Alliance rupture-repair processes in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Working with resistance.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) was developed to manage treatment impasses preventing the experiencing of feelings related to childhood attachment interruptions, such as parental loss. According to ISTDP theory, certain categories of patients will exhibit habitual patterns of responding within the treatment relationship (called defenses) to certain anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings. Such defensive behaviors interrupt awareness of one's own feelings, self-directed compassion and engagement in close human attachments, including the bond with the therapist. Rupture-repair sequences in ISTDP are primarily considered in the context of a patient's defenses and the responses a therapist has to these defenses. By understanding and clarifying these defenses, this risk of subsequent misalliance, that is negative shifts or ruptures in the alliance, are minimized. In this paper we summarize ISTDP theory and technique through the use of clinical vignettes to illustrate defense management as a rupture-repair equivalent in ISTDP.

Relationship between neural responses to stress and mental health symptoms in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To utilize traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a model for investigating functioning during acute stress experiences in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and to identify neural mechanisms underlying the link between changes in processing of stressful experiences and mental health symptoms in PNES. METHODS: We recruited 94 participants: 50 with TBI only (TBI-only) and 44 with TBI and PNES (TBI + PNES). Participants completed mood (Beck Depression Inventory-II), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom (PTSD Checklist-Specific Event) assessments before undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging during an acute psychosocial stress task. Linear mixed-effects analyses identified clusters of significant interactions between group and neural responses to stressful math performance and stressful auditory feedback conditions within limbic brain regions (volume-corrected α = .05). Spearman rank correlation tests compared mean cluster signals to symptom assessments (false discovery rate-corrected α = .05). RESULTS: Demographic and TBI-related measures were similar between groups; TBI + PNES demonstrated worse clinical symptom severity compared to TBI-only. Stressful math performance induced relatively greater reactivity within dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right hippocampal regions and relatively reduced reactivity within left hippocampal and dorsolateral PFC regions for TBI + PNES compared to TBI-only. Stressful auditory feedback induced relatively reduced reactivity within ventral PFC, cingulate, hippocampal, and amygdala regions for TBI + PNES compared to TBI-only. Changes in responses to stressful math within hippocampal and dorsal PFC regions were correlated with increased mood, anxiety, and PTSD symptom severity. SIGNIFICANCE: Corticolimbic functions underlying processing of stressful experiences differ between patients with TBI + PNES and those with TBI-only. Relationships between these neural responses and symptom assessments suggest potential pathophysiologic mechanisms in PNES.

A Meta-Analysis of the Generalization of the Reliability of State/Trait Depression Inventory Scores / Meta-Análisis de Generalización de la Fiabilidad de las Puntuaciones del Inventario de Depresión Estado/Rasgo

BACKGROUND: Depression is a disorder that is highly prevalent nowadays. Within the dimensional explanatory model of depression, the State/Trait Depression Inventory was developed. Its objective is to identify the degree of affectation (state) and the frequency of occurrence (trait) of the affective component of depression. The instrument has proven reliable and comprises two factors in its structure: state and trait, with two euthymia and dysthymia subscales in each one. The objective of this meta-analysis is to find an average alpha for the questionnaire. METHOD: A bibliographical search was conducted on Web of Science and Scopus. Forty-five articles were selected. RESULTS: The alpha ranges from .84 to .89 for all factorizations, and in most studies a bifactorial structure of state and trait depression was found. CONCLUSIONS: The State/Trait Depression Inventory is a reliable and suitable instrument for measuring depression

ANTECEDENTES: la depresión es un trastorno de alta prevalencia en la actualidad. Dentro del modelo explicativo dimensional de la depresión, se desarrolló el Inventario de Depresión Estado/Rasgo, cuyo objetivo es identificar el grado de afectación (estado) y la frecuencia de ocurrencia (rasgo) del componente afectivo de la depresión. Este instrumento ha demostrado ser fiable y poseer dos factores en su estructura: estado y rasgo con dos subescalas eutimia y distimia en cada uno. El objetivo de este meta-análisis es hallar un alfa medio de las puntuaciones cuestionario. MÉTODO: se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en Web of Science y Scopus. Se seleccionaron 45 artículos. RESULTADOS: el alfa oscila entre 0,84 y 0,89 para todas las factorizaciones, y en la mayoría de los estudios se halló una estructura bifactorial de depresión estado y rasgo. CONCLUSIONES: el Inventario de Depresión Estado/Rasgo es un instrumento fiable y adecuado para medir la depresión

