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Objectives: Characterization of psychotherapy as the "talking cure" de‐emphasizes the importance of an active listener on the curative effect of talking. We test whether the working alliance and its benefits emerge from expression of voice, per se, or whether active listening is needed. We examine the role of listening in a social identity model of working alliance. Methods: University student participants in a laboratory experiment spoke about stress management to another person (a confederate student) who either did or did not engage in active listening. Participants reported their perceptions of alliance, key social‐psychological variables, and well‐being. Results: Active listening led to significantly higher ratings of alliance, procedural justice, social identification, and identity leadership, compared to no active listening. Active listening also led to greater positive affect and satisfaction. Ultimately, an explanatory path model was supported in which active listening predicted working alliance through social identification, identity leadership, and procedural justice. Conclusions: Listening quality enhances alliance and well‐being in a manner consistent with a social identity model of working alliance, and is a strategy for facilitating alliance in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Aims: Despite being mentioned in well‐known models of psychotherapeutic change, the concept of extra‐therapeutic factors seems to have left the scene across time, eaten away by the progressive refinement of the construct of common factors. Aim of the present study is to better understanding the historical evolution of the concept of extra‐therapeutic factors and its importance for psychotherapy today. Methods: This is a position paper based on a literature review on extra‐therapeutic factors and psychotherapy outcome and process. Discussion: There is growing evidence of the decisive role of clients' and therapists' characteristics, as well as of the importance of therapeutic alliances and relationships in promoting change. Within this context, the concept of extra‐therapeutic factors still deserves proper attention, rather than being relegated to a residual and vanishing category. Conclusion: A renewed interest on extra‐therapeutic factors could reinvigorate the debate over the relationship between psychotherapy and life contexts and conditions. In terms of complexity and systems thinking nothing, a priori, really falls outside the realm of psychotherapy and, in turn, psychotherapy is not a practice that could be abstracted from the context in which it is practiced or from clients' and therapists' lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends the traditional Actor-Partner Interdependence model (APIM; Kenny, 1996) to incorporate dyadic data with multiple indicators reflecting latent constructs. Although the APIM has been widely used to model interdependence in dyads, the method and its applications have largely been limited to single sets of manifest variables. This article presents three extensions of the APIM that can be applied to multivariate dyadic data; a manifest APIM linking multiple indicators as manifest variables, a composite-score APIM relating univariate sums of multiple variables, and a latent APIM connecting underlying constructs of multiple indicators. The properties of the three methods in analyzing data with various dyadic patterns are investigated through a simulation study. It is found that the latent APIM adequately estimates dyadic relationships and holds reasonable power when measurement reliability is not too low, whereas the manifest APIM yields poor power and high type I error rates in general. The composite-score APIM, even though it is found to be a better alternative to the manifest APIM, fails to correctly reflect latent dyadic interdependence, raising inferential concerns. We illustrate the APIM extensions for multivariate dyadic data analysis by an example study on relationship commitment and happiness among married couples in Wisconsin. In cases where the measures are reliable reflections of psychological constructs, we suggest using the latent APIM for examining research hypotheses that discuss implications beyond observed variables. We conclude with stressing the importance of carefully examining measurement models when designing and conducting dyadic data analyses. Dyadic data contain rich information about dynamic relationships that occur within a pair of people. The Actor-Partner Interdependence model (APIM; Kenny, 1996) has been widely used to study the interdependence of dyad members, defining its patterns by the relative strength of influence that members receive from their partners. This study proposes to add measurement models to the APIM to analyze multiple correlated variables as manifestations of underlying theoretical constructs that are interrelated between dyad members. In addition to this latent APIM approach, two other extensions of the APIM for multivariate data are presented in comparison: Instead of including measurement models, the manifest APIM uses observed variables simultaneously, and the composite-score APIM analyzes sums of observed variables. The usage of the three methods and their interpretations are presented with publicly available data from married couples. Using a simulation study, we also examine cautionary circumstances when each of the three methods may not be suitable and provide a list of recommendations for applied researchers on how to choose and apply different APIM approaches in practice. Overall, their performance can differ substantially depending on the context in which the variables in the analysis are related to each other. This article concludes with a discussion of the importance of theory and measurement characteristics in selecting a method to analyze multivariate dyadic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-dimensional factor models have received much attention with the rapid development in big data. We make several contributions to the asymptotic properties of Quasi Maximum Likelihood estimations (QMLE) as both the sample size T and the variable dimension N go to infinity. First we eliminate one of rather unnatural assumptions on the variance estimates which is commonly assumed in the literature. Secondly, we give unified results on the asymptotic properties of the QMLE, which greatly expand the scope of earlier studies. Simulations are given to illustrate these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing tension in the psychodynamic field between interpreting the meaning of a patient's verbal productions or actions and addressing the defenses utilized by the patient. Some authors maintain that implicit interactions between analyst and patient may be more important than the verbal interventions by the analyst. This article stresses the importance of observing and appropriately addressing how patients manage painful