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Online psychological interventions (OPI) are evidence-based programs that provide mental health treatment over the internet. Meta-analytic data suggests that OPI's effectively treat emotional symptomatology. RNT-focused ACT consider psychological inflexibility and RNT as trans-diagnostic process that significantly predict emotional symptomatology. The present study analyzed the effect of a self-help OPI which contents have previously shown content validity, user feasibility and effectivity. This is an open trial design with repeated measures of emotional symptomatology and behavioral change processes. Bayesian analysis of variance for repeated measures was conducted with JASP for each variable, Bayes Factors (BF10) determined how much the evidence favored OPI effect. Effect sizes, reliable and significant change and moderation analyses were also conducted. 18 cisgender women around 30 years old mostly heterosexual, single and unemployed finished the OPI. There is decisive evidence for OPI effect on emotional symptomatology and behavioral change processes (experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion and RNT). There is also anecdotal evidence for the moderating role of the number of hierarchical RNT triggers ( private events), their type and intimate partner relationship distress as well as anecdotal evidence against the moderating role of being a psychologist. Results need to be considered in the context of the study limitations and future research should explore the program's feasibility and effect in other populations and cultures. However, the program is feasible and efficacious for the treatment of emotional symptomatology at least for young cisgender women in Colombia.
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In addition to the serious physical and medical effects on individuals, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have short- and long-term psycho-social consequences, especially for young people. Nowadays, with psychological problems becoming more widely recognized in adolescents, it is possible that the fear and anxiety caused by the pandemic will trigger various anxiety disorders, OCD and similar negative outcomes. Considering that psychological qualities such as emotional reactivity and experiential avoidance observed in adolescents may increase the risk of such psycho-social disorders, in this study the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and OCD was investigated in a Turkish sample of 598 adolescents, and the mediating role of emotional reactivity, experiential avoidance and depression-anxiety in this relationship was examined. The data collection was performed online rather than in person because of the COVID-19 threat. A structural equation model was used to determine the direct and indirect predictive effects between variables in data analysis. The results of the study show that the effect of COVID-19 fear on OCD is mediated by emotional reactivity, experiential avoidance and depression-anxiety.
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Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a process-based, transdiagnostic approach to treatment that seeks to increase values-based, adaptive functioning (i.e., engaged living [EL]) in part through attenuating the impact of experiential avoidance (EA). The present case-series study examined EL and EA as mechanisms of change within a 10-week course of individual ACT delivered via a telehealth platform. Participants were two adult women with mental health concerns associated with clinically elevated EA. Throughout the study, we collected (a) daily self-monitored clinically relevant behaviors, (b) daily and weekly measures of EL and EA, and (c) pre-, mid-, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up measures of psychopathology, quality of life, and ACT-related outcome variables. Results showed support for the efficacy of ACT, with both participants demonstrating slight improvements in clinically relevant behaviors, along with expected improvements in EL and EA. These favorable results were most pronounced for Participant 1. Results are discussed in the context of COVID-19-related adaptations (including telehealth), and within the framework of process-based ACT and its transdiagnostic applicability to a range of mental health concerns. [ FROM AUTHOR]
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Background: This study sought to investigate the perceived influence of stressful events (i.e., the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the political situation, and the COVID-19 pandemic) on the depressive symptoms and psychological pain experienced by Polish adults. The study also aimed to explore the association between experiential avoidance and emotional distress. Method: 110 Polish social media users aged 18-89 completed online the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Psychache Scale and the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire-30 and questions concerning perceived influence of stressful event on their emotional functioning. Results: More than half of the participants (52.7%) reported experiencing a subjective increase in their depressive symptoms since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Interestingly, a larger percentage of participants associated their emotional distress with the outbreak of the war (44.6%) and the overall political situation (39.2%) than with the COVID-19 pandemic (27.2%). In addition, experiential avoidance was found to be associated with subjective increases in the participants' depressive symptoms and emotional distress. Limitations: Cross-sectional character of the study, small sample size, and exclusive use of online data are main limitation of the study. Conclusions: Findings of our study can help planning preventive and therapeutic interventions for at-risk individuals to reduce negative long-term outcomes of the recent stressful life events in Poland.