Treatment of double depression: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Double depression (DD), the co-existence of DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) and dysthymia, is a poorly known and sparsely studied phenomenon. Nevertheless, it is prevalent in clinical samples of patients with depression. Thus, it is important to understand the efficacy of its treatment. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies in which antidepressant medication was used to treat depression. Systematic searches in bibliographical databases resulted in 11 samples, including 775 patients that met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The overall effect size indicating the differences in depressive symptoms before and after pharmacotherapy was 1.81 (95% CI: 1.47, 2.16), suggesting that individuals with depression exhibited a significant reduction in their depressive symptoms following treatment. Importantly, a moderation analysis indicated that a higher proportion of individuals with DD within a sample was associated with lower effect sizes. Publication bias did not pose a major threat to the stability of the findings. LIMITATIONS: High observed heterogeneity indicated substantial variability in effect sizes and elucidation of the potential moderators of treatment outcome was limited due to a paucity of relevant data. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacotherapy seems to be effective in treating DD, but DD may be more difficult to treat than either MDD or dysthymia alone. More research specifically focusing on the treatment of DD with larger sample sizes using randomized control trials is needed to make a firm conclusion.

Feasibility of decision rule-based treatment of comorbid youth: A pilot randomized control trial.

This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a decision rule driven treatment for youth with comorbid conduct problems and depression. A randomized, controlled, repeated measures design was used to compare two treatment approaches: Decision-Rule Based Treatment (DR) and Sequential Treatment (SEQ). Participants included 30 children (ages 8-14; 66% female; 80% Caucasian) who met criteria for a depressive disorder (major depressive disorder and/or dysthymia) and a conduct problem disorder (oppositional defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and six-month follow-up. Treatment adherence, attendance, and session evaluations ratings indicate that the treatments were feasible to implement and acceptable to parents and youth in both conditions. Both treatments showed similar remission of internalizing and externalizing diagnoses. Participants in DR showed significantly greater improvements at six-month follow-up in child-reported depressive symptom severity compared to SEQ. Both DR and SEQ conditions showed significantly lower behavior problems at end of treatment and six-month follow-up. DR showed significant reductions in emotion dysregulation at 6-month follow-up, while SEQ did not. Findings suggest that a decision rule based intervention holds promise as a feasible and acceptable treatment with high rates of remittance.

Prevalence and recognition of depressive disorders among Chinese older adults receiving primary care: A multi-center cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been increasing calls for integrating late-life mental health services into primary care in China, but data on the epidemiology of depressive disorders in older adults receiving primary care are very limited. This study examined prevalence, correlates and recognition of depressive disorders among Chinese older adults receiving primary care. METHODS: A total of 752 older patients (65+ years) were consecutively recruited from 13 primary care clinics in Wuhan, China, and interviewed with the Chinese Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0. RESULTS: One-fifth (20.3%) of the older adults met DSM-IV criteria for depressive disorders during the month prior to the interview: 10.2% had major depression, 4.8% had dysthymia, and 5.3% had minor depressive disorder. The recognition rate of older patients with depressive disorders was 1.3% only. In multiple logistic regression analysis, factors significantly associated with depressive disorders included female gender (OR = 1.61), an education of primary school and below (OR = 1.69), poor financial status (OR = 2.44), poor or fair family relationship (OR = 1.66), loneliness (OR = 1.77), hypertension (OR = 1.91), heart disease (OR = 2.02), chronic gastric ulcer (OR = 6.01), and arthritis (OR = 3.55). LIMITATIONS: Older adults from primary care clinics of economically underdeveloped regions of China were not included. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive disorders are prevalent but poorly recognized in Chinese older adults receiving treatment in primary care clinics. In order to improve the emotional well-being and health of older adults, it is time to integrate the management of common mental disorders into primary healthcare in China.