affects in the sessions. Focusing the patients' attention on their at-the-moment defenses as they occur in the session is an experience-near intervention and minimizes interventions that address issues far from the patient's consciousness and that require a high level of conjecture by the therapist. This technique can be utilized at any point in treatment, regardless of its duration and intensity. Several vignettes are provided that suggest that addressing defenses against painful affect is a pantheoretical construct and may be a common factor in psychodynamic treatment. A successful randomized control trial utilizing this technique with children (regulation-focused psychotherapy) is described. There have been limited empirical studies of the impact of therapists addressing defenses in sessions, but the work of J. Christopher Perry and colleagues, particularly the development of the Psychodynamic Intervention Rating Scales, offers an opportunity to further study the impact of defense interpretations and other interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the acceptance, feasibility and safety of a short-term group program for adults (18 years and older) and youth (16 to 18 years) with borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. Termed Road Maps, the content and development were informed by common treatment factors identified from evidence-based therapies for BPD. Method: Two-hundred and eight people consented to participate in the research trial and completed baseline measures. Intervention participants rated the acceptability and subjective experience of the group. Attrition rates informed feasibility, and serious adverse events were tracked to identify potential harms. Results: Participant post-group ratings of the group's acceptability and subjective experience were above average across both adult and youth populations. Attrition rate after commencement of group was 38% for adults and 27% among youth. The incidence rate of emergency department presentations was reduced by 41% in the 6 months post-group, relative to 6 months pre-group. Conclusions: The current study provides preliminary support for the acceptability and feasibility of a short-term group therapy program for people with a diagnosis of BPD. Road Maps may be a useful intermediate intervention in a broader model of stepped care. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12622000849796.aspx, (ACTRN12622000849796) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attempt to identify and classify distinct experiences falling under the common designation of countertransference has been labelled the specifist tradition. In this paper, a model describing two dimensions differentiating four components of countertransference experience is proposed. For each experiential component (subjective countertransference, objective countertransference, therapeutic attitude and emerging experience), a brief description based on previous literature from diverse theoretical fields is offered, along with clinical implications and illustrations and an account of empirical literature explicitly or implicitly addressing the specific component. In conclusion, the model is presented as a heuristic guide that can serve different purposes across different therapeutic orientations, with valuable implications for practice, training and supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate clinimetric properties of 2 surveys used to evaluate common factors in the patient-provider relation and present screener options for the assessment of common factors and report their correlation with pain and functional outcomes. Observational cohort. Outpatient physical therapy. 100 individuals (58% women, mean age=34, SD=15; N=100) presenting to physical therapy with musculoskeletal pain in the following regions: 44% lower extremity, 36% spine, 19% upper extremity, 1% undetermined. Not applicable. Participants completed the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) and the Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) explored factor structure of the WAI and CEQ. Internal consistency was evaluated for scales derived from items retained based on factor loadings. Finally, options for screener tools were proposed and assessed based on their correlation to original surveys as well as pain and functional outcomes. The data supported a 4-factor structure for the surveys. Some WAI items were excluded due to cross-loading. The derived four-factor scales demonstrated strong correlations with the original surveys (r =.89-.99) and exhibited good internal consistency (α=.824-.875). Two screening options were suggested: 1 retaining 11 of the original 18 items and the other comprising just 3 items. Both screening tools correlated with the original surveys and showed associations with improvements in pain and functional outcomes (r =-.21-.34). The proposed screeners provide concise measurement options to facilitate use in clinical practice. These tools can aid in facilitating patient communication specifically addressing patient expectation and understanding the tasks required to enact behavior change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The therapist‐facilitative interpersonal skills (FIS) has shown to predict therapy outcomes, demonstrating that high FIS therapists are more effective than low FIS therapists. There is a need for more insight into the variability in strengths and weaknesses in therapist skills. This study investigates whether a revised and extended FIS‐scoring leads to more differentiation in measuring therapists' interpersonal skills. Furthermore, we explorative examine whether subgroups of therapists can be distinguished in terms of differences in their interpersonal responses. Method: Using secondary data analysis, 93 therapists were exposed to seven FIS‐clips. Responses of therapists using the original and the extended FIS scoring were rated. Results: Three factors were found on the extended FIS scoring distinguishing supportive, expressive, and persuasive interpersonal responses of therapists. A latent profile analysis enlightened the presence of six subgroups of therapists. Conclusion: Using the revised and extended FIS‐scoring contributes to our understanding of the role of interpersonal skills in the therapeutic setting by unraveling the question what works for whom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real relationship and working alliance are considered sister concepts, because, even though they are distinct elements of the therapeutic relationship, they seem to be highly interrelated, especially regarding the bond element of the relationship. Both concepts are considered to contribute significantly to the therapy outcomes, but some questions remain regarding their relationship, similarities, and conceptual differences. The present study aimed to examine the association of real relationship and working alliance across studies and analyze their contribution to treatment success. For