Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease最新文献

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have strongly impacted adolescents' mental health through limiting their day-to-day social lives. However, little is known about the role of (social) risk/protective factors and adolescent mental health. Subclinical psychopathology, and risk and protective factors of n = 173 adolescents (T1 mean age = 16.0; 89% girls) were assessed prepandemic and early-pandemic (T1: 2018/2019; T2: May 2020). Daily-life social interactions were assessed in 6-day experience sampling periods. Correcting for age, multilevel analyses revealed declines in general psychopathology and anxiety symptoms; fewer face-to-face social interactions, more online social interactions; and higher-quality face-to-face interactions during the pandemic than before. Negative associations between psychopathology and the quality of face-to-face peer and family interactions were stronger during the pandemic than prepandemic. The results reflect that, early in the pandemic, the mental health impact on adolescents may have been limited. High-quality face-to-face interactions with family and peers seemed particularly powerful in keeping adolescents resilient.

Abstract: The polymorphism of dopamine receptor (DRD) and oxytocin (OXT) may be associated with schizophrenia. A case-control study of 248 schizophrenia patients and 236 controls was conducted using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. The results showed that DRD2 rs1800497 was a heterozygote (AG vs. GG: adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-3.25) and DRD3 rs7631540 (TC vs. CC: adjusted OR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.36-1.02) may be associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia. In addition, the DRD2 rs1800497 genotype GA showed a reduced risk of schizophrenia in the male subgroup and the late-onset subgroup (>27 years of age). For DRD3 polymorphisms, the rs7631540 TC genotype was associated with schizophrenia in the female subgroup. In OXT polymorphism analysis, rs2740210 codominant CA/AA was a risk factor for schizophrenia in the male and early-onset subgroup (≤27 years old). This study also concluded that OXT rs2740210 codominant CA/AA is associated with schizophrenia.

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on depression reduction and quality of life improvement among individuals with Parkinson disease. A randomized clinical trial with pretest and posttest measurements involved 90 participants referred to Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran in 2023, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group ( n = 45) or a control group ( n = 45). The experimental group underwent a 3-month CBT intervention comprising 12 sessions of 90 minutes each. Both groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire preintervention and postintervention. Data analysis via multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS-25 revealed significant improvements in reducing depression and enhancing quality of life in the experimental group compared with the control group ( p ≤ 0.01). These findings indicate that CBT is an effective treatment for reducing depression and improving the quality of life of individuals with Parkinson disease, demonstrating its clinical applicability in therapeutic settings.

Abstract: Early childhood adversity may dispose an individual to adopt a rigid and pervasive hypervigilant position toward information coming from others, resulting in high levels of epistemic mistrust (EM), which is supposed to increase the risk of developing psychopathology. A more intrinsic relationship between EM and the development of personality disorders (PDs) is assumed. Although the theory of epistemic trust (ET) is rather novel, it has quickly become widely accepted in the field, despite much empirical evidence. This is the first study investigating the level of ET and associations between ET and PDs among patients with PD, anxiety disorders, and a community sample. Our results demonstrated more severe impairments in ET in patients, and associations found between ET and the severity and types of PDs corroborate the theoretically assumed model. Future research with larger samples and prospective designs is needed to explore further and substantiate the theoretical assumptions about ET.

Abstract: The main research purpose was to investigate the impact of piano courses on the mental health of the elderly. The sample consisted of 30 individuals. The age range of the participants was from 60 to 70 years. For 6 months, the respondents had piano lessons two times a week. One lesson lasted 2 hours and included the development of playing skills and improvisation techniques. The results confirmed the validity of the proposed learning strategy. The Taylor anxiety scale decreased by 19 points. These results showed a decrease of more than half of its original value. The Beck test for depression decreased by 21.5 points. The result shows a decrease two times. The test on the emotional background (the WAM questionnaire) shows an improvement in Well-Being by 3.3 points. In the group of respondents, Activity increased by 3.3 points, and the Mood factor increased by 3.5 points. The direction of further research should be related to the study of the impact of musical practices on various components of the clinical picture of depression and negative emotional states. The results can find practical implementation in the practice of psychotherapeutic work in reducing anxiety and eliminating depression in the elderly in clinics, hospitals, and other medical institutions.

