Various Types Of Psychopathology Research Articles

Osteocalcin: A novel biomarker of adolescent psychopathology

Osteocalcin is a bone-derived hormone implicated in the acute stress response and recently linked to adult depression. Yet it is unclear whether osteocalcin is a biomarker of other forms of psychopathology and whether osteocalcin-psychopathology associations emerge during developmentally sensitive periods earlier in life. Thus, in the current pilot study we examined salivary osteocalcin and psychiatric symptoms and disorders among 48 early adolescents during a period of stress. A logistic regression indicated lower osteocalcin was associated with meeting criteria for a psychiatric disorder, OR = 0.43, 95 % CI [.002,.924], and showed moderate-to-large cross-sectional associations with a range of elevated psychopathology symptoms, Bs ≥ |-3.44|, ps ≤.034. Multilevel linear growth models indicated that low osteocalcin prospectively predicted an even greater range of psychopathology symptoms at one-year follow-up as well as increases in some symptoms over time, Bs ≥ |-1.83|, ps ≤.021. Findings introduce osteocalcin as a biomarker of diverse forms of psychopathology in youth. Osteocalcin is a potential transdiagnostic mechanism through which dysregulated responses to stress could cause or exacerbate various types of psychopathology, highlighting a promising target for clinical assessment and early intervention.

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a transdiagnostic intervention for transitional-age youth: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAlthough the prevalence of psychological problems in transitional-age youth (i.e., youth aged 15 to 25; TAY) is high, TAY are much less likely to receive age-appropriate treatments for their psychological problems compared to younger adolescents or older adults. Hence, effective interventions for TAY seem warranted. ACT your way is a transdiagnostic treatment, specifically developed for TAY, based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT your way is not directed primarily at symptom reduction, but mainly aims to change the underlying mechanism of psychopathology, namely increasing TAY’s psychological flexibility. Meta-analyses show that ACT is an effective treatment for adults with diverse types of psychopathology. Less is known about the effectiveness of ACT for TAY. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ACT your way. In addition, we will investigate for whom and under what circumstances (i.e., moderators) and how (i.e., mediators) the intervention is (most) effective.MethodThe study is designed as a multi-centre, randomized controlled trial. In total, 140 TAY diagnosed with any psychological disorder will be randomly assigned to either the ACT your way or treatment as usual (TAU) condition. In total, six assessments will be conducted: at baseline, after 3, 6 and 9 sessions, at post-intervention and at 6-month follow-up, using multiple informants (TAY, parents/caregivers, therapists). Assessments will include diagnostic interviews and questionnaires. The primary outcomes are psychological flexibility and number of DSM-5 diagnoses; the secondary outcomes are the presence of the primary DSM-5 diagnosis, psychopathology, personality problems, global, individual and societal functioning, quality of life, stress, treatment satisfaction, treatment drop-out and therapeutic alliance. We will also assess costs and various moderators (i.e., demographic characteristics, type and severity of problems, psychopathology of parents/caregivers, treatment expectancy and previous treatments) and mediators (i.e., psychological flexibility, emotion regulation, self-compassion, autonomy, perfectionism, self-esteem and group cohesion).DiscussionTo our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the (cost-)effectiveness of ACT compared to TAU in clinically referred TAY with various types of psychopathology, using a rigorous design.Trial registrationThe research project is registered in the Dutch Trial Register (Trial NL9642).

ThinkSMART®: A pilot study of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment for adolescents with executive functioning weaknesses

Executive functions are a broad term used to describe the cognitive functions necessary to help individuals complete tasks and achieve goals. Executive functioning weaknesses are a hallmark feature of psychopathology, particularly in youth. These weaknesses are associated with chronic impairment across academic, social and family domains and do not typically improve into adulthood. Despite these negative outcomes, few behavioral interventions have been successfully developed to target executive functioning outside of ADHD, particularly in adolescents with various types of psychopathology. The thinkSMART® program was created to target the broad heterogeneity of adolescents with executive function weakness. We discuss the rationale for the development of the program, as well as outline the primary skill areas addressed. We also present an open-trial pilot study using the program in adolescents ages 12–17 who identify as having executive functioning weaknesses. Preliminary findings highlight the acceptability and feasibility of the program, as well as the initial efficacy in improving adolescents’ day-to-day executive functioning. We discuss the limitations and benefits of providing broad skills and compensatory strategies to improve adolescent executive functioning.

