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Research suggests that personality may change due to important life events, such as psychotherapy, and that personality and attitudes may predict treatment progress. Longitudinal data in a community mental health clinic showed positive changes in Emotional Stability, Hope, Gratitude, and Motivation during the course of psychotherapy. The static approach relating baseline personality and attitudes to treatment progress did not yield fruitful results. The dynamic approach was more effective, in which we treated personality and attitudes as malleable and used changes in these variables as predictors of progress. Treatment progress correlated with an increase in Emotional Stability. Positive changes in general life attitudes (Hope, Gratitude, Quality of Life) more so than therapy-specific attitudes (Motivation, Working Alliance) predicted symptom reduction.

Background. The demand for psychological services outpaces the number of available providers. Waitlists at mental health clinics range from weeks to months in length, and longer wait-times predict less favorable outcomes once treatment begins. There is a need for efficient, sustainable service models that provide faster access to care. Offering interim, low-intensity supports to treatment-seekers may both strengthen clinically-relevant proximal outcomes and prevent clinical deterioration while waiting for longer-term treatment. Thus, we tested the acceptability and short-term effects of a solution-focused single-session consultation (SSC), offered to individuals waiting for therapy at two outpatient mental health clinics. Method. Clients wait-listed for outpatient therapy at either clinic were offered an SSC. Participants self-reported overall psychological distress at baseline and two-week follow-up, along with levels of hopelessness and perceived agency at baseline and post-intervention. Participants also rated the SSC’s acceptability. Results. Of 90 treatment-seeking individuals offered an SSC, 46 (51.11%) scheduled an appointment, and 30 (65.21%) attended the session (M age = 31.2, 72.67% female). SSC recipients reported significant pre- to post-intervention improvements in perceived agency (d_z = 1.11, p < .001) and hopelessness (d_z = 1.43, p < .001). Psychological distress significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up (d_z = .73, p = .002). Participants rated SSC sessions as highly acceptable, useful, and worth recommending to others. Conclusions. A solution-focused single-session consultation was associated with improvements in hopelessness, agency, and psychological distress in treatment-seeking adults. Pending larger-scale controlled trials, the SSC may help prevent clinical deterioration among individuals on therapy wait-lists.

Meta-analyses are susceptible to publication bias, the selective publication of studies with statistically significant results. If publication bias is present in psychotherapy research, the efficacy of interventions will likely be overestimated. This study has two aims: (1) investigate whether the application of publication bias methods is warranted in psychotherapy research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and (2) investigate the degree and impact of publication bias in meta-analyses of the efficacy of psychotherapeutic treatment for PTSD. A comprehensive literature search was conducted and 26 meta-analyses were eligible for bias assessment. A Monte-Carlo simulation study closely resembling characteristics of the included meta-analyses revealed that statistical power of publication bias tests was generally low. Our results showed that publication bias tests had low statistical power and yielded imprecise estimates corrected for publication bias due to characteristics of the data. We recommend to assess publication bias using multiple publication bias methods, but only include methods that show acceptable performance in a method performance check that researchers first have to conduct themselves.

Purpose: Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) and clinical feedback systems (CFS) are becoming prevalent in mental health services. The field faces several challenges to successful implementation. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of these challenges by exploring the patient perspective. Method: We report the findings from a qualitative, video assisted interview study of 12 patients from a Norwegian mental health outpatient clinic using ROM/CFS. Results: Our analysis resulted in three pairs of opposing experiences with using ROM/CFS: 1) Explicit vs. implicit use of CFS information, 2) CFS directing focus towards- vs. directing focus away from therapeutic topics and 3) Giving vs. receiving feedback. None of these were intrinsically helpful or hindering. Participants had vastly differing preferences for how to use ROM/CFS in clinical encounters, but all needed the information to be used in a meaningful way by their therapists. If not, ROM/CFS was at risk of becoming meaningless and hindering for therapy. Conclusion: These findings confirm and provide further nuance to previous research. We propose to consider ROM/CFS a clinical skill that should be a part of basic training for therapists. How to use and implement ROM/CFS skillfully should also be the focus of future research.

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated the unplanned, widespread adoption of telepsychotherapy by mental health care professionals. Psychotherapy supervision is also undergoing a rapid shift to telepractice, though questions remain about the efficacy and regulatory standing of telesupervision. A critical unanswered question is: How does telesupervision compare to traditional in-person supervision? This study (completed before the COVID-19 pandemic) used a multiple baseline single-case design to compare the relative effectiveness of in-person supervision and telesupervision. For the small sample of supervisee participants, in-person supervision and telesupervision had equivalent outcomes; there was no significant decrease in participant-rated supervision satisfaction or supervisory working alliance after participants switched from the initial in-person supervision format to telesupervision. In follow-up interviews, participants discussed four themes which may be relevant to mental health care professionals adopting telesupervision: (a) differences between modalities, (b) characteristics of an effective supervisor, (c) the role of technology, and (d) personal preference. These results add to a small but growing evidence base that suggests telesupervision is a viable alternative to in-person supervision. Practical recommendations for telesupervision during the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.

States of apprehension and tension resulting from the covid19 pandemic process, showed in health technicians states similar to the symptoms of anxiety disorder, in addition to depressive states in nurses, nursing technicians and doctors in an emergency unit. The adoption of hygiene procedures minimized risk and states of tension; however, the subjective questions show the emotional fragility and the psychological vulnerability of health professionals. Interventions combining brief psychotherapy and Positive Psychology practices, helped the resilience of these professionals.

The capacity to understand the behavior of oneself and others in terms of internal states as emotions, beliefs, and desires (Reflective function or mentalization) is a key factor in the development of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The present study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties in the Spanish version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ).

