Measures Of Social Functioning Research Articles

Effects of intranasal oxytocin on cigarette withdrawal and smoking in the laboratory: Differences by sex and social functioning traits.

Intranasal oxytocin (INOT) has received attention as a treatment for substance use disorders including tobacco dependence. However, it is unclear whether INOT-related effects differ by sex and social functioning traits. This study examined the influence of sex and two trait social functioning measures (hostility and rejection sensitivity) on INOT effects on abstinence-related subjective measures and smoking lapse. Adults who smoked cigarettes daily (N = 64; 21-40 years; 39% female) completed trait hostility and rejection sensitivity surveys at baseline followed by three experimental sessions following 12-hr smoking abstinence. Each session, participants received a single INOT dose (placebo, 20, 40 international units [IU]) in counterbalanced order, completed withdrawal, smoking urges and affect questionnaires, and a smoking lapse analog task. Interactive effects between INOT and sex, hostility, or rejection sensitivity on all outcomes were analyzed. INOT produced differential effects as a function of sex, trait hostility, and rejection sensitivity. The 20 IU dose worsened abstinence-related subjective effects for individuals with high trait hostility. Both INOT doses decreased smoking urges for high rejection sensitivity, and the 20 IU dose increased smoking urges for low rejection sensitivity. INOT increased withdrawal symptoms, smoking urges, and feelings of anger in females but not males. INOT did not improve withdrawal symptoms during abstinence and did not affect smoking lapse. While INOT produced some beneficial effects for a subset of participants with high rejection sensitivity, it worsened abstinence-related symptoms for others. Our results suggest that sex and social functioning should be considered when examining the therapeutic potential of INOT for smoking cessation in future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of family-genetic risk scores on social functioning in individuals affected with six major psychiatric and substance use disorders in a Swedish National Sample.

To examine whether the level of genetic risk in psychiatric disorders impacts the social functioning of affected individuals, we examine the relationship between genetic risk factors for major depression (MD), anxiety disorders (AD), bipolar disorder (BD), non-affective psychosis (NAP), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and drug use disorder (DUD) in disordered individuals and five adverse social outcomes: unemployment, residence in areas of social deprivation, social welfare, early retirement, and divorce. We examine all cases with registration for these disorders from 1995 to 2015 in individuals born in Sweden. Genetic risk was assessed by the family genetic risk score (FGRS) and statistical estimates by Cox proportional hazard models. High genetic risk was significantly and modestly associated with poorer social outcomes in 23 of 30 analyses. Overall, genetic risk for MD, AD, AUD, and DUD impacted social functioning more strongly in affected individuals than did genetic risk for BD and NAP. Social welfare had the strongest associations with genetic risk, and residence in areas of high deprivation had the weakest. In individuals suffering from psychiatric and substance use disorders, high levels of genetic risk impact not only clinical features but also diverse measures of social functioning.

A psychometric analysis of the Japanese version of the clinically useful depression outcome scale supplemented with questions for the DSM-5 anxious distress specifier (CUDOS-A).

The aim of the study was to identify the clinical significance of anxiety in those with depression, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5) defined criteria for an anxious distress specifier for major depressive disorder (MDD). The Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) supplemented with questions for the DSM-5 anxious distress specifier (CUDOS-A) is a self-report instrument to assess the clinical significance of anxiety in addition to assess symptoms and the severity of depression. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the CUDOS-A. An observational, prospective study was conducted with 131 MDD outpatients and 200 healthy controls. The Japanese version of the CUDOS-A, along with other measures, was administered to assess depressive symptoms, anxiety, social function, and biological rhythm. Reliability and validity analyses were performed, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and contrasted-groups validity. The Japanese version of the CUDOS-A demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.78). Significant positive correlations were found between the CUDOS-A and measures of depression, anxiety, social function, and biological rhythm (all, p < 0.001), supporting its convergent validity. The CUDOS-A effectively differentiated between patients with MDD and healthy controls (p < 0.001), indicating good contrasted-groups validity. The Japanese version of the CUDOS-A is a useful measure for research and for clinical practice, enabling the efficient assessment of anxious distress in individuals with depression.

