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Background: Internet-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (ICBT) and mindfulness interventions are commonly used to treat elevated levels of stress. There are however few high-quality studies that examine ICBT with integrated mindfulness components for symptoms of stress and exhaustion, and the role of mindfulness exercises in digital treatment., Method: The aim of the present study was to evaluate if a mindfulness-focused ICBT-program could reduce symptoms of stress and exhaustion, and increase quality of life, in a randomized controlled trial including 97 self-referred participants between 18 and 65 years who experienced elevated levels of stress., Results: The intervention group had significantly reduced symptoms of stress and exhaustion, and increased quality of life, compared to the control group. Compared with the controls, participants in the intervention group showed a significant improvement with moderate to large effects on the primary outcome measure perceived stress ( d = 0.79), and the secondary outcomes, exhaustion ( d = 0.65), and quality of life ( d = 0.40). Participants in the ICBT group also increased their level of mindfulness ( d = 0.66) during the program. The amount of mindfulness training was significantly associated with an increased level of mindfulness, which in turn was significantly associated with reduced stress symptoms., Conclusions: Mindfulness-focused ICBT can be an effective method to reduce stress-related mental health problems and the amount of mindfulness training seems to be of importance to increase the level of experienced mindfulness after treatment., Competing Interests: Ella Radvogin and Kristofer Vernmark were employed by Psykologpartners at the time of the study.

Early access to evidence-based help is crucial for adolescents with anxiety disorders. Internet-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy (iACT) may offer adolescents increased access to care and more flexibility in engaging with treatment when and how they prefer. Process-based therapies, such as ACT, focus on theoretically derived and empirically tested key mechanisms in treatment that enable change. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of iACT for adolescents with anxiety disorders. The study also assessed the relationship between psychological flexibility and treatment outcomes and the relationship between participating adolescents' and therapists' perceived alliance and treatment outcomes. This was a randomized controlled trial comparing a 10-week intervention group with a wait-list control group. The 52 participants, aged 15 to 19, were recruited from all over Sweden. The treatment was effective in increasing quality of life and psychological flexibility, with moderate between-group effect sizes based on observed values. Changes in psychological flexibility was associated with changes in anxiety symptoms. The results further showed a statistically significant between-group difference in post-treatment diagnoses. No significant time per group interaction was found for anxiety symptoms, as both groups improved. Working alliance was rated as high by both participating adolescents and therapists but showed no significant relationship with treatment outcomes. Participants found the treatment an acceptable intervention. This study shows promising results for iACT in treating adolescents with anxiety disorders. The results suggest the model of psychological flexibility as an important process of change in treatment outcomes. Future research should validate these findings in larger samples and clinical contexts.

Nursing in psychiatric inpatient care is peripheral to a dominating biomedical model of care. Efforts are being made to implement nursing models based on core values and theories for nursing, such as recovery-oriented practices. The aim of the study was to explore experiences of a recovery-oriented nursing programme (Steps Towards Recovery, STR) among nursing staff in psychiatric inpatient care and their ratings of stress (Maslach Burnout Inventory scores), quality of care (Quality of Psychiatric Care - Inpatient staff scores) and satisfaction with nursing care (Satisfaction with Nursing Care and Work scale scores), before and after the implementation-and compare with ratings from reference wards. A quasi-experimental and prospective, pretest-post-test design was used. Specific questions about the nursing programme were answered by staff at the intervention wards. Staff reported predominantly positive experiences of the nursing programme. At follow-up, higher ratings were reported in two dimensions of quality of care in the STR group, and lower ratings in one dimension of stress were evident in the reference group. No differences in ratings between the STR and reference wards were found. Staff members' positive experiences of STR and higher ratings regarding participation and secure environment after implementation suggest that STR is a well-accepted and promising nursing programme. It is important to implement and evaluate recovery-oriented interventions in psychiatric inpatient care, where a focus on symptom relief still prevails. The results indicate that there is potential for further exploration of STR in this context., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

