Exploring Deviation from Time Perspective in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Comparative Analysis in the Clinical Context

Objective: A growing body of research stresses the effect of time perspective (TP) on the genesis and maintenance of psychological disorders. However, the variations in the TP configuration of individuals with different disorders have not yet been completely investigated. We aimed to compare the differences in TP among patients with three common psychiatric disorders. Method : We recruited 30 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), 30 with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and 30 with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants completed Zimbardo's Time Perspective Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). The one-way MANOVA was utilized for the comparison of TP dimensions among the three disordered groups. Results: The results showed that TP was significantly affected in all three clinical groups. The effect of the disorder on time perspective was significant for Past Negative (PN) (F (2, 84) = 11.86, P < 0.01), Past Positive (PP) (F (2, 84) = 6.66, P < 0.01), Present Fatalistic (PF) (F (2, 84) = 7.08, P < 0.01) and Future (F) (F (2, 84) = 26.40, P < 0.01), but not for Present Hedonistic (PH). The findings revealed that the MDD group scored the highest on PN, with the GAD group scoring higher than the OCD group. The GAD and OCD groups reported higher PP than the MDD group. In addition, the MDD group scored higher than both the GAD and OCD groups on PF. Finally, the GAD patients reported higher scores than both the MDD and OCD patients on the F dimension, while the OCD patients scored higher than the MDD patients. Conclusion: Individuals with MDD tend to obtain higher scores in PN and PF time perspective, whereas those with GAD and OCD showed higher PP and F scores. These findings demonstrate the significance of examining TP in clinical patients and prompt further research into the association between TP and the disorders being studied. Perspectives on therapy are also explored.

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research.

Escitalopram and progressive muscle relaxation training are both effective for the treatment of hot flashes in patients with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Available treatments for hot flashes in patients with breast cancer are not always tolerable or effective for all patients.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed to have primary breast cancer were randomly allocated to receive 10 mg of escitalopram, placebo, or progressive muscle relaxation therapy. Patients were asked to report the frequency and duration of hot flashes during day and night, at baseline and after ten weeks of treatment, and completed the menopause rating scale.

RESULTS

Eighty-two patients were randomly assigned to receive escitalopram (n = 26), PMRT (n = 28), and placebo (n = 28). PMRT and escitalopram could effectively decrease number and duration of diurnal and nocturnal HFs in patients with breast cancer, with a better effect observed from escitalopram. They could both decrease the total score of MRS.

CONCLUSION

Both escitalopram ad PMRT can reveal nocturnal and diurnal HFs in terms of frequency and duration in patients with breast cancer.

The standardization of Victoria Stroop Color-Word Test among Iranian bilingual adolescents

BACKGROUND

The Stroop Color-Word Test is a classic instrument for the assessment of selective attention and inhibition control and is a highly utilized instrument in research aspects of executive functions of the brain. The purpose of the present study was a preliminary standardization of Stroop test among Iranian bilingual adolescents.

METHODS

In this study, 150 subjects, including three groups of adolescents (12 - 13, 14 - 15, and 16 - 17-year-olds) were randomly selected. Also, 30 subjects with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were selected for the study of differential validity. The instruments of this study were Victoria Stroop Color- Word Test and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

RESULTS

Correlation coeffecients by test-retest in Stroop test for reaction times of three cards and reaction time interference were 0.86, 0.86, 0.93, and 0.64; and for errors of three cards and error interference were 0.67, 0.37, 0.81, and 0.75 respectively. All of the corellations were significant. Differential validity by comparing ADHD and control group showed that there were significant differences among groups. The results of age effect in Stroop variables showed that there were significant differences between age groups in reaction time of all cards and error of the first and third cards; but sex did not show any significant effect on Stroop variables.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that reaction time and error of almost all cards of Stroop test are reliable and also have a good differential validity to discriminate ADHD from healthy controls in Iranian bilingual adolescents. Based on our findings, age but not sex is influential on performance of Stroop test.