Negative Interpretation Research Articles

Understanding tourists’ ambassador role of their origin places from perspective of residents’ attitudes towards tourists

Recognizing the pivotal role of tourists as ambassadors for their hometown is imperative, as it relates to the dynamic host-guest relationship, thereby significantly influencing the sustainable tourism progress in both their originating locations and the visited destinations. To delve deeper into this ambassadorial role, this study employed the tripartite model of resident attitude, which bridges the intricate interplay between residents’ cognitive, affective, and conative attitudes towards tourists. 204 U.S. people have been enrolled through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to finish semi-structured questionnaire about their attitudes towards Chinese outbound tourists. Leximancer, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis approach was applied. Results demonstrated that neutral or positive cognitive-attitudes U.S. residents held towards Chinese tourists exceeded negative cognitive attitudes. Further analysis inferred that it was the interpretation or attribution of cognitive attitudes that would induce residents’ different emotional feelings and behavioral intention. Positive interpretation would lead to positive feeling (i.e., admiration) and positive intention to visit China. Negative interpretation would lead to negative feeling (i.e., contempt) and negative intention to visit China. This research provided implications for destination management organization of tourists’ origin place to incorporate outbound tourists as their place ambassadors.

RELAX (REducing Levels of AnXiety): a study protocol for a parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial evaluating a web-based early intervention for pregnant women with high levels of repetitive negative thinking to prevent escalating anxiety during pregnancy and after birth

BackgroundPerinatal anxiety is common: up to 40% of pregnant women and new mothers experience high levels of anxiety. Given its prevalence, interventions that are low-intensity, highly accessible and cost-efficient, and target modifiable risk factors for anxiety are needed. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT)—such as worrying about ways things will go wrong in the future or ruminating about past negative events—is a risk factor for the development of anxiety. RNT is maintained by the tendency to generate negative interpretations of ambiguous situations.MethodsA parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial will assess the efficacy of adding interpretation training (RELAX) to usual maternity care. Participants (N = 268) will be randomised to (i) 12 sessions of online interpretation training (RELAX) plus usual care, or (ii) usual care alone. We will assess anxiety, depression, RNT, and work and social adjustment at baseline, plus 4, 8 and 36 weeks later.DiscussionShould the intervention result in lower levels of anxiety than usual care, it could be an accessible, cost-effective way to help women who are vulnerable to experiencing anxiety in the perinatal period.Trial registrationISRCTN 12754931. Registered 25th May 2023, prior to recruitment.

A-090 Performance of GFAP and UCH-L1 Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury in the ARCHITECT i1000SR TBI Test

Abstract Background Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has been recognized as an important cause of death and disability and is a growing public health problem. An estimated 69 million people globally experience a TBI annually. The vast majority (80%) of patients evaluated for TBI in the Emergency Department will receive head CT scans, however less than 10% will have findings of acute traumatic abnormalities. This highlights the need for objective, rapid, accurate tools to help clinicians evaluate and triage patients with suspected TBI and reduce unnecessary radiation exposure. Blood based biomarkers such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) have shown utility to predict acute traumatic intracranial injury on CT scan after TBI. Methods The ARCHITECT TBI test is a panel of in vitro diagnostic chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays for the measurement of GFAP and UCH-L1 in plasma and serum. A method comparison study was performed to compare the GFAP and UCH-L1 assays on ARCHITECT i1000SR to the FDA cleared Alinity i assays. Performance characteristics such as detection limits, imprecision, linearity, and measuring interval were established following CLSI guidance. Results The analytical measuring interval (AMI) extends from the limit of quantitation (LoQ) to the upper LoQ and is determined by the range that demonstrates acceptable performance for linearity, imprecision, and bias. The AMI is 6.1 to 42,000 pg/mL for GFAP and 26.3 to 25,000 pg/mL for UCH-L1. Within-laboratory imprecision ranged from 2.2 to 6.2% CV for GFAP and 2.2 to 4.5% CV for UCH-L1. The Overall Reproducibility (includes repeatability, between-run, between-day, between-instrument variance components) results ranged from 2.7 to 6.8% CV for GFAP and 2.4 to 3.9 %CV for UCH-L1. The method comparison study evaluated 123 specimens across the range of 6.5-32,548.6 pg/mL for GFAP, and 51.5-24,127.7 for UCH-L1. The correlation coefficients were 1.0, with a slope of 1.03 and 1.06, an intercept of -0.6 and -6.0, for GFAP and UCH-L1, respectively. The results support use of the established GFAP and UCH-L1 cutoffs and clinical performance findings in a multi-site pivotal study which enrolled 1899 mild TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 13 to 15) subjects. 116 of the 120 specimens with a positive CT scan had a positive TBI interpretation (Sensitivity 96.7%). Of the 1779 subjects with negative CT scan results, 713 had a negative TBI interpretation (Specificity 40.1%). The negative predictive value (NPV) of the test was 99.4% (713/717). Conclusions The ARCHITECT TBI test performance was evaluated compared to the Alinity i TBI test across a broad concentration range of GFAP and UCH-L1. The results support equivalence of the ARCHITECT TBI test to the Alinity i TBI test. The established cutoffs were evaluated in a prospective cohort of mild TBI subjects and demonstrated high sensitivity and NPV relative to head CT scan results, supporting the utility to rule out the need for CT scan in mild TBI subjects presenting to the emergency department. Funding This work is in collaboration with the US Army Medical Materiel Development Activity, US Army Medical Research and Development Command CRADA 20-1266-CRA.

