scholarly journals Motivation-Matched Approach to the Treatment of Problem Gambling: A Case Series Pilot Study

2016 ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Stewart ◽  
Parnell L. Davis MacNevin ◽  
David C. Hodgins ◽  
Sean P. Barrett ◽  
Jennifer Swansburg ◽  
...  

The aim of the present case series was to provide a preliminary assessment of the utility of a motivation-matched treatment for problem gamblers. On the basis of their primary underlying motivations for gambling, 6 problem gamblers received either action-motivated (n = 4) or escape-motivated (n = 2) treatment. Drawing upon a cognitive-behavioural framework, this 6-session motivation-matched treatment was designed to address gamblers' maladaptive motivations for gambling (i.e., the need or desire for "escape" or "action"), as well as the effects of conditioning and maladaptive thinking patterns unique to each gambling motive subtype. Assessments were conducted at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3- and 6-month follow-up. Primary outcome measures included gambling behaviour (i.e., gambling frequency, time, and money spent gambling), severity of gambling problems, and gambling-related impairment or disability; secondary outcome measures included gambling-related craving, gambling abstinence self-efficacy, positively and negatively reinforcing gambling situations, and gambling outcome expectancies. Overall, participants showed pre- to post-treatment improvements on the majority of these measures, with relatively less immediate post-treatment treatment gains observed on measures that assessed positively and negatively reinforcing gambling situations and gambling-related impairment or disability. However, treatment gains at the 3- and 6-month follow-up were shown for most participants on these latter measures as well. Findings suggest promise for this novel treatment approach. The next step in this line of research is to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to compare the efficacy of this motivation-matched treatment for disordered gambling with treatment as usual.

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Scott Graham ◽  
Brian J. Samsell ◽  
Allison Proffer ◽  
Mark A. Moore ◽  
Rafael A. Vega ◽  
...  

OBJECT Bone allografts used for interbody spinal fusion are often preserved through either freeze drying or lowtemperature freezing, each having disadvantages related to graft preparation time and material properties. In response, a glycerol preservation treatment has been developed to maintain the biomechanical properties of allografts at ambient temperatures, requiring no thawing or rehydration and minimal rinsing prior to implantation. The authors conducted a prospective randomized study to compare the clinical results of glycerol-preserved Cloward dowels and those of freezedried Cloward dowels in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. The primary outcome measures were evidence of fusion and graft subsidence, and the secondary outcome measures included adverse events, pain, and neck disability scores. METHODS Of 106 patients, 53 (113 levels of surgery) were randomly assigned to the glycerol-preserved graft group and 53 (114 levels of surgery) to the freeze-dried graft group. Subsidence was assessed at 3 and 6 months after implantation. Evidence of fusion was evaluated radiographically at 6 months postimplantation. Subsidence was quantitatively assessed based on physical measurements obtained from radiographs by using calibrated comparators, whereas fusion was also evaluated visually. Surgeons were blinded to treatment type during visual and physical assessments of the patients and the radiographs. RESULTS No one in either group had evidence of complete nonunion according to radiographic evaluation at the 6-month follow-up. Average subsidence for all graft-treated levels was 2.11 mm for the glycerol-preserved group and 2.73 mm for the freeze-dried group at the 3-month follow-up and 2.13 and 2.83 mm at the 6-month follow-up, respectively. The 2 treatment groups were statistically equivalent (p = 0.2127 and 0.1705 for the 3- and 6-month follow-up, respectively). No differences were noted between the graft types in terms of adverse event incidence or severity. CONCLUSIONS Glycerol-preserved bone allografts exhibit fusion results and subsidence values similar to those of their freeze-dried counterparts, potentially more favorable biomechanical properties, and significantly shorter preparation times.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Anne ◽  
Lawrence M. Borland ◽  
Laura Haibeck ◽  
Joseph E. Dohar

Objective. To determine best sedation protocol for videolaryngostroboscopy in children unable to tolerate non-sedated evaluation.Materials and Methods.Consecutive case series of 10 children with voice disturbances, unable to tolerate nonsedated videolaryngostroboscopy at an academic tertiary care children’s hospital. Flexible fiberoptic videolaryngostroboscopy was performed and interpreted by pediatric otolaryngologist and speech and language pathologist. Sedation was administered with newly described protocol that allowed functional portion of evaluation.Main Outcome Measures: ability to follow commands and tolerate flexible fiberoptic videolaryngostroboscopy.Secondary Outcome Measures: total phonation time, complications, need for subsequent videolaryngostroboscopic attempts, clinical outcomes, and follow-up.Results. 10 children underwent procedure under conscious sedation. 9/10 children were able to perform simple tasks and maintain adequate phonation time to complete stroboscopic exam. 1/10 patients failed to complete exam because of crying during entire exam. Mean exam time was 2 minutes 52 seconds (SD 86 seconds), phonation time is 1 minute 44 seconds (SD 60 seconds), and number of tasks completed was 10.5 (SD 8.6).Conclusions. Conscious sedation for videolaryngostroboscopy can be safely and effectively performed in children unable to comply with nonsedated examination. Such studies provide valuable diagnostic information to make a diagnosis and to devise a treatment plan.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 230949901881223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Nahas ◽  
Akash Patel ◽  
Nicola Blucher ◽  
Vikas Vedi

