Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review.

https://www.commed.vcu.edu/Chronic_Disease/2012/cochranrvwrschbias.pdf

The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials

A review of recent research on cognitive processing indicates that biases in attention, memory, and interpretation, as well as repetitive negative thoughts, are common across emotional disorders, although they vary in form according to type of disorder. Current cognitive models emphasize specific forms of biased processing, such as variations in the focus of attention or habitual interpretative styles that contribute to the risk of developing particular disorders. As well as predicting risk of emotional disorders, new studies haveprovided evidence of a causal relationship between processing bias and vulnerability. Beyond merely demonstrating the existence of biased processing, research is thus beginning to explore the cognitive causes of emotional vulnerability, and their modification.

Cognitive Vulnerability to Emotional Disorders

The author reviews research showing that repetitive thought (RT) can have constructive or unconstructive consequences. The main unconstructive consequences of RT are (a) depression, (b) anxiety, and (c) difficulties in physical health. The main constructive consequences of RT are (a) recovery from upsetting and traumatic events, (b) adaptive preparation and anticipatory planning, (c) recovery from depression, and (d) uptake of health-promoting behaviors. Several potential principles accounting for these distinct consequences of RT are identified within this review: (a) the valence of thought content, (b) the intrapersonal and situational context in which RT occurs, and (c) the level of construal (abstract vs. concrete processing) adopted during RT. Of the existing models of RT, it is proposed that an elaborated version of the control theory account provides the best theoretical framework to account for its distinct

/pdf/constructive-and-unconstructive-repetitive-thought-1cx5otpxi0.pdf

Constructive and Unconstructive Repetitive Thought.

At the moment, there is no single conceptual theoretical model of gambling that adequately accounts for the multiple biological, psychological and ecological variables contributing to the development of pathological gambling Advances in this area are hampered by imprecise definitions of pathological gambling, failure to distinguish between gambling problems and problem gamblers and a tendency to assume that pathological gamblers form one, homogeneous population with similar psychological principles applying equally to all members of the class The purpose of this paper is to advance a pathways model that integrates the complex array of biological, personality, developmental, cognitive, learning theory and ecological determinants of problem and pathological gambling It is proposed that three distinct subgroups of gamblers manifesting impaired control over their behaviour can be identified These groups include (a) behaviourally conditioned problem gamblers, (b) emotionally vulnerable problem gamblers and (c) antisocial, impulsivist problem gamblers The implications for clinical management are discussed

https://www.uv.es/~choliz/ModeloJuego.pdf

A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling

A parent-report measure of children's anxiety: psychometric properties and comparison with child-report in a clinic and normal sample.

Background: Anxiety disorders increase risk of future cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, even after controlling for confounds including smoking, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status, and irrespective of a history of medical disorders. While impaired vagal function, indicated by reductions in heart rate variability (HRV), may be one mechanism linking anxiety disorders to CVD, prior studies have reported inconsistent findings highlighting the need for meta-analysis. Method: Studies comparing resting-state HRV recordings in patients with an anxiety disorder as a primary diagnosis and healthy controls were considered for meta-analysis. Results: Meta-analyses were based on 36 articles, including 2086 patients with an anxiety disorder and 2294 controls. Overall, anxiety disorders were characterized by lower HRV [high frequency (HF): Hedges’ gD 0.29. 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.17, p < 0.001; time domain: Hedges’ gD 0.45, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.33, p < 0.001] than controls. Panic disorder (nD 447), post-traumatic stress disorder (nD 192), generalized anxiety disorder (nD 68), and social anxiety disorder (nD 90), but not obsessive‐compulsive disorder (nD 40), displayed reductions in HF HRV relative to controls (all ps< 0.001). Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are associated with reduced HRV, findings associated with a small-to-moderate effect size. Findings have important implications for future physical health and well-being of patients, highlighting a need for comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction.

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa26241/Download/0026241-20072016171158.pdf

Anxiety Disorders are Associated with Reduced Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis

This study investigated the relationship between self-appraisals of performance, symptom severity and post-event rumination in social phobia, and evaluated the effect of treatment on these variables. A socially phobic group and a nonanxious control group performed an impromptu speech and were told that their performance would be evaluated. Participants appraised their performance immediately after the speech and 1 week later, and the frequency of post-event rumination during the week following the speech was assessed. The socially phobic group maintained the negative appraisals of their speech over the week, whereas the nonclinical group showed increased positivity about their performance. The socially phobic group also engaged in more negative rumination than controls. Treatment improved perceptions of performance and reduced negative rumination. These results are discussed in the light of cognitive models of social phobia. The role of post-event rumination in the maintenance of social phobia has recently been the focus of theoretical and empirical attention (Abbott & Rapee, 2003; Clark & Wells, 1995; Mellings & Alden, 2000; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997). In relation to social phobia, post-event rumination refers to the tendency for socially phobic individuals to engage in negative rumination following a social or performance event, such as a speech or social interaction (Clark & Wells, 1995). Clark and Wells’s cognitive model of social phobia includes post-event rumination as one of four primary processes involved in the maintenance of social anxiety, along with self-focused attention, in-situation safety behaviors and assumptions, and self-schemata. According to the Clark and Wells model, socially phobic individuals engage in a “post-mortem” of social events that features both anxious feelings and negative cognitions relating to their self-perception. Clark and Wells argue that the cognitive content and associated affect of post-event rumination for socially phobic individuals is guided by the thoughts and feelings that were processed during the social or performance event itself. In other words, if socially phobic individuals believe that others perceive them as stupid and incompetent during a speech task, then the content of ruminations following their speech may include thoughts indicative of the belief that they have been evaluated negatively, such as “I looked stupid” and “Everyone thinks I am a failure.” In addition, Clark and Wells also suggest that the process of post-event rumination may prompt past recollections of perceived social failures. These recollections may also play a role in maintaining and reinforcing the negative affect and cognitions associated with social phobia. The processing of performance events in this way may also result in the perception of one’s performance worsening over time. Clark and Wells cite a disturbing case study reported by Heimberg (1991, cited in Clark & Wells, 1995) in which a socially phobic client was role-playing a hostess at a party. In the example, she spilled a drink and coped well with the initial anxiety, but later attempted suicide after dwelling on her performance. This graphic and sad example highlights the possibility that socially phobic individuals may perceive their performance in social situations more poorly over time.

/pdf/post-event-rumination-and-negative-self-appraisal-in-social-lnhts45atv.pdf

Post-Event Rumination and Negative Self-Appraisal in Social Phobia Before and After Treatment.

Objective The present study determined interrater agreement on diagnoses achieved using the parent and child versions of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children for DSM-IV (ADIS-C/P) and examined informant, age, and gender influences on reliability. Method Diagnoses established for 153 seven- to 16-year-old children during live administration of the ADIS-C/P were compared to diagnoses identified by a second rater after viewing a video recording of the interviews. Results When information from both parent and child interviews was used, the level of agreement between raters for principal diagnosis (κ = .92) and the individual anxiety disorders (κ = .80-1.0) was excellent. Agreement on common comorbid disorders was good (κ = .65-.77). Agreement was also good to excellent when diagnoses were assigned based on separate child or parent interviews, aside from children's report of externalizing disorders. Age and gender did not consistently impact interrater agreement. Conclusions The data indicate that the present version of the ADIS-C/P provides consistent diagnostic results across different clinicians and indicates improvements in the reliability of diagnoses following criterion changes in DSM-IV .

Interrater reliability of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: child and parent version.

Self-compassion is a healthy way of relating to one’s self motivated by a desire to help rather than harm. Novel self-compassion-based interventions have targeted diverse populations and outcomes. This meta-analysis identified randomized controlled trials of self-compassion interventions and measured their effects on psychosocial outcomes. This meta-analysis included a systematic search of six databases and hand-searches of the included study’s reference lists. Twenty-seven randomized controlled trials that examined validated psychosocial measures for self-compassion-based interventions met inclusion criteria. Baseline, post and follow-up data was extracted for the intervention and control groups, and study quality was assessed using the PRISMA checklist. Self-compassion interventions led to a significant improvement across 11 diverse psychosocial outcomes compared with controls. Notably, the aggregate effect size Hedge’s g was large for measures of eating behavior (g = 1.76) and rumination (g = 1.37). Effects were moderate for self-compassion (g = 0.75), stress (g = 0.67), depression (g = 0.66), mindfulness (g = 0.62), self-criticism (g = 0.56), and anxiety (g = 0.57) outcomes. Further moderation analyses found that the improvements in depression symptoms continued to increase at follow-up, and self-compassion gains were maintained. Results differed across population type and were stronger for the group over individual delivery methods. Intervention type was too diverse to analyze specific categories, and publication bias may be present. This review supports the efficacy of self-compassion-based interventions across a range of outcomes and diverse populations. Future research should consider the mechanisms of change.

Maree J. Abbott

Papers

A parent-report measure of children's anxiety: psychometric properties and comparison with child-report in a clinic and normal sample.

Anxiety Disorders are Associated with Reduced Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis

Post-Event Rumination and Negative Self-Appraisal in Social Phobia Before and After Treatment.

Interrater reliability of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: child and parent version.

Self-Compassion Interventions and Psychosocial Outcomes: a Meta-Analysis of RCTs