Motivational Interviewing changes the treatment trajectory of group Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for anxiety

Anxiety disorders have been viewed as manifestations of broad underlying predisposing personality constructs such as neuroticism combined with more specific individual differences of unhelpful information processing styles. Given the high prevalence of anxiety and the significant impairment that it causes, there is an important need to continue to explore successful treatments for this disorder. Research indicates that there is still room for significantly improving attrition rates and treatment adherence. Traditionally Motivational Interviewing (MI) has been used to facilitate health behaviour change. Recently MI has been applied to psychotherapy and has been shown to improve the outcome of CBT. However, these studies have been limited to only considering pre- and post-treatment measures and neglected to consider when changes occur along the course of therapy. This leaves the unanswered question of what is the impact of pre-treatment MI on the treatment trajectory of therapy. This study provides preliminary research into answering this question by tracking changes on a weekly basis along the course of group CBT. Prior to group CBT, 40 individuals with a principal anxiety disorder diagnosis were randomly assigned to receive either 3 individual sessions of MI or placed on a waitlist control group. All participants then received the same dosage of 10 weekly 2 hour sessions of group CBT. Tracking treatment outcome trajectory over the course of CBT, the pre-treatment MI group, compared to the control group, experienced a greater improvement early on in the course of therapy in their symptom distress, interpersonal relationships and quality of life. This early advantage over the control group was then maintained throughout therapy. These results not only demonstrate the value of adding MI to CBT, but also highlight the immediacy of MI effects. Further research is needed to determine the robustness of these effects to inform clinical implications of how to best apply MI to improve treatment adherence to CBT for anxiety disorders.

Dietary habits and obesity: the role of emotional and cognitive factors

In post-industrialised societies, food is more plentiful, accessible and palatable than ever before and technological development has reduced the need for physical activity. Consequently, the prevalence of obesity is increasing, which is problematic as obesity is related to a number of diseases. Various psychological and social factors have an important influence on dietary habits and the development of obesity in the current food-rich and sedentary environments. The present study concentrates on the associations of emotional and cognitive factors with dietary intake and obesity as well as on the role these factors play in socioeconomic disparities in diet. Many people cognitively restrict their food intake to prevent weight gain or to lose weight, but research on whether restrained eating is a useful weight control strategy has produced conflicting findings. With respect to emotional factors, the evidence is accumulating that depressive symptoms are related to less healthy dietary intake and obesity, but the mechanisms explaining these associations remain unclear. Furthermore, it is not fully understood why socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals tend to have unhealthier dietary habits and the motives underlying food choices (e.g., price and health) could be relevant in this respect. The specific aims of the study were to examine 1) whether obesity status and dieting history moderate the associations of restrained eating with overeating tendencies, self-control and obesity indicators; 2) whether the associations of depressive symptoms with unhealthier dietary intake and obesity are attributable to a tendency for emotional eating and a low level of physical activity self-efficacy; and 3) whether the absolute or relative importance of food choice motives (health, pleasure, convenience, price, familiarity and ethicality) contribute to the socioeconomic disparities in dietary habits. The study was based on a large population-based sample of Finnish adults: the participants were men (N=2325) and women (N=2699) aged 25-74 who took part in the DILGOM (Dietary, Lifestyle and Genetic Determinants of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome) sub-study of the National FINRISK Study 2007. The participants weight, height, waist circumference and body fat percentage were measured in a health examination. Psychological eating styles (the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18), food choice motives (a shortened version of the Food Choice Questionnaire), depressive symptoms (the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and self-control (the Brief Self-Control Scale) were measured with pre-existing questionnaires. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the average consumption of sweet and non-sweet energy-dense foods and vegetables/fruit. Self-reported total years of education and gross household income were used as indicators of socioeconomic position. The results indicated that 1) restrained eating was related to a lower body mass index, waist circumference, emotional eating and uncontrolled eating, and to a higher self-control in obese participants and current/past dieters. In contrast, the associations were the opposite in normal weight individuals and those who had never dieted. Thus, restrained eating may be related to better weight control among obese individuals and those with dieting experiences, while among others it may function as an indicator of problems with eating and an attempt to solve them. 2) Emotional eating and depressive symptoms were both related to less healthy dietary intake, and the greater consumption of energy-dense sweet foods among participants with elevated depressive symptoms was attributable to the susceptibility for emotional eating. In addition, emotional eating and physical activity self-efficacy were both important in explaining the positive association between depressive symptoms and obesity. 3) The lower vegetable/fruit intake and higher energy-dense food intake among individuals with a low socioeconomic position were partly explained by the higher priority they placed on price and familiarity and the lower priority they gave to health motives in their daily food choices. In conclusion, although policy interventions to change the obesogenic nature of the current environment are definitely needed, knowledge of the factors that hinder or facilitate people s ability to cope with the food-rich environment is also necessary. This study implies that more emphasis should be placed on various psychological and social factors in weight control programmes and interventions.

