Education Commons^™

Examining Processes Of Change For Acceptance And Commitment Therapy And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Self-Help Books With Depressed College Students, Carter H. Davis, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Given the prevalence of depression, it is worthwhile to consider a variety of treatment approaches to reach as many sufferers as possible, including highly accessible formats such as self-help books. Books based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) propose to treat depression through distinct processes of change, though the degree to which these treatments are distinguishable in this format is unclear. Furthermore, it is possible that some individuals may respond better to therapeutic processes from one approach over the other based on personal preferences. We tested the effects of ACT and CBT self-help books on …

Predictors Of Adherence To A Publicly Available Self-Guided Digital Mental Health Intervention, Mercedes G. Woolley, Korena S. Klimczak, Carter H. Davis, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Low adherence to self-guided digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have raised concerns about their real-world effectiveness. Naturalistic data from self-guided DMHIs are often not available, hindering our ability to assess adherence among real-world users. This study aimed to analyze 3 years of user data from the public launch of an empirically supported 12-session self-guided DMHI, to assess overall program adherence rates and explore predictors of adherence. Data from 984 registered users were analyzed. Results showed that only 14.8% of users completed all 12 modules and 68.6% completed less than half of the modules. Users who were younger, had milder depression, …

Efficacy Of Patient Education And Duloxetine, Alone And In Combination, For Patients With Multisystem Functional Somatic Disorder: Study Protocol For The Edulox Trial, Cecilia Pihl Jespersen, Heidi Frølund Pedersen, Maria Kleinstäuber, Per Fink, Kaare Bro Wellnitz, Eva Ørnbøl, Andreas Schröder, Johanne Liv Agger, Lene Vase, Nanna Brix Finnerup, Lise Kirstine Gormsen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Multisystem functional somatic disorder is characterized by specific patterns of persistent physical symptoms with a complex biopsychosocial etiology. The disorder can lead to disability and personal suffering. Current treatment options require specialized settings, therefore patients often wait a long time to receive specific treatment.

Patient education is considered important in most treatment programs, but has only been investigated sparsely as a stand-alone treatment. Pharmacological treatment is limited to tricyclic antidepressants in low doses with not antidepressant properties. Duloxetine has been found effective in single organ functional disorders. As a treatment for multisystem functional somatic disorder, duloxetine could reduce symptoms …

Discussing Patient Emotions In Audiology: Provider Experiences With The Implementation Process Of Hearing Loss Psychological Inflexibility Screenings, Sydnee Grigsby, Karen Muñoz, Guadalupe G. San Miguel, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate barriers and facilitators experienced by clinical educators and graduate students when talking with patients about difficult emotions and thoughts related to their hearing.

Method: A longitudinal observational design was used, and an Implementation Research Logic Model guided the process. Five clinical educators and five graduate students participated in the study. Participants completed pre- and post-measures and attended individual debriefing sessions during the eight-month study period.

Results: Four themes emerged from the debriefing sessions: (1) learning process, (2) confidence (3) barriers, and (4) supervision. Participants described that the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Managing Child Hearing Loss …

Establishing The Temporal Relationship Between Religious Commitment, Sexual Identity Struggles, And Religious Struggles Among Sexual Minorities, G. Tyler Lefevor, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Conclusions about the temporal relationship between religiousness and both religious and sexual identity struggles are frequently made in the absence of longitudinal data. The present study examines the temporal relationship between religious identification, sexual identity struggles, and religious struggles.

Methods: Participants were 132 Latter-day Saint sexual minorities who provided data at two timepoints, two years apart. We employed two cross-lagged panel models, one focusing on religious struggles and religious commitment and the other focusing on sexual identity struggles and religious commitment, to understand the temporal relationships between these variables.

Results: Cross-lagged panel models suggested that interpersonal religious struggles and …

Diminished Adolescent Social Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael J. Furlong, Mei-Ki Chan, Erin Dowdy, Karen Nylund-Gibson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic involved implementing public health policies that disrupted students' lives, creating conditions that substantially influenced their mental health and well-being. Subsequently, research focused don the mental health sequelae of increased depression and anxiety, but the possible impacts on adolescents' social well-being have been largely unexamined. Social well-being is essential to youth's overall mental health and can be diminished even without symptoms of depression and anxiety. This report explored heterogeneities in changes in adolescents' social well-being from pre-COVID-19 to post-restrictions using longitudinal data from adolescents attending middle and high schools in California (N = 1,299; 49.9% female). …

An Examination Of Psychological Flexibility As A Mediator Between Mental Health Concerns And Satisfaction With Life Among Autistic Adults, Ty B. Aller, Heather H. Kelley, Tyson S. Barrett, Benjamin Covington, Michael E. Levin, Maryellen Brunson Mcclain

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Experiencing mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress) can have negative effects on satisfaction with life (SWL) for autistic adults. Current mental health supports that may promote SWL do not effectively meet the needs of autistic adults, often due to deficits-based approaches. Methods: To begin addressing the gap in research surrounding mental health supports among autistic adults, we designed a preregistered longitudinal study that used structural equation modeling to assess 289 autistic adults from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) program to determine if progress toward ones values, a strengths-based component of psychological flexibility, is a potential …

Response To Commentary: The Framework For Systematic Reviews On Psychological Risk Factors For Persistent Somatic Symptoms And Related Syndromes And Disorders (Psy-Pss), Paul Hüsing, Abigail Smakowski, Bernd Löwe, Maria Kleinstäuber, Anne Toussaint, Meike C. Shedden-Mora

Psychology Faculty Publications

Persistent somatic symptoms (PSS) are common in all fields of medicine. Current classification systems for mental disorders in this field, i.e. Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD; DSM-5) or Bodily Distress Disorder (BDD; ICD-11), now stress the relevance of psychological features associated with the physical complaints. It is well known that psychological criteria are among the relevant risk factors for the development and/or worsening of persistent physical symptoms, however, the selected diagnostic criteria remain subject to debate. Numerous psychological concepts have been studied and discussed in the scientific field. However, empirical evidence remains scattered, individual factors have not been reviewed systematically, and …

Increasing Transcultural Competence In Clinical Psychologists Through A Web-Based Training: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Selina Studer, Maria Kleinstäuber, Ulrike Von Lersner, Cornelia Weise

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background In mental health care, the number of patients with diverse cultural backgrounds is growing. Nevertheless, evaluated training programs for transcultural competence are missing. Barriers for engaging in transcultural therapy can be identified in patients as well as in therapists. Besides language barriers, clinical psychologists report insecurities, for example, fear of additional expenses when involving a language mediator, ethical concerns such as power imbalances, or fear of lack of knowledge or incorrect handling when working with patients from other cultures. Divergent values and concepts of disease, prejudices, and stereotyping are also among the issues discussed as barriers to optimal psychotherapy …

Reach, Adoption, And Maintenance Of Online Acceptance And Commitment Therapy At A University: An Implementation Case Study, Carter H. Davis, Korena Klimczak, Ty B. Aller, Michael P. Twohig, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

College students are undergoing a mental health crisis and existing clinical resources at universities may be inadequate to meet their needs. One solution to this problem could be the use of self-guided, online programs for mental health that can be easily distributed to students. A persistent issue, however, is the transition from program development to implementation of a self-guided program at campus-wide scale. We describe, in a self-narrative format, the steps taken to translate an online program we developed based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), called ACT Guide, from a research context to a campus-wide service at our university. …