General or specific? The memory-experience gap for individuals diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or a social phobia diagnosis, and individuals without such diagnoses.

Psychological treatment and assessment necessarily rely on patients' recall. Yet several empirical studies have documented a gap between memory and real-life experience (i.e., memory-experience gap; MeG). We investigated and compared the MeG of sadness, social anxiety, happiness, and physical activity for participants diagnosed with a major depressive disorder (MDD), a social phobia (SP), and participants without such diagnoses (CG). The study included 118 participants diagnosed with a MDD, 47 with a SP, and 119 CG. Using event-sampling methods (ESM), participants were asked via smartphone to report their experiences throughout a week and then to recall those again retrospectively at the end of the study week. Results indicate significant differences in the MeG with respect to the experience that was salient to them (e.g., MDD group - sadness; SP group - social anxiety; CG group - happiness). Furthermore, all groups showed a MeG for physical activity and, the results indicate significant group differences in the magnitude of the MeGs. This study demonstrated the presence of a MeG in individuals in a MDD, SP, and CG group and in positive and negative affective experiences. Differential patterns across the samples contribute to a better understanding of this gap and its implications.

Well-being in major depression and social phobia with and without comorbidity / Bienestar en depresión grave y fobia social con y sin comorbilidad

Background/Objective: Lower levels in well-being have been observed in individuals with Major Depression (MDD) and Social Phobia (SP), but well-planned direct comparisons with control individuals, not suffering from a mental disorder, are lacking. Furthermore, MDD is highly comorbid with anxiety disorders, and SP with depressive disorders. This study is among the first to examine differences in well-being in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of MDD or SP compared to individuals with no such diagnosis and to test differences in well-being within the combined diagnostic categories respective with and without anxiety-depressive comorbidity. Method: Participants were 119 individuals with a diagnosis of MDD, 47 SP and 118 controls. Results: Results revealed that overall well-being as well as emotional, psychological, and social well-being were lower in the MDD and SP group compared to the control group. Individuals with comorbidity reported lower well-being than individuals without comorbidity. Conclusions: These findings have clinical implications as presence of comorbidity may require a different therapeutic approach than with no comorbidity

Antecedentes/Objetivo: Se han observado niveles bajos de bienestar en individuos con depresión grave (DG) y fobia social (FS). Sin embargo, las comparaciones directas planificadas con individuos controles que no padecen ningún trastorno mental son escasas. Además, la DG se suele presentar con trastornos de ansiedad, y la FS con trastornos depresivos. Este estudio es uno de los primeros en examinar las diferencias entre el bienestar en individuos con un diagnóstico clínico de DG o FS, comparados con individuos sin dicho diagnóstico y en comprobar las diferencias de bienestar dentro de cada categoría de diagnóstico en realación a individuos con y sin comorbilidad. Método: Participaron 119 individuos con un diagnóstico de DG, con base en la SCID, 47 con FS y 118 controles. Resultados: Los resultados revelaron que el bienestar general, así como el bienestar emocional, psicológico y social eran inferiores en el grupo de DG y FS en comparación con el grupo control. Los individuos con comorbilidad informaron un menor bienestar que los individuos sin comorbilidad. Conclusiones: Estos resultados tienen repercusión clínica, pues la presencia de la comorbilidad puede requerir un acercamiento terapéutico diferente al de un único trastorno

The link between stress, well-being, and psychological flexibility during an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy self-help intervention.

Background/Objective: Prolonged stress can overwhelm coping resources, leading people to seek mental health care. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an intervention that enhances well-being and reduces distress, assumedly by means of increasing psychological flexibility (PF). We examined the association between a total increase in PF during an intervention and decreases in stress and increases in well-being during and after the intervention. Method: The intervention was a randomized controlled trial of an ACT-based self-help intervention. Participants were 91 individuals reporting elevated levels of work-related stress. Measurements were completed at preintervention, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Results: Structural equation models revealed that the total increase in PF during the intervention was negatively associated with a decrease in stress (b = -0.63, SE = 0.14, p < .001) and positively associated with an increase in well-being during the intervention (b = 0.48, SE = 0.11, p < .001), but not with a decrease in stress (b = 0.03, SE = 0.27, p > .05) and well-being (b = -0.04, SE = 0.39, p > .05) following the intervention. Conclusions: Our study provides empirical support for decreasing stress and promoting well-being through ACT and emphasizes the potential of PF in promoting well-being.

