Journal of Emotion and Psychopathology

Beyond Main Effects? Affect Level as a Moderator in the Relation Between Affect Dynamics and Depressive Symptoms

Dominique Maciejewski — 2023-12-31

The current study examined the role of mean levels of affect in the relation between affect dynamics and depressive symptoms. We analyzed data from seven studies that measured affect in daily life in adolescents and young adults (N = 1,448, age range = 11.7-29.9 years, 64.8% females). We tested main and interaction effects of affect dynamics (variability and inertia) and affect level on depressive symptoms, separately for positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). For PA, we found mostly main, but no interaction effects. Depressive symptoms were associated with more PA variability and less PA inertia, indicating that depressive symptoms in young people may be characterized by more variable and less lingering PA, independent of PA mean levels. For NA, we found a significant moderation effect between NA variability and NA levels for depressive symptoms at baseline. For individuals with low NA levels, high NA variability was associated with more depressive symptoms. In contrast, for individuals with high NA levels, high NA variability was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. These results suggest that the relative adaptiveness of NA variability depends on overall NA levels and underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of affect variability in depression.

How Personalized Behavioral Activation Interventions Improve the Behaviors of Individuals with Anhedonia

Eeske van Roekel — 2023-12-31

Background. Interventions for anhedonia often focus on re-engagement in pleasurable activities. We aimed to examine how anhedonic individuals changed their lifestyle behavior (i.e., physical activity, time outside, worrying, and social activity) after a personalized lifestyle advice session, and how these changes in behavior where associated with improvement. Methods. Participants were 69 young adults with persistent anhedonia, who filled out 3 assessments per day about lifestyle behaviors and affect for 3 months. After an observation month, participants received personalized lifestyle advice. Results. Results showed that only changes in social interaction, physical activity, and worrying were associated with improvement in positive affect (PA) and pleasure. Further exploration of the reciprocal associations between behaviors and PA and pleasure showed that physical activity and worrying were reciprocally associated with PA or pleasure, indicating a positive feedback loop. Conclusions. Results indicate that momentary assessments are an effective tool to detect mechanisms of change in interventions.

Depressive Symptoms and Binge Eating in Children: Examining Symptom Specificity in a Population-based Sample of Male and Female Children

Tyler B. Mason — 2023-12-31

Introduction: Binge eating and compensatory behaviors have significant adverse health implications and are understudied among children. Studies have shown overlap between depressive symptoms and binge eating and compensatory behaviors, but little research has examined sex differences in depressive symptom specificity and binge eating and compensatory behaviors. The present study examined the associations between depressive symptoms and binge eating and compensatory behaviors among male and female children. Methods: Population-based data of 6,975 children ages 9 – 10 years and their caregivers from the multisite Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were analyzed. The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) was utilized to measure binge eating, compensatory behavior, and depressive symptoms. Results: There was an association between presence of anhedonia with increased likelihood of binge eating among females and males. There were no significant associations between individual depressive symptoms and compensatory symptoms among females or males. Lifetime DSM-5 major depressive disorder was associated with binge eating in males and females and compensatory behaviors in females. Discussion: This study provides new knowledge of the specificity of the association between depressive symptoms and binge eating in female compared to male children. Anhedonia may be a key clinical target to reducing binge eating in female and male children.

Impact of Psychological Stress on Emotion Regulation Strategies during COVID-19 in Young Adults with Self-Reported Social Anxiety

Katelyn M. Garcia — 2023-12-31

Background: This study sought to evaluate the relations among expressive suppression (ES), cognitive reappraisal (CR), and stress during COVID-19 in young adults with self-reported social anxiety. We hypothesized that social anxiety would positively relate to ES but negatively relate to CR. Furthermore, we predicted that stress severity would moderate the relation between social anxiety and emotion regulation, where higher reports of stress and social anxiety would predict greater ES and lower CR. Methods: Participants were young adults (N = 84; 18-24 years old) who completed self-report measures of social anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation amid COVID-19. Zero-order correlations assessed relations among these variables. Moderation analyses assessed stress as a moderator of the relation between social anxiety and emotion regulation. Results: Results indicated that social anxiety was significantly correlated with ES but not CR. The relation between social anxiety and ES was moderated by stress severity, such that as stress increased, individuals with higher social anxiety engaged in less ES. Stress did not moderate the relation between social anxiety and CR. Conclusions: The current study suggests that self-reported social anxiety is positively associated with ES (but not CR) during COVID-19; however, individuals with high social anxiety and perceived stress engaged in less ES.