B-324 Pilot Study Result of EQA for Fecal Immunochemical Test for Hemoglobin Using a Novel Ready-to-Use Sample Material

Abstract Background The primary screening method for colorectal cancer is fecal immunochemical test (FIT) detecting human hemoglobin (Hb) in feces. There are several tests on the market both for automated analyzers and point-of-care testing (POCT). To ensure high quality results, the tests should be monitored with appropriate quality assessment procedures including participation in external quality assessment (EQA) programs. By participating in an EQA program using a stool-like material, clinical laboratories and POCT sites can fulfil the ISO 15189 requirements of monitoring the complete laboratory process from pre- to postanalytical phases in addition to the quantitative analytical phase of FIT. Here we present the first results of an international EQA pilot study for quantitative FIT using a novel ready-to-use stool-like material, performed by EQA provider Labquality. Methods 40 participants from 8 countries using 9 different FIT reagents were recruited for the pilot study performed in 2023. A set of artificial stool samples containing human hemoglobin uniformly was shipped to the participants at ambient temperature. The sample material is developed by HECTEF (Health Care Technology Foundation, Japan). The participants were instructed to collect the sample with their test specific sample collection kit and perform analysis according to the manufacturer’s instructions as a regular patient sample. Quantitative results (µg Hb/g feces) and qualitative interpretations (positive/negative) were reported in Labquality’s electronic platform LabScala. The quantitative target value was a method group consensus mean. A questionnaire regarding the usability of the sample material was sent to all participants. Results Sample S001 contained no Hb and all participants (40/40) reported a result corresponding to the lower detection limit of their test in use or a low numeric result most likely explained by unspecific background. All reported a negative interpretation. Sample S002 was a high positive sample for Hb. The measured value exceeded the upper detection limit of 4/9 tests (Exdia iFOB, Precision Biosensor; Fecal Occult Blood (iFOB) Neo, Boditech; FOB Test, VedaLab; NADAL FOB Quant test, Nal von Minden). The mean values and CV% were 116 µg/g and 8% for iFOBT, Aidian; 192 ug/g and 4% for Standard iFOB FIA, SD Biosensor; 144 µg/g and 45% for FOB assay kit FOB Gold, Sentinel Diagnostics (different clinical chemistry analyzers used); 91 µg/g and 26% for OC-Sensor FIT, Eiken Chemical. All participants responded a positive qualitative clinical interpretation. The majority of the responders on the feedback questionnaire (26/35) found the samples to be easy to use including comments of the sample being user-friendly and ready-to-use, resembling a patient sample and easy to apply with the test specific sample collection kit. Conclusions The fecal-like sample used in this Labquality’s EQA pilot study evaluates the complete analytical process including the preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical phases. An EQA scheme using this sample material is more compliant to ISO 15189 requirements compared to schemes where liquid or lyophilized samples are used. The new sample material used on this pilot study was positively received by most of the participants and it was compatible with all tests included in the study.

Studyholism and Attachment Style: A Study among Italian University Students.

