History Of Psychological Treatment Research Articles

The role of aggression in substance use: The prison case

Objectives: Substance use and aggressive behaviour pattern is considered as a serious criminal behaviour threat. This analytical cross-sectional study was designed to determine the level of aggression of convicts with substance use and to determine the variables predicting the substance use characteristics of convicts. Methods: The study was carried out with 255 male convicts in 2 different closed penal execution institutions in Izmir province. In order to measure demographic variables, data were collected using the Information Form, Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire and Addiction Profile Index. Results: When convicts were examined according to demographic variables, it was found that there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of variables such as age, marital status, domestic violence, history of psychological treatment and self-harm behaviour. The results showed that 85.5% of convicts had used cannabis more than three times in their lifetime. Also there was a significant difference between the total score obtained from the aggression scale and the number of substance types used. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary approach in the field of addiction can go a long way in solving the problem and will play an important role in the protection of society, individuals and victims.

Perinatal mental e-health: What is the profile of pregnant women interested in online assessment of their emotional state?

This study explores the profile of pregnant women interested in the online assessment of their emotional status according to their sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, history of psychopathology, and healthcare setting used (private vs. public). This is a comparative and descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were 281 Spanish pregnant women assessed with the MamáFeliz (HappyMom) website. Participants were probably to be unemployed, in a relationship, and generally had a high educational level and an intermediate economic status. Most of them were primiparous, had non-complicated natural pregnancies and presented healthy habits and good physical and emotional health, despite 31.3% of them had a history of psychological treatment. Our results reveal the profile of women interested in the online assessment of their emotional status, which can contribute to improving future initiatives to facilitate rapid screenings of perinatal mental health by nurses in both public and private settings.

Depression, anxiety, and clinical history in Spanish-speaking American patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) compared with Spanish-speaking American patients with epilepsy

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare Spanish-speaking American patients with epilepsy to Spanish-speaking American patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) on depression, anxiety, and other clinical variables. BackgroundResearch on Spanish-speaking American patients with epilepsy or PNES is relatively infrequent, with only a few studies on psychopathology in these two patient groups. Studies of English-speaking patients indicate that those with PNES present with greater depression and anxiety and report poorer quality of life (QOL) when compared with persons with epilepsy (PWEs). Similarly, although psychological trauma is observed in both groups, those with PNES appear to have more traumatic exposure compared with PWEs. MethodsThis is a retrospective study of 74 Spanish-speaking PWEs (49 women, 31 men) and 34 Spanish-speaking patients with PNES (28 women, 4 men) (2004 to 2017). The diagnosis of epilepsy or PNES was confirmed with video-EEG. Demographic and clinical (psychological trauma, history of psychological treatment, etc.) data were collected, and Spanish versions of the Beck Depression Inventory — second edition (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were completed by the patients. ResultsPatients with PWEs (M = 18.19, SD = 12.89) differed significantly from those with PNES on a measure of depression (BDI-II, (M = 24.12, SD = 11.20); t (92) = −2.22, p = 0.01). In addition, PWEs (M = 15.76, SD = 14.24) also differed significantly when compared with patients with PNES on a measure of anxiety (BAI, (M = 22.46, SD = 14.02); t (93) = −2.05, p = 0.02). Significant differences in clinical and demographic data were also noted. ConclusionsSpanish-speaking American patients with PNES were significantly more depressed and anxious and reported greater exposure to sexual trauma as compared with PWEs. Furthermore, patients with PNES tended to report more prediagnosis utilization of mental health services than PWEs. After adjusting for potential linear effects of other predictors (e.g., gender, age, seizure frequency, and psychological trauma), only a reported history of psychological trauma had a linear relationship with a depression score while higher seizure frequency and history of mental health treatment had linear relationships with an anxiety score.

