Using Documentary Short Film for Health Impact: An Example for Supporting Family Caregivers

Storytelling through film is a powerful tool with potential to improve understanding, spark discussion, shape perceptions of health and illness, and influence related behavior. We developed a film discussion guide for the documentary short film Caregiver: A Love Story. The 24-minute film follows the experience of a man who leaves his job to become the primary caregiver of his 59 year-old wife, who opts out of non-beneficial chemotherapy, choosing instead to remain at home with hospice support. The 2-hour program was facilitated by an experienced social worker and offered on five different days/times using Zoom video (n=60 total attendees; 9-15/ session). At each session, we showed the film, discussed self-care and caregiver resources, and fielded a survey to assess satisfaction, format acceptability and session impact (response rates 67-100%/session). Attendees liked the session format (90%); found the film relevant to their situations (80%); intended to look for new professional resources (79%); were motivated to do something different(71%); learned something new (64%); and intended to ask for more help from family or friends (64%). Many commented that they preferred the video meeting format over in-person meetings. The film viewing and discussion format is acceptable and accessible to family caregivers who may otherwise not be able to attend given competing demands. This format also has potential to improve support access to resources. Extensions to this work are planned to tailor the film discussion guide for health care providers and students working with family caregivers across inpatient, outpatient and hospice settings.

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A MUTUAL EXCHANGE SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENT DISORDERS

"There is an urgent need to support families of children with developmental disorders, especially when it is necessary for such families to help each other. However, practice and research related to support systems for families have begun only recently in Japan. Considering these issues, the authors developed a program to support mutual exchanges among parents of children with developmental disorders. This study aimed to verify the program’s effectiveness and to examine the relationship between participants’ program experience and its effectiveness. Participants included 21 male and female parents of children with developmental disorders. The parents were in their 30s to 50s (4 in their 30s, 14 in their 40s, and 3 in their 50s) (1 male, 20 females). Effectiveness indicators included the Profile of Mood States 2nd Edition-Adult Short (POMS2-A Short) (before and after implementation), Session Impact Scale (SIS), and Mutual Exchange Support Experience Rating Scale. t-tests were conducted on the pre- and post-program results of the POMS2-A short. Results showed that scores on Anger-Hostility (t=4.77, df=20, p<.01, d=1.04), Confusion-Bewilderment (t=4.31, df=20, p<.01, d=.94), Depression-Dejection (t=2.88, df=20, p<.01, d=.63), Fatigue-Inertia (t=3.63, df=20, p<.01, d=.79), and Tension-Anxiety (t=3.61, df=20, p<.01, d=.79) in the POMS2-A Short decreased significantly after the implementation of the program. These results evidence the effectiveness of the program in improving several mood states, especially anger-hostility, tension-anxiety, depression-depression, and fatigue."

You really are too kind: implications regarding friendly submissiveness in trainee therapists

To facilitate patient growth, therapists must immerse themselves in the patient’s world while also being able to see what is needed for change. This process requires finding a delicate balance between supporting and pushing patients. Therapists in training are additionally tasked with incorporating supervisors’ suggestions with their own views on what is needed to help their patients. Beginning therapists with tendencies to be overly accommodating may struggle to reconcile these competing demands. Thus, the aim of the present work is to explore how trainee friendly submissiveness (FS) interfaces with psychotherapy. Prior to training, clinical graduate trainee (n = 35) FS was assessed using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-32. Process and outcome data were then collected from each therapist’s first training case. Specifically, each trainee was assigned an undergraduate student volunteer with whom they had four non-manualized therapy sessions over the academic semester. After the third session, patients and trainees completed questionnaires assessing session impact and the working alliance, and two expert raters coded third session videotapes for techniques. Following termination, patients rated the overall helpfulness of the therapy. Trainee FS was significantly negatively associated with patient-rated depth, alliance, and overall helpfulness with moderate effects. Findings from a mediation analysis further suggested that trainees with higher FS struggled to focus the therapy in a way that felt productive to patients. Implications for clinical training are discussed.

Perceptions of two therapeutic approaches for palliative care patients experiencing death anxiety

Objective:Evidenced-based psychotherapies are not well researched for palliative care patients experiencing unrelenting anxiety about dying, even less research is focused on young adult palliative care patients with death anxiety. The aim of this study is to provide preliminary data regarding potential clients' perceptions of using evidenced based treatments with dying populations who are experiencing death anxiety.Methods:104 college students were used as potential clients and randomly assigned to watch either a short video of a cognitive therapy (CT) session or of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) session focused on treating a young adult diagnosed with an acute lymphoid leukemia expressing death anxiety. After watching the video, potential clients rated the session impact of the therapy approach using the Session Evaluation Questionnaire.Results:No differences in ratings of session impact were found between potential clients who viewed the CT session and the ACT session. In regards to potential clients' views of session impact variables, their view of session smoothness was positively related to their post-session positivity, but inversely related to their view of session depth. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between potential clients' views of the therapist and session depth.Significance of results:This preliminary study suggests that palliative care patients expressing death anxiety may benefit from either ACT or CT for death anxiety, however, future research is needed to explore the usefulness of each approach. Findings of this study support the theory that ACT and CT are viewed to have a similar session impact in the palliative care population.

DOES PRE-OPENING SESSION IMPACT MARKET VOLATILITY AND LIQUIDITY?

On February 4, 2004, the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) was implemented the changed its trading rules from continuous open to opening call, called pre-opening session. The purpose of this trading rules changed is to improve market liquidity. Previous study found that the opening call would reduce the volatility and spread at the opening call than the continuous open. These studies analyze market volatility and liquidity (trade base and order base) using intra-day data from the Indonesian Stock Exchange, where this market uses pre-opening session as the opening call. More than 100,000 transactions were used in this study with one- month period. The results of this study are contradicts to the previous studies. Using the opening call does not reduced market volatility, especially at the opening trade. The opening trade is more volatile then closing trade. Using the opening call do not impair on liquidity, especially for high volume stocks, based on trade or based on order. This phenomenon was contradicts to the conventional wisdom which suggests that thinly traded stocks is better in call trading method while the continuous auction method is preferred for heavily traded stocks.