Perfectionism and negative repetitive thoughts: Examining a multiple mediator model in relation to mindfulness

Perfectionism is known to be associated with various maladaptive outcomes, yet little research has examined mechanisms underlying perfectionism or potential protective factors. This study investigated worry and rumination as mediators between perfectionism and psychological distress in university students (N = 213), and related the multiple mediator model to a five-facet conceptualization of mindfulness. Socially prescribed perfectionism was related to higher levels of distress, including negative affect, depression, anxiety, and stress, while self-oriented perfectionism and other-oriented perfectionism appeared unrelated to distress. Mindfulness facets of acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experience, and to a lesser extent non-reactivity to inner experience, were the strongest independent contributors to perfectionism, negative repetitive thoughts, and distress. Worry and rumination mediated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and negative affect; however, the mediating effect of rumination was absent in those high in mindfulness. These findings suggest that a mindfulness disposition may mitigate distress related to socially prescribed perfectionism by removing the mediating effect of ruminative thought. Future research might explore a mindfulness-training program to target negative repetitive thoughts underlying socially prescribed perfectionism.     

Sex differences in neural efficiency: Are they due to the stereotype threat effect?

The neural efficiency hypothesis postulates a more efficient use of brain resources in more intelligent people as compared to less intelligent ones. However, this relationship was found to be moderated by sex and task content. While the phenomenon of neural efficiency was previously supported for men when performing visuo-spatial tasks it occurred for women only when performing verbal tasks. One possible explanation for this finding could be provided by the well-studied phenomenon called stereotype threat. Stereotype threat arises when a negative stereotype of one’s own group is made salient and can result in behavior that confirms the stereotype. Overall, 32 boys and 31 girls of varying intellectual ability were tested with a mental rotation task, either under a stereotype exposure or a no-stereotype exposure condition while measuring their EEG. The behavioral results show that an activated negative stereotype not necessarily hampers the performance of girls. Physiologically, a confirmation of the neural efficiency phenomenon was only obtained for boys working under a no-stereotype exposure condition. This result pattern replicates previous findings without threat and thus suggests that sex differences in neural efficiency during visuo-spatial tasks may not be due to the stereotype threat effect.     

Use of student support services among university students: associations with problem-focused coping,experience of personal difficulty and psychological distress

ABSTRACT

Universities provide a range of problem-focused social support services to help students who are experiencing personal difficulties. The current study examines how the effectiveness of students' (N = 131) problem-coping style, experience of personal difficulty and psychological distress are associated with actual use of support services in the academic setting. Results indicate that students who experienced a personal difficulty and who had a more reflective problem-coping style were more likely to use student support services. In addition, students with less effective problem-focused coping styles (more reactive and suppressive, less reflective) reported greater psychological distress. The potential personal, psychological and academic benefits of the reflective problem-coping style are discussed.     

Coping,mastery, stress appraisals,mental preparation,and unit cohesion predicting distress and performance: a longitudinal study of soldiers undertaking evacuation tasks

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the associations of psychological and military variables with distress and performance evaluation among 168 Israeli soldiers who took part in evacuating fellow Israeli civilians in the summer of 2005 during the disengagement from Gaza. Coping, mastery, stress appraisals, mental preparation, unit cohesion, and psychological distress were assessed at T1, one to two weeks before the disengagement. A sub-sample of 68 of the 168 soldiers completed the distress measure again at T2, eight to nine weeks after T1, together with performance evaluation of the disengagement task. The main findings indicated positive associations of T1 distress with high T1 emotion-focused coping, and negative associations with education and T1 mastery. Emotion-focused coping at T1 predicted low performance evaluation at T2, while mental preparation at T1 predicted high performance evaluation at T2. Stress appraisals at T1 were found to be an important mediator of the associations of T1 coping, mastery, unit cohesion, and mental preparation with T1 distress. Similar mediator results were found for T2 performance evaluation.     

Cognitive Schemas,Adversity, and Interpersonal Functioning: An Exploratory Study within Undergraduate Women

Healthy relationships are an important indicator of adjustment for survivors of psychological adversity. However, experiences of adversity and stress symptoms can impair the quality of relationships. This study explores the underlying cognitive mechanisms that contribute to intimacy and conflict styles in close relationships. Global maladaptive schemas (GMS) and relational health schemas were used in this investigation of 109 undergraduate women. Participants reported a range of adverse experiences and stress symptoms. The findings indicated that relational health schemas were positively associated with integrating and compromising conflict styles, which blend concern for self and close friends in conflict situations. Higher GMS were associated with withdrawal conflict style. Findings also indicated that perceptions of intimacy were predicted by low stress symptoms.     

