Implementation of a brief online skills group of dialectical behaviour therapy for emotional dysregulation in Latinx: a withdrawal experimental single-case design.

BACKGROUND: Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills groups have shown promise as an effective treatment for clients with emotional dysregulation, especially when combined with individual DBT. However, their efficacy is not well established as an online therapy, or in the Latinx population. AIMS: This study aimed to explore satisfaction, retention and effects of an internet-based DBT group added to individual online sessions. METHOD: An ABAB withdrawal experimental single-case design was conducted to evaluate the effect of a brief online DBT skills group on emotional dysregulation, anxiety and depression for five Latinx participants. DBT skills group (phase B) were compared with placebo group sessions (phase A) and fortnightly individual DBT sessions were offered throughout to manage risk. RESULTS: Visual inspection showed a decrease in level of emotional dysregulation and a large effect size according to the Nonoverlap of All Pairs when comparing group DBT and placebo phases. Although depression symptoms decreased after introducing group DBT, anxiety indicators decreased most during the second round of group placebo sessions. DISCUSSION: Whilst only a pilot, this study suggests that online group DBT in Latinx populations is feasible and effective for changing emotional regulation processes but may not effectively target anxiety. Future research might increase the number of DBT sessions in order to enhance learning opportunities and generalization. Replication with larger sample sizes and diverse modalities is needed.

Social connectedness, emotional regulation, and health behaviors as correlates of distress during lockdown for COVID-19: A diary study.

Mass lockdowns are a powerful infection-reduction strategy but are a significant stressor. This study aimed to explore whether various factors known to predict distress in normal contexts (e.g. social connectedness, emotional-regulation strategies, and health-related behaviors) are associated with daily distress under lockdown conditions. A time-based diary study evaluated how perceived social connectedness, health-promoting, and risk behaviors predicted within-person and between-person psychological distress. One hundred and nine adults completed surveys on these variables daily for 15 days while under stringent COVID-19 lockdown in Colombia. Emotional suppression and reappraisal were measured at the start of the study to explore whether they predicted distress. Distress was lower on the days that people experienced greater social connectedness (within-person analyses) but was not significantly predicted by between-participant differences in emotional regulation. Health-promoting behaviors such as exercising and meaningful activity were associated with lower distress, while watching COVID-19 news and eating high-calorie food were associated with higher distress. Looking at individual dynamics provides meaningful insights on daily behaviors associated with distress that might improve people's wellbeing during lockdown, such as social connectedness, meaningful activity, nutrition, exercise, and minimizing news exposure. Future research with alternative designs will enable causal conclusions to be drawn.

Scalability of an ACT-Based strategy for improving well-being in health care providers: A mix-method and preliminary evaluation of efficacy.

The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has been mainly carried by health care providers. Technology-Mediated Interventions (TMI) seem to be a feasible alternative to increase access to behavioral health resources in this population. However, scaling-up treatments into TMI requires developing user-friendly, accepted, and accessible formats. A two-stage study was conducted to assess scalability of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based strategy (named FACE COVID) delivered using technology. First, a mix-method design connected qualitative and quantitative data from health providers and ACT experts by which changes were performed to enhance scalability. Second, a pretest-posttest study was conducted to preliminary evaluate the efficacy of FACE COVID intervention on well-being, psychological distress, and psychological flexibility. Results showed a positive impact on well-being, but not distress and psychological flexibility. While this intervention has promising results, changes in dose intensity, social support, and mental health literacy could improve retention as well as increase opportunities to target distress and psychological flexibility in future studies.