Son yıllarda hastalığa özgül yaklaşımların yerine tanı kategorilerinden bağımsız olarak, psikopatolojik belirti ve bulguların altında yatan ortak süreçlerin tespit edilmesi ve tedavide bu süreçlerin hedef alınmasını savunan transdiyagnostik (tanı ötesi, öte tanısal) yaklaşımın (TY) öne çıkan yönleri arasında eş hastalanma durumlarında hangi bozukluğun öncelikli olarak tedavi edileceği ikilemini çözmesi, eşik altı belirtileri olduğu için herhangi bir tanı tam olarak karşılamayan kişilere tedavi önerilebilmesi açısından önemlidirTransdiyagnostik süreçlerin neler olduğuna ve transdiyagnostik yaklaşımın etkinliğine dair çok sayıda araştırma alan yazında mevcut olmasına rağmen bu süreçleri toplu şekilde değerlendirmek üzere kullanılabilecek değerlendirme araçları Bilişsel ve Davranışçı Süreçler Ölçeği (BDSÖ) ile sınırlıdır Bu ölçeğin kullanıma girmesinden önce araştırmacılar farklı yöntemlerle ortak süreçleri saptamaya çalışmışlardır. BDSÖ Patel ve ark. tarafından bilişsel davranışçı kuramı temel alarak kişilerin karşılaştıkları sorun alanlarıyla uyumlu olacak şekilde, daha önce alan yazında tanımlanmış olan çekirdek süreçleri sorgulamaya imkân veren, öz bildirime dayalı bir ölçek olarak geliştirilmiştir.Bu araştırmada BDSÖ’nün Türkçe versiyonunun geçerlilik ve güvenilirliğinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır.

The Personal Style of the Therapist Questionnaire (PST-Q) is an instrument with more than 20 years of theoretical and empirical developments at the international scenario, especially in Latin America. The main goal of the study was to provide preliminary evidence on its psychometric properties and factorial structure in a sample of Spanish licensed clinical psychologists (N = 350). 7 confirmatory factor analysis were performed to found a 20-item and 5-factor solution that had the best fit indices and internal consistency values. The original abbreviated model of the PST-Q was partially confirmed, since item 28 had to be eliminated because it had a factor weight less than .30. The alpha values were slightly lower than the original, but equivalent to those of the Portuguese validation. The implications of the findings for training and research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology are discussed.

Background: We designed the online Spiritual Competency Training in Mental Health (SCT-MH) program to train providers across mental health fields in basic religious and spiritual (RS) competencies. The goal was to help address the professional training gap in RS aspects of multicultural diversity and integration. We hypothesized that providers completing the program would demonstrate an increase in attitudes, knowledge, and skills relevant to RS issues in mental health care. Methods: The SCT-MH program, offered online through the edX platform, consists of 8 hours of multi-media content. 169 participants across a broad range of mental health disciplines completed a pre- and post-training survey, which evaluated their spiritual competency using measures assessing their attitudes, knowledge, and skills in the intersection of RS and mental health. We also collected qualitative data to evaluate participants’ levels of satisfaction with the content and format of the program. Results: Participants showed significantly increased spiritual competency in all measures of attitudes, knowledge, and skills following their participation in the course. Participants reported high satisfaction with both the content and the online format of the training program, and a decrease in perceived barriers to integrating RS in practice.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that a brief, novel online training program can help address the current gap between the clinical need and professional requirements for spiritual competency and the general lack of graduate training in this area of multiculturalism. Suggestions for how this program and others like it can be integrated into graduate education and impact clinical care are discussed.

Religion and spirituality are areas of diversity and multiculturalism that have yet to be comprehensively addressed in most mental health training programs. Without this type of training, many practitioners lack the competence and confidence to engage in spiritually competent care–clinical practice that recognizes the importance of religion and spirituality in people’s identity, worldview, meaning-making and, therefore, their psychological well-being. Emerging research on treatment outcomes and client preferences, as well as professional ethical mandates, support the need for training in spiritual competencies for mental health care. To address the gap between current professional training and the needs and realities of clinical practice, we have developed an online training program to assist practitioners in building their competency and comfort levels in integrating religion and spirituality into treatment. Spiritual Competency Training in Mental Health (SCT-MH) is a seven hour asynchronous, online program consisting of eight modules. The modules are designed to develop basic competency in 16 empirically-derived spiritual competencies in mental health. The content was derived from numerous instructional materials and peer-reviewed publications, with input from leading experts in the field of spirituality and mental health. It is a multidisciplinary program, allowing mental health providers from any discipline and orientation to participate. The material is applicable for working with clients with a wide range of mental health issues from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. In this manuscript, we will discuss how the program was developed, what it entails, who it was developed for, and future efforts to test it empirically.

The paper presents a detailed idiographic analysis of Chinese clinical psychology students’ lived experiences and understandings of their psychological health, distress and wellbeing. This is a qualitative, experience-near interview study using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were carried out with an interpreter with eleven students who had begun their clinical placements in Bejing, China. There were ten females and one male. The interviews were audio-recorded and the transcripts subjected to IPA. Conflict of tradition and modernity was a major theme in the participants’ accounts of their psychological wellbeing. This comprised four subthemes: 1. Strict pragmatism in the family; 2. Emotion moderation; 3. Coordinating individual and relational selves; and 4. Conflict of gender inequality. Participants’ attempts to reconcile cultural tradition with postmodern, urbanised perspectives was a source of psychological malaise. We discuss the findings in terms of indigenous psychology and cultural modifications of psychotherapy for Chinese clients. The study suggests a role for phenomenological approaches especially attuned to the encounter with otherness.

