Editor bias and transparency in psychology's open science era.

In this open science era, psychology demands researchers be transparent in their research practices. In turn, researchers might ask if journal editors are being equally transparent in their editorial practices. Editor bias is when editors fail to be fair and impartial in their handling of articles.

On editor bias and transparency: Reply to Cowan (2024), King (2024), and Thurston and Noor (2024).

Cowan's (2024), King's (2024), and Thurston and Noor's (2024) commentaries on my article (Sharpe, 2024) find us in agreement on many matters relating to editor transparency and bias. Where we disagree is in the extent of change required and the rationale behind undertaking that change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Contextual Parameters Associated with Positive and Negative Mental Health in Recreational Psychedelic Users.

Growing research exploring the utility of psychedelic substances suggests that they not only hold promise for clinical practice but may enhance mental health through recreational use as well. However, given the importance of set and setting for maximizing benefits and minimizing harms of drug use, it is important to develop a foundational understanding of the contextual factors associated with positive and negative mental health in psychedelic users. Accordingly, data were collected using an internet-based survey of psychedelic drug users (n = 511).

Pilot Examination of the Efficacy of the Internet-Delivered, Preoperative, Preparation Program (I-PPP).

Limited evidence-based, interactive, Internet-delivered preoperative preparation programs for children and their parents exist. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the Internet-delivered, preoperative program (I-PPP) in alleviating anxiety in children undergoing outpatient surgery delivered alone (I-PPP) and in conjunction with parental presence (I-PPP + parent) to treatment as usual (TAU). 104 children undergoing day surgery procedures at a local hospital and their parents/guardians participated.

Benefits of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Yoga has begun to be incorporated into the treatment of eating disorders despite limited empirical support for this practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of incorporating Yoga into the treatment of eating disorders. This preliminary randomized controlled trial investigated the benefits of participating in an eight-week Kripalu Yoga program for 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Assessing the Factor Structure of the Integrative Hope Scale.

While some researchers contend that hope is unidimensional, other researchers regard hope to be multidimensional. Schrank, Woppmann, Sibitz, and Lauber's exploratory factor analysis of their Integrative Hope Scale (IHS) found subscales of Trust, Future Orientation, Social Relations, and Lack of Perspective. However, subsequent articles have utilized only the total IHS score.

Coping with Multiple Sclerosis Scale: Reconsideration of the Factorial Structure.

Background: The Coping with Multiple Sclerosis Scale (CMSS) was developed to assess coping strategies specific to multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite its wide application in MS research, psychometric support for the CMSS remains limited to the initial factor analytic investigation by Pakenham in 2001.

Methods: The current investigation assessed the factor structure and construct validity of the CMSS.

Older Adults and the Fear of Death: The Protective Function of Generativity.

Terror management theory (TMT) posits that cultural worldviews function to allay concerns about human mortality. Preliminary research with older adults has indicated that seniors do not respond to death reminders in the same way as their younger counterparts. The purpose of the current study was to test a developmentally relevant construct that may buffer death anxiety in later life.

Exercise therapy for improved neck muscle function in helicopter aircrew.

Introduction: To address the high prevalence of neck dysfunction in helicopter aircrew, a 12-wk training program was designed to examine the effects on neck muscular strength and endurance.

Methods: Subjects were recruited from Canadian Forces (CF) helicopter aircrew and randomized into either a neck coordination training program (CTP; N = 10), an endurance training program (ETP; N = 11), or a nontreatment control (CON; N = 8). Baseline assessments determined maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) strength and endurance capacity using a submaximal contraction to fatigue at 70% of their MVC for extension, flexion, and left (Ltflx) and right (Rtflx) lateral flexion.

Psychometric evaluation and refinement of the Pain Response Preference Questionnaire.

Background: The Pain Response Preference Questionnaire (PRPQ) assesses preferences regarding pain-related social support. The initial factor analytical study of the PRPQ produced four empirically supported scales labelled Solicitude, Management, Encouragement and Suppression. A second study produced similar findings, but suggested that the Management and Encouragement scales be combined into a single scale labelled Activity Direction.

Why the resistance to statistical innovations? Bridging the communication gap.

While quantitative methodologists advance statistical theory and refine statistical methods, substantive researchers resist adopting many of these statistical innovations. Traditional explanations for this resistance are reviewed, specifically a lack of awareness of statistical developments, the failure of journal editors to mandate change, publish or perish pressures, the unavailability of user friendly software, inadequate education in statistics, and psychological factors. Resistance is reconsidered in light of the complexity of modern statistical methods and a communication gap between substantive researchers and quantitative methodologists.

The Short Health Anxiety Inventory: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) measures health anxiety in medical and non-medical contexts.

Objective: To review the literature pertaining to the psychometric properties of the SHAI in non-clinical, clinical, and medical samples. Meta-analysis was also conducted to examine the strength of associations between the SHAI and other constructs.