Using functional analytic psychotherapy strategies for supporting Latinas victims of interpersonal partner violence / Uso de estrategias de psicoterapia analítica funcional para apoyar a latinas víctimas de violencia interpersonal de pareja

Interpersonal partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide public health problem. As a result of IPV, victims report high rates of physical and behavioral disabilities. Help-seeking behaviors are key to obtaining support on facing and managing IPV. Cultural practices such as machismo, marianismo, and familismo are related to keeping quiet and remaining in an abusive relationship in Latinas. Difficulties in sharing emotions, setting interpersonal boundaries, and communicating needs are also behavioral barriers to seeking help in this population. All these factors are associated with social disconnection which reduces victims’ chances of obtaining support in risky situations. Although several programs have been developed for helping victims of IPV, more evidence on adaptions to particular cultural and interpersonal struggles faced by Latinas’ victims is needed. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) proposes that therapeutic relationships based on intimacy can help victims of IPV to identify characteristics of those relationships that provide help when they need it. In this theoretical article, several FAP-based strategies aid therapists working with Latinas’ victims of IPV in strengthening clients’ interpersonal functioning and defeating cultural barriers when seeking help.(AU)

La violencia de pareja (IPV, por sus siglas en inglés) es un problema de salud pública mundial que genera altas tasas de discapacidades físicas y conductuales. Los comportamientos para buscar ayuda son claves para brindar soporte en el afrontamiento y el manejo de la violencia de género. El machismo, marianismo y familismo son prácticas culturales relacionadas con conductas de guardar silencio y permanecer en una relación abusiva en mujeres latinas. Asimismo, las dificultades para compartir emociones, establecer límites interpersonales y comunicar necesidades también son barreras para buscar ayuda. Estos factores están asociados a la desconexión social que reduce las posibilidades de que las víctimas sean apoyadas en situaciones de riesgo. Aunque se han desarrollado diversos programas psicológicos y sociales para ayudarlas, se necesita más evidencia sobre adaptaciones que respondan a los factores culturales e interpersonales propios de las mujeres Latinas víctimas de IPV. La Psicoterapia Analítica Funcional (FAP) propone que las relaciones terapéuticas basadas en la intimidad pueden ayudarlas a identificar características de relaciones que brindan ayuda cuando ellas la necesitan. En este artículo teórico se describen diferentes estrategias basadas en FAP con el fin de que los terapeutas que trabajan con Latinas víctimas de IPV puedan ayudarlas.(AU)

Responding to gender and sexual minority stress with functional analytic psychotherapy.

Despite an overwhelming literature detailing the impact of societal bias on the well-being and relationships of gender and sexual minority clients, as well as greater rates of help-seeking from mental health professionals, recent advances in minority stress research have not been fully incorporated into clinical practice. Minority stress factors such as internalized stigma, rejection sensitivity, and concealment interfere with vulnerable and intimate relationships, and likely contribute to the transdiagnostic challenges that GSM clients report, such as loneliness and social isolation (Mereish & Poteat, 2015). Further, behavioral patterns emphasizing inauthentic self-presentation are common interpersonal styles of stigma management (Pachankis & Hatzenbuehler, 2013). Functional analytic psychotherapy is interpersonal therapy grounded in a behavior analytic approach to the therapeutic relationship, which was developed to promote generalizable change in intimate and vulnerable behaviors with meaningful others (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991). Functional analytic psychotherapy emphasizes the role of contingent responding by the therapist to clinically relevant behaviors, to increase vulnerable, interpersonal risks that can be responded to in a warm and compassionate way. FAP is ideal for adaptation to target the interpersonal aspects of minority stress on gender and sexual minority clients that often include histories of punishment in response to vulnerable authenticity, possibly even by past therapists (e.g., Flentje, Heck, & Cochran, 2014; Garnets, Hancock, Cochran, Goodchilds, & Peplau, 1991). (PsycINFO Database Record

Mindfulness: ¿proceso, habilidad o estrategia? Un análisis desde el análisis del comportamiento y del contextualismo funcional / Mindfulness: processus, compétence ou stratégie ? Étude de l'analyse comportementale et du contextualisme fonctionnel / Mindfulness: processo, habilidade ou estratégia? Estudo a partir da análise comportamental e do contextualismo funcional / Mindfulness: process, skill or strategy? A behavioral-analytic and functional-contextualistic analysis

