Positive Emotion Induction Research Articles

Multilevel analysis of positive emotional induction: Which is the role of gender and valence on cognitive control processes?

How emotions are processed affects people's cognition and behavior. One of the most used measures to study the physiological component of emotions is heart rate (HR), where greater HR variation (range) implies greater emotional processing. Several investigations established the importance of gender modulation of these processes due to the different cultural treatment given to emotions among genders. However, very heterogeneous results are reported today, and few studies incorporated these parameters when investigating emotion modulation of cognitive processes according to individual factors. The present work consists of two studies. In a pilot study, 97 young adults, through the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), ranged the valence and arousal to select two positive and neutral videos. The second study analyses the role of gender and valence in the variation of subjective (SAM) and physiological (HR) indicators of emotional processing associated with performance in two cognitive tasks (Stroop and Tower of London) under two different emotional conditions. Participants were 60 adults, who were randomly assigned to positive or neutral video visualization, and their HR was registered. There was a tendency for women to have higher HR during positive videos than in neutral. While the subjective reports indicated variances in the appraisal of the videos, the heart rate did not exhibit differences across the experimental conditions. Few studies integrate emotional and cognitive components, and include physiological and subjective measures of emotional processing. These findings illustrate the importance of including various measures of emotional and cognitive processing.

Empirical Study on the Impact of Different Types of Forest Environments in Wuyishan National Park on Public Physiological and Psychological Health

Amidst the challenges of global environmental change and urbanization, the salutary effects of natural environments on public health are increasingly being recognized. This study investigates the specific effects of varied forest environments in China’s Wuyishan National Park on physiological and psychological health. Eight distinct forest environments were carefully selected, and a repeated-measures ANOVA approach was used to evaluate 41 participants over three days. Physiological assessments included Heart Rate Variability, Skin Conductance Level, and surface Electromyography, complemented by psychological evaluations using the Profile of Mood States. The key findings include the following: (1) Notable variations in physiological indicators were observed among different forest types. In valley tea gardens and broadleaf forest streamside, significant changes in heart rate indicators highlighted the influence of these settings on autonomic nervous activities. Skin Conductance Level and surface Electromyography also indicated varying emotional arousal and pleasure across the forests. The mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest valley, along with the rock-bedded streamscape, elicited emotions of low arousal but high pleasure, inducing feelings of calmness and pleasure. The valley’s tea gardens were associated with low arousal and pleasure, suggesting tranquility without positive emotional induction, while the broadleaf ridge forest induced high arousal and pleasure, reflecting an exciting and joyful environment. (2) The study found that different forest environments had a notable impact on participants’ mood states, indicating reductions in tension, anger, fatigue, and depression, along with an increase in vigor levels. In summary, forest environments offer unique psychological and physiological health benefits compared to urban settings. These findings underscore the importance of integrating forest environments into urban development and public health frameworks, and the need to further explore their impact on the health of diverse populations.

The effect of experimental emotion induction on experimental pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The idea that emotions can influence pain is generally recognized. However, a synthesis of the numerous individual experimental studies on this subject is lacking. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the existing evidence on the effect of experimental emotion induction on experimental pain in nonclinical adults. PsycInfo and PubMed were searched up until April 10, 2023, for studies assessing differences in self-reported pain between emotion induction groups and/or control groups or between conditions within group. Risk of bias was assessed for the individual studies. The literature search yielded 78 relevant records of 71 independent studies. When compared with control conditions, the pooled results revealed a statistically significant pain-attenuating effect of positive emotion induction (between-group: Hedges g = -0.48, 95% CI: -0.72; -0.25, K = 9; within-group: g = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.32; -0.15, K = 40), and a statistically significant pain-exacerbating effect of negative emotion induction in within-group analyses but not between-group analyses (between-group: g = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.66; 0.07, K = 10; within-group: g = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06; 0.23, K = 39). Bayesian meta-analysis provided strong support for an effect of positive emotion induction but weak support for an effect of negative emotion induction. Taken together, the findings indicate a pain-attenuating effect of positive emotion induction, while the findings for negative emotion induction are less clear. The findings are discussed with reference to theoretical work emphasizing the role of motivational systems and distraction for pain. Limitations include considerable heterogeneity across studies limiting the generalizability of the findings.