Advancing the Measurement of Social Functioning in Schizophrenia: Applications of Egocentric Social Network Analysis.

People with schizophrenia face challenges with forming and maintaining social relationships, often resulting in poor social functioning. Commonly used measures of social functioning provide broad information relating to social relationships, but they do not adequately capture information regarding network structure and characteristics of network members. One method that can assess these more detailed aspects of social networks and provide a more comprehensive understanding of social functioning deficits is egocentric social network analysis (SNA). SNA is a scientific discipline that uses principles of network science and graph theory to analyze social relations quantitatively. Even though some types of SNA have been applied in prior schizophrenia studies, its application as a framework to measure social functioning has been extremely limited. Therefore, this article aims to formally introduce SNA and select quantitative SNA metrics, including measures of network composition, structure, homophily, and centrality, to schizophrenia researchers as novel ways of measuring components of social functioning. To demonstrate the application of SNA, we provide illustrative examples of the SNA metrics and graphical diagrams of social networks for two individuals with schizophrenia.

Linking 24-hour movement behavior guidelines to academic engagement and social-emotional functioning among youth with chronic pain

BackgroundGrowing evidence documents the health benefits of meeting the 24-h movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines (including recommendations concerning physical activity [PA], screen time [ST], and sleep [SL]) regardless of age or health status. However, the association between meeting the 24-HMB guidelines and academic engagement, social functioning, and emotional functioning has not been investigated in children and adolescents (youth) with chronic pain. Therefore, this cross-sectional study examined the potential links between meeting the 24-HMB guidelines and indicators of the above-mentioned outcomes in a nationally representative sample of U.S. youth with chronic pain. MethodsData from caregiver proxy reports for 7918 U.S. children and adolescents with chronic pain, aged between 6 and 17 years, were retrieved from the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health. Exposures of interest included the isolated and combined 24-HMB guidelines, while outcomes included measures of academic engagement, social functioning, and emotional functioning. To determine the association between the variables mentioned above, a logistic regression analysis was conducted using adjustment for confounding variables (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity, household federal poverty level [FPL] status, education level of primary caregivers, premature birth, and overweight). ResultsA low (4.53 %) proportion of U.S. youth with chronic pain met the combined 24-HMB guidelines. As compared to the reference group (i.e., did not meet the 24-HMB guidelines), youth with chronic pain who met the combined 24-HMB guidelines (referring to PA + ST, PA + SL, PA + ST + SL) showed significantly better performance on our measures of interest (e.g., learning interest/curiosity, difficulty in making friends, resilience; p < 0.05 for all). ConclusionsIn youth with chronic pain, meeting the 24-HMB guidelines is associated with better academic engagement, social functioning, and emotional functioning. However future intervention studies are necessary to provide more robust evidence before more firm conclusions can be drawn. Our results suggest that fostering a healthy lifestyle behavior in this vulnerable population might support their social-emotional and cognitive development (e.g., academic engagement).

Predicted Brain Age in First-Episode Psychosis: Association with Inexpressivity.

Accelerated brain aging is a possible mechanism of pathology in schizophrenia. Advances in MRI-based brain development algorithms allow for the calculation of predicted brain age (PBA) for individuals. Here, we assessed PBA in 70 first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum individuals (FESz) and 76 matched healthy neurotypical comparison individuals (HC) to determine if FESz showed advanced aging proximal to psychosis onset and whether PBA was associated with neurocognitive, social functioning, or symptom severity measures. PBA was calculated with BrainAgeR (v2.1) from T1-weighted MR scans. There were no differences in the PBAs between groups. After controlling for actual age, a "younger" PBA was associated with higher vocabulary scores among all individuals, while an "older" PBA was associated with more severe negative symptom "Inexpressivity" component scores among FESz. Female participants in both groups had an elevated PBA relative to male participants. These results suggest that a relatively younger brain age is associated with a better semantic memory performance. There is no evidence for accelerated aging in FESz with a late adolescent/early adult onset. Despite a normative PBA, FESz with a greater residual PBA showed impairments in a cluster of negative symptoms, which may indicate some underlying age-related pathology proximal to psychosis onset. Although a period of accelerated aging cannot be ruled out with disease course, it does not occur at the time of the first episode.