Studyholism (or obsession with studying) is a new potential clinical condition introduced in the literature in 2017. Since then, growing research has supported its conceptualization as a clinical disorder and highlighted some potential intervention targets, namely trait worry, social anxiety, negative interpretation bias, and defense mechanisms. The present study aims to extend the literature concerning psychodynamic-related constructs that might constitute targets for interventions aimed at reducing Studyholism by investigating the role of attachment in 1073 students (Mage = 23.48 ± 3.77), balanced concerning civil status (i.e., currently being single or involved in a relationship/non-single). Among the main findings, we found that insecure attachment-mainly preoccupied attachment-is a positive predictor of Studyholism in both non-single and single students. However, there are also some differences depending on the civil status. Finally, (single) disengaged studyholics have a statistically significant lower level of secure attachment than (single) engaged studyholics. In conclusion, this study showed the value of distinguishing between non-single and single students when investigating the role of attachment. Regarding problematic overstudying specifically, the study provided support for its definition as a clinical disorder, also with evidence of the appropriateness of its OCD-related conceptualization. Finally, it suggests preoccupied (insecure) attachment as a target to reduce Studyholism by fostering in students the feeling of being loved and deserving of being loved in their current adult relationships.

Russia as an Object of Scientific Studies in Kyrgyzstan

The object of the study is scientific social and humanitarian publications devoted to Russia of Kyrgyzstan scientists. These are works in five disciplines: “Russian language and literature”, “political science”, “history”, “economics” and “law”. The purpose of the work is to identify the degree of study and the specificity of research on Russia in Kyrgyzstan in studies on Russian philology, history and political science, and analysis of expert-analytical and scientific-educational materials on economic and legal aspects of research.Of greatest interest to Kyrgyz researchers is Russian language, which is explained by the status and role of the Russian language in the Kyrgyz Republic and its dominant position in the capital, Bishkek, where all major universities of the republic dealing with Russian topics are located. In the sphere of the other four disciplines, the interests of researchers are limited to historical, political and economic relationships between the two states. The study showed that, in general, the ideological positions of local experts are manifested in a positive or neutral attitude towards Russia, despite individual (single) works that contain a negative interpretation of Kyrgyz-Russian relations.

Negative interpretation bias towards ambiguous facial expressions in individuals with high empathy

Negative interpretation bias towards ambiguous facial expressions in individuals with high empathy

FOMO and the ICO: The changing salience of quality signals

The manuscript investigates whether the individual personality trait, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)—typically considered negative—influences the willingness of individuals to contribute to Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), a phenomenon that emerged after the blockchain revolution. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative work in this space and present the results of an international survey, including a conjoint experiment. Theoretically, we anchor our study in signaling theory and propose that signal valence (the positive or negative interpretation of a signal) can diverge from signal intent. Specifically, we find that candidate ICO funders with strong FOMO behave predictably irrationally. They are more likely to invest in financially irresponsible projects and are less likely to invest in projects that have received recognition from established media sources or multinationals. While both financial responsibility and stakeholder recognition are ostensibly positive signals of team and project quality, we find that for ICO funders with high FOMO, the valence of these signals changes.

When and how is depression associated with ostracism among college students? The mediating role of interpretation bias and the moderating role of awareness rather than acceptance.

Depression is closely related to individual social functions. The current study aimed to examine whether depression is associated with ostracism, whether interpretation bias mediates this relationship, and whether trait mindfulness moderates direct and indirect relationships between depression and ostracism. Overall, 389 Chinese college students completed the Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale, Interpretation Bias Questionnaire, Philadelphia mindfulness scale, and perceived ostracism scale at two-time points. Latent Profile analysis and moderated mediation analysis were performed. After controlling for sex and age, depression (t1) was positively correlated to perceived ostracism, with this relationship being partially mediated by negative interpretation bias (IBN, t2). The effect of IBN on perceived ostracism was weak when awareness was high at time 2. Acceptance had a non-significant moderating role in the relationship between IBN and perceived ostracism at time 2. LPA delineated three profiles: high awareness, high acceptance, and medium mindfulness. The moderating role of the different profiles in the relationship between IBN (t2) and perceived ostracism (t2) was significant. Depressed individuals appear to experience more ostracism because of IBN. Awareness might alleviate the effect of IBN on perceived ostracism.

