This study examined the relationships among adult attachment, cognitive vulnerabilities for depression and anxiety, affect regulation strategies and psychological distress symptoms. To examine these questions, a total of 259 participants (150 females, 109 males) completed measures assessing the above mentioned variables. The structural equation modeling results indicated that attachment anxiety was related to emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff, as well as cognitive vulnerabilities for anxiety and depression. Attachment avoidance was associated with emotional cutoff and cognitive vulnerabilities for anxiety and depression. In turn, cognitive vulnerabilities for depression were related to both depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas cognitive vulnerabilities for anxiety were not related to either depression or anxiety. However, neither cognitive vulnerabilities nor affect regulation strategies mediated the relationship between adult attachment and psychological distress symptoms. Conceptual and measurement issues are addressed and clinical and treatment implications of these findings are discussed.

Current theories in psychology now suggest that behaviours that were primarily associated with psychotic disorders, such as delusional experiences, can be observed in the healthy general population (van Os, Linscott, Myin-Germeys, Delespaul and Krabbendam, 2009). Delusions, a common symptom of schizophrenia, have been associated with a tendency to jump to conclusions. In simpler terms, it has been discussed that those that experience delusions will reach final decisions earlier than controls upon the basis of little evidence (Huq, Garety and Hemsley, 1988). The aim of the research was to investigate the factors that may moderate this susceptibility to jump to conclusions amongst the sub-clinical range of delusional thinking amongst the distinct construct measures of the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI: Peters, Day and Garety, 1996). Numerous studies were conducted to investigate: intelligence, probability calculation ability, experimental task design and task delivery upon the emergence of the jump to conclusions bias (Chapters II-VI). Moderator analyses identified that task design and task delivery were strong predictors of the quantity of information requested prior to finalising a decision; with restricted data gathering occurring with the use of face-to-face abstract tasks (Chapter III and VI B). When tasks included neutral and emotionally-unstimulating material, a data gathering bias was either not observed (Chapter II) or data gathering was enhanced amongst those with high belief conviction. Perceived life stress, perceived task stress and specific reasoning styles were investigated in an attempt to explain the situation-specific differences (Chapters VII and VIII). It was concluded in the General Discussion that delusional thinking appears to be associated with hasty decision making, under specific situational circumstances and can differ between the distinct constructs of the PDI measure (Peters et al. 1996). Sub-clinical delusional ideation is an overall summation of belief distress, preoccupation and conviction. The current research argues that the three psychological dimensions of delusional belief can influence decision making uniquely; specifically in relation to the emergence of a data gathering bias.

abstract: The parent-child relationship is one of the earliest and most formative experiences for social and emotional development. Synchrony, defined as the rhythmic patterning and quality of mutual affect, engagement, and physiological attunement, has been identified as a critical quality of a healthy mother-infant relationship. Although the salience of the quality of family interaction has been well-established, clinical and developmental research has varied widely in methods for observing and identifying influential aspects of synchrony. In addition, modern dynamic perspectives presume multiple factors converge in a complex system influenced by both nature and nurture, in which individual traits, behavior, and environment are inextricably intertwined within the system of dyadic relational units. The present study aimed to directly examine and compare synchrony from three distinct approaches: observed microanalytic behavioral sequences, observed global dyadic qualities, and physiological attunement between mothers and infants. The sample consisted of 323 Mexican American mothers and their infants followed from the third trimester of pregnancy through the first year of life. Mothers were interviewed prenatally, observed at a home visit at 12 weeks postpartum, and were finally interviewed for child social-emotional problems at child age 12 months. Specific aspects of synchrony (microanalytical, global, and physiological) were examined separately as well as together to identify comparable and divergent qualities within the construct. Findings indicated that multiple perspectives on synchrony are best examined together, but as independent qualities to account for varying characteristics captured by divergent systems. Dyadic relationships characterized by higher reciprocity, more time and flexibility in mutual non-negative engagement, and less tendency to enter negative or unengaged states were associated with fewer child social-emotional problems at child age 12 months. Lower infant cortisol was associated with higher levels of externalizing problems, and smaller differences between mother and child cortisol were associated with higher levels of child dysregulation. Results underscore the complex but important nature of synchrony as a salient mechanism underlying the social-emotional growth of children. A mutually engaged, non-negative, and reciprocal environment lays the foundation for the successful social and self-regulatory competence of infants in the first year of life. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2015

