George D. Zgourides

Cognitive bias and irrational belief as predictors of avoidance

Cognitive bias, i.e. overestimates of subjective probability and cost of catastrophic events, and irrational belief were explored as predictors of avoidance. Three groups-anxiety disordered clients, a mixed group of clinic outpatients, and normals--were administered several self-report inventories. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate a modified version of the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire, the Belief Scale, and the Body Sensations Questionnaire as predictors of avoidance, as measured by the Mobility Inventory. It was hypothesized that frequency x probability x cost of catastrophic cognitions (and the occurrence of the events they represent) would be a better predictor of avoidance than frequency alone. It was also hypothesized that irrational thinking would be a significant predictor of avoidance. The results generally supported the hypotheses, with subjective probability emerging as a particularly potent predictor of avoidance. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Correlates of Adolescent Male Sexual Offense: Prior Adult Sexual Contact, Sexual Attitudes, and Use of Sexually Explicit Materials

Juvenile sex offenders have been the subject of increasing interest to researchers, clinicians, and criminologists in recent years. In the present study, the authors explored the relationship between various sexual attitudes, use of sexually explicit materials, prevalence of prior adult sexual contact, and offender status in a group of 80 adolescent male sex offenders and a comparison group of 96 adolescent male nonoffenders. Offenders reported significantly higher rates of sexual touching and physical abuse by an adult than nonoffenders. Being a sex offender was negatively associated with the belief that homosexuality is wrong and beliefs in the so-called rape myths. Further, being a sex offender was significantly associated with the use of sexually explicit materials. These data may prove useful to clinicians and researchers interested in understanding the general correlates of sexual offense.

Relationships between catastrophic cognitions and body sensations in anxiety disordered, mixed diagnosis, and normal subjects

Clarks (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24, 461-470, 1986) cognitive model proposes that panic attacks result from the catastrophic misinterpretation of certain body sensations. The present study examined correlations between feared body sensations and catastrophic cognitions. It was hypothesized that regardless of diagnostic status meaningful correlations between sensations and cognitions would be obtained. Three groups--anxiety disordered patients (n = 33), nonanxiety disordered patients (n = 57), and normals (n = 60)--completed the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire and the Body Sensations Questionnaire. Results generally supported the hypothesis and the cognitive model of panic and anxiety. Limitations of the correlational methodology are discussed, and treatment implications are noted.

Self-Report Versions of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale: An Assessment of a Sample of Normals

The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale was administered to 180 undergraduates and 50 medical clinic patients to obtain normative data for this widely used instrument. These data should prove useful to clinicians who assess obsessive-compulsive symptomatology.

Further validity and normative data for the Malouff and Schutte belief scale

The present study provides further validity and normative data for the Malouff and Schutte (1986) Belief Scale. Belief Scale, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory scores of a sample of 197 adults were correlated, and evidence for both construct and discriminant validities and support for the RET model were obtained. The Belief Scale appears to be a promising instrument for clinical research and the assessment of irrational beliefs.

BETHANECHOL CHLORIDE AS A SUGGESTED ADJUNCT TO PROLONGED IN VIVO EXPOSURE THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF PARURESIS

A major difficulty in treating paruresis (psychogenic urinary retention) by prolonged in vivo exposure therapy involves the individuals inability to initiate urination in response to anxiety-provoking stimuli easily and frequently enough to generalize the desired behavior to everyday situations. Administration of bethanechol chloride, a parasympathomimetic compound that facilitates urination by prompting contraction of the detrusor muscle of the bladder, prior to therapeutic sessions is suggested to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of in vivo desensitization procedures in the treatment of paruresis.

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF CONSTRUCT AND DISCRIMINANT VALIDITIES FOR THE MALOUFF AND SCHUTTE BELIEF SCALE

Evidence for construct and discriminant validities for the Malouff and Schutte Belief Scale is presented for 83 male and 42 female students who completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism and the Beck Depression Inventory. rs for scores on the Belief Scale were 0.60 and 0.46, respectively, with the Eysenck and Beck scales. rs were significantly different.

THE GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE: DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY AND ELDERLY DAY-TREATMENT CLIENTS

Yesavage, Brink, Rose, and Lum (2) developed and provided initial evidence of reliability and validity for the Geriatric Depression Scale. Preliminary evidence (2) suggested that the Geriatric Depression Scale is a valid measure of depression for elderly individuals, whether of inpatient or outpatient status. Given a lack of data on discriminant validity of the instrument in outpatient settings, we predicted that the Geriatric Depression Scale would discriminate between depressed and nondepressed elderly clients who participated in a geriatric daytreatment program. The Geriatric Depression Scale was administered by supervised mental health therapists to 9 male and 33 female elderly outpatients (M age = 73.4 yr., SD = 12.4) who sought treatment for emotional disturbance and/or cognitive impairment at a day-treatment program near Portland, Oregon. Most clients were residents of local Adult Foster Care facilities and were of limited financial resources. Scores were obtained from 35 clients. 13 of whom were diagnosed as depressed by licensed psychologists, nurses, social workers, or supervised mental health therapists, who used DSM-111 diagnostic criteria for Bipolar Disorder-Depressed, Major Depression, and Dysthymia and who were blind to the test scores. A two-tailed t test indicated that outpatient clients diagnosed as depressed (3 men, 10 women) had significantly higher scores (M = 14.46, SD = 5.6) than did nondepressed clients (6 men, 16 women; M = 8.82, SD = 7.0; t,, = 2.48, p< .02). According to a procedure described by Bruning and Kintz (I), the Mann-Whitney U test was used to account for the differences in sample sizes and indicated a significant difference between mean scores of the two groups (z=2.19, p c . 0 5 ) . Obtained scores suggest discriminant vaLdity of the Geriatric Depression Scale when used to discriminate between depressed and nondepressed elderly day-treatment clients. However, our findings should be viewed with caution, as external validity might be limited by the small sample, the similar socioeconomic status of these subjects, and/or the relative imbalance of men and women tested. Research with much lareer samoles is needed. Nevertheless, the scale appears to be a valid measure of depression for geriatric populations.

Prevalence of Panic in Adolescents: A Brief Report

In a recent survey of panic attacks administered to 338 high school students, a significant number of adolescents (31.9%) reported experiencing at least one panic attack meeting DSM-III diagnostic criteria. In addition, 4.7% of the students reported experiencing panic severely and frequently enough to fulfill diagnostic criteria for panic disorder. These prevalence rates are consistent with the findings of current research into the incidence of panic phenomena among adults and provide evidence for the commonality of panic across various age groups. As there are few data concerning the incidence of anxiety disorders in adolescents, further investigation into the prevalence of panic in this population is warranted.

Ephedrine-induced thermogenesis as an adjunct to cognitive restructuring and covert conditioning: a proposal for treatment of obese individuals.

Experimental investigators have discussed the therapeutic potential of ephedrine as a thermogenic agent in the treatment of obese individuals. Because research into thermogenesis and the role of sympathetic nervous system stimulation in weight control primarily has emphasized pharmacological interventions, the authors suggest that cognitive restructuring and covert conditioning procedures could be valuable psychotherapeutic additions to a pharmacologically derived weight-loss regimen. Furthermore, it is concluded that additional clinical research is necessary to determine the efficacy of integrating ephedrine therapy and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapeutic procedures as adjuncts to a multidimensional program for treating obesity.