College Students' Responses to Suicidal Content on Social Networking Sites: An Examination Using a Simulated Facebook Newsfeed

Although Facebook has a peer‐initiated suicide prevention protocol, little is known about users' abilities to notice, recognize, and appropriately interpret suicidal content or about their willingness to intervene. In this study, 468 college students were randomly assigned to interact with a simulated Facebook newsfeed containing content reflecting various suicide risk levels. A larger proportion of those exposed to content reflecting moderate and severe suicide risk noticed, recognized, appropriately interpreted, and endorsed taking action to intervene, as compared to those exposed to content representing no or low risk. Overall, results indicate that college students are responsive to suicidal content on Facebook.     

Salad = success and fries = failure? Conceptualizing and assessing self‐control outcome measures in food decision‐making research

Researchers studying decisions about food utilize a wide variety of measures to assess self‐control outcomes in experimental studies. However, it is often unclear whether or not the chosen dependent variables truly implicate self‐regulatory mechanisms in decision making. In the present research, we provide a conceptual framework for evaluating self‐control outcome measures, concentrating specifically on the domain of food and eating self‐control decisions. We propose and empirically examine the essential characteristics [i.e., (i) recognized as self‐control relevant by study population, (ii) related to individual differences in self‐control, and (iii) recognized as self‐control relevant by individual] of good self‐control outcome measures and provide specific methodological recommendations (including the “rank‐then‐choose” method) for capturing exhibited self‐control in the domain of food decision making. Our conceptual developments and recommendations seek to enhance the consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness of food‐related decision research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spirituality and Post-Stroke Aphasia Recovery

Journal of Religion and Health - The role of spirituality in post-stroke aphasia recovery has been ignored despite its potential contribution to positive health outcomes, particularly stroke...     

The Conceptualization of Team Flow

Despite the noted potential for team flow to enhance a team's effectiveness, productivity, performance, and capabilities, studies on the construct in the workplace context are scarce. Most research on flow at the group level has been focused on performance in athletics or the arts, and looks at the collective experience. But, the context of work has different parameters, which necessitate a look at individual and team level experiences. In this review, we extend current theories and essay a testable, multilevel model of team flow in the workplace that includes its likely prerequisites, characteristics, and benefits.     

Change in Attachment Dimensions and Reflective Functioning Following Emotionally Focused Group Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder

The current study examines change in attachment variables from pre- to six months post-emotionally focused group therapy (EFGT) for binge eating disorder (BED). A clinical sample of 118 women and men with BED attended 20 sessions of EFGT and completed the Adult Attachment Interview pre- and six months post-treatment. There was a significant increase in secure attachment style classification, significant increases in Coherence of Mind and Reflective Functioning scores, and significant decreases in both unresolved/disorganized attachment style classification and scale scores from pre- to six months post-treatment. Interventions specific to EFGT, common therapeutic factors and group process interventions may have contributed to changes in these attachment variables. The current study demonstrated that EFGT is a promising treatment for facilitating change in attachment in women and men with BED.     

‘Emotional turbulence’: the development of symbolic thinking in the psychotherapeutic treatment of an adolescent girl

Abstract

This paper is drawn from doctoral research which analysed clinical data from the once weekly psychotherapy of a young person who experienced both gender identity dysphoria and an eating disorder and whose depression had proved resistant to other interventions. Based on the psychoanalytic thinking of Klein, Segal, Bion and others regarding the role of symbolisation in development, the links between symbol formation, the depressive position and the negotiation of the Oedipus complex are outlined. Special attention is given to current thinking about the nature and genesis of gender identity dysphoria in the light of these concepts. The association with autistic features for a number of cases is briefly explored. In the light of these theoretical links, findings from the study are used to investigate and illustrate the movement this patient made within her therapy from an emotionally turbulent position where concrete thinking was manifest, to a more symbolic way of thinking that allowed emotional change, and less concrete acting out. Clinical narrative excerpts as well as findings from the study are used to discuss the progress made by the patient and to evaluate how her journey may inform future practice.