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Current Opinion in Psychiatry Jan 2020Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is prevalent, debilitating and clinically challenging. The evolving field of intervention and outcomes in BPD research is... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is prevalent, debilitating and clinically challenging. The evolving field of intervention and outcomes in BPD research is considered with a focus on recent research.
RECENT FINDINGS
A pattern of clinical and functional improvement is to be expected in patients experiencing BPD. Specialized psychotherapies are shown to be beneficial, but generalist, low-intensity interventions in nonspecialized centres are also showing efficacy. Long-term naturalistic studies show that remission of the disorder is common and promising outcomes are not only possible, but likely. Training in vocational functioning, improving personal competence and promoting resilience needs to be further developed.
SUMMARY
BPD diagnosis does not need to overwhelm clinicians, nor does it require therapeutic pessimism. Targeted interventions, including meaningful psychoeducation, are helpful in promoting optimism and enhancing recovery-oriented treatments.
Topics: Borderline Personality Disorder; Humans; Psychotherapy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 31652136
DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000564 -
Supportive Care in Cancer : Official... Dec 2021Although spiritual well-being (SWB) is gaining increasing attention within the international palliative care (PC) guidelines, a lack of insight exists into the... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
Longitudinal changes in spiritual well-being and associations with emotional distress, pain, and optimism-pessimism: a prospective observational study of terminal cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit.
PURPOSE
Although spiritual well-being (SWB) is gaining increasing attention within the international palliative care (PC) guidelines, a lack of insight exists into the correlates and course of SWB among cancer patients. We therefore conducted a prospective observational study to capture trend of SWB and to identify their predictors in Chinese inpatients with terminal cancer receiving short-term PC.
METHODS
A prospective observational study was conducted of terminal cancer inpatients in the hospice ward, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. A total of 108 patients completed self-report questionnaires on Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Numerical Rating Scales, and Life Orientation Scale-Revised anonymously at baseline; SWB, depression, anxiety, and pain were subsequently assessed at 1-week interval. Multilevel regression was used to analyze the temporal course and predictors of SWB.
RESULTS
Patients' existential well-being (B = - 0.99, p = 0.008; 95%CI = - 1.72 to - 0.26) and meaning dimension (B = - 0.87, p < 0.001; 95% CI = - 1.29 to - 0.43) significantly decreased after admission to the PC unit, but peace and faith did not change over time. Increases in depression and pain were related to lower existential well-being, particularly in the meaning dimension. Optimism-pessimism moderated the linear trend of existential well-being and meaning domain, such that those with higher optimism and lower pessimism paired with a decrease in outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
Terminal cancer patients experienced worsening existential well-being, particularly in the meaning facet while hospitalized, indicating that PC should include content that targets the existential concerns of spirituality in China. These findings also supported the need for an integrated PC to address personality traits and emotional and physical distress in this population.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Pain; Palliative Care; Pessimism; Psychological Distress; Quality of Life; Spirituality
PubMed: 34146165
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-021-06320-8 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Mar 2021The humane treatment of animals suggests that they should be housed in an environment that is rich in stimulation and allows for varied activities. However, even if... (Review)
Review
The humane treatment of animals suggests that they should be housed in an environment that is rich in stimulation and allows for varied activities. However, even if one's main concern is an accurate assessment of their learning and cognitive abilities, housing them in an enriched environment can have an important effect on the assessment of those abilities. Research has found that the development of the brain of animals is significantly affected by the environment in which they live. Not surprisingly, their ability to learn both simple and complex tasks is affected by even modest time spent in an enriched environment. In particular, animals that are housed in an enriched environment are less impulsive and make more optimal choices than animals housed in isolation. Even the way that they judge the passage of time is affected by their housing conditions. Some researchers have even suggested that exposing animals to an enriched environment can make them more "optimistic" in how they treat ambiguous stimuli. Whether that behavioral effect reflects the subtlety of differences in optimism/pessimism or something simpler, like differences in motivation, incentive, discriminability, or neophobia, it is clear that the conditions of housing can have an important effect on the learning and cognition of animals.
PubMed: 33807367
DOI: 10.3390/ani11040973 -
Bio-protocol Feb 2022In this protocol, we describe for the first time a judgment bias paradigm to phenotype the way zebrafish assess ambiguous stimuli. We have developed and validated a...
