Conventional Psychological Intervention Research Articles

Harnessing Geek Culture for Mental Health Transformation: A Proposed Theory in Psychology

This paper presents a revolutionary theory in psychology, delving into the transformative possibilities of utilizing geek culture as a potent catalyst for behavioral change. In contemporary society, geek culture, defined by fervent interests in video games, comics, science fiction, and technology, has emerged as a prominent and influential force. The theory advanced here contends that the captivating and immersive qualities inherent in geek culture can serve as a compelling tool to shape and redirect behaviors. By leveraging the passion and engagement fostered within geek communities, this theory proposes a distinctive avenue for psychological intervention. It explores the prospect of channeling the intrinsic motivation and communal dynamics prevalent in geek culture to enact meaningful and positive changes in individuals' behaviors. This innovative approach signifies a departure from conventional psychological interventions, positioning geek culture as an untapped resource with the potential to redefine the landscape of behavioral change strategies.

Training model for engineering applied talents to improve students’ depression

Background Depression is a kind of depression with the primary clinical manifestation and the duration of the mental and psychological disease, with insomnia, low mood, lack of pleasure, and other symptoms. Presently, the tendency of depression among students from different colleges, universities, and majors is apparent and varies. To better improve the depression situation of college students, the study proposes to guide their mental health from the intervention perspective of education and training mode.Subjects and Methods Depressed engineering college students were selected as research subjects and randomly divided into an experimental group (psychological intervention combined with engineering applied talent cultivation model) and a control group (conventional psychological intervention), in which the talent cultivation model was docked with an example of the engineering project. During the experiment, the data were processed and analyzed with the help of the Self Depression Scale (SDS) and SPSS22.0 statistical tools.ResultsAfter the experimental intervention, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the depression scale scores of the two groups of patients (P<0.05), and the improvement of depression in the subjects of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group.ConclusionsThe combination of talent cultivation mode and psychological intervention can better help engineering college students to improve their depression, enhance the level and quality of their mental health, and view their studies and work in a more positive frame of mind.

Emotionally focused therapy and psychological distance research on consumers with social anxiety disorder

BackgroundSocial anxiety disorder is characterized by avoidance of interpersonal relationships and a generalized impairment of emotion recognition and regulation. Protecting the individual’s consumer rights can be difficult when this emotion is expressed in consumer relationships. Compared with other therapies, Emotionally Focused Therapy focuses more on the individual’s emotional processing. Therefore, the study proposes to use emotion-focused therapy and psychological distance theory to intervene in patients with social anxiety disorder and help them better control their emotional management.Subjects and Methods Consumers with social anxiety disorder were selected as research subjects and randomly divided into an experimental group (conventional psychological intervention) and a control group (emotion-focused therapy combined with psychological distance-related theory), respectively, to provide reasonable guidance for individual emotions. Before and after the experiment, the results were analyzed with the help of the Social Anxiety Subscale of the Self-Consciousness Scale and SPSS23.0.ResultsAfter the experimental intervention, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the social anxiety scale scores of the two groups of patients (P<0.05), and the total scale scores of the experimental group and the control group were (12.34 ± 4.28) and (18.17 ± 2.13), respectively.Conclusions Emotional aggregation therapy can better enable social anxiety disorder patients to focus more on their own emotions, and psychological distance theory research can invariably draw closer to the degree of closeness between the intervener and the interviewees so that the efficacy of the treatment has a high degree of applicability and effectiveness.

