The purpose of this meta analysis was to examine the moderating impact of substance use disorder as inclusion/exclusion criterion as well as the percentage of racial/ethnic minorities on the strength of the alliance-outcome relationship in psychotherapy. It was hypothesized that the presence of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Axis I substance use disorder as a criterion and the presence of racial/ethnic minorities as a sociocultural indicator are moderately correlated client factors reducing the relationship between alliance and outcome. A random effects restricted maximum-likelihood estimator was used for omnibus and moderator models (k = 94). The presence of (a) substance use disorder and (b) racial/ethnic minorities (overall and specific to African Americans) partially moderated the alliance-outcome correlation. The percentage of substance use disorders and racial/ethnic minority status was unexpectedly highly correlated in the present treatment research samples. Sociocultural contextual variables should be considered along with a DSM Axis I diagnosis of substance use disorders in analyzing and interpreting therapy process variables such as the alliance.
The presence of different religions and the freedom of people to navigate the religious space shows that religion in the Philippines is not a monolithic entity. This study validated three versions of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRSi-7, -14, and -20) which propose an adequate assessment tool for the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in Philippine society. The sample (N = 514) was drawn from the young population of the country in an online survey. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach’s alpha values were calculated for the five subscales (ideology, intellect, experience, private and public practice) of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale. The factor structure of the interreligious Centrality of Religiosity Scale was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The results show that CRSi-7 denotes internal consistency while CRSi-14 and CRSi-20 indicate good internal consistency. Models of CRSi-7, -14, and -20 show a good global fit. Despite two models of the CRSi-20 being identical in fit, the researchers defer to the CRSi-20 model with correlated factors since it is a simpler model. All versions of the CRSi demonstrate a valid and reliable measure for the centrality of religiosity in the Philippines and support the usefulness of the CRS for the study of religiosity.
This study presents the validation of the short forms of Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) in Georgia. This country offers a unique Christian orthodox context with a long-lasting religious tradition and strong affiliation to churches. Translated short forms were administered in the years 2012 (CRS-5) and 2018 (CRSi-7). Participants reported on ideological, intellectual, and experiential aspects of their faith and their private and public religious practice in face-to-face interviews. The collected data was subject to reliability analyses. Scale invariance over time was tested with the CRS-5, whereas the CRSi-7 was examined for model goodness, with one factor—Centrality of Religiosity—with a confirmatory factor analysis. Derived statistical coefficients from large stratified random populational samples (2012: N = 2238 and 2018: N = 1906) show good to acceptable Cronbach’s ( = 0.73 and = 0.67). The composite scores’ means and standard deviations contour norm values for further investigations in social sciences related to religiosity in Georgia. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses show that the Centrality of Religiosity manifests a stable factor, adequately explaining different dimensions of faith life. The high reliability of the CRS-5 over time leads to the conclusion of consistent measurement characteristics and thus, its suitability for longitudinal analysis. The CRSi-7 has a comparable model fit to the CRS-5 providing an alternative for interreligious contexts if needed. Aspects of assessment and analysis are discussed and reasons for the application of the longer version of the CRS are provided in the end.
The Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) is an instrument that measures the centrality, importance, or salience of religious meanings in personality. Addressing the dearth of research on the salience of religion among Filipino Christian youths, the researchers explore in this paper the degree of religiosity of selected university students and the relevance of religious beliefs in their daily life by validating the Abrahamic forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS-5, CRS-10, and CRS-15). This paper specifically answers the following questions: (1) What CRS version is valid for Filipino Christian youths? (2) What is the position of the religious construct-system among selected Filipino Christian university students? and (3) How does the centrality of religiosity influences the selected Filipino Christian university students’ subjective experience and behavior? Means and standard deviations were calculated for the five subscales of the centrality of religiosity for CRS-5, CRS-10, and CRS-15. The distribution of the subscale scores was also computed using measures of skewness and kurtosis. Cronbach’s α values are provided for each of the subscales to establish internal consistency. Descriptive statistics were also computed with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 20. Bivariate correlations are reported for all CRS-15 items. This paper established that in a predominantly Christian country such as the Philippines, the CRS-15 is suitable in measuring the centrality of religiosity among Filipino Christian youths.
Despite a long-standing need for patient-focused research on individuals with generalized anxiety disorder, there is little systematized knowledge about the in-session behaviors of these patients. The primary objective of this study was to describe the timing of expression of negative emotionality (level of explication) and the patients' focus on their own resources and how these indicators are associated with posttreatment outcome. Trained coders made minute-by-minute ratings of 1,100 min of video of 20 patient-therapist dialogues during Session 5. The results indicated that a higher level of explication generally observed at a later stage during the therapy sessions and the patients' focus on competencies (usually observed at an early stage) were positively associated with treatment outcome, independent of pretreatment distress, rapid response of well-being and symptom reduction, as well as the therapists' professional experience and treatment duration. However, positive reinterpretations and mentions of personal goals were negatively associated with outcome. If replicated, these results will highlight the importance of the in-session beginning phase in patients with generalized anxiety disorder.
Since the end of the Soviet Union, Christian Orthodoxy has regained importance in Russian society. Considering the religious dynamics in the decades after 1990, scholars working in the field have been debating about a reliable measuring tool for religiosity. The present study provides a validation of two short forms of the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS), the CRS-5, and CRSi-7 in Russia, as well as its corresponding translated items. Therefore, data from two large-scale sociological surveys from 2008 (N = 894) and 2019 (N = 1768) were used. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with restrictions on the variance and covariance structure of the model shows good results in terms of absolute, parsimony, and relative model fit for the CRS-5 and CRSi-7. Moreover, the models indicate time-invariance, which is a consistent psychometric characteristic of both short forms. The time-invariance is accompanied by the good internal consistency of the scales: The CRS-5 with and the CRSi-7 with . The results of the analysis encourage the use of the CRS-5 and the CRSi-7 for research on religiosity in Russia. While the CRS-5 is especially suitable for the Orthodox-dominated religious landscape, the CRSi-7 should be used if non-monotheistic private religious practice and religious experience are the focus of the scientific investigation.