Associations of state and chronic loneliness with interpretation bias: The role of internalizing symptoms

Loneliness is common and, while generally transient, persists in up to 22% of the population. The rising prevalence and adverse impacts of chronic loneliness highlight the need to understand its underlying mechanisms. Evolutionary models of loneliness suggest that chronically lonely individuals demonstrate negative interpretation biases towards social information. It may also be that such biases are exacerbated by momentary increases in state loneliness, or elevated anxiety or depression. Yet, little research has tested these possibilities. The current study aimed to advance understandings of loneliness by examining associations of chronic loneliness with individual differences in negative interpretation bias for social (relative to non-social) stimuli, and testing whether these associations change in the context of increased state loneliness and current levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. These aims were explored in 591 participants who completed an interpretation bias task before and after undergoing a state loneliness induction. Participants also self-reported chronic loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Linear mixed models indicated that only state (but not chronic) loneliness was associated with more positive interpretations of non-social stimuli, with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms predicting more negative interpretations. Implications of these findings for present theoretical models of loneliness are discussed.

Web-based interpretation bias training to reduce anxiety: A sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial.

Web-based cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) can improve interpretation biases and anxiety symptoms but faces high rates of dropout. This study tested the effectiveness of web-based CBM-I relative to an active psychoeducation condition and the addition of low-intensity telecoaching for a subset of CBM-I participants. 1,234 anxious community adults (Mage = 35.09 years, 81.2% female, 72.1% white, 82.6% not Hispanic) were randomly assigned at Stage 1 of a sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial to complete five weekly sessions of CBM-I or psychoeducation on our team's public research website. After the first session, for Stage 2, an algorithm attempted to classify CBM-I participants as higher (vs. lower) risk for dropping out; those classified as higher risk were then randomly assigned to complete four brief weekly telecoaching check-ins (vs. no coaching). As hypothesized (https://doi.org/j2xr; Daniel, Eberle, & Teachman, 2020), CBM-I significantly outperformed psychoeducation at improving positive and negative interpretation biases (Recognition Ratings, Brief Body Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire) and anxiety symptoms (Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale, Anxiety Scale from Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-Short Form), with smaller treatment gains remaining significant at 2-month follow-up. Unexpectedly, CBM-I had significantly worse treatment dropout outcomes than psychoeducation, and adding coaching (vs. no coaching) did not significantly improve efficacy or dropout outcomes (notably, many participants chose not to interact with their coach). Web-based CBM-I appears effective, but supplemental coaching may not mitigate the challenge of dropout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Dreams and Grief Process in Selected Communities in Africa

Death is as old as life itself. The unpredictable psychological feeling called grief is usually accompanied by emotional setbacks such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and yearning. Within these emotions also lie the reality of dreaming about the deceased. Thus, this study aimed to assess the role of dreams in grief process among selected communities in Africa and was guided by Nyerere’s philosophy of Ujamaa. The study used a phenomenological design with a sample size of 31 respondents from the Igbo (Nigeria), Tabwa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Muganda (Angola), Agni Morofoue (Cote D’ivoire), Luo (Kenya) and Gusii (Kenya) cultures. The results of the study were interpreted using content analysis. The findings showed that dreams served the roles of comfort, encouragement, warning, revelation, and spiritual presence during grief process. The results also showed that dream images can be interpreted in three ways; positively, negatively or altered image interpretation, each having its emotional effects. Prayers, purification, libations, and ritualistic sacrifices are some of the communal healing techniques for dreams having a negative image interpretation. The study therefore recommends that detailed analysis be combined with empathetic intuition and creative imagination in dream interpretation as many African communities place great importance on dreams.

Intergenerational Transmission of Social Anxiety: The Role of Parents’ Fear of Negative Child Evaluation and Their Self-Referent and Child-Referent Interpretation Biases

Abstract Purpose Parents’ fear of negative evaluation (FNE), fear of negative child evaluation (FNCE; parents’ fear that their child is evaluated negatively by others), and self- and child-referent negative interpretation biases have been proposed to play a role in the intergenerational transmission of social anxiety. In this cross-sectional study, we tested whether parents’ self-reported FNE and self-referent interpretation bias, as well as their FNCE and child-referent interpretation bias, statistically mediated the relationship between parent social anxiety and parent-reported child social anxiety. Methods A total of 179 parents of 13–16-year-old adolescents completed questionnaires concerning own social anxiety, their FNE, and FNCE and their child’s social anxiety. Parents’ self- and child-referent interpretation biases were measured using scenario completion and memory recognition tasks. Results Parents’ FNCE partially statistically mediated the relationship between parent and child social anxiety. Parents’ FNE and their self- and child-referent interpretation biases did, however, not statistically mediate this relationship. Conclusions Parents’ FNCE does, but their FNE and self- and child-referent interpretation biases do not seem to play a role in the intergenerational transmission of social anxiety. Hence, parents’ FNCE might be a promising target for clinical practice while designing therapies and interventions concerning child social anxiety.

