Transdiagnostic assessment of anxiety symptoms using the Anxiety Disorder Diagnostic Questionnaire – weekly version

Background: Norton and Robinson [2010. Development and evaluation of the anxiety disorder diagnostic questionnaire. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 39(2), 137–149. doi:10.1080/16506070903140430] developed the Anxiety Disorder Diagnostic Questionnaire (ADDQ) as a transdiagnostic assessment of fear and anxiety to address problems in using diagnosis-specific measures as well as limitations with the extant transdiagnostic measures of anxiety. The present study validated a weekly version of the ADDQ, the Anxiety Disorder Diagnostic Questionnaire – Weekly (ADDQ-W) allowing session-by-session transdiagnostic assessment of anxiety.

Method: Data were a secondary analysis of 49 treatment-seeking outpatient adults from a previous clinical trial. The ADDQ-W was administered weekly over the course of 12-group therapy sessions.

Results: The ADDQ-W was a valid weekly measure and neither scores, F(2, 37)?=?2.70, p?=?.08, nor trajectories of change, F(2, 37)?=?0.31, p?=?.73, differed by primary diagnosis, though power was limited. Rate of ADDQ-W change was predictive of change in both primary diagnosis severity, t?=?2.40, p?=?.02, β?=?0.32, and overall severity, t?=?3.01, p?<?.01, β?=?0.36, at post-treatment.

Conclusions: This study has established initial support for the use of the brief, easily scored, ADDQ-W for repeated assessment over treatment using a diagnostically heterogeneous clinical sample of treatment-seeking individuals.     

Illness representations predict adherence in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes

Objective: Most adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 diabetes struggle with diabetes self-management and exhibit suboptimal glycemic control. This study examined two models of association between illness representations, a modifiable predictor of suboptimal outcomes, and adherence and glycemic control in AYAs with type 1 diabetes.

Design and main outcome measures: Ninety-nine AYAs (ages 15–20?years) completed measures of illness representations and adherence at two visits. Blood glucose monitoring frequency and haemoglobin A1c were obtained via chart review. Relationships were examined using structural equation modelling.

Results: Illness representations accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in blood glucose monitoring frequency (ΔR^2?=?.23, p?<?.01) and adherence to emergency precautions at Time 1 (ΔR^2?=?.07, p?=?.03). Illness representations also accounted for significant variance in blood glucose monitoring frequency (ΔR^2?=?.08, p?=?.01), adherence to recommendations for insulin and food (ΔR²?=?.08, p?=?.02) and exercise (ΔR^2?=?.10, p?<?.01), and adherence to emergency precautions (ΔR^2?=?.16, p?<?.01) at Time 2.

Conclusion: Illness representations are salient predictors of adherence in this population. Interventions targeting adherence promotion and glycemic control in AYAs with type 1 diabetes may be enhanced by efforts to modify illness representations.     

Multiple illness perceptions in older adults: Effects on physical functioning and medication adherence

Objective: Previous research on illness perceptions has focused on single illnesses, but most adults over 65 suffer from multiple illnesses (multimorbidity). This study tests three competing operationalisations of multiple illness perceptions in predicting physical functioning and adherence: (1) main effects and interactions model; (2) peak model with effects of the most prominent illness perception; and (3) combined model with averaged illness perceptions over multiple illnesses.

Design: Longitudinal study in N?=?215 individuals (65–86?years) with multimorbidity at two measurement points over six months. Participants filled in two Brief Illness Perception Questionnaires (B-IPQ) on their two most severe illnesses.

Main outcome measures: Physical functioning, medication adherence.

Results: Factor analyses suggest that the B-IPQ contains three dimensions; consequences, control and timeline. Multiple regression models fit the data best for (1) and (3). Timeline (β?=??.18) and control (β?=?.21) predict adherence in (1); consequences (β?=?.16) and control (β?=?.20) in (3). Physical functioning was significantly predicted by interacting control beliefs in (1; β?=?.13), by peak consequences in (2; β?=??.14) and by consequences (β?=??.15) in (3).

