Therapeutic alliance and early change in depression: Benefits of enhancing working alliance at the initial sessions of short-term supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy

Aims: The present study attempted to see whether the use of supportive techniques and improving working alliance in the initial sessions of short-term supportive-expressive (SE) psychodynamic psychotherapy results in a change in symptoms of patients with depressive disorder. Materials and methods: The study was an experiential single case. The subjects were 6 women with major depressive disorder who were selected by a purposive sampling method. Measures included the Working Alliance Inventory-12, the Quality of Life Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory II. Visual analysis with graphs, mean, standard deviation and the Friedman test was used for data analysis. Results: There was no significant increase or decrease in the severity of depression on the baseline (?2 = 3.54, P=0.14) and during evaluation sessions (?2 = 0.85, P=0.65), but participants showed a significant improvement in quality of life once the sessions had started (?2 = 8.95, P=0.01). The mean scores on all three working alliance components showed a slight increase over three sessions and the scores on the bond subscale showed a significant increase (?2 = 11.56, P=0.003). Discussion: It was clear that despite a slight increase in the severity of depression in at least four participants, patients� quality of life and working alliance, especially the bond component, improved during the initial sessions of psychotherapy. Conclusions: These findings may reflect the importance of working alliance in the initial sessions of therapy, which can lead to a change in the patient�s experience of quality of life

Seeking safety therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder: A case study in Iran

Background: Literature documents the high prevalence of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (OTSD) in individuals with substance use disorders, which complicate the clinical profile of patients and present challenges for treatment providers. Although several evidence-based integrated therapies are developed for comorbid PTSD/SUD (substance use disorder), there is a considerable gap addressing this co-occurrence and none of such practices are studied yet on such patients. Through A-B-A single subject design. Objectives: The current study aimed to explore the effectiveness of seeking safety (SS), an integrative evidence-based therapy for PTSD/SUD, to reduce PTSD and SUD symptoms in a 32-year-old female with both disorders. Patients and Methods: Measures of PTSD checklist (PTSD ChecklistCivilian; PCL-C), Addiction Severity Index (ASI), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21) were completed by the participant at baseline, intervention, and 2-month follow-up. Results: Results were analyzed through visual analysis and computing 3 effect size indices including standardized mean difference (SMD), mean baseline reduction (MBLR), and percent of non-overlapping data (PND). Conclusions: Clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, and ASI scores, as well as improvement in coping skills were observed at intervention phase and maintained at 2-month follow-up, which indicated that the participant benefited from SS. © 2018, International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction

The relation between evolutionary life strategy, temperament and character in individuals with opioid use disorder

Background: Although many risk factors have been proposed for the etiology of the addiction, little research has been conducted from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. The theory of life strategies (with respect to evolutionary causes) has led to a new understanding of addiction. While researchers have shown that Cloninger's bio-psychological model is one of the most important personality factors in the etiology of addiction, there is no research about the relationship between life strategy and the temperament-character component of addiction. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between these two variables in individuals with opioid use disorder in comparison with the normal group. Patients and Methods: This correlational study included 96 participants with opioid use disorder selected by convenience sampling from the Iranian national center for addiction studies (INCAS) and 97 participants without any substance use disorder, who were matched to the opioid-use group. After administering the mini-form of Arizona life history battery (ALHB) and the temperament and character inventory (TCI), data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. Results: Results showed a relationship between fast-life strategy and novelty seeking in the group with opioid use disorder and a positive relationship between slow-life strategy and co-operation in the control group. The regression analysis indicated that novelty seeking was able to predict fast-life strategy in the opioid use group and co-operation could predict slow-life strategy in the control group. Conclusions: Life strategy could be a new variable in understanding and planning addiction prevention programs. © 2018, International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction

The relation between evolutionary life strategy, temperament and character in individuals with opioid use disorder

