Direct and Mediating Effects of an Anxiety Sensitivity Intervention on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Trauma-Exposed Individuals

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or fear of anxious arousal, is a higher-order cognitive risk-factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) composed of lower-order physical, cognitive, and social concerns regarding anxiety symptoms. Brief and effective interventions have been developed targeting AS and its constituent components. However, there is limited evidence as to whether an intervention aimed at targeting AS would result in reductions in PTS symptoms and whether the effects on PTS symptoms would be mediated by reductions in AS. Furthermore, there is no evidence whether these mediation effects would be because of the global or more specific components of AS. The direct and indirect effects of an AS intervention on PTS symptoms were examined in a sample of 82 trauma-exposed individuals (M age = 18.84 years, SD = 1.50) selected based on elevated AS levels (i.e., 1 SD above the mean) and assigned to either a treatment (n = 40) or an active control (n = 42) condition. Results indicated that the intervention led to reductions in Month 1 PTS symptoms, controlling for baseline PTS symptoms. Furthermore, this effect was mediated by changes in global AS and AS social concerns, occurring from intervention to Week 1. These findings provide an initial support for an AS intervention in amelioration of PTS symptoms and demonstrate that it is primarily reductions in the higher-order component of AS contributing to PTS symptom reduction.     

希望:心理学的研究述评

在对Snyder希望理论进行概括的基础上,将之与其他几个相关的概念如乐观、个人成长主动性、自信和未来取向等进行比较,并介绍了测量希望的工具.希望与学业成绩、心理健康、生理健康以及企业的领导力和员工表现是有密切联系的,且可能在物质滥用治疗中有一定的作用.关于希望概念近年来不断有新的研究出现,目前在基本概念、文化适应、神经生物机制以及应用研究等方面仍存在进一步研究之必要.     

计算精神病学：抑郁症研究和临床应用的新视角

抑郁症是一种复杂而异质的精神疾病, 给全球带来沉重的疾病负担。尽管基于症状学的诊断方法已被广泛应用于各领域, 但这种方法并不利于病理机制的探讨。另外, 该诊断方法预测效度较低, 导致其难以准确评估和比较各种治疗方案的疗效。计算精神病学方法则能通过理论驱动和数据驱动两种互补的方法解决上述问题, 从而提高对抑郁症的认识、预防和治疗。理论驱动方法基于经验知识或假设, 利用计算建模方法对数据进行多水平分析; 数据驱动方法则基于机器学习算法分析高维数据, 提高抑郁症诊断和预测的准确性, 进而提高治疗的精准度。理论驱动和数据驱动方法的发展与结合, 以及人才和资源的整合, 将会更有效地推进抑郁症的防治。     

Investigating whether group status modulates the relationship between individual differences in epistemic motivation and political conservatism

Previous research has found that individual differences in epistemic motivation predict political conservatism. However, meta-analyses indicate substantial heterogeneity in this association and such variation remains underexamined. Using a large, pre-existing dataset, we investigated whether group status—a group’s social value—modulates this relationship. We used several assessments of epistemic motivation (need for structure, need for cognition) and group status (race, gender, social class). We found that the epistemic motivation-ideology relationship was stronger for women (versus men) and for members of lower (versus higher) social class groups, although the relationship strength differences were relatively small. The relationship did not consistently vary across racial group status. Group status appears to be a small, but not consistent, moderator of the epistemic motivation-ideology relationship.     

The Emotion Mapping Activity: Preliminary evaluation of a mindfulness‐informed exercise to improve emotion labeling in alexithymic persons

Alexithymia is a psychoemotional trait associated with many treatment‐resistant psychological and social difficulties. Research suggests that these difficulties stem primarily from an inability to appropriately apply linguistic labels to emotional experiences and content. The present research introduces and preliminarily evaluates a novel mindfulness‐informed exercise to improve emotion‐labeling ability in alexithymic persons. Based in culturally universal patterns of somatic experience, the Emotion Mapping Activity (EMA ) directs alexithymic persons to reflect on their internal, somatic experiences as a source of information for interpreting and labeling emotional experiences. In the present study, 67 alexithymic persons completed a series of emotion‐labeling tasks either with or without assistance of the EMA . Results suggest that completion of the EMA may improve ability to label emotions that would be otherwise misinterpreted – without interfering with labeling that is already intact. Though further research is necessary, the present study suggests that the EMA may hold the potential to be incorporated into psychotherapy protocols as an exercise for improving emotion‐labeling ability in alexithymic clients.     

