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Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect the gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research.

Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect the gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research.

Although the vast majority of individuals with a mental disorder do not commit sexual offences, sexual offenders are a significant group within forensic psychiatric populations and command a high level of healthcare resources. Despite this, there is little published research focussing on the offence-specific cognitive styles (e.g. cognitive distortions and implicit theories) of these individuals, limiting understanding of their assessment and treatment needs. The current study aimed to establish whether evidence for the implicit theories identified by researchers of non-mentally disordered child sexual offenders would also be present amongst a population of high secure psychiatric male sexual offenders. Analysis of interviews with twelve such individuals indicated that the majority of the cognitive distortions articulated by these men could be categorized within existing implicit theory descriptions. The findings are discussed in relation to clinical practice and suggestions for future research with this specific population are proposed.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To test whether a widely used model of adjustment to illness, the self-regulatory model, explains the patterns of distress during acute hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). According to the model, perceptions of HSCT, coping, and coping appraisals are associated with distress. DESIGN: Longitudinal, correlational. SAMPLE: 45 patients receiving mostly autologous transplantations for a hematologic malignancy. METHODS: Patients were assessed at baseline, on transplantation day, and two and four weeks after transplantation using three questionnaires. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, stress, and overall distress (DASS-21); use of different coping styles (Brief COPE); and perceptions of HSCT and coping appraisals (Brief IPQ). FINDINGS: As suggested by the self-regulatory model, greater distress was associated with negative perceptions of HSCT, controlling for the effects of confounding variables. Mixed support was found for the model's predictions about the impact of coping styles on distress. Use of active and avoidant coping styles was associated with more distress during the acute phase after HSCT. CONCLUSIONS: Negative perceptions of HSCT and coping contribute to psychological distress during the acute phase after HSCT and suggest the basis for intervention. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Eliciting and discussing patients' negative perceptions of HSCT beforehand and supporting helpful coping may be important ways to reduce distress during HSCT.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a generic term, encompassing both: (1) approaches underpinned by an assumption that presenting emotional and behavioural difficulties are cognitively mediated or moderated; and (2) atheoretical bricolages of cognitive and behavioural techniques. This latter category may include effective therapeutic packages (perhaps acting through mechanisms articulated in the first category) but, when theory is tacit, it becomes harder to make analytical generalisations or to extrapolate principles that could guide idiographic formulation and intervention. In contrast, the first category of approaches posits that presenting difficulties may be formulated from an assessment of individual cognitive content (thought processes and underlying beliefs) and implies that we can bring about change in presenting difficulties through change in associated cognitions. Within this chapter, we formulate the case of ‘Molly’, using the theoretical model of CBT articulated by A. T. Beck, to understand the client’s presentation, current difficulties, and potential areas for intervention.

Purpose: Self-esteem (SE), or one's sense of competence and worth, is reduced in many mental and physical disorders. Low SE is associated with perceived stigma and disability and poor treatment outcomes. The present study examined implicit and explicit SE (automatic and deliberate views about the self) in people with epilepsy and people with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs). Discrepancies between implicit SE and explicit SE have been found to correlate with psychological distress in disorders often associated with PNESs but are relatively unexplored in PNESs. We hypothesized that, compared with epilepsy, PNESs would be associated with lower self-reported SE and greater discrepancies between implicit SE and explicit SE. Methods: Thirty adults with PNESs, 25 adults with epilepsy, and 31 controls without a history of seizures were asked to complete the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale as a measure of explicit SE and an Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure as a measure of implicit SE. The State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire—15 (a somatic symptom inventory) were also administered. Results: We found significant group differences in explicit (p b 0.001) but not implicit SE. Patients with PNESs reported lower SE than the other groups. No group differences were found in implicit SE. Implicit–explicit SE discrepancies were larger in the group with PNESs than in the other groups (p b 0.001). Higher frequency of PNESs (but not epileptic seizures) was associatedwith lower explicit SE (rs=−.83, p b 0.01) and greater SE discrepancies (i.e., lower explicit relative to implicit SE; rs = .65, p b 0.01). These relationships remained significant when controlling for anxiety and somatization. Conclusion: Patients with PNESs had lower explicit SE than those with epilepsy or healthy controls. In keeping with our expectations, there were greater discrepancies between implicit SE and explicit SE among patients with PNESs than in the other groups. Our resul

This article systematically reviewed studies of parental bonding in people with eating disorders. MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched to identify studies that compared parental bonding in people diagnosed with an eating disorder relative to non-clinical controls. Twenty-four studies were identified. Women with eating disorders typically reported lower parental care and higher parental protection compared to non-clinical, but not psychiatric, controls. Interestingly, a modest number of studies found that these relationships were mediated by avoidant problem solving style and several schemas from the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ; Schmidt, Joiner, Young, & Telch, 1995). While there are methodological limitations associated with the reviewed studies, they do offer some support for the proposal that difficulties in parent-child relationships predispose women to eating disorders and other psychiatric diagnoses.

