Perceived effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical psychology internships in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on societies and health care services worldwide, including the clinical training of psychology interns. Some of the pandemic-related restrictions were in breach of the internship requirements, increasing the risk of failed internships and a shortage of new health care professionals. This situation needed to be assessed. METHODS: Web-based surveys were administered to clinical psychology interns in Sweden 2020 (n = 267) and 2021 (n = 340), as well as to supervisors in 2020 (n = 240). The supervisors also provided information about their interns (n = 297). RESULTS: Risk factors for a prolonged internship, such as pandemic-related absence from work (12.4% in 2020 and 7.9% in 2021), unqualified work (0% in 2020, 3% in 2021), and change in internship content were low. However, remote interactions using digital services increased. Face-to-face patient contacts decreased significantly from 2020 to 2021 (Χ2 = 5.17, p = .023), while remote work and remote supervision increased significantly (Χ2 = 53.86, p < .001 and Χ2 = 8.88, p = .003, respectively). Still, the content in patient contacts and supervision was maintained. Most interns reported no difficulties with remote supervision or supervision in personal protective equipment. However, of the interns who reported difficulties, role-play and skills training in remote supervision were perceived as significantly harder (Χ2 = 28.67, p < .001) than in supervision using personal protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that clinical training of psychology interns in Sweden could proceed despite a societal crisis. Results suggest that the psychology internship was flexible in the sense that it could be realized in combined face-to-face and remote formats without losing much of its value. However, the results also suggest that some skills may be harder to train in remote supervision.

Development and preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of the psychological flexibility in epilepsy questionnaire (PFEQ).

The present study describes the development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Psychological Flexibility in Epilepsy Questionnaire (PFEQ), which was developed to measure the construct referred to as Psychological Flexibility (PF) in epilepsy. Results from 81 participants with epilepsy support a one-factor solution, consisting of 12 items, indicating a satisfactory structure and reliability with an alpha coefficient of 0.92. Criterion validity of the instrument was supported by moderate correlations with outcomes predicting quality of life, PF in the general population, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Number of seizures in the past three and 12 months was positively correlated with scores on the PFEQ. These findings are consistent with the instrument's underlying theory. Further development and investigation of the PFEQ is recommended, as the preliminary results of the questionnaire suggest that the scale has the potential to be a valuable contribution to the future exploration of the role of PF in epilepsy.

Cognitive Function and Variability in Antipsychotic Drug-Naive Patients With First-Episode Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Cognitive impairment contributes significantly to clinical outcome and level of function in individuals with psychotic disorders. These impairments are present already at psychosis onset at a group level; however, the question of heterogeneity in cognitive function among patients has not been systematically investigated. Objective: To provide an updated quantification of cognitive impairment at psychosis onset before patients receive potentially confounding antipsychotic treatment, and to investigate variability in cognitive function compared with healthy controls. Data Sources: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed articles were searched up to September 15, 2022. Study Selection: Original studies reporting data on cognitive function in antipsychotic drug-naive patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) were included. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data were independently extracted by 2 researchers. Cognitive tasks were clustered according to 6 domains of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery and the domain of executive function. Random-effects model meta-analyses of mean differences and coefficient of variation ratios (CVRs) were performed, as well as meta-regressions, assessment of study quality, and publication bias. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome measure was Hedges g for mean differences in cognition and CVR for within-group variability. Results: Fifty studies were included in the analysis with a total of 2625 individuals with FEP (mean [SD] age, 25.2 [3.6] years, 60% male; 40% female) and 2917 healthy controls (mean [SD] age, 26.0 [4.6]; 55% male; 45% female). In all cognitive domains, the FEP group displayed significant impairment compared with controls (speed of processing: Hedges g = -1.16; 95% CI, -1.35 to -0.98; verbal learning: Hedges g = -1.08; 95% CI, -1.28 to -0.88; visual learning: Hedges g = -1.05; 95% CI, -1.27 to -0.82; working memory: Hedges g = -1.04; 95% CI, -1.35 to -0.73; attention: Hedges g = -1.03; 95% CI, -1.24 to -0.82; reasoning/problem solving: Hedges g = -0.90; 95% CI, -1.12 to -0.68; executive function: Hedges g = -0.88; 95% CI, -1.07 to -0.69). Individuals with FEP also exhibited a larger variability across all domains (CVR range, 1.34-1.92). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis identified cognitive impairment in FEP before the initiation of antipsychotic treatment, with large effect sizes. The high variability within the FEP group suggests the need to identify those individuals with more severe cognitive problems who risk worse outcomes and could benefit the most from cognitive remediation.

Facial affect recognition in first-episode psychosis is impaired but not associated with psychotic symptoms.

Introduction: Social dysfunction is a key feature of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia linked to disability. Less is known about social functioning in the early stages of the disorder and if there is an association to psychotic symptoms. Aims: Investigate if antipsychotic drug-naïve or briefly medicated individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP), have impaired facial affect recognition (FAR) compared to control participants and if psychotic symptoms are associated with the FAR ability. Method: Individuals with FEP (n = 67) and control participants (n = 51) performed a computer-aided FAR task on basic emotions. Psychotic symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Group performances were compared using age and gender as covariates. The associations between FAR and performance on the subscales of PANSS were analyzed. Results: Compared to control participants, individuals with FEP were impaired in general FAR (Beta = -2.04 [95 % conf: -3.75/-1.62], p < 0.001) and FAR of negative emotions (Beta = -1.74 [95 % conf: -3.08/-1.22], p < 0.001), driven by difficulties in recognition of anger and disgust. In both groups, there was a pattern of mistaking negative emotions for other negative emotions. There were no significant group differences in FAR of happiness. No significant associations between FAR and psychotic symptoms were observed. Discussion: The results indicate that FAR, an underlying mechanism of social functioning is impaired early in the course of psychotic disorders. Current findings do not support the hypothesis that misinterpretation of facial expressions in individuals with FEP underlies or contributes to symptoms of psychosis.