Impact of cognitive behavioural play therapy on social anxiety among school children with stuttering deficit: A cluster randomised trial with three months follow-up

Intervention for work-family conflict and work deviance behavior among female workers in Tourism, Museum, Art Gallery Exhibition Centers: Implications for sustainable Tourism development intervention study

BACKGROUND

This study was motivated due to psychological exhaustion, demands, and conflict degenerating from the work environment and family responsibilities facing career female workers. These roles and expectations have posed serious dilemmas to female populations in workplaces. Leaving them untreated is risky and could lead to severe psychological disturbances. Based on these, this study investigated the effect of the occupation health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy on work-family conflict and work-deviant behavior among female workers in Tourism, Museum, Art Gallery and Exhibition Centers in Enugu State.

METHODS

A randomized control design was used. A total of 119 female workers were randomized into intervention and control groups, measured at 3 points (pretest, posttest, and follow-up test), and the data collected were analyzed using repeated measure statistics.

RESULTS

The finding showed that the intervention is significantly effective in reducing the work-family conflict and work deviance behavior among female workers in Tourism, Museum, and Art Gallery Exhibition Centers. Nonetheless, the findings show that the gender and time interaction effects did not significantly affect the work-family conflict and work deviance behavior scores of the workers. The follow-up stage improved the intervention's favorable impact on the reduction of work-family conflict and work-deviant behaviors.

CONCLUSION

This suggest that occupation health model of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy has significant impact in reducing and changing female workers' perceptions of work-family conflict and work deviant behaviors.

Psychological interventions for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties aged 5-12 years: An evidence review

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), children and families face a multitude of risk factors for mental health and well-being. These risks are even further exacerbated in humanitarian emergencies. However, access to effective mental health services in such settings is severely limited, leading to a large mental health treatment gap. Middle childhood (5-12 years) is a crucial period for human development during which symptoms of emotional distress often emerge, with one in three mental disorders developing prior to age 14. However, there is little evidence of effective psychological interventions for children in this developmental stage, and suitable for implementation within LMICs and humanitarian emergencies. We conducted this evidence review to inform the development of a new intervention package based on existing best practice for this age group, drawing insights from both global and LMIC resources. Our review synthesizes the findings of 52 intervention studies from LMICs and humanitarian settings; 53 existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering both LMICs and high-income countries, and 15 technical guidelines. Overall, there is limited high-quality evidence from which to draw recommendations for this age group; however, some promising intervention approaches were identified for children experiencing externalizing and internalizing symptoms, traumatic stress and a combination of difficulties. Several effective interventions utilize cognitive-behavioral techniques for children, in either group or individual format, and incorporate caregiver skills training into treatment, although the findings are mixed. Most evaluated interventions use specialists as delivery agents and are lengthy, which poses challenges for scale-up in settings where financial and human resources are scarce. These findings will inform the development of new psychological interventions for children in this age group with emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Validation of the Persian Version of the Palin Parent Rating Scales

INTRODUCTION

The Palin Parent Rating Scale (Palin PRS) is a structured questionnaire filled out by parents of children who stutter. It is designed to assess the effects of stuttering on both the children and their parents. The goal of this study was to translate the Palin PRS into Persian and to evaluate its validity and reliability for application in preschool children who stutter.

METHODS

This research was conducted from August 2021 to December 2022, involving 139 parents of children who stutter. The parents completed the Palin PRS and provided their demographic data. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the floor and ceiling effects on all subscales of the Palin PRS. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha method, while the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine its test-retest reliability. An exploratory factor analysis was also performed to clarify the factor structure of the scale.

RESULTS

The exploratory factor analysis results were highly consistent with the factor structure found in the original version. No floor or ceiling effects were observed for the factors of the Palin PRS. The three factors of the Persian version of the Palin PRS (P-Palin PRS) showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.8) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC >0.9). Additionally, normative scores were derived by converting raw scores into Stanine scores.

CONCLUSION

The P-Palin PRS showed strong reliability, thereby establishing it as a suitable instrument for evaluating how parents perceive the effects of stuttering on their children and themselves. Further research may explore its application in diverse clinical settings and populations.

Research Review: Psychological and psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder in low- and middle-income countries - a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The incidence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among children and adolescents residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) poses a significant public health concern. However, there is variation in the evidence of effective psychological interventions. This meta-analysis aims to provide a complete overview of the current body of evidence in this rapidly evolving field.