The present study tested the impact of attention training on cognition; secondary appraisal of perceived stress, and on metacognition; meta-worry in stressed students. Theoretically derived from the Self-Regulatory Executive Function model (S-REF model; Wells and Matthews, 1994a, 1996), the attention training technique (ATT; Wells, 1990) is intended to promote flexible, voluntary external attention and has been shown to reduce symptoms of psychological distress. The present experimental study explored the effects of ATT on cognitive and metacognitive levels of appraisal, namely perceived stress (primary outcome) and meta-worry (secondary outcome). Stressed students were randomized to an experimental ATT group ( n = 23) or a control group ( n = 23). The ATT group attended an initial training session followed by 4 weeks of individual (12 min) daily ATT practice. The control group waited for 4 weeks before receiving the intervention. The outcomes were scores on the Perceived Stress Scale 14 (PSS-14) and the Meta-Worry Questionnaire (MWQ) frequency and belief subscales at post study. Both measures decreased significantly following ATT with large pre- to post- effect sizes but there were minimal changes in the control group. The between-group differences were statistically significant. The results add to the literature on the potential effects of ATT by demonstrating effects on the content of cognitive stress appraisals and on meta-worry in an academic setting in a stressed student sample.

Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the impact of help-seeking self-stigma on the preference and intention to seek psychological treatment delivered online compared to face-to-face., Design: This study uses survey data from two Swedish samples. Sample 1 consists of 267 students (78.7% women) with a mean age of 24.5 (SD = 6.1). Sample 2 consists of 195 primary care patients (56.9% women) with a mean age of 45.3 (SD = 17.7)., Results: The number of participants who preferred online treatment was higher if seeking psychological help for a perceived stigmatized problem compared to mental health problems in general. The odds ratios for choosing treatment online over face-to-face were 6.41, 95% CI [4.05, 10.14] in Sample 1 and 11.19, 95% CI [5.29, 23.67] in Sample 2. In addition, findings suggest that higher levels of help-seeking self-stigma predicted higher intention to seek treatment online compared to face-to-face., Conclusions: Our results suggest that online interventions may facilitate help-seeking among individuals deterred by stigma., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Mental health inpatient milieus have repeatedly been found to be associated with passivity, social disengagement, and low levels of interaction with staff. However, little is known about patients' experiences related to different ward activities. In the present study, we aimed to study the reports of activities and associated experiences of patients admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient wards. Disengaged, inactive, and solitary activities were hypothesized to be associated with less reward and more distress than their counterparts. We also aimed to investigate if such activities predicted distress, and if they were associated with clinical severity. Participants (n = 102) recorded their activities along with concurrent ratings of reward and distress in a structured 1-day diary, and nurses provided clinical severity ratings. On average, 3.74 of the 11 hours assessed (34%) were spent doing nothing, only 0.88 hours (8%) were spent with staff, and most of the time was spent in solitude. Doing nothing, being alone, and passivity were associated with the greatest levels of distress and lowest levels of reward, whereas informal socializing demonstrated the opposite pattern. Distress was not predicted by activity or reward when adjusting for baseline distress. Clinical severity was not associated with the amount of time spent alone or the experience of reward during activity. In conclusion, the risk for passivity and social disengagement during admission prevails. This activity pattern could have detrimental emotional consequences and warrants action, but more studies are needed to determine if activity actually precedes emotional experience., (© 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.)

Our study aimed at evaluating FRIENDS for Life, an intervention to prevent anxiety and depression in Swedish school children. A total of 695 children between the ages of 8 and 11 were recruited from 17 schools in Stockholm, Sweden, and cluster-randomized to either the intervention or control group. Teachers in the intervention group received a full day of training and administered FRIENDS for Life in their classrooms. We assessed the children's anxiety and depressive symptoms, general mental health, and academic performance at pre- and post-intervention as well as at the 12-month follow-up. A multi-informant approach was used with data collected from children, parents, and teachers. Assessment was done with the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, Children's Depression Inventory, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Children's baseline symptoms, gender, and age as well as their teacher's use of supervision were examined as moderators of effect. Our study found no short- or long-term effects of the intervention for any outcome with regard to the entire sample. We found an enhanced effect of the intervention regarding children with elevated depressive symptoms at baseline. We found a decrease in anxiety symptoms among children whose teachers attended a larger number of supervision sessions, compared to children whose teachers attended fewer supervised sessions or the control group. Mediation analyses showed that this effect was driven by change in the last phase of the intervention, suggesting that supervision might play an important role in enhancing teachers' ability to administer the intervention effectively.

