The relationships among working alliance, group cohesion and homework engagement in group cognitive behaviour therapy for social anxiety disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated the role of generic relational factors, such as group cohesion and working alliance, in group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for social anxiety disorder (SAD). The aim of this study was to examine the temporal associations among working alliance, group cohesion, and an index of a CBT-specific factor, homework engagement, as correlates of fear of negative evaluation and symptoms of social anxiety in group CBT for SAD. METHOD: There were 105 participants with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder who were randomly assigned to 12 sessions of group imagery-enhanced or standard CBT. Participants completed measures at various time points during the 12-session interventions, and the relationship among variables was examined through random-intercept cross-lagged panel models. RESULTS: Group cohesion was significantly associated with social anxiety symptoms at the end of treatment, however there was no significant relationship with working alliance. Greater homework engagement predicted lower social interaction anxiety, but only during mid-treatment. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the importance of supporting group cohesion and maximising homework engagement during core components of social anxiety treatment such as behavioural experiments.

Modified Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depressive Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease: a Pilot Trial.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has evidence of efficacy in a range of populations, but few studies to date have reported on MBCT for treatment of anxious and depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of modified MBCT in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and improving quality of life in PD. METHOD: Thirty-six individuals with PD were randomly assigned to either modified MBCT or a waitlist control. Changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression and quality of life were compared at group level using generalized linear mixed models and at individual level using reliable change analysis. RESULTS: At post-treatment, there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms for people undertaking modified MBCT at both group and individual levels compared with controls. There was no significant effect on anxiety or quality of life at the group level, although significantly more people had reliable improvement in anxiety after modified MBCT than after waitlist. Significantly more waitlist participants had reliable deterioration in symptoms of anxiety and depression than those completing modified MBCT. Most participants stayed engaged in modified MBCT, with only three drop-outs. DISCUSSION: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential efficacy of modified MBCT as a treatment for depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease and suggests further research is warranted.

Mindfulness and avoidance mediate the relationship between yoga practice and anxiety.

OBJECTIVES: There is accumulating evidence that yoga and mindfulness meditation can alleviate symptoms of anxiety, although the mechanisms by which this occurs remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between yoga practice and self-reported anxiety as well as the potential mediating roles of mindfulness and emotional avoidance. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, 367 participants were recruited online and completed measures of anxiety, avoidance, and mindfulness. RESULTS: Results showed that length of yoga practice was significantly correlated with lower anxiety in yoga practitioners. Avoidance and mindfulness mediated the relationship between length of yoga practice and anxiety, shedding light on possible mechanisms by which these practices reduce anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Future experimental and longitudinal research is needed to examine the causal role of mindfulness and avoidance in the relationship between yoga practice and anxiety, and whether yoga is a useful adjunct to cognitive behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders.

The Illusory Beliefs Inventory: a new measure of magical thinking and its relationship with obsessive compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Magical thinking has been proposed to have an aetiological role in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). AIMS: To address the limitations of existing measures of magical thinking we developed and validated a new 24-item measure of magical thinking, the Illusory Beliefs Inventory (IBI). METHOD: The validation sample comprised a total of 1194 individuals across two samples recruited via an Internet based survey. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified three subscales representing domains relevant to the construct of magical thinking: Magical Beliefs, Spirituality, and Internal State and Thought Action Fusion. The scale had excellent internal consistency and evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Evidence of criterion-related concurrent validity confirmed that magical thinking is a cognitive domain associated with OCD and is largely relevant to neutralizing, obsessing and hoarding symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for future studies to extend the evidence of the psychometric properties of the IBI in new populations and to conduct longitudinal studies to examine the aetiological role of magical thinking.