The Validation of a Spanish version of the multidimensional inventory of religious/spiritual well-being in mexican college students
- Authors: Berger, Daniela , Fink, Andreas , Perez Gomez, Maria , Lewis, Andrew , Unterrainer, Human-Friedrich
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Spanish journal of psychology Vol. 19, no. (2016), p. E3-E3
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- Description: After the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) was validated as a reliable instrument for the Western European context it is primarily intended in this study to translate the measure into Spanish and adapt it for the Mexican culture. Furthermore we investigate whether spirituality/religiosity has a similar impact on indicators of personality and subjective well-being in Mexico as it does in samples drawn from Western European cultures. 190 students (99 females) from public and private universities in Guadalajara, all Mexican citizens, were involved in this study. We found strong evidential support for the six factor solution of the Original MI-RSWB in this Mexican population. By mirroring previous research the measure showed a highly satisfying internal consistency (α = .91 for the total score and .75 or higher for all six sub dimensions). Furthermore the total RSWB score was observed to be related with Eysenck’s personality dimensions Extraversion (r = .24, p < .01), and Psychoticism (r = –.28, p < .001), although not with Neuroticism. There was also a positive correlation with Sense of Coherence (r = .31, p < .001). In conclusion, the dimensionality of RSWB and its associations with personality and subjective well-being was well supported in this first application within a Mexican cultural context.
An Australian adaptation of the strengthening families program: Parent and child mental health outcomes from a pilot study
- Authors: Burn, Michele , Lewis, Andrew , McDonald, Louise , Toumbourou, John
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian psychologist Vol. 54, no. 4 (2019), p. 261-271
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- Description: This is the first pilot study to examine the Australian adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), a manualised family intervention recommended internationally in evidence reviews to improve family functioning and child mental health. The study compared two versions (8 vs. 14-session) and longitudinally evaluated outcomes for child emotional and behavioural difficulties, and parental psychological distress. Fifty-eight families from disadvantaged primary schools in regional Victoria with children 8-12-years (80.6% of initially enrolled families, 62 parents and 74 children) completed the program and evaluation measures. Measures were repeated at pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up and included the Kessler 6, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and subscales adapted from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and Communities that Care Youth Survey. The program showed significant reductions in child difficulties and parental psychological distress from pre- to post-measurements that were sustained at follow-up. Reductions in parental psychological distress were significantly associated with reductions in child difficulties at follow-up. The 8- and 14-session formats were not found to be significantly different in reducing child difficulties or parental psychological distress. Effect sizes for the Australian version were similar to those reported in previous U.S. trials. Findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of an Australian adaptation of the SFP. The current study is unique in identifying similar outcomes for shorter and longer versions of the intervention. It is recommended that the 8-session Australian version is examined in a larger randomised controlled trial where children present with behavioural and emotional problems.
Trans-generational stress regulation: Mother-infant cortisol and maternal mental health across the perinatal period
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , van Rossum, Elisabeth , Watson, Stuart , de Kloet, Edo , Lewis, Andrew
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 109, no. (2019), p. 104374-104374
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- Description: •Antenatal depression and cortisol may be important for developing infant stress regulation.•Hair cortisol concentrations are useful for measuring cortisol in pregnancy and the postpartum.•Maternal hair cortisol concentration across pregnancy was not associated with maternal depression.•Antenatal maternal depressive symptoms were both associated with lower infant cortisol at 12 months of age.•Lower infant cortisol reactivity was associated with higher infant externalizing symptoms. Understanding maternal mental health and cortisol regulation across pregnancy and the relationship to the development of the offspring’s stress regulation is critical to a range of health outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate infant and maternal cortisol in women with depression. Data were obtained from 241 pregnant women within the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study (MPEWS), a selected pregnancy cohort study. Depression was measured using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and repeat Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Repeated measures of antidepressant use, stressful events, anxiety symptoms and maternal hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and infant cortisol at 12 months postpartum in saliva and hair. Socio-emotional outcomes were measured at 12 months by maternal report on the Brief Infant and Toddler Socio-emotional Assessment (BITSEA). This study found that maternal depression was not associated with maternal HCC. Anxiety, stress and antidepressant use were not associated with maternal HCC. Independently, higher maternal 3rd trimester maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were associated with lower infant cortisol response at 12 months of age. A higher number of postpartum stressful events was associated with lower infant cortisol response. Lower infant stress reactivity was associated with higher externalizing symptoms at 12 months of age. Future studies are required to understand implications for later mental health.
