A long series of earlier studies demonstrated that fearful subjects selectively allocate attention to sources of perceived threat. Such attentional bias may not be limited to negative cues. It is hypothesized that attentional bias serves to enhance early identification of action-relevant cues and that such bias also occurs when subjects are confronted with positive valenced cues that evoke an urge to act immediately. In order to determine whether or not the attentional bias effect is limited to unpleasant stimuli, we studied the effects of 24 hours of fasting, focusing our attention on a possible attentional bias for (positively evaluated) food stimuli. The experiment controlled for emotionality effects. It is shown that fasting results in a positive evaluation of food stimuli and an increased desire for these stimuli. The attentional bias effects found were slight and more likely attributable to the increased urge to act than to general emotionality effects. The power of the experimental manipulation and the computerized Stroop task are discussed.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a self-help, cognitive-behavioural programme in the rehabilitation of a sample of chronic pain patients. The results demonstrated significant benefits for subjects who completed the self-help treatment on measures of depression, anxiety, coping strategies, impact on daily living, pain beliefs and self-monitored pain. These benefits were generally maintained at 6 month follow-up and no differences were found in outcome between subjects who completed the self-programme compared to those who completed the same treatment in a traditional clinic-based format. Unfortunately, a very high drop-out rate was found for the self-help condition, indicating the approach to be unsuitable for many clients. Attempts to identify the characteristics of subjects who completed the self-help programme versus those who dropped-out revealed only one predictor, namely pretreatment ratings of the credibility of the programme.

The present study investigated whether information seeking coping styles (monitoring and blunting) affect exposure therapy outcome. Subjects were 33 spider phobics who received one 2.5 hours session in vivo treatment. In general, the treatment yielded good results. Coping style did not contribute substantially to short-term or long-term outcome (at 18 months follow-up).

Two cases involving the cognitive-behavioural treatment of hallucinations are described. In both cases, a focusing strategy was used with a view to enabling patients to reattribute the nature and meaning of their experiences. One patient showed a marked reduction in the frequency and content of his voices. The second patient showed little change. The implications of observations made during therapy for the future development of cognitive-behavioural strategies for use with psychotic patients are discussed.

Outpatients from a V.A. outpatient substance abuse treatment program (N = 32) were assigned at random either to receive or not receive a brief motivational intervention in addition to standard outpatient treatment. The additional intervention consisted of two additional hours of assessment and a one-hour motivational interview. Control subjects received the same additional assessment, but with an attention-placebo interview in place of the motivational interview. Those assigned to receive the additional intervention demonstrated superior clinical outcome at three month follow-up on a composite variable composed of three individual variables: (1) total standard drinks, (2) peak blood alcohol level, and (3) percent days abstinent. These results were substantially corroborated by reports of significant others. By six month follow-up, the superiority of the treatment group was modest, and no longer significant. These findings support the utility of this approach for use with clinically severe alcohol populations on at least a time-limited basis.

This study represents an attempt to evaluate Barkham and Shapiro's (1988) two-plus-one model of brief psychotherapy with a young offender population as a way of significantly improving service delivery for clinical teams working in prisons. Brief cognitive-behavioural interventions were administered to young offenders referred for problems with depression, alcohol and anger whilst in custody. Significant treatment effects were found at the time of follow-up, suggesting that the interventions significantly accelerated improvement in these problem areas. It is suggested that the two-plus-one model is both an appropriate and effective model of service delivery in working with this client group.

A group of 54 clients with eating disorders who attended a college-based, group counselling service evaluated four treatments for eating disorders. Individual discussion of problems was uniformly rated as more acceptable than two behavioural treatments (systematic desensitization, and goals and relaxation) which were, in turn, rated as more acceptable than drug treatment. Methodological problems with this form of consumer evaluation and the need for further evaluation of behaviour therapy within a wider range of clinical populations are discussed.