Pseudomentalization as a Challenge for Therapists of Group Psychotherapy With Drug Addicted Patients

One of the main challenges in group therapy with drug-addicted patients is collective pseudomentalization, i.e., a group discourse consisting of words and clichés that are decoupled from any inner emotional life and are poorly related to external reality. In this study, we aimed to explore the phenomenology of pseudomentalization and how it was addressed by the therapist in an outpatient group for drug-addicted patients. The group was composed of seven members, and the transcripts of eight audio-recorded sessions (one per month) were rated and studied. The interventions of the therapist were measured with the mentalization-based group therapy (MBT-G) adherence and quality scale by independent raters. Two sessions, one with the highest and one with the lowest adherence, were selected, and the clinical sequences of pseudomentalization were analyzed in a comparative way. The findings revealed that pseudomentalization does occur as a collective phenomenon, akin to “basic assumptions” of Wilfred Bion, which we reconceptualized in this study. Any pseudomentalization seemed to be reinforced by the therapist when she was presenting frequent and long interventions, when abstaining from the management of group boundaries, when providing questions focused more on content than on the mental states of the group members, and when not focusing on emotions. However, the ultimate source of collective pseudomentalization seemed to be the fear of the group members of being overwhelmed by painful emotions, mental confusion, and a loss of identity. The findings also indicated that the principles of MBT-G may be a good antidote to pseudomentalization.

How to Optimize the Job Search Process: Development and Validation of the Job Search Quality Scale

Job search quality is important for unemployed individuals pursuing reemployment. To comprehensively measure job search quality, we develop and test a 20-item Job Search Quality Scale (JSQS), using four samples of unemployed individuals (pilot sample, N=218; exploration sample, N=3372; confirmation sample, N=3372; and replication sample, N=434). Results show a four-dimensional structure, composed of (a) goal establishment and planning, (b) preparation and alignment, (c) emotion regulation and persistence, and (d) learning and improvement. Substantial evidence was found for its reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Building job search quality’s nomological net, conscientiousness, learning goal orientation, self-efficacy, employment commitment, autonomous job search motivation, and social support emerged as positive correlates. Supporting its criterion-related validity, the JSQS predicted key job search and employment outcomes. Moreover, usefulness analyses supported its incremental validity beyond extant job search measures. Our findings have important implications for studying and measuring job search quality in future research and career counseling practice.

Marijuana smoking and asthma: a protocol for a meta-analysis

IntroductionRecent studies have raised the concern on the risk of asthma in marijuana smokers; however, the results remain controversial and warrant further investigation. With a growing number of marijuana smokers, examining the association between marijuana smoking and asthma and quantifying such association through meta-analysis have important implications for public health and clinical decision-making. In view of this, the present protocol aims to detail a comprehensive plan of meta-analysis on the association aforementioned. The findings are expected to strengthen the current knowledge base pertaining to the potential adverse effects of marijuana smoking on pulmonary health and to facilitate the development of prevention strategies for asthma.Methods and analysisThe MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE databases will be searched systematically from inception to 1 September 2021 to retrieve the relevant observational studies focusing on the association between marijuana smoking and asthma. Both unadjusted and adjusted effect sizes, such as OR, relative risk, HR and the corresponding 95% CIs will be extracted for pooled analyses. Heterogeneity and publication bias across the included studies will be examined. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Scale will be used to assess the quality and risk of bias. Statistical software Review Manager V.5.3 and Stata V.11.0 will be used for statistical analyses.Ethics and disseminationSince no private and confidential patient data will be included in the reporting, approval from an ethics committee is not required. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in the relevant conferences. The study raises no ethical issue.OSF registration number10.17605/OSF.IO/UPTXC.

Evaluation of YouTube Videos as a Source of Information on Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing

Aim: Non-invasive prenatal testing is a method that determines the risk of a fetus being born with certain genetic abnormalities. In this study, we aimed to examine the quality of information on YouTube for non-invasive prenatal testing. Methods: The term "Non-invasive prenatal testing" was entered in the YouTube search bar on May 1, 2021, and the top 50 YouTube videos of the non-invasive prenatal testing with the highest number of views were recorded after the exclusion of videos with a non-English language, videos repeated twice and irrelevant videos. Length of the videos, likes, and dislikes were recorded. Videos were evaluated by two obstetricians. A questionnaire consisting of 9 dichotomous questions was conducted to assess whether there was adequate information about non-invasive prenatal testing. In addition, video quality was evaluated with the Global Quality Scale, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool and the Journal of the American Medical Association Benchmark Criteria. Results: The mean Global Quality Scale was 2.96±0.62. Most videos answered the question: ‘What is non-invasive prenatal testing?’ (94%), and ‘How is non-invasive prenatal testing done?’ (82%). However, there was a lack of information about the limitation of non-invasive prenatal testing in certain situations (only %16 of videos answered limitations of non-invasive prenatal testing). Three (6%) of the videos had misinformation. The mean Global Quality Scale was 2.96±0.62. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool mean value was 72% and 58% in terms of understandability and actionability, respectively. The mean Journal of the American Medical Association Benchmark Criteria score was found as 1.4±0.8. Conclusion: The videos posted about non-invasive prenatal testing on YouTube were of poor-moderate quality. If the quality of the videos increases, patients can have sufficient and accurate information about non-invasive prenatal, especially during these pandemic days. Keywords: health information, prenatal diagnosis, online systems

