The Psychological Flexibility Model from a cultural perspective: an interpretative analysis of two Native American healing rituals

The Psychological Flexibility in Epilepsy Questionnaire (PFEQ): Psychometric properties of the Persian version

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Persian version of the Psychological Flexibility Epilepsy Questionnaire (P-PFEQ). Transcultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the PFEQ were performed using translation and back-translation with pilot testing (on 17 patients) and expert evaluation. Participants in the current study involved 100 patients with an EEG-verified epilepsy diagnosis and an average age of 30.96 years (SD ± 6.46) (63% were female). Data collection included a sociodemographic questionnaire, epilepsy-specific questionnaire, the Depression-Anxiety-stress scale (DASS-21), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the 31-item Quality-of-Life questionnaire in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ), the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ), and the short form of the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI). Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted by SPSS software V.26. The P-PFEQ demonstrated semantic, conceptual, and content validity in equivalence with the Swedish version. Based on Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), five items were eliminated and unidimensional scale of PFEQ with 12 items, explaining 50.38% of the total variance, was accepted. The scale showed good reliability through internal consistency (Cronbach's α of 0.9) and temporal stability on retest (n = 85, Intraclass correlation = 0.92). Convergent and divergent validity findings were acceptable for the P-PFEQ. The findings show that the P-PFEQ is a reliable and valid scale for assessing psychological flexibility in the Iranian patients with epilepsy. Also, it can be confidently recommended as a useful instrument in clinical practice.

Increases in Psychological Flexibility Mediate Relationship Between Acute Psychedelic Effects and Decreases in Racial Trauma Symptoms Among People of Color

BACKGROUND

Previous research showed acute psychedelic effects were associated with decreases in racial trauma (RT) symptoms among black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Among samples comprised primarily of white participants, positive outcomes of psychedelic experiences have been mediated by increases in psychological flexibility. Therefore, we examined whether changes in psychological flexibility from before to after a psychedelic experience mediated the relationship between acute psychedelic effects and changes in RT symptoms among BIPOC.

METHODS

This cross-sectional online survey study included 313 BIPOC (mean age = 33.1; SD = 11.2; female = 57%). A multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between acute psychedelic effects and decreases in RT symptoms in a nonclinical setting; a path analysis was used to explore whether changes in psychological flexibility mediated this relationship.

RESULTS

Acute insight and challenging effects were significantly (p < .001) associated with decreases in RT symptoms following a psychedelic experience. Increases in psychological flexibility partially mediated relationships between greater intensity of psychological insight and less intensity of challenging experiences and decreases in RT symptoms (ps<.001).

CONCLUSION

This research suggests psychedelics confer potential benefits in decreasing RT symptoms among BIPOC and psychological flexibility may be an important mediator of these effects. Future research should test this hypothesis in a longitudinal clinical trial among BIPOC.

An Inclusive View of the Disability of Secondary School Students

Achieving the educational inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) is one of the significant challenges of the current Spanish educational system. This is a group of students with a high rate of bullying that leads to academic failure, as well as significant psychological and social consequences. Despite the fact that the behaviours and psychological characteristics of their peers seem to influence the degree of inclusion, there is no detail on this subject. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological flexibility, prosocial behaviour and inclusive behaviour. To carry out this study, a sample of 642 students between the ages of 12 and 19 years old participated and answered four questionnaires, one for each variable under study. The relationships established were extracted from different statistical analyses and a hypothesised predictive model. The results obtained revealed that emotional intelligence is positively related to psychological flexibility and prosocial behaviour and that these, in turn, are positively related to the development of inclusive behaviour. Therefore, the importance of considering the variables under study during the teaching–learning processes carried out in the classroom is highlighted.

A Contextual Behavioral Account of Culture: Example Implementation of a Functional Behavioral Approach to the Study of Cultural Differences in Social Anxiety

The current article proposes integrating a functional behavior approach to the study of culture. After describing culture from a contextual behavioral science framework, we outline a three-step process to perform a functional behavior analysis of culture: (1) identifying potential contingencies, (2) determining functional relationships, and (3) gathering supporting evidence. As an example, we present each of the three steps through a re-analysis of data related to cultural differences in social anxiety between Japanese and European Americans as well as describe a hypothetical experiment. The results demonstrate how implementing an alternative framework that focuses on the relationship between behavioral function and environmental adaptability leads to different conclusions compared to implementing frameworks that emphasize the form or degree of a behavior or belief in one group compared to another. For this particular example, in contrast to viewing social anxiety in Japanese as something stemming from innate beliefs about themselves and others (e.g., self-construal), the current study suggests that displaying social anxiety in some situations within a Japanese context is more functionally adaptive (e.g., more likely leads to desirable outcomes) than within a European American context.

Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety

Prior research has shown that acute subjective psychedelic effects are associated with both spontaneous and intended changes in depression and anxiety. Psychedelics are also theorized to produce increases in psychological flexibility, which could explain decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. Therefore, the present cross-sectional survey study sought to examine whether psychological flexibility mediated the relationship between acute psychedelic experiences and spontaneous or intended changes in depression and anxiety among a large international sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic (n=985; male=71.6%; Caucasian/white=84.1%; M age=32.2, SD=12.6). A regression analysis showed that acute effects (i.e., mystical and insightful effects) were significantly associated with decreases in depression/anxiety following a psychedelic experience. A path analysis revealed that, while controlling for age and sex, increases in psychological flexibility fully mediated the effect of mystical and insightful experiences on decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. This suggests that psychological flexibility may be an important mediator of the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs. Future prospective experimental studies should examine the effect of psychedelic drug administration on psychological flexibility in order to gain a better understanding of the psychological processes that predict therapeutic effects of psychedelics.