Conclusions: Individuals with multimorbidity hold both distinct and combined perceptions about their illnesses. To understand individual responses to multimorbidity, perceptions about all illnesses and multimorbidity as entity should be examined.     

Veteran Participation in Intensive Suicide Research Protocols: No Evidence of Iatrogenic Effects

Suicide research remains fraught with ethical and methodological issues, including researchers’ reservations about conducting intensive suicide research protocols due to potential iatrogenic effects and liability concerns. Such issues significantly impede scientific inquiry related to suicide. To date, no research has explored potential iatrogenic effects of intensive, nontreatment suicide research among Veterans. This study aimed to fill this gap. It was hypothesized that participation in suicide‐specific protocols would not significantly increase risk among Veterans. Veterans completed self‐reports, structured interviews, and rigorous suicide‐specific tasks (Study A, N = 34; Study B, N = 18; Study C, N = 119). Findings indicated there were no significant differences in pre‐ and postassessment suicide risk variables (all ps > .05). Estimated mean change for “urge to harm self” was ?0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI]: ?0.60, 0.13), ?0.28 (CI: ?0.56, 0.01), and ?0.01 (CI: ?0.09, 0.07) and “intent to harm self” was ?0.18 (95% CI: ?0.45, 0.10), 0 (CI: ?0.17, 0.17), and 0.01 (CI: ?0.04, 0.06) for Studies A, B, and C, respectively. Results indicated the respective protocols did not produce iatrogenic effects. The current findings are discussed with attention to safety‐monitoring techniques that may reduce iatrogenic effects and considerations for future researchers.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: David Novak, Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory Jean Bethke Elshtain, Who Are We? Critical Reflections and Hopeful Possibilities Gerhard Lohfink, Does God Need the Church? Toward a Theology of the People of God Gerald O'Collins, The Tripersonal God: Understanding and Interpreting the Trinity Timothy P. Jackson, Love Disconsoled: Meditations on Christian Charity Will Coleman, Tribal Talk: Black Theology, Hermeneutics, and African/American Ways of “Telling the Story” Garrett Green, Theology, Hermeneutics and Imagination: The Crisis of Interpretation at the End of Modernity     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Global Economy: a Confessional Issue for the Churches?, by Ulrich Duchrow. Comfortable Compassion? Poverty, Power and the Church, by Charles Elliott. Models of God: Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age, by Sallie McFague. Theology and Religious Pluralism, by Gavin D'Costa. The Pipe and Christ: a Christian-Sioux Dialogue, by William Stolzman     

Step-down approach to behavioural weight loss treatment: a pilot of a randomised clinical trial

Background: In a stepped-down approach, patients begin with a more intensive treatment and are stepped down to a less intensive treatment based on achieving treatment goals. This study compared a standard behavioural weight loss programme (BWLP) to a stepped-down approach to treatment.

Methods: Fifty-two overweight/obese adults (Age: M?=?47?years, SD?=?13.5; female?=?67%) participated in an 18-week BWLP. Half of them were randomly assigned to be stepped down from weekly group meetings based on completion of weight loss goals (3%) every 6?weeks, while the other half remained in their groups regardless of weight loss.

Results: There was a significant difference favouring the BWLP in the proportion of participants who met or exceeded their 3% weight loss goal during the first six weeks. While not statistically significant by the end of treatment, the BWLP participants lost nearly 3% more body weight than stepped-down participants (SC?=?4.9% vs. BWLP?=?7.8%; p?=?.10). Greater self-monitoring was associated with increased likelihood of stepped-care eligibility and higher percent weight loss at the end of treatment (p?<?.01).

Conclusion: There was little evidence to support the efficacy of the stepped-down approach for behavioural weight loss treatment employed in this investigation.     