El duelo complicado apenas está siendo reconocido en el campo de salud mental como un trastorno con un perfil y una etiología muy propios, que por lo tanto requiere de estrategias e intervenciones psicoterapéuticas especialmente adaptadas a sus factores particulares. La experiencia clínica en la psicoterapia ericksoniana, así como en la terapia sistémica de Bert Hellinger (Constelaciones Familiares), advierte la posibilidad de desarrollar, a partir de una integración de estos dos enfoques, un tratamiento eficiente que pueda ser impartido en forma grupal y en una sola sesión. Las ventajas de tal modelo de intervención son evidentes, ya que permitirá reducir de manera muy significativa tanto el tiempo como el costo del tratamiento por paciente, así ampliando su accesibilidad y disponibilidad para el público que lo necesite. Por lo tanto, la presente investigación se abocó a (1) desarrollar un modelo de tratamiento para duelo complicado, basado en una integración de la psicoterapia ericksoniana y de la terapia sistémica de Bert Hellinger (Constelaciones Familiares), para ser aplicado en forma grupal y en una sola sesión, y (2) aplicar dicho tratamiento en pacientes diagnosticados con duelo complicado y evaluar su eficacia para disminuir los síntomas del trastorno. Se espera que al alcanzar dichos objetivos, este trabajo sirva para mejorar las opciones de tratamiento disponibles para las personas que sufren del duelo complicado. ENGLISH: Complicated grief is only now gaining recognition in the mental health field as a disorder with its own distinct profile and etiology, and one that requires psychotherapeutic strategies and interventions specially adapted to its peculiar features. Clinical experience in both Ericksonian psychotherapy and Bert Hellinger's systemic therapy (Family Constellations), suggests that through an integration of these two methods, it is possible to develop an efficient treatment to be administered in a group format and in a single session. The advantages of such a treatment model are evident, as it provides a significant reduction in both the time and the per-patient treatment cost, thus making treatment more available and accessible for the public that needs it. For this reason, the present research has aimed at (1) developing a treatment model for complicated grief, based on an integration of Ericksonian psychotherapy and Bert Hellinger's systemic therapy (Family Constellations) and suitable for being administered in a group format and in a single session; (2) applying said treatment in patients diagnosed with complicated grief and evaluating its effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of the disorder. It is hoped that through meeting the above goals, this research will serve to improve the treatment options available to individuals suffering from complicated grief.

Although exposure and response prevention (ERP) is currently the most effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there are substantial refusal and dropout rates. Therefore, there is a need to find ways to make treatments for OCD more acceptable and increase efficacy. This report presents four patients with OCD who received a novel treatment, Habit Reversal Training (HRT). HRT is the treatment of choice for OCD-related disorders such as Trichotillomania, but has not been formally tested for OCD. Based on recent studies showing that excessive habit formation plays an important role in OCD, we examined whether HRT would be an effective and acceptable treatment for OCD. Single case methodology was used to investigate its feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy for OCD treatment. After 9 sessions of HRT over 11 weeks, all four participants showed 32-48% reductions in OCD severity, and three showed a clinically significant treatment response. These gains were largely maintained at 3 months follow-up. All participants rated HRT as a highly acceptable treatment. This suggests that HRT could prove to be an effective, efficient, and acceptable new OCD treatment, with a novel mechanism of action – targeting the habit system.

Counseling practice and research seek to understand varied influences on clinical outcomes. Research has shown that feedback has an effect on clinician-rated measures and outcome. The present study assessed the relationship between feedback and outcome in individual psychotherapy, employing a repeated measures analysis of longitudinal archival data of 138 individuals receiving counseling services. A multiple regression model determined the relationship between client ratings of sessions and client ratings of overall outcomes. Although the sample was heterogeneous in nature and limited to one region, the results indicated a statistically significant relationship between feedback and outcome. These findings suggest that utilizing feedback from clients in individual counseling, in general, and consistently using the session rating scale and the outcome rating scale, in particular, can improve overall therapeutic outcome.

Empirically supported treatments (or therapies; ESTs) are the gold standard in therapeutic interventions for psychopathology. Based on a set of methodological and statistical criteria, the APA has assigned particular treatment-diagnosis combinations EST status and has further rated their empirical support as Strong, Modest, and/or Controversial. Emerging concerns about the replicability of research findings in clinical psychology highlight the need to critically examine the evidential value of EST research. We therefore conducted a metascientific review of the EST literature, using clinical trials reported in an existing online APA database of ESTs, and a set of novel evidential value metrics (i.e., rates of misreported statistics, statistical power, R-Index, and Bayes Factors). Our analyses indicated that power and replicability estimates were concerningly low across almost all ESTs, and individually, some ESTs scored poorly across multiple metrics, with Strong ESTs failing to continuously outperform their Modest counterparts. Lastly, we found evidence of improvements over time in statistical power within the EST literature, but not for the strength of evidence of EST efficacy. We describe the implications of our findings for practicing psychotherapists and offer recommendations for improving the evidential value of EST research moving forward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychosocial treatments for mood and anxiety disorders are generally effective, however, a number of treated individuals fail to demonstrate clinically-significant change. Consistent with the decades-old aim to identify ‘what works for whom,’ personalized and precision treatments have become a recent area of interest in medicine and psychology. The present study followed the recommendations of Fisher (2015) to employ a personalized modular model of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Employing the algorithms provided by Fernandez, Fisher, and Chi (2017), the present study collected intensive repeated measures data prior to therapy in order to perform person-specific factor analysis and dynamic factor modeling. The results of these analyses were then used to generated personalized modular treatment plans on a person-by-person basis. Thirty-two participants completed therapy. The average number of sessions was 10.38. Hedges g's for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) were 2.33 and 1.62, respectively. The change per unit time was g = .24/session for the HRSD and g = 0.17/session for the HARS. The current open trial provides promising data in support of personalization, modularization, and idiographic research paradigms.