Experiences of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation for People with Heightened Emotions: An Examination in People with Bipolar Disorder and Those with High Aggression

Benjamin A. Swerdlow — 2023-12-31

Most research on interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) has focused on nonclinical samples. On one hand, people with clinically significant emotion, mood, or interpersonal difficulties may encounter more challenges with IER. On the other hand, IER could potentially be a useful resource for addressing challenges related to intrapersonal emotion dysregulation. We analyzed data from two samples characterized by heightened emotionality: people who self-reported a history of bipolar disorder (N = 51) and people seeking treatment for aggression and emotional impulsivity (N = 199). For comparison, we analyzed data from two samples recruited without regard to clinical status: undergraduates (N = 389) and online respondents (N = 116). We assessed multiple aspects of participants’ experiences of intrinsic IER, including frequency of seeking and receiving IER, perceptions of provider responsiveness and provider hostility, perceptions of helpfulness, and reports of feeling ashamed due to receiving IER. We used two complementary methods: participants were first asked to report on their general experiences of seeking and receiving IER and were then asked to recall a rate a recent instance of receiving IER. Results were largely consistent across the two methods and the two comparison samples, providing a replication in-kind. Relative to the comparison samples, the aggression sample reported more negative experiences of IER, on average, including more difficulty obtaining IER, receiving less responsive support, encountering more hostility, and perceiving IER as less helpful. In contrast, the bipolar disorder sample appeared to be less distinct from the comparison samples. We discuss the implications of this apparent divergence.

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Problematic Exercise in those with Eating Disorders

Taylor R. Perry — 2023-12-11

Problematic exercise is common in eating disorders (EDs) and is associated with poor treatment prognosis; thus, understanding factors associated with problematic exercise may help improve treatment outcomes. In non-clinical samples, emotion dysregulation has been associated with problematic exercise; however, longitudinal associations between emotion dysregulation and problematic exercise have not been examined in clinical ED samples. This study examined if (1) emotion dysregulating was associated with problematic exercise symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise, and (2) early changes in emotion dysregulation during treatment predicted problematic exercise symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise in a clinical ED sample. ED patients (N = 207) completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, and the Excessive Exercise subscale of Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory at admission, 1-month post-admission, and discharge. DERS total score was correlated with symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise at admission. Furthermore, early changes in DERS total score from admission to 1-month predicted problematic exercise symptom severity but not frequency of problematic exercise at discharge. Thus, emotion dysregulation may maintain symptoms of problematic exercise but not frequency in EDs, providing initial evidence that targeting emotion dysregulation may help reduce symptom severity of problematic exercise.

Examining the Joint Factor Structure of Mania, Internalizing, and Thought Disorder Symptoms in a Large Online Sample

Kasey Stanton — 2023-11-12

The optimal classification of mania symptoms within dimensional models of psychopathology remains unclear, due in part to most prior research using composite categorical ratings of mania/bipolar disorder rather than ratings of specific symptoms. We addressed this gap by examining the structure of self-reported symptom-level ratings of mania, internalizing, and thought disorder in adults (N = 1,112) recruited online who self-identified as having significant mental health histories. Although prior research suggests that mania symptoms overlap strongly with both internalizing and thought disorder, our results indicated much closer alignment with thought disorder than internalizing when examining a two-factor structure. Even when examining a three-factor structure, manic symptoms such as grandiosity loaded strongly onto a common factor with positive psychosis symptoms. However, symptoms such as racing thoughts and excessive energy loaded strongly onto a separate Agitation factor potentially representing a subspectrum within thought disorder. Agitation showed some unique correlates (e.g., with stimulant medication use), indicating heterogeneity within the broader thought disorder spectrum. Future directions extending this research include incorporating assessment of other psychopathology (e.g., externalizing), examining the cross-method consistency of results (e.g., when using interviews), and determining symptom course and interrelations using intensive longitudinal designs.