In this protocol, we describe for the first time a judgment bias paradigm to phenotype the way zebrafish assess ambiguous stimuli. We have developed and validated a protocol for a judgment bias test based on a Go/No-go task, and performed using a half radial maze. After a habituation phase, fish are trained to discriminate between two reference arms [positive (P) and negative (N)]. For this purpose, they experience a positive event (food reward in P), when presented with a specific location/color cue, and a negative event (chasing with net in N), when presented with a different location/color cue. Acquisition of the discrimination learning between P and N is revealed by the latencies to enter the experimental arms of the behavioral maze being significantly lower for the P arm than for the N arm. Once zebrafish are able to discriminate between P and N arms, their latency to enter other maze arms spatially located between P and N [(Near Positive (NP), Ambiguous (A) = half-way between P and N, and Near Negative (NN)] is analyzed. Latencies (L) to enter NP, A and NN maze arms are interpreted as indicating the individual expectancy to experience a reward/punishment on each of them. A judgment bias score (JBS) is calculated from the latencies to enter the P, N, and A arms for each fish [JBS = (L-L)*100/(L-L)], based on which fish can be classified into an optimistic/pessimistic axis. A JBS below 50 indicates that fish perceive the ambiguous stimulus as a positive one (optimistic bias), while JBS above 50 indicates that fish perceive the ambiguous stimulus as a negative one (pessimistic bias). However, for classification criteria, it could be advantageous to use the method of selecting extreme phenotypes (, upper and lower quartiles of the JBS), since JBS in zebrafish falls into a bimodal distribution (unpublished data). Therefore, this protocol provides a unique, inexpensive, and effective alternative to other methods of measuring affective states in zebrafish that might be of great interest to a broad target audience and have a large number of applications. Graphic abstract: Flow chart of the judgment bias protocol in zebrafish.
PubMed: 35340287
DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4327 -
The British Journal of Clinical... Sep 2022Unrealistic pessimism (UP) is an aspect of overestimation of threat (OET) that has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder/symptoms (OCD/OCS). During the...
OBJECTIVE
Unrealistic pessimism (UP) is an aspect of overestimation of threat (OET) that has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder/symptoms (OCD/OCS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, UP may have played an important role in the course of OCD. To investigate the relationship, we conducted two longitudinal studies assuming that higher UP predicts an increase in OCS.
METHOD
In Study 1, we investigated UP in the general population (N = 1,184) at the start of the pandemic asking about overall vulnerability to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and UP regarding infection and outcome of severe illness. Further, OCS status (OCS+/-) was assessed at the start of the pandemic and 3 months later. In Study 2, we investigated UP in individuals with OCD (N = 268) regarding the likelihood of getting infected, recovering, or dying from an infection with SARS-CoV-2 at the start of the pandemic and re-assessed OCS 3 months later.
RESULTS
In Study 1, UP was higher in the OCS+ compared to the OCS- group, and estimates of a higher overall vulnerability for an infection predicted a decrease in OCS over time. UP regarding severe illness predicted an increase in symptoms over time. In Study 2, UP was found for a recovery and death after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, but not for infection itself.
CONCLUSIONS
Exaggeration of one's personal vulnerability rather than OET per se seems pivotal in OCD, with UP being associated with OCD/OCS+ as well as a more negative course of symptomatology over the pandemic in a nonclinical sample.
PRACTITIONER POINTS
Unrealistic optimism, a bias common in healthy individuals, is thought to be a coping mechanism promoting well-being in the face of danger or uncertainty. The current study extends findings that its inversion, unrealistic pessimism, may play an important role in obsessive-compulsive disorder and may also be involved in the development of the disorder. This study highlights the importance that prevention programs during a pandemic should include targeting unrealistic pessimism.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Pandemics; Pessimism; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35174521
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12362 -
Journal of Autism and Developmental... Jul 2020To address the limited research on diverse families of children with ASD, we examined the impact of ASD on 46 Latina and 56 non-Latina White mothers from a resiliency...
To address the limited research on diverse families of children with ASD, we examined the impact of ASD on 46 Latina and 56 non-Latina White mothers from a resiliency perspective. We explored perceptions of family problems, optimism and pessimism among mothers of child with ASD between 1 and 22 years old. Mothers were recruited through support groups and listservs. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results indicated fewer perceived family problems and less pessimism about the child's future among Latina mothers. We found maternal optimism and family cohesion were associated with perceived family problems and mother's pessimism about the child's future. Understanding the impact of ASD among diverse families will aid in developing appropriate services that enhances family strengths.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child; Child, Preschool; Family Relations; Female; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Infant; Male; Mothers; Pessimism; White People
PubMed: 29948527
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3640-8 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2021The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin in 1985, comprises five items with seven response options in terms of...
