Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Research Articles

Different components of cognitive-behavioral therapy affect specific cognitive mechanisms.

Psychological therapies are among the most effective treatments for common mental health problems-however, we still know relatively little about how exactly they improve symptoms. Here, we demonstrate the power of combining theory with computational methods to parse effects of different components of cognitive-behavioral therapies onto underlying mechanisms. Specifically, we present data from a series of randomized-controlled experiments testing the effects of brief components of behavioral and cognitive therapies on different cognitive processes, using well-validated behavioral measures and associated computational models. A goal setting intervention, based on behavioral activation therapy activities, reliably and selectively reduced sensitivity to effort when deciding how to act to gain reward. By contrast, a cognitive restructuring intervention, based on cognitive therapy materials, reliably and selectively reduced the tendency to attribute negative everyday events to self-related causes. The effects of each intervention were specific to these respective measures. Our approach provides a basis for beginning to understand how different elements of common psychotherapy programs may work.

Changes in trauma appraisal during brief internet-based exposure and cognitive restructuring treatment for Arabic-speaking people with PTSD

ABSTRACT Background: Maladaptive trauma appraisal plays an important role in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of exposure and cognitive treatments for PTSD symptomatology, the effect of such treatments on specific trauma appraisals is still not well understood. Objective: The study investigated the effect of an exposure and a cognitive restructuring internet-based treatment on specific trauma appraisals in Arabic-speaking participants with PTSD. Method: 334 participants received either an exposure (n = 167) or a cognitive restructuring (n = 167) internet-based treatment. PTSD symptom severity (PCL-5) and specific trauma appraisals (TAQ) were assessed at pre- and post-treatment. Changes in specific trauma appraisals within and between the two treatments were analyzed using multi-group change modelling. Associations between changes in PTSD symptom severity and changes in trauma appraisals were evaluated using Pearson product-moment correlation. For both treatments, participants with versus without reliable improvement were compared regarding changes in specific trauma appraisals using Welch tests. Analyses were performed on 100 multiple imputed datasets. Results: Both treatments yielded significant changes in shame, self-blame, fear, anger, and alienation (all ps < .001). Changes in betrayal were only significant in the cognitive restructuring treatment (p < .001). There was no evidence of differences between treatments for any specific trauma appraisal. Changes in PTSD symptom severity were significantly associated with changes in trauma appraisals (all ps < .001). In both treatments, participants who experienced reliable improvement in PTSD symptom severity showed significantly larger pre- to post-treatment changes in specific trauma appraisals compared to those without reliable improvement. Again, differences in betrayal were only significant in the cognitive restructuring treatment. Conclusions: The findings indicate that both treatments are effective in reducing trauma appraisals in Arabic-speaking people with PTSD. Changes in trauma appraisal seem to be associated with changes in PTSD symptomatology. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register identifier: DRKS00010245.

Preliminary Efficacy of Mindfulness and Cognitive Restructuring Interventions to Reduce Nonconsensual Sex Intentions.

Victims of sexual violence experience detrimental physical and mental health consequences. Therefore, developing programs to prevent sexual violence is of utmost importance. Our previous work provided preliminary support for the efficacy of brief mindfulness and cognitive restructuring (CR) interventions in reducing sexual violence intentions. Because alcohol use and alcohol expectancies (AE) have been identified as risk factors for sexual violence, this secondary data analysis aimed to examine whether alcohol use and men's expectations that alcohol may affect women's vulnerability of being sexually coerced moderate the usefulness of these two interventions on nonconsensual sex intentions. Single, young, heterosexual, heavy episodic drinking men with sexual violence histories were randomly assigned to receive mindfulness or CR skills training, or attention control. Half of the participants in each intervention condition were then randomized to alcohol or sober conditions. All participants read a hypothetical sexual scenario and rated their intention to engage in nonconsensual sex with their hypothetical sexual partner. Mindfulness was effective in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions among sober men with high AE for women's vulnerability and intoxicated men with low AE for women's vulnerability to sexual coercion. CR was effective in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions among intoxicated men with low and moderate AE for women's vulnerability to sexual coercion. Our results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of mindfulness and CR in lowering nonconsensual sex intentions under certain circumstances and highlight men's AE about women's vulnerability to sexual coercion as a critical factor that interacts with alcohol use to influence the efficacy of mindfulness and CR.

