Covariations Between Mothers’ Responsiveness and Their Use of “Do” and “Don’t” Instructions: Implications for Child Behavior Therapy
Vanessa Ann Vigilante and Robert G. Wahler, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Fifty-two clinic-referred (20) and volunteer (32) mother-child dyads were observed in their home settings for 1 hour per dyad. Observers monitored the mothers’ responsiveness during interactions with their children, and mothers’ use of “do” and “don’t” instructions were recorded; the children’s compliance with instructions was also recorded, as well as their negative responses directed to mothers. Results showed the expected differences between clinic-referred and volunteer dyads, with the former mothers being less responsive and more inclined to issue “don’t” instructions; the clinic-referred children were less compliant and more negative. All children were less compliant with “don’t” instructions than “do” and, as expected, mothers’ responsiveness scores were positively correlated with their use of “do” instructions in both groups. There was evidence that use of these instructions mediated the high correlation between mothers’ responsiveness and their children’s compliance.

Errorless Embedding for Children With On-Task and Conduct Difficulties: Rapport-Based, Success-Focused Intervention in the Classroom
Joseph M. Ducharme, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education of the University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Kimberly E. Harris, Ontario Institute of Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

Children exposed to psychosocial stressors often develop behavior disorders that include off-task responding in the classroom. We used errorless embedding, a rapport-based, nonpunitive intervention, to improve on-task behavior in such children. In a multiple-baseline across subjects design, we observed 5 children with severe behavioral difficulties to determine baseline levels of on-task and off-task behavior. Early in treatment, short durations of independent academic work by the children were embedded into longer durations of adult-supported work. As treatment progressed, durations of independent work were increased and adult-supported segments were shortened until adult support was completely faded. Children demonstrated improved on-task behavior during and following intervention. The emphasis on rapport-based interaction and graduated, success-focused intervention appears well-suited to building on-task skills in children with behavior disorders, especially those associated with psychosocial risk factors.

Parent Stress Management Training for Attention Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Lee Ttreacy, Gail Ttripp, Amanda Bbaird, University of Otago

Thisis study assessed the immediate and longer-term eeffectiveness of a targeted nine9-week parent stress management programme (PSM) on the parenting stress, mood, family functioning, parenting style, locus of control, and perceived social support of parents of children diagnosed with DSM-IV ADHD. Sixty-three parents from 42 families were randomly assigned to one 1 of two 2 conditions:, immediate treatment or wait-list control. Results of the randomized control trial indicate that showed forthat for mothers, completion of the parent stress management (PSM) program was accompanied by significant reductions in pPparent- dDdomain parenting stress together with significant improvements in parenting style (vVverbosity, lLlaxness, oOover-reactivity). For fathers, completion of the program was associated with a reduction in verbosity scores only. Repeated measures aAnalysies of the available post-treatment, six--month and 12-month follow-up data for the immediate treatment group suggested thatthese improvements are maintained over time. Anonymously completed consumer satisfaction questionnaires indicated demonstrated a high degree of satisfaction with the PSM program.

Cognitive Mediation of Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Depression in Recent Crime Victims
Debra Kaysen, Christine D. Scher, Julie Mastnak, and Patricia Resick, Center for Trauma Recovery, University of Missouri–St. Louis

Childhood maltreatment has been linked to adult depressive disorders. However, few studies have examined mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment may contribute to adult depression. Thus, we examined the role of one potential mechanism of this relationship, maladaptive cognitions, in a recently traumatized sample. Participants were adult women who had been recently raped (n = 133) or physically assaulted (n = 73). We examined whether maladaptive self- and other-cognitions mediated relationships between childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and current depression. Relationships between childhood sexual abuse and both current depression symptoms and diagnosis were mediated by maladaptive cognitions about self. Relationships between both childhood sexual abuse and childhood physical abuse and adult depressive symptoms were mediated by maladaptive cognitions about others.

