Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome最新文献

{"title":"Empathy as core to the development of holding and recognition: the case of Garret.","authors":"Zelda Gillian Knight","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.457","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heinz Kohut investigated empathy in psychoanalysis in the mid-1950s and found it to be a powerful way to connect to, and be with, his patients. Since then, relatively few recent clinical cases of empathy have emerged, while theoretical discussion of empathy seems to be the norm. Moreover, empathy has not been linked to the development of holding and recognition. The Winnicottian notion of the holding metaphor, which describes the mother holding her infant, has been controversial but continues to be used in therapy. Revised by relational theorists, holding is now viewed as co-created within the intersubjective space. Few recent clinical cases exist showing how and what holding looks like in therapy. The concept of recognition, also used in therapy, is defined as the ability to recognize and experience the other as a separate other. Clinical cases showing recognition in therapy are few in number. As far as I know, no clinical cases suggest that empathy is necessary before holding and recognition can emerge. In this paper, identifying these clinical case gaps in the literature, I describe a small verbatim section of a session with my patient, Garret, in which I attempt to; i) show the empathic process, thus adding to the scarcity of clinical cases, and, ii) show the experience of holding and recognition as they emerge in this case, and iii) suggest that empathy is a necessary core process to the development of the experience of holding and recognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 2","pages":"457"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.457","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38462520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationships between Emotional Schemas, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Unconditional Self-Acceptance on the Regulation of Psychological Needs.","authors":"Bruno Faustino,&nbsp;António Branco Vasco,&nbsp;Ana Nunes Silva,&nbsp;Telma Marques","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emotional schemas are pervasive mental structures associated with a wide array of psychological symptoms, while mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance are viewed as adaptive psychological constructs. Psychological needs may be described as the cornerstone of mental health and well-being. However, a study of the relationships between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance with psychological needs was not performed. For this purpose, 250 subjects (M=20.67, SD=4.88, Male=33, Female=217), were evaluated through self-report questionnaires, in a cross-sectional design. Negative correlations were found between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self-compassion, unconditional self-acceptance, and psychological needs. Symptomatology was positively correlated with emotional schemas. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and unconditional self-acceptance predicted the regulation of psychological needs and mediated the relationship between emotional schemas and psychological needs. Emotional schemas may be associated with a tendency for experiential avoidance of internal reality, self-rejection/shame and self-criticism which may impair the regulation of psychological needs. These variables may be targets of integrative case conceptualization and clinical decision making focused on patient's timings, styles of communication and needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 2","pages":"442"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.442","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38462041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DBT-informed treatment in a partial hospital and intensive outpatient program: the role of step-down care.","authors":"Kirk D Mochrie,&nbsp;John Lothes Ii,&nbsp;Eric Guender,&nbsp;Jane St John","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.461","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Few studies to date have examined Partial Hospital (PH) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs that utilize a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-informed model. Preliminary findings suggest that DBT-informed PH programs are effective in reducing clinical symptoms; however, less is known about IOP programs as well as step-down care models. The present study utilized clinically relevant outcome indices and included a heterogeneous clinical sample. Specifically, the present study assessed pre-post data to examine changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and overall degree of suffering from intake to discharge in DBT-informed PH and IOP programs as well as a step-down condition (PH to IOP). Participants included 205 adults (ages <i>M</i> = 35.28, <i>SD</i> = 12.49). The sample was predominantly female (N = 139, 67.8%) and Caucasian (N = 181, 88.3%). The sample was divided into three distinct groups: PH program patients, PH to IOP program step-down patients, and IOP patients. Findings indicated significant symptom reduction from intake to discharge for all three conditions. There were no significant differences in mean change scores in symptom reduction between the three groups. Severity of depression symptoms at intake predicted program placement. However, type of program did not predict significant changes in symptoms from intake to discharge. This DBT-informed PH and IOP program was successful at reducing various psychiatric symptoms in the sample. Clinicians might consider the advantages of placing patients with higher symptoms of depression into PH programs with the intention of transitioning to step-down care through IOP programs that utilize DBT.