Antecedentes/Objetivo: El estrés prolongado puede inhibir los recursos de adaptación, llevando a las personas a solicitar servicios de salud mental. La Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso (ACT) es una intervención que fomenta el bienestar y reduce la ansiedad, presuntamente mediante el aumento de la flexibilidad psicológica (PF). Examinamos la asociación entre un aumento total en PF durante una intervención y el descenso del estrés y el aumento del bienestar durante y después de la intervención. Método: En un ensayo aleatorio controlado de una intervención de autoayuda con base en ACT participaron 91 individuos con niveles elevados de estrés laboral. Completaron mediciones pre, post y seguimiento a tres meses. Resultados: Modelos de ecuaciones estructurales revelaron que el aumento total en PF durante la intervención está negativamente asociado a la reducción del estrés (b = -0,63, SE = 0,14, p < 0,001) y positivamente asociado con el aumento del bienestar durante la intervención (b = 0,48, SE = 0,11, p < 0,001), pero no con el descenso del estrés (b = 0,03, SE = 0,27, p > 0,05) y el bienestar (b = -0,04, SE = 0,39, p > 0,05) después de la intervención. Conclusiones: Se proporciona base empírica de la reducción del estrés y el fomento del bienestar mediante ACT, enfatizando el potencial de PF para fomentar el bienestar.

Well-being in major depression and social phobia with and without comorbidity.

Background/Objective: Lower levels in well-being have been observed in individuals with Major Depression (MDD) and Social Phobia (SP), but well-planned direct comparisons with control individuals, not suffering from a mental disorder, are lacking. Furthermore, MDD is highly comorbid with anxiety disorders, and SP with depressive disorders. This study is among the first to examine differences in well-being in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of MDD or SP compared to individuals with no such diagnosis and to test differences in well-being within the combined diagnostic categories respective with and without anxiety-depressive comorbidity. Method: Participants were 119 individuals with a diagnosis of MDD, 47 SP and 118 controls. Results: Results revealed that overall well-being as well as emotional, psychological, and social well-being were lower in the MDD and SP group compared to the control group. Individuals with comorbidity reported lower well-being than individuals without comorbidity. Conclusions: These findings have clinical implications as presence of comorbidity may require a different therapeutic approach than with no comorbidity.

Antecedentes/Objetivo: Se han observado niveles bajos de bienestar en individuos con depresión grave (DG) y fobia social (FS). Sin embargo, las comparaciones directas planificadas con individuos controles que no padecen ningún trastorno mental son escasas. Además, la DG se suele presentar con trastornos de ansiedad, y la FS con trastornos depresivos. Este estudio es uno de los primeros en examinar las diferencias entre el bienestar en individuos con un diagnóstico clínico de DG o FS, comparados con individuos sin dicho diagnóstico y en comprobar las diferencias de bienestar dentro de cada categoría de diagnóstico en realación a individuos con y sin comorbilidad. Método: Participaron 119 individuos con un diagnóstico de DG, con base en la SCID, 47 con FS y 118 controles. Resultados: Los resultados revelaron que el bienestar general, así como el bienestar emocional, psicológico y social eran inferiores en el grupo de DG y FS en comparación con el grupo control. Los individuos con comorbilidad informaron un menor bienestar que los individuos sin comorbilidad. Conclusiones: Estos resultados tienen repercusión clínica, pues la presencia de la comorbilidad puede requerir un acercamiento terapéutico diferente al de un único trastorno.

