Relationships between personal beliefs and treatment acceptability, and preferences for behavioral treatments

Background

The literature on preferences for behavioral interventions is limited in terms of understanding treatment-related factors that underlie treatment choice. The objectives of this study were to examine the direct relationships between personal beliefs about clinical condition, perception of treatment acceptability, and preferences for behavioral interventions for insomnia.

Methods

The data set used in this study was obtained from 431 persons with insomnia who participated in a partially randomized clinical trial and expressed preferences for treatment options. The data were collected at baseline. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between personal beliefs and treatment acceptability, and preferences. The relationships between personal beliefs and perception of treatment acceptability were explored with correlational analysis.

Results

Perception of treatment acceptability was associated with preferences. Persons viewing the option as convenient tended to choose that option for managing insomnia. Personal beliefs were not related to preferences. However, beliefs about sleep promoting behaviors were correlated with perceived treatment effectiveness.

Conclusions

Perception of treatment acceptability underlies expressed preferences for behavioral interventions. Personal beliefs about insomnia are not directly associated with preferences. Importance is highlighted for providing information about treatment options and exploring perception of each option's acceptability during the process of treatment selection.     

The Internet as Cultural Form: Technology and the Human Condition in China

Raymond Williams’ work on television as a cultural form offers a theoretical basis for overcoming technological determinism in the study of the Internet. The Internet in China exerts social and political influences through the cultural forms it enables and then only when these forms respond to the human condition. Chinese Internet culture consists of new cultural forms that emerge out of the interactions between Internet and society and that are the products of both cultural tradition and innovation.

受灾情况和复原力对地震灾区中小学生创伤后应激反应的影响

进行心理援助之前,对都江堰安龙镇某九年制学校学生进行受灾情况、复原力和创伤后应激反应的测查,目的在于探讨受灾情况和复原力对中小学生创伤后应激反应的独立和交互影响,并为心理援助活动提供参考。结果表明：（1）在震后一个半月之时,该校有32%的学生出现较严重的创伤后应激反应;（2）有亲人遇难的学生在闯入、回避、警觉以及创伤后应激反应的总分上均显著高于无亲人遇难的学生;（3）复原力中的积极认知和信任两个维度对降低学生创伤后应激反应有比较大的作用;（4）复原力中的社会支持维度能够缓冲亲人遇难带来的负向影响     

组织中绩效压力的双刃剑效应

市场经济的复杂多变给组织生存与发展带来诸多挑战,组织往往对员工提出高的绩效要求,绩效压力已成为普遍现象。现有研究大多关注绩效压力的消极效应,存在忽视其积极结果及理论视角较窄等不足。因此,系统、全面地认识绩效压力的双刃剑效应,有助于组织充分发挥绩效压力的积极效应及阻遏其消极效应。通过系统地回顾和梳理相关研究,在将绩效压力影响效果的研究分为积极、消极和二者并存的曲线效应三个类别后,引入压力认知评价理论、资源保存理论等理论厘清研究背后的解释机制。最后,基于以上梳理分析,未来研究应进一步拓展组织中绩效压力的双刃剑效应及其边界条件,从而更全面地认识组织中绩效压力所产生的影响。     

奖赏和损失情境下男性海洛因戒断者的风险决策缺陷

摘 要 采用修改版的多伦多赌博任务考察决策情境对海洛因戒断者风险决策的影响。研究结果主要发现,海洛因戒断者在损失情境下的风险寻求决策比率与吸毒年限显著正相关,这种相关提示了风险决策背景下海洛因成瘾者持续使用毒品与其较低的损失敏感性之间的复杂交互作用。其次,海洛因戒断者在做出风险决策后收到消极反馈时的风险规避倾向可以负向预测其风险寻求决策比率,这可能进一步反映了海洛因戒断者风险感知的钝化或其对消极反馈信息的整合加工存在异常。     

Relapse/Recurrence Prevention in Major Depressive Disorder: 26-Month Follow-Up of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Versus an Active Control

