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Objectives: Videoconference psychotherapy (VCP) is a crucial component of many health care systems, allowing for remote delivery of services. However, little is known about the mechanisms of change within VCP. Previous research has suggested that self‐disclosure may be greater in VCP than face‐to‐face modalities and was investigated in the current study. Design: Young adults aged 18–25 years (N = 57) were randomly allocated to face‐to‐face or VCP interview conditions, with measures completed pre‐ and post‐interview. Methods: Participants completed an autobiographical memory task, requiring them to describe specific memories in response to positive and negative valence cue words. Measures included self‐reported self‐disclosure, blind observer‐rated self‐disclosure, memory specificity, and mean number of words per response. Results: No significant differences were found between conditions with regard to self‐reported self‐disclosure, capacity to recall specific memories, or words uttered per response. However, observer‐rated depth of self‐disclosure was significantly higher for participants in the face‐to‐face than VCP condition. Self‐disclosure and memory specificity were also significantly greater for negative than positive valence cue words, regardless of condition. Conclusions: The findings indicate that whilst participants may be able to draw on memories with equal ease regardless of interview modality, in VCP, emotional processing of these memories may require increased support and guidance from the therapist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International students may have less understanding and awareness of mental health issues and appear unlikely to seek help. The purpose of the current study was to construct and evaluate a brief online educational intervention designed to increase mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking among international tertiary students studying in Australia. The intervention was tested among 45 international tertiary students (undergraduate and postgraduate), who were randomly allocated to control and intervention conditions. The intervention led to significant improvements in help-seeking attitudes, particularly in stigmatising attitudes. No significant effects were found for MHL or help-seeking intentions. A brief educational intervention can improve help-seeking attitudes among international tertiary students. Future research may focus on establishing optimal intervention dosage.

Limited research has examined distress or help-seeking knowledge and attitudes among international students. The aim of this study was to examine psychological distress, mental health literacy (MHL), and help-seeking attitudes and intentions among a sample of domestic and international tertiary students. The sample comprised 357 domestic and international tertiary students. Participants completed an online questionnaire package, with measures relating to distress, MHL, help-seeking attitudes, and help-seeking intentions. International student status was predictive of lower scores on MHL, help-seeking attitudes, and help-seeking intentions for suicidal ideation. Student group was not predictive of help-seeking intentions for emotional problems or psychological distress, but international students had lower help-seeking intentions for suicidal ideation. Educational interventions targeting MHL and help-seeking attitudes and intentions among international students may be required to improve help-seeking behaviours.

Objective: To examine evidence of impairments in physiological reactivity to emotive stimuli following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: A search of PsychINFO, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, EMBASE (Excerpta Medica dataBASE), and Scopus databases was conducted from 1991 to June 24, 2021, for studies comparing changes in skin conductance or heart rate variability to emotive stimuli between adults with TBI and controls. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and rated methodological quality. Results: Twelve eligible studies examined physiological reactivity to laboratory-based emotive stimuli, which included nonpersonal pictures/videos, posed emotion, stressful events, and personal event recall. Overall, 9 reported evidence that individuals with TBI experience lower physiological reactivity to emotive stimuli compared with healthy controls, although the findings varied according to the type and valence of emotional stimuli and physiological parameter. Most studies using nonpersonal pictures or videos found evidence of lower physiological reactivity in TBI participants compared with controls. Conclusions: Based on laboratory-based studies, individuals with TBI may experience lower physiological reactivity to emotive stimuli. Further research is needed to investigate physiological responses to personally relevant emotional stimuli in real-world settings and to understand the interplay between physiological reactivity, subjective experiences, and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine and describe telehealth use and attitudes among mental health professionals in Australia and New Zealand during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants completed a brief online survey between May and July 2020. Participants were recruited via peak and professional organisations and through psychology-focused social media groups and networks. The survey examined frequency of telehealth use, reasons for non-use, telehealth modalities, prior use, attitudes towards use, plans for future use, and training, information or resource needs. Results: A total of 528 professionals (85.2% female) participated in the survey, of which 98.9% reported using telehealth and 32.2% reported using telehealth exclusively. Respondents were less likely to use telehealth if they worked with clients experiencing complex issues (e.g. trauma), had more hours of weekly client contact, had a choice about whether to use telehealth or felt less positive about using technology. Respondents were more likely to hold positive views towards telehealth if they were female, had used online programmes with clients previously, were frequent telehealth users and were comfortable using technology. Participants expressed mixed views on client safety and the impact of telehealth on therapeutic process and effectiveness. Conclusion: Telehealth has a clear and ongoing role within mental healthcare and there is a need for strong guidance for professionals on how to manage client risk, privacy, security and adapt therapy for delivery via telehealth. In particular, there is a need for individual-, organisational-, professional- and policy-level responses to ensure that telehealth remains a viable and effective healthcare medium into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Group psychotherapy holds considerable potential for cost‐effective treatment delivery. However, issues with client attendance can compromise the efficacy of such treatments. To date, client specific factors are amongst the most researched predictors of attendance in psychotherapy, with much less of a focus given to process factors, particularly in the group therapy context. This study aimed to determine which process factors influenced attendance in the context of a group therapy programme for adults with anxiety. It was hypothesized that (1) the working alliance and group cohesion would be moderately correlated, (2) both the working alliance and group cohesion would explain unique variance in session attendance, and (3) the working alliance would act as a moderator for attendance, when group cohesion was low. Design: The study utilized a within participants design. Methods: Participants were 91 adults (aged 18–74 years) who took part in a 9‐week, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural group therapy programme for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Results: Working alliance and group cohesion were significantly, but only moderately correlated (rs ranging.41 to.55). Together, working alliance and group cohesion significantly predicted total session attendance (17.70% variance explained). Working alliance did not moderate the relationship between group cohesion and session attendance. Conclusions: The importance of individual and group processes in influencing group therapy engagement is highlighted, including the role of fostering bonds within the group and between clients and therapists. Practitioner points: A complex array of process factors has been argued to influence treatment outcomes in group therapyThe quality of the relationship between group therapy clients, as well as the relationship between a client and the therapist, predict session attendance.The quality of the relationship between the client and the therapist may be the most important predictor of session attendance.Therapists should foster positive relationships between each client and the therapist in group therapy, as well as assisting each client to foster positive relationships with other group members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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