THERAPISTS’ EXPERIENCES OF MOTHER–INFANT PSYCHOANALYTIC TREATMENT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

As part of a larger research project in Sweden, a qualitative study investigated psychotherapists’ experiences of mother–infant psychoanalysis (MIP). A randomized controlled trial compared two groups of mother–infant dyads with psychological problems. One had received Child Health Center care, and the other received MIP. Previous articles on long‐term effects have found that mothers who had received MIP were less depressed throughout a posttreatment period of 3½ years, and their children showed better global functioning and psychological well‐being. The present study's objectives were to describe the therapist's experiences of MIP and deepen the understanding of the MIP process. Six months after treatment began, all therapists were interviewed. Transcribed interviews with therapists from 10 (of 33 total) MIP treatments were randomly selected and analyzed in detail by thematic analysis. Therapists worked successfully with mother and infant together and found different ways of cooperation during MIP sessions. Therapists reported overall positive experiences; however, in cases where mothers needed more personal attention, it would be important to adapt the method to them.     

International students’ attachment and psychological well-being: the mediation role of mental toughness

This study examined the relationships of adult attachment, mental toughness (MT), and psychological well-being of international students. We hypothesized that attachment anxiety and avoidance would predict psychological well-being outcome variables and that MT would mediate the attachment-wellbeing links. The participants were 217 international students from a large public college in the United States. Structure Equation Modeling analyses were used to examine the proposed mediation effects. Result showed that MT functioned as a mediator for the paths between attachment anxiety and the two well-being latent variables of psychological distress and life satisfaction. On the other hand, attachment avoidance was found to have a more direct effect on adjustment difficulties without going through MT. Limitation and counseling implications are discussed.     

Stressing the feedback: attention and cardiac vagal tone during a cognitive stress task

Objectives: The present study examined relationships among gaze behaviour and cardiac vagal tone using a novel stress-inducing task.

Methods: Participants’ (N?=?40) eye movements and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured during an unsolvable computer-based task randomly presenting feedback of “Right” and “Wrong” answers distinctly onscreen after each trial. Subgroups were created on the basis of more frequent eye movements to the right (“Correct”-Attenders; n?=?23) or wrong (“Incorrect”-Attenders; n?=?17) areas onscreen.

Results: Correct-Attenders maintained HRV from baseline to the stress task. In contrast, Incorrect-Attenders spent significantly more time viewing “Wrong” feedback, exhibited a reduction in HRV during the stress condition (p?Conclusions: Results demonstrate that pervasive attention to negative feedback (“Wrong”) elicits perseverative stress and negative self-evaluations among university students. This study highlights the potential for studying attentional biases and emotional distress through combined measures of gaze behaviour and cardiac vagal tone.     

The Role of Social Support,Being Present,and Self‐kindness in University Student Psychological Distress

Objective

Self‐kindness, which is thought to be part of self‐compassion, has the potential to contribute to mental health, as well as serve as a focus for interventions. However, little attention has been given to the potential role of self‐kindness specifically, especially in the context of mindful presence and available social support, in buffering distress.

Method

Structural equation modelling was used to test a theoretically based model of how these factors relate to each other and psychological distress. Participants were 592 Australian university students.

Results

Results confirmed our hypotheses, showing that: (a) receiving social support is important to the capacity for self‐kindness both directly and indirectly through the ability to “be present,” and (b) the relationship between social support and psychological distress is partially mediated by the practices of self‐kindness and being present. The model of social support, being present, and self‐kindness accounted for half the variance in psychological distress. With the addition of stressors, a regression model explained a total of 62% of the variance.

Conclusions

These findings have implications for understanding the construct of self‐kindness and its role in the development of interventions to improve student success.     

The Indifference Function

Abstract

Data from 2 studies conducted in the United States—1 with high school students and 1 with college students—are reported. Two-hundred forty-one multiethnic/multiracial youths (also termed biethnic/biracial, mixed ethnic/mixed racial, and interracial) were selected using 2 large surveys and compared with 1,041 of their monoethnic peers. Although more than 10% of the students across both studies were multiethnic, less than one third of these respondents labeled themselves as such. Ethnic self-labels varied with setting, type of question, and parental ethnicity. Multiethnic youths did not differ from monoethnics regarding self-esteem. In some cases, multiethnic students had more positive attitudes toward other groups than moneethnics did.     