In this chapter we describe the psychodynamic approach to antagonism as complementary to a trait perspective. We specifically articulate a psychodynamic model of personality involving self in relation to other with a linking affect, within which antagonism can be understood as variation in self and other. Having articulated the implications of this point of view for a robust and clinically useful model of personality functioning that integrates trait and psychodynamic perspectives, we review the three major stages and prominent techniques of psychodynamic psychotherapy for antagonistic personality.

This paper attempts to reveal through case analysis that psychological activities are a set of programs and that the cause of mental illness is error in operation of the programs or the establishment of erroneous programs. By modifying or learning to use these psychological programs correctly, mental illness can be treated precisely and thoroughly. The complete psychotherapy process is represented by the following: psychoanalysis + modification of psychological programs.In order to perform certain tasks, life bodies need to initiate a series of psychological or physiological activities, which is the process of psychological or physiological activities called "psychological program". Psychological program is an abstract concept, and it is not a material entity. The search for psychological activity programs mainly depends on psychological analysis and scientific hypnosis.

Rumination, the perseverative thinking about one’s problems and emotions, is a maladaptive response to sadness and a risk factor for the development and course of depression. A critical challenge hampering attempts to promote more adaptive responses to sadness is that the between-person characteristics associated with the tendency to ruminate following depressed mood remain uncharacterized. We examine the importance of between-person differences in blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) functional networks underlying cognitive control for the moment-to-moment association between sadness and rumination in daily life. We pair functional magnetic resonance imaging with ambulatory assessments measuring momentary sadness and rumination deployed 10 times per day over 4 consecutive days from 58 participants (40 female, mean age = 36.69 years; 29 remitted from a lifetime episode of Major Depression). Using a multilevel model, we show that rumination increases following increases in sadness for participants with higher than average between-network connectivity of the default mode network and the fronto-parietal network. We also show that rumination increases following increases in sadness for participants with lower than average between-network connectivity of the fronto- parietal network and the salience network. In addition, we find that the flexibility of the salience network’s pattern of connections with brain regions across time is protective against increases in rumination following sadness. Our findings highlight the importance of the neural correlates of cognitive control for understanding maladaptive responses to sadness and also support the value of large-scale functional connectivity networks for understanding cognitive-affective behaviors as they naturally occur during the course of daily life.

The purpose of this research is to compare the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation training, guided imagery and the combination of these two methods on sleep quality and headache coping strategies for women with migraine in Arak city. The statistical population of this study is all women with migraine headaches in Arak city, and a statistical sample of 90 people was selected by simple random sampling from the referrals to 4 private clinics of neurology and psychiatry. Therefore, 30 subjects were placed in experimental group 1 (relaxation), 30 in experimental group 2 (guided imagery) and 30 in experimental group 3 (combination of these two methods), where the subjects were matched in terms of gender, age and education level. The research method was of extended designs of the experimental designs, and a questionnaire was used in addition to using the library method for collecting data. The scales used in this study were 3 scales of sleep quality, pain (migraine) coping strategies and demographics. Inferential statistics (covariance) were used for data analysis; the results showed that progressive muscle relaxation training, guided imagery, and the combination of these two methods had a positive effect on migraine headache coping strategies and sleep quality in women with migraine. There was also a difference in the effectiveness of the two methods of progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and the combination of these two methods on the strategies for coping with migraine headaches and sleep quality of these women, and the combined method was more effective than the other two methods separately.The studies of this research concluded that the guided imagery technique focuses on cognitive and emotional components and can be used to improve migraine headaches due to the ability of imagination force of people to initiate, exacerbate or sustain attacks of effective headache, as well as the progressive muscle relaxation increases the parasympathetic cycle activity, which consequently leads to nerve stress neutralizing and ineffectiveness, and this adaptive skill prevents raising its symptoms through breaking the chain of undesirable effects of stress, thereby it can improve the quality of life in migraine patients.Given that migraine is an important health problem, and considering that migraine studies are very limited and little applied research has been conducted in this field, therefore performing a comprehensive study is necessary for developing appropriate strategies.

Outcomes for people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs) are generally poor making it important to understand risk states and illness transition. The network approach, which conceptualizes psychopathology as a network of causally interacting symptoms, may hold promise in this regard. Here, we present a network analysis of schizotypy—the personality organization involving schizophrenia-like phenomena that is thought to index one’s vulnerability for an SSD—using an international, population-based sample. In line with other research, we find that the schizotypy network is densely connected, characterized by three communities of items with interpersonal and disorganized features exhibiting the greatest centrality and predictability. Further, we find network differences between certain groups differing in levels of SSD risk. Together, these findings demonstrate the utility of using network approaches to understand SSD risk states as well as the replicability of network findings on schizotypy and related SSD risk concepts.

Background and aims Despite controversies regarding its existence as a legitimate mental health condition, self-reports of pornography addiction seem to occur regularly. In the United States, prior works using various sampling techniques, such as undergraduate samples and online convenience samples, have consistently demonstrated that some pornography users report feeling dysregulated or out of control in their use. Even so, there has been very little work in US nationally representative samples to examine self-reported pornography addiction. Methods This study sought to examine self-reported pornography addiction in a US nationally representative sample of adult Internet users (N = 2,075). Results The results indicated that most participants had viewed pornography within their lifetimes (n = 1,461), with just over half reporting some use in the past year (n = 1,056). Moreover, roughly 11% of men and 3% of women reported some agreement with the statement “I am addicted to pornography.” Across all participants, such feelings were most strongly associated with male gender, younger age, greater religiousness, greater moral incongruence regarding pornography use, and greater use of pornography. Discussion and conclusion Collectively, these findings are consistent with prior works that have noted that self-reported pornography addiction is a complex phenomenon that is predicted by both objective behavior and subjective moral evaluations of that behavior.

