Skin Type and Optimistic Bias in Relation to the Sun Protection and Suntanning Behaviors of Young Adults

The study examined the roles of general and personal beliefs and skin type in relation to suntanning and sun protection, by assessing various perceptions of risk of skin cancer both for the self and for the average person. A sample of 355 people aged 16 to 25 years was selected randomly from the telephone directory of a coastal provincial city. Highly structured interviews were conducted over the telephone. The findings were presented in relation to three research questions. First, skin type, classified as burn only, burn then tan, or tan without burning, influenced both general and personal beliefs. Compared to the tan-only group, the burn-only group perceived earlier age at onset, greater number of years of life lost, and greater severity of skin cancer, for both the average person and the self, and greater susceptibility to skin cancer for the average person. Second, differences were found between personally relevant and population-relevant beliefs on susceptibility to skin cancer, time of onset, and years of life lost due to skin cancer but not for perceptions of severity and curability. Finally, skin cancer beliefs were poor correlates of tanning and protecting behaviors. The factor explaining the greatest proportion of variance in both behaviors was skin type

Mechanisms of change in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Systematized review

OBJECTIVE: Despite increasing evidence for the effectiveness of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP), evidence supporting the purported mechanisms of change in ISTDP is lacking. This systematized review aimed to describe the major theorized mechanisms of change in ISTDP, critically evaluate the emerging literature pertaining to its purported mechanisms, and explore directions for future research. METHODS: A systematized search of the literature was conducted by using online databases (PsychInfo, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL). RESULTS: Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria. The included studies explored at least one theorized ISTDP mechanism of change and attempted to operationalize or otherwise empirically examine the mechanism in relation to the therapeutic process. Examined mechanisms included "unlocking the unconscious" and specific therapist interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The current body of literature has several limitations, most notably the lack of a consensus definition for unlocking the unconscious. This difficulty in measuring mechanisms of change is common across therapeutic modalities and limits the validity and comparability of findings. Despite these limitations, the literature suggests a possible association between theorized mechanisms of change and positive therapy outcomes. Future research directions are discussed.</p

Using the Achievement of Therapeutic Objectives Scale to Operationalize 'Unlocking' of the Unconscious

Objective:Intensive short-term dynamic therapy (ISTDP) is an evidence-based psychotherapy supported by a growing literature base. “Unlocking” of the unconscious is a central process in ISTDP. This study sought to operationalize the concept of unlocking by adopting a detailed process analysis of the early phase of therapy for four patients by using a structured measure, the Achievement of Therapeutic Objectives Scale (ATOS).Methods:The ATOS is a measure of psychotherapy processes. A profile of the scale’s cutoff scores was developed to identify episodes of unlocking in videos of 28 ISTDP therapy sessions. Expert raters assessed for episodes of unlocking for up to the first 10 recorded psychotherapy sessions of four participants in a naturalistic private practice setting. Sessions were then rated with the ATOS profile, and these ratings were compared with expert ratings to assess the sensitivity of the ATOS in identifying episodes of unlocking.Results:Using the profile of subscale cutoff scores, the ATOS successfully identified seven of 11 episodes of unlocking. A visual analysis of descriptive data indicated that average ATOS subscale scores consistently identified episodes of unlocking and the presence of complex feelings of rage and guilt about the rage. Expert ratings of unlocking and the ATOS ratings were found to have high interrater reliability.Conclusions:This pilot study suggests that the ATOS may be adapted to provide a profile that can identify episodes of unlocking of the unconscious. The proposed measure is worthy of further study, representing an initial step toward operationalizing a central process associated with positive outcomes in ISTDP