Negative Mood Changes Research Articles

Positive and negative mood states do not influence cross-modal auditory distraction in the serial-recall paradigm.

The aim of this study was to examine whether positive and negative mood states affect auditory distraction in a serial-recall task. The duplex-mechanism account differentiates two types of auditory distraction. The changing-state effect is postulated to be rooted in interference-by-process and to be automatic. The auditory-deviant effect is attributed to attentional capture by the deviant distractors. Only the auditory-deviant effect, but not the changing-state effect, should be influenced by emotional mood states according to the duplex-mechanism account. Four experiments were conducted to test how auditory distraction is affected by emotional mood states. Mood was induced by autobiographical recall (Experiments 1 and 2) or the presentation of emotional pictures (Experiments 3 and 4). Even though the manipulations were successful in inducing changes in mood, neither positive mood (Experiments 1 and 3) nor negative mood (Experiments 2 and 4) had any effect on distraction despite large samples sizes (N = 851 in total). The results thus are not in line with the hypothesis that auditory distraction is affected by changes in mood state. The results support an automatic-capture account according to which the auditory-deviant effect and the changing-state effect are mainly stimulus-driven effects that are rooted in the automatic processing of the to-be-ignored auditory stream.

Combating the Consequences of COVID-19 Misinformation: Comparative Analysis Among Adolescents

The subject of media literacy among adolescents is particularly relevant due to the rapid dissemination of information online, the lack of media literacy education in secondary curricula on Long Island, New York, and the prevalence of social media in the twenty-first century. This study looks at the effect of COVID-19 misinformation on the believability, level of concern, and mood of high school and middle school students on Long Island, New York in 2021. This study included high school and middle school students from four Long Island school districts. Students were given a survey that included three misinformation sources, a concern level scale, and a mood scale. As a result of this investigation, a comparative analysis of student data was compiled. While middle school students had higher believability rates than high school students, resulting in negative mood changes and high concern levels, high school students also demonstrated high levels of believability of the COVID-19 misinformation, resulting in negative mood changes and high concern levels. Early adolescent media literacy education is critical to avoiding the unpleasant mood changes and increased concern levels caused by the high believability of COVID-19 misinformation. This study demonstrates that, just as we discovered during the pandemic how critical it is to stop virus transmission, it is also critical to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. Both put people in danger. Combating the negative effects of COVID-19 misinformation necessitates media literacy education.

Diffusion-weighted MR spectroscopy (DW-MRS) is sensitive to LPS-induced changes in human glial morphometry: A preliminary study

BackgroundLow-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a well-established experimental method for inducing systemic inflammation and shown by microscopy to activate microglia in rodents. Currently, techniques for in-vivo imaging of glia in humans are limited to TSPO (Translocator protein) PET, which is expensive, methodologically challenging, and has poor cellular specificity. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DW-MRS) sensitizes MR spectra to diffusion of intracellular metabolites, potentially providing cell-specific information about cellular morphology. In this preliminary study, we applied DW-MRS to measure changes in the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of glial and neuronal metabolites to healthy participants who underwent an LPS administration protocol. We hypothesized that the ADC of glial metabolites will be selectively modulated by LPS-induced glial activation. MethodsSeven healthy male volunteers, (mean 25.3 ± 5.9 years) were each tested in two separate sessions once after LPS (1 ng/Kg intravenously) and once after placebo (saline). Physiological responses were monitored during each session and serial blood samples and Profile of Mood States (POMS) completed to quantify white blood cell (WBC), cytokine and mood responses. DW-MRS data were acquired 5-5½ hours after injection from two brain regions: grey matter in the left thalamus, and frontal white matter. ResultsBody temperature, heart rate, WBC and inflammatory cytokines were significantly higher in the LPS compared to the placebo condition (p < 0.001). The ADC of the glial metabolite choline (tCho) was also significantly increased after LPS administration compared to placebo (p = 0.008) in the thalamus which scaled with LPS-induced changes in POMS total and negative mood (Adj R2 = 0.83; p = 0.004). ConclusionsDW-MRS may be a powerful new tool sensitive to glial cytomorphological changes in grey matter induced by systemic inflammation.

The Effect of Sleep Quality and Quantity on Athlete's Health and Perceived Training Quality.

