Blog Archive

Αλέξανδρος Γ. Σφακιανάκης

Friday, May 24, 2019

Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

The Development and Validation of the Thai-Translated Irrational Performance Beliefs Inventory (T-iPBI)

Abstract

One of the most commonly employed cognitive-behavioural approaches to psychotherapy is rational-emotive behaviour therapy, but researchers have been troubled by some of the limitations of irrational beliefs psychometrics. As a result, Turner et al. (Eur J Psychol Assess 34:174–180, 2018ahttps://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000314) developed the Irrational Performance Beliefs Inventory (iPBI), a novel measure of irrational beliefs for use within performance domains. However, the linguistic and cross-cultural adaptation of the iPBI into other languages is necessary for its multinational and multicultural use. The purpose of this paper is to develop the Thai-translated version of the iPBI (T-iPBI) and examine the validity and reliability of the T-iPBI. Data retrieved from 166 participants were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software packages. Thirty-three participants completed two follow-up T-iPBI measurements (1- and 3-week repeat assessment). After the linguistic and cross-cultural adaptation processes, the T-iPBI demonstrated excellent levels of reliability, with internal consistency and test–retest reliability, as well as construct, concurrent, and predictive validity. The current findings indicate that the 20-item T-iPBI can be used as a self-assessment instrument to evaluate individual's irrational performance beliefs in a Thai population. We also highlight the implications of this study and suggest a variety of future research directions that stem from the results.



Towards a Cognitive-Behavioral Understanding of Assertiveness: Effects of Cognition and Distress on Different Expressions of Assertive Behavior

Abstract

Assertiveness, as the ability to adequately express oneself while maintaining social gains, can be applied to various social contexts and concomitant social demands, but the cognitive and emotional correlates underlying assertive behaviour in diverse social events has not been considered. We tested a cognitive-behavioral framework for understanding the self-reported enactment of diverse types of assertive behaviours (i.e., displaying negative and positive feelings, expressing and managing personal limitations, and taking initiative), using a sample of 679 adolescents (mean age = 16.68, 261 boys) and a model generation approach to structural equation modelling. Cognition directly predicted lower distress and more frequent assertive behavior; also, cognition indirectly predicted assertive behavior through distress. Interpersonal management was the most salient cognitive theme predicting various types of assertive behaviors, alongside feeling less distressed when displaying negative feelings. Evidence was found for cognitive-behavioral theories being a valid approach to understanding assertiveness and sustaining insights for efficacious assertive training.



A Contribution to Validation of the Short Schema Mode Inventory in an Italian Clinical Versus Non-clinical Population

Abstract

Schema therapy (ST) has been proven to be an effective psychotherapy model in the treatment of complex personality disorders. ST helps analyze causes of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral alteration in patients using schemas and modes (i.e., sets of emotional states, coping responses and schemas active in a given moment). ST finds its empirical validation in the short Schema Mode Inventory (SMI), a practical tool consisting of 14 subscales assessing 14 different mode categories, grouped in 4 (child, coping, parent and adult modes) high-order categories used to assess different modes at different times. We introduced the Italian validation of the short SMI to a sample of 707 participants, of whom 230 were psychiatric patients. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provides evidence that the 14-dimensional model best describes the SMI's structure at a lower level. Higher-order CFA provides evidence for both four higher-level mode categories and one higher-level mode category, the four-mode category being the best approach. Internal reliability, test–retest stability and the relationship between the SMI's subscales have been evaluated with promising results. Clinical vs nonclinical subjects were compared with a multigroup CFA in order to test invariance and with a MANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons in order to test mean differences. A linear thread was found for all modes except Bully/Attack. While contributing to international research and to the diffusion of SMI and schema therapy, our results also suggest that SMI is a powerful tool for the assessment of modes in ST, both in therapeutic and diagnostic contexts.



Fear of Negative Evaluation and Communication Apprehension: The Moderating Role of Communicative Competence and Extraversion Personality Trait in Pakistani Academia

Abstract

This study examines the moderating role of communicative competence and extraversion personality traits on the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension in Pakistani academics teaching in their second (English) language. One hundred and twenty academics (aged 25–60) completed a demographic information sheet, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire (BFNE-11) (Leary in Pers Soc Psychol Bull 9:371–376, 1983), the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) (McCroskey in An introduction to rhetorical communication, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1982), the Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (SPCC) (McCroskey and McCroskey in Commun Res Rep 5(2):108–113, 1988) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQRS-R) (1985). A sequence of moderated regression analyses showed that communicative competence significantly moderated the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension. The findings have implications for instructors, campus counselors and researchers and academic policy makers wishing to identify factors that may help academics cross communicative barriers, enrich the learning experience and enhance positive psychological functioning.



