Older Adults' Perceptions of Psychotherapy in Cyprus.

The purpose of the study was to explore older adults' views and perceptions of psychotherapy in Cyprus. A total of 25 older adults, aged between 65-89, participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified three main themes: Familiar term/Unfamiliar process; existential crises during this stage; and the issue of stigma in psychotherapy. Participants indicated a basic understanding of what psychotherapy entails, but did not associate psychotherapy with serious mental illness. Participants identified a number of existential issues that are potentially major life stressors for an elderly person and referred to the historical stigma that has an impact on their own perceptions about psychotherapy. However, participants seemed to view their ability to overcome psychological difficulties on their own as a proof of personal strength. Psychologists and other health professionals also need to be mindful of how they describe psychological concepts and treatment, as older adults may not understand what they are being told or may be afraid of what treatment involves based on historical context. This study highlights the importance of using strategies that may have the potential to empower this population in order to proactively attend to their mental health, including community-based education and national mental health campaigns.

Investigating Vulnerability for Developing Eating Disorders in a Multi-confessional Population.

The present study aimed to examine the vulnerability to eating disorders (ED) among 949 Lebanese female young adults as well as its association with stress, anxiety, depression, body image dissatisfaction (BID), dysfunctional eating, body mass index, religious affiliation (Christian, Muslim, Druze or Other), religiosity and activity level. Results showed that anxiety had the greatest effect on increasing the predisposition to ED, followed by stress level, BID, depression and restrained eating. Affiliating as Christian was found to significantly decrease the vulnerability to developing an ED. Furthermore, the interaction of anxiety with intrinsic religiosity was found to have a protective role on reducing ED. The current study emphasized a buffering role of intrinsic religiosity against anxiety and ED vulnerability.

Self-esteem, depression and eating disordered attitudes: a cross-cultural comparison between Cypriot and British young women.

The evidence suggests that eating disorders in countries that fall outside the Western template are not immune to eating disturbance as previously thought. This cross-cultural study investigated self-esteem, depression in relation to eating disordered attitudes across similarly constituted samples from two different cultures, Cyprus and Great Britain. Results revealed higher rates of eating disordered attitudes and depressive tendencies in Cypriot women. For both samples, a positive relationship was found between depression and eating disordered attitudes and this relationship was found to be significant. This study explores the native influences and possible vulnerability factors which may contribute in the development of eating disturbances in a non-Western country, Cyprus. Implications for future research are discussed.