The Impact of Emotion Regulation Improvements on Intolerance of Uncertainty During Emotion Regulation Therapy

Michal Clayton — 2023-11-12

Both intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and impoverished emotion regulation repertoires characterize generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Across two treatment studies, we explored relationships between two emotion regulation skills, decentering and reappraisal, and IU during emotion regulation therapy (ERT). Participants were treatment-seeking individuals diagnosed with GAD. Study 1 included data from two open trials of ERT (N = 52), and Study 2 examined data from a randomized controlled trial of ERT (n = 28) versus a minimal attention control (n = 25). IU and emotion regulation skills were measured at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. Mediation models explored indirect effects of emotion regulation skills on the relationship between time (Study 1) or group (Study 2) and intolerance of uncertainty. Results demonstrated improvements in emotion regulation skills and reductions in IU during ERT. Greater use of reappraisal and decentering was associated with reduced IU over time. Tests of indirect effects suggested that observed between-group differences in IU can be explained by changes in emotion regulation skills. The findings from these studies highlight the utility of non-IU-specific interventions to help individuals tolerate uncertainty. Exploring the impact of emotion regulation skills on IU could lead to improvements in treating GAD.

Compulsively seeking certainty: Clarifying the association between intolerance of uncertainty and compulsion severity in OCD

Alexis Moore — 2023-08-06

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the dispositional tendency to fear the unknown, has clinical implications across a variety of disorders. While research has linked IU and OCD, relatively little is known about this association. Previous studies have focused on IU’s association with overall OCD severity and specific symptom dimensions, but we do not yet understand to what degree this cognitive vulnerability is associated with each of the two cardinal symptoms: obsessions and compulsions. Additionally, few studies have examined the established IU subtypes—prospective and inhibitory IU—as unique contributors to OCD severity. Given the ubiquity of uncertainty in daily life and the potential for IU to influence obsessive-compulsive processes, further investigation of this cognitive vulnerability in OCD is warranted. In a sample of patients diagnosed with OCD, partial correlations were conducted to determine the association between OCD severity (separately examining obsessions and compulsions) and IU (separately examining prospective and inhibitory IU). These analyses revealed positive correlations between IU and compulsion severity, specifically. And of the IU subtypes, this link was specifically associated with prospective IU. The results of this correlational study contribute to the literature on IU in OCD, suggesting prospective IU as a cognitive mechanism that may be involved in the maintenance of compulsions.

I can take my eyes off of you: Effect of alexithymia and perceptual load on processing emotional faces

Georgia Panayiotou — 2023-08-06

Alexithymic individuals have difficulties processing emotional stimuli, including faces, and may require more resources to process such stimuli. Alexithymia may interact with task characteristics, like perceptual load, which modulates the processing capacity allocated to task-relevant, versus task-irrelevant stimuli. We examined effects of load and distractor type (face, object) and valence (threatening, neutral), and alexithymia on performing a letter-search task. We assessed reaction time, accuracy, and heart rate to index arousal and cognitive effort. Perceptual load, distractor presence, type and valence showed expected effects. Alexithymia did not meaningfully affect reaction time, but was associated with decreased accuracy when distractors were threatening, under low perceptual load. HR did not suggest changes in resources mobilized depending on alexithymia level. Results suggest that alexithymic individuals perceived emotional stimuli and were able to maintain intact reaction time, though this came with a cost in accuracy. Absence of HR effects suggests that no additional resources were recruited to remedy this difficulty. Overall, results suggest that emotional stimuli are perceived in alexithymia at early stages, but resources are not appropriately allocated to prevent performance impairment.

False Memory and Borderline Personality Features

S. Fatemeh Sajjadi — 2023-05-31

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder characterized by significant impairment in intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning, as well as patterns of personality pathology. Memory deficits are not recognized as a core symptom of BPD, but individuals with BPD symptoms have long been suspected to have inaccurate perceptions, disturbed memory processes, and an increased tendency to develop false memories. In the present study, we examined whether there was an association between BPD features and the production of false memories in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm—a laboratory-based procedure that is frequently used to investigate false memory. We also compared the traditional categorical BPD criteria (DSM-5 Section II) with the alternative model of personality disorders BPD criteria (DSM-5 Section III) in predicting memory performance. A total of 298 university students completed the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder, SCID-II Personality Questionnaire, Borderline Personality Disorder Impairment Scale, Personality Inventory for DSM-5, Beck Depression Inventory, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire. Participants were also tested using both traditional DRM word lists as well as word lists that were specifically associated with BPD features. Using the traditional diagnosis of BPD, BPD features were correlated with higher false memory for positive information; in the alternative model of BPD, identity impairment and anxiousness were correlated with the overall false memory score. We also found that trauma and dissociation mediated the relation between BPD and false memory. These findings are discussed in terms of how the consequences of trauma, such as dissociation and identity disturbance, are associated with false memory. Whether false memory rates are higher in a clinical population of BPD patients than in non-clinical volunteers remains to be determined.