Exposure Versus Cognitive Restructuring Techniques in Brief Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Arabic-Speaking People With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Randomized Clinical Trial.

Cognitive behavioral interventions delivered via the internet are demonstrably efficacious treatment options for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in underserved, Arabic-speaking populations. However, the role of specific treatment components remains unclear, particularly in conflict-affected areas of the Middle East and North Africa. This study aims to evaluate 2 brief internet-based treatments in terms of efficacy, including change in PTSD symptom severity during treatment. Both treatments were developed in line with Interapy, an internet-based, therapist-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy protocol for PTSD and adapted to the specific research question. The first treatment comprised self-confrontation and social sharing (exposure treatment; 6 sessions); the second comprised cognitive restructuring and social sharing (cognitive restructuring treatment; 6 sessions). The 2 treatments were compared with each other and with a waitlist control group. In total, 365 Arabic-speaking participants from the Middle East and North Africa (mean age 25.49, SD 6.68 y) with PTSD were allocated to cognitive restructuring treatment (n=118, 32.3%), exposure treatment (n=122, 33.4%), or a waitlist control group (n=125, 34.2%) between February 2021 and December 2022. PTSD symptom severity, posttraumatic maladaptive cognitions, anxiety, depressive and somatoform symptom severity, and quality of life were assessed via self-report at baseline and after treatment or waiting time. PTSD symptom severity was also measured throughout treatment or waiting time. Treatment satisfaction was assessed after treatment completion. Treatment use and satisfaction were compared between the 2 treatment conditions using appropriate statistical tests (eg, chi-square and Welch tests). Multiple imputation was performed to address missing data and evaluate treatment-associated changes. These changes were analyzed using multigroup change modeling in the completer and intention-to-treat samples. Overall, 200 (N=240, 83.3%) participants started any of the treatments, of whom 123 (61.5%) completed the treatment. Treatment condition was not significantly associated with the proportion of participants who started versus did not start treatment (P=.20) or with treatment completion versus treatment dropout (P=.71). High treatment satisfaction was reported, with no significant differences between the treatment conditions (P=.48). In both treatment conditions, PTSD, anxiety, depressive and somatoform symptom severity, and posttraumatic maladaptive cognitions decreased, and quality of life improved significantly from baseline to the posttreatment time point (P≤.001 in all cases). Compared with the baseline assessment, overall PTSD symptom severity decreased significantly after 4 sessions in both treatment conditions (P<.001). Moreover, both treatment conditions were significantly superior to the waitlist control group regarding overall PTSD symptom severity (P<.001) and most other comorbid mental health symptoms (P<.001 to P=.03). Differences between the 2 conditions in the magnitude of change for all outcome measures were nonsignificant. Internet-based cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD focusing primarily on either self-confrontation or cognitive restructuring are applicable and efficacious for Arabic-speaking participants. German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00010245; https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00010245.

Preliminary Efficacy of a Brief Cognitive Restructuring Intervention to Reduce Sexual Coercion Intentions: Roles of Alcohol and Emotion Regulation.

