Obsessive-compulsive disorder and romantic functioning

The current study examined the romantic relationships of individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants were 64 individuals recruited from a national conference who completed measures of OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms, intimacy, self-disclosure, relationship satisfaction, and relationship worry. Severity of obsessions was negatively correlated with intimacy, relationship satisfaction, and self-disclosure. In contrast, two compulsive behaviors (washing and neutralizing) were positively correlated with several relationship variables. Fears of contamination from sexual activity were positively correlated with the severity of OCD symptoms. The clinical implications of the findings from this study and suggestions for future research are presented.     

Relational health as a mediator between betrayal trauma and borderline personality disorder

A frequently studied hypothesized cause of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is experiencing interpersonal trauma. A recent study by L. A. Kaehler and J. J. Freyd (2009 ) found a connection between betrayal trauma and BPD characteristics, with higher betrayal traumas associated with greater BPD characteristics. The present study seeks to expand upon that study by investigating relational health as a potential mediator for the association between betrayal trauma and BPD. A sample of 165 college students completed measures of betrayal trauma life events, relational health, and BPD traits. Mediation analyses showed significant partial mediation for total relational health (bootstrap coefficient = .0168) and its community subscale (bootstrap coefficient = .0204); however, significant mediating effects for the mentor and friend subscales were not found. Given the significant finding for only the community subscale, which may be driving the total relational health effect seen, the results suggest that connection with a valued community may be an important protective factor for BPD after one experiences betrayal trauma.     

The relationship between neuropsychological functioning and driving ability in dementia: a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of 27 primary studies was conducted to examine the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and driving ability for adults with dementia. When studies using a control group were included, the relationship between cognitive measures and on-road or non-road driving measures was significant for all reported domains; mean correlations ranged from.35 to.65. Caregiver reports of driving ability and cognitive variables were correlated significantly only on measures of mental status and visuospatial skills. When studies using a control group were excluded, moderate mean correlations were observed for visuospatial skills and on-road or non-road measures, and for mental status with non-road tests. Other effects were small or nonsignificant. Implications for basing driving recommendations on neuropsychological testing are discussed.     

Christian religious functioning and trauma outcomes

While some trauma survivors find their faith helpful in recovery, others find it a source of distress, and still others abandon their faith. More complex conceptualizations of religious functioning are needed to explore its relationship with trauma. This study explores such relationships using measures of religious action and behaviors in a community sample of 327 church-going, self-identified trauma survivors. A principal components analysis of positive and negative religious coping, religious comforts and strains, and prayer functions identified two dimensions: Seeking Spiritual Support, which was positively related to posttraumatic growth, and Religious Strain, which was positively related to posttraumatic symptoms.     

The complex relationship between pain intensity and physical functioning in fibromyalgia: the mediating role of depression

Fibromyalgia (FM ) is typically associated with the experience of diffuse pain and physical impairment. Depression also commonly co‐exists in patients with FM and has been correlated with pain intensity and physical functioning. Previous research suggests an association between pain intensity and physical functioning; however, the direct causal relationship between improvements in pain intensity and in functioning is not observed in many FM patients. This may suggest that another factor such as depression is mediating this relationship. The present work examined mediating role of depression. Two hundred sixteen patients with FM completed measures of pain intensity, depression, and physical function as part of a larger longitudinal study. Assessments were completed at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 weeks. Longitudinal mediational analyses indicated that depression is a partial mediator of the relationship between pain intensity and physical functioning at all four assessment points. Beta coefficients for the path from pain to physical functioning ranged from 0.18 to 0.36, with attenuated path coefficients ranging 0.03–0.08, still showing significant but decreased associations when depression was added as a mediator. Clinical implication includes the importance of treating comorbid depression in patients with FM early in the course of treatment to prevent engagement in the cycle of disability.     

Investigating the relationship between negative symptoms and metacognitive functioning in psychosis: An individual participant data meta-analysis

Purpose

Negative symptoms are a persistent, yet under-explored problem in psychosis. Disturbances in metacognition are a potential causal factor in negative symptom development and maintenance. This meta-analysis uses individual participant data (IPD) from existing research to assess the relationship between negative symptoms and metacognition treated as summed scores and domains.

Methods

Data sets containing individuals with negative symptoms and metacognition data, aged 16+ with psychosis, were identified according to pre-specific parameters. IPD integrity and completeness were checked and data were synthesized in two-stage meta-analyses of each negative symptoms cluster compared with metacognition in seemingly unrelated regression using restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Planned and exploratory sensitivity analyses were also conducted.