Micro-Longitudinal Examination of Emotion Dysregulation and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Community Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Modeling Reciprocal Relationships Using Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling

Nicole Weiss — 2023-05-27

Research examining emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. However, past investigations have almost exclusively relied on cross-sectional designs and have neglected to consider the potential role of dysregulation stemming from positive emotions. The current study utilized rigorous methodology (experience sampling) and statistics (dynamic structural equation modeling) to explicate daily reciprocal associations between negative and positive emotion dysregulation and PTSD symptoms. Participants were 145 community women (M age = 40.66, 40.7% white) experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and using substances who participated in a baseline interview and then completed surveys three times a day for 30 days. Results at the between-person level showed that women who reported higher negative and positive emotion dysregulation also reported more PTSD symptoms. At the within-person level, findings supported a significant contemporaneous effect between positive emotion dysregulation and PTSD symptoms. Further, there was a significant cross-lagged effect from negative emotion dysregulation to next-interval PTSD symptoms. Results suggest that positive emotion dysregulation co-occurs with PTSD symptoms and that negative emotion dysregulation predicts PTSD symptoms. Findings provide additional support for the utility of addressing both negative and positive emotion dysregulation in the treatment of PTSD among women experiencing IPV.

The Interaction of Shame and Urgency in Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Suicide Attempts

Devon Sandel-Fernandez — 2023-05-24

Urgency, the trait-like tendency to respond to heightened emotion states with rash action, has been associated with both non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (Lynam et al., 2011). Limited research has sought to identify specific emotions that may trigger NSSI or suicide attempts for those with high urgency. We examined shame as a candidate emotion. We hypothesized that greater shame-proneness, in combination with greater urgency, would explain unique variance in NSSI and suicide attempt history in two community samples (Ns = 192 and 225). Logistic and negative binomial regression analyses examined the effects of shame, urgency, and their interaction on the presence (vs. absence) and frequency of NSSI and suicide attempts. The proposed interaction of shame and urgency was related to greater risk and frequency of NSSI and suicide attempts when examining simple slopes, across the six models tested, particularly when urgency was high. Further research should examine shame as a trigger for self-harm in the context of heightened urgency using time series designs.

Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Shortened Versions in Dutch Speaking Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Gina Rossi — 2023-03-17

Most studies on the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) were done in adolescents and adults. The scarce studies in older adults were mainly limited to associations of CERQ scales with internalising symptoms and wellbeing. Only one study explored the underlying factor structure in Spanish older adults and concluded that only a 27 item CERQ version showed adequate fit when tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The present study analyses the psychometric properties of all three versions of the CERQ in a sample of 451 community-dwelling older adults: the original 36 item CERQ, the short 18 item CERQ developed by the original authors and a Spanish 27 item CERQ version. Because gender differences among strategies used have been reported, the present study examined and provided first evidence for the gender invariance of the CERQ structure. Moreover, cognitive emotion regulation strategies correlated like hypothesized with clinical symptoms in general, and behavioural inhibition and activation systems and coping styles. The nomological net was highly similar for the original CERQ and shortened versions. The shortened versions of the CERQ consequently can be viable alternatives to the CERQ in settings where short assessment instruments are needed.

Maintaining Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Network Analysis of Well-Being Responses from British Youth

Alison Fang-Wei Wu — 2023-03-07

COVID-19 has significant impacts on young peoples’ lives and emotions. Understanding how young people maintain well-being in the face of challenges can inform future mental health intervention development. Here we applied network analysis to well-being data gathered from 2532 young people (12-25 years) residing in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify the structure across well-being and crucially, its central defining features. Gender and age differences in networks were also investigated. Across all participants, items emerged in two clusters: 1) optimism, positive self-perception, and social connectedness, and 2) processing problems and ideas. The two central features of well-being were: “I’ve been dealing with problems well” and “I’ve been thinking clearly”. There were minimal age and gender differences. Our findings suggest that the perception of being able to process problems and ideas efficiently could be a hallmark of well-being, particularly in the face of challenging circumstances. These findings contrast with pre-pandemic studies that point to positive affect as central aspects of well-being networks. Future interventions that encourage problem-solving and mental flexibility could be useful in helping young people maintain well-being during times of stress and uncertainty.