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 2","pages":"461"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.461","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38462522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Giving words to emotions: the use of linguistic analysis to explore the role of alexithymia in an expressive writing intervention.","authors":"Alesia Renzi,&nbsp;Rachele Mariani,&nbsp;Michela Di Trani,&nbsp;Renata Tambelli","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.452","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Expressive writing techniques are methods focusing on written emotional expression that require people to write about traumatic or difficult experiences, with the objective of promoting an elaboration of these events. The general aim of the study is to investigate the influence of alexithymia, a deficit in emotional regulation processes, on the effects of an expressive writing intervention, analyzing the writing protocols through the use of the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWIC) and Referential Process (RP) linguistic measures via IDAAP software. Thirty-five women undergoing an assisted reproductive treatment participated in the study and filled out a sociodemographic questionnaire, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. They also underwent three session of writing, following a request that they write about their emotions regarding their current situation. The women enrolled were divided into two groups: low alexithymia and high alexithymia, comprising individuals with a TAS-20 total score lower or higher than the mean, respectively. Analyses within the groups during the three writing sessions revealed that the women with low alexithymia reported a greater number of words expressing affectivity, sadness and future perspective, whereas no significances in the high alexithymia group emerged. Moreover, when analysing differences between the groups, high-alexithymia women reported lower scores in RP indexes and fewer words expressing sadness, future perspectives and we verbal. In conclusion, these preliminary findings may confirm the hypothesis that alexithymia affects the effectiveness of expressive writing through a difficulty in becoming involved in the writing process and a lack of symbolizing processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 2","pages":"452"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.452","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38462518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Panic disorder: attack of fear or acute attack of solitude? Convergences between affective neuroscience and phenomenological-Gestalt perspective.","authors":"Gianni Francesetti,&nbsp;Antonio Alcaro,&nbsp;Michele Settanni","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is consensus among scientists in considering Panic Attack (PA) as an exaggerated fear response triggered by intense activation of the amygdala and related Fear brain network. Current guidelines for treatment (<i>e.g</i>. National Institute for Clinical Excellence, NICE, 2011), that are based on this view, do not achieve satisfactory results: one-third of all treated patients report persistent PAs and other Panic Disorder (PD) symptoms, and several meta-analyses report the high likelihood of relapse. Here we review findings from Affective Neuroscience and clinical insights from a phenomenological-Gestalt perspective, putting into question the link between PD and activation of the Fear brain network. We propose an alternative hypothesis about PD etiology: PD is mainly connected to the Panic system, that is activated in situations of separation from affective support and overexposure to the environment. In our view, PA can be understood as an acute attack of solitude which is not adequately recognized by the patient due to the intervention of a dissociative component that makes it impossible to integrate all neuro-physiological responses activated by the Panic/Separation brain system within a coherent emotional feeling. This perspective can explain many evidences that otherwise remain isolated elements without a comprehensive frame: <i>i.e</i>., the association with agoraphobia, the onset of PD during adolescence and young adult life, the need to be accompanied, the connection with air hunger and other respiratory anomalies, the efficacy of antidepressants and the lack of activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axe. We discuss future steps to test this hypothesis and the consequences for psychotherapeutic treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 1","pages":"421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.421","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38463914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using exercise to protect physical and mental health in youth at risk for psychosis.","authors":"Joseph Firth, Felipe Schuch, Vijay A Mittal","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.433","DOIUrl":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.433","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A large body of literature has demonstrated that exercise interventions can improve a broad range of outcomes in people with established schizophrenia, including reducing psychiatric symptoms, increasing cognitive functioning, and improving physical health. Furthermore, these benefits seem just as pronounced in first-episode psychosis. However, there have been few clinical studies to date examining the effects of exercise in those found to be 'at-risk' of psychosis, particularly for those meeting the criteria for 'Clinical High Risk' (CHR) state (a classification which includes both those meeting the 'ultra-high risk for psychosis' criteria and/or those with 'atrisk mental states'). This is surprising, as a proportion