Narrative-Derived Indices of Metacognition among People with Schizophrenia: Associations with Self-Reported and Performance-Based Social Functioning.

Metacognitive functioning-which broadly encompasses the mental processes involved in thinking about the thinking of one's self and the thinking of others-is often impaired among individuals living with schizophrenia and may contribute to difficulties in social and interpersonal functioning. Although the majority of studies assessing metacognition among individuals with schizophrenia use standardized, laboratory-based measurements, an increasing number of studies have measured metacognitive capacity using natural language produced by individuals living with mental illness. At the same time, less is known about how language-derived indices of metacognitive function relate to key social outcomes among people with schizophrenia. The primary objective of this study was to employ a validated language coding system (the Metacognition Assessment Scale, Abbreviated; MAS-A) to assess metacognitive functioning from the spoken life narratives of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 32) and community controls (n = 15). Among individuals with schizophrenia, we also examined the associations between language-derived metacognition and measures of self-reported and performance-based social functioning. Our results suggest that most aspects of metacognition in our sample were not significantly diminished in people with schizophrenia compared to community controls. Unexpectedly, the MAS-A subscale related to one's ability to master psychological difficulties was rated higher among individuals with schizophrenia. Further, our results suggest that among people with schizophrenia, higher metacognitive functioning in the domain of self-reflectivity was associated with poorer self-reported social functioning, while a greater metacognitive awareness of other individuals' minds was associated with better scores on aspects of performance-based social functioning. Collectively, these results underscore the utility of assessing metacognitive functioning via life-story narratives to understand social outcomes and highlight possible aspects of resiliency among individuals who have experienced a serious mental illness.

Effectiveness of family metacognitive training in mothers with psychosis and their adolescent children: a multicenter study protocol.

More than half of women with psychosis take care of their children despite the difficulties caused by the disease. Additionally, these kids have a higher risk of developing a mental health disorder. However, no interventions have been developed to meet these needs. Metacognitive Training (MCT) is a psychological intervention that has demonstrated its efficacy in improving cognitive insight, symptom management and social cognition in people with first-episode psychosis (FEP). Additionally, MCT has shown better results in women than men with FEP. This study aims to adapt and evaluate the efficacy of MCT-F in mothers and adolescent children in an online group context with the main purpose of improving family relationships, cognitive awareness and symptoms in women with psychosis and increase their children's knowledge of the disease and their functioning. As secondary objectives, it also aims to evaluate improvements in metacognition, social cognition, symptoms, protective factors and self-perception of stigma. A quasi-experimental design with participants acting as their own control will be carried out. Forty-eight mothers with psychosis and their adolescent children (between 12 and 20 years old) recruited from a total of 11 adult mental health care centers will receive MCT-F. Participants will be evaluated 11 weeks before the intervention (T1), at baseline (T2), and post-intervention (T3) with a cognitive insight scale, as a primary outcome. Measures of metacognitive and social cognition, symptoms, cognitive functioning, family and social functioning, protective factors (self-esteem, resilience, and coping strategies) and self-perceived stigma will be addressed as secondary outcomes. Assessment will also address trauma and attachment in mothers and, lastly, the feasibility and acceptability of MCT-F in both participant groups. This will be the first investigation of the efficacy, acceptability, and viability of the implementation of MCT-F. The results of this study may have clinical implications, contributing to improving mothers' with psychosis and adolescents' functioning and better understanding of the disease, in addition to the possible protective and preventive effect in adolescents, who are known to be at higher risk of developing severe mental disorders.Clinical trial registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier [NCT05358457].

Validation of the Japanese version of the Social Functioning in Dementia scale and COVID-19 pandemic's impact on social function in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia.