The role of emotions in augmented reality

AbstractAugmented reality (AR) can induce emotions among its users. However, emotional valence is often studied with a singular focus (e.g., enjoyment), which disregards and overlooks the multifaceted nature of emotional valence. Taking a multifaceted perspective of emotional valence, this study aims to broaden understanding of how induced emotions can drive consumers’ inclination to use AR. A multifaceted emotion measurement scale was modified and utilized (nStudy1: 224), followed by two experimental studies (nStudy2: 214;nStudy3: 200). These experiments entailed a design wherein the experimental group explored products using an AR app while the control group navigated the mobile website of the same company devoid of any AR features. Our findings indicate that the use of AR instigates expressive emotions, further eliciting emotion components spanning both affective and physiological dimensions. In instances of positive emotions, at least two out of the three elicited emotion components consistently led to a heightened desire to engage with AR. Negative emotions produce no significant effects. Taken collectively, the principal theoretical contribution of this study lies in its elucidation of the components and elicitation patterns of emotions tied to AR, whereas the practical standpoint of these findings underscores the necessity for both developers and marketers to comprehend the pivotal role that the induction of positive expressive emotions plays in designing effective AR apps. These insights should therefore pave the way for more intuitively engaging and emotionally satisfying AR experiences for consumers.

Micro-expression recognition based on EEG signals

Research into micro-expression recognition is increasingly motivated by its potential applications to mental-health diagnosis and policing. Thus far, micro-expression recognition research and applications have been based on computer vision processing technology, with notable limitations. For instance, changes in ambient lighting or in the head posture and facial occlusion can all affect micro-expression recognition. The high temporal resolution of EEG technology captures brain activity associated with micro-expressions, and hence objectively identifies micro-expressions from a neurophysiological perspective. Herein, we report a real-time supervision and emotional expression suppression (SEES) experimental paradigm. We collected micro-expression video and EEG data from 68 subjects under positive emotion induction. Thereafter, the EEG frequency-band power, statistical features, autoregressive (AR) model parameters, and wavelet entropy were extracted as features. We ranked all 128 channels based on the micro-expression recognition task classification accuracy using all the features extracted for each channel. Based on the channel ranking, different sizes of channel combinations were chosen. Subsequently, the optimal subset of these features from different combinations was selected using a sequential backward selection (SBS) algorithm and fed into different classifiers, including a support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), gradient-boosted decision tree (GBDT), and back-propagation (BP) neuron network. The different classifiers achieve promising accuracy for micro-expression recognition, with GBDT exhibiting the highest accuracy of 85.96 % when 11 channels were selected. This demonstrates the feasibility of recognizing micro-expressions based on EEG signals.

Down-Regulation of Tinnitus Negative Valence via Concurrent HD-tDCS and PEI Technique: A Pilot Study.

Around 30% of the general population experience subjective tinnitus, characterized by conscious attended awareness perception of sound without an external source. Clinical distress tinnitus is more than just experiencing a phantom sound, as it can be highly disruptive and debilitating, leading those affected to seek clinical help. Effective tinnitus treatments are crucial for psychological well-being, but our limited understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms and a lack of a universal cure necessitate further treatment development. In light of the neurofunctional tinnitus model predictions and transcranial electrical stimulation, we conducted an open-label, single-arm, pilot study that utilized high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) concurrent with positive emotion induction (PEI) techniques for ten consecutive sessions to down-regulate tinnitus negative valence in patients with clinical distress tinnitus. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of 12 tinnitus patients (7 females, mean age = 51.25 ± 12.90 years) before and after the intervention to examine resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) alterations in specific seed regions. The results showed reduced rsFC at post-intervention between the attention and emotion processing regions as follows: (1) bilateral amygdala and left superior parietal lobule (SPL), (2) left amygdala and right SPL, (3) bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and bilateral pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), and (4) left dlPFC and bilateral pgACC (FWE corrected p < 0.05). Furthermore, the post-intervention tinnitus handicap inventory scores were significantly lower than the pre-intervention scores (p < 0.05). We concluded that concurrent HD-tDCS and PEI might be effective in reducing tinnitus negative valence, thus alleviating tinnitus distress.

Feeling Virtually Present Makes Me Happier: The Influence of Immersion, Sense of Presence, and Video Contents on Positive Emotion Induction.

Immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), have great potential for enhancing users' emotions and wellbeing. However, how immersion, Virtual Environment contents, and sense of presence (SoP) influence emotional responses remains to be clarified to efficiently foster positive emotions. Consequently, a total of 26 participants (16 women, 10 men, 22.73 ± 2.69 years old) were exposed to 360-degree videos of natural and social contents on both a highly immersive Head-Mounted Display and a low immersive computer screen. Subjective emotional responses and SoP were assessed after each video using self-reports, while a wearable wristband collected continuously electrodermal activity and heart rate to record physiological emotional responses. Findings supported the added value of immersion, as more positive emotions and greater subjective arousal were reported after viewing the videos in the highly immersive setting, regardless of the video contents. In addition to usually employed natural contents, the findings also provide initial evidence for the effectiveness of social contents in eliciting positive emotions. Finally, structural equation models shed light on the indirect effect of immersion, through spatial and spatial SoP on subjective arousal. Overall, these are encouraging results about the effectiveness of VR for fostering positive emotions. Future studies should further investigate the influence of user characteristics on VR experiences to foster efficiently positive emotions among a broad range of potential users.

Posttraumatic stress as a moderator of the association between HPA-axis functioning and alcohol use disorder among a community sample of women currently experiencing intimate partner violence.

Women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) experience a heightened prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis functioning has been associated with increased risk for AUD in other populations, including individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The goal of the present study was to determine whether PTSD symptom severity exacerbates the relationship between HPA-axis functioning and AUD. Participants were 151 community women who had experienced physical or sexual IPV in the past 30 days by their current male partners and used any amount of alcohol or drugs. A two-phase emotion induction protocol was utilized: Neutral mood induction followed by randomly assigned negative, positive, or neutral emotion induction. Saliva cortisol samples were obtained immediately following the neutral mood induction (baseline HPA-axis functioning), 20 min following the individualized emotion induction script (HPA-axis reactivity), and 40 min post the emotionally evocative cue (HPA-axis recovery). Findings revealed that PTSD symptom severity moderated the relations between baseline HPA-axis functioning and HPA-axis recovery and log odds of meeting criteria for AUD. Specifically, baseline HPA-axis functioning was positively associated with log odds of meeting criteria for AUD at high (but not low) PTSD symptom severity, whereas HPA-axis recovery was negatively associated with log odds of meeting criteria for AUD at high (but not low) PTSD symptom severity. Results contribute to our understanding of the biological processes involved in the etiology and maintenance of AUD among women experiencing IPV-specifically the prominent role of PTSD symptom severity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The undoing-hypothesis in athletes - three pilot studies testing the effect of positive emotions on athletes’ psychophysiological recovery

Three pilot studies were performed to investigate the undoing-hypothesis (i.e., fast psychophysiological recovery due to positive emotions after stressor) in an athletic sample – after 1) a psychosocial stressor (study 1, N = 19), 2) a physiological stressor (study 2, N = 14), and 3) a simulated competition (study 3, N = 13). Therefore, the effect of positive emotion interventions on cardiovascular (heart rate, blood pressure, heart rate variability) and psychological (perceived positive and negative emotions, arousal, valence) recovery was tested in comparison to neutral interventions. Additionally, study 3 examined the impact on performance after the intervention. Results only confirmed the undoing-hypothesis after a psychosocial stressor (study 1), showing greater increases in perceived positive emotions and a long-lasting decline in diastolic blood pressure after the positive emotion induction compared to the neutral condition. No effects on performance were found. Despite missing significance, descriptive analyzes indicated that our results are in line with the undoing-hypothesis, calling for further research in a greater sample to explore its full potential for athletes. Especially its impact on performance should be examined in future studies.

Experimental Investigation of the Influence of Positive Emotion Dysregulation on Risky Behavior Following Idiographic Emotion Inductions.

An experimental paradigm with subjective and objective assessments was used to further explicate the role of positive emotion dysregulation on risky behavior. Participants were 151 community women currently experiencing intimate partner violence and using substances (Mage = 40.81, 43.0% white). Participants were randomly assigned to positive, negative, and neutral idiographic emotion inductions. Subjective (state self-report) and objective (high frequency heart rate variability [hfHRV], skin conductance response, and salivary cortisol) markers of emotion dysregulation were assessed, following which participants completed subjective (state urges for substances) and objective (Balloon Analogue Risk Task) measures of risky behavior. Results showed (a) greater self-reported state emotion dysregulation and lower hfHRV predicted more urges for substances in the positive (versus negative and neutral) emotion induction conditions; and (b) lower hfHRV predicted more behavioral risk-taking propensity in the positive (versus neutral) emotion induction condition. Findings provide additional support for the influence of positive emotion dysregulation on risky behavior.