Sexual coercion (SC), the use of nonphysical tactics to obtain sexual contact with a nonconsenting partner, is a prevalent form of sexual misconduct that is associated with several physical and psychological health concerns. Therefore, effective preventative interventions to reduce SC prevalence are needed. Alcohol consumption and difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) are two risk factors that contribute to SC. Cognitive restructuring (CR) has the potential to reduce SC intentions by improving ER through actively challenging one's thoughts to modify emotions. This study represents a secondary data analysis to examine the effectiveness of a brief, web-based CR intervention in reducing SC intentions. To test whether the intervention would remain beneficial in the presence of alcohol, we tested effects among intoxicated versus sober participants. Young, male, heavy episodic drinkers with a history of sexual aggression (N = 137) were randomized into a CR intervention versus control condition as well as alcohol consumption versus no alcohol condition. Then, participants completed a sexual aggression analog scenario. General linear regression analyses showed that intoxicated men reported stronger SC intentions than sober men. Additionally, relative to controls, men in the CR condition who had better preexisting ER cognitive reappraisal skills had significantly lower SC intentions. Our findings provide preliminary support for CR as an effective strategy to reduce SC intentions among sexually aggressive, heavy episodic drinking men with better cognitive reappraisal skills. If findings are replicated, this brief, web-based CR intervention could overcome potential challenges in dissemination and be easily applied in clinical settings.

Cross-Cultural Efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) on the Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms of Selected Asian Adolescents.

Empirical evidence shows that Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) with poor psychological well-being increases. IGD hasbecome an emerging issue of significant public health concern andthe World Health Organization has recently recognized it as a mental health condition. This study examined the efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) in reducing the symptoms of IGD and improving the psychological well-being of adolescent gamers from select Asian cultures after proving it effective in a prior study in the Indian setting. The development of the ACRIP employed a sequential exploratory research design and randomized controlled trial on thirty participants. Internet Gaming Disorder (IGDS9-SF) and Ryff's Psychological well-being (PWB) scales were used to measure the severity of the gaming disorder and the state of psychological health of the experimental and control groups. Power analysis ascertained the study with a power of 0.90, indicating a strong probability of obtaining a statistically significant effect. Statistical analyses using paired t-test and MANOVA on post-test mean scores on IGD and PWB of the experimental group showed a significant difference which suggested that the ACRIP is efficacious and culture-free.

Can cognitive restructuring serve as a brief stand-alone treatment for social anxiety disorder in adolescence? An exploratory clinical trial

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a debilitating and chronic condition that usually arises in adolescence. Cost-effective interventions provided early on may alter its usually chronic trajectory. This study evaluated changes following a brief cognitive restructuring intervention with 14 adolescent girls, against a waitlist control group, on social anxiety, fear of negative and positive evaluation and negative automatic thoughts. Predictors of post-intervention social anxiety scores were also investigated. Results show that social anxiety fluctuated similarly for both groups. Distinctive significant change was found only for performing in formal social situations following the intervention. Change in frequency of automatic negative thoughts significantly predicted post-intervention social anxiety for measures relating to anxiety when interacting and being observed by others. Cognitive restructuring may provide significant change by altering the content (and not the frequency) of thoughts and, in its current short form, may be relevant to the specific performance type of SAD.

Efficacy and mechanisms of change in exposure-based and cognitive stand-alone body image interventions in women with overweight and obesity

ObjectiveBody dissatisfaction is highly prevalent in overweight and obesity, while evidence for the efficacy of body image interventions is still scarce. This interventional pilot study investigates the efficacy and mechanisms of change of two stand-alone body image interventions in women with overweight and obesity. MethodsWomen with overweight and obesity (n = 76) were randomly assigned to five weekly sessions of either a mirror exposure (ME) or a cognitive restructuring intervention (CR) or to a wait-list control group (WCG). Primary outcome measures were self-reported body dissatisfaction and interview-based shape concerns; depression, self-esteem and emotional eating served as secondary outcome measures. Experimental paradigms were used prior to and after the interventions to analyze possible mechanisms of change: (a) Implicit Associations Tests to assess weight-related attitudes (b) eye-tracking experiments to assess visual processing of body pictures and (c) a thought-sampling procedure to assess body-related cognitions and arousal. ResultsAccording to intent-to-treat analyses using linear mixed-models, both interventions lead to significant improvements in body image, while there were no changes in the WCG. Different mechanisms of change were identified. ConclusionsBoth types of interventions might be effective in the reduction of self-reported body dissatisfaction and interview-based shape concerns in overweight and obesity. However, as different mechanisms drive the effects, future research should clarify which individual might best benefit from which intervention.

