"My body is a cage": A qualitative investigation into the self-discrepancy experiences of young women with metastatic cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The current study investigated self-discrepancy experiences of young women with metastatic cancer. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed through interpretative phenomenological analysis. FINDINGS: Eight female patients with metastatic cancer aged between 27 and 38 years formed the sample. Three superordinate themes emerged: (1) compulsory changes in self-concept with ambivalent evaluations; (2) new ideals not on the agenda of a healthy young woman; and (3) so-called 'minimalist' expectations from others. DISCUSSION: Findings indicated that diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer impose unique developmental challenges for young adult women. Advanced cancer disrupted the tasks and responsibilities of young adulthood, resulting in frustration, grief, isolation, and overcompensation. These findings suggest that a developmental perspective is crucial when working with self-discrepancy experiences of young women with metastatic cancer.

"This Is a Disease" and "Disease Has No Sin": Discourse Constructions of Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Regard to Being Diagnosed.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms have different cultural images in society. Deconstructive psychology studies can contribute to understanding the dominant discourse surrounding these patients, given the prevalence of OCD. The objective of this study was to investigate the discourse of participants regarding "having/receiving a diagnosis of OCD" and the function of this discourse. The research approach was qualitative and language-based, specifically employing Lacanian Discourse Analysis (LDA) perspective. The possible questions and prompts were determined along with the research team, and seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants diagnosed with OCD. The interviews explored how participants referred to their diagnosis, the language they used, and the function of this discourse. The findings revealed that participants diagnosed with OCD insistently used the term "disease" to explain their peculiar and distressing situations, referring to "medical discourse" with expressions such as "This is a disease" and "This disorder." Additionally, they often utilized "religious discourse" with the statements like "Disease has no sin" and "The sick and insane are exempt from their responsibilities." The findings of the current research indicated that when individuals with OCD "receive a name" through a recognized diagnosis, they experience a sense of recognition and validation for their OCD-related problems. Consequently, individuals diagnosed with OCD tend to find "legitimacy" for their irrational or unwanted thoughts and behaviors by taking comfort from their diagnosis. This study provides valuable insights into an understanding of patients with OCD. The findings are discussed in the context of their implications for both theoretical and applied research.

How Do Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism Relate to Psychological Symptoms?: The Role of Emotions.

Studies indicated a distinction between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism regarding their relationships with psychological symptoms. Internal processes occurring in grandiose and vulnerable narcissism must be considered to better understand the nature of this distinction. The current study aimed to investigate the role of self-conscious emotions (i.e., trait shame, guilt, pride) and anger (i.e., trait anger, internalized and externalized anger) in the association between the two types of narcissism (i.e., grandiose and vulnerable narcissism) and psychological symptoms. Five hundred and fifty-nine adult participants completed the self-report measures to assess for grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, emotions, and psychological symptoms. The results of parallel bootstrapping method indicated that individuals with grandiose traits had fewer psychological symptoms through the role of trait pride. Trait anger and externalization of anger toward others, on the other hand, contributed to the relationship between grandiose traits and heightened psychological symptoms. Vulnerable narcissism was found to be associated with increased psychological symptoms through the role of trait shame, pride, anger, and both internalized and externalized anger. These results indicated that although both forms of narcissism have an anger-prone structure, their distinctive relations with shame, pride, and suppressed anger may indicate different underlying dynamics. Possible implications for practice and suggestions for future studies have also been highlighted.

An integrative perspective on the interplay between early maladaptive schemas and mental health: The role of self-compassion and emotion regulation.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test whether negative emotion regulation difficulties and self-compassion mediate the relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and symptoms of psychopathology and life satisfaction. METHODS: Data were collected from 296 adults (179 females, 117 males), whose age ranged from 17 to 52 years. The mediating roles of self-compassion and negative emotion regulation were examined via Hayes' procedure (PROCESS) for multiple mediation. RESULTS: Negative emotion regulation was the only mediator to psychopathological symptoms, with no additional role for self-compassion, whereas self-compassion mediated only to life satisfaction, with no additional role for negative emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence for unique mediating roles of negative emotion regulation and self-compassion, depending on the outcome variable. That helps to understand how problems that may be identified in terms of positive and negative domains are related to EMSs, and allows to put forward potential strategies within the frame of schema therapy.

