International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology最新文献

{"title":"Efficacy of neuromodulation techniques (TMS and tDCS) in cancer pain management: A systematic review","authors":"Sara M. Fernandes ,&nbsp;Joana Peixoto ,&nbsp;Pedro F.S. Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Ana Bártolo","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global incidence of oncological disease is rising, driven by increased longevity and greater exposure to carcinogens. Pain remains one of the most prevalent and disabling symptoms among cancer patients, requiring urgent evaluation and treatment. However, selecting an effective therapeutic approach remains a challenge. Neuromodulation techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) have shown promise in managing chronic pain across various conditions, but evidence in the oncological context is still limited. This study systematically reviewed the effects of rTMS and tDCS on cancer pain management. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and CENTRAL, following PRISMA guidelines, yielding 657 potentially relevant studies. Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Eight randomized controlled trials from four countries were included, involving 349 patients: three employing rTMS and five using tDCS. The studies examined diverse patient groups, cancer types, and neuromodulation protocols, producing mixed but generally short‑term reductions in pain. Indirect evidence suggests that rTMS may induce faster but shorter‑lived analgesia, whereas tDCS may be associated with modest persistence when delivered in repeated sessions. Overall, the findings provide preliminary evidence that non‑invasive brain stimulation techniques may contribute to cancer pain management. Future research should optimize stimulation parameters, conduct direct comparisons, and explore integration with pharmacological and behavioral strategies to enhance long‑term effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 4","pages":"Article 100651"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimism, sleep quality, physical activity, and cancer-related cognitive impairment in middle-to-older aged patients undergoing breast cancer treatment","authors":"Jenna L. Hansen ,&nbsp;Rachel Plotke ,&nbsp;Millan R. Kanaya ,&nbsp;Sarah N. Webster ,&nbsp;Paula J. Popok ,&nbsp;Emily A. Walsh ,&nbsp;Molly Ream ,&nbsp;Mason J. Krueger ,&nbsp;Estefany Saez-Clarke ,&nbsp;Dolores M. Perdomo ,&nbsp;Daniela Frasca ,&nbsp;Susan B. Kesmodel ,&nbsp;Bonnie B. Blomberg ,&nbsp;Michael H. Antoni","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100626","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100626","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Patients with breast cancer (BC) are at risk for cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) due to BC-related stress and cancer treatment. Optimism and positive health behaviors may mitigate CRCI. This study examined relationships between optimism, health behaviors (sleep quality and physical activity) and CRCI in BC patients during the post-surgical period and whether optimism and health behaviors interacted in this relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Women with recently diagnosed BC enrolled in a stress management trial following BC surgery. At baseline, participants completed questionnaires that measured CRCI, optimism, sleep quality, and physical activity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>79 patients were enrolled (<em>M</em> = 61 years; range=50–85). Multiple regression models controlling for patient age, stage, surgery type, body mass index, and comorbidities revealed that optimism was associated with fewer perceived cognitive impairments (<em>β</em>=0.32, <em>p</em>=.01) and greater perceived cognitive abilities (<em>β</em>=0.38, <em>p</em>=.001). Poorer sleep quality was associated with poorer perceived cognitive abilities (<em>β</em> =-0.37, <em>p</em>=.01) and greater impact of cognitive impairments on quality of life (<em>β</em>=-0.39, <em>p</em>=.01). Moderation models revealed an interaction between optimism and sleep quality on perceived cognitive impairments (<em>β</em>=2.06, <em>p</em>=.02), such that among those low in optimism, poorer sleep quality was associated with greater perceived cognitive impairments (<em>b</em>=-2.42, <em>p</em>=.01) but not among those with high optimism (<em>p</em>=.46). No other models were statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Results suggest that optimism and sleep quality may be associated with better cognitive function in BC patients in the post-surgical period. Interventions that improve optimistic expectancies and sleep quality may help to mitigate CRCI in mid-to-older BC patients initiating treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 4","pages":"Article 100626"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145120263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the role of rhythmic music and embodied interaction in interpersonal synchrony and prosocial behaviors in children: The Moving Mandala mixed reality experience","authors":"Olga Gali ,&nbsp;Sena Beste Ercan ,&nbsp;Gray Atherton ,&nbsp;Liam Cross ,&nbsp;Pamela Heaton ,&nbsp;Narcis Pares","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interpersonal synchrony (IPS), the temporal alignment of behaviors between individuals, fosters social bonding, cooperation, and sharing in children. These prosocial outcomes make IPS a promising mechanism to support social inclusion and psychological well-being, particularly in therapeutic and educational contexts where strengthening peer interaction is essential. However, most IPS interventions rely on static dyadic tasks that lack playfulness and ecological validity, limiting their generalization to real-world environments. Advances