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Background: Many people require additional care and support to meet their personal, health and psychosocial needs. Sometimes that responsibility falls to young people within their families. The research to date indicates that the impact on these young people can be significant, however no comprehensive reviews have yet examined this in Australian participants. Objective: Given the personal, subjective experience of caring, this study systematically reviews the qualitative literature on Australian youth under 25 who provide an informal caring role, using a meta-ethnographic approach. Method: Qualitative studies published since 2002 using Australian participants were included. The databases used included: Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, MEDLINE Complete, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, and Child Development & Adolescent Studies. Quality ratings and risk of bias are discussed. Results: Seventeen studies were included in the final analysis, representing the experiences of 531 young carers. The results suggest that the young carer experience is profound and impacts a range of domains, including social, academic, and psychological. The impacts are largely perceived as disadvantageous, although some positive outcomes are discussed. Conclusion: On the basis of the findings, the review concludes by offering a model to conceptualise the Australian young carer phenomenon. KEY POINTS: What is already known about this topic: (1) Young carers perform a wide variety of important social, personal and healthcare tasks for family members. (2) Being a young carer impacts physical and mental health, as well as academic and vocational prospects. (3) Structural health and social care differences make international comparisons of the young carer experience difficult to undertake reliably. What this topic adds: (1) Systematically collected and synthesised qualitative information on Australian young carers is presented for the first time. (2) Key themes relating to how they became young carers, their disconnection from support services and the psychosocial toll of undertaking the caring role emerged as important aspects of the young carer experience. (3) Positive aspects of the young carer experience also emerged, but these require further study, alongside factors that mediate the impact of negative health and psychosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on evidence-based approaches for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as outlined in the latest clinical guideline. Topics discussed include the evolution of OCD's classification in the DSM-5; the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as a frontline treatment; and the incorporation of recent advances in therapeutic practices and access to treatment.

Objectives: The feared possible self refers to an imagined version of self that one is afraid of being or becoming. Previous evidence has shown that dysfunctional reasoning (i.e., inferential confusion) is associated with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, which is partially mediated by a feared self. However, the evidence is reliant on non‐clinical samples and a general measure of the feared self. Methods: Using a cross‐sectional design, the current study attempted to replicate and extend this literature in a sample clinically diagnosed with OCD (n = 350) to assess the pathway from inferential confusion to OCD symptoms when feared self is accounted for as a mediator, particularly the individual dimensions of feared self (i.e., corrupted, culpable, and malformed feared selves). Participants completed a structured clinical interview for DSM‐5, as well as measures of inferential confusion (Dysfunctional Reasoning Processes Task), obsessive beliefs, feared self, OCD symptoms, and psychological distress. Results: Inferential confusion directly, and indirectly through the feared corrupted self, affected OCD symptoms, even after adjusting for obsessive beliefs, psychological distress, and comorbidity. However, the feared culpable and malformed selves did not play a role in this pathway. Conclusions: The study underscores that the feared corrupted self links inferential confusion to OCD symptoms, translating to the need to consider both dysfunctional reasoning processes and this specific feared self in clinical settings when treating OCD. Furthermore, the study provides more support for the inference‐based approach (IBA) to OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveMethodResultsConclusions\nKey PointsUntil recently, empirical studies had been limited with respect to investigating factors that influence the onset and maintenance of hair pulling disorder (HPD), particularly regarding the role of dysfunctional cognitions and beliefs. The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationships between symptom severity and belief domains in a sample with hair pulling disorder compared with non-clinical participants, using the Beliefs in Trichotillomania Scale (BiTS); a recently developed measure of relevant negative self-beliefs, coping efficacy beliefs, and perfectionist cognitions.Twenty adults with HPD and 43 age- and gender-matched control participants completed the BiTS and several measures of related constructs.HPD severity was significantly and positively correlated with negative self-beliefs and low coping efficacy, but not perfectionism, even after controlling for anxiety and depressive symptoms. Focussed hair pulling, but not automatic hair pulling, was correlated with each BiTS domain; however, once anxiety and depressive symptoms were controlled for, the significant relationship between focussed hair pulling and perfectionism was no longer apparent. The BiTS psychometric properties demonstrated good internal consistency and differentiated clinical from non-clinical participants, with clinical participants endorsing greater negative self-beliefs, lower coping efficacy, and greater perfectionism compared with control participants.Negative self beliefs, low coping efficacy, and perfectionism have differential relationships with HPD severity and hair pulling styles, variable on the presence of co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptoms. While further support for