Measures Of Irrational Beliefs Research Articles

Gene-Environment Interactions in Irrational Beliefs: The Roles of Childhood Adversity and Multiple Candidate Genes.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the view that maladaptive thinking is the causal mechanism of mental disorders. While this view is supported by extensive evidence, very limited work has addressed the factors that contribute to the development of maladaptive thinking. The present study aimed to uncover interactions between childhood maltreatment and multiple genetic differences in irrational beliefs. Childhood maltreatment and irrational beliefs were assessed using multiple self-report instruments in a sample of healthy volunteers (N = 452). Eighteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in six candidate genes related to neurotransmitter function (COMT; SLC6A4; OXTR), neurotrophic factors (BDNF), and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (NR3C1; CRHR1). Gene-environment interactions (G×E) were first explored in models that employed one measure of childhood maltreatment and one measure of irrational beliefs. These effects were then followed up in models in which either the childhood maltreatment measure, the irrational belief measure, or both were substituted by parallel measures. Consistent results across models indicated that childhood maltreatment was positively associated with irrational beliefs, and these relations were significantly influenced by COMT rs165774 and OXTR rs53576. These results remain preliminary until independent replication, but they represent the best available evidence to date on G×E in a fundamental mechanism of psychopathology.

Alike but not the same: Psychological profiles of COVID-19 vaccine skeptics.

One of the challenges of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was a widespread skepticism about vaccination. To elucidate the underlying mental and emotional predispositions, we examined a sample of 1428 participants using latent profile analysis (LPA) on selected personality trait variables, mental health status, and measures of irrational beliefs. LPA revealed five distinct profiles: two classes of non-skeptics and three of skeptics. The smaller non-skeptic class reported the highest rates of mental health problems, along with high levels of neuroticism, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, and external locus of control. The larger non-skeptic class was psychologically well-balanced. Conversely, the skeptic groups shared strong distrust of COVID-19 vaccination but differed in emotional and mental profiles, leading to graded differences in endorsing extreme conspiracy beliefs. This suggests that vaccine skepticism is not solely a result of mental illness or emotional instability; rather extreme skepticism manifests as a nuanced, graded phenomenon contingent on personality traits and conspirational beliefs.

Face Validity

Face Validity

Assessing irrational beliefs reliably and quickly: Refining and shortening the Spanish version of the Attitudes and Beliefs Scale

The Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (ABS) is a widely used measure of irrational beliefs (IBs) but has important psychometric problems. Our objective is to improve the psychometric quality of a Spanish version of the scale. Classical test theory, item response theory, and confirmatory factor analyses were combined to obtain a shorter version of the scale using 2 samples: one from the general population (n= 565) and another with chronic pain (n= 514). Pearson correlations were performed with IBs, personality and health measures to investigate sources of construct validity. After eliminating half of the items (12), the factorial fit of the scale became very good (RMSEA< .08; CFI and TLI> .95). IBs were associated with more neuroticism (.21≤ r≤ .61, p≤ .001) and poorer mental health (-.17≤ r≤ -.56, p≤ .001), as well as a less extraversion and conscientiousness (-.14≤ r≤ -.41, p≤ .01). These results were replicated in both samples, but IBs were only associated with poorer physical health in the general population sample. The shortened Spanish version of the ABS is a valid and reliable instrument that can be rapidly administered in clinical settings.

Irrational Beliefs and Self-Management as Separable Predictors of Anxiety and Depression

Irrational beliefs and self-management are both cognitive-behavioral constructs that are integral in modern Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy and Self-Management Therapy, respectively. Both irrational beliefs and self-management have been linked to anxiety and depression, and there is evidence for their usefulness for these types of distress. This is the first study to consider irrational beliefs and self-management as simultaneous predictors of anxiety and depression. An outpatient clinical sample (n = 51) completed measures of irrational beliefs, self-management, and emotional symptoms. Results indicated that as simultaneous predictors of fear and worry, self-management did not account for any additional variance accounted for by irrational beliefs. However, both irrational beliefs and self-management predicted unique variance in depression, negative affect, and positive affect. Exploratory analyses with single diagnosis (n = 26) and multiple diagnoses (n = 25) subsamples provided some divergent results. These results are discussed in terms of case conceptualization and potential future applications in the treatment of affective disorders, in particular depression.

Examining the effects of rational emotive behavior therapy on performance outcomes in elite paralympic athletes.

