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Langer ÁI, Ponce FP, Ordóñez-Carrasco JL, Fuentes-Ferrada R, Mac-Ginty S, Gaete J, Núñez D. Psychometric evidence of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II): an item response theory analysis in university students from Chile. BMC Psychol 2024; 12:111. [PMID: 38429801 PMCID: PMC10908082 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01608-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experiential avoidance (EA) is a psychological mechanism associated with several mental health disorders and is regarded as a relevant target by third-generation cognitive behavioral therapies. It has been mainly assessed through self-report questionnaires, and the AAQ-II is the most used tool. Its psychometric evidence has been mostly tested through the classical test theory (CTT) and very scarcely assessed through Item Response Theory (IRT). METHODS We used the Graded Response Model to examine its psychometric properties in Spanish-speaking university students (n = 1503; women = 995 (66.2%), mean age = 19.29, SD = 2.45). We tested whether the empirical data fit the model's predictions and estimated the dispersion of persons and items along the experiential avoidance continuum. Moreover, we examined category probability curves to identify the response probability of each answer. Likewise, an item-person map was made where the measurement of persons and items, both on the same scale and along the experiential avoidance continuum, could be observed jointly. Finally, we tested the gender invariance of the scale. RESULTS We found that the values of the individuals and the items were in the established range to be considered an adequate measure of EA. Additionally, we observed high discrimination indices for all items. The current version with seven answer options could not be optimal and should be tested in future studies. Finally, we found evidence of differential functioning by gender in one of the seven items of the instrument. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the AAQ-II is a suitable tool for measuring EA and accurately classifying and differentiating EA levels in university students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro I Langer
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago, Chile
- Faculty of Psychology and Humanities, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Fernando P Ponce
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad de Talca, s/n, Talca, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus on Intergenerational Mobility: From Modelling to Policy (MOVI), Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Reiner Fuentes-Ferrada
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago, Chile
- Faculty of Psychology and Humanities, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Scarlett Mac-Ginty
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Health Service and Population Research, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jorge Gaete
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago, Chile
- Research Center for Students Mental Health (ISME), Faculty of Education, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel Núñez
- Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Imhay, Santiago, Chile.
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad de Talca, s/n, Talca, Chile.
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Alhakami A, Salem V, Alateeq D, Nikčević AV, Marci T, Palmieri S, Spada MM, Mansueto G. The Arab COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS): COVID-19 anxiety syndrome and psychological symptoms in the Saudi Arabian population. Clin Psychol Psychother 2023; 30:1083-1094. [PMID: 37183315 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C-19ASS) is a reliable scale assessing dysfunctional coping strategies activated in response to COVID-19 fear and threat. The present study aimed to provide a validation of the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and to explore the association between the C-19ASS and psychological symptoms syndrome. METHOD In Study 1, a community sample of 404 participants completed the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and results were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, a community sample of 903 participants completed the Arabic version of the C-19ASS and a series of measures assessing depressed mood and anhedonia, generalized anxiety and health anxiety. Internal consistency, construct validity and incremental validity were assessed. Associations between C-19ASS and psychological symptoms were assessed. RESULTS Factor analysis identified a two-factor solution (i.e., C-19ASS-Perseveration and C-19ASS-Avoidance), and confirmatory factor analysis suggested a two-factor model best fits the data. The Arabic version of the C-19ASS showed good internal consistency, good construct and incremental validity. COVID-19 anxiety syndrome was associated with more severe anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and health anxiety. Females had higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety syndrome than males. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19, and those who had experienced loss as a consequence of COVID-19, had higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety syndrome (Perseveration). CONCLUSIONS The Arabic version of the C-19ASS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome. The COVID-19 anxiety syndrome could be a suitable therapeutic target to improve psychological recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic among Arabs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Alhakami
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Victoria Salem
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Deemah Alateeq
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ana V Nikčević
- Department of Psychology, School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Kingston University, Kingston, UK
| | - Tatiana Marci
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Sara Palmieri
- Department of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University, Milan, Italy
- School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, UK
- Studi Cognitivi, Cognitive Psychotherapy School and Research Center Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Mansueto
- Department of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University, Milan, Italy
- School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, UK
