Self-report Measures Of Depression Research Articles

Symptom validity indices for the Beck Depression Inventory-II: development and cross-validation in research and clinical samples

Objective: The present study sought to cross validate the recently developed total score cut-off for the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and identify additional embedded symptom validity indices within this commonly used self-report depression measure. Methods: Study 1 included a research sample of 379 veterans with diagnostic subgroups of Current and Lifetime Depression and Current and Lifetime Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Study 2 included a clinical sample of 224 veterans with diagnostic subgroups of Current Depression, Lifetime Depression, and No Depression. Three embedded BDI-II symptom validity indices were examined in the total samples and subgroups: the BDI-II Symptom Severity Scale (total raw score), BDI-II Extreme Symptom Scale (summed frequency of extreme responses), and the BDI-II Rare Items Scale (summed frequency of rarely endorsed items). Validity indices from the Personality Assessment Inventory were utilized in both studies, with the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test also used in Study 1. Results: In Study 1, BDI-II validity index cut-off scores had to be adjusted the highest for the Current Depression or Current PTSD subgroups. The cut-offs were associated with sensitivity rates ranging from 0.12 to 0.53 and specificity rates ranging from 0.90 to 0.96. In Study 2, cut-offs had to be adjusted, the highest for the Current Depression subgroup. Identified cut-offs had sensitivity rates ranging from 0.22 to 0.65 and specificity rates ranging from 0.89 to 0.95. Conclusions: This study supports the use of all three proposed BDI-II embedded symptom validity indices.

Experiences with discrimination during pregnancy in Canada and associations with depression and anxiety symptoms.

Experiences of discrimination reported during pregnancy are common and are associated with poor mental health and adverse birth outcomes. No Canadian studies have investigated interpersonal discrimination during pregnancy. This study aimed to quantify and identify lived-experiences of discrimination in a Canadian cohort of pregnant individuals, and examine associations with concurrent prenatal anxiety and depression symptoms. Pregnant individuals from the pan-Canadian Pregnancy During the Pandemic (PdP) study (n = 1943) completed the Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS), demographic measures and self-report measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. Descriptive statistics and ANCOVA were used to assess prevalence of discrimination and associated mental health outcomes. Open-text responses (n = 189) to a question investigating reasons for discrimination were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Approximately three quarters (72%) of pregnant individuals experienced at least one instance of discrimination during their pregnancy or within the year prior. Pregnant individuals experiencing more frequent and/or more types of discrimination were more likely to identify as non-white, not be partnered, have lower socioeconomic status, and have a pre-pregnancy history of anxiety and depression. The most common attributions for interpersonal discrimination were gender, age, and education/income level. Pregnant individuals who experienced more frequent discrimination and/or more types of discrimination were more likely to report clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety (n = 623; 35.2% and 49.1%, respectively) compared to those who reported no discrimination (n = 539; 11.5% and 19.1%, respectively). Conventional content analysis of open-text responses generated the following main themes: (1) personal attributes and sociodemographic characteristics, (2) occupation, (3) the COVID-19 pandemic, (4) pregnancy and parenting, and (5) causes outside the self. Frequent discrimination was associated with more adverse concurrent mental health symptoms. Understanding experiences of discrimination can inform interventions that better address the needs of pregnant individuals and their infants.

Beyond Reading: Psychological and Mental Health Needs in Adolescents with Dyslexia.

Overall, children and adolescents diagnosed with dyslexia or ADHD show an increased risk for psychological and mental health problems, and dyslexia and ADHD tend to coexist frequently. Thus, the main objective of this study was to examine psychological and mental health problems in dyslexia. Participated 95 adolescents with dyslexia (DG), comorbid dyslexia + attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined subtype (D + ADHD-CG), and a comparison group with typical development (TDCG). Self-reported measures of anxiety and depression, and parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used. Self-reports of internalizing problems showed that adolescents in the GD and D + ADHD-CG groups had more depression and stated anxiety problems with a very high percentage above the clinical cut-off point than the CG. Both the parent and teacher reports showed that the DG and D + ADHD-CG groups obtained higher mean values and a higher number of adolescents above the clinical cut-off of internalizing, externalizing, and total problems than the TDCG. The comorbid D + ADHD-CG group had the highest internalizing and externalizing problems. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the internalizing and externalizing problems experienced by adolescents with dyslexia and comorbid ADHD should be recognized early and treated promptly by education professionals.

