Coping with body image changes following a disfiguring burn injury.

The influence of emotion-focused coping on distress following disfiguring injury was examined. Two types of emotion-focused coping (i.e., venting emotions vs. mental disengagement) were assessed in 78 patients with burn injury at baseline during acute hospitalization. Body image dissatisfaction (BID) was assessed 1 week and 2 months following discharge. Use at baseline of both venting emotions and mental disengagement, compared with use of only one or neither of these coping methods, was associated at the 2-month postdischarge follow-up with significantly higher BID related to nonfacial aspects of appearance and with a greater negative social impact of disfigurement. D. M. Wegner's (1994) theoretical model of mental control and a proposed motivational analysis are used to interpret these findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender-linked personality traits predict mental health and functional status following a first coronary event.

Three gender-linked traits were examined with respect to adjustment to a coronary event: agency, a focus on the self, communion, a focus on others; and unmitigated communion, an extreme focus on others to the exclusion of the self. Participants (n ?=?65) were interviewed 1 week and 4 months after a 1st coronary event. Hypotheses were that agency should predict improved health, communion should be unrelated to health, and unmitigated communion should predict worse health over time. Outcomes included depression, anxiety, and well-being (as measured by the Profile of Mood States; D. McNair, M. Lorr, & L. Droppleman, 1971); mental and physical functioning (SF-36; J. E. Ware, K. K. Snow, M. Kosinski, & B. Gandek, 1993); and cardiac symptoms. Results confirmed hypotheses. In addition, unmitigated communion was linked with poor health behavior and negative social interactions, which partly explained the link of unmitigated communion with depression and cardiac symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Empirical Investigation of a Theoretically Based Measure of Perceived Wellness.

The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS; T. Adams, 1995; T. Adams, J. Bezner, & M. Steinhardt, 1997) is a recently developed instrument intended to operationalize the comprehensive Perceived Wellness Model (T. Adams, J. Bezner, & M. Steinhardt, 1997), an innovative model that attempts to include the balance of multiple life activities in its evaluation of well-being. Two university samples (N = 317) were used to (a) examine the psychometric properties of the PWS, (b) determine how well the PWS represents the Perceived Wellness Model, and (c) ascertain how well the PWS relates to psychological functioning. Results suggest that the PWS may have potential as a psychometrically sound instrument that does relate in hypothesized ways to standardized measures of mental health. Specifically, a revised 33-item PWS accounted for 29.3% of the variance in Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996) scores, 11.4% of the variance in Beck Anxiety Inventory (A. T. Beck & R. A. Steer, 1993) scores, and 18.2% of the variance in scores on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21 (D. E. Green, F. H. Walkey, I. A. McCormick, & A. J. W. Taylor, 1988) when controlling for impression management. Despite this support for the overall PWS, the authors' examination found no psychometric evidence for the existence of separate subscale dimensions, as suggested by the Perceived Wellness Model, the theory upon which the PWS was designed. Implications for these findings are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of coping-oriented couples therapy on depression: A randomized clinical trial.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of treating depression with coping-oriented couples therapy (COCT) as compared with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; A. T. Beck, C. Ward, & M. Mendelson, 1961) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT; M. M. Weissman, J. C. Markowitz, & G. L. Klerman, 2000). Sixty couples, including 1 clinically depressed partner, completed pre- and posttest questionnaires as well as follow-up assessments at 6-month intervals over the subsequent 1.5 years. Effects of the 3 treatments on depressive symptomatology assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. L. Shaw, & G. Emery, 1979) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (M. Hamilton, 1960); recovery rates; and relapse rates were examined. Additionally, changes in relationship quality were evaluated. Results suggest that the COCT is as effective in improving depressive symptomatology as are the well-established, evidenced-based CBT and IPT approaches. The COCT did not demonstrate a significantly better outcome with regard to self-reported relationship satisfaction or dyadic coping; however, it did produce significant improvements in partners' expressed emotion, changes that were not seen in other treatment conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of cognitive processing therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood sexual abuse.

This study compared the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy for sexual abuse survivors (CPT-SA) with that of the minimal attention (MA) given to a wait-listed control group. Seventy-one women were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 groups. Participants were assessed at pretreatment and 3 times during posttreatment: immediately after treatment and at 3-month and 1-year follow-up, using the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale (D. Blake et al., 1995), the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (R. L. Spitzer, J. B. W. Williams, & M. Gibbon, 1995; M. B. First et al., 1995), the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (E. M. Bernstein & F. W. Putnam, 1986), and the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale (S. A. Falsetti, H. S. Resnick, P. A. Resick, & D. G. Kilpatrick, 1993). Analyses suggested that CPT-SA is more effective for reducing trauma-related symptoms than is MA, and the results were maintained for at least 1 year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cancer patients with major depressive disorder: Testing a biobehavioral/cognitive behavior intervention.