Psychophysiological Response to Social Feedback using the Chatroom Interact Task in Undergraduate Students

Samantha L. Birk — 2023-03-07

Receipt of both positive and negative social feedback is associated with psychophysiological responses, and such responses vary based on levels of internalizing symptoms and associated cognitive constructs. However, research examining the relationship between physiological response to social feedback and internalizing symptoms is mixed, and there is a need to develop salient tasks to assess responses to social feedback. This paper reports on two studies that examined physiological response to social feedback in undergraduate students using the Chatroom Interact Task (CIT). We also explored associations between physiological response to social feedback and internalizing symptoms and associated constructs. Participants were 48 (35 female; Study 1) and 65 (55 female; Study 2) undergraduate students. Participants completed self-report questionnaires of internalizing symptoms and associated cognitive constructs. They also completed the CIT to assess response to acceptance and rejection, while physiological data, including electrocardiogram and respiration to derive respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), were acquired. Results across both studies were largely consistent. There were significant differences in RSA during the questionnaire phase and the neutral and acceptance/rejection phases of the CIT. There were no differences between RSA during acceptance and rejection phases. Internalizing symptoms and associated constructs were not related to differences in RSA. The current study indicates questionable validity for the use of the CIT to elicit heightened physiological responses to social feedback in undergraduates and suggests important considerations for the future study of responses to social feedback and the design of associated tasks.

The Role of Family-Level Factors in Childhood Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Elizabeth Kitt — 2023-03-07

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused pervasive disruptions to family life. In light of the established role of parent-child dynamics in the maintenance of pediatric anxiety, we conducted a multilevel, multimodal study to examine how family-level factors moderate anxious youths’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic (“pre-pandemic”), children with anxiety disorders (n = 28; ages 6-12) completed an fMRI task probing parental modulation of amygdala reactivity to fearful faces. During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic (“mid-pandemic”), parents completed questionnaires about their family’s exposure to COVID-19-related stress, their child’s COVID-19-related fears and behaviors, and their own (parental) functioning. Pre-pandemic parental modulation of amygdala reactivity moderated the association between children’s exposure to COVID-19-related stress and their COVID-19-related fears and behaviors. Furthermore, greater mid-pandemic parental assistance with their child’s use of venting and with their child’s use of expressive suppression as emotion regulation strategies exacerbated the effects of COVID-19-related stress on children’s COVID-19-related fears and behaviors, respectively. These results provide preliminary insight into the ways in which distinct family-level factors may buffer or exacerbate the effects of COVID-19-related stress on youth with a history of anxiety disorders.

Effects of Imagery Rescripting on Emotional Responses During Imagination of a Socially Aversive Experience

Rosa J. Seinsche — 2023-02-21

Imagery rescripting (ImRs) of socially aversive memories is a promising intervention in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. Little is known about the effects of ImRs on physiological responses to the rescripted socially aversive memory, which was the focus of this study in a healthy sample. Thirty individuals performed an imagination task measuring psychophysiological responses and subjective feelings (post-hoc) related to the rescripted memory, as well as to two control memories. In a within-subject design, participants completed the imagination task before and after a control intervention, and subsequently after one session ImRs of the socially aversive memory. At one-week follow-up, lasting effects on social anxiety and subjective feelings were assessed online (N = 26). ImRs of the socially aversive memory resulted in a significant reduction in negative feelings and activity of the corrugator supercilii, as well as a significant increase in valence and positive feelings related to the socially aversive memory compared to both control memories. However, only effects for positive feelings and corrugator supercilii were significantly stronger for ImRs compared to the control intervention. Lasting effects appeared for fear of negative evaluation and subjective emotional responses to the rescripted memory. These findings give preliminary evidence for the impact of ImRs on emotional aspects of the rescripted memory, indicating that ImRs might work through changing the representation of the aversive event in memory.

