Objective To determine the cost to the NHS and the impact on anxiety of a one stop clinic for assessing women with suspected breast cancer. Study design Randomised controlled trial. Participants Women aged 35 or over referred with a breast lump. Study setting Teaching hospital, north west England. Interventions Women were randomly allocated to attend a one stop clinic or a dedicated breast clinic. Outcome measures Reduction in mean anxiety from baseline at 24 hours after the first visit and at 3 weeks and 3 months after diagnosis; mean cost per patient. Results 670 women were randomised. Compared with women who attended the dedicated clinic, patients attending the one stop clinic were less anxious 24 hours after the visit (adjusted mean change in state anxiety − 5.7 (95% confidence interval − 8.4 to − 3.0)) but not at 3 weeks or 3 months after diagnosis. The additional cost to the NHS of a one stop attendance was £32 per woman; this was largely explained by greater cytopathological and radiological staff costs. Conclusion One stop clinics may not be justified in terms of a reduction in short term anxiety.

This paper considers how environmental threat may contribute to the child's use of avoidant strategies to regulate negative emotions, and how this may interact with high emotional reactivity to create vulnerability to conduct disorder symptoms. We report a study based on the hypothesis that interpreting others' behaviours in terms of their motives and emotions-using the intentional stance-promotes effective social action, but may lead to fear in threatful situations, and that inhibiting the intentional stance may reduce fear but promote conduct disorder symptoms. We assessed 5-year-olds' use of the intentional stance with an intentionality scale, contrasting high and low threat doll play scenarios. In a sample of 47 children of mothers with post-natal depression (PND) and 35 controls, children rated as securely attached with their mothers at the age of 18 months were better able to preserve the intentional stance than insecure children in high threat scenarios, but not in low threat scenarios. Girls had higher intentionality scores than boys across all scenarios. Only intentionality in the high threat scenario was associated with teacher-rated conduct disorder symptoms, and only in the children of women with PND. Intentionality mediated the associations between attachment security and gender and conduct disorder symptoms in the PND group.

In a randomized controlled trial, the additional provision of information on videotape was no more effective than written information alone in reducing pre-treatment worry about radiotherapy. Images of surviving cancer patients, however, may provide further reassurance to patients once therapy is completed. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

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