Negative cognitive styles as risk factors for the occurrence of PMS and PMDD.

Background: The purpose of our study is to verify whether elements of cognitive vulnerability to affective disorders may enhance the occurrence of PMS/PMDD. Methods: In total, 293 women with regular cycles took part in the study. The subjects were exposed to failure during the follicular phase or luteal phase, as appropriate, and the attributional style of failure, cognitive triad inventory (CTI) and presence of biased information processing were determined. The mood of the subjects before and after failure was measured, and the depressive mood was screened by CES-D. The occurrence of PMS/PMDD was assessed on the basis of PSST. Results: The women suffering from PMS/PMDD differed from those without PMS in terms of the cognitive triad, the use of positive and negative adjectives when describing themselves and biased information processing. In the luteal cycle phase, considerably greater sadness and irritation were observed in women with PMS/PMDD after experiencing failure, but only in those from the group not taking oral contraceptives. Conclusions: Negative cognitive styles are an important factor in the development of PMS/PMDD. PMDD is similar to major depression regarding cognitive vulnerability. Only in the case of PMDD was biased information processing in the luteal cycle phase recorded.

The mental functioning of school-age children in Poland since the outbreak of war in Ukraine and during the subsequent refugee crisis.

BACKGROUND: There is growing body of research focusing on the functioning of children who have fled from war-torn areas. However, there is currently lack of data regarding the functioning of children residing in host countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the presence of emotional problems, negative attitudes, interpersonal problems, and functional difficulties among Polish children during the first month after the outbreak of war and initial phase of the current refugee crisis. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD: The study group comprised children aged 9-15 (N = 360), living in Poland. The Children's Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2) and The Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (CTIC) was used to measure emotional functioning. The study took place 7 to 39 days after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. RESULTS: The children reported more emotional problems (t(359) = 9.340; p < .001; d = 0.49) with a negative mood (t(359) = 6.692; p < .001; d = 0.35) and negative self-esteem (t(359) = 9.632; p < .001; d = 0.51). The severity of depression symptoms was the highest in the first week after the outbreak of the war (F(5,354) = 2.472; p < .05; η2 = 0.03). The view of the self (F(1,358) = 3.858; p = .05; R2 = 0.01) and of the world (F(1,358) = 5.359; p < .05; R2 = 0.02) improved over time; however, their vision of the future remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: The results shows that children who are not directly affected by the war can also display difficulties in mental functioning. In the initial months following the outbreak of the war and during the early stage of the current refugee crisis, Polish children demonstrated significantly higher levels of emotional problems and negative self-esteem. Moreover, the perception of oneself and the world appeared to be influenced by the duration since the onset of the war.

Factors affecting mother-infant bonding in a Polish group of mothers.

AIM: The study aimed to identify the factors affecting the mother-infant bond. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 117 mothers of infants up to 12 months of age. The participants completed online versions of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale - Short Form, the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Perception of Stress Questionnaire, and the Prenatal Expectations Scale, which included expectations toward the child, social functioning, and the partner. The results were analyzed using independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Mothers who experienced symptoms of postpartum depression reported lower satisfaction with motherhood, higher stress levels, and greater discrepancies between prenatal expectations and postpartum reality. Regression analysis revealed that postpartum depression symptoms did not significantly influence the three dimensions of bonding difficulties. However, stress, discrepancies between expectations toward the partner and child, and maternal sense of competence were found to potentially intensify bonding disorders. The study also found that greater disappointment with the partner was generally associated with a weaker bond with the child. However, in cases where caring for a child was more challenging than expected during pregnancy, high emotional tension was present, or the mother had lower parental competencies, having a partner who functioned better than expected may exacerbate the disruption of the bond between the mother and child. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal expectations, perceived stress levels, and maternal sense of competence are significant factors in bonding difficulties, with postpartum depression symptoms being an important as single variable. However, the role of postpartum depression symptoms in shaping the mother-infant bond diminishes when the overall functioning of the mother is considered.

A review of selected psychotherapies for PTSD, their efficacy and treatment guidelines in adults. / Przeglad wybranych psychoterapii PTSD, ich skutecznosci i zalecen terapeutycznych w terapii osób doroslych.