Effect of Cognitive Restructuring Intervention on Emotional Adjustment of Sample Divorcees in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria

The study investigated the effect of Cognitive Restructuring Intervention on Emotional Adjustment of Divorcees in Nsukka Education Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. The need for the study came as a result of increasing rate of divorce among married teachers in the study area to which the researchers sought to find solutions. It was guided by two research questions and two corresponding null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The design of the study was quasi-experimental non-randomized control group, pretest-posttest design. The population of the study consisted of all 24 divorcees in public secondary schools in the study area identify by school counsellors. The entire population of 24 divorcees were used as sample. In this case, there was no sample. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire titled “Emotional Adjustment Divorcees Questionnaire (EADQ)” developed by the researchers and validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The internal consistency reliability of the instrument was obtained using cronbach alpha statistics which yielded the estimate of 0.84 for EADQ. This instrument was used to collect data from subjects as pretest before treatment programme which lasted for six weeks and were reshuffled by changing the serial numbers of the items and re-administered on the subjects on posttest after treatment. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the null hypotheses. The result of the study indicated that cognitive restructuring intervention had significant effect on emotional adjustment of divorcees. There was no significant difference in the mean rating on emotional adjustment of divorcees as moderated by gender. In the other words, male and female divorces exposed to treatment benefitted equally on the emotional adjustment. Based on the findings; it was recommended among others that guidance counsellors should employ cognitive restructuring intervention to help divorcees on emotional adjustment.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological interventions for comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder

ABSTRACT Background The psychological treatment of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) is clinically challenging, and outcomes are often poor. Objective This paper describes a systematic review and meta-analysis which sought to establish the current efficacy for a number of established psychological approaches for adults and adolescents, in comparison to interventions for SUD alone, or other active approaches, following a pre-registered protocol. Method This review followed PRISMA and Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Data extraction and risk of bias judgements using Cochrane criteria were undertaken by all authors. Primary outcomes were PTSD severity and substance use post-treatment. The quality of findings was assessed using GRADE. Following a comprehensive search, conducted to 13 September 2021, 27 studies were included. Results We found a relatively high level of dropout across studies. In our main comparisons, we found no benefits for present-focused treatment approaches aimed at improving coping skills beyond those for SUD-only interventions. We found modest benefits for trauma-focused intervention plus SUD intervention post-treatment for PTSD (standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.64, −0.08), and at 6–13 months for PTSD (SMD = −0.48, 95% CI −0.81, −0.15) and alcohol use (SMD = −0.23, 95% CI −0.44, −0.02). There were no benefits for cognitive restructuring interventions as a group, but we found a modest effect for integrated cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for PTSD post-treatment (SMD = −0.33, 95% CI −0.62, −0.04). There was evidence of some benefit for trauma-focused intervention over present-focused intervention for PTSD from a single study and for reduction in dropout for incentivized attendance for trauma-focused intervention from another single study. Most findings were of very low quality. Conclusion There is evidence that trauma-focused therapy and ICBT can improve PTSD for some individuals, but many patients do not fully engage with treatment and average treatment effects are modest. HIGHLIGHTS For PTSD, evidence was strongest for trauma-focused CBT-based approaches, but effects were modest. There was little evidence of any added benefit on substance use, beyond that of standard addiction treatments, for any included intervention. Dropout from treatment was high

Alcohol-involved sexual aggression: Emotion regulation as a mechanism of behavior change.

