New Research From Clinical Psychological Science

Read about the latest research published in Clinical Psychological Science:

Tendency to Recall Remote Memories as a Mediator of Overgeneral Recall in Depression

David E. Falco, Zehra F. Peynircioğlu, and Timothy J. Hohman

Research has shown that people with depression sometimes show a memory deficit called overgeneral memory (OGM). OGM is the tendency to recall less specific and less detailed autobiographical memories and is thought to result in part from rumination and functional avoidance issues. Can the tendency to recall remote events also influence OGM? Participants classified as dysphoric or nondsyphoric completed an autobiographical memory test in which they recalled events from different time periods. The researchers found that dysphoria was associated with more OGM and with the tendency to recall more remote memories. Remote memory recall was also a better predictor of OGM than either rumination or avoidance tendencies.

Positive Adjustment Among American Repatriated Prisoners of the Vietnam War: Modeling the Long-Term Effects of Captivity

Daniel W. King, Lynda A. King, Crystal L. Park, Lewina O. Lee, Anica Pless Kaiser, Avron Spiro III, Jeffrey L. Moore, Danny G. Kaloupek, and Terence M. Keane

Studies that examine the way people function after experiencing a trauma often focus on short-term consequences. In a study of the long-term effects of traumatic exposure, the authors examined data from 567 Vietnam-era repatriated prisoners of war. Participants were an average age of 30 when captured, an average age of 35 when repatriated, and an average age of 65 when contacted for the follow-up study. The data set included information on demographic characteristics at the time of capture, experiences of physical and psychological torture during captivity, stresses experienced upon repatriation, and later life stressors, psychosocial resources, and positive adjustment. The results help pinpoint factors that impact later well-being in positive and negative ways.

Richard J. McNally, Donald J. Robinaugh, Gwyneth W. Y. Wu, Li Wang, Marie Deserno, and Denny Borsboom

One view of psychopathology suggests that symptoms within specific disorders covary because they share a common underlying latent variable. A new view — the network approach — suggests instead that symptoms covary because they are coupled through direct causal links. The authors discuss the limitations of traditional latent-variable models and then illustrate the usefulness of network analysis by using it to examine PTSD symptoms in survivors of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China. Network analysis confirmed some of the symptom clusters embodied in the DSM-IV but also identified new potential links between symptoms. These findings illustrate the usefulness of network analysis for evaluating the validity of current techniques and for suggesting new directions in the assessment and treatment of this disorder.

Denny Borsboom will be giving a workshop at the inaugural International Convention of Psychological Science.