Sharing is caring: Ethical implications of transparent research in psychology.

The call for greater openness in research data is quickly growing in many scientific fields. Psychology as a field, however, still falls short in this regard. Research is vulnerable to human error, inaccurate interpretation, and reporting of study results, and decisions during the research process being biased toward favorable results. Despite the obligation to share data for verification and the importance of this practice for protecting against human error, many psychologists do not fulfill their ethical responsibility of sharing their research data. This has implications for the accurate and ethical dissemination of specific research findings and the scientific development of the field more broadly. Open science practices provide promising approaches to address the ethical issues of inaccurate reporting and false-positive results in psychological research literature that hinder scientific growth and ultimately violate several relevant ethical principles and standards from the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Ethical Principles of Psychologists Code of Conduct (APA, 2017). Still, current incentive structures in the field for publishing and professional advancement appear to induce hesitancy in applying these practices. With each of these considerations in mind, recommendations on how psychologists can ethically proceed through open science practices and incentive restructuring-in particular, data management, data and code sharing, study preregistration, and registered reports-are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Association between decentering and reductions in relapse/recurrence in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression in adults: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: "Decentering" is defined as the ability to observe one's thoughts and feelings as temporary, objective events in the mind (Safran & Segal, 1990), and is increasingly regarded as a candidate mechanism in mindfulness-based interventions. The present study sought to examine the role of decentering, and other related variables, in the efficacy of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as compared to two active comparison conditions. METHOD: Formerly depressed individuals (N = 227), randomly assigned to MBCT (n = 74), relaxation group therapy (RGT; n = 77) or Treatment as usual (TAU; n = 76), completed self-report measures of decentering and symptoms of depression at pre-, mid-, and posttreatment, and relapse was assessed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, posttreatment. RESULTS: With regard to the acute treatment phase, results indicated that, whereas levels of depression increased in both RGT and TAU, MBCT patients remained free from symptom gains. Moreover, gains in decentering from mid- to posttreatment predicted reductions in depression from pre- to posttreatment for MBCT and TAU, but not for RGT. Participants who experienced increases in decentering, measured from mid- to posttreatment, generally evidenced the lowest levels of relapse/recurrence (during the four follow-up assessments), largely irrespective of treatment group. However, results related to change in decentering should be considered exploratory due to small cell sizes among participants who did not experience gains in decentering. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that decentering is a potent mechanism for reduction of relapse in major depression, albeit one that is nonspecific to MBCT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity With Health-Related Quality of Life and Self-Reported Functioning Across 12 Months After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: Longitudinal prospective multicenter, cohort study on severe TBI in Switzerland (2007-2011). SETTING: Hospital, rehabilitation unit, and/or patient's living facility. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with severe TBI (N=109) were included in the analyses. Injury severity was determined using the Abbreviated Injury Score of the head region after clinical assessment and initial computed tomography scan. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HRQoL (Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Physical and Mental Component Summaries) and self-reported emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning (Patient Competency Rating Scale for Neurorehabilitation). RESULTS: Multilevel models for patients >50 and ≤50 years of age revealed significant negative associations between PTS symptom severity and interpersonal functioning (P<.001 and P=.002), respectively. Among patients ≤50 years of age, PTS symptom severity was significantly associated with total functioning (P=.001) and emotional functioning (P<.001). Among all patients, PTS symptom severity was significantly associated with cognitive functioning (P<.001) and mental HRQoL (P=.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that PTS symptoms after severe TBI are negatively associated with HRQoL and emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal functioning.

