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| 2. |
- Hayes, Steven C., et al.
(författare)
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Report of the ACBS Task Force on the strategies and tactics of contextual behavioral science research
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. - : Elsevier. - 2212-1447. ; 20, s. 172-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Throughout its history the strategy and tactics of contextual behavioral science (CBS) research have had distinctive features as compared to traditional behavioral science approaches. Continued progress in CBS research can be facilitated by greater clarity about how its strategy and tactics can be brought to bear on current challenges. The present white paper is the result of a 2 1/2-year long process designed to foster consensus among representative producers and consumers of CBS research about the best strategic pathway forward. The Task Force agreed that CBS research should be multilevel, process-based, multidimensional, prosocial, and pragmatic, and provided 33 recommendations to the CBS community arranged across these characteristics. In effect, this report provides a detailed research agenda designed to maximize the impact of CBS as a field. Scientists and practitioners are encouraged to mount this ambitious agenda.
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| 3. |
- Kolbeinsson, Örn, 1991-
(författare)
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I Don’t Want to Hear It : Cognitive Control Strategies in Response to Task-Irrelevant Sound
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- An adequate capacity for cognitive control, the ability to maintain goal-directed behavior despite conflicting environmental demands, is a requirement for effective functioning. Whether it be the capacity to delay gratification or to effectively regulate emotions, various types of cognitive control allow us to function effectively despite the enormous complexity encountered in everyday life. Yet, some forms of cognitive control, such as thought suppression, have been shown to have delayed and potentially adverse consequences. Previous research has largely neglected to study cognitive control in the auditory domain, yet task-irrelevant and potentially distracting sounds are omnipresent, making this a highly interesting area of research.In the current thesis, I present findings from four experimental studies with an overall aim to investigate the use, effectiveness, and delayed consequences of cognitive control in the auditory domain. In Study II and Study IV, the aim was to investigate the use of four common emotion regulation strategies in response to task-irrelevant, potentially distracting sound. Measures of emotional responding were also included to determine whether the use and effectiveness of these strategies was related to subjective emotion. In Study II, participants received either positive or negative information about an inherently neutral sound in an attempt to manipulate their emotional experience of the sound. In contrast, sounds used in Study IV were inherently negative or neutral. Results from both studies showed that all four of the surveyed emotion regulation strategies were used to some degree, and that participants reported use of multiple regulatory strategies. Results also suggest that subjective ratings of negative emotion in response to the sound were related to greater use of mental suppression, in line with findings from other sensory domains. In Study I and Study III, we specifically investigated the delayed consequences of mental suppression. In line with previous research from other sensory modalities, results from the two experiments reported in Study I suggest that mentally suppressing awareness of a task-irrelevant sound results in delayed consequences. However, the nature of these consequences varied between experiments. This may be due to the use of different sound stimuli in the two experiments, where sounds from the first experiment were emotionally neutral and unintrusive, while sounds from the second were inherently aversive. In Study III, the aim was to replicate and expand on the findings from Study I, and specifically test for delayed consequences on perceptual responding. Mental suppression, conceptualized as an experiential avoidance strategy, was compared to an approach focused strategy, with the hypothesis that mental suppression would result in hypervigilance toward previously suppressed stimuli. Results from the two experiments reported in Study III did not provide support for this hypothesis. In conclusion, results from the studies presented in the current thesis suggest that people regularly use cognitive control strategies in response to task-irrelevant sound, and that the use of these strategies may be related to subjective emotional experiences of the sound. Additionally, attempting to mentally suppress awareness of a sound may result in delayed consequences, but the circumstance under which these delayed consequences can be demonstrated are not yet understood. The included studies provide initial indications that developing adaptive strategies of coping with distracting sound can reduce the risk of long-term maladaptive consequences.
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| 4. |
- Larsson, Andreas, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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A randomised controlled trial of brief web-based acceptance and commitment Therapy on the general mental health, depression, anxiety and stress of college Students
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. - : Elsevier. - 2212-1447. ; 24, s. 10-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The college years are frequently understood as being a carefree time in a young person's life, however, research suggests that these are formative and challenging times for many. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a brief internet intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for promoting general mental health among college students. As far as can be determined, the impact of an online guided self-help version of (i) contact with the present moment, (ii) cognitive defusion and (iii) self-as-context processes of ACT on mental health has never been tested in a student-based randomized trial. The current study was a randomized controlled wait-list trial consisting of a 3-week intervention and a 3-week follow-up phase. Out of 174 participants, 113 were included in the analysis. Inclusion criteria were: (1) no formal diagnosis of mental health disorders, (2) no previous experience of ACT, mindfulness or mindfulness-based exercises, (3) over 18 years of age, and (4) currently registered as a university or college student. Participants were randomly assigned to an ACT-based intervention (N = 87) or a wait-list control (N = 87). Neither investigators nor participants were blinded to group assignment. The primary outcome measure was general mental health (GHQ-12). Depression, Anxiety and Stress were also measured (DASS-21) as well as psychological flexibility (AAQ-2) at pre- and post-intervention, and 3-week follow-up. The results indicated significant improvements in general mental health in the ACT processes group compared with the wait-list control group (p = .005, d = 0.48) at post treatment but not at follow-up. There were no significant differences between the groups on any other outcome measures. The results from this study provide some support for the effectiveness of a brief web-based ACT intervention to enhance general mental health. However, there were no significant comparative improvements, but trends, for depression, anxiety or stress.