University athletes are unique because they not only have to cope with the normal psycho-physiological stress of training and playing sport, but they also need to accommodate the stress associated with their academic studies along with considerable stress from their social environment. The ability to manage and adapt to stress ultimately helps improve athletic performance, but when stress becomes too much for the athlete, it can result in maladaptation's including sleep disruption which is associated with performance loss, negative mood changes, and even injury or illness. This research aimed to determine if sleep quantity and quality were associated with maladaptation in university athletes. We examined subjective measures of sleep duration and sleep quality along with measures of mood state, energy levels, academic stress, training quality and quantity, and frequency of illness and injury in 82 young (18–23 years) elite athletes over a 1 year period in 2020. Results indicate sleep duration and quality decreased in the first few weeks of the academic year which coincided with increased training, academic and social stress. Regression analysis indicated increased levels of perceived mood (1.3, 1.1–1.5, Odds Ratio and 95% confidence limits), sleep quality (2.9, 2.5–3.3), energy levels (1.2, 1.0–1.4), training quality (1.3, 1.1–1.5), and improved academic stress (1.1, 1.0–1.3) were associated with ≥8 h sleep. Athletes that slept ≥8 h or had higher sleep quality levels were less likely to suffer injury/illness (0.8, 0.7–0.9, and 0.6, 0.5–0.7 for sleep duration and quality, respectively). In conclusion, university athletes who maintain good sleep habits (sleep duration ≥8 h/night and high sleep quality scores) are less likely to suffer problems associated with elevated stress levels. Educating athletes, coaches, and trainers of the signs and symptoms of excessive stress (including sleep deprivation) may help reduce maladaptation and improve athlete's outcomes.

Mediators of relations of obesity treatment-associated changes in mood and weight: extending cross-sectional research.

Significant cross-sectional associations between mood and weight have been made in women; however, data on associated longitudinal effects and their psychological and behavioral mechanisms are required to inform obesity treatments that mostly have limited success beyond the very short term. Women participating in behavioral obesity treatments were assessed on psychological and behavioral measures, and weight change over 12 months. A treatment focused on physical activity and self-regulation (n = 67) had significantly better improvements than a treatment centered around weight-loss education (n = 64) on measures of mood (overall mood, depression, anxiety), self-regulation, emotional eating, eating behaviors, physical activity, and weight in women with obesity. Incorporating a lagged variable design, 12-month weight loss was significantly predicted (separately) by changes in overall negative mood, depression, and anxiety. When changes in measures of self-regulation, emotional eating, and eating behaviors were sequentially entered as mediators, mood change-weight change relationships were rendered non-significant. Significant mediation paths were: mood change→self-regulation change→weight change, and mood change→self-regulation change→eating behavior change→weight change. They were unaffected by the treatment group. Findings contributed to both theory and obesity intervention architectures via a design sensitive to the dynamic psychological and behavioral changes occurring within weight-loss processes.

Exposure to Criticism Modulates Left but Not Right Amygdala Functional Connectivity in Healthy Adolescents: Individual Influences of Perceived and Self-Criticism.

Background: Frequent exposure to criticism is a known risk factor for various adult psychiatric disorders. Adolescents may be even more vulnerable to (parental) criticism, as their imbalanced brain maturation makes them prone to stronger mood changes and less effective emotional regulation. Identifying which adolescent subgroups are more vulnerable than others could be of great clinical relevance. Perceived criticism (PC) and self-criticism (SC), two related but distinct traits, could well be crucial vulnerability factors.Hypotheses: After exposure to criticism during fMRI scanning, rapid changes in amygdalar functional connectivity (FC) with other brain areas involved in emotion regulation and social cognitive processing will occur. These changes will depend on trait moderators, such as the adolescents' proneness to (a) perceive others as critical of them (PC) or (b) perceive themselves positively or negatively (SC).Methods: Sixty-four healthy 14–17-year-olds were exposed to a series of auditory comments. Changes in mood states were assessed based on the Profile of Mood States (POMS) prior to and after exposure to these segments. Pre- and post-experiment FC of the left and right amygdalae with other brain areas were also measured. Correlates between FC changes and psychometric measures—including the perceived criticism measure (PCM) and self-perception profile for adolescents (SPPA)—were assessed.Results: First, after being criticized, FC increases of the left amygdala seed region with brain areas related to sustained emotional processing were found, but no right amygdalar FC changes. Second, there was a significant positive partial correlation between individual PCM scores and FC changes between the left amygdala seed region and the left precuneus and left superior parietal cortex, both part of the default mode network.Conclusion: Exposure to criticism resulted in a rapid negative mood change accompanied by an increase in FC between the left amygdala and regions known to be involved in sustained emotional processing, but no right amygdalar FC changes. Furthermore, higher PC but not SC was correlated with stronger left amygdalar FC increases with these regions, suggesting an elevated vulnerability for disturbed emotional processing, as observed in mood disorders, in healthy adolescents with higher PCM scores.

