Interpersonal Interventions Research Articles

Effects of an Interpersonal Style Intervention for Coaches on Young Soccer Players' Motivational Processes.

The main goal of the study was to assess the effects of an intervention programme developed with soccer coaches, based on promoting strategies to optimise the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of athletes. Eight soccer coaches, aged between 19 and 50 years (M = 32.5; SD = 14.34), participated in the study. They were selected intentionally (without academic or federative training) and divided equally into a control and an experimental group by random peer selection. Also, 109 soccer players, aged between 11 and 15 years (M = 13.78; SD = 1.38), divided into a control group (CG; n = 56) and an experimental group (EG; n = 53), participated in the experiment. The training programme (12 hours) was aimed to develop methodological and motivational strategies to promote autonomy, competence and relatedness need satisfaction among the players. The results showed that the participants in the EG decreased competence and relatedness control, while significantly increased (post-intervention) competence and relatedness needs satisfaction. Moreover, values for the EG did not decrease for autonomy, competence frustration and amotivation, while they increased for the sport commitment. Also, intrinsic motivation decreased in both groups (greater decrease in the CG). In conclusion, we can affirm the effectiveness of the training programme to create an environment of “bright side” motivation, and reduce thwarting styles, needs frustration and low self-determination levels.

Examining Psychosocial Pathways Underlying Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Despite their unprecedented popularity, the psychological mechanisms through which gratitude journals operate are poorly understood. Also the use of gratitude journaling to enhance social relationships has been neglected in past research, despite the importance of healthy relationships for people’s happiness. This randomized controlled study examined the effect of (a) a traditional gratitude journal (fostering gratitude for daily life), and (b) an interpersonal gratitude journal (fostering gratitude for one’s existing social relationships), versus (c) an active control journal, on life satisfaction. Ninety-one participants were randomized to one of three conditions with 2-week and 1-month follow-ups. The traditional gratitude intervention (vs. control) showed improvements in friendship at immediate post-test and 1-month follow-up, and these effects were accounted for by changes in gratitude over time. Additionally, the traditional gratitude intervention (vs. control) predicted enhanced life satisfaction at follow-up, and this was serially mediated by 6 week changes in gratitude and perceived friendship quality. No such differences over time were observed between the interpersonal gratitude intervention and either the control intervention or the traditional gratitude intervention. Actively appreciating things in daily life appears to be effective in enhancing the quality of people’s social relationships, and producing sustained improvements in subjective wellbeing.

Agency, lapse in condom use and relationship intimacy among female sex workers in Jamaica

This paper explores barriers to consistent condom use among female sex workers in Jamaica in a qualitative study using grounded theory. Multiple perspectives were sought through 44 in-depth interviews conducted with female sex workers, clients, the partners of sex workers and facilitators of sex work. Poverty and lack of education or skills, severely limited support systems as well as childhood abuse served to push the majority of participants into sex work and created vulnerability to HIV and other STIs. Despite these constraints, women found ways to exercise agency, ensure condom use, adopt protective measures and gain economic advantage in various aspects of the Jamaican sex trade. Perceived relationship intimacy between sex workers and their clients and/or their main partners emerged as the main factor contributing to reduced risk perception and inconsistent condom use. Relationship intimacy, with associated trust and affirmation of self, is the most important factor influencing sexual decision-making with respect to lapse in condom use among female sex workers in Jamaica. Study findings provide important insights that can enhance individual psychosocial, interpersonal and community-based interventions as well as inform environmental, structural and policy interventions to reduce risk and vulnerability among female sex workers.

Attitudes Toward Violence and Gender as Predictors of Interpersonal Violence Interventions.

The purpose of the research was to determine whether attitudes toward violence (ATV) and participant sex would influence notions about interpersonal violence (IPV) intervention by university students. It was anticipated those who held stronger cultural and reactive violence attitudes and males would be less in favor of intervention, but it was not certain whether gender or attitudes would be the stronger predictor for intervention approaches. An IPV intervention scale was developed to measure preferred approaches for intervention, which resulted in four approaches (affirmative intervention, no intervention, police intervention, and intervention threshold). A total of 420 university student volunteers completed the IPV intervention questionnaire followed by an ATV scale on an electronic data collection site. Results indicated ATV subtypes were stronger predictors of affirmative intervention than gender, but when considering cultural acceptability of violence, gender was the single predictor for a threshold of intervention. The findings have relevance for university and community intervention programs and public policy makers when attempting to alter the acceptability of violence to promote effective interventions.

Use of empathy in psychiatric practice: constructivist grounded theory study.