THE USE OF RESPONSE PREVENTION TO ELIMINATE NOCTURNAL THUMBSUCKING

The effects of a response prevention strategy consisting of the fading of restraint and the removal of reinforcers on nocturnal thumbsucking behavior was evaluated in four experiments. In the first experiment, nocturnal thumbsucking was restrained for approximately 1 week by having each of two boys wear a boxing glove to bed. Next they wore absorbent cotton over the thumb for 11 nights. During the last phase in this condition, they wore a fingertip bandage over the thumb for 10 to 11 nights. The response prevention package completely eliminated thumbsucking behavior in both boys. In the second experiment, the removal of reinforcers alone for nocturnal thumbsucking had little or no effect on the thumbsucking behavior of three girls whereas the later introduction of the entire package completely suppressed thumbsucking in all three girls. In the third experiment, the package was evaluated in the absence of the glove restraint condition. The results showed that the treatment package was effective in the absence of the glove restraint condition for all three children. The final experiment examined whether the package could be effective if the absorbent cotton condition was abruptly removed without using the fingertip bandage condition. The results showed the treatment to be effective with one of two boys, but not the other.     

Exploring the Relationship Between Conduct Disorder and Residential Treatment Outcomes

We examined the differential outcomes in residential treatment for youths with conduct disorder (CD)—with special attention paid to interactions with age and gender—in a sample of children and adolescents in 50 residential treatment centers and group homes across Illinois. Multi-disciplinary teams rated youths ages 6–20 (N = 457) on measures of mental health and other factors within 30 days of admission, about 7 months after admission, and at discharge. While both groups initially responded similarly to treatment, the CD group performed better relative to the non-CD group over the full course of treatment, showing healthier relative change on five outcomes variables and more significant improvement. Age range moderated the relationship between CD group membership and change in work/school performance. There were significant between groups differences within the youngest age group (6–11 years) in which the CD group worsened relative to the non-CD group.     

Implementation of Effective Treatments of Preschool Behavior Problems in a Clinic Setting

Epidemiological data indicate that nearly 20% of preschool aged children have significant behavioral problems. Parents typically consult their child’s primary care provider, who frequently refers to child psychologists for treatment regarding these difficulties. Psychologists skilled in providing effective services for young children are in short supply, limiting accessibility, and parents often are reluctant to follow up with a mental health specialist, suggesting low acceptability. The Behavior Consultation Clinic is a structured clinic for preschool children designed to address these issues of effectiveness, accessibility and acceptability. A retrospective review of 550 patients seen over a 5-year period found that half were seen for one therapy session. Review of the remaining patients found that slightly more than half showed improvement (32% successful discharge with improvement, 24% premature discharge with improvement) with a typical range of two to seven half-hour sessions, about a quarter did not improve, and the remaining patients were referred to a higher level of service. These data indicate that a structured, brief clinic that focuses on the needs of preschool children utilizing evidence-based approaches can be effective, acceptable, and accessible. The Behavior Consultation Clinic also serves as a training clinic for psychology interns and pediatric medical residents.     

Safety behaviour does not necessarily interfere with exposure therapy

There has been much recent controversy regarding whether or not the use of safety and other neutralizing behaviour interferes with exposure-based therapy. The aim of this study was to examine the role of safety behaviour in the treatment of specific phobia. Sixty-two snake-fearful participants were randomized to a 45-min exposure session with or without the use of safety gear, such as gloves and goggles. During the treatment, participants in the safety behaviour group were able to achieve a significantly closer initial distance of approach to the snake compared to controls. When tested post-treatment without any safety gear, both groups demonstrated comparable treatment gains involving significant reductions in fearful cognitions and subjective anxiety, as well as significant improvements in distance of approach. Results suggest that reliance on safety behaviour during exposure therapy for anxiety disorders may not interfere with treatment outcome.     

循证医学对肝移植患者心理治疗应用

采用循证医学方法,通过计算机检索Pubmed和CNKI有关肝移植与心理学的文章,对肝移植患者术前和术后心理不同特点进行总结,制定心理干预措施。以便在临床工作中为患者进行合理的心理指导,从而提高肝移植患者健康水平和生活质量。