Fabian Ramseyer

Introduction: Psychological pain is a central risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Nonverbal synchrony between patients and therapists has been shown to facilitate the development of therapeutic alliance, which in turn is linked to symptom reduction. Building on these associations, the present study investigated whether movement synchrony in suicide-specific therapy exceeds random synchrony and whether it is associated with patients' psychological pain. Method: A sample of 95 video recordings from therapy sessions of the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) were analysed using Motion Energy Analysis to assess synchrony in head and upper body movements. Psychological pain was assessed using the Suicide Status Form II (SSF-II). Results: Genuine synchrony was significantly greater than pseudosynchrony t(110.16) = 4.314, p < .001, d = 0.49, 95% CI [0.005, 0.014], confirming the validity of the synchrony measurement. Additionally, movement synchrony was negatively correlated with psychological pain (r(84) = -.319, p = .003). This relationship remained significant after controlling for potential mediating factors (r(84) = -.302, p = .008). Conclusion: This study highlights the role of nonverbal synchrony in suicide-specific therapy, demonstrating that it exceeds random synchrony and is associated with lower levels of psychological pain.

Introduction: Abundant research documents Black-White disparities in the quality of patient-physician clinical communication during oncology interactions. Prior research shows that Black patients’ and non-Black physicians’ race-related attitudes and perceptions influence clinical communication and patient and physician perceptions of one another. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the effects of such attitudes and perceptions on another important but understudied aspect of interpersonal communication—nonverbal synchrony. The attitudes and perceptions included non-Black physician implicit racial bias; and Black patients’ suspicion of medical care Black patients receive, trust in healthcare systems, and previous experience with discrimination. We predicted that patient and physician race-related attitudes and perceptions would be associated with various nonverbal synchrony measures during oncology interactions between Black patients and non-Black physicians. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of video-recorded cancer treatment discussions between Black patients and their non-Black physicians collected as part of a larger study. Participants included 66 Black patients and 13 non-Black physicians. Physician implicit racial bias and demographic characteristics and Black patient race-related attitudes, perceptions, and demographic characteristics were assessed prior to the interactions. Using automated motion energy analysis software, we evaluated three measures to examine nonverbal synchrony: (1) global nonverbal synchrony, (2) patient-led nonverbal synchrony, and (3) physician-led nonverbal synchrony. Results: We found positive relationships between physicians’ implicit racial bias and all measures of nonverbal synchrony. We found a positive relationship between one patient attitude (trust in healthcare systems) and one nonverbal synchrony measure (patient-led nonverbal synchrony). Conclusions: Findings provide evidence of a link between Black patient and non-Black physician race-related attitudes and perceptions and their jointly determined nonverbal synchrony during clinical interactions. Further work is needed to understand the nuances and clinical implications of this complicated relationship, and to inform potential interventions to improve communication quality and related patient outcomes.

During interpersonal emotion regulation, relationship partners mutually regulate each other’s emotional states. Interpersonal emotion regulation occurs at three main timescales: phasic (from several hundred milliseconds to about 10s), tonic (from 10s to 1 hour), and chronic (from weeks to months and years). Prior research has examined interpersonal emotion regulation at only one or two timescales simultaneously. The proposed research will examine variables relating to interpersonal emotion regulation in close relationships across all three timescales. A total of 150 romantic couples will engage in an emotional sharing task, in which they will be instructed to either engage in natural sharing or co-rumination. At the phasic timescale, primary outcomes will be interpersonal synchrony in movements and cardiovascular responses throughout the sharing task. At the tonic timescale, primary outcomes will be changes in mood and emotional appraisals pre- and post-sharing. At the chronic timescale, the study will primarily assess individual differences in relationship quality and dyadic coping style prior to the task, which are expected to shape phasic and tonic patterns during emotional sharing. Our general expectation is that phasic patterns in interpersonal emotion regulation (e.g., movement synchrony) will be meaningfully related to tonic patterns (e.g., mood change), which, in turn, will be meaningfully related to chronic patterns (e.g., relationship quality). More differentiated hypotheses and exploratory analyses are detailed in the protocol. The results of this research will contribute to the integration of interpersonal emotion regulation theories across different time scales.