Background: Although many risk factors have been proposed for the etiology of the addiction, little research has been conducted from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. The theory of life strategies (with respect to evolutionary causes) has led to a new understanding of addiction. While researchers have shown that Cloninger's bio-psychological model is one of the most important personality factors in the etiology of addiction, there is no research about the relationship between life strategy and the temperament-character component of addiction. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between these two variables in individuals with opioid use disorder in comparison with the normal group. Patients and Methods: This correlational study included 96 participants with opioid use disorder selected by convenience sampling from the Iranian national center for addiction studies (INCAS) and 97 participants without any substance use disorder, who were matched to the opioid-use group. After administering the mini-form of Arizona life history battery (ALHB) and the temperament and character inventory (TCI), data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. Results: Results showed a relationship between fast-life strategy and novelty seeking in the group with opioid use disorder and a positive relationship between slow-life strategy and co-operation in the control group. The regression analysis indicated that novelty seeking was able to predict fast-life strategy in the opioid use group and co-operation could predict slow-life strategy in the control group. Conclusions: Life strategy could be a new variable in understanding and planning addiction prevention programs. © 2018, International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction

Assessing mastery through psychotherapy: Psychometric properties of the persian version of the mastery scale

Background: Considering the importance of assessing the range of phenomena that can change in psychodynamic therapy, and lack of appropriate assessment scale in Persian language, the present study assessed the reliability of the Persian mastery scale. The mastery scale is a comprehensive research tool for assessing a patient's mastery of transference-related interpersonal conflicts during the treatment process. Objectives: The aim of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Mastery Scale. Methods: After preparing the Persian version of the mastery scale through the forward-backward translation process, a sample of 36 relationship episodes was rated by three independent judges. Data were collected in Mashhad, Iran in 2015. The psychometric properties of the instrument, including inter-rater reliability and test-retest analysis were assessed. Results: The test-retest correlations of the 3 judges were (0.80, 0.91 and 0.95), highly significant at P < 0.0001 and the inter-rater reliability indicated a good level of agreement (The ICC (3, 3) 0.84, 95 CI 0.72, 0.90). Conclusions: The current study has provided evidence that the Persian mastery scale is a reliable instrument for assessing changes in inner capacities and resources through psychodynamic treatments. However, further studies are required to investigate the validity of this scale. ©2018, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Therapeutic alliance and early change in depression: Benefits of enhancing working alliance at the initial sessions of short-term supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy

Aims: The present study attempted to see whether the use of supportive techniques and improving working alliance in the initial sessions of short-term supportive-expressive (SE) psychodynamic psychotherapy results in a change in symptoms of patients with depressive disorder. Materials and methods: The study was an experiential single case. The subjects were 6 women with major depressive disorder who were selected by a purposive sampling method. Measures included the Working Alliance Inventory-12, the Quality of Life Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory II. Visual analysis with graphs, mean, standard deviation and the Friedman test was used for data analysis. Results: There was no significant increase or decrease in the severity of depression on the baseline (?2 = 3.54, P=0.14) and during evaluation sessions (?2 = 0.85, P=0.65), but participants showed a significant improvement in quality of life once the sessions had started (?2 = 8.95, P=0.01). The mean scores on all three working alliance components showed a slight increase over three sessions and the scores on the bond subscale showed a significant increase (?2 = 11.56, P=0.003). Discussion: It was clear that despite a slight increase in the severity of depression in at least four participants, patients� quality of life and working alliance, especially the bond component, improved during the initial sessions of psychotherapy. Conclusions: These findings may reflect the importance of working alliance in the initial sessions of therapy, which can lead to a change in the patient�s experience of quality of life

Investigating the role of interpersonal sensitivity, anger, and perfectionism in social anxiety

Background: The investigation of personality characteristics and emotional experiences of the people suffering from anxiety disorders is one of the most important issues which are considered by researchers and clinicians. Perfectionism, sensitivity to interpersonal rejection, and anger are personality traits related to social anxiety. In social anxiety disorder, it has also been focused on anger as a personality characteristic and as an emotional condition. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the role of these variables in predicting social anxiety among a nonclinical group of Iranian students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 131 students completed the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Self-Report version (LSAS-SR), Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM), and State and Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the concurrent associations between perfectionism, interpersonal sensitivity and quality of emotional experience, and expression of anger with severity of self-report social anxiety. Results: Greater levels of FMPS total were significantly associated with a greater level of LSAS total, fear, and avoidance of social and functional situations (P = 0.022, P = 0.024, and P = 0.006). Moreover, a significant positive correlation between IPSM total (P = 0.015) with fear and also between anger expression index (P = 0.009) with avoidance subscale were found. Conclusions: In accordance to the previous researches, we found that perfectionism, interpersonal sensitivity, anger experience, and anger expression skills are related to social anxiety. How these personality traits are related to fear and avoidance of social situations and their concurrent effects on predicting social anxiety were discussed. © 2018 International Journal of Preventive Medicine | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