AIM: Around 2.5% of Poles will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their lifetime. Recent events, i.e. the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, are the factors that will increase the number of people dealing with PTSD. Owing to that, this paper aims to review and familiarise readers with the available scientific evidence on psychotherapies of PTSD provided in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A review of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and a review of the most recent treatment guidelines concerning PTSD. RESULTS: The best available evidence points to high efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) with prolonged exposure and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Humanistic therapy also proves effective to a certain degree, but not as effective as therapies that use exposure to stimuli and memories associated with trauma. There is no evidence of the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy and methods based on polyvagal theory. Organisations preparing guidelines recommend primarily CBT and EMDR. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacious treatment of PTSD should include a protocol with a component of exposure to trauma-related memories and stimuli. It is recommended to use such therapies in the psychotherapeutic treatment of PTSD.

New data on the validity of the Fazio Laterality Inventory.

The Fazio Laterality Inventory (FLI) is a recent measure of handedness. Although initially validated, there is still a lack of studies assessing its psychometric properties in samples outside the USA. The present study explores the validity of the Polish adaptation of the FLI. We used data gathered from a convenience sample of 727 participants. They completed the FLI and the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory to establish concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the FLI. In addition, an Item Response Theory (IRT) model for continuous item scores was also used to identify the discrimination and difficulty parameters of the FLI items. The Polish version of the FLI was characterized by good reliability indices and has high concurrent validity with the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. We identified a bi-factorial structure for the questionnaire. The IRT analyses showed that the FLI items have good discrimination and difficulty parameters. Our study provides new insights into the properties of the Fazio Laterality Inventory.

The Influence of Depression on Biased Diagnosis of Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder by the PSST Inventory.

The diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) poses a challenge for clinicians due to the overdiagnosis of retrospective methods and overlapping symptoms with depression. The present study utilized an Item Response Theory analysis to examine the predictive utility of the Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool (PSST) in women with and without depression. Two hundred and fifteen women aged 20-35 completed the PSST, a daily symptom calendar, SCID-I, and CES-D for two consecutive menstrual cycles. PSST items: fatigue, depressed mood, feeling overwhelmed, anxiety/tension, and decreased interest in everyday activities were the best predictors of PMS. Unlike the daily symptom ratings, the PSST over-diagnosed PMS/PMDD in the depressed group but not in the group of women without PMS/PMDD. While diagnosing premenstrual disorders, clinicians should be aware that a retrospective diagnosis with PSST can be more sensitive to mood disorders and cycle phases than a prospective diagnosis with a daily symptoms calendar.

Development and Psychometric Properties of MisoQuest-A New Self-Report Questionnaire for Misophonia.

Background: Misophonia is a condition related to experiencing psychophysiological sensations when exposed to specific sound triggers. In spite of progress in research on the subject, a fully validated questionnaire assessing misophonia has not been published yet. The goal of this study was to create and validate a new questionnaire to measure misophonia. Methods: MisoQuest is based on the diagnostic criteria proposed by Schröder et al. in 2013, with minor changes implemented by the authors of MisoQuest. A total of 705 participants took part in the study, completing the online questionnaires. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and analyses using the Item Response Theory (IRT) were performed. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Results: The reliability of the MisoQuest was excellent (α = 0.955). The stability at five weeks was strong. There was a significant difference in results between people classified as those with misophonia and those without misophonia. Conclusions: MisoQuest has good psychometric values and can be helpful in the identification of misophonia. A deeper analysis showed that certain triggers might be more specific for people with misophonia. Consideration of violent behavior in response to misophonic triggers as a symptom of misophonia was undermined.

The Effect of Maternal Depression on Infant Attachment: A Systematic Review.

Aims and objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the key findings of empirical studies assessing the influence of maternal depression on child attachment security measured before 24 months after birth. Method: The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. A literature search was conducted on the EBSCO (Academic Search Complete; Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition; MEDLINE; PsycARTICLES) and PubMed databases, with infant attachment AND depression as search terms with Boolean operators. Study design or sample size did not affect inclusion. After screening, 29 of the 1510 unique publications originally identified were included in the review. Results: The studies reveal an equivocal association between maternal depression and child attachment security. Our findings indicate that depression had a significant influence on the attachment style almost only when diagnosed by structured interview: Depression measured by self-descriptive questionnaires was unrelated to attachment style. Furthermore, postpartum depression was found to be significant only when measured up to six months after childbirth. Conclusion: The relationship between maternal depression and infant attachment is both complex and dynamic, and the possible negative effects of depression might be compensated by maternal involvement in childcare. Therefore, further studies in this area should employ a reliable methodology for diagnosing depression and a suitable time point for measuring it; they should also adopt a multifactorial and prospective approach. It is important to note that breastfeeding/formula feeding was omitted as a factor in the majority of studies.