Is a High Association Between Repetitive Negative Thinking and Negative Affect Predictive of Depressive Symptoms? A Clustering Approach for Experience-Sampling Data

A reciprocal relationship between repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and negative affect (NA) has been found in various types of psychopathology. Recent studies have suggested that the magnitude of this association can vary across time and individuals, which may inform future psychopathology. Here, we explored how these dynamics and interplays are manifested in student and general populations using a statistical clustering algorithm. Across three experience-sampling data sets, our clustering analyses consistently identified two groups of individuals; one group had a higher bidirectional association between RNT and NA (and also higher inertia) than the other group. Furthermore, a prospective analysis revealed that the group with the higher bidirectional association is at risk of developing depressive symptoms during the 3-month follow-up period if they had experienced high levels of NA over the experience-sampling phase. These findings suggest that the dysfunctional affective and cognitive dynamics would be a promising target of preventive intervention.

Vision loss and psychopathology

Purpose: By examining associations between vision loss and various types of psychopathology within the literature, this manuscript will provide ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists insight into the relationships between vision and psychopathology to foster cross-professional relations. Design: Retrospective narrative literature review. Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus searches. Study types included reviews, case studies, survey analyses, population-based studies, and twin studies, among others. Topics explored include mental health consequences of vision loss, functional neurological disorders and deception syndromes, eye specific personality changes, Charles Bonnet syndrome, and vision disorders associated with psychosis. Results: Visual impairment correlates with depression and worsened overall quality of life and mental health. Visual health clinicians should improve competencies in basic suicide risk assessments in collaboration with primary care providers and mental health colleagues. When patients with functional neurological disorders or deception syndromes present, understanding their symptoms and motivations is crucial for proper management. Patients with myopia and keratoconus are anecdotally alleged to have unique personalities; however, research shows openness is the only trait correlated with myopia, while a proposed “keratoconus personality” is unfounded. The unique vivid hallucinations of Charles Bonnet syndrome typically do not bother patients and physician reassurance is usually enough to ease the anxious patient. Finally, Usher syndrome involves congenital deafness and progressive blindness in young children with links to psychosis and schizophrenia. Conclusions: The bidirectional psychosomatic ophthalmological landscape highlights a need to improve screening, recognition, and integrated treatment coordination between visual health providers and mental health providers.

Serotonergic gene polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR, 5HTR1A, 5HTR2A), and population differences in aggression: traditional (Hadza and Datoga) and industrial (Russians) populations compared

BackgroundCurrent knowledge on genetic basis of aggressive behavior is still contradictory. This may be due to the fact that the majority of studies targeting associations between candidate genes and aggression are conducted on industrial societies and mainly dealing with various types of psychopathology and disorders. Because of that, our study was carried on healthy adult individuals of both sex (n = 853).MethodsThree populations were examined: two traditional (Hadza and Datoga) and one industrial (Russians), and the association of aggression with the following polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR, rs6295 (5HTR1A gene), and rs6311 (5HTR2A gene) were tested. Aggression was measured as total self-ratings on Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire.ResultsDistributions of allelic frequencies of 5-HTTLPR and 5HTR1A polymorphisms were significantly different among the three populations. Consequently, the association analyses for these two candidate genes were carried out separately for each population, while for the 5HTR2A polymorphism, it was conducted on the pooled data that made possible to introduce ethnic factor in the ANOVA model. The traditional biometrical approach revealed no sex differences in total aggression in all three samples. The three-way ANOVA (μ + 5-HTTLPR + 5HTR1A + 5HTR2A +ε) with measures of self-reported total aggression as dependent variable revealed significant effect of the second serotonin receptor gene polymorphism for the Hadza sample. For the Datoga, the interaction effect between 5-HTTLPR and 5HTR1A was significant. No significant effects of the used polymorphisms were obtained for Russians. The results of two-way ANOVA with ethnicity and the 5HTR2A polymorphism as main effects and their interactions revealed the highly significant effect of ethnicity, 5HTR2A polymorphism, and their interaction on total aggression.ConclusionsOur data provided obvious confirmation for the necessity to consider the population origin, as well as cultural background of tested individuals, while searching for associations between genes and behavior, and demonstrated the role of cultural attitudes towards the use of in-group aggression. Our data partly explained the reasons for disagreement in results of different teams, searching for candidate-gene associations with behavior without considerations of culturally desirable norms. Previous studies suggested that the 5HTR2A gene polymorphism associates with aggression and criminality. Our data extended these findings, demonstrating the role of rs6311 (5HTR2A gene) in aggression in adult healthy men and women from our samples. We found that G-allele carriers were rated higher on total aggression.