A Latent Gaussian process model for analysing intensive longitudinal data.

Intensive longitudinal studies are becoming progressively more prevalent across many social science areas, and especially in psychology. New technologies such as smart-phones, fitness trackers, and the Internet of Things make it much easier than in the past to collect data for intensive longitudinal studies, providing an opportunity to look deep into the underlying characteristics of individuals under a high temporal resolution. In this paper we introduce a new modelling framework for latent curve analysis that is more suitable for the analysis of intensive longitudinal data than existing latent curve models. Specifically, through the modelling of an individual-specific continuous-time latent process, some unique features of intensive longitudinal data are better captured, including intensive measurements in time and unequally spaced time points of observations. Technically, the continuous-time latent process is modelled by a Gaussian process model. This model can be regarded as a semi-parametric extension of the classical latent curve models and falls under the framework of structural equation modelling. Procedures for parameter estimation and statistical inference are provided under an empirical Bayes framework and evaluated by simulation studies. We illustrate the use of the proposed model though the analysis of an ecological momentary assessment data set.

Validation of a spanish version of the brief experiential avoidance questionnaire (beaq) in clinical population / Validación de la versión española del Cuestionario Breve de Evitación Experiencial (BEAQ) en población clínica

Background: The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) has been suggested as the most appropriate instrument for measuring experiential avoidance. However, no Spanish validation has been published. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the BEAQ in a clinical sample treated at a community mental health unit. Methods: Participants (N = 332) completed the BEAQ as well as other self-report measures of experiential avoidance and psychopathology. Results: Internal consistency was satisfactory (α = .82). No statistically significant gender differences were found in the BEAQ scores. The data also showed high test-retest reliability after four to six weeks, acceptable concurrent validity with another experiential avoidance measure and acceptable convergent validity with the psychopathology measure. The principal component analysis, forcing the one factor solution proposed in the original scale, produced indicators similar to the English version of the BEAQ. Conclusions: These results firmly support the reliability and validity of this Spanish validation, stressing its usefulness as a measure of experiential avoidance in clinical populations

Antecedentes: el Cuestionario Breve de Evitación Experiencial (BEAQ) ha sido propuesto como el instrumento más adecuado para medir la evitación experiencial. Sin embargo, todavía no ha sido publicada ninguna validación en español. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio ha sido la validación de una versión española del BEAQ, en una muestra clínica atendida en un Centro de Salud Mental Comunitario. Método: los participantes (N = 332) completaron el BEAQ, así como otras medidas de autoinforme de evitación experiencial y psicopatología. Resultados: la consistencia interna fue satisfactoria (α = .82). No se encontraron diferencias de género estadísticamente significativas en las puntuaciones del BEAQ. Los datos también mostraron una alta fiabilidad test-retest en un intervalo de cuatro a seis semanas, validez concurrente aceptable con otra medida de evitación experiencial y validez convergente aceptable con la medida de psicopatología. El análisis de componentes principales forzando a la solución de un factor, como se propuso en la escala original, obtuvo unos indicadores similares a los obtenidos en dicha versión inglesa. Conclusiones: los resultados confirman la adecuada fiabilidad y validez de la presente versión española del BEAQ, destacando su utilidad como medida de la evitación experiencial en población clínica

Validation of a Spanish version of the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) in clinical population.

BACKGROUND: The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) has been suggested as the most appropriate instrument for measuring experiential avoidance. However, no Spanish validation has been published. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the BEAQ in a clinical sample treated at a community mental health unit. METHODS: Participants ( N = 332) completed the BEAQ as well as other self-report measures of experiential avoidance and psychopathology. RESULTS: Internal consistency was satisfactory (α = .82). No statistically significant gender differences were found in the BEAQ scores. The data also showed high test-retest reliability after four to six weeks, acceptable concurrent validity with another experiential avoidance measure and acceptable convergent validity with the psychopathology measure. The principal component analysis, forcing the one factor solution proposed in the original scale, produced indicators similar to the English version of the BEAQ. CONCLUSIONS: These results firmly support the reliability and validity of this Spanish validation, stressing its usefulness as a measure of experiential avoidance in clinical populations.

