This study aims to examine whether objectively measured sleep disturbances occur in the prodromal phase of mood episodes in patients with bipolar disorder. Thirteen patients with bipolar disorder were studied using a replicated single-case time-series design for 180 days with continuous actigraphy and a daily Ecological Momentary Assessment of mood symptoms. Eight patients were suitable for analysis. Sleep variables (sleep onset, sleep offset, sleep efficiency, sleep duration, sleep onset latency, minutes awake after start of sleep, composite phase deviation) were estimated using actigraphy. Mean shifts and extreme values in the data were assessed using change point analysis and statistical process control. Mean shifts and extreme values in sleep were studied in the two weeks preceding depressive episodes and manic episodes. Changes in sleep were observed in the two weeks preceding mood episodes in two out of three individuals with a manic episode and in four out of five individuals with a depressive episode. There were individual differences in the type of sleep variables that showed change. However, these changes did not occur at a higher rate than during phases in which patients were stable. The order of change in sleep and EMA assessed mood could not be disentangled. The current study illustrates the heterogeneity of the type of sleep disturbances as assessed with actigraphy in the weeks before mood episodes.

Internal conflicts are typically seen from an intrapersonal perspective in the literature, both as to how they are generated (e.g., by focusing on internal motives) and how they are to be solved (e.g., by emphasizing the therapeutic role of insight and cognitive processing). The present paper argues for an interpersonal perspective, where internal conflicts are seen to develop when the experience of significant others is transformed into an experience of ambivalent others. It is hypothesized that the inter-affective connection of the life worlds between a person and a significant other is of decisive importance in understanding the process of formation of the person’s internal conflict. In this model, which is based on an intersubjective phenomenological paradigm, the affective internal conflict of the self is understood as based on the phenomenological presence of the ambivalent other in the subject’s life world. It is argued that this model of internal conflicts can have theoretical and practical significance for psychological counseling and psychotherapy.

This document presents a commentary on Lundh’'s (2025) review of Psychology's Misuse of Statistics and Persistent Dismissal of its Critics (Lamiell, 2019). While the article acknowledges the validity of several points made by Lundh, it also questions the soundness of his critiques in a variety of respects.

ObjectivesThis case study explores how narrative therapy facilitates personalized meaning-making and emotional healing for Ann, a 57-year-old Vietnamese widow, following her loved one’s sudden death.MethodsGrounded in Ann’s Buddhist beliefs and collectivist background, the therapy provided a safe space for her to express complex emotions like guilt, sadness, and anger. Utilizing a three-stage trauma recovery model—externalization, deconstruction, and exceptional questions—helped her explore new meanings, re-author her story, and build resilience and purpose within her unique personal and cultural context.ResultsThroughout the therapeutic process, the client gained awareness of her loss and reconstructed new meanings within her personal story. She recognized both the possibilities and limitations of her experiences. By the final session, she was able to confidently articulate her gratitude, commit to self-care, and actively support her community, demonstrating increased resilience and self-efficacy.ConclusionsThis case illustrates how a personalized narrative approach facilitates growth by helping the client acknowledge her loss, reframe her story, and discover her voice. It emphasizes the importance of honouring individual stories and cultural contexts, fostering self-awareness, resilience, and a commitment to self-care and community, supporting ongoing healing and empowerment.

The aim of this study was to identify profiles of workplace bullying, emotional exhaustion, and work engagement in a sample of public healthcare workers in Italy. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources Model, we explored how job demands (quantitative demands, perceived injustice, and role conflict), job resources (quality of the work environment, career development, horizontal and vertical trust, social support), and personal resources (self-efficacy, and passion for work), predict these profiles. In addition, we examined how the identified profiles relate to organisational and personal outcomes (physical and psychological symptoms, intention to quit, performance, and job satisfaction). 624 healthcare workers completed an online survey and latent profiles analysis were performed to identify profiles. Latent factor analysis and multinomial logistic regression analysis were performed. Results allowed the identification of four profiles (Balanced, Engaged, Bullied Not Stressed, and Bullied & Stressed), which differed significantly in job demands, resources and outcomes. Our findings highlight the complexity of public healthcare workers’ experiences and provide evidence for strategic interventions aimed at optimising working conditions to enhance both employee well-being and organisational effectiveness. Understanding workplace experiences through a person-centered lens allows for more tailored strategies to support staff well-being and performance in high-pressure environments such as public healthcare.

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The male gaze of the female body image in terms of thinness reveals its hierarchical structure: first torso, then legs, then arms. This is seen when in one task our male participants rank-ordered 8 composite images of a female body, derived from a Torso (thin vs. large) × Leg (thin/large vs. medium) × Arm (thin vs. large) design, from thinnest to largest. This primary focus on the torso is also critical in determining to what degree the female body image conforms to a desired hourglass shape. In a second task, the participants rank-ordered the same images from least attractive to most attractive. The rank-ordering of thinness was not readily predictive of the rank-ordering of attractiveness, and we found no clear end-structure underlying the female body image in terms of attractiveness. Nevertheless, in tracing the process of rating attractiveness, we can anchor the two ends of the series. The most attractive shapes were either Image 4 or Image 3, both instantiating a low waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The first two choices for the least attractive shape were Image 1 (very thin) and Image 6 (very large). Great variability was found, however, in ranking the other body shapes, comprising composite images displaying an incompatibility of their various body parts. This results in a large number of paths for defining what attractiveness is for a particular male participant.

Many person-oriented studies use z-standardized scores before conducting cluster analyses and/or before displaying group differences. This article summarizes reasons why z- standardized scores can often be problematic and misleading in person-oriented methods. The article shows examples illustrating why and how the use of z-scores in group classification and comparisons can be misleading, and proposes less problematic methods. Reasons why z-standardized scores should be avoided when classifying or displaying differences between clusters, profiles, and other groups are:The ratio of the difference between two groups is distorted in z-scores.The ratio of the difference between two variables is distorted in z-scores.Information about item endorsement and item rejection is lost.The psychological meaning of a given z-score does not compare across samples and variables.Group assignments can be misleading if z-scores are used to assign individuals to groups.The group size and group frequency may be affected if z-scores instead of raw scores are used to assign individuals to groups.Group differences in further outcome variables can change if z-scores instead of raw scores are used to assign individuals to groups.Alternative normalization techniques perform better than z-standardization in cluster analyses.z-standardization relies on homogeneity assumptions, including unimodality, but distributions analysed in person-oriented research are often multimodal.Person-oriented methods typically examine within-person patterns to answer research questions about within-person phenomena, whereas z-standardization typically refers to between-person variation, which creates a logical mismatch between theory and method.Alternatives to using z-scores in graphs displaying profiles and group differences are using raw scores or using scale transformations that use the range, not the standard deviation in the normalization.