Assaultive violence and the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder following a subsequent trauma

Breslau, Peterson, and Shultz (2008) reported that prior trauma alone, in the absence of PTSD, did not predict an increased PTSD risk, relative to no prior trauma. Only prior trauma that resulted in PTSD predicted an increased PTSD risk following a subsequent trauma. Recently, Cougle, Resnick, and Kilpatrick (2009) proposed that the effect of prior trauma might vary by type of prior trauma, a possibility not considered in Breslau et al. They report that childhood sexual or physical assault, in the absence of PTSD, increased the PTSD risk following a subsequent trauma. This report examines the PTSD effects of prior assaultive violence, using data from Breslau et al. (1998). The study assessed PTSD in relation to up to three events. Analysis was performed on the subset with PTSD assessment for two distinct events, the earliest trauma and a subsequent trauma (n = 967), using as reference persons with no prior trauma (n = 972). Neither prior assaultive violence nor other prior traumas, in the absence of PTSD, influenced the subsequent risk of PTSD. In contrast, prior PTSD increased considerably the PTSD risk of a subsequent trauma. The limitations in Cougle et al. (2009) and in this study and future research directions are discussed.     

Teaching Oppressive Texts

Scholars have identified the many stories in the Bible that are oppressive to women or other minoritized groups. It is remarkable how common it is that North American undergraduate students remain blind to the oppression that is depicted and that is too often the result of commonly accepted interpretations of these texts. Three brief essays collected here, originally presented as part of a panel at the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting (Atlanta, 2010), present various teaching strategies for exposing the oppressive elements in the biblical text and showing how the oppression operates (an aspect of ideological criticism). What are good strategies for communicating these hard points to students in a way they can hear them and work with them? Why is this important to do?     

Childhood Sexual Assault,Quality of Life,and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Veterans With Military and Civilian Sexual Trauma

Veterans with military sexual trauma (MST) are at risk for a variety of psychiatric conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Survivors of MST are also likely to experience diminished quality of life (QoL). Individuals with higher lifetime incidence of sexual trauma may also be at increased risk for poorer outcomes in QoL and psychiatric symptomatology. The differences in psychological sequelae among those who have experienced sexual trauma as children, and those whose sexual trauma exposure is limited to adulthood are relatively understudied. The majority of sexual trauma literature has focused primarily on civilian trauma, and comparatively few studies have specifically examined psychosocial sequelae (e.g., QoL) in veterans with MST. This study examined how childhood sexual abuse (CSA) affects overall QoL as well as severity of PTSD and depressive symptoms. Veterans who reported CSA had significantly greater depression symptom severity than veterans who did not. No significant differences in PTSD symptom severity or QoL were found between veterans who did and did not report CSA. Results highlight the need for further examination of the relationship between CSA and depression in veterans with MST-related PTSD who also report CSA.     

Mental Imagery and Post-Event Processing in Anticipation of a Speech Performance Among Socially Anxious Individuals

The present study investigated whether post-event processing (PEP) involving mental imagery about a past speech is particularly detrimental for socially anxious individuals who are currently anticipating giving a speech. One hundred fourteen high and low socially anxious participants were told they would give a 5 min impromptu speech at the end of the experimental session. They were randomly assigned to one of three manipulation conditions: post-event processing about a past speech incorporating imagery (PEP-Imagery), semantic post-event processing about a past speech (PEP-Semantic), or a control condition, (n = 19 per experimental group, per condition [high vs low socially anxious]). After the condition inductions, individuals’ anxiety, their predictions of performance in the anticipated speech, and their interpretations of other ambiguous social events were measured. Consistent with predictions, high socially anxious individuals in the PEP-Imagery condition displayed greater anxiety than individuals in the other conditions immediately following the induction and before the anticipated speech task. They also interpreted ambiguous social scenarios in a more socially anxious manner than socially anxious individuals in the control condition. High socially anxious individuals made more negative predictions about their upcoming speech performance than low anxious participants in all conditions. The impact of imagery during post-event processing in social anxiety and its implications are discussed.     

