Investigating the latent dimensions of posttraumatic stress disorder and the role of anxiety sensitivity in combat-exposed Filipino soldiers

ABSTRACT

Identifying the optimal factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has recently been reinvigorated in literature due to the substantial changes to its diagnostic criteria in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Currently, six models of PTSD are supported in literature, but there is no consensus on the best-fitting factor structure. Additionally, the extant literature examining the relationship between PTSD symptom-grouping and AS in the latent level has been scarce. The present study’s objectives are two-fold: first, we aimed to identify the best-fitted model of PTSD by comparing the six empirically-supported models, and; second, we examined the relationship between the best-fitting model with anxiety sensitivity (AS). Utilizing a sample of 476 combat-exposed soldiers, the results suggest that both the anhedonia and hybrid models provide the best fit to the data, with the anhedonia model achieving slightly better fit indices. Further, the examination on the influence of AS to PTSD reveal that while there is a pattern of decreasing factor loadings and factor correlations when accounting for AS, the changes are not significant to alter the PTSD symptom-structure. Based on these results, our findings suggest further investigation on the possible mediating or moderating mechanisms by which AS may influence PTSD.     

Spaceship Archeology: Methodological Experiments in NSF Counter-Insurgency at the 2017 Oregon Eclipse Festival

Abstract

This article examines several aspects of knowledge production among practitioners of 21st century capitalism, critiquing the motivations, funding, methods, and dissemination of today’s politically and economically dominant epistemology. We document a methodological experiment undertaken during the Oregon Eclipse Festival—a week-long event coinciding with the solar eclipse that crossed the United States on August 21, 2017. As commissioned participants in the festival’s Art & Science exhibit, we designed an interactive archeological excavation that sought to produce material evidence corroborating the (un)reality of UFO activity in Oregon. From this performance, we highlight four insights into the relationship between science, evidence, and responsibility.     

Draw Me Your Thoughts: The Use of Comic Strips as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention

ABSTRACT

Creating comic strips can be a viable mechanism when utilizing cognitive behavioral interventions. Generating comic strips, which involves a process of constructing sequenced panels and a story-narrative through drawing, can reveal dysfunctional cognitions that can consequently be addressed. The authors of this article discuss a qualitative case study of a 14-year-old high school boy who came for psychotherapy due to severe anxiety during math tests. Creating comic strips was found to be beneficial in externalizing problematic thinking processes, which were then utilized for cognitive restructuring and behavioral modification. The use of comic strips provided a concrete medium for analyzing maladaptive thoughts and practices, leading the way for the emotional management of anxiety with math.     

Women in the Middle Years: A Critique of Research and Theory

Research and theory on women in the middle years reflect assumptions and biases that limit our understanding and impair our ability to resolve conflicting findings about women's well-being. Such theorists as Erikson and Levinson focus on chronological age and assume an inappropriate sequence of stages and events. In most research, the centrality of women's reproductive role is assumed and the importance of their work role pattern is ignored. Thus menopause and the "empty nest" receive disproportionate attention. Too little attention is given to stage of the family life cycle and the conditions and status of work. Two active research areas that appear promising for understanding adult women are also discussed: locus of control and attributions; and social networks and support systems.