A Psychometric Evaluation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Avoidance Scale in Women with Major Depressive Disorder

The Cognitive-Behavioral Avoidance Scale (CBAS; Ottenbreit & Dobson, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 292–313; 2004) is a multidimensional self-report measure designed to assess the construct of dispositional avoidance. Although findings to date support the reliability and validity of the CBAS within student samples, no study has yet evaluated the psychometric properties of the CBAS in a clinical sample of depressed individuals. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CBAS within a sample of 60 women diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Results supported the internal consistency and 4-month test-retest reliability of the scale. As predicted, the CBAS total scale and subscales were correlated with convergent measures of avoidance as well as depressive symptoms. The results of this study provide support for the psychometric properties of the CBAS in samples of clinically depressed individuals. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.     

Toward an Integration of Interpersonal Risk Models of Depression and Cognitive‐Behaviour Therapy

Empirical research has increasingly focused on interpersonal variables associated with the development and maintenance of depression. This article outlines some key interpersonal risk factors for depression, including anxious attachment, sociotropy, excessive reassurance seeking, interpersonal stress generation, reduced social support, social skills deficits, and social avoidance. Recommendations are made for how cognitive‐behavioural therapy may be adapted to address such factors. Specifically, suggestions are offered for how cognitive and behavioural interventions, such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, behavioural experiments, and skills training, may be used with depressed clients to promote positive relationships and reduce maladaptive interpersonal behaviours.     

Understanding emotion in context: how the Boston marathon bombings altered the impact of anger on threat perception

Three studies examine the impact of an anger manipulation on threat perception among Northeastern University students after the Boston Marathon bombings. Data collection for one experiment began within 24 hours of the bombings. Results suggest that the impact of anger on threat perception differed during the week of the bombings compared to 1 and 5 months later. During the week of the bombings only, participants experiencing anger were less sensitive to the distinction between threats and nonthreats, and more biased toward perceiving all stimuli as threatening relative to control participants. We discuss potential mechanisms for these effects and the need for more rapid response research in the wake of incidents of mass violence.     

Psychosocial Distress and Knowledge Deficiencies in Parents of Children in Ireland Who Carry an Altered Cystic Fibrosis Gene

Significant gaps have been identified in parental understanding of CF newborn screening and the consequences of carrying an altered CF gene. Seven potential causes of psychosocial adversity arising from false positive newborn screening for CF have been identified. The current study aimed to increase parents understanding of CF, reduce their levels of stress, and investigate psychosocial adversity arising from false-positive screening. This national study was run over one year in the Republic of Ireland. Parents were recruited for the study following a diagnostic sweat test confirming their child carried a single altered CF gene. Parents were randomly assigned into a control and intervention group, with those in the intervention group receiving a carefully designed information pack. All parents took part in semi-structured interviews. Parents (n = 16) who received an information pack had significantly higher CF knowledge scores than parents (n = 16) in the control group. 66% of parents in the control group misunderstood the health implications of carrying an altered CF gene, no parents in the intervention group had the same misunderstanding. There was no significant difference in stress scores between the groups. Parents of infants who had more than one sweat test due to insufficient sweat quantity had higher overall stress percentiles (50%), than parents of infants who had one sweat test (30%), indicating greater parental stress. The combination of written and audio-visual information contained in the information pack successfully increased parents comprehension of CF. The study also evaluates the potential for psychosocial adversity following false positive newborn screening for CF.     

Threat perception after the Boston Marathon bombings: The effects of personal relevance and conceptual framing

We examined how the Boston Marathon bombings affected threat perception in the Boston community. In a threat perception task, participants attempted to “shoot” armed targets and avoid shooting unarmed targets. Participants viewing images of the bombings accompanied by affectively negative music and text (e.g., “Terror Strikes Boston”) made more false alarms (i.e., more errors “shooting” unarmed targets) compared to participants viewing the same images accompanied by affectively positive music and text (e.g., “Boston Strong”) and participants who did not view bombing images. This difference appears to be driven by decreased sensitivity (i.e., decreased ability to distinguish guns from non-guns) as opposed to a more liberal bias (i.e., favouring the “shoot” response). Additionally, the more strongly affected the participant was by the bombings, the more their sensitivity was reduced in the negatively framed condition, suggesting that this framing was particularly detrimental to the most vulnerable individuals in the affected community.     

Applying “Place” to Research Ethics and Cultural Competence/Humility Training

Research ethics principles and regulations typically have been applied to the protection of individual human subjects. Yet, new paradigms of research that include the place-based community and cultural groups as partners or participants of environmental research interventions, in particular, require attention to place-based identities and geographical contexts. This paper argues the importance of respecting “place” within human subjects protections applied to communities and cultural groups as part of a critical need for research ethics and cultural competence training for graduate research students. These protections and benefits are extensions of the Belmont Principles and have been included in recent recommendations from research regulatory committees.