A Relationship Skills Training Program for College Students

An eight-session Relationship Skills Training program was developed for college students who have difficulty in meeting others and establishing close personal relationships. The major components of each session (i.e., introduction, cognitive restructuring, skills training, and homework) are described and results of the initial offering of the program are presented.     

A Brief,Early Cognitive-Behavioral Program for Cancer-Related PTSD,Anxiety, and Comorbid Depression

Depression and anxiety disorders, including PTSD, are highly prevalent and frequently co-occur in newly diagnosed head and neck cancer (HNC) patients, as well as in longer-term survivors. There is, however, scant empirical evidence to inform clinicians how to best treat distressed HNC patients, particularly in the initial months following their diagnosis. The present article describes the development of a brief, early cognitive-behavioral intervention (the HNC-CBT program) in treating cancer-related PTSD and/or comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders in recently diagnosed HNC patients. The program was developed to be implemented concurrently with patients’ medical treatment(s) to help individuals manage their acute anxiety and PTSD reactions, as well as prevent chronic psychopathology in the postmedical treatment recovery phase. A case study is also presented to illustrate how to apply this intervention with clinically distressed HNC patients. Feasibility issues are also discussed in the implementation of this program during the course of medical treatment.     

Rumination and Co-Rumination and their Associations with Alcohol-Related Problems and Depressive Symptoms among College Students

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - The college years are a time of significant upheaval, including changes in social relationships and dramatic increases in the...     

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Avoidance Scale in Women with Major Depressive Disorder

The Cognitive-Behavioral Avoidance Scale (CBAS; Ottenbreit & Dobson, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 292–313; 2004) is a multidimensional self-report measure designed to assess the construct of dispositional avoidance. Although findings to date support the reliability and validity of the CBAS within student samples, no study has yet evaluated the psychometric properties of the CBAS in a clinical sample of depressed individuals. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CBAS within a sample of 60 women diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Results supported the internal consistency and 4-month test-retest reliability of the scale. As predicted, the CBAS total scale and subscales were correlated with convergent measures of avoidance as well as depressive symptoms. The results of this study provide support for the psychometric properties of the CBAS in samples of clinically depressed individuals. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

A Preliminary Test of a Brief Online Intervention for Enhancing Parental Reflective Function and the Role of Parental Depressive Symptoms

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Parental reflective functioning is a potential target for promoting sensitive caregiving behaviors, particularly for parents at higher risk for difficulties in...     

团体辅导改善大学生人际关系及心理健康水平的实证研究

目的:探讨团体心理辅导对改善大学生人际关系及心理健康水平的有效性及可行性。方法:采用单因素重复测量设计自然实验,对16名有改善人际关系愿望的大学生进行为期2个月,共10次的团体心理辅导干预;使用人际关系综合诊断量表和症状自评量表前后施测,结合团体成员的反馈自评和表现进行质的分析。结果:被试人际关系综合诊断量表前后测有差异(t=2.55,p<0.05),症状自评量表总分有显著差异(t=3.12,p<0.01),其中抑郁、敌对因子有显著差异(抑郁因子t=2.95,敌对因子t=2.71),人际关系和偏执因子有差异(人际关系因子t=2.53,偏执因子t=2.57)。结论:人际交往团体辅导对改善大学生的人际关系,提高心理健康水平是有效的。     

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Sleep and Daytime Functioning in College Students

The purpose of this study was to pilot test if cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective intervention for insomnia and daytime functioning in college students. College students’ developmental stage and lifestyle are significantly different than the general adult population, yet there have been no studies of CBT-I in this age group.     

抑郁中学生自我相关生活事件的编码特点研究

采用Tversky1的实验范式,探讨抑郁和非抑郁的中学生对自我相关生活事件(正性、负性、中性)的编码加工特点。研究发现:1)非抑郁组把负性和中性句子条目编码为正性多(p<0.01),而抑郁组把正性条目和中性条目编码为负性多(p<0.01);2)在编码偏向上,抑郁组采用负偏向编码,非抑郁组采用正偏向编码(p<0.01)。提示抑郁症状中学生对正性和中性的社会信息较多的负偏向编码。     

Depressive Mood in Female College Students: Father-Daughter Interactional Patterns

The interrelationship of sets of father and daughter factors in explaining depressive mood in normal female adolescents was examined. Separate questionnaires were given to 403 college students and their fathers. A mediational model was found, in which two sets of paternal variables were related to the daughter personality set, which in turn was related to her depressive mood. In addition, protective personality attributes of the daughter served both to offset the impact of paternal risk factors and to further strengthen paternal protective factors to reduce frequency of depressive mood. Comparisons are made with an earlier study of sons' depressive mood (Brook, Brook, Whiteman, & Gordon, 1983).     

Self-Acceptance Group Therapy: A Transdiagnostic,Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Shame

Shame has broad importance to psychological problems. However, few interventions specifically address shame, and most of these have been designed to target shame in the context of particular disorders. Self-Acceptance Group Therapy (SAGT) was developed as a transdiagnostic shame-focused treatment, based on a cognitive-behavioral framework. SAGT is an 8-week treatment that involves psychoeducation and training in the use of cognitive and behavioral shame regulation and support-building skills in order to promote self-acceptance. After describing SAGT, the study presented used an open trial design to examine the utility of SAGT for addressing shame, self-acceptance, quality of life, and relevant psychological problems (e.g., depression, social anxiety). Twenty-four outpatients with elevated shame were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1-month follow-up. By post-treatment, results revealed significant improvements in self-acceptance, shame, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms among treatment completers (n = 18), with all of these improvements maintained at follow-up. Additionally, significant improvements in quality of life, emotion dysregulation, depression, loneliness, and stress were observed at follow-up. Results provide preliminary support for SAGT’s utility in the treatment of shame and related pathology among diverse outpatients.     

A Cognitive-Interpersonal Approach to Depressive Symptoms in Preadolescent Children

Cognitive and interpersonal aspects of depressive symptoms were investigated in a community sample of children. Eighty-one 8- to 12-year-olds completed scales assessing cognitive representations of social relationships and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Teachers provided ratings of peer rejection. Children with elevated levels of depressive symptoms displayed increased negativity in their beliefs about self, family, and peers, as well as distinct patterns of interpersonal information processing. Anxiety symptoms did not make a unique contribution beyond depression to negative representations of family and peers; in contrast, symptom-specific profiles of self-representations were found. Structural equation analysis supported a model linking negative interpersonal representations, peer rejection, and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that future studies may benefit from approaches that incorporate both cognitive and interpersonal variables as predictors of child depression.     

A Comparison of Cognitive-Behavioral and Process-Oriented Group Counseling for General Anger Reduction

Two counseled groups—one using anger reduction for cognitive-relaxation coping skills and the other using time-limited, anger-focused, process-oriented group counseling—were compared to an uncounseled control group. Both forms of counseling led to significant reductions on a number of trait, state, and person-specific measures of anger as well as nontargeted general anxiety. Effects were maintained at 5-week and 15-month follow-ups. At no point did counseling conditions differ significantly from one another, suggesting process groups are effective for general anger reduction and as effective as one of the best researched options in the field. Limitations of this conclusion are outlined along with needed research.