This chapter presents a systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness of brief psychological interventions for medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)/somatic symptom disorder, non-cardiac chest pain, and illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety (HA). Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched as data sources. Reference lists were subsequently examined for other relevant articles. Studies were assessed according to specified inclusion criteria and extracted according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 23 studies were included in the final synthesis. Significant effects for intervention groups relative to control groups were reported in 19 studies, whilst 4 studies did not determine any significant benefits of interventions compared with controls. All of the brief interventions (CBT, psychosocial, psychophysiological, psychosomatic, relaxation and group therapy), with the exception of metaphor therapy, showed significant effects relative to controls in at least one study. The evidence suggests that brief psychological interventions, more specifically time limited CBT based interventions may be effective in treating HA and MUS with psychological distress. Findings are comparable with other reviews. Future research may facilitate the piloting of an intervention, and there remains a need to provide more robust evidence of cost effectiveness.
Individuals with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) may be at an increased risk of developing a range of eating difficulties. Scales designed to measure disordered eating in the general population do not cover CF-specific behaviours resulting in a knowledge gap. The CFEAB was developed as a CF-specific measure assessing eating behaviours and attitudes however little evidence exists regarding its psychometric quality. The aim of the current study was to provide a robust assessment of its internal consistency, structural validity, and predictive utility. One-hundred and thirty-two people with CF completed self-report scales pertaining to mental health, eating disorders, and the CFEAB. Results of exploratory structural equation modelling indicated that a three-factor structure produced good fit with the 24-item CFEAB but a purified 12-item CFEAB displayed superior fit and internal consistency. Also, the 12-item scale predicted significant amounts of variance for anxiety, depression, and eating disorders showing enhanced relevance for clinical use. These findings add emphasis to the importance of the validation and development of CF-specific measures and the possible inclusion at clinics to help improve CF patient care.
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