Implications of the Symptom-Level Overlap Among DSM Diagnoses for Dimensions of Psychopathology

Miriam K. Forbes — 2023-02-20

Research on the patterns of covariation among mental disorders has proliferated, as summarized in the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP). The aim of this brief descriptive study was to examine whether the repetition of symptoms among DSM-5 diagnoses is likely to be inflating the surface similarity of diagnoses in a way that artificially reinforces the dimensions that emerge when modelling patterns of disorder covariation or comorbidity. Specifically, the symptoms comprising the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for all disorders covered by the HiTOP framework were examined for patterns of overlap that mirror the patterns of disorder covariation captured in HiTOP dimensions. I found that 358 pairs of the DSM-5 diagnoses covered by the HiTOP framework had one or more overlapping symptoms in their diagnostic criteria, and that a third (n = 130; 34%) of the unique constituent symptoms reinforced the higher-order structure of HiTOP through repetition within dimensions and/or between dimensions in the same superspectrum. By contrast, 86% of the possible pairs of diagnoses did not have any shared symptoms, and the majority of the symptoms (n = 222; 58%) did not influence the structure through repetition. Further, a fifth (n = 71; 19%) of the symptoms worked against the HiTOP structure by increasing the surface similarity of diagnoses under different subfactors, spectra, and superspectra. Overall, while patterns of symptom-level overlap do not appear strong enough to account for the emergence of HiTOP dimensions, these patterns do seem likely to inflate the similarity and consequent covariation of some DSM-5 diagnoses. Research on the statistical structure of psychopathology that uses DSM-5 diagnostic constructs should account for this potential source of bias.

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Tibetan Buddhist Feeding Your Demons Contemplative Process in Meditation Practitioners

Philippe R. Goldin — 2023-01-20

Objectives: To investigate outcomes and predictors of a Tibetan Buddhist meditation process called Feeding Your Demons® (FYD) vs. a waitlist (WL) control group of meditation practitioners with moderate depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Methods: 61 meditators (70% female; mean age = 44.05, SD = 11.20; 43.5% White, 39% Asian, 9.3% Hispanic, 8.3% other) were randomly assigned to 1-month of FYD practice or WL groups. Participants completed self-report assessments at baseline and post-FYD/WL. Results: Intention-to-treat analysis found that, compared to WL, FYD yielded significantly greater decreases in stress symptoms and increases in self-compassion. Moderator analyses showed baseline lesser history of psychiatric problems (but not number of years of meditation practice) predicted greater reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Regression analyses found that the number of FYD sessions completed predicted post-FYD increases in self-compassion and satisfaction with life, as well as decreases in stress, depression, and intolerance for uncertainty. Conclusions: FYD practice may enhance multiple facets of psychological health in adults in a dose dependent manner. An RCT with an active comparison training is necessary to determine the specificity of FYD related effects and to identify mechanisms of change.

Intervention to Change Attributions that are Negative: A Feasibility Study on Reducing Anger after Brain Injury

Dawn Neumann — 2023-01-19

Objectives: Explore the early efficacy of a treatment to modify anger, aggression, negative attributions, and perspective-taking in participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Participants: Twenty-four adults with a TBI (³ 1-year post-injury) who had above average aggression and either negative attribution bias or poor perspective-taking. Intervention: Intervention to Change Attributions that are Negative (ICAN). Measures: Epps Scenarios (attributions of intent, hostility, blame; anger and aggression responses); Aggression Questionnaire (AQ); PROMIS-Anger; Interpersonal Reactivity Index Perspective-taking; and Participant Global Impression of Change (PGIC) for anger and perspective-taking. Results: Twenty-one participants completed the study (ICAN = 8; Waitlist control [WLC] = 13). Post-treatment, ICAN participants had lower anger responses to Epps Scenarios (p = 0.03) compared to WLC participants who had not yet received treatment. Other between-group comparisons were not significant. Analyses comparing pre/post-intervention changes in the pooled sample (n=21), revealed reduced attributions of intent (p < 0.01) and blame (p = 0.05), and anger (p = 0.01) and aggression responses to Epps scenarios (p < 0.01) after receiving treatment. Post-intervention scores on the AQ and PROMIS-Anger were also significantly reduced (p < 0.01). On the PGIC, 83% and 45% reported noticeable changes in perspective-taking and anger, respectively. Discussion: ICAN may reduce anger and negative attributions after TBI and merits further investigation.

Why Loneliness Matters in Clinical Practice: A Primer for Clinical- and Neuro-Psychologists.

