Development and Evaluation of the Perpetration-Induced Distress Scale for Measuring Shame and Guilt in Civilian Populations.

Although the topic of moral injury (MI) has been garnering increasing attention in recent years within military populations, research has rarely applied the concept to civilian contexts. Extant literature on distinct acts of perpetration or transgressions suggests similar emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns of distress associated with appraisals of wrongdoing. However, the absence of a psychometrically sound measure to detect and quantify pathological levels of distress associated with perpetrating harm against others has hindered additional research from being conducted on the topic. The current research presents the Perpetration-Induced Distress Scale (PIDS) as a valid and reliable measurement of distress associated with MI within civilian contexts. Factor analytic techniques revealed a two-factor solution characterized by perpetration-induced distress related to maladaptive reactions to shame (seven items) and guilt/self-blame (seven items). The PIDS demonstrated favorable temporal stability over a 1-week period as well as excellent internal reliability. Further, the PIDS evidenced convergent validity with functional impairment, posttraumatic stress disorder, and existing scales of shame and guilt; associations were large (rs = 0.62-0.87). The development of the PIDS represents one of the first studies to measure MI within a civilian population and indicates evidence that additional research on the topic is warranted.

Reducing Rape-Related Attitudes Utilizing a Cognitive Dissonance Paradigm.

This study used a cognitive dissonance mechanism that required college students to write essays dispelling previously endorsed rape myth beliefs. Results indicate that participants in the cognitive dissonance condition reported less rape myth endorsement at a 2-week follow-up than the control group. Effect sizes were large. The cognitive dissonance condition also led to more sustained internal motivation to respond in a nonsexist manner and earlier identification of sexually coercive behavior. Counter-attitudinal advocacy appears to result in sustained decreases in endorsement of rape-supportive attitudes, which could lead to safer communities for women by altering beliefs predictive of sexual assault perpetration.

MEG and EEG demonstrate similar test-retest reliability of the 40Hz auditory steady-state response.

The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is increasingly being used as a biomarker in neuropsychiatric disorders, but research investigating the test-retest reliability of this measure is needed. We previously reported ASSR reliability, measured by electroencephalography (EEG), to 40Hz amplitude-modulated white noise and click train stimuli. The purpose of the current study was to (a) assess the reliability of the MEG-measured ASSR to 40Hz amplitude-modulated white noise and click train stimuli, and (b) compare test-retest reliability between MEG and EEG measures of ASSR, which has not previously been investigated. Additionally, impact of stimulus parameter choice on reliability was assessed, by comparing responses to white noise and click train stimuli. Test-retest reliability, across sessions approximately one week apart, was assessed in 17 healthy adults. On each study day, participants completed two passive listening tasks (white noise and click train stimuli) during separate MEG and EEG recordings. Between-session correlations for evoked power and inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) were assessed following source-space projection. Overall, the MEG-measured ASSR was significantly correlated between sessions (p<0.05, FDR corrected), suggesting acceptable test-retest reliability. Results suggest greater response reproducibility for ITPC compared to evoked responses and for click train compared to white noise stimuli, although further study is warranted. No significant differences in reliability were observed between MEG and EEG measures, suggesting they are similarly reliable. This work supports use of the ASSR as a biomarker in clinical interventions with repeated measures.

Test-retest reliability of the 40 Hz EEG auditory steady-state response.

Auditory evoked steady-state responses are increasingly being used as a marker of brain function and dysfunction in various neuropsychiatric disorders, but research investigating the test-retest reliability of this response is lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the consistency of the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) across sessions. Furthermore, the current study aimed to investigate how the reliability of the ASSR is impacted by stimulus parameters and analysis method employed. The consistency of this response across two sessions spaced approximately 1 week apart was measured in nineteen healthy adults using electroencephalography (EEG). The ASSR was entrained by both 40 Hz amplitude-modulated white noise and click train stimuli. Correlations between sessions were assessed with two separate analytical techniques: a) channel-level analysis across the whole-head array and b) signal-space projection from auditory dipoles. Overall, the ASSR was significantly correlated between sessions 1 and 2 (p<0.05, multiple comparison corrected), suggesting adequate test-retest reliability of this response. The current study also suggests that measures of inter-trial phase coherence may be more reliable between sessions than measures of evoked power. Results were similar between the two analysis methods, but reliability varied depending on the presented stimulus, with click train stimuli producing more consistent responses than white noise stimuli.

My Disaster Recovery: a pilot randomized controlled trial of an Internet intervention.

This pilot study tested the efficacy of the My Disaster Recovery (MDR) website to decrease negative affect and increase coping self-efficacy. Fifty-six survivors of Hurricane Ike were recruited from a larger study being conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at the first anniversary of the storm. Restricted randomization was used to assign participants to the MDR website, an information-only website, or a usual care condition. Group×time interactions indicated that MDR reduced participant worry more than the other conditions. A similar trend was also identified for depression. Both websites were accessed a small to moderate amount and participants reported mixed satisfaction for both websites. Although the effect sizes for worry and depression were in the moderate to large range, small sample size and timing of the intervention qualify the findings. These preliminary findings encourage further evaluation of MDR with a larger, demographically diverse sample and indicate that the MDR website might be helpful in reducing worry and depression.