of those in the CHR state go on to develop psychotic disorders, and a growing body of evidence suggests that early interventions in this period have significant potential to improve the course of illness. In this article, we shall review the existing literature for i) exercise as an adjunctive intervention for those treated for psychosis; ii) exercise as a standalone intervention in CHR groups; and iii) the rationale and supportive evidence for widescale use of exercise to preserve physical and mental health in those identified as at risk for psychosis. From this, we will put forth how the CHR phase represents an under-researched but highly-suitable timepoint for administering structured exercise interventions, in order to improve physical, psychological and neurocognitive outcomes; while also potentially reducing the odds of transition to full-threshold psychotic disorders. Following this, directions, recommendations and considerations around both the clinical implementation and future research around exercise in CHR individuals will be discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 1","pages":"433"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2020-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/b6/cb/ripppo-23-1-433.PMC7451351.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38366269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical profile, conversion rate, and suicidal thinking and behaviour in children and adolescents at ultra-high risk for psychosis: a theoretical perspective.","authors":"Maria Pontillo,&nbsp;Maria Cristina Tata,&nbsp;Roberto Averna,&nbsp;Prisca Gargiullo,&nbsp;Silvia Guerrera,&nbsp;Stefano Vicari","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.455","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.455","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past years there has been substantial growing interest in the prodromes of psychosis to identify individuals at risk for psychosis prior to their first psychotic episode. Researchers have proposed criteria to detect young adults at Ultra-High Risk (UHR) for psychosis, and these criteria have also been applied to children and adolescents, though few clinical studies have examined this population. This theoretical perspective presents some of the crucial issues in the assessment and treatment of UHR children and adolescents: the presence of a specific clinical profile (<i>i.e</i>., different to that of healthy controls and UHR young adults), the predictive value of UHR criteria, and the presence and clinical significance of suicidal thinking and behaviour. In UHR children and adolescents, like UHR young adults, the presence of Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms (APS) is the most frequently reported inclusion criterion at baseline, with a prevalence of approximately 89-100%. In addition, there are frequently non-psychotic comorbid diagnoses of depressive and anxiety disorders. In contrast to the UHR adult population, UHR children and adolescents demonstrate a lower conversion rate to frank psychosis, most likely due to their high rate of APS. Finally, UHR adolescents report a high prevalence of suicidal ideation and self-injurious behaviour (67.5%), as well as a significantly greater frequency of attempted suicide, relative to adolescents with frank psychosis. On this basis, UHR children and adolescents report a clinical complexity that should be carefully monitored and considered for specific and targeted therapeutic interventions to be planned and developed.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 1","pages":"455"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.455","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38366275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical presentation and need for treatment of a cohort of subjects accessing to a mental illness prevention service.","authors":"Marco Solmi,&nbsp;Mara Campeol,&nbsp;Federica Gentili,&nbsp;Angela Favaro,&nbsp;Carla Cremonese","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.434","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Outreaching activities decrease prognostic accuracy of at-risk mental state defining tools, over-attracting subjects who are not at increased risk of mental illness. The setting was a mental illness primary indicated prevention outpatients service embedded within the Psychiatry Unit of Padua University Hospital, Italy. Help-seeking patients accessing the service between January 2018 and December 2018 were evaluated with validated tools assessing functioning, at-risk mental state, schizotypal personality features, depressive and anxious symptoms, together with medical and family history collection. The primary outcome was the prevalence of drop in functioning at presentation according to the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). Secondary outcomes were diagnoses according to DSM-5 criteria and meeting criteria for at-risk mental state. Fifty-nine patients accessed the service, mean age was 18.8 (2.12) years old, 54.2% were females. Virtually all subjects (97.7%) had a drop in functioning. Baseline primary diagnoses were depressive episode in 33%, anxiety disorder in 21%, personality disorder in 17%, adjustment disorder 9%, conduct disorder 7%, schizophrenia spectrum disorder 5%, bipolar disorder 5%, eating disorder in 1.7%, dissociative disorder 1.7%. Overall, 59.1% met at-risk mental state criteria. Lower functioning was associated with anxious symptoms (p=0.031), a family history of mental illness (p=0.045) and of suicide (p=0.042), and schizotypal personality traits (p=0.036). Subjects accessing a prevention service embedded within the mental health department already present a trans-diagnostic drop in functioning, mainly due to a non-psychotic mental disorder, with at-risk mental state in one patient out of two, and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder already present in only 10% of subjects. Prevention service within mental health facility setting appears to properly detect subjects in need of treatment with a drop in functioning, at risk of developing severe mental illness, without any outreaching activity in the general population.