Core Beliefs Research Articles

The Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Music Therapy on Anxiety Disorder

The increasing prevalence of anxiety disorders is closely linked to rising social pressures. This paper examines the role of traditional and emerging psychotherapy in anxiety disorders, focusing on the characteristics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Music Therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is designed to help people with anxiety disorders improve core beliefs and correct bad emotions, while Music Therapy helps patients awaken positive emotions and relieve anxiety symptoms. From the perspective of the characteristics of the two treatment methods, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tends to completely solve the patients' wrong cognition, which reduces the possibility of patients' disease recurrence; from the perspective of art, Music Therapy provides patients with a good rehabilitation environment, moreover, patients feel happy and have more motivation to change their thinking and behaviors. Based on HAMA, STAI, and PSOI, the data showed that anxiety patients experienced reduced anxiety levels and improved sleep quality and quality of life after receiving both therapies. This study provides valuable insights into the unique benefits of CBT and Music Therapy, helping therapists and patients make informed decisions regarding the most suitable treatment options for reducing anxiety.

System justification and the American alt-right

ABSTRACT While a non-trivial number of Americans identify with the political positions and preferences often associated with the “alternative right” (alt-right) movement, scholarly debate exists concerning adherents’ core beliefs and their potential for supporting violent mobilization. In this paper, we examine supporters of the movement in greater detail. We argue that contrary to its name, the alt-right, from the perspective of the individual supporter of the movement, is not perceived as an alternative to conventional conservatism, but rather the rightful heir to political power. Using data from two original, national surveys of Americans, fielded in June 2020 (N = 2563) and January 2022 (N = 2223), we identify the common psychological orientation underpinning alt-right identity. We find strong support for our core hypothesis that system-justifying individuals – those with a psychological orientation to legitimate and defend the status quo – are significantly more likely to identify with the alt-right. Moreover, the alt-right’s system-justifying ideology is used to legitimate their use of political coercion while delegitimizing political collective action on the left.

Major Depresyonda Bilişsel Davranışçı Terapi: Bir Olgu Sunumu

This article presents a case study on the treatment of major depression with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The article examines the case of a 30-year-old male client who received a diagnosis of major depression and subsequently underwent a 12-session course of cognitive behavioral therapy. The article discusses the client's history, core beliefs, negative automatic thoughts, symptoms, and progress during therapy. In conclusion, cognitive behavioral therapy is noted as an effective option for the treatment of major depression, and this article is highlighted as an important example supporting the use of this therapy method. Keywords: Major Depression, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Determinants of Preventive Health Behavior for Hepatitis B in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Vertical transmission from mother to child during the perinatal period is a key route of hepatitis B infection. The infection rate among children of mothers who are hepatitis B carriers is high. This study was designed to investigate the hepatitis-B-related preventive health behavior of pregnant women and related factors. A cross-sectional study design was used, and 184 pregnant women aged 20 years or above were recruited at obstetrics clinics as participants. The Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Hepatitis B Knowledge Questionnaire, Hepatitis B Health Beliefs Questionnaire, and Preventive Health Behavior Questionnaire were used to collect study data between October 2017 and March 2018. Most of the participants had received a hepatitis B test because of either a pregnancy checkup (38.0%) or a health examination (32.1%), and most (77.7%) were not hepatitis B carriers. Using multiple linear regression, four significant determinants of hepatitis B preventive health behavior were identified, including marital status (β = 2.45, p = .008, 95% CI [0.66, 4.25]), test for hepatitis B infection status (β = -2.83, p = .013, 95% CI [-5.06, -0.60]), hepatitis B knowledge (β = 0.21, p = .001, 95% CI [0.09, 0.33]), and hepatitis B health beliefs (β = 0.11, p < .001, 95% CI [0.05, 0.16]). The participants who were not married or had never received a hepatitis B test exhibited better hepatitis-B-related preventive health behavior. Moreover, both hepatitis B knowledge and hepatitis B health belief scores were found to relate positively to preventive health behavior. Healthcare providers should strengthen health education in outpatient clinics and provide post-hepatitis B health-related materials in the community. In particular, internet resources such as hepatitis-B-related health education apps and other channels should be used to increase hepatitis B knowledge in perinatal women and eliminate hepatitis B.

