Biomedical subjects

James J Clark

Publications and source records attributed to James J Clark.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Factors that contribute to child maltreatment severity: a multi-method and multidimensional investigation.

OBJECTIVES: This study used data gathered during evaluations conducted by the Comprehensive Assessment and Training Services (CATS) Project to determine the relative contribution of four primary domains (demographic, adult characteristics, child characteristics, relational characteristics) to variation in the severity of child maltreatment, and to facilitate the development of empirically-based risk assessment tools. METHODS: A multidimensional, multi-method approach to data collection was used to assess 208 maltreating parents. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed by entering each domain of variables into the regression equation in four consecutive blocks. RESULTS: The results of this study suggest that maltreatment severity varies as a function of the level of trauma recovery, substance misuse, a child's externalizing behavior, and qualitative features of the parent-child relationship, as well as the level of family stress. Relationship variables added to the amount of variance accounted for in the overall model, beyond demographic, adult, and child variables. CONCLUSIONS: : The findings of this study call attention to the importance of developing a multidimensional assessment model of the factors leading to child maltreatment severity and to broadening the parameters of assessment models used in child maltreatment research. The role that each of the contributing factors plays in the interference of effective parenting is also discussed.

Causality↗

PubMed2005

Informed consent to undergo treatment for substance abuse: a recommended approach.

With more than 3 million persons receiving substance abuse treatment per year in the United States and with increasing interest in treatment outcomes, there is a need for closer attention to all aspects of the treatment process. However, minimal attention has been given to informed consent as a way of enlisting client engagement and active participation in treatment. Although there is some literature on informed consent in substance abuse research, the literature on informed consent to undergo substance abuse treatment is very limited. Incorporating informed consent into substance abuse treatment is recommended as part of motivational interviewing. Standard treatment consent issues include (1) the clinical characteristics of the problem, including diagnosis; (2) treatment recommendations; (3) the risks and benefits of treatment; (4) the financial costs of the intervention; (5) alternative services or interventions should a client refuse the recommended form of care; and (6) freedom to choose or refuse treatment. This article provides a background for informed consent procedures to facilitate client engagement in substance abuse treatment and suggests needs for future research on informed consent to undergo substance abuse treatment.

Ethics, Professional↗

PubMed2004

A temporal stability approach to position and attention-shift-invariant recognition.

Incorporation of visual-related self-action signals can help neural networks learn invariance. We describe a method that can produce a network with invariance to changes in visual input caused by eye movements and covert attention shifts. Training of the network is controlled by signals associated with eye movements and covert attention shifting. A temporal perceptual stability constraint is used to drive the output of the network toward remaining constant across temporal sequences of saccadic motions and covert attention shifts. We use a four-layer neural network model to perform the position-invariant extraction of local features and temporal integration of invariant presentations of local features in a bottom-up structure. We present results on both simulated data and real images to demonstrate that our network can acquire both position and attention shift invariance.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Consumer perspectives on quality of inpatient mental health services.

This study, conducted at two public-sector psychiatric hospitals in a south-eastern state, investigated satisfaction with inpatient services and treatment outcomes among 204 hospitalized mental health consumers. A simple survey design with nonrandom sampling technique was used; instruments included the KY-CSI, the 21-item MHSIP Consumer Survey, and the CSQ-8. Respondents reported satisfaction with time available to be with other patients, staff availability, and their degree of comfort talking to staff. Areas of dissatisfaction included lack of client input into treatment planning, lack of family involvement, and lack of medication education. Providers are encouraged to include clients in all phases of treatment planning and to continue to evaluate consumer perspectives of quality services.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Microsaccades as an overt measure of covert attention shifts.

Microsaccades, or tiny eye movements that take place during periods of fixation, have long been thought to be random artifacts of the oculomotor system. Here we demonstrate a possible link between microsaccades and covert attention shifts. We designed two psychophysical tasks involving spatial cues that had identical sensory stimuli but differing patterns of attentional benefits and costs. We found that microsaccades, rather than being randomly distributed, had directions that were directly correlated with the directions of covert attention shifts in the two tasks. Our results suggest that microsaccades occur because of subliminal activation of the oculomotor system by covert attention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Developing, implementing, and evaluating a treatment protocol for rural substance abusers.

Substance abuse is a significant social and public health problem facing rural Americans. However, most treatment protocols have been developed in urban areas. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative substance abuse treatment designed with the collaboration of rural professionals and consumers specifically for rural clients and delivered by rural clinicians. Results of the process evaluation of Structured Behavioral Outpatient Rural Therapy (SBORT) produced findings about the experiences of participating clients, clinicians, and program directors. Most clients perceived SBORT as a helpful learning process that used multiple treatment strategies and presented an alternative to 12-step programs. Clients also reported that treatment was stressful even when beneficial, and that clinician support was critical for remaining in treatment. Most clinicians found that SBORT challenged their "old" treatment frameworks, was demanding to learn and adopt, and that the training and supervision involved in the project implementation helped remedy rural isolation from the treatment community. Interestingly, agency approach to program implementation strongly influenced clinician responses to the innovation. Agency program directors' appraisals of SBORT included observations that the therapy was viable because of its rural-specific design and that most staff were able to adapt to the changes demanded by the manualized protocol. All three groups reported that they saw the emphasis and acceptance of motivation as an emergent process as important to the treatment. This project highlighted the challenge and importance of testing rural substance abuse treatment protocols in naturalistic settings.

Behavior Therapy↗