Study satisfaction among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal development and personal-contextual predictors

The COVID-19 pandemic challenges the well-being and academic success of many students. Yet, little is known about students’ study satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, a multilayered construct which accounts for students’ subjective cognitive well-being and academic success. Besides, previous studies on study satisfaction are mostly cross-sectional and hardly consider the distinct subdimensions of this construct. Therefore, our main goal in this study was to shed light on the understudied development of the subdimensions of study satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction with study content, conditions of studying, and coping with study-related stress) in two semesters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we examined how particular personal (i.e., gender, age, GPA, intrinsic motivation, motivational cost, and academic procrastination) and contextual (i.e., loneliness) factors are related to these subdimensions. We conducted two panel studies with convenience and purposeful samples of university students in Germany (Nstudy1 = 837; Nstudy2 = 719). Participants responded online to questions on each of the subdimensions of study satisfaction at the beginning, middle, and end of each semester but responded to measures of personal and contextual factors only at the beginning of each semester. In both studies, manifest growth curve models indicated a decrease in all subdimensions of study satisfaction as the semester progressed. Generally, gender (male) and intrinsic motivation were positive predictors but age (younger students), motivational cost, and loneliness were negative predictors of different subdimensions of study satisfaction – particularly satisfaction with study content. Overall, motivational costs and loneliness were the most consistent predictors of all subdimensions of study satisfaction across both studies. Our findings provide support for the understanding that study satisfaction could diminish in the face of challenging situations such as in this pandemic. The present study also highlights certain personal and contextual factors that relate to study satisfaction and calls for intensive research into the multidimensional construct of study satisfaction

BDD-NET – Ein internetbasiertes Programm bei Körperunzufriedenheit zur niedrigschwelligen Behandlung der körperdysmorphen Störung für den deutschen Sprachraum

Hintergrund: Die Körperdysmorphe Störung (KDS) ist eine schwerwiegende psychische Störung, die mit starker Scham sowie Leidensdruck und Funktionseinschränkungen einhergeht. Kognitive Verhaltenstherapie stellt die aktuell wirksamste evidenzbasierte Behandlungsmethode dar. Aufgrund zahlreicher Behandlungsbarrieren kommen KDS-Betroffene jedoch selten in der psychotherapeutischen Behandlung an, weshalb niedrigschwelligen Behandlungsmethoden (z.B. aus dem Bereich E-Mental-Health) eine wichtige Rolle zukommen könnten. Erste internationale Studien weisen auf die Wirksamkeit von E-Mental-Health-Angeboten bei KDS hin. Material und Methoden: Dieser Beitrag gibt eine Übersicht zur bisherigen Umsetzung und Evidenz von E-Mental-Health-Angeboten für KDS und stellt die ins Deutsche übersetzte Version des BDD-NET-Programms, eines internetbasierten, manuali­sierten, therapeutenbegleiteten Interventionsprogramms, für die KDS vor, welches aus dem Englischen für den deutschen Sprachraum übersetzt und adaptiert wurde. Ergebnisse: BDD-NET umfasst acht Module, die binnen einer 12-wöchigen Behandlung online bearbeitet werden. Die Online-Plattform bietet für die Patienten die Möglichkeit, mit dem BDD-NET-Therapeuten mittels persönlicher Nachrichten zu kommunizieren. Sämtliche Materialien wurden aus dem Englischen übersetzt und vor allem in kultureller Hinsicht adaptiert. Schlussfolgerungen: BDD-NET könnte ein wichtiger Baustein in der Versorgung von KDS-Betroffenen sein. Die Evaluation steht für den deutschen Sprachraum noch aus. Auf Besonderheiten des Settings (z.B. Störungseinsicht als möglicher Behandlungsfokus) sowie praktische Implikationen wird eingegangen. Zudem werden Voraussetzungen und Rahmenbedingungen für eine perspektivische Dissemination diskutiert

Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Treatment

Möllmann A, Buhlmann U. Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Treatment. In: Wenzel A, ed. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology. Thousand Oaks, USA, CA : Sage; 2017

Comprehensive ABA-based interventions in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder – a meta-analysis

Eckes T, Buhlmann U, Holling H-D, Möllmann A. Comprehensive ABA-based interventions in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder – a meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 2023;23(1): 133.Many studies display promising results for interventions that are based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: This meta-analysis assessed the effects of such treatments on developmental outcomes in children with ASD and on parental stress based on 11 studies with 632 participants. Results: Compared to treatment as usual, minimal or no treatment, comprehensive ABA-based interventions showed medium effects for intellectual functioning (standardized mean difference SMD = 0.51, 95% CI [0.09; 0.92]) and adaptive behavior (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI [0.03; 0.70]). Language abilities, symptom severity or parental stress did not improve beyond the improvement in control groups. Moderator analyses indicate that language abilities at intake could influence the effect sizes and the influence of treatment intensity might decrease with older age. Conclusions: Practical implications and limitations are discussed

Symptomatik und evidenzbasierte Behandlung

Buhlmann U, Martin A, Tuschen-Caffier B, Heinrichs N. Die körperdysmorphe Störung. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie. 2013;42(3):153-162.Charakteristisch für die körperdysmorphe Störung (KDS) ist eine übermäßige Beschäftigung mit einem wahrgenommenen Makel oder Defekt im körperlichen Aussehen (z. B. Hautunreinheiten, Falten, Asymmetrien im Gesichtsbereich), die mit einer signifikanten Beeinträchtigung im sozialen und/oder beruflichen Leben einhergeht. Menschen, die an einer KDS leiden, zeigen ritualisierte Verhaltensweisen (z. B. überprüfen sie ihr Äußeres immer wieder in Spiegeln) und leiden zudem häufig unter Angst vor negativer Bewertung sowie Vorstellungen, dass andere Personen negativ über ihr Aussehen sprechen. Aktuelle Studien zur Prävalenz der KDS in der Allgemeinbevölkerung weisen auf eine Punkt-Prävalenz von ca. 2 % hin (Geschlechterverhältnis: ca. 60 % Frauen versus 40 % Männer). Bei der psychotherapeutischen Behandlung der KDS haben sich kognitiv-behaviorale Psychotherapieansätze bewährt. Dennoch liegen derzeit zu wenig randomisiert-kontrollierte Psychotherapiestudien vor, um evidenzbasierte Handlungsempfehlungen zur Psychotherapie geben zu können

Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder and associated features in German adolescents: A self-report survey

Möllmann A, Dietel FA, Hunger A, Buhlmann U. Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder and associated features in German adolescents: A self-report survey. Psychiatry Research. 2017;254:263-267.Prior research has not yet investigated the prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in adolescents and young adults based on criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5). In the current study, the point prevalence of BDD, comorbid symptoms, and associated features, such as appearance-related suicidality, level of insight or history of plastic surgeries, were examined in a non-clinical sample of German adolescents and young adults (n=308), between 15 and 21 years old, using self-report measures. Eleven participants (3.6%; 95% CI=[1.9, 5.8]) met DSM-5 criteria for BDD. Self-reported BDD (vs. no-BDD) was related to respondents showing significantly more obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms and lower degrees of insight regarding appearance concerns. Significantly more adolescents and young adults with vs. without self-reported BDD (36.4% vs. 8.8%) reported appearance-related suicidal ideation. In conclusion, body dysmorphic symptoms are common in adolescents and young adults and are associated with high rates of comorbid symptoms and suicidal ideation

Psychopathologie und Psychotherapie der körperdysmorphen Störung

Buhlmann U, Heinrichs N, Martin A, Tuschen-Caffier B. Psychopathologie und Psychotherapie der körperdysmorphen Störung. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie. 2013;42(3):151-152.Dieses Themenheft befasst sich mit aktuellen Befunden und Diskussionen zur körperdysmorphen Störung (KDS), einem Störungsbild, das durch eine übermäßige Beschäftigung mit einem subjektiv empfundenen Makel oder Defekt in der äußeren Erscheinung gekennzeichnet ist (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Hierbei handelt es sich häufig um vermeintliche Entstellungen im Gesichts- oder Kopfbereich (z. B. Hautunreinheiten, Falten, Größe oder Form einzelner Gesichtsmerkmale wie Augen, Kinn oder Nase), aber es können auch andere Körperregionen im Fokus der Besorgnis stehen

Gazing rituals in body dysmorphic disorder

Möllmann A, Hunger A, Schulz C, Wilhelm S, Buhlmann U. Gazing rituals in body dysmorphic disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 2020;68: 101522.Background and objectives: Gazing rituals and selective attention to perceived flaws during gazing are considered as maintaining factors in cognitive-behavioral models for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This study investigated different durations of BDD-like gazing at different facial stimuli (an unfamiliar face, the participant's own face, and the participant's own reflection in the mirror) with regard to effects on dissociation, attractiveness evaluations and perceptual uncertainty. The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesized causal effects of gazing rituals on appearance preoccupation. Methods: We asked 115 females to complete a face gazing paradigm with three different facial stimuli and, depending on the condition, different gazing durations. We also examined the influence of BDD symptom severity on the reactions to different facial stimuli. Results: Five minutes of gazing significantly increased dissociation. Participants rated the attractiveness of self-relevant stimuli, especially the own photographed face, below average and lower than the unfamiliar face. Limitations: Limitations with regard to sample characteristics and experimental design are discussed. Conclusions: Our findings support cognitive-behavioral models for BDD and indicate that therapists may extend therapeutic interventions like mirror retraining by specific perceptual retraining with photographs of the patients

Psychological interventions for generalized anxiety disorder: Effects and predictors in a naturalistic outpatient setting.

ObjectiveNumerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), metacognitive therapy (MCT), and methods to reduce intolerance of uncertainty (IU-CBT) in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, few studies have investigated these treatments under conditions of routine clinical care. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of psychotherapy for GAD in an outpatient setting and to identify factors influencing treatment outcome.MethodsFifty-nine GAD patients received naturalistic CBT (including MCT and IU-CBT) in an outpatient clinic and postgraduate training center for psychotherapy. Patients completed self-report questionnaires at the beginning and end of therapy regarding the main outcome worry as well as metacognitions, intolerance of uncertainty, depression, and general psychopathology.ResultsWorry, negative metacognitions, intolerance of uncertainty, depression, and general psychopathology decreased significantly (p's ConclusionsNaturalistic CBT for GAD appears to be effective in routine clinical care for worry as well as depressive symptoms, with particular benefits associated with altering negative metacognitions. However, a recovery rate of only 23% is lower than the rates reported in RCTs. Treatment needs to be improved, especially for patients with more severe GAD and for women