Emotional difficulties mediate the impact of adverse childhood experiences on compulsive buying-shopping problems.

Compulsive buying-shopping is recognised as a significant mental health concern, yet its aetiology is largely understudied. A known risk factor for compulsive buying-shopping is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are also associated with greater problems regulating emotions, as well as depression and anxiety. These factors are also known to be associated with compulsive buying-shopping problems. In this study, we aimed to test a serial mediation model in which ACEs were associated with compulsive buying-shopping problems via emotion dysregulation, and then emotional psychopathology (depression, anxiety). We tested this model cross-sectionally in two large samples (N = 1,868 & 4,742) to evaluate the robustness of the model. Both samples completed self-report measures of ACEs, emotional dysregulation, compulsive buying, depression, and anxiety symptoms. We found support for indirect effects, and all results were consistent for both samples. ACEs predicted greater emotion dysregulation, which then predicted greater depression and anxiety. In turn, anxiety (but not depression) predicted compulsive buying symptoms. Emotion dysregulation and anxiety consistently mediated the relationship between ACEs and compulsive buying symptoms. Both emotion dysregulation and anxiety represent malleable targets in clinical interventions for compulsive buying-shopping problems. Our findings also suggest that anxiety may be a stronger predictor of compulsive buying compared to depression, which may be an important avenue for future researchers to investigate.

Adapting behavioral activation for patients receiving medications for opioid use disorder in primary care: a pilot study.

Effective adjunctive therapeutic treatments for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) on medication for OUD (MOUD) in primary care settings are needed to address high rates of mental illness and stress. Behavioral activation (BA) is a brief, evidence-based therapy that has potential to improve quality of life in people with OUD. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of values-based BA (VBA) as an adjunct treatment for patients receiving MOUD in primary care. Participants were recruited for a single-arm pilot trial of BA in a primary care setting. VBA was adapted for people with OUD and included 4-6 sessions delivered over 12 weeks with a behavioral health consultant, either in-person or virtually. Feasibility was assessed as recruitment percent and pace and retention percent. Acceptability was assessed with the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8). Participants completed self-report measures of well-being, depression, substance use, and psychological processes of change at baseline, mid-intervention (6-weeks), and post-intervention (12-weeks). Participants engaged in a brief interview about their experiences at the end of the intervention. Twenty-one participants enrolled in the intervention (66.7% female, M age = 44.0 years, 19% of those invited). Participants completed an average of 5.1 BA sessions (SD = 1.6) and most (90%) were retained through 12 weeks. Participants rated the intervention as highly acceptable on the CSQ-8 (M = 30.4/32.0, SD = 1.6). In qualitative interviews, participants reported that working with the therapist and setting values-based goals were helpful, while also recommending more tailoring to patients' needs and offering the program early in MOUD treatment. Preliminary efficacy data suggest the program was associated with small to moderate improvements in life satisfaction (Cohen's d = 0.25) and positive affect (d = 0.62), whereas there were no changes in depression (d = 0.09) or negative affect (d = -0.07) in a group with low depression at baseline. VBA adapted for patients on MOUD in primary care was feasible to deliver and acceptable to participants. Minor modifications to the target population and treatment manual could increase the program's impact. Future studies will test the efficacy of the intervention in improving quality of life and OUD treatment outcomes. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05262725, Unique ID: NCT05262725.

Ethnic-racial identity latent profiles protect against racial discrimination in Black American adults.

This study examined how ethnic-racial identity (ERI) profiles moderate the relationship between racial discrimination and mental health among Black American adults. Black American adults (n = 247) recruited from a community-based sample completed self-report measures of ERI, racial discrimination, depression, psychological distress, and emotional well-being. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four distinct ERI profiles, corresponding to the ERI status theorized in prior research-Diffusion, Moratorium, and Achievement-and a fourth profile, which corresponded to an ERI status for High Achievement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that greater racial discrimination was significantly related to worse mental health for all outcomes and that having an ERI profile of High Achievement was significantly associated with lower depression. Moderation analysis indicated that the ERI profile for Achievement protected against depression and psychological distress in the context of high racial discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Influence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Severity on Return to Substance Use Immediately Following Residential Substance Use Treatment