Efficacy of an internet-based self-management intervention for depression or dysthymia - a study protocol of an RCT using an active control condition.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of major depressive disorder, a highly prevalent disorder associated with pronounced burden, is a large challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Internet based self-management interventions seem to be a cost effective way to complement the treatment of depressed patients, but the accumulating evidence is mainly based on the comparison to waitlist controls and treatment as usual, which might lead to an overestimation of effects. Furthermore, studies assessing long-term effects and possible negative outcomes are still rare. METHODS/DESIGN: The proposed study evaluates the efficacy of the German version of the iFightDepression® tool in comparison to an active control condition. A total of 360 patients with mild to moderate depressive symptoms are included into a two-armed randomized controlled trial. They receive one of two six week interventions; either the iFightDepression® tool or progressive muscle relaxation serving as the control condition. Both intervention groups receive information material, weekly tasks via the internet and regular phone calls as part of the intervention. The primary outcome is change in depressive symptoms after the intervention period, as measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. Satisfaction with the program, usability, changes in perceived quality of life, and possible negative effects are assessed as secondary outcomes. DISCUSSION: This study represents the first randomized controlled trial on the iFightDepression® self-management tool in its German version, aiming at efficacy, but also at providing new insights into so far understudied aspects of E-mental health programs, namely the specificity of the treatment effect compared to an active control condition, it's continuity over a time course of 12 months, and possible negative effects of these internet based interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International trial-registration took place through the "international clinical trials registry platform" (WHO) with the secondary ID 080-15-09032015. German Clinical Trial Registration: DRKS00009323 (DRKS.de, registered on 25 February 2016).

The associations between subjective and objective cognitive functioning across manic or hypomanic, depressed, and euthymic states in Chinese bipolar patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients may present cognitive deficits during all stages of bipolar disorder (BD). Few studies have examined self-reported cognitive difficulties and its relation to neurocognitive dysfunction during symptomatic periods of BD. This study aimed to compare subjective cognitive functioning and explore associations between subjective and objective cognitive functioning across different BD clinical states, and investigate the predicting and moderating roles of mood symptoms. METHODS: Subjective cognitive functioning (measured by Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment, COBRA) and several domains of cognitive functioning (assessed by a neuropsychological battery), including executive functions, attention and processing speed, and visual memory, were examined in 48 hypomanic or manic patients, 42 depressed bipolar patients, 50 euthymic bipolar patients and 60 healthy comparisons. RESULTS: All patients exhibited subjective and objective cognitive deficits in relation to healthy comparisons. There was a significant association between subjective and objective cognitive functioning in euthymic group, but the association was not significant in acute symptomatic groups, which could be moderated by depressive or manic symptoms in depressive or manic group, respectively. Subjective cognitive functioning was significantly correlated with mood symptoms, and the best predictor of subjective cognitive functioning was depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: This was a cross-sectional study with a mixed sample of inpatients and outpatients. The medication effect was not adjusted. CONCLUSIONS: The associations between subjective and objective cognitive dysfunction varied in clinical states, and mood symptoms moderated the associations. A neuropsychological test battery is required to substantiate actual cognitive dysfunction in clinical settings, irrespective of subjective cognitive deficits.

The Role of Self-Esteem in Depression: A Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Based on the vulnerability model, several studies indicate that low self-esteem seems to contribute to depressive symptoms. AIMS: The aim of this study was to treat depressive symptoms in a cognitive behavioural group therapy, focusing on the enhancement of self-esteem, and to explore co-variation in depressive symptoms and the level of self-esteem. METHOD: The Multidimensional Self-esteem Scale (MSWS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to 147 psychiatric in-patients with current depressive symptoms due to an affective disorder (major depression, bipolar I, dysthymia). Self-esteem was measured pre-treatment (t0) and post-treatment (t4, after 5 weeks of eight group sessions); the BDI was applied weekly. A linear mixed growth analysis was conducted to estimate the change in depressive symptoms including interactions with self-esteem. RESULTS: Within the 5 weeks of group therapy, depressive symptoms showed a linear decline, which was stronger for patients with higher gains in self-esteem between t0 and t4. Self-esteem at t0 was unrelated to the change in depression but predicted self-esteem at t4. CONCLUSIONS: Treating depressive symptoms in a cognitive behavioural group therapy in a naturalistic setting might have a positive effect on the process of recovery. Moreover, depressive symptoms and level of self-esteem seemed to co-vary.