Protection or Vulnerability? A Meta-Analysis of the Relations Between the Positive and Negative Components of Self-Compassion and Psychopathology.

Self-compassion is increasingly explored as a protective factor in relation to psychopathology. The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and its Short Form variant (SCS-SF) are the most widely used instruments for measuring this psychological construct, and previous studies have indeed shown that the total score of this scale is negatively associated with psychopathology. In this article, we point out that half of the items of the SCS and SCS-SF are positive indicators of self-compassion and directly refer to the three key components of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness, while the other half of the items are negative indicators of the construct and reflect the precise opposite of the key components, namely self-judgment, isolation and over-identification. A meta-analysis was conducted including 18 studies that reported on the positive and negative indicators of self-compassion as indexed by the SCS/SCS-SF and their relations to various types of psychopathology. Results showed that positive indicators of self-compassion were negatively associated with psychopathology, which confirms their hypothesized protective influence. However, the negative indicators were positively linked to psychopathology, suggesting that these scales tap increased vulnerability to mental health problems. Moreover, tests comparing the strength of the relations between various SCS/SCS-SF counterparts (i.e., self-kindness versus self-judgment, common humanity versus isolation and mindfulness versus over-identification) and psychopathology showed that the negative indicators were significantly stronger linked to mental health problems than the positive indicators. This provides support for the idea that the use of a total self-compassion score of the SCS or SCS-SF, which typically includes the reversely scored negative subscales, will probably result in an inflated relationship with symptoms of psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lack of guilt, guilt, and shame: a multi-informant study on the relations between self-conscious emotions and psychopathology in clinically referred children and adolescents.

The present study examined the relationships between dysregulations in self-conscious emotions and psychopathology in clinically referred children and adolescents. For this purpose, parent-, teacher-, and self-report Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment data of 1000 youth aged 4–18 years was analyzed as this instrument not only provides information on the intensity levels of lack of guilt, guilt, and shame, but also on the severity of various types of psychopathology. The results first of all indicated that dysregulations of self-conscious emotions were more common in this clinical sample than in the general population. Further, a consistent pattern was found with regard to the relationships between self-conscious emotions and childhood psychopathology. That is, lack of guilt was predominantly associated with oppositional defiant and conduct (i.e., externalizing) problems, while guilt and shame were primarily linked with affective and anxiety (i.e., internalizing) problems. By and large, these findings confirm what has been found in non-clinical youth, and suggest that self-conscious emotions play a small but significant role in the psychopathology of children and adolescents.

Guilt, shame, and psychopathology in children and adolescents.