BackgroundPsychiatry has faced significant criticism for overreliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and medications with purported disregard for empathetic, humanistic interventions.AimsTo develop an empirically based qualitative theory explaining how psychiatrists use empathy in day-to-day practice, to inform practice and teaching approaches.MethodThis study used constructivist grounded theory methodology to ask (a) ‘How do psychiatrists understand and use empathetic engagement in the day-to-day practice of psychiatry?’ and (b) ‘How do psychiatrists learn and teach the skills of empathetic engagement?’ The authors interviewed 17 academic psychiatrists and 4 residents and developed a theory by iterative coding of the collected data.ResultsThis constructivist grounded theory of empathetic engagement in psychiatric practice considered three major elements: relational empathy, transactional empathy and instrumental empathy. As one moves from relational empathy through transactional empathy to instrumental empathy, the actions of the psychiatrist become more deliberate and interventional.ConclusionsParticipants were described by empathy-based interventions which are presented in a theory of ’empathetic engagement’. This is in contrast to a paradigm that sees psychiatry as purely based on neurobiological interventions, with psychotherapy and interpersonal interventions as completely separate activities from day-to-day psychiatric practice.Declaration of interestNone.Copyright and usage© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

The Impact Project: A Relational Cultural Approach to Combating Bullying and Interpersonal Violence

ABSTRACTActs of bullying and interpersonal violence have grave public health implications. Existing anti-bullying and interpersonal violence interventions rely on scripted, solution-focused protocols that lack relational shifts necessary for lasting change. The Impact Project is a grassroots campaign sponsored in conjunction with President Duffey’s 2015–2016 American Counseling Association Presidential Initiative on Anti-Bullying and Interpersonal Violence. The Impact Project is framed by relational cultural theory (RCT) and aims to help combat bullying and interpersonal violence by publicly honoring those who may not know or understand their value. This article addresses the mental and public health implications of bullying and interpersonal violence and the application of RCT to developing integrated community interventions. Recommendations for cultivating creative spaces, promoting resilience, and continuing the “impact” are provided.

Promoting Sleep Health Among Families of Young Children in Head Start: Protocol for a Social-Ecological Approach.

Inadequate or poor quality sleep in early childhood impairs social–emotional and cognitive function via effects on the developing brain and increases obesity risk via hormonal and endocrine effects. The prevalence of short sleep duration, behavioral sleep problems, and sleep-disordered breathing among children aged 3 to 5 years is 20% to 50%. Healthy sleep habits increase sleep duration and prevent behavioral sleep problems. Awareness of sleep-disordered breathing symptoms leads to its timely treatment. We designed a study that aims to empower families whose children are in early childhood programs with the knowledge and skills needed to obtain healthy sleep and to recognize a sleep problem. We used the social–ecological framework to guide individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy interventions. This study builds on the Sweet Dreamzzz, Inc, Early Childhood Sleep Education Program (ECSEP) in Head Start. A stepped-wedge–cluster randomized trial will test effects on child, parent, and classroom outcomes; a policy evaluation will assess the impact of knowledge-translation strategies. The study has 3 aims. The first is to adapt educational materials into multimedia formats and build the capacity of Head Start agencies to implement the study. The second aim is to enroll 540 parent–child dyads in a primary prevention trial of sleep health promotion in Head Start and to analyze effects on children’s sleep duration (primary outcome); parents’ knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavior; and children’s sleep difficulties. The third aim is to conduct a secondary prevention feasibility study of screening and guidance for sleep problems. Secondary outcomes are changes in classroom behaviors and policies. Integrating sleep health literacy into early childhood programs could affect the life-course development of millions of children.

What Parents and Their Gay and Bisexual Sons Say About HIV Prevention.

Despite ongoing prevention efforts, young gay and bisexual men (YGBM) accounted for more than three fourths of all recent HIV infections. Furthermore, they continue to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors at alarming rates. Nowadays, families are beginning to emerge as important resources for these youth. However, the viewpoints of YGBM and their families are largely missing from HIV prevention research and intervention development. To address this gap, we solicited the opinions of YGBM and their parents as to why YGBM engage in unsafe sex and what might be done to help them avoid HIV. Participants discussed youth's sense of invulnerability, sexual arousal, parental disapproval, and lack of societal acceptance as contributors to unsafe sex. Participants called for gay-sensitive sex education and community programming as well as increased societal acceptance. Overall, respondents recommended interpersonal and structural-level interventions that emphasized the importance of reducing stigma as a key component of HIV prevention.

The effectiveness of email-based exercises in promoting psychological wellbeing and healthy lifestyle: a two-year follow-up study.