Objective: In this Phase II trial, we evaluated a novel psychological treatment for depressed patients coping with the stresses of cancer. Effectiveness of a combined biobehavioral intervention (BBI) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) was studied. Method: Participants were 36 cancer survivors (mean age = 49 years; 88% Caucasian; 92% female) diagnosed with major depressive disorder. A single group pre–post design was used. Treatment consisted of up to 20 individual 75-min combined BBI/CBT sessions. Outcomes were change in interviewer (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; Williams, 1988) and self-rated depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory—Second Edition; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) as well as change in cancer relevant symptoms (Fatigue Symptom Inventory [Hann et al., 1998] and Brief Pain Questionnaire [Daut, Cleeland, & Flanery, 1983]) and quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form–36; Ware et al., 1995). Mixed-effects modeling, a reliability change index, and generalized linear models were used. All analyses were intent-to-treat. Results: Depressive symptoms significantly improved. In addition, 19 of 21 study completers met criteria for remission. Significant improvements were also noted in fatigue and mental health quality of life. Both concurrent anxiety disorders and high levels of cancer stress (Impact of Events Scale; Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979) were each associated with beginning and concluding treatment with greater depressive symptoms. Conclusions: CBT components were successfully incorporated into a previously efficacious intervention for reducing cancer stress. The BBI/CBT intervention warrants further research in evaluating its efficacy compared with well-established treatments for depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal analysis of cognitive dysfunction, coping, and depression in multiple sclerosis.

Using a longitudinal design, the authors examined coping and cognitive functioning in the development of depression in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Coping style was evaluated in 2 conceptually distinct roles: as moderator and mediator of the impact of cognitive dysfunction on depression. Using indices derived from the COPE (C. S. Carver, M. F. Scheier, & J. K. Weintraub, 1989), the authors operationalized coping in 3 ways—as active, avoidant, and an index accounting for relative levels of both. Coping both moderated and partially mediated the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and depression. Moderation results suggest that the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and depression is dependent on coping style—adaptive coping protects individuals from experiencing depression related to their cognitive deficits; however, when individuals use maladaptive coping, cognitive dysfunction puts them at risk for depression. Mediational results suggest that cognitive dysfunction leads to depression partially due to cognitive dysfunction’s effects on coping. That is, cognitive deficits may impair individuals’ ability to use adaptive coping strategies, leaving them more likely to use maladaptive strategies. Clinical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Categorical and Dimensional Reports of Experienced Affect to Emotion-Inducing Pictures in Depression.

Self-reported affect to positive and negative emotional pictures was contrasted in people with major depressive disorder (MDD) and never-depressed control participants (n = 25 in each group). The results revealed significant differences in response to positive images (reduced arousal, less pleasant valence, decreased happiness, increased sadness) in MDD but no clear group differences in response to negative stimuli. Extending earlier findings of reduced responsiveness to positive, but not negative, stimuli in MDD (D. M. Sloan, M. E. Strauss, S. W. Quirk, & M. Satajovik, 1997; D. M. Sloan, M. E. Strauss, & K. L. Wisner, 2001), the data indicate that blunted response to positive stimuli is found when both categorical and dimensional ratings are elicited. Further, the data replicate earlier findings of elevated sadness reports to positive stimuli (J. Rottenberg, K. L. Kasch, J. J. Gross, & I. H. Gotlib, 2002), which may reflect broader difficulties in regulating emotions in MDD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School-based prevention of depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled study of the effectiveness and specificity of the penn resiliency program.

The authors investigated the effectiveness and specificity of the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP; J. E. Gillham, L. H. Jaycox, K. J. Reivich, M. E. P. Seligman, & T. Silver, 1990), a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program. Children (N = 697) from 3 middle schools were randomly assigned to PRP, Control (CON), or the Penn Enhancement Program (PEP; K. J. Reivich, 1996; A. J. Shatté, 1997), an alternate intervention that controls for nonspecific intervention ingredients. Children's depressive symptoms were assessed through 3 years of follow-up. There was no intervention effect on average levels of depressive symptoms in the full sample. Findings varied by school. In 2 schools, PRP significantly reduced depressive symptoms across the follow-up relative to both CON and PEP. In the 3rd school, PRP did not prevent depressive symptoms. The authors discuss the findings in relation to previous research on PRP and the dissemination of prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived necessity explains the dissociation between logic and meaning: The case of "Only If."

