Research snapshot

Acting on benefit-finding has advantages.

As the prevalence of food hypersensitivity rises worldwide, the approach families take to raising children with food hypersensitivity can significantly impact their psychological wellbeing.

Benefit-finding, defined as identifying favourable aspects from adverse situations, can help families cope. However, little is known about the processes by which benefit-finding occurs for different family members. To address this knowledge gap, a recently published multi-centre study compared benefit-finding processes through semi-structured interviews with 11 regional Australian families, including 48 nuclear family members.

This study identified a benefit-finding process hierarchy, consisting of three sequential levels. Each higher-ranked benefit-finding process introduced additional cognitive and behavioural skills associated with increased biopsychosocial wellbeing. At its basic level, benefit-finding Step 1- It Could Be Worse, families found relief in recognising that others may be facing even tougher challenges. At Step 2- Silver Lining, families were uplifted when they reflected on the positives they perceived from their hardship. At Step 3- Action Advantage, families acted on their positive reflections by developing advantageous thoughts and actions to improve their situation. Parental training facilitated the use of Action Advantage benefit-finding by parents in this study, highlighting potential value in developing Action Advantage benefit-finding training.

Findings suggest potential advantages to establishing family management plans that address the biopsychosocial wellbeing of each family member, and encourage fathers to adopt a more involved role. Benefit-finding psychoeducation and whole-family management plans are suggested to assist families to move more swiftly from surviving with ad hoc individualistic approaches, to thriving by using an adaptive, cohesive, family approach. This study gave voice to all family members, ensuring that the emergent theory was grounded in lived experience. The findings offer healthcare providers, educators, and families, benefit-finding process theory and practical advice to support improved biopsychosocial family functioning.

https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12648

How often do psychologists use interoceptive exposure to treat panic disorder?

Interoceptive exposure (IE) is one of the single most critical components of cognitive behaviour therapy for panic disorder, as supported by research. International studies suggest, however, that psychologists often avoid using IE with their clients, and that when they do use it, they frequently do not do so in ways consistent with evidence-based best practice. The same studies suggest that negative beliefs about exposure may underpin these treatment decisions.

Researchers investigated the use of IE within a population of Australian and New Zealand psychologists. The aim was to find out how much IE is used, and whether use of IE was associated with psychologists’ beliefs about exposure and personal characteristics, such as level and type of training. Participants (N = 164) completed questionnaires seeking demographic information, as well as information about type of treatment used for panic disorder, how treatment is implemented, negative beliefs about exposure therapy, general risk orientation and self-reported treatment outcomes.

Participants used a broad range of treatment approaches for panic disorder and implemented exposure in widely varying ways, often not consistent with evidence-based practice. For those who did not use IE at all, or use it as indicated, results suggested that they are influenced by negative beliefs about exposure therapy, which was positively related to lower success rates in treatment outcomes.

The findings suggest a need for further research into the quality of current training methodologies, supervision practices and ongoing professional development standards for exposure therapy techniques in Australian and New Zealand contexts.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2022.2035651

The influence of family processes on school attendance issues.

The influence of family processes on school attendance issues.

Marlow and Rehman conducted a systematic literature review of the relationship between positive and negative family processes and school absenteeism and dropout among primary and secondary school students.

Effect sizes from 33 studies were used to conduct meta-analyses on the overall relationships and multiple outcome analyses. A significant positive relationship between school absenteeism and dropout and negative family processes, and a significant negative relationship between positive family processes and school attendance issues were found.

In addition, the correlation between positive family processes and school attendance issues was strongest for primary school children, whereas the correlation between negative family processes and absenteeism and dropout was strongest for students in secondary school.

The study supports the use of a systemic and developmental focus for understanding school absenteeism and dropout. Key implications include the use of interventions aimed at increasing positive family processes in primary school and decreasing negative family processes in secondary school.

doi.org/10.1080/20590776.2020.1834842

Dietary interventions as part of treatment for children with psychological symptoms.

Nutrition is becoming increasingly recognised for its important role in maintaining optimal health and wellbeing. While there are positives to supporting healthy eating practices, there is a worrying trend towards people taking up fad diets and using dietary supplements that are not medically or scientifically sound. Of particular concern is the growing interest in fad diets and supplements for children with psychological disorders such as autism spectrum disorder.

Nutritional interventions are often perceived as being harmless, risk-free and natural, especially when compared with pharmaceutical options. However, many diets, such as the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, eliminate whole food groups and can result in serious nutritional deficiencies as well as lower quality of life.

Researchers explored whether psychologists have a role in the uptake of nutritional interventions for children with psychological disorders through an anonymous survey. Of those who responded to the survey, nearly all held favourable attitudes towards nutritional interventions, and many reported they would be likely to incorporate a nutritional intervention into the treatment of a child presenting for psychological therapy.

The GAPS diet, although a fad diet lacking empirical support, was one of the most widely endorsed of the diets and supplements in the survey. The results highlight the importance of ensuring psychology training programs support graduates to critically evaluate the evidence for therapeutic interventions to ensure the best outcomes for clients.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2021.1944788

What motivates the darker side of personality?

The Dark Tetrad of personality (i.e., sub-clinical traits of sadism, psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism) has demonstrated use in predicting self-reported risk-taking behaviour, but more research is needed.

Studies indicate psychopaths are more likely to be impulsive thrillseekers, narcissists tend to be egotistical attention-seekers, Machiavellians tend to be strategic manipulators, while sadists appear to receive gratification from inflicting cruelty on victims. However, the explanatory power of the Dark Tetrad of personality in the prediction of everyday risk-taking behaviours has yet to be determined.

Participants (N = 216) completed an online survey and the study aimed to predict both self-reported and behavioural risk-taking from the four dark trait variables. Though the Dark Tetrad traits were not significant predictors of behavioural risk-taking, sadism emerged as the strongest predictor of self-reported risk-taking and outcomes of this study suggested that psychopathy and sadism share strong connections.

The practical implications of high levels of sadism or psychopathy combined with a heightened risk-taking disposition carries antisocial implications and underscores the need for harm reduction. The findings also suggest sadism may be more prevalent in the general population than initially surmised. This work highlights the need for identifying potential clinical interventions for extreme levels of the Dark Tetrad traits and more exploration is needed to detect the underlying mechanisms of the dark personality-risk relationship.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1955224

Change is needed to increase mental health help-seeking among chronically ill older adults.

Although chronically ill older adults (aged 65+ years) are at greater risk of mental health declines relative to their physically healthy peers, they underutilise mental health-related services.

Researchers investigated intentions to seek professional mental health support in this population in Australia. The aim was to facilitate early intervention and enhance help-seeking intentions. Participants (N = 108) provided demographic and health-related information, completed self-report measures of mental and physical health, and attitudinal and belief-based factors related to help-seeking based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

Most participants reported some intention to seek professional mental health support, yet 41 per cent stated they would not. Attitudes, norms and perceived ability to seek help had the greatest influence on help-seeking intentions, beyond mental and physical health status, explaining 69.7 per cent of the variance in intentions.

Participants reported a high perceived ability to seek help, therefore, congruent with the TPB, promoting favourable attitudes towards mental health help-seeking among chronically ill older adults is likely to enhance their help-seeking intentions and behaviour.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1952850

Introverts rather than extraverts appear to have fared worse during lockdown.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a common belief among the general public that introverts have fared better psychologically from social distancing and the various lockdown measures than extraverts. In an online survey 114 individuals (predominantly from the USA) completed measures of introversion and reported on the extent to which they experienced loneliness, anxiety, depression and cognitive impairments in relation to COVID-19-related changes to their circumstances. It was higher introversion rather than extraversion that was associated with higher levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety. That is, introverts experienced greater psychological impact of social distancing and lockdown measures than extroverts. Living with others was associated with experiencing more cognitive impairments and anxiety than living alone, but living condition did not predict loneliness and depressive symptoms.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.561609

Frequent social media use does not appear to be a sign of addiction.

Researchers explored whether social media use might be associated with an attentional bias, one of the signs of addictive behaviour. Participants (n=99) were shown mock iPhone displays and asked to detect a target app (Siri or camera) as quickly and accurately as they could while trying to ignore the other apps in the display. In some experimental trials the ‘distractor apps’ were not social media apps, in others it was the social media app icon of one of the main platforms and in others the social media app icons had a red notification symbol on them. However, there was no evidence of an attentional bias to social media among those with higher levels of social media use. For example, those people who checked and posted on Facebook 10 times a day were not any more likely to have their attention captured by the Facebook distractor app (with or without notifications) than someone who only posted and checked their Facebook account once a week.

https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2021.00011

Self-determined motives lead to more adaptive education outcomes.

In a meta-analysis researchers examined how different types of motivation, as described in self-determination theory, relate to 26 performance, wellbeing, goal orientation and persistence-related student outcomes. Adaptive education outcomes were generally associated with more self-determined forms of motivation, while less self-determined motives were generally associated with more maladaptive outcomes. Theoretical and classroom implications are discussed. The results highlight the importance of enhancing student motivation and the relatives benefits and costs of different types of academic motivation.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620966789