Background: Grandparents have a significant role in providing regular child care to their grandchildren. As such, they are in a unique position to help with the prevention of child disruptive disorders. However, the child-care role grandparents provide can also negatively impact the grandparent-parent relationship. Aims: This case study examined the impact of a parenting program designed specifically for grandparents on a grandparent providing regular child care to her granddaughter. Method: A case study is presented of a 56-year-old grandmother providing between 31–40 hours of care per week to her granddaughter, who is at risk of developing an early onset child disruptive disorder. The grandparent was measured on outcomes of child behaviour; parenting style; parenting confidence; psychological wellbeing in terms of stress, depression, and anxiety; and relationship satisfaction with the parent. The parent was also measured on child behaviour outcomes and relationship satisfaction with the grandparent. Measures were given at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Results: The grandparent reported significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression; improved relationship satisfaction with the parent; and decreased reliance on dysfunctional parenting practices. The parent also reported decreased child behaviour problems and increased relationship satisfaction with the grandparent. No findings were found for parenting confidence. Conclusion: This case study provides encouraging findings for a new parenting program designed specifically for grandparents, and it is recommended that future research evaluate its efficacy in a randomised controlled trial.

We examined salivary reactivity in 11 women with simple phobia of spiders and 11 controls in response to a spider and a neutral cue. No differences in salivary reactivity were observed across diagnosis or conditions. Clear reactivity in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and subjective units of distress were observed. Salivary reactivity was unrelated to any other measure of reactivity. These results suggest that a decrease in salivation is not a universal response to acute anxiety.

This paper argues for an expansion of the field of behaviour therapy from a predominant focus on individual and family based treatment of problems into the prevention of physical illness at a population level. It outlines criteria which can be used to make rational decisions about which domains behaviour therapists should focus on, it then provides a rationale for placing more emphasis on population based strategies of prevention. The particular contributions which the discipline of behaviour therapy has to offer to such an expanded role are then delineated and the benefits of an expanded role into primary and secondary prevention of physical disease are discussed in relation to past research.

Four married couples were recruited from an outpatient alcohol counselling centre. Four husbands and one wife had recently received therapy for alcoholism and all but one was abstinent during the study. All scored as distressed on the Marital Adjustment Test. They participated in ten sessions of behavioural marital therapy emphasising positive reinforcement, communication, expression of feelings and problem solving. Problem solving discussions were audio-recorded at each session and analysed using a behaviour code. Measures of marital satisfaction, conflict and depression showed modest gains which were generally maintained at follow-up. Communication skills improved most with training, problem solving less so and feelings expression declined below baseline levels. These changes did not appear to be very durable. The non-abstinent client reduced his drinking to a level satisfactory to his wife during therapy. These findings support other recent work, draw attention to the need to find ways of promoting the maintenance and transfer of therapeutic changes and suggest that behavioural marital therapy may usefully be employed in outpatient alcohol counselling settings.

Paradoxically, the rise of the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement with its growing reliance on the execution of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) has been associated with a fall in the conduct of single-case research. Sharpley, among others, is concerned with this trend because it ignores the complementarity of single-case and group experimentation. We argue that the view that EBP should be founded predominantly on group data is untenable on both scientific and practical grounds.

For those aiming to improve the social competence of others, the choice is usually between shaping specific micro-skills or more general problem-solving. While these are not mutually exclusive in practice, research has tended to investigate them separately. One of the major issues facing those targeting micro-skills is their validity in the setting of concern. For those targeting problemsolving, the issue is predominantly one of triggering problem-solving behaviour in the absence of trainer prompts. Other major issues which still have to be satisfactorily resolved include the identification and assessment of children requiring improved social skills and social competence. In addition, there is a need to remind ourselves that while improved social skills should lead to improved judgments about an individual's social competence, the latter is a somewhat abstract notion which tells us little about an individual's goals and objectives. While improved social competence should be one of our goals, it must be anchored to well defined behavioural objectives. One can be the life and soul of a party and receive high social competence ratings, yet be lonely and isolated once the party ends.