METHODS

We conducted searches on PubMed, Embase.com, and EBSCO/APA PsycInfo databases up to June 23, 2022, identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of psychological interventions in LMICs that targeted children and adolescents with elevated symptoms above a cut-off score for depression, anxiety, and PTSD, comparing a psychological or psychosocial intervention with other control conditions. We conducted random effects meta-analyses for depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Sensitivity analysis for outliers and high-risk studies, and analyses for the publication bias were carried out. Subgroup analyses investigated how the intervention type, intervention format, the facilitator, study design, and age group of the participant predicted effect sizes.

RESULTS

Thirty-one RCTs (6,123 participants) were included. We found a moderate effect of interventions on depression outcomes compared to the control conditions (g = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.06-0.99; NNT = 6.09) with a broad prediction interval (PI) (-1.8 to 2.86). We found a moderate to large effect for interventions on anxiety outcomes (g = 0.88; 95% CI: -0.03 to 1.79; NNT = 3.32) with a broad PI (-3.14 to 4.9). Additionally, a moderate effect was observed on PTSD outcomes (g = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.19-0.9; NNT = 5.86) with a broad PI (-0.64 to 1.72).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological and psychosocial interventions aimed at addressing depression, anxiety, and PTSD among children and adolescents in LMICs have demonstrated promising results. However, future studies should consider the variation in evidence and incorporate long-term outcomes to better understand the effectiveness of these interventions.

Primary-level and community worker interventions for the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of well-being in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

There is a significant research gap in the field of universal, selective, and indicated prevention interventions for mental health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders. Barriers to closing the research gap include scarcity of skilled human resources, large inequities in resource distribution and utilization, and stigma.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness of delivery by primary workers of interventions for the promotion of mental health and universal prevention, and for the selective and indicated prevention of mental disorders or symptoms of mental illness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To examine the impact of intervention delivery by primary workers on resource use and costs.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Global Index Medicus, PsycInfo, WHO ICTRP, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to 29 November 2021.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of primary-level and/or community health worker interventions for promoting mental health and/or preventing mental disorders versus any control conditions in adults and children in LMICs.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Standardized mean differences (SMD) or mean differences (MD) were used for continuous outcomes, and risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data, using a random-effects model. We analyzed data at 0 to 1, 1 to 6, and 7 to 24 months post-intervention. For SMDs, 0.20 to 0.49 represented small, 0.50 to 0.79 moderate, and ≥ 0.80 large clinical effects. We evaluated the risk of bias (RoB) using Cochrane RoB2.

MAIN RESULTS

Description of studies We identified 113 studies with 32,992 participants (97 RCTs, 19,570 participants in meta-analyses) for inclusion. Nineteen RCTs were conducted in low-income countries, 27 in low-middle-income countries, 2 in middle-income countries, 58 in upper-middle-income countries and 7 in mixed settings. Eighty-three RCTs included adults and 30 RCTs included children. Cadres of primary-level workers employed primary care health workers (38 studies), community workers (71 studies), both (2 studies), and not reported (2 studies). Interventions were universal prevention/promotion in 22 studies, selective in 36, and indicated prevention in 55 RCTs. Risk of bias The most common concerns over risk of bias were performance bias, attrition bias, and reporting bias. Intervention effects 'Probably', 'may', or 'uncertain' indicates 'moderate-', 'low-', or 'very low-'certainty evidence. *Certainty of the evidence (using GRADE) was assessed at 0 to 1 month post-intervention as specified in the review protocol. In the abstract, we did not report results for outcomes for which evidence was missing or very uncertain. Adults Promotion/universal prevention, compared to usual care: - probably slightly reduced anxiety symptoms (MD -0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.27 to -0.01; 1 trial, 158 participants) - may slightly reduce distress/PTSD symptoms (SMD -0.24, 95% CI -0.41 to -0.08; 4 trials, 722 participants) Selective prevention, compared to usual care: - probably slightly reduced depressive symptoms (SMD -0.69, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.30; 4 trials, 223 participants) Indicated prevention, compared to usual care: - may reduce adverse events (1 trial, 547 participants) - probably slightly reduced functional impairment (SMD -0.12, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.15; 4 trials, 663 participants) Children Promotion/universal prevention, compared to usual care: - may improve the quality of life (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.11; 2 trials, 803 participants) - may reduce adverse events (1 trial, 694 participants) - may slightly reduce depressive symptoms (MD -3.04, 95% CI -6 to -0.08; 1 trial, 160 participants) - may slightly reduce anxiety symptoms (MD -2.27, 95% CI -3.13 to -1.41; 1 trial, 183 participants) Selective prevention, compared to usual care: - probably slightly reduced depressive symptoms (SMD 0, 95% CI -0.16 to -0.15; 2 trials, 638 participants) - may slightly reduce anxiety symptoms (MD 4.50, 95% CI -12.05 to 21.05; 1 trial, 28 participants) - probably slightly reduced distress/PTSD symptoms (MD -2.14, 95% CI -3.77 to -0.51; 1 trial, 159 participants) Indicated prevention, compared to usual care: - decreased slightly functional impairment (SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.10; 2 trials, 448 participants) - decreased slightly depressive symptoms (SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.32 to -0.04; 4 trials, 771 participants) - may slightly reduce distress/PTSD symptoms (SMD 0.24, 95% CI -1.28 to 1.76; 2 trials, 448 participants).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The evidence indicated that prevention interventions delivered through primary workers - a form of task-shifting - may improve mental health outcomes. Certainty in the evidence was influenced by the risk of bias and by substantial levels of heterogeneity. A supportive network of infrastructure and research would enhance and reinforce this delivery modality across LMICs.