Self-Entropic Broadening Theory: Toward a New Understanding of Self and Behavior Change Informed by Psychedelics and Psychosis.

The extremes of human experiences, such as those occasioned by classic psychedelics and psychosis, provide a rich contrast for understanding how components of these experiences impact well-being. In recent years, research has suggested that classic psychedelics display the potential to promote positive enduring psychologic and behavioral changes in clinical and nonclinical populations. Paradoxically, classic psychedelics have been described as psychotomimetics. This review offers a putative solution to this paradox by providing a theory of how classic psychedelics often facilitate persistent increases in well-being, whereas psychosis leads down a "darker" path. This will be done by providing an overview of the overlap between the states (i.e., entropic processing) and their core differences (i.e., self-focus). In brief, entropic processing can be defined as an enhanced overall attentional scope and decreased predictability in processing stimuli facilitating a hyperassociative style of thinking. However, the outcomes of entropic states vary depending on level of self-focus, or the degree to which the associations and information being processed are evaluated in a self-referential manner. We also describe potential points of overlap with less extreme experiences, such as creative thinking and positive emotion-induction. Self-entropic broadening theory offers a heuristically valuable perspective on classic psychedelics and their lasting effects and relation to other states by creating a novel synthesis of contemporary theories in psychology. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Self-entropic broadening theory provides a novel theory examining the psychedelic-psychotomimetic paradox, or how classic psychedelics can be therapeutic, yet mimic symptoms of psychosis. It also posits a framework for understanding the transdiagnostic applicability of classic psychedelics. We hope this model invigorates the field to provide more rigorous comparisons between classic psychedelic-induced states and psychosis and further examinations of how classic psychedelics facilitate long-term change. As a more psychedelic future of psychiatry appears imminent, a model that addresses these long-standing questions is crucial.

Affective state contributes to creative self-efficacy: Evidence from an experimental study of emotion induction

The present study aims to examine the effect of emotional state on creative self-efficacy through the lens of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997), which posits that affective state is an important personal source of creative self-efficacy. An experimental study was conducted to illustrate the roles of emotion induction in creative self-efficacy. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: a positive emotion induction group (n = 223), a negative emotion induction group (n = 223), and a control group (n = 222). Emotional state and creative self-efficacy were assessed with the Affect Grid and the Creative Self-Efficacy subscale in the Short Scale of Creative Self (SSCS[CSE]), respectively. Lending support to social cognitive theory, our findings illustrate that emotional state significantly accounted for 15–21% of the variance in creative self-efficacy. Enriching the discourse of social cognitive theory, our findings further reveal the significant roles of both dimensions of emotional state (i.e., arousal and valence) in predicting creative self-efficacy. The findings highlighting the facilitating role of moderately aroused positive affect in creative self-efficacy respond to the call for research related to the positive psychology movement, which is an important trend that seeks to improve human functioning by promoting positive affect and human characteristics.

Dose-Response Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Study Design: A Well-Controlled Adaptive Seamless Bayesian Method to Illuminate Negative Valence Role in Tinnitus Perception.

The use of transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) in the modulation of cognitive brain functions to improve neuropsychiatric conditions has extensively increased over the decades. tES techniques have also raised new challenges associated with study design, stimulation protocol, functional specificity, and dose-response relationship. In this paper, we addressed challenges through the emerging methodology to investigate the dose-response relationship of High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD tDCS), identifying the role of negative valence in tinnitus perception. In light of the neurofunctional testable framework and tES application, hypotheses were formulated to measure clinical and surrogate endpoints. We posited that conscious pairing adequately pleasant stimuli with tinnitus perception results in correction of the loudness misperception and would be reinforced by concurrent active HD-tDCS on the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC). The dose-response relationship between HD-tDCS specificity and the loudness perception is also modeled. We conducted a double-blind, randomized crossover pilot study with six recruited tinnitus patients. Accrued data was utilized to design a well-controlled adaptive seamless Bayesian dose-response study. The sample size (n = 47, for 90% power and 95% confidence) and optimum interims were anticipated for adaptive decision-making about efficacy, safety, and single session dose parameters. Furthermore, preliminary pilot study results were sufficient to show a significant difference (90% power, 99% confidence) within the longitudinally detected self-report tinnitus loudness between before and under positive emotion induction. This study demonstrated a research methodology used to improve emotion regulation in tinnitus patients. In the projected method, positive emotion induction is essential for promoting functional targeting under HD-tDCS anatomical specificity to indicate the efficacy and facilitate the dose-finding process. The continuous updating of prior knowledge about efficacy and dose during the exploratory stage adapts the anticipated dose-response model. Consequently, the effective dose range to make superiority neuromodulation in correcting loudness misperception of tinnitus will be redefined. Highly effective dose adapts the study to a standard randomized trial and transforms it into the confirmatory stage in which active HD-tDCS protocol is compared with a sham trial (placebo-like). Establishing the HD-tDCS intervention protocols relying on this novel method provides reliable evidence for regulatory agencies to approve or reject the efficacy and safety. Furthermore, this paper supports a technical report for designing multimodality data-driven complementary investigations in emotion regulation, including EEG-driven neuro markers, Stroop-driven attention biases, and neuroimaging-driven brain network dynamics.