This paper describes the activities of a Clinical Psychological Unit and the demographic and psychopathologicalfeatures of the children assisted there. It also informs about sorne results of the collaborative research work undertaken by two Chairs. Diagnosis records of 75 children between 6 and 12 years old referred by schools and justice courts because of their behavior problems were analyzed. The children belong to poor families of Greater Buenos Aires. Indicators were selected in arder to distinguish when the violent behavior is caused by a character disorder, or it is an expression of psychotic features or whether it t is a neurotic symptom as a result of a trauma (loss situation). Another aim is to find indicators of suicidal risk. The preliminary results are that most of the behavior problems are related to character disorder ("disocial disorder of early beginning" DSM IV). Less pre­ dominan! are the behavior problems asan expression of psychotic features andas neurotic symptoms. There is a potential risk of acting-out and of worrying self-destructive behavior among the two former groups. / Se describen las actividades de un Servicio de Psicología Clínica de Niños, las características demográficas y psicopatológicas de la población asistida y se informan resultados del trabajo de investigación realizado en colaboración entre dos cátedras de la Facultad de Psicología de la U. B.A. Se analizaron los protocolos de diagnóstico de 75 niños entre 6 y 12 años de edad que reciben asistencia psicoterapéutica en el Servicio, derivados por escuelas y juzgados en razón de problemas de conducta. Se seleccionaron indicadores que permitan diferenciar las manifestaciones de violencia según respondan a trastornos del carácter, a expresiones de rasgos psicóticos y a síntomas neuróticos como respuestas a situaciones traumáticas del ambiente (situaciones de pérdida). Se buscó, asimismo, detectar indicadores de riesgo suicida en esa población. Los resultados preliminares indican que en la población asistida, proveniente de hogares carenciales de sectores populares del Gran Buenos Aires, predominan conductas violentas como expresión de trastornos del carácter (trastorno disocial de inicio infantil, DSMIV); en menor proporción se registran las manifestaciones de desestructuraciones psicóticas y de síntomas neuróticos. Se observó riesgo potencial de acting out y de conductas autodestructivas inquietantes en los dos primeros casos.