Los efectos positivos del mindfulness en el tratamiento de múltiples problemas psicológicos en diversas poblaciones han popularizado su uso dentro de la psicología clínica en los últimos años. No obstante, las investigaciones empíricas y revisiones teóricas sobre el mindfulness muestran tres usos diferentes del mindfulness dentro de las aproximaciones conductuales: como proceso, como habilidad y como estrategia. Las discrepancias en las definiciones de mindfulness han generado ambigüedad con respecto a qué y cómo se investiga este fenómeno. En este trabajo se realizó un análisis conceptual de las definiciones del mindfulness de acuerdo con los supuestos filosóficos analíticos-conductuales y contextualistas-funcionales. Finalmente, se discutió la importancia de contar con una definición precisa y unánime con el fin de desarrollar una agenda coordinada de investigación en esse campo.

Les effets positifs du mindfulness dans le traitement de plusieurs problèmes psychologiques dans différentes populations ont encouragé la psychologie clinique à l'utiliser au cours des dernières années. Cependant, la recherche théorique et empirique sur les examens de pleine conscience montrent trois utilisations différentes de l'attention dans les approches comportementales: comme un processus, comme une compétance et en tant que stratégie. Les divergences dans les définitions de la pleine conscience ont créé une ambiguïté quant à pourquoi et comment ce phénomène est étudié. Cet article est une analyse conceptuelle de la pleine conscience ayant comme paramètres philosophiques l'analyse du comportement et le contextualisme fonctionnel. La discussion finale tourne autour de l'importance d'avoir une définition précise et unanime en vue d'élaborer un programme coordonné de recherche dans ce domaine.

Os efeitos positivos do mindfulness no tratamento de vários problemas psicológicos em diferentes populações incentivaram a psicologia clínica a utilizá-lo nos últimos anos. No entanto, pesquisas empíricas e revisões teóricas sobre o mindfulness mostraram três usos diferentes desse termo segundo perspectivas comportamentais: como processo, como habilidade e como estratégia. As discrepâncias nas definições do mindfulness geraram ambiguidade em relação àquilo que é pesquisado e como é pesquisado. Neste texto, realizou-se uma análise conceitual das definições do mindfulness tendo como bases filosóficas a análise do comportamento e o contextualismo funcional. Por último, discutiu-se a importância de ter uma definição precisa e unânime com o objetivo de desenvolver uma agenda coordenada de pesquisa nesse campo.

Mindfulness has been widely disseminated in clinical psychology in recent years, due to the positive effects on treating several psychological issues in diverse population. Nonetheless, empirical research and theoretical reviews show three different meanings of mindfulness within behavioral approaches: as a process, as skill, and as a strategy. Discrepancies about mindfulness definitions have brought ambiguity to what and how this phenomenon is studied. A conceptual analysis of mindfulness according to behavioral-analytic and functional-contextualistic philosophical traditions is presented. Finally, it was discussed the relevance of employing a precise and consensual definition of mindfulness to develop a coordinated research agenda in this field.

Socio-emotional development of children of same-sex parents: achievements and future lines of research / El desarrollo socioemocional de los hijos de padres del mismo sexo: logros y líneas futuras de investigación

The influence of parents's sexual orientation in children development has brought special attention in recent years. Research that has explored the effect of family structure in children socio-emotional development have not identified significant differences between offspring of heterosexual- and lesbian-parent whereas interpersonal and social factors have shown a close relation with respect to children social performance. Although outcomes in this field are promising, they remain not conclusive. The majority of the studies have been conducted using cross-sectional designs, samples from non-representative population, measurements focused on psychological difficulties, so forth. General conclusions about socio-emotional development of children of same sex parents are presented, as well as methodological recommendations for future research in this area.

