A retrospective study exploring parents' perceptions of their child's assessment

The current study investigates parents' perceptions of their child's assessment, focusing on their responses to the Italian version of the Parents' Experience of Assessment Scale (QUEVA-G). Twenty parents, who voluntarily agreed to be contacted after completing the questionnaire, participated in qualitative interviews to gain deeper insights into their assessment experiences. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcriptions, highlighting three primary domains of parental experience: (1) parental perceptions of the assessment process; (2) effects of the assessment; and (3) parental perceptions of their relationship with their children's teachers. The findings indicate that the QUEVA-G accurately captures most areas of interest as well as reveals unexplored aspects.

Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Parent Experience of Assessment Scale

This paper describes the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Parent Experience of Assessment Scale. Overall, 185 participants took part in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling tested the scale structure and its relationship with clients’ satisfaction. Reliability and multivariate analysis of variance measured the factors’ consistency and the differences among different typologies of assessment. Results replicated the original five factors structure of the scale (Parent-Assessor Relationship and Collaboration; New Understanding of the Child; Child-Assessor Relationship; Systemic Awareness; Negative Feelings). Full scale and individual factors’ reliability ranged from high to excellent. Structural equation modeling showed that Parent-Assessor Relationship and Collaboration and New Understanding of the Child factors had the strongest direct effects on parents’ General Satisfaction, measured by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that the type of assessment, the children’s age and the way the scale was completed impacted on the outcomes of the QUEVA-G. Results suggest that the Italian version of the Parent Experience of Assessment Scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing parents’ experience of their child’s assessment.

Therapeutic Assessment in a University Counseling Center: A Replicated Single-Case Time-Series Pilot Study

In this study, we pilot tested Therapeutic Assessment (TA) in a university counseling center using a replicated single-case design to generate hypotheses on the effectiveness and applicability for this setting and population. We aimed to see whether TA could be an effective brief intervention to address students' presenting mental health concerns. Further, we explored whether different types of presenting concerns were associated with differential symptomatic improvement during the intervention. An independent clinician interviewed participants before the baseline period to develop individualized rating scales pertaining to their presenting concerns. Eight consecutive students accessing the counseling center enrolled in the study and rated their presenting problems across baseline, intervention, and follow-up periods. The intervention involved five TA sessions. The results suggested that TA is associated with statistically significant reductions in clients' symptoms in the context of a university counseling center. Idiographic trajectory analysis of participant data who experienced significant and insignificant change was used to test whether changes were associated with the onset of TA. The findings suggest TA might be more effective for certain presenting concerns than for others. The implications for the implementation of TA in university counseling centers is discussed.

Cultural differences in the measurement of self-curiosity within Mexico: a person-centered and variable-centered study

Background: This study assessed the role of culture in the measurement of the Self-Curiosity Attitude-Interest scale (SCAI-M), a measure of attitude and interest in increasing one's knowledge of self, adopting both a person-centered and variable-centered approach. Methods: The study was conducted on a Mexican sample composed of 484 adult participants who completed both the SCAI-M and a series of instruments that measure cultural dimensions through Qualtrix. Data were collected between November 9, to December 18, 2020, and respondents were contacted using advertisements on social media platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp). Analyses included multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and latent profile analysis. Results: A latent profile analysis allowed for the generation of three groups featuring distinct cultural orientations that were similar to previously found cultural profiles (Consensus-oriented Egalitarians, Flexible Individualists, and Rules-based Competitors). Multigroup Confirmative Factor Analysis showed partial metric and scalar invariance for the SCAI-M between groups; moreover, we found proofs of convergent validity with other cultural dimensions besides the ones linked with the Hofstede model. Our results indicate that cultural profiles and cultural variables are associated with both the level and meaning of self-curiosity among Mexican citizens. Conclusions: Finally, the discussion includes considerations on self-curiosity divergence among minority cultures and relevant clinical applications; a field for which we propose future research.

