Behavioral Activation Disseminated by Non–Mental Health Professionals,Paraprofessionals, and Peers: A Systematic Review

There is a striking disparity between the number of individuals with significant mental health concerns and those who are able to access care globally. One promising solution to expanding the mental health taskforce is task-sharing, or employing nonspecialists in the delivery of evidence-based interventions. Behavioral activation (BA), a brief intervention that focuses on scheduling rewarding activities into one’s daily life, may have promise for delivery using task-sharing approaches due to its straightforward, flexible nature. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the current state of the literature on non-specialist-delivered BA and evaluate the evidence base of this approach. Three databases (Pubmed, PsycInfo, and Cochrane) were searched, and all articles were screened for inclusion criteria by two research assistants, included the review of titles, abstracts, and full-text. The final dataset consisted of 13 research studies, represented through 15 articles. A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the overall pooled effects of peer-delivered BA on depressive symptoms (the most widely examined clinical outcome). Studies reported on effectiveness and implementation outcomes of non-specialist-delivered BA for depression, substance use, loneliness, trauma survivors, and individuals with comorbid physical health conditions. Results provide initial support for the effectiveness of BA utilizing a task-sharing approach, and highlight the feasibility and acceptability of using nonspecialists to deliver BA in a variety of contexts, including low-resource settings.     

图形和汉字视觉认知任务中的部分线索效应

给被试呈现一幅图的不完整信息作为线索会干扰被试对图形的辨认,这是一种部分线索效应。实验一的任务是对模糊图形的辨认,在轮廓相似组图形中,部分线索的干扰作用随呈现模糊级次数的增加而更加显著,但在轮廓非相似组图形中,模糊级呈现次数为２次和３次的情况下,也表现出了显著的部分线索效应。实验二在不完整汉字识别任务中进一步考察了部分线索效应,在事先学习的条件下,形状相似字组汉字的辨认表现出了显著的部分线索效应,而意义相似字组和随机字组汉字的辨认表现出了部分线索的促进作用。在事先不学习的条件下,随机字组和形状相似字组汉字的辨认表现出了显著的部分线索效应,而意义相似字组汉字的辨认没有表现出显著的部分线索效应。本研究用激活的观点对这些结果做出了合理的解释。     

Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the French Version of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) in Non-Clinical Adults

Behavioral activation (BA) is a well-established empirical treatment for depression that aims to improve depressive mood by increasing activation and reducing avoidance. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate activation and avoidance when a BA treatment is applied. The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS) was developed to measure the changes in activation and avoidance over the course of BA treatment of depression. This study aims to validate the French version of this scale. In a first study, 131 bilingual adults were recruited to explored internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity of the final French version. In a second study, 409 non-clinical adults completed an online survey assessing concurrent measures. Results of the first study suggested good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity. The second study revealed a confirmatory factor analysis supporting the original four-factor structure, with Activation, Avoidance/Rumination, Work/School Impairment, and Social Impairment subscales. Results also revealed that a 5-factor model distinguishing Behavioral Avoidance and Rumination had a better fit than the original four-factor structure. All subscales showed adequate internal consistency and good construct validity with evidence of convergent validity with depressive symptoms, brooding, psychological flexibility, negative automatic thought, behavioral inhibition and activation system. Furthermore, the French BADS total scale and subscales showed a good ability to predict depressive symptoms. The French version of the BADS appears to be a reliable tool for clinician and researchers to assess mechanisms of change in BA interventions.     

激活水平和呈现方式对错误记忆的影响

随机抽取80名大学生参与实验,采用DRM(Deese-Roediger-Mcdermott)范式,探讨了激活水平和呈现方式对错误记忆的影响。结果发现:(1)在随机呈现条件下,关键诱饵的错误再认率显著低于分组呈现条件,但学过项目的正确再认率在两种条件下无差异。(2)在高激活水平条件下,学过项目的正确再认率明显低于低激活水平条件,但关键诱饵的错误再认率在两种激活条件下的差异不够明显。这表明,呈现方式对关键诱饵的错误再认率有显著影响,而激活水平的影响则不显著。由此可知,人们的记忆可以在没有任何外界信息干扰的情况下因内在联想过程而自发地发生改变。     

