The development of a short form of the manifest anxiety scale

The relationship between mental representations of self and social evaluation: Examining the validity and usefulness of visual proxies of self-image

Reverse correlation (RC) method has been recently used to visualize mental representations of self. Previous studies have mainly examined the relationship between psychological aspects measured by self-reports and classification images of self (self-CIs), which are visual proxies of self-image generated through the RC method. In Experiment 1 (N = 118), to extend the validity of self-CIs, we employed social evaluation on top of self-reports as criterion variables and examined the relationship between self-CIs and social evaluation provided by clinical psychologists. Experiment 1 revealed that the valence ratings of self-CIs evaluated by independent raters predicted social evaluation after controlling for the effects of self-reported self-esteem and extraversion. Furthermore, in Experiment 2 (N = 127), we examined whether a computational scoring method - a method to assess self-CIs without employing independent raters - could be applied to evaluate the valence of participants' self-CIs. Experiment 2 found that the computational scores of self-CIs were comparable to independent valence ratings of self-CIs. We provide evidence that self-CIs can add independent information to self-reports in predicting social evaluation. We also suggest that the computational scoring method can complement the independent rating process of self-CIs. Overall, our findings reveal that self-CIs are a valid and useful tool to examine self-image more profoundly.

Anhedonia and the Relationship Between Other Depressive Symptoms and Aggressive Behavior

Depression has been linked to multiple forms of aggressive behavior in college students; however, it is unclear which aspects of depression explain this connection. Anhedonia, defined as the loss of interest and/or pleasure in previously enjoyed activities, may provide unique information about relationships between depression and aggression. Using cross-sectional data from two independent samples of college students (N = 747 and N = 736 for Study 1 and Study 2, respectively), we examined whether anhedonia helped explain the relationship between broader depressive symptoms and different forms of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Anhedonia accounted for variance in both self-directed aggression and antisocial behavior independent of gender, hostility, anger, other depressive symptoms, and cognitive distortions (Study 2). In addition, there were significant indirect effects of depressive symptoms on self-directed aggression (Studies 1 and 2) and antisocial behavior (Study 2) via anhedonia. Hypotheses involving other-directed aggression received mixed support, with anhedonia atemporally associated with other-directed aggression independent of broader depressive symptoms in Study 1, but not in Study 2. The current findings suggest that anhedonia is an important individual difference that helps explain the relationship between depression and aggressive and antisocial acts and that anhedonia may be differentially associated with various types of aggressive and antisocial behavior.

Do childhood memories colour social judgements of today? The case of repressors

Previous research has shown that individuals who possess a repressive coping style have significantly poorer recall of negative childhood memories and also exhibit more comparative optimism for negative events than nonrepressors. The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between recall of childhood memories and comparative optimism. Repressors (REP, low trait anxiety–high defensiveness, N = 20) were compared with specific nonrepressor groups on trait anxiety and defensiveness: low anxious (LA, N = 16), high anxious (HA, N = 16) defensive high anxious (DHA, N = 13), and a non‐extreme group (NE, N = 15) chosen from an initial pool of 163 female participants. For REP compared with all non‐REP, age of earliest negative memory recalled was significantly older and REP recalled significantly fewer negative childhood memories. For REP only there was a significant correlation between number of negative memories recalled and comparative optimism, with high comparative optimism correlated with a low number of negative childhood memories recalled. There were no other significant correlations with comparative optimism, overall, or for any of the sub‐groups. These results indicate a link between childhood and adult measures of social judgements for REP only. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The psychological profile of the health‐oriented individual

This study was designed to explore the psychological characteristics of individuals who score high on a measure assessing health orientation. The measure was constructed in the framework of the cognitive orientation theory and consists of beliefs of four types (about goals, rules and norms, oneself, and general) referring to themes such as trusting people, control, and enjoyment. The subjects were 176 healthy adults (88 men, 88 women) in the age range 31‐50 (M = 39.4 years) examined in the framework of a health survey. They were administered the Cognitive Orientation of Health Questionnaire and other measures assessing emotions, authoritarianism, locus of control, daydreaming, repressiveness, neuroticism, somatic complaints, somatization, and alexithymia. The main results obtained by ANOVA and multiple regression analyses were that high‐scorers on health orientation also scored higher on love, joy, contentment, hostility, jealousy (men only), emotional reactions, positive daydreams, internal control, repressiveness, neuroticism, functional‐actional self‐descriptions, and negative selfreferences. High‐scorers on health orientation scored lower on depression, anxiety, fear, jealousy (women only), negative daydreams, poor attentional control, somatic complaints, somatization, alexithymia, positive self‐references, and self‐descriptions that capitalize on body parts, weight, and appearance. The major conclusions refer to the conception of a psychological general health orientation and its manifestations.