We aimed to psychometrically evaluate and validate a Japanese version of the Social Functioning in Dementia scale (SF-DEM-J) and investigate changes in social function in people with dementia during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. We interviewed people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia and their caregivers during June 2020-March 2021 to validate patient- and caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J and compared their scores at baseline (April 2020 to May 2020) and at 6-8 months (January 2021 to March 2021) during a time of tighter COVID-19 restrictions. The neuropsychology clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at Osaka University Hospital and outpatient clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Daini Osaka Police Hospital, Japan. 103 dyads of patients and caregivers. SF-DEM-J, Mini-Mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Apathy Evaluation Scale. The scale's interrater reliability was excellent and test-retest reliability was substantial. Content validity was confirmed for the caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J, and convergent validity was moderate. Caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J was associated with apathy, irritability, loneliness, and cognitive impairment. The total score of caregiver-rated SF-DEM-J and the score of Section 2, "communication with others," significantly improved at 6-8 months of follow-up. The SF-DEM-J is acceptable as a measure of social function in MCI and mild dementia. Our results show that the social functioning of people with dementia, especially communicating with others, improved during the COVID-19 pandemic, probably as a result of adaptation to the restrictive life.

Non-Pharmacologic Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment in Pediatrics: Impact on Symptoms, Daily Functioning, and the Family Unit.

Objectives: To assess non-pharmacologic treatment outcomes pertaining to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in youth with chronic idiopathic pain and their families. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 115 youth with chronic idiopathic pain enrolled in a non-pharmacologic, hospital-based intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) program. HRQoL measures for the patient (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory [PedsQL] short form) and family unit (PedsQL Family Impact) were collected on admission and discharge as part of routine clinical care. Changes in PedsQL scores were calculated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore factors associated with patient-level HRQoL. Results: Both individuals and the family unit reported that their HRQoL improved in all domains by program completion. Improvements in pain and allodynia were present for program participants at the time of completion as well as at the 3-month follow-up, suggesting durability of these effects. Conclusions: A non-pharmacologic IIPT program is a compelling treatment for pediatric and adolescent chronic idiopathic pain, for both patients and the family unit. Patients participating in this program had positive treatment outcomes with significantly improved subjective and objective measures of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive function.

Naturally occurring low sociality in female rhesus monkeys: A tractable model for autism or not?

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent social interaction impairments and is male-biased in prevalence. We have established naturally occurring low sociality in male rhesus monkeys as a model for the social features of ASD. Low-social male monkeys exhibit reduced social interactions and increased autistic-like trait burden, with both measures highly correlated and strongly linked to low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentration. Little is known, however, about the behavioral and neurochemical profiles of female rhesus monkeys, and whether low sociality in females is a tractable model for ASD.MethodsSocial behavior assessments (ethological observations; a reverse-translated autistic trait measurement scale, the macaque Social Responsiveness Scale-Revised [mSRS-R]) were completed on N = 88 outdoor-housed female rhesus monkeys during the non-breeding season. CSF and blood samples were collected from a subset of N = 16 monkeys across the frequency distribution of non-social behavior, and AVP and oxytocin (OXT) concentrations were quantified. Data were analyzed using general linear models.ResultsNon-social behavior frequency and mSRS-R scores were continuously distributed across the general female monkey population, as previously found for male monkeys. However, dominance rank significantly predicted mSRS-R scores in females, with higher-ranking individuals showing fewer autistic-like traits, a relationship not previously observed in males from this colony. Females differed from males in several other respects: Social behavior frequencies were unrelated to mSRS-R scores, and AVP concentration was unrelated to any social behavior measure. Blood and CSF concentrations of AVP were positively correlated in females; no significant relationship involving any OXT measure was found.LimitationsThis study sample was small, and did not consider genetic, environmental, or other neurochemical measures that may be related to female mSRS-R scores.ConclusionsDominance rank is the most significant predictor of autistic-like traits in female rhesus monkeys, and CSF neuropeptide concentrations are unrelated to measures of female social functioning (in contrast to prior CSF AVP findings in male rhesus monkeys and male and female autistic children). Although preliminary, this evidence suggests that the strong matrilineal organization of this species may limit the usefulness of low sociality in female rhesus monkeys as a tractable model for ASD.