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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van Oort J, Tendolkar I, Collard R, Geurts DEM, Vrijsen JN, Duyser FA, Kohn N, Fernández G, Schene AH, van Eijndhoven PFP. Neural correlates of repetitive negative thinking: Dimensional evidence across the psychopathological continuum. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:915316. [PMID: 35942479 PMCID: PMC9356323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.915316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) captures an important transdiagnostic factor that predisposes to a maladaptive stress response and contributes to diverse psychiatric disorders. Although RNT can best be seen as a continuous symptom dimension that cuts across boundaries from health to various psychiatric disorders, the neural mechanisms underlying RNT have almost exclusively been studied in health and stress-related disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders. We set out to study RNT from a large-scale brain network perspective in a diverse population consisting of healthy subjects and patients with a broader range of psychiatric disorders. We studied 46 healthy subjects along with 153 patients with a stress-related and/or neurodevelopmental disorder. We focused on three networks, that are associated with RNT and diverse psychiatric disorders: the salience network, default mode network (DMN) and frontoparietal network (FPN). We investigated the relationship of RNT with both network connectivity strength at rest and with the stress-induced changes in connectivity. Across our whole sample, the level of RNT was positively associated with the connectivity strength of the left FPN at rest, but negatively associated with stress-induced changes in DMN connectivity. These findings may reflect an upregulation of the FPN in an attempt to divert attention away from RNT, while the DMN result may reflect a less flexible adaptation to stress, related to RNT. Additionally, we discuss how our findings fit into the non-invasive neurostimulation literature. Taken together, our results provide initial insight in the neural mechanisms of RNT across the spectrum from health to diverse psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper van Oort
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Indira Tendolkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Rose Collard
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Dirk E. M. Geurts
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Janna N. Vrijsen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Pro Persona Mental Health Care, Depression Expertise Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Fleur A. Duyser
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Nils Kohn
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Aart H. Schene
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Philip F. P. van Eijndhoven
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Landová E, Janovcová M, Štolhoferová I, Rádlová S, Frýdlová P, Sedláčková K, Frynta D. Specificity of spiders among fear- and disgust-eliciting arthropods: Spiders are special, but phobics not so much. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257726. [PMID: 34555103 PMCID: PMC8460016 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate a specificity of spiders as a prototypical fear- and disgust-eliciting stimuli, we conducted an online experiment. The respondents rated images of 25 spiders, 12 non-spider chelicerates, and 10 other arthropods on a fear and disgust 7-point scale. The evaluation of 968 Central European respondents confirmed the specificity of spiders among fear- and disgust-eliciting arthropods and supported the notion of spiders as a cognitive category. We delineated this category as covering extant spider species as well as some other chelicerates bearing a physical resemblance to spiders, mainly whip spiders and camel spiders. We suggested calling this category the spider-like cognitive category. We discussed evolutionary roots of the spider-like category and concluded that its roots should be sought in fear, with disgust being secondary of the two emotions. We suggested other chelicerates, e.g., scorpions, might have been important in formation and fixation of the spider-like category. Further, we investigated an effect of respondent's sensitivity to a specific fear of spiders on evaluation of the stimuli. We found that suspected phobic respondents were in their rating nearly identical to those with only high fear of spiders and similar to those with only moderate fear of spiders. We concluded that results based on healthy respondents with elevated fear should also be considered relevant for arachnophobia research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Landová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Markéta Janovcová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Iveta Štolhoferová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | - Silvie Rádlová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
| | - Petra Frýdlová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
| | | | - Daniel Frynta
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, the Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, the Czech Republic
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Hinze J, Röder A, Menzie N, Müller U, Domschke K, Riemenschneider M, Noll-Hussong M. Spider Phobia: Neural Networks Informing Diagnosis and (Virtual/Augmented Reality-Based) Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy-A Narrative Review. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:704174. [PMID: 34504447 PMCID: PMC8421596 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.704174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent fMRI studies on specific animal phobias, particularly spider phobia (arachnophobia), have identified a large variety of specific brain regions involved in normal and disturbed fear processing. Both functional and structural brain abnormalities have been identified among phobic patients. Current research suggests that both conscious and subconscious fear processing play a crucial role in phobic disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been identified as an effective treatment for specific phobias and has been associated with neuroplastic effects which can be evaluated using current neuroimaging techniques. Recent research suggests that new approaches using virtual (VR) or augmented reality (AR) tend to be similarly effective as traditional "in vivo" therapy methods and could expand treatment options for different medical or individual scenarios. This narrative review elaborates on neural structures and particularities of arachnophobia. Current treatment options are discussed and future research questions are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hinze
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.,Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Anne Röder
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.,Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Menzie
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Ulf Müller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Basics in NeuroModulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Riemenschneider
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.,Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
| | - Michael Noll-Hussong
- Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany
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