Anxiety is the most pervasive childhood mental health disorder today. This study examined the parent component of a school-based universal prevention and early intervention program. Participating parents (N = 122) completed four measures on anxiety, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, before and after the parent program. The effectiveness of the program was investigated by analysing mean scores of the parent self-reported anxiety symptoms and parent reports of child anxiety symptoms. The main analyses conducted were 2 × 2 between-within ANOVAs for each measure. The hypothesis that parents who participated in the program (n = 20) would report reduced anxiety symptoms for themselves and for their children when compared to parents who did not attend (n = 120) was not confirmed. The parent's satisfaction level with the program was also studied, with high acceptability ratings providing strong social validity for this program. Implications of the findings, strengths, limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

A diathesis-stress perspective of obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS) predicts that exposure to adverse events and personality dispositions jointly influence OCS. Gray and McNaughton's (2000) model of personality posits that, faced with challenging circumstances, individuals with a high sensitivity to punishment (SP) will be more prone to OCS because they cannot avoid the downward spiral into anxiety. The current study investigates OCS severity in relation to lifetime exposure to adverse events (AE), SP, and sensitivity to reward (SR) in 122 nonclinical adults. The results indicate that OCS severity is predicted by AE, SP and SR. Interestingly, the impact of adverse experiences is moderated by SR and not SP. These findings suggest that: (1) exposure to adverse events and SP are independent OCS risk factors, and (2) exposure to adverse events is more critical for reward dependent people. This is discussed in light of responsibility and ‘not just right experiences’ in OCS, along with the role of impulsivity in the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum.

Some education scholars view student self-esteem as very important to the learning process. However, in relation to clinical supervision, it has also been noted that supervisor overconcern about student self-esteem can lead to avoidance of negative feedback or giving feedback that is too vague to be useful. This article examines the role of self-esteem in relation to assessment and feedback practices in clinical training. A review of educational and clinical literature on self-esteem was undertaken, and suggested that differentiation between self-esteem and self-efficacy provides a more useful framework for supervisors than focus on self-esteem alone. Feedback about specific skills, and developing better coherence between supervisor and student assessment of the student's skills, are important components of clinical training. Suggestions are provided for guiding innovation in supervision and clinical training.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the quantity and quality of self-monitoring and per cent fat loss in overweight and obese adolescents participating in a weight-loss intervention. Participants were 55 (33F) over-weight and obese adolescents taking part in a 20-week cognitive–behavioural intervention aimed at improving eating and physical activity behaviours. Food and physical activity self-monitoring from the first 9 weeks of the intervention was coded using 24 components assessing the quantity (20) and quality (4) of self-monitoring. Those who completed treatment (n = 42) were split into groups: Losers (n = 30) and Gainers (n = 12) of per cent body fat as measured by DXA. Group analyses showed that Losers and Gainers could be differentiated by both quantitative and qualitative measures of self-monitoring. The strongest associations were with the classifications of food and drink items into food groups. The number of days monitored and the average number of items recorded did not differentiate the groups. Quantity and quality measures of self-monitoring completed early in treatment could also differentiate those who completed treatment and those who did not complete treatment (n = 13), and the strongest associations were with the amounts of food and drink items recorded, an association not found with treatment outcome. The results indicate that both quantity and quality of self-monitoring may be important predictors of both treatment completion and outcome. Based on these findings a framework of self-monitoring requirements is offered to reduce homework burden while maximising treatment efficacy.