Travma Sonrasi Stres Bozukluğu Bilişsel Davranişçi Terapi İle Tedavisi Üzerine Bir Olgu Sunumu

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that arises after experiencing an event that threatens one’s life or causes significant stress. Symptoms of PTSD include intense stress, fear, anxiety, worry, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, and negative cognitive and emotional changes. These are some of the hallmark symptoms of PTSD.This case study examines the therapeutic process of a 20-year-old female university student diagnosed with PTSD based on DSM-5 criteria. The treatment process involved 10 therapy sessions. The client reported symptoms such as self-blame for the verbal and physical abuse she experienced, trust issues with other people, fear of reliving the traumatic event, and sleep problems. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was applied during the therapeutic process. Psychoeducation was provided to the client regarding the therapy approach to be used and the progress of the therapy process. The initial phase of therapy focused on building a therapeutic alliance. Dysfunctional and self-blaming thoughts and core beliefs were identified and replaced with functional, realistic, and adaptive thoughts through cognitive restructuring. Subsequently, behavioral techniques, including exposure exercises and homework assignments, were employed. Keywords: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Case study, Trauma treatment, Psychoeducation, Exposure therapy, Traumatic events, Mental health, Psychotherapy processes, Psychological support

“It’s safer to believe that others don’t like me” – A qualitative study on the paradoxical value of negative core beliefs in depression

Depression is related to difficulty revising established negative self-beliefs in response to novel positive experiences. This propensity is in some way paradoxical because negative beliefs usually have many obvious negative consequences for the individual (e.g., feeling upset). Using a qualitative approach, the present study sought to explore what makes such negative self-beliefs valuable from the patients’ perspectives. In 14 patients with major depression, we conducted semi-structured interviews that explored the perceived benefits of retaining an individually specified negative core belief as well as the perceived costs of changing it. In a deductive-inductive approach based on a recent theoretical model of the value of beliefs, we found eight themes that may explain why people with depression uphold negative beliefs (intercoder agreement: κ=.81): expectation management, certainty and control, avoiding cognitive dissonance, adaptivity in the past, protection of higher values, attachment and belonging, saving resources, short-term counterevidence. The two most frequently mentioned themes were that retaining negative beliefs helps patients sustain certainty and keep expectations low to prevent future disappointments. While previous research has advanced the understanding of how (i.e., through which mechanisms) people with depression maintain negative self-beliefs, the present study provides novel insights into why they do so.

Relationship between traditional Chinese cultural beliefs and suicide risk among Chinese medical postgraduate students

To study the relationship between traditional Chinese cultural beliefs and suicide risk in Chinese medical postgraduate students. The Chinese Traditional Cultural Belief Scale (CTCBS) and Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ-R) were used to investigate 541 medical postgraduate students in a medical university. The total score of traditional Chinese cultural belief of the medical postgraduate students was 49.68±6.85, and 66.9% of them had a clear cultural belief. The detection rate of suicide risk among the medical postgraduates was 15.7%, and 20.1% of them reported suicidal ideation within the past year. Traditional Chinese cultural belief was negatively correlated with suicide risk among the medical postgraduates (r=-0.210, P<0.001), and those with higher levels of cultural belief had lower SBQ-R scores (F=6.255, P<0.01). The medical postgraduates with lower cultural beliefs had a higher detection rate of suicide risk (28.6% vs 21.2% vs 12.7%). The students with high suicide risks had significantly lower total scores and all the dimension scores of CTCBS (P<0.001). Most medical postgraduates have clear traditional Chinese cultural beliefs, which can be beneficial to reduce suicide risk among the students.