this purpose, we conducted a meta-analysis on these two constructs and performed a quantitative analysis to differentiate the contribution of real relationship and working alliance for psychotherapy outcomes. Results from the meta-analysis confirmed the theorized association between real relationship and working alliance, revealing an overall correlation of r =.66. Based on our quantitative analysis, real relationship seems to be as good a predictor as the working alliance, although both benefit from each other. The research findings underline the importance of considering the contribution of these two concepts for therapeutic outcomes. Therapists should pay attention to both real relationship and the working alliance as key factors that improve therapy success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Therapeutic and salutogenic effects of psychedelic drugs have been attributed to psychotherapeutic or psychotherapy-like processes that can unfold during the acute psychedelic experience and beyond. Currently, there are no psychometric instruments available to comprehensively assess psychotherapeutic processes (as conceptualized by empirical psychotherapy research) in the context of psychedelic experiences. Aims: We report the initial validation of the General Change Mechanisms Questionnaire (GCMQ), a self-report instrument designed to measure five empirically established general change mechanisms (GCMs) of psychotherapy—(1) resource activation, (2) therapeutic relationship, (3) problem actuation, (4) clarification, and (5) mastery—in the context of psychedelic experiences. Methods: An online survey in a sample of 1153 English-speaking and 714 German-speaking psychedelic users was conducted to evaluate simultaneously developed English- and German-language versions of the GCMQ. Results: The theory-based factor structure was confirmed. The five GCMQ scales showed good internal consistency. Evidence for convergent validity with external measures was obtained. Significant associations with different settings and with therapeutic, hedonic, and escapist use motives confirmed the hypothesized context dependence of GCM-related psychedelic experiences. Indicating potential therapeutic effects, the association between cumulative stressful life events and well-being was significantly moderated by resource activation, clarification, and mastery. Factor mixture modeling revealed five distinct profiles of GCM-related psychedelic experiences. Conclusion: Initial testing indicates that the GCMQ is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in future clinical and nonclinical psychedelic research. The five identified profiles of GCM-related experiences may be relevant to clinical uses of psychedelics and psychedelic harm reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Assertive Community Treatment provides integrated and community-based support to clients with mental illness and challenges in social functioning. Music therapy has been incorporated into several Norwegian Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams, but there is limited published research on its outcomes. The Flexible Assertive Community Treatment model is recovery oriented, and the significance of robust relationships with staff members is emphasised. To understand the processes and critical factors in the relationships between service users and their Music Therapist in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment, we addressed the following research question: What characterises the relationship and interaction between the Music Therapist and the service user in the context of Flexible Assertive Community Treatment? Six joint interviews with service users and their Music Therapist were conducted using a dyadic approach. Using reflexive thematic analysis, the characteristics of the music therapy relationship were categorised in three themes; (1) the humanistic, therapeutic relationship, (2) the friendship-like relationship and (3) the musical relationship. The relationship between the service user and the Music Therapist is essential to therapeutic outcome, and links to common factors in therapy. Building relationships with the Music Therapist and the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment team may be a vital step towards social participation for the service user and may be understood as a critical factor towards recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review provides an overview of empirical studies investigating therapeutic relationships between speech-language pathologists (SLPs), clients, and caregivers across all ages and clinical areas, and identifies areas of future research. The Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) scoping review method was employed. Systematic searches were conducted across seven databases and four grey literature databases. Research published in English and German until 3 August 2020 was included. Data were extracted for the primary aim, terminology and theoretical foundations, research design, and focus. Central findings concerning the input-, process-, outcome-, and output-level of speech-language pathology were categorised. Of 5479 articles, 44 articles were included in the analysis. Psychotherapy was the leading discipline for the theoretical foundation and measurement of relationship quality. Most findings focused on therapeutic attitudes, qualities, and relational actions to build the basis of a positive therapeutic relationship. A small number of studies indicated connections between clinical outcomes and the quality of the relationships. Future research needs to address precision of terminology, expansion of qualitative and quantitative research methods, development and psychometric examination of measuring instruments specific to SLPs and the development and evaluation of concepts to support professional relationship building in speech-language pathology training and everyday work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the physical activity (PA) levels of inactive older adults to promote healthy aging and to reduce preventable health conditions is a public health priority. However, there remains uncertainty on what constitutes the most important components and characteristics of effective PA interventions for older adults, and previous research has largely focused on the cognitive and behavioral strategies they adopt to increase uptake and adherence to PA. This narrative review puts forward the novel idea, with supporting evidence, that the strength, quality, and collaborative nature of the professional–client relationship, a concept drawn from the field of psychotherapy and known as therapeutic alliance, may be a vital and foundational element of effective PA interventions. This article will offer a new understanding, and a new direction of research to aid the future conceptualization, design, and development of interventions that aim to increase the PA levels of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:Method:Results:Conclusion:To