Modulation of mood on eye movement and face recognition performance.

In face recognition, looking at the eyes has been associated with engagement of local attention, as well as better recognition performance. As recent research has suggested negative mood facilitates local attention while positive mood facilitates global attention, negative mood changes may lead to more eyes-focused eye movement patterns and consequently enhance recognition performance. Here we test this hypothesis using mood induction. Through eye movement analysis with hidden Markov models, we discovered eyes-focused and nose-focused eye movement strategies in the participants, and the eyes-focused strategy was associated with better recognition performance. During the recognition phase, participants with a negative mood change had increased eye movement pattern similarity to the eyes-focused strategy, and participants' mood change was correlated with eye movement pattern similarity change. Nevertheless, mood change did not significantly change participants' eye movement strategy classification despite changes in eye movement pattern similarity, and the eye movement pattern similarity change did not modulate recognition performance. These results suggest that mood changes through mood induction lead to slight changes in eye movement pattern that may not be sufficient to modulate recognition performance. Thus, individuals may have preferred eye movement strategies in face recognition impervious to transitory mood changes. This finding is consistent with a recent speculation on limited plasticity in adult face recognition and suggests that eye movements in face recognition may provide reliable information about an individual's cognitive abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

University employees’ perceptions of health during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The emergence of the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, has had a major impact on higher education; however, little attention has been paid to how the virus and lockdown measures instituted to stop its spread have affected the health of faculty and staff. This study employed survey methodology to assess the impact of the coronavirus and ensuing quarantine measures in the US on employees at a private institution in the Mid-Atlantic. A total of N = 129 employees answered questions on self-perceptions of their physical and mental health, and results illustrated a wide range of responses. While some employees reported positive changes, a third struggled with physical activity, eating, sleep habits and weight management, and more than half had greater stress, anxiety and mood difficulties. No differences were found among genders or employment type, but employees ages 65 and older reported significantly greater negative mood change and less healthy eating habits. Colleges and universities should be mindful of the challenges that faculty and staff face during the ongoing pandemic and provide resources and support specifically targeting these groups; in particular, programming encouraging and supporting physical activity behaviours may be especially useful for promoting physical and mental health benefits, reducing risk of illness and preventing chronic burnout.

“Melanincholy”: A Qualitative Exploration of Youth Media Use, Vicarious Racism, and Perceptions of Health

PurposeWe sought to (1) characterize teens' experiences with news and social media, focusing on news depicting racism, (2) assess youth perceptions of how these experiences may impact their own health, and (3) explore how teens cope with racism encountered in media. We hypothesized that teens access news primarily through social media, and vicarious racism experienced via news increases negative perceptions of health. MethodsEighteen teens (aged 13–19 years) were recruited to participate in focus group interviews (N = 4). These were recorded, transcribed, and coded using qualitative methods. ResultsYouth spend much of each day online and frequently access social media, including news shared on these platforms. Many participants identified concerns surrounding “fake” news on social media. Participants reported encountering racially charged news and described their responses to these stories. Some reported feeling overwhelmed by racism in the news. Most participants perceived negative mood changes after exposure to racism in online news, although few associated this exposure with changes in their own health behaviors. Youth indicated that peer discussion was important for coping with vicarious racism exposure. ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the way teens access and share information through social media, including news involving racism, and the effect that this information may have on them. Their vicarious experiences of racism in the news may be associated with feelings of desensitization and mood changes, with potential downstream effects on health. Peer support may help teens cope with vicarious racism. Longitudinal studies examining these exposures' health effects and opportunities for cross-sector intervention are needed.