EEG Resting Asymmetries and Frequency Oscillations in Approach/Avoidance Personality Traits: A Systematic Review

Background: Brain cortical activity in resting electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings can be considered as measures of latent individual disposition to approach/avoidance behavior. This systematic review aims to provide an updated overview of the relationship between resting EEG cortical activity and approach/avoidance motivation personality traits. Methods: The review process was conducted according to the PRISMA-Statement, using PsycArticles, MEDLINE, Scopus, Science Citation Index, and Research Gate database. Restrictions were made by selecting EEG studies conducted in resting idling conditions, which included approach/avoidance personality traits or parallel measures, and an index of EEG brain activity. In the review 50 studies were selected, wherein 7120 healthy adult individuals participated. Results: The study of the relationship between resting EEG cortical activity and approach/avoidance personality traits provides controversial and unclear results. Therefore, the validity of resting asymmetry or frequency oscillations as a potential marker for approach/avoidance personality traits is not supported. Conclusions: There are important contextual and interactional factors not taken into account by researchers that could mediate or moderate this relationship or prove it scarcely replicable. Further, it would be necessary to conduct more sessions of EEG recordings in different seasons of the year to test the validity and the reliability of the neurobiological measures.

Affective agnosia: a core affective processing deficit in the alexithymia spectrum

Affective agnosia, an impairment in knowing how one feels emotionally, has been described as an extreme deficit in the experience and expression of emotion that may confer heightened risk for adverse medical outcomes. Alexithymia, by contrast, has been proposed as an over-arching construct that includes a spectrum of deficits of varying severity, including affective agnosia at the more severe end. This perspective has been challenged by Taylor and colleagues, who argue that the concept of affective agnosia is unnecessary. We compare these two perspectives by highlighting areas of agreement, reasons for asserting the importance of the affective agnosia concept, errors in Taylor and colleagues’ critique, and measurement issues. The need for performance-based measures of the ability to mentally represent emotional states in addition to metacognitive measures is emphasized. We then draw on a previously proposed three-process model of emotional awareness that distinguishes affective response generation, conceptualization and cognitive control processes which interact to produce a variety of emotional awareness and alexithymia phenotypes - including affective agnosia. The tools for measuring these three processes, their neural substrates, the mechanisms of brain-body interactions that confer heightened risk for adverse medical outcomes, and the differential treatment implications for different kinds of deficits are described. By conceptualizing alexithymia as a spectrum of deficits, the opportunity to match specific deficit mechanisms with personalized treatment for patients will be enhanced.

The Mirror of Mind: Visualizing Mental Representations of Self Through Reverse Correlation

The reverse correlation (RC) method has been widely used, because it allows visualization of mental representations without a priori assumptions about relevant dimensions. We employed the RC method to visualize mental representations of self and examined their relationships with traits related to self-image. For this purpose, 110 participants (70 women) performed a two-image forced choice RC task to generate a classification image of self (self-CI). Participants perceived their self-CIs as bearing a stronger resemblance to themselves than did CIs of others (filler-CIs). Valence ratings of participants who performed the RC task (RC sample) and of 30 independent raters both showed positive correlations with self-esteem, explicit self-evaluation, and extraversion. Moreover, valence ratings of independent raters were negatively correlated with social anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, valence ratings of the RC sample and independent raters were not correlated with depression symptoms, trait anxiety, or social desirability. The results imply that mental representations of self can be properly visualized by using the RC method.

Factors affecting self-reported chemical intolerance: A five-year follow-up study in Japan

OBJECTIVE

Chemical intolerance (CI) has become a strong public health concern in industrialized countries. The Japanese Chemical Intolerance (JCI) study was conducted in January 2012 with a cohort of 7245 adults from population-based sampling as the baseline. The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors involved in the improvement and development of CI from the five-year follow-up study.

METHODS

From the 7245 cohort, 735 persons with CI (case) were identified, and 1750 controls without CI were randomly selected to match gender and age for case and control groups. Self-reported questionnaires were administered to the subjects of the two groups to obtain information on status of CI; medical history; medical, lifestyle, or physical interventions; changes in living situation or occupation; and psychosomatic states.

RESULTS

A total of 909 individuals responded during the follow-up period. After five years, improvement in CI was observed in 67.7% of the case group. Status of CI was reported in 6.7% of the control group. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that baseline atopic dermatitis and negative psychosomatic states including irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depressed mood, and somatic symptoms were significantly associated with development of CI in controls. Appropriate physical activity and maintaining a regular lifestyle including diet or sleep during the last three years of the follow-up period were significant factors for improvement of CI in the case group.

CONCLUSIONS

Ensuring appropriate physical activity and regular lifestyle rather than improving physical environment lead to improvement of CI. Stable psychosomatic state is essential for preventing CI.

