Papers by Elias Tsakanikos
Personality and Individual Differences
Psychiatrike = Psychiatriki, 2016
Comorbid psychopathology in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has... more Comorbid psychopathology in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been investigated in a number of studies over the last twenty years. The aim of the present study was to investigate the phenomenology of illness and broader psychopathology in a group of Greek children and adolescents with OCD. The investigation of parental psychopathology in children and adolescents with OCD was a secondary aim of the present study. We studied 31 children and adolescents with OCD (n=31, age range 8-15 years) and their parents (n=62, age range 43-48 years) and compared to children and adolescents with specific reading and written expression learning disorders (n=30, age range 7-16 years) and their parents (n=58, age range 40-46 years). Appropriate testing showed specific reading and learning disorders, which were of mild to moderate severity for the 85% of this latter group. The diagnosis of learning disorder of reading and written expression was made through the use o...
JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020
Background Depression and anxiety symptoms are common among university students, but many do not ... more Background Depression and anxiety symptoms are common among university students, but many do not receive treatment. This is often because of lack of availability, reluctance to seek help, and not meeting the diagnostic criteria required to access services. Internet-based interventions, including smartphone apps, can overcome these issues. However, a large number of apps are available, each with little evidence of their effectiveness. Objective This study aims to evaluate for the first time the effectiveness of a self-guided mobile app, Feel Stress Free, for the treatment of depression and anxiety symptoms in students. Methods A web-based randomized controlled trial compared a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)–based mobile app Feel Stress Free with a wait-list control. University students self-identified as experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression and were randomized to 6 weeks of intervention (n=84) or control (n=84), unblinded. The app is self-guided and incorporates behavio...
Personality and Individual Differences, 2021
Previous experimental evidence has revealed that people with high self-reported narcissism demons... more Previous experimental evidence has revealed that people with high self-reported narcissism demonstrate heightened sensitivity to negative evaluative stimuli, suggesting a defensive motivational style related to fragile self-views. It remains less clear whether people with high self-reported narcissism demonstrate similar heightened sensitivity to positive evaluative stimuli in line with the view of narcissism as an adaptive self-enhancement system related to (very) positive self-views. Participants (N = 85) were tested on computer based semantic priming tasks and completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Experiment 1 investigated sensitivity to negative (e.g. "worthless") and Experiment 2 sensitivity to positive (e.g. "brilliant") words in people with higher self-reported narcissism. We explored for the first time associations between heightened sensitivity and facets of narcissism. Results showed participants with high self-reported narcissism were faster at detecting negative but not positive words, with the onset of sensitivity occurring very early in information processing. This heightened sensitivity to negative words was predicted by scores on the Superiority sub-scale of the NPI. The present results confirm that heightened sensitivity to evaluative stimuli in narcissism is likely the result of a defensive style related to fragile self-views rather than being part of a healthy adaptive selfenhancement system.
Self and Identity, 2019
What is it like be a narcissist? According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior... more What is it like be a narcissist? According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior, but possess a soft core. The narcissistic self is fragile. This presumed fragility has been typically operationalized as a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, producing inconsistent findings. A reason for the inconclusiveness of over two decades of research may be that narcissism was tested in situ. An important exception is work by , who obtained support for the mask model under conditions of selfthreat in sequential priming task followed by a lexical decision task. We report an experiment (N = 209) where we test the replicability of their findings with a larger sample and several methodological alterations. In replication, narcissists manifested hypervigilance or defensiveness (i.e., faster reaction times to self-threatening stimuli). However, given ampler time (235 ms as opposed to 149 ms), narcissists switched from defensiveness to selfregulation (i.e., equivalent reaction times to those of non-narcissists). This switch, being rapid and difficult to detect, may explain in part the prior inconclusive findings. Despite transient intrapersonal turbulence in response to self-threat, narcissists quickly regain their composure and re-establish their granite exterior.
Cognition, 2019
Given the links between motion and temporal thinking, it is surprising that no studies have exami... more Given the links between motion and temporal thinking, it is surprising that no studies have examined the possibility that transporting participants back mentally towards the time of encoding could improve memory. Six experiments investigated whether backward motion would promote recall relative to forward motion or no-motion conditions. Participants saw a video of a staged crime (Experiments 1, 3 and 5), a word list (Experiments 2 and 4) or a set of pictures (Experiment 6). Then, they walked forward or backwards (Experiments 1 and 2), watched a forward-or backward-directed optic flow-inducing video (Experiments 3 and 4) or imagined walking forward or backwards (Experiments 5 and 6). Finally, they answered questions about the video or recalled words or pictures. The results demonstrated for the first time that motion-induced past-directed mental time travel improved mnemonic performance for different types of information. We briefly discuss theoretical and practical implications of this "mnemonic time-travel effect".