Linguistic Reflections on Psychotherapy: Change in Usage of The First Person Pronoun in Information Structure Positions.

Aim of present study was to understand changes in speech of clients with regard to certain linguistic features from 5th to 15th session of psychotherapy. First person pronoun use in information structure positions were analyzed in speech of clients. Participants of this study were 11 psychotherapists (clinical psychology master and doctorate students) and 16 clients (applicants to AYNA Psychotherapy Unit). In present study word count results of clinets' speeches were analyzed by ANOVA method. According to results, use of first person pronoun changed significantly in preverbal position from 5th to 15th sessions of psychotherapy. Findings of this study suggest that, psychotherapy leads to certain linguistic changes, and these changes discussed to be means of understand change of clients during psychotherapy.

Exploring revictimization process among Turkish women: The role of early maladaptive schemas on the link between child abuse and partner violence.

The purpose of the current study is to explore the revictimization process between child abuse and neglect (CAN), and intimate partner violence (IPV) based on the schema theory perspective. For this aim, 222 married women recruited in four central cities of Turkey participated in the study. Results indicated that early negative CAN experiences increased the risk of being exposed to later IPV. Specifically, emotional abuse and sexual abuse in the childhood predicted the four subtypes of IPV, which are physical, psychological, and sexual violence, and injury, while physical abuse only associated with physical violence. To explore the mediational role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) on this association, first, five schema domains were tested via Parallel Multiple Mediation Model. Results indicated that only Disconnection/Rejection (D/R) schema domains mediated the association between CAN and IPV. Second, to determine the particular mediational roles of each schema, eighteen EMS were tested as mediators, and results showed that Emotional Deprivation Schema and Vulnerability to Harm or Illness Schema mediated the association between CAN and IPV. These findings provided an empirical support for the crucial roles of EMSs on the effect of revictimization process. Clinical implications were discussed.

[The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between maternal rejection and psychological problems]. / Anne Ret Algisi ile Psikolojik Sorunlar Arasindaki Iliskide Erken Dönem Uyumsuz Semalarin Araci Rolü.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the relationship between perceived maternal rejection during childhood and current psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression, in Turkish university students. EMSs were categorized according to 3 schema domains; impaired limits-exaggerated standards, disconnection-rejection, and impaired autonomy-other directedness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 266 undergraduate university students (188 female and 78 male) aged 18-27 years. All the participants were administered the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3 (YSQ-SF3), Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Adult PARQ: Mother). RESULTS: Disconnection-rejection schema domain mediated the relationship between perceived maternal rejection during childhood and anxiety, but not depression. Furthermore, impaired autonomy-other directedness schema domain mediated the relationship between perceived maternal rejection, and both anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: The present findings facilitate greater understanding of the possible mechanisms by which perceived maternal rejection during childhood might affect adult psychology. Furthermore, representations of the self that are internalized during childhood are centrally connected to psychological adjustment later in life; therefore, an understanding of these internalized representations may be important for developing targeted interventions and prevention strategies for those that have experienced maternal rejection.

Unique contributions of metacognition and cognition to depressive symptoms.

This study attempts to examine the unique contributions of "cognitions" or "metacognitions" to depressive symptoms while controlling for their intercorrelations and comorbid anxiety. Two-hundred-and-fifty-one university students participated in the study. Two complementary hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed, in which symptoms of depression were regressed on the dysfunctional attitudes (DAS-24 subscales) and metacognition scales (Negative Beliefs about Rumination Scale [NBRS] and Positive Beliefs about Rumination Scale [PBRS]). Results showed that both NBRS and PBRS individually explained a significant amount of variance in depressive symptoms above and beyond dysfunctional schemata while controlling for anxiety. Although dysfunctional attitudes as a set significantly predicted depressive symptoms after anxiety and metacognitions were controlled for, they were weaker than metacognitive variables and none of the DAS-24 subscales contributed individually. Metacognitive beliefs about ruminations appeared to contribute more to depressive symptoms than dysfunctional beliefs in the "cognitive" domain.

