Reactions Toward Mental, Physical, and Substance-Abuse Disorders

In this study, participants read 3 separate vignettes describing a hypothetical sibling with each of the following disorders: substance abuse, schizophrenia, and a physical illness. As hypothesized, and consistent with attribution theory, the hypothetical patient with a substance-abuse disorder was perceived as having the most control over his or her illness and the associated symptoms, and the patient described as having a physical illness was perceived as having the least control over his or her illness. Also in support of attribution theory, the hypothetical patient described as having a substance-abuse disorder elicited the most negative emotional reactions from participants, and the patient described as having a physical illness elicited the least negative emotional reactions. Again in support of attribution theory and study hypotheses, participants reported the most willingness to help a physically ill hypothetical sibling.     

Clinicians' fidelity to a manual-based family treatment as a predictor of the one-year course of bipolar disorder

This study assessed whether therapist adherence to the family focused treatment model for patients with bipolar disorder and their relatives was associated with patient outcomes at one year after treatment entry. A total of 78 videotaped sessions of FFT consisting of 26 families with a member with bipolar disorder (3 sessions/family) were rated on fidelity using the Therapist Competence/Adherence Scale (TCAS; see Endnote 1, p. 130). Patients' outcomes (relapse status) were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and selected items from the Schedule of Affective Disorders and the Schizophrenia-Change (SADS-C) scale (measured at 3-month intervals for 12 months). Contrary to expectations, therapist fidelity was not related to overall outcome as assessed by the BPRS and the SADS-C. Among patients who did relapse, higher levels of cooperation among therapists predicted a later date for relapse than did lower levels of cooperation. Surprisingly, and in opposition to the study's hypotheses, patients who were hospitalized because of relapses had therapists who were rated as more competent in their ability to conduct the problem-solving module of FFT. Study implications are discussed.     

Romantic Contexts, Sexual Behavior, and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescent Males and Females

In order to examine the association between sexual behavior and depressive affect among adolescents, 122 and 219 Israeli adolescents, in two separate studies, reported their romantic and sexual history, the quality of their relationships and level of depressive symptoms. Findings show that a higher level of sexual activity in short-term romantic relationships, which were low in intimacy and authenticity, was related to increased levels of depressive symptoms among females but not among males. In contrast, involvement in stable romantic relationships was not associated with increased depressive affect for either gender. Findings from a 3 month follow-up suggested that it may be that an increased level of depressive symptoms leads adolescent females to become more sexually involved in short romantic encounters.     

An examination of the Clinical Impairment Assessment among women at high risk for eating disorder onset

Identifying measures that reliably and validly assess clinical impairment has important implications for eating disorder (ED) diagnosis and treatment. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Clinical Impairment Assessment (CIA) in women at high risk for ED onset. Participants were 543 women (20.6 ± 2.0 years) who were classified into one of three ED categories: clinical ED, high risk for ED onset, and low risk control. Among high risk women, the CIA demonstrated high internal consistency (α = 0.93) and good convergent validity with disordered eating attitudes (rs = 0.27-0.68, ps < 0.001). Examination of the CIA's discriminant validity revealed that CIA global scores were highest among women with a clinical ED (17.7 ± 10.7) followed by high risk women (10.6 ± 8.5) and low risk controls (3.0 ± 3.3), respectively (p < 0.001). High risk women reporting behavioral indices of ED psychopathology (objective and/or subjective binge episodes, purging behaviors, driven exercise, and ED treatment history) had higher CIA global scores than those without such indices (ps < 0.05), suggesting good criterion validity. These data establish the first norms for the CIA in a United States sample. The CIA is psychometrically sound among high risk women, and heightened levels of impairment among these individuals as compared to low risk women verify the relevance of early intervention efforts.     

Correction to: Secret Agent Society: a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Transdiagnostic Youth Social Skills Group Treatment

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology -     

The Importance of Spiritual Consumption,Religious Expression and Subjective Well-Being among Christians in the US during COVID-19

Journal of Religion and Health - Uncertainty, fear, and distress have become prevalent in the lives of U.S. residents since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unpredictable reality of...     

Stigma,Expressed Emotion,and Quality of Life in Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia

Expressed emotion (EE) is a measure of a caregiver's critical and emotionally overinvolved (EOI; e.g., intrusive, self‐sacrificing) attitudes and behaviors toward a person with a mental illness. Mounting evidence indicates that high levels of these critical and EOI attitudes and behaviors (collectively termed high EE) in family members are associated with a poorer course of illness for people with a range of disorders, including dementia (Nomura et al., 2005). However, less is known about factors that might trigger high EE and how high EE might impact dementia caregivers’ own mental health. In this study we propose that caregivers who perceive stigma from their relative's illness may be more likely to be critical or intrusive (high EOI) toward their relative in an attempt to control symptomatic behaviors. We further hypothesized that high EE would partially mediate the link between stigma and quality of life (QoL) as there is some evidence that high EE is associated with poorer mental health in caregivers themselves (Safavi et al., 2015). In line with study hypotheses and using a sample of 106 dementia caregivers, we found that greater caregiver stigma was associated with both high EE (for criticism and EOI) and with poorer QoL. Mediational analyses further confirmed that high EE accounts for much of the association between stigma and poorer QoL. Study results suggest that addressing caregiver stigma in therapy could reduce levels of high EE and indirectly therefore improve caregiver QoL. Intervening directly to reduce high EE could also improve caregiver QoL.     

Children's Adjustment in a Climate of Political Violence: Comparing Mother and Child Reports

There is a dearth of research on parent and child reports regarding a parent’s parenting and its contribution to a child’s adjustment. Therefore, the current study examined: (a) the differences between mother and child reports of aspects of maternal parenting (i.e., care and control), among both boys and girls; (b) which parenting report (i.e., mother’s or child’s) makes a stronger contribution to mother and child reports of the child’s adjustment in the context of political violence. One hundred and twenty-one mother-child dyads (children aged seven to 12 years old (M?=?10.02, SD?=?1.03)), who were exposed to prolonged political violence, participated in this study. Maternal care and control were assessed by mother and child reports on the Parental Bonding Instrument. Child’s adjustment was assessed both by mother’s report of child’s total difficulties and child’s self-report of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Results revealed that both the mothers of girls and the girls themselves reported higher care, in comparison to mothers of boys and the boys themselves, while mothers of boys and the boys themselves reported higher control. Higher maternal control, as reported by the child, was associated with the child’s self-reported PTSS. Higher maternal control, as reported by the mother, was associated with the child’s total difficulties, as reported by the mother. However, maternal care, whether reported by mother or child, was not found to be associated with the child’s adjustment. School-aged children and their mothers were in agreement regarding maternal dimensions and their contribution to children’s adjustment.     

Spatial behavior: the impact of global and local geometry

Humans and other animals use the global geometry of the surrounding environment in order to orient and determine which direction they are facing. Accordingly, the impact of environment geometry on spatial behavior is reflected in the paths of progression in the environment. When the perception of the global geometry is limited, such as in large or dark environments, the global geometry of the environment has to be constructed gradually as the accumulated geometry of locales. In the present study, we progressively altered the form of a dark square test arena by means of local alterations to its corners and walls, in order to differentiate the impact of the global arena geometry from that of the local arena geometry sectors on spatial behavior in rats. We found that as long as the local alterations did not distort the global square geometry of the dark environment, the rats’ behavior did not significantly change. In contrast, distortion of the square shape of the arena resulted in significant changes in the spatial distribution of the rats’ activity. Accordingly, we suggest that the perceived global geometry affects spatial behavior, overriding the impact of the local geometry.