Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has many behavioral and cognitive features that would make it appear to be closely tied to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Obsessive-compulsive-related disorders (OCRDs) have been described in the literature as conditions that share a common phenomenology, neurobiology, and treatment response. The authors reviewed the literature describing the degree that NSSI is similar to, and distinct from, OCRDs based on these hypothesized common areas. They conclude with recommendations for conceptualization that draws partly from the OCRD literature and from cognitive-behavioral models of rumination.

Studies have shown that college-level self-management (SM) courses, which typically require students to complete an individual project as part of the course, can be an effective method for promoting successful self-change (i.e., targeted behavioral change). However, only a handful of studies have focused on and investigated the intensity of the SM component required for successfully changing a target behavior. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the effectiveness of a SM course in improving a target behavior within a college setting, (b) determine the level of SM course intensity necessary for successful behavioral change, and (c) identify the characteristics of successful self-managers in terms of strategy use. A total of 84 college students were enrolled in a high-intensity SM course, low-intensity SM course, or non-SM course (i.e., control group). Self-report questionnaires were administered at the beginning and end of the courses. Results showed that only the high-intensity SM course was effective for successful behavioral change and helped increase certain psychosocial characteristics (e.g., internal locus of control, expectancy of success). Overall, successful self-managers used significantly more SM strategies than participants who were unable to meet their behavioral goals. Implications and limitations are also discussed.

This study compared two theoretically opposed strategies for acute pain management: an acceptance-based and a change-based approach. These two strategies were compared in a within-subjects design using the cold pressor test as an acute pain induction method. Participants completed a baseline pain tolerance assessment followed by one of the two interventions and another pain tolerance test. The alternate strategy was presented in a separate, but otherwise identical, experimental session. On average, both interventions significantly increased pain tolerance relative to baseline, with no significant difference between the two intervention conditions. Baseline psychological acceptance emerged as a significant moderator of intervention efficacy; individuals with a high level of acceptance benefited significantly more from the acceptance intervention, whereas those with a low level of acceptance benefited more from the change-based intervention. Implications for increasing the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic treatments based on individual differences are discussed.

The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, triggers, and consequences of skin picking (SP) in a sample of Turkish university students, with an emphasis on gender differences. A total of 245 students from two universities in Turkey were assessed by using the Skin Picking Inventory. In total, 87.8% of the students reported engaging in SP, and 2.04% of the students had pathological SP. There was no statistically significant difference between female and male students regarding the frequency of SP and the estimated daily SP time. The SP episodes began earlier in men than in women. Women were found to pick their chins, whereas men were found to pick their legs more frequently. SP is prevalent among Turkish students. Triggers, characteristics, and consequences of SP in Turkish students are similar to the results reported in studies conducted on different cultures. Large-scale studies are needed to further investigate gender differences in SP.

Clinical experiences show that many survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) suffer from a distressing feeling of being contaminated (FBC) even years or decades after the last experience of sexual violence. So far, this symptom has been neglected in research. The aim of this article is to illustrate this symptom and the necessity of a specialized treatment. Phenomenology, consequences, and possible concepts of explanation are described. The article presents a newly developed short-time treatment, cognitive restructuring and imagery modification, to reduce the FBC in adult survivors of CSA. Two case studies on women suffering from chronic CSA-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) plus the FBC demonstrate the outcome of the two-session program that can easily be integrated in a whole treatment program. They show that the treatment results in a reduction of the FBC and PTSD symptoms after CSA.

Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) provides a behavioral analysis of the psychotherapy relationship that directly applies basic research findings to outpatient psychotherapy settings. Specifically, FAP suggests that a therapist’s in vivo (i.e., in-session) contingent responding to targeted client behaviors, particularly positive reinforcement of a client’s effective behavior, should be a powerful mechanism of change. However, much of the previous literature on FAP has been theoretical, broadly defining FAP techniques rather than explicating them with the precision necessary for replication and training. In this article, the authors explicate a logical framework for turn-by-turn interactions between the client and therapist that may guide research, training, and dissemination of FAP. This molecular behavioral description of the events of the proposed logical interaction lends itself to microprocess research methodology, and a discussion of potential hypotheses to explore follows. Prescriptive, direct guidance for the application of FAP for training and dissemination purposes is given.

