Research Briefs: Fall 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Treatment/Diagnostic

Goghari & Harrow (2019). Anxiety symptoms across twenty-years in schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 275, 310-314.

Goghari and Harrow examined the trajectory of self-reported and somaticrelated anxiety for patients diagnosed with Schizoaffective (n = 43), Bipolar (n = 47), and Major Depression (n = 109) Disorders, to explore if early reports of anxiety predicted later outcomes. Patients were assessed longitudinally, i.e., six times over 20 years. The authors found that self-reported anxiety in earlier years of illness was greater for those with Schizoaffective Disorder and Major Depression than those with Bipolar Disorder, but the three groups were similar with respect to their experience of anxiety-related symptoms across 20 years. For all patients, self-reported anxiety in early years predicted a recovery period and lower global functioning in the future.

Krajniak, Pievsky, Eisen, & McGrath (2018). The relationship between personality disorder traits, emotional intelligence, and college adjustment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74, 1160-1173.

Working with college first-year students (n = 246), Krajniak et al. examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), personality disorder (PD) traits, and college adjustment to understand the reasons and protective factors related to dropout rates. They found that PD symptoms and EI were inversely related, and unique patterns of association emerged between PD clusters and EI deficits. Both variables were related to adjustment, but EI did not moderate the relationship between PD and adjustment, as previously theorized, but the study proposed a mediating model for future research.

Kudinova, Woody, James, & Burkhouse (2019). Maternal major depression and synchrony of facial affect during motherchild interactions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 4, 284-294.

Kudinova et al. examined synchrony of facial displays of affect during positive and negative mother-child interactions (n = 341 dyads) to understand how it may be impacted by maternal history of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Maternal MDD history increases children’s risk of developing depression. Facial electromyography (EMG) indexed mother and child facial affect. Maternal history of MDD was associated with reduced synchrony of positive affect; reduced synchrony of positive affect was associated with an increase in the child’s self-reported sad affect after the interaction. Therefore, positive affect in motherchild interactions may be disrupted in families with maternal MDD history.

Sibrava, Bjornsson, Perez Benitez, Moitra, Weisberg, & Keller (2019). Posttraumatic stress disorder in African American and Latinx adults: Clinical course and the role of racial and ethnic discrimination. American Psychologist, 74, 101-116.

Sibrava et al. explored the relationship between experiences of discrimination and risk for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among African American and Latinx adults with Anxiety Disorders. This 5-year longitudinal study found that African American and Latinx participants had a 35% and 15% probability, respectively, of achieving full recovery and remission from PTSD symptoms after intake. Frequency of experiences of discrimination significantly predicted PTSD diagnostic status but did not predict any other anxiety or mood disorder. Thus, racial/ethnic discrimination may play a role in the development of PTSD and contribute to its chronic course.

Psychological Assessment

Helle & Mullins-Sweatt (2019). Maladaptive personality trait models: Validat- ing the five-factor model maladaptive trait measures with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and NEO Personality Inventory. Assessment, 26, 375-385.

In the context of a convergent validity study, Helle & Mullins-Sweatt examined five-factor model (FFM) maladaptive trait scales specific to personality disorders in relation to the respective general personality traits of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) and the pathological personality traits of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5). Results suggested that the FFM maladaptive trait scales converged with corresponding NEO-PI-R and PID5 traits. This provides validity-related evidence for these measures as extensions of general personality traits and their relation to pathological trait models as well as support for the theoretical basis of utilizing the FFM to describe DSM-5 personality disorders.

Reis, Namekata, Oehlert, & King (2019, March 14). A preliminary review of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDIII) in veterans: Are new norms and cut scores needed?. Psychological Services. Advance online publication.

Reis et al. examined Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-specific use of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to establish normative data within this population and assess its psychometric properties (n = 152,260). These BDI-II scores were compared against Beck and colleagues’ original sample, normed on adult psychiatric outpatients and college students, as well as across veteran subgroups. Factor analyses found a 2-factor model provided best fit, supporting Beck’s original solution. However, veterans scored significantly higher on the BDI-II than the original comparison groups across diagnostic categories which may require future investigation for its use with veteran populations.

Psychiatry/Pharmacotherapy

Abbasi, J. (2017). Ketamine minus the trip: New hope for treatment-resistant Depression. JAMA, 318(20), 1964.

Administering one dose of ketamine can cause an extreme antidepressant impact for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) without having side-effects of hallucinations. Current research is concentrating on ketamine as a treatment method for TRD and major depressive disorder (MDD) with imminent risk of suicide. The variety of traditional medications used to treat depression work solely on the monoamine neurotransmitter system and only treat a small number of patients, which results in low response to treatment and high remission rates. Clinical trials determined that ketamine is a valuable element in treatment-resistant depression by creating shorter response to treatment and lower remission rates, and it is effective for patients who have been unsuccessful with other antidepressant options.

Limandri, B. J. (2019). Pharmacogenetic testing: Why is it so disappointing? Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(4), 9-12.

The benefits in current pharmacogenomic testing include reduced pricing, and in susceptible populations such as children and older adults, the testing can minimize polypharmacy or inaccurate drug trials. The limitations occur from the sole concentration on the metabolism of drugs. Pharmacogenomic testing cannot predict all possible outcomes that a medication may have on an individual. As a result, clinicians’ question whether they should supply pharmacogenomic testing for their patients as standard protocol. Weighing the patient’s and their family’s medication use history against the strengths and weaknesses of pharmacogenomic testing can assist in determining an answer.

O’Brien, McNeil, et al. (2017). New fathers’ perinatal depression and anxiety— treatment options: An integrative review. American Journal of Men’s Health, 11(4), 863-876.

The authors created a conceptual model consisting of four categories in order to better understand paternal perinatal depression (PPND) and effective treatment methods. The first category pertains to the father’s responsibility in helping their significant other with perinatal depression (PND). The second factor suggests that the concept of perinatal mental health should be recreated to be viewed as a family concern as opposed to strictly a maternal issue. The third category concentrates on the male’s conversion into fatherhood, the absence of guidance, and the idea that father-oriented therapeutic methods are important. The fourth includes how fathers with PPND can consider the treatment options including cognitive behavioral therapy, group work, e-support strategies, and supplying a safe atmosphere designed using father-specific models of care.

Koek, Roach, Athanasiou, van ‘t WoutFrank, & Philip. Neuromodulatory treat-

Classified Ads

ments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 92(8), 148-160.

The is a review of published data involving the use of neuromodulation in PTSD. This study summarizes that the primary components include neural circuits associated with threat-sensitivity, safety learning, emotion regulation, and contextual learning. There is an increasing amount of technology-based neuromodulation methods that allow for concentrating focus on abnormal limbic circuitry, while previous approaches to neuromodulation were more non-specific.

Bushnell, Gaynes, Compton, Dusetzina, Brookhart, & Stürmer (2018). Incidence of mental health hospitalizations, treated self-harm, and emergency room visits following new anxiety disorder diagnoses in privately insured U.S. children. Depression and Anxiety, 36(2), 179-189.

In this large-scale study, the researchers identified 198,450 children from 20052014 and followed them for two-years following an initial outpatient diagnosis of an anxiety related disorder. Authors found that following this initial diagnosis, 2.0% of children had a mental health–related hospitalization, 0.08% inpatient hospitalization for self-harm, 1.4% had an anxiety-related ER visit, and 20% had any ER visit. The incidence was highest in older children with baseline comorbid depression. These incidence rates were significantly higher compared with children without an anxiety diagnosis. ❖

The NJ Psychologist accepts advertising of interest to the profession. The minimum rate for Classified Ads is $75 for up to 50 words, $1 for each additional word. For display ad information, email inquiries to NJPAcg@PsychologyNJ.org ATTN: Christine Gurriere, or call 973-243-9800. The NJ Psychologist is mailed on or about the 10th of February, May, and November. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement by NJPA.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST/EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHOLOGIST

NEUROPSYCHOlOGICAL/IQ TESTING

Central NJ: Monmouth and Ocean County.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY!: for Part Time, Per Diem, Extra Income. Neuropsychological Testing Administration; Experience with Concussions, Auto Accidents and Work Injuries a plus.

(*) Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred as well.

Long-Term, Stable Employment. Excellent working conditions. State Licensure/Permit preferred. Please e-mail your resume to: NRABP@AOL.com