Latina dementia caregivers delay institutionalization significantly longer than female Caucasian caregivers. In addition, Latino cultural values and positive views of the caregiving role are important factors that may significantly influence their decision to institutionalize loved ones with dementia.

Chapter 6 discusses systematic treatment selection (STS) and prescriptive psychotherapy, and covers the approach, applicability and structure, assessment and formulation, processes of change, therapy relationships, methods and techniques, and a case study example.

Interest in animal assisted interventions (AAI) has grown over the years, but acceptance of AAI by the clinical and research community has been hampered by safety, hygiene, and logistical concerns. Advances in the field of social robotics have provided a promising route to deliver AAI while avoiding these aforementioned obstacles. Although there has been promising initial research on social robotics in older adults, to date there has been no such research conducted with a veteran population. The present pilot study followed 23 veteran residents of a Veterans Affairs (VA) geropsychiatric long-term care facility over the span of approximately a year and a half. It was found that use of Paro, a social robot, resulted in increased observed positive affective and behavioral indicators, with concomitant decreases observed in negative affective and behavioral indicators. The authors concluded that Paro is likely an effective nonpharmacological approach for managing dementia-related mood and behavior problems with veterans in VA long term care facilities. They additionally observed that Paro is best presented to residents who are relatively calm and approachable, as opposed to actively exhibiting behavior or mood problems. Future research directions are discussed in light of both the positive results noted and the inherent limitations of our pilot study. (PsycINFO Database Record

The articles presented in this issue are discussed within the context of the general literature on coping and coping style. The focus of this special issue was to determine if these articles are both consistent with extant research and advance the field. We identify at least two general definitions of coping, as used in these articles. We refer to one definition as reflecting one's "coping style." This is largely a descriptive concept and closely related to one's enduring behavioral traits. It is closely related to other personality characteristics such as introversion-extroversion, stability, etc. The other definition of "coping" in the literature is much more specific to stressful environments and to the changes noted in one's behavior and cognitions during times of stress, than the first definition. We refer to this broad stress response as one's "coping response." Coping response, unlike coping style, includes both a cognitive and an affective component. We conclude that it may be advantageous to differentiate between these two broad definitions in future research. We also conclude that the articles in this issue provide information that advances the field's understanding of coping styles and coping responses.