Assessing social functioning and disability: initial exploratory psychometric findings of a promising instrument in adolescents with chronic illness

ABSTRACT Social competence is crucial to functioning in youth with chronic medical conditions. Developmentally sensitive measures of social functioning in this population can aid clinicians in identifying skill deficits and informing treatment interventions that improve social competence. The study explored the psychometric properties of a proposed social functioning measure utilizing data obtained from a clinical sample of chronically ill adolescents enrolled in an evidence-based manualized psychosocial treatment program. Initial exploratory findings support the potential for the SDI to be a valid, reliable, and clinically sensitive measure of adolescent social functioning in teens experiencing functional disability associated with their chronic health conditions.

Measuring Incompatibilities between Areas of Life in Cancer Survivors: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the INCOMPAT‐CS Instrument

Objective. Due to various long‐term consequences of the disease, cancer survivors (CS) can experience incompatibilities between areas of life (work, family, household, leisure time, and disease) that can be associated with reduced satisfaction with these areas of life. To be able to assess such incompatibilities quantitatively, a six‐item instrument (INCOMPAT‐CS) was developed and psychometrically evaluated. Methods. Based on relevant theories, a multidisciplinary team developed the items of the INCOMPAT‐CS. Descriptive analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as validity and reliability assessments were conducted using survey data from n = 293 CS collected as part of the CARES study. Incompatibilities between areas of life were measured with the newly developed INCOMPAT‐CS instrument. Results. A one component solution with satisfactory model fit (normed χ2 = 1.90, RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.99, and TLI = 0.97) was identified in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The INCOMPAT‐CS demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.790) and high test‐retest reliability ρ = 0.569 (p &lt; 0.001). Convergent validity could be demonstrated (CR = 0.858 and AVE = 0.506). Hypothesis‐consistent correlations with role and social functioning measures further indicate convergent validity. Conclusions. The INCOMPAT‐CS is useful to assess incompatibilities among areas of life in CS quantitatively. Moreover, it helps to reveal the areas negatively affected due to incompatibilities. This short instrument can be useful in aftercare or psychosocial support interventions to detect incompatibilities and work towards reducing them as a consequence to increase CS’ wellbeing.

Scalability, test-retest reliability and validity of the Brief INSPIRE-O measure of personal recovery in psychiatric services.

Mental health services have transitioned from treating symptoms to emphasizing personal recovery. Despite its importance, integrating personal recovery into clinical practice remains work in progress. This study evaluates the psychometric qualities of the Brief INSPIRE-O, a five-item patient-reported outcome measure assessing personal recovery. The study collected data from 2018 to 2020 at the Mental Health Services, Capital Region of Denmark, using an internet-based system examining 8,192 non-psychotic patients - receiving outpatient treatment. This study evaluated the Brief INSPIRE-O and used measures of symptomatology (SCL-10), well-being (WHO-5), and social functioning (modified SDS). The study population comprised 76.8% females with a mean age of 32.9 years, and diagnoses included anxiety (28%), depression (34%), and personality disorder (19%). The mean Brief INSPIRE-O score (39.9) was lower than the general population norm (71.1). The Brief INSPIRE-O showed acceptable test-retest reliability (0.75), scalability (0.39), and internal consistency (0.73). Correlations with other mental health criteria were in the expected direction for symptomatology (-0.46), well-being (0.60), and social functioning (-0.43) and remained consistent across diagnoses. The Brief INSPIRE-O demonstrated strong psychometric qualities and could be recommended as a measure of personal recovery for use in both research and clinical practice. Its strong theoretical basis and short completion time make it suitable for use for research. Incorporating Brief INSPIRE-O into clinical assessment will further support the process of mental health systems re-orientating towards personal recovery.