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| 5. |
- Larsson, Andreas, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Using Brief Cognitive Restructuring and Cognitive Defusion Techniques to Cope With Negative Thoughts
- 2016
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Ingår i: Behavior Modification. - : SAGE Publications. - 0145-4455 .- 1552-4167. ; 40:3, s. 452-482
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Negative thoughts, experienced by 80% to 99% of the non-clinical population, have been linked to the development of psychopathology. The current study aimed to compare a cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion technique for coping with a personally relevant negative thought. Over a 5-day period, participants used either a restructuring, defusion, or control strategy to manage a negative thought. Pre- and post-intervention participants reported (a) believability of the thought, (b) discomfort associated with the thought, (c) negativity associated with the thought, and (d) willingness to experience the thought. Daily online questionnaires assessing the total frequency of negative thought intrusions and their level of willingness to experience the negative thought were also used. Also, 10 positive and negative self-statements were rated on the same scales, and self-report measures of mood and psychological flexibility were completed. Findings indicated that defusion lowered believability, increased comfort and willingness to have the target thought, and increased positive affect significantly more than the control and cognitive restructuring. Within groups, cognitive restructuring also made significant gains in target thought discomfort, negativity, and “willingness to have” in the same direction as defusion but the no-instruction control did not. Negative thought frequency was reduced in the defusion group, maintained in the restructuring group, and increased in the no-instruction control group. Similar trends emerged from the secondary outcome measures, that is, the effects of the strategies on the positive and negative self-statements. The current findings support the efficacy of using defusion as a strategy for managing negative thoughts.
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| 6. |
- Leclair, Valerie, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct HLA associations with autoantibody-defined subgroups in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
- 2023
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Ingår i: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier. - 2352-3964. ; 96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background In patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), autoantibodies are associated with specific clinical phenotypes suggesting a pathogenic role of adaptive immunity. We explored if autoantibody profiles are associated with specific HLA genetic variants and clinical manifestations in IIM. Methods We included 1348 IIM patients and determined the occurrence of 14 myositis-specific or-associated autoantibodies. We used unsupervised cluster analysis to identify autoantibody-defined subgroups and logistic regression to estimate associations with clinical manifestations, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1 alleles, and amino acids imputed from genetic information of HLA class II and I molecules. Findings We identified eight subgroups with the following dominant autoantibodies: anti-Ro52, -U1RNP, -PM/Scl,-Mi2,-Jo1,-Jo1/Ro52,-TIF1 gamma or negative for all analysed autoantibodies. Associations with HLA-DRB1*11, HLA-DRB1*15, HLA-DQA1*03, and HLA-DQB1*03 were present in the anti-U1RNP-dominated subgroup. HLA-DRB1*03, HLA-DQA1*05, and HLA-DQB1*02 alleles were overrepresented in the anti-PM/Scl and anti-Jo1/ Ro52-dominated subgroups. HLA-DRB1*16, HLA-DRB1*07 alleles were most frequent in anti-Mi2 and HLA- DRB1*01 and HLA-DRB1*07 alleles in the anti-TIF1 gamma subgroup. The HLA-DRB1*13, HLA-DQA1*01 and HLA-DQB1*06 alleles were overrepresented in the negative subgroup. Significant signals from variations in class I molecules were detected in the subgroups dominated by anti-Mi2, anti-Jo1/Ro52, anti-TIF1 gamma, and the negative subgroup. Interpretation Distinct HLA class II and I associations were observed for almost all autoantibody-defined subgroups. The associations support autoantibody profiles use for classifying IIM which would likely reflect underlying pathogenic mechanisms better than classifications based on clinical symptoms and/or histopathological features. Funding See a detailed list of funding bodies in the Acknowledgements section at the end of the manuscript. Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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| 7. |
- McLafferty, Margaret, et al.
(författare)
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College Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- 2023
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Ingår i: Education Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2227-7102. ; 13:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Student mental health was a growing concern globally prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic and associated restrictions on the psychological wellbeing of college students. Baseline data were collected pre-pandemic in September 2019 among students attending a university in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology in the Republic of Ireland. Surveys were also conducted with this cohort during the pandemic, at the start of the academic years 2020 and 2021 (499 students fully completed all three waves). A follow-up survey was conducted at the end of their third year, in summer 2022 (n = 229). High levels of mental health problems were already present among students commencing college. The subsequent pandemic had a very negative impact on student's academic experience and other aspects of life. Rates of depression (PHQ-9) increased significantly from the onset of the pandemic and remained high. Anxiety (GAD-7) initially decreased but then escalated at the end of college. The study highlights the importance of early intervention and makes recommendations for addressing the needs of students during times of stress. Additional supports may be required to deal with the long-lasting impact of the pandemic.
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| 8. |
- McLafferty, Margaret, et al.
(författare)
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Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines
- 2022
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 17:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. Materials and methods The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders. Results Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help. Conclusions Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.
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| 9. |
- Moran, Orla, et al.
(författare)
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Investigating cognitive fusion, mindfulness and experiential avoidance in relation to psychosis-like symptoms in the general population
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. - : Elsevier. - 2212-1447. ; 21:June, s. 136-143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has demonstrated promising outcomes to date with clinical populations affected by psychosis, however there is a dearth of such investigations involving non-clinical samples despite evidence that symptoms of psychosis exist on a continuum in the general population. The present study aimed to investigate how key ACT processes relate to psychosis-like symptoms in the general population. A convenience sample of 77 adults completed self-report measures of cognitive fusion, mindfulness, experiential avoidance, and psychosis-like symptoms, and relative distress, intrusiveness and frequency. A series of correlational and hierarchical regression analyses investigated the relationship between target variables. Higher mindfulness was related to lower levels of psychosis-like symptoms as well as lower distress, intrusiveness, and frequency in relation to these experiences, as were lower levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance. Higher levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance, as well as lower levels mindfulness, emerged as significant predictors of higher levels of psychosis-like symptoms, and higher relative distress, intrusiveness, and frequency. Findings are discussed in relation to implications for future clinical research.
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