AbstractThe period immediately following residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is characterized by high rates of return to substance use. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent among individuals in residential SUD treatment and is a primary motive for substance use among individuals with co-occurring PTSD and SUD. Addressing important gaps in the literature, the current study examined the role of PTSD severity on days of substance use during the 30 days immediately following residential SUD treatment over and above demographic, SUD, and clinical factors associated with return to substance use. Participants (N = 65, Mage = 40.6, 52% women, 79% white) completed semi-structured diagnostic interviews for PTSD and SUD and self-report measures of demographics and depression while in residential SUD treatment (approximately one week before discharge), and then a follow-up assessment (timeline follow-back for substance use) approximately one month after discharge. Greater PTSD severity was associated with more days of substance use in the 30 days immediately following residential SUD treatment over and above demographic (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, employment, housing insecurity), SUD (i.e., alcohol, stimulant, opioid, cannabis, and sedative/hypnotic/anxiolytic use disorder severity), and clinical (i.e., depression severity) factors. Findings underscore the importance of PTSD assessment and intervention during residential SUD treatment and re-entry planning to assist in mitigating return to substance use during community reintegration.

B - 93 The Role of ex-Gaussian Parameters and Apathy in Reward Sensitivity Using a Modified Probabilistic Learning Task

Abstract Objective The current study examined the associations of apathy with attentional processes, indicated by ex-Gaussian (Ex-G) parameters of sensorimotor response speed and reward learning. Methods One hundred college-aged participants (M age = 20.32; SD = 3.69; 69 female) completed self-report measures of depression, apathy, and attentional control. Laboratory tasks included a choice reaction time (RT) task and a modified probabilistic learning task to assess sensorimotor processing and reward sensitivity. In the probabilistic learning task, participants selected the symbol associated with a high probability of gaining a monetary reward. Choice RT data were fit with Ex-G models, from which the parameter τ (bootstrapped sampling, 1000 iterations) was derived and used as the index of attentional lapses. Results A non-linear relationship was found between apathy and reward learning. Hierarchical regression was used to examine linear and higher-order relationships between apathy and behavioral indices (Ex-G τ and reward sensitivity). Results show that apathy explained none of the variance in reward learning (β = −0.005, p = 0.792, [bootstrapCI = −0.037, 0.026]). Incorporating apathy2 into the model led to significant R2 change (0.086), F(2, 89) = 0.4.142, p = 0.019, suggesting that as apathy increases, reward learning increases (β =0.006, p = 0.002, bootstrapCI = 0.002, 0.010]). Moreover, when controlling for depression, τ significantly contributes to the model, F(3, 89) = 4.142, p = 0.019, R2 = 0.17. Interactive effects revealed that at higher levels of apathy, higher Ex-G τ significantly decreases reward sensitivity (β = −0.003, p = 0.037, 95% bootstrapCI = [−0.006, −002]). Conclusions Higher levels of apathy and attentional lapses jointly reduced reward sensitivity, highlighting the role of task disengagement in apathy.

Feasibility, acceptability and outcomes of a contextual schema therapy-based mobile program for depressive symptoms in adults

BackgroundGiven the high prevalence of depression worldwide, there is a pressing need for increasing treatment accessibility and identifying treatment modalities that can sustainably address depression. The present study aims to test the feasibility, acceptability, outcomes and mechanisms of a brief online self-help program for depressive symptoms in adults (nCompass), based on Contextual Schema Therapy principles. Method102 participants scoring above 14 on the Beck Depression Inventory – Second Version were recruited online and randomly allocated to either the 15-day nCompass intervention or a self-administered online psychoeducation group. Participants filled in self-report measures of depression, schema coping and psychological flexibility at baseline, immediately following the intervention and at a two-week follow-up. Additionally, nCompass participants were administered an instrument measuring the acceptability of the program. ResultsThe nCompass intervention was overall feasible and acceptable, with most participants completing the intervention and assessing it as easy to use, satisfactory and useful. Furthermore, results indicate higher decreases in depression and schema coping in the nCompass group by follow-up, compared to the control group. Changes in depressive symptoms from pre-test to post-test and follow-up in the nCompass group were explained by changes in surrender coping. There were no significant differences in psychological flexibility between the groups at either post-test or follow-up. DiscussionOur results highlight the nCompass program as a promising option for treating depressive symptoms in the general population.