Socratic Questioning as a Tool to Assess Black Racial Identity Development

ABSTRACT Despite the well-established significance of Black racial identity development in the psychological functioning of African Americans, there is little support within the literature to guide counselors in qualitative assessment of this construct during therapy. This article explores the use of Socratic questioning during counseling as a tool to clarify the essence of what African American clients believe about themselves as racial beings. Integrating nigrescence theory with a four-step model of Socratic questioning, the author describes how Socratic questioning may be used to encourage articulation of the client’s lived experience as a racial being, including discovery of the client’s race-related core and intermediate beliefs and their personal meanings. The article concludes with a discussion of potential barriers to implementation of the approach, as well as implications for future clinical practice.

A core beliefs model of disordered eating: processes and pathways to eating disorder symptomatology

ObjectiveAt present there is no clear, cohesive, and comprehensive theoretical understanding of the role of core beliefs in the development of disordered eating. The present study aimed to develop and test a theoretical model outlining important processes and pathways from core beliefs to eating disorder (ED) behaviours. It also aimed to explore potential differences (or similarities) in contributions of four core belief dimensions to the development and maintenance of ED symptomatology.MethodData were collected from a sample of 800 non-clinical participants. Path analysis was conducted to test general and multi-dimensional models. Indirect effects were calculated for all possible pathways from ED core beliefs to dietary restraint, objective binge eating, and compensatory behaviours.ResultsThe hypothesised model demonstrated poor to acceptable fit to the data. Modifications were made to the general model to improve fit, remove non-significant paths and add theoretically and statistically relevant paths. All indirect effects of possible pathways from core beliefs to ED behaviours were significant. A multi-dimensional version of the model was tested with four core belief dimensions. This model identified differences in pathways from each core belief dimension to ED symptoms.DiscussionThis study extends the current understanding of the role of core beliefs in the development and maintenance of disordered eating, by building upon previous theoretical models and empirical literature. We present a general core beliefs model of disordered eating, and preliminary findings regarding differences in the processes and pathways from four key core belief dimensions to ED behaviours.

A Study of Intolerance of Uncertainty and Trauma in OCD Patients

Objectives: Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and Trauma both are seen in the OCD population and have been recognized as a vital component of the illness. Both can interfere with the progress of the treatment yet limited research has been documented comparing OCD patients on the basis of trauma (its presence or absence) in the context of IU and OCD severity. The current study therefore highlights the role of IU and Trauma in OCD patients who have experienced trauma compared to those who have not experienced trauma. Methods: For the current study 188 OCD patients were recruited from private clinics in Delhi NCR over a period of 12 months (2021-2022) in the 18–50 age range, the total sample was evaluated for OCD severity, IU, and Trauma through YBOCS severity rating scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale and Early traumatic events measure of Childhood trauma and recent trauma scale respectively. The sample was divided into two groups (94 had trauma history, and the remaining 94 had none). Findings: Results highlighted significantly higher OCD severity and IU in the trauma group and a significant positive correlation was discovered amongst IU, OCD, and trauma. Clinicians can utilize this knowledge by combining IU and trauma-based intervention in the management of OCD. Novelty: The findings add to the existing knowledge of OCD by incorporating the two significant variables together (IU and Trauma) through a comparative study that has not been much researched more so in India. Keywords: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Trauma, Core Beliefs, Cognitive Behavioral model

Hunters’ knowledge, perceived risks, and agency trust associated with chronic wasting disease, and beliefs about CWD management