The intervention of library service quality and administrators’ mental health anxiety under behavioral psychology

BackgroundIn the current information network era, librarians face more and more competitive pressure. The main reason is that some librarians’ ideas, knowledge structure, quality, and ability cannot adapt to the library work in the information technology environment. As a result, it is challenging to grasp various uncertain factors correctly, opportunities, and risks in the social environment change and its future development, resulting in different psychological anxiety problems.Subjects and MethodsBehaviorism is widely used in managing various social institutions. It has penetrated multiple fields of human social activities and daily life, such as psychological counseling, education, artistic creation, etc. Therefore, the research uses behavioral psychology to reform library service quality management. It is used to intervene in the anxiety of library managers. A total of 70 anxious librarians were randomly selected, 35 in each group. The general intervention group received conventional psychological intervention treatment, and the management innovation group used research methods to intervene based on traditional treatment. SPSS23.0 software was used for data statistical processing.ResultsBefore the intervention, the baseline data of all managers were not statistically significant (P>0.05). After the intervention, the anxiety of the management innovation group was significantly improved compared with the ordinary intervention group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe innovation of library service quality management based on behavioral psychology can effectively relieve administrators’ psychological anxiety.

The positive influence of Chinese traditional music therapy in the treatment of personality disorder

BackgroundPersonality disorder refers to the obvious deviation of personality characteristics from the normal, making people in daily life and interpersonal relationship perform abnormal behaviors. Personality disorders have a negative impact on the development of individuals and bring a negative influence on society. In addition, people with personality disorders are easy to have unstable emotions and even cause harm to themselves and others.Subjects and MethodsMusic therapy uses various forms of music to help patients heal emotionally. Among many, traditional Chinese music therapy can effectively relieve depression and improve the quality of people’s mental health. The study uses Chinese traditional music therapy to analyze its influence on the treatment of personality disorders. Fifty patients with personality disorders were randomly selected and divided into a research group and a control group, with 50 people in each group. The research group received conventional psychological intervention treatment, and the control group received traditional Chinese music therapy. After the experiment, the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was compared between the two groups. SPSS 23.0 statistical software was used for data processing.ResultsBefore the intervention, there was no statistical significance in baseline data between the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the SAS scale score of the control group was significantly higher than that of the research group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).ConclusionsChinese traditional music therapy can effectively improve personality disorders and play a positive role in people’s mental state.

Prevalence of comorbid depression and anxiety and effect of psychological interventions among schistosomiasis patients in China: a meta-analysis

To investigate the prevalence of comorbid depression and anxiety and to evaluate the effect of psychological interventions among schistosomiasis patients in China, so as to provide insights into improvements of psychological health among schistosomiasis patients. Publications pertaining to comorbid depression and anxiety and psychological interventions among Chinese schistosomiasis patients were retrieved in electronic databases, including CNKI, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. The prevalence of comorbidity, psychological interventions, and scores for the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) before and after psychological interventions among Chinese schistosomiasis patients were extracted. The prevalence of comorbid depression and anxiety was investigated among Chinese schistosomiasis patients using a meta-analysis, and the effect of psychological interventions for depression and anxiety was evaluated. A total of 231 publications were retrieved, and 14 publications that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the final analysis, including 2 English publications and 12 Chinese publications. Meta-analysis showed that the prevalence rates of comorbid depression and anxiety were 61% [95% confidential interval (CI): (48%, 72%)] and 64% [95% CI: (42%, 81%)] among Chinese schistosomiasis patients. Both the SDS [1.45 points, 95% CI: (1.30, 1.60) points] and SAS scores [2.21 points, 95% CI: (2.05, 2.38) points] reduced among Chinese schistosomiasis patients after psychological interventions than before psychological interventions, and the SDS [-0.47 points, 95% CI: (-6.90, -0.25) points] and SAS scores [-1.30 points, 95% CI: (-1.52, -1.09) points] reduced among Chinese schistosomiasis patients in the case group than in the control group. The comorbid anxiety and depression are common among Chinese schistosomiasis patients, and conventional psychological interventions facilitate the improvements of anxiety and depression among schistosomiasis patients.