Results

Thirty-three eligible data sets were identified with 21 with sufficient similarity and availability to be included in meta-analyses, corresponding to 1301 participants. The strongest relationships observed were between summed scores of negative symptoms and metacognition. Metacognitive domains of self-reflectivity and understanding others' minds, and expressive negative symptoms emerged as significant in some meta-analyses. The uncertainty of several effect estimates increased significantly when controlling for covariates.

Conclusions

This robust meta-analysis highlights the impact of using summed versus domain-specific scores of metacognition and negative symptoms, and relationships are not as clear-cut as once believed. Findings support arguments for further differentiation of negative symptom profiles and continued granular exploration of the relationship between metacognition and negative symptoms.     

The relationship between neuropsychological functioning and HAART adherence in HIV-positive adults: a systematic review

Combination antiretroviral therapy has helped extend the lives of persons infected with HIV; however, the efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens depends, in part, on the consistency with which the medications are taken. In this paper, we review 11 empirical studies conducted in Western developed nations that utilized psychometrically valid neuropsychological measures to examine the relationship between cognitive functioning and HAART adherence. In general, impaired neuropsychological functioning—particularly within the domains of executive functioning and problem solving, learning and memory, attention and working memory, and global cognitive functioning—was associated with lower medication adherence across studies. However, inconsistent operationalizations of neuropsychological impairment and medication adherence employed in these studies, as well as the paucity of longitudinal data to support temporal relationships, may attenuate these conclusions. We conclude with a set of research recommendations that may help to improve the rigor of future studies and clarify questions left unanswered due to methodological limitations of existing studies.     

Evidence of absence: no relationship between behaviourally measured prediction error response and schizotypy

Introduction: The predictive processing framework has attracted much interest in the field of schizophrenia research in recent years, with an increasing number of studies also carried out in healthy individuals with nonclinical psychosis-like experiences. The current research adopted a continuum approach to psychosis and aimed to investigate different types of prediction error responses in relation to psychometrically defined schizotypy.

Methods: One hundred and two healthy volunteers underwent a battery of behavioural tasks including (a) a force-matching task, (b) a Kamin blocking task, and (c) a reversal learning task together with three questionnaires measuring domains of schizotypy from different approaches.

Results: Neither frequentist nor Bayesian statistical methods supported the notion that alterations in prediction error responses were related to schizotypal traits in any of the three tasks.

Conclusions: These null results suggest that deficits in predictive processing associated with clinical states of psychosis are not always present in healthy individuals with schizotypal traits.     

The relationship between perceived and objective cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis.

The relationship between perceived cognitive functioning and objective cognitive functioning was studied in 221 patients with multiple sclerosis. Perceptions of global cognitive functioning as well as perceptions of performance on specific cognitive tests were assessed. Patients' perceptions of global cognitive functioning in their daily lives were unrelated to their objective performance on the full cognitive test battery. However, patients' perceptions of their performance on specific tasks correlated with their objective performance on those tasks, even though they underestimated their performance on these tasks. The present study also evaluated predictors of patients' perceived cognitive functioning. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, and level of disability predicted perceptions of global cognitive functioning, whereas objective cognitive performance did not. These results add to our understanding of patients' expressed concerns regarding their cognitive functioning in the wake of multiple sclerosis, suggesting that such concerns should be interpreted with caution by clinicians.     

The relationship between executive functioning and verbal and visual learning and memory.

Executive functions, which include an individual's ability to develop a response set, inhibit behaviors, plan, and reason, likely impact other areas of cognitive functioning, such as learning and memory. The present study examined the relationship between executive functioning and a wide array of standardized, clinical verbal and visual learning and memory measures in 212 patients referred for a neuropsychological evaluation. IQ was also included in the analyses. Results of the canonical correlation analyses indicated that the two cognitive domains shared 55-60% of variance, and two canonical variates were present. Although causality cannot be inferred, a clear and robust relationship between executive functioning and memory is evident, and clinicians should consider this overlap when interpreting poor performance among these two domains.     