A systematic research review of collaborative assessment methods

Collaborative assessment methods (CAMs) involve working with clients during all phases of the assessment process, from goal definition to interpretation of the testing results to the recommendations and conclusions. In this article, we define CAMs, provide clinical examples, and then meta-analyze the published literature to assess their effectiveness on distal treatment outcomes. Our meta-analytic results indicate that CAMs have positive effects on three outcome domains: a moderate effect on treatment processes, a small-to-moderate effect on personal growth, and a small effect on symptom reduction. There is little research evidence on the immediate, in-session effects of CAMs. We include diversity considerations, training implications. and therapeutic practices grounded in this research evidence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Therapeutic assessment efficacy: A meta-analysis

Therapeutic Assessment is a brief semistructured and collaborative psychological intervention developed by Stephen E. Finn (1996, 2007). In Therapeutic Assessment, the assessor and clients are collaboratively involved in all the phases of the process and psychological tests are used as "empathy magnifiers" in order to promote positive change throughout an assessment. Over the years, many authors have tested the efficacy of Therapeutic Assessment procedures in different contexts and have concluded that Therapeutic Assessment is well-suited for use with a broad array of clients. Despite some studies documenting the benefits of Therapeutic Assessment, results of individual studies have not been meta-analytically analyzed. Therefore, we performed a series of three-level meta-analyses to examine the efficacy of Therapeutic Assessment with adult clients. We included nine studies with 42 dependent variables, grouped into three types of outcomes: treatment process (6 studies, 18 nonindependent variables), clients' symptoms (6 studies, 17 nonindependent variables), and clients' self-enhancement (5 studies, 7 nonindependent variables). The results revealed statistically significant effects for each outcome, treatment process: g = .46, 95% CI [.33; .59]; p < .001; clients' symptoms: g = .34, 95% CI [.06; .63]; p = .021; clients' self-enhancement: g = .37, 95% CI [.05; .69]; p = .029. Moderator analyses also suggested that Therapeutic Assessment is resilient, since supervision, the inclusion of more Therapeutic Assessment elements, and additional hours of intervention do not impact substantially its outcomes. These results suggest that the most important aspect of Therapeutic Assessment may be its underlying philosophy and values, and not so much the exact way in which it is implemented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

"Invisible Voices": A Critical Incident Study of Family Caregivers' Experience of Nursing Homes After Their Elder Relative's Death

PURPOSE

The literature provides few examples of family caregivers' retrospective evaluation of nursing home services. This study aimed at analyzing narratives of Italian family caregivers of elders who experienced nursing home placement.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with family members after their relatives' death. The interviews were based on the Critical Incident Technique, which allowed the categorization of the most memorable positive and negative events from the perspective of family members of elders deceased in nursing homes. Interviews were interpreted with a phenomenologically inspired thematic analysis approach. Participants were screened for complicated grief disorder as a confounding variable in relatives' accounts of the treatment.

RESULTS

Results suggested that positive long-term recollection of the nursing home was associated with different themes emerging from the interviews: medical reliability and expertise, active demonstrations of care that extend beyond the contract with the facility, individualized attention, responsiveness, openness to dialog with family members about routines, management of the first impression, and family engagement. Lack of professionals' expertise and medical failures, lack of care for patients' personal goods, lack of family involvement, lack of individualized attention, lack of responsiveness, poor patient surveillance, and structural limits of the facilities were the themes that were more frequently negatively associated with the nursing home experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Focusing on the key dimensions connected to the quality of the experience of family members can enrich the quality of existing nursing home services and allow healthcare policymakers and managers to design better facilities for the patients.

Therapeutic Assessment With a Client With Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder: A Single-Case Time-Series Design

This article presents the results of a study into the effectiveness of therapeutic assessment (TA), a brief form of intervention that incorporates the results of assessment findings into psychological treatment. The history of Anthony, a man who reported symptoms of persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD), associated with major depression disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is presented. After his parents’ deaths, Anthony became detached from reality, lost all pleasure in his everyday life, and found it impossible to overcome the devastating feelings related to the loss. Following TA principles, the assessor created a supportive and empathic relationship with Anthony and helped him attain his goals for the assessment. The assessment was monitored using a single-case quasi-experimental design with time-series analysis. Results of this study revealed a specific trajectory of Anthony’s self-reported symptoms and a statistically significant trend toward improvement in severity at the end of the TA. This case study highlights the utility and efficacy of TA in helping clients process traumatic losses and complicated bereavements.

