Assessing deictic relational responding in social anxiety using the implicit relational assessment procedure

The current study sought to investigate perspective-taking in a group of individuals diagnosed with psychosis. The Social Anxiety Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (SA-IRAP) contrasted statements and questions referring to 'anxious' and 'non-anxious' experiences. The SA-IRAP and a Faux-pas (Theory of Mind) test were presented to two groups of participants: a clinical group with a diagnosis of social anxiety and a group of controls. IRAP effects for each group were in the predicted direction and a ROC analysis showed that the IRAP correctly classified 77% of the individuals with social anxiety with a sensitivity level of 97% and a specificity level of 36%. The IRAP was thus successfully used to correctly classify the sample of clinical individuals. However, the study also demonstrated that the two groups were similar with regard to their level of competency on the perspective-taking IRAP. The article also discusses the relationship between the data and recent developments in RFT

No disponible

Distinct Subtypes of Apathy Revealed by the Apathy Motivation Index.

Apathy is a debilitating but poorly understood disorder characterized by a reduction in motivation. As well as being associated with several brain disorders, apathy is also prevalent in varying degrees in healthy people. Whilst many tools have been developed to assess levels of apathy in clinical disorders, surprisingly there are no measures of apathy suitable for healthy people. Moreover, although apathy is commonly comorbid with symptoms of depression, anhedonia and fatigue, how and why these symptoms are associated is unclear. Here we developed the Apathy-Motivation Index (AMI), a brief self-report index of apathy and motivation. Using exploratory factor analysis (in a sample of 505 people), and then confirmatory analysis (in a different set of 479 individuals), we identified subtypes of apathy in behavioural, social and emotional domains. Latent profile analyses showed four different profiles of apathy that were associated with varying levels of depression, anhedonia and fatigue. The AMI is a novel and reliable measure of individual differences in apathy and might provide a useful means of probing different mechanisms underlying sub-clinical lack of motivation in otherwise healthy individuals. Moreover, associations between apathy and comorbid states may be reflective of problems in different emotional, social and behavioural domains.

Adaptación española de la versión para adultos de la Escala de Placer Interpersonal Anticipatorio y Consumatorio / Spanish adaptation of the adult version of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale

Introducción. Hasta la fecha hay una relativa escasez de medidas centradas en la evaluación de la anhedonia social que sean útiles para su uso, tanto en pacientes como en población general, y que al mismo tiempo sean adecuadas en cuanto a su contenido y brevedad. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue validar la adaptación española de la Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS, «Escala de Placer Interpersonal Anticipatorio y Consumatorio»)-versión para adultos. Método. La muestra total incluyó 387 participantes no clínicos (128 hombres). La media de edad fue de 21,86 años (DT = 5,11; rango 18-46 años). Se utilizaron la ACIPS y el Inventario de Depresión de Beck-II como instrumentos de medida. Resultados. El análisis factorial exploratorio arrojó una solución de 3 factores que explicó el 79,1% de la varianza total (interacciones sociales íntimas, vinculación social en el contexto de los medios de comunicación y socialización informal). El alfa ordinal para la puntuación total de la ACIPS fue de 0,92, oscilando entre 0,76 y 0,84 para las subescalas. Los participantes que informaron de bajos niveles de síntomas depresivos tenían significativamente mayores puntuaciones en la ACIPS, en comparación con aquellos que presentaban niveles moderados-graves. La puntuación total de la ACIPS se asoció negativamente con las puntuaciones del Inventario de Depresión de Beck-II (r = −0,22; p ≤ 0,001). Los participantes con historia familiar previa de esquizofrenia mostraron puntuaciones significativamente más bajas en la ACIPS, en comparación con aquellos que no tenían antecedentes familiares. Conclusiones. Los resultados parecen mostrar que la versión española de la ACIPS presenta unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas. La ACIPS podría ser una herramienta útil para analizar las distintas formas en que las diferencias individuales en la capacidad hedónica de las relaciones interpersonales se relacionan con el riesgo de padecer psicopatología (AU)

Introduction. To date, there is a relative dearth of measures focusing on social anhedonia that are suitable for both patient and non-patient samples, up to date in terms of their content, and relatively brief. The goal of the present investigation was to validate the Spanish translation of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS)-Adult version for use with Spanish-speaking populations. Method. The total sample included 387 nonclinical individuals from Spain (128 males). The mean age was 21.86 years (SD = 5.11; range 18-46 years). The ACIPS and the Beck Depression Inventory-II were used. Results. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a 3-factor solution which explained 79.1% of the variance (intimate social interactions, social bonding in the context of media/communications, and casual socialization). The total ACIPS showed good internal consistency, estimated with ordinal alpha; it was 0.92, ranging from 0.76 to 0.84 for the subscales. The participants who reported a minimal to low level of depressive symptoms had significantly higher total ACIPS scores than the participants who reported experiencing moderate to severe levels of depressive symptoms. Total scores on the ACIPS were negatively associated with scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = −0.22, p ≤ .001). Participants with a family history reported significantly lower total ACIPS scores than those without a family history of schizophrenia. Conclusions. The present results showed that the Spanish version of the ACIPS scores had adequate psychometric properties. The ACIPS may be useful in terms of helping to elucidate the ways in which individual differences in hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal relationships relates meaningfully to risk for various forms of psychopathology (AU)

Subtypes of anhedonia and facial electromyography response to negative affective pictures in non-psychiatric adults.

INTRODUCTION: Flat/constricted affect and anhedonia are symptoms found in several psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. However, there are very few studies on the relationships between specific anhedonia subtypes and objectively assessed flat affect, and it appears that none of the existing studies examined potential moderation by sex. METHODS: Forty-seven undergraduate students (60% male) completed self-report questionnaires assessing three subtypes of anhedonia - non-social consummatory (CON) and anticipatory (ANT) anhedonia, and overall social anhedonia. Participants viewed 15 pictures (5 neutral and 10 negative) from the International Affective Picture System, whereas facial muscle reaction was recorded using electromyography (EMG). RESULTS: Male participants reporting a greater level of overall social or non-social CON anhedonia showed a greater EMG activity increase in the corrugator supercilii muscle to negative (vs. neutral) pictures. In females, the relationship was only found with social anhedonia and was opposite in direction, as increased social anhedonia related to less EMG activity change in the corrugator muscle. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between anhedonia and flat affect varied as a function of sex and anhedonia subtype. These findings may help explain discrepancies in the sparse existing literature examining this relationship in psychiatric populations and have implications for assessment and treatment of these symptoms across psychiatric disorders.

Anhedonia in Kraepelinian schizophrenia: a preliminary study.

Kraepelinian schizophrenia, defined as a severe form of the disease, is characterized by a high number of negative symptoms and less depression, respectively. The relationship between anhedonia and Kraepelinian schizophrenia was explored. Depressive and trait anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia were compared in Kraepelinian (n=10, M age 49.2 yr., SD=10.8) and non-Kraepelinian (n=23, M age=42.7 yr., SD=10.8) patients with schizophrenia. The Kraepelinian group had more anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia than the non-Kraepe-linian group. The two groups did not differ on depressive anhedonia or depression.

Perdiendo el miedo a la depresión. Situaciones frecuentes y complejas en el paciente con depresión en atención primaria. Introducción / No disponible

No disponible