Reducing Eating Disorder Risk Factors in Sorority Members: A Randomized Trial
Carolyn Black Becker, Lisa M. Smith, and Anna C. Ciao, Trinity University, San Antonio

Although sororities are often perceived as contributing to eating-disordered behavior, limited research has investigated eating disorders in sorority members. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of a highly interactive cognitive dissonance prevention program in reducing empirically supported risk factors in sorority members. Members (N = 149) were randomized to the highly interactive intervention, a more passive intervention, or wait list. Results indicated that both interventions reduced dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder pathology. Only the highly interactive group reduced thin-ideal internalization as compared to wait list. Exploratory analyses also indicated that interventions were beneficial to both lower- and higher-risk members. Taken together, results suggest that sororities are a viable population to target in the prevention of eating disorders.

Refining Moderators of Mood Contagion: Men’s Differential Responses to Depressed and Depressed-Anxious Presentations
Jeremy W. Pettit, Amber L. Paukert, University of Houston, and Thomas E. Joiner, Jr., Florida State University

Research has established the existence of mood induction in conditions of moderate to intense affective displays. Findings are less consistent with regard to for whom and under what circumstances mood induction occurs. The present study expands upon past work by examining the unique and interactive effects of target mood state (“depressed” vs. “depressed-anxious”) and participant gender on mood induction and interpersonal rejection. Participants viewed a video of either a pure depressed or concurrently depressed and anxious female target, then completed measures of mood symptoms, regard for the target, and willingness to interact with the target. Women reported similar mood symptoms in response to both videos, but men reported elevated depressed and anxious mood following the depressed-anxious video. Men were also more likely to hold the depressed-anxious target in lower regard, but no gender differences were found in willingness to interact with the target. The present findings suggest that women's displays of concurrent depressed and anxious mood, as compared to depressed mood alone, have particularly negative effects upon men’s mood.

The Differential Effects of Weekly, Monthly, and Bimonthly Administrations of the Beck Depression Inventory–II: Psychometric Properties and Clinical Implications
B. Thomas Longwell and Paula Truax, Pacific University

Research suggests that scores decrease over time when valid self-report depression instruments are administered repeatedly without intervention to nonclinical participants. Existing research has not addressed whether similar decreases occur with differential retest intervals and whether this decrease represents error or a “true” decrease in symptomatology. In the current study, nonclinical participants were randomly assigned to complete the Beck Depression Inventory–II at weekly, monthly, or bimonthly intervals. Scores were found to significantly decrease for the weekly administration group only. Lower scores were found to be the result of a measurement effect and the frequency of administration. Limitations as well as research and clinical implications are discussed.

The Role of Thought Suppression in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Jillian C. Shipherd and J. Gayle Beck, State University of New York at Buffalo

Thirty motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors with PTSD and 25 without PTSD completed a trauma-related thought-suppression task. Both groups successfully suppressed trauma-related thoughts, followed by a rebound effect for the PTSD group, and no rebound effect for the no-PTSD group, in a replication of previous work (Shipherd & Beck, 1999). Additionally, a personally relevant, neutral thought-suppression task was included to examine the generalizability of thought suppression in PTSD participants. The PTSD group was able to suppress neutral thoughts without a rebound effect, suggesting that increases in suppressed thoughts are specific to trauma-relevant cognitions in individuals with PTSD. The potential role of thought suppression as a maintaining factor for reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD is discussed.

The Effects of Suppressing Thoughts and Images About Worrisome Stimuli
Evelyn Behar, Theresa K. Vescio, and T. D. Borkovec, The Pennsylvania State University

Several investigations have examined the potential role of mentation suppression in various psychological disorders. Existing studies do not, however, differentiate between the effects of suppressing imagery- versus thought-based mentation. This distinction is an especially important one for worry, given the predominantly thought-based nature of the worry process. The present study sought to distinguish between the effects of suppressing thoughts versus images about worrisome versus neutrally valenced topics. Consistent with past studies of worry suppression, results failed to find a rebound effect regardless of valence (worrisome, neutral) or mentation content (thoughts, images). However, results did indicate that a decrease in worrisome mentation across two consecutive expression periods was more pronounced when the worrisome material was imagery-based rather than thought-based in nature. Implications of these findings as they pertain to the perpetuation of worrisome activity and to treatment of generalized anxiety disorder are discussed.