Predicting the naturalistic course of depression from a wide range of clinical, psychological, and biological data: a machine learning approach.

Many variables have been linked to different course trajectories of depression. These findings, however, are based on group comparisons with unknown translational value. This study evaluated the prognostic value of a wide range of clinical, psychological, and biological characteristics for predicting the course of depression and aimed to identify the best set of predictors. Eight hundred four unipolar depressed patients (major depressive disorder or dysthymia) patients were assessed on a set involving 81 demographic, clinical, psychological, and biological measures and were clinically followed-up for 2 years. Subjects were grouped according to (i) the presence of a depression diagnosis at 2-year follow-up (yes n = 397, no n = 407), and (ii) three disease course trajectory groups (rapid remission, n = 356, gradual improvement n = 273, and chronic n = 175) identified by a latent class growth analysis. A penalized logistic regression, followed by tight control over type I error, was used to predict depression course and to evaluate the prognostic value of individual variables. Based on the inventory of depressive symptomatology (IDS), we could predict a rapid remission course of depression with an AUROC of 0.69 and 62% accuracy, and the presence of an MDD diagnosis at follow-up with an AUROC of 0.66 and 66% accuracy. Other clinical, psychological, or biological variables did not significantly improve the prediction. Among the large set of variables considered, only the IDS provided predictive value for course prediction on an individual level, although this analysis represents only one possible methodological approach. However, accuracy of course prediction was moderate at best and further improvement is required for these findings to be clinically useful.

Course of subthreshold depression into a depressive disorder and its risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Information on the natural course of subthreshold depression and risk factors for the development of a full-blown depressive disorder in the general population is scarce. This information is crucial to understand the development of depression and to advance indicated depression prevention. METHODS: Using longitudinal data from a representative population-based study (the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2) we assessed 3-year course of subthreshold depression (depressive symptoms causing clinically significant distress for at least 2 weeks, or for 3 days per month for a year; n = 120), compared to an asymptomatic group (n = 4111) and a depressive disorder group (major depression or dysthymia; n = 294). Next, risk factors for the development of a depressive disorder among adults with subthreshold depression were determined. RESULTS: Twelve percent of the subthreshold cases developed a full-blown depressive disorder during 3-year follow-up. Risk factors were lower social support, having recurrent short episodes of depressive symptomatology, remitted and current anxiety disorder, remitted substance use disorder, lifetime suicide thoughts, a chronic physical disorder and diminished mental and physical functioning. LIMITATIONS: The number of subjects with subthreshold depression that developed a depressive disorder was small. This limits the possibility to detect significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: Only a minority of the subthreshold cases developed a full-blown depressive disorder over three years. This shows that subthreshold depression does not, by itself, carry an a priori risk to warrant focusing indicated prevention. The identified risk factors could help to detect those subthreshold cases in whom depression prevention is economically and practically viable.

CBT and positive psychology interventions for clinical depression promote healthy attentional biases: An eye-tracking study.

