common yet complex phenomena in the romantic realm: romantic compromises and polyamory.