Repetitive Behaviour in Children with High Functioning Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) were compared on a range of repetitive behaviours. Parents reported similar levels of sameness behaviour and repetitive movements in the clinical groups, although children with OCD engaged in more repetitive behaviour focussed around routines and rituals. Children with OCD reported more compulsions and obsessions than children with ASD; both groups reported more compulsions and obsessions than a typically developing comparison group. Types of compulsions and obsessions tended to be less sophisticated in children with ASD than those with OCD. Sameness behaviour was more prevalent in younger children with OCD, but for children with ASD, age was not significantly related to sameness behaviour, repetitive movements, compulsions, or obsessions.     

The evolution of worry after breast cancer risk assessment: 6‐year follow‐up of the TRACE study cohort

Objectives: There is little evidence regarding the long‐term psychological implications of breast cancer risk assessment for women at moderate genetic risk. A follow‐up study of a trial cohort was conducted to evaluate psychological outcomes and their predictors at 6‐year follow‐up. A further aim was to examine threshold scores for high cancer worry. Methods: Questionnaires were sent to 384 women assessed as moderate risk during a UK trial of genetic assessment (TRACE). Measures included cancer worry, perceived risk, health behaviours, general anxiety, psychological morbidity, optimism, and background variables assessed during TRACE and at 6‐year follow‐up. Results: Reductions from baseline cancer worry and breast self‐examination (BrSE) frequency were maintained 6 years after risk assessment, with relatively consistent levels over short‐ and long‐term follow‐up. Provision of risk information led to short‐term reductions in perceived risk. During the 6‐year period, 43% of women reported having made lifestyle changes and 27% had requested a mammogram. Baseline and post‐risk cancer worry were the only significant predictors of long‐term cancer worry. Greater worry at baseline predicted more frequent BrSE and higher perceived risk, but not lifestyle change or mammogram requests, at 6 years. Eighteen percent of women reported cancer worry above a threshold of 12.5 at long‐term follow‐up, compared with 30% at baseline. Conclusions: Overall reductions in cancer worry following moderate risk assessment were maintained in the long term. However, women at risk of sustained high cancer worry should be identified at an early stage in the risk assessment process for more intensive psycho‐educational intervention. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hygienic food handling behaviours. An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

It is estimated that 5.4 million Australians get sick annually from eating contaminated food and that up to 20% of this illness results from food handling behaviour. A study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) including past behaviour in predicting safe food handling intention and behaviour. One hundred and nine participants completed questionnaires regarding their attitudes, perceived behavioural control (PBC), subjective norm, intentions and past behaviour. Behaviour was measured 4 weeks later. The TPB predicted a high proportion of variance in both intentions and behaviour, and past behaviour/habit was found to be the strongest predictor of behaviour. The results of the present study suggest interventions aimed at increasing safe food handling intentions should focus on the impact of normative influences and perceptions of control over their food handling environment; whereas interventions to change actual behaviour should attempt to increase hygienic food handling as a habitual behaviour.     

The role of psychological variables in explaining depression in older people with chronic pain

Objectives: Depression is commonly associated with chronic pain, and is also a common condition in the elderly. However research in the area of depression and pain is scarce. The aim of the present work was to analyse how cognitive–behavioural and perceptual variables help to explain the presence or absence of depression in older people with chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Method: A total of 104 older adults were evaluated using a protocol that measured depression, perceptual characteristics of pain (intensity, frequency and duration), beliefs about pain, self-efficacy beliefs, coping style, coping strategies and pain behaviours.

Results: Using Student's t-tests and discriminant analysis, we found that psychological variables such as catastrophizing, passive coping, complaint behaviour, avoidance, coping self-statements, ignoring pain sensations and stability and mystery beliefs help to explain depressive symptomatology.

Conclusion: The present study confirms the important role of cognitive–behavioural variables in the discrimination between older adults who suffer pain with and without symptoms of depression. Moreover, certain variables that in young adults had been seen to play a non-adaptive role, such as ignoring pain sensations, were seen to have an adaptive function in the elderly. Also, our results are in support of depression models – such as Abramson's Hopelessness Model – proposing that depression in chronic pain patients, unlike in other groups of depressed people, is characterized by absence of self-blame feelings.     

Effects of Exercise Interventions on Stereotypic Behaviours in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose:

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize evidence from studies examining the effect of exercise interventions on stereotypic behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods:

Only exercise-related physical therapy (PT) interventions were included. A multifaceted search strategy identified studies published between 1980 and 2007. Quality was assessed using the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) Study Quality Scale, the Clinical Relevance Tool for Case Studies, and the Quality, Rigour or Evaluative Criteria tool.

Results:

Seven studies (1982–2003) met our inclusion criteria; four of these used single-subject research designs, two were group studies, and one was a case study. Ages and behavioural characteristics of the children (N = 25) varied among the studies. Levels of evidence ranged from II to V (of a possible I–V). Study quality scores ranged from 2 to 5 (range: 0 to 7); mean = 3.9, mode = 5. Few studies in this area of PT practice have been published, and those identified scored low levels of rigour on the AACPDM criteria.

Conclusions:

Research suggests that exercise provides short-term reductions of stereotypic behaviours in children with ASD. Future research with stronger evidence levels, greater rigour, and longer-term outcome assessment is required to determine specific exercise parameters.     

Nursing students' perceptions of the importance of caring behaviors

Title. Nursing students’ perceptions of the importance of caring behaviours Aim. This paper is a report of a study to determine the nursing students’ perceptions of the importance of caring behaviours. Background. Caring has been considered as the essence of nursing. It is believed that caring enhances patients’ health and well‐being and facilitates health promotion. Nursing education has an important role in educating the nurses with adequate caring abilities. Method. Ninety nursing students (response rate 75%) responded to a questionnaire consisting of 55 caring behaviours adapted from items on Caring Assessment Questionnaire (Care‐Q). Behaviours were ranked on a 5‐point Likert‐type scale. The caring behaviours were categorized in seven subscales: ‘accessibles’, ‘monitors and follows through’, ‘explains and facilitates’, ‘comforts’, ‘anticipates’, ‘trusting relationship’ and ‘spiritual care’. Data were collected in Iran in 2003. Findings. The students perceived ‘monitors and follows through’ (mean = 4·33, SD = 0·60) as the most and ‘trusting relationship’ (mean = 3·70, SD = 0·62) as the least important subscales. ‘To give patient’s treatments and medications on time’ and ‘to do voluntarily little things…’ were the most and least important caring behaviours, respectively. ‘Explains and facilitates’ statistically and significantly correlated with age (r = 0·31, P = 0·003) and programme year (r = 0·28, P = 0·025). Gender had no statistically significant influence on students’ perceptions of caring behaviours. Conclusion. Further research is needed, using longitudinal designs, to explore nursing students’ perceptions of caring behaviours in different cultures, as well as evaluation studies of innovations in curriculum and teaching methods to improve learning in relation to cultural competence and caring concepts.