Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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The effect of anhedonic traits on snack food consumption and interoception of food-related pleasure and bodily sensations
No full textHuman eating behaviour is driven by the need to secure energy demands and the desire for pleasure. Signals from the body guide this behaviour, relying on the ability to sense internal sensations. Impaired interoception has been linked to unhealthy eating habits. However, the impact of anhedonia (reduced ability to experience pleasure) on interoception and eating behaviour has not yet been studied and could enhance our understanding of eating behaviour. We conducted a cross-sectional study using self-report measures on 309 Chinese consumers with high (n = 150) and low (n = 159) anhedonic traits to explore differences in interoceptive experiences of snack food consumption. Specifically, we investigated interoceptive awareness, intuitive eating, and food-related pleasure using validated questionnaires. Additionally, we examined snack intake frequency, drivers of snack food consumption and post-ingestive sensations using self-developed questionnaires. We hypothesised that individuals with high anhedonic traits would exhibit low interoceptive awareness and lower intensity of interoceptive sensations linked to snack food consumption. Consistent with our hypotheses, low interoceptive awareness and intuitive eating were observed in individuals with high anhedonic traits. Furthermore, individuals with high anhedonic traits reported lower food-related pleasure, lower healthy snack intake frequency, and lower intensity of post-ingestive sensations for healthy snacks compared to the group with low anhedonic traits. Differences detected between groups were mainly detected for healthy snacking and not unhealthy snacking. Understanding how anhedonic traits relate to food pleasure and bodily sensations related snack consumption can provide novel insights and clarify focus areas for developing strategies supporting interoceptive awareness for long-term dietary behaviour changes.</p
Relationships between clinical symptoms, cognitive functioning, and TMS-evoked potential features in patients with major depressive disorder
No full textBackground: Cognitive impairment is a common clinical symptom of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Transcranial magnetic stimulation-evoked potentials (TEPs) detect cortical excitability and connectivity and provide potential biomarkers for MDD patients and their cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between clinical symptoms, cognitive function, and electrophysiological marker TEPs in patients with MDD. Methods: A total of 117 participants were recruited, including 59 MDD patients and 58 healthy controls. Clinical symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and cognitive functioning was assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). TEPs were recorded by transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). Results: MDD patients exhibited lower RBANS total (P < 0.001), immediate memory (P = 0.001), language (P = 0.003), attention (P < 0.001), and delayed memory (P = 0.008) scores than HCs. Patients with MDD had larger amplitudes for N100 (P = 0.040) and N280 (P = 0.037), compared to HCs. Correlation analysis indicated significant correlations between the following RBANS scores and TEPs: language and N45 amplitude (r = 0.222, P = 0.024), language and P60 amplitude (r = 0.278, P = 0.004), attention and P180 amplitude (r = 0.213, P = 0.030), RBANS total score and P30 amplitude (r = 0.198, P = 0.044), visuospatial/constructional index and N100 amplitude (r = -0.272, P = 0.005). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that cortical dysfunction and cognitive impairment are present in patients with MDD and that there is a strong correlation between them, suggesting that TEPs detected by the TMS-EEG may be used as a biomarker for MDD patients and their cognitive impairment.</p
Reduced resting-state functional connectivity of default mode network subsystems in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder
No full textObjectives: Neuroimaging studies have reported extensive resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) abnormalities in the default mode network (DMN) in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but findings are inconsistent. DMN can be divided into three subsystems: core, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC), and medial temporal lobe (MTL). This study aimed to explore abnormalities in rsFC strength within and between DMN subsystems in OCD patients, and their relationship with clinical symptoms. Methods: This study recruited 39 OCD patients and 45 healthy controls (HCs). OCD symptoms were assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). The seed-to-seed method was used to construct rsFC matrix. The rsFC strength within and between the three DMN subsystems were calculated. Results: Compared to the HC group, the OCD group exhibited reduced rsFC strength within core subsystem (F = 7.799, p = 0.007, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.042). Further, this reduction was also observed in the unmedicated OCD group (n = 19), but not in the medicated OCD group (n = 18). In addition, rsFC strength within core subsystem was negatively correlated with the obsession subscale of YBOCS in the OCD group (r = -0.512, p = 0.004, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.008). Further, this correlation was also significant in the unmedicated OCD group, but not in the medicated OCD group. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that reduced rsFC strength within core subsystem is a feature of OCD patients and may serve as a potential biomarker of obsession severity. Moreover, pharmacological treatments may affect rsFC strength in DMN
Investigating the Quality of Family Relationships and Goal Attainment: Analyzing the Mediating Role of Psychological Distress