The reassurance questionnaire: comparison of the latent structure in university, community, and medical samples.

The Reassurance Questionnaire (RQ; Speckens, Spinhoven, Van Hemert, & Bolk, ( 2000 ) is a self-report measure designed to assess the extent to which patients feel reassured by their attending physicians. While the original RQ was validated in Dutch, the invariance of the factor structure has not been examined in the English version of the RQ. In the current study, the English RQ was completed by university (n = 459), community (n = 244), and medical samples (n = 281).

Core cognitions related to health anxiety in self-reported medical and non-medical samples.

The cognitive-behavioural model of health anxiety hypothesizes that the degree of health threat experienced by an individual is a function of the perceived: (1) likelihood of illness; (2) awfulness of illness; (3) difficulty coping with illness; and (4) inadequacy of medical services. While research has examined cognitions in health anxiety, it is not known whether these cognitions predict health anxiety in individuals who do or do not report medical conditions and whether these cognitions are uniquely related to health anxiety. After developing the Health Cognitions Questionnaire to assess these specific cognitions, we examined the extent to which the cognitions predicted health anxiety and poor response to reassurance in a healthy community sample (n = 273) and a sample who self-reported various medical conditions (n = 208).

Health anxiety: comparison of the latent structure in medical and non-medical samples.

The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI; Salkovskis, Rimes, Warwick, & Clark, 2002) is a self-report measure designed to assess health anxiety in both medical and non-medical samples. The invariance of the factor structure across these samples has not been examined in the 14-item version of the SHAI. In the current study, the SHAI was completed by a community sample with no serious medical conditions (n=232) and a medical sample with multiple sclerosis (n=245).

The effect of physician-patient collaboration on patient adherence in non-psychiatric medicine.

Objective: Factors contributing to treatment adherence are poorly understood but the physician-patient interaction is one factor that is known to affect patient adherence.

Methods: This meta-analysis systematically reviewed the published literature to determine the magnitude of the relationships between physician-patient collaboration and patient adherence.

Results: A statistically significant weighted mean effect size of M(d)=0.

A controlled investigation of a cognitive behavioural pain management program for older adults.

Background: Although psychosocial treatments for pain have been found to be effective in reducing self-reported pain, physician visits, and in improving mood, the research has largely focused on younger persons. As such, there is a paucity of related studies involving older adults.

Method: We implemented and evaluated a 10-session psychosocial (i.

Patient perceptions of hospital discharge: reliability and validity of a Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire.

Background: Review of the literature reveals a need to develop a questionnaire that measures patient perceptions of factors impacting continuity of care following discharge from hospital. Such a measure has the potential to guide quality improvement initiatives related to continuity of care.

Objective: Our objective was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a measure that would meet this need, the Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire (PCCQ).

Assessing pain in dementia patients with comorbid delirium and/or depression.

Pain in older adults with severe limitations in ability to communicate is often assessed with observational methods. However, many of the behaviors that are used to assess pain often overlap with behavioral manifestations of delirium and depression. Such overlap can make the assessment of pain in patients with comorbid delirium and/or depression especially challenging.

A longitudinal investigation of fear of falling, fear of pain, and activity avoidance in community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of fear of falling, fear of pain, and associated activity avoidance in the prediction of pain and falls.

Method: A 6-month longitudinal study of older community-dwelling adults.

Results: The authors found that fear of falling is a better predictor of falls than is activity avoidance.

Client personality characteristics predict satisfaction with cognitive behavior therapy.

Ratings of treatment satisfaction are a means for cognitive behavior therapy clients to provide their unique personal perspective on their therapy experience. Treatment satisfaction is a variable of growing importance as a predictor of outcome for various medical and psychological treatments including treatments for chronic pain (D. C.

Anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty: requisites of the fundamental fears?

Fears related to anxiety sensitivity (AS)-illness/injury sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and fear of pain-may have important theoretical associations with intolerance of uncertainty (IU). In separate investigations, AS and IU have been independently related to the same anxiety-related psychopathology. AS and IU seem to share a basis in fearing unknown, potentially harmful consequences; however, their inter-relationship remains uncertain.

Non-epileptic seizures and child sexual abuse: a critical review of the literature.

Non-epileptic seizures have received a substantial amount of attention in the psychiatric and medical literature, but comparatively little attention from psychologists. Non-epileptic seizures resemble epileptic seizures but lack the physiological symptoms of genuine epilepsy and are psychological in origin. Many authors have emphasized the role that child sexual abuse may play in the etiology of this disorder.

A meta-analysis of psychological and pharmacological treatments for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Although psychological and pharmacological treatment approaches for Body Dysmorphic Disorder have been evaluated, the relative effectiveness of these two types of interventions has not been examined. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials and case series studies involving psychological (i.e.