Sexual aggression remains a significant public health problem, with the majority of sexual assaults involving alcohol. Founded upon an experimental medicine approach to behavior change, the current study used a proximal change experiment to target and test emotion regulation (ER) as a mechanism underlying alcohol-involved sexual aggression. Heavy episodic drinking men aged 21-30 with a sexual assault perpetration history (N = 209) were randomly assigned to a brief, online, ER-focused cognitive restructuring or mindfulness intervention or to control. Intervention effects were evaluated during sober and intoxicated states through laboratory-based alcohol administration (target BrAC = .08%). Intoxicated and sober participants completed a proximal change protocol that included implementing ER skills during a sexual aggression analogue that assessed relevant emotions and intentions. Path analysis demonstrated that relative to control, the cognitive restructuring intervention improved emotional modulation and emotional clarity, resulting in lower sexual arousal and anger, respectively, followed by decreased sexual coercion intentions. The mindfulness intervention yielded mixed results, predicting decreased sexual aggression intentions compared to control but also predicting stronger coercive tactic intentions in intoxicated men with more severe sexual aggression histories. Both interventions improved emotional acceptance relative to control, but only for sober men. Overall, the current study demonstrated that ER-focused interventions improved proximal ER skills associated with reduced sexual aggression intentions, signifying ER as an important mechanism for changing sexually aggressive behavior. Because intervention efficacy varied by intoxication state, further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of ER interventions targeting real-world alcohol-involved sexual aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Chatbot-Delivered Cognitive Defusion versus Cognitive Restructuring for Negative Self-Referential Thoughts: A Pilot Study

Conversational agents or chatbots are a novel, highly accessible, and low-resource method of psychological intervention delivery. The present research aims to compare two brief chatbot interventions that delivered cognitive restructuring and defusion interventions, respectively. It was hypothesized that a defusion chatbot would lead to reduced cognitive fusion and decreased thought believability relative to cognitive restructuring and a nonactive control. Participants (N = 223; M age of 28.01 [SD = 10.29]; 47 identified as male, 174 as female, and 2 as nonbinary) were randomized into one of three conditions (defusion, restructuring, control), engaged for 5 days completing thought and mood measures pre- and postintervention. Sixty-two participants (M age of 25.98; SD = 8.647 years) completed measures again at time 2 (49 identified as female, 12 as male, and 1 as nonbinary). No statistically significant differences were observed among groups on believability of thoughts (F[2, 25] = .79, p = .47, ηp2 = .06), negativity of thoughts (F[2,25] = 1.49, p = .25, η 2 = .11), discomfort associated with thoughts (F[2, 25] = .48, p = .62, ηp2 = .04), and willingness (F[2, 25] = 3.00, p = .07, ηp2 = .19) to have negative self-referential thoughts. Moreover, substantial attrition of 72% was observed. Acceptability and usability of the chatbots employed are discussed as contributing toward the limited effectiveness of interventions and elevated attrition. Various recommendations are presented to support researchers and clinicians in developing engaging and effective chatbots.

Effectiveness of a home-based nursing support and cognitive restructuring intervention on the quality of life of family caregivers in primary care: A pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial

BackgroundCaregivers of patients with chronic conditions or disability experience fatigue, burden and poor health-related quality of life. There is evidence of the effectiveness of support interventions for decreasing this impact. However, little is known about the benefits of home-based nursing intervention in primary health care. ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based, nurse-led-intervention (CuidaCare) on the quality of life of caregivers of individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions living in the community, measured at 12-month follow-up. MethodsA pragmatic, two-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial with a 1-year follow-up period was performed between June 2013 and December 2015. Consecutive caregivers aged 65 years or older, all of whom assumed the primary responsibility of caring for people with disabling conditions for at least 6 months a year, were recruited from 22 primary health care centers. Subsequently, 11 centers were randomly assigned to usual care group, and 11 were assigned to the intervention group. The caregivers in the intervention group received the usual care and additional support (cognitive restructuring, health education and emotional support). The primary outcome was quality of life, assessed with the EQ-5D instrument (visual analog scale and utility index score); the secondary outcome variables were perception of burden, anxiety, and depression. Data were collected at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at the 6- and 12-month follow-up visits. We analyzed the primary outcome as intention-to-treat, and missing data were added using the conditional mean single imputation method. ResultsA total of 224 caregivers were included in the study (102 in the intervention group and 122 in the usual care group). Generalized Estimating Equation models showed that the CuidaCare intervention was associated with a 5.46 point (95% CI: 2.57; 8.35) change in the quality of life, as measured with the visual analog scale adjusted for the rest of the variables at 12 months. It also produced an increase of 0.04 point (95% CI: 0.01; 0.07) in the utilities. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups at 12 months with respect to the secondary outcomes. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that incorporating a home-based, nurse-led-intervention for caregivers into primary care can improve the health-related quality of life of caregivers of patients with chronic or disabling conditions.