Book reviews

Palmer, Michael, Freud and Jung on Religion Kawai, Hayao, Buddhism and the Art of Psychotherapy Young-Eisendrath, P., Gender and Desire: Uncursing Pandora Hamilton, Victoria, The Analyst's Preconscious Hinshelwood, R. D., Therapy or Coercion? Does Psychoanalysis Differ from Brainwashing? Gallant, Christine, Tabooed Jung: Marginality as Power. Kulkarni, C., Lesbians and Lesbianisms     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Gordon Graham, Evil and Christian Ethics J. C. Lester, Escape From Leviathan: Liberty, Welfare and Anarchy Reconciled Peter Vallentyne and Hillel Steiner (ed.), The Origins of Left‐Libertarianism: An Anthology of Historical Writings; Left‐Libertarianism and Its Critics: The Contemporary Debate James P. Sterba, Social and Political Philosophy: Contemporary Perspectives R. S. Downie and Jane MacNaughton, Clinical Judgement: Evidence in Practice John Hardwig, Is There a Duty to Die?: with other essays in Bioethics James M. Humber and Robert F. Almeder (ed.), Is There a Duty to Die?     

A latent profile analysis of coping responses to individuals’ most traumatic event: associations with adaptive and maladaptive mental health outcomes

ABSTRACT

Background & Objectives: This study explores how empirically-derived coping response patterns influence mental health.

Design: Emerging adults, currently enrolled in college and aged 18–24 (N?=?432; M_age?=?19.66; SD?=?1.65), completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, coping responses to self-selected most traumatic event (MTE), resilience, posttraumatic growth (PTG), depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).

Methods: Eight coping subscales were included as indicators in a latent profile analysis. Then, associations between established profiles and mental health outcomes were examined, covarying for demographic and trauma-related variables.

Results: Considering fit statistics, class size, profile patterns, and theory, the four-class model was deemed most appropriate: High Overall Coping (HCOPE; n?=?146, 34%), Low Overall Coping (LCOPE; n?=?92, 22%), High Engagement Coping (HENG; n?=?115, 27%), and High Disengagement Coping (HDIS; n?=?73, 17%). HENG participants endorsed above-average resilience and PTG, coupled with below-average depressive symptoms and PTSS. Compared to the sample average, HDIS participants endorsed lower resilience and PTG, coupled with higher depressive symptoms and PTSS. LCOPE participants endorsed low levels of all outcomes. HCOPE participants endorsed high levels of all outcomes.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that clinicians who promote engagement coping and discourage disengagement coping among trauma-exposed individuals may engender the most desirable constellation of mental health outcomes.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article: Human Procreation: Ethical Aspects of the New Techniques. Report of a Working Party, Council for Science and Society. Begotten or Made? Oliver O'Donovan. Test Tube Babies: A Christian View. Life before Birth: Consensus in Medical Ethics. By Kenneth Boyd, Brendan Callaghan and Edward Shotter. The Bishops and Nuclear Weapons: The Catholic Pastoral Letter on War and Peace. By James E. Dougherty. The Evangelicals and the Bishops' Pastoral Letter. Edited by Dean C. Curry. Psychoanalytical Reflections on the Holocaust: Selected Essays. Edited by Steven A. Luel and Paul Marcus. Jewish Ethics and Halakhah for Our Time. By Basil F. Herring. What Are They Saying About Scripture and Ethics? By William C. Spohn. The Interpretation of John. Edited by John Ashton. An Introduction to Catholic Sacramental Theology. By Alexandre Ganoczy. The Strength of the Weak: Toward a Christian Feminist Identity. By Dorothee Soelle. Tudor Drama and Religious Controversy. By James C. Bryant. Witchcraft and Religion: The Politics of Popular Belief. By Christina Larner. Attitudes to Other Religions: Comparative Religion in Seventeenth-and Eighteenth-Century Britain. By David Pailin. A Prince of the Church: Schleiermacher and the Beginnings of Modern Theology. By B.A. Gerrish. The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, Vol. VI: The Via Media and Froude's ‘Remains’, January 1837 to December 1838. Edited by Gerard Tracey. The Rise and Decline of Englkh Modernism. By Alan M.G. Stephenson. God of Our Fathers? Do We Know What We Believe? By Peter Vardy The Need for Certainty: A Sociological Study of Conventional Religion. By Robert Towler. Salvation and Liberation. In Search of a Balance between Faith and Politics. By Leonardo and Clodovis Boff. The Quest for Eternity: An Outline of the Philosophy of Religion. By J.C.A. Gaskin. Wickedness: A Philosophical Essay. By Mary Midgley. The Legacy of Wittgenstein. By Anthony Kenny. Sartre and His Predecessors: The Self and The Other. By William Ralph Schroeder. No Other Name? A Critical Survey of Chriktian Attitudes Towards the World Religions. By Paul F. Knitter. Islam: A Christian Perspective. By Michael Nazir-Ali. Theodicy in Islamic Thought: the Dispute over Al-Ghāzalî's ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’. By Eric L. Ormsby. Strange Gifts? A Guide to Charismatic Renewal. Edited by David Martin and Peter Mullen. Liturgy Pastoral and Parochial. By Michael Perham.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Kevin J. Vanhoozer Is There Meaning in This Text? The Bible, the Reader and the Morality of Literary Knowledge Rowan Williams Lost Icons: Reflections on Cultural Bereavement Ray S. Anderson Theological Foundations for Ministry: Selected Readings for a Theology of the Church in Ministry Alastair McKinnon The Kierkegaard Computer Workshop Thomas G. Weinandy Does God Suffer? Oswald Bayer Gott als Autor Zu einer Poietologischen Theologie Gareth Jones Christian Theology: A Brief Introduction. Kathryn Green‐McCreight Feminist Reconstructions of Christian Doctrine: Narrative Analysis and Appraisal. David Brown Tradition and Imagination: Revelation and Changel.     

