The offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (OBD) are at high risk for developing mental disorders. In addition to genetic factors, environmental risk is purported to be associated with these negative outcomes. However, few studies have examined this relation. Using concurrent and longitudinal data, we examined if support, structure, and control provided by parents in middle childhood mediated the relation between having a parent with or without bipolar disorder, and offspring mental health. The sample included 145 offspring (77 OBD, 68 controls) aged 4 to 14 years and their parents. Parent and teacher ratings of child behavior were collected, and diagnostic assessments were conducted in offspring 12 years later (n = 101). Bootstrapping analyses showed that low levels of structure mediated the relation between having a parent with bipolar disorder and elevated internalizing and externalizing difficulties during middle childhood. For the longitudinal outcomes, parental control emerged as the strongest mediator of the relation between parents' bipolar disorder and offspring psychopathology. Suboptimal childrearing may have different immediate and enduring consequences on mental health outcomes in the OBD. Parental structure has robust effects on emotional and behavioral problems in middle childhood, while levels of control promote psychological adjustment in the OBD as they mature.

This comprehensive review examined the continuing education (CE) training offered to psychologists by the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (OPQ [College of Psychologists of Québec]). The aim was to determine the extent to which the CE workshops advertised by the OPQ promote evidence-based practices. All 26 psychotherapies that advertised for training in the OPQ official journal, Psychologie Québec, were systematically evaluated to determine the quantity and quality of available evidence in support of their effects. The results indicate that nearly half of the psychotherapies promoted in OPQ-approved workshops are not yet supported with research. These findings suggest that psychologists in Québec may be receiving suboptimal training, which may in turn have a negative impact on psychotherapy service users. Recommendations for the regulatory bodies, the trainers developing and providing these CE workshops, and the psychologists enrolling in these workshops are discussed. Public Significance StatementThe continuing education (CE) of psychologists is vital in ensuring that the public is receiving high-quality psychotherapy services. As such, the quality of the CE training offered to psychologists by their professional order should be examined. This review represents the first examination of this nature and provides recommendations based on the findings.

Few studies have examined the relationship between interpersonal functioning and coping, two constructs that have been empirically linked to depression. This study examined the association between the coping strategies most commonly used by individuals with major depressive disorder and their interpersonal functioning. These processes were examined at the beginning of a 20-session cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression and at the end of treatment. Psychotherapy transcripts of 42 participants were rated for coping strategies using the Coping Pattern Rating System and for interpersonal functioning using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (Benjamin & Cushing, 2000). Early in therapy, a significant association was found between the escape coping strategy and interpersonal behaviors involving seeking distance from one's therapists, the assertion and separation from others and lesser use of the information seeking coping strategy, blaming others and more aggressive forms of coping, and self-criticism and escape coping. Later in therapy, patients who expressed themselves and connected with their therapists were more likely to use coping strategies such as self-reliance and information seeking to cope with stressors and to rely on their personal resources in relationships. These results are discussed in the context of tracking psychotherapy process and enhancing treatment outcome. Public Significance StatementWithin the context of depression, patient coping strategies and interpersonal behaviors are highly associated. Throughout psychotherapy treatment, coping strategies and interpersonal behaviors should be tracked to enhance treatment outcomes. More specifically, clinicians should be attentive to patients seeking distance within their therapeutic relationship as this may be associated with maladaptive coping strategies. Moreover, clinicians should encourage patients toward developing a balance between support seeking behaviors and self-reliant behaviors.

Aim of the studyThe present study aimed to determine if there is indeed a relationship between coping flexibility, defined as an ability to use a greater variety of coping strategies, and depression scores in patients suffering from major depressionSubject or material and methodsThe participants of this study were clinical patients undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The sample was taken from the cognitive-behavioural therapy arm of Jacobson’s landmark study (1996, 2008). Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Rush, Shaw & Emery, 1979), coping strategies were identified using the Coping Patterns Rating Scale (CPRS; Perry, Drapeau, & Dunkley, 2005), and coping flexibility was calculated using Gini’s C concentration measure.ResultsNo significant association was found between flexibility in coping and severity of depression.DiscussionNo correlation was found between BDI scores and flexibility scores, suggesting that coping flexibility is not related to depression severity. However, while flexibility in coping, or lack thereof, is not associated with depression severity, it remains to be seen if decreased flexibility in coping is different in individuals suffering from depression when compared to non-depressed individuals.ConclusionsThe absence of a significant association between coping flexibility and depression severity does to some extent call into question theories about flexibility in mental health, or at the very least, it circumscribes them. While mental illness may be related to increased cognitive and behavioral rigidity, it appears that the severity of the illness is unrelated to rigidity.

The various sections within the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) represent many subdisciplines of the field of psychology. Each section has its own unique opportunities and challenges for practice, research, and education. The aim of this paper is to begin a dialogue about these opportunities and challenges. Colleagues who chair a CPA section were contacted via e-mail and asked to provide their opinion on 3 opportunities and 3 challenges within their section of psychology. Many of these leaders also consulted the members of their section in order to get a broader perspective. Moreover, the presidents and directors of each provincial/territorial association and regulatory body in Canada were also contacted and asked to provide their opinion to the same question. Overall, 5 primary themes were presented as opportunities: the importance of working in interdisciplinary teams, the abundance of job opportunities, applying research in community settings, alternatives to traditional models of treatment and diagnosis, and new opportunities for research. Five challenges were also presented: insufficient funding, education in psychology, diversity of population, access to psychological health care, and the level of education required for licensure. We discuss these opportunities and challenges in detail, and conclude by offering some potential solutions to the challenges in Canadian psychology today.