Worry is a common phenotype in both psychiatric patients and the normal population. Worry can be seen as a covert behavior with primary function to avoid aversive emotional experiences. Our research group has developed a treatment protocol based on an operant model of worry, where we use exposure-based strategies to extinguish the catastrophic worry thoughts. The aim of this study was to test this treatment delivered via the Internet in a large-scale randomized controlled trial. We randomized 140 high-worriers (defined as > 56 on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire [PSWQ]) to either Internet-based extinction therapy (IbET) or to a waiting-list condition (WL). Results showed that IbET was superior to WL with an overall large between-group effect size of d = 1.39 (95% confidence interval [1.04,1.73]) on the PSWQ. In the IbET group, 58% were classified as responders. The corresponding figure for WL participants was 7%. IbET was also superior to the WL on secondary outcome measures of anxiety, depression, meta-cognitions, cognitive avoidance, and quality of life. Overall treatment results were maintained for the IbET group at 4- and 12-month follow-up. The results from this trial are encouraging as they indicate that worry can be targeted with an accessible and novel intervention for worry. Replication trials with active control group are needed., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Adherence to treatment homework is associated with positive outcomes in behavioral psychotherapy but compliance to assignments is still often moderate. Whether adherence can be predicted by different types of motivation for the task and whether motivation plays different roles in face-to-face compared to online psychotherapy is unknown. If models of motivation, such as Self-determination theory, can be used to predict patients' behavior, it may facilitate further research into homework promotion. The aims of this study were, therefore, to investigate whether motivation variables could predict adherence to a prescribed assignment in face-to-face and online interventions using a psychotherapy analog model., Methods: A total of 100 participants were included in this study and randomized to either a face-to-face or online intervention. Participants in both groups received a psychoeducation session and were given an assignment for the subsequent week. The main outcome measurements were self-reported motivation and adherence to the assignment., Results: Participant in the face-to-face condition reported significantly higher levels of motivation and showed higher levels of adherence compared to participants in the online condition. Adherence to the assignment was positively associated with intrinsic motivation and intervention credibility in the whole sample and especially in the online group., Conclusions: This study shows that intrinsic motivation and intervention credibility are strong predictors of adherence to assignments, especially in online interventions. The results indicate that intrinsic motivation may be partly substituted with face-to-face contact with a therapist. It may also be possible to identify patients with low motivation in online interventions who are at risk of dropping out. Methods for making online interventions more intrinsically motivating without increasing external pressure are needed., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT02895308 . Retrospectively registered 30 August 2016.

Purpose: A large group of women (20-30 %) report psychological distress shortly after breast cancer diagnosis, and some experience continued or increased symptoms over time. The aim of this study was to investigate socio-demographic and clinical variables associated with sustained psychological distress in this patient group., Methods: Women with breast cancer (n = 833) completed self-report questionnaires regarding socio-demographic and clinical variables shortly after (T1) and 3 years after diagnosis (T2) while data on illness severity were collected from a quality register. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used as a measure of psychological distress at both time points., Results: The number of participants who reported elevated levels of anxiety was 231 (28 %) at T1 and 231 (28 %) at T2 while elevated depressive symptoms was reported by 119 (14 %) women at T1 and 92 (11 %) at T2. Despite non-significant differences in mean scores over time, 91 (15 %) participants reported increased anxiety symptoms and 47 (7 %) reported increased depressive symptoms. Poor financial situation, lack of social support, previous psychiatric treatment, and high levels of fatigue were associated with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Reporting high levels of fatigue was the variable most strongly associated with increased psychological distress over time., Conclusion: Most participants reported decreased psychological distress over time, but there were subgroups of women who experienced sustained or increased symptoms of anxiety or depression. Participants with poor financial status, previous psychological problems, or high levels of fatigue may be at increased risk of psychological distress. Such individuals may benefit most from psychosocial interventions.

