1,720,980 research outputs found
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Refugees Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg. An Illustration Using the Cases of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
No full textIs high-quality of trials associated with lower treatment efficacy? A meta-analysis on the association between study quality and effect sizes of psychological interventions for pediatric PTSD
No full textThis meta-analysis aimed at providing an up-to-date estimate on the efficacy of psychological interventions for pediatric PTSD and to analyze the association between treatment efficacy and study quality. We systematically searched PsycINFO, Medline and recent meta-analyses for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs were eligible if a) they included at least 10 participants per group, b) compared a psychological intervention to a control condition or another psychological intervention and c) mean age was below 19 years. Study quality was assessed independently by both authors on the basis of eight quality criteria. We explored the potential associations between study quality and effect sizes in three ways. Firstly, we compared effect-sizes of high-quality vs. lower-quality studies. Secondly, we analyzed study quality as a continuous predictor of effect sizes. And thirdly, we examined the relationship between the eight individual quality criteria and effect sizes. A total of 46 eligible RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Psychological interventions produced a large effect size when compared to waitlist (g = 1.07, k = 23, NNT = 1.81) and a medium effect size when compared to active control conditions (g = 0.60, k = 15, NNT = 3.03) at post-treatment. Overall, study quality was moderate. Comparisons of high-quality trials (k = 16) with lower-quality trials (k = 30) produced only non-significant findings in main-analyses as well as moderator sub-analyses. Study quality as a continuous variable was also not found to be related to effect sizes in any of the main analyses, nor was any of the eight individual quality criteria. The summary of the available literature strongly suggests that psychological interventions are effective in treating PTSD in children and adolescents. No significant associations between study quality and treatment efficacy were observed
Anxiety disorders and age-related changes in physiology
No full text
Background
Anxiety disorders are leading contributors to the global disease burden, highly prevalent across the lifespan and associated with substantially increased morbidity and early mortality.
Aims
The aim of this study was to examine age-related changes across a wide range of physiological measures in middle-aged and older adults with a lifetime history of anxiety disorders compared with healthy controls.
Method
The UK Biobank study recruited >500 000 adults, aged 37–73, between 2006 and 2010. We used generalised additive models to estimate non-linear associations between age and hand-grip strength, cardiovascular function, body composition, lung function and heel bone mineral density in a case group and in a control group.
Results
The main data-set included 332 078 adults (mean age 56.37 years; 52.65% women). In both genders, individuals with anxiety disorders had a lower hand-grip strength and lower blood pressure, whereas their pulse rate and body composition measures were higher than in the healthy control group. Case–control group differences were larger when considering individuals with chronic and/or severe anxiety disorders, and differences in body composition were modulated by depression comorbidity status. Differences in age-related physiological changes between females in the anxiety disorder case group and healthy controls were most evident for blood pressure, pulse rate and body composition, whereas this was the case in males for hand-grip strength, blood pressure and body composition. Most differences in physiological measures between the case and control groups decreased with increasing age.
Conclusions
Findings in individuals with a lifetime history of anxiety disorders differed from a healthy control group across multiple physiological measures, with some evidence of case–control group differences by age. The differences observed varied by chronicity/severity and depression comorbidity.
</jats:sec
Counterfactual comparisons and affective styles in the aftermath of traumatic events
No full textAbstractTraumatic events often lead to counterfactual comparison (CFC), defined as comparing one’s current attributes to that of a hypothetical mentally simulated alternative that might have occurred but is counter to the facts. CFC can differ in its direction and in terms of the referent of action. The mentally simulated alternative may be evaluated as more favorable (upward CFC) or less favorable (downward CFC) and the counterfactual alteration (e.g., preventing the event) may have been performed by oneself (self-referent) or others (other-referent). The frequency and engendered affective valence of CFC differ between trauma survivors and correlate with PTSD symptoms. However, knowledge about the mechanism involved is lacking. Individuals differ in how they regulate the engendered affective valence following CFC, suggesting that dispositional affect regulation styles may be implicated in this relationship. We therefore examined the affective styles of adjusting, concealing, and tolerating and their relationship with CFC frequency and engendered affective valence. In 556 individuals who had encountered at least one traumatic event, we examined this question separately for (1) upward self-referent CFC, (2) upward other-referent CFC, (3) downward self-referent CFC and (4) downward other-referent CFC. Most effects were found for upward (rather than downward) CFC and particularly for upward self-referent CFC. The frequency of engaging in upward self-referent CFC was associated with all three affective styles and with engendered affective valence. Different emotion regulation processes appear to be associated with more frequent engagement in upward self-referent CFC and more negative engendered affective valence. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.</jats:p
Major life events, well-being comparisons, and mental health outcomes: A four-wave longitudinal study
No full textAre psychological interventions for adult PTSD more efficacious and acceptable when treatment is delivered in higher frequency? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
