This study examined the effects of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) compared with traditional behavior therapy (exposure and response prevention [ERP]) in the group treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Of the 76 participants who started treatment, 38 were wait-listed for 3 months before treatment to assess possible course effects. Both treatments were superior to the control condition in symptom reduction, with ERP being marginally more effective than CBT by end of treatment and again at 3-month follow-up. In terms of clinically significant improvement, treatment groups were equivalent on the conclusion of treatment, but 3 months later significantly more ERP participants met criteria for recovered status. Only 1 of 7 belief measures changed with treatment improvement, and the extent of this cognitive change was similar between CBT and ERP groups. Discussion includes consideration of optimal formats for the delivery of different types of treatment.

Half a century of theoretical accounts, case histories, and evidence implies perfectionism limits the success of psychotherapy and makes it hard for people to participate in and benefit from close relationships. Likewise, intimate relationships are crucial determinants of the success of treatment. However, the extent to which specific types of relationships explain why perfectionism leads to a poorer treatment outcome is unclear. Objective: We addressed this by, first, testing whether the perfectionism traits of self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism hindered symptom reduction in group psychotherapy for depression and, second, assessing the mediating role of romantic love, friendships, and familial love on the effects of perfectionism traits on change in depression. Method: Psychiatric patients (N = 156) enrolled in short-term post-discharge group CBT for residual depression completed measures of perfectionism at pre-treatment, romantic love, friendships, and familial love at post-treatment, and depression at pre-and post-treatment. Results: Multilevel modeling showed that otheroriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were associated with lower post-treatment reductions in depression over treatment and path analysis revealed self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism indirectly predicted lower post-treatment reductions in depression through a perceived lack of quality friendships. Conclusion: Results lend credence and coherence to the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model in a clinical context and underscore the importance of taking extratherapeutic social disconnection into account when treating perfectionistic patients.

Discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues has fallen short in dental curricula. This article aims to describe the didactic approach used to present issues of sexuality in the D.M.D. curriculum at the University of British Columbia. This descriptive article discusses the main pedagogies employed to present and discuss LGBT issues: lecture-based seminars, guest panel discussion with members of the LGBT community, poster discussion, and student reflections on the topic of sexuality. The approach to sexual diversity presented here does not profess to make an otherwise homophobic student LGBTfriendly, but it exposes all students to alternative views of sexuality, challenges their values and beliefs, and celebrates diversity. The methodology presented has had a positive impact upon students as illustrated by their reflections, but further discussion is needed to better understand the implications of LGBT issues in both academic and professional settings.Dr. Brondani is Assistant Professor,

Cognitive restructuring (CR) is commonly used to treat social phobia, although its contribution to treatment efficacy has not been established. CR requires the person to think about and discuss feared social events with his or her therapist and thus entails some degree of exposure to social stimuli. CR also is thought to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic exposure exercises (EXP). Four predictions were tested based on this model: Relative to a control intervention matched for the exposure inherent in CR, CR is more effective in (1) reducing social phobia, (2) reducing negative social cognitions, (3) increasing positive cognitions, and (4) enhancing the effects of subsequent EXP. People with generalized social phobia (N = 60) were randomly assigned to CR followed by EXP or to a control intervention followed by EXP. Support was found for predictions 1 to 3, but not 4.

Although there is accumulating evidence of the importance of personality in predicting group psychotherapy outcomes, the extent to which Big Five personality traits predict group psychotherapy outcomes is debatable. Thus far, findings from individual treatment studies suggest Big Five traits have a marginal-to-small impact on the success of psychotherapy. Yet, results from the handful of group therapy studies on Big Five traits are equivocal. Moreover, extant research on Big Five traits and group treatment outcomes do not address potential dependencies in their data and, despite conducting multiple significance tests, neglect to correct for an inflated Type I error rate. Objective: We addressed these limitations through the largest, most methodologically rigorous investigation of the extent to which Big Five traits predict group treatment outcomes to date. Method: Recently discharged patients with mental health problems (N = 128; M age = 41.7, SD = 11.6) receiving short-term group therapy completed a measure of Big Five traits (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) at pretreatment and measures of depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) and anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory) at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. To address potential dependencies, we adopted a multilevel modeling strategy and, to address the multiple comparison problem, we used the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. Results: None of the Big Five traits predicted smaller or greater reductions in depression or anxiety symptoms at posttreatment or 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: We found no evidence that the Big Five traits were associated with group psychotherapy outcome. Highlights and Implications• To investigate the influence of personality traits on group psychotherapy outcome we assessed traits from the Big Five Model of personality at pretreatment and depression and anxiety symptoms at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up in recently discharged patients receiving group Cognitive-Behavioral psychotherapy.• Multilevel modeling indicated that Big Five traits did not significantly influence symptom reduction at posttreatment or 6-month follow-up.• Considering the methodological shortcoming of prior research alongside our null findings the claimed clinical utility of Big Five traits on group treatment outcomes remains unsubstantiated. This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.