International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology

Effectiveness of narrative therapy for depressive symptoms in adults with somatic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Hu G, Han B, Gains H and Jia Y
Depression is a common mental health condition and a main risk factor for suicide. Narrative therapy aims to reframe beliefs through storytelling. Despite evidence of effectiveness, there is a lack of evaluation for specific adult populations. This meta-analysis evaluated the effect of narrative therapy on depressive symptoms in adults with somatic disorders. Only 2 of the included studies examined patients with depression, highlighting the need for further research on this specific population.
Is religion beneficial for mental health? A 9-year longitudinal study
Prati G
This study aimed to investigate the within-person and between-person effects of religious variables on mental health and vice versa.
Effectiveness of internet-delivered psychological treatments for children and adolescents with anxiety and/or depressive disorders: Systematic review and network meta-analysis
López-Soler C, Vicente-Escudero JL, López-López JA, Alcántara M, Martínez A, Castro M, Fernández V and Sánchez-Meca J
Anxiety and depression symptomatology has increased in the child and adolescent population. Internet-delivered psychological treatments (IDPT) can help to reduce this symptomatology, attending to the largest possible population.
Impact on Spanish women of previous workplace victimization experiences of workplace sexual harassment on the responsibility to intervene as bystander: Mediating roles of myth acceptance and perceived severity
Sánchez-Prada A, Ferreiro-Basurto V, Delgado-Álvarez C, Vázquez-González LI, Nardi-Rodríguez A and Ferrer-Perez VA
Bystander behaviors can be an important key for preventing all forms of violence against women. Identifying their facilitators and barriers becomes a priority. The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of the previous experiences of women (as sexual harassment victim or bystander) on their perceived responsibility to intervene as bystander in a case of workplace sexual harassment and to determine the possible mediating role of certain attitudinal and evaluative factors.
Neurophysiological markers of disease severity and cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder: A TMS-EEG study
Li D, Li X, Li J, Liu J, Luo R, Li Y, Wang D, Zhou D and Zhang XY
Transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) is a powerful technique to study the neuropathology and biomarkers of major depressive disorder (MDD). This study investigated cortical activity and its relationship with clinical symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in MDD patients by indexing TMS-EEG biomarkers in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).
Imaging body-mind crosstalk in young adults
Yu Q, Kong Z, Zou L, Herold F, Ludyga S, Zhang Z, Hou M, Kramer AF, Erickson KI, Taubert M, Hillman CH, Mullen SP, Gerber M, Müller NG, Kamijo K, Ishihara T, Schinke R, Cheval B, McMorris T, Wong KK, Shi Q and Nie J
There is evidence that complex relationships exist between motor functions, brain structure, and cognitive functions, particularly in the aging population. However, whether such relationships observed in older adults could extend to other age groups (e.g., younger adults) remains to be elucidated. Thus, the current study addressed this gap in the literature by investigating potential associations between motor functions, brain structure, and cognitive functions in a large cohort of young adults.
The influence of partner trustworthiness and relationship closeness on interpersonal trust in individuals with attachment anxiety: An ERP study
Bao X, Zhang M and Chen X
Interpersonal trust (IT) is a combination of individuals' cognitive evaluations of others' trustworthiness and affective considerations related to the relationships. Individuals' trust decisions overly relying on the intimacy of the relationship can be detrimental to their socialization. Attachment styles provide a theoretical framework for explaining individual differences in IT and the balance between cognition control and affective evaluation in social-information processing. However, it remains unclear whether high attachment anxiety (AX) individuals with high interpersonal needs exhibit non-socially adaptive trust decisions, characterized by an over-reliance on relationship closeness (RC), independent of partner trustworthiness (PT). A coin-toss task, combined with event-related potential (ERP), was utilized to explore the performance and temporal characteristics of trust decision-making among individuals with high and low AX under the influence of the two factors. The behavioral results showed that high-AX individuals tended to trust close others regardless of their trustworthiness, while low-AX individuals only trusted close others under low-PT conditions, with no differences in RC for high-PT. The ERP results revealed that high-AX individuals exhibited an enhanced positive P1 by low-trust partners, only discerning differences in RC for high-trust partners (more negative N2 by strangers than friends), reflecting poor conflict-detection abilities confronted with low-trust partners. Low-AX individuals' neural activity showed higher consistency with their behavioral performance, indicating that trust in close others under low-trust conditions was due to the fewer conflicts elicited and higher expectations of them, reflecting smaller N2 and larger P3. Overall, these findings indicated that high-AX individuals' IT decision-making was primarily influenced by their reliance on affective evaluation in information processing and weaker cognitive-control abilities, highlighting the contribution of attachment to social-information processing.