investigate associations between common factors (alliance, insight, problem solving) and therapists’ techniques. We expected a positive association between (1) supportive techniques and the alliance, (2) interpretative techniques and insight, and (3) a stronger association between interpretative techniques and insight for patients with more severe baseline symptoms. Other associations were analyzed in an exploratory way.Sixty sessions from 15 adult female patients diagnosed with personality disorder were analyzed using the Psychodynamic Interventions List (verbal techniques, observer-rated transcripts), and the Session Questionnaire for General and Differential Individual Psychotherapy (common factors, patient-rated after each session). Multilevel modeling was applied.A greater use of supportive techniques was related to a higher therapeutic alliance (b = .28, 95% CI: .01–.55, p = .042). Neither the positive association between interpretative techniques and insight nor the moderating effect of baseline symptom severity could be confirmed. Exploratory analyses revealed associations between problem-solving and different verbal techniques.Therapists’ use of supportive techniques seems to influence the therapeutic alliance positively in patients with personality disorders. The effect of interpretative techniques might depend on other factors like patient characteristics. In general, there seem to be differential and specific associations between different therapists’ verbal techniques and common factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the complex relationship between common factors, i.e., mechanisms of change, and specific factors, i.e., therapeutic techniques. N = 256 psychotherapy experts were asked to rate the appropriateness of 14 techniques commonly used in psychotherapy to facilitate five different common factors – resource activation, motivational clarification, self-management & emotion regulation, social competence, and therapeutic relationship. Using SEM, we defined techniques as indicators and common factors as latent variables. Data were split randomly into two subsets. Indicators were selected if three a priori defined criteria were met based on training data (n = 128). Subsequently, the goodness of model fit was assessed in the test data (n = 128). The proposed model revealed adequate fit. All factor loadings were theoretically sound and significant in magnitude. Findings suggest that psychotherapy experts discriminate between common factors by their various associations with therapeutic techniques. Suggestions are made, how therapeutic techniques are to be used to facilitate desirable change in the patient. Our model is a step towards a taxonomy of mechanisms of change that may help to improve research-informed decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Following its introduction in the early 1990s, cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) has been evaluated in a large number of clinical trials and is now established as a recommended treatment in the UK National Health Service and elsewhere in the world. Meta‐analyses, however, indicate modest effects compared to treatment as usual or comparison therapies such as supportive counselling. Here, we seek to identify factors impacting the effectiveness of CBTp, and avenues for future psychotherapy research that may improve outcomes. Method: We outline two recent umbrella reviews and discuss factors likely to impact the effectiveness of CBTp. Results: Modest effect sizes from meta‐analyses mask heterogeneous outcomes, with some people benefiting and others possibly being harmed by therapy. Common factors such as the therapeutic alliance play an important role in determining outcomes but have been largely neglected by CBTp researchers. There is also the promise of improving outcomes by identifying and targeting the psychological mechanisms that either maintain psychotic symptoms (e.g. worry) or are causally implicated (e.g. trauma). Conclusions: It is unlikely that everyone with psychosis will be equally responsive to the same therapeutic protocols. We need a new, personalised psychotherapy approach to CBTp research and practice, and can learn from research for anxiety and depression examining predictors of therapeutic response to inform treatment decisions. Precision psychological therapies informed by a combination of individual characteristics, common factors and a focus on specific mechanisms will require new research strategies and are likely to lead to improved outcomes for people with psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Questions: The purpose of this study was to answer to the following research questions: (1) How do clients and psychotherapists understand their therapy experiences regarding clothes and decor? (2) Which of these experiences are considered beneficial for the psychotherapeutic process? (3) Which of these experiences are considered detrimental to the psychotherapeutic process? (4) Which of these experiences are considered irrelevant to the psychotherapeutic process? Method: In this interpretative phenomenological analysis, an in‐depth interview (M = 45 min) was used to collect data on experiences in psychotherapists' offices, related to decor or clothing, from clients (n = 10, 8 women; aged 18–24, Mdn = 21), as well as psychotherapists (n = 9 women psychotherapists; aged 29–58, Mdn = 30). The coding followed both the procedure of grounded theory emergent coding (exploratory inductive coding) and the procedure of framework analysis structured coding (deductive coding, which follows the research questions, with the aim of identifying causality). The interviews were coded by hand, after transcribing each interview verbatim. Coding was conducted in cycles, accompanied by memo writing (Birks et al., 2005). Results: Collected data were organised into three themes: "positive psychotherapy experiences related to decor and clothing," "negative psychotherapy experiences related to decor and clothing," and "irrelevance of decor and clothing to psychotherapy experiences" (13 subthemes). Discussions: Results were compared with the recent qualitative studies on this topic and with the empirical studies regarding decor and clothing in counselling and psychotherapy (since the 1950s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a binary classifier to evaluate whether the rank condition (RC) is satisfied or not for the Common Correlated Effects (CCE) estimator. The RC postulates that the number of unobserved factors, m, is not larger than the rank of the unobserved matrix of average factor loadings, ϱ. When this condition fails, the CCE estimator is inconsistent, in general. Despite its importance, to date this rank condition could not be verified. The difficulty lies in the fact that factor loadings are unobserved, such that ϱ cannot be directly determined. The key insight in this article is that ϱ can be consistently estimated with