Theodoros Giovazolias

The Effect of Attachment Insecurity in the Development of Eating Disturbances across Gender: The Role of Body Dissatisfaction

ABSTRACT The present study examined the effects of insecure attachment on the development of negative body image as a contributing factor to the development of disturbed-eating patterns in male and female university students. Participants were nonclinical male (n = 100) and female (n = 381) university students. Administering self-report questionnaires, the authors assessed demographic information (gender, age), anthropometric data (Body Mass Index [BMI], age), romantic attachment (ECRS-R; R. C. Fraley, N. G. Waller, & K. A. Brennan, 2000), body dissatisfaction (BSQ), and disturbed eating (EAT-26). The authors found body dissatisfaction to fully mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and disordered eating in women. Body dissatisfaction mediated anxious attachment and dieting in men. In addition, attachment avoidance had a direct impact on eating behaviors for both genders, without the mediation of any variables measured in this study. The findings of the present study suggest that the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment insecurity affect eating behaviors differently, and the effects are different across genders. The authors discuss results in the context of therapeutic interventions design.

Can Parental Bonding Be Assessed in Children? Factor Structure and Factorial Invariance of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) Between Adults and Children

This study examined the factorial structure of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) in the Greek population. Using confirmatory factor analysis different proposed models of the basic dimensions of PBI were evaluated. The results indicated that Kendler’s three-factor (i.e. care, protectiveness and authoritarianism) solution was found to be more satisfactory than the other competing two-, three- and four-factor models. A second aim was the investigation of the factorial invariance of the PBI across different age groups (adults vs. children). The results revealed that PBI can be used in children samples (measurement invariance) but it seems that PBI latent variables may be perceived differently across different age groups (not structural invariance). The authors conclude that further research is needed in order to understand whether the differences are due to actual developmental changes in children’s perceptions of the parent–child relationship or conceptual problems regarding the children’s ability to conceive the PBI’s theoretical constructs.

Matching therapeutic interventions to drug and alcohol abusers’ stage of motivation: The clients’ perspective

The present study aims to explore the issue of matching the appropriate therapeutic intervention according to the stage of readiness for change in addictive clients, following the model proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente in the 1980s. The study focuses solely on the perspectives of people with drug and alcohol problems, in contrast to previous ones which have been concerned with the researchers’ understandings and postulations of the issue under exploration. One of the most important findings of this study is that participants in the “early” stages of their readiness to change their addictive behaviour, irrespective of their gender or whether they had seen a therapist significantly prefer non-action-oriented therapeutic interventions than action-oriented interventions. Similarly, participants in the “later” stages, showed a significant preference to action-oriented than non-action interventions, irrespective of their gender or previous experience of counselling. It is suggested then that careful assessment of the stage of motivation and individual-tailored intervention should be an essential element of any treatment program for drug and alcohol addicted clients.

The Moderating Role of Parental Power and Prestige on the Relationship Between Remembered Parental Acceptance and Psychological Adjustment Among Young Greek Adults

This article explored the effects of perceived maternal and paternal acceptances, parental power, and parental prestige on young adults’ psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 252 university students (24% men) with a mean age of 20.74 years on the island of Crete, Greece. Measures used were the adult versions of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire for mothers and fathers, youth version of the Parental Power–Prestige Questionnaire, and adult version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire. Men perceived their fathers to be significantly less accepting but more powerful than did women. For both men and women, perceived maternal and paternal acceptances were significantly correlated with psychological adjustment. Moreover, parental prestige was positively correlated with men’s psychological adjustment, but parental power was negatively correlated with women’s psychological adjustment. Furthermore, women’s (but not men’s) remembrances of paternal acceptance in childhood were positively correlated with both parental power and parental prestige. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that remembered maternal acceptance and the composite variable parental power–prestige were uniquely and positively associated with men’s psychological adjustment. Moreover, perceived parental power was uniquely but negatively associated with men’s adjustment. For women, however, both remembered maternal and paternal acceptances were unique predictors of psychological adjustment. Neither parental power nor prestige moderated the relation between perceived acceptance and psychological adjustment for women, but parental power did moderate this relationship for men.

Counselling psychology and the integration of theory, research and practice: A personal account

This paper aims to explore the factors that have contributed to the development of my understanding of integrating theory, research and practice. I will attempt to demonstrate how factors such as relevant psychotherapeutic models, psychological research, use of supervision, personal therapy and multicultural issues have impacted upon my ongoing practice as an integrative practitioner. My growing capacity to think reflectively will be illustrated by the use of clinical examples from my work as a trainee counselling psychologist. Furthermore, I will also explore how the development of reflective thinking has assisted in my ability to grow as an integrative practitioner. However, this paper will not suggest that I have become a fully integrated therapist or that my style of practice is fixed and thus not open to future development; it rather aims to demonstrate the ways in which the foundations towards this aim have been set.

Can the Factor Structure of Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) Contribute to Our Understanding of Parental Acceptance/Rejection, Bullying, Victimization and Perceived Well-Being in Greek Early Adolescents?

Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) is a self-report instrument designed to measure defense mechanisms. Although commonly used, the DSQ-40 has not been validated in early adolescent populations. The present study sought to determine the factor validity of the DSQ-40 in a sample of Greek primary school students (N = 265). Further, it aimed to investigate the relationship between defense mechanisms and perceived parental acceptance/rejection, the participation in bullying (either as bully or victim) as well as self-reported well being. Participants completed the Greek version of DSQ-40, adapted for use by this particular age group as well as measures in order to examine its convergent and discriminant validity. The findings support a four-factor solution as the most adequate for our data. Further, it was found that defense mechanisms are related to perceived parental acceptance and rejection. Finally, the results showed that the DSQ-40 can effectively discriminate participants with high/low bullying/victimization and perceived well-being. Our results indicate that the DSQ-40 is appropriate for use in late childhood. Implications for clinical practice and future studies that would confirm the appropriateness of the scale’s use in younger populations are also discussed.

Evaluation of a self-help group for parents of substance addicted offspring: a mixed methods approach.

The effectiveness of the self-help method for parents of substance addicted offsprings, using a mixed-methods approach was assessed in two samples (n = 92 and n = 6) of parents attending self-help groups in a therapy center for dependent individuals in Athens, Greece. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA as well as Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results indicate that the self-help method contributes to the decrease of anxiety, the adoption of effective coping strategies, and the improvement of family dynamics. Study limitations and implications for clinical practice are discussed.