Perception of threat and safety at work among employees in the Norwegian ministries after the 2011 Oslo bombing

Background and objectives: Terrorism can heighten fears and undermine the feeling of safety. Little is known, however, about the factors that influence threat and safety perception after terrorism. The aim of the present study was to explore how proximity to terror and posttraumatic stress reactions are associated with perceived threat and safety after a workplace terrorist attack. Design and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered to employees in 14 of 17 Norwegian ministries 9–10 months after the 2011 bombing of the government headquarters in Oslo (n = 3520). Results: About 198 of 1881 employees completing the survey were at work when the bomb exploded. Regression analysis showed that this high-exposed group had elevated perceived threat (β = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.53) and reduced perceived safety (β = ?0.42; 95% CI = ?0.62 to ?0.23) compared to a reference group of employees not at work. After adjusting for posttraumatic stress reactions, however, proximity to the explosion no longer mattered, whereas posttraumatic stress was associated with both high perceived threat (β = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.48 to 0.63) and low perceived safety (β = ?0.71; 95% CI, ?0.80 to ?0.63). Conclusion: Terror-exposed employees feel more threatened and less safe after a workplace terrorist attack, and this is closely linked to elevated levels of posttraumatic stress reactions.     

Initial responses to the first dose of nicotine in novel smokers: The role of exposure to environmental smoking and genetic predisposition

Background: Sensitivity to initial smoking constitutes an early predictor of the risk of dependence. We investigated the role of exposure to smoking (by parents, siblings, and peers) and reward-related candidate gene polymorphisms (OPRM1 A118G, DRD2 TaqlA and DRD4?bp VNTR) in adolescents’ responses to initial smoking.

Methods: We used cross-sectional survey data and saliva samples from 171 Dutch students who had never inhaled on a cigarette (mean age: 13.9?years). The outcome measure was adolescents’ self-reported responses to initial smoking.

Results: Exposure to peer smoking was associated with increased liking (OR?=?1.74, CI?=?1.13–2.70) and more pleasant sensations (β?=?.21, p?=?.01). Exposure to maternal smoking was associated with less unpleasant sensations (β?=??.20, p?=?.01). Adolescents carrying the G-variant of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism were more likely to report liking (OR?=?2.50, CI?=?1.09–5.73) and adolescents homozygous for the C-variant of the DRD2 TaqlA polymorphism reported less unpleasant sensations (β?=?.18, p?=?.04).

