Towards a domain-specific approach to the study of parental psychological control: distinguishing between dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented psychological control

Theory and research suggest that psychologically controlling parenting can be driven by parental concerns in two different domains, that is, interpersonal closeness and achievement. Three studies addressing this hypothesis are presented. Study 1 provides evidence for the validity of the Dependency-Oriented and Achievement-Oriented Psychological Control Scale (DAPCS), a new measure assessing psychological control in these two domains. Study 2 showed that dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented psychological control were related in expected ways to parental separation anxiety and perfectionism in a sample of mothers and fathers. Finally, Study 3 showed that dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented psychological control were differentially related to middle adolescent dependency and self-criticism and that these personality features act as specific intervening variables between the domain-specific expressions of psychological control and depressive symptoms. It is argued that the distinction between two domain-specific expressions of psychological control may allow for a more intricate analysis of the processes involved in intrusive parenting

Too strict or too loose? Perfectionism and impulsivity: the relation with eating disorder symptoms using a person-centered approach

Although both perfectionism (i.e. personal standards perfectionism and evaluative concerns perfectionism) and impulsivity have been shown to be implicated in eating disorders, no previous studies have examined the interplay between both personality dimensions in their association with eating disorder symptoms. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between empirically derived personality subtypes based on perfectionism and impulsivity and eating disorder symptoms (i.e., dietary restraint, and concerns over eating, weight and shape). Cluster analysis was used to establish naturally occurring combinations of perfectionism and impulsivity in adolescent boys and girls (N=460; M age=14.2 years, SD=.90). Evidence was obtained for four personality profiles: (1) a resilient subtype (low on perfectionism and impulsivity), (2) pure impulsivity subtype (high on impulsivity only), (3) pure perfectionism subtype (high on perfectionism only), and (4) combined perfectionism/impulsivity subtype (high on both perfectionism and impulsivity). Participants in these four clusters showed differences in terms of eating disorder symptoms in that participants with a combination of high perfectionism and high impulsivity (rather than the presence of one of these two characteristics alone) had the highest levels of ED symptoms. These findings shed new light on extant theories concerning ED.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Too strict or too loose? Perfectionism and impulsivity: The relation with eating disorder symptoms using a person-centered approach journaltitle: Eating Behaviors articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.10.013 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.status: publishe

To be scared or scared to be: existential anxiety as a mediator between meaning experience and depression

Difficulty in the experience of meaning has been both theoretically and empirically linked with depression. The present cross-sectional study first aimed to replicate the association between difficulty in meaning experience and depression in a sample of 77 psychotherapists and counsellors (77.1% female; M age: 49; SD age = 12.25). Secondly, this study wanted to extend the body of research findings by investigating whether existential anxiety, and focusing manner, i.e. the ability to attend to one’s bodily felt experiences, mediated the relation between meaning experience and the severity of depression. Surprisingly, meaning experience did not show a significant association with severity of depression. Furthermore, existential anxiety mediated the association between meaning experience and severity of depression. Focusing manner showed no significant mediating role in the relationship between meaning experience and severity of depression. These findings suggest that existential anxiety might be an important underlying mechanism in depressive disorder. Addressing the anxiety evoked by existential questions in the patient’s life might be important in the psychotherapeutic treatment of depression. Future prospective research is needed to further entangle the relationship between meaning experience, depression, focusing, and existential anxiety

Mapping the journey from epistemic mistrust in depressed adolescents receiving psychotherapy