Background: In previous research, variables such as age, education, treatment credibility, and therapeutic alliance have shown to affect patients' treatment adherence and outcome in Internet-based psychotherapy. A more detailed understanding of how such variables are associated with different measures of adherence and clinical outcomes may help in designing more effective online therapy., Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate demographical, psychological, and treatment-specific variables that could predict dropout, treatment adherence, and treatment outcomes in a study of online relaxation for mild to moderate stress symptoms., Methods: Participant dropout and attrition as well as data from self-report instruments completed before, during, and after the online relaxation program were analyzed. Multiple linear and logistical regression analyses were conducted to predict early dropout, overall attrition, online treatment progress, number of registered relaxation exercises, posttreatment symptom levels, and reliable improvement., Results: Dropout was significantly predicted by treatment credibility, whereas overall attrition was associated with reporting a focus on immediate consequences and experiencing a low level of intrinsic motivation for the treatment. Treatment progress was predicted by education level and treatment credibility, whereas number of registered relaxation exercises was associated with experiencing intrinsic motivation for the treatment. Posttreatment stress symptoms were positively predicted by feeling external pressure to participate in the treatment and negatively predicted by treatment credibility. Reporting reliable symptom improvement after treatment was predicted by treatment credibility and therapeutic bond., Conclusions: This study confirmed that treatment credibility and a good working alliance are factors associated with successful Internet-based psychotherapy. Further, the study showed that measuring adherence in different ways provides somewhat different results, which underscore the importance of carefully defining treatment adherence in psychotherapy research. Lastly, the results suggest that finding the treatment interesting and engaging may help patients carry through with the intervention and complete prescribed assignments, a result that may help guide the design of future interventions., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02535598; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02535598 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6fl38ms7y).

Background and Objectives: The present study employed a multiple baseline study design with repeated measures to explore clinical outcomes, therapy mechanisms, and feasibility of Behavioral Activation for persons admitted to inpatient psychiatry., Methods: Six adult inpatients with depressive symptoms and different psychiatric disorders were randomized to different lengths of baseline standard inpatient treatment. Subsequently a 5-day, 10-session Behavioral Activation protocol was added. Daily self-report outcome and process measures were administered and supplemented with hourly self-reports and clinician assessments before and after each study phase., Results: After a relatively stable baseline, at least four participants showed marked gradual improvements both in terms of outcome as well as activation and avoidance as Behavioral Activation was initiated. The temporal relation between process and outcome differed somewhat across metrics. In most instances however, change in activation and avoidance either coincided or preceded decreased depression., Limitations: We did not include some relatively common disorders, did not control for the effects of increased attention, did not investigate treatment integrity, and did not conduct follow-up after discharge. Raters were not blind and measures were mainly focused on depressive symptoms. All received concurrent medical treatment., Conclusions: This preliminary study further supports the promise of Behavioral Activation as an inpatient treatment for persons with a variety of psychiatric disorders. Results also lends preliminary support for the purported mechanisms of Behavioral Activation.

Background: Research on Internet-based interventions typically use digital versions of pen and paper self-report symptom scales. However, adaptation into the digital format could affect the psychometric properties of established self-report scales. Several studies have investigated differences between digital and pen and paper versions of instruments, but no systematic review of the results has yet been done., Objective: This review aims to assess the interformat reliability of self-report symptom scales used in digital or online psychotherapy research., Methods: Three databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO) were systematically reviewed for studies investigating the reliability between digital and pen and paper versions of psychiatric symptom scales., Results: From a total of 1504 publications, 33 were included in the review, and interformat reliability of 40 different symptom scales was assessed. Significant differences in mean total scores between formats were found in 10 of 62 analyses. These differences were found in just a few studies, which indicates that the results were due to study effects and sample effects rather than unreliable instruments. The interformat reliability ranged from r=.35 to r=.99; however, the majority of instruments showed a strong correlation between format scores. The quality of the included studies varied, and several studies had insufficient power to detect small differences between formats., Conclusions: When digital versions of self-report symptom scales are compared to pen and paper versions, most scales show high interformat reliability. This supports the reliability of results obtained in psychotherapy research on the Internet and the comparability of the results to traditional psychotherapy research. There are, however, some instruments that consistently show low interformat reliability, suggesting that these conclusions cannot be generalized to all questionnaires. Most studies had at least some methodological issues with insufficient statistical power being the most common issue. Future studies should preferably provide information about the transformation of the instrument into digital format and the procedure for data collection in more detail.