Psychosocial, Lifestyle, and Body Weight Impact of COVID-19-Related Lockdown in a Sample of Participants with Current or Past History of Obesity in Spain.

PurposeHome lockdown and isolation due to COVID-19 have been related to negative changes in mood, sleep, and eating behaviors. People with obesity are especially vulnerable to emotional eating and might be more prone to weight gain and negative outcomes during lockdown.Materials and MethodsIndividuals scheduled for an appointment at the Obesity Unit of a Tertiary Hospital between March 16 and June 21 (n=1230). An online survey was distributed on May 11. Multivariable logistic regression models and general linear models were used to assess the relationship between perceived COVID-19 threat, BS status, and outcome variables.ResultsOf the 603 (72.0% females, 39% aged >55 years) respondents, 223 (36.9%) were BS naïve (non-BS), 134 (22.2%) underwent BS within the two previous years (BS<2y), and 245 (40.6%) more than 2 years before (BS>2y). Participants worried about being infected by COVID-19 showed significantly larger changes in family contact (p=0.04), mood (p<0.01), sleep (p<0.01), dietary habits (p=0.05), purchases of unhealthy food (p=0.02), snacking (p=0.05), and physical activity (p=0.02). Non-BS and BS>2y participants reported greater impact of lockdown in mood (p<0.01), experienced more negative changes in dietary habits (p<0.01), and had a higher likelihood for weight gain (OR: 5.61, 95% CI: 3.0–10.46; OR: 5.45, 95% CI: 2.87–10.35, respectively) compared to BS<2y.ConclusionsCOVID-19 pandemic is having a substantial negative impact in our population affected by obesity. During lockdown, people more than 2 years before BS behave like people without history of BS. Strategies addressed to prevent negative metabolic outcomes in this population are urgently needed.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11695-021-05225-z.

Positive and negative effects of trauma in patients after myocardial infarction: the role of type D personality

Background: Experiencing a myocardial infarction threatens the health and life of the patient; therefore, it can be perceived as a traumatic event. Indeed, myocardial infarction may result in negative consequences, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is also possible to experience positive effects from traumatic events, which is expressed as posttraumatic growth. Personality characteristics, including type D (i.e., distressed) personality, are among several factors that have been shown determine the occurrence of negative and positive consequences after exposure to trauma. Aim of the study: The aim of the present study was to establish the role of distressed personality in the occurrence of negative and positive effects of trauma resulting from myocardial infarction. Material and methods: The study included a total of 80 patients after myocardial infarction. Sixty-three patients aged 43-85 years (M=67, SD=10.76) were included in the final analysis. The majority of respondents were men (61.9%). Patients completed a survey with three standardized measurement tools: the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), and the Type D Scale (DS-14). Results: Negative affectivity was positively associated with PTSD symptoms, and this association was strongest for negative changes in cognition or mood. Social inhibition was not associated with PTSD symptoms, except for increased arousal and reactivity. Both dimensions of type D personality were positively related to one factor of posttraumatic growth: changes in the spiritual sphere. Conclusions: Reducing the severity of negative affectivity may decrease PTSD symptoms and thus contribute to improved psychosocial functioning among patients who have experienced myocardial infarction.

Impact of Himalayan Singing Bowls Meditation Session on Mood and Heart Rate Variability – An Observational Study

