Attachment styles and clinical correlates in people at ultra high risk for psychosis

Evidence suggests that attachment styles may influence subclinical psychosis phenotypes (schizotypy) and affective disorders and may play a part in the association between psychosis and childhood adversity. However, the role of attachment in the initial stages of psychosis remains poorly understood. Our main aim was to describe and compare attachment styles in 60 individuals at ultra high risk for psychosis (UHR) and a matched sample of 60 healthy volunteers (HV). The HV had lower anxious and avoidant attachment scores than the UHR individuals (p < .001). Sixty-nine percentage of the UHR group had more than one DSM-IV diagnosis, mainly affective and anxiety disorders. The UHR group experienced more trauma (p < .001) and more mood and anxiety symptoms (p < .001). Interestingly, in our UHR group, only schizotypy paranoia was correlated with insecure attachment. In the HV group, depression, anxiety, schizotypy paranoia, and social anxiety were correlated with insecure attachment. This difference and some discrepancies with previous studies involving UHR suggest that individuals at UHR may compose a heterogeneous group; some experience significant mood and/or anxiety symptoms that may not be explained by specific attachment styles. Nonetheless, measuring attachment in UHR individuals could help maximize therapeutic relationships to enhance recovery.     

Family Therapy with Couples and Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease

Family therapists are increasingly called upon to work with individuals and families with medical issues, but often do not have sufficient background on the issue to be most helpful. The purpose of this paper is to help family therapists understand Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and its impact on the individual and his or her family. PD is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the United States, following Alzheimer’s disease (Hirtz et al., Neurology 68:326–337, 2007). According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, approximately 60,000 individuals are diagnosed with PD every year, and approximately one million Americans are currently living with PD. In this paper, we provide an overview of PD based on research and the second author’s many years of providing services for individuals with PD, as well as offer specific recommendations for providing family therapy using narrative, solution-focused and emotionally focused therapy based on the first author’s work as a family therapist with individuals, groups, and couples dealing with PD.     

Guiding the Talent and Career Development of the Gifted Individual

The authors highlight challenges that gifted individuals may encounter in their career development and propose a theory‐informed career counseling framework to help guide them through the process. Special consideration is given to issues that may be salient for gifted individuals in career counseling sessions. Uncontrollable factors that might influence their career decision making, including socioeconomic status, race, gender, and sexual orientation, are also addressed.     

Understanding the emotional aspects of escalation of commitment: the role of negative affect

Despite the importance of understanding the emotional aspects of organizational decision making, prior research has paid scant attention to the role of emotion in escalation of commitment. This article attempts to fill this gap by examining the relationship between negative affect and escalation of commitment. Results showed that regardless of whether negative affect was measured as a dispositional trait (Neuroticism) in Studies 1 and 2 or as a transient mood state in Study 3, it was negatively correlated with escalation tendency when one was personally responsible for a prior decision. This pattern of results is consistent with the predictions derived from the coping perspective, suggesting that people seek to escape from the unpleasant emotions that are associated with escalation situations.