Clinician ’ s Digest
An Initial Examination of Mental Healthcare Providers ’ Big 5 Personality and Their Preferences for Clients
“ Compared to clients ’ personality and perspectives in psychotherapy ( e . g ., preferences ), less research characterizes mental healthcare providers ( i . e ., those who have provided direct mental healthcare services ). Prior work finds that provider personality configurations are unique relative to other professions , and provider perspectives of clients differ as a function of their own and their client ’ s personality . The current study expands this literature by utilizing trait and profile-level analyses in a sample of 176 mental healthcare providers ( largely US-based ). Profile-level findings demonstrated that most providers were high in agreeableness and conscientiousness . When compared to a normative sample , providers demonstrated higher trait-level agreeableness and neuroticism and lower conscientiousness . Providers ’ preferences regarding the personality of potential clients were also explored , and these findings indicated that some providers prefer a client with personality traits similar to their own . At the profile level , most providers preferred clients who had ( 1 ) high agreeableness and conscientiousness and low neuroticism or ( 2 ) average across traits .”
Compiled by Kathleen McCarthy , The Advocate Magazine
Below is just a sampling of some of the research results on topics related to mental health and clinical mental health counseling . Click on the links below each entry to find out more about the research described .
Review of 1,039 studies indicates exercise can be more more effective than counseling or medication for depression
“ We reviewed 97 review papers , which involved 1,039 trials and 128,119 participants . We found doing 150 minutes each week of various types of physical activity ( such as brisk walking , lifting weights and yoga ) significantly reduces depression , anxiety , and psychological distress , compared to usual care ( such as medications ). The largest improvements ( as self-reported by the participants ) were seen in people with depression , HIV , kidney disease , in pregnant and postpartum women , and in healthy individuals , though clear benefits were seen for all populations . … our findings suggest exercise is around 1.5 times more effective than either medication or cognitive behavior therapy . … Some clinical guidelines already acknowledge the role of exercise – for example , the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Guidelines suggest medication , psychotherapy , and lifestyle changes such as exercise . However , other leading bodies , such as the American Psychological Association Clinical Practice Guidelines , emphasise medication and psychotherapy alone , and list exercise as an ‘ alternative ’ treatment – in the same category as treatments such as acupuncture .”
SOURCE : Psychological Studies , 68 , 33 – 44 ( 2023 ): bit . ly / 43HtV4o ( See also the April 12 , 2023 , PsyPost article at bit . ly / 42m7nVQ .)
SOURCE : British Journal of Sports Medicine , Feb . 16 , 2023 . bit . ly / 3N9S7XG . ( See also the PsyPort article at bit . ly / 3IRl7Rt .)
A racing heart drives anxiety behavior in mice
“ Standing on the edge of a precipice , losing your way in a dark forest , or running into a crush will quicken your pulse — a physical consequence of the anxiety you experience . But a new study in mice by Stanford Medicine scientists has found evidence of the reverse : A faster heart rate can generate anxiety . When researchers artificially boosted an animal ’ s heart rate ( the number of times a heart beats each minute ), it behaved more cautiously in risky situations . The researchers traced the change to a particular region of the cortex , which appears to integrate heart rate with the brain ’ s perception of danger to determine the appropriate emotional response . The findings address a question that has intrigued philosophers and scientists for more than a century : whether bodily sensations follow emotion , or the other way around .”
SOURCE : Stanford Medicine News Center , By Nina Bai , March 1 , 2023 . ( See also the Nature article at bit . ly / 43BwKDO .)
Fasting during Ramadan is associated with judicial leniency
“ Fasting during Ramadan was associated with greater leniency in criminal justice decisions by judges in India and Pakistan , based on observational data from over 370,000 cases and 8,500 judges . … Researchers are increasingly interested in understanding how different factors affect decision making , especially in the context of judicial decisions . Previous research has , for example , found that hunger is associated with judges making harsher decisions — a phenomenon also known as the ‘ hungry judges effect ’. … The authors found that judges who were observing Ramadan were more likely to acquit when the intensity of Ramadan fasting increased , and that these acquittals were 5 % less likely to be appealed and reversed in higher courts . Specifically , they found that with each additional hour of fasting ( relative to the baseline ), there was a 10 % increase in the number of acquittals and a 3 % reduction in appeals during Ramadan .”
SOURCE : Nature Human Behaviour , March 13 , 2023 : bit . ly / 3MQ2XAD . continued on page 10 The Advocate Magazine 2023 , Issue # 1 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org
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