the BiTS internal consistency was obtained, future examination of divergent validity with a more diverse range of constructs is required.What is already known about this topic: Current cognitive-behavioural interventions for hair pulling disorder are designed to facilitate behaviour change by targeting the habit-formation and emotion-regulation mechanisms that maintain hair pulling behaviours.The Beliefs in Trichotillomania Scale (BiTS) measures three belief domains found to be relevant to hair pulling disorder: negative self beliefs, low coping efficacy, and perfectionism.Some cognitive-behavioural interventions additionally target cognitions and beliefs, however, few studies have investigated the relationships between relevant belief domains and hair pulling disorder severity and styles.Current cognitive-behavioural interventions for hair pulling disorder are designed to facilitate behaviour change by targeting the habit-formation and emotion-regulation mechanisms that maintain hair pulling behaviours.The Beliefs in Trichotillomania Scale (BiTS) measures three belief domains found to be relevant to hair pulling disorder: negative self beliefs, low coping efficacy, and perfectionism.Some cognitive-behavioural interventions additionally target cognitions and beliefs, however, few studies have investigated the relationships between relevant belief domains and hair pulling disorder severity and styles.What this topic adds: Independent of co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptoms, negative self beliefs and low coping efficacy, but not perfectionism, were associated with hair pulling severity.Negative self beliefs, doubts about one’s coping efficacy, and perfectionism were all associated with focussed hair pulling behaviours, but not automatic hair pulling behaviours. However, perfectionism was no longer correlated with focussed hair pulling upon controlling for anxiety and depressive symptoms.Assessment for these domains of dysfunctional beliefs, as part of formulation-driven cognitive-behavioural interventions for hair pulling disorder, is appropriate.Independent of co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptoms, negative self beliefs and low coping efficacy, but not perfectionism, were associated with hair pulling severity.Negative self beliefs, doubts about one’s coping efficacy, and perfectionism were all associated with focussed hair pulling behaviours, but not automatic hair pulling behaviours. However, perfectionism was no longer correlated with focussed hair pulling upon controlling for anxiety and depressive symptoms.Assessment for these domains of dysfunctional beliefs, as part of formulation-driven cognitive-behavioural interventions for hair pulling disorder, is appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesMethodResultsConclusions\nKEY POINTSFeared self refers to an individual’s “possible” self that has undesired qualities or characteristics and has been linked to obsessive compulsive symptoms. However, feared self may also relate to eating disorder pathology, given the importance of views of self in the disorder.This questionnaire-based study in a non-clinical sample (N = 238) examined whether a feared self would independently predict the symptom severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders (ED), while controlling for potential comorbidity of the respective symptoms. A secondary aim was to examine whether emotion regulation moderated the relationship between a feared self and OCD symptoms and a feared self and ED symptoms.Feared self was a significant unique predictor of symptoms of both disorders. Emotion regulation was not found to significantly moderate the relationship between feared self and either OCD or ED symptoms, although emotion regulation was a significant independent predictor of the respective symptoms.The study is one of the first to show that a feared self uniquely predicts ED symptoms, over-and-above coexisting OCD symptoms. As such, the results provide support for feared self as a potential transdiagnostic factor. Implications and limitations are discussed.What is already known about this topic: Feared self is increasingly linked with OCD and body dysmorphic symptoms.Given the importance of self, it may also relate to eating disorder symptoms.Emotion regulation has been linked with psychopathology, but the interaction with feared self has not been explored.Feared self is increasingly linked with OCD and body dysmorphic symptoms.Given the importance of self, it may also relate to eating disorder symptoms.Emotion regulation has been linked with psychopathology, but the interaction with feared self has not been explored.What this topic adds: The results support feared self as a potential transdiagnostic factor for OCD and eating disorders.The specific type of feared self differed in terms of the most relevant predictor for the different disorders.Emotion regulation predicted both disorders but did not moderate feared self.The results support feared self as a potential transdiagnostic factor for OCD and eating disorders.The specific type of feared self differed in terms of the most relevant predictor for the different disorders.Emotion regulation predicted both disorders but did not moderate feared self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ), the most widely used measure of dysfunctional beliefs in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Multiple exploratory methods (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis by variable, multidimensional scaling) were used to examine the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses were also performed in two large nonclinical samples from Australia (N = 1,234) and Israel ( N = 617). Our analyses suggested a four-factor solution with 38 items, where threat and responsibility formed separate dimensions (the "OBQ-TRIP"). This version had superior fit statistics across the two divergent confirmatory samples, when compared with four alternative models suggested by previous authors. Of the OBQ dimensions, the threat scale correlated most strongly with OCD symptom measures, even when controlling for depression. A short, 20-item version of the scale is offered for further study. Implications and limitations are discussed. (Contains 2 notes, 5 tables, and 2 figures.)