Alcohol-related content is common on social media and may both reflect and influence offline drinking behavior. Posting alcohol-related content has been linked to alcohol outcomes, including higher rates of alcohol consumption, cravings, alcohol-related problems, and clinical alcohol use disorders. Exposure to alcohol-related content on social media has likewise been associated with adverse alcohol outcomes. In this paper, we review research on the relationship between social media and alcohol use, and explore the ways that online identity and social influence can account for this relationship. Finally, we call for further research on the use of social media as a platform for prevention and intervention efforts.

Analysis of observable behavior in depression primarily relies on subjective measures. New computational approaches make possible automated audiovisual measurement of behaviors that humans struggle to quantify (e.g., movement velocity and voice inflection). These tools have the potential to improve screening and diagnosis, identify new behavioral indicators of depression, measure response to clinical intervention, and test clinical theories about underlying mechanisms. Highlights include a study that measured the temporal coordination of vocal tract and facial movements, a study that predicted which adolescents would go on to develop depression based on their voice qualities, and a study that tested the behavioral predictions of clinical theories using automated measures of facial actions and head motion.

The present study examined the dimensional structure underlying the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) and its brief version (MSS-B). The MSS and MSS-B were developed to assess current multidimensional conceptualizations of schizotypy. We used Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) to evaluate the dimensional structure of the scales in two large, independent samples (n = 6,265 and n = 1,000). We then used Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to compare the fit of the theoretical dimensions with the EGA dimensions. For the MSS, EGA identified four dimensions: positive schizotypy, two dimensions of negative schizotypy (affective and social anhedonia), and disorganized schizotypy. For the MSS-B, EGA identified three dimensions, which corresponded to the theorized positive, negative, and disorganized dimensions. Based on the MSS’s EGA dimensions, we also estimated a four-factor model for the MSS-B. The CFA comparison found that the four-factor model fit significantly better than the theoretical three-factor model for both the MSS and MSS-B. In short, we propose that the four-factor model supports the theoretical model and offers a more nuanced interpretation of the negative schizotypy dimension. Our findings offer new implications for future research on the MSS and MSS-B dimensions that may provide differential associations with interview and questionnaire measures.

Depressed adults often show a bias towards negative self-referent processing at the expense of positive self-referent processing. The current study assessed whether a mental imagery intervention (Positive Self Reference Training -- PSRT) delivered via the Internet could improve self-referent processing and depressive symptomatology among adults with moderate or greater depression symptoms. Participants were recruited via online methods and randomly assigned to one of two computerized interventions: active PSRT (n = 44) or control training (NTC; n = 43). The PSRT involved visualizing the self in response to different positive cues (e.g., an achievement) every other day for two weeks. The NTC provided neutral cues about objects. Self-referential processing of positive and negative adjectives and depression symptoms were measured at baseline, one week, and two weeks after initiating training. Over those two weeks, PSRT participants showed a greater increase in positive self-referent processing than did NTC participants. Negative self-referent processing and symptoms of depression declined comparably in both groups. Similarly, for both groups, increase in positive and decrease in negative self-referent processing was associated with a greater reduction in depression. These results indicate that mental imagery has the potential to improve self-referential processing, especially for positive stimuli, which may, in turn, help reduce depressive symptomatology.

The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) includes a single dimension of personality dysfunction severity (Criterion A), and five dimensions of personality dysfunction styles (Criterion B). Some consider Criterion A and B distinctions redundant, and this appears mostly true in cross-sectional designs. The present research demonstrated that incremental validity can be found when examining personality dysfunction longitudinally. Participants (n=175) completed a 14-day electronic diary, capturing daily levels of Criterion A and B, along with daily outcomes of personality dysfunction across several domains. Criterion A and B incremented each other across these domains. Moreover, Criterion B trait scores were associated with expected domains of functioning, evidencing convergent and discriminant validity. We discuss the implications for the AMPD model, and the usefulness of longitudinal methods to uncover temporal-dynamics in personality dysfunction.

Examines impacts of familiarity, conflict, and sex on continuously assessed behavior in dyadic interactions using the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics across several samples. Establishes norms and basic psychometrics for CAID while also informing factors that influence interpersonal behavior.

Important advances in understanding traumatic stress reactions in children and young people have been made in recent years. The aim of this review was to synthesise selected recent research findings, with a focus on their relevance to clinical practice. We therefore address: findings on the epidemiology of trauma exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); recent changes to diagnostic classification; implications for screening and assessment of traumatic stress reactions; and treatment outcome studies including interventions for acute and chronic PTSD, dissemination of effective treatments into community settings, and early interventions. We conclude with recommendations for clinical practice and suggestions for future areas of research.

Psychological interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aim at shaping behaviour by use of classical or instrumental conditioning or try to address co-morbid mental health conditions by use of cognitive behaviour therapy or other approaches. Few psychological interventions directly address deficits in ASD such as social communication issues or repetitive behaviours. The objective here is to provide a framework for psychological interventions that directly address core deficits within the spectrum and also help with mental health and behavioural issues closely associated with it. From a research perspective, the framework allows the identification of gaps where additional psychological techniques are required and facilitates strategies for empirical research. For the clinical practitioner, a structure for psychological interventions is provided in order to facilitate the search for treatment options.