自恋与行为抑制/激活系统的关系：元分析

运用元分析方法探讨自恋与行为抑制/激活系统的关系。经过文献检索和筛选, 纳入原始文献19篇, 包含25个独立样本, 共7702名被试。根据同质性检验结果, 选用随机效应模型。结果发现, 自恋与行为抑制系统存在中度负相关(r = -0.27, 95% CI为[-0.34, -0.21]), 自恋测量工具在两者间起显著的调节作用; 自恋与行为激活系统存在高度正相关(r = 0.46, 95% CI为[0.40, 0.52]), 被试类型在两者间起显著的调节作用。自恋与行为抑制/激活系统的密切关系支持了自恋的主体性理论和人格强化敏感性理论。     

How our work influences who we are: Testing a theory of vocational and personality development over fifty years

This study examines the developmental influences of occupational environments on personality traits from childhood to adulthood. We test aspects of a theory of vocational and personality development, proposing that traits develop in response to work experience following corresponsive and noncorresponsive mechanisms. We describe these pathways in the context of situations of vocational gravitation and inhabitation. In a sample from the Hawaii personality and health cohort (N = 596), we examined associations of childhood and adulthood personality traits, with occupational environments profiled on the RIASEC model. Mediations tests confirmed that work influenced personality development from childhood to adulthood for Openness/Intellect. We observed multiple reactivity effects of occupation environments on adulthood traits that were not associated with corresponding selection effects.     

Applying theory to the black box: A model for empirically scoring biodata

Despite being an effective predictor of job performance, empirically keyed biodata assessments have been criticized as black box empiricism unlikely to generalize to new contexts. This paper introduces a model that challenges this perspective, explicating how biodata content, job demands, and criterion variables collectively influence the construct validity, and generalizability of empirically scored biodata. Across two field studies, expected changes in scale correlations with external measures were found that coincided with changes in the contextual similarity between calibration and holdout contexts, the criteria used, and the content validity of biodata items. Collectively, this paper offers a framework that helps understand and optimize empirical biodata keying in practice, furthering confidence for their use in applied settings.     

Clinical research on behavioral activation as treatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder: A brief review and meta‐analysis

Behavioral activation (BA), an effective treatment for depression, has recently been receiving attention as a possible intervention for PTSD. BA interventions could be particularly useful in treating underserved populations (i.e., individuals with lower socioeconomic status). A literature search was conducted, which identified seven outcome studies that examined the effectiveness of stand‐alone BA treatment for individuals with PTSD. All studies identified for this brief review demonstrated clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms using BA as an intervention. A meta‐analysis of these few studies revealed a nonsignificant effect (Cohen's d = 0.713, p = .512) despite reporting an average symptom reduction of 25.8%. Other studies utilizing BA treatment for PTSD do so in tandem with other interventions and were excluded from analysis. This brief review summarizes the literature on the use of BA as a stand‐alone treatment for PTSD and suggests that future research seek to confirm the usefulness of BA as a potential treatment modality for mental health‐care providers treating individuals with PTSD.     

Buying an electric car: A rational choice or a norm-directed behavior?

The diffusion of electric cars can contribute to more sustainability in the transport sector, but diffusion rates in most countries are still low. We investigated motives for electric car adoption in German households from an environmental psychology perspective. The public debate focuses on rational aspects such as the purchase price or new technological demands (e.g., limited range and a new charging system). Psychological research on energy-related investment decisions in households confirms the relevance of rational motives, but additionally points to the importance of norm-directed motives (moral and social norms). We investigated the relevance of different motives in an online questionnaire with n = 220 members of German households interested in buying a new car. The questionnaire included possible rational and norm-related predictors of electric car adoption. We tested three action models to explain adoption intention: An adjusted technology acceptance model (TAM), an adjusted norm activation model (NAM), and an integrative model with predictors from both models. We analyzed the hypothesized models with path analyses. All models explained a substantial share of variance in adoption intention. The explained share of variance in the NAM was higher than in the TAM and comparably high to the integrative model. The results demonstrate the important role of moral and social motives for households’ investment decisions. Additionally, the technology’s perceived usefulness was an important rational motive. We discuss the context dependency of the results, as household members might have little knowledge about the new technology during the early stages of a technology’s diffusion process. The results strongly suggest broadening political support schemes, such as informational and image campaigns, as a way to more effectively foster electric car diffusion. More comprehensive assessments appear to be necessary in future analyses of electric car adoption as well as energy-related investment decisions.