Psychological mechanisms and neural correlates of trait mindfulness in emotion regulation: Testing a novel approach to the monitor and acceptance theory
Buric I, Žderić L, Onicas A, Kolanovic M and Collin G
The ongoing mental health crisis warrants investigations to understand why trait mindfulness is associated with beneficial mental health outcomes. This study examined attention monitoring and acceptance as psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between trait mindfulness and emotion regulation and connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) as a potential neural mechanism.
Interoception primes negative emotion processing during cognitive reappraisal: Electroencephalographical evidence
Chen L, Chen F, Bo K, Sun J and Zhou R
Interoception, which refers to sensing, interpreting, and integrating internal bodily signals, has been suggested to be associated with emotion regulation. Previous research has demonstrated individual differences in interoception and its impact on emotion regulation. However, the priming effect of interoception on emotion regulation and the underlying neural mechanisms remain unknown. This study aims to examine how interoception primes different strategies of cognitive reappraisal, using electroencephalography (EEG). Thirty-seven healthy participants completed an interoceptive priming task. We found that interoception increased the amplitudes of the late positive potential (LPP) during both interpretation and detachment strategies. The priming effect of interoception in enhancing LPP amplitudes lasted longer for interpretation than for detachment. A decrease in alpha power during reinterpretation was observed after interoceptive priming, but not during detachment. The results revealed that interoception enhanced attention to bodily signals associated with negative emotions during cognitive reappraisal. Interoception showed distinct effects on different strategies of cognitive reappraisal, with different underlying neural mechanisms. Interoception-based programs may be an effective way to enhance the capacity for cognitive reappraisal.
Functional brain hubs are related to age: A primer study with rs-fMRI
Figueroa-Jiménez MD, Cañete-Massé C, Gudayol-Ferre E, Gallardo-Moreno GB, Peró-Cebollero M and Guàrdia-Olmos J
Research on the ontogenetic development of brain networks using resting state has shown to be useful for understanding age-associated changes in brain connectivity. This work aimed to analyze the relationship between brain connectivity, age and intelligence.
Examining efficacy and potential mechanisms of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for anxiety and stress reduction among college students in a cluster-randomized controlled trial
Ellison OK, Bullard LE, Lee GK, Vazou S, Pfeiffer KA, Baez SE and Pontifex MB
The pervasiveness of anxiety and stress among college students necessitates the investigation of potential alternative and accessible interventions which can be implemented into existing curricular and student-support programming to improve students' mental health. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) smartphone applications have shown promising outcomes in alleviating anxiety and stress. However, it is essential to gain insight into the feasibility and efficacy of such an interventional approach in a collegiate population, as well as explore potential underlying mechanisms, which could be better targeted to enhance the efficacy of future interventions for promoting mental health and well-being. The aims for this study were (1) to assess the efficacy of a 4-week MBCT intervention using the Sanvello smartphone application in reducing trait-level anxiety and chronic stress in college-aged young adults ( = 150) compared to a positive control group ( = 139), and (2) to examine potential mediators of this effect. Participants completed assessments of trait anxiety, chronic stress, cognitive reappraisal, cognitive refocusing, distractive refocusing, and negative automatic thoughts at pretest and following 4 weeks of the interventions. Analysis of primary outcomes revealed greater reductions in trait anxiety and chronic stress for the MBCT group, relative to the positive control group with small to moderate effect sizes. The anxiolytic and stress-reducing effects of the MBCT intervention were observed to be mediated by changes in negative automatic thoughts but not by changes in cognitive reappraisal, constructive refocusing, or distractive refocusing. Given the efficacy of the Sanvello smartphone application and the overwhelmingly strong assessments of the appropriateness and feasibility of it use; student support initiatives may be well served by adopting such a platform within the context of first-line treatment and prevention of high anxiety and chronic stress within first year college students. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov [number NCT06019299].
