Relationships among Dispositional Attributional Style,Trauma-Specific Attributions,and PTSD Symptoms

The learned helplessness model and its various revisions suggest that causal attributions influence responses to events. This study examined relationships among the 3-factor symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represented in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and the individual dimensions of dispositional attributional style and trauma-specific attributions (i.e., internal–external, stable–unstable, global–specific). Relationships among attributions and clusters of PTSD symptoms represented by the 4-factor dysphoria model were also examined. Trauma-specific attributions were most predictive of PTSD symptoms, with higher associations for avoidance and numbing symptoms compared to arousal symptoms in the three-factor model and higher associations for dysphoria symptoms compared to arousal and avoidance symptoms in the four-factor dysphoria model. Results suggest that cognitive vulnerabilities could underlie the comorbidity between PTSD and depression and might represent a high-impact target for treatment.     

Sexual Abuse Litigation

Summary

Practicing psychologist Janet Sonne and attorney Julian Hubbard illuminate how the different aims and languages of psychotherapy and law can be either an asset or a liability in the emotionally-charged environment of sexual abuse litigation. Properly understood, these differences can optimize the ability of each professional to assist their common client, the sexual abuse survivor, in the litigation process and beyond. Dr. Sonne reviews the psychological and behavioral sequelae of childhood sexual abuse and identifies six elements of the client's psychological functioning key to the litigation process, as well as posing questions for the attorney's self-evaluation for the unique demands of sexual abuse litigation. Mr. Hubbard then addresses what survivors and therapists need to know about the litigation process, exploring dynamics of legal strategy that can exacerbate the client's psychological problems. In the final section, both offer tips to enhance professionals' focus on education and communication as a means to better serving the sexually abused client.     

Transmission of attachment across three generations

A low-risk Finnish sample (N _total = 135) of parents expecting their first child and maternal grandmothers was followed from pregnancy until the child was 3 years old. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was used to assess attachment in mothers during the last trimester of pregnancy, and maternal grandmothers. The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) was used to assess attachment in infants at 12 months, and the Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA) at 3 years. Mothers' AAI classifications (3-category) during pregnancy predicted infants' SSP classifications (3-category) in 76% of cases, and the 3-year-old children's PAA classifications (3-category) in 58% of cases. Grandmothers' AAI classifications predicted infants' SSP classifications in 48% of cases, but the 3-year-old children's PAA classifications in 72% of cases. Using log-linear analysis, it was shown that a simple model accounted for transmission of attachment across three generations when the children were 3 years. Even though the results indicated continuity across generations, the correspondences were slightly weaker than those obtained by Benoit and Parker in their 3-generational study. The results are discussed in terms of the prototype view, the rapid contextual changes seen across 3 generations in Finland, the size of the sample, and the comparability of the DMM to other assessment methods of attachment.     

Structure factorielle et qualités psychométriques de la version française de l’inventaire de comportements des adultes (Adult Behavior Checklist) d’Achenbach et Rescorla

While they often need to obtain information about their patients’ functioning from friends, relatives or spouse, French clinicians currently lack a reliable and handy other-report instrument allowing for a comprehensive review of the behavioral and emotional problems presented by an adult person. The aim of the present study is to verify the factor structure and psychometric properties of the French version of the Achenbach and Rescorla's Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL). We collected 403 ABCL forms completed by informants, who all were third-year students in psychology. The subjects (198 women) were aged 18 to 59 years and came from families with a large variety of socioeconomic status. The confirmatory factor analyses yielded the expected eight-syndrome first order factor structure and supported the measurement models implied by the DSM-oriented scales more recently added to the ABCL. French people scored higher than American on almost all scales. Women scored higher than men on the scales measuring anxiety, and lower on those measuring attention problems and rule-breaking behavior. Middle-aged people scored lower than younger on attention problems and rule-breaking behavior. Despite some limitations, these results speak in favor of the use of the French Adult Behavior Checklist in both research and clinical practice.     

Exergame-based exercise training for depressive symptoms in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to pool existing data to investigate the overall effectiveness of exergame-based exercise training in improving depressive symptoms in adults.DesignA systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsTen databases were systematically searched from inception to August 18, 2021, and the search was last updated on November 6, 2021. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated using random effects models. The Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies, and GRADEpro software was used to assess confidence in the cumulative evidence. Funnel plots, Egger's test, and Begg's test were used to analyse publication bias. Sensitivity, subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity.ResultsTwenty-one studies were included, and the results showed exergame-based exercise training had a significant effect on depressive symptoms in adults (SMD = −0.69; 95% CI, −1.01 to −0.36; P < 0.001; 19 RCTs, 924 participants; low-quality evidence). The predictive interval was not significant (95% PI, −3.45, 2.07). Subgroup analysis showed that in the intervention with the general adult population, game devices with Kinect and long-term interventions appeared to be more effective. Sensitivity analysis found the results to be robust.ConclusionExergame-based exercise training has the potential to reduce depressive symptoms. Additionally, different populations, devices and durations of intervention could influence the effect. In the future, high-quality studies with large samples, multiple centres and long follow-up durations should be performed to further explore the efficacy of exergame-based exercise training.     