We conducted a 26-month follow-up of a previously reported 12-month study that compared mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to a rigorous active control condition (ACC) for depressive relapse/recurrence prevention and improvements in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Participants in remission from major depression were randomized to an 8-week MBCT group (n = 46) or the ACC (n = 46). Outcomes were assessed at baseline; postintervention; and 6, 12, and 26 months. Intention-to-treat analyses indicated no differences between groups for any outcome over the 26-month follow-up. Time to relapse results (MBCT vs. ACC) indicated a hazard ratio = .82, 95% CI [.34, 1.99]. Relapse rates were 47.8% for MBCT and 50.0% for ACC. Piecewise analyses indicated that steeper declines in depressive symptoms in the MBCT vs. the ACC group from postintervention to 12 months were not maintained after 12 months. Both groups experienced a marginally significant rebound of depressive symptoms after 12 months but were still improved at 26 months compared to baseline (b = –4.12, p <= .008). Results for life satisfaction were similar. In sum, over a 26-month follow-up, MBCT was no more effective for preventing depression relapse/recurrence, reducing depressive symptoms, or improving life satisfaction than a rigorous ACC. Based on epidemiological data and evidence from prior depression prevention trials, we discuss the possibility that both MBCT and ACC confer equal therapeutic benefit. Future studies that include treatment as usual (TAU) control conditions are needed to confirm this possibility and to rule out the potential role of time-related effects. Overall findings underscore the importance of comparing MBCT to TAU as well as to ACCs.     

A threshold theory account of psychometric functions with response confidence under the balance condition

The study of thresholds for discriminability has been of long‐standing interest in psychophysics. While threshold theories embrace the concept of discrete‐state thresholds, signal detection theory discounts such a concept. In this paper we concern ourselves with the concept of thresholds from the discrete‐state modelling viewpoint. In doing so, we find it necessary to clarify some fundamental issues germane to the psychometric function (PF), which is customarily constructed using psychophysical methods with a binary‐response format. We challenge this response format and argue that response confidence also plays an important role in the construction of PFs, and thus should have some impact on threshold estimation. We motivate the discussion by adopting a three‐state threshold theory for response confidence proposed by Krantz (1969, Psychol. Rev., 76, 308–324), which is a modification of Luce's (1963, Psychol. Rev., 70, 61–79) low‐threshold theory. In particular, we discuss the case in which the practice of averaging over order (or position) is enforced in data collection. Finally, we illustrate the fit of the Luce–Krantz model to data from a line‐discrimination task with response confidence.     

Perseverative thoughts and subjective health complaints in adolescence: Mediating effects of perceived stress and negative affects

Stable tendency to perseverative thoughts such as trait rumination and worry can influence somatic health. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between perseverative thoughts and somatic complaints, and the possible mediating effects of perceived stress, negative and positive affectivity in adolescence. Having an acute or a chronic condition was also assessed to be controlled for and to reveal their effects on symptom reporting. Three hundred and six adolescents from 7th to 12th grade with mean age of 16.33 (SD = 1.29) participated in the study. Mediation analysis suggested that impact of trait-like perseverative thoughts on complaints were mediated by perceived stress and negative affectivity. Having an acute condition had also an effect on symptom reporting through increased negative affectivity. Our results highlight that ruminations or worry as stable intrapersonal characteristics are relevant processes in health and can be potential targets in prevention programmes in adolescence.     

三种情境下4～8岁儿童自尊发展的实验研究

依据对儿童自尊结构的研究,发现儿童自尊是由重要感、自我胜任感和外表感三个因素构成。本研究采用表情实验方法,通过个别施测,考察了150名4~8岁儿童在重要感、自我胜任感、外表感三种不同结构情境下自尊发展特点。结果表明:(1)4~8岁儿童自尊总体发展存在非常显著的年龄差异;4岁儿童自尊发展水平最高,5岁儿童水平最低。(2)儿童自尊发展存在显著性别差异,女生发展水平显著高于男生。     

论文物的使用价值及其源泉

文物不同于现实物品,也不同于一般物品,文物是在时间的推移和空间的变迁中逐渐形成的。文物具有四种使用价值,即自然使用价值、审美使用价值、增值使用价值和信息使用价值,除自然使用价值之外,其余三种使用价值的发展变化都直接与时空条件有关,而与人的劳动、自然力的作用关系并不明确。因此,时空条件是文物使用价值的重要源泉。