Transmission of parental neuroticism to offspring's depression: The mediating role of rumination

Rumination is a cognitive process that involves repetitively focusing on the causes, situational factors and consequences of one's negative emotion, and it is a potent risk factor for depression. Parental depression and neuroticism may exert an influence on offspring's development of rumination, which may increase offspring's risk for depression. The current study included 375 biological parent–offspring dyads. Parents were assessed for depressive symptoms and neuroticism; adult offspring were assessed for depressive symptoms and rumination. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the effects of parental depressive symptoms and parental neuroticism on adult offspring's depression, and to determine whether offspring's rumination mediated this relationship. Results provided evidence that offspring's rumination fully mediated the relationship between parental neuroticism and offspring's depressive symptoms. Parental depressive symptoms and neuroticism may contribute a genetic predisposition for depressive symptoms in offspring, but it also may promote an environment in which maladaptive cognitive processes, such as rumination, are learned. Given the role that rumination plays in mediating the association between neuroticism and depressive symptoms—targeting rumination in the treatment of high risk individuals would be important in reducing onset of depressive disorders. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109267/1/pmh1268.pd

Investigating insomnia as a cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of loneliness: Findings from six samples

Loneliness has been repeatedly associated with sleep problems; however, there is a dearth of research examining the prospective relationship between insomnia and loneliness, as well as this association controlling for other psychiatric symptoms. This study evaluated the cross-sectional and prospective relationship between insomnia and loneliness using six samples: 666 undergraduates; 2785 Army recruiters; 208 adults with a history of suicidality and/or depression; 343 adult psychiatric outpatients; 326 young adults at elevated suicide risk; and 183 undergraduates. A meta-analysis also was conducted to examine the magnitude of the relationship between insomnia and loneliness across the six studies. More severe insomnia symptoms were significantly associated with greater feelings of loneliness while accounting for some (e.g., anxiety, nightmares) but not all (i.e., depression) psychiatric covariates. Findings underscore the strength of the association between insomnia and loneliness and suggest that depression may account for this relationship. Additional studies are needed to further establish the temporal relationship between these variables, delineate the role of depression in the association between insomnia and loneliness, and test whether insomnia may confer unique risk for subsequent loneliness

A longitudinal study of differences in late-and early-onset geriatric depression: Depressive symptoms and psychosocial, cognitive, and neurological functioning

Objectives: Studies suggest early-onset depression (EOD) is associated with a more severe course of the depressive disorder, while late-onset depression (LOD) is associated with more cognitive and neuroimaging changes. This study examined if older adults with EOD, compared with those with LOD, would exhibit more severe symptoms of depression and, consistent with the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis, have more hippocampal volume loss. A second goal was to determine if LOD, compared with EOD, would demonstrate more cognitive and neuroimaging changes. Method: At regular intervals over a four-year period non-demented, older, depressed adults were assessed on the Mini-Mental Status Examination and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. They were also assessed on magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Compared with LOD, EOD had more depressive symptoms, more suicidal thoughts, and less social support. Growth curve analyses indicated that EOD demonstrated higher levels of residual depressive symptoms over time. The LOD group exhibited a greater decrement in cognitive scores. Contrary to the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis, participants with EOD lost right hippocampal volume at a slower rate than did participants with LOD. Right cerebrum gray matter was initially smaller among participants with LOD. Conclusions: EOD is associated with greater severity of depressive illness. LOD is associated with more severe cognitive and neurological changes. These differences are relevant to understanding cognitive impairment in geriatric depression

Burdensomeness, Belongingness, and Capability: Assessing the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide With MMPI-2-RF Scales

Given the emerging body of literature demonstrating the validity of the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide (IPTS), and the importance of increasing our understanding of the development of risk factors associated with suicidal behavior, it seems worthwhile both to expand IPTS research via Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) correlates and to expand the availability of methods by which to assess the constructs of the IPTS. The present study attempted to do so in a large adult outpatient mental health sample by (a) inspecting associations between the IPTS constructs and the substantive scales of the MMPI-2-RF and (b) exploring the utility of MMPI-2-RF scale–based algorithms of the IPTS constructs. Correlates between the IPTS constructs and the MMPI-2-RF scales scores largely followed a pattern consistent with theory-based predictions, and we provide preliminary evidence that the IPTS constructs can be reasonably approximated using theoretically based MMPI-2-RF substantive scales. Implications of these findings are discussed

Navigating Uncharted Waters: Considerations for Training Clinics in the Rapid Transition to Telepsychology and Telesupervision During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic offers both challenges and opportunities for those who provide and receive psychological services. For training clinics tasked with educating the next generation of health service psychologists, providing vital mental health care to the community, and conducting clinical research, the pandemic offers an opportunity to consider how best to fulfill these crucial missions during a time of global uncertainty. The present paper reviews the recent, rapid move to telepsychology among North American university training clinics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and offers relevant suggestions for mental health service providers rapidly transitioning to telepsychology moving forward. Data summarizing the response of university training clinics in health service psychology in the United States and Canada to physical distancing guidelines are presented, and considerations regarding best practices in service delivery and supervision via telepsychology are provided. While the present data focus on North American training clinics, the suggestions offered are relevant to any clinic tasked with providing high quality services and training mental health providers via telepsychology, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the growing emphasis within health service psychology on increasing access to mental health services via telepsychology prior to the pandemic, as well as the benefits to psychology trainees in gaining competence in this valuable form of service delivery, this paper aims to provide timely guidance around the benefits, risks, and practical considerations regarding the maintenance of effective clinical care in training settings when rapidly implementing telepsychology