The role of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor DNA methylation in antenatal depression and infant stress regulation
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , Watson, Stuart , van Ijzendoorn, Marinus , Saffery, Richard , Ryan, Joanne , de Kloet, Edo Ronald , Oberlander, Tim , Lappas, Martha , Lewis, Andrew
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 115, no. (2020), p. 104611
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- Description: •Maternal depression is associated with lower infant cortisol reactivity.•Early pregnancy depression is associated with reduced placental NR3C2 DNA methylation.•No association of maternal depression and cortisol with placental or infant buccal NR3C1 DNA methylation.•No association of antidepressant use with cortisol and placental or infant buccal NR3C1 and NR3C2 DNA methylation.•Association between infant cortisol reactivity and maternal depression was suppressed by placental NR3C2 DNA methylation. Understanding fetal programming pathways that underpin the relationship between maternal and offspring mental health necessitates an exploration of potential role of epigenetic variation in early development. Two genes involved in stress response regulation, the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (NR3C1 and NR3C2) have been a focus in understanding stressful exposures and mental health outcomes. Data were obtained from 236 pregnant women from the Mercy Pregnancy Emotional Wellbeing Study (MPEWS), a selected pregnancy cohort, recruited in early pregnancy. Depression was measured using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and repeated measures of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Antidepressant use, stressful events and anxiety symptoms were measured. NR3C1 and NR3C2 DNA methylation was measured in placental and infant buccal samples. Infant cortisol was measured in repeat saliva samples across a task. This study found maternal early pregnancy depressive disorder and symptoms were associated with lower DNA methylation at NR3C2 CpG_24 in placental tissue. There were no significant differences for depression or antidepressant use for DNA methylation of NR3C1. Antenatal depression was associated with lower infant cortisol reactivity at 12 months. DNA methylation in CpG_24 site in NR3C2 in placental samples suppressed the relationship between early maternal depressive symptoms and infant cortisol reactivity. These findings show a relationship between antenatal depression, NR3C2 DNA methylation and infant cortisol response providing support for a specific fetal programming pathway. Further research is required to examine the stability of this epigenetic mark across childhood and long-term mental health outcomes.
Effects of a structured reflective interview on parental reflective functioning : a pilot randomised controlled trial
- Authors: Low, Yu , Lewis, Andrew , Serfaty, Irene
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Child and Family Studies Vol. 32, no. 2 (2023), p. 516-529
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- Description: The Parental Reflective Interview Procedure was developed as part of an initial assessment interview for an attachment-based intervention for child mental health conditions. This study was a pilot randomised controlled trial that utilised a parallel, single-blind trial design to evaluate the differences in the effects of the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure compared to a diagnostic interview on parental reflective functioning. The control group was administered a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents—Parent Version) and matched for time with clinician. The study sample were 25 parents of clinic-referred children who scored above the clinical cut-off score on the Child Behaviour Checklist. Parental reflective functioning was measured with the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire at baseline and repeated post-intervention, and then again at a two-week follow up. Results showed that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure produced moderate improvements in parents’ understanding of their children’s mental states and maintenance in their reflections on intergenerational parent-child relationship patterns. The diagnostic interview showed decreases in both these dimensions. The findings suggest that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure is a promising format for initial assessment when referral indicates difficulty in the parent-child relationship. The interview acts as a good orientation for parents to an intervention focused on parent-child relationship dynamics. Further work refining this interview, its coding and integration into a tailored feedback session is required. © 2023, The Author(s).
Maternal attachment state of mind and perinatal emotional wellbeing : findings from a pregnancy cohort study
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , Watson, Stuart , Lewis, Andrew , Power, Josephine , Buus, Niels , van Ijzendoorn, Marinus
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Affective Disorders Vol. 333, no. (2023), p. 297-304
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- Description: Objectives: Maternal attachment state of mind is an important potential predictor of risk and resilience to perinatal emotional wellbeing and early parenting. To explore maternal attachment in relation to perinatal depression and emotional wellbeing. Methods: This study drew on data collected within an ongoing cohort from 170 women recruited in early pregnancy, including 67 who met criteria for Major Depression. Maternal attachment state of mind was assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in pregnancy. Additional measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM (SCID), at 12 months the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Parenting Stress Index, and antenatal maternal hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). Limitations: Sample size to be able to undertake all analyses using the 4 way classifications, cortisol measurement is limited to hair only and there is no prospectively collected measure of childhood trauma in mothers. Conclusions: This study found that maternal attachment, specifically the Non-Autonomous states of mind, adjusted for clinical depression, was associated with higher cortisol in pregnancy and higher depressive symptoms across pregnancy and the postpartum. Furthermore, separately those with depression and Non-Autonomous states of mind also had higher postpartum parenting stress. There was no significant intergenerational concordance between AAI and SSP attachment classifications. Our findings support future research exploring the role of maternal attachment state of mind in understanding perinatal depression and emotional wellbeing. © 2023 The Author(s)