Psychosocial features of stuttering for school-age children: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Contemporary clinical and empirical perspectives indicate that management of the psychosocial features of stuttering is fundamental for effective treatment. Interventions that improve psychosocial outcomes for school-age children who stutter are, therefore, needed.

AIMS

This systematic review identifies what psychosocial outcomes have been explored in existing school-age clinical research, the measures used and the potential treatment effects. This will provide guidance for developing interventions that reflect contemporary perspectives of stuttering management.

METHODS & PROCEDURES

A total of 14 databases and three conference proceedings were searched for clinical reports of psychosocial outcomes of children aged 6-12 years. The review did not include pharmacological interventions. Psychosocial measures and outcomes were analysed in each study based on data recorded pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and for any follow-up assessments.

MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS

Of the 4051 studies identified from the databases, a total of 22 studies met criteria for inclusion in the review. From these 22 studies, the review identified four prominent psychosocial domains that have been explored in school-age clinical research to date: Impact of stuttering, communication attitude, anxiety and speech satisfaction. These domains vary in measurement and effect sizes. Two behavioural treatments were associated with anxiety reduction, even though they did not contain anxiolytic procedures. No evidence of potential treatment effects emerged for communication attitudes. Quality of life-an important psychosocial domain pertinent to health economics-did not feature in school-age clinical reports.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

The psychosocial features of stuttering need to be managed during the school years. Three psychosocial domains-impact of stuttering, anxiety and speech satisfaction-show evidence of potential treatment effects. This review provides direction for future clinical research so that speech-language pathologists can effectively and holistically manage school-age children who stutter.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on the subject Elevated levels of anxiety are apparent for children and adolescents who stutter. Therefore, the need to assess and manage psychosocial features of stuttering are expertly regarded as clinical priorities. Clinical trials of such psychosocial features of stuttering for children aged 6-12 years are not well advanced and, therefore, do not reflect current best practice management of this disorder. What this study adds to existing knowledge This systematic review identifies four different psychosocial domains measured and reported in the literature for school-age stuttering management. For three psychosocial domains, some evidence of potential treatment effects emerged with participant numbers greater than 10: Impact of stuttering, anxiety and speech satisfaction. Though treatment effect sizes varied, there is a suggestion that cognitive behaviour therapy can improve anxiety of school-age children who stutter. There is also suggestion that two other behavioural treatments can improve anxiety of school-age children who stutter. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Given the essential need for school-age children who stutter to receive management of any speech-related anxiety they may experience, it would be productive to discover in future clinical research what interventions could contribute to that goal-behavioural or psychosocial, or both. This review reveals that cognitive behaviour therapy, and other behavioural treatments, are associated with anxiety reductions. Such approaches should be considered for future clinical trial research to help advance the evidence base for managing school-age stuttering.

Raising the self-esteem and reducing irrational beliefs of schoolchildren: The moderating and main effect study

BACKGROUND

Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses studies have called for moderators of treatment outcomes and their main effect with regard to disadvantaged populations. In view of that, this study investigated the impacts and moderators of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on the self-esteem and irrational beliefs of Schoolchildren in Ebonyi State Nigeria.

