Social anxiety-linked attention bias to threat is indirectly related to post-event processing via subjective emotional reactivity to social stress

Attention bias to threat (e.g., disgust faces) is a cognitive vulnerability factor for social anxiety occurring in early stages of information processing. Few studies have investigated the relationship between social anxiety and attention biases, in conjunction with emotional and cognitive responses to a social stressor. Elucidating these links would shed light on maintenance factors of social anxiety and could help identify malleable treatment targets. This study examined the associations between social anxiety level, attention bias to disgust (AB-disgust), subjective emotional and physiological reactivity to a social stressor, and subsequent post-event processing (PEP). We tested a mediational model where social anxiety level indirectly predicted subsequent PEP via its association with AB disgust and immediate subjective emotional reactivity to social stress. Fifty-five undergraduates (45% female) completed a passive viewing task. Eye movements were tracked during the presentation of social stimuli (e.g., disgust faces) and used to calculate AB-disgust. Next, participants gave an impromptu speech in front of a video camera and watched a neutral video, followed by the completion of a PEP measure. Although there was no association between AB-disgust and physiological reactivity to the stressor, AB-disgust was significantly associated with greater subjective emotional reactivity from baseline to the speech. Analyses supported a partial mediation model where AB-disgust and subjective emotional reactivity to a social stressor partially accounted for the link between social anxiety levels and PEP

The German Three Factor Impulsivity Index: Confirmatory factor analysis and ties to demographic and health-related variables

A growing body of research has focused on the differentiation of emotion-related versus non-emotion-related impulsivity, assessed by the Three-Factor Impulsivity (TFI) index. The goal of this study is to develop a German TFI index, and to validate the emotion-related impulsivity subscales against indices of substance abuse, physical or psychological disorder, physical exercise, BMI, and hours of sleep. 395 native-German speakers completed the German TFI index and questions on validity indicators online. Factor analyses supported the three-factor structure, including Pervasive Influence of Feelings, Lack of Follow Through, and Feelings Trigger Action. Correlations between factors were higher than in the original work. Both emotion-related impulsivity subscales correlated significantly with psychological disorder, engagement in and minutes of physical exercise per week. When included in multivariate regression models, the three factors explained 3.1%, and 29.2% of variance in amount of exercise per week and psychological disorder, respectively. In sum, findings indicated that the German TFI index has a robust three-factor structure that showed expected links to validity indicators, and novel effects in relation to physical exercise

A Review of the Diagnosis and Management of Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disorder (HD) is a severe psychiatric and public health problem characterized by extreme challenges with discarding possessions and severe acquisition resulting in excessive clutter that impairs daily functioning and may cause substantial health and safety risks. Over the past 20 years, research on HD has grown substantially and lead to its recent designation in the DSM-5 as a discrete disorder. The key features of the cognitive behavioral etiological model of hoarding include core vulnerabilities, information processing deficits, cognitions and meaning of possessions, and emotionally driven reinforcement patterns. This model has served as the theoretical foundation for efficacious, specialized cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for hoarding and validated hoarding assessment measures. The individual manualized CBT treatment has been adapted for delivery through various modalities (e.g., group, web-based, self-help), populations (e.g., geriatric), and providers (e.g., clinicians, peer support, case managers). While CBT is associated with significant reductions in hoarding severity, clinical levels of hoarding symptoms persist for greater than half of treatment completers; thus, more efficacious treatments need to be developed. Further research is necessary to elucidate components of the CBT model and their interaction, in order to inform treatment targets. Although research on pharmacological treatments for HD is in the nascent stages and extant results are somewhat mixed, future studies may assess medication as a standalone treatment or combined with CBT. Family-focused hoarding interventions may also be important given that persons with hoarding behaviors may have limited insight and motivation and its negative effects on the family. Current data indicate a cost-effective and coordinated response that combines community-based and individualized interventions for hoarding may be optimal in order to (1) reach the broadest group of clients with hoarding (e.g., beyond those who voluntarily seek treatment), (2) maximize incentives and motivation through housing, health services, and safety laws, (3) enhance communication and coordination between diverse teams of providers, (4) provide sustainable comprehensive services in a stepped care approach, and (5) reduce stigma