in Mixed Reality (MR) offer new possibilities for designing more natural and embodied IPS experiences. Nevertheless, it remains unclear which specific design elements are most effective in eliciting synchrony that fosters prosocial outcomes in group-based settings. This study introduces <em>The Moving Mandala</em>, a playful Mixed Reality experience designed to foster real-time synchrony among four children (ages 8–10) through audiovisual cues and embodied interaction. In a between-subjects study with 268 children, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: “no prior movement” (Baseline), “asynchronous and non-rhythmic ambient music” (Control), “synchronous and rhythmic music” (Experimental 1), and “synchronous and non-rhythmic ambient music” (Experimental 2). The study tested: (i) whether rhythmic auditory stimuli enhance IPS compared to non-rhythmic ambient sound, and (ii) whether synchronous movements facilitate prosocial behavior and social bonding compared to asynchronous and no prior (baseline) movements. Results showed that rhythmic music significantly improved synchrony performance, confirming its role as a temporal scaffold. However, no significant differences in prosocial behavior or social bonding were found between conditions. Design choices such as limited mutual dependency and high cognitive load may have reduced the salience of interpersonal cues. These findings highlight both the potential and challenges of using MR to promote synchrony-based social outcomes. By identifying key design elements, this work contributes to the development of engaging socially supportive MR interventions for children, with potential applications in therapeutic, educational, and rehabilitative contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 4","pages":"Article 100622"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145159915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dancing Queen… Only seventy! the short- and long-term effects of older-women group dancing on self-esteem, depression, and self-judgment","authors":"Zahira Ziva Cohen ,&nbsp;Daniela Aisenberg-Shafran","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100604","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100604","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research examined the short-term and long-term effects of group dancing on self-esteem, depression, and self-judgment in older women participating in the GILA Methodology, a movement and performance art initiative specifically designed for mature women, developed by Galit Liss. The study, conducted from 2019 to 2023, involved 152 participants (mean age 69.98 ± 5.68) who participated in one to five measurements and were categorized as either Experienced (having participated for more than ten months and performed a solo dance) or Beginner dancers. Self-reported measures of depressive symptoms, self-judgment, and self-esteem were collected. This study found that Experienced dancers showed higher self-esteem and lower self-judgment than Beginners, with no difference in depression levels (<em>n</em> = 152). Over two years, depression levels decreased significantly overall (<em>n</em> = 23). This decrease in depression was primarily observed in Experienced dancers. The depression levels of beginner dancers did not change. Over two years, they experienced a notable reduction in self-judgment, eventually reaching the same levels as experienced dancers. Initial self-judgment predicted changes in depression levels after two years, an association that was moderated by self-esteem; specifically, higher self-esteem mitigated the effect of self-judgment on changes in depression. We highlight the program's emphasis on utilizing the body's abilities, promoting acceptance, and building resilience through performance experiences. Given its limitation as an uncontrolled ecological longitudinal study, potentially affected by historical events and dependent on self-reported data, we suggest further replicating the current study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100604"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144572152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The bi-directional influence of social functioning and mental health symptoms during psychological treatment: A cross-lagged analysis in young adults","authors":"Phoebe Barnett ,&nbsp;Joshua EJ Buckman ,&nbsp;Henry Delamain ,&nbsp;Jae won Suh ,&nbsp;Stephen Pilling ,&nbsp;Rob Saunders","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Young adults (17–25 years old) are at greater risk of experiencing depression or anxiety, and have worse psychological therapy outcomes compared to working-age and older adults. Social functioning and related constructs are valued as outcomes of treatment, and may be particularly important to young adults, who report loneliness and a lack of social support. The relationship between social functioning and mental health during treatment in this group therefore requires further exploration. Four random intercept cross-lagged panel models were fitted to model the session-by-session change in measures of social functioning and mental health symptoms over the course of treatment among patients of NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression services. A total of 19,600 young adults who had received at least three sessions of psychological therapy were included. There was evidence of a significant bi-directional relationship between social functioning and mental health symptoms between the third and sixth session of treatment, although associations between earlier sessions were less stable. As both mental health symptoms and social functioning were predictive of later symptom severity, further research into how support to improve social functioning could improve treatment outcomes could improve experiences of, and outcomes of treatment. Such support may also account for contextual factors relating to employment or education in this population, as some differences according to employment status emerged.