The self-conscious emotions of guilt and shame are typically experienced in situations in which some moral standard is violated and this transgression is visible to other people [1]. While guilt and shame share similar features, evidence has accumulated indicating that both emotions also show some critical differences. That is, whereas guilt is concerned with a negative evaluation of a specific behavior (‘‘I did that wrong’’), shame pertains to a negative evaluation of the global self (‘‘I did that wrong’’). Thus, in guilt the person is feeling regret and remorse over the bad thing done, wishing that he had behaved differently, and thinking of how he could undo the harm. In contrast, shame is typically characterized by a feeling of inferiority and worthlessness, leading to a desire to escape or to disappear [1, 2]. These differences also become manifest in the functionality of both emotions: guilt motivates reparative behavior by making apologies and engaging in attempts to fix the situation, while shame motivates defensive and avoidance behavior, possibly serving as an innate mechanism of communicating submission [3]. Although guilt and shame primarily are functional and adaptive in nature, it has also become clear that some people display an excessive proneness to experience these self-conscious emotions, which means that they strongly dominate the person’s affective, cognitive and behavioral responding. In other individuals, guilt and shame are so weakly present that that their adaptive function is no longer realized, and so morally inacceptable behaviors are no longer corrected or repaired. Not surprisingly, such dysregulations of self-conscious emotions have been associated with various types of psychopathology. Research has shown that shame is positively related to a wide range of psychological problems including aggression, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality pathology. The relation between guilt and psychopathology is more ambivalent, but in general the literature is indicating that this self-conscious emotion is only maladaptive when it is experienced in a ruminative way or fused with feelings of shame [1]. Otherwise, the prevailing notion is that guilt plays an important role in the development of empathy and conscience and thus prevents the occurrence of socially problematic behaviors such as aggression and delinquency [4]. So far most research on guilt and shame and psychopathology has been conducted in adult populations. In the meantime it is clear that rudimentary forms of these selfconscious emotions start to emerge during toddlerhood as a result of socialization processes and gradually develop and differentiate during further childhood as a result of cognitive maturation. Muris and Meesters [5] identified 22 studies that examined the relation between guilt and shame and psychological problems in children and adolescents. Overall, this research revealed a highly similar pattern of results as documented in the adult literature. That is, data generally indicated that shame was positively related to internalizing as well as externalizing symptoms, which confirms the notion that dysregulation of this self-conscious emotion should be viewed as a vulnerability factor for various types of psychopathology. In contrast, guilt was found to be negatively linked to externalizing symptoms, which is in keeping with the idea that this self-conscious emotion protects against the development of such problems. In spite of these encouraging results, Muris and Meesters concluded that ‘‘research on the relationships P. Muris (&) Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands e-mail: peter.muris@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Small or Big in the Eyes of the Other: On the Developmental Psychopathology of Self-Conscious Emotions as Shame, Guilt, and Pride

The self-conscious emotions of guilt, shame, and pride typically occur when people evaluate their own self through the eyes of another person. This article will first of all discuss the nature and function of self-conscious emotions, and describe their developmental course in children and adolescents. Then, a number of variables are discussed that are thought to increase young people's proneness to experience self-conscious emotions. Following this, the empirical evidence on the relationships between guilt, shame, and pride and various types of psychopathology in children and adolescents will be summarized. A model is presented to explain why these self-conscious emotions are associated with a diversity of psychopathological outcomes. Finally, recommendations for clinical practice are made in terms of assessment and interventions targeting the origins and sequelae of self-conscious emotions.

Risk factors predicting posttraumatic stress reactions in adolescents after 2011 Van earthquake

ObjectiveOur aims were to investigate the prevalence of PTSD, depression, anxiety-related disorders, and dissociative symptomotology, and to assess the risk factors for development of psychopathology among children and adolescents after the 2011 Van earthquake in Turkey. MethodsThe screening was conducted among 738 participants at 6months post-earthquake using the CPTSD–Reaction Index, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, Child Depression Inventory, Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children, and Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale. ResultsLess than half (40.69% of) of the participants reported severe levels of PTSD symptoms, 53.04% were at greater risk for developing an anxiety-related disorder, 37.70% met the criteria for clinical depression, and 36.73% revealed pathological levels of dissociative symptomotology. State–trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity were significant antecedents of psychopathology. ConclusionWe concluded that anxiety sensitivity is a significant risk factor in various types of psychopathology, but metacognitions seem to have a limited utility in accounting for poor psychological outcomes in young survivors of earthquake.

Schizophrenie - eine milde Enzephalitis?

