Telephone-Based Behavioral Activation for Improving Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Sleep disturbances are common among family caregivers of people with dementia (PWD). Although behavioral activation (BA) shows the potential to improve sleep quality, to date, evidence for this treatment’s feasibility and efficacy for family caregivers of PWD is limited. Therefore, this study pilot tested an evidence-based BA protocol for improving sleep quality in Chinese family caregivers of PWD. The BA intervention involved eight weekly individual telephone-based sessions designed to teach caregivers specific BA techniques. Sleep quality and depression were measured using the Chinese versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, respectively. This study also measured leisure activity, positive aspect of caregiving, caregiving burden, health status, and relationship satisfaction. All participants were asked to complete the assessments on paper at baseline and immediately after the intervention. After completing the pilot randomized controlled trial, semistructured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ experiences participating in the BA intervention. A total of 71 family caregivers of PWD (35 in the intervention group and 36 in the control group) were recruited. The majority of participants were female (n = 53, 74.65%), and their mean age was 54.07 years (SD = 10.95). Compared with controls, caregivers in the intervention group displayed significantly greater improvement in sleep quality, as well as perceptions of positive aspects of caregiving and reduction of depression. Most participants were very satisfied with the intervention. These findings suggest that individual telephone-based BA interventions are feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving sleep quality and psychological health in family caregivers of PWD. These results contribute to the literature by providing evidence for developing effective, accessible, and sustainable BA interventions for family caregivers of PWD.     

毅力人格与数学成绩之间的关系以及学习行为投入的中介作用:以PISA 2012中国上海数据为例

通过分析PISA 2012中国上海中学生样本,探讨毅力人格对数学成绩的影响,尤其是学习行为投入的中介作用。结果显示,毅力人格包含了代表缺乏毅力、容易放弃的负性维度,以及代表富有毅力、追求完美的正性维度。负性维度能负向预测数学成绩,学习行为投入起部分中介作用。正性维度对数学成绩的总效应和直接效应不显著,只通过学习行为投入产生正向间接影响。负性维度对数学成绩的负面影响整体强于正性维度的正面作用。因此教学中对数学成绩不佳的学生,应根据其毅力水平给予不同引导。     

冲动性的测量方法

近年来,冲动性引发的社会问题引起广泛关注。本文梳理了冲动性定义和测量方法,例举了常用的11个量表和5种行为测量任务,讨论和总结了其关系。总体说来,量表之间相关较高,行为测量任务之间、量表和行为测量任务之间的相关较低。当前冲动性研究领域理论框架和定义凌乱,缺乏一致认可的测量方法。我们认为,整合已有定义和测量方法,利用机器学习算法等新技术方法建模,对深入理解“冲动性”、发现更好的冲动性测量方法至关重要。     

A meta-analytic approach to the association between inhibitory control and parent-reported behavioral adjustment in typically-developing children: Differentiating externalizing and internalizing behavior problems

Impairments in inhibitory control (IC) are traditionally seen as a vital aspect in the emergence and course of maladaptive behavior across early childhood. However, it is currently unclear whether this view applies to both the externalizing and internalizing domain of parent-reported behavioral adjustment. Furthermore, past (meta-analytic) developmental research and theory characterizing this association have largely neglected the vast heterogeneity of IC measures and conceptualizations. The present meta-analyses examined the association of IC with parent-reported externalizing (N = 3160, 21 studies) and internalizing (N = 1758, 12 studies) behavior problems, assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), in non-clinical populations of children aged 2–8 years. They further investigated the moderating effects of a priori IC categorization, according to a recently proposed two-factor model of IC (“Strength/Endurance” account, Simpson & Carroll, 2019). In line with previous research in the clinical domain, the current results corroborate the notion of a robust, but small association between IC and externalizing behavior problems (r = ?0.11) in early childhood. However, although frequently proposed in the literature, no significant linear association could be identified with internalizing behavior problems. Furthermore, in both meta-analyses, no significant moderating effects of IC categorization could be revealed. These findings enhance our knowledge about the cognitive underpinnings of early-emerging maladaptive behavior, indicating that different subtypes of IC are statistically related with externalizing, but not internalizing behavior problems. Overall, the small association of IC ability with behavior problems in non-clinical populations provokes broader questions about the role of IC in behavioral adjustment.     

Longitudinal trajectories of emotions among athletes in sports competitions: Does emotional intelligence matter?

ObjectivesThis research explored whether several subgroups of athletes representing distinct emotional trajectories could be shown to exist within the latent class growth analysis (LCGA) of pleasant and unpleasant sport emotions (anger, anxiety, dejection, excitement, happiness). A secondary aim was to explore whether athletes belonging to distinct emotional trajectories reported distinct scores of trait-emotional intelligence (EI) at time 1 (T1).DesignA longitudinal three-wave measurement design (beginning, middle, and end of a competitive season) was used in the present study.MethodA sample of 460 athletes completed the sport emotion questionnaire across three measurement times and the brief emotional intelligence scale at T1.ResultsResults of LCGAs showed five trajectories for anger, anxiety and happiness, and six trajectories for dejection and excitement. Furthermore, athletes belonging to distinct (adaptive or maladaptive) trajectories reported significantly different scores of EI.ConclusionsLCGA results highlighted the athlete heterogeneity in longitudinal sport emotions. Higher scores of EI were reported by athletes belonging to adaptive emotional trajectories. These results could be used to help coaches and sport psychologists to identify athletes at risk of developing dysfunctional emotional trajectories across the competitive season. Moreover, this study suggested potential benefits of EI-centred interventions to help athletes to experience adaptive emotional trajectories. Finally, these results highlighted that heterogeneity in sport emotions must be accounted for in future research.     