‘To me, it's like a little box of tricks’: Breaking the depressive interlock as a programme participant in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Objectives. Mindfulness meditation practices have become increasingly popular in clinical therapies, changing patterns of depressogenic thinking for individuals who experience consecutive episodes of depression. We were interested in finding out how Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) worked for programme participants by focussing on how meditative practices changed their relationships to their thoughts. Design. Data for the study came from six semi-structured research interviews carried out with individuals who had taken part in an 8 week MBCT programme Methods. We used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyse the experiential accounts. Results. We report on two superordinate themes – Engaging the Neutral Mind (with subordinate themes ‘breaking the paralysis of worry’ and ‘choosing to think differently’) and Experiencing the Neutral Mind (with subordinate themes of ‘reflection on previous thinking styles’ and ‘becoming psychologically self-reliant’). Conclusions. Themes from the present study offer support to the assertion that mindfulness meditation helps facilitate a different mode of meta-cognitive processing with which to handle depression-related cognitions. Practitioner Points Participants reported that they experienced an enhanced capacity to differentiate between their thought processes, experiencing an ability to tolerate some more uncomfortable thoughts and experiencing a/more choice in how to respond to thoughts Participants recognised that ruminating over negative thoughts was related to depressive states and experienced a shift in meta-cognitive processes that actively challenged depressogenic cognitions Participants became more psychologically self-reliant and therapeutically independent following MBCT Integrating mindfulness based practices in therapy may be a mediating factor in sustaining psychological wellbeing and may help clients develop self-compassion Future research looks to examining exit cases to understand elements of MBCT which are experienced as less successful by clients

Impact différentiel des types de modelage et des styles d’orientation des buts sur des indices cognitifs, affectifs et comportementaux liés à l’expérience d’apprentissage

Cette recherche expérimentale vise à étudier l’impact, à la fois, indépendant et interactif de deux types de modelage et de trois styles d’orientation des buts sur une série de résultantes (cognitives, affectives et comportementales) liées à l’expérience d’apprentissage. 275 participants à un programme de formation corporatif ont pris part à cette étude. Répartis aléatoirement dans deux conditions distinctes, les participants furent exposés soit à un modelage positif, soit à un modelage mixte. Les styles d’orientation des buts (maîtrise des apprentissages, performance, évitement) propres à chacun des participants ont été mesurés préalablement à l’expérimentation par l’entremise du Goal Orientation Scale développé VandeWalle (1997). Sur le plan cognitif, les résultats révèlent que les apprenants ayant une orientation d’évitement perçoivent comme étant plus utile le contenu de la formation, lorsqu’ils sont exposés à un modelage positif. Sur le plan affectif, les résultats révèlent que les apprenants ayant une orientation axée sur la performance ressentent un sentiment d’efficacité personnelle plus élevé suite à la formation lorsqu’ils sont exposés à un modelage positif. Sur le plan comportemental, les résultats indiquent que les apprenants ayant une orientation axée sur la maîtrise des apprentissages reproduisent plus fidèlement les comportements cibles sujets à la formation lorsqu’ils sont exposés à un modelage mixte. Les implications pratiques et théoriques pour les futures recherches utilisant le façonnement comportemental en contexte formatif sont discutées en guise de conclusion.