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100608"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine learning-driven blood biomarker profiling and EGCG intervention in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder","authors":"Anna Ramos-Triguero ,&nbsp;Elisabet Navarro-Tapia ,&nbsp;Melina Vieiros ,&nbsp;Leopoldo Martínez ,&nbsp;Óscar García-Algar ,&nbsp;Vicente Andreu-Fernández","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100620","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100620","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), often underdiagnosed due to heterogeneous symptoms and diagnostic challenges. This study aimed to identify serum-based biomarkers for early FASD diagnosis and assess the potential of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a natural antioxidant found in green tea, in modulating markers related to FASD. Luminex immunoassays were employed to analyze serum samples from FASD patients, identifying seven predictive biomarkers involved in neuroinflammation and immune dysregulation: IL-10, IFNγ, CCL2, NGFβ, IL-1β, CX3CL1, and CXCL16. These biomarkers reflect key disruptions in brain health, particularly in neuroinflammation, which contributes to the cognitive, behavioral, and mental health challenges frequently observed in FASD patients, including memory deficits, attention problems, and emotional dysregulation. To enhance diagnostic precision, machine learning (ML) models were trained on these biomarker datasets, with Random Forest (RF) achieving the highest accuracy (0.89), sensitivity (0.92), specificity (0.83), and ROC AUC (0.88). Additionally, an open-label pilot study in children diagnosed with FASD showed significant restoration of the levels of IFNy, CX3CL1, IL-1β, IL-10, and NGFβ after 12 months of EGCG treatment, suggesting its potential role in mitigating neuroinflammatory responses and promoting neurogenesis. These findings underscore the value of integrating serum biomarkers with ML-driven approaches to advance FASD diagnostics, while also identifying EGCG as a promising intervention for neurodevelopmental and mental health impairments associated with the disorder.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100620"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144987925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multimodal assessment of acute stress dynamics using an aversive video paradigm (AVP)","authors":"Sumit Roy ,&nbsp;Yan Fan ,&nbsp;Mohsen Mosayebi-Samani ,&nbsp;Maren Claus ,&nbsp;Nilay Mutlu ,&nbsp;Thomas Kleinsorge ,&nbsp;Michael A. Nitsche","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100607","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100607","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explored the efficacy of inducing stress through aversive video clips and investigated its impact on psychological processes, brain, and vegetative physiology. This study had a randomized, single-blinded, crossover design, where 78 right-handed male participants were exposed to aversive or neutral video clips in separate sessions. Subjective feelings of stress were assessed via questionnaires. Electroencephalography (EEG) with 62 electrodes was recorded continuously. EEG power and connectivity changes based on coherence were analyzed. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) data were obtained during the whole experiment, and saliva was collected for cortisol and cytokine analysis at different time intervals. Subjective data showed increased anxiety and negative affect induced by the aversive video clips, accompanied by elevated salivary cortisol levels after exposure to the stressful clips and decreased HRV. Cytokine levels, however, increased over time in both control and stress conditions, which argues against a stress-specific alteration of cytokines in this specific stress protocol. EEG alterations during stress induction suggest a possible disruption of top-down control and increased bottom-up processing, in line with previous literature. These results suggest that the aversive video paradigm (AVP) is a reliable technique to induce psychological stress in a controlled experimental setting and is associated with stress-specific emotional and physiological changes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100607"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144548333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing health psychology research in oncology: Biobehavioral models, stress pathways, and stress-management interventions for cancer patients","authors":"Joaquim C. Reis ,&nbsp;Luzia Travado ,&nbsp;Michael H. Antoni","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychosocial adaptation to cancer involves interactions among emotional, cognitive, and biological processes. Although the efficacy of psychological interventions is well documented, the mechanisms linking psychological adaptation to physiological outcomes remain fragmented across disciplines. The Special Issue of the <em>International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology,</em> “Advancing Health Psychology Research in Oncology: Biobehavioral Models, Stress Pathways, and Stress-Management Interventions for Cancer Patients” addresses this gap and this paper serves as an overview.</div><div>As an overview for the Special Issue, this paper proposes an integrative biobehavioral model that synthesizes findings on brain function, stress-response systems, and psychosocial variables to explain how stress management interventions— including those delivered via digital platforms—may influence health trajectories in cancer care.