Traditionally a psychotherapeutic intervention, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is receiving increasing attention within the extant literature as an intervention to enhance the athletic performance and psychological well-being of competitive athletes. Whilst the benefits of REBT on psychological health are established, less is understood about the effects on athletic performance. This study aimed to examine the immediate and maintained effects of REBT on physiological, psychological, and performance outcomes with elite Paralympic athletes. Using a single-case research design, eight athletes recruited from the same Paralympic sport (M=40.12, SD=12.99) received five, one-to-one REBT sessions. Measures of irrational beliefs were collected weekly, whereas the remaining psychological and physiological measures were collected at a pre-, post-, and at a 9-month follow-up time point. Visual and statistical analyzes of the data indicates reductions in irrational beliefs were coupled with reductions in systolic blood pressure indicative of an adaptive physiological response, improved athletic performance during competition simulations, and reductions in avoidance goals. Furthermore, social validation data indicated greater self-awareness, emotional control, and enhanced focus during competition as a result of the REBT intervention. This study contributes to growing literature supporting the efficacy of REBT as an intervention that not only facilitates psychological health but also enhances athletic performance. Results are discussed with reference to theory, limitations, and future recommendations.

Cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness based stress reduction may be equally effective in reducing anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorders

Anxiety and depression co-occur in 50–70% of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but treatment methods for these comorbid problems have not been systematically studied. Recently, two ASD-tailored protocols were published: mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). We wanted to investigate if both methods are equally effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms among adults with ASD. 59 adults with ASD and anxiety or depression scores above 7 on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, gave informed consent to participate; 27 followed the CBT protocol, and 32 the MBSR treatment protocol. Anxiety and depression scores, autism symptoms, rumination, and global mood were registered at the start, at the end of the 13-week treatment period, and at 3-months follow-up. Irrational beliefs and mindful attention awareness were used as process measures during treatment and at follow-up. Results indicate that both MBSR and CBT are associated with a reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms among adults with ASD, with a sustained effect at follow-up, but without a main effect for treatment group. A similar pattern was seen for the reduction of autistic symptoms, rumination and the improvement in global mood. There are some indications that MBSR may be preferred over CBT with respect to the treatment effect on anxiety when the scores on measures of irrational beliefs or positive global mood at baseline are high. Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapies are both promising treatment methods for reducing comorbid anxiety and depression in adults with ASD.

Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, and Irrational Beliefs

Assumptions associated with Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) suggest that self-compassion, but not self-esteem, should be incompatible with irrational beliefs and with the emotional disturbances that they produce. In this study, 184 university students responded to a self-compassion scale along with measures of irrational beliefs, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. As expected, self-compassion correlated negatively with irrationality, predicted better mental health, and explained inverse connections of self-esteem with irrational beliefs. In support of REBT, the irrationality of low frustration tolerance also partially mediated the inverse self-compassion relationship with anxiety. Other findings for self-esteem and for the irrational belief of self-worth, nevertheless, suggested complexities for the REBT conceptual framework. These data most importantly confirmed self-compassion as part of what REBT would describe as an effective personal philosophy.

Role of irrational beliefs in depression and anxiety: a review

Irrational beliefs play a central role in cognitive theory and therapy; they have been shown to be related to a variety of disorders such as depression and anxiety. Irrational beliefs, which can be assessed via clinical interviewing techniques, are frequently assessed by self-report measures, both clinically and for research purposes. Much of the research demonstrating the effect of irrational beliefs has utilized such measures. The present article reviews the empirical work on irrational beliefs assessment and identifies 25 scales and techniques. The measures are organized according to their theoretical affiliation (i.e., either the Ellis or Beck model), with the goal of providing investigators a source to identify the available tests, their shortcomings, and potential applications. The authors conclude with recommendations which would strengthen empirical cohesion and precision in the measurement of irrational beliefs.

Criterion validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Irrational Beliefs (MSIB) with respect to anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction

Using a sample of 200 participants, this study seeks to establish criterion validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Irrational Beliefs (MSIB), a newly developed, purely cognitive measure of irrational beliefs. As predicted by Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, scores on the MSIB are correlated highly and positively with scores on Beck’s Depression Inventory and the trait scale of the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory. Moreover, analyses revealed medium-sized negative correlations with life satisfaction. Each of these relations is shown to be unaffected by age, sex, and social desirability. Differential associations between subdimensions of the MSIB with criteria are discussed regarding the separability of irrationality concepts.