Association of coping styles & adolescent substance use

Adolescent substance use is a serious public health concern with long-lasting consequences. Although specific coping behaviors have been associated with adolescent substance use, less is known about the role of multidimensional coping styles that account for both positive and negative coping behaviors. This study examined the association of coping styles and substance use (alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs) of 1,019 ethnically diverse high school students. Coping styles were categorized by high or low negative coping behaviors (e.g. distraction, social withdrawal, self-criticism, blame others, wishful thinking, resignation, and negative emotional regulation) and high or low positive coping behaviors (e.g. cognitive restructuring, problem-solving, social support, and positive emotional regulation). My hypothesis that high positive coping, regardless of the use of negative coping behaviors, would be protective against substance use was rejected. Logistic regression analyses controlling for age, gender, race, and parent education indicated that adolescents who relied primarily on adaptive coping were 45-67% less likely to report lifetime or past year substance use than any other coping style. However, mixed copers (i.e. high in both positive and negative coping behaviors) were 2 to 3 times as likely to report substance use than their adaptive coping counterparts.^

Leadership and project management competences in executive women: different styles from the agents' perceptions

The exercise of management and leadership are key aspects to achieve objectives, goals and relationships in the current knowledge society marked by increasingly competitive environments in which cognitive factors, creativity, knowledge and information determine the success of organizations. Both concepts have been historically associated with the male domain because of the underrepresentation of women in managerial positions. However, the increasing participation of women in the workplace has led to the development of an extensive literature on the possible existence of differences between the styles of male and female leadership, although it has not been addressed from the analysis of competences associated with each sex. Through a participatory process the abilities and skills related to women managers are analyzed and the differences in leadership styles. The results indicate that women particularly value the skills associated with human relationships, and that female leadership style tends to be transformational.

A cognitive model of binge drinking: The influence of alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy

While binge drinking-episodic or irregular consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol-is recognised as a serious problem affecting our youth, to date there has been a lack of psychological theory and thus theoretically driven research into this problem. The current paper develops a cognitive model using the key constructs of alcohol expectancies (AEs) and drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) to explain the acquisition and maintenance of binge drinking. It is suggested that the four combinations of the AE and DRSE can explain the four drinking styles. These are normal/social drinkers, binge drinkers, regular heavy drinkers, and problem drinkers or alcoholics. Since AE and DRSE are cognitive constructs and therefore modifiable, the cognitive model can thus facilitate the design of intervention and-prevention strategies for binge drinking. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Étude des relations entre les styles cognitifs et les productions d’artistes professionnels et d’étudiants universitaires en arts visuels

