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BackgroundPeople with a psychotic disorder commonly experience problems in social cognition and functioning. Social cognition training (SCT) improves social cognition, but may inadequately simulate real-life social interactions. Virtual reality (VR) provides a realistic, interactive, customizable, and controllable training environment, which could facilitate the application of skills in daily life. ObjectiveWe developed a 16-session immersive VR SCT (Dynamic Interactive Social Cognition Training in Virtual Reality [DiSCoVR]) and conducted a single-group feasibility pilot study. MethodsA total of 22 people with a psychotic disorder and reported problems in social cognition participated. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed using a survey for participants and therapists, and by examining relevant parameters (eg, dropouts). We analyzed preliminary treatment effects on social cognition, neurocognition, and psychiatric symptoms. ResultsA total of 17 participants completed the study. Participants enjoyed DiSCoVR (mean 7.25, SD 2.05; range 3-10), thought it was useful for daily social activities (mean 7.00, SD 2.05; range 3-10), and enjoyed the combination of VR and a therapist (mean 7.85, SD 2.11; range 3-10). The most frequently mentioned strength of DiSCoVR was the opportunity to practice with personalized social situations (14/20, 70%). A significant improvement of emotion perception was observed (Ekman 60 Faces; t16=–4.79, P

This study tested to what extent the relation between bullying victimization and future symptoms of depression could be explained by victims being more hostile and less assertive than non‐involved individuals. Data came from waves 2–4 of the Dutch TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participants' bullying experiences were assessed at age 13, interpersonal style at age 16, and depression symptoms at age 19. Mediation analyses were performed primarily on 274 self‐reported victims and 1498 non‐involved peers. Self‐reported victims had an increased risk for depression symptoms. About a third of that risk could be explained by victims' hostile style, which was also higher than those of non‐involved peers. Although victims also reported lower levels of assertiveness than non‐involved peers, this interpersonal style did not mediate the link between bullying victimization and depression. Our findings suggest that high hostility, but not low assertiveness, partly explains the increased depression risk of self‐reported victims. Therefore, interventions could focus on addressing hostility, to help reduce the likelihood that adolescents who have experienced bullying victimization will have more interpersonal conflicts and mental health problems in the future. Supplementary materials also include analyses for bullies and bully‐victims, and for peer‐reported measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the use of real-time, repeated sampling methods to study behavior in natural contexts, highlighting a recent dyadic daily diary study of bereaved parents. Topics include the effects of daily diary completion on grief and anxiety in bereaved individuals, the potential benefits of self-monitoring and response shifts, and the impact of assessing daily symptoms on understanding and improving mental health through behavioral activation.

Prospective research participants do not always retain information provided during consent procedures. This may be relatively common in online research and is considered particularly problematic when the research carries risks. Clinical psychology studies using the trauma film paradigm, which aims to elicit an emotional response, provide an example. In the two studies presented here, 112–126 participants were informed they would be taking part in an online study using a variant of this paradigm. The information was provided across five digital pages using either a standard or an interactive format. In both studies, compared to the control condition, participants in the interactive condition showed more retention of information. However, this was only found for information about which they had been previously asked via the interactive format. Therefore, the impact of adding interactivity to digital study information was limited. True informed consent for an online study may require additional measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]