The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin in 1985, comprises five items with seven response options in terms of agreement-disagreement. Recently, there has been a suggestion to reduce the response options of the SWLS to optimize its applicability in different cultural contexts. The study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the SWLS with five response options in the Colombian population. Specifically, we studied the dimensionality, invariance by gender and age (among a group of adolescents and emerging adults under 25 years and a group of adults of intermediate age and established adulthood under 59 years), convergent validity (with optimism), and divergent (with pessimism) and concurrent validity with other measures of well-being (flourishing, positive, and negative affects). This project was a cross-sectional study using a non-probabilistic sample of the general population. Participants were included if they identified themselves as Colombian and were at least 18 years of age. The final sample comprised 1,255 participants. The average age was 25.62 years (SD = 8.60) ranging from 18 to 67 years of age, and 35.8% of the participants were men. In addition to SWLS, we used the Flourishing Scale (FS), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), and Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.842), composite reliability (0.851), and average variance extracted (0.537) showed very good values. CFA was conducted to test the one-dimensional structure of FS, showing excellent goodness of fit [ = 15.774, < 0.001, CFI = 0.992, TLI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.042, 90% RMSEA CI (0.020, 0.066), and SRMR = 0.016]. The correlations calculated among life satisfaction (SWLS) with flourishing (FS), positive and negative affects (SPANE), optimism, and pessimism (LOT-R) were statistically significant and as expected. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender and age were confirmed. Percentiles were provided for the total score and for age. The SWLS with five response options has adequate psychometric properties in the Colombian population, and the use of this version (with 5 response options) is recommended due to its greater applicability.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Colombia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Personal Satisfaction; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35096737
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.767534 -
Clinical Psychology Review Aug 2021Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and executive functioning (EF) deficits are each characteristic of many forms of youth psychopathology. Extensive work has examined... (Review)
Review
Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and executive functioning (EF) deficits are each characteristic of many forms of youth psychopathology. Extensive work has examined the relationship between rumination, a form of RNT, and EF in adults. However, less is known about the relationship between RNT more broadly and EF in youth, for whom these constructs are developing and emerging. Here, we systematically and qualitatively reviewed 27 studies on the associations between EF (e.g., shifting, inhibition, working memory) and RNT (e.g., rumination, worry, obsessions) in youth. All forms of RNT were more commonly positively associated with questionnaire-reported EF problems in daily life, most frequently in the domain of shifting. Task-based assessments of EF were less consistently associated with RNT in youth, with no strong pattern of presence vs. absence of associations. Further, limited longitudinal work has been conducted on this topic to date. This review integrates initial work with regard to RNT and EF deficits in a still-developing population, and discusses clear future need for longitudinal, multi-method assessments of the relationship between RNT and EF subtypes in youth.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Executive Function; Humans; Memory, Short-Term; Pessimism
PubMed: 34144296
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102050 -
Journal of Environmental and Public... 2022Teenage depression, also known as TD, is a common mental illness that is characterized by symptoms such as hopelessness, helplessness, pessimism, depression, and...
Teenage depression, also known as TD, is a common mental illness that is characterized by symptoms such as hopelessness, helplessness, pessimism, depression, and decreased energy. It has always been a hot topic to discuss how rewards and punishments work in education. In order to prevent and treat adolescent depression, this study examines the mechanisms of educational reinforcement and punishment as well as psychological interventions. In this study, the activated brain regions are analyzed using data mining (DM) technology to determine whether they are significantly more or less active than the rest of the brain of students who are not experiencing negative emotions. When the word vector has 90 dimensions, the results demonstrate that the average 1 value of the weighted word vector method is 81.3 percent. It has been established that the approach taken in this work offers a reliable way to diagnose TD.
Topics: Adolescent; Depression; Humans; Psychosocial Intervention; Punishment; Reward; Students
PubMed: 36111067
DOI: 10.1155/2022/3919519 -
Perspectives on Psychological Science :... Sep 2023We propose an account of individual differences in risk preferences called "reference-point theory" for choices between sure things and gambles. Like most descriptive...
We propose an account of individual differences in risk preferences called "reference-point theory" for choices between sure things and gambles. Like most descriptive theories of risky choice, preferences depend on two drivers-hedonic sensitivities to change and beliefs about risk. But unlike most theories, these drivers are estimated from judged feelings about choice options and gamble outcomes. Furthermore, the reference point is assumed to be the less risky option (i.e., sure thing). Loss aversion (greater impact of negative change than positive change) and pessimism (belief the worst outcome is likelier) predict risk aversion. Gain seeking (greater impact of positive change than negative change and optimism (belief the best outcome is likelier) predict risk seeking. But other combinations of hedonic sensitivities and beliefs are possible, and they also predict risk preferences. Finally, feelings about the reference point predict hedonic sensitivities. When decision makers feel good about the reference point, they are frequently loss averse. When they feel bad about it, they are often gain seeking. Three studies show that feelings about reference points, feelings about options and feelings about outcomes predict risky choice and help explain why individuals differ in their risk preferences.
PubMed: 37707492
DOI: 10.1177/17456916231190393