http://isrctn.com/, 2016
Personality and Individual Differences, 2019
Positive schizotypy has been employed as a unitary construct in previous experimental research de... more Positive schizotypy has been employed as a unitary construct in previous experimental research despite the phenomenological heterogeneity of the schizotypal experiences that it describes. In the present paper, we report two psychometric studies on the Unusual Experiences (UE) scale, a widely employed measure of positive schizotypy from the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory for Feeling and Experiences (O-LIFE; Mason, Claridge, & Jackson, 1995). Study 1 (N=829) explored the factor structure of UE and model fit was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Study 2 (N=108) evaluated the validity of the factors by employing well-established measures of schizotypy related to positive symptomatology. The results supported a theoretically meaningful 3-factor solution: UE1 Unusual perceptions, UE2 Unusual salience/reality monitoring, and UE3 Unusual beliefs. The new subscales had adequate psychometric properties. We propose that the new subscales have the potential of improving research cohesion, motivating further research and enhancing understanding of experimental correlates of positive schizotypy.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2021
Individual differences in behaviors are seen across many species, and investigations have focused... more Individual differences in behaviors are seen across many species, and investigations have focused on traits linked to aggression, risk taking, emotionality, coping styles, and differences in cognitive systems. The current study investigated whether there were individual differences in proactive interference tasks in rats (Rattus Norvegicus), and tested hypotheses suggesting that these tasks should load onto a single factor and there should be clusters of rats who perform well or poorly on these tasks. The performance of 39 rats was tested across three learning tasks that all involved disengagement from an irrelevant previously learned stimulus to a relevant stimulus: latent inhibition (LI), partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE), and reversal learning (RL). An exploratory factor analysis revealed the existence of one factor underlying performance. A cluster analysis revealed the existence of sets of rats displaying either weak LI and strong PREE and RL effects, or vice versa...
JMIR Formative Research, 2021
Background Mental health digital apps hold promise for providing scalable solutions to individual... more Background Mental health digital apps hold promise for providing scalable solutions to individual self-care, education, and illness prevention. However, a problem with these apps is that they lack engaging user interfaces and experiences and thus potentially result in high attrition. Although guidelines for new digital interventions for adults have begun to examine engagement, there is a paucity of evidence on how to best address digital interventions for adolescents. As adolescence is a period of transition, during which the onset of many potentially lifelong mental health conditions frequently occurs, understanding how best to engage this population is crucial. Objective The study aims to detect potential barriers to engagement and to gather feedback on the current elements of app design regarding user experience, user interface, and content. Methods This study used a qualitative design. A sample of 14 adolescents was asked to use the app for 1 week and was interviewed using a sem...
Learning & Behavior, 2018
This study adopted a novel approach to relating nonhuman and human studies of anxiety and latent ... more This study adopted a novel approach to relating nonhuman and human studies of anxiety and latent inhibition, by exploring the degree to which rats' Btemperaments^in relation to anxiety predicted the development of latent inhibition. It investigated whether anxiety levels in one situation (i.e., an elevated-plus maze) involving 38 intact, mature rats, could predict performance on a latent inhibition task (i.e., an animal model of attention), and, thus, reproduce findings from human studies. Rats were subjected to two tasks: a novel within-subject, appetitive stimulus pre-exposure procedure, and an elevated-plus maze task. In the stimulus preexposure task, non-reinforced exposure to a light led to facilitation of conditioning (perceptual learning) during the first 3 days, and to retardation of conditioning (latent inhibition) during the last 5 days. In the elevated-plus maze task, moderate levels of anxiety were observed. Regression analyses revealed that anxiety levels (plus maze) were a significant predictor of latent inhibition (stimulus pre-exposure). Measures of locomotor activity did not predict performance on the latent inhibition task. Rats with moderate levels of anxiety had better performance in the late inhibition task than animals with low levels of anxiety. These data and the methodology have implications for understanding nonhuman models of schizophrenia, and for the design of studies investigating these issues with nonhumans. Keywords Latent inhibition. Elevated plus maze. Anxiety. Schizophrenia. Rat Latent inhibition refers to the phenomenon in which nonreinforced pre-exposure of a stimulus (CS PE) results in retardation of subsequent conditioning to this stimulus, compared to conditioning to a non-pre-exposed stimulus (CS NPE). This phenomenon has been taken to reflect some form of selective
Journal of medical Internet research, Jan 24, 2017
Despite the large body of literature demonstrating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral trea... more Despite the large body of literature demonstrating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral treatments for agoraphobia, many patients remain untreated because of various barriers to treatment. Web-based and mobile-based interventions targeting agoraphobia may provide a solution to this problem, but there is a lack of research investigating the efficacy of such interventions. The objective of our study was to evaluate for the first time the effectiveness of a self-guided mobile-based intervention primarily targeting agoraphobic symptoms, with respect to a generic mobile app targeting anxiety. A Web-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) compared a novel mobile app designed to target agoraphobia (called Agoraphobia Free) with a mobile app designed to help with symptoms of anxiety in general (called Stress Free). Both interventions were based on established cognitive behavioral principles. We recruited participants (N=170) who self-identified as having agoraphobia and assessed them o...