Recoupling in Mid‐Life and Beyond: From Love at Last to Not So Fast

Divorce rates have dropped in the United States, except for couples over 50 where they are rising steeply, along with rates of late‐life recoupling. Both stepcouples and their young adult and adult children in new older stepfamilies are often surprised to find themselves facing many of the same challenges that younger stepfamilies do. Some challenges are even intensified by the decades‐long relationships and additional layers of extended family that come with recoupling after mid‐life. Stepfamilies formed in later life must also negotiate decisions about estate planning and elder care among stakeholders who often have sharply divergent agendas before there is time to establish trusting relationships. This article describes the “normal” challenges facing stepcouples who come together over age 50. It provides evidence‐informed guidance for therapists in meeting these challenges on three levels of clinical work: Psychoeducational, Interpersonal, and Intrapsychic/Intergenerational. As in younger stepfamilies, “family therapy” must usually begin in subsystems—often the adult stepcouple and parent–adult child. The article then describes a particularly fraught subgroup of recouplers: over‐50 fathers and their new partners, where the dad's young adult or adult daughter is very unhappy with his new relationship. In these latter stepfamilies, father–daughter repair must precede stepfamily bonding. Stepfamilies that are preceded by a partner's death and those that begin with affairs are also discussed. Finally, some “easy wrong turns” for therapists are described.     

Characterizing neurocognitive late effects in childhood leukemia survivors using a combination of neuropsychological and cognitive neuroscience measures

Knowledge about cognitive late effects in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is largely based on standardized neuropsychological measures and parent reports. To examine whether cognitive neuroscience paradigms provided additional insights into neurocognitive and behavioral late effects in ALL survivors, we assessed cognition and behavior using a selection of cognitive neuroscience tasks and standardized measures probing domains previously demonstrated to be affected by chemotherapy.

130 ALL survivors and 158 control subjects, between 8 and 18 years old at time of testing, completed the n-back (working memory) and stop-signal (response inhibition) tasks. ALL survivors also completed standardized measures of intelligence (Wechsler Intelligence Scales [WISC-IV]), motor skills (Grooved Pegboard), math abilities (WIAT-III), and executive functions (Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System). Parents completed behavioral measures of executive functions (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function [BRIEF]) and attention (Conners-3).

ALL survivors exhibited deficiencies in working memory and response inhibition compared with controls. ALL survivors also exhibited deficits on WISC-IV working memory and processing speed, Grooved Pegboard, WIAT-III addition and subtraction fluency, and numerical operations, as well as DKEFS number-letter switching. Parent reports suggested more attention deficits (Conners-3) and behavioral difficulties (BRIEF) in ALL survivors compared with referenced norms. Low correspondence between standardized and experimental measures of working memory and response inhibition was noted.

The use of cognitive neuroscience paradigms complements our understanding of the cognitive deficits evident after treatment of ALL. These measures could further delineate cognitive processes involved in neurocognitive late effects, providing opportunities to explore their underlying mechanisms.     

Stuttering treatment control using P300 event-related potentials

Positron emission tomography studies during speech have indicated a failure to show the normal activation of auditory cortical areas in stuttering individuals. In the present study, P300 event-related potentials were used to investigate possible effects of behavioral treatment on the pattern of signal amplitude and latency between waves. In order to compare variations in P300 measurements, a control group paired by age and gender to the group of stutterers, was included in the study. Findings suggest that the group of stutterers presented a significant decrease in stuttering severity after the fluency treatment program. Regarding P300 measurements, stutterers and their controls presented results within normal limits in all testing situations and no significant statistical variations between pre and post treatment testing. When comparing individual results between the testing situations, stutterers presented a higher average decrease in wave latency for the right ear following treatment. The results are discussed in light of previous P300 event-related potentials and functional imaging studies with stuttering adults.Educational objectives: The reader will learn about and be able to describe the: (1) use of P300 event-related potentials in the study of stuttering; (2) differences between stuttering and non-stuttering adults; and (3) effects of behavioral fluency treatment on cerebral activity in stuttering speakers.     

Sleep locus of control and computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT)

This study investigated the relationship between sleep locus of control and sleep in a secondary data analysis. Participants were 100 adults with chronic insomnia previously involved in a randomized controlled trial of 5 weeks of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT). Additionally, a sample of 46 completers of an in-person group for insomnia were utilized as a comparison group. At pre-treatment, participants completed the Sleep Locus of Control Scale, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, 7 days of sleep diaries, and participated in structured interviews to assess for psychiatric and medical conditions. Measures were re-administered at post-treatment and at a 4 week follow-up. Results showed that sleep locus of control mediated the impact of cCBT on insomnia severity at follow-up. cCBT more than waiting list control or a convenience sample of individuals treated with in-person CBT, enhanced an internal sleep locus of control. Implications are that sleep locus of control may be an important variable to assess in the internet context and that internet programs for insomnia may want to consider amplifying or giving priority to interventions which enhance an internal sleep locus.     

A Lifespan Biological Model of Menopause

This paper continues the author's theoretical reconsideration of the biology of menopause (Derry, 2002). The author's broader-biological theoretical model of menopause, the Lifespan Biological Model, asserts that menopause is best understood by considering the biology of healthy systems. The biological subfield of life history theory combined with the psychological subfield of lifespan development provides a useful starting point to understand the biology of menopause. When compared with other mammals, humans have unusual life stages, one of which is a post-reproductive stage of relatively healthy, competent adulthood. Implications of the model are discussed with regard to conceptualizing: menopause as normal versus pathological; the arc of development as childhood growth/adult stability/aging senescence versus lifespan developmental; and the relation of menopause to chronic disease, especially osteoporosis.