Relationship between sexism and romantic courtship styles

The relationship between sexism and mate preference was investigated to elucidate characteristics of sexist courtship styles. A relationship with an opposite-sex partner is a contradiction for sexist individuals because they seek an opposite-sex partner despite their discriminatory attitudes and beliefs regarding the opposite sex. Therefore, this study hypothesized that there would be a tendency for sexist individuals not to seek emotional bonds with their partners, but to seek egocentric and instrumental relationships.Questionnaires were administered to university students (n = 400). The results indicated that male sexists tended to emphasize the partner's physical attractiveness and female sexists tended to emphasize the partner's financial situation, physical attractiveness, and the desire for short-term relationships. These results were discussed in terms of sexist adaptation to opposite-sex relationships.     

Seeking help for the health sequelae of military sexual trauma: a theory-driven model of the role of institutional betrayal

ABSTRACT

Although rates vary, approximately 38.4% of women and 3.9% of men report experiencing military sexual trauma (MST). MST is associated with numerous psychosocial consequences, increased propensity for physical and mental health diagnoses, suicide, and an elevated likelihood of revictimization. Consequently, medical and mental health care for MST-related health sequelae is often warranted for individuals who have experienced MST; however, many MST survivors forgo or delay MST-related care, despite the fact that the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides free healthcare for MST-related health conditions. One potential explanation for this phenomenon is that survivors of MST feel betrayed by the military institution that they served when the MST occurred due to the institutional response to MST or perceptions that the institution failed to prevent MST from occurring. Perceptions of institutional betrayal may, in turn, decrease survivors’ likelihood of disclosing MST and utilizing necessary treatment through VHA or affiliated institutions. A theoretical model of the role of institutional betrayal on help-seeking is proposed in which institutional betrayal serves as a potential barrier to utilizing MST-related healthcare. Potential mediators of this association (e.g., distrust, beliefs about safety) are also posited. This model offers utility in conceptualizing institutional factors that may influence helping-seeking following MST. By testing and refining such models, institutions and providers may be better-equipped to support MST survivors in obtaining necessary healthcare.     

社会支持在情侣依恋与生活满意度关系中的中介作用

目的:考察香港大学生情侣依恋和生活满意度的关系,及社会支持对情侣依恋与生活满意度的中介效应。方法:采用方便取样,选取香港某大学生153名。用亲密关系经历量表、生活满意度量表(SWLS)和社会支持量表(SSQ)测查。结果:女生SSQ得分高于男生,而亲密关系经历量表的依恋回避维度得分低于男生。依恋回避、依恋焦虑得分均与SSQ、SWLS得分呈负相关(r=-0.69,-0.22,-0.24,-0.29;P<0.05),SSQ得分与SWLS得分呈正相关(r=0.28;P<0.05)。社会支持对情侣依恋和生活满意度有部分中介效应(△R2=0.15,P<0.01)。结论:大学生的情侣依恋与其生活满意度直接相关,并通过所获得的社会支持间接与生活满意度相关。     

An investigation of the relationship between self-report of memory functioning and memory test performance.

Memory complaints are some of the most common cognitive problems presented to clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists. However, the probable validity of memory complaints presented to a psychologist rarely has been validated by objective memory tests. Using the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ; Gilewski et al., 1983), 62 relatively young adults reported the extent to which they were experiencing various types of memory problems. These data were compared with findings of memory and non-memory tests on an expanded Halstead-Reitan test battery and with the MMPI/MMPI-2. Results showed that with the exception of persons with more than one MMPI/MMPI-2 evaluation, memory complaints were not related more to memory than to non-memory tests.     

Meaning in life mediates the relationship between social and physical functioning and distress in cancer survivors

Objectives. Impairments in physical and social functioning are often associated with distress for the cancer survivor. Impaired functioning may also lead individuals to question previously held beliefs about meaning in life. Meaning in life was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between functioning and distress. Design and methods. Two studies were conducted. In the cross‐sectional study (I), cancer survivors (N = 420) were accrued via the Internet and completed measures of social and physical functioning, meaning and distress. In the longitudinal study (II), breast cancer survivors (N = 167) completed measures of functioning at 18 months, meaning at 24 months and distress at 30 months post‐diagnosis. Results. In Study I, meaning in life was a significant, partial mediator for both of the effects of physical and social functioning impairments on heightened distress. In Study II, significant indirect effects of functioning impairments on distress through meaning were replicated even when functioning and distress were measured 1 year apart. The relationship of social functioning and distress was fully mediated by meaning in life, whereas the relationship of physical functioning and distress was partially mediated by meaning. Conclusion. The negative social and physical sequelae of cancer are associated with heightened distress, and this association appears to be accounted for, in part, by patients' loss of meaning in their lives.