Conclusion: Although preliminary, these findings suggest that exposure to environmental smoking and polymorphisms in the OPRM1 and DRD2 gene may affect initial sensitivity to nicotine, an early phenotype of the risk of dependence. In the future, collaborative efforts to combine data from multiple studies in meta-analyses are needed to improve accuracy of estimated effects in genetic studies.     

A Gricean Interpretation of Nāgārjuna’s Catuṣkoṭi and the No-Thesis View

Nāgārjuna (c. 150–250 CE), the famous founder of the Madhyamika School, proposed the positive catu?ko?i in his seminal work, Mūlamadhyamakakārikā: ‘All is real, or all is unreal, all is both real and unreal, all is neither unreal nor real; this is the graded teaching of the Buddha’. He also proposed the negative catu?ko?i: ‘“It is empty” is not to be said, nor “It is non-empty,” nor that it is both, nor that it is neither; [“empty”] is said only for the sake of instruction’ and the no-thesis view: ‘No dharma whatsoever was ever taught by the Buddha to anyone’. In this essay, I adopt Gricean pragmatics to explain the positive and negative catu?ko?i and the no-thesis view proposed by Nāgārjuna in a way that does not violate classical logic. For Nāgārjuna, all statements are false as long as the hearer understands them within a reified conceptual scheme, according to which (a) substance is a basic categorical concept; (b) substances have svabhāva, and (c) names and sentences have svabhāva.     

The sociocultural movement in psychology,the role of theories in sociocultural inquiries,and the theory of sociocultural models

This special issue presents the theory of sociocultural models (TSCM) and its applications in diverse areas of psychology, including education, health care, clinical practice, gender relations, and general research. As many theories already exist in the social sciences, some readers may ask: “Why do cross‐cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologists need another theory?” This question is comprised of two aspects: culture/cultural and theory/theoretical. Therefore, to answer it, it is important to clarify both issues. The first relates to cultural and its relation to psychological. The second, theory, considers its relation to cultural and psychological. These issues have long‐range implications for all culture and psychology disciplines as they pose many questions: What role does culture play in the mental functioning of people? How is culture constituted? Is cultural related to social? Does people’s mental functioning exert reciprocal influences on their cultural and social functioning? While working toward answering these questions, researchers quickly determine that more questions arise: What role should theories play in answering these questions? What constitutes theory in culture and psychology disciplines? How should such a theory (or such theories) address the triad of cultural, social, and mental? Consequently, in an effort to provide an overview of the TSCM and to begin to answer these questions, this introduction consists of two parts. The first part addresses the sociocultural turn in modern psychology; this part discusses its implications for research in culture and psychology disciplines. The second segment examines the topic of the theoretical backgrounds of cultural and cross‐cultural research and connects the philosophical paradigms of interpretivism and realism with the theory of sociocultural models. This introduction concludes with a brief overview of the articles included in this issue.     

Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Carsten Peter Thiede, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish Origins of Christianity Markus Bockmuehl (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Jesus Paul Copan and Craig A. Evans (eds), Who Was Jesus? A Jewish–Christian Dialogue David F. Ford and Mike Higton (eds), Jesus Reimund Bieringer, Didier Pollefeyt and Frederique Vandecasteele–Vanneuville (eds), Anti–Judaism and the Fourth Gospel Tania Oldenhage, Parables for Our Time: Rereading New Testament Scholarship after the Holocaust Steve Moyise (ed.), Studies in the Book of Revelation Stephen R. Haynes, Noah's Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery George Herring, What was the Oxford Movement? Peter J. Bowler, Reconciling Science and Religion: The Debate in Early Twentieth–Century Britain Giles Fraser, Redeeming Nietzsche: On the Piety of Unbelief Theo Hobson, The Rhetorical Word: Protestant Theology and the Rhetoric of Authority Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson (eds), The Last Things: Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Eschatology Oliver Davies, A Theology of Compassion: Metaphysics of Difference and the Renewal of Tradition W. Montgomery Watt, A Christian Faith for Today Alex Wright, Why Bother With Theology? Teresa Berger (ed.), Dissident Daughters: Feminist Liturgies in Global Context John G. Stackhouse, Jr. (ed.), No Other God's Before Me? Evangelicals and the Challenge of World Religions Mark Atherton (ed.), Celts and Christians: New Approaches to the Religious Traditions of Britain and Ireland Yossi Klein Halevi, William Morrow, At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Search for God with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land Richard K. Fenn, Beyond Idols: The Shape of a Secular Society Robert Durback (ed.), Henri Nouwen: In My Own Words Raymond Plant, Politics, Theology and History Peter Coles (ed.), The Routledge Companion to the New Cosmology Wesley Carr et al (eds), The New Dictionary of Pastoral Studies     

