Support for the location of negative posttraumatic cognitions in the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder

This is the accepted manuscript version of an article accepted for publication in Personality and Individual Differences following peer review. The version of record, S. Hiskey, R. Ayres, L. Andres and N. Troop, ‘Support for the location of negative posttraumatic cognitions in the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder’, Personality and Individual Differences, Vol 74, pp. 192-195, first published online November 11, 2014, is available online via doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.021 Published by Elsevier. All rights reserved.To investigate the extent to which negative posttraumatic cognitions predict, and so can be best located within, the DSM-5 (APA, 2013) individual symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Distress tolerance imagery training

Martial artists often use imagery training, both for technical skill development and for managing the self and others in conflict situations. There appears, however, to be no consistent method of imaging work employed to help develop such skills. We therefore present the PETTLEP approach – Physical, Environment, Task, Timing, Learning, Emotion, Perspective – drawn from the field of sports psychology, as a unifying theoretical framework for dynamic imagery interventions and propose a novel protocol for distress tolerance imagery work to help train martial artists in coping with stressful/conflict events. Such tools have a range of values and may be particularly important during periods when face to face, hands-on, or simulation drill training as part of martial arts practise may be impractical, such as during the COVID-19 crisis

Distress in working on dementia wards - a threat to compassionate care: a grounded theory study

Objectives - Nurses and health care workers are under increasing scrutiny from the general public and other professionals over their capacity for compassion. For example, in the UK, recruitment of nurses includes assessment of compassion through ?Values Based Recruitment?. However, compassionate care can be hindered when working in very challenging and pressurised environments. The study aimed to explore the experiences of managing work pressures in front-line NHS staff caring for older adults with dementia. One aspect of the analysis was to explore the factors that facilitate or hinder self-compassion and mindfulness, since these ways of responding to extreme pressure are likely to facilitate compassion towards others. Method- Ten front-line staff (a mixture of nurses and Health Care Assistants) from three inpatient dementia wards took part in qualitative interviews which were then analysed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Results - A theoretical framework was generated which highlighted the role of structural and interpersonal types of work pressure on individual responses and ways of managing pressure. A range of helpful and unhelpful strategies were employed and although many participants appreciated the importance of taking time to process and reflect on difficult emotions and experiences during work, there were significant structural and personal barriers to practicing mindfulness and self-compassion more fully. A sense of professionalism along with various organisational factors meant that much processing of difficult emotions had to take place largely out of work hours. Conclusions - Recruiting staff with high levels of compassion and training compassion to existing staff are not likely to significantly improve compassionate care alone in the context of extremely challenging work environments. Rather, organisational changes need to be made to model and reward self-compassion; staff training should focus on self-compassion and mindfulness, without which compassion to others is hindered. Strong professional values which may instil in care staff a belief in not displaying emotions at work should be considered carefully by professional bodies in order to provide guidance from pre-qualification onwards about how to balance professional conduct with appropriate expression of emotion in response to extreme situations

A longitudinal investigation of repressive coping and ageing

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Aging & Mental Health on October 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13607863.2015.1060941.Two studies investigated the possibility that repressive coping is more prevalent in older adults and that this represents a developmental progression rather than a cohort effect. Study 1 examined repressive coping and mental health cross-sectionally in young and old adults. Study 2 examined whether there was a developmental progression of repressive coping prevalence rates in a longitudinal sample of older adults.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Intrusive experiences and psychological adjustment following trauma

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN056065 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Development of the mini-BCIBS: A brief bi-directional measure of posttraumatic growth

We describe the development of a brief version of the Bi-Directional Changes in Being Scale (BCIBS; Hiskey, Troop, & Joseph, 2006), a measure of phenomenological change following stressful and traumatic life events. The psychometric properties of the mini-BCIBS were explored using data drawn from a sample of female students, survivors of a discotheque fire, and a large-scale Internet survey. Results suggest the new measure retains the breadth of experiences captured by its predecessor and is psychometrically equivalent. The new tool awaits further development among clinical samples and may help researchers explore the long-term trajectory of posttraumatic growth phenomena.Peer reviewe

The role of childhood experiences in the development of sexual compulsivity

There is a lack of evidence regarding the nature of the relationship between childhood trauma and sexual compulsivity in adulthood. Participants (n = 348) were users of support websites relating to drug, alcohol, gambling, and sexual addictions who completed an online survey including addiction questionnaires, the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, and the Early Trauma Inventory (Short Form). Multiple regression modeling indicated that gender, sexual orientation, childhood emotional abuse, childhood exposure to pornography, and parental sex addiction were associated with sexual compulsivity in adulthood (R2= 0.23). Childhood sexual or physical abuse and addictions to other behaviors (alcohol, drugs, gambling) were not associated with adult sexual compulsivity