The psychometric properties of the Persian version of interpersonal sensitivity measure

Background: Investigating the psychometric properties of existing psychometric scales in societies with differing dynamics can help with their external validity. This research specifically aimed at standardization and validation of Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM) scale in Iran. Materials and Methods: Persian version of the IPSM was produced through forward translation, reconciliation, and back translation. A total of 357, nonclinical students were selected through multistage sampling method and completed a set of questionnaires including IPSM. Internal consistency, convergent validity, divergent validity, and test-retest reliability of the Persian version of the IPSM were analyzed. To assess the construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed. Results: Total IPSM, as well as all subscales showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach�s α =0.86 and 0.51�0.71, respectively). Test-retest reliability at a 2-week interval was significant, with intraclass correlation coefficient ranging between 0.73 and 0.92. In terms of convergent validity, IPSM showed the significant positive correlation with self-report measures of depression, social anxiety, and anxious attachment style. IPSM showed negative correlation with Social Desirability Scale and secure (C subscale of avoidant attachment style AAS) and dependent (D subscale of AAS), thus demonstrated divergent validity with these constructs. According to the CFA, the responses of the sample in this study were fitted to the original five-factor structure. Conclusion: The IPSM showed good validity and reliability and could be useful in assessing interpersonal sensitivity in Iranian population. © 2016 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

Investigating the role of interpersonal sensitivity, anger, and perfectionism in social anxiety

Background: The investigation of personality characteristics and emotional experiences of the people suffering from anxiety disorders is one of the most important issues which are considered by researchers and clinicians. Perfectionism, sensitivity to interpersonal rejection, and anger are personality traits related to social anxiety. In social anxiety disorder, it has also been focused on anger as a personality characteristic and as an emotional condition. The main purpose of this work is to investigate the role of these variables in predicting social anxiety among a nonclinical group of Iranian students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 131 students completed the self-report version of Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale Self-Report version (LSAS-SR), Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM), and State and Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the concurrent associations between perfectionism, interpersonal sensitivity and quality of emotional experience, and expression of anger with severity of self-report social anxiety. Results: Greater levels of FMPS total were significantly associated with a greater level of LSAS total, fear, and avoidance of social and functional situations (P = 0.022, P = 0.024, and P = 0.006). Moreover, a significant positive correlation between IPSM total (P = 0.015) with fear and also between anger expression index (P = 0.009) with avoidance subscale were found. Conclusions: In accordance to the previous researches, we found that perfectionism, interpersonal sensitivity, anger experience, and anger expression skills are related to social anxiety. How these personality traits are related to fear and avoidance of social situations and their concurrent effects on predicting social anxiety were discussed. © 2018 International Journal of Preventive Medicine | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Assessing mastery through psychotherapy: Psychometric properties of the persian version of the mastery scale

Background: Considering the importance of assessing the range of phenomena that can change in psychodynamic therapy, and lack of appropriate assessment scale in Persian language, the present study assessed the reliability of the Persian mastery scale. The mastery scale is a comprehensive research tool for assessing a patient's mastery of transference-related interpersonal conflicts during the treatment process. Objectives: The aim of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Mastery Scale. Methods: After preparing the Persian version of the mastery scale through the forward-backward translation process, a sample of 36 relationship episodes was rated by three independent judges. Data were collected in Mashhad, Iran in 2015. The psychometric properties of the instrument, including inter-rater reliability and test-retest analysis were assessed. Results: The test-retest correlations of the 3 judges were (0.80, 0.91 and 0.95), highly significant at P < 0.0001 and the inter-rater reliability indicated a good level of agreement (The ICC (3, 3) 0.84, 95 CI 0.72, 0.90). Conclusions: The current study has provided evidence that the Persian mastery scale is a reliable instrument for assessing changes in inner capacities and resources through psychodynamic treatments. However, further studies are required to investigate the validity of this scale. ©2018, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences