0000000000053842
AUTHOR
Bernhard Strauss
Reliability, validity and responsiveness of the EQ-5D in assessing and valuing health status in patients with social phobia
Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the EQ-5D in patients with social phobia. Methods We used a sample of 445 patients with social phobia with five measurement points over a 30 month period. The discriminative ability of the EQ-5D was analysed by comparing the patients’ responses with the general population and between different disease severity levels. For test-retest reliability we assessed the level of agreement in patients’ responses over time, when there was no change in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Construct validity was analysed by identifying correlations of the EQ-5D with more specific instruments. For responsiveness w…
The costs of social anxiety disorder: The role of symptom severity and comorbidities
Abstract Background Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with low direct costs compared to other anxiety disorders while indirect costs tend to be high. Mental comorbidities have been identified to increase costs, but the role of symptom severity is still vague. The objective of this study was to determine the costs of SAD, and to explore the impact of symptoms and comorbidities on direct and indirect costs. Methods Baseline data, collected within the SOPHO-NET multi-centre treatment study ( N =495), were used. Costs were calculated based on health care utilization and lost productivity. Symptom severity was measured with the Liebowitz-Social-Anxiety-Scale; comorbidities were include…
Body hair removal: Prevalence, demographics, and body experience among men and women in Germany
Background: Body hair removal is an increasing trend that has an impact on the individual's body image. Aims: To characterize current body hair removal practices in Germany and the extent to which body hair removal was related to demographic characteristics, body image, and body mass index. Patients/Methods: A national survey was conducted from September to October 2016 in men and women in Germany. Body experience was measured by a standardized questionnaire. In addition to sociodemographic data, age, gender, education, marital status, monthly income, and body mass index were collected. Results: A total of n = 2510 participants aged 14 to 94 years (Mage = 48.4 years (SD = 18.2), 53.4% femal…
Short-term cost-effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder: Results from the SOPHO-NET trial
Abstract Background To investigate the short-term cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic therapy (PDT) compared to waiting list (WL). Methods The analysis was conducted alongside the SOPHO-NET multi-center efficacy trial. Patients were randomly assigned to CBT ( n =209), PDT ( n =207), or WL ( n =79). Resource use was assessed prior and during treatment to determine direct and absenteeism costs. Unadjusted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated based on remission and response rates. To visualize statistical uncertainty, cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs) were constructed based on adjusted net-benefit regression. Differe…
The role of shame and guilt in social anxiety disorder
Abstract Research suggests that shame and guilt may play a role in anxiety disorders. For social anxiety disorder (SAD), however, only a few studies investigated patients with the primary diagnosis of SAD. Thus, further research on shame and guilt in SAD is required. A secondary analysis of Data from the SOPHO-NET multicenter treatment study was performed. In a large sample of N = 495 patients with the primary diagnosis of SAD the relationship between shame and guilt with symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and interpersonal problems was examined by means of correlation analysis and additionally, a hierarchical linear regression analysis. To assess SAD, the German version of the Structu…
Typical symptom change patterns and their predictors in patients with social anxiety disorder: A latent class analysis
Abstract Objectives The use of trajectories and analysis of change patterns is a promising way toward better differentiation of subgroups in psychotherapy studies. Research on change patterns in social anxiety disorder (SAD) are still rare, although SAD is one of the most common mental disorders. In a secondary analysis of data from the SOPHO-NET-trial (ISRCTN53517394) this study aimed to investigate change patterns and their predictors in a sample of SAD patients. Methods Patients with SAD (N = 357) were randomly assigned to cognitive-behavioral or psychodynamic therapy. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) was assessed at 1st session (pre), 8th session, 15th session and at the end of…
Incongruence Between Implicit Attachment Schemes and Unconscious Attachment Representations.
