Adult development, self-contexting, and psychotherapy with older adults.

Abstract

Psychological developments in later life potentially affect psychotherapy with older adults. The present study measured the effect of "selfcontexting"-a development hypothesized to occur in mid-life-on brief dynamic therapy. Subjects included 15 adults from 50 to 81 years of age and 10 younger adults from 20 to 40 years. Results confirmed the hypothesis that more successful outcome correlates with increased selfcontexting among the older but not younger adults. The study underscores the importance of investigating further applications of life-cycle psychology to psychotherapy.

Psychological treatment of late-life anxiety: An empirical review.

“…A total of 15 outcome studies were identified that met the following criteria for inclusion: (a) that treatment was nonpharmacological, (b) that the target problem was either subjective (self-report) or diagnosed anxiety, (c) that outcome measures included at minimum one clinician rating or self-report scale measuring anxiety, and (d) that all participants were a minimum age of 55 years. The following studies were excluded from the analyses: n = 1 studies (studies based on qualitative analyses and/or insufficient statistics; Garrison, 1978); studies evaluating pharmacological treatments only (e.g., Flint & Rifat, 1997); studies with only one session of therapy (Powers & Wisocki, 1997; Rankin, Gilner, Gfeller, & Katz, 1993); studies investigating effects of anxiety treatment in nonclinical (within the normal range) populations (Scates, Randolph, Gutsch, & Knight, 1986); studies presenting treatment vignettes (Carmin & Wiegartz, 2000); and, finally, studies with insufficient statistical information to permit calculation of an effect size (Chinen, 1986; Hussian, 1981; Ingersoll & Silverman, 1978; Moffatt, Mohr, & Ames, 1995; Molinari & Williams, 1995).…”

“…The following studies were excluded from the analyses: n ϭ 1 studies (studies based on qualitative analyses and/or insufficient statistics; Garrison, 1978); studies evaluating pharmacological treatments only (e.g., Flint & Rifat, 1997); studies with only one session of therapy (Powers & Wisocki, 1997;Rankin, Gilner, Gfeller, & Katz, 1993); studies investigating effects of anxiety treatment in nonclinical (within the normal range) populations (Scates, Randolph, Gutsch, & Knight, 1986); studies presenting treatment vignettes (Carmin & Wiegartz, 2000); and, finally, studies with insufficient statistical information to permit calculation of an effect size (Chinen, 1986;Hussian, 1981;Ingersoll & Silverman, 1978;Moffatt, Mohr, & Ames, 1995;Molinari & Williams, 1995). The following studies were excluded from the analyses: n ϭ 1 studies (studies based on qualitative analyses and/or insufficient statistics; Garrison, 1978); studies evaluating pharmacological treatments only (e.g., Flint & Rifat, 1997); studies with only one session of therapy (Powers & Wisocki, 1997;Rankin, Gilner, Gfeller, & Katz, 1993); studies investigating effects of anxiety treatment in nonclinical (within the normal range) populations (Scates, Randolph, Gutsch, & Knight, 1986); studies presenting treatment vignettes (Carmin & Wiegartz, 2000); and, finally, studies with insufficient statistical information to permit calculation of an effect size (Chinen, 1986;Hussian, 1981;Ingersoll & Silverman, 1978;Moffatt, Mohr, & Ames, 1995;Molinari & Williams, 1995).…”

Treatment of anxiety in older adults.

“…It can also involve working out transference issues in the therapeutic relationship. Fifteen older adults treated for anxiety and depressive symptoms with brief (16 sessions) individual psychodynarnic therapy had a nonsignificant tendency to achieve greater gains than 10 younger adults given similar treatment (Chinen, 1986). Furthermore, outcomes correlated with linguistic self-contexting (use of modifiers such as "I think that.…”