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INTRODUCTION: Experiential avoidance is a key psychological process variable that measures the level of neglect or avoidance of unpleasant personal psychological experiences. It is highly correlated with the psychological flexibility construct, and both of these are important components in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) has been used to measure both constructs and the Malay version of AAQ-II has been translated and validated in the clinical sample. Hence, this study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Malay version of AAQ-II in a non-clinical sample. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The participants were recruited from 3 campuses of Universiti Malaysia Sabah namely UMSLabuan International Campus (UMSKAL), Sandakan campus, and the main campus in Kota Kinabalu. Convenience sampling was employed and the snowball method was used to recruit participants. All participants answered online questionnaires, which consist of sociodemographic information as well as the Malay version of AAQ-II, Mindfulness Awareness and Attention Scale (MAAS), General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Balanced Index of Psychological Mindedness (BIPM). Both classical test theory and Rasch measurement theory were used to check the reliability and validity. RESULTS: There were 370 participants in this study. Malay version of AAQ-II demonstrated good psychometric properties with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.932, parallel reliability of 0.844, and satisfactory Rasch analysis. Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor model with 7-items. AAQ-II scores were positively correlated with depressive and anxiety scores, and lower levels of mindfulness and psychological mindedness, supporting the concurrent and convergent validity. CONCLUSION: Malay version of the AAQ-II has adequate reliability and validity in assessing psychological inflexibility in the non-clinical sample and hence could be a useful psychological instrument in assessing COVID-19 mental health effect. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia is the property of International Islamic University Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
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This trial evaluated the efficacy of two conceptually different, three-session interventions for university students with at least moderate symptoms of anxiety and somatic symptoms such as headaches, back pain, or digestive system difficulties. Eligible students (N = 52) were randomly assigned to receive a mindfulness-based intervention (MMT) (n = 19), an emotional awareness and expression intervention (EAET) (n = 15), or to a waitlist control condition (WLC) (n = 18). Assessments of physical, social, and psychological functioning were conducted immediately before randomization, again 4 weeks later, and finally 8 weeks after randomization. Participants in the control condition were invited to receive the intervention of their choice after completing the final assessment. Despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted this trial when it was just over half completed, and the resulting sample size lacks statistical power to detect small effects, the results are noteworthy and often statistically significant.The MMT intervention was highly effective in improving a wide range of outcomes in this population. This intervention led to significantly greater improvements than did the control condition on both primary outcomes, somatic symptoms and anxiety, as well as on all secondary outcomes (depression, interpersonal sensitivity, perceived stress, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction), and with large effect sizes. The effects of the EAET intervention were somewhat modest and not consistent across measures. The intervention was significantly superior to the control condition in improving depression and positive affect, as well as anxiety and negative affect, and interpersonal sensitivity, with moderate to large effect sizes. However, EAET did not improve the primary outcome of somatic symptoms (only small effects), nor did EAET improve perceived stress or life satisfaction, compared to the control condition. Although it was expected that both active treatments would lead to comparable improvements in clinical outcomes, impressively, MMT led to significantly greater improvements than did EAET on somatic symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, and life satisfaction, with large effect sizes. These results suggest that each of these interventions are appropriate for anxious college students, but that the MMT intervention may be more broadly effective.Changes in proposed process measures were not found to be specific to treatment condition. It was hypothesized that the MMT intervention would lead to decreases in experiential avoidance and increases in mindfulness, and that the EAET intervention would lead to increases in emotional expressivity and emotional approach coping. Although the MMT intervention was effective in decreasing experiential avoidance and in increasing mindfulness, as hypothesized, it also resulted in increases in emotional approach coping and in emotional expressivity. The EAET intervention was effective in increasing emotional expressivity and emotional approach coping, but EAET also led to reductions in experiential avoidance and increases in mindfulness. When compared to each other, the two interventions had similar effects on all four process measures.These results suggest that, although very different from one another, these two interventions may share some common pathways. For example, both interventions support increasing emotional awareness and decreasing avoidance of uncomfortable emotions, which might provide one explanation for the observed effects of both interventions on experiential avoidance and mindfulness. It is also the case that when novel interventions are developed, it is not uncommon for researchers to use different jargon to refer to processes of interest that are addressed by other older therapies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Background: Latinx persons are overrepresented in terms of 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection rates and constitute a subpopulation at increased risk for COVID-19 related physical ailments. Fatigue and pain are among the most prevalent somatic symptoms among the Latinx population; however, there is little understanding of individual difference factors that are related to fatigue and pain during COVID-19 among this health disparities population. Experiential avoidance (EA) reflects the persistent tendency to avoid aversive internal sensations. Methods: The current study sought to extend past work by exploring EA in relation to fatigue severity, pain intensity, and pain disability among 182 Latinx adult persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Results indicated that EA accounted for a statistically significant amount of variance across the criterion variables. Conclusions: Overall, the current work provides initial empirical evidence that EA is related to greater fatigue severity and pain severity/disability among Latinx persons during COVID-19.