BACKGROUND: Although there is a growing interest in the role of attentional biases in depression, there are no studies assessing changes in these biases after psychotherapeutic interventions. METHODS: We used a validated eye-tracking procedure to assess pre-post therapy changes in attentional biases toward emotional information (i.e., happy, sad, and angry faces) when presented with neutral information (i.e., neutral faces). The sample consisted of 75 participants with major depression or dysthymia. Participants were blindly assigned to one of two 10 weekly sessions of group therapy: a cognitive behavior therapy intervention (N = 41) and a positive psychology intervention (N = 34). RESULTS: Both treatments were equally efficacious in improving depressive symptoms (p = .0001, η² = .68). A significant change in attentional performance after therapy was observed irrespective of the intervention modality. Comparison of pre-post attentional measures revealed a significant reduction in the total time of fixations (TTF) looking at negative information (i.e., sad and angry faces) and a significant increase in the TTF looking at positive information (i.e., happy faces)-all p < .02. CONCLUSIONS: Findings reveal for the first time that psychotherapeutic interventions are associated with a significant change in attentional biases as assessed by a direct measure of attention. Furthermore, these changes seem to operate in the same direction typically found in healthy populations (i.e., a bias away from negative information and a parallel bias toward positive information). These findings illustrate the importance of considering attentional biases as clinical markers of depression and suggest the viability of modifying these biases as a potential tool for clinical change.

Prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among youth with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this meta-analytic study was to determine the pooled prevalence estimates of anxiety and depressive disorders among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) and to assess the extent to which these pooled prevalence rates differed according to studies' characteristics. METHOD: A systematic literature search was performed in nine databases and 21 studies, published between 1975 and 2015, met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The resulting pooled prevalence estimates of combined subtypes of anxiety and depressive disorders were respectively (a) 5.4% and 2.8% across samples; (b) 1.2% and 0.03% among children; and (c) 7.9% and 1.4% among adolescents. Pooled prevalence estimates for specific subtypes of anxiety disorders ranged from (a) 0.2% to 11.5% across samples; (b) 0.7% to 17.6% among children; and (c) 0.6% to 19.8% among adolescents. Pooled prevalence estimates of dysthymic disorder and major depressive disorder were respectively (a) 3.4% and 2.5% across samples; (b) 2.1% and 3.2% among children; and (c) 6.9% and 5.7% among adolescents. Finally, subgroup analyses showed significant variations in the pooled prevalence estimates of combined subtypes of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder; and combined subtypes of depressive disorders. LIMITATIONS: The present findings of this meta-analysis should be interpreted with caution given several limitations related to the characteristics of the populations, diagnostic method and sampling method. CONCLUSION: Findings provide recommendations for future studies investigating psychological disorders among youth with ID, as well as how clinicians and policy makers can improve diagnostic practices and support for youth with ID.

Investigating the Dynamics of Suicidal Ideation.

BACKGROUND: Although the fluctuating nature of suicidal ideation (SI) has been described previously, longitudinal studies investigating the dynamics of SI are scarce. AIM: To demonstrate the fluctuation of SI across 6 days and up to 60 measurement points using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMA). METHOD: Twenty inpatients with unipolar depression and current and/or lifetime suicidal ideation rated their momentary SI 10 times per day over a 6-day period. Mean squared successive difference (MSSD) was calculated as a measure of variability. Correlations of MSSD with severity of depression, number of previous depressive episodes, and history of suicidal behavior were examined. RESULTS: Individual trajectories of SI are shown to illustrate fluctuation. MSSD values ranged from 0.2 to 21.7. No significant correlations of MSSD with several clinical parameters were found, but there are hints of associations between fluctuation of SI and severity of depression and suicidality. LIMITATIONS: Main limitation of this study is the small sample size leading to low power and probably missing potential effects. Further research with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI. CONCLUSION: The results illustrate the dynamic nature and the diversity of trajectories of SI across 6 days in psychiatric inpatients with unipolar depression. Prediction of the fluctuation of SI might be of high clinical relevance. Further research using EMA and sophisticated analyses with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI.