The mild encephalitis (ME) hypothesis describes a subgroup of severe psychiatric disorders, with a focus on a subgroup of schizophrenias, in which low-level neuroinflammation (LLNI) represents the core in pathogenesis. LLNI is increasingly recognised in experimental neuroimmunology and is in principle able to explain various types of psychopathology. Epidemiology and course of schizophrenia are well compatible with the ME hypothesis, indirectly indicating that the ME subgroup may be rather large. With the ME model connected is a set of three contributing factors: genes, environment (especially infectious agents) and the immune system. The type of psychopathology observed in the individual case may heavily depend upon other conditions, e. g. pre-existing vulnerabilities. The first large-scale epidemiological study in psychiatry identified two factors during lifetime, severe infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases, as risk factors. This and clinical findings more and more support the ME hypothesis, e. g., activated monocytes or proteome changes in blood and slight CSF pathologies in more than 60 % of therapy-resistant schizophrenia, or activated microglia and dysconnectivity in neuroimaging.

Intimate Relationships and Psychopathology

Relationship functioning and individual mental health and well-being are strongly associated with one another. In this article, we first review the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between relationship discord and various types of psychopathology, We then review findings suggesting that relationship discord is associated with poorer outcome for individual-based treatments for psychopathology and that, generally, relationship discord does not improve following individual-based treatments for psychopathology. Finally, we present a model for conceptualizing work with couples in which one partner has a psychiatric disorder and review the efficacy of couple-based interventions in the treatment for psychiatric disorders, with a focus on substance-related, mood, and anxiety disorders.

Idioms of Distress Among Trauma Survivors: Subtypes and Clinical Utility

In this introduction to the Special Issue on Trauma and Idioms of Distress, we provide an overview of the concept and typology of "idioms of distress," focusing particularly on their clinical utility. This includes the role of idioms as indicators of trauma exposure, of various types of psychopathology and of levels of distress, risk and functioning. It likewise includes the fact that idioms of distress may profoundly influence the personal meaning of having a trauma-related disorder, may shape the interpersonal course of the disorder and may pattern help-seeking and self-treatment. Finally, it illustrates the fact that idioms may also help clinicians understand sufferers' views of the causes of their distress, constitute key therapeutic targets and help increase therapeutic empathy and treatment adherence. This special issue focuses on the role played by idioms of distress in the local trauma ontology, the associations between the idioms and psychiatric disorders occurring in the context of trauma and the mechanisms by which the idioms profoundly influence the personal and interpersonal course of trauma-related disorders.

Global, contingent and implicit self-esteem and psychopathological symptoms in adolescents

Previous research with adolescents has demonstrated that global self-esteem is related to various types of psychopathology including depression, anxiety and eating problems. In the last decade, other components of self-esteem have been identified, namely contingent and implicit self-esteem. Contingent and implicit self-esteem have not yet been extensively studied among adolescents. Furthermore, the unique and interactive effects of the different components of self-esteem on adolescent mental health have not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present study examined relationships between global, contingent and implicit self-esteem, on the one hand, and psychopathological symptoms, on the other, in a sample of non-clinical adolescents ( N = 264). Participants completed a survey and a computerized implicit association test. The results demonstrated unique and interactive effects of global and contingent self-esteem on symptoms of depression, anxiety and eating problems in adolescents. Implicit self-esteem was not found to be related to psychopathological symptoms in adolescents. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The validity of self-report assessment of avoidance and distress

Both distress and behavioral avoidance have been implicated in the development and maintenance of many forms of psychopathology. However, it is still unclear whether these constructs can be distinguished, or whether both can independently explain comorbid psychopathology (CP) as they are normally assessed (via self-report methods). To help address these questions, we assessed distress and avoidance in relation to phobic situations via structured interview in a sample of college students (N=385) and a sample of psychiatric outpatients (N=288). Various types of psychopathology were also assessed. Structural equation modeling revealed that individuals do not readily distinguish between distress and avoidance, and that self-reported avoidance does not predict the severity of CP after distress associated with avoided situations has been taken into account. These data suggest that situational distress and avoidance cannot be clearly distinguished in self-reported assessments and raise questions concerning the common practice of relying on client report to measure avoidance. Hence, different methods are needed to obtain clinically useful ratings of avoidance.