What do targeting positive views on ageing add to a physical activity intervention in older adults? Results from a randomised controlled trial

Objective: Physical activity is a key factor for healthy ageing, yet many older people lead a sedentary lifestyle. Traditional physical activity interventions do not consider the specific needs and views of older adults. As views on ageing are known to be related to health behaviours, the current study evaluates the effectiveness of prompting positive views on ageing within a physical activity intervention.

Design: Randomised controlled trial with three groups aged 65+: Intervention for physical activity with ‘views-on-ageing’-component (n?=?101; IGVoA), and without ‘views-on-ageing’-component (n?=?30; IG), and active control intervention for volunteering (n?=?103; CG).

Main outcome measures: Attitudes towards older adults and physical activity were assessed five weeks before intervention, two weeks, six weeks and 8.5?months after the intervention.

Results: Compared to the IG and CG, positive attitudes towards older adults increased in the IGVoA after the intervention. For IGVoA, the indirect intervention effect on change in activity via change in attitudes towards older adults was reliable.

Conclusion: A ‘views-on-ageing’-component within a physical activity intervention affects change in physical activity via change in views on ageing. Views on ageing are a promising intervention technique to be incorporated into future physical activity interventions for older adults.     

Type D personality and social relations in adults with diabetes: results from diabetes MILES – The Netherlands

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether individual differences in Type D personality (combination of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI)) could explain heterogeneity in perceived social support and relationship adjustment (intimate partner relationship) among people living with diabetes.

Design: In the Diabetes MILES—The Netherlands survey, 621 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (54% female, age: 56?±?14 years) completed measures of Type D personality (DS14), perceived social support and relationship adjustment. We used established DS14 cut-off scores to indicate Type D personality, high NA only, high SI only and reference groups.

Results: Participants from the Type D and NA only groups perceived lower levels of social support (Welch[3,259]?=?37.27, p?<?0.001), and relationship adjustment (Welch[3,191]?=?14.74; p?<?0.01) than those from the SI only and reference groups. Type D was associated with lower social support (lowest quartile; adjusted OR?=?8.73; 95%CI?=?5.05?～?15.09; p?<?0.001) and lower relationship adjustment (lowest quartile; adjusted OR?=?3.70; 95%CI?=?2.10?～?6.53; p?<?0.001). Type D was also associated with increased levels of loneliness.

Conclusion: Participants with Type D and participants with high NA only tend to experience less social support and less relationship adjustment. Type D personality was also associated with more loneliness. Experiencing lower social support and relationship adjustment may complicate coping and self-management in people with diabetes.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Frans Jozef van Beeck, God Encountered: A Contemporary Catholic Systematic Theology, Volume Two/4: The Revelation of the Glory; Part IV/A: The Genealogy of Depravity: Morality and Immorality Nicholas M. Healy, Church, World and the Christian Life: Practical‐Prophetic Ecclesiology Richard Viladesau, Theology and the Arts: Encountering God Through Music, Art and Rhetoric James K. A. Smith, The Fall of Interpretation: Philosophical Foundations for a Creational Hermeneutic Clark M. Williamson, Way of Blessing, Way of Life: A Christian Theology Thomas G. Weinandy, Does God Suffer? Michael L. Budde and Robert W. Brimlow, (eds.) The Church as Counterculture Brian S. Hook and R. R. Reno, Heroism and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Excellence Geoffrey Wainwright, Is the Reformation Over? Catholics and Protestants at the Turn of the Millennia Paul J. Griffiths, Religious Reading: The Place of Reading in the Practice of Religion