No full textObjective Late adolescence and young adulthood are crucial periods when individuals rely on family support to navigate challenges like identity formation and career decisions. Supportive families aid in coping during this transition. This study examines the links between family quality of life (FQoL), goal attainment, and psychological distress in the Pakistani cultural context. Methods Of the 300 students in this cross-sectional study, 52.0% were men, and 48.0% were women. The study employed the Beach Centre Family Quality of Life Scale to assess students' well-being within a familial context, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 to measure psychological distress, and the Goal Achievement Questionnaire (goal achievement mastery [GA-M] and goal achievement performance [GA-P]) to evaluate goal orientation. Results GA-M was negatively associated with depression, stress, family interaction, and parenting but positively linked to anxiety. Conversely, GA-P was positively associated with psychological distress. Women students scored higher on GA-P (t(298)=-3.41, p<0.001). In contrast, men scored higher on Physical/Material Well-being (t(298)=2.35, p<0.01). Additionally, FQoL positively predicted GA-P via depression and stress but negatively predicted GA-M via depression and stress. Conclusion FQoL is closely linked to students' GA-M and GA-P, with depression and stress as indirect mediators. These findings underscore the critical role of familial support in shaping goal achievement.</p
Impact of News Portrayals of Physicians as Vulnerable on the Public's Evaluation and Trust in Physicians Under Different Involvement Levels: Quantitative Study
No full textBackground: News portrayals of physicians, especially in China, often depict them as vulnerable-overworked, with inadequate compensation, or as victims of violence. These portrayals may send mixed signals to the public, yet their impact remains underexplored. Understanding their impact is essential for informing media strategies and improving physician-patient relationships. Objective: This study investigated how portrayals of physicians as vulnerable influence public evaluations of their competence, warmth, morality, and overall trust and considered the moderating effects of involvement (ie, hospital visit frequency). Methods: Four studies were conducted. Study 1 (N=492) examined the effects of daily exposure to vulnerable portrayals, and study 2 (N=710) experimentally exposed participants to vulnerable portrayals to directly investigate the causal relationship between exposure and evaluations with involvement as a hypothesized moderator. Study 3 (N=565) manipulated situational involvement using an imagination task, whereas study 4 (N=436) embedded involvement-enhancing content into news articles to improve ecological validity. Results: Study 1 revealed that among individuals with low or moderate involvement, greater exposure to vulnerable physician portrayals in everyday life predicted more favorable overall evaluations of physicians (low involvement: B=0.11 and P=.04; moderate involvement: B=0.20 and P<.001). No significant effect was found among high-involvement individuals (P>.68 in all cases), suggesting an inverted U-shaped moderating effect of involvement. Study 2 supported this pattern-vulnerable portrayals had no significant impact among individuals with low or high involvement (t702<0.49 in all cases; P>.15 in all cases) but had marginally positive effects on individuals with moderate involvement (t702=1.67; P=.10; d=0.26). Notably, individuals with superhigh involvement (ie, those in hospital settings) evaluated physicians more negatively following vulnerable portrayals (t702=2.49; P=.01; d=0.44). Given that nearly 80% of the general population reports low to moderate hospital visits, which is the positive moderating effect range for involvement, studies 3 and 4 targeted this group and tested whether manipulated situational involvement could enhancethe effects of vulnerable portrayals. In studies 3a and 3b, participants in the high-situational involvement condition evaluated physicians more positively in the vulnerable portrayal group than in the control group (3a: t401=2.71, P=.007, d=0.37; 3b: t154=3.48, P<.001, d=0.93), with no effects under low-involvement conditions. Study 4 confirmed that involvement-enhancing vulnerable portrayals elicited more favorable evaluations compared to the control group (t433=3.14; P=.002; d=0.37). Across all 4 studies, overall evaluation significantly predicted trust in the medical profession (B >= 0.38 in all cases; P<.001 in all cases), supporting the hypothesized mediation pathway. Conclusions:Thefindings reveal a complex relationship between news portrayals of vulnerable physicians and public perceptions moderated by involvement. These results have practical implications for leveraging media to increase public trust and improve physician-patient relationships.</p
The neurocognitive mechanism underlying math avoidance among math anxious people
No full textThis study explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying math avoidance in individuals with high math anxiety (HMA), a pattern contributing to reduced practice and poor performance. Using an approach-avoid conflict paradigm and both general linear mixed model and Hierarchical Drift Diffusion Model (HDDM) regression analyses, we found their avoidance behavior is primarily driven by heightened sensitivity to task difficulty, rather than reward sensitivity. Task difficulty sensitivity also mediated the link between math anxiety and avoidance tendency. Neuroimaging revealed distinct activation in the ventral valuation network (e.g., nucleus accumbens, hippocampus) and cognitive control regions (e.g., precuneus, mid-cingulate cortex, temporo-parietal junction) in HMA individuals. Functional connectivity among these regions effectively distinguished HMA from low math anxiety participants. Additionally, activations in the hippocampus, mid-cingulate cortex, and posterior insula mediated the relationship between math anxiety and avoidance. These findings highlight the cognitive and neural bases of math avoidance and may inform targeted interventions
The prevalence and clinical correlates of severe anxiety symptoms in first-episode drug-na?ve schizophrenia: a Chinese population study
