Anxiety sensitivity as a specific and unique marker of anxious symptoms in youth psychiatric inpatients

We addressed several questions regarding the relation of anxiety sensitivity to anxious symptoms among 47 youth psychiatric inpatients (18 boys, 29 girls), ages 9–17 (M = 14.23, SD = 1.89). Participants completed measures of anxiety sensitivity, anxious and depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and positive and negative affect; chart diagnoses were available. Consistent with hypotheses, we found that (a) anxiety sensitivity was associated with anxious symptoms, even controlling for trait anxiety and depressive symptoms; and (b) anxiety sensitivity displayed symptom specificity to anxious versus depressive symptoms (i.e., was associated with anxiety controlling for depression but not with depression controlling for anxiety). Furthermore, regarding factors of anxiety sensitivity, we obtained mixed support for our prediction that phrenophobia would be associated with both depression and anxiety, whereas fear of physical arousal would be associated with anxiety but not depression. Implications for the construct validity of anxiety sensitivity were discussed.     

Loneliness and Negative Affective Conditions in Adults: Is There Any Room for Hope in Predicting Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms?

This study examined the role of hope in understanding the link between loneliness and negative affective conditions (viz., anxiety and depressive symptoms) in a sample of 318 adults. As expected, loneliness was found to be a significant predictor of both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Noteworthy, hope was found to significantly augment the prediction of depressive symptoms, even after accounting for loneliness. Furthermore, we found evidence for a significant Loneliness × Hope interaction effect in predicting anxiety. A plot of the interaction confirmed that the association between loneliness and anxiety was weaker among high, compared to low, hope adults. Some implications of the present findings are discussed.     

The role of goal adjustment in symptoms of depression,anxiety and fatigue in cancer patients receiving psychosocial care: A longitudinal study

Objective: This study examined whether cancer patients reported increases in their goal adjustment capacities while receiving psychosocial care and whether these increases were related to changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue. Goal adjustment was conceptualised as two independent capacities: goal disengagement (i.e. disengage from unattainable goals) and goal reengagement (i.e. reengage into new goals).

Design: This naturalistic, longitudinal study focused on 241 cancer patients receiving psychosocial care at one of the seven psycho-oncology institutions in the Netherlands. Data was collected before the start of psychosocial care (T1) and nine months thereafter (T2). Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the research questions.

Main Outcome Measures: Goal adjustment, symptoms of depression, anxiety and fatigue.

Results: At group level, patients reported small increases in goal disengagement (d = .22) but no significant change in goal reengagement (d = .09). At an individual level, 34% of cancer patients reported an increase in goal disengagement and 30% reported an increase in goal reengagement. Increases in goal reengagement were significantly associated with decreases in both depressive and anxiety symptoms, but not to changes in fatigue.

Conclusion: Findings indicate that particularly improvements in goal reengagement are beneficial for cancer patients’ psychological functioning.     

Eating Behavior Among Thais and Americans

A cross-cultural analysis of eating patterns was conducted to examine the possible relationship between eating style and obesity. Thai and American students were surveyed about such bad eating habits as eating between meals, eating too quickly, eating when not hungry, and eating in response to external food cues. Contrary to the learning model of obesity, which postulates a causal relationship between eating style and body size, American subjects reported significantly better eating habits than did their much thinner Thai counterparts. A within-culture comparison of the American subjects showed a less significant but similar trend, with obese subjects claiming to have better eating patterns than both thin and underweight subjects.     

The Role of Hope in the Psychological Adjustment of Gastropareutic Patients Receiving the Gastric Pacemaker: A Longitudinal Study

Hope, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and physical quality of life (QOL) were assessed in three subgroups of patients receiving the gastric pacemaker. Patients (n = 22) completed questionnaires prior to pacemaker implantation and at 3 and 6 months post-surgery. The idiopathic subgroup reported a significantly greater degree of hope and less anxiety at 6-month follow-up, compared to the diabetes patients. The idiopathic patients also reported significantly less anxiety at 6 months than the postsurgical patients. Across all subgroups, there was an increase in hope and physical QOL, and decrease in depressive symptoms and anxiety, from baseline levels. There was a significant negative relationship between hope and both depressive symptoms and anxiety at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-up. Presurgical hope level did not significantly predict depressive symptoms or anxiety after implantation. This study provides evidence that the pacemaker improves the physical and psychological health of gastropareutic patients; hope appears to play a role in the psychological adjustment of these patients.     

It's Personal—Or Not At All: On God as Love/r

Abstract : Henriksen discusses what it means that God is personal, with special regard to the claim that God is love. If God is love, God must be understood as personal. This approach is related to different elements concerning human life and human freedom, and how to engage in human life. Also the radical alternative is suggested: instead of understanding God as love, the alternative is considered that death is God (as the final and strongest power there is). This alternative shows that it is the most likely interpretation of actual human conduct to opt for the alternative that God is love. Hence, to understand God as love is part of what it means to relate humanely and with hope to what is taking place in human life.     

Loneliness and depressive symptoms: the mediating and moderating role of uncontrollable ruminative thoughts

Although feelings of loneliness often are accompanied by depressive symptoms, little is known about underlying mechanisms in this association. The present study sampled 370 college freshmen and investigated whether rumination (and its components of Uncontrollability, Causal Analysis, and Understanding) functioned as a mediator or moderator in the relationship between 2 types of loneliness (as experienced in the relationship with parents and with peers, respectively) and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that rumination partially mediated the relationship between peer-related loneliness and depressive symptoms and moderated the relationship between parent-related loneliness and depressive symptoms. In addition, the uncontrollable nature, rather than the content, of these ruminative thoughts about parent- and peer-related loneliness was particularly harmful in the development of depressive symptoms. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms: Association with quality of mother–infant interaction

Antenatal and postnatal depression are independently associated with an increased risk of adverse infant development. A key linking mechanism is the quality of mother–infant interaction.ObjectivesThis study assesses the association between postnatal depressive symptoms (PDS) and their severity, with the quality of mother–infant interaction and compare the quality of mother–infant interaction and severity of the symptoms depending on the presence or absence of antenatal depressive symptoms (ADS).Methodsobservational study in 177 psychosocial risk mother–infant dyads from Chile (infant aged 2–12 months).ResultsMothers with PDS had lower maternal sensitivity and a more intrusive/controlling style than mothers without PDS, although the severity of the symptoms was not associated with lower maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity did not differ in the postnatal depressed mothers depending on the presence of ADS, although the mothers differed in interaction style and the severity of symptoms. Mothers with ADS and PDS presented with a predominant intrusive/controlling interaction style and more severe depressive symptoms, whereas those with only PDS presented with a predominant nonresponsive/passive interaction style and reduced severity of symptoms.ConclusionsThe results corroborate the need to offer treatment and dyadic interventions to antenatal and postnatal depressive mothers and postulate that the presence of antenatal depressive symptoms may influence the subsequent mother–infant interaction style and greater severity of symptoms.