Psychological predictors of body image concerns 3 months after bariatric surgery

BackgroundAlthough studies have associated postoperative weight loss with improvement in body image dissatisfaction, some individuals continue to report body image concerns after bariatric surgery. These concerns are linked to increased depressive symptoms and decreased self-esteem in bariatric populations. ObjectiveThis study sought to explore preoperative factors that may predict early body image concerns 3 months after bariatric surgery. SettingAcademic medical center. MethodData were analyzed from 229 patients evaluated for bariatric surgery who completed a 3-month postoperative psychology appointment and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Second Edition, Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). Scales measuring depression, persecution, self-doubt, and inadequacy were examined. Medical records were reviewed for demographic characteristics, psychotropic medication usage, history of psychological treatment, and current or lifetime depression diagnosis. ResultsPatients who preoperatively scored higher on demoralization (F [1, 227] = 35.40, P< .001), low positive emotions (F [1, 227] = 4.18, P< .05), ideas of persecution (F [1, 227] = 15.24, P< .001), self-doubt (F [1, 227] = 27.47, P< .001), and inefficacy (F [1, 227] = 21.34, P< .001) were significantly more likely to report body image concerns 3 months after bariatric surgery. Similarly, body image concerns were more common in patients with a preoperative depression diagnosis (χ2 = 8.76, P<.01), current psychotropic medication usage (χ2 = 7.13, P<.01), and history of outpatient therapy (χ2 = 8.34, P<.01) and psychotropic medication (χ2 = 9.66, P< .001). ConclusionBariatric surgery candidates with psychopathology and other psychological risk factors are more likely to report body image concerns early after bariatric surgery. Future research is warranted to determine whether this association remains further out from surgery.

Personality and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: Data From a Longitudinal Sample and Meta-Analysis.

Personality traits are associated with risk of dementia; less is known about their association with the trajectory of cognitive functioning. This research examines the association between the 5 major dimensions of personality and cognitive function and decline in older adulthood and includes a meta-analysis of published studies. Personality traits, objective and subjective memory, and cognitive status were collected in a large national sample (N = 13,987) with a 4-year follow-up period. For each trait, the meta-analysis pooled results from up to 5 prospective studies to examine personality and change in global cognition. Higher Neuroticism was associated with worse performance on all cognitive measures and greater decline in memory, whereas higher Conscientiousness and Openness were associated with better memory performance concurrently and less decline over time. All traits were associated with subjective memory. Higher Conscientiousness and lower Extraversion were associated with better cognitive status and less decline. Although modest, these associations were generally larger than that of hypertension, diabetes, history of psychological treatment, obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity. The meta-analysis supported the association between Neuroticism and Conscientiousness and cognitive decline. Personality is associated with cognitive decline in older adults, with effects comparable to established clinical and lifestyle risk factors.

Aspirations and wellbeing in Romanian and US undergraduates

Updating cross-cultural research of the past decade on the relationship between life aspirations and wellbeing, we compared Romanian (N=69) and US (N=64) undergraduates on the contribution of the importance and likelihood of attaining intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations to psychological maladjustment and life satisfaction, and on the qualitative meaning they assign to financial success. Similarly to prior studies, we found that extrinsic and intrinsic aspirations tended to be either negatively or positively correlated with life satisfaction, respectively; however, wealth predicted life satisfaction for Romanian students. Unlike previous research, we found generally negative relationships between intrinsic aspirations and psychological maladjustment. Although there were no differences between Romanian and US undergraduates on extrinsic and intrinsic orientation, on the overall importance of attaining aspirations, or on specific extrinsic and intrinsic aspirations, Romanian students expressed weaker expectations of fulfilling intrinsic aspirations than did US students. Finally, the groups produced similar rankings of aspirations and assigned similar meaning to financial success. The results favored a social cognitive rather than a self-determination model of psychological wellbeing in that expectations for attaining aspirations were more often predictive of life satisfaction than were their content. We interpret these findings and their convergence and departure from earlier research in terms of political economic, demographic, and cultural factors. We encourage future cross-cultural investigations of the social construction of aspirations, subsidiation of seemingly contradictory aspirations to each other, and cognitive and ecological mediation of the complex relationship of aspirations to psychological functioning.

Bulimic psychopathology and impulsive behaviors among nonclinical women.

There is evidence that bulimic diagnoses are associated with other impulsive behaviors. This study examines whether bulimic attitudes and behaviors show similar links to impulsive behaviors among nonclinical women. The participants were 53 women with no history of psychological treatment. Each completed two questionnaire measures: the Bulimic Investigatory Test and the Impulsive Behaviors Scale. Bulimic attitudes and behaviors among this nonclinical group were associated with impulsive behaviors overall. This link was principally with self-harming behaviors, although there was some association with alcohol/drug use. Bulimic psychopathology seems to be associated principally with behaviors that share functional similarity on some level (e.g., availability; immediacy of action). These findings need to be replicated in a clinical sample, but suggest a need for clear assessment of the full range of impulsive behaviors in bulimic women.