Although the theory of epistemic trust has started informing research in clinical populations and in psychotherapy, no study has yet explored the phenomenon of epistemic trust and mistrust in depressed adolescents receiving psychotherapy. The present study aims to address this gap by creating a typology of depressed adolescents’ experiences regarding their different journeys through the course of psychotherapy in relation to issues of epistemic trust and mistrust over a 2-year period. This study is based on a post-hoc analysis of interview data collected for a broader purpose. A total of 45 semi-structured interviews at 3 time points were conducted with 15 adolescents (80% female; M age = 15.28, SD = 1.79) who entered treatment with indications of epistemic mistrust or hypervigilance. These interviews were qualitatively analysed using Ideal Type Analysis. Three distinct journeys of adolescents’ experiences were identified. Some experienced a shift from epistemic mistrust to epistemic trust which seemed to be associated with the experience of therapy; other adolescents also showed a shift but did not consider it as an outcome of therapy; and finally, some adolescents reported continued mistrust over the 2-year period. An interpersonal component within or beyond therapy may be the key to breaking the vicious cycle of epistemic mistrust and generating epistemic trust; but not all depressed adolescents in therapy achieve this. Particular attention should be drawn to depressed adolescents who have difficulty making use of therapy and/or their broader social environment. Psychological interventions may need to openly address their issues of mistrust in early sessions as epistemic mistrust or hypervigilance may hinder paths to learning both within and beyond therapy. Treatments that intervene at the level of the wider social system are encouraged

Improving treatment outcomes for adolescents with borderline personality disorder through a socioecological approach

Background There is a dearth of studies evaluating treatment efficacy for adolescents diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The few available randomized controlled trials that have been conducted show modest results and treatments appear to have equivalent effects. The current paper draws on (a) the lessons learnt from the last 50 years of psychotherapy research in general and (b) recent advances in mentalization-based understanding of why treatment works, which together point to the importance of following a socioecological approach in the treatment of personality problems in adolescence – a developmental period that insists on a treatment approach that goes beyond the therapist-client dyad. Case presentation Here, we describe such an approach, and offer a clinical case example with a young 16-year old girl diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, to illustrate what a shift toward a more socioecological approach would entail. Conclusions The clinical impact of the socioecological approach and the potential benefits as illustrated in the current case illustration, offers a framework that justifies and allows for the expansion of service delivery for youth with borderline personality disorder beyond dyadic therapist-client work

Contradictions, methodological flaws, and potential for misinterpretations in ranking treatments of depression

In this journal Malhi et al. recommended cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), antidepressants, and counseling ahead of short-term psychodynamic therapy (STPP) referring to UK NICE guidelines for depression. However, these recommendations continue the ambiguous and therefore confusing NICE guidelines, which on the one hand list the above treatments as equal options as first-line treatment for depression and emphasizes the importance of patient preference and implementations factors, but on the other hand rank these first-line treatments, implying superiority of some treatments over others. Furthermore, we highlight several methodological flaws of the NICE treatment ranking and that the NICE treatment ranking is not justified by NICE’s own and independent evidence and criteria. Presently it is not clear which patients benefit from which empirically-supported treatment. Thus, we continue to discourage the devaluing of efficacious treatments so that as many patients as possible may benefit from them

A Typology for the Interpersonal Affective Focus in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy Based on a Contemporary Interpersonal Approach

Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) is a brief, time-limited psychodynamic individual therapy in which depressive and anxious symptoms are understood as responses to interpersonal difficulties. Problematic interpersonal representations of the self and others are conceptualized in DIT as the interpersonal affective focus (IPAF), a predominant and recurring interpersonal pattern that is connected to the symptoms and becomes the foundation of treatment. This paper reports the development of a typology for classifying IPAFs, which characterizes the predominant style based on contemporary interpersonal approaches. If such a typology can be shown to have validity in a clinical setting, it could have multiple uses that would improve understanding of how DIT works and for whom it might be effective, for example, assisting the therapist in formulating the IPAF, allowing investigations of treatment outcome and process research, and informing training. A IPAF typology was developed by means of a hybrid method of qualitative analysis of transcriptions of audio recordings of DIT sessions using data from a randomized control and feasibility trial. Results revealed four themes, that is, patterns of relating, which could be described as hostile-dominant, hostile-submissive, friendly-dominant, or friendly-submissive. Limitations include the sample size and diversity, the impact of the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the pilot feasibility trial and the clinical need to titrate the IPAF. Future research should focus on the reliability and validity of the typology and whether it can be employed in outcome and process research

Teoría y tratamiento de la depresión: ¿Hacia su integración?