The strong media and public interest in sport psychology has had the unfortunate effect of publicising its sensational aspects, rather than its scientific and professional substance. The articles in this issue of Behaviour Change show that sport psychology does have strong connections with the mainstream of scientific and professional psychology, and that sporting settings provide a substantial and stimulating focus for a behavioural approach. Sport psychology's subject matter has overlaps with clinical psychology and with behavioural health care, there is a large and growing research literature, and issues of accountability and quality control have received considerable attention.

Individuals with chronic pain differ markedly in their physical and psychological adjustment to the pain condition. Many factors influence this adjustment process, and the nature and severity of the physical injury or illness and the degree of pain experienced cannot account fully for the impact of chronic pain. A variety of other psycho-social factors are involved, including the individual's attitudes and beliefs about his or her condition, coping skills, operant reinforcement factors, avoidance learning, and psychophysiological variables. Intervention programs that are designed to facilitate positive adjustment to chronic pain need to consider these biological, psychological, and social factors within an integrated framework. Cognitive therapy has a significant role to play in this process, in order to tackle maladaptive cognitive factors that interfere with adjustment. Evidence concerning attitudes and beliefs relevant to the pain condition and their relationship with the use of coping skills and response to pain, is reviewed.

Effective and consistent engagement in personal hygiene practices is important for preventing the acquisition and transmission of communicable diseases in childhood. This study aimed to investigate trends in adherence to recommended hygiene practices and identify factors contributing to difficulties in establishing good hygiene habits with young children (0–4 years) in Australia. A self-selected community sample of parents (N = 426) completed an online survey assessing children's adherence to recommended hygiene practices and barriers and enablers of establishing good personal hygiene habits. Parents reported interest in receiving information/tips on children's personal hygiene (yes/no) and nominated topics of interest. Less than half of children in any age group consistently (always/almost always) covered coughs and sneezes, washed hands after toileting, or washed hands before meals or when dirty. Children's non-compliance (i.e. resistance, refusal) was the most commonly reported barrier to establishing good personal hygiene habits, while children's compliance (i.e. cooperative behaviour, following or complying with caregivers’ instructions) was the most commonly cited enabler. Despite low levels of adherence, less than half (41.2%) of parents wanted information/tips on children's hygiene. Results suggest a disconnect between parents’ knowledge about recommended hygiene practices and actual behaviour. Development and testing of approaches to behaviour change that incorporate evidence-based strategies to manage children's resistance and support parents to encourage the development of healthy hygiene habits is warranted.

Prior to CBT treatment, nineteen obsessive–compulsive washers were administered Jones and Menzies's (1998a) obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) Origins Questionnaire (OOQ) in an attempt to examine the relevance of associative learning pathways in the aetiology of the disorder. The open-ended nature of the questions allows for the distinction between classical conditioning events and traumatic events in which no identifiable unconditioned stimulus can be found. On the basis of subjects' responses on the OOQ, associative learning was shown to account for only five cases of OC washing. Of note, depression was shown to facilitate the onset of OCD in these individuals. Every subject who experienced a relevant indirect learning event and went on to develop OCD, revealed they were experiencing depression at the time. No relationship was found between the mode of OCD acquisition and subsequent response to treatment. Finally, the data revealed that subjects who identified washing/cleaning concerns at the onset of their disorder, as distinct from subjects who identified other OC concerns (e.g. checking, hoarding) at the onset of their disorder, scored similarly on current level of severity and degree of intractability.

A structured diary was used to collect information about the informal peer interactions of 536 children in their final year at nine primary schools. Measures of self-concept, social avoidance, and popularity were also taken. Initially, seven different scores were derived from the information contained in the diary to produce the Adolescent Social Interaction Profile (ASIP). Previous research with the ASIP subsequently identified three factors labelled scale, scope, and enjoyment of peer interactions, that were separate from a fourth generic self-concept factor derived from self-report questionnaires. Inspection of the factor scores for 19 children with full data sets who received the fewest peer nominations showed considerable heterogeneity, with only 1 child scoring low on more than two of the four factors. More expedient composite scores were then derived that reflected the factor loadings for the two complex ASIP scores labelled scale and scope. The utility of these scores for identifying and monitoring specific aspects of peer interaction difficulties is discussed.