Intergenerational consequences of the Holocaust on offspring mental health: a systematic review of associated factors and mechanisms

Exposure to war and violence has major consequences for society at large, detrimental impact on people's individual lives, and may also have intergenerational consequences. To gain more insight into these intergenerational consequences, research addressing the impact of the Holocaust on offspring is an important source of information. The aim of the current study was to systematically review the mechanisms of intergenerational consequences by summarizing characteristics in Holocaust survivors and their offspring suggested to impact the offspring's mental health. We focused on: 1) parental mental health problems, 2) (perceived) parenting and attachment quality, 3) family structure, especially parental Holocaust history, 4) additional stress and life events, and 5) psychophysiological processes of transmission. We identified 23 eligible studies published between 2000 and 2018. Only Holocaust survivor studies met the inclusion criteria. Various parent and child characteristics and their interaction were found to contribute to the development of psychological symptoms and biological and epigenetic variations. Parental mental health problems, perceived parenting, attachment quality, and parental gender appeared to be influential for the mental well-being of their offspring. In addition, having two survivor parents resulted in higher mental health problems compared to having one survivor parent. Also, there was evidence suggesting that Holocaust survivor offspring show a heightened vulnerability for stress, although this was only evident in the face of actual danger. Finally, the results also indicate intergenerational effects on offspring cortisol levels. Clinical and treatment implications are discussed.

Expressive writing intervention and self-reported physical health out-comes - Results from a nationwide randomized controlled trial with breast cancer patients

The objective was to examine the effect of Expressive Writing Intervention (EWI) on self-reported physical symptoms and healthcare utilization in a nationwide randomized controlled trial with Danish women treated for primary breast cancer, and to explore participant characteristics related to emotion regulation as possible moderators of the effect. Women who had recently completed treatment for primary breast cancer (n = 507) were randomly assigned to three 20 min. home-based writing exercises, one week apart, focusing on emotional disclosure (EWI) of a distressing experience (their cancer or a non-cancer topic) or a non-disclosing topic (control). Outcomes were self-reported physical symptoms and healthcare utilization (visits and telephone contacts with GP) 3 and 9 months post-intervention. Potential moderators were repressive coping, alexithymia, rumination, social constraints, and writing topic. Results revealed no group by time interaction effects for any outcomes. Moderation analyses showed that 1) low alexithymic women in the EWI group showed larger decreases in GP telephone calls over time than both high alexithymic women and controls and 2) women in the EWI group writing about their own cancer, but not women writing about other topics, showed a larger decrease than controls. The results from this large randomized trial are concordant with previous findings showing that EWI is unlikely to be a generally applicable intervention to improve health-related outcomes in cancer patients and cancer survivors. However, written disclosure might have a beneficial impact for individuals who write about their own cancer, as well as for those low in alexithymia.

Mapping the relationship between anxiety, anhedonia, and depression

INTRODUCTION

Anxiety and depression are often comorbid conditions, but there is uncertainty as to how this comorbidity develops. Thus, in three studies, we attempted to discern whether anhedonia may be a key linking factor between anxiety and depression.

METHODS

Three studies asked participants about their symptoms of anxiety and depression: in Study 1, 109 participants completed measures of anxiety, depression, activity avoidance, and perceived enjoyability and importance of avoided activities; in Study 2, 747 participants completed measures of anhedonia, anxiety, depression, and defensiveness; in Study 3, 216 participants completed measures assessing the same constructs as in Study 2 at four time-points (ranging 11 months in span).

RESULTS

In Study 1, symptoms of anxiety and depression were positively related only in individuals who relinquished potential enjoyment due to their anxiety-related avoidance; in Study 2, the indirect effect of anhedonia helped explained how anxiety symptoms imparted risk onto depressive symptoms; and in Study 3, anxiety led to anhedonia and then depression over time and anhedonia led to anxiety and then depression at both 5 and 11 months.

LIMITATIONS

The manuscript is limited by the use of a student sample in study 2, cross-sectional methods in studies 1 and 2, and reliance on self-ratings.

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety may devolve into depression through anhedonia, such that anxious individuals begin to lose pleasure in anxiety-provoking activities, which results in the development of other depressive symptoms.

Parenting stress mediates the association between negative affectivity and harsh parenting: A longitudinal dyadic analysis

The current study examined parenting stress (disaggregated into personal distress and child rearing stress) at 12 months postpartum as a mediator of the longitudinal association between parental negative affectivity at 6 months postpartum and harsh parenting at 3 years postpartum for first-time parents with a child transitioning from late toddlerhood to the early preschool years. Analyses were conducted using Mediation for Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling in a sample of 164 couples who participated in a randomized controlled trial of a universal, couple-based transition to parenthood program. There were indirect actor effects of negative affect on a parent's own harsh parenting through both dimensions of parenting stress, with a stronger mediating effect for personal distress than child rearing stress. There were also indirect partner effects of negative affect on one's partner's harsh parenting through the partner's parenting stress, with a stronger indirect partner effect from mothers' negative affect to fathers' harsh parenting than vice versa. Specifically, the mediating effect of personal distress was found for both mothers and fathers, whereas the mediating effect of child rearing stress was found from mothers' negative affect to fathers' harsh parenting only. Findings highlight the importance of a dyadic approach in examining the longitudinal association between negative affect and harsh parenting and suggest that reducing parenting stress in the first year postpartum may decrease the risk of future harsh parenting among couples in which one or both partners experience negative affectivity. (PsycINFO Database Record

Investigating insomnia as a cross-sectional and longitudinal predictor of loneliness: Findings from six samples

