Development and validation of the Dutch Questionnaire God Image : Effects of mental health and religious culture

This article presents the Dutch Questionnaire God Image (QGI), which has two theory-based dimensions: feelings towards God and perceptions of God's actions. This instrument was validated among a sample of 804 respondents, of which 244 persons received psychotherapy. Results showed relationships between the affective and cognitive aspect of the God image. The God image of psychiatric patients had a more negative and threatening nature than the God image of the non-psychiatric respondents. Also, religious culture appeared to affect the God image.     

Do drop-outs differ from successfully treated obsessive-compulsives?

The most common reasons given by patients for dropping out of treatment are: environmental constraints, dissatisfaction with services and that they no longer need help. In this study two groups of patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders are compared. The drop-outs' reasons for terminating treatment are compared with the comments of patients who completed the therapy successfully. Drop-outs differ from successfully treated OCD's in five respects: they appear to be less obsessive-compulsive; they have more discongruent treatment expectations; they are more critical of the therapist; they experience less anxiety in carrying out homework assignments; they less frequently come under pressure from people close to them.     

Family therapy and psychopathology: developments in research and approaches to treatment

The impact of family approaches in understanding and treating psychopathology is reviewed for the following disorders: schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychoactive substance use disorders, eating disorders, and conduct disorders in children. Family-oriented interventions are concluded to be useful in treating disorders when applied flexibly and multi-dimensionally and when used in conjunction with psychopharmacological or other valid individual treatment approaches.     

Dimensions of Religion Associated with Suicide Attempt and Suicide Ideation in Depressed,Religiously Affiliated Patients

There is substantial evidence to support the claim that religion can protect against suicide ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide. There is also evidence that religion does not always protect against suicidality. More insight is needed into the relationship between suicidal parameters and dimensions of religion. A total of 155 in‐ and outpatients with major depression from a Christian Mental Health Care institution were included. The following religious factors were assessed: religious service attendance, frequency of prayer, religious salience, type of God representation, and moral objections to suicide (MOS). Multiple regression analyses were computed. MOS have a unique and prominent (negative) association with suicide ideation and the lifetime history of suicide attempts, even after controlling for demographic features and severity of depression. The type of God representation is an independent statistical predictor of the severity of suicide ideation. A positive‐supportive God representation is negatively correlated with suicide ideation. A passive‐distressing God representation has a positive correlation with suicide ideation. High MOS and a positive‐supportive God representation in Christian patients with depression are negatively correlated with suicide ideation. Both are likely to be important markers for assessment and further development of therapeutic strategies.