The current study aimed to test the long-term impact of abuse on immune functioning and to test the mediating role of interpersonal problems in the relationship between early child abuse experiences and immune functioning. A sample of 89 undergraduate adult women (M age = 19.24) completed reports of child abuse histories, interpersonal problems, and negative life events, and provided saliva samples to measure Secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and antibody level for Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1-sIgA). Participants were divided into three abuse history groups (i.e., no history of abuse, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse). The results failed to support the proposed mediation models. Age and recent unwanted sexual experiences, but not childhood abuse, were associated with reduced sIgA levels. The non-abused group evidenced a higher proportion of participants with detectable HSV-1-sIgA compared to the child physical abuse and child sexual abuse groups. In those with detectable HSV-1-sIgA, both abuse groups appeared to have higher levels, but this needs to be tested in future research with larger sample sizes. These findings suggest that the impact of victimization on sIgA may be more short-lived, while child abuse may be associated with a greater HSV-1 recurrence from latency. Future studies should examine other psychosocial predictors of immune level differences. / Master of Science

No description available.

Background: There has been growing interest and research into the construct of self-compassion. Self-compassion has been positively associated with psychological well-being, and negatively associated with a range of psychological difficulties. The origins of self-compassion have been linked to early attachment experiences, with poor attachment relationships proposed to result in an inability to self-soothe and take a compassionate stance towards the self. Whilst research in nonclinical populations provides some initial support for these hypotheses, there is a lack of research conducted in clinical populations. Given a large effect size has been found for the association between self-compassion and psychological difficulties, this suggests it may be an important target for therapeutic change. There is a growing evidence-base for the use of compassion-focused therapies, with research suggesting they are effective in reducing mood symptomology. However, less is known about the impact of these therapies on levels of self-compassion, or whether reductions in mood symptomology occur as a causal effect of increased self-compassion. In addition, other ‘third wave’ therapies may also indirectly increase self-compassion. Aims: The research aims were two-fold. The first aim was to conduct a systematic literature review to evaluate the effectiveness of compassion-focused and mindfulness-based interventions in increasing levels of self-compassion. The second aim was to examine the role of self-compassion and its relationships with attachment and interpersonal problems in adults attending a primary care psychological therapies service. Specifically, self-compassion and interpersonal problems were hypothesised as potential mediators between insecure attachment and anxiety and depression. Method: To address the first research aim, a systematic search was conducted to identify studies that utilised a compassion and/or mindfulness-based intervention with a clinical population, and included self-compassion as an outcome measure. To address the second research aim, a cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted. Participants (N=74; 60% female, mean age = 40 years) attending a primary care psychological therapies service completed four self-report questionnaires assessing self-compassion, attachment, interpersonal problems and anxiety and depression. Results: The findings of the systematic review suggested that self-compassion can be increased through both compassion-focused and mindfulness-based interventions. However, methodological weaknesses across studies highlighted that further research is needed and definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. The results of the empirical study indicated that low self-compassion, attachment avoidance and high levels of interpersonal problems were all associated with increased emotional distress. Furthermore, self-compassion mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and emotional distress and anxiety. Interpersonal problems was not a significant mediator. Conclusions: Taken collectively, the findings here suggest that self-compassion may be an important target in psychological therapy. In addition, results of the mediation analysis indicated that low self-compassion can be a pathway to overall emotional distress and anxiety for individuals with attachment avoidance. This provides support for the theory that self-compassion is linked to early attachment experiences.

Mona Wilhelmsson Göstas, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, SE-701 82 Örebro, Sweden, mona.vilhelmsson gostas@orebroll.se Attachment styles are relevant to psychotherapy since they highlight the way a person handles interpersonal and emotional stress. This thesis aimed to examine how psychotherapy patients in the public mental health care system report attachment styles related to interpersonal problems and diagnosis before and after psychotherapy and to examine problems and changes and psychotherapy contract and process from patients’ experiences of cognitive behavioural oriented therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic oriented psychotherapy (PDT). The studies are based on data from patients admitted to psychotherapy within the public psychiatric services in Örebro County Council. Studies I and IV were quantitative and used self-reports to examine attachment styles and interpersonal problems before and after psychotherapy. Studies II and III were qualitative interview studies examining patients experiences of problems, changes and psychotherapy process. The patients were diagnosed with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders and personality disorders and reported insecure avoidant and anxious attachment styles that correlated positively with interpersonal problems when they started therapy. Psychotherapy with CBT or PDT enabled them to turn attachment styles into more secure ones and decrease interpersonal problems Patients aged between 26 and 39, patients who attended 11-25 sessions and patients diagnosed with a personality disorder reported greater changes in secure related attachment than others. Patients described their problems as emotions that could not be regulated, as cognitive disabilities and as problematic behaviours that implied a self-centredness. During the course of psychotherapy, the patients gained abilities to handle their problems. The perceived self-centeredness changed which increased their participation in their life-context. Similarities across the therapy orientations showed that the creation of a new context was essential to pay full attention to the patient’s problems, and that the working method and cooperation with the psychotherapist made up a whole. To make the therapy effective, it is important to build up confidence in cooperation and secure base functions like offering predictability and shaping interventions according to the needs of the patient and their ability to use them.