La influencia de la orientación sexual de los padres en el desarrollo de sus hijos ha traído atención especial en los últimos años. La investigación que ha explorado el efecto de la estructura familiar en el desarrollo socioemocional de los individuos no ha identificado diferencias entre los hijos de padres heterosexuales y aquellos criados por madres lesbianas, mientras que los factores interpersonales y sociales han mostrado una relación cercana con el desenvolvimiento social. Aunque los resultados en este campo son prometedores, estos aún no son concluyentes. La mayoría de los estudios han sido de tipo transversal, con muestras de poblaciones no representativas, medidas centradas en dificultades psicológicas, entre otros. Se presentan algunas conclusiones generales con respecto al desarrollo socioemocional de los hijos criados por familias homoparentales, así como algunas recomendaciones metodológicas para futuras investigaciones en esta área.

Escala de Dificultades en Regulación Emocional (DERS): análisis factorial en una muestra colombiana / The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS): factor analysis in a colombian sample / Escala de dificuldades de regulação emocional (DERS): análise fatorial numa amostra colombiana

La Escala de Dificultades en la Regulación Emocional (DERS, por sus siglas en inglés) es un instrumento diseñado para medir la Desregulación Emocional. El presente estudio buscó identificar la consistencia de los factores incluidos en el DERS, y la relevancia de los ítems en cada uno de ellos. Los participantes fueron 251 estudiantes, 68% mujeres, de una universidad en Bogotá-Colombia. En esta investigación se evaluaron los componentes del DERS: (a) no-aceptación, (b) metas, (c) impulsividad, (d) estrategias, (e) conciencia, y (f) claridad. El Análisis Factorial mostró que los ítems de la DERS se reunían en dos factores principales en lugar de seis, y la reducción de datos demostró que 15 de los 36 ítems originales contribuyeron significativamente a la varianza. Se recomienda incrementar las investigaciones en contextos de la salud, y con población clínica y no clínica en Colombia para validar el DERS, y desarrollar un puntaje total de esta escala.

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is an instrument designed to assess emotional dysregulation. The current study sought to identify consistency of DERS factors and items relevance for each one of them. Participants were 251 students, 68% female, from a university in Bogotá-Colombia. This research assessed the DERS factors: (a) non-acceptance, (b) goals, (c) impulse, (d) strategies, (e) awareness, and (f) clarity. Factor Analysis found that DERS items are gathered in two main factors rather than six, and data reduction demonstrated that only 15 of the 36 items in the original scale contributed significantly to factors variance. It is recommended extending the research to health contexts and to clinical and non-clinical population in Colombia in order to validate the DERS and develop a total score for the scale.

A Escala de Dificuldades de Regulação Emocional (DERS, por sua sigla em inglês) é um instrumento desenhado para medir a desregulação emocional. O presente estudo buscou identificar a consistência dos fatores incluídos na DERS e a relevância dos itens em cada um deles. Os participantes foram 251 estudantes, 68% mulheres, de uma universidade em Bogotá (Colômbia). Nesta pesquisa, avaliaram-se os componentes da DERS: 1) não aceitação; 2) metas; 3) impulsividade; 4) estratégias; 5) consciência e 6) clareza. A análise fatorial mostrou que os itens da DERS se reuniam em dois fatores principais em lugar de seis, e a redução de dados mostrou que 15 dos 36 itens originais contribuíram significativamente para a variação. Recomendase aumentar o número de pesquisas em contextos da saúde e com população clínica e não clínica na Colômbia para validar a DERS e desenvolver uma pontuação total dessa escala.

[Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Approaches and scope of behavior therapy based on changes in the therapeutic context]. / La Psicoterapia Analítico Funcional: aproximaciones y alcances de una terapia conductual basada en los cambios dentro del contexto terapéutico.

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic approach developed in 'third wave therapies' context. FAP is characterized by use therapeutic relationship and the behaviors emit into it to improve clients daily life functioning. This therapeutic model is supported in behavior analysis principles and contextual functionalism philosophy. FAP proposes that clients behavior in session are functional equivalent with those out of session; therefore, when therapists respond to clients behaviors in session contingently, they promote and increase improvements in the natural setting. This article poses main features of FAP, its philosophical roots, achievements and research challenges to establish FAP as an independent treatment based on the evidence.