Loneliness has been repeatedly associated with sleep problems; however, there is a dearth of research examining the prospective relationship between insomnia and loneliness, as well as this association controlling for other psychiatric symptoms. This study evaluated the cross-sectional and prospective relationship between insomnia and loneliness using six samples: 666 undergraduates; 2785 Army recruiters; 208 adults with a history of suicidality and/or depression; 343 adult psychiatric outpatients; 326 young adults at elevated suicide risk; and 183 undergraduates. A meta-analysis also was conducted to examine the magnitude of the relationship between insomnia and loneliness across the six studies. More severe insomnia symptoms were significantly associated with greater feelings of loneliness while accounting for some (e.g., anxiety, nightmares) but not all (i.e., depression) psychiatric covariates. Findings underscore the strength of the association between insomnia and loneliness and suggest that depression may account for this relationship. Additional studies are needed to further establish the temporal relationship between these variables, delineate the role of depression in the association between insomnia and loneliness, and test whether insomnia may confer unique risk for subsequent loneliness.

The Relationship Between Self-Blame for the Onset of a Chronic Physical Health Condition and Emotional Distress: A Systematic Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

Past literature presents contrasting perspectives regarding the potential influence of self-blame on adjustment to illness. This systematic literature review aimed to summarize findings from all investigations to date that have explored the relationship between self-blame for the onset of a chronic physical health condition and emotional distress.

METHOD

Between November 2014 and February 2015, electronic databases were searched for relevant literature. Only those studies which assessed self-blame directly and related specifically to illness onset were included within the review. The methodological and reporting quality of all eligible articles was assessed, and themes within the findings were discussed using a narrative synthesis approach.

RESULTS

The majority of studies found self-blame to be associated with increased distress. However, several concerns with the quality of the reviewed articles may undermine the validity of their conclusions.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important for professionals supporting people with chronic physical health conditions to have an understanding of how of self-critical causal attributions might relate to emotional distress. Further research is required to understand the concept of self-blame, the factors that may encourage this belief and to develop reliable and valid measures of this experience. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE

What does this study add? The review presents an exploration of the role of self-blame in emotional adjustment following the diagnosis of a chronic physical health condition. This is the first review to synthesize findings from studies measuring self-blame beliefs directly and specifically for illness onset and their relationship to indicators of distress and wellbeing. Findings suggest that self-blame for illness onset is often associated with emotional distress for people with cancer, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular disease. This has implications for how healthcare professionals respond to self-blaming beliefs in the context of illness. Research quality concerns are identified for many of the reviewed studies, highlighting a need for further research on this topic.

Early Attention Processes and Anxiety in Children

It has been hypothesized that anxiety in children is associated with attentional bias in the early stages of information processing. Bias towards threat indicates the tendency of an individual to direct attention towards threatening information. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether high test-anxiety in a sample of nonreferred children is associated with attentional bias towards threat pictures, and if low test-anxiety is associated with attentional bias away from threat pictures. A probe-detection task was used with 44 10- to 13-yr.-old children. The overall analyses indicated the presence of an attentional bias away from threatening pictures in these nonreferred children. However, in relation to anxiety, the study did not confirm that high anxious children show an attentional bias towards threatening pictures or that low anxious children show an attentional bias away from threatening pictures. Yet, higher anxiety did seem to be associated with longer mean response times. These longer response times might originate from the interpretation of the nature of a stimulus as too threatening, compared to the actual threatening content, in the first stage of information processing. This finding could be useful to improve treatment methods aimed at anxiety symptoms during childhood.

Observer versus Field Memories in Repressive, Low Anxious, and Obsessive-Compulsive Subjects

The tendency to see one's self in autobiographical memories (“Observer” memories) has been reported for experiences that are emotional or involve self-awareness. Repressors, who avoid thinking about emotional experiences, should have fewer observer memories, whereas obsessive-compulsives should have more. College students were asked to recall specific events (e.g., giving a public performance), and the point of view of the memory. Repressors (who had low Manifest Anxiety and high Marlowe Crowne scores) reported fewer observer memories than did low anxious subjects (who scored low on both inventories), and were not different from a high anxious group. This pattern was replicated in a second experiment, which also found that subjects with high Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive scores had more observer memories than those with low scores. Repressors and obsessive-compulsives did not differ consistently either in their frequency of observer memories or their personality profiles.

Measures of Repression: Converging on the Same Construct?

Research on individual differences in repression, defined as the tendency not to experience negative thoughts and feelings, has led to the development of numerous measures. This article compares six common measures of repression: 1) the Byrne Repression-Sensitization scale, 2) Weinberger's Repressive Coping Scale, 3) the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory, 4) Miller's Monitoring and Blunting Scale, 5) Sackeim and Gur's Self-Deception Questionnaire, and 6) Paulus's Self-Deception Questionnaire. The measures were highly intercorrelated. A maximum likelihood factor analysis revealed that all but the Monitoring and Blunting Scale loaded on a single factor. Moreover, most of the measures correlated significantly with anxiety and social desirability. The instruments were then compared to assess their relative practical utility. Although all but the Monitoring and Blunting scale appear to measure the same construct, the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory appears to be the most psychometrically sound measure of dispositional repression.

