Therapist presence in emotionally focused couple therapy blamer softening events: promoting change through emotional experience

The blamer softening event has been associated with successful treatment outcomes in emotionally focused couple therapy. Previous research has highlighted the critical role of softening events and heightened emotional experience in best sessions of emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT). This study examined the effects of a therapist's emotional presence in predicting heightened levels of client emotional experience in blamer softening events. Findings from a detailed analysis of successful and unsuccessful EFT softening attempts demonstrated that a therapist's emotional presence and corresponding evocative vocal quality were more likely to predict heightened levels of client emotional experience in successful softening attempts. Implications of these findings are reviewed in light of EFT research and practice.     

Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development—2011

The Career Development Quarterly celebrated its 100th anniversary during the past year and continues to provide high‐quality research and conceptual articles of import to the study of career development and intervention. This article reviews the 2011 career counseling and development literature to highlight advances in theory, assessment, and intervention presented within the following themes: (a) from the past to the future, (b) work and well‐being, (c) diversity and career, (d) career theory and concepts, (e) career assessment, (f) career intervention, (g) career development: life‐span perspectives, and (h) international perspectives.     

The Temporal Relationship Between Faulty Gambling Cognitions and Gambling Severity in Young Adults

Disordered gambling in young adults is hypothesized as being related to mistaken gambling-related cognitions. Few studies have examined the temporal order of this relationship using longitudinal data. The purpose of this study is to understand the directionality of the relationship between gambling cognitions and gambling severity in a longitudinal sample of young adults. Young adults (N = 578), initially aged 18–21 years, completed the Manitoba Longitudinal Survey of Young Adults at two time points approximately 2–3 years apart. Measures of beliefs about randomness related to gambling and gambling severity, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index, were utilized. A cross-sectional relationship between gambling severity and gambling-related cognitions was observed with greater gambling severity being associated with increased endorsement of mistaken cognitions. Evidence for a bidirectional longitudinal relationship was observed with faulty gambling cognitions leading to later problematic gambling behaviors and vice versa when examining a total beliefs scale. When examining specific beliefs about randomness, initial gambling group membership predicted later endorsement of certain beliefs about randomness while initial belief ratings did not impact later gambling group membership. The results of this study suggest a bidirectional relationship between gambling severity and erroneous gambling-related cognitions. However, when examining specific beliefs about randomness, evidence was found for problem gambling behaviors leading to erroneous gambling beliefs. These findings suggest that prevention efforts targeting cognitions may not be as effective in impacting those not yet demonstrating disordered gambling behaviors.     

Supporting the transition of disabled students from university to practice placement

A modified action research project was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a pre-placement procedure in facilitating eight disabled physiotherapy students’ transitions from university to practice. Feedback was gathered from the students, practice educators, visiting and academic tutors via questionnaire. Thematic analysis identified four main themes: ‘Procedure’; ‘Student in Control’; ‘Communication’; and ‘Disclosure’. The procedure was generally effective in supporting these students. Recommendations were made for: the need for ownership of the procedure from all stakeholders; the development of more effective communication systems; and the need for appropriate disability awareness training for all academic and practice-based staff.     

Black–White Marriages: The Moderating Role of Openness on Experience of Couple Discrimination and Marital Satisfaction

This study examined how open communication between spouses may buffer against discrimination experienced by Black–White couples. Results from 178 couples analyzed using a combination of common‐fate and actor–partner interdependence models, indicated that for Black partners, marital satisfaction was not contingent on the level of openness when experiences of couple discrimination were low. When experiences of couple discrimination were high, levels of marital satisfaction were maintained among partners who reported high openness and reduced among partners who reported low openness. Moderation effects were not found for White partners. The results suggest that because Black partners are more aware of and sensitized to discrimination, White partners’ abilities to attune to their partners’ needs for support could help enhance their relationships.     

Strengthening Social Programs to Promote Economic Stability During Childhood

Economic instability has increased in recent decades and is higher for families with low incomes and Black families. Such instability is thought to be driven primarily by precarious work and unstable family structure. In addition, the social safety net has become less of a stabilizing force for low-income families, in part because benefits are often tied to employment and earnings. Too much change in economic circumstances may disrupt investments in children, parenting practices, and family routines—particularly if the economic changes are unpredictable, undesired, or not part of upward mobility. Given the considerable evidence that economic circumstances affect child health and development, economic stability can and should be an important goal of multiple policy domains. In this report, we describe economic instability, review the pertinent theories for considering how economic instability might matter to children, and describe ideas for policies that could reduce or moderate instability. We include policies that reduce instability in earnings, use public assistance to stabilize income or reduce material hardship, or enhance parents' capacity to deal with or avoid instability.     

Information technologies and the

conclusion The evolution in the role of middlemen has many important implications at the macro-economic level as well. In many markets, the negative employment effects of labor-saving technologies are offset by increases in the demand for labor as transaction costs fall and additional labor is needed to produce more goods and services. As discussed above, middlemen operate successfully in markets when private transactions are costly and inefficiencies exist. Many traditional aspects of this role are being replaced by information technologies. Generally, information technologies are a close substitute for match-making services, but are less suited for reducing privately held asymmetric information. The reduction in transaction costs and improved efficiencies in match mak-ing provided by information technologies increases the demand for expert services which further increases the returns to education and widens the earnings gap. The widening should be greatest in industries that concentrate on match-making services such as real estate, however a widening is likely to be present in most sectors. Middle-men with expertise beyond match making will remain viable, while those lacking value-adding expertise will be rapidly marginalized.     

Statistical review by research ethics committees

This paper discusses some of the issues surrounding statistical review by research ethics committees (RECs). A survey of local RECs in 1997 revealed that only 27/184 (15%) included a statistician member at that time, although 70/175 (40%) recognized the need for such. The role of the statistician member is considered and the paper includes a summary of a meeting of the Royal Statistical Society to discuss statistical issues that frequently arise in the review of REC applications. A list of minimum qualifications which RECs should expect from anyone claiming to be a statistician would be useful, together with a list of statisticians who are well qualified and willing to serve on RECs, and a list of training courses for REC members covering the appropriate statistical issues.     

Caffeine consumption, expectancies of caffeine-enhanced performance, and caffeinism symptoms among university students

The expectancies paradigm developed in alcohol research was used to study caffeine consumption and signs of caffeinism in two groups of college students. A survey questionnaire was developed to gather self-report data on expectations of caffeine-enhanced performance (EP-CAFF), level of beverage caffeine consumed daily, and DSM-111 caffeinism signs reportedly experienced after consumption of caffeinated beverages. A positive association between EP-CAFF and both caffeine consumption and caffeinism signs was predicted. In both initial (n = 527) and cross-validation (n = 270) samples, significant correlations between EP-CAFF scores and both caffeine consumption and caffeinism symptoms were found. A small, but statistically significant, relationship was also found between caffeinism symptoms and both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Of the 797 subjects in the combined sample, 151 (18.9%) endorsed five or more DSM-III caffeinism signs. Subjects endorsing five or more signs of caffeinism scored higher on the EP-CAFF scale, and consumed more caffeine and alcohol in both studies and smoked more cigarettes in study one--but not in study two--than did subjects who endorsed fewer than five caffeinism signs. Results support the utility of extending the expectancies model of substance use motivation from alcohol to caffeine.