Maladaptive interpersonal functioning is considered typical of eating disorders. The present thesis aimed to add to existing knowledge of interpersonal functioning in the eating disorders in terms of both symptomatology and treatment. In Study 1, relationships were found between eating disorder attitudes and several types of poor interpersonal functioning. These associations were present when controlling for depression and anxiety. Study 2 found that generalised interpersonal problems were more likely to be reported by women with bulimic disorders than comparison women, apart from problems with being too open, which were more likely to be reported by comparison women. In Study 3, individuals with self identified eating disorders were found to have poorer problem solving skills in specific interpersonal situations than healthy controls, generating less means to solve the problem, with these means being significantly less effective and less specific than those generated by healthy controls. In Study 4, the experience of an invalidating childhood environment was explored as a potential predictor of adult interpersonal problems in the eating disorders. Viewing the expression of emotions as a sign of weakness was a mediator of the relationship between having a more invalidating mother and adult eating concern in a nonclinical population. In Study 5, the interpersonal experiences of patients with bulimic disorders are explored using qualitative methodology. They report a range of problems characterised by social avoidance, social anxiety, non-assertiveness, and a difficulty with being genuine in relationships. In Study 6, patients reported their experiences of interpersonal psychotherapy for bulimic disorders. In general, they experienced the therapy as positive and beneficial. They express that it helped them address a range of interpersonal problems, and reduced but did not cure their eating disordered behaviours. Patients liked that therapy focused on both interpersonal relationships and eating. In Study 7, interpersonal psychotherapists discussed their perceptions of the modified therapy. They identified several factors as being related to outcome, such as the existence or willingness to build a support network, motivation to change, a clear interpersonal problem identified in the patient, level of depression, duration of the eating disorder and keeping therapy focused on the interpersonal. Results of these studies suggest that those with higher levels of eating disorder related attitudes and behaviours often have significant problems with interpersonal functioning. This thesis supports the use of interpersonal psychotherapy as a viable treatment approach to the eating disorders. It also supports the use of the modified version of the therapy, which addresses eating as well as interpersonal functioning.

No description available.

<p>The general objective of this thesis was to examine aspects of adolescents perceived interpersonal relations, in view of the association between adolescents’ interpersonal problems and self-concepts, and considering influential factors such as behavioural problems, depression, perceptions of parental rearing styles, type of relationships and sex. All of the studies examined participants from the four-year longitudinal research project in Umeå, which was designed to investigate the psychic health and social context of adolescents with psychological and antisocial problems (Armelius & Hägglöf, 1998), except for the normal adolescents in study I, who took part in a project with purpose to determine norms for an intake interview that is used for adolescents in different settings in Sweden. Study I addressed the impact of type of relationship on adolescents interpersonal behaviour, and the results were discussed in terms of interpersonal theory and the complementarity principle. Study II investigated the association between self-concept and interpersonal problems in normal adolescents. Different interpersonal problems were systematically related to three self-concept patterns, and showed the importance of considering the combination of self-love and self-autonomy to understand interpersonal problems in adolescents. In study III the associations between self-concept, and interpersonal problems were investigated, also considering depression as a factor, in a group of adolescents with conduct problems. This study revealed sex differences: boys’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with self-control, an imbalance between self control and autonomy, and depression, whereas girls’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with low self-love and depression. Study IV examined the relationship between memories of perceived parenting styles and interpersonal problems. Also in this study, sex differences were shown. It was found that for boys the perceived parenting styles of the fathers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems, and for girls the perceived parenting styles of the mothers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems.</p>