existing techniques through the matrix of cross-sectional averages of the data. Similarly, m can be estimated consistently from the data using existing methods. Thus, a binary classifier, constructed by comparing estimates of m and ϱ, correctly determines whether the RC is satisfied or not as (N , T) → ∞. We illustrate the practical relevance of testing the RC by studying the effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on bank profitability. The RC classifier reveals that the rank condition fails for a subperiod of the sample, in which case the estimated effect of bank size on profitability appears to be biased upwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a spatial dynamic panel data model with common factors and a connectivity matrix based on cross-province population flows to help explain the spread of COVID-19 infections across Italian provinces during the period 2020–21. We find that an increase in the infections in a province has a positive and statistically significant effect on neighbours' infections, which highlights the relevance of spatial spillover effects. This finding is robust to several robustness checks. Furthermore, we investigate cross-provincial transmission heterogeneity using a heterogeneous spatial dynamic panel, which provides novel insights into the diffusion patterns of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While current Somatic Experiencing studies have produced impressive outcomes and biological rationales for treatment, there is a lack of client-centered research attending to the lived experience of those attending the therapy. Learning from clients about their therapeutic experience can illuminate a multitude of factors that help and hinder therapeutic outcomes in order to conceive of or reform interventions, advance our understanding of therapeutic change, and gain insight into clients' hidden processes. These might include unexpressed fear, dissatisfaction, and avoidance, as well as what they most value about the therapy. Method: Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to process the data. The sample size was necessarily small to align with IPA guidelines. Findings: Two superordinate themes were abstracted: communication and pacing. Subordinate themes: Intake assessment, expectation, and psychoeducation are situated under the superordinate theme of communication. Conclusion: Hidden processes illuminated in qualitative research of this kind can greatly benefit Somatic Experiencing Practitioners (SEPs) in better understanding how their therapeutic approach is experienced by their clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, the incidence of childhood allergic diseases has increased globally, and their impact on the affected child extends beyond the allergy itself. There is evidence of an association between childhood allergic diseases and the development of neurological disorders. Several studies have shown a correlation between allergic diseases and tic disorders (TD), and allergic diseases may be an important risk factor for TD. Possible factors influencing the development of these disorders include neurotransmitter imbalance, maternal anxiety or depression, gut microbial disorders, sleep disturbances, maternal allergic status, exposure to tobacco, and environmental factors. Moreover, gut microbial disturbances, altered immunological profiles, and DNA methylation in patients with allergic diseases may be potential mechanisms contributing to the development of TD. An in-depth investigation of the relationship between allergic diseases and TD in children will be important for preventing and treating TD.

The integration of Civic and Political Education and Employment Guidance can enhance the effectiveness and validity of employment guidance so that students can better solve the problems in job development and, employment, and entrepreneurship under the dual influence of employment guidance and Civic and Political Education. In analyzing the influencing factors of college students’ employability, this paper first initially identifies the relevant factors affecting college students’ employability based on survey interviews, and then applies factor analysis to explore the potential structure in the data. This study is based on doing questionnaire survey on employment influencing factors for some graduates and current students of Z university, using SPSS software to factor analyze the sample data, downgrading 10 employment influencing factors to 3 common factors, named as employment guidance factors, civic education factors, and enterprise factors, and obtaining the weights of the common factors through the normalization process. The degree of influence on college students’ employment is in descending order, with employment guidance factors, civic and political education factors, and enterprise factors being the most important factors. Employment guidance and ideological education are the key factors affecting the employment of college students, and this paper proposes relevant strategies for integrating and developing these two factors.

ObjectiveMethodResultsConclusionNo systematic review was identified investigating the influence of perceived therapist credibility on treatment outcomes. Extant treatment credibility reviews have focused on early perceptions without considering influence of various therapy phases. This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived treatment and therapist credibility and treatment outcomes, while considering the timing of the credibility assessment as a potential moderator.Articles published in English peer-reviewed journals containing at least one quantitative measure of credibility and treatment outcome regarding face-to-face therapist-delivered interventions were eligible. PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Embase online databases were last searched on April 5th, 2023, and the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool was used to assess the study quality. Correlations between treatment credibility and outcomes, and therapist credibility were calculated separately.Analysis of 27 studies revealed a positive association between perceived treatment credibility and treatment outcome (r = 0.15,95%CI = 0.09,0.21,p < 0.001,n = 2061). Nine studies showed a strong association between perceived therapist credibility and outcome (r = 0.35,95%CI = 0.18,0.51;p < .001,n = 1161). No significant moderator found in both meta-analyses.Findings suggest that clients’ perceptions of higher credibility – whether concerning the treatment or the therapist – are associated with better therapeutic outcomes. Constraints in inclusion criteria and the small sample size in eligible studies were notable limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The use of deliberate practice (DP) as an adjunct method of training practitioners in the acquisition of therapy skills is gaining increasing attention. However, to date, no evidence synthesis has been reported