METHODS

A group randomized controlled design was utilized to assign 55 schoolchildren to the treatment group and 55 schoolchildren to waitlisted control group. Two self-report measures (Self-Esteem Scale and Children Adolescent Scale of Irrationality) were used to assess the participants. There were pretest, posttest, and follow-up tests given at different intervals to ascertain the baseline, main effect, and long-term effects of the treatment. The data collected were analyzed using a 2-way analysis of covariance statistic.

RESULTS

The results of the 2-way analysis of covariance demonstrated a difference between participants in the waitlisted control group at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test and a positive improvement in schoolchildren with illogical beliefs as a result of exposure to REBT intervention. It was discovered that the REBT intervention changed schoolchildren's self-esteem and irrational views into rational ones. A later test result supported the intervention's consistent and significant effects in lowering illogical beliefs and raising students' self-esteem. The results also showed that there is no connection between gender and group membership.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that REBT is a significant treatment strategy that reduces irrational beliefs and improves the self-esteem of primary school children. Based on these outcomes, further studies should replicate the study in other cultures with such a disadvantaged group.

Coping strategy for work-family conflict and burnout in construction industrial adult workers: A philosophical highlight

BACKGROUND

The work environment in Nigeria is demanding and could lead to psychological disturbances. Evidentially, construction workers have confirmed the horrible job stress and work-family conflict they experience in the workplace. This has led to work-related burnout. As a matter of importance, this study was conducted.

METHODS

A pure experimental design was used, which helped to randomly assigned recruited 98 construction industry adult workers to 2 arms (treatment and waitlisted control groups). Two dependent measures were distributed before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after completion of intervention with 12 sessions that were given to the treatment group.

RESULTS

This study found that cognitive behavior therapy is beneficial in the management of work-family conflict and work burnout among construction industry workers. Therefore, there is a need for advancement and adequate implementation of cognitive behavior therapy in industries for psychological functioning of workers.

Family health therapy for treating anxiety symptoms in flood victims

BACKGROUND

Flood cases in so many parts of Nigeria, especially in Anambra state and the accruing psychological and health related problems, affecting members of families and society necessitated this study. In view to assist and help affected individuals who specialized in farming therapeutically, this study investigated the effect of rational emotive family health therapy (REFHT) on flood-induced anxiety disorders among farmers in Anambra state Nigeria. This study was guided with 3 null hypotheses.

METHODS

This is a group randomized control study, conducted in Anambra state Nigeria. The sample size was 120 registered cassava farmers in Anambra State Nigeria. A measure of anxiety disorders was used to assess the baseline data of the condition before the treatment, immediately after treatment, and after 3 weeks. The treatment was a self-developed REFHT manual that lasted for 12 sessions, 60 minutes per session with aim of reducing anxiety disorders among farmers who are victims of flood. The manual was delivered by counseling psychologists with orientation in rational emotive behavior and family therapies. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, chi-square, and percentage) and inferential (Partial Eta Squared, and Analysis of Covariance) statistical tools.

RESULTS

The result revealed no significant gender difference was observed among the study participants' socioeconomic, working status, and loan status. REFHT was significantly effective in reducing flood-induced anxiety disorders among farmers. There was no significant moderating effect of gender on flood-induced anxiety disorders among farmers. There was no significant interaction effect of gender and REFHT treatment on anxiety disorders among farmers.

CONCLUSION

REFHT was significantly effective in reducing flood-induced anxiety disorders among farmers. Based on the findings, this study recommended among others that rational-emotive therapists and family health professionals should liaise with community leaders to provide career counseling services to farmers and establishment of community-based rational emotive institute for each state in Nigeria.

Coaching impact on work-family conflict and occupational stress among educational administrators in primary schools

BACKGROUND

Many workers in developing countries have complained about poor working conditions, unhappiness, and job insecurity. As a result, irrationality in employees judgments of the dissatisfactory status of Nigerian organizational environments has been linked to deviant public employee behavior. Apparently, workers in this work environment experience job-induced hazards and distorted feelings about their occupational well-being. With that in mind, we evaluated the impact of rational-emotive occupational health coaching on work-life quality and occupational stress management among educational administrators in Nigeria.

METHODS

This research employed a group-randomized trial design. A total number of 70 administrators were recruited, measured with 2 measurement tools during the study. Frequency, percentage, and Chi-square statistics were employed to describe the recruited sample, and inferential (mixed model ANOVA) statistics were utilized to examine the information gathered from the participants.

