Rorschach Markers of Emotional Distress and Dysregulation (1.5 CEs)

Ando’ and her colleagues begin the symposium examining how compared to non-smokers, smokers show different patterns of cognitive processing in relation to rumination and thought suppression. They also demonstrate that variables from the R-PAS Stress and Distress domain are associated with rumination and emotional dysregulation in both groups. Vitolo et al. follow by using fMRI to examine the correlates of neurophysiological markers (resting-state connectivity, anatomical, and white matter data) of emotional distress with R-PAS variables from the Stress and Distress domain. Starin and her co-authors extend the literature documenting the near-zero correspondence between Rorschach derived and self-reported depressive constructs (Mihura et al., 2013) by showing that the same findings emerge with previously unexamined measures, namely R-PAS and the fully structured Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Finally, the symposia closes with a pair of studies that allow for replicated evidence concerning potential new variables for assessing depression via Rorschach imagery and task behavior. Both studies evaluate verbal productivity, the Elevated Mood States variable, and a measure of self-critical or helpless reassurance seeking depressive behavior. Pimentel and his collaborators study these variables in an inpatient sample of patients with depression or other disorders, while Pianowski and her colleagues study this in a patient and nonpatient sample. Both studies make use of clinician ratings in addition to diagnoses.

Chair

Gregory J. Meyer | University of Toledo

Goals & Objectives 

1. Describe at least three variables in the traditional R-PAS Stress and Distress domain. 
2. List at least two variables that are being research as supplements to the traditional R-PAS Stress and Distress variables. 
3. Discuss why R-PAS variables may be more closely related to psycho-physiological markers of experience than than to self-reported characteristics.