Psychometric properties of the 10-item Autism Quotient in an acute psychiatric sample

PurposeDiagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are commonly missed among psychiatric patients. As such, a brief screening tool that reliably captures ASD symptoms could help to facilitate access to diagnosis. We evaluated the factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the 10-item Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10; Allison et al., 2012) in a diagnostically diverse sample of patients with acute mental illness. MethodsParticipants (n = 305) were patients with a variety of mood, anxiety, personality, and psychotic-spectrum disorders seeking treatment at a cognitive-behavioral therapy partial hospital program. They completed the AQ-10 on their second day of the treatment program. ResultsResults suggests that a unifactorial structure of the AQ-10 had poor model fit and internal consistency. A modified, 5-item version (AQ-5) demonstrated acceptable unidimensional model fit and internal consistency; however, the items exclusively assess the social aspects of ASD and neglect restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activity, therefore limiting validity. Indeed, while the AQ-5 and the AQ-10 demonstrated similar convergent validity with measures of social functioning, the AQ-5 demonstrated poor convergent validity with overall functional impairment relative to the AQ-10. ConclusionOur findings highlight that the AQ-10 may not be well suited to assess ASD symptoms among patients with acute mental illness.

Abstract A106: Examining the role of social connection on allostatic load and quality of life in African American prostate cancer survivors

Abstract Background. Racial disparities in prostate cancer (PC) survivorship persist despite clinical advancements. Chronic stress may contribute to these disparities, with allostatic load (AL) considered a measure of such stress. Associations between AL and survivorship outcomes such as quality of life (QoL) are documented, yet less is known about factors influencing these relationships. Social connections (SC) (e.g., social networks, social support) are associated with improved QoL in survivors, yet which aspects of SC and which pathways linking SC to QoL remain unclear. Additionally, little is known about the SC of African American PC survivors (AAPCS) and how these relate to QOL, stress, and AL. This study explores the relationship between SC, stress (perceived and AL) and QOL in in 48 AAPCS enrolled in Men Moving Forward, a randomized trial to improve body composition through lifestyle change. Methods. At baseline, participants completed surveys including: the Cohen Social Network Index assessing 3 aspects of social networks: network size (# of ties with regular contact), diversity (# of roles with regular contact) and embeddedness (# of domains with 4 or more regular contacts); Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures of social support (companionship, emotional and informational support); the perceived stress scale, and PROMIS measures of physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, social function, and pain intensity. The latter were used to generate summative physical (PQOL) and mental (MQOL) health standardized T-scores (U.S. population mean=50, SD=10). AL scores used 15 criterion reflecting neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, immune, and metabolic systems. Each criterion was assigned a score of 0 or 1: 1 if in the high-risk range based on clinical guidelines. An index score was generated by summing high-risk indicators. Pearson correlations were used to explore the relationship between aspects of SC and QOL and SC and stress variables. Results. The average AL score was 5.8 (SD ± 2.3) of a maximum 15. No significant correlations were found between any SC domains and AL. However, negative associations were identified between network size (r=-.313, p=0.030), emotional support (r=-.319, p = 0.027), companionship (r=-.313, p=0.030) and perceived stress. A positive association was found between loneliness and perceived stress (r=.521, p&amp;lt;0.000). MQOL was positively related to network size (r=.364, p=0.011), emotional support (r=.366, p=0.011), and companionship (r=.288, p=0.047). Loneliness was negatively associated with MQOL (r=-.626, p&amp;lt;0.000) and PQOL (r=-.407, p=0.006). Conclusions. These findings suggest SC has a positive impact on survivorship in AAPCS, and that structural and functional aspects of SC may be involved. Currently, limited resources are available for PC survivors, and even fewer are tailored for AAPCS. Future efforts to improve survivorship for AAPCS should consider assessing social networks and access to social support when initiating survivorship care. Citation Format: Iwalola A. Awoyinka, Kathryn Flynn, Deepak Kilari, Kathryn Bylow, Jennifer Knight, Jamila Kwarteng, Anjishnu Banerjee, Kirsten M. Beyer, Staci Young, Patricia Sheean, Paula Papanek, Melinda Stolley. Examining the role of social connection on allostatic load and quality of life in African American prostate cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A106.

Social participation of school-aged survivors of pediatric brain tumors: A daily diary report.

