Psychotherapie und Internet

Zusammenfassung  Die Außendarstellung im Internet ist wichtig und in der Zukunft unverzichtbar. Jedoch hat die Liberalisierung des Werberechts der freien Berufe keineswegs zur absoluten Schrankenlosigkeit geführt. Vielmehr sind die zu beachtenden Regeln auf verschiedene Gesetze und Rechtsgebiete verstreut, so dass ohne fachkundige Hilfe—etwa durch die Kammern oder durch juristische Beratung—die Selbstdarstellung im Internet schnell zu einem bösen Erwachen führen kann.

Victimization and PTSD in a Faroese youth total-population sample

Petersen, T., Elklit, A. & Olesen, J. G. (2010). Victimization and PTSD in a Faroese youth total-population sample. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 56–62.
The prevalence of twenty traumatic events and negative life events in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was studied in a Faroese total-population sample of 687 eighth-grade students with a mean age of 14.2 years. Ninety-four percent of the females and 89% of the males were directly exposed to or had witnessed at least one traumatic event or a negative life event. The odds ratios for PTSD after direct and indirect exposure to specific events are described. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 20%, whereas another 14% reached a subclinical level of PTSD. After exposure, females had PTSD more than twice as often as males. Being exposed to multiple traumatic events, living with a single parent, and having experienced a traumatic event or a negative life event within the last year were all associated with PTSD and its subscales.     

Allocentric spatial memory in humans with hippocampal lesions

An immersive virtual reality (IVR) system was used to investigate allocentric spatial memory in a patient (PR) who had selective hippocampal damage, and also in patients who had undergone unilateral temporal lobectomies (17 right TL and 19 left TL), their performance compared against normal control groups. A human analogue of the Olton [Olton (1979). Hippocampus, space, and memory. Behavioural Brain Science, 2, 315] spatial maze was developed, consisting of a virtual room, a central virtual circular table and an array of radially arranged up-turned 'shells.' The participant had to search these shells in turn in order to find a blue 'cube' that would then 'move' to another location and so on, until all the shells had been target locations. Within-search errors could be made when the participants returned to a previously visited location during a search, and between-search errors when they revisited previously successful, but now incorrect locations. PR made significantly more between-search errors than his control group, but showed no increase in within-search errors. The right TL group showed a similar pattern of impairment, but the left TL group showed no impairment. This finding implicates the right hippocampal formation in spatial memory functioning in a scenario in which the visual environment was controlled so as to eliminate extraneous visual cues.     

Age-related neural activity during allocentric spatial memory

Age-related decline in allocentric (viewer-independent) spatial memory is seen across species. We employed a virtual reality analogue of the Morris Water Maze to study the effect of healthy ageing on neural activity during allocentric spatial memory using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry was used to ascertain hippocampal volumetric integrity. A widespread neural network comprising frontal, parietal, occipital, thalamic, and cerebellar regions was activated in young and older adults, but only young adults significantly activated bilateral hippocampus and left parahippocampus, as well as right frontal pole and dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during encoding and right DLPC during retrieval. Hippocampal grey matter volume was unchanged in older adults; however, prefrontal and parahippocampal functional attenuation was accompanied by volumetric reduction. We conclude that the decline in allocentric spatial memory with age is associated with attenuated hippocampal function, as well as compromised function and structure of prefrontal and parahippocampal regions.     

The warpy thoughts scale: a new 20-item instrument to measure dysfunctional attitudes

Cognitive theories of psychopathology propose that specific negative cognitive schema held by individuals can increase their likelihood of experiencing depressive episodes. While it has been argued that such dysfunctional attitudes are state measures that occur primarily during periods of depression, a range of research has supported the view that holding dysfunctional attitudes is ongoing, persisting prior to and following depressive episodes. To date, the need for a parsimonious measure of dysfunctional attitudes has not been well addressed. Using data provided by 4545 participants in a free on-line cognitive behavioural therapy program, MoodGYM, we have developed the Warpy Thoughts Scale (WTS), a 20-item instrument measuring dysfunctional attitudes. This scale provides 3 first order factors (Relationships, Achievements and Entitlements) and a higher order factor, Warpy Thoughts, from which a Warpy Thoughts score can be obtained. Confirmatory factor analyses on this model indicated that it provides robust results for men and women and for individuals in a wide range of ages. WTS scores were moderately correlated with levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms (0.39 and 0.40, respectively) and explained up to one-fifth of the variance of these mental health measures. Further validation of the WTS against other measures of dysfunctional thoughts is required.