RESULTS

The result showed a significant effect of the rational-emotive occupational health coaching (REOHC) group in decreasing the perception of stress and work-family conflict management among educational administrators. Also, the study reported a significant effect of time on administrators' occupational stress and work-family conflict management. The results also indicate that administrators' occupational stress and work-family conflict coping skills had a significant influence due to group and time interaction effects.

CONCLUSION

REOHC is a powerful and useful coaching strategy that improves perceptions of administrators about work-life and job stress in work environment. Based on these results, we recommend REOHC for practitioners in different works of life.

Examining the impact of randomized control intervention on depressive symptoms in schoolchildren with atypical behaviors

BACKGROUND

The need to investigate depression among disadvantaged groups motivated this study. This study investigated the impacts of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on depressive symptoms in schoolchildren with atypical behaviors in Enugu State Nigeria.

METHOD

A group randomized controlled design was used to assign 37 schoolchildren to the intervention group and 37 schoolchildren to the waitlisted control group. These people were evaluated at three times (pretest, post-test, and later test) using a dependent measure. The outcome demonstrated that there was no discernible difference between the participants in the treatment group and those in the waitlisted control group at the time of the pretest. The post-treatment test results revealed a considerable improvement among participants as a result of REBT therapy.

RESULTS

The later test result revealed that the treatment's significant improvement was maintained in favor of the REBT group. The outcome of REBT treatment was not moderated due to location. The data showed a significant interaction impact on participants' depression levels in relation to the interaction between groups and gender during therapy.

CONCLUSION

Following the outcomes, we concluded that REBT is a long-term efficacious intervention for treating depressive symptoms in schoolchildren with atypical behaviors in Enugu State Nigeria regardless of location and gender.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Treating Videogame Dependence in School-aged Children

This study examined the effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy on schoolchildren with videogame dependency in a sample of Nigerian schoolchildren. This study was conducted in Enugu metropolis Enugu State Nigeria. A randomized-controlled pretest and posttest design was adopted. Out of 86 schoolchildren that participated in the study, 43 children were exposed to the intervention while 43 did not receive treatment as usual (TAU). The treatment lasted for eight weeks with one session per week. During the study, the participants were assessed at three time points using videogame addiction scale for children. The data collected were statistically analyzed using the multivariate statistical tool. The multivariate statistical result showed that cognitive-behaviour therapy in reducing videogame dependency among schoolchildren. The practice implications, limitations, and conclusions were also drawn in line with the outcome of this study. This study is one among the few studies in Nigeria that have investigated videogame dependency. Another strength is that study tested the participants at three time points to ascertain the impacts of the intervention.

Play therapy efficacy in ADHD-symptom reduction as measured by the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA)

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of play therapy combined with the standard psychotropic medication treatment, compared to only standard psychotropic medication treatment in ADHD children as measured by the test of variables of attention (TOVA).Methods: This is a case-control study conducted at Soerojo Hospital, Magelang, Indonesia. Children (N = 66) were purposively recruited. The children were divided into two groups based on the intervention received: the experimental group (play therapy and standard psychotropic medication) and control group (standard psychotropic medication only). Methylphenidate was used as the standard psychotropic therapy. The TOVA was performed before and after intervention. The pre-intervention and post-intervention mean difference (MD) in the Attention Comparison Score (ACS) and Comparison to the Normative Sample (CNS) for each group was compared and statistically analysed using t-tests and Wilcoxon tests.Results: There was a significant difference between the ACS score of the experimental group's MD and the control group's MD (p < 0.05). For most TOVA parameters on CNS scores, the experimental group had a significantly higher MD than the control group.Conclusion: Play therapy coupled with psychotropic medication reduced ADHD symptoms, including inattention and impulsivity, as objectively measured by the TOVA.

Rational emotive intervention for work-family conflict and female primary school teachers' well-being

Globally, work and family conflict has been investigated by many researchers. Yet there is an increased prevalence of work-family conflict and its influence on the well-being of the female teaching population, especially Nigerian primary school teachers. This incidence has kept a good proportion of schoolteachers vulnerable to health problems as well as affected their wellbeing. This study evaluates the effect of rational emotive behaviour therapy on improving the well-being of female teachers with irrational behaviours arising from the work-family conflict. This is a randomized study. A total of 69 female primary school teachers in Enugu state Nigeria who met the criteria for inclusion were used as the study participants. Three self-report measures (Work-Family Conflict questionnaire, Multidimensional Health States Scale-Short Form, and Teacher Irrational Belief Scale) were used to collect data. Repeated measures with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the effects of the intervention. The findings of the study revealed that REBT had a significant effect on the well-being scores of Nigerian female primary school teachers with work-family conflict when compared to their counterparts in the no-intervention group at Time 2. In addition, the effect of REBT on improving well-being in female teachers with work-family conflict was significantly maintained at the follow-up measurements (Time 3). In conclusion, it is suggested that REBT is an effective intervention for moderating the effect of work-family conflict on the well-being of career female teachers. As such, cognitive behavioural therapists can further examine the effectiveness of REBT using other constructs and cultures.