Assessing Anger Expression: Construct Validity of Three Emotion Expression-Related Measures

Self-report measures of emotional expression are common, but their validity to predict objective emotional expression, particularly of anger, is unclear. We tested the validity of the Anger Expression Inventory (AEI; Spielberger et al., 1985 ), Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EAC; Stanton, Kirk, Cameron, & Danoff-Burg, 2000 ), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20; Bagby, Taylor, & Parker, 1994 ) to predict objective anger expression in 95 adults with chronic back pain. Participants attempted to solve a difficult computer maze by following the directions of a confederate who treated them rudely and unjustly. Participants then expressed their feelings for 4 min. Blinded raters coded the videos for anger expression, and a software program analyzed expression transcripts for anger-related words. Analyses related each questionnaire to anger expression. The AEI Anger-Out scale predicted greater anger expression, as expected, but AEI Anger-In did not. The EAC Emotional Processing scale predicted less anger expression, but the EAC Emotional Expression scale was unrelated to anger expression. Finally, the TAS-20 predicted greater anger expression. Findings support the validity of the AEI Anger-Out scale but raise questions about the other measures. The assessment of emotional expression by self-report is complex and perhaps confounded by general emotional experience, the specificity or generality of the emotion(s) assessed, and self-awareness limitations. Performance-based or clinician-rated measures of emotion expression are needed.

A One-Page Scale of Anxiety and Depression

A brief inventory of anxiety and depression seems to have sufficient validity and reliability to make it very useful where the two dysphoric affect conditions of anxiety and depression need to be assessed quickly.

A Scale to Measure Optimism about College Life

A 15-item scale to measure optimism about college life was developed and administered to 90 female and 54 male entering college freshmen to study reliability and construct validity. An alpha of .85 was found, and predicted negative correlations with scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, Zung Depression Inventory, and Maudsley Personality Inventory (Neuroticism) were observed.

Anxiety, Temporal Estimation, and Rate of Counting

Fifty-one nursing students were asked to estimate the lengths of 5- and 20-sec. intervals under two conditions: with instructions not to count and with instructions to count to themselves. Significant negative correlations were obtained between MAS scores and the estimation of the 20-sec. intervals, while correlations with the estimates of the 5-sec. intervals were negative but not significant. Although these results are inconsistent with previous findings, an attempt was made to interpret them in terms of the utilization of cues relevant to the passage of time.

Excessive Self-Focused Attention and Defensiveness among Psychiatric Patients: A Vicious Cycle?

The contribution of defensive coping to the phenomenon of excessive self-focused attention was studied in 20 depressed or anxious psychiatric outpatients comprising the negative affect group, 20 patients with psychotic disorders, and a control group of 21 patients of an orthopaedic clinic. Self-focused attention was assessed using the Self-reflectiveness and Internal State Awareness subfactors of the Private Self-consciousness Scale. In accordance with other research on self-focused attention, the negative affect group obtained higher scores on the Self-reflectiveness scale' than the control group ( t39 = 2.40, p <.03). To examine the relationship between self-focus and defensiveness, Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidson's approach was employed, using median splits of short forms of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne scale to differentiate among four groups of subjects. The highest self-reflectiveness was found for those participants who were high in both defensiveness and anxiety. This group scored higher than the nondefensive high anxious group ( t30 = −2.31, p <.03). The heightened self-focused attention might result from automatically instigated states of self-focused attention and paradoxical effects of defensive efforts to avoid self-focus.

Closure as Related to Manifest Anxiety and Rigidity

50 male and 50 female college students took the Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Stanford-Gough Rigidity Scale and reproduced 18 incomplete, tachistoscopically presented, designs. Significant correlations between rigidity and closure, rigidity and figure elaborations, MAS scores and closure, and closure and elaborations for both sexes were found. Results indicate significant personality-perception interactions important to development of perceptual and personality theory.

Figure Reversal as Related to Specific Personality Variables

Correlations among scores on a rigidity scale, the MAS, the DAP, range of reversals and mean number of reversals of 5 figures were higher for 50 women than for 50 men. rs ranged from —.70 to .71.

Repressive coping, stigmatization, psychological distress, and quality of life among behavioral weight management participants

Repressive coping has been associated with elevated risk of disease and negative health outcomes in past studies. Although a prior study of healthy men found that repression was associated with lower body mass index (BMI), no study has examined repressive coping among obese individuals. This study examined the relationship of repressive coping with BMI and obesity-relevant psychosocial factors among 104 overweight and obese participants in a behavioral weight management program. Participants completed questionnaires assessing repressive coping, stigmatization, psychological distress, and quality of life. BMI was objectively measured. Repressors reported lower stigmatization, anxiety, and depression as well as higher emotional and weight-related quality of life. Repressors and non-repressors had equivalent BMI and reported similar impairment in physical quality of life, but stigmatization moderated the relationship between repressive coping and physical quality of life (b=0.31, p=0.039), reflecting better physical quality of life among non-repressors with lower stigmatization. Obese individuals who engage in repressive coping may tend to underreport psychological symptoms, social difficulties, and impairments in quality of life. Higher physical quality of life among non-repressors with lower stigmatization may reflect a combined influence of coping and social processes in physical quality of life among obese individuals.