Recent meta-analyses come to conflicting conclusions about the efficacy of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy (LTPP). Our first goal was to reproduce the most recent meta-analysis by Leichsenring, Abbass, Luyten, Hilsenroth, and Rabung (2013) who found evidence for the efficacy of LTPP in the treatment of complex mental disorders. Our replicated effect sizes were in general smaller. Second, we conducted an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing LTPP (lasting for at least one year and 40 sessions) to less intensive forms of psychotherapy in the treatment of complex mental disorders. We focused on a transparent research process according to open science standards and applied a series of cutting-edge meta-analytic procedures to test and control for publication bias. Our updated meta-analysis comprising 191 effect sizes from 14 eligible studies revealed small, statistically significant effect sizes at post-treatment for the outcome domains psychiatric symptoms, target problems, social functioning and overall effectiveness (Hedges’ g ranging between 0.24 and 0.35). The effect size for the domain personality functioning (0.24) was marginally significant. No signs for publication bias could be detected. In light of a heterogeneous study set and some methodological shortcomings in the primary studies, these results should be interpreted cautiously. In conclusion, we found some, yet weak evidence that LTPP was superior to less intensive forms of psychotherapy in the treatment of complex mental disorders. Notably, two primary studies applying the most advanced psychoanalytic psychotherapy and research methods revealed a medium overall effect (0.5 and 0.6) encouraging to conduct further research.

Although personality traits have been linked to internalizing and externalizing psychopathology,the extent to which these traits and psychopathological phenotypes share a commonneuroanatomical structure is unclear. To address this gap, we used structural neuroimaging andself-report data from 1104 participants in the Human Connectome Project to characterize theneuroanatomical correlates of Five Factor Model (FFM) traits. We generated neuroanatomicalprofiles (NAPs) of FFM traits and psychopathology indices based on the thickness and surfacearea of each cortical region in the Desikan atlas. We used a profile matching approach tocompare the absolute similarity of the FFM trait NAPs and psychopathology index NAPs.Evaluating the individual regions in the NAPs suggest that FFM traits show small associationswith thickness and surface area in brain regions throughout the cortex, with prefrontal regionsbeing the most strongly related to multiple personality traits. Profile matching analyses indicatedthat the NAPs derived from Neuroticism and Extraversion demonstrated large absolutesimilarities to the NAPs of internalizing psychopathology. Similarly, the NAPs of Agreeablenessand Conscientiousness showed medium to large relations with the NAPs of externalizingpsychopathology. These results suggest that similar neuroanatomical correlates underlie specificpersonality traits and symptoms of psychopathology, providing support for dimensional modelsthat incorporate personality traits into the etiology and manifestation of psychopathology.

We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the ten commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming in particular versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization.

Objectives: Lithium and quetiapine are known to be effective treatments for bipolar disorder. However, little information is available to inform prediction of response to these medications. Machine-learning methods can identify predictors of response by examining variables simultaneously. Further evaluation of models on a test sample can estimate how well these models would generalize to other samples. Methods: Data (N=482) were drawn from a randomized clinical trial of outpatients with bipolar-I or II disorder who received adjunctive personalized treatment plus either lithium or quetiapine. Elastic Net Regularization (ENR) was used to generate models for lithium and quetiapine; these models were evaluated on a test set. Results: Predictions from the lithium model explained 17.4% of the variance in actual observed scores of patients who received lithium in the test set, while predictions from the quetiapine model explained 32.1% of the variance of patients that received quetiapine. Of the baseline variables selected, those with the largest parameter estimates were: severity of mania; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbidity; non-suicidal self-injurious behavior; employment; and comorbidity with each of two anxiety disorders (social phobia/society anxiety and agoraphobia). Predictive accuracy of the ENR model outperformed the simple and basic theoretical models.Conclusion: ENR is an effective approach for building optimal and generalizable models. Variables identified through this methodology can inform future research on predictors of response to lithium and quetiapine, as well as future modeling efforts of treatment choice in BD.

This study investigated the psychosocial factors influencing substance abuse among undergraduates. The study was conducted in Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. 150 participants who are undergraduates of the university were used in this research. They consist of 82 males and 68 females selected from all faculties in the institution. 3 questionnaires were administered to respondent to measure the factors influencing substance abuse and the level at which they are abused. Independent T-test, multiple regression and Pearson Correlation method were used to analyze the data collected. Five hypotheses were tested: hypothesis 1, 2, 3 and 4 were significant while hypothesis 5 was insignificant. It was observed that there was significant influence of religiosity on substance abuse among undergraduates, the result also revealed that there was a significant influence of self-esteem on substance abuse among undergraduates, it also revealed that religiosity and self-esteem jointly predicted substance abuse among undergraduates, likewise the result also show that there was significant influence of sex on substance abuse among undergraduates and finally the result revealed there was no significant relationship between religiosity and self-esteem among undergraduates. The results were discussed in line with relevant empirical literatures, while conclusion and recommendations subsequently followed.

Playing online video games has become widely prevalent over the last decade (e.g. Mentzoni et al., 2011; Rehbein et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2014). Consequently, concerns have been voiced in regard to addictive online gaming behavior (Mentzoni et al., 2011). At present, research in this area relies on relatively small sample sizes from 174 (Lo et al, 2005) participants to 3405 participants (Wenzel et al, 2009) and are mostly focused on narrow cultural backgrounds or only young adults. The present data is the largest openly available dataset comprising of over 13000 participants from all over the world.

Maltreatment in early childhood is difficult to measure. Self-report surveys of parents and guardians are the most common method used, but in many settings social desirabil- ity may lead to underestimates of prevalence. There is also reason to be concerned about response bias in the context of intervention trials. To diversify the tools available to in- tervention researchers, we created and tested a discrete choice experiment to elicit parent preferences for harsh discipline. This study was conducted in Liberia as part of a random- ized controlled trial of a positive parenting program. Baseline data were collected from 609 parents and guardians living in Monrovia and caring for a child age 3 or 4. Participants completed a discrete choice experiment that consisted of 12 parenting vignettes, in addition to a survey of parenting attitudes and behaviors. The vignettes were presented to parents as digital comic strips. Each scene could vary on four attributes: child gender; child offense; setting; number of adults present. For each scene, participants selected 1 of 5 discipline strategies that they would in that situation. The visual discrete choice task was easy to implement, well understood by participants, and has evidence of construct validity as a measure of parent preferences for harsh discipline. Tools like this expand the options for researchers studying the maltreatment of pre-school age children, particularly in the con- text of program evaluations where post-intervention observations may be at increased risk of response bias. It may also be useful in a clinical context.