Emotional and behavioral problems associated with attachment security and parenting style in adopted and non-adopted children.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate and compare emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish adoptees and non-adopted peers raised by their biological parents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 61 adopted children (34 female and 27 male) aged 6-18 years and 62 age- and gender-matched non-adopted children (35 female and 27 male). Parents rated their children's problem behaviors using the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18, temperament characteristics using the School Age Temperament Inventory, their own personality traits using the Basic Personality Traits Inventory, and their parenting styles using the Measure of Child Rearing Styles. Children rated their parents' availability and reliability as attachment figures using the Kerns Security Scale and parenting styles using the Measure of Child Rearing Styles. Adolescents aged 11-18 years self-rated their problem behaviors using the Youth Self Report. Group differences and correlations were analyzed. RESULTS: There were non-significant differences in all scale scores between the adopted and non-adopted groups. In contrast to the literature, age of the children at the time of adoption was not associated with problem behaviors or attachment relationships. On the other hand, the findings indicate that as the age at which the children learned that they had been adopted increased emotional and behavioral problems increased. CONCLUSION: Adoption alone could not explain the problem behaviors observed in the adopted children; the observed problem behaviors should be considered within the context of the developmental process.

Child maltreatment and associated factors among children with ADHD: a comparative study.

This study aimed to compare the mothers of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the mothers of children with no psychiatric diagnosis with respect to abusive discipline attitudes. One hundred children with ADHD, 25 children with no psychiatric diagnosis, and their mothers answered the questionnaires and open-ended standard questions about the type and frequency of parental abusive discipline. Conners scores of the children were associated with characteristics of the children, maternal characteristics, and maternal use of verbal discipline. Maternal approval scores on verbally abusive disciplinary acts were predicted by maternal past experiences, maternal characteristics and Conners scores of children. Similarly, characteristics of the children and the mothers predicted maternal approval scores on physical disciplinary acts. ADHD symptoms increase the risk of parental verbally and physically abusive discipline. Vice versa, verbal discipline also predicts increased ADHD symptoms. Understanding the risk factors may help in developing more effective intervention and prevention programs.

Warm and harsh parenting as mediators of the relation between maternal and adolescent emotion regulation.

Maternal hostility/rejection and warmth were considered as potential mediators of the relation between mothers' and adolescents' emotion regulation. Participants were first-year high school students living in Ankara, Turkey and their mothers (N = 365). Scales assessing emotion regulation difficulties and maternal hostility/rejection and warmth were administered to both the adolescents and their mothers. Maternal hostility/rejection, but not warmth, mediated the relation between maternal and adolescent emotion regulation. For girls there was, additionally, a direct effect of maternal emotion regulation. The different roles played by parental rejection and parental warmth in the development of adolescents' emotion regulation accord with arguments that socialization occurs in different domains and that rejection and warmth are not aspects of the same domain.

The effects of parental attitudes and mothers' psychological well-being on the emotional and behavioral problems of their preschool children.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children and maternal attitudes. The predictor variables were parental attitudes, maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Our sample consisted of the mothers of 204 preschool children attending different preschools in Ankara, Turkey. Mothers were asked to complete the parental attitude research instrument, the beck depression inventory, the trait anxiety inventory, and the child-behavior checklist. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that when considered jointly, maternal anxiety but not maternal depression explained variability in preschool children internalizing and externalizing their problems. Mothers rejecting attitudes towards family life and child-raising styles were also found to be closely associated with the emotional and behavioral problems in their children. The findings demonstrate that the importance of maternal anxiety is above and beyond the importance of rejecting the maternal role when it comes to preschool problems in children.

