Flexible assertive community treatment for individuals with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning: client variables associated with treatment outcome

Purpose Recent research on flexible assertive community treatment (FACT) for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) has shown positive results. This paper aims to identify which client variables are associated with treatment outcome of FACT. Design/methodology/approach Analyses were performed on assessments made during a six-year longitudinal study in The Netherlands. Data comprised assessments of 281 clients with at least 2 measurements. Treatment outcome was measured by the learning disability version of the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales. Demographic variables and dynamic risk variables of the short version of the Dynamic Risk Outcome Scales were selected as potential predictor variables of outcome. Data were analysed using linear mixed models. Findings Limited awareness of the need for treatment, limited treatment motivation and cooperation, limited social skills, impulsivity and substance abuse were significantly associated with worse treatment outcome. None of the demographic variables influenced treatment outcome significantly, and neither did intelligence quotient or having a judicial or civil measure. Research limitations/implications Because of the observational design, no causal inferences can be drawn. Practical implications This study produces guidelines regarding nature and scope of the treatment supply and the competences of professionals working in FACT MID/BIF teams. Originality/value This paper encourages other countries to make assertive outreach available for people with MID/BIF on a larger scale, taking into account the acquired insights.

STUDY OF CLIENT VARIABLES INFLUENCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF RETAIL COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES

There are four groups of indicators influenced on the performance of retail commercial enterprise. They are characteristics of the store (retail space), store location, transport and pedestrian accessibility of the store and the attitude of buyers to the shop (customer metrics). The present paper is dealt with the influence of the fourth group- «customer metrics ". The authors of this article consider such factors of this group as: the work of salespeople and other staff; the internal atmosphere of commercial enterprise; the security area of the enterprise location; brand awareness; additional services. The article describes the application of the proposed approach to the assessment and change forecast of turnover depending on the studied factors using the method of fuzzy logic by the example of the results of such shops as "Ocean" and "Pervomayskiy", retail outlets "Gastronom" format "supermarket", Izhevsk. The authors define term-sets and membership functions for each client criterion. The rule base is also developed. The presence of aggregate functions is implemented by Mamdani logical inference, which uses the min-max composition of fuzzy sets. The adequacy of the proposed mathematical model is performed on the example of results forecasting of investigated stores activities "retail network " Gastronom " format "supermarket" (Izhevsk, Russia) using the software Matlab, and then comparing the calculated value of the average purchase with actual. Monitored client performance on the basis of a network "Gastronom" has also allowed the authors to develop recommendations for shops as described in this article.

Client's immersed and distanced speech and therapist's interventions in emotion-focused therapy for depression: an intensive analysis of a case study

Previous laboratory studies have explored the importance of participants adopting an immersed or distanced perspective in the analysis of their experiences. These studies concluded that distancing allows analyzing emotions in a healthier way and immersion leads to higher vulnerability. However, in psychotherapy, the relationship between these perspectives and clinical change has been less investigated. The present study aims to contribute to understanding how these variables evolve during psychotherapy and also to explore the therapist’s contributions to this process. This study analyzes a good-outcome case of emotion-focused therapy for depression through two observational measures of psychotherapy process: the measure of immersed and distanced speech – which identifies client’s adoption of an immersed or distanced stance when talking about their problems – and the helping skills system – which identifies therapist’s interventions focused on exploration, insight or action. Results showed a decrease of immersed speech and an increase of distanced speech along the process, with a higher frequency of exploration skills preceding both types of client’s speech. Finally, the evolution of therapist’s and client’s speech showed a reasonable flexibility of therapeutic dialogue throughout the sessions, in particular due to the evolution of client variables (evidencing a higher diversity of behaviors).

EEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics during Meditation: Progress and Challenges

Meditation advances positivity but how these behavioral and psychological changes are brought can be explained by understanding neurophysiological effects of meditation. In this paper, a broad spectrum of neural mechanics under a variety of meditation styles has been reviewed. The overall aim of this study is to review existing scientific studies and future challenges on meditation effects based on changing EEG brainwave patterns. Albeit the existing researches evidenced the hold for efficacy of meditation in relieving anxiety and depression and producing psychological well-being, more rigorous studies are required with better design, considering client variables like personality characteristics to avoid negative effects, randomized controlled trials, and large sample sizes. A bigger number of clinical trials that concentrate on the use of meditation are required. Also, the controversial subject of epileptiform EEG changes and other adverse effects during meditation has been raised.