Reliability and Factor Structure of the Psychological Maltreatment and Neglect Scales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI)

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychological Maltreatment (PM) and Neglect subscales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI; DiLillo et al., 2010 DiLillo, D., Hayes-Skelton, S. A., Fortier, M. A., Perry, A. R., Evans, S.Messman-Moore, T. L. 2010. Development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI): A comprehensive self-report measure of child maltreatment history. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34: 305–317. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The CAMI is a retrospective self-report measure that assesses multiple forms of child maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, psychological, neglect, exposure to interparental violence) retrospectively from adults. The CAMI's PM and Neglect subscales were administered to a geographically diverse sample of 400 college students and a sample of 412 newlyweds. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted for each group separately by subscale. Represented in the PM factor structures were items that depict emotional responsiveness, terrorizing/spurning, demanding/rigid, corrupting, and isolating parental behaviors. The Neglect scale included items depicting basic needs, cleanliness, abandonment, monitoring and medical neglect factors. Revised versions of the CAMI PM and Neglect subscales based on the factor analysis are presented.     

The Coping Competence Questionnaire: A measure of resilience to helplessness and depression

Based on helplessness/hopelessness theories of depression, the 12-item Coping Competence Questionnaire (CCQ) was designed to assess resilience against helplessness and depression. Evidence from a study involving 2,224 participants indicates that the CCQ is highly reliable, stable over a 1-month period, unidimensional, and internally valid. The CCQ converged negatively with measures of depression, neuroticism, and stress reaction and showed discriminant validity with a variety of other personality constructs. Compared to a measure of attributional style, the CCQ proved to be a superior predictor of depressed mood. Path models support the assumption that the CCQ buffers the effects of stress and negative life events on depressed mood and that dysfunctional coping mediates the effects of coping competence deficits on depression.     

Effects of relationship maintenance on psychological distress and dyadic adjustment among couples coping with lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: Relationship maintenance strategies help to ensure the continuation of valued relationships by keeping them at a certain level of intimacy. This study evaluated how lung cancer patients' and spouses' efforts to maintain their relationships affected their psychological and marital adjustment over time. DESIGN: Psychosocial questionnaires were administered within 1 month of lung cancer treatment initiation (baseline) and 3 and 6 months later to 158 lung cancer patients and their spouses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Study outcomes were global severity index scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory, and total scores on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling analyses using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that, regardless of gender or social role (i.e., patient or spouse), individuals who engaged in the strategies of positivity, networks, and shared tasks reported less distress at baseline than other participants. Over time, the effects of providing more assurances and experiencing a partner's increased reliance on social networks differed: patient distress was exacerbated, and spouse distress was alleviated. Couples where both partners engaged in more frequent maintenance behaviors reported greater dyadic adjustment at baseline and over time. CONCLUSION: For couples coping with lung cancer, the initial treatment period may be an important time that sets the tone for future spousal interactions. Engaging in relationship maintenance during this stressful time may help mold more resilient relationships and facilitate adjustment as the disease progresses.     

Conducting a Pragmatic Trial in Integrated Primary Care: Key Decision Points and Considerations

Pragmatic trials testing the effectiveness of interventions under “real world” conditions help bridge the research-to-practice gap. Such trial designs are optimal for studying the impact of implementation efforts, such as the effectiveness of integrated behavioral health clinicians in primary care settings. Formal pragmatic trials conducted in integrated primary care settings are uncommon, making it difficult for researchers to anticipate the potential pitfalls associated with balancing scientific rigor with the demands of routine clinical practice. This paper is based on our experience conducting the first phase of a large, multisite, pragmatic clinical trial evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of behavioral health consultants treating patients with chronic pain using a manualized intervention, brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (BCBT-CP). The paper highlights key choice points using the PRagmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary (PRECIS-2) tool. We discuss the dilemmas of pragmatic research that we faced and offer recommendations for aspiring integrated primary care pragmatic trialists.

     

Experimental manipulations of perspective taking and perspective switching in expressive writing

Previous studies suggest that those who naturally vary their pronoun use over the course of expressive writing subsequently report the greatest improvements in physical and mental health. To explore possible perspective taking or perspective switching effects, two studies manipulated writing perspectives about emotional events from either a first-person, second-person, or third-person perspective. In Study 1, 55 students were randomly assigned to one of the three writing perspectives and were asked to write from the same perspective for three 5-minute writing sessions. In Study 2, 129 students wrote for three 5-minute sessions, one from each perspective in a counterbalanced order. The results showed that writing from a first-person perspective conferred more perceived benefits and was associated with using more cognitive mechanism words, whether engaged in perspective taking or perspective switching.     

List of Reviewers

ABSTRACT

Anxious individuals report disproportionately negative expectations concerning the future, termed the negative expectancy bias. In contrast, ageing is associated with an inflated expectancy for positive future events. A recent study [Steinman, S. A., Smyth, F. L., Bucks, R. S., MacLeod, C., &; Teachman, B. A. (2013). Anxiety-linked expectancy bias across the adult lifespan. Cognition and Emotion, 27, 345–355. doi:10.1080/02699931.2012.711743] found using an interpretation bias task, a negative expectancy bias in young adults and positive expectancy bias in older adults with high trait anxiety. Extending this, the current study examined expectancy bias for positive, negative and ambiguously emotionally toned information in younger and older adults with clinical levels of depression and anxiety to community control groups, thus allowing examination of both disorder status and age on biases. Clinical participants reported a pervasive tendency to expect negative events relative to positive regardless of whether the current scenarios were positive, negative or ambiguous. Older adults showed greater expectancy for future positive scenarios when the initial scenario was negative or ambiguous. Age moderated the negative expectancy bias shown by clinical participants for ambiguous scenarios. Clinical disorders in older adults attenuated the positive expectancy bias that was otherwise strong in community participants. These findings provide further evidence for age differences in processing of emotionally toned information, with older adults showing a greater expectancy for positive future events.