Discrepancies between Turkish mothers' and adolescents' reports of adolescents' emotion regulation difficulties.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to examine discrepancies between Turkish mothers' and adolescents' reports in terms of adolescents' difficulties in emotion regulation. In addition, the mediating role of mothers' own emotion regulation difficulties between mothers' psychological symptoms and the discrepancy on reports of adolescents' difficulties in emotion regulation was examined. METHOD: A total of 595 first-year high school students (300 females and 295 males) whose ages ranged between 14 and 17 years participated in the study. In addition, 365 mothers (61.34%) completed the questionnaires. Mean age of mothers was 41.86 years (standard deviation = 5.02) ranging from 32 to 61 years. RESULTS: The results revealed that adolescents tended to report higher levels of difficulties in emotion regulation for themselves as compared with mothers' report, and girls reported more difficulties for their emotion regulation than boys. It was also found that mothers' own emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relation between mothers' psychological symptoms and discrepancy on reports of adolescents' emotion regulation difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers may be less likely to endorse their children's emotion regulation difficulties since they cannot observe various aspects of their children's emotion regulation. On the other hand, the mothers' perception of their children's emotion regulation could be affected from their own emotion regulation difficulties, which could be a result of their psychological problems.

Examination of personality characteristics in a Turkish sample: development of Basic Personality Traits Inventory.

The aim of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the five-factor nature of personality. For this aim, an indigenous, psychometrically strong instrument measuring the basic personality dimensions within Turkish culture and language was developed through three consecutive studies. The first study aimed to reveal the adjectives that have been most frequently used to define people in the Turkish culture. In the second study, factor analysis of these personality characteristics revealed big five personality factors, along with the sixth factor, which had been called as the Negative Valence factor. The adjectives that most strongly represented and differentiated each factor constituted 45-item "Basic Personality Traits Inventory". Finally, in the third study, psychometric characteristics of the Basic Personality Traits Inventory were examined. Factor structure and psychometric properties of this instrument confirmed that five-factor nature of personality may not hold true in every culture.

The temporal precedence of metacognition in the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in the context of life-stress: a prospective study.

According to the metacognitive theory of psychological disorder, metacognitions are vulnerability factors in predicting development of psychological symptoms. The present study investigated metacognitive factors and life stress in a prospective test of their proposed temporal precedence in the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Participants were 172 students and adults recruited in Ankara and Bolu, Turkey. Two separate sets of hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. In these analyses, Time 2 anxiety or depression was regressed on the main and interaction effects of metacognition and stress after controlling for baseline symptom levels measured at Time 1, age, and gender. Results revealed that negative metacognitive beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of worry significantly predicted residual change in both anxiety and depression after controlling for the negative effect of stressful life events. Furthermore, lack of cognitive confidence interacted with daily hassles to predict the change in anxiety, when the baseline level of anxiety and other individual differences were controlled. Our results support the metacognitive theory of psychopathology.

How does thought-action fusion relate to responsibility attitudes and thought suppression to aggravate the obsessive-compulsive symptoms?

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive cognitive theories of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) propose that clinical obsessions and compulsions arise from specific sorts of dysfunctional beliefs and appraisals, such as inflated sense of responsibility, thought-action fusion (TAF), and thought suppression. AIMS: The present study aimed to examine the mediator roles of responsibility and thought suppression between TAF and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Specifically, it aimed to explore the relative effects of TAF factors (i.e. morality and likelihood) on inflated sense of responsibility and on thought suppression to increase the obsessive qualities of intrusions. METHOD: Two hundred and eighty-three Turkish undergraduate students completed a battery of measures on responsibility, thought suppression, TAF, OC symptoms, and depression. RESULTS: A series of hierarchical regression analyses, where depressive symptoms were controlled for, indicated that TAF-morality and TAF-likelihood follow different paths toward OC symptoms. Although TAF-morality associated with inflated sense of responsibility, TAF-likelihood associated with thought suppression efforts, and in turn these factors increased OC symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for the critical role of sense of responsibility and thought suppression between the relationship of TAF and OC symptoms. Findings were discussed in line with the literature.