Les recherches démontrent que les arts plastiques à l’école apportent des bénéfices culturels et psychocognitifs majeurs aux enfants (National Endowment for the Arts, 2012; Hoffmann Davis, 2005, 2008; Karkou et Glasman, 2004; Sylwester, 1998; Goetz Zwirn et Graham, 2005; Greene, 1995). Mais en général, plus les garçons avancent en âge au primaire, plus ils éprouvent de difficultés et démontrent un intérêt moindre que celui des filles pour les arts plastiques à l’école. Au secondaire, l’écart ne fait que s’accentuer (Savoie, Grenon et St-Pierre, 2010, 2012; Octobre, 2004; Dumais, 2002; Blaikie, Schönau et Steers, 2003). Même s’ils ne peuvent garantir la réussite de leurs élèves, les enseignants ont une influence considérable sur des variables qui affectent les apprentissages telles que le choix de matériaux didactiques, des environnements éducationnels et la variable qui nous intéresse particulièrement : La prise en compte des comportements des élèves en lien avec leurs styles cognitifs. Pour mieux les aider, notre recherche veut saisir les liens potentiels qui pourraient exister entre les styles cognitifs des individus créateurs et leurs préférences sur le plan de l’expression graphique, plus spécifiquement au regard du langage plastique. En d’autres mots, nous souhaitons fournir des marqueurs utiles à la différenciation pédagogique adaptée aux styles cognitifs (Baron-Cohen, 2005) des filles et des garçons en classe d’art. Nous empruntons des concepts délimités et mesurables qui constituent notre cadre de référence et proviennent des domaines de la psychologie cognitive et de l’enseignement des arts visuels. Notre recherche se fait auprès d’artistes professionnels et d’étudiants adultes en arts visuels, tous genres confondus. Nous mesurons chez eux, dans un premier temps, leurs styles cognitifs à l’aide du test RMET de Baron-Cohen (Ibid.). En rapport avec ces styles, nous tentons ensuite de dégager des marqueurs dans la démarche et les productions artistiques des individus. En d’autres mots, notre étude vise essentiellement à procurer des indicateurs fiables, aux chercheurs et aux enseignants en arts, quant au lien potentiel entre les styles cognitifs et le langage plastique. Ces précieux indicateurs pourront ensuite leur servir, entre autres, à la construction de modèles pédagogiques, d’environnements éducationnels ou d’activités adaptées aux styles des élèves masculins comme féminins. Au plan méthodologique, notre recherche adopte une approche quantitative, pragmatique, quasi expérimentale et exploratoire (Lefrancois, 1997; Kothari, 2004; Grawitz, 1988; Larose, Bédard, Couturier, Grenon, Lavoie, Lebrun, Morin, Savard et Theis, 2011). Notre mode d’analyse se base sur la vérification de faits observables et sur une prise de décision scientifique se servant de techniques statistiques inférentielles (Saporta, 2011; Field, 2009). Notre approche s’appuie donc sur une variable dépendante liée au style cognitif des participants et sur une vingtaine de variables indépendantes liées au langage plastique. Nos résultats démontrent qu’au moins un indicateur de style cognitif ressort significativement dans le langage plastique, soit la variation chromatique. Suite à notre question : Dans les éléments de langage plastique des créateurs en arts visuels, peut-on observer des indicateurs de styles cognitifs? La réponse s’est avérée positive et fiable sur au moins une variable : la couleur. En effet, suite à nos analyses statistiques inférentielles, la variation chromatique est ressorti comme un indicateur très significatif de style cognitif et celui qui ressort le plus de nos résultats. Nous avons clairement mesuré que les individus qui décodent moins bien les émotions chez les autres démontrent une préférence pour des variations de couleurs plutôt monochromes, alors que les individus plutôt empathiques démontrent une préférence pour des univers surtout multichromes. Nous avons mesuré une forte habileté à reconnaitre et à discriminer les émotions, autant chez nos artistes professionnels que chez nos sujets étudiants universitaires. D’autres variables analysées, comme le genre, l’éducation ou l’âge ne se sont pas avérées des indicateurs fiables de styles cognitifs particuliers.

Predominant learning styles among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil

Background: Learning styles are cognitive, emotional, and physiological traits, as well as indicators of how learners perceive, interact, and respond to their learning environments. According to Honey-Mumford, learning styles are classified as active, reflexive, theoretical, and pragmatic. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the predominant learning styles among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted using the Honey-Alonso Learning Style Questionnaire. Students in the Bachelor of Pharmacy program were invited to participate in this study. The questionnaire comprised 80 randomized questions, 20 for each of the four learning styles. The maximum possible score was 20 points for each learning style, and cumulative scores indicated the predominant learning styles among the participants. Honey-Mumford (1986) proposed five preference levels for each style (very low, low, moderate, high, and very high), called a general interpretation scale, to avoid student identification with one learning style and ignoring the characteristics of the other styles. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: This study included 297 students (70% of all pharmacy students at the time) with a median age of 21 years old. Women comprised 77.1% of participants. The predominant style among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná was the pragmatist, with a median of 14 (high preference). The pragmatist style prevails in people who are able to discover techniques related to their daily learning because such people are curious to discover new strategies and attempt to verify whether the strategies are efficient and valid. Because these people are direct and objective in their actions, pragmatists prefer to focus on practical issues that are validated and on problem situations. There was no statistically significant difference between genders with regard to learning styles. Conclusion: The pragmatist style is the prevailing style among pharmacy students at the Federal University of Paraná. Although students may have a learning preference that preference is not the only manner in which students can learn, neither their preference is the only manner in which students can be taught. Awareness of students’ learning styles can be used to adapt the methodology used by teachers to render the teaching-learning process effective and long lasting. The content taught to students should be presented in different manners because varying teaching methods can develop learning skills in students.