No full textTwo systematic reviews indicated that higher treatment frequency of psychological interventions for adult PTSD may lead to higher efficacy and less dropout. Yet, a quantitative review is missing
The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, life satisfaction, and well-being comparisons: A longitudinal investigation
No full textObjective: Many individuals who encounter potentially traumatic events go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Research suggests that survivors of traumatic events frequently compare their current well-being to different standards. Yet, our understanding of the role of comparative thinking in well-being is limited to a few cross-sectional studies. We therefore examined the temporal relationship between aversive well-being comparisons (i.e., comparisons threatening self-motives), PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction in individuals with a trauma history. Method: A sample of 518 participants with exposure to traumatic events was administered measures of PTSD, life satisfaction, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being (CSS-W) at two timepoints, three months apart. The CSS-W assessed the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of aversive social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons related to well-being. Results: Comparison frequency emerged as significant predictor of PTSD symptoms, beyond baseline PTSD levels. Life satisfaction contributed unique variance to the comparison process by predicting comparison frequency, discrepancy, and affective impact. The findings suggest that frequent aversive comparisons may lead to a persistent focus on negative aspects of well-being, thereby exacerbating PTSD symptoms. They further indicate that comparison frequency, discrepancy, and affective impact are significantly influenced by life-satisfaction. Conclusions: Altogether, the findings support the need for a thorough examination of the role of comparative behavior in clinical populations, which may ultimately help improve clinical care
Anxiety disorders and age-related changes in physiology
Full text linkBackground Anxiety disorders are leading contributors to the global disease burden, highly prevalent across the lifespan and associated with substantially increased morbidity and early mortality. Aims The aim of this study was to examine age-related changes across a wide range of physiological measures in middle-aged and older adults with a lifetime history of anxiety disorders compared with healthy controls. Method The UK Biobank study recruited >500 000 adults, aged 37-73, between 2006 and 2010. We used generalised additive models to estimate non-linear associations between age and hand-grip strength, cardiovascular function, body composition, lung function and heel bone mineral density in a case group and in a control group. Results The main data-set included 332 078 adults (mean age 56.37 years; 52.65% women). In both genders, individuals with anxiety disorders had a lower hand-grip strength and lower blood pressure, whereas their pulse rate and body composition measures were higher than in the healthy control group. Case-control group differences were larger when considering individuals with chronic and/or severe anxiety disorders, and differences in body composition were modulated by depression comorbidity status. Differences in age-related physiological changes between females in the anxiety disorder case group and healthy controls were most evident for blood pressure, pulse rate and body composition, whereas this was the case in males for hand-grip strength, blood pressure and body composition. Most differences in physiological measures between the case and control groups decreased with increasing age. Conclusions Findings in individuals with a lifetime history of anxiety disorders differed from a healthy control group across multiple physiological measures, with some evidence of case-control group differences by age. The differences observed varied by chronicity/severity and depression comorbidity
On the role of different publication bias adjustment methods in meta-analysis of social comparison as a behaviour change technique: A reply to Bartoš and colleagues
No full textLifetime non-relational traumatic experiences are associated with biological ageing
No full textExposure to non-relational trauma, such as serious accidents, war or life-threatening illness, is linked to poor mental and physical health. Its relationship with biological ageing markers, however, remains underexplored. This study's aim was to examine associations between non-relational trauma and multiple biological ageing markers, and to assess whether associations vary by trauma burden, trauma type and sex. We analysed UK Biobank data from 152,863 participants (mean age = 56.4 years; 56.5% female). Lifetime exposure to six non-relational traumatic experiences was assessed. Biological ageing markers included metabolomic age (MileAge) delta, a metabolomic mortality profile score, frailty, leukocyte telomere length and grip strength. Regression models, adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic confounders, estimated associations between trauma and biological ageing markers. We also examined trauma burden, trauma type-specific and sex-specific associations. Non-relational trauma was associated with a metabolite-predicted age exceeding chronological age (MileAge delta; β = 0.047, 95% CI 0.032-0.062), elevated metabolomic mortality scores (β = 0.102, 95% CI 0.051-0.153) and greater frailty (β = 0.298, 95% CI 0.290-0.307), with a graded, approximately linear pattern for frailty (i.e., higher non-relational trauma sum scores were associated with higher frailty scores). All trauma types were associated with greater frailty, with the strongest association for life-threatening illness. There was no evidence of associations with telomere length, and mixed findings for grip strength. Several associations differed by sex, for example overall trauma burden was more strongly associated with greater frailty in females compared to males. Lifetime non-relational trauma was associated with older biological ageing profiles, with the strongest associations with frailty. These findings support the notion that non-relational trauma exposure is associated with long-term health status, underscoring the need for mitigating ageing-related health decline in trauma-exposed populations
- …