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effect of the normalization process after the pandemic on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. During the pandemic period, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Padua Inventory-Washington State University Revision, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), and an interview form inquiring sociodemographic characteristics were applied to the participant patients with OCD. During the normalization process, the patients were reevaluated after about 1 year. A significant decrease was found in the patients' FCV-19S and PE-WSUR total scores along with all subscale scores as well as the Y-BOCS scores. The FCV-19S was associated with OCD symptoms both during the pandemic and the normalization period. The final FCV-19S scores of patients with a Y-BOCS score of 12 and under were found to be statistically significantly lower than the others. This study shows that OCD symptom severity and fear of COVID-19 decreased with the normalization process. A decrease in pandemic-related stress and fear of COVID-19 with the normalization process may have positively affected OCD patients.

Abstract: The study is devoted to the study of the relationship between stress caused in students by social isolation and the ability to switch tasks as one of the basic functions of attention. The study draws on the theoretical background of The Attentional Control Theory as the most appropriate method to study the factors influencing attention control under the influence of the effects of stress. The experiment includes a sample of 76 Chinese university students who experienced forced social isolation for 6 months. A statistically significant increase in physiological markers of stress was found in both cases, indicating that social isolation leads to an accumulation of stress and an increase in the intensity of stress reactions when students reexperience social stress after isolation. The practical significance lies in changing the approach to coping with the results of social isolation stress in students through changing the method of presenting educational information.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth examination of the complex aspects of hereditary and pathological conditions arising based on psychogenetic factors, in particular, the disclosure of elements that determine the causes of their appearance. The following methods were used in the study: analytical, typological approaches, and generalization. It was found that genetic inheritance plays a significant role in the occurrence of autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other pathologies. The study revealed that the presence of a hereditary predisposition significantly increases the risk of developing these disorders in offspring. Genetic variations can affect various aspects of mental functioning and the molecular processes underlying these disorders. However, the important role of environmental factors in interaction with genetics has also been revealed. As part of this study, a plan was developed for a psychotherapist to work with parents raising a child with a mental disorder.

Abstract: Although scientific knowledge about bipolar disorder (BD) is readily available and accumulating, there is still a particular need to inform this inquiry with evidence generated in understudied cultures. This study was set up to fulfill this need, focusing on two objectives: ascertaining the levels of hypo(manic) and depressive symptoms ( i.e. , symptom profile) in Saudis with BD and looking at the psychopathological correlates of bipolarity. These objectives were addressed using data from 87 individuals with BD (M age = 30.95, ±9.58 years) and 86 nonclinical persons (M age = 22.20, ±1.29 years). Racing thoughts was the most common hypo(manic) symptom, whereas depressed mood was the most depressive symptom reported. Somatization and hostility psychopathological dimensions appeared to constitute significant independent predictors of bipolarity, independent of depression and hypo(mania). Findings partially replicate previous ones, indicating a cross-cultural resemblance for BD.

Abstract: The use and perceptions of smartphone-based mental health applications (MH-Apps) in Saudi Arabia require exploration. This study investigated MH-App use among Saudi Arabian healthcare workers (HCWs), including psychiatrists, psychologists, and family medicine physicians. It also assessed HCWs' interest in and willingness to integrate these apps into their practices, as well as their cognitive flexibility and its relationship with their attitudes and app use. This cross-sectional study involved 386 participants recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. The Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS) was used to assess cognitive flexibility. The results showed that 33.2% of HCWs downloaded MH-Apps, with 67.9% considering them somewhat beneficial. However, most had not yet tried them. Only 7% of HCWs strongly agreed that these apps are evidence-based. Concerns about using these apps in their practices were reported by 36.5% of HCWs, with the most common concern being the lack of evidence-based support. The primary reason for downloading MH-Apps for personal use was to improve mental well-being, whereas patient-related use was psychoeducation. Furthermore, 27.5% of HCWs recommended MH-Apps to their patients, with old age, women, and psychiatrists/psychologists more likely to recommend them. Higher CFS scores were more strongly associated with older HCWs, those who had ever recommended MH-Apps, and those who used the apps. Saudi Arabian HCWs should be encouraged to use and recommend MH-Apps, with more evidence-based research needed to address concerns. Further research on cognitive flexibility's implications for clinical practice is also warranted.