Context Wildlife agencies spend considerable effort developing comprehensive communication programs to educate various publics about chronic wasting disease (CWD). Deer hunters are important in CWD management, especially regarding surveillance and testing. Aims This article examined the influence of the number of years CWD had been in a state on hunters’ knowledge of the disease. Knowledge level was then related to perceived risks associated with CWD, trust in the agency responsible for managing CWD and beliefs about CWD management. Methods Survey data were obtained from resident deer hunters in the US states of Kansas (n = 1170), North Dakota (n = 3242) and Illinois (n = 1237). State of residence served as one independent variable. The second independent variable was knowledge of CWD. Respondents were asked eight true/false questions regarding CWD (0 = incorrect, 1 = correct). A knowledge index was created by summing the correct responses. The index was categorized as low, medium, and high knowledge. There were four multiple-item dependent variables: risk to deer, risk to humans, hunters’ trust in the CWD management agency, and beliefs about CWD management. Key results Kansas hunters had the highest knowledge, followed by North Dakota, then Illinois. As knowledge increased, perceived risk to humans decreased, and perceived risk to deer increased. There was a positive relationship between knowledge and trust in agency information. Across beliefs, high knowledge hunters agreed with positively worded statements and disagreed with negatively worded items more than either of the other two knowledge groups. Low knowledge respondents always reported the lowest belief scores, and the middle knowledge group was always in between the other two groups. All tests were statistically significant, but effect sizes were minimal. Conclusions CWD existed in Kansas for only 4 years when the study was conducted. Kansas hunters reported the highest percentage of correct knowledge questions. By comparison, the disease had existed in Illinois for 20 years; Illinois hunters reported the lowest percentage of correct responses. Knowledge is influenced by the newness of a disease. With a new disease, people attend to information campaigns. Over time, experience tempers concerns and knowledge about diseases. Implications Findings highlight complexities managers should consider when designing communication strategies to influence wildlife disease knowledge.

The core-peripheral belief dynamic and its impact on teaching speaking in English as a foreign language (EFL) in grade 8 in the Faroe Islands

The objective of this qualitative parallel case study was to elicit the teacher cognition of grade 8 teachers in the Faroe Islands about teaching speaking in English as a foreign language (EFL). Teacher cognition and actions were studied in context based on data from semi-structured interviews, mixed questionnaire and observations. Manual thematic analysis through using a priori and post priori codes was adopted to parse data and establish the influence of teacher cognition on teaching in the classroom and identify any common trends among participants. The results show that teacher cognition has a marked influence on teaching speaking. Congruence between cognition and teaching is apparent, with some instances of incongruence. Congruence between teacher cognition and teaching speaking rests on two factors – the marked influence of ‘apprenticeship of observation’ i.e., the influence of teachers’ personal experiences from years of education that shapes their thoughts and teaching and teacher understanding of teaching speaking as ‘doing’ speaking i.e., providing opportunities for students to speak in the classroom. Incongruence stems from the core-peripheral belief dynamic, where the predominance of core beliefs over peripheral beliefs affects the efficacy of teaching speaking.

How do policy belief and policy learning influence perceived policy effectiveness in a local CPM policy network?

This article studies policy implementation of arts-led community development catalyzed by the Creative Placemaking (CPM) policy as a complex policy network. This article uses the social influence model and qualitative interview analysis to investigate the relationship between policy beliefs and policy learning of structurally interdependent policy actors and their perceived effectiveness of the CPM policy. Hypotheses are tested using survey and interview data collected from policy actors involved in the East Franklinton Creative Revitalization project in Columbus, OH. The findings suggest that, with the network attributes of individual policy actors being controlled, broad policy core beliefs have a more significant impact on shaping perceptions of policy effectiveness than context-specific secondary beliefs. Strategic alignment in core policy beliefs and strong confidence in the local task environment both contribute to perceived policy effectiveness in economic growth. The study underscores the importance of social learning over technical learning in enhancing perceived policy effectiveness.

Quality of Life in Short Stature Children With Skeletal Dysplasia: A Cross Sectional Study Using the Quality of Lifein Short Stature Youth Questionnaire.

