Research progress on the effects of positive stress reduction on positive awareness and psychosocial functioning in patients with depressive disorders

To review the current research status of positive thought stress reduction therapy(PTSRT),psychosocial functioning of patients with depressive disorders,the shortcomings and outlook of the influence of PTSRT on positive thought awareness,and psychosocial functioning of patients with depressive disorders.This review has the objective to provide clinical healthcare personnel with essential information about the use of PTSRT to improve the level of positive thought and psychosocial functioning of patients with depressive disorders.

Development and validation of a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool for metastatic breast cancer patients(MBC-PsySoc-Well-being).Methods Applying a mixed method approach,the study was conducted in two phases.Phase 1,a focus group method was employed for item development,and three focus group sessions were conducted,with patients,caregivers,and medical professionals,respectively.Phase 2,validity and reliability testing were performed.Five experts reviewed items for content validity.Construct validity,criterion-related validity,internal consistency,and test-retest reliability were conducted among a sample of 53 patients with metastatic breast cancer.Results Six themes were qualitatively analyzed based on focus group participants’responses.Eight items were then developed based on these themes.The index of Item-Objective Congruence scored by the experts ranged from 0.6 to 1.0.An exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors:Being curious and active in information seeking,Enthusiasm to return to a normal life,and Adjusting to positive lifestyle.The total scores of MBC-PsySoc-Well-being and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s Quality of Life Core Questionnaire(EORTC QLQ-C30)were moderately correlated(r=0.404,P=0.003).Cronbach’sαcoefficient of the overall scale was 0.686.Pearson correlation coefficients of items between two tests within 14-day ranged from 0.410 to 0.673.Conclusion This study represents an initiative to develop a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool for patients with metastatic breast cancer.The results from validity and reliability testing indicate that the scale is moderately suitable for application to patients with metastatic breast cancer.However,a larger scale study should be further administered to confirm the validity and reliability of the measurement.

Clinical high-risk criteria of psychosis in 8–17-year-old community subjects and inpatients not suspected of developing psychosis

BACKGROUND In children and adolescents compared to adults,clinical high-risk of psychosis(CHR)criteria and symptoms are more prevalent but less psychosis-predictive and less clinically relevant.Based on high rates of non-converters to psychosis,especially in children and adolescents,it was suggested that CHR criteria were:(1)Pluripotential;(2)A transdiagnostic risk factor;and(3)Simply a severity marker of mental disorders rather than specifically psychosis-predictive.If any of these three alternative explanatory models were true,their prevalence should differ between persons with and without mental disorders,and their severity should be associated with functional impairment as a measure of severity.AIM To compare the prevalence and severity of CHR criteria/symptoms in children and adolescents of the community and inpatients.METHODS In the mainly cross-sectional examinations,8–17-year-old community subjects(n=233)randomly chosen from the population register of the Swiss Canton Bern,and inpatients(n=306)with primary diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(n=86),eating disorder(n=97),anxiety including obsessive–compulsive disorder(n=94),or autism spectrum disorder(n=29),not clinically suspected to develop psychosis,were examined for CHR symptoms/criteria.Positive items of the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes(SIPS)were used to assess the symptomatic ultra-high-risk criteria,and the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument,Child and Youth version(SPI-CY)was used to assess the 14 basic symptoms relevant to basic symptom criteria.We examined group differences in frequency and severity of CHR symptoms/criteria usingχ^(2) tests and nonparametric tests with Cramer’s V and Rosenthal’s r as effect sizes,and their association with functioning using correlation analyses.RESULTS The 7.3%prevalence rate of CHR criteria in community subjects did not differ significantly from the 9.5%rate in inpatients.Frequency and severity of CHR criteria never differed between the community and the four inpatient groups,while the frequency and severity of CHR symptoms differed only minimally.Group differences were found in only four CHR symptoms:suspiciousness/persecutory ideas of the SIPS[χ2(4)=9.425;P=0.051,Cramer’s V=0.132;and Z=-4.281,P<0.001;Rosenthal’s r=0.184],and thought pressure[χ^(2)(4)=11.019;P=0.026,Cramer’s V=0.143;and Z=-2.639,P=0.008;Rosenthal’s r=0.114],derealization[χ2(4)=32.380;P<0.001,Cramer’s V=0.245;and Z=-3.924,P<0.001;Rosenthal’s r=0.169]and visual perception disturbances[χ^(2)(4)=10.652;P=0.031,Cramer’s V=0.141;and Z=-2.822,P=0.005;Rosenthal’s r=0.122]of the SPI-CY.These were consistent with a transdiagnostic risk factor or dimension,i.e.,displayed higher frequency and severity in inpatients,in particular in those with eating,anxiety/obsessive–compulsive and autism spectrum disorders.Low functioning,however,was at most weakly related to the severity of CHR criteria/symptoms,with the highest correlation yielded for suspiciousness/persecutory ideas(Kendall’s tau=-0.172,P<0.001).CONCLUSION The lack of systematic differences between inpatients and community subjects does not support suggestions that CHR criteria/symptoms are pluripotential or transdiagnostic syndromes,or merely markers of symptom severity.