Self-blame attributions,control appraisals and distress among cardiac rehabilitation patients

This study examined associations between self-blame attributions, control appraisals and distress among cardiovascular disease patients participating in a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programme. Questionnaire data were collected from 129 patients at the beginning and end of CR. We found little evidence that characterological self-blame (CSB) affects distress symptoms, but behavioural self-blame at the beginning of CR was positively associated with distress symptoms concurrently, and 12 weeks later. Furthermore, diet- and exercise-focused self-blame was only modestly, positively related to control appraisals concurrently, while CSB was negatively associated with control. Prospectively, we found few significant associations between self-blame and control. Results imply that making any type of self-blame attribution during CR does not aid in adjustment or enhanced control appraisals. Our findings suggest that CR staff should encourage patients to recognise their control over reducing risk for recurrence, but should discourage patients from looking backward and ruminating about factors that may have contributed to disease onset.     

The distribution of repressive coping styles among non-metastatic and metastatic breast cancer patients as compared to non-cancer patients

Abstract

Recent investigations have shown increased disease progression among breast cancer patients with a “repressive” coping style characterized as: passive, conforming, inclined to deny physical symptoms and emotionally unexpressive. The Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) scales which delineate three discrete repressive coping styles include the: Introversive, Cooperative and Respectful. Forty-four women recently diagnosed (within four weeks) with non-metastatic (N=32) or metastatic (N=12) breast carcinoma, responded to the MBHI upon admission for treatment of their disease at a cancer treatment unit. All subjects received mastectomy as well as chemotherapy, radiation and/or endocrine therapy. These 44 Cancer patients were compared to 34 control subjects, comprising women who were seen at a colposcopy clinic for follow-up of a suspicious pap smear which was ultimately shown to be benign or consisted of mild dysplasia. Non-metastatic, metastatic and control subjects were compared with respect to coping style and psychological distress. The breast cancer patients were more likely to employ a repressive coping style as compared to non-cancer patients who utilized a “sensitizing” coping strategy predominantly. Cancer patients with the most severe prognosis (metastasis) were the only group within the study to attain a clinically significant mean base rate score on the respectful scale. Results suggest that the incidence of repressive coping styles may be disproportionately high among breast cancer patients.     

Evaluating the impact of a worksite stress management programme for distressed student nurses: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

The effectiveness of a stress management intervention designed to reduce affective distress in 79 student nurses who previously reported significant distress, was evaluated by comparing stress management with wait-list control. The intervention had reliable, positive effects on affective outcomes including General Health Questionnaire-30, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and a measure of domestic satisfaction. The intervention also led to an increase in Direct Coping use.

State Anxiety immediately preceding two important examinations, i.e. at 3 and 18 month follow-up, was lower for students receiving stress management. However, no effect was detected on sickness, absence and examination performance following this intervention. Stress management delivered in groups reduces affective distress and increases adaptive coping use in both clinical and academic settings.     

Illness representations and distress in women undergoing screening for familial ovarian cancer

Women with a familial or genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer are at significantly increased risk of developing the disease, and this warrants effective risk management strategies. A clinical trial of ovarian cancer screening (OCS) is being conducted to establish the effectiveness of this risk management strategy. This article reports data from its psychological partner study which aims to evaluate the psychological effects of OCS. Leventhal's Self-Regulatory Model provided the theoretical framework for understanding emotional responses to OCS. The revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (IPQ-R) is based on this model and the IPQ-R, adapted to the risk of ovarian cancer, was completed by women (N?=?1999) prior to screening. The original IPQ-R factor structure was not replicated but IPQ-R variables explained 14.70% of the variance in women's ovarian cancer-specific distress after controlling for age, general anxiety and depression. Negative emotional representations of ovarian cancer risk and general anxiety were moderately associated with greater ovarian cancer-specific distress whereas cognitive illness representations were weakly related to ovarian cancer-specific distress. Further analyses of data from the ongoing psychological evaluation are needed to determine the predictive utility of IPQ-R variables in explaining distress during OCS.