The purpose of this article was to investigate why sentences of the form "p only if q" often appear to have a different meaning than sentences of the form "if p, then q," despite their logical equivalence. The results of 3 experiments indicate that when "if…then" statements were equated with respect to necessity and temporal relations, different pragmatic relations (such as permission, causation, etc.) elicited similar "only if" judgments. However, different necessity relations elicited different "only if" judgments, regardless of the type of pragmatic relation expressed in the "if then" statement. These data suggest that "only if" judgements are primarily mediated by necessity and temporal relations and that pragmatic contexts may play a more indirect role, such as in the interpretation of necessity and temporal relations. Suggestions for how these findings might be incorporated into pragmatic scheme theory (P. W. Cheng & K. J. Holyoak; see record 73:29075; P. W. Cheng, K. J. Holyoak, R. E. Nisbett, & L. M. Oliver; see record 73:8193) and mental models theory (P. N. Johnson-Laird & R. M. J. Byrne, 1991) are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of telephone assessments in an older adult population.

Telephone assessments are commonly used in mental health research and may be especially beneficial in older populations. The current study assessed the psychometric properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (T. J. Meyer, M. L. Miller, R. L. Metzger, & T. D. Borkovec, 1990) and the Beck Depression Inventory--II (A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), when administered over the telephone in an older adult population. Results indicate no differences in mean symptom level or internal consistency across two modes of administration. Correlations between the in-person and telephone-administered measures and diagnostic categories suggest adequate validity of the telephone-administered measures. With this demonstrated evidence, the telephone assessment method can be applied in a variety of research and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptomatology in a sample of Gulf War veterans: A prospective analysis.

The authors examined the relationship over time of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in a sample of Gulf War veterans. A large sample (N?=?2,949) of Gulf War veterans was assessed immediately following their return from the Gulf region and 18–24 months later. Participants completed a number of self-report questionnaires including the Mississippi Scale for Combat–Related PTSD (T. M. Keane, J. M. Caddell, & K. L. Taylor, 1988) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (L. R. Derogatis & N. Melisaratos, 1983) at both time points and an extended and updated version of the Laufer Combat Scale (M. Gallops, R. S. Laufer, & T. Yager, 1981) at the initial assessment. A latent-variable, cross-lag panel model found evidence for a reciprocal relation between PTSD and Depression. Followup models examining reexperiencing, avoidance-numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms separately showed that for reexperiencing and avoidance-numbing symptoms, the overall reciprocal relation held. For hyperarousal symptoms, however, the association was from early hyperarousal to later depression symptoms only. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric evaluation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II with primary care medical patients.

This study evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996) in a primary care medical setting. A principal-components analysis with Promax rotation indicated the presence of 2 correlated factors, Somatic-Affective and Cognitive, which explained 53.5% of the variance. A hierarchical, second-order analysis indicated that all items tap into a second-order construct of depression. Evidence for convergent validity was provided by predicted relationships with subscales from the Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-20; A. L. Stewart, R. D. Hayes, & J. E. Ware, 1988). A receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated criterion-related validity: BDI-II scores predicted a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), as determined by the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). This study demonstrated that the BDI-II yields reliable, internally consistent, and valid scores in a primary care medical setting, suggesting that use of the BDI-II in this setting may improve detection and treatment of depression in these medical patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reduced autobiographical memory specificity and rumination in predicting the course of depression.

Reduced autobiographical memory (AM) specificity is a known vulnerability factor for depression. AM specificity was investigated as a predictor of depression with the Autobiographical Memory Test (J. M. G. Williams & K. Broadbent, 1986). When baseline depression scores were partialed, reduced AM specificity to negative cue words predicted higher levels of depression at 7-month follow-up. Once rumination was taken into account by means of the Rumination on Sadness Scale (M. Conway, P. A. R. Csank, S. L. Holm, & C. K. Blake, 2000), AM specificity no longer predicted depression, suggesting that the predictive value of AM specificity observed in previous studies might be--at least partly--explained as an effect of rumination. Further mediation analyses indeed revealed support for rumination as a mediator of the relation between reduced AM specificity and poor outcome of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autobiographical memory processes and the course of depression.