Orientador: Claudio Eduardo Muller Banzato / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T18:48:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dantas_ClarissadeRosalmeida_D.pdf: 4708515 bytes, checksum: 982e7e5f1f3cb0090a790c056ad7c131 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A Síndrome Deficitária (SD) da esquizofrenia, um subtipo definido pela presença de sintomas negativos proeminentes, persistentes e primários, hipoteticamente representa uma doença específica, distinta das formas não-deficitárias da esquizofrenia. Objetivos: Identificar, em uma amostra brasileira, diferenças sócio-demográficas, de história psiquiátrica, psicopatológicas, de qualidade de vida e de desempenho cognitivo entre pacientes com e sem SD. Métodos: Categorizamos 85 pacientes esquizofrênicos quanto à presença da SD utilizando a versão brasileira do Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS). Aqueles que apresentavam sintomas negativos proeminentes e persistentes cuja natureza primária ou secundária não pôde ser estabelecida, usualmente seriam classificados como "não-deficitários" segundo as regras do SDS, mas foram categorizados em um grupo chamado "não-deficitários duvidosos". Para a avaliação de sintomas positivos, negativos e depressivos, de insight e de qualidade de vida foram utilizadas as escalas: BPRS, SAPS, SANS, Calgary de Depressão, Roteiro para a Avaliação do Insight - Versão Expandida (SAI-E) e Escala de Qualidade de Vida (QLS). De forma independente foram aplicados os testes neuropsicológicos: MINI-MENTAL; as subescalas Raciocínio Matricial, Vocabulário, Símbolos, Completar Figuras e Dígitos da WAIS; Trilhas A e B; Teste de Nomeação de Boston; Figuras Complexas de Rey e Tarefas de Fluência Verbal. Uma análise fatorial das variáveis neuropsicológicas gerou um modelo com um único fator que explicou 56,2% da variância observada, denominado "fator cognitivo". Escores fatoriais foram calculados e comparados entre os três grupos. Resultados: Satisfizeram critérios para a SD, 29 pacientes (34,2%), 12 pacientes foram categorizados como não-deficitários duvidosos (14,1%) e 44 como "não-deficitários de certeza" (51,8%). Comparados aos não-deficitários de certeza, pacientes deficitários eram significativamente mais inativos, tinham maior tempo de doença mental, maior gravidade de psicopatologia geral e de sintomas negativos, pior qualidade de vida e pior desempenho cognitivo global (avaliado pelo escore do "fator cognitivo") e em tarefas de fluência verbal. Pacientes deficitários tenderam a apresentar pior insight, mas tal tendência desapareceu quando a análise foi controlada pelo escore do "fator cognitivo". Comparados a pacientes não-deficitários de certeza, não-deficitários duvidosos eram significativamente mais inativos, apresentavam menor escolaridade, início da doença mais precoce, maior número de hospitalizações, maior gravidade de psicopatologia geral e de sintomas negativos, pior qualidade de vida e pior desempenho em tarefas de fluência verbal. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os grupos deficitários e não-deficitários duvidosos em relação a qualquer uma das variáveis estudadas. Conclusões: As características encontradas no grupo deficitário em relação ao não-deficitário de certeza são consistentes com vários dos fatores associados à SD relatados na literatura, mas devem ser interpretadas à luz da própria definição e dos procedimentos para diagnóstico da SD e da preponderância de sintomas negativos neles implicada. Dentre tais características, o pior funcionamento cognitivo global parece ser um importante mediador da relação entre SD e manifestação do insight. As diferenças significativas observadas entre pacientes não-deficitários duvidosos e não-deficitários de certeza apontam limitações da categorização dicotômica de pacientes esquizofrênicos quanto à presença da SD e apóiam a incorporação de uma concepção dimensional da sintomatologia deficitária da esquizofrenia em avaliação clínica e pesquisa. / Abstract: Deficit Schizophrenia (DS), a putative subtype defined by the presence of prominent, persistent and primary negative symptoms, has been proposed to represent a disease distinct from other forms of schizophrenia. Objective: to compare patients with and without DS regarding demographic variables, psychiatric history, psychopathology severity, insight, quality of life and cognitive performance. Methods: We studied 85 schizophrenic outpatients who were assessed for the presence of DS by the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS). Patients who presented persistent negative symptoms that could not be unequivocally judged as either primary or secondary were categorized into a "ambiguous nondeficit" group. According to the SDS's instructions, such patients would be usually assigned as nondeficit. Patients' symptoms severity was assessed with BPRS, SAPS, SANS and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Insight was assessed with the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight - Expanded Version and quality of life with Heinrich?s Quality of Life Scale. Cognitive performance was assessed using the tests: MMSE; the subscales Matrix Reasoning, Vocabulary, Digit Symbol, Picture Completion and Digit Spam of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III; Trail Making Tests A and B; The Boston Naming Test; Rey Complex Figure Test and Verbal Fluency Tasks. A factor analysis was performed in order to reduce neuropsychological variables to a smaller set of data. It yielded a model with a single factor (named "cognitive factor") accounting for 56.2% of variance. Factorial scores were calculated and compared across groups. Results: Criteria for the DS were met by 29 (34.1%) patients, 12 (14.1%) patients were categorized as ambiguous nondeficit and 44 (51.8%) as definite nondeficit. Compared to the definite nondeficit group, deficit patients were significantly more inactive; they had longer illness duration, and presented more severe global psychopathology and more severe negative symptoms. Deficit patients had worse quality of life, worse global cognitive performance ("cognitive factor" scores) and worse verbal fluency. We found a tendency to poorer insight in the deficit group. However, such tendency disappeared when analysis was controlled for global cognition. Compared to the definite nondeficit group, the ambiguous nondeficit patients were significantly more inactive, had lower schooling, earlier onset of illness, and more previous hospitalizations. Relative to definite nondeficit, ambiguous nondeficit patients presented significantly more severe global psychopathology and more severe negative symptoms, worse quality of life, and worse performance on verbal fluency tasks. No significant difference was found between the ambiguous nondeficit group and the deficit one. Conclusions: We found differences between deficit and definite nondeficit patients that are consistent with reported features of the DS. However, such differences should be interpreted with caution, as they might be, at least in part, determined by DS definition and diagnostic procedures, and by the severity of negative symptoms associated with DS. Worse cognitive performance might be an important mediator of deficit symptomatology and insight. The differences between ambiguous nondeficit and definite nondeficit groups might raise doubts about the dichotomous categorization of schizophrenic patients into deficit or nondeficit groups and they support recent suggestions that deficit may be conceived as a dimension / Doutorado / Saude Mental / Doutor em Ciências Médicas

A depressão é a categoria psicopatológica que expressa, de forma privilegiada, o sofrimento psíquico na atualidade, adquirindo estatuto de epidemia. Examinamos a depressão enquanto objeto de discurso em nossa cultura, a partir de diversas ordens discursivas médica, religiosa, econômica, psicanalítica, socioantropológica e investigamos como esses discursos se singularizam produzindo efeitos clínicos e discursivos naqueles que, a seu modo, o reproduzem. Partimos da hipótese de que o discurso constitui, condiciona, altera e determina a própria experiência de sofrimento. Baseando-nos na psicanálise de Lacan e em sua acepção de sujeito, nossa proposta é a de verificar efeitos de indução e modalização sintomáticas produzidos pela exposição ao discurso da depressão. Analisamos um conjunto de sete relatos, obtidos através de entrevistas semidirigidas, nas quais a presença do significante depressão apresentava-se prevalente para a designação do sofrimento. Nossos achados apontam para a existência de marcas discursivas que se repetem nos relatos analisados, a despeito da diversidade e heterogeneidade de experiências compreendidas em cada um deles. O significante depressão se articula intradiscursivamente e interdiscursivamente, recuperando incidências históricas heterogêneas e descontínuas pelas quais efeitos transformativos são descritos. Conclui-se que há uma absorção identificatória do discurso da depressão em nossa cultura, passando a constituir, ele mesmo, uma catacrese ou seja, uma metáfora já absorvida ao uso comum da língua, de emprego tão corrente que há pouca equivocação semântica em jogo no seu uso. Nesse sentido, depressão é termo que praticamente supre a falta de palavras específicas para designar um sofrimento que resiste à nomeação e faz convergir discursos de diferentes procedências: saúde, trabalho, desejo e religião. Esse resultado é compatível com o estatuto criacionista do significante, bem como o estatuto performativo do ato diagnóstico, além dos efeitos de autoconfirmação clínica dos sintomas / Depression is the psychopathological category that expresses, in a privileged way, the psychic suffering nowadays, acquiring epidemic status. In this work, we examine depression as an object of discourse in our culture, from different discursive orders - medical, religious, economic, psychoanalytic, and social-anthropological - and we investigate how these discourses singularize themselves producing clinical and discursive effects upon those who, in their way, reproduce them. Our hypothesis is that speech constitutes, conditions, changes and determines the very experience of suffering. Based on Lacans psychoanalysis and on his conception of the subject, the proposal is to verify symptomatic induction and modalization effects produced by the exposure to the discourse of depression. We analyze a set of seven reports, obtained through semi-structured interviews, in which the presence of the significant \"depression\" became prevalent for the appointment of suffering. Our findings pointed to the existence of discursive marks that repeat themselves in the analyzed reports, despite the diversity and heterogeneity of the experiences comprised in each of them. The significant \"depression\" is articulated intra-discoursively and inter-discoursively, recovering heterogeneous and discontinuous historical incidences through which transformative effects are described. The conclusion is that there is an identificatory absorption of the discourse of depression in our culture, passing itself to constitute a catachresis that is, a metaphor already absorbed in the common use of language, an employment so current there is little semantic equivocation at stake in its use. In this sense, \"depression\" is a term that almost makes up for the lack of specific words for suffering that resists the appointment and converges speeches from different sources: health, work, desire and religion. This result is consistent with the creationist status of the signifier and the performative status of the diagnostic act, in addition to the effects of clinical auto-commitment of symptoms

Recovery focus has shifted in recent years towards understanding the impact of mental health difficulties on the wider individual context. This includes focus on social inclusion, engendering hope and peer support. For adolescents, psychosis and mental health treatment may interrupt typical developmental tasks such as individuation and successful stage progression. The aim of this research was to expand understanding of how young people with psychosis experience hope. This included how hope was experienced in specific domains and to which factors young people attributed changes in their hopefulness. The study employed a qualitative non-experimental design, using a semi-structured interview schedule developed in accordance with narrative methodology. Ten young people between 16 - 26 years old were interviewed. The experience of hope as an overarching strand throughout the narratives had three common elements; a sense of belonging, the importance of information and the significance of planning and occupation in relation to hope. Work was often a goal within domain-specific hope, and friendships seemed to be less apparent. The study concludes that for some young people, psychosis can act as a turning point towards hopeful thinking. Information can both promote and hinder hope and the importance of meeting others with lived experience in engendering hopeful thinking and greater social inclusion should be considered when working with young people.

Psychiatric diagnosis is used to categorise and treat mental health problems in the UK yet is widely criticised for struggling to convincingly categorise the experience of distress and that it is socially constructed from the culmination of historical and cultural interactions. Service-user accounts are varied and there is a paucity of qualitative research that considers the positive and negative effects of labelling. To understand identity construction in the context of a psychiatric diagnosis, the present study recruited 16 participants from a service-user research group and five focus groups were conducted. Transcripts were studied using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Two major identities were detected ‘illness identity’ and ‘recovery identity’. Participants drew on multiple and competing discourses and which placed them in the position of patient and/or survivor. Medical discourses were dominant throughout the focus groups and were used in a way to convey the fluidity of the identity and how they related to their diagnosis. The study’s limitations are discussed, together with implications for clinical practice and future research.

1 Synesthetic associations and psychopathological symptoms Marcel Necká Abstract Synesthesia in general is a phenomenon of intersensory and intrasensory linkage that may be observed in various conditions including artistic creativity and also manifests in conditions of various brain dysfunctions and injuries. Synesthesia is a phenomenon represented by transmodal associative connections that may represent a continuum from strong synesthetic phenomena to its mild forms that may enable creation of "synesthetic" metaphors. This study is focused on projective assessments of word-color association and their relationship to psychopathological measures reflecting stress, depression, dissociation and other psychometric measures in 154 participants selected from general population. The results are in agreement with previous reported studies suggesting that lighter colors are more frequently associated with positive emotional meanings. In addition the results indicate significant relationships of color- word associations to some specific words with depression, anxiety, alexithymia and symptoms of traumatic stress. These results are in ac-cordance with existing findings in context of the so-called metaphorical synesthesia where significant role might be attributed to color intensity. In this context, results of this...

Cette recherche investigue d’un point de vue clinique le processus d’adhésion à la religion protestante évangélique (plus spécialement sa version pentecôtiste). En France, ce fait religieux gagne de l’ampleur et se développe depuis peu chez des populations issues de la migration. Historiquement, l’évangélisme s’installe dans des milieux défavorisés socialement et se montre assez polymorphique, s’adaptant aux singularités culturelles et subjectives des groupes. C’est un phénomène transculturel qui s’appuie sur des notions chrétiennes comme la conversion et les dons du Saint-Esprit (glossolalie, prophétie, guérison avec les mains, etc.). Afin d’étudier le travail psychique impliqué, nous avons discuté avec les sciences sociales, lesquelles s’inquiètent dès leur fondation des phénomènes religieux et de leurs composants psychologiques. L’exploration de la bibliographie sur la réforme protestante et l’évangélisme nous signale l’importance de la conversion, les formules « naître de nouveau » ou « devenir une autre personne » étant souvent répétées par les évangéliques. Cette conversion est envisagée par nous comme une technique religieuse de re-création biographique. Suivant notre disposition clinique psychanalytique, les problématiques dessinées s’accompagnent de lectures de la psychopathologie et de la psychanalyse sur la religion et la religiosité : le jalon fondamental étant que l’objet religieux s’ancre dans les fondations de la vie psychique. À partir d’entretiens cliniques avec des sujets convertis (certains ayant fait recours à des soins psychosociaux), nous explorons leur activité discursive et narrative avec les théories et méthodes issues de la narrativité et de la phénoménologie herméneutique. Nous concluons sur la pertinence de penser à une psychopathologie du fait religieux : il s’agit d’une disposition éthique et épistémologique du clinicien et du besoin d’hospitalité de cet objet religieux, ceci étant présent dans le pathos et dans le travail de chaque sujet sur soi dans le langage. / This research investigates, from a clinical perspective, the processes of adhesion to evangelical Protestant religions (that of Pentecostal Christians in particular). In France, this religious fact is growing and developing among immigrant populations. Historically, Evangelicalism installs itself in socially disadvantaged backgrounds and shows the polymorphic and adaptive capacity to espouse cultural singularities and accord itself to the subjectivity processes of different groups. It’s a transcultural phenomenon that relies on Christian notions such as conversion and gifts of the Holy Spirit (glossolalia, prophecy, cure with the hands, etc.). In order to study the psychic work involved in adhesion to evangelical Protestantism, we first consider the social sciences, which since their foundation have explored religious phenomenon and their psychological components. The bibliographical exploration about the Protestant Reformation and Evangelism underlines the importance of conversion, to which expressions such as “born again” or “become another person” are frequently repeated by evangelicals. We consider conversion as a religious technique of biographical re-creation. Then, from a psychodynamic (psychoanalytical) standpoint, we review psychopathology and psychoanalytic literature in their views of religion and religiosity: the fundamental milestone is that the religious object is anchored in the foundations of the psychic life. We have interviewed converted persons (some of them had been treated by psychosocial professionals) so as to analyze their narratives and discursive activities with methods and theories from hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative psychology. We conclude our discussion by addressing the relevance of reflecting about the psychopathology of the religious fact, which we identify as an ethical and epistemological disposition for the clinician. Concurrently, this research suggests a need for more hospitality towards this religious object, which is present in the pathos and in the psychic work of the construction of the “self” in language.