Severe Cognitive Impairment in Trauma-Affected Refugees-Exploring the Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background/Objectives: This study explores the relationship between cognitive performance measured by the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and the severity of self-reported head injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, pain, and psychosocial dysfunction in a population of trauma-affected refugees. Refugees, especially those who have been subjected to torture, often face various difficulties, such as PTSD, depression and somatic disturbances (e.g., pain), which can significantly impact their day-to-day functioning. Methods: Participants included 141 adult refugees (38% women) with a mean age of 45.4 years (SD = 9.4) and 9.7 years (SD = 4.9) of education who were referred for treatment of post-traumatic distress to DIGNITY, Danish Institute Against Torture. Participants completed standardized self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, pain, and health-related disability and measures of trauma history, physical injuries including head injury and loss of consciousness, and the SDMT, a quick standardized performance-based measure of cognitive impairment. Results: Eighty-eight percent of participants evidenced signs of substantial cognitive impairment as indexed by lower SDMT scores. Those with a self-reported history of TBI, marked by loss of consciousness, exhibited lower SDMT scores and higher health-related disabilities. Severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and pain were highly correlated with lower SDMT scores. TBI history was not significantly associated with the severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, or pain, suggesting a complex interplay among these factors. Conclusions: Cognitive impairments are prevalent in trauma-affected refugees, interacting with symptoms of post-traumatic stress and pain, likely explaining the high disability levels in this population. Further research should employ a broader range of cognitive measures and detailed investigations of head injury/TBI experiences to investigate their impact on overall functioning, treatment response, and longer-term outcomes. This study adds to a small but growing body of studies documenting cognitive impairments in trauma-affected refugees, highlighting the importance of addressing cognitive impairments in treatment for trauma-affected refugees, particularly those with histories of torture and TBI. Clinicians working with trauma-affected refugees should consider the assessment of cognitive difficulties as part of comprehensive care planning.

A bioecological longitudinal study of depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 36 months postpartum

PurposeDepressive symptoms during the perinatal period have broad and enduring health implications for birthing parents and their offspring. Rising prevalence rates of perinatal depression highlight the need for research examining factors influencing depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and trajectories during the early postnatal period. Grounded in bioecological systems theory, this longitudinal multimethod study examined whether prenatal bioecological factors predict depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 36 months postpartum. MethodsParticipants were 162 pregnant individuals, oversampled for high emotion dysregulation, who completed a life stress interview and physiological assessment during the 3rd trimester and a self-report measure of depression at five time-points (3rd trimester, within 48 h of birth, 7, 18, and 36 months postpartum). Multilevel models were used to test study aims. ResultsParticipants exhibited the highest levels of depressive symptoms at 3rd trimester, and substantial variability in depressive symptom trajectories over time. Lower resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic nervous system functioning, in the 3rd trimester was associated with higher concurrent depressive symptoms. Higher levels of stress related to partner relationships, finances, and health were concurrently associated with more depressive symptoms during pregnancy and decreases in depressive symptoms over time. Specifically, depressive symptoms decreased only for individuals who reported high levels of stress during pregnancy. LimitationsAlthough grounded in bioecological systems theory, this study did not assess the macrosystem. ConclusionsResults of this study underscore the importance of multilevel predictors of perinatal health and highlights potential targets for preventing depression and promoting well-being during the perinatal transition.

Direct Losses and Media Exposure to Death: The Long-Term Effect of Mourning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The social distancing policies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to confront their mortality and worry about losing loved ones, making it impossible to say goodbye to them properly. Those not directly experiencing loss were inundated with information about COVID-19-related deaths throughout social media, leading to vicarious grief. This study delved into the long-term effects of direct and vicarious mourning on people's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A sample of 171 adults (65% female) aged 19-66 years (Mage = 25.8, SD = 8.57) voluntarily participated in an online survey assessing self-reported psychological measures of complicated grief, stress, depression, dispositional neuroticism, trait anxiety, and situational anxiety. Results: MANOVAs revealed that direct mourning experiences had an extremely severe impact on anxiety, stress, and fear of COVID-19, and a moderate effect on those without personal losses. Indeed, participants reporting high media exposure showed higher scores of depression and stress. Conclusions: Findings from the current study displayed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people engaged more in proximal defenses than distal ones, taking health-protective measures, experiencing increased anxiety levels toward virus infection, and feeling distressed. Additionally, vicarious mourning was more strongly associated with depression due to emotional empathy with others.