Introduction Scientific evidence has demonstrated the psychological and physiological benefits of meditation. Sound vibrations also improve emotional wellbeing while enhancing the physiological parameters. There is an opportunity to explore the psychological and physiological benefits of Himalayan Singing Bowls (HSB) sound bath meditation, i.e. meditation assisted with sound vibrations. Aim of the Study The study explored changes in mood and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters after a HSB Sound Bath Meditation on healthy individuals. The primary objectives of the study were to understand if a 40 minute long seated HSB Sound Bath Meditation results in significant improvement (a) in positive affect and negative affect, as measured by Positive And Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and (b) in physiological parameters, as measured by Heart Rate Variability. The secondary objective of the study was to understand the impact on various moods as measured by Profile Of Mood States (POMS) Survey. Methods The psychological parameters included changes in Positive and Negative Affect (measured on 77 individuals using PANAS) and changes in specific, positive and negative moods (measured on 17 individuals using POMS) before and after the meditation session. The physiological parameters included HRV parameters such as Heart Rate (HR), Stress Index (SI) and Root Mean Square of Standard Deviation (RMSSD) measuring during the entire session on 15 individuals using the EmWave Pro device. HRV data analysis was conducted with Kubios HRV Premium and all the data was analyzed using paired T-Test. Results All the subjects after meditation showed statistically significant improvement in Positive Affect (mood) and a reduction in Negative Affect (mood). The HRV parameters showed a trend demonstrating overall relaxation with a statistically significant reduction in HR, Stress Index and an increase in RMSSD in the last 5 minutes as compared to the first 5 minutes. Consistent with changes in positive, negative mood and HRV, all the participants showed statistically significant reduction in tension, anger, fatigue, depression and confusion. In terms of positive mood, there was a statistically significant improvement in esteem related affect and an increase (but not statistically significant) in vigor. Conclusion The findings demonstrate that seated HSB Sound Bath Meditation session has a positive impact on the mood related measures. The physiological changes measured during the meditation using HRV parameters indicated a consistent reduction in Heart Rate throughout the meditation and a reduction in overall sympathetic tone and an increase in parasympathetic tone. Thus, HSB can be used to improve both psychological and physiological parameters even after one 40 min session. Future work in this area could explore comparison with a control group and a longer study duration consisting of multiple sessions.

Online sexual harassment and negative mood in Croatian female adolescents

Online sexual harassment (OSH) appears to be a relatively frequent phenomenon, particularly for older adolescents. It is also a gendered experience. Compared to their male peers, female adolescents are more likely to experience OSH and find it upsetting. This study sought to explore the role of resilience in explaining the association between online sexual harassment (OSH) and negative mood (i.e., depression and anxiety symptoms) among female adolescents. Using data from a panel sample of 477 female Croatian adolescents (age at baseline = 15.8 years; SD = 0.48) and two-wave cross-lagged path analysis, we investigated OSH, changes in depression/anxiety symptoms, association between OSH and negative mood, and the role of resilience. During the 26-month period under observation, OSH and negative mood were associated cross-sectionally, but not longitudinally. This suggests the negative mood effects of OSH exposure may be short-lived or that factors other than OSH explain changes in negative mood over time. Resilience was consistently and negatively associated with negative mood, but not OSH. In adolescent girls with low levels of resilience, OSH was associated with negative mood; no such relationship was observed among their highly resilient peers. Experiences other than OSH appear to be more pertinent in predicting symptoms of negative mood in older adolescent girls over time. Given that resilience attenuated the relationship between OSH and negative mood, efforts to increase resilience to online challenges may be more helpful than efforts to limit or control young people’s online exposure.

Use of an estradiol-based combined oral contraceptives has no influence on attentional bias or depressive symptoms in healthy women

Combined oral contraceptive (COC) use is associated with small, albeit significant, increases in mental symptom scores, predominantly irritability, depressed mood, and anxiety. Yet, randomized prospective trials are needed to better characterize the women at risk for COC-induced negative mood change. Thus, the primary aim of this sub-study to a placebo-controlled randomized trial was to determine whether COC use influences emotional interference by negative and positive stimuli. Secondly, we wanted to evaluate what factors would predict depressive symptoms at the end of the trial, taking personality factors, history of mental disorders and other demographic factors into account. Sixty-nine women were included, randomized to three cycles of treatment with a COC (1.5 mg estradiol and 2.5 mg nomegestrolacetate) or placebo. An emotional verbal Stroop task was used to measure interference of emotional stimuli, in which participants were asked to only name the color of a presented word, while ignoring the meaning of the word. Four different word categories were used; neutral, positive, depression, and anxiety. For the second aim of the study, rating on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale during the final days of the trial was used as outcome.We found no interaction between emotional verbal Stroop word category and treatment, indicating that COC treatment did not evoke any differences in emotional interference to the three word categories. Significant predictors for depressive symptoms at the end of the trial were trait anxiety at baseline and prior adverse mood effects by hormonal contraceptive use. Treatment (i.e. whether women had been treated with the COC or placebo) did not play a role in predicting depression scores at the end of the trial. In conclusion, we found no evidence that combined oral contraceptive use is associated with impaired cognitive-emotional processing. Instead, the main predictors of self-rated depression at the end of the trial were baseline trait anxiety and previous mental symptoms during hormonal contraceptive use.

