Response to parent training is often influenced by variables not directly involving the child, with socioeconomic status and maternal mental health being particularly salient factors.

SUMMARY The authors used the Teller acuity cards to assess the visual acuity of 51 infants and children with Down syndrome aged between two months and 18 years. The success rate and test times were comparable to those reported for normally developing children. Even those subjects in the study who were free of ocular disorders and/or who were wearing optical correction during testing showed significantly poorer visual acuity than individuals without Down syndrome. The development of visual acuity in infants and children with Down syndrome lags behind that of age‐matched peers without Down syndrome, especially after the age of six months. These findings are discussed in terms of the neurological and optical factors that might account for the deficits in visual acuity that were observed. RÉSUMÉ Acutié visuelle des nourrissons el enfanis présentant une Irisomie 21 Les autcurs ont utilisé les cartes ďacuité visuelle de Teller pour évaluer ľacuité visuelle de 51 nourrissons et enfants trisomiques 21, âgés de deux mois à 18 ans. La réusite et les temps de test furent compareés à ceux. qui sont rapportés pour des enfants se développant normalemcnt. Même les sujets de ľétude ne présentant pas de troubles oculaires et/ou porteurs de verres correcteurs Durant le test présentaient une acuité visuelle inférieurc à celle de sujets non trisomiques. Le développement de ľacuité visuelle des nourrissons et enfants trisomiques se situe en retrait de celui de non trisomiques appariés, spécialement après ľâge de six mois. Ces données sont discutées en termes de facteurs neurologiques et optiques qui pourraient rendre compte des déficits ďacuité visuelle observés. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Sehscharfe bei Sduglingen und Kindern mil Down Syndrom Die Autoren benutzten die Teller Acuity Cards, urn die Sehschärfe bei 54 Säuglingen und Kindern mit Down Syndrom im Alter zwischen zwei Monaten und 18 Jahren zu bestimmen. Erfolgsrate und Testzeiten waren mit denen normal entwickelter Kinder vergleichbar. Selbst die Kinder, die keine Sehstörungen hatten und/oder die bei der Testung eine Sehhilfe trugen, hatten eine signifikant schlechtere Sehscharfe als die Kinder ohne Down Syndrom. Die Entwicklung der Sehschärfe bei Säuglingen und Kindern mit Down Syndrom ist im Vergleich zu altersentsprechenden Kontrollen ohne Down Syndrom, insbesondere nach den ersten sechs Monaten, verzögert. Diese Befunde werden im Hinblick auf neurologische und optische Faktoren diskuticrt, die möglicherweise für das beobachtete Schsehärfendefizit verantwortlich sind. RESUMEN Agudeza visual en laciantes y niños con sindrome de Down Los autores usaron las tarjetas Teller de agudeza visual para evaluar la agudeza visual de 51 niños y lactantes con sindrome de Down de edad entre dos meses y 18 años. El porcentaje de éxito y el tiempo usado en el test eran comparables a los encontrados en niños normalmente desarrollados. Incluso los individuos estudiados que no tenían ninguna alteration visual y/o llevaban correcciones ópticas durante la prueba mostraron una agudeza visual significativa...

In this study, we examined changes in attachment style as measured by the Relationship Scales Questionnaire before and after six weeks of intensive group psychotherapy. We also investigated whether changes in attachment style were associated with changes in interpersonal functioning. Results indicated that participants showed increases in secure attachment and decreases in fearful attachment and, to a lesser degree, preoccupied attachment styles. Change was not found in the dismissive attachment style. Changes in Secure and/or Fearful (but not Preoccupied) attachment styles were related to changes in interpersonal functioning on seven of the eight subscales of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Overall findings suggest intensive group psychotherapy programs show promise for reducing attachment pathology and improving interpersonal functioning. Assessing differential responsiveness to psychotherapy may help us align our interventions to better address differing attachment styles through modifications in focus and approach.

Alexithymia and dissociation have been consistently linked in the literature, particularly in psychiatric populations.  Both arise from a disconnection between conscious aspects of self-experiences and perceptions at both the mental self and bodily levels.  This results in difficulty integrating thoughts, feelings and experiences into consciousness and memory, negatively impacting emotion awareness/regulation and reflective functioning.  We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the strength of the relationship between alexithymia and dissociation in both clinical and non-clinical populations.  Studies using two common measures of these constructs were included (i.e., the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale).  Analyzing the effect sizes derived from 19 studies (including a total of 4664 participants) revealed moderate to strong relationships between alexithymia and dissociation.  The strength of the association increased in clinical and younger aged non clinical populations. These findings are discussed in the context of treatment recommendations.

We examined the unique contributions of depression, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity (AS) in predicting frequency of drinking in different high-risk situations among 60 women receiving treatment for alcohol problems. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and Short Form Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS-42). Together, the negative emotionality variables reliably predicted scores on the IDS-42 negative and temptation drinking situations subscales but did not reliably predict scores on the IDS-42 positive drinking situations subscales. With one exception, only AS contributed unique variance in predicting negative and temptation context drinking. Both AS and depression contributed unique variance in predicting drinking in conflict with others situations. Implications for treating comorbid emotional and alcohol-use disorders in women are discussed. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention