Life events, coping styles, and psychological well-being in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol.

INTRODUCTION: Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol might experience more life events, in particular negative, than children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol. They also primarily use less adaptive coping styles and often demonstrate lower resilience. No studies evaluated whether coping styles or psychological well-being might influence the risk of life events occurrence in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol. METHODS: Forty-five children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol and 45 children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol, matched for sex and age, were assessed via the Appendix Life Events of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and the Psychological Well-Being scales. RESULTS: Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol had more life events in the 6-month period before the assessment, mostly negative and neutral, and lower levels of psychological well-being than children living with parents who do not harmfully consume alcohol. The risk of having experienced at least one negative or neutral life event was higher in children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol than in their peers and in those with lower psychological well-being. The risk of having had a positive life event was not related to parents' consumption of alcohol but to avoidant coping and low self-acceptance behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Children living with parents who harmfully consume alcohol need interventions aimed at improving psychological well-being to protect them from life events, especially from negative ones.

Objective personality assessment of people in diverse cultures: European adaptations of the MMPI-2.

This article examines the cross-national application of psychological tests and examines the generalizability of objective psychological assessment instruments. The most widely used and internationally adapted personality instrument, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), is highlighted to illustrate the adaptation of psychological tests across the barriers of language and culture. The problems and limitations of using questionnaire methods were noted and effective strategies for translating, adapting, and standardizing questionnaires in languages and cultures different from their country of origin are reviewed. The history of several European adaptations of the original MMPI and MMPI-2 is surveyed to illustrate the extensive research base for the test in Europe. Applications of the MMPI-2 in clinical and non-clinical (e.g. industrial) settings were noted. Current research is described and recommendations for future research are provided.

Psychological predictors of the antihypertensive effects of music-guided slow breathing.

BACKGROUND: The possibility that daily sessions of music-guided slow breathing may reduce 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), and predictors of efficacy were explored in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with parallel design. METHODS: Age-matched and sex-matched hypertensive patients were randomized to music-guided slow breathing exercises (4-6 breaths/min; 1: 2 ratio of inspiration: expiration duration) (Intervention; n = 29) or to control groups who were thought to relax while either listening to slow music (Control-M; n = 26) or reading a book (Control-R; n = 31). At baseline and at follow-up visits (1 week and 1, 3 and 6 months), ABP monitoring was performed. RESULTS: At mixed model analysis, intervention was associated with a significant reduction of 24-h (P = 0.001) and night-time (0100-0600 h) (P < 0.0001) systolic ABP. The average reduction of systolic 24-h ABP at 6 months was 4.6 mmHg [confidence limits at 95% 1.93-7.35] and 4.1 mmHg (95% confidence limits 1.59-6.67) vs. Control-M and Control-R groups, respectively, (P < 0.001 for both). Antihypertensive treatment was selected as negative predictor of BP reduction at multivariate stepwise analysis. When antihypertensive treatment was inserted as covariate in a generalized linear model, psychological subscales assessed at baseline by the Mental Health Inventory questionnaire were found to affect systolic blood pressure reduction at 6-month follow-up (general positive affect P < 0.001; emotional ties, P < 0.001; loss of behavioral control, P = 0.035). In particular, a level of general positive affect higher than the 75th percentiles was found to be significantly associated with low treatment efficacy (odds ratio 0.09; 95% confidence limits 0.01-0.93). CONCLUSION: Daily sessions of voluntary music-guided slow breathing significantly reduce 24-h systolic ABP, and psychological predictors of efficacy can be identified.

Well-being therapy of generalized anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing awareness that the goal of treatment in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) should not simply be a response, but restoration of normal function. The aim of this study was to apply a novel psychotherapeutic approach for increasing the level of remission in GAD. METHODS: Twenty patients with DSM-IV GAD devoid of comorbid conditions were randomly assigned to 8 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or the sequential administration of 4 sessions of CBT followed by other 4 sessions of well-being therapy (WBT). Assessment methods included the Anxiety and Depression Scales of Paykel's Clinical Interview for Depression, Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scales and Kellner's Symptom Questionnaire. A one-year follow-up was undertaken. RESULTS: Significant advantages of the CBT-WBT sequential combination over CBT only were observed with both observer and self-rated methods after treatment. Such gains were maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest the feasibility and clinical advantages of adding WBT to the treatment of GAD. They lend support to a sequential use of treatment components for achieving a more sustained recovery.