on. Methods: A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O'Malley's five‐stage method, which was compliant with the preferred method for reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analysis extension for scoping reviews. Three databases (Scopus, Embase and PubMed) were searched for articles reporting on primary data, in English. The initial search yielded 1,087 articles, of which 14 are included in this review. Results: Findings suggest that DP is still in its infancy and is being used to train practitioners in a host of therapeutic skills and practices in various training and educational contexts, including using technology as a platform. DP compares more favourably than usual didactic workshops for skill acquisition across variables such as techniques, communication skills and interpersonal and evidence‐based relationship factors. Conclusion: Further research needs to replicate and extend these initial findings, and recommendations for practice and research are considered. This is the first scoping review of this rapidly developing area of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the space-time dynamics of Indonesia's provincial unemployment by simultaneously accounting for their serial persistence, spatial dependence, and common factors. The results show that unemployment rates vary widely across provinces, but have similar patterns over time, indicating the presence of common latent factors. Using the average national unemployment rate as a proxy for common factors, the results indicate that the space-time dynamics of provincial unemployment are characterized by both significant serial persistence and spatial dependence. The results also quantify which regions are most sensitive to national unemployment shocks, providing a deeper understanding of regional unemployment heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mindfulness apps are becoming popular treatments for chronic pain and mental health, despite mixed evidence supporting their efficacy. Furthermore, it is unclear whether improvements in pain are due to mindfulness-specific effects or placebo effects because no trials have compared mindfulness against a sham control. The objective of this study was to compare mindfulness against 2 sham conditions with differing proximity to mindfulness to characterize the relative contributions of mindfulness-specific and nonspecific processes on chronic pain. We assessed changes in pain intensity and unpleasantness and mindfulness-specific and nonspecific pain-related processes in 169 adults with chronic or recurrent pain randomized to receive a single 20-minute online session of mindfulness, specific sham mindfulness, general sham mindfulness, or audiobook control. Mindfulness was not superior to shams for reducing pain intensity or unpleasantness, and no differential engagement of theorized mindfulness-specific processes was observed. However, mindfulness and both shams reduced pain unpleasantness relative to audiobook control, with expectancy most strongly associated with this effect. Sham specificity had no influence on expectancy or credibility ratings, pain catastrophizing, or pain effects. These findings suggest that improvements in chronic pain unpleasantness following a single session of online-delivered mindfulness meditation may be driven by placebo effects. Nonspecific treatment effects including placebo expectancy and pain catastrophizing may drive immediate pain attenuation rather than theorized mindfulness-specific processes themselves. Further research is needed to understand whether mindfulness-specific effects emerge after longer durations of online training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study investigated the influence of general change mechanisms (GCMs) on outcome in telephone‐based cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) for family caregivers. Methods: In a stepped‐care intervention approach, highly distressed family caregivers received telephone‐based CBT after completing a care counseling intervention. Sixty‐six therapist‐caregiver dyads rated emotional bond, agreement on collaboration, problem actuation, resource activation, clarification of meaning, and mastery after each of 12 therapy sessions. Outcomes were caregiver burden (SCQ‐AV) and depression (CES‐D) after therapy. Associations of GCMs with outcome were examined in multilevel regression models. Results: Caregiver burden was significantly predicted by caregiver‐rated emotional bond (β = −0.18) as well as therapist‐rated resource activation (β = −0.26), problem actuation (β = −0.22), clarification of meaning (β = −0.18), and mastery (β = −0.18). None of the GCMs predicted depression from any perspective. Conclusion: The findings suggest that GCMs are relevant for reducing caregiver burden in CBT for family caregivers and should be fostered in treatment manuals, in particular therapist‐rated GCMs. Since therapist and caregiver perspectives differed in predicting caregiver burden, future research should investigate perspective congruence and its effect on therapy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent editorial, Mandy declared an autism mental health crisis and proposed six ideas for how this might be addressed, with which we agree. However, we propose that for these ideas (e.g. training for mental health professionals) to be implemented for psychologists, assumptions about best practice need to be assessed considering the evolving conceptualisation of autism. The formation and development of a therapeutic alliance between a psychologist and client has been established as an important 'common factor' that impacts the efficacy of therapy. If one considers the double empathy problem and views autism through a neurodiversity lens, the development of a therapeutic alliance between a psychologist and client of different neurotypes might require an alternative approach to standard practice. We propose that psychologists (if they are, for example, non-autistic and working with an autistic client), are at risk of misinterpreting their clients' communication and needs. As such, we consider the notion of cultural competency, and how the profession of psychology can move forward to help psychologists work effectively with autistic clients, learning from autistic people, including autistic psychologists. In a recent editorial, Mandy described an autism mental health crisis because autistic people are more likely to experience mental health concerns, yet they are less likely to get help. When autistic people do seek support, services tend not to be well matched to their needs. Alongside the six ideas Mandy suggested for addressing the mental health crisis, we think it is essential for psychologists to start changing the way they work to improve the person-environment fit for autistic clients. The relationship between a psychologist and their client influences the gains a client makes from engaging in therapy. The way psychologists are trained to build