Structural couple therapy in the treatment of inhibited sexual drive

Abstract

This paper presents a study of a structural couple therapy approach to the treatment of inhibited sexual desire (ISD). ISD is first conceptualized as a relational phenomenon that may be most effectively treated in a couple context. Structural couple therapy is advanced and applied to the treatment of a clinical sample of couples presenting with ISD. Results of the study suggest that a structural couple therapy approach to ISD is effective in reducing symptoms of the sexual disorder and in increasing couple satisfaction.     

Daniel Dubuisson,The Western Construction of Religion

In The Western Construction of Religion Daniel Dubuisson argues that the concept of ‘religion’ is too historically and culturally contingent to serve as the basis for a comparative discipline. The concept is indigenous to Western culture and is inherently theological and phenomenological. He argues for a constructionist view of the discipline and proposes the concept ‘cosmographic formations' as a replacement for ‘religion’. Religious phenomena should be taken as discursive constructions that link embodied individuals to the social, cultural and cosmic orders. The following reviews evaluate Dubuisson's arguments, relating them to broader currents in the theory of religion. Daniel Dubuisson responds to each of the reviews.     

Lifestyle changes are related to reductions in depression in persons with elevated coronary risk factors

This observational study investigates whether persons with elevated coronary risk factors (CRFs >3 and/or diabetes) and depression [i.e., ≥16 on the Center for Epidemiological Scale – Depression (CES-D)] can make changes in health behaviours over 3 months and improve depressive symptoms and other CRFs. Analyses were based on data from 310 men and 687 women enrolled in the high-risk arm of the Multisite Cardiac Lifestyle Intervention Program, targeting diet (10% fat), exercise (3 h per week) and stress management (7 h per week). As expected, at study entry, depressed persons had a more adverse medical status, consumed more dietary fat and practiced less stress management than non-depressed persons. To examine 3-month changes, participants were grouped into (1) depressed persons who became non-depressed (CES-D ≤ 16, n = 248; 73%), (2) persons who remained or became depressed (CES-D >16, n = 76) and (3) non-depressed persons who remained non-depressed (n = 597). All persons, regardless of group, met program goals. The greatest improvements (i.e., diet, exercise, perceived stress, hostility and mental health) were observed in Group 1 relative to Groups 2 and 3, which did not differ from each other. Comprehensive lifestyle changes appear to be feasible and beneficial for initially depressed persons with elevated CRFs.     

Psychometric Support for an Abbreviated Version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Form

The objectives of this study were to systematically develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Report; a questionnaire widely used by pediatric neuropsychologists. A total of 24 items from the original BRIEF Parent Form were selected for the short-form, which was then evaluated in three complementary samples, according to six a priori psychometric criteria. The short-form generally demonstrated appropriate psychometric qualities, with convincing evidence for the reliability and validity of the three composite indices: Behavioral Regulation, Metacognition, and the Global Executive Composite. Potential clinical applications include screening at-risk children in medical clinics to facilitate appropriate referrals for further psychological consultation. In research settings, the short-form can be easily integrated into studies involving mass collection of data (e.g., large-scale epidemiological research), facilitating advancements in the scientific understanding of neuropsychological morbidity in medically involved populations.     

Investment in body image among patients diagnosed with or at risk for malignant melanoma

We examined investment in body image among 48 patients diagnosed with, or at risk for malignant melanoma (MM), as well as factors hypothesized as related to increased investment, such as gender, perceived stress, mood, fatigue, and personality characteristics. Investment in body image was evaluated using the Measure of Body Apperception [Carver, C. S., Pozo-Kaderman, C., Price, A. A., Noriega, V., Harris, S. D., Derhagopian, R. S., Robinson, D. S., & Moffat, F. L. Jr. (1998). Concern about aspects of body image and adjustment to early state breast cancer. Psychosomatic Medicine, 60, 168–174]. Results showed that women reported more concerns about physical appearance than men, and patients with MM exhibited more concerns about body integrity than at-risk patients. Concerns about body integrity were related to more compulsive personality characteristics, whereas concerns about appearance were associated with more histrionic personality characteristics. Body image investment was related to poorer adjustment as indicated by heightened symptoms of fatigue and stress. This study suggests that further research on investment in body image in this patient population is warranted.     

Empathic accuracy and accommodative behavior among newly married couples

An established method for assessing empathic accuracy was used to examine the consequences of accurate understanding during the early years of marriage. Structural equation modeling analyses simultaneously examined within–individual and across–partner associations among variables (actor effects and partner effects). During the first year of marriage, actor effects and partner effects were observed for two presumed consequences of empathic accuracy—accommodative behavior and couple well–being. Actor effects, partner effects, or both were observed for three possible determinants of empathic accuracy—commitment level, partner perspective–taking, and psychological femininity. Levels of empathic accuracy reliably declined following the first year of marriage, as did the strength of the above–noted associations with empathic accuracy.     

The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale: Confirmatory Factor Analytic Findings

The psychometric properties of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) have recently been heavily examined. Specifically, a number of researchers have been interested in determining the factor structure of this scale to find whether it best forms a one, two, or three factor model. The present study continued this examination by considering different scaling models using confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of individuals diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). One hundred and forty-six individuals diagnosed with OCD participated and were administered the Y-BOCS and scales measuring depression (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale). It was found that the Y-BOCS forms two different two-factor models. One model consisted of an obsessions and compulsions factor; the other composed of disturbance and symptom severity factors. It was likewise found that depression and anxiety were related to both factors in one model (disturbance and symptom severity). The finding that depression was related to obsessions and anxiety to compulsions was found, as in a previous factor analysis of the Y-BOCS. These findings suggest that OCD may be best characterized as a multidimensional syndrome that may not be adequately examined by a single unitary factor as described in the Y-BOCS.