Goal-Focused Emotion-Regulation Therapy (GET) for young adult survivors of testicular cancer: a pilot randomized controlled trial of a biobehavioral intervention protocol.

BackgroundTesticular cancer diagnosis and treatment, especially given its threat to sexuality and reproductive health, can be distressing in the formative period of young adulthood and the majority of young survivors experience impairing, distressing, and modifiable adverse outcomes that can persist long after medical treatment. These include psychological distress, impairment in pursuit of life goals, persistent physical side effects, elevated risk of secondary malignancies and chronic illness, and biobehavioral burden (e.g., enhanced inflammation, dysregulated diurnal stress hormones). However, few targeted interventions exist to assist young survivors in renegotiating life goals and regulating cancer-related emotions, and none focus on reducing the burden of morbidity via biobehavioral mechanisms. This paper describes the methodology of a randomized controlled biobehavioral trial designed to investigate the feasibility and preliminary impact of a novel intervention, Goal-focused Emotion-Regulation Therapy (GET), aimed at improving distress symptoms, emotion regulation, goal navigation skills, and stress-sensitive biomarkers in young adult testicular cancer patients.MethodsParticipants will be randomized to receive six sessions of GET or Individual Supportive Therapy (ISP) delivered over 8 weeks. In addition to indicators of intervention feasibility, we will measure primary (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and secondary (emotion regulation and goal navigation skills, career confusion) psychological outcomes prior to (T0), immediately after (T1), and 12 weeks after (T2) intervention. Additionally, identified biomarkers will be measured at baseline and at T2.DiscussionGET may have the potential to improve self-regulation across biobehavioral domains, improve overall cancer adjustment, and address the need for targeted supportive care interventions for young adult cancer survivors.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT04150848. Registered on 28 October 2019

Hope, Goals, and Pathways: Further Validating the Hope Scale with Observer Ratings

Objective: For the past two decades, hope theory has been an important framework for conceptualizing goal pursuits. Surprisingly there has been little effort to test the underlying suppositions of hope theory or to further validate the Hope Scale. Method: In Study 1, participants (N = 162, Mage = 19, 61% female) completed the Hope Scale and nominated goals they would like to accomplish in the next few months. Goals were coded on several dimensions. In Study 2, participants (N = 118, Mage = 19, 59% female) completed the Hope Scale, measures of optimism and self-efficacy, and generated workable pathways for achieving standardized goals. Results: Hope scores predicted setting objectively important, prosocial, long-term, and challenging goals. Hope (but not optimism or self-efficacy) was associated with generating more pathways for standardized goals. Conclusions: The results of these studies generally support the tenets of hope theory and provide further validation for the Hope Scale. As expected, people with higher hope were more likely than their lower-hope counterparts to engage in what has been considered successful goal-setting behavior. Hope is associated with important goal-relevant behaviors and efforts to increase hopeful thought may be important in helping individuals to move toward important life outcomes

The Science and Application of Positive Psychology

Positive psychology tackles the big questions: What does it mean to live a \u27good life\u27? What helps people to flourish and access their optimal potential? And how can we increase our capacities for joy, meaning, and hope? This engaging textbook emphasizes the science of positive psychology - students don\u27t simply learn about positive psychology in the abstract, but instead are exposed to the fascinating research that supports its conclusions.Bridging theory and practice, this textbook connects up-to-date research with real-world examples and guides students to apply evidence-based practices in their own lives. Its comprehensive coverage includes major new topics, such as spirituality, therapeutic interventions, mindfulness, and positive relationships. Featured pedagogy includes \u27Are You Sure about That?\u27 boxes presenting methodological and statistical principles in context, and \u27Practice Positive Psychology\u27 activities to extend student learning, while online resources include lecture slides, a test bank, and an instructor manual.https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/faculty_books/1555/thumbnail.jp

Southward_Supplemental_Material – Supplemental material for Identifying Core Deficits in a Dimensional Model of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Network Analysis

<p>Supplemental material, Southward_Supplemental_Material for Identifying Core Deficits in a Dimensional Model of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Network Analysis by Matthew W. Southward and Jennifer S. Cheavens in Clinical Psychological Science</p

SouthwardOpenPracticesDisclosure – Supplemental material for Identifying Core Deficits in a Dimensional Model of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Network Analysis