an effective working relationship with clients is based on neurotypical communication styles. The double empathy problem tells us that autistic clients relate to others differently to non-autistic clients, and so we propose that psychologists, especially when not autistic themselves, need to build the therapeutic relationship in a different way. We feel this is important, as the relationship between a psychologist and client is understood to be an important factor in how much the client can benefit from therapy. In this letter, we draw upon Bulluss' call for cultural competency when working with autistic clients, and further insights from autistic psychologists, and propose that psychologists rethink some taken-for-granted aspects of practice to be better able to create a sense of interpersonal safety when working with autistic clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A large body of literature discusses change mechanisms underlying psychotherapy with an emphasis on common factors. The present study examined how different comprehensive common factors change over the course of therapy and whether this change was associated with clinical outcome at discharge. Method: Three hundred forty‐eight adults (mean age = 32.1, SD = 10.6; 64% female) attended a standardized 14‐week day‐clinic psychotherapy program. They provided longitudinal data on common factors based on weekly assessments. Additionally, pre‐ and post‐assessment questionnaires on clinical outcome were completed. Using multilevel modelling, we predicted common factors by time (week in therapy). Multiple linear regression models tested the association between changes in common factors and clinical outcome. Results: The common factor 'Therapeutic Alliance' was best fitted by linear growth models, whereas models for the common factors 'Coping', 'Cognitive Integration' and 'Affective Processing' indicated logarithmic changes over time. 'Coping', that is change in patients' ability to cope with their individual problems, was most closely linked with outcome. Conclusions: The present study provides evidence for the changeability of common factors over the course of therapy as well as their specific contributions to psychotherapeutic progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the moderating role of institutions in explaining the effects of population density, income, and high-valued natural resources (oil) on violent conflict events. Panel-Corrected Standard Errors and Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimators were applied. Results show that population density beyond 2293 persons per square kilometre increases violent conflict events. Further, institutional quality has a moderating effect on violent conflict events – stronger corruption control reduces the positive effect of significant oil production on violent conflict events and weakens the negative effect of per capita income on such events. The results suggest that reducing violent conflict events requires at least three things; (1) keeping population density below 2293 persons per square kilometre, (2) investing in institutional quality improvements, and (3) raising incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given the frequent co-occurrence between alcohol use and sexual behavior among adolescents, alcohol interventions may play a role in helping prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in this age group. Psychotherapy “common factors” are one potential active ingredient in intervention efficacy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a critical common factor, adolescent: provider connectedness, on STI risk reduction at 3 months post-intervention. Methods: Community-based youth (N = 168) were randomized to two 60-min individual sessions of either motivational interviewing (MI) or brief adolescent mindfulness (BAM). Logistic regressions predicted post-intervention positive STI from adolescent: provider connectedness, intervention condition, and their interaction. Path analytic models tested post-intervention hazardous drinking as a mediator of the association between adolescent: provider connectedness and reduction in STI risk at 3-month follow-up. Results: Stronger adolescent: provider connectedness reduced risk of STI at 3 months post-intervention, with no differences by treatment condition. A mediational relationship between adolescent: provider connectedness and STI risk via hazardous drinking was not observed. Conclusion: Psychotherapeutic common factors, including adolescent: provider connectedness, may be important in mitigating adolescent health risk in behavioral interventions, above and beyond intervention condition and beyond the target behavior of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text-based communication is becoming an increasingly salient feature of the psychotherapeutic landscape. Yet little is known about the factors distinguishing high- and low-quality therapeutic conversations taking place over this modality. Prior research on therapist effects has outlined several common factors associated with better clinical outcomes. But these common factors can only be researched in the context of text-based communication if they can be measured. Accordingly, we developed and validated a new behavioral task and coding system: the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills Performance Task for Text (FIS-T) to measure therapists' messaging quality across eight dimensions of facilitative interpersonal skill. 1150 survey-takers rated the interpersonal dynamics and response difficulty of the FIS-T Task's text-based stimuli. The FIS-T was then administered to 64 therapists. The FIS-T stimuli displayed similar interpersonal dynamics to those elicited by the original FIS task, demonstrated a similar range of difficulties to those of the video-based stimuli of the original FIS Task, and showed high inter-rater reliability. The text-based FIS-T Task demonstrates high reliability and convergent validity with the original FIS Task, making it appropriate for use in assessing the common factors in text-based therapy. Future directions in the quality assessment of internet-delivered psychotherapies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a set of common factors of liquidity that had previously been recorded at the equity security level is examined for its effect on inter and intra-market liquidity variations in equity funds in emerging Asian markets. Cross-market liquidity co-movement between the fund's portfolio and the market portfolio, which typically measures systematic liquidity risk and market integration, is the liquidity commonality for mutual funds. This research builds on Wang Jianxin's study in 2013 by including market liquidity, return and volatility as common factors of liquidity, and the partial R2 of the common factors reveals each factor's contribution. We find that emerging Asian countries share 24.14% of the intramarket liquidity commonality between funds and