Psychological Processes Mediate the Impact of Familial Risk, Social Circumstances and Life Events on Mental Health

<p>Results of a structural equation model testing the mediating effects of the psychological processes of response style and self-blame on the contribution of familial mental health history, relationship status, income and education, social inclusion and life events on mental health problems and well-being, with S-B χ² (3,199, N = 27,397) = 126,654·8, p<·001; RCFI = ·97; RMSEA = ·04 (·038–·039). The path diagram shows completely standardised robust parameter estimates which represent the relative contribution of each latent factor to the model. All coefficients are statistically significant, p<·001. Latent factors are represented by ovals. The double headed arrow between mental health problems and well-being represents the correlations between these latent constructs.</p

Measurement invariance in the assessment of people with an intellectual disability

Intellectual assessment is central to the process of diagnosing an intellectual disability and the assessment process needs to be valid and reliable. One fundamental aspect of validity is that of measurement invariance, i.e. that the assessment measures the same thing in different populations. There are reasons to believe that measurement invariance of the Wechsler scales may not hold for people with an intellectual disability. Many of the issues which may influence factorial invariance are common to all versions of the scales. The present study, therefore, explored the factorial validity of the WAIS-III as used with people with an intellectual disability. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess goodness of fit of the proposed four factor model using 13 and 11 subtests. None of the indices used suggested a good fit for the model, indicating a lack of factorial validity and suggesting a lack of measurement invariance of the assessment with people with an intellectual disability. Several explanations for this and implications for other intellectual assessments were discussed

The Use of Synchronous Videoconference in Bipolar Patients

Background: A considerable literature has developed around demonstrating the clinical relevance of mentalizing as a construct. However, much of the emphasis has been on patients’ deficits rather than therapist’s abilities. Although it may be the case that therapist’s mentalization capacity can facilitate better outcomes in psychotherapy, there is a dearth of empirical evidence concerning the impact mentalization has on therapist competencies in psychotherapy and the implications of this in clinical practice dyads. Methods/Design: A pilot study will use an integrated design. A longitudinal case series alongside a qualitative grounded theory approach will be utilized to develop a context-specific, grounded micro theory model of therapeutic alliance rupture and resolution during online psychotherapy with patients with bipolar disorder. 10 dyads of therapists and patients will be assessed by pre-and post-session outcome ratings, as well as baseline and post-therapy performance ratings during the four-month intervention period. In addition, semi-structured grounded theory interviews will be conducted with participants to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences during the therapeutic process. Discussion: New research findings on videoconferencing-enabled clinical interventions have been needed since the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to an assessment of the available evidence, little is known about psychotherapy, and significant gaps remain. This paper describes a protocol of a pilot aimed to capture the explicit and implicit knowledge that emerge from therapists and patients during the therapeutic process in order to investigate the complex process of therapeutic interaction beyond “outcome effects”

Transition to Parenthood and Bipolar Disorder

The birth of the first child - often referred to as transition to parenthood - is an important and often joyful life event, however, for women with pre-existing severe mental illnesses (such as bipolar disorder) and their partners, it can also be a time of heightened psychosocial distress and complex decision-making. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the decision-making process, information and support needs as experienced by women with bipolar disorder and their partners in each stage of their journey from pre-conception to the early postnatal period. Data will be collected and analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Up to 20 interviews will be conducted in the UK with women diagnosed with bipolar disorder before becoming mothers (up to n=10) and/or their partners (up to n=10) with a first child under 5 years old. Findings of this project, guided by the voices of those with lived experiences, would provide additional information for future service design, perinatal mental health policy, and clinical practice suited to the needs of the individuals who use them

Assessing the cognitive contributors to violence:A pilot and feasibility study protocol

In recent years there has been considerable progress in the development, validation and use of violence risk assessments (VRA). Their predictive ability however remains modest and, due to the repetitive use of certain risk factors, collectively, they appear to have hit an allegorical ‘glass ceiling’. Further limiting VRA is the use of self-report, collateral information, and file reviews to assess clinical and risk-related factors, rather than validated performance measures. Correspondingly, converging findings from neuropsychology and neurobiology have underlined brain regions associated with violent behaviour and subsequent research has further demonstrated this through observational studies. Thus, it is hypothesised that VRA may benefit from the integration of behaviourally measured neuropsychological risk factors. The current study is a feasibility and pilot study with a prospective, observational approach and a retrospective component. It aims to investigate the feasibility of using a neuropsychological battery to aid in the identification of violence risk in an inpatient and community setting, and to pilot a neuropsychological battery of measures examining risk factors for violence identified through a meta-analysis and an international Delphi study. The primary outcomes of interest are violent incidents or offences recorded during the 6-month follow-up periods