Background: Longer term outcome data are now becoming available for short-tapered femoral stems for cementless total hip arthroplasty. The shorter stem has a metaphyseal fit, loading the bone in this area, leading to physiological bone remodelling. It is also bone preserving, as it is 35 mm shorter. It may be easier to insert through a smaller incision and potentially reduce complication rates. We present a retrospective single surgeon case series of 196 patients (>53% follow-up over 5 years). All patients had the cementless ‘Microplasty Taperloc’ (Biomet). Primary outcome measures were femoral component revision rates. Secondary outcome measures included complications, patient-reported functional outcome scores (Oxford hip) and radiographic evidence of loosening. Methods: Patients were identified using electronic software. All were routinely followed up and assessed in clinic since implant introduction in 2009. Oxford hip scores were routinely obtained. A surgeon who had not carried out the procedure independently assessed radiographs. Results: One hundred ninety-six patients were identified. The revision rate was 0.5% due to an intraoperative peri-prosthetic fracture of the femur identified on post-operative radiograph. The complication rate was 2%, attributable to: subsidence of the prosthesis (one hip), post-operative dislocation (two hips), one of which required acetabular revision. Oxford hip scores increased on average from 21 to 45 (pre- to post-operatively). There were no signs of radiographic loosening. Conclusion: The results show that using the short-tapered stem is proving so far to be a reliable and safe alternative to its longer counterpart, with low complication rates in the short term.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2099-2112 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Gratz ◽  
M. T. Tull ◽  
R. Levy

BackgroundDespite the clinical importance of deliberate self-harm (DSH; also referred to as non-suicidal self-injury) within borderline personality disorder (BPD), empirically supported treatments for this behavior among individuals with BPD are difficult to implement in many clinical settings. To address this limitation, a 14-week, adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy (ERGT) for DSH among women with BPD was developed. The current study examined the efficacy of this ERGT in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and the durability of treatment gains over a 9-month uncontrolled follow-up period.MethodFemale out-patients with BPD and recent recurrent DSH were randomly assigned to receive this ERGT in addition to their ongoing out-patient therapy immediately (n = 31) or after 14 weeks (n = 30). Measures of DSH and other self-destructive behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, adaptive functioning and the proposed mechanisms of change (emotion dysregulation/avoidance) were administered pre- and post-treatment or -waitlist (to assess treatment efficacy), and 3 and 9 months post-treatment (to assess durability of treatment gains).ResultsIntent-to-treat (ITT) analyses (n = 61) revealed significant effects of this ERGT on DSH and other self-destructive behaviors, emotion dysregulation, BPD symptoms, depression and stress symptoms, and quality of life. Analyses of all participants who began ERGT (across treatment and waitlist conditions; n = 51) revealed significant improvements from pre- to post-treatment on all outcomes, additional significant improvements from post-treatment to 9-month follow-up for DSH, emotion dysregulation/avoidance, BPD symptoms and quality of life, and no significant changes from post-treatment to 9-month follow-up on the other measures.ConclusionsThe results support the efficacy of this ERGT and the durability of treatment gains.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Scharpf ◽  
Anette Kirika ◽  
Faustine Bwire Masath ◽  
Getrude Mkinga ◽  
Joseph Ssenyonga ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Violence has severe and long-lasting negative consequences for children’s and adolescents’ well-being and psychosocial functioning, thereby also hampering communities’ and societies’ economic growth. Positive attitudes towards violence and the lack of access to alternative non-violent strategies are likely to contribute to the high levels of teachers’ ongoing use of violence against children in sub-Saharan African countries. Notwithstanding, there are currently very few school-level interventions to reduce violence by teachers that a) have been scientifically evaluated and b) that focus both on changing attitudes towards violence and on equipping teachers with non-violent discipline strategies. Thus, the present study tests the effectiveness of the preventative intervention Interaction Competencies with Children – for Teachers (ICC-T) in primary and secondary schools in Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana. Methods The study is a multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial with schools (clusters) as level of randomization and three data assessment points: baseline assessment prior to the intervention, the first follow-up assessment 6 months after the intervention and the second follow-up assessment 18 months after the intervention. Multi-stage random sampling will be applied to select a total number of 72 schools (24 per country). Schools will be randomly allocated to the intervention and the control condition after baseline. At each school, 40 students (stratified by gender) in the third year of primary school or in the first year of secondary/junior high school and all teachers (expected average number: 20) will be recruited. Thus, the final sample will comprise 2880 students and at least 1440 teachers. Data will be collected using structured clinical interviews. Primary outcome measures are student- and teacher-reported physical and emotional violence by teachers in the past week. Secondary outcome measures include children’s emotional and behavioral problems, quality of life, cognitive functioning, academic performance, school attendance and social competence. Data will be analyzed using multilevel analyses. Discussion This study aims to provide further evidence for the effectiveness of ICC-T to reduce teacher violence and to improve children’s functioning (i.e., mental health, well-being, academic performance) across educational settings, societies and cultures. Trial registration The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.org under the ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04948580 on July 2, 2021.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-185
Author(s):  
Aaron D. Drovandi ◽  
Peta-Ann Teague ◽  
Beverley D. Glass ◽  
Bunmi Malau-Aduli

