Impulsive Buying Tendecy: The Role of Cognitive Factors, Personality Traits and Affect

Impulsive buying is considered to be an emotional and unplanned decision-making behaviour. Because this type of purchasing rate has fairly increased in recent years, examining the determinants of impulsive buying is important to understand which intervention programs should be designed. In the current study, it was aimed to develop a model in which impulsive buying tendency is predicted by variables such as personality traits, affect and cognitive factors (problem solving skills and cognitive flexibility). Overall, 300 young adults (198 female and 102 male), took part in the study. The mean age of the participants for the current study was as 21.29 years (SD=2.95). Impulsive buying tendency, personality traits, affect, problem solving skills and cognitive flexibility variables were measured via Consumer Buying Impulsivity Scale (CBI), Behavioural Inhibition/Activation System Scales (BIS/BAS), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) and Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFI), respectively. The results indicated that personality traits in the behavioral activation system (reward system) could be an important determinant of impulsive buying tendency when examined together with other variables. In sum, high reward responsiveness may result in impulsive buying. Furthermore, affective factors (both negative and positive affect) rather than cognitive factors may be a triggering factor for impulsive buying

Relationship of Number of Depression Episodes with Depression Severity, Treatment Adherence, Stress, Personality, Executive Functions and Decision-Making

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder that significantly affects the world population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the number of episodes and severity of depression, treatment adherence, perceived stress, personality, executive functions and decision making in MDD patients. Measurement tools including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Perceived Stress Scale (ASO-14), Temperament and Personality Inventory-Revised Form (TCI-R), Wechsler Memory Scale-III/Letter-Number Sequence Subtest (HSD), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Test TBAG Form (STR) and Iowa Gambling Taskt (IGT) were used in the study. The findings of the study showed that the severity of depression in MDD was not related to the number of episodes (r=-0.051, p>0.05) and treatment compliance (r=-0.082, p>0.05), but there was a significant relationship between the number of episodes and treatment compliance (r=-0.880, p<0.001). As the number of episodes increased, the perceived stress level and the level of knowledge about treatment decreased, whereas reward addiction and novelty seeking among personality traits increased. Executive functions and decision-making functions were also found to be weaker in MDD patients with recurrent episodes. The severity of depression in MDD was not associated with the number of episodes and medication adherence, suggesting that other variables associated with recurrent episodes should be addressed. In cases of recurrent MDD, in addition to factors such as medication adherence, perceived stress and personality, executive functions and decision-making behavior are also influential and should be closely monitored. Thus, it seems necessary to evaluate cognitive intervention options in the follow-up and treatment process of MDD

Measuring Voluntary Control Over Hallucinations: The Yale Control Over Perceptual Experiences (COPE) Scales

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) frequently cause significant distress and dysfunction, and may be unresponsive to conventional treatments. Some voice-hearers report an ability to fully control the onset and offset of their AVH, making them significantly less disruptive. Measuring and understanding these abilities may lead to novel interventions to enhance control over AVH. 52 voice-hearers participated in the pilot study. 318 participants with frequent AVH participated in the validation study. A pool of 59 items was developed by a diverse team including voice-hearers and clinicians. After the pilot study, 35 items were retained. Factorial structure was assessed with exploratory (EFA, n = 148) and confirmatory (CFA, n = 170) factor analyses. Reliability and convergent validity were assessed using a comprehensive battery of validated phenomenological and clinical scales. CFA supported two factors for a Methods of Control Scale (5 items each, average ω = .87), and one factor for a Degree of Control Scale (8 items, average ω = .95). Correlation with clinical measures supported convergent validity. Degree of control was associated with positive clinical outcomes in voice-hearers both with and without a psychosis-spectrum diagnosis. Degree of control also varied with quality of life independently of symptom severity and AVH content. The Yale COPE Scales are the first measure of voice-hearers’ control over AVH and exhibit sound psychometric properties. Results demonstrate that the capacity to voluntarily control AVH is independently associated with positive clinical outcomes. Reliable measurement of control over AVH will enable future development of interventions meant to bolster that control

Measuring Voluntary Control Over Hallucinations: The Yale Control Over Perceptual Experiences (COPE) Scales

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) frequently cause significant distress and dysfunction, and may be unresponsive to conventional treatments. Some voice-hearers report an ability to fully control the onset and offset of their AVH, making them significantly less disruptive. Measuring and understanding these abilities may lead to novel interventions to enhance control over AVH. Fifty-two voice-hearers participated in the pilot study. 318 participants with frequent AVH participated in the validation study. A pool of 59 items was developed by a diverse team including voice-hearers and clinicians. After the pilot study, 35 items were retained. Factorial structure was assessed with exploratory (EFA, n = 148) and confirmatory (CFA, n = 170) factor analyses. Reliability and convergent validity were assessed using a comprehensive battery of validated phenomenological and clinical scales. CFA on the final 18 items supported two factors for a Methods of Control Scale (5 items each, average omega = .87), and one factor for a Degree of Control Scale (8 items, average omega = .95). Correlation with clinical measures supported convergent validity. Degree of control was associated with positive clinical outcomes in voice-hearers both with and without a psychosis-spectrum diagnosis. Degree of control also varied with quality of life independently of symptom severity and AVH content. The Yale control over perceptual experiences (COPE) Scales robustly measure voice-hearers' control over AVH and exhibit sound psychometric properties. Results demonstrate that the capacity to voluntarily control AVH is independently associated with positive clinical outcomes. Reliable measurement of control over AVH will enable future development of interventions meant to bolster that control