Patients with skeletal dysplasia, including achondroplasia (ACH) and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), exhibit a variety of short stature, which affect various aspects of their quality of life (QoL). The QoL of adult patients with skeletal dysplasia have been reported; however, research on QoL in children remains limited. The QoL in Short Stature Youth (QoLISSY) is a QoL survey tool developed specifically for short stature children and adolescent. We assessed the QoLISSY scores in children with various skeletal dysplasias presenting with short stature and compared the scores among ACH, OI, and other dysplasias. Forty and 72 questionnaires were sent to the children with various skeletal dysplasias and their parents, respectively, and 24 and 54 valid questionnaires, respectively, were collected. There were no significant differences in age, sex, or height between the patients with ACH, OI, and other skeletal dysplasias. Parents' social, emotional, and total QoL scores were significantly lower in the ACH group than in the OI group. A sub-analysis revealed that the height standard deviation score did not correlate with the QoLISSY scores in all groups except for the belief score of OI parents.

Good Enough Care of Israeli Therapists Following the October 7 Attack

Objective. The aim of this study is to reflect the particular experience of therapists striving to assist and establish meaning for their patients, as well as for themselves and their own families, in the wake of the horror and atrocities of Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and during the ensuing war. Method. This qualitative study analyzes the responses of 201 Israeli therapists three weeks following the massacre. The therapists were asked to share their experiences in light of their recent interventions. Results. The findings reveal six core categories that emerged from the questionnaires:(1) Powerlessness and guilt versus competence and a sense of mission; (2) Compassion fatigue versus compassion satisfaction; (3) Loss of meaning and shattered core beliefs versus a search for meaning and resilience; (4) The “falling wall” and emotional contagion versus feelings of unity and community; (5) Emotional flooding versus self-compassion and self-care; and (6) Horror of the evil that accompanied the massacre versus the search for the good and kindness. We found these categories to parallel three theoretical concepts relating to caregivers and caring in general: compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-compassion. Conclusions. The results are interpreted leaning on the inclusive theoretical concepts “Good enough caring” and a “Good enough self-care.” The findings and conceptualization can contribute to the theoretical knowledge associated with shared trauma and to a new perspective on interventions and supervision aimed at helping therapists to cope with shared trauma.

Calabresi’s invite: bridging Law &amp; Society and Law &amp; Economics through “situated valuation”

Abstract Law &amp; Society scholars often dismiss Law &amp; Economics (L&amp;E) as insoluble with our core beliefs about distributive justice, culture, and social solidarity. This reaction has yielded missed opportunities for new theory emergent between the fields. One such opportunity came in 1978, when Guido Calabresi and Philip Bobbitt argued that societies make “tragic choices” about scarce resource allocations so as to reconcile such choices with core culture, ethics, and values. In Calabresi’s later words, their book was a “more or less explicit appeal to anthropology for help.”1 Today, sociolegal studies remain well-poised to answer this appeal. Taking theory about moral costs from Calabresi in L&amp;E and adding anthropological thought on the meaning of “value,” this essay presents situated valuation – a contextualized notion of value that accounts for the moral costs of inequalities while supporting principled scrutiny of redistributive policies meant to reduce inequality but sometimes worsening it. This discussion highlights the importance of interpretive social science in the study of distributive inequality, while showcasing a neglected but generative link between mutually imbricated interdisciplinary communities.

The readability of contracts: Big data analysis

AbstractThe plain language movement waged a silent revolution in the last generation, passing nearly 800 laws nationwide with little public debate. The movement asserted that it could scientifically show that there is a widespread readability crisis in legal documents, particularly contracts, that are unreadable to most adults. This article presents the largest empirical analysis of these claims to date, utilizing a dataset of 2 million contracts spanning multiple decades and industries and applying machine learning techniques. The study challenges fundamental tenets of the plain language movement. Contrary to prevailing beliefs, consumer agreements have median reading scores almost indistinguishable from those of daily news articles. A critical evaluation further exposes that readability tools endorsed by the movement are shoddy and manipulable and can produce grade‐level differences of up to 4.6 years for identical texts. Moreover, the movement's core belief that Americans cannot read past the level of an eighth grader is exposed as an unsubstantiated myth. These findings fundamentally challenge the premises and effectiveness of one of the central consumer protection policies. These results call for a radical rethinking of legal access strategies, suggesting a shift from superficial readability metrics to addressing substantive issues in market dynamics and focusing on truly vulnerable populations. More broadly, this case study serves as a cautionary tale about the propagation of myths in legal scholarship and the potential for well‐intentioned reform movements to divert attention and resources from more effective interventions.