BackgroundWeb-based interventions provide a possibility to enhance well-being in large groups of people. Only a few studies have studied the effectiveness of the interventions and there is no information on the sustainability of the effects. Study aims were to investigate both the short (2-month) and long-term (2-year) effects of email-based training for mental health and lifestyle.MethodsPersons who completed an ‘Electronic Health Check’, as advertised in a TV program, were offered a chance to participate in email-based interventions. The baseline questionnaire was completed by 73 054 people, with 42 761 starting interventions, and 16 499 people participating in at least one of the follow-ups. Persons who did not choose to start the interventions served as controls.ResultsAt baseline, the intervention group had a higher level of stress and lower gratitude and confidence in the future than the control group. Both groups showed improvement in the level of stress, but improvement was more marked in the intervention group (P < .001 for both time points). In confidence in the future and gratitude, people who chose interpersonal interventions showed significant improvements at both time points (P < .001), whereas those choosing lifestyle interventions showed improvement only at the 2-month follow-up. Participants who had done the exercises according to instructions had the most sustained improvements in measures of psychological health at the 2-year follow-up. As for lifestyle, people who had started lifestyle interventions increased their exercise (P < .001 at both time points).ConclusionsInternet-based interventions are feasible for mental health promotion and should be available for people interested in improving their psychological well-being and lifestyle.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40359-016-0125-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Relationship Between Interpersonal Violence Victimization and Smoking Behavior Across Time and by Gender

This study examined relationships between interpersonal violence victimization and smoking from childhood to adulthood. Data were from a community-based longitudinal study (N = 808) spanning ages 10 to 33. Cross-lag path analysis was used to model concurrent, directional, and reciprocal effects. Results indicate that childhood physical abuse predicted smoking and partner violence in young adulthood; partner violence and smoking were reciprocally related in the transition from young adulthood to adulthood. Gender differences in this relationship were not detected. Social work prevention efforts focused on interpersonal violence and interventions targeting smoking cessation could be critical factors for reducing both issues.

Social rhythm interventions for bipolar disorder: a systematic review and rationale for practice.

Three interconnected pathways to relapse have been identified as stressful life events, medication non-adherence and disruptions in social rhythms (daily activity and routine). The role of medication and stressful life events is generally better understood than the role of social rhythms. There is no previous review of interventions that target social rhythms. To identify the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions that target social rhythms for improving mood symptoms. A quantitative systematic review was conducted. Results Seven studies were included in the review: four reporting interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) interventions and three sleep/light interventions. The results suggest that IPSRT may have a potential benefit in improving mood symptoms and relapse, but it is not clear whether this is of greater benefit than an intensive supportive care intervention of similar duration. The sleep/light interventions demonstrated rapid mood improvements; however, it was not clear how long this improvement was sustained. Attention to social rhythms and the implementation of interventions that target these could be useful for mental health nursing practice may provide people with BD a clinically effective adjunctive intervention to medication.

Patient-reported factors associated with reengagement among HIV-infected patients disengaged from care in East Africa.

Engagement in care is key to successful HIV treatment in resource-limited settings; yet little is known about the magnitude and determinants of reengagement among patients out of care. We assessed patient-reported reasons for not returning to clinic, identified latent variables underlying these reasons, and examined their influence on subsequent care reengagement. We used data from the East Africa International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS to identify a cohort of patients disengaged from care (>3 months late for last appointment, reporting no HIV care in preceding 3 months) (n = 430) who were interviewed about reasons why they stopped care. Among the 399 patients for whom follow-up data were available, 104 returned to clinic within a median observation time of 273 days (interquartile range: 165-325). We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA, CFA) to identify latent variables underlying patient-reported reasons, then used these factors as predictors of time to clinic return in adjusted Cox regression models. EFA and CFA findings suggested a six-factor structure that lent coherence to the range of barriers and motivations underlying care disengagement, including poverty, transport costs, and interference with work responsibilities; health system 'failures,' including poor treatment by providers; fearing disclosure of HIV status; feeling healthy; and treatment fatigue/seeking spiritual alternatives to medicine. Factors related to poverty and poor treatment predicted higher rate of return to clinic, whereas the treatment fatigue factor was suggestive of a reduced rate of return. Certain barriers to reengagement appear easier to overcome than factors such as treatment fatigue. Further research will be needed to identify the easiest, least expensive interventions to reengage patients lost to HIV care systems. Interpersonal interventions may continue to play an important role in addressing psychological barriers to retention.

Redefining the Marital Power Struggle through Relationship Skills

In 2002, the United States federal government created the Healthy Marriage Initiative, a policy that has distributed almost $1 billion in welfare money to marriage education programs. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in classes for a purposive sample of 20 government-approved marriage education programs and textual analysis of more than 3,000 pages of curricular materials, I analyze how U.S. healthy marriage policy addresses issues of gendered communication and power. This case reveals the limitations of what I call ‘‘interpersonal gender interventions,’’ which obscure how gendered ideologies and inequalities are often maintained through institutionalized practices and state action. Specifically, I argue that by focusing on negotiation, communication, and conflict-resolution strategies—or what marriage educators call “relationship skills”—at the interactional level, state-sponsored marriage education masks persistent institutionalized gender inequalities, namely, latent and hidden forms of marital power. More broadly, I use this case to reveal how interpersonal gender interventions will likely have limited utility if individuals learn to develop more gender-egalitarian beliefs in the absence of institutional changes that enable them to act on these values.

Shared health characteristics in Hispanic colorectal cancer patients and their primary social support person following primary diagnosis.

The aim of this paper was to determine individual and shared levels of psychosocial, behavioral, and symptomological health characteristics among Hispanics with recent history of cancer and their primary social support person (PSSP) in the years following diagnosis. Recruited from a population-based cohort study were 409 Hispanic patients with a previous diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Forty-seven patients identified a PSSP, who assists with medical decision-making and health-related matters, who also participated in the study. Current behavioral (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and complementary and alternative medicine use), psychosocial (stress and mindfulness), and physical symptom (fatigue) data were obtained using validated instruments. Analyses tested the individual and shared (between patients and PSSPs) variance in these health measures. The sample was diagnosed on average 3.1years (standard deviation = 1.7) prior to assessment. PSSPs were mainly spouses/partners (63%) or children (28%) of patients. Among patients, stress was positively associated with being a current smoker (p < 0.01) and with fatigue (r = 0.45, p < 0.001); stress was negatively correlated with mindfulness (r = -0.41, p < 0.001); mindfulness was negatively associated with smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, p < 0.01) and alcohol consumption (OR = 0.83, p < 0.05); the inverse relationship between mindfulness and fatigue was partially mediated through lower levels of stress (β = -0.17, p < 0.001). Similar patterns were observed among PSSPs. Patient mindfulness was negatively correlated with PSSP stress (r = -0.45, p < 0.01). Complementary and alternative medicine use showed interdependence between patients and PSSPs for use of herbal remedies (OR = 6.2; p < 0.01) and bodywork (OR = 8.3, p < 0.05). Hispanic colorectal cancer patients and their PSSP share a common health milieu in the years following a cancer diagnosis, offering opportunities for advancing interpersonal intervention approaches in cancer care. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A brief, interpersonally oriented mindfulness intervention incorporating Functional Analytic Psychotherapy׳s model of awareness, courage and love

A brief, group mindfulness intervention targeting both state mindfulness and social connectedness was developed based on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy׳s model of awareness, courage, and love. A total of 114 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) a nature video control, (2) a traditional intrapersonal mindfulness intervention focused on awareness of breath and private stimuli such as bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings, or (3) an interpersonal mindfulness intervention that emphasized (a) expanding awareness from private internal to external public stimuli associated with the presence of others, (b) a contemplation of common humanity and risks participants could take to improve a specific relationship, and (c) a brief small group interaction involving courageous sharing of these risks. Results indicated significant benefits of all three conditions with respect to state mindfulness with both mindfulness conditions outperforming the nature video, and significant benefits of both mindfulness conditions with respect to social connectedness, with the interpersonal mindfulness condition outperforming the intrapersonal condition. Limitations include no follow-up data to explore the maintenance of gains over time.

From the Outside Looking In: Sense of Belonging, Depression, and Suicide Risk

Objective: Sense of belonging has demonstrated significant relationships with depression and suicidal thoughts, highlighting its potential utility in refining assessment of suicide risk. Method: Structured clinical interviews and self-report measures were used to assess depression, suicidal behaviors, hopelessness, life stress, social support, and sense of belonging in a sample of 116 depressed psychiatric patients. Results: Lower sense of belonging was significantly associated with greater severity of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and history of prior suicide attempt(s). However, sense of belonging did not predict suicidal ideation and history of prior suicide attempt(s) beyond the association between suicidal behaviors and established risk factors. Sense of belonging displayed a significant relationship with depression and hopelessness and is likely to play a critical role in both the development of and recovery from depression. Conclusions: Sense of belonging is directly related to depression and hopelessness, while indirectly related to suicidal ideation. Low sense of belonging provides an important target for assessment and intervention in the treatment of depression. Cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal interventions may help improve an individual’s sense of belonging and decrease symptoms of depression and hopelessness.