Exploring Children's Induced Defensiveness to the Tell Me a Story Test (TEMAS)

This study examined the effect of inducing a defensive attitude (fake good) in children on their responses to the Tell Me a Story test (TEMAS; Costantino, Malgady, & Rogler, 1988 ). Different story elicitation procedures were employed to explore their efficacy for inducing a defensive response style in children. Eighty-four Italian children aged 8 to 10 years old completed the TEMAS and the L scale of the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children-2 (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004 ), which were used to detect the adoption of a defensive attitude. Children completed the tests under 1 of 3 conditions: (a) honest condition, (b) fake good with verbal instructions, and (c) fake good with verbal instructions and visual stimuli illustrating what was verbally explained. Using simultaneous verbal instructions and visual stimuli facilitated children's understanding of the researcher's instructions compared to using verbal stimuli alone. Results showed that children instructed to fake good used less time to tell stories and tended to modify the simpler and more face valid aspects of their stories. Still, 29 out of 47 children failed to fake good on the BASC-2 L scale. More complex TEMAS variables showed no significant difference between story elicitation conditions.

Maximizing the Impact of e-Therapy and Serious Gaming: Time for a Paradigm Shift

Internet interventions for mental health, including serious games, online programs, and apps, hold promise for increasing access to evidence-based treatments and prevention. Many such interventions have been shown to be effective and acceptable in trials; however, uptake and adherence outside of trials is seldom reported, and where it is, adherence at least, generally appears to be underwhelming. In response, an international Collaboration On Maximizing the impact of E-Therapy and Serious Gaming (COMETS) was formed. In this perspectives' paper, we call for a paradigm shift to increase the impact of internet interventions toward the ultimate goal of improved population mental health. We propose four pillars for change: (1) increased focus on user-centered approaches, including both user-centered design of programs and greater individualization within programs, with the latter perhaps utilizing increased modularization; (2) Increased emphasis on engagement utilizing processes such as gaming, gamification, telepresence, and persuasive technology; (3) Increased collaboration in program development, testing, and data sharing, across both sectors and regions, in order to achieve higher quality, more sustainable outcomes with greater reach; and (4) Rapid testing and implementation, including the measurement of reach, engagement, and effectiveness, and timely implementation. We suggest it is time for researchers, clinicians, developers, and end-users to collaborate on these aspects in order to maximize the impact of e-therapies and serious gaming.

Therapeutic Assessment of Complex Trauma: A Single-Case Time-Series Study

The cumulative effect of repeated traumatic experiences in early childhood incrementally increases the risk of adjustment problems later in life. Surviving traumatic environments can lead to the development of an interrelated constellation of emotional and interpersonal symptoms termed complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Effective treatment of trauma begins with a multimethod psychological assessment and requires the use of several evidence-based therapeutic processes, including establishing a safe therapeutic environment, reprocessing the trauma, constructing a new narrative, and managing emotional dysregulation. Therapeutic Assessment (TA) is a semistructured, brief intervention that uses psychological testing to promote positive change. The case study of Kelly, a middle-aged woman with a history of repeated interpersonal trauma, illustrates delivery of the TA model for CPTSD. Results of this single-case time-series experiment indicate statistically significant symptom improvement as a result of participating in TA. We discuss the implications of these findings for assessing and treating trauma-related concerns, such as CPTSD.

Epistemological and Ethical Challenges in Standardized Testing and Collaborative Assessment

In this article, the author proposes that although treating clients humanistically may appear to be in conflict with the goal of objectivity in clinical assessment, they are not incompatible; and, indeed, as it is shown, the clinical psychologist has a responsibility to hold both goals in mind in order to achieve the most useful and accurate evaluations. Psychological assessment does not have to aim to remain exclusively in the realm of the “hard” sciences. Nor should assessment be relegated to the realm of pure subjectivity. The triangulation of narratives, particularly in collaborative assessment, provides a means of unifying theories, languages, and ways of producing knowledge and of being professionally responsible.