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is a measure of ‘implicit cognition' developed on the basis of a contemporary behavioural analysis of language and cognition. The IRAP has now been applied to a range of foci over five years of published research. A frequently-cited caveat in publications to date is the need for further research to gauge the reliability and validity of the IRAP as an implicit measure. This review paper will provide a critical synthesis of available evidence for reliability and validity. The review applies a multifaceted test-theory approach to validity, and reliability is assessed through meta-analysis of published data. The discussion critically considers reviewed IRAP evidence with reference to the extant literature on alternative implicit measures, limitations of studies to date, and consideration of broader conceptual issues.

Offence paralleling behaviour and multiple sequential functional analysis

Background This study explores the perceptions of a group of adults with intellectual disability regarding direct support staff. Method Semi-structured interviews relating to experiences of direct support staff were developed from two focus groups. These interviews were conducted with 11 adults with intellectual disability residing within a forensic inpatient service. Results Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed two superordinate themes; namely, staff relationship factors and positive and negative attributes of staff. The participants valued relationships with staff based on qualities such as honesty, trust, and a caring, nurturing manner that enabled individuals to feel safe. Staff characteristics such as immaturity, inexperience, and a short temper appeared to lead to feelings of discontentment amongst the participants. Conclusions The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to clinical practice, staff recruitment, and training.

The study investigated the frequency of adverse life events and prevalence of MD recorded for clients with intellectual disabilities (ID) in a medium secure unit, using data from an electronic patient record (EPR) system. Prevalence of MD was calculated on the basis of ICD-10 diagnoses and a 38-item checklist was developed to investigate dverse/traumatic life events for sub-samples with and without MD. High rates of MD were reported overall,particularly of schizotypal and delusional disorders and disorders of personality. Adverse life events including abuse, bereavement and relationship difficulties had been documented by clinicians. The overall number of recorded events was significantly higher for clients diagnosed with a MD. Associations between MD and life events have been reported previously, but not in a forensic ID population. The study contributes to a growing body of literature highlighting the relationship between life events and mental health in people with ID, offering further information for service development and clinical practice.

Researchers have proposed that the cognitive distortions of sexual offenders are underpinned by a number of implicit cognitive processes termed implicit theories. Until recently, however, the implicit theory hypothesis has received little empirical support due to broader limitations with standard forensic assessment procedures. The current research aimed to determine whether a new assessment methodology, the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), could provide further evidence for Ward and Keenan’s (1999) children as sexual beings implicit theory. The results indicated that the IRAP was significantly more effective at identifying core implicit differences between sexual offenders against children and nonoffenders than a cognitive distortion questionnaire. Furthermore, although both groups demonstrated an overall response bias towards adults as sexual and children as nonsexual, this bias was significantly impaired in the sexual offender group. The findings are discussed in relation to previous implicit theory research and recommendations for the development of implicit methodologies are made.

At its core, Clinical Behaviour Analysis (CBA) is the application of empirically established behavioural learning principles to the clinical domain, providing a framework for the systematic analysis of a person’s historical and current contexts, in terms of the personal learning that has occurred through interaction with those contexts, and using this information to understand the function and maintenance of an individual’s clinically-relevant behaviour. Unlike other established approaches to formulation and therapy, CBA is often misunderstood by individuals who are unfamiliar, or only partially familiar, with the central tenets of the approach. Common charges levied against CBA include: the apparent dismissal of thoughts, feelings and emotions as unobservable and therefore unimportant to the clinician or analyst; the use of aversive techniques and punishment to change behaviour; and the reduction of the complexity of individual experience into simplistic behavioural units. While these criticisms may be valid for some forms of mechanistic behaviourism or misinformed individual therapists, they do not apply to the radical behaviourism of B F Skinner – the behavioural philosophy that underpins our approach. Within this chapter, we formulate the case of ‘Molly’, using the principles of CBA to understand her presentation, current difficulties, and potential areas for intervention.

Every individual experiences a complex array of events, situations, and circumstances within their lifetime that influence their psychological development and sense of personhood. Previous relationships and attachments, social roles and expectations, formative experiences and contexts, education, gender, culture, and countless other factors influence how we perceive ourselves, the world, and those around us. The nexus between our personal characteristics and experiences is where our individuality and relationality lie, and – from a psychological perspective – our preferences, biases, behaviours, peccadillos, hopes, and fears are forged within this complex milieu. Within this this chapter, we introduce psychological formulation, and its role in aiding psychological practitioners to manage and understand this complexity. We also provide an overview of the structure of the current volume, and offer a number of criteria for critically evaluating the psychological formulations presented therein.

Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect the gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research.

Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect the gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research.

Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect the gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research.