A Golf Course Quality Scale (GCQS): Validity and Reliability Testing on Spanish Golf Courses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties, in terms of validity and reproducibility, of the Golf Course Quality Scale (GCQS) in the Spanish golf course context. The GCQS is a scale that measures the quality of a golf course perceived by its users. It is comprised of 22 five-point Likert scale items, ranging from 1 (disagree) to 5 (totally agree). The items were grouped into five dimensions: services, etiquette, facilities, golf courses, and staff. A translated and adapted version of the Australian CQS questionnaire was administered to a total of 401 federated golf players in the Region of Murcia (RM). The margin of error was 4.9% with a confidence level of 95%. Of the total sample, 88.5% were men and 11.5% were women. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 80 (M = 54.1, SD = 14.3). Following an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine the suitability of the proposed items and the factorial structure of the scale, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using structural equations under the maximum likelihood extraction method. This assessed the fit of the model and its internal consistency, with values above 0.79. In conclusion, the validity and reliability of this psychometric scale for the purposes of evaluating the quality of golf courses perceived by their users have been verified. The results confirm that the scale is a useful tool for golf course research and management.

The effect green YF3:ER3+,YB3+ phosphor on luminous flux and color quality of multi-chip white light-emitting diodes

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the advantages of the green phosphor YF₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺combined with multi-chip package to the enhancement of lighting efficiency of modern WLEDs. In an effort to improve the quality of WLEDs and create a new generation of lighting device, green phosphor YF₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺is added into the phosphor compounding of the WLED package to improve the color quality and lighting capacity. Through experiments, WLEDs with YF₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺green phosphor has shown improved results in lighting performance specifically in color homogeneity and light output of WLEDs in the ACCT range from 5600-7000 K. However, the color quality scale (CQS) declines gradually. Therefore, if the appropriate concentration and size of YF₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ are determined, the performance of MCW-LEDs will be enhanced and become more stable.

Constructing a Life–quality Scale for the teachers of Jordanian ministry of education : بناء مقياس جودة الحياة لدى المعلمين والمعلمات العاملين في وزارة التربية والتعليم الأردنية

his study aimed at building a life quality scale for teachers working in the Jordanian Ministry of Education. This study was conducted in schools affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Education, and the researcher used the descriptive approach in this study, and the scale of the study was built then its validity and reliability were confirmed and applied to the study sample, which involved 1780 teachers who were selected by random cluster method from six directorates of education Distributed in three regions, and the results of the study showed that there are statistically significant differences in the level of life quality attributed to the variable of the region and in favor of the central and northern regions. The research came out with several recommendations, most notably the re- application of the scale to other categories, knowing its validity and stability, and the derivation of its criteria.

Adaptation and validity of the Sleep Quality Scale among Chinese drivers

Purpose Poor sleep quality is closed related with driving accidents. However, due to the lack of a valid instrument for assessing drivers’ sleep quality, few studies have examined drivers’ sleep quality and its associations with driving behaviours and traffic accidents in China. The aim of this paper is to revise the Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) and assess its reliability and validity in Chinese drivers. Methods 522 Chinese drivers aged from 18 to 56 years old agreed to complete the SQS, Daytime Sleepiness Perception Scale version 4 (DSPS-4), Self-report of Risky Driving Behavior (RD-SR) and Self-assessment of the Likelihood of Being Involved in a Risky Driving Situation (RD-SA). Results The final Chinese version of the SQS contained 23 items across four factors: difficulty in getting up, difficulty in falling asleep, sleep recovery and daytime dysfunction. Second, man scored lower on the difficulty in falling asleep factor but higher on the sleep recovery factor than women. Third, low to moderate correlations were found between the SQS factors and the DSPS-4, RD-SA and RD-SR, indicating that the validity of the revised scale was satisfactory. More importantly, daytime dysfunction factor is an effective predictor of violation involvement and accident involvement. Conclusion The revised SQS has acceptable reliability and validity and can be used as a tool to measure the sleep quality of Chinese drivers.

Analysis of preoperative and postoperative quality of life, sexual function, and sleep in patients with endometriosis: A prospective cohort study

Purpose Endometriosis affects the quality of life, sleep, and sexual life of patients due to pain. This study compared the scores of endometriosis patients in these three areas before and after surgery. Methods Patients between the ages of 18–60 with a prediagnosis of endometriosis were enrolled. Postoperative histopathological diagnosis of endometriosis was confirmed in all patients. This study included 56 patients who completed pre- and postoperative (three months) evaluation of quality scale questionnaires: a visual analog scale for pelvic pain, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, Endometriosis Health Profile-30 Questionnaire, and Female Sexual Function Index were administered prior to and three months after each patient’s surgery. Results Among the 56 female patients included in this study, statistically significant improvement statistically significant improvement was observed in pain scores, quality of life, sexual function, and sleep of all patients regardless of endometriosis stage. Conclusion Endometriosis is a disease that progresses, with increasing pain scores; it has negative effects on the quality of life, sexual function, and sleep of patients. Surgical or medical treatment can be performed considering the complaints and fertility status of the patients.