The Effect of Childhood Pain Experiences of Nursing Students on Fear of Pain in Adulthood

Fear of pain develops from negative interpretations and thinking that pain is equivalent to causing harm. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of childhood pain experiences of nursing students' on pain fear in adulthood. The research is descriptive and cross-sectional and its sample consisted of 176 nursing students at a state university An information form prepared by the researchers in line with the literature and the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III were used to collect the data. When the pain experienced in the same medical procedures in childhood was compared with the pain they experienced at their current age, it was determined that 65.9% of the students experienced less pain now. The total score of the students on the Fear of Pain Questionnaire was 80.57±19.77. It has been determined that the painful experiences of students in childhood affect the fear of pain in adulthood (p

Mothers' negative focus during memory‐sharing conversations is linked to negative interpretation and memory biases in young children

AbstractParent‐guided reminiscing helps children learn how to interpret and recollect personal experiences. These interpretive abilities are important because many experiences are ambiguous, and a tendency toward negative interpretation is associated with emotional disorders. Here, we explore whether naturally‐occurring variations in parent‐guided reminiscing are associated with children's interpretation and recall of novel ambiguous events. Mothers and their children (aged 5–6 years) reminisced about three shared negative events. Next, children were read several stories that described ambiguous social situations and were asked to invent endings that involved making an inference about motives of others in the stories. Later, children were asked questions to elicit story recall. Mothers who used more negative terms during reminiscing had children who were more likely to invent negative story endings and distort story recall negatively. Thus, mothers who frame memory‐sharing conversations with children negatively might put them at risk for developing negative interpretation and memory biases.

Partner-Caregivers’ Interpretation Bias and Sexual Satisfaction: Gender and Congruency in Pain-Related Beliefs

It has been suggested that family caregivers of chronic pain patients may develop cognitive biases similar to those observed among patients in previous studies. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the effect of such biases on patients’ adaptation to pain. In this study, we examined the relationship between partner-caregivers’ interpretation bias and sexual satisfaction among married heterosexual couples. We further examined the relationship between caregivers’ interpretation bias and congruency in the beliefs that patients and caregivers hold about the experience of pain. The sample comprised 32 married couples in a caregiving relationship and 28 married individuals who were neither patients nor caregivers, serving as control participants. Caregivers and controls completed a modified version of the interpretation bias task. Patients and caregivers filled out the Sexual Satisfaction Index and a Patient’s Pain-Related Disabilities Checklist. Results confirmed that a biased negative interpretation exists among caregivers when compared to partners of pain-free individuals. A noticeable gender effect was observed in the effect of interpretation bias on patients’ sexual satisfaction. Female partner-caregivers’ negative interpretation bias was associated with a lower level of sexual satisfaction among male patients. In contrast, the same bias was associated with higher levels of sexual satisfaction among female patients when observed among male partner-caregivers. Furthermore, a moderate but not symmetrical positive interpretation was associated with higher levels of congruence on the level of patients’ disability within couples. The findings are another step toward incorporating the social circuit of individuals with chronic pain conditions into intervention protocols.

Reifying dynamical algebra: Maximal ideals in countable rings, constructively

The existence of a maximal ideal in a general nontrivial commutative ring is tied together with the axiom of choice. Following Berardi, Valentini and thus Krivine but using the relative interpretation of negation (that is, as “implies 0 = 1”) we show, in constructive set theory with minimal logic, how for countable rings one can do without any kind of choice and without the usual decidability assumption that the ring is strongly discrete (membership in finitely generated ideals is decidable). By a functional recursive definition we obtain a maximal ideal in the sense that the quotient ring is a residue field (every noninvertible element is zero), and with strong discreteness even a geometric field (every element is either invertible or else zero). Krull’s lemma for the related notion of prime ideal follows by passing to rings of fractions. By employing a construction variant of set-theoretic forcing due to Joyal and Tierney, we expand our treatment to arbitrary rings and establish a connection with dynamical algebra: We recover the dynamical approach to maximal ideals as a parametrized version of the celebrated double negation translation. This connection allows us to give formal a priori criteria elucidating the scope of the dynamical method. Along the way we do a case study for proofs in algebra with minimal logic, and generalize the construction to arbitrary inconsistency predicates. A partial Agda formalization is available at an accompanying repository.11 See https://github.com/iblech/constructive-maximal-ideals/. This text is a revised and extended version of the conference paper (In Revolutions and Revelations in Computability. 18th Conference on Computability in Europe (2022) Springer). The conference paper only briefly sketched the connection with dynamical algebra; did not compare this connection with other flavors of set-theoretic forcing; and sticked to the case of commutative algebra only, passing on the generalization to inconsistency predicates and well-orders.

