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The results suggest that both interventions tackle important issues related to depression in women but further data are needed for a better understanding of this relationship.

The effectiveness of 2 levels of intervention in reducing depressive symptoms in women was evaluated using a comparison design for a group condition (6 2-hr weekly sessions) and a minimum individual condition (20-min individual orientation plus psychoeducational material) with pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up assessments (93 in the group and 42 in the individual condition). A multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences, in the expected direction, within the groups but not between conditions. Further comparisons showed a significant reduction from pretreatment to posttreatment and from pretreatment to follow-up assessment. Similar results were found for criteria-related variables (somatic and anxiety symptoms); an increase in self-esteem was observed as well.

Yalom (1995) has stated that psycho-educational interventions could be made more effective by incorporating a focus on the interpersonal process. A qualitative analysis is proposed to investigate the degree of fidelity with which a psycho-educational intervention for women with depressive symptoms was delivered and to identify Yalom's significant therapeutic mechanisms operating in group therapy. The intervention consisted of six 2 two-hour weekly sessions organized around educational material. Eight groups were conducted with 5-19 participants each. A qualitative analysis was undertaken based on Kvale's (1996) technique of 'categorization of meanings' for the transcribed registers of audiotaped recordings. The analysis led to the definition of five major group process categories: establishment of rules, educational exchange, experiential exchange, reflexive work designed to achieve cognitive and behavioural change, and limitations on the exchange process. It showed that the facilitators largely adhered to the goals of the intervention, its strategies and model, and that the main limitations concerned facilitators' and participants'speaking for over-long periods of time and facilitators' failure to cover all the material due to lack of time. The subsequent analysis identified four of Yalom's categories: installation of hope, didactic instruction, catharsis, and universality. In support of Yalom's assertion, we concluded that this exercise was useful in that it highlighted important therapeutic factors that could be more purposefully manipulated in the future.

Objective. To investigate the influence of social support and adverse life events on depression symptoms, before and after therapy (15-30 days) and during follow-up (4 months) of a psycho-educational intervention for depression. Material and Methods. The study population consisted of 254 women with depression symptoms selected among those seeking treatment for their symptoms in three community mental health centers and in one Ministry of Health center, all of them in Mexico City, between January 1998 and December 2000. The intervention has been proved effective previously in reducing depression symptoms. Symptoms were assessed using Radloff's CES-D scale, while specifically designed scales were used for events and social support. Hierarchical regression analyses were carried out to test various models. Results. Model 1: effect of variables: life events, social support, and socio-demographic variables (age, education level, income, and work status) on CES-D pre-treatment. The model was significant (p<0.000) and the first two variables and age were included in the model.

This study assessed the reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the Spanish Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS-Spanish Version) for Mexican women. The scale was administered at 6 weeks (T1; n = 149) and between 4 and 6 months postpartum (T2; n = 156). Women also completed the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) and the mood module of the Standardized Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). At both time points, the internal consistency value of the PDSS-Spanish Version was α = .96. Concurrent validity was adequate, compared with the BDI-II (T1: r = .75; T2: r = .74, ps < .01) and the SCID (T1: r = .43; T2: r = .36, ps < .01). Based on receiver operator characteristic curves, cutoff scores on the PDSS-Spanish Version of 60 for depressive symptoms (BDI-II as gold standard) and 80 for major depression (SCID) showed high sensitivity (>88.9%) but low specificity (60.9% to 70.6%). More parsimonious values are obtained at a cutoff of 77 for subsyndromal depression and 95 for major depression. The choice for using different cutoff scores may depend on the purpose of using the instrument. Overall, the psychometric properties for the PDSS-Spanish Version in Mexican women are similar to the ones obtained in Hispanic women in the United States.

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BackgroundThe effects of stress depend on the perception of stressors and a person's skills for coping with stressful situations. ObjectiveEvaluate an interactive intervention to develop resources and skills for proper stress management among healthcare professionals. MethodThis intervention was tested using a chart designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills and attitudes components of stress management, consisting of 17 statements about Knowledge, 11 about Stress management; 20 about Attitudes for reacting to stress. A total of 165 professionals and interns from related careers participated. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the scores of the three components before and after the intervention using the Student's t test. McNemar's test was used to compare the results. ResultsIn regard to the effectiveness of the intervention, an analysis of the comparison of scores found statistically significant differences in favor of intervention in the three components: Knowledge (t=-9.77, df=164, p=.000), Skills (t=-10.19, df=164, p=.000) and Attitudes (t=-4.80, df=164, p=.000). The item analysis showed statistically significant increases in the number of correct answers after the intervention in the three components. Discussion and conclusionThe results of this interactive intervention were statistically significant in Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes for stress management. In addition to being a brief, innovative intervention, based on knowledge translation (4 weeks) and available on the Internet, the evidence of its effectiveness suggests it is a valid tool for proper stress management.