Hearing loss severely hampers verbal exchange and thus social interaction, which puts a high burden on hearing-impaired and their close partners. Until now, nonverbal interaction in hearing-impaired dyads has not been addressed as a relevant factor for well-being or quality of social relationships. Nonverbal synchrony of head- and body-movement was analysed in N = 30 dyads of persons with hearing impairment (PHI) and their significant others (SO). In a 10-minute conversation before (T1) and 6 months after cochlear implantation (T2), Motion Energy Analysis (MEA) automatically quantified head- and body-movement. Self-report measures of both dyad members were used to assess aspects of quality of life and closeness in the partnership. After cochlear implantation, nonverbal synchrony showed a downward trend and was less distinct from pseudosynchrony. Higher synchrony was associated with worse hearing-related quality of life, shorter duration of hearing impairment and less closeness in the relationship. This negative association was interpreted as an indication for the effort one has to make to cope with difficulties in a dyad`s relationship. Endorsing a holistic approach in auditory rehabilitation, we propose the assessment of nonverbal synchrony as a suitable tool to detect subtle imbalances in the interpersonal relation between PHI and SO outside conscious control and to provide cues for possible therapeutical strategies.

Findings from the past 5 decades of empirical research on the working alliance suggest its importance in psychotherapy. Recent studies have sought to identify markers of the alliance, of which one of the most promising candidates is nonverbal synchrony. Delving into processes that constitute the alliance, such as alliance ruptures, may shed light on underlying mechanisms of the association between nonverbal synchrony and the therapeutic relationship. The present study examines whether nonverbal synchrony can serve as a marker of alliance ruptures. To achieve this aim, 418 sessions of 75 therapeutic dyads were coded for ruptures, using the Rupture Resolution Rating System, and for nonverbal synchrony, using motion energy analysis. A mixed-method analysis, integrating multilevel nested models with a case study analysis, was implemented. The results of the multilevel nested models suggest that nonverbal synchrony is significantly associated with confrontational ruptures, whereas withdrawal ruptures showed no such association. The findings of the case analysis suggest that moments of especially high nonverbal synchrony during a rupture are those in which the therapist made great efforts to be attentive to the patient when the patient acted in a confrontational manner. The findings of the present study demonstrate the potential of nonverbal synchrony to serve as a marker of confrontational ruptures. The findings support the social glue assumption, according to which therapists may seek higher levels of nonverbal synchrony with patients to maintain a strong alliance in the face of difficulties. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Accumulating research demonstrates the importance of utilizing supportive techniques in psychotherapy; however, little is known about therapeutic processes that are set in motion following the use of supportive techniques. The present study examined the effects of supportive techniques on nonverbal synchrony, both at the sample level and at the individual differences level. Method: The sample consisted of 86 patients from a randomized controlled trial for treatment of depression. Supportive techniques were rated by patients and therapists after every session, and nonverbal synchrony was quantified by motion energy analysis (MEA) for each session. The ability of supportive techniques to predict subsequent nonverbal synchrony was examined using polynomial regression and response surface analysis. Results: The findings suggest that, at the sample level, greater use of supportive techniques was a significant predictor of subsequent higher levels of nonverbal synchrony. At the individual differences level, this effect was significant for patients with low levels of depression severity and personality disorders, yet not significant for patients with high levels. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that greater use of supportive techniques in treatment may facilitate a process that manifests as higher levels of synchrony, especially for patients with lower levels of personality disorders and depression.

Movement synchrony describes the coordination of body movements. In psychotherapy, higher movement synchrony between therapist and patient has been associated with higher levels of empathy, therapeutic alliance, better therapy outcome, and fewer drop-outs. The current study investigated movement synchrony during the psychotherapeutic treatment of female adolescents with borderline personality disorder. It was hypothesized that there are higher levels of movement synchrony in the analyzed therapy sessions compared to pseudo-interactions. Further, we tested whether higher levels of movement synchrony correlate with stronger patients’ symptom reduction and whether higher movement synchrony predicts higher post-session ratings. A total of 356 sessions from 16 completed psychotherapies of adolescent patients with BPD were analyzed. Movement synchrony was assessed with motion energy analysis and an index of synchrony was calculated by lagged cross-correlation analysis. As hypothesized, the findings support higher levels of movement synchrony in therapy sessions compared to pseudo-interactions (Cohen’sd= 0.85). Additionally, a correlation of movement synchrony with better therapy outcome was found (standardized beta = −0.43 indicating stronger personality functioning impairment reduction). The post-session ratings were negatively associated with higher levels of movement synchrony (standardized beta = −0.1). The relevance of movement synchrony and potential implications for clinical practice are discussed.