Distortion in Memory for Emotions: The Contributions of Personality and Post-Event Knowledge

Undergraduates (N = 189) rated their test anxiety and emotions immediately before a midterm examination and recalled those feelings 1 week later. Students who learned they had done well on the exam underestimated, and those who learned they had done poorly overestimated, pre-exam test anxiety. Personality traits and emotional states together predicted memory distortion. Specifically, traits predicted the intensity of pre-exam states, such as test anxiety, which in turn predicted later distortion in recalling pre-exam negative and positive emotions. Also, students with positive personality traits were particularly likely to be influenced by current feelings when recalling test anxiety. Overestimating pre-midterm test anxiety predicted intentions to study more as well as feelings of unpleasantness just prior to the final exam.

Repressive Coping and Threat-Avoidance: An Idiographic Stroop Study

It has been found that people unintentionally direct attention to threatening stimuli, but it has been suggested that people with a repressive coping style can inhibit that automatic response. Support for this hypothesis is mixed, however. Consistent with other investigations of this issue, the two studies reported here used a variant of the Stroop procedure. Unlike past studies, though, threatening stimuli were identified idiographically. In line with the assumption that repressive coping is motivated by self-protection, self-concept threats were assessed separately for each participant. Repressors and control participants were presented with these threatening personality traits (i.e., traits they would least want to possess) and also with unfavorable but nonthreatening traits (some other participant’s threatening traits). They named the word colors as quickly as possible. In both studies, only repressors failed to display Stroop interference effects when presented with threatening stimuli. Results indicate that repressors selectively avoid attending to threat-related stimuli.

Adult Attachment and Personality: Converging Evidence and a New Measure

Study 1 presents the development of a measure of adult attachment qualities (the Measure of Attachment Qualities [MAAQJ). Three further studies relate self-reports of adult attachment qualities to broader aspects of personality. Results indicate that avoidant attachment is inversely related to extraversion and agreeableness but relatively unrelated to manifest anxiety or neuroticism. Qualities of ambivalence (reflecting both worry and desire for merger) are related to both manifest anxiety and neuroticism but unrelated to extraversion. An affirmatively secure attachment quality that emerged in the MAQ (i.e., as a separate factor, rather than by default as low scores on avoidance or ambivalence factors) was related positively to extraversion and agreeableness but generally unrelated to anxiety or neuroticism. The final study also permitted comparison of the MAQ to a measure derived from a four-component model of attachment. Although there was considerable convergence, the data also provided challenges to both models.

Abuse Characteristics and Individual Differences Related to Disclosing Childhood Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Abuse and Witnessed Domestic Violence

Many adult survivors of childhood abuse hide their victimization, avoiding disclosure that could identify perpetrators, end the abuse, and bring help to the victim. We surveyed 1,679 women undergraduates to understand disclosure of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and, for the first time, witnessed domestic violence, which many consider to be emotionally abusive. A substantial minority of victims failed to ever disclose their sexual abuse (23%), physical abuse (34%), emotional abuse (20%), and witnessed domestic violence (29%). Overall, abuse-specific factors were better predictors of disclosure than individual-level characteristics. Disclosure of sexual abuse was related to experiencing more frequent abuse (by the same and by multiple perpetrators), being more worried about injury and more upset at the time of the abuse, and self-labeling as a victim of abuse. Disclosure of physical abuse was related to experiencing more frequent abuse (by the same and multiple perpetrators), being less emotionally close to the perpetrator, being older when the abuse ended, being more worried and upset, and self-labeling as a victim. Disclosure of emotional abuse was associated with being older when the abuse ended, and being more worried and upset. Disclosure was unrelated to victim demographic characteristics or defensive reactions (dissociative proneness, fantasy proneness, repressive coping style, and temporary forgetting), except that among physical and emotional abuse victims, repressors were less likely to disclose than non-repressors. Disclosure of witnessing domestic violence was not significantly related to any factors measured.

The relationship between two types of impaired emotion processing: repressive coping and alexithymia

The constructs of repressive coping and alexithymia are both related to impaired emotion processing, yet individuals with a repressive coping style (repressors) score lower than controls on standard self-report measures of alexithymia. A large body of evidence indicates that repressors avoid negative affect. Therefore, the current study examined the relationship between repressive coping and alexithymia by using independently-rated interviews with the aim of bypassing repressors’ tendency of avoiding negative affect. Results showed that repressors scored high on alexithymia, similar to anxious individuals on the independently-rated interview, but scored low on alexithymia on a questionnaire measure. Our findings confirm a link between alexithymia and repressive coping and stress the need for non-standard measures in exploring the nature of the relationship between repressive coping and alexithymia.