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social impairments and behavioural inflexibility. In this pilot study, the feasibility and outcomes of a 6-week acceptance and commitment therapy-based skills training group were evaluated in a special school setting using a quasi-experimental design (acceptance and commitment therapy/school classes as usual). A total of 28 high-functioning students with autism spectrum disorder (aged 13-21 years) were assessed using self- and teacher-ratings at pre- and post-assessment and 2-month follow-up. All participants completed the skills training, and treatment satisfaction was high. Levels of stress, hyperactivity and emotional distress were reduced in the treatment group. The acceptance and commitment therapy group also reported increased prosocial behaviour. These changes were stable or further improved at the 2-month follow-up. Larger studies are needed to further evaluate the benefits of acceptance and commitment therapy for autism spectrum disorder., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify mediators of change in a previously published randomized controlled trial that compared Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral treatment based on exposure exercises (ICBT) with Internet-delivered stress management (ISM) for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). ICBT and ISM targeted distinct proposed mechanisms of illness maintenance and symptom exacerbation, gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety (GSA), and stress reactivity, respectively. The original study found that ICBT was more effective than ISM in improving IBS symptoms., Method: Weekly measurements of GSA and stress reactivity (putative mediators) and treatment outcome were obtained from 195 participants with IBS, who had been randomized to ICBT or ISM., Results: Parallel process growth mediational analyses revealed that the larger reduction of IBS symptoms from ICBT compared to ISM was mediated by changes in GSA, αβ = -0.42, 95% CI asymmetric [-0.71, -0.16]. In contrast, changes in stress reactivity did not mediate the difference in outcomes between treatments, αβ = 0.04, 95% CI asymmetric [-0.09, 0.20]. Analyses of the temporal sequence of week-to-week changes in process and outcome measures showed that only GSA displayed a pattern consistent with a causal model in which change in process preceded and contributed to symptom change. Furthermore, engagement in treatment specific activities was related to change in GSA but not to stress reactivity in the ICBT arm, whereas treatment specific activities were not related to change in any of the putative processes in the ISM arm., Conclusions: We conclude that ICBT works through directly targeting GSA, rather than by means of reducing stress reactivity.

Background: Several studies show that psychological treatments relieve symptoms for patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, there are no consistent findings that show what patient characteristics make a psychological treatment more or less likely to result in improvement. We have previously conducted a study of a newly developed internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) that emphasized exposure to IBS symptoms and IBS-related situations and reduced symptom-related avoidance. The study showed that the treatment led to improvement in IBS symptoms compared to a waiting list and that treatment gains were maintained over a 15-18 month follow-up period. The aim of the present study was to investigate several possible predictors of short- and long-term treatment outcome in terms of symptom improvement, based on data collected in the previously conducted treatment trial., Methods: Demographics, comorbid psychological distress, IBS-related fear and avoidance behaviors, and IBS-related disability were investigated as predictors of treatment outcome in the sample consisting of 79 participants diagnosed with IBS who had undergone 10 weeks of ICBT. Predictors that were significantly correlated with symptom levels at post-treatment and follow-up were entered into multiple regression analyses that controlled for pre-treatment symptom levels., Results: There were measures within each domain, i.e., comorbid psychological distress, IBS-related fear and avoidance behaviors, and IBS-related disability, with the exception of demographic data, that were correlated with the symptom levels at post-treatment and follow-up. However, when these were entered into a multiple regression analyses that controlled for pre-treatment levels, none remained a significant predictor of the post-treatment and follow-up symptomatic status., Conclusions: The study did not find any individual characteristics that made patients more or less likely to respond to the exposure-based ICBT. The finding that comorbid psychological distress did not predict outcome is in accordance with previous studies. Reliable predictors for response to any type of psychological treatment for IBS remain to be established.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) interventions for persons with chronic pain have recently received empirical support. ACT focuses on reducing the disabling influences of pain through targeting ineffective control strategies and teaches people to stay in contact with unpleasant emotions, sensations, and thoughts. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a guided internet-delivered ACT intervention for persons with chronic pain. A total of 76 patients with chronic pain were included in the study and randomized to either treatment for 7 weeks or to a control group that participated in a moderated online discussion forum. Intent-to-treat analyses showed significant increases regarding activity engagement and pain willingness. Measurements were provided with the primary outcome variable Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire which was in favour of the treatment group. Reductions were found on other measures of pain-related distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. A six month follow-up showed maintenance of improvements. We conclude that an acceptance based internet-delivered treatment can be effective for persons with chronic pain., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Our research group has developed an internet-delivered cognitive behavioral treatment (ICBT) for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We compared ICBT with internet-delivered stress management (ISM) for IBS to assess whether the effects of ICBT are specific., Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial, including 195 self-referred participants diagnosed with IBS. The treatment interventions lasted for 10 weeks and included an online therapist contact. The ICBT emphasized acceptance of symptoms through exposure to IBS symptoms and related negative feelings. The ICBT also included mindfulness training. The ISM emphasized symptom control through relaxation techniques, dietary adjustments, and problem-solving skills. Severity of IBS symptoms was measured with the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale-IBS version (GSRS-IBS). Credibility of the treatments and expectancy of improvement were assessed with the treatment credibility scale. The participants' perceived therapeutic alliance with their online therapist was measured with the working alliance inventory., Results: At post-treatment and 6-month follow-up, 192 (99%) and 169 (87%) participants returned data, respectively. At post-treatment and 6-month follow-up, we found significant differences on the GSRS-IBS, favoring ICBT. The difference on GSRS-IBS scores was 4.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-8.4) at post-treatment and 5.9 (95% CI: 1.9-9.9) at 6-month follow-up. There were no significant differences on the treatment credibility scale or the working alliance inventory between the groups., Conclusions: Internet-delivered CBT has specific effects that cannot be attributed only to treatment credibility, expectancy of improvement, therapeutic alliance, or attention. Furthermore, a treatment based on exposure exercises specifically tailored for IBS may be a better treatment option than general stress and symptom management for IBS patients. ICBT is a promising treatment modality for IBS as it can be offered to IBS patients in much larger scale than conventional psychological treatments.