Interactional Justice and Employees’ Commitment to Supervisor in Nigerian Health Sector

This research was designed to study the relationship between interactional justice and employees’ commitment to supervisor in Nigerian health sector. A self-administered survey questionnaire was sent out to a sample size of 103 employees, resulting in 99 responses out of which 13 copies of the questionnaire were not statistically usable. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used for data analysis, and our findings reveal that employees who have received fair informational and interpersonal treatments commit themselves to their supervisors. We discovered that the degree of influence exerted by interpersonal justice on employees’ commitment to supervisor was stronger than that of informational justice. We concluded that employees attach themselves to supervisors that are fair in communication and relationship. The fairness of interaction and communication boost employees’ confidence, impacting positively on employees’ commitment to supervisor and making employees see themselves as part owners in the organization. We, therefore, recommended that organizational managers or supervisors should communicate and relate properly with employees, in order to satisfy their customers and other stakeholders.

Significado del cuidado para estudiantes y profesores del Programa de Enfermería de la Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander

&lt;p&gt;Objetivo: El estudio realizado tuvo como objetivo describir el significado del cuidadopara estudiantes y profesores del programa de enfermería en el segundo semestredel 2011. Material y métodos: Investigación de tipo descriptivo exploratorio con abordajecuantitativo, realizado con una muestra conformada por 258 estudiantes y 29profesores. Para la recolección de información se empleó la Escala de Evaluación delSignificado del Cuidar (EESC), escala ordinal tipo Likert con 45 ítems distribuidosen las cinco categorías de cuidado: característica humana, imperativo moral, afecto,relación interpersonal e intervención terapéutica. El análisis estadístico de la informaciónse basó en el cálculo de medidas descriptivas y pruebas no paramétricascomo el test de Kruskal-Wallis (estadística H), coeficiente de concordancia de W deKendall y prueba de Wilcoxon, todas bajo un nivel de significancia igual a 0,05. Resultados:En los resultados generales de estudiantes y profesores, la categoría conmayor puntuación promedio fue el cuidado como intervención terapéutica, mientrasque la categoría con menor puntuación fue el cuidado como afecto. Sin embargo, lapercepción del cuidado es diferente entre estudiantes y profesores; se identificarondiferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las categorías: característica humana,afecto e intervención terapéutica, y se observó que la percepción del cuidado frentea estas categorías es más alta en los profesores. Conclusión: Según los resultadosno hay consenso cuando se trata del cuidado; hay diferentes percepciones sobre elcuidado que existen simultáneamente y no son excluyentes. Estas formas de percibirel cuidado influyen en la conceptualización y la práctica de enfermería.&lt;/p&gt;

Healthcare Interventions for Perinatal Depression in Socially Disadvantaged Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of this systematic review was to identify, characterize, and analyze the effectiveness of healthcare interventions for perinatal depression in socially disadvantaged women. Prominent biomedical databases were searched in April 2013. Sixteen articles assessing 15 interventions to decrease depressive symptoms in socially disadvantaged women were selected. Most interventions were carried out in the United States (n = 11) and targeted ethnic minorities (n = 9). Approximately half of the interventions (53%) were effective in decreasing depressive symptoms, observing that culturally adapted, interpersonal therapy interventions were the most effective. Eleven interventions were included in the meta-analysis that showed a statistically significant reduction in overall depressive symptoms (−0.44, 95% CI [−0.67, −0.22]). Meta-regression indicated that several characteristics increased the effectiveness of the interventions.

Beliefs About Meditating Among University Students, Faculty, and Staff: A Theory-Based Salient Belief Elicitation

Objective: Stress impacts college students, faculty, and staff alike. Although meditation has been found to decrease stress, it is an underutilized strategy. This study used the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to identify beliefs underlying university constituents’ decision to meditate. Participants: N = 96 students, faculty, and staff at a large midwestern university during spring 2012. Methods: A survey measured the RAA global constructs and elicited the beliefs underlying intention to meditate. Thematic and frequency analyses and multiple regression were performed. Results: Quantitative analyses showed that intention to meditate was significantly predicted (R2 = .632) by attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control. Qualitative analyses revealed advantages (eg, reduced stress; feeling calmer), disadvantages (eg, takes time; will not work), and facilitating circumstances (eg, having more time; having quiet space) of meditating. Conclusions: Results of this theory-based research suggest how college health professionals can encourage meditation practice through individual, interpersonal, and environmental interventions.