Assessment of cerebral blood flow in patients with multiple chemical sensitivity using near-infrared spectroscopy--recovery after olfactory stimulation: a case-control study

OBJECTIVES

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic acquired disorder characterized by non-specific symptoms in multiple organ systems associated with exposure to odorous chemicals. We previously observed significant activations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during olfactory stimulation using several different odorants in patients with MCS by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) imaging. We also observed that the patients with MCS did not adequately distinguish non-odorant in the late stage of the repeated olfactory stimulation test. The sensory recovery of the olfactory system in the patients with MCS may process odors differently from healthy subjects after olfactory stimulation.

METHODS

We examined the recovery process of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) after olfactory stimulation in patients with MCS. NIRS imaging was performed in 6 patients with MCS and in 6 controls. The olfactory stimulation test was continuously repeated 10 times. The study also included a subjective assessment of the physical and psychological status and of the perception of irritating and hedonic odors.

RESULTS

After olfactory stimulation, significant activations were observed in the PFC of patients with MCS on both the right and left sides compared with controls. The activations were specifically strong in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Compared with controls, autonomic perception and feelings identification were poorer in patients with MCS. OFC is associated with stimuli response and the representation of preferences.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that a past strong exposure to hazardous chemicals activates the PFC during olfactory stimuli in patients with MCS, and a strong activation in the OFC remains after the stimuli.

A systematic review of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in child and adolescent burn research

INTRODUCTION

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can identify important information about patient needs and therapeutic progress. The aim of this review was to identify the PROMs that are being used in child and adolescent burn care and to determine the quality of such scales.

METHODS

Computerised and manual bibliographic searches of Medline, Social Sciences Index, Cinahl, Psychinfo, Psycharticles, AMED, and HAPI, were used to identify English-language articles using English-language PROMs from January 2001 to March 2013. The psychometric quality of the PROMs was assessed.

RESULTS

23 studies met the entry criteria and identified 32 different PROMs (31 generic, 1 burns-specific). Overall, the psychometric quality of the PROMs was low; only two generic scales (the Perceived Stigmatisation Questionnaire and the Social Comfort Scale) and only one burns-specific scale (the Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire for children aged 5-18) had psychometric evidence relevant to this population.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of PROMs did not have psychometric evidence for their use with child or adolescent burn patients. To appropriately identify the needs and treatment progress of child and adolescent burn patients, new burns-specific PROMs need to be developed and validated to reflect issues that are of importance to this population.

Stress Appraisal and Personality Characteristics of Headache Patients: Comparisons with Tinnitus and Normal Control Groups

This study is concerned with the coping strategies and personality characteristics of headache sufferers. Comparisons were made between headache patients, tinnitus patients and normal controls (N = 105) on the Neuroticism subscale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Unpleasant Events Schedule (UES), a measure of emotional control and a measure of cognitive appraisal of stressors. Statistical analyses revealed that headache sufferers scored in the more pathological direction than the controls on the EPQ, MAS and the measure of cognitive appraisal of stressors. Tinnitus patients did not differ from normal controls on these measures. These results are compared with those of other studies of the personality characteristics and psychological features of headache sufferers. Implications for further research in this area, and for the treatment of headaches, are discussed.

Does physical activity reduce burden in carers of people with dementia? A literature review

OBJECTIVES

Physical exercise has been associated with a range of positive outcomes including improvements in psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to review current evidence on the effects of physical activity interventions for carers of people with dementia.

METHODS

Systematic review. We searched electronic databases and key articles of studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of physical activity interventions in improving psychological well-being in carers of people with dementia. Relevant papers were scored according to established criteria set by the Cochrane Review Group. Selection criteria for studies were a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, and comparing physical activity with a control group receiving no specific physical activity intervention. Two reviewers worked independently to select trials, extract data, and assess risk of bias.

RESULTS

A total of four RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Studies evaluated home-based supervised physical activity of low to moderate intensity, which included either aerobic exercise, or endurance training.Pooled data showed that physical activity reduced subjective caregiver burden in carers, standardized mean difference -0.43; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.81 to -0.04, in comparison to a control group of usual care.

CONCLUSIONS

There is evidence from two RCTs that physical activity reduces subjective caregiver burden for carers of people with dementia. Although statistically significant, the observed benefits should be interpreted with caution as the studies conducted so far have limitations. Further high-quality trials are needed for evaluating the effectiveness of physical activity in improving psychological well-being in carers of people with dementia.