Applying E-Writing Therapy to Improve Mental Wellbeing among Malaysian University Students Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that has significantly impacted people’s lives worldwide, particularly in terms of mental health and wellbeing. The implementation of frequent and restrictive movement control orders has resulted in prolonged online learning for university students. However, limited research has been conducted to test practical interventions aimed at alleviating the negative impact on the mental wellbeing of university students during the pandemic. This mixed-method research study aimed to investigate the usability of e-writing therapy as an intervention tool to improve the mental wellbeing of 40 university students in a public Malaysian higher education institution. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed, and a mental wellbeing questionnaire based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) was administered to the participants before and after the intervention. The results of paired-samples t-tests for each instrument indicated that there was no significant improvement in the students’ mental wellbeing after the four-week intervention period. However, qualitative data obtained from the students’ experiences with e-writing therapy revealed that it provided a flexible and personal safe space for emotional expression. It empowered them to address their mental health needs during the post-pandemic era, while minimising concerns about stigma, privacy and confidentiality, despite having certain challenges and concerns. Therefore, there is potential for e-writing therapy to be used as a complementary tool alongside conventional psychological interventions to address mental wellbeing issues among university students.

Application of neuro-linguistic programming in psychological intervention for patients with cervical cancer

Objective To explore the application value of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in psychological intervention for patients with cervical cancer. Methods Totally 86 patients receiving chemotherapy for cervical cancer in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2015 to December 2017 were selected by convenient sampling and divided into the observation group (n=43) and the control group (n=43) according to the random number table. Patients in the control group received conventional psychological intervention, while patients in the observation group received psychological intervention guided by NLP on this basis. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) , Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ) and 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36) were used to evaluate the status, coping style and quality of life, and compare the compliance of the two groups of patients 3 months before and after intervention. Results The SCL-90 scores in somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression of the observation group were lower than those of the control group after intervention, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . The MCMQ score in facing of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, while the scores in avoidance and yield of the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . The compliance of the observation group was better than that of the control group, and there was statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05) . Conclusions NLP can ameliorate the negative emotions of patients with cervical cancer, change their coping styles, improve their treatment compliance and quality of life, which is of clinical significance. Key words: Cervical neoplasms; Neuro-linguistic programming; Psychological intervention; Negative emotion; Coping style

A Smartphone Attention Bias Intervention for Individuals With Addictive Disorders: Protocol for a Feasibility Study.

BackgroundSubstance use disorders are highly prevalent globally. Relapse rates following conventional psychological interventions for substance use disorders remain high. Recent reviews have highlighted attentional and approach or avoidance biases to be responsible for multiple relapses. Other studies have reported the efficacy of interventions to modify biases. With advances in technologies, there are now mobile versions of conventional bias modification interventions. However, to date, no study has evaluated bias modification in a substance-using, non-Western sample. Existing evaluations of mobile technologies for the delivery of bias interventions are also limited to alcohol or tobacco use disorders.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the feasibility of mobile-based attention bias modification intervention among treatment-seeking individuals with substance use and alcohol use disorders.MethodsThis is a feasibility study, in which inpatients who are in their rehabilitation phase of clinical management will be recruited. On each day that they are in the study, they will be required to complete a craving visual analogue scale and undertake both a visual probe-based assessment and and modification task in a smartphone app . Reaction time data will be collated for the computation of baseline attentional biases and to determine whether there is a reduction of attentional bias across the interventions. Feasibility will be determined by the number of participants recruited and participants’ adherence to the planned interventions up until the completion of their rehabilitation program and by the ability of the app in detecting baseline biases and changes in biases. Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed by a short questionnaire of users’ perceptions of the intervention. Statistical analyses will be performed using SPSS version 22.0, while qualitative analysis of the perspectives will be performed using NVivo version 10.0.ResultsThis study was approved by the National Healthcare Group Domain Specific Research Board, with approval number (2018/00316). Results will be disseminated by means of conferences and publications.Currently, we are in the process of recruitment for this study.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile attention bias modification intervention for individuals with substance use disorders. The data pertaining to the feasibility and acceptability are undoubtedly crucial because they imply the potential use of mobile technologies in retraining attentional biases among inpatients admitted for medical-assisted detoxification and rehabilitation. Participants’ feedback pertaining to the ease of use, interactivity, and motivation to continue using the app is crucial because it will determine whether a codesign approach might be warranted to design an app that is acceptable for participants and that participants themselves would be motivated to use.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/11822

Enhancing the Quality and Utility of Content Analyses for Addictive Disorders.

