The Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 as a basis for modifying DSM personality disorder categories

The Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP) is a Q-sort instrument designed to assess personality pathology on the basis of clinician ratings. On the basis of research with the SWAP, its creators have proposed a group of 12 personality disorder (PD) diagnoses that can be used to replace or modify current Axis II categories of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The authors discuss conceptual and empirical issues that require clarification before this proposal can be properly evaluated. They identify problematic psychometric features of the SWAP, including its unrepresentative normative sample, its reliance on a fixed skewed distribution, and anomalies in its T-score approach to diagnoses. In addition, a review of research on SWAP-based PD categories indicates that important information regarding diagnostic coverage, validity, and temporal stability is presently lacking. The authors conclude that research evidence is currently insufficient to justify the use of SWAP-based PD categories to guide revision of the DSM.     

Christianity and Bakhtin

Book reviewed in this article: Ruth Coates, Christianity in Bakhtin: God and the Exiled Author     

Loss of Religious or Spiritual Identities Among the LGBT Population

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are at risk of having negative experiences with religion because of mainstream religions’ non‐LGBT‐affirming stance. Negative religious experiences can lead to religious or spiritual (R/S) struggles and loss of R/S identity to maintain sexual identity. The authors describe R/S abuse, R/S struggle, and how these can result in loss of R/S identity in LGBT individuals. They provide a case study and discuss counseling implications and areas for future research.     

Dispositional Optimism and Marital Adjustment

Research showing the distinct influence of positive attributes on relationships has been growing. This study examined the impact of husbands’ and wives’ dispositional optimism on their own and partner’s relationship satisfaction, consensus, and cohesion using data from the National Survey of Families and Households. Results indicate that wives’ optimism influences their own later marital satisfaction as well as their husbands’ later marital satisfaction. However, husbands’ optimism did not appear to influence their own nor their wives’ later satisfaction. Potential interventions for increasing optimism in the therapeutic setting are discussed.     

Investigating Perceptions of Students to a Peer-Based Academic Integrity Presentation Provided by Residence Dons

This study investigated students’ (n?=?819) perceptions following a prepared, common presentation regarding academic integrity provided by their residence dons. This peer instruction study utilized both quantitative and qualitative analyses of survey data within a pre-test post-test design. Overall, students reported gains in knowledge, as well as confidence in their knowledge of academic integrity. Notably, students reported increases in their personal value for academic integrity after participating in the presentations. Overall, the quality and content of the presentations were judged positively, and participants’ ratings of the presentation were predictive of increases in personal value of academic integrity, as well as self-reported knowledge and confidence gains. Qualitative analyses supported that the key ideas in the presentation served as the focal material for discussion, but also introduced specific topics that students wanted to explore in greater depth.     

Trait Self‐Control Predicts Adolescents’ Exposure and Reactivity to Daily Stressful Events

The current study used an influence model of personality and stress processes to examine the association between individual differences in trait self‐control and daily stress exposure and reactivity in adolescent youth. A total of 129 adolescents (M_age = 14.7 years, 59% female) completed individual difference measures of self‐control, neuroticism, and measures of responses to stress. Participants then reported on daily stressful events, stress severity, mood, coping, and mindlessness (a predictor of acting on impulse) for 14 consecutive days. Self‐control predicted less exposure to daily stress, less reactivity to daily stress, and more adaptive responses to stress. Specifically, adolescents with higher self‐control experienced fewer daily stressors and reported lower stress severity, particularly when daily mindlessness was high. Second, adolescents with higher self‐control reported less mindlessness in response to daily stress relative to those with lower self‐control, but they did not show differences in emotional reactivity to stress. Finally, results also offered evidence for an indirect effect of problem‐focused coping strategies between self‐control and emotional reactivity to stress. The current investigation illustrates the importance of trait self‐control in daily stress processes among adolescents and suggests possible mechanisms through which self‐control confers these positive effects.     

Methodological Rigor in Journal of Counseling & Development Qualitative Research Articles: A 15‐Year Review

The authors conducted a content analysis on the type, frequency, and intensity of use of various indicators of rigor for 68 qualitative research articles published between 1999 and 2014 in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The authors identified the most frequently listed and implemented strategies for the research articles. The authors found a significant engagement in rigor strategies across time, variations in intensity in strategy use, and a significant positive relationship between intensity of strategy use across time.     

The Treatment of Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder (TAASD) Study: Rationale,Design and Methods

This paper describes the rationale, design, and methods of the Treatment for Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorders study, a three-site randomized controlled trial investigating the relative efficacy of a modular CBT protocol for anxiety in ASD (Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety in Children with Autism) versus standard CBT for pediatric anxiety (the Coping Cat program) and a treatment-as-usual control. The trial is distinct in its scope, its direct comparison of active treatments for anxiety in ASD, and its comprehensive approach to assessing anxiety difficulties in youth with ASD. The trial will evaluate the relative benefits of CBT for children with ASD and investigate potential moderators (ASD severity, anxiety presentation, comorbidity) and mediators of treatment response, essential steps for future dissemination and implementation.