We conducted a follow-up of a previously reported study of internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for IBS, based on exposure and mindfulness exercises (Ljótsson et al. (2010). Internet-delivered exposure and mindfulness based therapy for irritable bowel syndrome - a randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 531-539). Seventy-five participants from the original sample of 85 (88%) reported follow-up data at 15-18 months (mean 16.4 months) after completing treatment. The follow-up sample included participants from both the original study's treatment group and waiting list after it had been crossed over to treatment. Intention-to-treat analysis showed that treatment gains were maintained on all outcome measures, including IBS symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety related to gastrointestinal symptoms, with mainly large effect sizes (within-group Cohen's d=0.78-1.11). A total of fifty participants (59% of the total original sample; 52% of the original treatment group participants and 65% of the original waiting list participants) reported adequate relief of symptoms. Improvements at follow-up were more pronounced for the participants that had completed the full treatment and maintenance of improvement did not seem to be dependent on further treatment seeking. This study suggests that internet-delivered CBT based on exposure and mindfulness has long-term beneficial effects for IBS-patients., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate if cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) based on exposure and mindfulness exercises delivered via the Internet would be effective in treating participants with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Participants were recruited through self-referral. Eighty-six participants were included in the study and randomized to treatment or control condition (an online discussion forum). One participant was excluded after randomization. The main outcome measure was IBS-symptom severity and secondary measures included IBS-related quality of life, GI-specific anxiety, depression and general functioning. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 3 month follow-up (treatment condition only). Four participants (5% of total sample) in the treatment condition did not participate in post-treatment assessment. Participants in the treatment condition reported a 42% decrease and participants in the control group reported a 12% increase in primary IBS-symptoms. Compared to the control condition, participants in the treatment group improved on all secondary outcome measures with a large between group effect size on quality of life (Cohen's d = 1.21). We conclude that CBT-based on exposure and mindfulness delivered via the Internet can be effective in treating IBS-patients, alleviating the total burden of symptoms and increasing quality of life., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This pilot study evaluated the effect of Family Connections (FC), a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-based manualized skills training program, for family members of suicide attempters. The DBT-based skills training program aims to enhance the knowledge of wide range research based aspects of suicidal behavior and treatment recommendations. Furthermore it includes skills training for interpersonal relationships and also offers family members an opportunity to share their experiences. Thirteen participants completed the 9-week program with pre- and post self-report questionnaires. The results showed significant reduction in burden, improved psychic health and an increase in well-being regarding the relation with the patient. These results provide support for the need and importance of a DBT-based skills training program addressed specifically to family members of suicide attempters.

