Effectiveness of psychological treatments delivered at a counseling service for students.

This study adds to the international literature on the assessment of the effectiveness of psychotherapies delivered by university counseling centers. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of psychotherapy in 226 students (179 women, 47 men; M age = 24.8 yr., SD = 4.0) who started psychotherapy treatment at the counseling service of the University of Bologna, Italy, between January 2008 and October 2010. The Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) was completed twice, before and after the psychotherapeutic treatment. Significant improvements were observed after therapy in all the SQ dimensions' scores, indicating the effectiveness of the therapy in reducing the students' distress.

Psychological factors associated with medication adherence following renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: A relationship exists between non-adherence and clinical outcomes in health care, including renal transplantation. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological variables associated with non-adherence to medication after renal transplantation. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 34 patients, 38% male, with a mean age of 49 yr (range 26-70) and a mean of six yr post-transplantation. Adherence to medication was measured by two items: (i) the frequency of not taking medications and (ii) the frequency of not taking medications exactly as prescribed. The psychological variables were: dispositional coping style (COPE) and five items measuring barriers and perceived characteristics of the medication regimen. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were utilized to examine the data. RESULTS: Twenty-four per cent of patients reported less than perfect adherence. Individuals who were younger, who perceived less autonomy in the management of treatment and who were characterized by an active coping style were less likely to adhere to medication. Individuals who perceived less autonomy and a higher level of interference of treatment with their life patterns were less likely to take medication exactly as prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of this study suggests that adherence to medications after renal transplant is associated with psychological variables, such as coping style and perceived autonomy in the management of treatment. Understanding of the patient's perspective may help to develop effective interventions to increase the levels of adherence to medications that may result in better clinical outcomes.

Patient education in Parkinson's disease: Formative evaluation of a standardized programme in seven European countries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a newly developed education programme for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. METHODS: The programme consisted of eight sessions and aimed at improving knowledge and skills related to self-monitoring, health promotion, stress management, depression, anxiety, social competence, and social support, all with special reference to PD. The programme was formatively evaluated in seven European countries (Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany) with 151 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD. The evaluation included patients' ratings of the comprehensibility and feasibility of the programme as well as mood ratings before and after each session. Patients also completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the programme to explore possible changes in disease-related psychosocial problems, quality of life, and depression. RESULTS: The programme was feasible to run, and patients were able to understand its elements. Patients reported mood elevations following individual sessions and reduced disease-related psychosocial problems after completing the programme. There were no substantial differences in results between cultures. CONCLUSION: Patient education appears to have potential as a useful and feasible intervention, complementing medical treatment in PD. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The present programme will soon be available in seven European languages and can be tested in different health care systems.