Researchers study tool to measure psychological change processes
At a conference in Argentina on 25–28 July, Mid Sweden University researcher Andreas Larsson will present a study showing that the Swedish translation of the PBAT (Process-Based Assessment Tool) tool works well for both researchers and clinicians.
Andreas Larsson will participate in the ACBS World Conference 2024 in Argentina on July 25–28. There he presents a study that validates the Swedish translation of a tool called the Process-Based Assessment Tool (PBAT), which is used to measure psychological change processes.
"The study, which I conducted in collaboration with Felicia Sundström from Uppsala University, shows that the Swedish version of PBAT is a reliable and useful tool for both clinical practice and research," says Andreas Larsson, senior lecturer at the Department of Psychology and Social Work at Mid Sweden University.
The researchers used advanced machine learning in their analysis
The study used an advanced machine learning method, called Boruta analysis, to find which items in PBAT were most important for different medical outcomes.
"This data-driven approach has proven to be effective in understanding and optimizing psychological treatments, it also offers a more nuanced picture of how different psychological processes affect patients' health," says Andreas.
Key Factors for Mental Health
Two specific items in PBAT stand out as particularly important for predicting clinical outcomes: "Have I had difficulty being present in the present moment in my everyday life" (PB14) and "Has my thinking gotten in the way of things that were important to me" (PB7).
"These questions showed strong correlations with a range of clinical variables, including stress, anxiety and depression. The results suggest that, in order to improve the patient's well-being, treatment should focus on difficulties in being present in the present moment and thought patterns that hinder activity.
Improved psychological assessment in the Swedish context
The PBAT, in its original English version, has proven to be effective in assessing psychological processes relevant to psychotherapy and research. The current study, which included 427 Swedish-speaking participants, has now confirmed the effectiveness of the tool in a Swedish context as well. The findings show strong correlations between PBAT and clinical outcomes, underscoring the tool's usefulness.
Link to the published study: Optimizing process-based therapy: A Boruta-driven approach to Identifying key clinical outcomes in a Swedish validation of the process-based assessment tool (PBAT) - ScienceDirect
Link to the conference: ACBS World Conference 2024 | Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (contextualscience.org)