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Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is a treatment for some malignant conditions which is considered both physically and psychologically demanding. This paper considers the impact of an intervention aimed at encouraging patients to be more involved in their own transplant preparation. A social research design was used to explore the psychosocial impact of BMT. Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used to survey 25 intervention-group and 229 comparison-group respondents. After controlling for identified confounding factors, comparisons were made between these groups. Contrary to expectation, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups on the outcome measures. However, when matched for categorical confounding factors, the intervention group had statistically significant improvement on "preparation," "post-transplant problems" and "anxiety" measures. The intervention group were also found to have higher scores on the "helplessness" and "fatalism" scales. The qualitative analyses suggest that this may have been due to a combination of raised expectations and non-encouraging hospital staff. Factors contributing to poor post-transplant adjustment were identified, as well as less problematic experiences common to the majority of transplant patients.

There is relatively little published research supporting the effectiveness of evidence-based PTSD treatments following national implementation efforts. This is the first study to systematically report CPT treatment outcomes from a national implementation effort, using service-based outcome monitoring data. Results indicate that when administered as part of routine clinical practice, CPT achieves large clinically significant improvements for PTSD comparable with those found in randomized controlled trials.

The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS), established by the Australian government, plays a pivotal role in providing mental health services to veterans and their families. This research explored the impact of center-based psychological counseling on depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol use severity. A stratified sample of VVCS clients were invited to participate in this study. Data were collected on intake to the program, at the fifth counseling session, and 12 months after the commencement of counseling. Repeated-measures general linear model analyses were conducted to examine the impact of center-based counseling on depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol severity over time. VVCS center-based counseling resulted in a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol use severity after five sessions, and these improvements were maintained over the next 12 months. Despite these improvements, however, participants continued to report moderate-to-severe levels of mental health problems. VVCS center-based counseling successfully reduced depression, anxiety, stress, and alcohol use symptom severity of veterans and their families. However, the clinical profiles of this population are often complex and challenges remain in terms of addressing the mental health needs of this group.

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