The advances in Mobile Health (M-health) technologies has led to an increase in the numbers of alcohol and drugs applications on the commercial stores. Content analyses and reviews of applications to date have demonstrated that most of these applications are for entertainment or information purposes. More recent content analyses have identified common behavioural change techniques in substance applications. Nevertheless, there remain several limitations of existing content analyses and reviews of applications. There is an increasing prevalence of other substance-related disorders, such as that of stimulants and opioids, but the existing content analyses are limited to an analysis of alcohol and cannabis applications. Only two of the content analyses performed to date have attempted to identify applications that have their basis on a theoretical approach, based on the identification of behavioural change techniques or motivational techniques. There is a need to identify applications on the commercial stores that replicate conventional psychological interventions, or at least provide elements of conventional psychological interventions using behavioural change techniques that are integrated into the application. Further evaluative research could be done on these applications to determine if they are efficacious before using them for patient care. To address the limitation that existing content analyses have only focused on reviews of alcohol and cannabis applications, we propose for there to be updated content analyses for alcohol and cannabis, and new content analyses for other substances of abuse (such as opioids and stimulants). We like to suggest that future reviews consider keywords such as abstinence or recovery, and ones that relate to psychological therapies, such as self-determination or attention bias retraining, as commercial applications that have an underlying psychological basis might be categorised differently, under different keyword terms. We have evidence of how a better search strategy identifies previously unrecognised applications for attentional bias modification.

The influence of Rosenthal effect on the psychological status of pregnant women at risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy

Objective To explore the influence of Rosenthal effect on the psychological status of pregnant women at risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy. Methods From January 2014 to June 2015 151 cases of early pregnancy abortion risk women were set as the control group, and was given conventional psychological intervention. From July 2015 to December 2016 135 cases of early pregnancy abortion risk women were named as the observation group by convenient sampling selection, which was given interventionbased on Rosenthal effect on the basis of routine psychological intervention. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score, the introversion and extroversion scores and the satisfaction degree with intervention were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results There was no significant difference in SDS and SAS scores, inotropic challenge and extroversion challenge between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). The scores of SDS and SAS, the inotropic challenge and extroversion challenge scores were 41.45 ± 4.26, 40.34 ± 5.82, 4.76 ± 1.03, 5.55 ± 1.26 in the observation group after intervention, and 47.22 ± 3.93,47.18± 7.04,5.39 ± 1.12, 6.43 ± 1.86 respectively in the control group. There were significant difference in scores of SDS and SAS, the inotropic challenge and extroversion challenge (t=2.215-2.573, P<0.05). The satisfaction rates of the observation group and the control group were 93.32% (126/135) and 74.17% (112/151) respectively, the difference was statistically significant (χ2=5.921, P<0.05). Conclusions The intervention based on Rosenthal effect on the basis of conventional psychological intervention for early pregnancy abortion risk women can relieve negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, besides it can also improve satisfaction degree of inpatients with intervention. Key words: Rosenthal effect; Hospitalization; Risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy; Psychological status

Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: A unifying theory

Until recently, claims for the psychological benefits of physical exercise have tended to precede supportive evidence. Acutely, emotional effects of exercise remain confusing, both positive and negative effects being reported. Results of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are more consistent in indicating that aerobic exercise training has antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and protects against harmful consequences of stress. Details of each of these effects remain unclear. Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects have been demonstrated most clearly in subclinical disorder, and clinical applications remain to be exploited. Cross-sectional studies link exercise habits to protection from harmful effects of stress on physical and mental health, but causality is not clear. Nevertheless, the pattern of evidence suggests the theory that exercise training recruits a process which confers enduring resilience to stress. This view allows the effects of exercise to be understood in terms of existing psychobiological knowledge, and it can thereby provide the theoretical base that is needed to guide future research in this area. Clinically, exercise training continues to offer clinical psychologists a vehicle for nonspecific therapeutic social and psychological processes. It also offers a specific psychological treatment that may be particularly effective for patients for whom more conventional psychological interventions are less acceptable.