Assessments based on reaction time and language-based interviews postulate that unconscious attachment processes be measured. Nevertheless, a possible empirical equivalence of these two approaches has not yet been investigated. To fill this void, the Adult Attachment Interview and the Implicit Association Test were implemented with a group of patients with panic disorder (n = 157, mean age = 29, SD = 2.47) based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, axis I and II disorders and a group of healthy individuals (n = 138). In total, the securely attached individuals showed significantly more positive attitudes toward their mother than the insecurely attached individuals. In the health…
Movement and Emotional Facial Expressions during the Adult Attachment Interview: Interaction Effects of Attachment and Anxiety Disorder
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Adult attachment is commonly associated with emotion regulation. Less is known about the nonverbal embodiment of adult attachment. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> We hypothesized that dismissing attachment is related to less movement and fewer facial expressions of emotions, whereas preoccupied attachment is associated with more negative emotional facial expressions. Moreover, the interaction of attachment and the presence of an anxiety disorder (AD) was explored. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The sample included 95 individuals, 21 with AD without comorbidity, 21 with AD and comorbid major depression (AD-C…
Kurzversion des Bielefelder Fragebogens zu Partnerschaftserwartungen (BFPE-12)
Zusammenfassung. Die Kurzfassung des Bielefelder Fragebogens zu Partnerschaftserwartungen (BFPE-12) ist ein Selbstrating zur Messung partnerschaftsbezogener Bindungsaspekte. Neben der Messung der Dimensionen Akzeptanzprobleme, Öffnungsbereitschaft und Zuwendungsbedürfnis können Personen Bindungsmustern zugewiesen werden. Die vorliegende Studie evaluiert Faktorenstruktur und psychometrische Eigenschaften des Instruments anhand einer aktuellen bevölkerungsrepräsentativen Stichprobe. Die Stichprobe umfasst N = 1574 Personen. Es wurden soziodemographische Variablen, der BFPE-12, die Kurzform des Depressive Experiences Questionnaire Self-Criticism sowie der Patient Health Questionnaire-4 erhoben…
The Social Phobia Psychotherapy Research Network
This paper presents the Social Phobia Psychotherapy Research Network. The research program encompasses a coordinated group of studies adopting a standard protocol and an agreed-on set of standardized measures for the assessment and treatment of social phobia (SP). In the central project (study A), a multicenter randomized controlled trial, refined models of manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy and manualized short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy are compared in the treatment of SP. A sample of 512 outpatients will be randomized to either cognitive-behavioral therapy, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy or waiting list. Assessments will be made at baseline, at the end of treatment and…
Baseline Patient Characteristics Predicting Outcome and Attrition in Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobia: Results from a Large Multicentre Trial
We examined the role of baseline patient characteristics as predictors of outcome (end-state functioning, response and remission) and attrition for cognitive therapy (CT) in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Beyond socio-demographic and clinical variables such as symptom severity and comorbidity status, previously neglected patient characteristics (e.g., personality, self-esteem, shame, interpersonal problems and attachment style) were analysed. Method Data came from the CT arm of a multicentre RCT with n = 244 patients having DSM-IV SAD. CT was conducted according to the manual by Clark and Wells. Severity of SAD was assessed at baseline and end of treatment with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety …
The Narcissistic Personality Inventory 8: Validation of a Brief Measure of Narcissistic Personality
The present study was conducted with the aim of constructing and validating a short form of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). The NPI is the most widely-applied measure for the assessment of narcissistic personality traits and, therefore, it is of great relevance for many research questions in personality and social psychology. To develop the short scale, we first found the optimal eight-item solution among all valid combinations of the NPI-15 items in an exploratory subsample (n = 1,165) of our complete representative sample of the German general population. We then validated this model in a confirmatory subsample (n = 1,126). Additionally, we examined its invariance across age…
The need for psychosocial support and its determinants in a sample of patients undergoing radiooncological treatment of cancer
Abstract Objective The primary goal of this study was to examine the need for psychosocial support in a consecutive sample of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). Out of an initial sample of 250 patients, 239 patients could be assessed at the beginning of their RT. Two hundred eight patients were reassessed at the end of RT 4–8 weeks later. Methods Measures comprised the Hornheide Screening Instrument, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, the Resilience Scale, and the Short Form 12 as a measure of health-related quality of life (QoL). Medical and radiological data were continuously registered. Results Within the sample, the need for psychosocial support as reflected in the scree…
Implicit Attachment Schemas and Therapy Outcome for Panic Disorder Treated with Manualized Confrontation Therapy.
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Different studies have shown that a patient’s attachment correlates with the psychotherapy outcome. However, these findings are based on the traditional interview and paper and pencil attachment methods. Latency-based methods like the Implicit Association Test (IAT) have not yet been investigated in clinical attachment research, specifically in therapy outcome research. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> It can be hypothesized that patients with positive schemas of their mother and their partner may show a better psychotherapeutic outcome than those with less positive schemas of their mother/partner. <b><i>Method:&…
Attachment characteristics and treatment outcome following inpatient psychotherapy: Results of a multisite study
Abstract The authors evaluated 617 patients at hospital admission using an interpersonal interview analyzed with the Adult Attachment Prototype Rating (Strauss, Lobo-Drost, & Pilkonis, 1999) in nine different psychotherapeutic hospitals. Attachment characteristics derived from this method served as predictors of treatment outcome. Outcome was quantified in all sites using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and, in a subsample, the Impairment Score (Schepank, 2003) as an observer rating. All measures were administered at patient admission and discharge. Additionally, patients completed the Bielefeld Questionnaire of Client Expectations (BQCE) at admission …
Long-term cost-effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy versus psychodynamic therapy in social anxiety disorder.
Background To determine the cost-effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus psychodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of social anxiety disorder after a follow-up of 30 months from a societal perspective. Methods This analysis was conducted alongside the multicenter SOPHO-NET trial; adults with a primary diagnosis of social anxiety disorder received CBT (n = 209) or PDT (n = 207). Data on health care utilization and productivity loss were collected at baseline, after 6 months (posttreatment), and three further follow-ups to calculate direct and indirect costs. Anxiety-free days (AFDs) calculated based on remission and response were used as measure of effect. The increment…
Group treatment for substance use disorder in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials
Abstract Background and aims From residential programs to outpatient services, group therapy permeates the clinical field of substance misuse. While several group interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs) have demonstrated effectiveness, the existing evidence on group therapy has not been systematically reviewed. The current meta-analysis aims to provide estimates of the efficacy of group therapy for SUDs in adults using rigorous methods. Methods We included studies comparing group psychotherapy to no treatment control groups, individual psychotherapy, medication, self-help groups, and other active treatments applying no specific psychotherapeutic techniques for patients with substan…