Psychometric Properties of the Belief Scale

Abstract. This study examined psychometric properties of the Belief Scale - a 20-item self-report measure of irrational beliefs as conceptualized in rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Data were available from 293 inpatients. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the items of the Belief Scale formed eight distinct irrational belief components which were related to one higher order factor. The Belief Scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency and concurrent validity. In support of the discriminant validity, items of the Belief Scale and indices of psychopathology clustered into two distinct factors in exploratory factor analysis. In support of the construct validity, scores on the Belief Scale decreased more in patients who underwent training in REBT during their inpatient treatment than in those who did not.

Irrational beliefs and unconditional self-acceptance. I. Correlational evidence linking two key features of REBT

In a study with 102 non-clinical adults, relationships between measures of irrational beliefs, unconditional self-acceptance, self-esteem and the Big-5 personality dimensions were investigated. As expected, unconditional self-acceptance was highly correlated with self-esteem. In line with key tenets of REBT, individuals who scored highly on unconditional self-acceptance scored low on irrational beliefs even after self-esteem had been partialled out. Unconditional self-acceptance was found to be significantly (negatively) correlated with Neuroticism but not with other Big-5 personality dimensions. Irrational beliefs were found to correlate positively with Neuroticism and negatively with Openness. Factor analysis of the unconditional self-acceptance scale did not show a simple one-dimensional structure. A revised version of the scale comprising those items that did not load on a self-esteem factor produced a purer measure of unconditional self-acceptance that did not correlate significantly with self-esteem. The findings have implications for investigating unconditional self-acceptance in studies of therapeutic outcome.

The Irrational Beliefs Inventory: Cross-Cultural Comparisons between South African and Previously Published Dutch and American Samples

The Irrational Beliefs Inventory gives a measure of irrational beliefs, as postulated by Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior therapy. Given the increasing cross-cultural use of psychometric scales, it is important to assess whether the psychometric properties of the inventory are consistent across cultures. In the present study cross-cultural applicability, in terms of internal consistency and independence of subscales, was investigated for an ad hoc sample of White (n= 100, M age = 21.3 yr., SD=4.0) and Black (n=82, M age=19.8 yr., SD=2.2) undergraduate South African university students. Cronbach coefficients alpha for the subscales and Pearson correlations between subscales for American and Dutch students, as reported by Bridges and Sanderman, were compared with those indices for the South African students. The magnitude and rank order of Cronbach alpha, as well as the correlations between subscales for the three groups showed strong similarities. Values of alpha for the Black South African students were lower in magnitude on all subscales than those for American, Dutch, and White South African samples, but intercorrelations between subscale scores were consistent. Findings in the present study are supportive of the cross-cultural applicability of the Irrational Beliefs Inventory to White South African students but not to South African Black students.

A psychometric evaluation of the irrational beliefs inventory in a marital context

The measurement of irrational beliefs has been problematic because of contamination by neuroticism, low reliability, and poor factor structure. Koopmans, Sanderson, Timmerman, and Emmelkamp (1994) developed the Irrational Beliefs Inventory (IBI) to address these issues. As yet, few studies have validated its properties. The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the IBI with an Australian, married sample (N = 127). The findings were consistent with Koopmans et al.; specifically, the results indicated the IBI is (a) is reasonably distinct from neuroticism, (b) is reliable, and (c) measures five constructs. Evidence indicated that the Emotional Irresponsibility subscale may need revision. The IBI correlated in the expected direction with both individual and relationship variables.

An Evaluation of Two Types of Cognitive Intervention in the Management of Chronic Tinnitus

Fifty-four subjects with chronic distressing tinnitus were randomly allocated to one of four experimental treatment conditions: (1) attention control and imagery training (AC1); (2) cognitive restructuring (CR); (3) combined attention control and imagery training plus cognitive restructuring (ACI + CR); and (4) a waiting list control (WLC). Significant overall improvements were found on measures of distress associated with tinnitus, and on a number of other measures of cognition and coping strategies. These improvements were maintained at the six-month follow-up. Relative to the WLC, the three treatment conditions (combined) were associated with improvements in tinnitus-related distress, reductions in tinnitus-related dysfunctional cognitions and an increase in the frequency of use of coping strategies. There was a significant effect in favour of the ACI group compared to the CR group on the measure of irrational beliefs. The analyses also revealed that the combined treatment condition (ACI + CR) showed significantly greater improvement on a measure of psychological distress and achieved a higher clinical response rate compared to the two single treatments. There were significant improvements from pretreatment to follow-up on some measures, although the mean scores revealed that some of the gains had been lost at this stage on the main measure of tinnitus-related distress. There were no significant group X time effects for any of the dependent variables at the six-month follow-up. The results were interpreted as supporting the practice of combining the two cognitive approaches.