Covariation assessment for neutral and emotional verbal stimuli in paranoid delusions

Selective processing of emotion-relevant information is considered a central feature in various types of psychopathology, yet the mechanisms underlying these biases are not well understood. One of the first steps in processing information is to gather data to judge the covariation or association of events. The aim of this study was to explore whether patients with persecutory delusions would show a covariation bias when processing stimuli related to social threat. We assessed estimations of covariation in-patients with current persecutory (CP) beliefs (N=40), patients with past persecutory (PP) beliefs (N=25), and a non-clinical control (NC) group (N=36). Covariation estimations were assessed under three different experimental conditions. The first two conditions focused on neutral behaviours (Condition 1) and psychological traits (Condition 2) for two distant cultural groups, while the third condition included self-relevant material by exposing the participant to either protective social (positive) or threatening social (negative) statements about the participant or a third person. Our results showed that all participants were precise in their covariation estimations. However, when judging covariation for self-relevant sentences related to social statements (Condition 3), all groups showed a significant tendency to associate positive social interaction (protection themed) sentences to the self. Yet, when using sentences related to social-threat, the CP group showed a bias consisting of overestimating the number of self-referent sentences. Our results showed that there was no specific covariation assessment bias related to paranoid beliefs. Both NCs and participants with persecutory beliefs showed a similar pattern of results when processing neutral or social threat-related sentences. The implications for understanding of the role of self-referent information processing biases in delusion formation are discussed.

War Exposure, Attachment Style, and Moral Reasoning

This study extends the investigation of the effects of war exposure beyond those previously documented (e.g., increased stress and aggression and various types of psychopathology) to include moral reasoning. Three groups from two cultures with different levels of exposure to the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were compared using Rest's Defining Issues Test. Possible effects of attachment style alone and in interaction with war exposure were also investigated. The results showed that exposure to war has (a) a very strong negative effect on moral reasoning with (b) no moderation by attachment style. However, the evidence suggests that war exposure may change the individual's attachment style from secure to insecure by inducing a more negative model of the other.

The Comparative Validity of 11 Modern Personality Inventories: Predictions of Behavioral Acts, Informant Reports, and Clinical Indicators

In science, multiple measures of the same constructs can be useful, but they are unlikely to all be equally valid indicators. In psychological assessment, the many popular personality inventories available in the marketplace also may be useful, but their comparative validity has long remained unassessed. This is the first comprehensive comparison of 11 such multiscale instruments against each of three types of criteria: clusters of behavioral acts, descriptions by knowledgeable informants, and clinical indicators potentially associated with various types of psychopathology. Using 1,000 bootstrap resampling analyses from a sample of roughly 700 adult research participants, we assess the relative predictability of each criterion and the comparative validity of each inventory. Although there was a wide range of criterion predictability, most inventories exhibited quite similar cross-validities when averaged across all three types of criteria. On the other hand, there were important differences between inventories in their predictive capabilities for particular criteria. We discuss the factors that lead to differential validity across predictors and criteria.

Differential Effects of Maternal and Paternal Alcoholism and Gender on Drinking, Alcohol-Related Self-Cognition, and Psychopathology

Familial alcoholism is associated with various types of psychopathology in offspring, yet most studies do not differentiate maternal from paternal alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of maternal and paternal alcoholism and gender on alcohol consumption, an alcohol-related self-cognition, and four types of psychopathologic symptoms in young adults. Data were drawn from a study designed to examine the role of the self-concept in alcoholism and recovery. The sample included young adults with a current DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence (n = 25), those with a history of DSM-IV alcohol dependence who were abstinent for at least 12 months (n = 18), and nonalcoholic controls (n = 23). Regression analyses showed that 1) alcoholism on the paternal side of the family independently predicted drinking behavior and symptoms of social phobia over and above the effects of current alcohol dependence, 2) neither alcoholism on the maternal nor paternal side of the family predicted the alc...