Empirical Research

Previous evidence for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been derived principally from randomized controlled trials. As such, evidence about the treatment of OCD has unilaterally flowed from researchers to clinicians. Despite often having decades of experience treating OCD, clinicians' feedback on their clinical observations in using these treatments has not been solicited.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article summarizes research and commentaries on psychotherapy for adults with intellectual disabilities published since 2008. RECENT FINDINGS: There have been very few empirical studies of the effectiveness of psychotherapy in this context over recent years despite a strong perception that such approaches are not only necessary but also of great value. There have been some interesting, though so far only suggestive, findings concerning the relationship between intellectual level and suitability for treatment, primarily with cognitive behavioural therapy.

This paper briefly surveys the trend of and controversy surrounding empirical validation in psychotherapy. Empirical validation of hypnotherapy has paralleled the practice of validation in psychotherapy and the professionalization of clinical psychology, in general. This evolution in determining what counts as evidence for bona fide clinical practice has gone from theory-driven clinical approaches in the 1960s and 1970s through critical attempts at categorization of empirically supported therapies in the 1990s on to the concept of evidence-based practice in 2006.

Complementary and alternative therapies such as reflexology and acupuncture have been the subject of numerous evaluations, clinical trials, and systematic reviews, yet the empirical evidence in support of their efficacy remains equivocal. The empirical evaluation of a therapy would normally assume a plausible rationale regarding the mechanism of action.

Bivariate survival models with discretely distributed frailty based on the major gene concept and applied to the data on related individuals such as twins and sibs can be used to estimate the underlying hazard, the relative risk and the frequency of the longevity allele. To determine the position of the longevity gene, additional genetic markers data are needed. If the action of the longevity allele does not depend on its position in the genome, these two problems can be solved separately using a two-step procedure.

Several theoretical models for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) have been proposed. Despite an abundance of theoretical speculation, few empirical studies have examined the impact of intimate relationship functioning on NSSI. The present study examines the influence of romantic attachment and received intimate partner violence (physical, psychological and sexual) on recent reports of NSSI behaviors and thoughts. The sample was composed of 537 (79.9% female) primarily Caucasian university students between the ages of 18 and 25 years and currently involved in a romantic relationship.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are (1) to establish a ubiquitous healthcare (u-healthcare) center for those who wish to use u-healthcare, allowing them to experience the service, and (2) to evaluate the users' awareness and expectations of the service based on their overall assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To establish the u-healthcare center, a kiosk, devices for health checkup, a body-type examination system, and a physical fitness assessment system were installed. Also, a u-healthcare Web site was developed.

Registered nurses (RNs) working in homecare encounter severely ill and palliative patients whose expressions may cause ethical challenges and influence their daily work. The aim of this qualitative study was to illuminate and interpret the meaning of nurses' lived experiences when meeting these patients. Narrative interviews were conducted with 10 RNs working in home nursing care. These interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim to a text and interpreted by a phenomenological-hermeneutic method inspired by Ricoeur.

The authors argue that a new six-dimensional framework for personality structure--the HEXACO model--constitutes a viable alternative to the well-known Big Five or five-factor model. The new model is consistent with the cross-culturally replicated finding of a common six-dimensional structure containing the factors Honesty-Humility (H), Emotionality (E), eExtraversion (X), Agreeableness (A), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness to Experience (O).

OBJECTIVE: We examined the influence of prosocial orientations including altruism, volunteering, and informal helping on positive and negative well-being outcomes among retirement community dwelling elders. METHOD: We utilize data from 2 waves, 3 years apart, of a panel study of successful aging (N = 585). Psychosocial well-being outcomes measured include life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depressive symptomatology.