Intervention for Treating Depression in Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability of Down's Syndrome: A Sample of Nigerian Parents

A good number of parents of children with Down syndrome are prone to depressive disorders. The depressive feelings are attributed to negative perceptions of the situation, self, and the future. Given this, we explored the impact of the family health model of rational-emotive behavior therapy on depressive symptoms in parents of children with intellectual disability of Down syndrome in the COVID-19 pandemic era. This is a randomized pretest-posttest control group design that recruited 88 parents of children with intellectual disability of Down syndrome. We measured the depressive symptoms in parents at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 using the Beck depressive inventory and Hamilton depression rating scale. We adopted a family health model rational emotive behaviour therapy intervention in treating the depressive symptoms affecting the parents. The analysis of covariate results showed that at initial assessment there was no significant difference between the treatment group and comparison group at baseline evaluation of depressive symptoms in participants. At the posttest, it had a significant effect on the intervention on participants' depressive symptoms. Likewise, a follow-up result still shows that intervention had a significant effect on participants' depressive symptoms of participants. In conclusion, this study suggests that treatment variable accounted for the effect in decreasing depressive symptoms scores of participants.

Testing the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy for pathological internet use among undergraduates in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (GCBT) on pathological internet use (PIU).

METHOD

The study applied a group randomized controlled trial design to assign participants to intervention and control groups. A total of 40 college students aged 18 to 30 who were pathological internet users (PIUs) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Participants completed a self-report scale entitled the Problematic Internet Use Scale (PIUS) at three time points. The intervention lasted 8 weeks. The data collected were statistically analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

The results showed that GCBT has significant efficacy, decreasing the symptoms of PIU among the GCBT participants compared to those in the control group and that the improvements were maintained at follow-up. We also found a significant interaction effect by time for PIU.

CONCLUSION

From the study findings, we can conclude that GCBT has significant benefit for mitigating the severity of PIU in college students. Therefore, mental health professionals are encouraged to explore the benefits of GCBT in treating symptoms associated with PIU in school settings and beyond.

Effect of cognitive behavioral active engagement training on test item construction skills among primary school teachers in Nigeria: Implication for educational policy makers

BACKGROUND

Most classroom teachers are weak in constructing test items for assessment of students. This study examined the effects of cognitive behavioral active engagement training on test items construction skills among primary school teachers in Nigeria.

METHODS

We adopted a randomized pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 148 participants served as the study sample. One instrument was used for data collection. The participants were administered the instrument at 4 different times. Test construction guide was employed to implement the training. Data analysis was completed using analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

The researchers found that cognitive behavioral active engagement training had a significant effect on participants' test items construction scores as measured by test construction skills inventory at posttest, first and second follow-up stages.

CONCLUSION

The researchers concluded that cognitive behavioral active engagement training is efficacious in the improvement of test items construction skills among primary school teachers in Nigeria.

Testing the Efficacy of Family Health-Model of REBT on Family Values and Quality of Family Life Among Parents of Children with Visual Impairment

The high rate of negative thinking in family circles due to the presence of children with visual impairment has grossly affects the quality of family life. In the case of Nigeria, low quality of family life is prevalent among parents of children with visual loss. This study attempts to validate the efficacy of a rational emotional family health therapy in addressing family values and quality of life among parents of children with visual impairment in Enugu state Nigeria. A group randomized controlled design, participants comprised 132 parents whose children were living with visual impairment in Enugu state, Nigeria. The participants in REFHP-group were exposed to a 12-session treatment programme whereas their counterparts in the waitlisted control group did not receive this intervention. Two measures-Family Quality of Life Scale and Family Value Scale were utilized in assessing the participants at three time points. Data analyses were completed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings revealed that rational emotive family health therapy had a significantly positive effect on increasing family values and quality of family life among the study participants of the treatment group. This study contributes to the scholarship on the efficacy of rational emotive family health therapy in improving family values and quality of family life among parents of children with visual impairment.