Resilience predicts posttraumatic cognitions after a trauma reminder task and subsequent positive emotion induction among veterans with PTSD. Correction to Szabo et al. (2022).

Using a quasi-experimental design, we examined the association between trait resilience and state PTCs in veterans with PTSD (n = 47, Mage = 48.60, 91.8% male) at two points: following a written trauma narrative exposure (Time 1 [T1]), and following a subsequent positive distraction task (i.e., brief, positive video; Time 2 [T2]). After controlling for PTSD symptom severity and combat exposure, resilience was negatively associated with PTCs at T1 (ΔR2 = .19) and T2 (ΔR2 = .13). However, resilience was a poor predictor of change in PTCs from T1 to T2. We also examined the relationship between resilience and subtypes of PTCs: resilience was associated with negative views of the self (T1, ΔR2 = .24) but not negative views of the world or self-blame (T1, ΔR2s ≤ .07); these results were consistent at T2. Thus, resilience may attenuate negative trauma-related cognitions after trauma recall; however, this study was not designed to test causal pathways. Future research could examine whether resilience-building exercises reduce negative PTCs after trauma reminders among veterans. Additional research is needed to generalize to other trauma-exposed populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Resilience predicts posttraumatic cognitions after a trauma reminder task and subsequent positive emotion induction among veterans with PTSD.

Using a quasi-experimental design, we examined the association between trait resilience and state PTCs in veterans with PTSD (n = 47, Mage = 48.60, 91.8% male) at two points: following a written trauma narrative exposure (Time 1 [T1]), and following a subsequent positive distraction task (i.e., brief, positive video; Time 2 [T2]). After controlling for PTSD symptom severity and combat exposure, resilience was negatively associated with PTCs at T1 (ΔR2 = .19) and T2 (ΔR2 = .13). However, resilience was a poor predictor of change in PTCs from T1 to T2. We also examined the relationship between resilience and subtypes of PTCs: resilience was associated with negative views of the self (T1, ΔR2 = .24) but not negative views of the world or self-blame (T1, ΔR2s ≤ .07); these results were consistent at T2. Thus, resilience may attenuate negative trauma-related cognitions after trauma recall; however, this study was not designed to test causal pathways. Future research could examine whether resilience-building exercises reduce negative PTCs after trauma reminders among veterans. Additional research is needed to generalize to other trauma-exposed populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Resilience Predicts Posttraumatic Cognitions After a Trauma Reminder Task and Subsequent Positive Emotion Induction Among Veterans With PTSD

Supplemental Material for Resilience Predicts Posttraumatic Cognitions After a Trauma Reminder Task and Subsequent Positive Emotion Induction Among Veterans With PTSD

Effect of mental resilience of left-behind children on self-esteem and emotional processing bias and social coping styles.

The long-term separation of parents and children as well as the incomplete family structure affect the mental health development of left-behind children and the formation of healthy personality, good interpersonal relationships and positive coping styles in adulthood. At present, there is insufficient empirical investigations on the mental resilience of left-behind children. It is aimed to understand the mental health of left-behind children and explore the characteristics of mental resilience, self-esteem and emotional processing bias, as well as social coping styles. The random sampling method is used to select the left-behind children as the research subject. The general demographic information questionnaire, RSCA (Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent), emotional self-rating scale, SES (Self-Esteem Scale), and coping style questionnaire are used for the survey. Also, the experiments on cognitive processing bias effects of self-esteem and emotion are further carried out. There are differences in demographic variables in mental resilience, self-esteem level, emotional level, and social coping styles. The low mental resilience group shows a processing bias towards low praise words, while the high mental resilience group shows a processing bias towards high praise words. At a low level of self-esteem, there is an interaction between mental resilience and self-esteem on low praise words. Mental resilience has a significant effect on the cognitive processing bias of emotion. Under the induction of positive emotions, the high mental resilience group responds significantly more slowly to the negative words than the low mental resilience group. Under the induction of negative emotions, the high mental resilience group responds significantly faster to the negative words than the low mental resilience group. Promoting the mental health education of left-behind children can start from enhancing positive emotions, reducing negative emotions, developing high self-esteem, and improving mature coping styles.