Psychometric properties of a Turkish version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; developed by Gratz & Roemer, 2004) in a Turkish sample. For this purpose, first, the factor structure of the scale was examined with a sample of 338 university students, and an identical factor structure with the original scale was obtained with the exclusion of a single item. Following the confirmation of the 6-factor structure of the scale with the current Turkish sample, the whole scale's and its six subscales' reliability coefficients were examined via internal consistency and test-retest reliability coefficients. These reliability analyses indicated satisfactory coefficients. As for the concurrent validity, the correlations of DERS and its subscales with measures of psychological distress were examined. This examination generally revealed strong correlations, although the awareness factor of DERS had relatively weaker correlations with the measures of psychological distress. Finally, concerning the criterion validity, all the measures of DERS could significantly differentiate the participants with "high psychological distress" from those with "low psychological distress"; however, for the awareness subscale the effect size was small. These findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature.

Vulnerability factors in OCD symptoms: cross-cultural comparisons between Turkish and Canadian samples.

Recent findings have suggested some potential psychological vulnerability factors for development of obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, including cognitive factors of appraisal and thought control, religiosity, self-esteem and personality characteristics such as neuroticism. Studies demonstrating these associations usually come from Western cultures, but there may be cultural differences relevant to these vulnerability factors and OC symptoms. The present study examined the relationship between putative vulnerability factors and OC symptoms by comparing non-clinical samples from Turkey and Canada, two countries with quite different cultural characteristics. The findings revealed some common correlates such as neuroticism and certain types of metacognition, including appraisals of responsibility/threat estimation and perfectionism/need for certainty, as well as thought-action fusion. However, culture-specific factors were also indicated in the type of thought control participants used. For OC disorder symptoms, Turkish participants were more likely to utilize worry and thought suppression, while Canadian participants tended to use self-punishment more frequently. The association with common factors supports the cross-cultural validity of some factors, whereas unique factors suggest cultural features that may be operative in cognitive processes relevant to OC symptoms.

OCD cognitions and symptoms in different religious contexts.

Religious themes commonly feature in obsessions. Some theorists view religiosity as a potential risk factor, due to the hypothesized influence of religious acculturation on appraisals of unwanted intrusive thoughts. Several studies revealed that the relationship between religiosity and some OCD cognitions might change among various religions, possibly because of the differences in religious doctrines and teachings. The present study examined the relationship between religiosity and OCD symptoms and cognitions in different religious contexts. In this study, Muslim and Christian subjects from Turkey and Canada, respectively, were compared on OCD features by taking their level of religiosity into consideration. The results showed that having scored higher in OCD symptoms, Muslim participants reported more concerns on their thoughts and controlling them, and they also seemed to use worry strategy to manage their unwanted thoughts. On the other hand, regardless of religion category, high religious subjects reported to experience more obsessional thoughts and checking, while sensitivity on thoughts and emphases on control of thoughts and psychological fusion in morality were more salient for this group. Indeed, degree of religiosity also made a significant difference on thought-action fusion in morality domain especially for Christian subjects. In line with previous findings, the results of the present study support the association between religiosity and OCD even across two monotheistic religions. Besides, the characteristics of the religion might account for the differences in OCD cognitions and symptoms across both religions.

Psychometric characteristics of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 and metacognitive predictors of worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a Turkish sample.

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, to examine the psychometric properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) in a Turkish sample. Second, to investigate metacognitive predictors of pathological worry and obsessive-compulsive (o-c) symptoms in this group. The sample included 561 non-clinical participants. Consistent with non-English versions, the Turkish version of the PSWQ was found to have a two-factor structure. The MCQ-30 was shown to be composed of five factors similar to the English version. Reliability analyses indicated that both the PSWQ and MCQ-30 possessed high internal consistency, split-half reliability and test-retest coefficients. As expected, both scales positively correlated with measures of o-c symptoms, trait anxiety, and anxiety and depression, as well as with each other. Negative and positive metacognitive beliefs about worry were significant predictors of both pathological worry and o-c symptoms. Cognitive confidence emerged as a specific predictor of worry, while beliefs about the need to control thoughts emerged as a unique predictor of o-c symptoms.