Psychosocial risk factors which may differentiate between women with Functional Voice Disorder, Organic Voice Disorder and a Control group

This study aimed to explore psychosocial factors contributing to the development of functional voice disorders (FVD) and those differentiating between organic voice disorders (OVD) and a non-voice-disordered control group. A case-control study was undertaken of 194 women aged 18-80 years diagnosed with FVD (n = 73), OVD (n = 55), and controls (n = 66). FVD women were allocated into psychogenic voice disorder (PVD) (n = 37) and muscle tension voice disorder (MTVD) (n = 36) for sub-group analysis. Dependent variables included biographical and voice assessment data, the number and severity of life events and difficulties and conflict over speaking out (COSO) situations derived from the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS), and psychological traits including emotional expressiveness scales. Four psychosocial components differentiated between the FVD and control group accounting for 84.9% of the variance: severe events, moderate events, severe COSO, and mild COSO difficulties. Severe events, severe and mild COSO difficulties differentiated between FVD and OVD groups, accounting for 80.5% of the variance. Moderate events differentiated between PVD and MTVD sub-groups, accounting for 58.9% of the variance. Psychological traits did not differentiate between groups. Stressful life events and COSO situations best differentiated FVD from OVD and control groups. More refined aetiological studies are needed to differentiate between PVD and MTVD.

Changes in cerebral blood flow during olfactory stimulation in patients with multiple chemical sensitivity: a multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopic study

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is characterized by somatic distress upon exposure to odors. Patients with MCS process odors differently from controls. This odor-processing may be associated with activation in the prefrontal area connecting to the anterior cingulate cortex, which has been suggested as an area of odorant-related activation in MCS patients. In this study, activation was defined as a significant increase in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) because of odorant stimulation. Using the well-designed card-type olfactory test kit, changes in rCBF in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were investigated after olfactory stimulation with several different odorants. Near-infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) imaging was performed in 12 MCS patients and 11 controls. The olfactory stimulation test was continuously repeated 10 times. The study also included subjective assessment of physical and psychological status and the perception of irritating and hedonic odors. Significant changes in rCBF were observed in the PFC of MCS patients on both the right and left sides, as distinct from the center of the PFC, compared with controls. MCS patients adequately distinguished the non-odorant in 10 odor repetitions during the early stage of the olfactory stimulation test, but not in the late stage. In comparison to controls, autonomic perception and negative affectivity were poorer in MCS patients. These results suggest that prefrontal information processing associated with odor-processing neuronal circuits and memory and cognition processes from past experience of chemical exposure play significant roles in the pathology of this disorder.

The challenges of translating an efficacious smoking cessation program, Commit to Quit, to the community setting of YMCAs

Commit to Quit (CTQ), a program that utilized vigorous intensity exercise as an adjunct to a cognitive-behavioral smoking cessation program, was shown to be effective for female smokers (Marcus et al., Prev Med 26(4):586-597, 1997; Marcus et al., Arch Intern Med 159(11):1229-1234, 1999). Adapting effective programs, such as CTQ, to community settings could lead to a large public health impact as the program could substantially increase its reach. This case study chronicles the steps taken by researchers to translate CTQ from the medical to the community setting of YMCAs (CTQY). Use of aspects of Diffusion Theory [3] such as identifying a champion of the program and attending to the characteristics of an innovation to enhance program adoption are discussed. Details regarding attending to the tensions between internal and external validity as the program was adapted to the community setting are also outlined. The challenges of conducting community trials are discussed.

Reduced specificity of negative autobiographical memories in repressive coping

The current study examined memory specificity of autobiographical memories in individuals with and without a repressive coping style. It seems conceivable that reduced memory specificity may be a way to reduce accessibility of negative experiences, one of the hallmark features of a repressive coping style. It was therefore hypothesized that repressors would show reduced specificity when retrieving negative memories. In order to study memory specificity, participants (N = 103) performed the autobiographical memory test. Results showed that individuals with a repressive coping style were significantly less specific in retrieving negative experiences, relative to control groups of low anxious, high anxious, and defensive high anxious individuals. This result was restricted to negative memory retrieval, as participants did not differ in memory specificity for positive experiences. These results show that repressors retrieve negative autobiographical memories in an overgeneral way, possibly in order to avoid negative affect.

Chronic idiopathic urticaria, psychological co-morbidity and posttraumatic stress: the impact of alexithymia and repression

The objective of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), psychological co-morbidity, posttraumatic stress, repression and alexithymia. 89 participants with CIU and 105 without CIU responded to an online questionnaire. Both groups completed the general health questionnaire-12, the perceived stress scale, the posttraumatic stress diagnostic scale and the Toronto alexithymia scale-20 and were categorised into four defence mechanism groups (repressive, defensive, high-anxious, low-anxious). CIU participants also completed the Skindex-17 and a self-report severity measure. CIU participants reported higher levels of alexithymia than the control group and their defence mechanism was most likely to be categorised as defensive, with conscious self-image management reported alongside high manifest anxiety. Partial least squares analysis revealed significant paths between posttraumatic stress and CIU severity and psychological co-morbidity. Posttraumatic stress was associated with alexithymia and type of defence mechanism. Only being in the high-anxious group partially mediated the relationship between posttraumatic stress and CIU severity. In conclusion, there is evidence for a relationship between CIU and trauma. The severity of posttraumatic symptoms varies depending upon alexithymic traits and defence mechanisms used. Disease severity and psychological co-morbidity are differentially influenced by the relationships between trauma, alexithymic traits and defence mechanisms.