Trait self-compassion enhances activation in the medial prefrontal cortex during fear extinction: An fNIRS study
Chen T, Mei Y, Zhou S, Dou H and Lei Y
Fear acquisition and fear extinction are the most widely used experimental models to study anxiety related disorders, with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) playing an important role in this process. Previous research suggests that trait self-compassion is associated with lower anxiety, but the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Women generally exhibit lower self-compassion than men, making them more vulnerable to fear and anxiety. In this study, female participants were divided into two groups - high and low trait self-compassion, based on their scores on the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). Both groups completed fear acquisition and fear extinction tasks, during which conditioned responses (CRs) were measured using self-reported unconditioned stimulus (US) expectancy ratings, skin conductance response (SCR), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The results showed that in the fear acquisition phase, all participants successfully acquired fear, showing greater responses to threat stimuli than safety stimuli. However, participants with high trait self-compassion exhibited lower SCR than those with low trait self-compassion. In the fear extinction phase, compared to individuals with low trait self-compassion, individuals with high trait self-compassion exhibited more effective fear extinction learning, characterized by lower US expectancy ratings, lower SCR, and higher mPFC activation. Moreover, trait self-compassion was significantly correlated with the behavioral extinction ability and the mPFC activation during the late phase of fear extinction, and behavioral extinction ability was significantly correlated with mPFC activation. The findings of this study suggest individuals with high trait self-compassion have better physiological flexibility during fear acquisition and fear extinction, and may through enhancing mPFC activation to facilitate fear extinction. The results provide new insights into the pathological mechanisms of anxiety.
The shared neurobiological basis of developmental dyslexia and developmental stuttering: A meta-analysis of functional and structural MRI studies
Ren H, Li YZ, Bi HY and Yang Y
Developmental dyslexia (DD) and persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) are the most representative written and spoken language disorders, respectively, and both significantly hinder life success. Although widespread brain alterations are evident in both DD and PDS, it remains unclear to what extent these two language disorders share common neural substrates.
Self-efficacy as a mediator of neuroticism and perceived stress: Neural perspectives on healthy aging
Liu L, Huang R, Shang YJ, Zou L and Wu AMS
The underlying mechanisms of the interconnections among neuroticism, self-efficacy, and perceived stress in younger and older adults are rarely studied simultaneously. Two hundred fourteen participants (128 younger adults aged 18-34 years and 86 older adults aged 60-89 years) were assessed using scales for neuroticism, self-efficacy, and perceived stress. A subsample (114 younger and 78 older adults) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Psychometric results suggested that older adults exhibited significantly lower levels of neuroticism and perceived stress, along with higher self-efficacy than younger adults. Mediation analyses revealed that self-efficacy significantly mediated the link between neuroticism and perceived stress in both age groups, demonstrating its protective role. Additionally, neuroimaging data suggested that the cortical thicknesses of several brain regions predicted perceived stress through the mediating role of neuroticism and self-efficacy, including the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, bilateral superior frontal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, left superior temporal sulcus, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, and right precuneus. In particular, the relationship between the right precuneus, neuroticism, and perceived stress suggested a reverse pattern across younger and older adults. These findings emphasize the importance of self-efficacy in mediating the impact of neuroticism on perceived stress and highlight the role of the right precuneus in guiding interventions that delay the transition from healthy to abnormal aging.
Effects of two-person synchronized cycling exercise on interpersonal cooperation: A near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning study
Wang H and Li L
Although psychological research indicating the synchronous activities can promote interpersonal cooperation, thus far there is no direct evidence that two-person synchronous exercise effectively enhances interpersonal cooperative behaviors in Physical exercise field. This suggests that, although synchronization phenomenon is widespread in sports and is considered a potential tool for enhancing teamwork, its specific effects and functioning mechanisms still need to be clarified by further scientific research. This study intends to use two-person synchronized cycling exercise to investigate the synchronized exercise effect on interpersonal cooperative behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms.