Effects of thin-ideal instagram images: The roles of appearance comparisons, internalization of the thin ideal and critical media processing

Recent research has pointed to potential negative effects on young women of using social networking sites. We examined whether exposure to thin-idealised images of users’ bodies, typical of those posted on Instagram, would result in changes in state mood and body dissatisfaction. We further examined women’s reported thoughts when viewing such images to explore qualitatively their cognitive experiences. Female participants (N = 126) reported on trait body dissatisfaction and body comparison, and state body dissatisfaction and mood, and were randomly assigned to view and describe their thoughts about either images depicting the Western thin-ideal or control images (scenery). The control sample increased mood and decreased body dissatisfaction more than thin-ideal participants following exposure, with only marginal moderating effects of trait appearance comparison and internalization of the thin-ideal. In a sample that viewed the thin-ideal images (n = 91) upward body comparison thoughts and positive thoughts related to the bodies depicted were associated with negative mood changes. Media awareness and literacy thoughts were not protective; however, thoughts unrelated to the thin-ideal bodies were protective. Findings suggest that while young women appeared largely resilient to short-term exposure to Instagram images of thin-idealized peers, a subset of women appeared to be at risk.

‘It was really dark’: the experiences and preferences of people with aphasia to manage mood changes and depression

ABSTRACTBackground: People with aphasia are at high risk of depression with the majority fulfilling depression diagnostic criteria up to one year post-stroke. There is a lack of psychological care to prevent and treat depression and address the communication disability associated with aphasia. Translating a framework of stepped psychological care after stroke may potentially address treatment gaps and improve rehabilitation outcomes. This multidisciplinary framework is usually composed of level 1 to 4 interventions that match the person’s level of need and severity of symptoms. However, the perspectives of people with aphasia regarding stepped psychological care, mood changes, depression and current practice is extremely limited in the research evidence.Aims: To describe, from the perspective of people with aphasia: a) the experience of mood changes, depression and current practice after post-stroke aphasia; and b) preferences within a stepped psychological care approach.Method & Procedures: Ten people with aphasia participated in two semi-structured interviews each, within a maximal variation sample (severity of aphasia, presence or not of possible depression, transition phase of care). Video data from the 20 interviews were transcribed for speech and non-speech communication and analysed using Interpretive Description.Outcomes & Results: All participants self-reported mostly negative mood changes after aphasia whether they were identified as depressed or not on the SADQ10. Three core themes were derived: 1) the onset of stroke and aphasia is a traumatic event resulting in mood difficulties and depression; 2) people with aphasia are trying to work through communication and mood difficulties with limited psychological support and services in stroke rehabilitation; 3) positivity, supported communication and access to individually tailored therapy would be essential to people with aphasia through stepped psychological care. 10 sub-themes were also identified.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the onset of post-stroke aphasia is traumatic with negative mood changes impacting ability to participate in stroke rehabilitation. Within this context, it was evident that all participants experienced mood changes but had not participated in stepped psychological care in stroke rehabilitation. Some had experienced elements of psychological care. Stepped psychological care is recommended for people with aphasia.

A comparison of hedonic and emotional responses to common odors delivered by qPODs (Portable Olfactive Devices) and traditional sniff jars

qPODs (Portable Olfactive Devices, Curion) are novel olfactory delivery systems which allow for sampling of a wide variety of stimulus types. Participants evaluate odors by opening a port at the top of the qPOD and sampling a controlled air stream. Though they are often used in marketing studies, their potential use in empirical research has yet to be investigated. We asked participants to smell citral, citronellol, geraniol, PEA, nonalactone, and vanillin delivered via qPODs and by traditional sniff jars, and compared both hedonic and emotional responses. Across four sessions, 31 participants evaluated the pleasantness and intensity of each odor in qPODs and sniff jars. Their emotional reactions to the odors were captured with the PANAS (Positive And Negative Affect Schedule) at the beginning of each testing session, and then again after exposure to each odor. They also completed the newly developed Mood Signature Questionnaire, which asks participants to assign a mood to each odor, rather than reporting how it makes them feel. Though odors presented in the sniff jars were rated significantly more intense (p < 0.001), there were no differences between presentation types for perceived pleasantness, changes in positive or negative mood following odor exposure, or which emotional descriptors (Mood Signatures) participants assigned to the odors. Our results suggest that responses to odor stimuli presented using qPODs are comparable to traditional sniff jars, thus establishing the qPOD as a potential new tool for studies employing a range of olfactory stimuli.

