Just the way you are. Understanding emotion regulation strategies in youth from temperamental differences

High negative emotionality (NE), low positive emotionality (PE), and low effortful control (EC) have repeatedly been independently associated with youth depressive symptoms. Less research examined the joint contributions of these traits on such symptoms and, despite of clinical relevance, no study investigated how these traits jointly contribute to emotion regulation problems. The present study examined temperamental profiles in youth as well as their link with depressive symptoms and emotion regulation strategies in 1098 Flemish youth (60% girls, 7–17 years). Latent profile analyses identified a 4-profile solution (resilient, vulnerable, average, reactive-undercontrolled) to best fit the data. Meaningful associations emerged between these temperamental profiles, symptoms, and one’s preferred emotion regulation repertoire, including profile-specific emotion regulation deficits.     

Wellness,Emotion Regulation,and Relapse During Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Using a cross-sectional study design, the authors investigated the impact of wellness and emotion regulation on relapse in 179 individuals currently enrolled in substance use disorder treatment. An integration of the indivisible self model of wellness (Myers & Sweeney, 2004) and the covert antecedents model of relapse (Marlatt, 1985) informed the study hypothesis that emotion regulation mediates the wellness-relapse relationship. Binomial logistic regressions revealed that Creative Self wellness (odds ratio [OR] = 1.09, p = .002), reappraisal (OR = 1.08, p = .008), difficulties in emotion regulation (OR = 1.03, p = .007), and Physical Self wellness (OR = 0.95, p < .001) were associated with the odds of relapse on any given day during treatment. Sobel tests indicated 2 occurrences of full mediation, including that difficulties in emotion regulation mediated the relationship between Coping Self wellness and relapse (OR = 0.97, p = .015).     

A Greek-Language Inventory of Fears: Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of Self-Reports of Fears on the Hellenic Fear Survey Schedule

The structure of fearfulness and the psychometric properties of a Greek-language version of the Fear Survey Schedule were studied in a sample of normal Greek adults. Overall summary scores were higher for women than for men, had satisfactory temporal stability and internal consistency, and were useful in discriminating levels of phobic anxiety independent of levels of depression as assessed by a concurrent self-report measure. However, the temporal stabilities of responses for many items were inadequate for the reliable identification of levels of fear of specific events and objects. A factor analysis yielded five components that were conceptually similar to those obtained abroad. Subscales based on component items were psychometrically reliable. In comparison with American subjects, Greek subjects rated similar items as most fearful, but reported higher levels of fears of these items, reflecting either higher levels of fears, greater disclosure, or cultural differences in the meaning of fear ratings.     

Disorders of Eating in the Elderly

The most common eating disorder in the elderly in both community and hospital settings is food refusal. This may lead to weight loss and malnutrition with all the adverse consequences on independence and function. The management of disorders of eating in the elderly is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, requiring the combined skills of the medical and nursing staff. The causes are often multifactorial and require careful and repeated assessment of the patient's social, psychological, and medical history. Approach to treatment involves these factors, as well as ethical and cultural considerations. Eating is the most basic biological drive for survival in nature. In human societies there are additional cultural and social aspects that may override this instinct, as in the case of hunger strikes for political motives. In the elderly, food is one of the major sources of possible pleasure and it is the challenge for health providers to try and give this enjoyment to their patients for as long as possible.     

Sleep and psychopathology

This article examines the relationship between sleep disturbance and psychopathology. Epidemiological, cross-sectional, and longitudinal data suggest a high rate of comorbidity between sleep disturbance and psychopathology, particularly between insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Between 50% and 80% of psychiatric patients complain of sleep disturbances during the acute phase of their illness. Conversely, among treatment-seeking individuals with a primary complaint of insomnia and randomly selected community samples, approximately one third display a concurrent psychopathology, one third exhibit psychological symptoms that do not necessarily exceed the threshold for a psychiatric disorder, and another third present insomnia as a functionally autonomous disorder. There is a positive relationship between severity of sleep disturbances and concurrent psychopathology, but unequivocal evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship is still lacking. However, longitudinal data suggest that anxiety and stressful life events often precede acute sleep difficulties, whereas persistent insomnia may be a risk factor for subsequent development of depression. Implications for the prevention and treatment of coexisting sleep disturbance and psychopathology are discussed.     

Mental health criminal defenses in persons with neuropsychiatric disorders

Persons with neuropsychiatric disorders present specific and unique challenges for forensic experts and defense attorneys in the criminal justice system. This article reviews two potential criminal defenses: legal insanity and the various legal standards or tests of criminal responsibility that are used in jurisdictions throughout the United States (i.e., the M’Naghten standard and the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code), and the partial legal defense of diminished capacity (lacking the mental state necessary to be found guilty of a specific intent crime). The process of evaluating criminal responsibility or diminished capacity is also presented with a specific emphasis on common issues that arise in evaluating defendants with Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability), Parasomnias, Seizure Disorders, and Neurocognitive Disorders.     

Community,Context, and Coping: How Social Connections Influence Coping and Well-Being for Military Members and Their Spouses

Military members and their spouses (n = 223 families) were selected from an Active Duty Army installation and assessed with regard to their connections with the military community, their levels of coping with military culture demands, and their reports of individual (depression and life satisfaction) and family well-being. Guided by the contextual model of family stress and the social organization theory of action and change, results from a structural equation model indicated that military community connections, for both military members and their civilian spouses, were related to coping with the military culture and its demands, which in turn was related to both individual and family well-being. Unique actor and partner effects also emerged where both active duty military members' and their civilian spouses' perceptions of military community connections influenced the civilian spouses' satisfaction with military life, but only the active duty military members' community connections influenced their military-specific coping. Additionally, the associations between military-specific coping and individual and family well-being only had actor effects. When examined within the context of important military culture elements, namely rank and extent of military transitions (deployment and relocation), these core findings linking communities to coping and well-being were unchanged. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are shared.     

Predictors and moderators of improved social-emotional functioning in mothers with substance use disorders and their young children enrolled in a relationship-based case management program

Mothers with substance use disorders (SUDs) typically have trauma histories and psychosocial difficulties that lead to poor social-emotional functioning and disrupted mother–child relationships. This 12-month study explored associations of family adverse circumstances and services (case management, therapeutic, and community-based) received by 57-mothers with SUDs and their infants (less than 24-months-old) with changes in social-emotional functioning. All mothers were enrolled in a relationship-based case management program (Parent–Child Assistance Program [PCAP]) that emphasized connecting mothers to appropriate community services. A subset of mothers was additionally provided a trauma-focused psychotherapeutic intervention (infant–parent psychotherapy [IPP]). Dyads in both treatment groups improved in overall social-emotional functioning as assessed by the Functional Emotional Assessment Scale (FEAS). A combined-sample regression analysis revealed that improved FEAS scores were significantly predicted by the number of community services received but not by PCAP case management hours (IPP was not included in this analysis). More adverse circumstances were associated with less improvement in social-emotional functioning in the children; but among the mothers trauma level did not predict FEAS scores. We also found a moderating effect of trauma: Dyads with relatively more adversity showed a significantly greater association of community services received with improvement in FEAS scores than did those with relatively less adversity.