Search

Discrete forms of repetitive thought (RT), such as worry and reflection, can be characterized along basic dimensions of valence (positive vs. negative) and purpose (searching vs. solving). In addition, people can be characterized as high or low in their tendency to engage in RT. This dimensional model has been demanding to assess, and a smaller number of items that could stand in for a large battery would make measurement more accessible. Using four samples (N = 1,588), eight items that assess RT valence, purpose, and total in a circumplex model were identified. Across these and other samples, the dimensions were adequately reliable and valid with regard to assessment via large RT battery, other measures of RT, and depressive symptoms. The accessibility of dimensional assessment of RT using this smaller number of items should facilitate work on questions about the qualities of RT that predict mental and physical health.

A primary tenet of Pryor and Bright's Chaos Theory of Careers is that our world is full of change and unpredictability. When it comes to career development, rather than relying solely on good planning, one should accept and embrace unexpected changes and think creatively about possibilities. Although the Chaos Theory of Careers approach to counselling is logical and relevant to the real world, it may not be applied easily to clients with high levels of anxiety and low tolerance of uncertainty. The current paper explores the challenges of providing chaos career counselling to highly anxious clients. Borrowing concepts from a cognitive behavioural theory model for generalized anxiety disorder, this paper suggests several techniques from the cognitive behavioural theory literature that may facilitate chaos career counselling for anxious clients.

Background: Although numerous studies have reported on PTSD prevalence in high‐risk occupational samples, previous meta‐analytic work has been severely limited by the extreme variability in prevalence outcomes. Methods: The present systematic review and meta‐regression examined methodological sources of variability in PTSD outcomes across the literature on high‐risk personnel with a specific focus on measurement tool selection. Results: The pooled global prevalence of PTSD in high‐risk personnel was 12.1% [6.5%, 23.5%], and was similar to estimates obtained in other meta‐analytic work. However, meta‐regression revealed that PTSD prevalence differed significantly as a function of measurement tool selection, study inclusion criteria related to previous traumatic exposure, sample size, and study quality. PTSD prevalence estimates also differed significantly by occupational group and over time, as has also been reported in previous work, though exploratory examination of trends in measurement selection across these factors suggests that measurement strategy may partially explain some of these previously reported differences. Conclusions: Our results highlight a pressing need to better understand the role of measurement strategies and other methodological choices in characterizing variable prevalence outcomes. Understanding the role of methodological variance will be critical for work attempting to reliably characterize prevalence as well as risk and protective factors for PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.11.005 Byline: Marisol J. Voncken (a), Lynn E. Alden (b), Susan M. Bogels (a) Keywords: Social anxiety; Social phobia; Safety behaviors; Self-disclosure; Double standard Abstract: According to cognitive and interpersonal models, safety behaviors in social phobia (e.g., avoiding eye contact, hiding blushing) erroneously induce negative evaluation by interaction partners. Presumably, a bias about the social outcome of safety behaviors causes this negative interaction cycle. Such a bias might be subject to double standard in social phobia (i.e., having more stringent rules for oneself than for others). Female students (n=81) predicted more negative social outcomes for a prominent type of safety behavior, hiding anxiety, than for the opposite behavior, acknowledgment of anxiety and ongoing behavior (control condition) in scripts of self- and other-target persons. The relation between social anxiety and double standard was robust. Social anxiety did not relate to a cognitive bias regarding hiding ones anxiety, as we expected, but was associated with the belief that acknowledgment of anxiety has negative social outcomes specifically for them. These results are evaluated in light of the interpersonal consequences anxiety-related behaviors have in social interactions. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Medical Clinical and Experimental Psychology, University Maastricht, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands (b) University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Article History: Received 26 July 2005; Revised 19 September 2005; Accepted 10 November 2005

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.07.003 Byline: Judith M. Laposa, Lynn E. Alden Keywords: Intrusions; Cognitive processing; Health-care professionals; Cognitive models Abstract: According to cognitive theorists, intrusive trauma memories have their origin in how information during the event is processed. Two studies investigated functional cognitive strategies during medical crises that might protect against intrusions. In Study 1, interviews with health-care professionals were used to identify cognitive strategies judged to be effective in controlling emotions and dealing with medical crises. Study 2 systematically manipulated the use of those strategies in a trauma analogue film paradigm. Experimental participants reported fewer intrusions, and less fear and avoidance of film-related stimuli during the subsequent week than controls. The manipulation did not affect anxiety during the film or memory disorganization. Implications for cognitive theories of intrusion development are discussed. Author Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6 T 1Z4 Article History: Received 17 March 2005; Revised 1 July 2005; Accepted 13 July 2005

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2005.03.001 Byline: Charles T. Taylor, Lynn E. Alden Abstract: Forty-one people with generalized social phobia (GSP) and 42 community controls completed a measure of social developmental experiences and then participated in a social interaction with an experimental assistant whose behavior was either friendly or ambiguous. Following the interaction, confederates rated participants' behavior and their desire to interact with their partner again. In people with social phobia, but not controls, perceptions of parental overprotection were associated with less responsiveness to partner behavior. Moreover, failure to reciprocate the friendly partner's behavior led to social rejection. The results support the value of incorporating social developmental concepts into cognitive-behavioral models of social phobia and highlight the contribution of social learning experiences to the development of maladaptive interpersonal behavior in these individuals. Author Affiliation: University of British Columbia Article History: Received 28 April 2004; Accepted 8 March 2005

Patients with generalized social phobia (N = 42) and non-phobic community controls (N = 42) engaged in a social interaction with an experimental assistant whose behavior was used to create either a positive or an ambiguous social environment. Participants then rated their own performance and their partner's behavior. As a group, social phobic patients displayed negatively biased self judgments, but failed to display biased social interpretations. Among the social phobia group, a social developmental history marked by parental hostility was associated with negative interpretations of partner behavior and a history of parental overprotection was associated with less sensitivity to partner behavior. The results supported cognitive models of social phobia, which implicate negative learning experiences in the development of information processing biases. Keywords. Generalized social phobia; Interpretation bias; Social developmental experiences; Information processing; Cognitive theories

Patients with generalized social phobia (GSP, N = 33) and matched community controls (N = 31) engaged in a social interaction that was constructed to go well, and then received feedback that framed social cues reflecting either the absence of negative outcomes or the presence of positive outcomes. Following feedback that framed positive social cues, the GSP group predicted they would experience more anxiety in a subsequent interaction than did non-phobic controls. In contrast, following feedback framing the absence of negative outcomes, the GSP group did not differ from controls in their anxiety predictions. The results demonstrated that framing paradigms and methods can be usefully applied to the study of cognitive processes in social phobia and indicated that research to examine how GSP patients process specific types of social information is needed. Keywords: Generalized social phobia; Information processing; Framing; Cognitive theories; Self-verification

Although repetitive thought (RT) styles such as worry, rumination, and processing correlate positively, they have divergent effects on well-being, suggesting important dimensional variation. In Study 1, multidimensional scaling identified 2 dimensions--positive versus negative content valence and searching versus solving purpose--among students (N = 978) who completed standard RT measures. In Study 2, students (N = 100) sorted 25 descriptions of RT. Multidimensional scaling identified 4 dimensions, including valence and purpose. Content valence associated with valenced affect; solving associated with less aroused affect and less polarized appraisals of thought topics. In Study 3, valence and purpose of RT descriptions by women in a breast cancer prevention trial (N = 62) predicted concurrent affect and psychological and physical well-being.