Objective: This study aimed to examine the extent to which illness perceptions and coping strategies among women diagnosed with breast cancer explain psychological distress at diagnosis and at six months post-diagnosis relative to demographic and illness-related variables. Methods: Women were recruited to the study shortly after diagnosis. A total of 90 women completed study materials (Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at time 1. The same questionnaires were sent approximately six months later to those who had consented at time 1, and completed questionnaires were returned by 72 women. Results: Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of respondents who reported a similar profile of illness perception scores. Regression analysis demonstrated that one of these clusters was more likely to experience psychological distress than the other both at diagnosis and at six months post-diagnosis. Illness perceptions cluster membership and positive focus type coping were the most important and consistent predictors of lower psychological distress at diagnosis and at six months postdiagnosis. Conclusions: Illness perceptions remained relatively stable over the study period, and therefore we are unable to clarify whether changes in illness cognitions are associated with a corresponding change in psychological symptoms. Future research should evaluate the impact on psychological distress of interventions specifically designed to modify illness cognitions among women with breast cancer.

This paper describes a series of practice and service development initiatives to incorporate the family-inclusive approach into the newly established Early Intervention in Psychosis Service in Berkshire, England. Following a local study on carers' experiences and needs from those who cared for a young adult with a first-episode psychosis (FEP), a series of flexible services for this group of carers has been developed incorporating the much-researched psycho-educational family interventions. The findings of our local phenomenological study on the carers for young adults with FEP clearly specified the unique needs of this group of carers and that well-established approaches in family work and carers support facilities may have to be adapted to meet such needs. This paper reports the service development process through which a series of specially designed carers' services were set up for carers caring for a young adult with FEP. These services were developed to address carers' needs for knowledge, skills and support to cope with their caring roles and situation, from the stressful beginning of a potentially long caring journey.

AimThe use of computerized mental health programs with vulnerable youth, such as early school leavers, remains relatively unstudied. This pilot study examined the feasibility of delivering a computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) gaming intervention (SPARX-R) for young people (age 15–20 years) who have left school early and are attending Youthreach, an alternative education (AE) program in Ireland.MethodStudents (n = 146) from twenty-one Youthreach Centers were randomized to SPARX-R and no-intervention control. All students within the group were included in the study whether or not they were exhibiting heightened levels of depression. Program impact was examined on both negative and positive indicators of mental health, including depression (primary outcome), generalized anxiety, general mental wellbeing, coping and emotion regulation. Assessments were conducted at baseline and post-intervention (7 weeks). Participants that provided data at post-assessment (n = 66) were included in the analysis.ResultsThe participants completed on average 5.3 modules of SPARX-R with 30% (n = 9) completing the entire program. A significant improvement in emotion regulation strategies was detected, with expressive suppression decreasing significantly in the SPARX-R group in comparison to the control (− 2.97, 95% CI − 5.48 to − 0.46, p = 0.03).ConclusionsFindings suggest that SPARX-R has a positive impact on emotion regulation. The lack of significant findings on other outcome measures may be attributed to inadequate sample size, and therefore, further research with larger samples are required to establish the effectiveness of the program in reducing depression and anxiety and improving psychological wellbeing among young people attending AE.