Reliability and Factor Structure of the Psychological Maltreatment and Neglect Scales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI)

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Psychological Maltreatment (PM) and Neglect subscales of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI; DiLillo et al., 2010 DiLillo, D., Hayes-Skelton, S. A., Fortier, M. A., Perry, A. R., Evans, S.Messman-Moore, T. L. 2010. Development and initial psychometric properties of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI): A comprehensive self-report measure of child maltreatment history. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34: 305–317. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The CAMI is a retrospective self-report measure that assesses multiple forms of child maltreatment (i.e., sexual, physical, psychological, neglect, exposure to interparental violence) retrospectively from adults. The CAMI's PM and Neglect subscales were administered to a geographically diverse sample of 400 college students and a sample of 412 newlyweds. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted for each group separately by subscale. Represented in the PM factor structures were items that depict emotional responsiveness, terrorizing/spurning, demanding/rigid, corrupting, and isolating parental behaviors. The Neglect scale included items depicting basic needs, cleanliness, abandonment, monitoring and medical neglect factors. Revised versions of the CAMI PM and Neglect subscales based on the factor analysis are presented.     

History of the Association for Creativity in Counseling

Abstract

The Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC), though granted status as the 19th division of the American Counseling Association only three years ago, is rich with history. This article takes the reader through the evolution of ACC and its official journal: The Journal of Creativity in Mental Health (JCMH). The ACC and the JCMHare committed to promoting the values of diversity, creativity, and relational development. Goals include providing a forum for counselors and other mental health professionals to forge growth-fostering relationships and form positive connections. This historical account is a tribute to all those involved in making ACC a reality. It provides interesting and valuable information for anyone interested in ACC or in forming an association.     

Preschoolers begin to differentiate the times of events from throughout the lifespan

Three-, 4- and 5-year-old children were presented with simple timelines of past and future and asked to place pictures representing different events at appropriate places. Events came from three rough temporal groupings for both past and future (24 hours, 12 months and several years). Placement of items in the categories improved with age. Three-year-olds placed events that occurred years ago further away on the past timeline than events that had occurred more recently, but they failed to discriminate between the times of future events. Four-year-olds performed no better than 3-year-olds on the past timeline, but successfully differentiated daily events from more remote future events. Five-year-olds differentiated between all three temporal categories of events in both the past and future. The ability to localize events at distinct points in time appears to undergo major transition during the preschool years.     

The Citizenship Project Part II: Impact of a Citizenship Intervention on Clinical and Community Outcomes for Persons with Mental Illness and Criminal Justice Involvement

This study assessed the effectiveness of an intervention based on a theoretical framework of citizenship on reducing psychiatric symptoms, alcohol use, and drug use, and increasing quality of life for persons with serious mental illness (SMI) and criminal justice involvement. One-hundred fourteen adults with SMI and a history of criminal justice involvement participated in a 2 × 3 longitudinal randomized controlled trial of a four-month citizenship intervention versus usual services. Linear mixed model analyses were used to assess the intervention’s impact on quality of life, symptoms, and substance use. After controlling for baseline covariates, participants in the experimental condition reported significantly increased quality of life, greater satisfaction with and amount of activity, higher satisfaction with work, and reduced alcohol and drug use over time. However, individuals in the experimental condition also reported increased anxiety/depression and agitation at 6 months (but not 12 months) and significantly increased negative symptoms at 12 months. Findings suggest that community-oriented, citizenship interventions for persons with SMI and criminal justice histories may facilitate improved clinical and community outcomes in some domains, but some negative clinical findings suggest the need for post-intervention support for intervention participants. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Psychological Functioning of Partners of Australian Combat Veterans: Contribution of Veterans' PTSD Symptoms and Partners' Caregiving Distress

Previous research has found posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in combat veterans to be associated with impaired psychological functioning in their partners. However, little is known about possible mediators of this association. The present study investigated the mediational properties of six dimensions of the revised Partners of Veterans' Distress Scale (MacDonell, Marsh, Hine, & Bhullar, 2010). Participants were 181 female partners of Australian combat veterans, age ranging from 43 and 83 years (M = 60.47, SD = 4.96), who completed measures assessing their caregiving distress levels, dyadic adjustment, mental health, and satisfaction with life. The combat veterans also completed a scale measuring their PTSD symptoms. Our results indicated that higher scores of veterans' PTSD were associated with lower levels of dyadic adjustment, mental health, and satisfaction with life in their partners. Partners reported that distress related to exhaustion and intimacy problems significantly mediated the relationship between veterans' PTSD symptoms and their partners' satisfaction with life, whereas partners' distress associated with intimacy problems was the sole significant mediator for their dyadic adjustment, and exhaustion was the only significant mediator for partners' mental health. Implications for programmes designed to address the significant needs of the partners of combat veterans are discussed.