Recent research has changed our view on depression in important ways. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Strategic Plan for Mood Disorders Research (NIMH, 2003) is currently the most ambitious attempt to give a new impetus to research on mood disorders, and to develop more encompassing theories that will ultimately lead to more effective treatment strategies. However, in our view, this strategic plan fails to address several important issues and recent developments in research on depression. In this article, several important points of divergence are outlined with special reference to a conference on the integration of theories and treatment strategies on depression held in Kortenberg (Belgium) on March 14, 2003.Nuestra visión sobre la depresión ha cambiado de manera considerable con la investigación reciente. El Plan estratégico para la investigación de los desórdenes del carácter del Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental (INSM, 2003) es una propuesta ambiciosa orientada a crear un nuevo ímpetu en la investigación de desórdenes del carácter por un lado, y por otro a desarrollar teorías más amplias que permitan organizar estrategias de tratamiento más efectivas. Sin embargo, desde nuestro punto de vista, el plan estratégico no ha considerado algunas investigaciones recientes ni muchos problemas altamente relevantes en el ámbito de la depresión. En el presente artículo muchos puntos de divergencia importantes se precisan con respecto a una conferencia sobre la integración de teorías y estrategias de tratamiento sobre la depresión realizada el 14 de marzo del 2003 en Kortenberg (Bélgica). &nbsp

Adaptación y propiedades psicométricas de cuestionarios: transacciones de soporte social (CTSS) y satisfacción de soporte social (CSSS)

Im dem gegewärtigen Artikel werden die Gültigkeit und Zuverlässigkeit des Fragebogens von Verhandlungen für Sozialunterstützung (CTSS) und des Fragebogens der Zufriedenheit der Sozialunterstützung (CSSS) in einer Probe von Opfern des Feuers in “Lomo de Corvina” und in einer Probe von Studenten analysiert. Diese beiden Fragebogen behandeln vier Aspekte der Sozialunterstützung: die empfangene, die wahrgenommene und die emotionelle. Die Ergebnisse der Faktoren Analyse bestätigen, dass die Faktoren Struktur der Skala zwischen angepasst und gut ist, sowie die Zuverlässigkeit der Mehrheit der Underskalen beider Proben. Es wird empfohlen, mehr Studien mit disen Skalen durchzuführen, um ihre Struktur zu forschen und die Wichtigkeit der verschieden Arten von Sozialunterstützung festzustellen.This article examines the validity and reliability of the questionnaire of social transaction support (CTSS) and satisfaction questionnaire of social support (CSSS) in a sample of the "Lomo de Corvina" fire victims and in a sample of college students. These two questionnaires analyze four aspects of social support: received social support, perceived social support, instrumental social support and social emotional support. The results of the factor analysis confirm that the factorial structure of the scale is between adequate to good, as does the reliability of most of the subscales of the two tests. It is recommended that a larger number of studies with these scales to explore even more its factorial structure, and learn about the relevance of the different types of social support in the pursuit of wellbeing.En el presente artículo se analizan la validez y confiabilidad del Cuestionario de Transacciones de Soporte Social (CTSS) y Cuestionario de Satisfacción de Soporte Social (CSSS) en una muestra de damnificados del incendio de “Lomo de Corvina” y en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios. Estos dos cuestionarios analizan cuatro aspectos de soporte social: soporte social recibido, soporte social percibido, soporte social instrumental y soporte social emocional. Los resultados de los análisis factoriales confirman que la estructura factorial de la escala es entre adecuada a buena al igual que la confiabilidad de la mayoría de las subescalas de las dos pruebas. Se recomienda realizar un mayor número de estudios con estas escalas para explorar aún más su estructura factorial, y conocer la relevancia de los diferentes tipos de soporte social en la consecución del bienestar de las personas