Clinical predictors of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in pediatric anxiety disorders: the genes for treatment (GxT) study.

OBJECTIVE The Genes for Treatment study is an international, multisite collaboration exploring the role of genetic, demographic, and clinical predictors in response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in pediatric anxiety disorders. The current article, the first from the study, examined demographic and clinical predictors of response to CBT. We hypothesized that the child's gender, type of anxiety disorder, initial severity and comorbidity, and parents' psychopathology would significantly predict outcome. METHOD A sample of 1,519 children 5 to 18 years of age with a primary anxiety diagnosis received CBT across 11 sites. Outcome was defined as response (change in diagnostic severity) and remission (absence of the primary diagnosis) at each time point (posttreatment, 3-, 6-, and/or 12-month follow-up) and analyzed using linear and logistic mixed models. Separate analyses were conducted using data from posttreatment and follow-up assessments to explore the relative importance of predictors at these time points. RESULTS Individuals with social anxiety disorder (SoAD) had significantly poorer outcomes (poorer response and lower rates of remission) than those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Although individuals with specific phobia (SP) also had poorer outcomes than those with GAD at posttreatment, these differences were not maintained at follow-up. Both comorbid mood and externalizing disorders significantly predicted poorer outcomes at posttreatment and follow-up, whereas self-reported parental psychopathology had little effect on posttreatment outcomes but significantly predicted response (although not remission) at follow-up. CONCLUSION SoAD, nonanxiety comorbidity, and parental psychopathology were associated with poorer outcomes after CBT. The results highlight the need for enhanced treatments for children at risk for poorer outcomes

Genome-wide association study of response to cognitive-behavioural therapy in children with anxiety disorders

Background Anxiety disorders are common, and cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is a first-line treatment. Candidate gene studies have suggested a genetic basis to treatment response, but findings have been inconsistent. Aims To perform the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of psychological treatment response in children with anxiety disorders (n = 980). Method Presence and severity of anxiety was assessed using semi-structured interview at baseline, on completion of treatment (post-treatment), and 3 to 12 months after treatment completion (follow-up). DNA was genotyped using the Illumina Human Core Exome-12v1.0 array. Linear mixed models were used to test associations between genetic variants and response (change in symptom severity) immediately post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Results No variants passed a genome-wide significance threshold (P = 5×10−8) in either analysis. Four variants met criteria for suggestive significance (P<5×10−6) in association with response post-treatment, and three variants in the 6-month follow-up analysis. Conclusions This is the first genome-wide therapygenetic study. It suggests no common variants of very high effect underlie response to CBT. Future investigations should maximise power to detect single-variant and polygenic effects by using larger, more homogeneous cohorts

Monitoring of the operating parameters of the KATRIN Windowless Gaseous Tritium Source

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment will measure the absolute mass scale of neutrinos with a sensitivity of mnu = 200 meV/c2 by high-precision spectroscopy close to the tritium beta-decay endpoint at 18.6 keV. Its Windowless Gaseous Tritium Source (WGTS) is a beta-decay source of high intensity (1011 s−1) and stability, where high-purity molecular tritium at 30 K is circulated in a closed loop with a yearly throughput of 10 kg. To limit systematic effects the column density of the source has to be stabilized at the 10−3 level. This requires extensive sensor instrumentation and dedicated control and monitoring systems for parameters such as the beam tube temperature, injection pressure, gas composition and so on. In this paper, we give an overview of these systems including a dedicated laser-Raman system as well as several beta-decay activity monitors. We also report on the results of the WGTS demonstrator and other large-scale test experiments giving proof-of-principle that all parameters relevant to the systematics can be controlled and monitored on the 10−3 level or better. As a result of these works, the WGTS systematics can be controlled within stringent margins, enabling the KATRIN experiment to explore the neutrino mass scale with the design sensitivity

Enhancing motivation to change in anorexia and bulimia nervosa

Eine hohe Änderungsmotivation nach dem transtheoretischen Modell der Verhaltensänderung hat sich bei Essstörungen in vielen Studien als mit einem wünschenswerten Therapieausgang im Zusammenhang stehend gezeigt. Gleichzeitig weisen insbesondere Betroffene mit einer Anorexia oder Bulimia nervosa eine geringe Änderungsmotivation auf. Für den Essstörungsbereich entwickelte Interventionen zur Steigerung der Änderungsmotivation sind überwiegend im Motivational Interviewing verankert, worin u. a. der Arbeit mit Lebenszielen von Patienten eine wichtige Bedeutung zugeschrieben wird. Die Rolle solcher expliziter Ziele ist jedoch bisher für Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa nicht untersucht worden. Dennoch sind die Forschungsergebnisse zum Motivational Interviewing bei Essstörungen überwiegend vielversprechend und in den Studien, in denen lediglich vergleichbare Verbesserungen in Kontroll- sowie Interventionsgruppe zu verzeichnen waren, könnten potentielle Unterschiede möglicherweise aufgrund des Einsatzes inadäquater Messinstrumente unentdeckt geblieben sein. Zur gezielten Auswahl eines geeigneten Messinstruments wäre deshalb ein systematischer Überblick über Verfahren zur Erfassung der Änderungsmotivation bei Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa hilfreich, den die Literatur bisher jedoch nicht bietet. Studien bezüglich Interventionen zur Steigerung der Änderungsmotivation bei Essstörungen wurden außerdem bisher ausschließlich im „face-to-face“-Setting durchgeführt und evaluiert, obwohl das Internet aufgrund seiner Niederschwelligkeit besonders geeignet für einen ersten Zugang zu Hilfsangeboten für von Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa Betroffene zu sein scheint. Nachdem zunächst die Rolle expliziter Ziele bei Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa untersucht sowie ein systematischer Überblick über Messinstrumente zur Erfassung der Änderungsmotivation bei Essstörungen erstellt wurde, lag das primäre Ziel dieser Arbeit in der Evaluation eines Online-Programms zur Steigerung der Änderungsmotivation bei Frauen mit Symptomen einer Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa. Dieses am transtheoretischen Modell orientierte und sich der Prinzipien des Motivational Interviewing bedienende Programm wurde in einem randomisiert-kontrollierten Versuchsdesign mit Warte-Kontrollgruppe im Prä-Post-Vergleich evaluiert. Es stellte sich heraus, dass Frauen mit Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa im Wesentlichen die gleichen Ziele verfolgen wie gesunde Kontrollprobandinnen, wobei sie ihre Ziele untereinander förderlicher wahrnehmen als gesunde Frauen, ihnen die Realisierung der Ziele aber schlechter gelingt. Die im Motivational Interviewing vorgeschlagene Arbeit mit Zielen scheint somit im Bereich der Essstörungen sinnvoll und wurde auch in dem hier evaluierten Online-Programm berücksichtigt, wobei den Ergebnissen entsprechend dabei nicht auf essstörungsspezifische Zielinhalte eingegangen wurde. Für die systematische Überblicksarbeit ließen sich ausschließlich auf dem transtheoretischen Modell basierende Verfahren zusammentragen. Da sich eine symptomspezifische Erfassung der Änderungsmotivation einer globalen Messung gegenüber als überlegen herausstellte, wurde ein symptomspezifisches Maß in Form eines Fragebogens zur Erfassung der primären Outcome-Variablen für die Evaluation des Online-Programms gewählt. Im Prä-Post-Vergleich der web-basierten Intervention ließen sich ein signifikanter Anstieg der Änderungsmotivation in mehreren Symptombereichen sowie Verbesserungen in einigen weiteren klinischen Maßen in der Experimentalgruppe nachweisen, jedoch nicht in der Kontrollgruppe. Es wurde eine Dropout-Rate von 41% verzeichnet. Das Internet ist ein geeignetes Medium für den Einsatz von Interventionen zur Steigerung der Änderungsmotivation bei Frauen mit Symptomen einer Anorexia oder Bulimia nervosa. Bei Online-Programmen für Essstörungen stellt die Reduktion hoher Dropout-Raten eine Herausforderung für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten dar. Bezüglich der Erfassung der Änderungsmotivation wären vom transtheoretischen Modell unabhängige Verfahren wünschenswert, die einen möglicherweise von der kategorialen Konzeption abweichenden Ansatz bieten. Bei der weiteren Erforschung von Lebenszielen bei Frauen mit Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa sollte zusätzlich der Einfluss impliziter Motive berücksichtigt werden

What Happens After the Last Click? : Changes in Symptoms and Motivation to Change After Completing an Internet-Delivered Intervention to Enhance Motivation to Change in Patients With Eating Disorders

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Bisherige Studien zeigen, dass internetbasierte Interventionen kurzfristig die Veränderungsmotivation bei Essstörungen verbessern können. Zur Stabilität dieser Effekte ist jedoch wenig bekannt. Fragestellung: Wie entwickeln sich die Veränderungsmotivation, die Essstörungspsychopathologie und das Selbstwertgefühl 8 Wochen nach Abschluss eines internetbasierten Motivationsprogramms? Methode: Neunzig Frauen bearbeiteten den Stages of Change Questionnaire for Eating Disorders, den Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire und die Rosenberg Self-Esteem-Scale unmittelbar (Post) sowie 8 Wochen nach Abschluss der Intervention (Katamnese). Ergebnisse: Es zeigten sich stabile Effekte in der Veränderungsmotivation sowie im Selbstwertgefühl. Zusätzlich zeigten sich in der Essstörungspsychopathologie signifikante Verbesserungen. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studie belegt die längerfristige Wirksamkeit eines internetbasierten Motivationsprogramms für Frauen mit Essstörungen.Background: Previous studies show that web-based interventions are able to enhance motivation to change in women with eating disorders in the short term; however, little is known about the stability of these effects. Objective: To investigate motivation to change, eating disorder psychopathology, and self-esteem in subjects 8 weeks after finishing a web-based motivational enhancement program. Method: In all, 90 women completed the Stages of Change Questionnaire for Eating Disorders, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale after the intervention (post) and at 8 weeks’ follow-up. Results: Stable effects were found for motivation to change and self-esteem. Additionally, participants showed significant improvement concerning their eating disorder psychopathology. Conclusion: This study shows the long-term effectiveness of a web-based intervention to enhance motivation in women with eating disorders

Therapists’ prototypes of common mental disorders – An empirical identification

Background: Although earlier studies concluded that clinicians' prototypes of patients with mental disorders can influence diagnostic decisions, it remains unclear how presumably more or less prototypical features were identified in these studies. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to empirically identify therapists’ prototypes of major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder. Method: Psychotherapists (N = 69) filled out an online survey and answered questions on the most common thoughts, feelings, behaviors, appearance, life circumstances, age, and gender of a typical person with each disorder. Additionally, they rated the DSM-5 criteria according to how much they think about each criterion when picturing a typical person with the respective disorder. Results: The most frequently mentioned features are reported and associations between features are visualized by means of network analyses. Besides some exceptions, therapists’ responses were mostly in line with the DSM-5 criteria and prevalence rates in patients with each disorder. Limitations: The main limitation is the fact that categorization of therapists’ responses into features depended on subjective decisions. Despite efforts to make this process as objective as possible, replication could lead to slightly different results. Conclusion: Therapists' prototypes might be helpful to make diagnostic decisions in typical situations but could lead to incorrectly diagnosing or overlooking a disorder in less typical situations. The results of the current study should inform further research on the influence of prototypes on diagnostic decisions. Additionally, the current findings should be used to increase therapists’ awareness of prototypes of different mental disorders and the importance of accurate diagnosis

Internet-based motivation program for women with eating disorders:eating disorder pathology and depressive mood predict dropout

Background: One of the main problems of Internet-delivered interventions for a range of disorders is the high dropout rate, yet little is known about the factors associated with this. We recently developed and tested a Web-based 6-session program to enhance motivation to change for women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or related subthreshold eating pathology. Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify predictors of dropout from this Web program. Methods: A total of 179 women took part in the study. We used survival analyses (Cox regression) to investigate the predictive effect of eating disorder pathology (assessed by the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire; EDE-Q), depressive mood (Hopkins Symptom Checklist), motivation to change (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale; URICA), and participants'age at dropout. To identify predictors, we used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method. Results: The dropout rate was 50.8% (91/179) and was equally distributed across the 6 treatment sessions. The LASSO analysis revealed that higher scores on the Shape Concerns subscale of the EDE-Q, a higher frequency of binge eating episodes and vomiting, as well as higher depression scores significantly increased the probability of dropout. However, we did not find any effect of the URICA or age on dropout. Conclusions: Women with more severe eating disorder pathology and depressive mood had a higher likelihood of dropping out from a Web-based motivational enhancement program. Interventions such as ours need to address the specific needs of women with more severe eating disorder pathology and depressive mood and offer them additional support to prevent them from prematurely discontinuing treatment