Background: Varenicline remains the most effective medication for smoking cessation; however, discontinuation as a result of adverse events negatively impacts medication adherence, and the likelihood of a quit attempt being successful. Post-treatment cravings and withdrawal symptoms may also occur, increasing the likelihood of treatment failure, due to lapse and relapse after achieving initial abstinence. This protocol details a trial investigating changes in the effectiveness and tolerability of varenicline, when an extended step-up and step-down regimen are used.Methods: A phase four, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled single-centre study with a treatment period of 16 weeks, and follow-up period of 12 weeks will be conducted. Up to 201 participants will be enrolled and allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to a placebo-matching control group, step-up, or step-down intervention group, all receiving behavioural counselling and quitting advice. Participants will be contacted weekly during treatment and fortnightly during follow-up. Eligible participants are smokers over 18 years old, willing to quit smoking, are able to attend clinic visits, and have no uncontrolled or serious medical issues. Primary outcome measures are comparisons of biochemically confirmed continuous abstinence rates, 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates, and the frequency, severity and duration of adverse events, cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Secondary outcome measures are participant adherence to the study medication throughout treatment, and comparisons of changes in smoking satisfaction and reward. Effects of each regimen on smoking cessation will be assessed by logistic regression, with survival analyses used for a more precise estimate of when cessation occurs. Primary endpoints will then be compared using a general linear model. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12616000802404p


Author(s):  
Alexander Hoorntje ◽  
P. Paul F. M. Kuijer ◽  
Koen L. M. Koenraadt ◽  
Suzanne Waterval-Witjes ◽  
Gino M. M. J. Kerkhoffs ◽  
...  

AbstractKnee joint distraction (KJD) is a novel technique for relatively young knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. With KJD, an external distraction device creates temporary total absence of contact between cartilage surfaces, which results in pain relief and possibly limits the progression of knee OA. Recently, KJD showed similar clinical outcomes compared with high tibial osteotomy (HTO). Yet, no comparative data exist regarding return to sport (RTS) and return to work (RTW) after KJD. Therefore, our aim was to compare RTS and RTW between KJD and HTO. We performed a cross-sectional follow-up study in patients <65 years who previously participated in a randomized controlled trial comparing KJD and HTO. Out of 62 eligible patients, 55 patients responded and 51 completed the questionnaire (16 KJDs and 35 HTOs) at 5-year follow-up. The primary outcome measures were the percentages of RTS and RTW. Secondary outcome measures included time to RTS/RTW, and pre- and postoperative Tegner's (higher is more active), and Work Osteoarthritis or Joint-Replacement Questionnaire (WORQ) scores (higher is better work ability). Patients' baseline characteristics did not differ. Total 1 year after KJD, 79% returned to sport versus 80% after HTO (not significant [n.s.]). RTS <6 months was 73 and 75%, respectively (n.s.). RTW 1 year after KJD was 94 versus 97% after HTO (n.s.), and 91 versus 87% <6 months (n.s.). The median Tegner's score decreased from 5.0 to 3.5 after KJD, and from 5.0 to 3.0 after HTO (n.s.). The mean WORQ score improvement was higher after HTO (16 ± 16) than after KJD (6 ± 13; p = 0.04). Thus, no differences were found for sport and work participation between KJD and HTO in our small, though first ever, cohort. Overall, these findings may support further investigation into KJD as a possible joint-preserving option for challenging “young” knee OA patients. The level of evidence is III.