No full textObjectiveAlthough anxiety symptoms frequently co-occur with schizophrenia and may substantially influence disease progression and treatment outcomes, systematic investigations of this comorbidity remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical correlations of severe anxiety symptoms among Chinese patients with first-episode drug-naive (FEDN) schizophrenia. MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 255 FEDN schizophrenia patients. Comprehensive clinical and demographic data were collected from all participants. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using PANSS, while anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated using the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA-14) and the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24), respectively. Participants were stratified into two groups based on the presence or absence of severe anxiety symptoms, defined by a HAMA score >= 29. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify potential correlates associated with severe anxiety symptoms in FEDN schizophrenia patients. ResultsThe prevalence of severe anxiety symptoms among patients with FEDN schizophrenia was 51.8% (132/255). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that both elevated HAMD-24 scores (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.11-1.22, p < 0.001) and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels (OR = 4.70, 95% CI: 1.53-14.4, p = 0.007) were independently associated with increased risk of severe anxiety symptoms. The area under the curve (AUC) analysis revealed distinct predictive capabilities: HAMD-24 demonstrated strong standalone predictive ability (AUC = 0.868), while HDL-c showed limited discriminative capacity (AUC = 0.592) despite statistical significance in multivariable regression. ConclusionThis study highlights the substantial prevalence of severe anxiety symptoms among patients with FEDN schizophrenia. Our multivariable analysis identified HAMD-24 scores and HDL-c levels as significant factors associated with severe anxiety symptoms in this population. These findings enhance our understanding of anxiety mechanisms in FEDN schizophrenia, potentially informing future treatment strategies
Prevalence and correlates of suicide attempts in working-age, first-episode, drug-na?ve major depressive disorder patients
No full textSuicide attempts are a critical concern among first-episode, drug-na & iuml;ve (FEDN) patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and correlates of suicide attempts in 1,701 working-age Chinese adults (18-59 years) with FEDN MDD. Sociodemographic data, clinical assessments, and biochemical data were obtained. Overall, 20.2% of participants reported lifetime suicide attempts. Multiple logistic regression identified four independent correlates: Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), clinical global impression of severity scale (CGI-s), systolic blood pressure, and thyroid peroxidase antibody levels. Additional analysis revealed significant pro-atherogenic lipid profile alterations in suicide attempters. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis highlighted the high discriminative ability of HAMA and CGI-s for identifying suicide attempts. These findings underscore the importance of integrating psychological, cardiovascular, and metabolic markers in routine suicide risk evaluation for working-age FEDN MDD patients. Incorporating anxiety, blood pressure, lipid metabolism, and thyroid autoantibody assessment may enhance early detection and inform targeted interventions
Gender differences in the association between adverse childhood experiences and early onset psoriasis
No full textPsoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin disease, arises from both genetic predisposition and environmental factors, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). This cross-sectional study investigated the association between ACEs, family history, and early-onset psoriasis (<= 18 years), with particular attention to gender differences. Among 102 psoriasis patients (54 early-onset, 48 late-onset), the early-onset group demonstrated a higher proportion of females, greater prevalence of parental psoriasis, and elevated anxiety levels compared to the late-onset group. However, multivariable regression analysis revealed that parental psoriasis was not significantly associated with early-onset psoriasis. Exposure to three or more ACEs significantly associated with early-onset psoriasis (adjusted OR = 2.61, p = 0.014), with specific associations observed for emotional neglect, domestic violence, and loneliness. Gender-stratified analysis showed a stronger association in females (adjusted OR = 6.609, p = 0.016) than in males (adjusted OR = 2.494, p = 0.115), though no significant gender-ACEs interaction was detected (p = 0.289). These findings demonstrate a gender differences, dose-response relationship between ACEs and early-onset psoriasis, highlighting the potential value of early psychological interventions for at-risk individuals, particularly females with high ACE exposure
Development and evaluation of LLM-based suicide intervention chatbot
No full textIntroduction Suicide accounts for over 720,000 deaths globally each year, and many more individuals experiencing suicidal ideation; thus, implementing large-scale, effective suicide intervention is vital for reducing suicidal behaviors. Traditional suicide intervention methods are hampered by shortages of qualified practitioners, variability in clinical competence, and high service costs. This study leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to develop an effective suicide intervention chatbot, which provides early, large-scale, rapid self-help interventions.Methods First, according to existing psychological crisis intervention methods, we fine-tuned ChatGPT-4 via prompt engineering to develop a chatbot that promptly responds to the needs of individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. Then, we implemented a self-help web-based dialogue platform powered by this chatbot and conducted the evaluations of its usability and intervention efficacy.Results We found that the self-help suicide intervention chatbot achieved high effectiveness and quality in terms of user interface operability, interaction experience, emotional support, intervention efficacy, safety and privacy, and overall satisfaction.Discussion These findings demonstrate that the suicide intervention chatbot can provide effective emotional support and therapeutic intervention to a large cohort experiencing suicidal ideation
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