Mindful creativity matters: trajectories of reported functioning after severe traumatic brain injury as a function of mindful creativity in patients' relatives: a multilevel analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present investigation was to examine the association of mindful creativity with the trajectory of recovery (emotional, interpersonal, cognitive, and total functioning) of patients with severe TBI. METHODS: This was drawn from a subsample of an adult prospective cohort study on severe TBI in Switzerland; patients and their relatives were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months (patients N = 176, relatives N = 176). Predictor measures were assessed using Mindful Creativity Scale-short form and time (trajectory of functioning of the patient over time). Outcome measures were assessed using Patient Competency Rating Scale for Neuro-rehabilitation (PCRS-NR; measuring emotional, interpersonal, cognitive, and total functioning post-injury). All measures were assessed at each time point. Mixed linear models were run separately for ages >50 and ≤50 (i.e., bimodal distribution). RESULTS: Patients' mindful creativity showed no significant association with patients' functioning across time in any of the models. In all age groups, interpersonal functioning decreased across time (slope>50 = -4.66, p = .037; slope≤50 = -7.19, p = .007). Interestingly, in age group ≤50, interpersonal functioning increased when looking at relative mindful creativity by time (slope = 1.69, p = .005). Additionally, relatives mindful creativity was significantly associated with patients' functioning in age group ≤50: (a) patients' total functioning (slope = 0.18, p = .03) and (b) cognitive functioning (slope = 0.72, p = .020). CONCLUSIONS: Relatives' mindful creativity was significantly associated with patients' functioning after severe TBI. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.

Mindfulness as a Protective Factor for the Burden of Caregivers of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Caregivers of people with severe chronic conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are at risk of developing depression and anxiety and reduced quality of life. Few studies have explored protective factors in this population and none investigated the role of mindfulness. The study aimed to examine the relationship between mindfulness and health-related outcomes in a population of ALS caregivers. METHODS: We conducted an online survey with ALS caregivers, and again at 4-month follow-up, to assess mindfulness, burden, quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The associations between mindfulness and the other outcomes were evaluated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. RESULTS: Mindfulness correlated negatively with burden, depression, and anxiety and positively with quality of life, maintaining stability through time. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that mindfulness is positively related to quality of life and negatively related to level of burden. We suggest that this construct can represent a preventative factor toward the negative effects of caregiving.

Mindfulness, physical impairment and psychological well-being in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness is the process of actively making new distinctions, rather than relying on habitual or automatic categorisations from the past. Mindfulness has been positively associated with physical well-being, better recovery rates from disease or infections, pain reduction and overall quality of life (QOL). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease, clinically characterised by progressively increasing weakness leading to death, usually within five years. There is presently no cure for ALS, and it is considered one of the most genetically and biologically driven illnesses. Thus far, the aims of psychological studies on ALS have focused on understanding patient - and, to a lesser extent, caregiver - QOL and psychological well-being. No previous study has investigated the influence of psychological factors on ALS. METHODS: A sample of 197 subjects with ALS were recruited and assessed online twice, with a duration of four months between the two assessments. Assessments included measurements of trait mindfulness, physical impairment, QOL, anxiety and depression. The influence of mindfulness as predictor of changes in physical impairments was evaluated with a mixed-effects model. RESULTS: Mindfulness positively influenced the change of physical symptoms. Subjects with higher mindfulness experienced a slower progression of the disease after four months. Moreover, mindfulness at first assessment predicted higher QOL and psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: The available data indicate that a psychological construct - mindfulness - can attenuate the progress of a disease that is believed to be almost solely biologically driven. The potential implications of these results extend well beyond ALS.

Symptom changes in multiple sclerosis following psychological interventions: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system involving a variety of debilitating physical, sensory, cognitive and emotional symptoms. This literature review evaluated the impact of psychological interventions on the physiological symptoms associated with the illness. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases, as well as reference lists. Relevant studies were selected and assessed according to a preset protocol. RESULTS: The search produced 220 articles, with 22 meeting inclusion criteria for the review. A total of 5,705 subjects with Multiple Sclerosis were analyzed. Results from the included studies indicate a general improvement in both psychological and physiological outcomes following psychological treatment. The most highly influenced physical symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, and physical vitality. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the review suggest a positive relationship between psychological interventions and physiological Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. Implications for future research are discussed.