2021 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2021-104028
Author(s):  
Juha Kukkonen ◽  
Sami Elamo ◽  
Tapio Flinkkilä ◽  
Juha Paloneva ◽  
Miia Mäntysaari ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo compare the success rates of arthroscopic Bankart and open Latarjet procedure in the treatment of traumatic shoulder instability in young males.DesignMulticentre randomised controlled trial.SettingOrthopaedic departments in eight public hospitals in Finland.Participants122 young males, mean age 21 years (range 16–25 years) with traumatic shoulder anteroinferior instability were randomised.InterventionsArthroscopic Bankart (group B) or open Latarjet (group L) procedure.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was the reported recurrence of instability, that is, dislocation at 2-year follow-up. The secondary outcome measures included clinical apprehension, sports activity level, the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index, the pain Visual Analogue Scale, the Oxford Shoulder Instability Score, the Constant Score and the Subjective Shoulder Value scores and the progression of osteoarthritic changes in plain films and MRI.Results91 patients were available for analyses at 2-year follow-up (drop-out rate 25%). There were 10 (21%) patients with redislocations in group B and 1 (2%) in group L, p=0.006. One (9%) patient in group B and five (56%) patients in group L returned to their previous top level of competitive sports (p=0.004) at follow-up. There was no statistically significant between group differences in any of the other secondary outcome measures.ConclusionsArthroscopic Bankart operation carries a significant risk for short-term postoperative redislocations compared with open Latarjet operation, in the treatment of traumatic anteroinferior instability in young males. Patients should be counselled accordingly before deciding the surgical treatment.Trial registration numberNCT01998048.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A Clementi ◽  
Candice A Alfano

Sleep-related complaints hold complex reciprocal relationships with anxiety and are a pervasive, distressing feature of childhood generalized anxiety disorders (GAD). Although evidence suggests purely anxiety-focused treatments reduce some sleep problems of anxious children, interventions that directly target both anxiety and sleep might produce superior outcomes in both domains. Targeted Behavioral Therapy (TBT), developed for co-morbid sleep and anxiety problems, demonstrated initial efficacy in a small case series but has not been directly compared to anxiety-focused treatment. The current pilot study used a randomized controlled design to compare TBT to “gold standard” cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety among n = 20 children (ages 6–12) with primary GAD. Multi-informant measures of anxiety and sleep (including actigraphy) were obtained at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. Results indicated significant improvements (based on moderate to large effect sizes) in anxiety and subjective sleep in both treatment groups at post-treatment. Improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Objective sleep onset latency also decreased marginally for both groups at post-treatment (based on small effect size). Findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and potential utility of anxiety-focused interventions for improving some sleep-related problems among anxious youth. Future studies including large samples are needed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Antonio Cano-Vindel ◽  
Roger Muñoz-Navarro ◽  
Juan A. Moriana ◽  
Paloma Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽  
Leonardo Adrián Medrano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Emotional disorders are highly prevalent in primary care. We aimed to determine whether a transdiagnostic psychological therapy plus treatment-as-usual (TAU) is more efficacious than TAU alone in primary care adult patients. Methods A randomized, two-arm, single-blind clinical trial was conducted in 22 primary care centres in Spain. A total of 1061 adult patients with emotional disorders were enrolled. The transdiagnostic protocol (n = 527) consisted of seven 90-min sessions (8–10 patients) delivered over a 12–14-week period. TAU (n = 534) consisted of regular consultations with a general practitioner. Primary outcome measures were self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatizations. Secondary outcome measures were functioning and quality of life. Patients were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed. Results Post-treatment primary outcomes were significantly better in the transdiagnostic group compared to TAU (anxiety: p < 0.001; Morris's d = −0.65; depression: p < 0.001; d = −0.58, and somatic symptoms: p < 0.001; d = −0.40). These effects were sustained at the 12-month follow-up (anxiety: p < 0.001; d = −0.44; depression: p < 0.001; d = −0.36 and somatic symptoms: p < 0.001; d = −0.32). The transdiagnostic group also had significantly better outcomes on functioning (d = 0.16–0.33) and quality of life domains (d = 0.24–0.42), with sustained improvement at the 12-month follow-up in functioning (d = 0.25–0.39) and quality of life (d = 0.58–0.72). Reliable recovery rates showed large between-group effect sizes (d > 0.80) in favour of the transdiagnostic group after treatment and at the 12-month follow-up. Conclusions Adding a brief transdiagnostic psychological intervention to TAU may significantly improve outcomes in emotional disorders treated in primary care. Trial Registration isrctn.org identifier: ISRCTN58437086


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