Irrational beliefs, individualism-collectivism, and adjustment

Ellis (1994) has argued that a failure to actualize both personal individualism and social collectivism is irrational and leads to maladjustment. In a test of these assumptions, two measures of irrational beliefs—the Survey of Personal Beliefs (SPB) and the Belief Scale—were correlated with indices of individualism, collectivism, and psychosocial adjustment. Both individualism and collectivism had positive and negative mental health implications. Values associated with each covaried directly. The validity of several SPB subscales was challenged, but data for especially the Belief Scale confirmed that individualistic and socially oriented forms of actualization can be part of a balanced functioning of personality.

Cluster Analysis of Narcissistic Personality Disorders on the MCMI-II

Theoretical notions of narcissistic personality disorder have failed to reach a consensus on the nature of the disorder. Factor analytic studies on narcissism as a personality trait have failed to yield one factor but have repeatedly produced factors with both negative and positive emotional qualities. Such results raise questions concerning the validity of narcissism as a trait and as a personality disorder. This study completed a cluster analysis of the Millón Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II (MCMI-II) subscales for psychotherapy clients who scored above 85 on the Narcissistic Personality Scale of the MCMI-II. The best fit was a three cluster solution. A discriminant function analysis correctly identified 97% of the clients in the correct cluster. These clusters were named the “true narcissist,” the “compensating narcissist,” and the “detached Narcissist.” The three groups also differed on other scales at intake including the General Health Questionnaire, the General Psychological Well Being Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory (brief form), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a measure of irrational beliefs. Although all three clusters were characterized by self-centeredness and a sense of entitlement, two clusters experienced no emotional distress, and one was characterized by social detachment. Future research should focus on elucidating different subtypes of narcissism and abandon the notion that all narcissists experience negative affectivity or are emotionally vulnerable.

Procrastination as revenge: Do people report using delays as a strategy for vengeance?

Procrastination may be a means of getting revenge for mistreatment by others or inequities from life. Across two samples, the relation between procrastination and revenge was assessed. In Sample 1, 263 college students completed self-reported inventories on revenge and decisional and behavioral procrastination. Revenge was significantly related to decisional procrastination, behavioral procrastination, and dysfunctional procrastination. In a second sample, 277 other college students completed the procrastination and revenge scales, plus measures of irrational beliefs and just world. Results indicated that only a just world belief was related significantly with decisional, behavioral, and dysfunctional procrastination. Irrational beliefs and revenge were not significantly related to procrastination in this sample. Taken together, these studies indicate that people may not openly admit the use of “procrastination as revenge,” and the relation between these personality variables is tentative at best.

The empirical status of irrational beliefs in rational emotive therapy

This paper reviews recent studies of rational emotive therapy (RET) to determine whether there is empirical evidence to support the assertion that the reasons for therapeutic gains in RET are via changing irrational to rational beliefs. Before such issues can be examined, problems with the definition and measurement of irrational beliefs are first discussed and the evidence pertaining to the validity of current measures is addressed. Treatment outcome studies using RET published between 1982 and 1988 were examined. While RET has been shown to be relatively efficacious, no evidence was found to support the assertion that the mechanism for the efficacy of RET is via change of irrational beliefs to rational beliefs.

The Relation between Career Indecision and Irrational Beliefs among University Students

This study examined the relation between career indecision and irrational beliefs. One hundred and fifty-three black undergraduate students completed the Career Decision Scale (CDS) and two measures of irrational beliefs: the Idea Inventory (IINV) and the Career Myths Scale (CMS). The results indicated that the CDS was significantly related to the Self-Esteem Myths and Worry Myths components of the IINV, but not significantly related to the CMS components. These findings suggest that further research into the relation between cognitive factors, such as irrational beliefs, and career indecision holds promise.