Depression and religiosity and their correlates in Lebanese breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer bears considerable morbidity and mortality and is well known to increase the risk of major depression, whereas religiosity has been reported to be protective. We searched for an association between depression and religiosity in breast cancer patients. We also sought to find an association between depression and various sociodemographic and disease variables. METHODS: One hundred two patients were interviewed. Sociodemographic, cancer profile, and religiosity questionnaires were administered. We screened for depressive disorders by using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Beck Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Most of our participants (n = 79; 77.4%) had high religiosity score. The prevalences of lifetime major depression, current major depression, and major depression after cancer diagnosis were 50.9%, 30.1%, and 43.1%, respectively. We could not find a correlation between religiosity and current depression, while the association with depression after cancer diagnosis was close to but did not reach statistical significance (P = .055) and in favor of a deleterious role of religiosity. Depression was only linked to marital status and insurance coverage. No association was found with disease-related variables. CONCLUSIONS: Religiosity does not seem to be protective against depression development. The stress of cancer appears to be the main culprit in increasing the risk of depression.

Effects of aging and depression on mnemonic discrimination ability.

Aging and depression have been found to be associated with poorer performance in mnemonic discrimination. In the current study, a two-response format mnemonic similarity test, Cognitive Drug Research MST, was used to compare these effects. Seventy-six participants were tested; with 52 participants in the young group, aged 18-35 years, and 24 participants in the elderly group, aged 55 years or older. Twenty-two young participants and 10 elderly participants met DSM-IV criteria for MDD or dysthymia. Age-related deficits were found for lure identification and speed of response. Differences in speed of responses to lure images were found for younger depressed participants, and depressive symptom severity was found to be negatively associated with lure identification accuracy in the elderly. These findings may be viewed as putative behavioral correlates of decreased pattern separation ability, which may be indicative of altered hippocampal neurogenesis in aging and depression.

Psychophysiological characteristics in the ChNPP accident clean-up workers, exclusion zone evacuees and anti-terrorist operation servicemen. / PSYKhOFIZIOLOGIChNI OSOBLYVOSTI UChASNYKIV AVARIÏ NA ChAES, EVAKUY̆OVANYKh IZ ZONY VIDChUZhENNIa TA UChASNYKIV ANTYTERORYSTYChNOÏ OPERATsIÏ.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of interdependencies between psychometric parameters and spontaneous cerebral electric activity in the ChNPP accident clean up workers, evacuees from exclusion zone, and anti terrorist operation service men. OBJECT AND METHODS: Psychometric and neurophysiological parameters were reviewed in the study subjects retro spectively and in comparison. Study population included the ChNPP accident clean up workers (ACUW), evacuees from the 30 kilometer exclusion zone, specifically in a sample from a cohort of the NRCRM Clinical Epidemiological Register (n=316), and anti terrorist operation servicemen (n=81) undergoing rehabilitation in the NRCRM Radiation psychoneurology department. A control group of persons (n=84) was also involved in the study. Diagnostic method ology for the characteristic personality features, namely the personality test of character accentuation by G. Shmishek and K. Leonhard, and Eysenck Personality Inventory (by H. J. Eysenck) were applied. Computer EEGs were registered and analyzed on the 16 channel electroencephalograph DX 4000 (Kharkiv, Ukraine). RESULTS: In the aftermath of the emergency period, a personality deformation occurs in the clean up workers and survivors of the ChNPP accident, which is characterized by aggravation of such personality traits as jam (fixedness), emotiveness, pedantry, anxiety, cyclothymia, excitability and disthymia, with diminished hyperthymia and ostenta tion (demonstrability). Increased incidence of fixedness, pedantry, cyclothymia, affectability and disthymia with decreased hyperthymia were revealed in the group of ATO participants. Cerebral bioelectrical activity in the ChNPP ACUW was characterized by an increased delta activity power with decreased beta and theta activity power and dom inant frequency in comparison with all groups of survivors and control group. The ATO group was different from groups of survivors and control group with a lower power of delta, theta and beta activity, and a higher dominant frequency. Introversion featured a negative correlation with delta and theta activity index along with positive cor relation with alpha activity index. The absolute spectral power of beta, alpha and theta bands positively correlated with introversion. Increase in neuroticism featured a decrease in theta activity index and an increase in beta activ ity index along with decreased theta and delta band absolute spectral power. CONCLUSIONS: There is a deformation of personality in the group of ChNPP ACUW, evacuees from the 30 kilometer zone and ATO servicemen. Deformation of personality correlates with abnormal cerebral bioelectrical activity.