The authors report a 6-month follow-up study of clinically depressed patients. At baseline, 2 indexes of autobiographical memory functioning were assessed: the presence of spontaneous intrusive memories of stressful life events and performance on the Autobiographical Memory Test (J. M. G. Williams & K. Broadbent, 1986), which measures overgeneral memory. The index of overgeneral memory was associated with greater levels of spontaneous intrusion of stressful memories. Overgeneral memory did not predict outcome, but depression at follow-up was predicted by the amount of intrusion and avoidance of stressful memories, even after controlling for initial severity of psychiatric symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing perinatal depression in low-income home visiting clients: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a 6-week cognitive-behavioral intervention in preventing the onset of perinatal depression and reducing depressive symptoms among low-income women in home visitation programs. Method: Sixty-one women who were pregnant or who had a child less than 6 months of age and who were assessed as at risk for perinatal depression were randomized to a 6-week, group-based cognitive-behavioral intervention or usual home visiting services. Study participants were predominately African American, unmarried, and unemployed. Intervention sessions were led by a licensed clinical social worker or clinical psychologist. Home visitors provided 1-on-1 reinforcement of key intervention messages between group sessions. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory–II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), and major depressive episodes were measured with the Maternal Mood Screener (MMS; Le & Mu?oz, 1998). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 1 week and 3 months postintervention. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant Time × Condition interaction, F(2, 112) = 4.1, p = .02. At 3 months postintervention, 9 of 27 (33%) women receiving usual care reported levels of depressive symptoms that met clinical cutoff for depression on the MMS compared with 3 of 32 (9%) women in the intervention condition, χ2(1, N = 59) = 5.18, p     

The association between social support and course of depression: Is it confounded with personality?

A number of studies have indicated that social support is associated with the course of depression. However, none of these studies have ruled out the potentially confounding effects of personality factors, such as neuroticism. The authors examined whether social support was related to the course of depression after controlling for neuroticism and several possible confounding clinical variables. Participants were 59 patients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria for major depression. All participants received structured diagnostic interviews and completed self-report measures of social support and neuroticism. Follow-up assessments at 6 months included the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation (M. B. Keller et al., 1987) and the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. E Shaw, & G. Emery, 1979). Results indicated that social support significantly predicted both severity of depression and recovery from depression at follow-up over and above the effects of initial depression severity, dysthymia, and neuroticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative outcomes for individual cognitive-behavior therapy, supportive-expressive group psychotherapy, and sertraline for the treatment of depression in multiple sclerosis.

This study compared the efficacy of 3 16-week treatments for depression in 63 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and major depressive disorder (MDD): individual cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), supportive expressive group therapy (SEG), and the antidepressant sertraline. Significant reductions were seen from pre- to posttreatment in all measures of depression. Intent-to-treat and completers analyses using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; A. T. Beck, C. H. Ward, M. Medelson, J. Mock, & J. Erbaugh, 1961) and MDD diagnosis found that CBT and sertraline were more effective than SEG at reducing depression. These results were largely supported by the BDI-18, which eliminates BDI items confounded with MS. However, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (M. Hamilton, 1960) did not show consistent differences between treatments. Reasons for this inconsistency are discussed. These findings suggest that CBT or sertraline is more likely to be effective in treating MDD in MS compared with supportive group treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping effectiveness and coping diversity under traumatic stress.

The effectiveness of different strategies of coping and the impact of coping diversity were tested under traumatic stress conditions. Participants were 632 U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq (mean age = 27.7, 98 male). Results indicate that four of nine functional coping strategies (including some emotion-focused coping) as defined by the COPE scale were inversely related to psychological symptom, whereas five of six dysfunctional strategies were positively related. Overall, in comparison to the norm group, soldiers showed a depressed level of functional coping strategies. Hierarchical regression, used to control for demographics and coping strategy intercorrelations, indicated that positive reinterpretation, emotional social support, and humor were most strongly related to lower psychological symptoms, whereas venting emotions, denial, mental disengagement, behavioral disengagement, and alcohol and drug use were related to higher levels of psychological symptoms. Two indices of coping diversity were tested. The index more strongly related to higher psychological adjustment was the sum of deviations from the mean of specific coping strategies combined with the alignment of functional and dysfunctional strategy clusters. Implications for research and application were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: Further issues in current evidence and future research.

The authors respond to the article by H. F. Coelho, P. H. Canter, and E. Ernst (2007) (see record 2007-19013-016), which reviewed the current status of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). First, they clarify the randomization procedures in the 2 main MBCT trials. Second, they report posttreatment and follow-up data to show that trial participants allocated to "treatment as usual" did not become worse. Third, they discuss which experimental designs are better for identification of the active component of treatment. Finally, they report reanalyses of the 2 main MBCT trials with multilevel modeling that corrected for intragroup correlations. These analyses reinforce the original findings: For patients with 3 or more previous episodes, MBCT significantly reduced the risk of a further episode of depression and significantly decreased mean scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, C. H. Ward, M. Mendelson, J. Mock, & J. Erbaugh, 1961) after treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)