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 1","pages":"434"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.434","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38366270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anxiety sensitivity dimensions in young individuals with at-risk-mental states.","authors":"Andrea Pozza,&nbsp;Anna Meneghelli,&nbsp;Maria Meliante,&nbsp;Luisa Amato,&nbsp;Davide Dèttore","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2020.431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.431","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) is a transdiagnostic risk factor involved in the development and maintenance of different psychopathological conditions including anxiety disorders and psychosis. It consists of Physical Concerns (<i>e.g</i>., the belief that palpitations lead to a cardiac arrest), Social Concerns (the belief that observable anxiety reactions will elicit social rejection), and Cognitive Concerns (the belief that cognitive difficulties lead to mental incapacitation). No study investigated whether specific AS dimensions are related to At-Risk Mental States (ARMS). This study compared AS dimensions between young individuals with ARMS, patients after a recently occurred First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) and matched community controls. Based on models of ARMS and previous evidence, it was hypothesized that ARMS individuals have higher physical, social and cognitive concerns than FEP patients and controls. Thirty individuals with ARMS and 30 with FEP and 30 controls recruited from the general population completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire. ARMS and FEP individuals had higher scores than controls on ASI-3 Cognitive Concerns [<i>F₍</i> _2,87)= 11.48, <i>p</i><.001]. Individuals with ARMS had higher ASI-3 Physical Concerns scores than FEP patients [<i>F₍</i> _2,87)= 5.10, <i>p</i><.01] and at a marginal significance level than controls. No between-group difference was found on Social Concerns. Higher ASI-3 Physical Concerns scores [<i>B</i> = -.324, Wald's <i>χ²</i> ₍₁₎ = 8.29, <i>p</i> < .01] and psychiatric comorbidities [<i>B</i> = -2.726, Wald's <i>χ²</i> ₍₁₎ = 9.33, <i>p</i> < .01] were significantly related to ARMS than FEP. Higher ASI-3 Social Concerns scores were related to FEP, despite at a marginal significance level [<i>B</i> =.213, Wald's <i>χ²</i> ₍₁₎ = 3.79, <i>p</i> = .052]. Interventions for AS Cognitive/Physical Concerns could be incorporated in the treatment of ARMS. A replication of the findings is required. Future longitudinal studies should examine whether Cognitive Concerns predict development of FEP in ARMS to improve early detection and prevention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"23 1","pages":"431"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2020-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2020.431","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38463915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Experience in Close Relationship Scale 12 (ECR-12): an exploratory structural equation modeling study.","authors":"Agostino Brugnera,&nbsp;Cristina Zarbo,&nbsp;Benedetto Farina,&nbsp;Angelo Picardi,&nbsp;Andrea Greco,&nbsp;Gianluca Lo Coco,&nbsp;Giorgio A Tasca,&nbsp;Samantha Carlucci,&nbsp;Adalberto Auteri,&nbsp;Francesco Greco,&nbsp;Angelo Compare","doi":"10.4081/ripppo.2019.392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2019.392","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments of adult attachment and has been widely adopted in psychotherapy research. Composed of two subscales, namely Attachment Avoidance and Anxiety, the ECR was recently shortened to a 12-items version, called the ECR-12. Given the importance of extending knowledge on its applicability in understudied populations, our aim was to validate the ECR-12 in a large sample of Italian native-speakers. A total of 1197 participants (73.2% females; mean age=28.53±11.37 years) completed the ECR-12. Each participant also completed other measures of attachment, psychopathology, interpersonal distress, coping strategies, and well-being. An Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling analysis showed an excellent fit of the data, providing support for the two-dimensional orthogonal structure of the ECR-12. In addition, the measurement model was invariant across genders. Both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance subscales demonstrated good internal reliability, with McDonald's Omegas and Cronbach's Alphas above the suggested 0.8 cut-off. Finally, the Italian version of ECR-12 showed adequate convergent, concurrent, and divergent validity. Highly anxious individuals reported the highest levels of maladaptive interpersonal functioning and coping strategies, resulting in lower well-being. Interestingly, both attachment insecurity dimensions predicted higher levels of psychopathology, even after controlling for demographic variables and levels of self-reported relational difficulties. Given the good psychometric properties of the ECR-12, researchers and practitioners in Italy are encouraged to adopt the ECR-12 in their future research on adult attachment in psychotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":44262,"journal":{"name":"Research in Psychotherapy-Psychopathology Process and Outcome","volume":"22 3","pages":"392"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2019-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/ripppo.2019.392","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38366405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}