An Emotional Skills Intervention for Elementary Children with Autism in China: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of an emotional skills intervention on behavioral and emotional competence, as well as on communication for children with autism in China. Eight children (seven boys and one girl), aged 7 to 8, participated in this study. We used a pre and posttest group design. The intervention consisted of 10 group sessions and four individual sessions. Each group session had two or three children. The intervention curriculum consisted of emotion recognition, emotion recognition within context, self-expression of emotions, seeking help when encountering problems, and techniques for emotion regulation. Results indicated that the intervention significantly improved children's emotional skills, behavioral and emotional competence, and communication. The potential implications of this study for elementary children with autism in China are also discussed.



Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in the Cross-Cultural Context: An Extension of the Standard Paradigm from Individual to Country/Culture Level—A Brief Introduction into a New Research Line

Abstract

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the golden standard for personalized evidence-based psychological interventions. The standard unit of analysis in CBT is the individual and/or small groups (e.g., couples, families, organizations). In a seminal book, Beck (Prisoners of Hate: The cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence, Harper Collins, New York, 2000) argued that the standard CBT paradigm should be extended to approach large societal problems (e.g., terrorism/violence). However, in this extension, most of the time, the unit of analysis is still the individual, but immersed in larger societal networks. In this article, we propose a major extension of the standard CBT paradigm in the cross-cultural context, using countries/cultures as units of analysis. In an era of globalization, when countries interact more and more with each other, and immigration has become a major world issue, such an extension can have an important practical and theoretical impact.



The Distinctive Associations of Interpersonal Problems with Personality Beliefs Within the Framework of Cognitive Theory of Personality Disorders

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between interpersonal problems and dysfunctional beliefs associated with personality disorders, within the framework of cognitive theory of personality disorders. Based on the proposition of cognitive theory, different dimensions of interpersonal problems which were assessed through the coordinates of interpersonal circumplex model were expected to be associated with specific categories of personality beliefs namely, deprecating, inflated, and ambivalent personality beliefs. Participants were 997 volunteer adults (304 males and 693 females) from Turkey, between the ages of 18 and 61. They completed the personality belief questionnaire, basic personality traits inventory, and inventory of interpersonal problems measures. Considering the well-established representations of personality disorders in Big Five space, and correspondence between five-factor model of personality and interpersonal circumplex model, the present study examined the hypothesized associations via a robust analysis where strongly relevant personality factors were statistically controlled for in each analysis. Results revealed that different dimensions of interpersonal problems distinctively associated with three personality belief categories; deprecating beliefs were associated with over-friendly submissiveness, inflated beliefs were associated with dominance, and ambivalent beliefs were associated with hostile/cold dominance. Findings supported the validity of cognitive formulations (view of self and view of others) of the personality disorders proposed by the cognitive theory, also highlighted the priority of interpersonal problems in personality psychopathology.



Examining the Mediating Role of Stress in the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Depression and Anxiety: Testing the Mindfulness Stress-Buffering Model

Abstract

Many studies have shown that mindfulness can reduce psychological distress; however, the mechanism underlying these effects is still unknown. Along these lines, the mindfulness stress-buffering model provides a hypothesis for explaining the effect of mindfulness on health outcomes through reducing stress. In order to test this model, we investigated the mediating role of stress in the relationship between mindfulness and depression and anxiety. Four hundred and thirty-two university students completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Data were analyzed by a structural equation modeling using the bootstrap resampling method (k = 10,000) using the AMOS 24.0 software. The results of the mediating model showed that stress fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness and depression and partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety in students. Our results suggest that mindfulness, at least partially, yields beneficial effects in reducing depression and anxiety through reducing stress. Therefore, our findings supported the mindfulness stress-buffering model.



A Network Approach to Depressive Disorders

Abstract

Treatments to depression often take a latent modeling approach whereby depressive symptoms are a common cause of the disorder. However, such an approach is not without problems. For example, covariance amongst indicators are deemed spurious. Network modeling has been proposed as an alternative way of explaining depression. The purpose of this article is to introduce the network approach and outline how it can be used to foster the development of effective treatment packages. Viewing depression as a network may result in a reduction in the number of patients experiencing depressive episodes.



Multiple Group IRT Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale in Thirteen International Samples

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) in terms of Item Response Theory differential test functioning in thirteen distinct samples (N = 7714) from twelve different countries. We assessed differential test functioning for the three FSCRS subscales, Inadequate-Self, Hated-Self and Reassured-Self separately. 32 of the 78 pairwise comparisons between samples for Inadequate-Self, 42 of the 78 pairwise comparisons for Reassured-Self and 54 of the 78 pairwise comparisons for Hated-Self demonstrated no differential test functioning, i.e. measurement invariance. Hated-Self was the most invariant of the three subscales, suggesting that self-hatred is similarly perceived across different cultures. Nonetheless, all three subscales of FSCRS are sensitive to cross-cultural differences. Considering the possible cultural and linguistic differences in the expression of self-criticism and self-reassurance, future analyses of the meanings and connotations of these constructs across the world are necessary in order to develop or tailor a scale which allows cross-cultural comparisons of various treatment outcomes related to self-criticism.



Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182
6948891480

No comments:

Post a Comment