BJPsych open, 2018
We report on the first open-label, parallel group randomised controlled trial of automated appoin... more We report on the first open-label, parallel group randomised controlled trial of automated appointment reminders in a psychosis community service in the UK. Ninety-five patients were randomly allocated to receiving/not receiving automated messaging reminders 7 days and 1 day before appointments. All 'Attended' and 'Missed' appointment outcomes over 6 months were analysed using cluster regression analysis. Reminded appointments were significantly more frequently attended than non-reminded appointments (unadjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.54, 95% CI 1.36-9.22, P = 0.01; adjusted OR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.05-8.85, P < 0.05). Automated messaging reminders can provide a robust strategy for promoting engagement with psychosis services. Declaration of interest The authors have no competing financial interests to declare in relation to the current work. Sarah McAllister was supported by a King's Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
In this paper, we describe an indoor positioning system designed to provide data on the movement ... more In this paper, we describe an indoor positioning system designed to provide data on the movement patterns of hospital personnel. The data collection is ongoing and part of a larger study project, which aims to evaluate the impact of an information system implemented in a hospital setting. The indoor positioning system was designed to be non-intrusive and straightforward to deploy in multiple hospitals, while requiring minimal existing infrastructure. To this end, the system is based on battery-powered Bluetooth beacons, and mobile phones measuring the signal strength of the beacons to position their bearers. This paper describes the design and implementation of the system. We analyze the positioning accuracy of the system in order to evaluate its fitness for purpose. Based on the results, the system is suitable for short-term deployments due to its low cost and ease of installation.
Personality and Individual Differences, 2013
People with synaesthesia not only have -by definition -unusual experiences (e.g., numbers trigger... more People with synaesthesia not only have -by definition -unusual experiences (e.g., numbers triggering colour), they also have a different cognitive profile (e.g., in terms of their memory and perceptual abilities) and a bias towards certain interests and activities (e.g., towards the arts). However, virtually nothing is known about whether synaesthetes have an atypical personality profile. In this study, a standard measure of personality was administered (Big Five Inventory) along with two questionnaire measures of empathy. Synaesthetes, relative to demographically matched controls, reported higher levels of 'Openness to Experience' which is known to be related to imagination and artistic tendencies. They also reported higher levels of 'Fantasizing' on one of the empathy measures, which is conceptually related to Openness, although their self-reported empathy did not differ in other respects. In addition, synaesthetes reported lower levels of Agreeableness which we did not predict in advance.
Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 2012
There is little information on the mental health needs of adults with intellectual disability (ID... more There is little information on the mental health needs of adults with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Such evidence is much needed for the development of more effective mental health services for this group. The aim of this study is to compare adults with ID and ASD receiving specialist mental health services with participants without ASD. Data were collected from the anonymized case records of a clinic-based population in South East London. Health and social functioning were measured using the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for people with Learning Disability (HoNOS-LD). A review of case records identified 371 service users in receipt of specialist mental health care who were eligible for the study. There were 117 people (32% of the sample) with a clinical diagnosis of ID and ASD. Participants with ASD were younger, more likely to be male, less likely to live independently and had more severe ID than those without ASD. Furthermore, those with ID and ASD were less likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder but had significantly higher scores on the HoNOS-LD (indicating lower health and social functioning) than those without ASD. A significant proportion of adults with ID who are in receipt of specialist mental health services also have a clinical diagnosis of ASD. This group has different mental health needs compared with those without ASD. The authors note the need for a more personalized approach to service delivery with a focus on improving social functioning and behavioral impairments.
Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2013
ABSTRACT This study investigated the main psychometric properties of the Self Assessment and Inte... more ABSTRACT This study investigated the main psychometric properties of the Self Assessment and Intervention (SAINT), a unique and recently developed Guided Self-Help tool for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Fifty-four adults with ID identified with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression completed the study. They were between 18 and 77 years old with a mean of 39.4 years of age (SD = 13.57). Participants were recruited from both community (n = 31, 57.4%) and inpatient settings (n = 23, 42.6%). The Glasgow Depression Scale-Learning Disabilities (GDS-LD) and Glasgow Anxiety Scale-Intellectual Disabilities (GAS-ID) were used as expert measures. Convergent validity, concurrent validity, test-retest, and internal consistency were all tested on the SAINT in comparison with the GDS-LD and GAS-ID as appropriate. There were no missing data from the questionnaires. Cronbach&#39;s alpha suggested high internal consistency for the SAINT questionnaire at 0.827 and interitem correlation for internal consistency of the SAINT for any item deleted ranged from 0.788 to 0.826. In terms of convergent validity using the Spearman&#39;s Rho correlation coefficient the SAINT showed significant correlation at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) with the GDS-LD (r = 0.707), GAS-ID worries subscale (r = 0.578). The correlation for test-retest (n = 20, 37%) between Time 1 and Time 2 was r = 0.897, p &lt; .01. The SAINT has demonstrated potential as a measure for investigating mental distress for people with ID. One of the unique benefits of the SAINT is that it has a different utility from other measures used in this study that focus on psychopathology. The SAINT has not been designed as a diagnostic tool and aims to get the person to recognize and report a set of symptoms that indicates mental distress and to employ coping strategies once identified.
Uploads
Papers by Elias Tsakanikos