Trauma is an important predictor of alcoholism risk, as well as age of onset; those experiencing more types of trauma tend to be at increased risk. In addition, paternal and maternal history of alcoholism is highly related to alcoholism risk, and paternal history remains significant after controlling for trauma. Limitations of these findings include univariate testing, and follow-ups with more sophisticated age-to-onset models, such as random survival forests and boosted survival models, should be done to understand the interactions of trauma and other genetic and social risk factors to better understand the etiology of alcoholism.

The current understanding of emotional intelligence (EI) is flawed and incomplete. In the present chapter we briefly highlight some of the major controversies surrounding EI, including the lack of agreement on how to define it and measurement inconsistencies. We propose that the key gap in current EI scholarship concerns the lack of awareness of cultural impacts on affective processes that underlie various components of EI abilities. Drawing from prior theoretical models, we overview three components that have been described as encompassing the construct of ability EI: emotion perception, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation. For each of these components, we review the relevant cultural literature and discuss how cultural differences can play a substantial role in our understanding of EI as an overall construct. We conclude by discussing how culture should be incorporated into the application and assessment of EI abilities. Ultimately, we propose that one cannot truly understand and talk about EI without considering the context of culture.

Interpersonal stress arising from relational aggression (RA)—the intentional effort to harm others via rejection and exclusion—may increase risk for depression in youth. Biological vulnerabilities related to the hormone oxytocin, which affects social behavior and stress responses, may exacerbate this risk. In a community sample of 307 youth (52% female; age range = 10-14 years), we tested whether (1) the association between RA and subsequent depressive symptoms was mediated through social problems, and (2) a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs53576) in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) moderated this indirect association between RA and depression, where GG homozygotes are hypothesized to be more sensitive to the effects of social problems than A-allele carriers. Youth-reported RA and depressive symptoms were measured using a structured interview and a questionnaire, respectively. DNA was extracted from saliva collected with Oragene kits. Consistent with the interpersonal theory of depression, the association between relational aggression and subsequent depressive symptoms was mediated by social problems. This indirect effect was further moderated by rs53576 genotype, such that GG homozygotes showed a stronger mediation effect than A-carriers. These results suggest that rs53576 variants confer vulnerability for depression within the context of interpersonal risk factors, such that youth with the GG genotype may be particularly sensitive to the social consequences resulting from RA.

Cognitive bias modification (CBM) is a potential low-intensity intervention for mood disorders, but previous studies have shown mixed success. The current study explored whether CBM designed to shift emotional perception of faces would transfer to: a) a battery of cognitive tasks, and b) self-reported symptoms. In a preregistered, double-blind randomised controlled trial, healthy participants received eight online sessions of CBM (N=52) or eight sham sessions (N=52). While we replicate that CBM successfully shifts ambiguous facial expression interpretation in the intervention group, this failed to transfer to the majority of cognitive or self-report measures. There was, however, weak, inconclusive evidence of transfer to a self-report measure of stress, a cognitive measure of anhedonia, and a ceiling effect (whereby transference was greatest in those with higher symptoms). We discuss the need for work in both larger and clinical samples, whilst urging caution that these CBM training effects may not transfer to clinically relevant domains.

Forbes, Wright, Markon, and Krueger (2017) state that “psychopathology networks have limited replicability” and that “popular network analysis methods produce unreliable results”. These conclusions are based on an assessment of the replicability of four different network models for symptoms of major depression and generalized anxiety across two samples; in addition, Forbes et al. (2017) analyze the stability of the network models within the samples using split-halves. Our re-analysis of the same data with the same methods led to results directly opposed to those of Forbes et al. (2017): All network models replicate very well across the two datasets and across the split-halves. We trace the differences between Forbes et al.’s (2017) results and our own to the fact that they did not appear to accurately implement all network models, and used debatable metrics to assess replicability. In particular, Forbes et al. (2017) deviate from existing estimation routines for relative importance networks, do not acknowledge the fact that the skip-structure used in the interviews strongly distorted correlations between symptoms, and incorrectly assume that network structures and metrics should not only be expected to be the same across the different samples, but also across the different network models used. In addition to a comprehensive re-analysis of the data, we end with a discussion of best practices concerning future research into the replicability of psychometric networks.

Objective: Experiencing depression symptoms, even at mild to moderate levels, is associated with maladaptive outcomes for adolescents. We used network analysis to evaluate which symptoms (and associations between symptoms) are most central to adolescent depression.Method: Participants were part of a large, diverse community sample (N = 1,409) of adolescents between the ages of 13-19 years old. Network analysis was used to identify the most central symptoms (nodes) and associations between symptoms (edges) assessed by the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). We also evaluated these centrality indicators for network robustness using stability and accuracy tests, associated symptom centrality with mean levels of symptoms, and examined potential differences between the structure and connectivity of depression networks in boys and girls. Results: The most central symptoms in the network were self-hatred, loneliness, sadness, and pessimism. The strongest associations between symptoms were sadness-crying, anhedonia-school dislike, sadness-loneliness, school work difficulty-school performance decrement, self-hatred-negative body image, sleep disturbance-fatigue, and self-deprecation-self-blame. The network was robust to stability and accuracy tests. Notably, symptom centrality and mean levels of symptoms were not associated. Boys and girls’ networks did not differ in levels of connectivity, though the link between body image and self-hatred was stronger in girls than boys. Conclusions: Self-hatred, loneliness, sadness, and pessimism were the most central symptoms in adolescent depression networks, suggesting these symptoms (and associations between symptoms) should be prioritized in theoretical models of adolescent depression and could also serve as important treatment targets for adolescent depression interventions.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals report higher levels of alcohol and substance misuse than their heterosexual peers, and previous research has linked these increased rates to LGB-specific stressors, termed minority stress. However, not everyone experiencing minority stress reports increased rates of alcohol and substance misuse. Emotion regulation (ER), which plays a critical role in psychopathology generally, is postulated to modulate the link between minority stress and psychopathology. However, it remains largely unknown whether ER plays a role in linking instances of minority stress with substance and alcohol use outcomes. To address the gap, the current study assessed 305 LGB individuals’ instances of minority stress, ER, and substance and alcohol use outcomes. We assessed the role of ER in alcohol and substance misuse among LGB individuals using moderated logistic regression and exploratory machine learning analyses. Moderated binary logistic regressions revealed that emotional non-acceptance moderated the relationship between minority stress and problematic substance use, such that those with poor ER were more likely to have problematic substance use. Additionally, deficits in goal-directed behavior moderated the relationship between minority stress and alcohol and substance use, but those with more deficits in goal-directed behavior had better outcomes. Exploratory machine learning analysis revealed multivariate patterns of additional facets of ER and psychiatric symptoms that are predictive of alcohol and substance use. These results highlight the important explanatory role that ER may have between instances of minority stress and substance and alcohol use in LGB individuals.