The link between stress, well-being, and psychological flexibility during an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy self-help intervention / Relación entre estrés, bienestar y flexibilidad psicológica durante una intervención de autoayuda de Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso

Background/Objective: Prolonged stress can overwhelm coping resources, leading people to seek mental health care. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an intervention that enhances well-being and reduces distress, assumedly by means of increasing psychological flexibility (PF). We examined the association between a total increase in PF during an intervention and decreases in stress and increases in well-being during and after the intervention. Method: The intervention was a randomized controlled trial of an ACT-based self-help intervention. Participants were 91 individuals reporting elevated levels of work-related stress. Measurements were completed at preintervention, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. Results: Structural equation models revealed that the total increase in PF during the intervention was negatively associated with a decrease in stress (b = -0.63, SE = 0.14, p < .001) and positively associated with an increase in well-being during the intervention (b = 0.48, SE = 0.11, p < .001), but not with a decrease in stress (b = 0.03, SE = 0.27, p > .05) and well-being (b = -0.04, SE = 0.39, p > .05) following the intervention. Conclusions: Our study provides empirical support for decreasing stress and promoting wellbeing through ACT and emphasizes the potential of PF in promoting well-being (AU)

Antecedentes/Objetivo: El estrés prolongado puede inhibir los recursos de adaptación, llevando a las personas a solicitar servicios de salud mental. La Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso (ACT) es una intervención que fomenta el bienestar y reduce la ansiedad, presuntamente mediante el aumento de la flexibilidad psicológica (PF). Examinamos la asociación entre un aumento total en PF durante una intervención y el descenso del estrés y el aumento del bienestar durante y después de la intervención. Método: En un ensayo aleatorio controlado de una intervención de autoayuda con base en ACT participaron 91 individuos con niveles elevados de estrés laboral. Completaron mediciones pre, post y seguimiento a tres meses. Resultados: Modelos de ecuaciones estructurales revelaron que el aumento total en PF durante la intervención está negativamente asociado a la reducción del estrés (b = -0,63, SE = 0,14, p < 0,001) y positivamente asociado con el aumento del bienestar durante la intervención (b = 0,48, SE = 0,11, p < 0,001), pero no con el descenso del estrés (b = 0,03, SE = 0,27, p > 0,05) y el bienestar (b = -0,04, SE = 0,39, p > 0,05) después de la intervención. Conclusiones: Se proporciona base empírica de la reducción del estrés y el fomento del bienestar mediante ACT, enfatizando el potencial de PF para fomentar el bienestar (AU)

Daily fluctuation of emotions and memories thereof: Design and methods of an experience sampling study of major depression, social phobia, and controls.

Symptom fluctuations and the dynamic contexts provoking these are poorly understood. This deficit is compounded by people's limited ability to accurately report about such dimensions in retrospect. Utilizing the advantages of experience sampling methodology (ESM), this study rigorously describes and tests proximal environmental, neurobiological and psychological factors associated with symptoms and mood states. Participants were assigned to three diagnostic groups: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD; n = 118), Social Phobia (SP; n = 47), or a Control Group without SP or MDD (CG; n = 119). Laboratory assessments included cognitive abilities, memory, constructs, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). ESM lasted seven days, with six assessments per day covering symptoms, affect, daily events, social interactions, post-event processing, well-being, etc. Morning cortisol and actigraphy were also assessed during ESM. Thereafter, participants provided subjective retrospective recall estimates of the emotions they reported during ESM. The multi-level data of >10,000 observations will allow for thorough examination of fluctuations of psychopathology and well-being in two highly prevalent disorders. Using two clinical groups and a non-affected control group, the clinical specificity versus generalizability of processes can be directly tested, thus providing stimulating information about the overlap and differences between anxiety and affective disorders. This research informs about the development, fluctuation, and maintaining factors of emotions and symptoms and examines the accuracy with which participants recall these dimensions.

Psychological group-treatments of social anxiety disorder: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A few meta-analyses have examined psychological treatments for a social anxiety disorder (SAD). This is the first meta-analysis that examines the effects of cognitive behavioural group therapies (CBGT) for SAD compared to control on symptoms of anxiety. METHOD: After a systematic literature search in PubMed, Cochrane, PsychINFO and Embase was conducted; eleven studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The studies had to be randomized controlled studies in which individuals with a diagnosed SAD were treated with cognitive-behavioural group therapy (CBGT) and compared with a control group. The overall quality of the studies was moderate. RESULTS: The pooled effect size indicated that the difference between intervention and control conditions was 0.53 (96% CI: 0.33-0.73), in favour of the intervention. This corresponds to a NNT 3.24. Heterogeneity was low to moderately high in all analyses. There was some indication of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that psychological group-treatments CBGT are more effective than control conditions in patients with SAD. Since heterogeneity between studies was high, more research comparing group psychotherapies for SAD to control is needed.