The present study explored the prevalence and descriptive characteristics of hyperacusis, defined as unusual intolerance of ordinary environmental sounds. Two ways of collecting data were used in the study: the first was a postal survey of a random sample, to which 589 responded (59.7% response rate); the second was the internet, and 595 self-recruited individuals responded to a call for participants via a banner on a web page (51.9% response rate). The point prevalence rates of hyperacusis were 9% in the internet group and 8% in the postal group. Exclusion of participants who reported hearing impairment resulted in point prevalence rates of 7.7% (n = 39) and 5.9% (n = 28) respectively. The data collection format did not result in any substantial differences. Hyperacusis was associated with concentration difficulties, use of ear protection, avoidance, tension, and sensitivity to light/colours. The present data suggest that hyperacusis is a common problem.

Delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea is still a clinical problem, and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested that corticosteroids are involved, although the mechanisms by which corticosteroids exert their antiemetic effect are largely unknown. We have previously found impaired control of delayed nausea after injection of dexamethasone. The possibility of differences in the recovery of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis after injection of dexamethasone was investigated in patients (n = 5) with gynaecological cancer being treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and in healthy female volunteers (n = 10). Urinary free cortisol was used to assess the levels of endogenous cortisol. Results showed that in both patients and controls injections of dexamethasone led to a significant decline in endogenous cortisol levels in 24 h and a subsequent significant recovery in the next 24 h. We conclude that the recovery of the HPA axis is rapid after a single dose of dexamethasone in patients and controls. The absence of an abnormal response pattern in patients makes it probable that the suppression and recovery of the HPA axis after injection of dexamethasone does not influence the corticosteroid-induced rebound effect on delayed platinum-induced nausea.

The use of verbal category scales in assessing patient symptoms is evolving, but the extent to which reliability and precision are lost in using them as opposed to a visual analogue scale (VAS) remains uncertain. The present study analyzed the concordance between a four-point verbal category scale and a VAS in assessing nausea intensity in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The analysis of a total of 348 simultaneous ratings by 104 women over four cycles revealed good concordance between the scales. The means of the VAS ratings (range 0-100 mm) corresponding to the four verbal categories divided the scale in four almost equally large parts (no nausea = 0.7, mild = 24.8, moderate = 48.3, severe = 75.1). However, the VAS ranges were wide. On an individual level a one-step change in the verbal category was associated with an average change of 20 mm on the VAS. The choice of scale to use should be based on the need in the particular situation. When measuring intensity of nausea in patients, the VAS is a reasonable choice due to its possibly greater ability to detect changes over time. On the group level, findings on a four-point category scale and a VAS on the average seem similar.

The introduction of serotonin receptor (5-HT3) antagonists has improved the control of acute nausea and vomiting induced by cancer chemotherapy, but they seem to have little or no effect on delayed symptoms. Corticosteroids are known to reduce both acute and delayed nausea and vomiting. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a single high dose of dexamethasone (20 mg), a long-acting corticosteroid, given after cisplatin and in addition to ondansetron (8 mg three times a day), would enhance the control of both acute and delayed nausea and vomiting. A group of 104 chemotherapy-naive ovarian cancer patients, scheduled for at least three cycles of combination chemotherapy including cisplatin (50 mg/m2), were randomly allocated to receive either dexamethasone or placebo in addition to ondansetron. Two-thirds of the patients received doxorubin and melphalan on the day before cisplatin and 1/3 received doxorubicin immediately before cisplatin. Unexpectedly we found, in all three chemotherapy cycles, that patients receiving dexamethasone suffered from more delayed nausea and vomiting than patients receiving placebo. In patients with no acute nausea or vomiting, the boomerang effect of dexamethasone could be seen on the first day after chemotherapy. In a follow-up study on 5 patients not included in the randomized trial, dexamethasone induced a pronounced reduction in urinary cortisol excretion on the day after chemotherapy with a return to normal excretion on day 2. It is concluded that a single high dose of dexamethasone does not seem appropriate for controlling delayed nausea and vomiting.