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Introduction: The process of a doctorate degree has been implicated in the onset and exacerbation of mental health problems among doctoral students. Previous studies have suggested that the student-supervisor relationship may predict emotional wellbeing and mental health outcomes in doctoral students in the UK. However, these studies were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and often used unstandardized measures to investigate supervisory styles. Methods: The present study was part of the Better Together project, a wellbeing initiative for doctoral students in the UK. It explored the predictive ability of aspects of the student-supervisor relationship with regards to doctoral students' mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 141 students doing a researchbased doctorate degree in the UK. The survey included demographic questions and questionnaires assessing supervisory styles, the discrepancy between actual and preferred supervisory relationship, depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: A large proportion of participants fell in the severe and extremely severe categories in the depression, anxiety, and stress sub-scales. Multiple regression analyses indicated that both supervisory styles and discrepancy significantly predicted students' mental health outcomes. More specifically, higher scores in the uncertain supervisory style, which is characterized by indecisiveness and ambiguity, were linked with higher scores in depression, anxiety, and stress. Discussion: The findings provided new insights concerning the aspects of the student-supervisor relationship that are related to the mental health issues of doctoral students in the UK. They have important implications for future research and supervision practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrusive mental images associated with autobiographical memories or depicting imagined scenes are common in psychological disorders. Although there is a growing body of literature on their contribution to psychopathology and their role in therapy, to date there have been limited attempts to categorise the different types of images that patients experience. In this article, we present a taxonomy which ranges from veridical to non-veridical intrusive images. We highlight the fact that many types of images consist of a blend of veridical and imagined details. After presenting some of the main explanations for the existence of blended and non-veridical images, we reflect on what the evidence on the content and origin of intrusive images tells us about the nature of human memory. We argue that it supports the idea of memory being constructive and briefly discuss what this means for clinical and non-clinical settings in which intrusive images have to be evaluated and used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imagery rescripting (ImRS) effectively targets intrusive images and symptoms in a number of disorders, but the mechanisms of change behind it are not yet clear. This study investigated the impact of ImRS on the characteristics of adverse self-defining memories and post-recall working selves in a non-clinical sample. In the first session, participants recalled an adverse memory and completed state self and affect measures. Then they attended an ImRS session and a follow-up session one week later. Participants rated their memory as less negative, less distressing and less important for their sense of self at follow-up compared to the first session. They also reported higher state self-esteem and positive affect, as well as reduced negative affect and anxiety after recalling the memory. Results suggest that, by modifying the meaning of adverse memories, ImRS may facilitate their integration with individuals’ sense of self and reduce the negative impact that they have on individuals’ online representation of the self when retrieved. An implication of these findings is that cognitive-behavioural therapy may need to conceptualise the self in broader terms, moving beyond core beliefs. To complement this, research could focus on changes in patients’ sense of self in order to understand the mechanisms through which interventions like ImRS work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents two studies that investigated the impact of the retrieval of self-defining memories on individuals' sense of self. Participants recalled positive and/or negative self-defining memories, rated memory characteristics and completed measures focusing on different self-aspects. Study 1 found that participants reported higher state self-esteem after recalling a positive memory than after recalling a negative one. They also reported lower negative self-consistency and higher state self-concept clarity and positive self-consistency, but this result became non-significant after controlling for state self-esteem. Study 2 found that participants reported higher state self-esteem, a marginally higher proportion of recreation/exploration, goals and a marginally lower proportion of achievement goals after recalling a positive memory than after recalling a negative one. They also reported a higher proportion of self-cognitions referring to emotional states after recalling memories from which they had not abstracted meaning than after recalling memories from which they had done this. These findings suggest that the retrieval of vivid, emotional and highly self-relevant memories may be accompanied by the activation of specific self-representations or working selves. They also suggest that the experience of memory-related intrusive images may temporarily influence individuals' sense of self. The implications of these findings for clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]