Maja O'Connor

Attachment styles, traumatic events, and PTSD: a cross-sectional investigation of adult attachment and trauma.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adult attachment in a young adult population. A sample of 328 Danish students (mean age 29.2 years) from four different schools of intermediate education level were studied by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC), the Crisis Support Scale (CSS), the Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ), and the World Assumption Scale (WAS). Attachment styles were associated with number of PTSD symptoms, negative affectivity, somatization, emotional coping, attributions, and social support. The distribution of attachment styles in relation to PTSD symptoms could be conceived as uni-dimensional.

THE TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHANGE IN SYMPTOMS OF PROLONGED GRIEF AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS FOLLOWING OLD AGE SPOUSAL BEREAVEMENT

High levels of prolonged grief symptoms (PGS) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) are relatively common following bereavement. The two types of bereavement complications share some but not all of the same features. Little research has studied which of the two precedes the other following the death of a loved one. The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal relationship between change in PGS and PTS during the first 4 years following old age spousal loss.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in COPD: a cluster randomised controlled trial

A considerable proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) entering pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) report psychological distress, which is often accompanied by poor physical health status. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to improve psychological and physical outcomes in other chronic diseases. We therefore evaluated the efficacy of MBCT as an add-on to a standard PR programme in COPD. COPD patients eligible for PR were cluster randomised to receive either an 8-week, group-based MBCT programme as an add-on to an 8-week PR programme (n=39), or PR alone (n=45). The primary outcomes of psychological distress and physical health status impairment were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) before randomisation (T1), mid- (T2) and post-intervention (T3), and at 3 (T4) and 6 (T5) months’ follow-up . A statistically significant time×arm effect was found for the HADS (Cohens d=0.62, 95% CIs (d)=0.18–1.06, p=0.010). The treatment effect on the CAT failed to reach statistical significance (d=0.42, 95% CIs (d)=−0.06–0.90, p=0.061). MBCT showed a statistically significant and durable effect on psychological distress, indicating that MBCT may be an efficacious add-on to standard PR programmes in COPD. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: an efficacious add-on to PR programmes to reduce psychological distress in COPD http://ow.ly/9noC30hnlxr

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and Persistent Pain in Women Treated for Primary Breast Cancer: Exploring Possible Statistical Mediators: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate possible statistical mediators in a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on pain intensity in women treated for primary breast cancer. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 129 women treated for breast cancer, presenting with persistent pain, who were randomly assigned to MBCT or a wait-list control. We previously reported a statistically significant and robust effect of MBCT on pain intensity (11-point numeric rating scale), which was included as the primary outcome. The proposed mediators were mindfulness (the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), self-compassion (the Short-Form Self-Compassion Scale), and pain catastrophizing (the Pain Catastrophizing Scale). Measurement points included baseline (T1), postintervention (T2), and 3- (T3) and 6-month (T4) follow-ups. All indirect effects of the mediators were tested in separate Multilevel Models, using the product-of-coefficients approach with bias-corrected confidence intervals (95% BSCI). The statistically significant mediators were then included in a multiple mediator model. Results: Statistically significant indirect effects were found for mindfulness nonreactivity (B=−0.17, BSCI [−0.32 to −0.04]) and pain catastrophizing (B=−0.76, BSCI [−1.25 to −0.47]). No statistically significant indirect effect was found for self-compassion (B=−0.09, BSCI [−0.30 to 0.04]). In a multiple mediator model, including mindfulness nonreactivity and pain catastrophizing, only pain catastrophizing remained statistically significant (B=−0.72, BSCI [−1.19 to −0.33]), explaining 78% of the effect. Discussion: The results of the present study may have clinical implications. An increased focus on the proposed mediators may optimize the clinical use of MBCT for persistent pain in women treated for breast cancer.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is cost-effective compared to a wait-list control for persistent pain in women treated for primary breast cancer—Results from a randomized controlled trial

To investigate the cost‐effectiveness of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) compared to a wait‐list control group for pain in women treated for breast cancer.