Search results for "psyc"

2017

Background/Objective: The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) is often used to assess dispositional optimism. The aims of this study were to test psychometric properties of the LOT-R, to provide normative scores, and to test the association between optimism and several psychological, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors. Method: A randomly selected German general population community sample with an age range of 18-80 years (N = 9,711) was surveyed. Results: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) proved two (correlated) factors: Optimism and Pessimism. Invariance tests across gender and age groups confirmed metric invariance. There were only small gender differences in the LOT-R total …

Psychological distress in relatives of critically ill patients: Risk and protective factors

2018

The admission to an intensive care unit can result in a significant burden of emotional distress in the family. This study analyzes the psychological distress of 89 relatives of intensive care unit patients and the potential risk/protective factors for such distress. Families show high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Regarding risk factors, having steady partner, being a woman, and being a mother are associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression, and stress. Contrarily, being younger and having higher educational level are associated with reduced anxiety and stress. Influencing these trends could change positively the suffering course experienced by relatives and intensiv…

Development of sense of coherence during two group interventions

2012

Burnout is a serious occupational hazard. This study investigated the possibility to develop an effective salutogenic group intervention among employees suffering from severe burnout symptoms. Participants consisted of employees aged 31 to 59 years working in different public service occupations, such as police officers, tax officers, (and other public service officers), and assigned to three different groups: analytic (N = 25), psychodramatic (N = 24) and controls (N = 28). The intervention comprised 16 separate days over a nine-month period. Changes in sense of coherence (SOC) were measured four times with the 13-item Orientation to Life Questionnaire during the intervention and at six-mo…

Baseline Patient Characteristics Predicting Outcome and Attrition in Cognitive Therapy for Social Phobia: Results from a Large Multicentre Trial

2014

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 …

Implementation of a Positive Technology Application in Patients With Eating Disorders: A Pilot Randomized Control Trial.

2018

Background: Positive psychological interventions (PPIs) have been suggested to produce benefits in patients with eating disorders (ED) by improving well-being, which might act as a buffer of the harmful effects caused by the disorder. Best Possible Self (BPS) is a PPI which consists of writing and envisioning a future where everything has turned out in the best possible way. In this regard, positive technology (PT) can be of considerable benefit as it allows to implement specific PPIs that have already shown efficacy. Objective: This study tested the preliminary efficacy of the BPS exercise implemented through a PT application and carried out for 1 month, in improving positive functioning m…

The Influence of Retention, Turnover, and Alliance on Process and Outcomes in Rolling Group Psychotherapy for Cocaine Disorder

2016

ABSTRACTA longitudinal repeated measures design was used to investigate the influence of treatment retention, and membership turnover on individual outcomes, and the relationship between individual-level and group-level therapeutic alliance in rolling group psychotherapy for individuals with cocaine abuse disorder. Eighteen patients were studied; data were collected prior to therapy and then monthly for 24 months. Patient outcomes and process were assessed. Improvements in symptoms and psychological functioning were associated with retention in psychotherapy. Membership turnover had a negative influence on symptoms. Development of an individual alliance was affected by the development of gr…

Favouring emotional processing in improvisational music therapy through resonance frequency breathing: a single-case experimental study with a health…

2017

Resonance frequency breathing (RFB) is a form of slow breathing at around six breaths/min, whose immediate effects are to substantially increase heart rate variability (HRV) and to reduce stress levels. Since RFB has already been successfully used on its own to treat various emotional disorders, we wanted to evaluate its effect on emotional processing when used as a preparatory intervention in improvisational music therapy. To do so, we performed a single-subject experimental study with a healthy participant. We hypothesised that RFB would serve both as an emotional catalyst and emotional regulator, the actual outcome depending on the client’s current issues and needs. The study consisted o…

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

2016

Objective: Whilst the relationship between narcissism and self-esteem has been studied for a long time, findings are still controversial. The majority of studies investigated narcissistic grandiosity, neglecting the existence of vulnerable manifestations of narcissism. Moreover, recent studies have shown that grandiosity traits are not always associated with inflated explicit self-esteem. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, distinguishing between grandiosity and vulnerability. Moreover, we consider the role of implicit self-esteem in qualifying these associations. Method: Narcissistic traits, explicit and impl…

The Italian Version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32): Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure in Clinical and Non-clinical Gr…

2018

All versions of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) are broadly used to measure people's interpersonal functioning. The aims of the current study are: (a) to examine the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Italian version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-short version (IIP-32); and (b) to evaluate its associations with core symptoms of different eating disorders. One thousand two hundred and twenty three participants (n = 623 non-clinical and n = 600 clinical participants with eating disorders and obesity) filled out the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-short version (IIP-32) along with measures of self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, RSES), psych…

Examining the relationship between group member gender, gender composition, and outcomes of weight management therapy groups

2017

Presently there is a lack of evidence regarding the impact of gender composition of mixed-gender weight management therapy groups on members' posttreatment outcomes. As such, the current study tested the association between the gender composition of mixed-gender narrative therapy groups for weight management and members' posttreatment outcomes. Specifically, we examined the variability in group members' adjusted posttreatment psychological (Outcome Questionnaire-45 [OQ-45]) and obesity-related (Obesity Related Well-Being [ORWELL 97]) symptoms as a function of the quadratic proportion of female members in a group, and the interaction between group member gender and the quadratic proportion o…