低社会经济地位影响自我调节的神经机制

自我调节是个体为了实现目标并适应不断变化的环境而监控和调节自己的认知、情绪和行为的能力, 在成就、人际交往和健康等各个领域发挥着作用, 被视为是人类成功和幸福的关键。然而, 大量研究发现个体的社会经济地位越低, 自我调节能力越差。为了提高低社会经济地位者的自我调节能力, 必须深入考察低社会经济地位影响自我调节的机制。神经科学为此提供了独特而重要的信息：低社会经济地位改变了背外侧前额叶皮层、扣带回、腹内侧前额叶、杏仁核、海马体、腹侧纹状体的结构和功能, 进而影响了自我调节的各个成分(认知调节、情绪调节、行为调节)。未来研究除了对神经机制中每条因果链进行更严格地考察外, 还应将神经生物学与发展心理学联系起来深入揭示不同发展阶段低社会经济地位对自我调节的独特影响机制, 并关注低社会经济地位者在神经和行为层面特定反应的适应性, 在此基础上开发出系统、持续、有效的干预方案。     

We‐Language and Sustained Reductions in Drinking in Couple‐Based Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders

Couple‐based treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) produce higher rates of abstinence than individual‐based treatments and posit that active involvement of both identified patients (IPs) and significant others (SOs) is partly responsible for these improvements. Separate research on couples’ communication has suggested that pronoun usage can indicate a communal approach to coping with health‐related problems. The present study tested whether communal coping, indicated by use of more first‐person plural pronouns (“we” language), fewer second‐person pronouns (“you” language), and fewer first‐person singular pronouns (“I” language), predicted improvements in abstinence in couple‐based AUD treatment. Pronoun use was measured in first‐ and mid‐treatment sessions for 188 heterosexual couples in four clinical trials of alcohol behavioral couple therapy (ABCT). Percentages of days abstinent were assessed during treatment and over a 6‐month follow‐up period. Greater IP and SO “we” language during both sessions was correlated with greater improvement in abstinent days during treatment. Greater SO “we” language during first‐ and mid‐treatment sessions was correlated with greater improvement in abstinence at follow‐up. Greater use of IP and SO “you” and “I” language had mixed correlations with abstinence, typically being unrelated to or predicting less improvement in abstinence. When all pronoun variables were entered into regression models, only greater IP “we” langue and lower IP “you” language predicted improvements in abstinence during treatment, and only SO “we” language predicted improvements during follow‐up. Most pronoun categories had little or no association with baseline relationship distress. Results suggest that communal coping predicts better abstinence outcomes in couple‐based AUD treatment.     

Identifying predictive behavioral markers: A demonstration using automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior

Predictive biomarkers (PBioMs) are objective biological measures that predict response to medical treatments for diseases. The current study translates methods used in the field of precision medicine to identify PBioMs to identify parallel predictive behavioral markers (PBMs), defined as objective behavioral measures that predict response to treatment. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by examining the accuracy of two PBMs for automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior (ASIB). Results of the analysis indicated both functioned as good to excellent PBMs. We discuss the compatibility of this approach with applied behavior analysis, describe methods to identify additional PBMs, and posit that variables related to the mechanisms of problem behavior and putative mechanism of treatment action hold the most promise as potential PBMs. We discuss how this technology could guide individualized treatment selection, inform our understanding of problem behavior and mechanisms of treatment action, and help determine the conditional effectiveness of clinical procedures.     

Does preference rank predict substitution for the reinforcer for problem behavior? a behavioral economic analysis

Predictions made under low response requirements inherent in most preference assessments (PAs) do not guarantee the utility of stimuli in treatments. We examined whether PA rank would predict how well stimuli supported compliance for children with escape‐maintained problem behavior by examining the relation between PA rank and demand elasticity across five fixed‐ratio values. Three patterns were observed: All stimuli were selected equally across values, higher ranked stimuli were selected more at higher values, and something other than the highest ranked stimulus was selected more at higher values (i.e., mixed correspondence).     

Changes in Decentering Across Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

To further improve treatments, we need to better understand potential common treatment mechanisms, such as decentering, or the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as objective events in the mind rather than personally identifying with them (Safran & Segal, 1990). Therefore, this study examined whether 12 sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) for 63 clients (57.6% female, 50.8% White) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder led to increases in decentering and whether increased decentering was associated with improved outcome. Furthermore, this study examined whether decentering was associated with outcome over and above a competing mechanism—cognitive reappraisal. Overall, results indicated that CBGT in this study led to similar outcomes compared to previous studies and decentering increased over CBGT (d’s from 0.81 to 2.23). Change in decentering predicted improvement on most, but not all, measures of outcome and those who no longer met criteria for social anxiety disorder at posttreatment had significantly greater change in decentering across therapy and significantly higher decentering scores at post-treatment compared to those who retained a social anxiety disorder diagnosis at posttreatment. Finally, changes in decentering predicted outcome over and above changes in reappraisal on all outcome measures. These results largely support the role of decentering in CBGT for social anxiety; however, the implications of the inconsistencies in results based on which outcome measure was used are discussed.