Web-Based Therapist-Guided Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and stand-alone mindfulness meditation interventions are gaining empirical support for a wide variety of mental health conditions. In this study, we test the efficacy of web-based therapist-guided mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-M) for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by preoccupations with perceived defects in appearance. This study aims to determine whether CBT-M for BDD delivered on the web is feasible and acceptable and whether mindfulness meditation adds to CBT treatment effects for BDD. In this 8-week, 2-arm, parallel pilot randomized controlled trial, n=28 adults (aged between 18 and 55 years) were randomly allocated to an experimental group (web-based therapist-guided CBT-M) or a control group (web-based therapist-guided CBT). Study retention, accrual, and intervention adherence were assessed, along with self-report measures for BDD, depression, anxiety, and pain intensity taken at baseline and postintervention. This study was feasible to implement and deemed acceptable by participants. After 8 weeks, significant improvements were found on all outcome measures for both treatment groups, and large between-group effect sizes favoring CBT-M were found for BDD symptom severity (d=-0.96), depression (d=-1.06), pain severity (d=-1.12), and pain interference (d=-1.28). However, linear mixed models demonstrated no significant differences between the groups over 8 weeks. The results suggest that mindfulness meditation may add to beneficial web-based CBT treatment effects for BDD. An adequately powered randomized control trial of web-based CBT-M is warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05402475, http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05402475.

When Adding One Questionnaire Item Makes a Difference: Representing the Theme of Feeling Cared About in the Expanded General Mattering Scale (The GMS-6)

Converging lines of evidence suggest that a feeling of being cared for and cared about is a key element of the feeling of mattering to other people. In the current article, we summarized theoretical observations and the findings of research investigations that indicate that the feeling of being cared about is central to the mattering construct. We then evaluated the role of feeling cared for in an extended six-item General Mattering Scale (GMS-6). A sample of 276 university students completed the GMS-6 and self-report measures of depression and loneliness. Psychometric tests established that a six-item version has one factor and enhanced internal consistency. Correlational analyses confirmed that mattering is associated negatively with depression and loneliness. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the additional focus on feeling cared about predicts unique variance in depression and loneliness beyond the considerable amount of variance predicted by the original GMS. The lack of feeling cared as measured by the GMS-6 was established as especially relevant to loneliness. Our discussion focuses on key directions for future research and for the need for a greater emphasis on caring as part of mattering from a construct validity perspective.

Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD in a HMO Psychiatry Clinic: An Open Trial

Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches have shown promise as alternative interventions to trauma-focused therapies for PTSD. This open trial examined the potential effectiveness of an 8-session Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group in reducing psychiatric symptoms and improving quality of life in outpatient adults (N = 86, 79% female) receiving treatment for PTSD in a health maintenance organization (HMO) psychiatry clinic. The group therapy was an adjunct to usual care and utilized the six core processes of ACT: acceptance, cognitive defusion, mindfulness, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Participants completed self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety and quality of life; and self-report ACT-specific process measures of acceptance, cognitive defusion and mindfulness at pretreatment, posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. Repeated measures analyses of variance conducted with a completer sample (n = 55) demonstrated significant improvements on all variables with medium to large effect sizes at posttreatment and follow-up. The study findings support further investigation in a randomized controlled trial.

Negative attention bias and attentional control as mechanisms in the association between insomnia and depression in young people

Evidence supports a causal role of insomnia in the development and maintenance of depression, yet mechanisms underlying this association in young people are not well established. Attention biases have been implicated separately in the sleep and depression fields and represents an important candidate mechanism. Poor sleep may lead to a negative attention bias (characteristic of depression) by impacting attentional control. This study assessed the hypothesis that attentional control and negative attention bias would sequentially mediate the relationship between insomnia and depressive symptoms in an unselected sample of young people (17–24 years). Concerns have been raised regarding the psychometric properties of tasks used to measure attention bias, and a Dual-Probe Task is emerging as a more reliable measure. Participants (N = 275, Male = 59, Mage = 19.40) completed the Dual-Probe Task, a behavioural measure of attentional control, and self-report measures of insomnia and depression. Participants completed a one-week sleep diary. Results were consistent with negative attention bias, but not attentional control, as a mechanism which partially accounts for the relationship between sleep (i.e., insomnia severity, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep latency) and depression. This study highlights sleep and negative attention bias as potentially modifiable risk factors to reduce depressive symptoms in young people.

Weekly links among irritability and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in high-risk youth.