[FUNCTIONAL ANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY: APPROACHES AND SCOPE OF BEHAVIOR THERAPY BASED ON CHANGES IN THE THERAPEUTIC CONTEXT]. / La Psicoterapia Analítico Funcional: aproximaciones y alcances de una terapia conductual basada en los cambios dentro del contexto terapéutico.

Abstract Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic approach developed in <> context. FAP is characterized by use therapeutic relationship and the behaviors emit into it to improve clients daily life functioning. This therapeutic model is supported in behavior analysis principles and contextual functionalism philosophy. FAP proposes that clients behavior in session are functional equivalent with those out of session; therefore, when therapists respond to clients behaviors in session contingently, they promote and increase improvements in the natural setting. This article poses main features of FAP, its philosophical roots, achievements and research challenges to establish FAP as an independent treatment based on the evidence.

Activación conductual: revisión histórica, conceptual y empírica / Behavioral activation: historical, conceptual and empirical review

La Activación Conductual (AC) ha mostrado su efectividad como uno de los tratamientos más importantes para la depresión. Esta revisión de la literatura aborda aspectos históricos, variaciones y evidencia relacionada con la efectividad de la AC en diferentes problemáticas y poblaciones. Inicialmente se retoman sus alcances y uso, lo que le ha permitido constituirse como una de las terapias que cuenta con apoyo empírico para el manejo de la depresión. La revisión histórica permite ver su establecimiento como una Terapia de Tercera Generación y sus bases filosóficas en una perspectiva contextualista funcional. Posteriormente, se mencionan los diferentes tipos de activación conductual y algunos estudios relacionados con su efectividad tanto en depresión como en condiciones co-mórbidas. Finalmente, se realizaron recomendaciones para futuras investigaciones, entrenamiento, modalidades y problemas que pueden llegar a ser intervenidos a través de la activación conductual.

Behavioral Activation (BA) has shown its effectiveness as one of the most important treatments for depression. This review shows the historical antecedents, its different approaches, and the empirical evidence, which are linked with BA efficacy. In a first moment, are posed their scope and the way as it has been implemented, to get into one of the empirical evidence based therapies to treat depression. The historical review allows to see how it got a place as a Third Wave Therapy, and its philosophical roots on functional contextualistim. Furthermore, different models of Behavioral Activation and researches, which have shown their effectiveness to intervene depression and comorbid conditions, are presented. Finally, some recommendations are mentioned about futures studies, training, models, and problems, which could be implemented with BA.

Análisis metacontingencial de la obesidad mórbida como problemática de salud pública / Metacontingencial anaylis to morbid obesity public health problema

El análisis metacontingencial es una estrategia ventajosa para la explicación de fenómenos socio-culturales a partir de los principios del análisis del comportamiento. Los estudios relacionados con la obesidad se han centrado en aspectos de orden epidemiológico, que han resultado útiles para caracterizarla, pero no han logrado explicar e identificar las relaciones entre los factores del contexto particular y los de tipo global, que son críticos para la adquisición y mantenimiento de esta, con los comportamientos de las personas con obesidad. En este artículo se realizó el mapa de contingencias para esta problemática, con base en la propuesta de Matainni (1996), que muestra las relaciones de dependencia entre las conductas, las ocasiones, los modelos, las reglas y las consecuencias. Además se señalan aspectos importantes que se podrían modificar para cambiar algunos factores implicados en el mantenimiento de la obesidad y ayudar a disminuir su incidencia y prevalencia, entendiéndola a nivel cultural.

Metacontingencial Analysis had been a useful strategy to explain socio-cultural phenomenon, with base on behavior analysis principles. Obesity studies, it was especially related with epidemiology aspects, whose principal result was characterizes these problem, but it doesn't achieve explain and neither establish the relations between particular and global contextual factor, that been critical to acquire and maintenance, and the behavior's obesity people. It make a contingencial map for this problem, base it on Matainni (1996) propose, this show dependent relations between behaviors, occasions, models, rules and consequences. Also presents important topics that could be changed to affect factors related with obesity maintenance and help to diminished its prevalence and incidence, understanding this phenomenon in a cultural level.