Muscle Dysmorphia Research Neglects DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria

This systematic review aimed to collect, evaluate, and synthesize the research on muscle dysmorphia (MD) post official recognition as a specifier for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in the DSM-5, and provide recommendations for future research. Literature searches were conducted in four databases to see if inclusion criteria were met. Results revealed 33 studies meeting inclusion criteria, none of which utilized DSM-5 criteria for MD or acknowledged the criterion in their research. Few studies acknowledged the association between MD and BDD, and the methodological quality of recent MD research was considered low due to a lack of clinical samples, measurements not using validated cutoff scores, and the research designs. In conclusion, future MD research is encouraged to utilize DSM-5 diagnostic criteria to better inform clinical practice and significantly improve the methodological quality. As such, more effective treatment options may be developed, reducing the risk of health-harming consequences in these individuals.     

Investigating the social integration and wellbeing of transgender individuals: A meta-synthesis

Introduction: There is growing literature about the experiences of social integration and wellbeing of transgender individuals. However, there has been no synthesis across this body of research. Accordingly, the aim of this review was to aggregate, interpret, and synthesize findings from qualitative studies pertaining to the social integration and wellbeing of transgender individuals.

Methods: This study synthesized findings from 18 qualitative and mixed method studies which had explored the social integration and wellbeing of transgender individuals, using Noblit and Hare's meta-ethnography method. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme was also used to appraise the 18 included studies.

Results: Data from the included 18 individual studies ranged from moderate to strong in quality. Data analysis revealed five major themes which influenced transgender individuals' daily lives. These were gender transition and disclosing gender identity, health and self-isolation, living with stigma and discrimination: health care, leisure and work, the importance of relationships, and last, overcoming adversity: stories of what can work.

Conclusion: This meta-synthesis reinforces many preconceived notions about transgender individuals. These include being at high risk of social exclusion, experiencing discrimination and stigma across many social situations, and last, being at high risk of poor wellbeing. This study also found that there is further need for studies that investigate the self-isolation of transgender individuals as well as this group's relationship and experiences with health care professionals and providers.     

The effects of clinical supervision on supervisees and patients in cognitive behavioral therapy: a systematic review

Clinical supervision is a central part of psychotherapist training but the empirical support for specific supervision theories or features is unclear. The aims of this study were to systematically review the empirical research literature regarding the effects of clinical supervision on therapists’ competences and clinical outcomes within Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). A comprehensive database search resulted in 4103 identified publications. Of these, 133 were scrutinized and in the end 5 studies were included in the review for data synthesis. The five studies were heterogeneous in scope and quality and only one provided firm empirical support for the positive effects of clinical supervision on therapists’ competence. The remaining four studies suffered from methodological weaknesses, but provided some preliminary support that clinical supervision may be beneficiary for novice therapists. No study could show benefits from supervision for patients. The research literature suggests that clinical supervision may have some potential effects on novice therapists’ competence compared to no supervision but the effects on clinical outcomes are still unclear. While bug-in-the-eye live supervision may be more effective than standard delayed supervision, the effects of specific supervision models or features are also unclear. There is a continued need for high-quality empirical studies on the effects of clinical supervision in psychotherapy.     

Differential efficacy between cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapies for chronic pain: Systematic review

Background/Objective: To assess the differential efficacy between mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT) on chronic pain across medical conditions involving pain. Method: ProQuest, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Pubmed, and Embase databases were searched to identify randomized clinical trials. Measurements of mindfulness, pain, mood, and further miscellaneous measurements were included. Results: 18 studies met the inclusion criteria (fibromyalgia, n = 5; low back pain, n = 5; headache/migraine, n = 4; non-specific chronic pain, n = 4). In fibromyalgia, mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) was superior to the usual care and Fibroqol, in impact and symptoms. In low back pain, MBSR was superior to the usual care, but not to CBT, in physical functionality and pain intensity. There were no studies on differential efficacy between mindfulness and CBT for headache and non-specific chronic pain, but Mindfulness interventions were superior to the usual care in these syndromes. Conclusions: Mindfulness interventions are superior to usual cares in all diagnoses, but it is not possible to conclude their superiority over CBT. Comparisons between mindfulness interventions are scarce, with MBSR being the most studied. In central sensitization syndromes, variables associated with pain tend to improve with treatment. More research is needed to differentiate diagnosis and intervention.     

Peer review of teaching (PRoT) in higher education – a practitioner’s reflection

Peer review of teaching (PRoT) is recommended to both develop and assure the quality of teaching practices in Higher Education. An institutional implementation of a peer review process can be viewed as a genuine desire to improve teaching quality or as an instrument of accountability and performativity. There are many approaches to the peer review of teaching operating. This article documents the impact, advantages and disadvantages of direct participation in three peer review of teaching processes.     

允许检查并修改答案的计算机化自适应测验

采用计算机模拟程序对允许检查并修改答案的计算机化自适应测验（CAT）进行研究,并采用新的评分方式对付Wainer策略。结果表明：综合考虑被试的两次作答信息可以得到更精确的能力估计值。大部分被试进行了修改,只有少部分答案被修改,在被修改的答案中大部分是由错误改为正确;综合Wainer策略CAT的后验分布期望值（EAP）和极大似然估计值（MLE）可以“粗糙”对付Wainer策略     

SOCIAL RESEARCH ON SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN NORDIC COUNTRIES

This article presents a review of the literature on science and religion in Nordic countries. Seventy-seven articles, books, and chapters on the topic were collected from five major scholarly databases between 1997 and 2018. We scrutinized how research in this data set was engaged with social scientific research. Most of the research was not social scientific. It was primarily philosophical, theological, and historical research; very little presented empirical and theoretical social scientific research. The studies reflected societal discussions, bringing out some cultural dimensions and social issues, but not specifically in the Nordic context. Some societal aspects were highlighted, such as ethics and climate change, but these were not necessarily tied to the Nordic societies. We propose that in the Nordic context there seems to be a need for social scientific research on science and religion. This research could use theoretical perspectives from, for instance, sociology, science and technology studies, higher education studies, and anthropological research.