Understanding the impact of extreme terrorist events on evacuees and non-evacuees: A study on child aggression and social problems
Shechory-Bitton M, Laufer A and Zvi L
This study aimed to examine differences between evacuee and non-evacuee parents regarding their experiences following the October 7th terror attack in Israel, and to assess how parental factors-such as exposure, PTS, functioning, resilience, and trust in authorities-were related to perceived behavioral problems in children. The study included 221 evacuee parents and 262 non-evacuee parents, recruited online through a professional survey company. We hypothesized that perceived child aggression and social problems would increase following the terrorist events, with evacuee parents reporting a greater increase in symptoms due to heightened instability and stress. Additionally, we expected higher levels of parental exposure, PTS, impaired functioning, lower resilience, and lower trust in authorities to be associated with increased child aggression and social problems. Results indicated that evacuee parents reported significantly more perceived aggression and social problems in their children, along with lower functioning, higher PTS, and lower trust in authorities. However, regression analysis revealed that higher parental exposure, PTS, and lower functioning were associated with increased perceived child aggression and social problems, regardless of evacuee status. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support evacuated families, rebuild trust in authorities, and strengthen community resilience to mitigate long-term impacts.
The relationship between mindfulness and empathy with the oxytocinergic system in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders - A proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial (OXYGEN)
Böge K, Bergmann N, Zierhut M, Hahne I, Braun A, Kraft J, Conell I, Ta TMT, Thomas N, Chadwick P, Ripke S and Hahn E
The present study explored the feasibility and acceptability as well as the impact of mindfulness-based group therapy (MBGT) on oxytocin levels (OXT) and clinical parameters in outpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD).
Dating app users: Differences between middle-aged men and women
Jiménez-Muro A, Ramos-Villagrasa PJ and Castro Á
The scientific literature generated as a result of the appearance and popularization of the use of dating apps still has some important limitations. Among them, the one that has focused particularly on some groups (men who have sex with men, university students) while ignoring others, stands out. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the characteristics of dating app usage in middle-aged heterosexual people, paying special attention to the differences between men and women. A total of 298 heterosexual current dating app users (41.3 % women, 58.7 % men), aged between 25 and 50 years ( = 37.67, = 6.99), completed a battery of online questionnaires. Regular and intense use of dating apps was found in middle-aged people. Compared to women, men use more dating apps, have used them for a longer time, use them to a greater extent for casual sex, and for more time per day. It was also found that the time spent on dating apps and having a partner allowed for predicting some behaviors and relationships that arose in the apps. Knowing middle-aged people's dating app usage profiles and the differences between men and women will have relevant implications when designing and implementing preventive strategies and promoting these apps' recreational and responsible use from a gender perspective.
The paradox of social avoidance and the yearning for understanding: Elevated interbrain synchrony among socially avoidant individuals during expression of negative emotions
Deng X, Chen X and Wang J
Social avoidance refers to the tendency to be alone and non-participating to social interactions, which is considered to hamper health interpersonal relationship. However, the neural underpinnings of social and emotional interactions among social avoidant individuals have not been fully studied. In the present study, we used EEG hyperscanning technology to investigate the brain activity and its synchronization of 25 socially avoidant dyads and 28 comparison dyads during an emotional communication task. The emotional communication task consisted of the emotional processing stage and emotional interaction stage. Event-related potentials (ERPs) of the senders during the emotional processing stage and the interbrain synchrony (IBS) of the dyads during the emotional interaction stage were analyzed. Results showed that (1) socially avoidant group showed higher beta, theta and gamma IBS in the negative condition than in the positive and neutral condition; (2) in positive condition, the N1 and LPP amplitudes during the emotional processing stage of socially avoidant individuals were negatively correlated with the IBS within dyads during the emotional communication stage. The findings suggest that the dysfunctional emotional interaction of social avoidant individuals may be attributed to the negative impact of emotional stimuli processing during emotional communication.
Neural impacts of personality on deception for applications of deception detection
Zhang X, Zhang X, Chen X, Feng Q and Huang M
Although universal, deception may be a sign of certain mental disorders and may impede the effectiveness of clinical intervention. However, individual difference exists in deception, and its underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear, thereby limiting the applicability of deception detection for clinical diagnosis.
Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting intellectual disability in children with cerebral palsy
Yuan J, Wang G, Li M, Zhang L, He L, Xu Y, Zhu D, Yang Z, Xin W, Sun E, Zhang W, Li L, Zhang X and Zhu C
Intellectual disability (ID) is a prevalent comorbidity in children with cerebral palsy (CP), presenting significant challenges to individuals, families and society. This study aims to develop a predictive model to assess the risk of ID in children with CP.