We report normative data from a large (N=307) sample of young adult participants tested with a computerized version of the long form of the classical Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT; Benton & Van Allen, 1968). The BFRT-c requires to match a target face photograph to one or three of 6 face photographs simultaneously presented. Percent accuracy at the BFRT-c (81%-83%) is below ceiling yet well above chance level, with little interindividual variance in this typical population sample, as expected from a sensitive clinical test. While split-half reliability on accuracy rates is relatively low due to the large variability in difficulty across items, correct response times (RTs) measured in this version – completed in 3 minutes on average - provide a reliable and critical complementary measure of performance at individual unfamiliar face matching. In line with previous observations from other measures, females outperform male participants at the BFRT-c, especially for female faces. In general, performance is also lower following lighting changes than head rotations, in line with previous studies emphasizing limited ability at matching pictures of unfamiliar faces with important variations in lighting direction. Overall, this normative data set supports the validity of the BFRT-c as a key component of a battery of tests identifying clinical impairments at individual face recognition such as observed in acquired prosopagnosia. However, beyond global indexes of performance based on accuracy rates only, this analysis strongly recommends full consideration of the time taken to match individual faces as well as the variability in performance across items.

Prepublication manuscript.In the present investigation we consider and explain an apparent paradox in the measurement of corporal punishment with the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-PC): How can it have poor internal consistency and still be reliable? The CTS-PC was administered to a community sample of 453 opposite sex couples who were parents of 3- to 7-year-old children. Internal consistency was marginal, yet item response theory analyses revealed that reliability rose sharply with increasing corporal punishment, exceeding .80 in the upper ranges of the construct. The results suggest that the CTS-PC Corporal Punishment subscale reliably discriminates among parents who report average to high corporal punishment (64% of mothers and 56% of fathers in the present sample), despite low overall internal consistency. These results have straightforward implications for the use and reporting of the scale.

There is evidence that attention bias modification trainings (ABMT) based on the dot-probe task are a promising therapeutic approach for several anxiety disorders. However, little is known about the malleability of attention bias in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its impact on OCD symptoms. The present study tested this hypothesis using an online ABMT designed to train attention away from OCD-related stimuli. We hypothesized that ABMT would reduce attention bias and OCD symptoms. Participants were randomized to receive the active ABMT (n = 58) or a placebo control training (PCT; n = 50) and completed a minimum of 8 training sessions over a period of 4 weeks. As predicted, participants receiving ABMT showed a significant reduction in attention bias. This effect was not present in the placebo condition. ABMT did however not significantly outperform the PCT with regard to symptom reduction. In both conditions self-reported OCD symptoms decreased and the reduction of symptoms remained stable at 1-month follow-up. The present findings suggest that online ABMT can effectively reduce attention bias in OCD, but question its effectiveness in reducing OCD symptoms. More research on the mechanisms of attention training is inevitably needed before online ABMT can be recommended for clinical application.

Stress plays a key role in addiction etiology and relapse. Rodent models posit that following repeated periods of alcohol and other drug intoxication, compensatory allostatic changes occur in the central nervous system (CNS) circuits involved in behavioral and emotional response to stressors. We examine a predicted manifestation of this neuroadaptation in recently abstinent alcohol dependent humans. Participants completed a translational laboratory task that uses startle potentiation to unpredictable (vs. predictable) stressors implicated in the putative CNS mechanisms that mediate this neuroadaptation. Alcohol dependent participants displayed significantly greater startle potentiation to unpredictable than predictable stressors relative to nonalcoholic controls. The size of this effect covaried with alcohol-related problems and degree of withdrawal syndrome. This supports the rodent model thesis of a sensitized stress response in abstinent alcoholics. However, this effect could also represent pre-morbid risk or mark more severe and/or comorbid psychopathology. Regardless, pharmacotherapy and psychological interventions may target unpredictable stressor response to reduce stress-induced relapse.

Psychology is in the early stages of examining a crisis of replicability stemming from several high-profile failures to replicate studies in experimental psychology. This important conversation has largely been focused on social psychology, with some active participation from cognitive psychology. Nevertheless, several other major domains of psychological science – including clinical science – have remained insulated from this discussion. The goals of this article are to (a) examine why clinical psychology and allied fields, such as counseling and school psychology, have not been central participants in the replicability conversation, (b) review concerns and recommendations that are less (or more) applicable to or appropriate for research in clinical psychology and allied fields, and (c) generate take-home messages for scholars and consumers of the literature in clinical psychology and allied fields, as well as reviewers, editors, and colleagues from other areas of psychological science.