Intimate partner violence is a major health problem for women; some of the most common symptoms of violence are depression, psychological distress, and sleep disturbances. In this parallel randomized controlled trial, which took place in Athens-Greece, abused women were randomly assigned to undergo either an 8-week stress management program (n=16; relaxation breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, twice a day counseling) or standard shelter services (n=18). Selfreported validated measures were used to evaluate perceived stress, health locus of control, depression, and ways of coping. In participants in the intervention group, perceived stress was significantly decreased after 8 weeks of relaxation, showing a medium effect of 0.45, but no significant results were noted for sleeping hours, health locus of control, depression, and ways of coping. These results reveal the need to develop interventions for this vulnerable population and future studies should incorporate more objective laboratory outcomes.

No abstract

The great challenges that the treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present to therapists and to parents, alike, arise not only from the severity of this disability, but also from two other factors: the continuously increasing prevalence of ASD and the serious financial restraints imposed by the recent economic hardships that the Western World faces. Thus, the need for parent-training practices is more prevalent than ever. The purpose of the present study was to identify parent-training practices that encompass child-related, parent-related and parent-child-interaction related variables as a means of addressing the difficulties that arise during parent-child interactions in a systemic and systematic way. Complex phenomena, such as the parent-child interaction, need to be treated with multi-focused interventions that produce generalized, systemic outcomes that are of clinical or social significance. The changes achieved in this intervention, which was conducted within a naturalistic context, were multiple and systemic since they involve child-related (e.g., on task behavior), parent-related (e.g., provision of reinforcement), and parent-child-interaction related variables (e.g., joint attention). Those changes were obtained through the use of behavior analytic techniques, such as modeling and systematic, direct parent training. Most importantly, those changes were spread to response categories for which training was not provided, generalized to novel settings and maintained through time. We may conclude that the combination of systemic and behavior-analytic approaches and methodologies may provide a highly beneficial perspective toward designing parent-training research protocols that may also lead to improved clinical practices.

Objectives Quality assurance (QA) of image interpretation plays a key role in screening and diagnostic mammography, maintaining minimum standards and supporting continuous improvement in interpreting images. However, the QA structure across Europe shows considerable variation. The European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) conducted a survey among the members to collect information on radiologists’ preferences regarding QA measures in mammography. Materials and methods An anonymous online survey consisting of 25 questions was distributed to all EUSOBI members and national breast radiology bodies in Europe. The questions were designed to collect demographic characteristics, information on responders’ mammography workload and data about QA measures currently used in their country. Data was analysed using descriptive statistical analysis, the χ2 test, linear regression, and Durbin-Watson statistic test. Results In total, 251 breast radiologists from 34 countries completed the survey. Most respondents were providing both screening and symptomatic services (137/251, 54.6%), working in an academic hospital (85/251, 33.9%) and reading 1000–4999 cases per year (109/251, 43.4%). More than half of them (133/251, 53%) had established QA measures in their workplace. Although less than one-third (71/251, 28.3%) had to participate in regular performance testing, the vast majority (190/251, 75.7%) agreed that a mandatory test would be helpful to improve their skills. Conclusion QA measures were in place for more than half of the respondents working in screening and diagnostic mammography to evaluate their breast imaging performance. Although there were substantial differences between countries, the importance of having QA in the workplace and implemented was widely acknowledged by radiologists. Clinical relevance statement Although several quality assurance (QA) measures of image interpretation are recommended by European bodies or national organisations, the QA in mammography is quite heterogenous between countries and reporting settings, and not always actively implemented across Europe. Key Points The first survey that presents radiologists’ preferences regarding QA measures of image interpretation in mammography. Quality assurance measures in the workplace are better-established for breast screening compared to diagnostic mammography. Radiologists consider that performance tests would help to improve their mammography interpretation skills.

No abstract