Difficulties with social functioning are common among survivors of pediatric brain tumors. Social participation is an understudied measure of social functioning that is associated with emotional health across the lifespan. This paper uses a diary method to assess the social participation of survivors of pediatric brain tumors in middle childhood. Survivors of pediatric brain tumors (N=47; age 10.6±1.4years; 51.1% male, 89.4% White) who were 5.3 (SD=2.4, range: 2-9.9) years post therapy completed a daily diary assessment of social interaction (5-7days) and an objective measure of facial affect recognition. The participant's caregiver completed the NIH Toolbox Emotion Measures and a background information questionnaire. Overall, frequency and quality of reported social interactions were low for survivors, with a large subset of survivors (n=16, 34%) endorsing fewer than 10 social interactions over the course of a typical school week, and almost half of parents (48.9%) reporting that their child participates in zero social activities outside of school during a typical week. Participants engaged in more positive social participation exhibited stronger social skills (facial affect recognition (F(2,44) =4.85, p<.05). School-aged survivors of pediatric brain tumors seemed to be infrequently engaged in social participation and quality interaction with peers. More specifically, the interactions most commonly reported on the diary assessment are not indicative of friendship development and maintenance. Survivors of pediatric brain tumors would likely benefit from interventions designed to increase quality time spent with peers.

A network analysis of pain intensity and pain-related measures of physical, emotional, and social functioning in US military service members with chronic pain.

The purpose of this study was to apply network analysis methodology to better understand the relationships between pain-related measures among people with chronic pain. We analyzed data from a cross-sectional sample of 4614 active duty service members with chronic pain referred to 1 military interdisciplinary pain management center between 2014 and 2021. Using a combination of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System measures and other pain-related measures, we applied the "EBICglasso" algorithm to create regularized partial correlation networks that would identify the most influential measures. Pain interference, depression, and anxiety had the highest strength in these networks. Pain catastrophizing played an important role in the association between pain and other pain-related health measures. Bootstrap analyses showed that the networks were very stable and the edge weights accurately estimated in 2 analyses (with and without pain catastrophizing). Our findings offer new insights into the relationships between symptoms using network analysis. Important findings highlight the strength of association between pain interference, depression and anxiety, which suggests that if pain is to be treated depression and anxiety must also be addressed. What was of specific importance was the role that pain catastrophizing had in the relationship between pain and other symptoms suggesting that pain catastrophizing is a key symptom on which to focus for treatment of chronic pain.

Functional brain connectivity during social attention predicts individual differences insocial skill.

Social attention involves selectively attending to and encoding socially relevant information. We investigated the neural systems underlying the wide range of variability in both social attention ability and social experience in a neurotypical sample. Participants performed a selective social attention task, while undergoing fMRI and completed self-report measures of social functioning. Using connectome-based predictive modeling, we demonstrated that individual differences in whole-brain functional connectivity patterns during selective attention to faces predicted task performance. Individuals with more cerebellar-occipital connectivity performed better on the social attention task, suggesting more efficient social information processing. Then, we estimated latent communities of autistic and socially anxious traits using exploratory graph analysis to decompose heterogeneity in social functioning between individuals. Connectivity strength within the identified social attention network was associated with social skills, such that more temporal-parietal connectivity predicted fewer challenges with social communication and interaction. These findings demonstrate that individual differences in functional connectivity strength during a selective social attention task are related to varying levels of self-reported social skill.

Corpus callosum microstructural organization mediates the effects of physical neglect on social cognition in schizophrenia

Exposure to early life adversity is associated with both increased risk of developing schizophrenia and poorer performance on measures of social cognitive functioning. In this study, we examined whether interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Corpus Callosum (CC) microstructure mediated the association between childhood physical neglect and social cognition. Fifty-eight patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were included. The CANTAB emotion recognition task (unbiased hit rate) was used to assess social cognition. We found that the microstructural organization of the CC significantly mediated the association between physical neglect and emotion recognition. Furthermore, in a sequential mediation analysis that also considered the role of inflammatory response, the association between physical neglect, and lower emotion recognition performance was sequentially mediated by higher IL-6 and lower fractional anisotropy of the CC. This mediating effect of IL-6 was only present when simultaneously considering the effects of CC microstructural organization and remained significant while controlling for the effects of sex, BMI and medication dosage (but not age). Overall, the findings suggest that the association between physical neglect and poorer emotion recognition in schizophrenia occurs, at least in part, via its association with white matter microstructure.