equity markets, and market liquidity is tied to such relationship. Emerging Asian region share 2.76% of inter-market liquidity commonality and regional market return and volatility majorly contribute to this liquidity commonality. The significance of domestic financial markets is evidenced by the wide disparity in liquidity commonality between domestic and regional markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a new estimator of panel data models with random interactive effects and multiple structural breaks that is suitable when the number of time periods, T, is fixed and only the number of cross-sectional units, N, is large. This is done by viewing the determination of the breaks as a shrinkage problem, and to estimate both the regression coefficients, and the number of breaks and their locations by applying a version of the Lasso approach. We show that with probability approaching one the approach can correctly determine the number of breaks and the dates of these breaks, and that the estimator of the regime-specific regression coefficients is consistent and asymptotically normal. We also provide Monte Carlo results suggesting that the approach performs very well in small samples, and empirical results suggesting that while the coefficients of the controls are breaking, the coefficients of the main deterrence regressors in a model of crime are not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we introduce a new community-contributed command, xtnumfac, for estimating the number of common factors in time-series and panel datasets using the methods of Bai and Ng (2002, Econometrica 70: 191–221), Ahn and Horenstein (2013, Econometrica 81: 1203–1227), Onatski (2010, Review of Economics and Statistics 92: 1004–1016), and Gagliardini, Ossola, and Scaillet (2019, Journal of Econometrics 212: 503–521). Common factors are usually unobserved or unobservable. In time series, they influence all predictors, while in paneldata models, they influence all cross-sectional units at different degrees. Examples are shocks from oil prices, inflation, or demand or supply shocks. Knowledge about the number of factors is key for multiple econometric estimation methods, such as Pesaran (2006, Econometrica 74: 967–1012), Bai (2009, Econometrica 77: 1229–1279), Norkute et al. (2021, Journal of Econometrics 220: 416–446), and Kripfganz and Sarafidis (2021, Stata Journal 21: 659–686). This article discusses a total of 10 methods to estimate the number of common factors. Examples based on Kapetanios, Pesaran, and Reese (2021, Journal of Econometrics 221: 510–541) show that U.S. house prices are exposed to up to 10 common factors. Therefore, when one fits models with house prices as a dependent variable, the number of factors must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Central to this research was exploring characteristics facilitating and disinhibiting meetings at relational depth to explore underlying driving factors of change. The overall aim was to explore relationships between masks and relational depth. Viewing masks as a characteristic sought to understand further the socio‐cultural impacts of masks on client/patient care and decision‐making to meet at depth. This research demonstrates immediate social and international context due to COVID‐19. Methods: A phenomenological methodology was utilised. The primary research vehicle was an examination of primary data from semi‐structured interviews. Four therapists who had used masks within sessions (where both therapist and clients wore masks) provided data on meetings at relational depth. Findings: Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed four themes: 'epicentre of aetiology', 'loss', 'masked‐disinhibition' and 'disconnection paradox: depth through disconnection'. Findings suggest masks are a characteristic that can facilitate and inhibit meetings at depth—acknowledging common factors, including how therapists related to masks as an extended part of the client, and mutuality within disconnection to masks, not one another, was significant. Conclusions: Findings suggest the exigent presence of masks could facilitate or inhibit meetings at depth, regulated by what masks represented to therapists/clients at moments of contact. Yet, when both therapist and client appeared mutually disconnected (to masks, not each other), they found moments of relational depth within the disconnection. Masks are suggested as a characteristic that can influence meetings at depth. Opportunities for depth seemed reliant on individual capabilities to offer depth, emphasising therapists' experiential awareness of their interoceptive process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-harm is a major problem among young adults, and many do not seek help from health care services. Little is known about how patients who harm themselves experience positive encounters with health care workers. Blogs are a way of communicating personal experiences to a broader public and may provide an immediate expression of such experiences. We conducted a thematic analysis of blog entries written by ten patients who carry out self-harm, in order to answer the question: How do young adults who blog about their self-harming describe positive encounters with health care workers? The analysis revealed four meta-themes: 1) I feel cared for, 2) I am treated like a fellow human, 3) I can talk about everything, and 4) I feel that the helper takes charge. Emotion regulation skills emerged as the most valued specific therapeutic ingredient. These findings are relevant for making young adults who self-harm feel understood and cared for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to contribute to the ongoing debate on the Consensus Conference on Psychological Therapies for Anxiety and Depression. Taking a scientific approach to implement the guidelines of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, I will frame my reflections in a peer-review format identifying five areas that might benefit from the review. Obviously, the opinions I express here may be faulty opinions that I will attempt to justify from the standpoint of existing scientific literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure is hypothesized to be a key active ingredient in several approaches to psychotherapy. Dr. Irada Yunusova (2023) explores this as a common element in both Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and behavioral exposure therapy. The current commentary elaborates on other important factors that contribute to maximizing the effectiveness of interventions in both these models. These include titrating the level of challenge, memory consolidation, common factors, and neuroplasticity. Dr. Yunusova's detailed case review is an example of assimilative integration, where one can see her incorporation of a model new to her (AEDP) into her home base of Behavior Therapy, as well as the factors noted above that enhance its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]