<p>Supplemental material, SouthwardOpenPracticesDisclosure for Identifying Core Deficits in a Dimensional Model of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Network Analysis by Matthew W. Southward and Jennifer S. Cheavens in Clinical Psychological Science</p

A mediational model of trait negative affectivity, dispositional thought suppression, and intrusive thoughts following laboratory stressors

Two studies examined the relationships among trait negative affectivity, dispositional thought suppression, and intrusions in non-clinical samples. In Study 1 (N=87), participants were presented with a series of emotionally evocative images and intrusions were examined 48 h after presentation via self-report. In Study 2 (N=118), intrusions were examined using a behavioral Key-press and self-report at two time points (5 and 20 min) following exposure to a series of emotionally evocative images. In each study, participants were assessed for trait negative affectivity and the tendency to engage in thought suppression in response to unpleasant cognitions. Results from both studies support a model in which chronic thought suppression fully mediates the relationship between negative affectivity and the frequency of intrusions.<br/

Differences in emotional experience and emotion regulation as a function of age and psychiatric condition

In this study, self-reported experiences of negative affectivity and emotional regulation in a sample of older and younger adults with and without psychiatric co-morbidity were evaluated. Study participants were divided into four separate groups (younger nonpsychiatric = YN; younger psychiatric = YP; older non-psychiatric = ON; and older psychiatric = OP). Findings indicated that, as hypothesized, individuals in the OP and YP groups reported more negative affect intensity and reactivity and more maladaptive emotion regulation than individuals in the ON and YN groups. Contrary to hypotheses, when collapsed across psychiatric conditions, older adults did not report significantly less negative affect intensity and reactivity than younger adults. A significant age by psychiatric group interaction effect on negative affect intensity occurred such that individuals in YN and ON groups reported similar levels of negative affect intensity and individuals in the YP group reported more negative affect intensity than individuals in the OP group. The finding that older adults with Axis I and Axis II diagnoses differ in their symptom reports from younger adults with similar diagnoses suggests there may be important assessment and intervention issues related to the interaction of aging and psychopathology. Clinical implications and directions for future studies are discussed.<br/

Development and pilot testing of a novel behavioral intervention for adults with type 2 diabetes using intervention mapping

Purpose: A healthy diet and consistent physical activity (PA) form the foundation for effective self-management in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Behavioral interventions, which target diet and PA, can facilitate effective diabetes self-management practices. Greater clarity regarding the ‘active ingredients’ incorporated into behavioral interventions is needed to inform the evidence base about effective intervention techniques to advance behavioral theories and to improve clinical practice. The use of intervention mapping (IM) to develop a novel diabetes intervention to increase consumption of low glycemic index (GI) foods and to increase moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA is presented. Methods: Determinants from self-regulation and the Health Action Process Approach theoretical framework formed the foundation of the intervention. The IM taxonomy of behavior change methods and strategies from Hope Therapy (e.g. goal maps) were used to guide techniques for changing selected theoretical determinants of behavior. A pilot study of the intervention among adults with T2DM (n = 12) was conducted using a pre-/post-test design to evaluate intervention components and participant acceptability. Results: Participants attended a mean (±SD) of 8 (±1.4) of the 10 weekly 90-minute, group-based sessions. The magnitude of effect was moderate (d > 0.50) for the change in behavioral intentions, action control, and action and coping planning for engaging in PA and large (d > 0.80) for the change in action self-efficacy and action and coping planning for eating low GI foods post-intervention. Conclusions: Greater emphasis on value-based decision-making, the goal mapping process, and successively progressive exercise goals should be included in future versions of the intervention. Based on pilot testing, a larger randomized controlled trial that incorporates these intervention modifications is warranted and the modified intervention has a greater likelihood for success

Thought suppression mediates the relationship between negative affect and borderline personality disorder symptoms

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among negative affect, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), thought suppression, and diagnostic symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a community sample (n=127). Findings suggest that the temperamental variable negative affect intensity/reactivity was a stronger predictor of BPD symptoms than CSA. In addition, results indicated that higher thought suppression mediated the relationship between negative affective intensity/reactivity and BPD symptoms, after controlling for a history of CSA. Overall, findings suggest that (a) negative affectivity may be a better predictor of BPD symptoms than CSA, and (b) chronic efforts to suppress unpleasant thoughts may be a regulation strategy underlying the relationship between intense negative emotions and BPD symptoms.<br/