A chronic case of insomnia treated by paradoxical intention is reported. All previous attempts at treatment, including progressive muscle relaxation, had failed. When a behavioural analysis was conducted and treatment was selected according to the analysis, full recovery resulted and was maintained through long follow-up. The case study illustrates a clinically useful way to choose the treatment technique when many techniques exist to treat a presenting problem.

This paper addresses organisational issues associated with the effective use of Batpack, an in-service training program described by Wheldall and Merrett as aimed at training practising teachers in a number of key behavioural skills. It is argued that the key to developing training programs which have long-term maintenance of training effects is to have organisational environments which support appropriate work behaviours of teachers. This means that a careful consideration of the antecedents and consequences associated with the daily work activities of all organisational members must be carried out to ensure that training gains will not be extinguished or punished by organisational policy and practices.

This paper reviews studies of the application of self-control procedures to the symptoms of schizophrenia. The authors argue that, while there are few well-controlled studies on their effectiveness, there are many cognitive-behavioural techniques which show promise for assisting clients to develop greater mastery over a number of symptoms. Surveys also show that many persons with schizophrenia spontaneously use their own methods to gain some control over their symptoms. While much further research is needed in this area, clinicians need to empower clients with schizophrenia to explore and enhance their self-control skills.

Background: Consumer perceptions of care are a key measure of service quality. The Consumer Perceptions of Care (CPoC) survey is often used to assess patients’ evaluations of the quality of services received. Aims: The study explored the factor structure of the CPoC, the relationships between perceived quality of care, empowerment, perceived treatment outcomes, and symptom change, as well as the effect of allowing patients to self-identify during the CPoC survey on their ratings of perceptions of care. Methods: In the first phase of the current study, 2,125 psychiatric inpatients were surveyed about their perceptions of care, and their symptoms were also measured at both admission and discharge. The second phase examined 720 inpatients who had given consent so that perceptions of care could be compared with outcome data. Results: Increased levels of empowerment were associated with favourable ratings of perceived treatment outcomes. Although perceived treatment outcomes and empowerment were correlated with actual symptom change, these correlations were small. Furthermore, the influence of self-identification on ratings of perceptions of care was found to be small. Conclusions: Examining patients’ perceived and actual treatment outcomes may provide mental health service providers with a more nuanced perspective of the hospital experiences of their patients.

This is the first issue of Behaviour Change, a publication of the Australian Behaviour Modification Association. Since the formation of behaviour modification interest groups within the various states in the 1970s, two publications have appeared, i.e. the Australian Behaviour Therapist (ABT) and the South Australian Behaviour Therapist (SABT). The Sydney-based ABT served the function of a national newsletter/journal, while the SABT concentrated upon meeting local needs. For various reasons the ABT and SABT have ceased publication. It has always been the consensus of opinion, however, the there should be a regular publication of some kind on “behaviour modification”. A significant step was taken when the National Committee of the Australian Behaviour Modification Association, May 1983 (Adelaide), recommended that the Victorian Branch investigate the “feasibility and format” of a regular publication. The Victorian Branch presented a written report to the National Committee, September 1983 (Sydney), recommending a regular publication and specific guidelines with respect to content and management. After much discussion, it was agreed that the publication be called Behaviour Change, and that the Victorian Branch take responsibility for the endeavour. After several years it is expected that another Branch will take over the responsibility of publishing Behaviour Change.

Two case studies are described where behavioural strategies, including response prevention and controlled drinking, were used to successfully treat chronic compulsive polydipsia where traditional medical management had failed. The improvement during treatment and at the 3-month follow-up was reflected not only in reduced fluid intake but also in the reduction of associated thirst symptoms and psychological distress. The implications of these results for treatment of polydipsia and non-compliance with fluid restrictions, particularly among dialysis patients, are discussed.