Does Cognitive Stimulation Therapy show similar efficacy in individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia from varying etiologies? An examination comparing its effectiveness in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia
Piras F, Carbone E, Domenicucci R, Sella E and Borella E
The effectiveness of the Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is well-documented. Nevertheless, the question of whether specific subgroups of individuals with dementia are more or less likely to benefit from this cognitive stimulation intervention remains unaddressed. Here, we directly compared the effectiveness of the Italian CST (CST-IT), delivered in a previous multicenter controlled clinical trial, across two distinct cohorts of individuals clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease (AD, = 30) and vascular dementia (VaD, = 27) in the mild-to-moderate stage.
Development and validation of a brief three-item form of the perceived social support questionnaire (F-SozU K-3)
Petersen J, Reinwarth AC, Beutel ME, Brähler E and Decker O
The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a brief screening instrument (F-SozU K-3) for the measurement of perceived social support in large scale surveys by shortening a well-established German questionnaire (F-SozU K-6).
Sensori-motor neurofeedback improves inhibitory control and induces neural changes: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, event-related potentials study
Dousset C, Wyckmans F, Monseigne T, Fourdin L, Boulanger R, Sistiaga S, Ingels A, Kajosch H, Noël X, Kornreich C and Campanella S
Inhibition is crucial for controlling behavior and is impaired in various psychopathologies. Neurofeedback holds promise in addressing cognitive deficits, and experimental research is essential for identifying its functional benefits. This study aimed to investigate whether boosting sensorimotor activity (SMR) improves inhibitory control in a final sample of healthy individuals ( = 53), while exploring the underlying neurophysiological mechanism.
Digital empowerment in mental health: A meta-analysis of internet-based interventions for enhancing mental health literacy
Chen Q, Zhao Z, Bao J, Lin J, Li W and Zang Y
Poor mental health literacy (MHL) in the global population significantly contributes to the treatment gap associated with mental disorders. In the digital age, leveraging Internet-based MHL interventions offers scalability and broader accessibility. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of Internet-based interventions in improving MHL and mental health.
Emotional dysregulation in relation to substance use and behavioral addictions: Findings from five separate meta-analyses
González-Roz A, Castaño Y, Krotter A, Salazar-Cedillo A and Gervilla E
Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a transdiagnostic variable underlying various psychiatric disorders, including addictive behaviors (ABs). This meta-analysis examines the relationship between ED and ABs (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, and gaming), and indicators of AB engagement (frequency, quantity/time of use, severity, and problems).
Using an interactive web application to identify pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence among men who have sex with men
Lin B, Feng S, Liu J, Li K, Shi G and Zhong X
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at a high risk for HIV infection. While pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective oral preventive strategy, its success is largely dependent on consistent medication adherence.
Impact of social reward on stress circuit function and regulation: Path differences between value affirmation and emotional support
Wang S, Luo X, Zang X, Ma Y and Yang J
As two typical types of social rewards, both value affirmation and emotional support could alleviate acute stress response, but it is not clear whether they can impact stress circuit function and regulation through different neural pathways.
Increased intraindividual variability (IIV) in reaction time is the earliest indicator of cognitive change in MS: A two-year observational study
Pilloni G, Casper TC, Mar S, Ness J, Schreiner T, Waltz M, Waubant E, Weinstock-Guttman B, Wheeler Y, Krupp L and Charvet L
Cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common, but unpredictable, and increases with disease duration. As such, early detection of cognitive decline may improve the effectiveness of interventions. To that end, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is effective in detecting slow processing speed as it relates to cognitive impairment, and intraindividual variability (IIV) observed in trials assessing continuous reaction time (RT) may be a useful indicator of early cognitive changes. Here, we will assess cognitive IIV changes in adults with early MS.
A longitudinal study on the change of eating disorder-specific and nonspecific habits during weight rehabilitation in anorexia nervosa
Seidel M, Wronski ML, Bernardoni F, Hennig J, Poller N, Locke A, Stender E, Heckel S, Roessner V and Ehrlich S
Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) are characterized by rigid behavioral patterns and habit-like routines, especially regarding food intake. It has been hypothesized that habits contribute to the maintenance of AN-related symptoms. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the role of disorder-specific and nonspecific habits during weight-restoration treatment.