Attentional bias and emotional reactivity as predictors and moderators of behavioral treatment for social phobia

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established treatment for anxiety disorders, and evidence is accruing for the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Little is known about factors that relate to treatment outcome overall (predictors), or who will thrive in each treatment (moderators). The goal of the current project was to test attentional bias and negative emotional reactivity as moderators and predictors of treatment outcome in a randomized controlled trial comparing CBT and ACT for social phobia. Forty-six patients received 12 sessions of CBT or ACT and were assessed for self-reported and clinician-rated symptoms at baseline, post treatment, 6, and 12 months. Attentional bias significantly moderated the relationship between treatment group and outcome with patients slow to disengage from threatening stimuli showing greater clinician-rated symptom reduction in CBT than in ACT. Negative emotional reactivity, but not positive emotional reactivity, was a significant overall predictor with patients high in negative emotional reactivity showing the greatest self-reported symptom reduction.     

Mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy versus traditional cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Recent research has supported the use of mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).     

Recollections of parent–child relationships,attachment insecurity,and obsessive–compulsive beliefs

To adequately understand Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it is important to understand the developmental origins of obsessive beliefs and corresponding compulsive acts. Prior work has shown that having cold, neglectful parents in childhood and/or insecure attachment styles are both linked to emotional disturbances. In this study, we explored the potential contributions of early parent–child relationships to attachment styles and the severity of obsessive–compulsive beliefs in adulthood. A sample of 397 college students completed online, self-report measures of retrospective parent–child relationships, adult attachment styles, and ongoing obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Analyses revealed that attachment anxiety partially mediated the association between parent–child relationships and obsessive beliefs; attachment avoidance failed to operate as a mediating mechanism. Our findings provide support for interpersonal approaches to obsessive–compulsive symptoms and disorder, with implications for the continuity of relationship dysfunction from childhood into adulthood.     

哲学视野下脑卒中后心理障碍的辩证康复

脑卒中后的心理障碍不但影响患者的心理健康,还严重阻碍整个康复治疗的进程。心理疗法作为一种重要的心理障碍康复手段,其有效性已得到相关临床研究的证实。但如何根据临床具体情况选择适宜的心理疗法加速患者功能的康复,提高其生活质量和日常生活活动能力,最终帮助患者重返家庭和社会一直是临床关注的热点。为了更好地提高对卒中患者心理障碍的认识和干预,本文试从哲学的角度出发,结合各期心理障碍的特点,对脑卒中后心理障碍的康复作一论述。     

Single-case effect size calculation: Comparing regression and non-parametric approaches across previously published reading intervention data sets

Growing from demands for accountability and research-based practice in the field of education, there is recent focus on developing standards for the implementation and analysis of single-case designs. Effect size methods for single-case designs provide a useful way to discuss treatment magnitude in the context of individual intervention. Although a standard effect size methodology does not yet exist within single-case research, panel experts recently recommended pairing regression and non-parametric approaches when analyzing effect size data. This study compared two single-case effect size methods: the regression-based, Allison-MT method and the newer, non-parametric, Tau-U method. Using previously published research that measured the Words read Correct per Minute (WCPM) variable, these two methods were examined by comparing differences in overall effect size scores and rankings of intervention effect. Results indicated that the regression method produced significantly larger effect sizes than the non-parametric method, but the rankings of the effect size scores had a strong, positive relation. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.     

焦虑障碍的系统式家庭治疗

焦虑障碍是最常见的心理障碍之一.其具有症状重、病程慢、复发率高、社会功能明显缺损等特点,给个人、家庭和社会造成了巨大的负担.家庭环境因素在焦虑障碍的发病、转归和预后方面都起到重要作用.本文介绍了国内外关于焦虑障碍患者家庭特点和家庭互动模式的研究结果.系统式家庭治疗作为一种家庭治疗模式,具有其独特的治疗理念和方法,国内外研究结果表明系统式家庭治疗用于焦虑障碍具有良好疗效.今后,还应该运用更加多元化的研究方法探讨中国焦虑症家庭动力学特点和家庭功能,并采用更加严格的随机对照设计,进一步证实系统式家庭治疗对焦虑障碍的治疗效果.