Positive emotion induction improves cardiovascular coping with a cognitive task.

Feeling positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive cardiovascular response (greater heart rate variability, HRV), associated with improved cognitive performance. This study aims to test whether the induction of a positive emotional state produce such cardiovascular response and therefore, enhance coping and performance in Tower of Hanoi (ToH). Forty-two Participants were randomly distributed into two groups (Experimental and Control). Experimental group was subjected to the evocation of a memory of success, while control group was subjected to an attentional task before performing ToH. Heart Rate Variability (HRV), activity of the zygomatic major muscle (ZEMG) and emotions were measured. Emotional induction increased ZEMG activity, feelings of emotional valence and HRV, but the performance in ToH was not different from control. Experiencing positive emotions seems to favour an adaptive psychophysiological response when faced with a complex cognitive task. These results are discussed in relation to clinical practice and health.

Positive Emotion Induction for Pain Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis- A Quasi-experimental Study

Introduction: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease and a substantial proportion of patients continue to suffer from chronic pain and disability despite standard pharmacotherapy. A substantial proportion of patients with RA also develop anxiety and depressive symptoms. Positive Emotion Induction (PEI) has been shown to reduce pain symptoms. Aim: To know the effect of positive emotion induction as an adjunctive intervention on RA associated pain and disability. Materials and Methods: The longitudinal hospital based study was conducted at the Outpatient Department of Rheumatology and Psychiatry, Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara Hospital, Mysuru, Karnataka, India, from January 2018 to June 2019, included 85 consecutive participants with RA were recruited and assessed at baseline with Health Assessment Questionnaire scale {HAQ-DI and Visual Analog Scale (VAS)}, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D). Six session of PEI was done using recreating pleasant memory and the same was practiced at home daily by the patient. All participants were reassessed with the same parameter after three months. Paired sample t-test was done to know the change in the score pre and post test on the score of HAQ-DI and VAS, HAM-A, HAM-D. The value of statistical significance was p-value ≤0.05. Results: The majority of the participants belonged to 40-50 years of age, were married, females, studied to middle school, of low socio-economic status, had a nuclear family. The majority had duration of RA been two to four years, with severe illness and were on regular medication. Statistically significant difference was observed in pre and post test on the score of HAQ-VAS (t=8.23, p&lt;0.05), HAM-A (t=11.40, p&lt;0.05) and HAM-D (t=10.95, p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Brief psychological intervention (PEI) may be a useful adjunct intervention in patients with RA. Further study is needed to explore the clinical use of the PEI for intervention in RA.

Effectiveness of the level of personal relevance of visual autobiographical stimuli in the induction of positive emotions in young and older adults: pilot study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe ability to retrieve specific memories is a cognitive and emotional protective factor. Among the most effective techniques to generate autobiographical memories is the use of audio-visual stimuli, particularly images. Developing and improving techniques that facilitate the generation of such memories could be highly effective in the prevention of depressive symptoms, especially in the elderly population. The aim of the present study is to examine how the level of personal relevance of pictures as autobiographical memory cues to induce positive emotions may affect an individual’s emotion regulation.MethodsThe participants, 120 older adults aged 65 and over and 120 young adults aged between 18 and 35, of both sexes and without depressive symptoms, will be induced to a negative mood state by means of viewing a film clip. Following the negative mood induction, the participants will be shown positive images according to experimental group to which they were randomly assigned (high personal relevance: personal autobiographical photographs; medium personal relevance: pictures of favourite locations associated with specific positive autobiographical memories; and low personal relevance: positive images from the International Affective Picture System). We will analyse the differences in subjective (responses to questionnaires) and objectives measures (EEG signal, heart rate variability and electrodermal activity) between the groups before and after the induction of negative affect and following the recall of positive memories.DiscussionThe use of images associated with specific positive autobiographical memories may be an effective input for inducing positive mood states, which has potentially important implications for their use as a cognitive behavioural technique to treat emotional disorders, such as depression, which are highly prevalent among older adults.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04251104. Registered on 30 January 2020.