Lamotrigine treatment of aggression in female borderline patients, Part II: an 18-month follow-up

Borderline patients often display pathological aggression. We previously tested lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, in therapy for aggression in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (J Psychopharmacol 2005; 19: 287–291), and found significant changes on most scales of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) after eight weeks. To assess the longerterm efficacy of lamotrigine in therapy for aggression in women with BPD, this 18-month follow-up observation was carried out, in which patients (treated with lamotrigine: n = 18; former placebo group: n = 9) were tested every six months. According to the intent-to-treat principle, significant changes on all scales of the STAXI were observed in the lamotrigine-treated subjects. All subjects tolerated lamotrigine relatively well. Lamotrigine appears to be an effective and relatively safe agent in the longer-term treatment of aggression in women with BPD

Leading in the digital age: A systematic review on leader traits in the context of e-leadership

Due to the rapid changes in work environments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, leadership has shifted from face-to-face to virtual contexts. Accordingly, the new challenges require specific e-leader traits. To summarize the divergent scholarly discussion, we conducted a systematic review and identified distal (i.e., personality, cognitive abilities, motives and attitudes, and core beliefs) and proximal (i.e., skills) attributes of e-leaders. Our results show that some traditional leader traits such as technological, communication, motivational, and organizational skills are also important for e-leadership. However, certain traits become increasingly important in virtual contexts: e-leaders need adaptability and risk- taking to deal with constant change, and higher cultural, social, and emotional intelligence to foster collaboration in diversified teams. In addition, digital technologies require particular change management, coaching, and trust-building skills. Our findings contribute to the current discussion on e-leadership and help practitioners train their leaders towards the identified e-leader profile

Self-Pity: Exploring the Links to Personality, Control Beliefs, and Anger

Self-pity is a frequent response to stressful events. So far, however, empirical research has paid only scant attention to this subject. The present article aims at exploring personality characteristics associated with individual differences in feeling sorry for oneself. Two studies with N = 141 and N = 161 university students were conducted, employing multidimensional measures of personality, control beliefs, anger, loneliness, and adult attachment. With respect to personality, results showed strong associations of self-pity with neuroticism, particularly with the depression facet. With respect to control beliefs, individuals high in self-pity showed generalized externality beliefs, seeing themselves as controlled by both chance and powerful others. With respect to anger expression, self-pity was primarily related to anger-in. Strong connections with anger rumination were also found. Furthermore, individuals high in self-pity reported emotional loneliness and ambivalent-worrisome attachments. Finally, in both studies, a strong correlation with gender was found, with women reporting more self-pity reactions to stress than men. Findings are discussed with respect to how they support, extend, and qualify the previous literature on self-pity, and directions for future empirical research are pointed out

Predictive Validity of ICD‐11 PTSD as Measured by the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised: A 15‐Year Prospective Study of Political Prisoners

The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11; World Health Organization, 2017) proposes a model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that includes 6 symptoms. This study assessed the ability of a classification‐independent measure of posttraumatic stress symptoms, the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1996), to capture the ICD‐11 model of PTSD. The current study also provided the first assessment of the predictive validity of ICD‐11 PTSD. Former East German political prisoners were assessed in 1994 (N = 144) and in 2008‐2009 (N = 88) on numerous psychological variables using self‐report measures. Of the participants, 48.2% and 36.8% met probable diagnosis for ICD‐11 PTSD at the first and second assessments, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factorial validity of the 3‐factor ICD‐11 model of PTSD, as represented by items selected from the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that, controlling for sex, the symptom clusters of ICD‐11 PTSD (reexperiencing, avoidance, and sense of threat) significantly contributed to the explanation of depression (R2 = .17), quality of life (R2 = .21), internalized anger (R2 = .10), externalized anger (R2 = .12), hatred of perpetrators (R2 = .15), dysfunctional disclosure (R2 = .27), and social acknowledgment as a victim (R2 = .12) across the 15‐year study period. Current findings add support for the factorial and predictive validity of ICD‐11 PTSD within a unique cohort of political prisoners

Führt Ängstlichkeit und Ärgerneigung bei Leistungssportlern zu erhöhter Stressanfälligkeit?

Abhängig von dem Ausmaß der personenspezifischen Streßanfälligkeit sind in emotional belastenden Situationen unterschiedliche Reaktionsweisen mit häufig negativen Folgen auf die sportliche Leistung feststellbar. Die vorliegende Studie an luxemburgischen Leistungssportlerinnen und -sportlern zeigt auf, inwieweit Ängstlichkeit, Ärgerneigung sowie Formen des Ärgerausdrucks und der Streßverarbeitung als Prädiktoren der Streßanfälligkeit von Bedeutung sind. Insbesondere der Befund, daß bei hoher Ärgerneigung ein geringer aktiver Kontrollversuch die Streßanfälligkeit erhöht, wird hinsichtlich seiner Bedeutung für den Leistungssport diskutiert