</div><div>Using a targeted narrative approach, we draw upon recent empirical findings and prior integrative reviews conducted by the authors to examine: (a) the impact of perceived stress and inflammation across the cancer continuum; (b) brain-body stress response pathways linking affective, neuroendocrine, and immune function; (c) the evidence for psychological interventions to modulate these systems and improve behavioral and health outcomes; (d) future challenges for this line of research and cancer care.</div><div>Evidence suggests that cancer-related distress is associated with neural and immune dysregulation, with inflammation emerging as a central pathway. Stress management interventions, based on cognitive-behavioral theory and using digital delivery modalities, show promise in altering these biobehavioral mechanisms, thereby enhancing resilience, quality of life, and potentially long-term health outcomes in cancer survivors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100615"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144840831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"It’s better to run towards the fire: The experience of reserve duty for reservists with PTSD prior to re-enlistment","authors":"Anna Harwood-Gross ,&nbsp;Shir Elias ,&nbsp;Dalia Amit Zivan ,&nbsp;Rona Davis","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Little research exists delineating the experience of serving in the military with PTSD despite longitudinal studies indicating that a small percentage of deployed combat soldiers have PTSD prior to deployment. Following a mass re-enlistment of reserves, during the Iron Swords war, the current qualitative study aimed to describe the experience of fifteen reservists with pre-existing PTSD and explore the clinical difficulty or utility of their service.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Reservists were interviewed by trained clinicians and interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a grounded descriptive phenomenological approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings demonstrated a key theme of a reparative experience in addition to the differentiation between functioning on the domestic and military front and the differentiation between the fantasy of success versus the reality of re-enlistment with PTSD. The experience of re-enlistment as a reservist compared to the original PTSD-inducing service was described in terms of enhanced capability, a greater awareness of emotional needs by seniors and the establishment in general, enhanced choice (including that to re-enlist) and the utility of PTSD symptoms such as hyperawareness, on the battlefield compared to the futility at home.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study highlighted the unknown nature of repeated duty and the potential for increased difficulty of transition between military and domestic spheres while acknowledging the potential for a positive experience of re-enlistment with PTSD. The findings reinforced the need for clear clinical guidelines within the military and importance of monitoring for risk of deterioration of symptoms both on the battlefield and following discharge when enlisting those with PTSD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100621"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145104960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Attentional bias toward emotional stimuli in drug-facilitated sexual assault survivors: A two-alternative free-viewing eye-tracking study","authors":"Marta Lizarán ,&nbsp;Nadina Gómez-Merino ,&nbsp;Adrián Torres-Villasante ,&nbsp;Julia Andreu-Martínez ,&nbsp;Alba Moreno-Giménez ,&nbsp;Belén Almansa ,&nbsp;Ana García-Blanco","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) survivors represent an under-researched clinical population that may constitute a distinct psychopathological profile among sexual assault survivors, as their experiences are often accompanied by confusion, memory impairment, and a lack of narrative coherence. This is the first study to investigate emotion-related attentional mechanisms in DFSA survivors using eye-tracking technology, as a window into broader cognitive processing. A clinical sample of 39 women who had experienced a recent, isolated sexual assault (19 DFSA, 20 non-DFSA) and 35 demographically matched non-exposed controls completed a free-viewing task while their eye movements were recorded. Participants viewed emotional images (threatening, happy, and neutral) paired with control neutral scenes. DFSA survivors showed a clear attentional bias toward threatening images during later attentional stages (engagement and sustained attention), while non-DFSA survivors did not exhibit significant modulation based on emotional content. Controls displayed typical emotion-driven attention, with sustained focus on happy stimuli. PTSD symptom clusters also influenced attentional patterns: greater avoidance was associated with reduced fixation time to emotional scenes, and dissociative symptoms with increased fixation time to neutral ones. These symptoms were more prevalent in the non-DFSA group. These findings suggest that attentional responses to emotional information vary according to assault typology and are shaped by specific PTSD symptom profiles. Clinically, this highlights the need for trauma interventions tailored to individual patterns of attention and emotional engagement. In particular, DFSA survivors may benefit from strategies that address threat sensitivity, while non-DFSA survivors may require approaches that promote emotional reconnection and reduce avoidance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"25 3","pages":"Article 100625"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145109256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}