Previous studies demonstrate a link between irritability and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in youth samples. However, they have mostly assessed irritability in community samples and as a largely dispositional (i.e. trait-like) construct. Thus, it remains unclear to what extent links between irritability and STBs reflect within-person processes of elevated risk in clinically meaningful time periods. The present study used clinical data from 689 adolescents aged 12-19 years attending a total of 6,128 visits at a specialty Intensive Outpatient Program for depressed and suicidal youth to examine patterns in weekly assessments of irritability and STBs throughout treatment, including associations among trends and fluctuations departing from these trends via multilevel structural equation modeling. Youth completed self-report measures of irritability, depression, and STBs weekly as part of standard IOP clinical care. Overall, two-thirds of variance in weekly irritable mood was accounted for by between-person differences and the remaining portion by weekly fluctuations. After controlling for depression, during weeks when youth were more irritable they experienced increased STBs. Rates of change in irritability and STBs tended to track together at early stages of treatment, but these effects were generally accounted for by depression severity. Our results suggest that although changes in STBs are best accounted for by depression, irritability can be understood as a specific, proximal risk factor for youth STBs that exacerbates youth STBs in clinically informative timeframes above and beyond depression.

Posttraumatic cognitions about the self are associated with depression symptoms in veterans endorsing a history of assaultive military sexual trauma.

Depressive symptoms are a commonly observed yet understudied mental health sequalae of military sexual trauma (MST). Prior research supports the relationship between negative posttraumatic cognitions (NPCs) and the onset and course of trauma symptoms more broadly. We hypothesized that NPCs would be associated with depression symptoms in veterans endorsing a history of MST, specifically assaultive type MST. Our clinical sample included veterans presenting for treatment related to assaultive MST (N = 158; 70.9% female, 65.2% White, 27.8% Black). Participants completed self-report measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and NPCs during intake at a Veteran's Affairs specialty trauma clinic. Linear regressions were used to analyze the association between NPCs and depression symptoms controlling for PTSD symptom severity. PTSD severity and NPCs about the self were significantly associated with depression symptoms, explaining 46% of the variance severity, F(4, 153) = 33.16, R² = .46, p < .001. These findings newly demonstrate a relationship between NPCs about the self and depression in veterans with a history of MST. Clinicians may benefit from incorporating cognitive interventions into preexisting depression treatments to directly address NPCs in this population. Future study is needed to determine how these results may extend to other forms of MST or trauma types. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of emPHasis-10: The health-related quality-of-life measure in pulmonary hypertension.

The emPHasis-10 is a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) unidimensional measure developed specifically for adults with pulmonary hypertension. The tool has excellent psychometric properties and is well used in research and clinical settings. Its factor structure has not been examined, which may help to identity a complimentary approach to using the measure to examine patient functioning. We performed an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a data set collected from 263 adults with PH recruited from a community setting. The EFA suggested the emPHasis-10 consists of three underlying latent variables, which based on the loading of items, were termed "fatigue" (Items 3, 4, and 5), "independence" (Items 7, 8, 9, and 10), and "breathlessness" (Items 1, 2, and 6). All factors were found to have good internal consistency. "Independence" accounted for most of the variance (29%), followed by "breathlessness" (22%) and "fatigue" (19%). The CFA looked to confirm the fit of a three-factor model. A higher-order model was found to be the best fit consisting of HRQoL as a superordinate factor, for which the association between this factor and the 10 items was mediated through the three latent factors. Further analyses were performed testing the validity of the latent variables revealing all were significantly correlated with self-reported measures of depression, anxiety, health-anxiety, and dyspnea. Our analyses support the emPHasis-10 as a measure of HRQoL, while also proposing the clinical utility of examining the three emergent factors, which could be used to glean additional insight into the respondent's functioning and inform care.

Psychometric Synthesis of the Beck Youth Inventory for Children and Adolescents–Second Edition

The Beck Youth Inventory for Children and Adolescents–Second Edition (BYI-II) is the most current version of a widely used instrument across a variety of settings with both clinical and nonclinical clients ages 7–18 years as a self-report measure of anxiety, depression, anger, disruptive behavior, and self-concept. This synthesis of 17 studies from 2005 through 2022 using the BYI-II resulted in aggregated internal consistency of .88−.96 across the five subscales. Convergent validity comparisons were very limited, and no test–retest reliability, diagnostic validity, or structural validity studies were located. Intrascale analysis indicated the Depression and the Anxiety subscales yielded the strongest correlation (r = .73). Implications for counseling practice and research are discussed, including use of the multifaceted BYI-II for screening and outcome research with youths. Many more studies of the BYI-II are needed to establish the usefulness of this legacy assessment with school-aged youth.