Self-Debasing Cognitive Distortions Restructuring Intervention Down Regulate Bystanders Emotional and Behavioural Reactions to Witnessing School Bullying

Self-debasing cognitive distortion influences a person’s interpretation and increases the likelihood of negative reactions to events. Despite the theoretical support for the significant influence that cognition has in the onset and maintenance of behavioural and emotional reactions to victimisation, little research has been done on proactive cognitive strategy to down regulate negative emotional and behavioural reactions to witnessing bullying. For this reason, a qualitative descriptive-exploratory design was utilised to explore 10 early adolescent bystanders' reactions to school bullying following a self-debasing cognitive distortion restructuring intervention. Findings indicated that there were reductions in bystanders’ negative reactions to witnessing bullying that resulted from challenging the validity and reality of distortions in their thinking patterns. The study recommended that bystanders should be equipped with self-debasing cognitive distortions restructuring skills to root out the source of bias in their thought patterns with a view of down regulating their emotional and behavioural reactions to witnessing bullying.

Luca: il timore di essere contaminato dalla madre e il ruolo dei genitori nel mantenimento della sintomatologia

In questo lavoro viene descritto il caso di un ragazzo di 16 anni, giunto in terapia con una diagnosi di disturbo ossessivo compulsivo, per la quale aveva già intrapreso una psicoterapia, con presa in carico farmacologica, senza miglioramento dei sintomi. La sintomatologia ossessiva è associata al timore di essere contaminato dall'alito materno. Tuttavia, fin dai primi incontri, emerge con chiarezza una maggiore complessità del quadro, per la presenza in comorbilità di un disturbo schizotipico di personalità, caratterizzato da comportamenti bizzarri e responsabile di una grave compromissione del funzionamento sociale e scolastico. L'intervento è stato realizzato attivando due setting e ha visto coinvolti Luca (20 incontri) e i genitori (10 incontri). Nell'articolo descriveremo la formulazione del caso, differenziando gli interventi sui sintomi ossessivi dalle procedure utilizzate per fronteggiare la sintomatologia schizotipica. Il miglioramento del disturbo ossessivo compulsivo è stato osservato già in fase di condivisione del profilo interno e lavorando sul timore di contaminazione con interventi di ristrutturazione cognitiva. Parallelamente, il trattamento si è focalizzato sull'aumento della cura di sé e la modifica delle abitudini disfunzionali, con un effetto determinante sulla riduzione dei rituali, un aumento della percezione di autoefficacia e una diminuzione sensibile del ritiro sociale. L'intervento con i genitori si è focalizzato sulla riduzione della critica e degli atteggiamenti sprezzanti verso Luca, tramite interventi di ristrutturazione cognitiva e tecniche di validazione che hanno portato a una parziale riduzione degli stessi. Come obiettivi contestuali, favorire la comprensione e l'accettazione del funzionamento di Luca, oltre che il riconoscimento dei suoi bisogni emotivi.

Efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) on the Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms of Selected Asian Adolescents

Empirical evidences associating internet gaming disorder (IGD) with poor psychological well-being are increasing. As IGD becomes an emerging issue of significant public health concern, the World Health Organization has recently recognized it as a mental health condition. This study examined the efficacy of the Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) in reducing the symptoms of IGD and improving the psychological well-being of adolescent gamers from selected Asian cultures after proving it effective in a prior study of Indian setting. The development of the ACRIP involved the use of sequential exploratory design and randomized controlled trial of two groups comprising forty (40) participants. Internet gaming disorder (IGDS9-SF) and Ryff’s psychological well-being scales were used to measure the severity of the gaming disorder and state of psychological health of the test groups. Post-test scores of the experimental group in the t test showed a significant difference compared with its pre-test scores, and Cohen’s d test indicated a large effect on the extent of efficacy of the ACRIP. The results of the study suggested that the ACRIP brought about a significant change in the behavior of the experimental group rendering it efficacious and culture-free. To expand its benefits, future research should undertake experimental studies on the efficacy and adaptability of ACRIP on a larger base of adolescents of multicultural backgrounds who are at risk of IGD.

Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) in Telemedicine on the Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents

Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) in Telemedicine on the Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents

Efficacy of Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) on the Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents

Efficacy of Acceptance and Cognitive Restructuring Intervention Program (ACRIP) on the Symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder and Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents

The effect of a brief online self-compassion versus cognitive restructuring intervention on trait social anxiety

We compared two brief online interventions of 2-week duration for individuals with elevated levels of social anxiety. Participants were randomized to self-compassion or cognitive restructuring conditions (N = 119) and assessed across five assessment points, including a 5-week follow-up. Mediators and moderators of outcome were also examined. Both interventions led to significant decreases in social anxiety (d's ranged from 0.26 to 0.58), which were maintained and improved at follow-up (d's from baseline ranged from 0.53 to 0.80). Of those who were above social anxiety cut-off at baseline (>75%), approximately 20% of participants in each group showed reliable and clinically significant changes in symptoms. No differences between the treatment conditions were found for social anxiety outcomes. Similarly, there were no measures that differentially mediated the effect of treatment condition on social anxiety. Furthermore, we did not find support for a theory-driven mediational model in which self-compassion reduced social anxiety through activation of the soothing system. Contrary to predictions and theory, neither self-criticism nor fear of self-compassion moderated the effect of the interventions. Although preliminary, the findings suggest that self-compassion techniques warrant further study as an additional means of reducing social anxiety.

Does the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale predict change in delusional beliefs?

The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) is composed of two subscales, self-reflectiveness and self-certainty, assessing reflectiveness and openness to feedback, and mental flexibility. Delusions have previously been associated with low cognitive insight. The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in BCIS scores predict changes in delusional beliefs. The study is a secondary analysis of a previously published randomized controlled trial. All participants had a psychotic disorder diagnosis and received treatment as usual, with half of them also receiving the cognitive restructuring intervention 'Michael's game'. Participants were assessed at three different times: at baseline (T1), at 3months (T2), and at 9months (T3). Cognitive insight was measured with the BCIS, belief flexibility with the Maudsley assessment of delusions schedule (MADS), and psychotic symptoms with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). A total of 172 participants took part in the trial. After using generalized estimating equation (GEE) modelling, we observed (1) significant main effects of BCIS self-certainty and Time and (2) significant Time×BCIS self-certainty and Time×treatment group interaction effects on belief flexibility. Improvements in self-certainty (i.e., decrease in scores) were associated with more changes in conviction over time, more accommodation, improved ability in ignoring or rejecting a hypothetical contradiction and increased use of verification of facts. Medication and BPRS total scores were controlled for in the GEE analyses at their baseline values. Overall improvement in BCIS self-certainty scores over time predicted better treatment outcomes as assessed with MADS items. Treatments for patients with psychosis should focus on improving cognitive insight as this seems to improve overall treatment outcomes and recovery. The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale can be used to measure changes during treatment and can predict treatment outcomes.