Psychological Flexibility Mediates Wellbeing for People with Adverse Childhood Experiences during COVID-19

Background: The psychological impact of COVID-19 is multifaceted, both acute and chronic, and has not affected everyone equally. Method: This longitudinal study compared those with and without Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on measures of psychological distress and wellbeing over time. Results: All groups (No ACE, Low ACE, and High ACE) had similar levels of distress at Time 1, with significant increases in psychological distress for those with ACEs over time, but not for those without. Psychological Flexibility was strongly and significantly associated with decreases in psychological distress and improved wellbeing. It significantly mediated the relationship between ACE and wellbeing. Conclusions: Those with ACEs report significantly increased psychological distress over time, compared to those without ACE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence-based interventions using Psychological Flexibility may improve mental health and wellbeing to help further mediate its effects.

Strategies of University Students to Cope with COVID-19 and the Role of Psychological Flexibility

The COVID-19 outbreak is an important stress factor that threatens the health of individuals both physically and psychologically. Within the scope of struggling the outbreak, many precautions, such as quarantine practices, social distance rules, distance education, flexible working hours have been taken and the lives of individuals have changed greatly. One of the groups that have been significantly influenced by this process is university students. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the ways in which university students cope with the outbreak and to understand the role of psychological flexibility. There were 457 university students in the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire form comprising items relevant to their coping strategies and psychological flexibility levels. Results revealed that participants used transcendental coping the most while relational coping the least. Additionally, psychological inflexibility negatively predicted transcendental, behavioral, and relational coping behaviors. These results revealed the fact that psychological flexibility is an important mechanism that channels students’ coping behaviors in such a critical process.

Factors Influencing Adolescent Anxiety: The Roles of Mothers, Teachers and Peers

Grounded in social–ecological system theory, the present study tested the mediating effects of maternal psychological flexibility and mother–adolescent attachment on the relationship between maternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety as well as the moderating effects of teacher support and peer support on the relationship between mother–adolescent attachment and adolescent anxiety. In total, 1139 Chinese mothers and adolescents completed a set of questionnaires, including the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Parental Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The results revealed that maternal adult attachment had a positive impact on adolescent anxiety. The relationship between maternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety was chain mediated by maternal psychological flexibility and mother–adolescent attachment. In addition, teacher support and peer support had moderating effects on the relationship between mother–adolescent attachment and adolescent anxiety. These findings support the systematic social ecosystem perspective and highlight the differences in the effects of different maternal adult attachment styles, teacher support, and peer support on adolescent anxiety.

Influence of Parental Psychological Flexibility on Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Coping Style

Background: Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy hinders the establishment of immune barrier in children. Psychological flexibility may be a key contributing factor to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and self-efficacy and coping style play an important role in the relationship, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on parents from June 2021 to July 2021. A total of 382 parents were recruited for an online-investigation. Serial mediation models were used to examine whether self-efficacy and coping style mediated in the psychological flexibility-pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy linkage.Result: Psychological flexibility was negatively related to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (r = −0.198, P < 0.001). Coping styles rather than self-efficacy played a mediating role independently (95% CI: −0.263 to −0.058). Serial mediation analyses indicated that self-efficacy and coping style co-play a serial mediating role in the association of psychological flexibility and pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (95% CI: −0.037 to −0.001).Conclusion: The present study showed that high psychological flexibility, high self-efficacy, and positive coping style were conducive to the lower pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

A Spectrum of Selves Reinforced in Multilevel Coherence: A Contextual Behavioural Response to the Challenges of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Development

Psychedelic-assisted therapy research for depression and PTSD has been fast tracked in the United States with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) granting breakthrough designations for MDMA (post-traumatic stress disorder) and psilocybin (major depressive disorder). The psychotherapeutic treatments accompanying these psychedelics have not been well-studied and remain controversial. This article reviews the challenges unique to psychedelic-assisted therapy and introduces a newly optimised psychological flexibility model that adapts Contextual Behavioural Science (CBS)/Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to those multiple challenges, including ego inflation, traumatic memories, and the perceived presence of entities. A methodology aligned with biological mechanisms, psychological processes and therapeutic contexts may be advantageous for improving outcomes. This model expands ACT by integrating practises and data from psychedelic-assisted therapy research into a Contextual Behavioural Science framework, allowing both fields to inform each other. Psychological flexibility processes are questioned and adapted to a psychedelic context, and interventions that operationalise these processes are considered. The principle through-line of the paper is to consider varied constructs of Self, as understood by these fields, and integrates respective elements of varied self-models, interventions and data into a Spectrum of Selves model for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Secondly the paper examines how to select and retain new self-perspectives and their corresponding behaviours systemically, drawing from evolutionary science principles. A case example of such behavioural reinforcement is provided, as well as a psychedelic integration checklist to guide the practical implementation of such an approach. This method can enable a coherent therapeutic framework with clear operational relationships between (1) problematic behaviour patterns that an individual wishes to address (2) the guided psychedelic experiences of that individual, and (3) the barriers to maintaining any changes, thus increasing theoretical-practical coherence, broadening treatment benefits and reducing relapse in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Research questions for further developing a CBS-consistent psychedelic-assisted therapy are offered.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Exercise: Can They Help Older Adults Manage Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is common among older adults and affects their physical and psychological well-being. While exercise can reduce pain and promote physical functions, psychological interventions may enhance pain management by addressing the psychosocial contributors to the prolonged pain. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychological intervention that emphasizes on psychological flexibility, values, and mindfulness. This approach may be particularly helpful in dealing with chronic pain, where symptoms can be beyond one’s control. This single group pre-post study investigated the feasibility and efficacy of an intervention combining ACT and exercise for chronic pain management in older adults. The intervention consisted of 16 sessions delivered over eight weeks. ACT and exercises were modified according to the individual’s capability when needed. Clinical outcomes regarding pain severity and interference, pain acceptance, value of life, depression, anxiety, and physical functioning were assessed. Twenty-four older adults attended all sessions and completed the assessments. Preliminary results showed that, while participants experienced similar level of pain after the intervention, they reported less pain interference on mood and enjoyment of life, and improved chronic pain acceptance, pain self-efficacy, success at living their values, committed action, depressive symptoms, physical functioning in the lower body strength, aerobic and endurance, agility and dynamic balance, and upper body strength (all p<.050). This study lends support to the feasibility of a combined ACT and exercise intervention for chronic pain management in older adults. The efficacy of ACT may not be directly on reducing pain, but on increased psychological flexibility to co-live with pain.