Not just emotion regulation, but cognition: An experience sampling study testing the relations of ecological interpretation biases and use of emotion regulation strategies with momentary affective states during daily life functioning

BackgroundCurrent research is moving from studying cognitive biases and maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) as relatively stable phenomena contributing to affective disturbances, adopting ecological methodologies, such as Experience Sampling Methods (ESM). However, there is still limited ESM evidence on the interactions between stress and ER strategies’ use, and negative interpretation biases, regarding their relations with momentary affective states. In this study, we used a new ESM design to disentangle the contextual, regulatory and cognitive processes implicated in daily affective experiences. MethodA sample of 103 participants completed an ESM study (3 times a day for 10 days) that included self-reports of momentary affect, stress intensity, ER strategies’ use and a cognitive task measuring momentary negative interpretation biases. ResultsMultilevel analyses supported significant interactions of both rumination and worry with stress intensity, to account for momentary higher negative and lower positive affect levels. Furthermore, higher state negative interpretation bias levels uniquely predicted both higher negative and lower positive momentary affect levels. ConclusionThis study implemented a novel online cognitive task within an ESM procedure, which helped to disentangle how contextual ER strategies’ use and momentary cognitive biases uniquely relate to affective experiences in daily life.

Intrusive Mental Imagery in Chronic Pain: Prevalence and Associations with Common Comorbidities

Abstract Purpose Chronic pain is a highly prevalent and distressing condition with limited treatment efficacy. Prior research reports associations between the experience of mental imagery about chronic pain and pain itself, particularly in those with anxiety and depression. However, many aspects of these associations remain unexplored. A better understanding could help improve cognitive-behavioural therapies for chronic pain. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of intrusive pain-related mental imagery in a sample of people with chronic pain, examine the extent to which this imagery explained variation in pain intensity and disability, and examine the association between negative interpretations of imagery and pain. Method A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. Participants with chronic pain (n = 151) completed standardised measures of anxiety, depression, health anxiety, general imagery use, and an adapted questionnaire about intrusive pain-related imagery. Results Intrusive pain-related imagery was present in 52.3% of the sample. Demographic variables, anxiety, depression, and health anxiety significantly explained 19% (p < .001) of the variation in pain intensity and 20.2% (p < .001) in pain disability. The presence/absence of intrusive pain-related imagery did not significantly explain any additional variance for either outcome. However negative interpretations of imagery explained additional variance in pain disability. Intrusive imagery was interpreted negatively, experienced as moderately distressing, and was associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression and health anxiety. Conclusions Experiencing intrusive imagery about pain is common, but its presence or absence appears to have no direct relationship on pain intensity or disability. The relationship is likely to be more complex, warranting further investigation. Negative interpretations of imagery represent a potential treatment target amenable to intervention.

Interpretation bias for ambiguous scenarios among individuals with high and low levels of empathy

AbstractEmpathy is the ability to understand and resonate with the emotions of others, typically requiring individuals to infer others' emotional status through the information around them. However, this information is often ambiguous and it is unknown whether individuals with high empathy have a bias in interpreting contextual information. Therefore, this study investigated how individuals with low and high empathy interpret other‐relevant scenarios in Study 1 (N = 98) and self‐relevant scenarios in Study 2 (N = 95), by using the scenarios task and the Sentence Word Association Paradigm (SWAP) separately. Study 1 observed that, for interpretations of other‐relevant scenarios, the high‐empathy group showed greater likelihood ratings for negative interpretations than those with low‐empathy in both social and non‐social scenarios. Study 2 found that, for interpretations of self‐relevant scenarios, the high‐empathy group differed from the low‐empathy group only on non‐social scenarios but not on social scenarios. Specifically, individuals with high empathy were more likely to report a relationship between a negative word and an ambiguous scenario compared to those with low empathy in self‐relevant non‐social scenarios. The study first revealed a bias for highly empathetic individuals to regard the ambiguous scenarios as negative in other‐relevant and self‐relevant scenarios, except for self‐relevant social scenarios.