The general objective of this thesis was to examine aspects of adolescents perceived interpersonal relations, in view of the association between adolescents’ interpersonal problems and self-concepts, and considering influential factors such as behavioural problems, depression, perceptions of parental rearing styles, type of relationships and sex. All of the studies examined participants from the four-year longitudinal research project in Umeå, which was designed to investigate the psychic health and social context of adolescents with psychological and antisocial problems (Armelius &amp; Hägglöf, 1998), except for the normal adolescents in study I, who took part in a project with purpose to determine norms for an intake interview that is used for adolescents in different settings in Sweden. Study I addressed the impact of type of relationship on adolescents interpersonal behaviour, and the results were discussed in terms of interpersonal theory and the complementarity principle. Study II investigated the association between self-concept and interpersonal problems in normal adolescents. Different interpersonal problems were systematically related to three self-concept patterns, and showed the importance of considering the combination of self-love and self-autonomy to understand interpersonal problems in adolescents. In study III the associations between self-concept, and interpersonal problems were investigated, also considering depression as a factor, in a group of adolescents with conduct problems. This study revealed sex differences: boys’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with self-control, an imbalance between self control and autonomy, and depression, whereas girls’ interpersonal problems mainly were associated with low self-love and depression. Study IV examined the relationship between memories of perceived parenting styles and interpersonal problems. Also in this study, sex differences were shown. It was found that for boys the perceived parenting styles of the fathers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems, and for girls the perceived parenting styles of the mothers had the strongest associations to interpersonal problems.

The purpose of the study was to examine the influences of basic personality traits, cognitive emotion regulation and interpersonal problems on the cognitive aspects of personality disorders. 1298 adult participants (411 males and 887 females) between the ages of 18 and 68 (M = 26.85, sd = 7.95) participated in the study. In the first part of the study, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems was adapted to Turkish, and psychometric properties of the adapted inventory as well as Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Personality Belief Questionnaire were analyzed and were found to have good validity and reliability characteristics. Differences in demographic variables and correlational data for the measures were examined. Direct and mediational models were used to investigate the relationship among basic personality traits, cognitive emotion regulation, interpersonal problems and personality disorder beliefs. The results revealed that openness and neuroticism were associated with positive and negative emotion regulation, respectively. Neuroticism, negative valence and catastrophization were associated with interpersonal problems positively whereas extraversion was associated with them negatively. In terms of personality psychopathology, neuroticism, catastrophization, blaming others, and being cold and domineering in relations were found to be positively associated with personality disorder beliefs. Furthermore, the effect of neuroticism and negative valence on personality disorder beliefs was mediated by interpersonal problems, with the effect of negative valence also being mediated by negative cognitive emotion regulation. The findings and their implications with suggestions for future research and clinical applications, were discussed in the light of relevant literature.

Background The effects of prolonged, interpersonal trauma have long been recognised. Such traumatic events can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but are also associated with a range of other psychological difficulties. The forthcoming ICD-11 has proposed the inclusion of a new diagnostic category to cover such trauma reactions, named complex-PTSD (CPTSD). CPTSD is conceptualised as including the core elements of PTSD with additional difficulties with affect regulation, self-concept, interpersonal relationships. This thesis presents a systematic review of the research into the proposed CPTSD diagnosis. In addition, this thesis investigates the association between difficulties with emotional regulation, interpersonal problems and PTSD symptoms in a group of male prisoners, and a male community sample. Aims This project aims to investigate whether the proposed CPTSD diagnosis accurately describes the difficulties seen following complex trauma, and examines whether it is best to view CPTSD is different from exiting disorders, including PTSD and borderline personality disorder (BPD). In addition, it aims to investigate the association between difficulties with emotional regulation, interpersonal problems and PTSD among men in prison. Methods We systematically assessed and synthesised the available research regarding the proposed ICD-11 CPTSD diagnosis. In the second paper, data regarding PTSD, emotional regulation, and interpersonal problems were collected from HMP Glenochil, a male-only prison in Scotland (n=51), and matched to an existing community data set (n=46). Results The results of the systematic review provide partial support for the factorial validity of CPTSD. In addition, they indicate that CPTSD can be conceptualised as distinct from both PTSD and BPD, and that CPTSD is more closely related to prolonged interpersonal trauma than PTSD. However, there is overlap between PTSD and CPTSD in terms of both symptomology and aetiology. The results also indicate high levels of PTSD among male prisoners. In addition, PTSD was found to be strongly associated difficulties with emotional regulation, but not interpersonal problems, in the forensic sample. In the community sample emotional regulation was a less strong predictor of PTSD symptoms, and both emotional regulation, and interpersonal problems were associated with the severity of PTSD. Conclusions This thesis supports the inclusion of CPTSD as a distinct diagnostic entity. Inclusion of CPTSD may allow survivors a better understanding of the aetiology of their difficulties, and may initiate research into effective ways of working with individuals who have experienced complex-trauma. I addition, they demonstrate the need for trauma-informed prison services, which prioritise the development of emotional regulation strategies in recovery and rehabilitation.