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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) has been suspected for those with contamination-related OCD (C-OCD). However, the course of OCS over the ongoing pandemic remains unclear. We assessed 268 participants with OCD (nâ¯=â¯184 with C-OCD) in an online survey at the beginning of the pandemic in Germany, reassessing 179 participants (66.8%, 104â¯C-OCD) three months later. We assessed severity of OCD (OCI-R), depression (PHQ-9), experiential avoidance, as well as functional and dysfunctional beliefs. Overall, OCS and depressive symptoms did not substantially change over time. However, when people with and without C-OCD were compared, symptoms improved in patients without C-OCD (nC-OCD) but remained stable in patients with C-OCD over time. Symptom improvement was associated with male gender, higher initial OCI-R, and nC-OCD. Experiential avoidance and beliefs at the beginning of the pandemic did not generally predict change in OCS. People with OCD, particularly those with nC-OCD, showed tentative signs for signs of adapting, whereas distress in those with C-OCD remained at a high level, underlining the burden for these patients. Clinicians should be informed about how to maintain effective treatment for C-OCD during a pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder , Dreams , Humans , Male , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/epidemiology , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The global COVID-19 pandemic crisis has caused an unprecedented impact on most areas of people's lives. Thus, framed within the scope of Existential Positive Psychology (PP2.0), this study aimed at assessing the psychological distress of adults living in Portugal during the first national lockdown, how they are coping with stress, as well to contribute to a deeper understanding about the role that positivity, experiential avoidance, and coping strategies have in psychological distress and well-being. For this purpose, 586 Portuguese adults (73% females) ranging between 18 and 78 years old (M = 38.96, SD = 12.20) completed an online survey during the initial phase of the pandemic crisis in Portugal. Findings suggest that experiential avoidance was the strongest predictor of a negative response (depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and negative emotions), whereas positivity was a better predictor of psychological well-being and lower levels of depression. Additionally, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, and emotional venting were strong risk factors for psychological distress, whereas positive reframing, planning, and acceptance were associated with more positive outcomes. These findings highlight the critical role of experiential avoidance on individuals' psychological distress and the essential contribution of positive life orientation in promoting flourishing. By offering a better understanding of the complex navigation through the dialectics between positive and negative life features, this study provides important and useful cues for psychological interventions directed at promoting a more positive and adaptive human functioning even through such potential adverse and painful life events.
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As the COVID-19 outbreak is rapidly spreading all over the world, it's secondary consequences will negatively affect both societies and individuals. The target group, expected to be exposed to the secondary negative consequences most intensely during the pandemic process and afterward, is undoubtedly the healthcare professionals. In this research, the impact of the fear that healthcare professionals in Turkey developed against the outbreak of COVID-19 on their psychological adjustment skills is examined, and in this context, the mediating role of experiential avoidance and psychological resilience is examined. In this context, an answer was sought for the question "Does experiential avoidance and psychological resilience have a mediating role in the impact of COVID-19 fear on psychological adjustment skills of healthcare professionals?" The research was carried out with a total of 370 healthcare professionals reached via online data collection method. Structural equation modeling was used in the data analysis process, and as a result, it was determined that the fear of COVID-19 had a negative effect on the psychological adjustment in healthcare professionals; however, psychological resilience was found to have a protective function that limits this effect, and experiential avoidance has a risk factor that aggravates this effect. Findings obtained from the research are discussed in the context of the literature.