Development and validation of VTE prevention beliefs questionnaire for neurosurgical hospitalized patients based on HBM: a cross-sectional study

Patients hospitalized for neurosurgical procedures are highly susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is crucial to evaluate the prevention beliefs of VTE among neurosurgical inpatients and analyse the influencing factors. This research sought to create an instrument grounded in the Health Belief Model (HBM) to evaluate the beliefs about VTE prevention and the factors influencing these beliefs among neurosurgical inpatients. A questionnaire comprising 28 questions was designed, validated, and distributed offline to 386 neurosurgical inpatients through random sampling. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 27.0. The measurement model was assessed through reliability, validity, and confirmatory factor analyses. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis was utilized to identify the factors influencing VTE prevention beliefs. Statistical significance was determined by P values less than 0.05. The questionnaire encompassed six constructs, all of which exhibited strong internal consistency along with solid convergent and discriminant validity. VTE prevention beliefs score among neurosurgical inpatients was 99.56 (SD = 10.11). Among the belief dimensions, the scoring rate of perceived benefits and cues to action ranked highest, while perceived barriers were the lowest. The influencing factors of VTE prevention beliefs were educational attainment (β = 0.343, P < 0.001), receipt of VTE knowledge education from healthcare providers (β = 0.214, P < 0.001), Personal history of VTE (β = 0.175, P < 0.001), surgical history (β = 0.116, P < 0.01), sources of VTE-related information (β = 0.113, P < 0.01) and method of paying medical expenses (β = 0.112, P < 0.05). The questionnaire showed strong reliability and validity, and the results indicating that neurosurgical inpatients hold moderate beliefs about VTE prevention. While they recognize its benefits, barriers to preventive behaviors persist. Addressing these barriers and enhancing self-efficacy through targeted education and interventions is key to improving VTE prevention awareness and actions.

Exploring the Relationship between Value Belief, Behavioral Engagement, and Academic Achievement in the Chinese EFL Learning Context

Previous research has established a positive link between behavioral engagement and academic achievement. However, the mediating role of behavioral engagement between value belief and academic achievement, particularly in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), has received limited attention. This study examined this mediation using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a sample of 657 secondary EFL students. Results revealed that value beliefs positively influenced behavioral engagement, which in turn enhanced academic achievement. The indirect path from value beliefs to academic achievement through behavioral engagement was statistically significant, indicating partial mediation, alongside a direct effect of value beliefs on academic achievement. Descriptive statistics showed high mean scores for both value beliefs and behavioral engagement, reflecting strong perceptions of the importance of language learning and active class participation. No significant differences in value beliefs were found among participants. Possible explanations behind the observed results, as well as implications, limitations, and proposed directions for future studies are discussed.

Defining Systemic Change in School Counseling: A Delphi Study

ABSTRACT Systemic change is regarded as a key component of professional school counseling practice for increasing positive, equitable outcomes for PreK-12 students. Although related constructs like leadership and advocacy have been thoughtfully explored, systemic change requires consultation and collaboration with educational and community partners. To date, there has been a lack of clarity around how systemic change looks in practice for school counselors. The purpose of this study was to explore the foundational components of systemic change in school counseling. Using Delphi methodology, an expert panel of 22 participants consisting of professional school counselors, counselor educators, and school counseling supervisors developed a consensus list of 130 items describing the core beliefs, knowledge, dispositions, and skills necessary for school counselors to conduct systemic change. The findings suggest future implications for school counseling research, preparation, and consultation.