Johanna C. Badcock — 2023-01-19

Aims: Loneliness has an adverse impact on mental health, yet it is often overlooked in psychological services. To inform clinical practice, we provide an overview of research hotspots on loneliness and mental health, the ‘state of the art’ in assessment and treatment, and workforce implications. Methods: Narrative synthesis. Results: Loneliness occurs in all age groups, with peaks in younger and older adults. It is a well-established risk factor for mental ill-health, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and other problems prompting people to seek psychological care. A variety of psychometrically sound self-report measures are available for assessment purposes, though some lack structural or cross-cultural validity. The most promising interventions use cognitive-behavioural therapy to change maladaptive social cognitions. Recent studies are focused on identifying mechanisms of change, the role of social networks, and the use of digital technologies to augment treatment. The stigma of loneliness can prevent clients and healthcare professionals from talking openly about it, but the best strategies for combating loneliness stigma are unclear. Conclusion: Loneliness and mental ill-health are mutually reinforcing; hence, loneliness should be routinely considered in clinical practice. Psychological interventions are moderately effective at alleviating loneliness but further research and practice-based evaluation of solutions for loneliness is needed.

Moodpep: Description and Evaluation of an Online Self-Help Program for Young Adults with Feelings of Depression

Nadia Garnefski — 2023-01-19

There is a high prevalence of mental health problems in young adulthood. At the same time, these problems seem to be undertreated. Barriers to seeking help include: stigma, costs and time issues. eHealth interventions could be a promising solution. Moodpep was developed in 2019 as a guided online self-help program for young adults (18+) with depressive symptoms. It is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and includes 8 lessons and 4 themes: activation, relaxation, changing negative cognitions, and goal attainment. The aims of the present article were: giving a detailed description of Moodpep and evaluating the program. The latter was done by analyzing pre-post data and studying participant satisfaction. In total, 31 participants started with the intervention of whom 23 completed it. The results showed that depressive symptoms significantly reduced after following the program, with large effect sizes. At post-test almost all participants scored in the categories of minimal or mild depression. In addition, program and coaching were valued by the participants. In conclusion, Moodpep could provide effective low-threshold help to young people; they could work on mental health at their own time and place, in relative anonymity, and against no or low costs.

Aversive Reactivity: A Transdiagnostic Functional Bridge Between Neuroticism and Avoidant Behavioral Coping

Stephen A. Semcho — 2023-01-19

Aversive reactivity to negative affect has been described as a transdiagnostic mechanism that links distal temperamental vulnerabilities to clinically relevant behaviors. However, the abundance of constructs reflecting aversive reactivity has resulted in a proliferation of models that may ultimately be redundant. We performed a circumscribed review of studies measuring associations between six constructs – anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, distress intolerance, intolerance of uncertainty, thought-action fusion, and negative urgency – and ten relevant coping behaviors. Results suggested that most constructs were measured in relation to a limited number of coping behaviors. Additionally, constructs were most often measured in isolation, rather than with similar constructs. Implications and suggestions for future research and treatment are discussed.

Emotion Regulation Strategy Choices Following Aversive Self-Awareness in People with Nonsuicidal Self-Injury or Indirect Self-Injury

Chelsea Boccagno — 2023-01-19

Emotion regulation difficulties are implicated prominently in self-injury. Additionally, emotion regulation strategy selection is a core component of the emotion regulation process. Yet it is unclear how people who engage in different forms of self-injury attempt to regulate negative affect when multiple strategies are available to them. This laboratory-based study examined emotion regulation strategy choices in individuals who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (n=40), indirect forms of self-injury (disordered eating and problematic substance use; n=46), and controls (n=48). Following a self-relevant stressor (negative autobiographical memory recall), participants selected one of six strategies based on what they believed would most effectively alter their affect. Strategies spanned behavioral (physical pain, a snack, word activity) and non-behavioral (rumination, reappraisal, doing nothing) domains. Compared to controls, individuals who engage in NSSI and indirect self-injury were more likely to select behavioral strategies. In addition, people with NSSI and indirect self-injury were more likely than controls to choose physical pain and less likely to ruminate. Findings indicate that people with direct and indirect forms of self-injury alike are more likely to take action than engage in further thought when experiencing aversive self-awareness, even when cognitive strategies are made salient. Results illuminate intervention targets for these clinical populations.

Mind the Gap? Emotion Regulation Ability and Achievement in Psychological Health Disorders

June Gruber — 2023-01-19

Why do so many people fail to manage their emotions successfully even though they can do so? This review begins by noting a surprising gap between emotion regulation ability and achievement apparent across individuals with emotional disorders, many of whom appear to be able to effectively regulate emotions when cued. Recently, clinical science has begun to take stock of this puzzling gap between intact emotion regulation ability and challenges with emotion regulation achievement. We refer to this as the ‘emotion regulation ability-achievement’ (or ER-AA) gap, and discuss clinical implications, including alternative approaches to closing this gap.