Additive effectiveness of contingency management on cognitive behavioural treatment for smokers with depression: Six-month abstinence and depression outcomes

BackgroundDepression and smoking co-occur at high rates and there is a lack of evidence on the efficacy of treatments specifically tailored to this population. This randomized controlled trial sought to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) combined with behavioural activation (BA) and the same treatment protocol plus contingency management (CM). MethodsA sample of 120 adult smokers (70.8%: females) with severe depressive symptoms were randomly allocated to: CBT + BA (n = 60) or CBT + BA + CM (n = 60). Smoking and depression outcomes were reported at end of treatment, 1-, 2-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Self-reported smoking status was biochemically verified, and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II. ResultsAt end of treatment, the overall quit rate was 69.2% (83/120). CM showed an additive effect on CBT + BA in enhancing abstinence rates. The significant effect of group [F(1,155) = 9.55, p = .0024], time [F(4,96) = 7.93, p < .0001], and group by time interaction [F(4,96) = 6.12, p = .0002], indicated that CM is more effective for generating longer durations of abstinence beyond those of CBT+BA. All treatment conditions equally promoted sustained reductions in depression across time [F(1,111) = 0.53, p = .4665]. A greater number of days of continuous abstinence and lower depressive symptoms mutually influenced each other. ConclusionsDepressed smokers achieve high cessation rates without suffering negative mood changes. Quitting smoking is not detrimental and adding CM to CBT + BA enhances long-lasting abstinence rates while promoting large depression improvements.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in trauma-related conditions.

Some of trauma-exposed individuals develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an incapacitating psychiatric disorder that is characterized by intrusion, avoidance, negative changes in mood and cognition, and hyperarousal. A number of other trauma-related conditions are very frequently found in individuals with PTSD. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most frequently observed trauma-related conditions that trauma-exposed individuals with PTSD may experience. TBI refers to transient or permanent brain dysfunction that results in a wide range of neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. These trauma-related conditions significantly affect one’s quality of life, leading to substantial disability and socioeconomic burden. As the prevalence of PTSD with comorbid TBI is increasing in the general population along with the rates of crimes and accidents, effective prevention and intervention strategies are necessitated. However, a definitive treatment for PTSD with comorbid TBI is still lacking, resulting in high rates of treatment resistance and chronicity. It is essential to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms and potential therapeutics of PTSD with comorbid TBI. Yet, a few repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) studies have recently investigated therapeutic efficacy in treatment-resistant patients with PTSD and/or TBI. Thus, this article reviews rTMS studies in trauma-related conditions, mainly focusing on PTSD and PTSD with TBI as one of the comorbidities. The review focuses on the applications of rTMS in reducing PTSD symptoms with and without comorbidities based on differential parameters and effects of rTMS as well as concomitant clinical conditions. The section on PTSD with comorbidities focuses on TBI with neurological, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Although there were some inconsistencies in the clinical outcomes and optimized parameters of rTMS applied in PTSD and TBI, low frequency stimulation over the hyperactive frontal regions and/or high frequency stimulation over the hypoactive frontal regions generally improved the clinical symptoms of PTSD and TBI. Lastly, the limitations of the rTMS studies in PTSD and TBI as well as potential directions for future research are discussed.

A randomized experimental evaluation of a yoga-based body image intervention

Recent literature argues that body image interventions need to become more embodied. This paper evaluates a brief yoga-based body image intervention which incorporates themes specifically tailored to focus on positive body image. Young women (Mage = 20.21, SDage = 2.15) were randomly allocated to a four-session yoga intervention (n = 22) or a control condition (n = 22). Compared to controls, participants in the yoga condition reported significant increases in body appreciation, body connectedness, body satisfaction, and positive mood at posttest and at 4-week follow-up. There were no significant changes in negative mood or body surveillance. These findings add to existing evidence that yoga can improve women’s body image and positive mood. In addition, they suggest that a strong thematic focus on positive body image can achieve benefits at relatively low yoga doses. These findings are important as intervention length impacts the potential for dissemination.