The authors examined the effectiveness of a novel behavior modification method for dysfunctional and impulsive habits, based on nonremovable reminders (NrRs). NrRs were implemented by having participants wear nonremovable wristbands designated to constantly remind them of their resolution to quit the targeted habit (nail-biting). Participants were 80 nail-biters who resolved to quit. The NrR approach was contrasted with an aversion-based behavioral modification technique. Recovery was assessed after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment and in a 5-month follow-up. The NrR method was associated with lower drop-out rate and was as successful as the aversion-based method altogether. When considering only non-dropouts, the aversion-based method was more effective. This suggests that the use of constantly present reminders broadens the target population that can benefit from reminders in the course of behavior modification.

The authors assessed the extent to which multielement designs produced false positives using continuous duration recording (CDR) and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min interval sizes. Specifically, they created 6,000 graphs with multielement designs that varied in the number of data paths, and the number of data points per data path, using a random number generator. In Experiment 1, the authors visually analyzed the graphs for the occurrence of false positives. Results indicated that graphs depicting only two sessions for each condition (e.g., a control condition plotted with multiple test conditions) produced the highest percentage of false positives for CDR and interval recording with 10-s and 1-min intervals. Conversely, graphs with four or five sessions for each condition produced the lowest percentage of false positives for each method. In Experiment 2, they applied two new rules, which were intended to decrease false positives, to each graph that depicted a false positive in Experiment 1. Results showed that application of new rules decreased false positives to less than 5% for all of the graphs except for those with two data paths and two data points per data path. Implications for brief assessments are discussed.

An attempt was made to modify the Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA), which was proposed to identify four possible contingencies maintaining the respondent’s gambling behavior. However, previous research found that it only identified two contingencies (i.e., positive vs. negative reinforcement), with some items cross-loading on both contingencies and one not loading at all. A total of 1,060 undergraduate students completed a revised version of the GFA containing 22 items. Exploratory factor analyses conducted on a random selection of half of the participants led to a two-factor solution (positive and negative reinforcement) for 16 of the items that strongly loaded on the two factors. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted using structural equation modeling on the data from the other half of the sample confirmed the two-factor model. The GFA–Revised consists of 16 items, 8 each measuring positive and negative reinforcement contingencies. Although this revised measure cleanly parses the two contingencies, the data indicate that gambling maintained by positive reinforcement is more frequent than gambling maintained by negative reinforcement. This outcome will make directly comparing the two contingencies difficult, especially given that evidence suggests that gambling maintained by negative reinforcement is more strongly associated with pathology than gambling maintained by positive reinforcement.

Parents (N = 21) of children with autism spectrum disorders responded to a survey on adherence to skills instruction and problem behavior management strategies they had previously been observed to master in a standardized training curriculum based on the principles of applied behavior analysis. Survey items were guided by existing models of and research in treatment adherence. Parents reported adherence below observed mastery criteria in five of six skill areas. Three independent variables indexing caregiver perception were significantly correlated with reported adherence: perceived effectiveness as a behavior change agent, confidence in the intervention to produce meaningful change, and acceptance of child in family and community. Perceived confidence significantly predicted adherence in a regression model (p < .05). Implications of caregiver perception in explanatory frameworks for adherence are discussed, and next steps in the measurement and study of treatment adherence in behavior analysis are proposed.

Although several theories exist to describe why patients improve in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), in only a limited number of studies has CBT skill acquisition been examined, particularly among patients with complex clinical profiles. Thus, the overarching aim of this research was to develop a tool to measure patients’ use of CBT skills, such that it would have clinical utility for patients and therapists during treatment. In Study 1, the authors developed an initial set of items for the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Skills Questionnaire (CBTSQ). They submitted these items to an exploratory factor analysis in an initial administration (n = 350) and to a confirmatory factor analysis in a second administration (n = 378). Results indicated that there were two factors (Behavioral Activation and Cognitive Restructuring) with good factor structure and internal consistency, and both the factors evidenced expected relationships with other constructs. In Study 2, the criterion validity of the CBTSQ was investigated on a patient sample in a CBT-oriented treatment setting. Results showed that CBTSQ scores increased following treatment, and Cognitive Restructuring and Behavioral Activation scores predicted reduction of overall psychiatric symptoms and depression. Thus, the CBTSQ appears to be a promising measure of CBT skill acquisition and treatment outcome as well as an instrument that can help patients and therapists monitor progress specifically related to a CBT skills training treatment approach.