Negative Attention Research Articles

Antidepressants combined with psychodrama improve the coping style and cognitive control network in patients with childhood trauma-associated major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUNDThe use of antidepressant therapy alone has a limited efficacy in patients with childhood trauma-associated major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the effectiveness of antidepressant treatment combined with psychodrama in these patients is unclear.AIMTo evaluate the effectiveness of antidepressant treatment combined with psychodrama.METHODSPatients with childhood trauma-associated MDD treated with antidepressants were randomly assigned to either the psychodrama intervention (observation group) or the general health education intervention (control group) and received combination treatment for 6 mo. The observation group received general health education given by the investigator together with the “semi-structured group intervention model” of Yi Shu psychodrama. A total of 46 patients were recruited, including 29 cases in the observation group and 17 cases in the control group. Symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as coping style and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were assessed before and after the intervention.RESULTSSymptoms of depression and anxiety, measured by the Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory, were reduced after the intervention in both groups of patients. The coping style of the observation group improved significantly in contrast to the control group, which did not. In addition, an interaction between treatment and time in the right superior parietal gyrus node was found. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the right superior parietal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus in the observation group increased after the intervention, while in the control group the connectivity decreased.CONCLUSIONThis study supports the use of combined treatment with antidepressants and psychodrama to improve the coping style of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD. Functional connectivity between the superior parietal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus was increased after this combined treatment. We speculate that psychodrama enhances the internal connectivity of the cognitive control network and corrects the negative attention bias of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD. Elucidating the neurobiological features of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD is important for the development of methods that can assist in early diagnosis and intervention.

Media multitasking, depression, and anxiety of college students: Serial mediating effects of attention control and negative information attentional bias

BackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic provides an environment for frequent media multitasking, which might associate with an increase in depression and anxiety. Since many studies have found that media multitasking negatively affects cognitive capacity, we propose a cognitive perspective to explore how media multitasking may associate with mental health. This study examined the potential mediating role of attention control and negative information attentional bias in the relationship between media multitasking and anxiety and depression.MethodsParticipants (n = 567) were recruited from college students in China. They completed an online survey that included the Media Multitasking Inventory (MMI), Attention Control Scale (ACS), Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale (APNI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). After exploring the correlations between the measures, serial mediation models were examined.ResultsThe results indicated significant positive correlations between media multitasking and anxiety and depression. Media multitasking, anxiety, and depression were negatively correlated with attention focusing, while positively correlated with negative information attention bias. Media multitasking did not correlate with attention shifting. Mediation modeling demonstrated that attention focusing and negative information attention bias played a serial mediating role in the relationship between media multitasking and anxiety and depression. However, the results did not support the serial mediation model through attention shifting and negative information attention bias.ConclusionMedia multitasking does not directly influence anxiety and depression, while attention focusing and negative information attention bias play serial mediating roles in their relationship. This study highlights the potential cognitive mechanisms between media multitasking and anxiety and depression, providing theoretical support for interventions in individual mental health during the epidemic.

The antidepressant effect of cognitive reappraisal training on individuals cognitively vulnerable to depression: Could cognitive bias be modified through the prefrontal-amygdala circuits?

Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is one of the core treatment components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and is the gold standard treatment for major depressive disorders. Accumulating evidence indicates that cognitive reappraisal could function as a protective factor of cognitive vulnerability to depression. However, the neural mechanism by which CR training reduces cognitive vulnerability to depression is unclear. There is ample evidence that the prefrontal–amygdala circuit is involved in CR. This study proposes a novel cognitive bias model of CR training which hypothesizes that CR training may improve the generation ability of CR with altered prefrontal–amygdala functional activation/connectivity, thus reducing negative cognitive bias (negative attention bias, negative memory bias, negative interpretation bias, and/or negative rumination bias) and alleviating depressive symptoms. This study aims to (1) explore whether there is abnormal CR strategy generation ability in individuals who are cognitively vulnerable to depression; (2) test the hypothesis that CR training alleviates depressive symptoms through the mediators of cognitive bias (interpretation bias and/or rumination bias); (3) explore the neural mechanism by which CR training may enhance the ability of CR strategy generation; and (4) examine the short- and long-term effects of CR training on the reduction in depressive symptoms in individuals who are cognitively vulnerable to depression following intervention and 6 months later. The study is promising, providing theoretical and practical evidence for the early intervention of depression-vulnerable individuals.

How Does Exposure to EITI Member Countries Affect Extractive Industry Conduct?

We analyze the effect of petroleum company exposure to host countries that are members of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) on corporate conduct. To identify causal effects of company EITI exposure, we combine fixed effects models with a shift-share instrumental variable approach. Our results show that increased exposure to EITI member countries increases the amount of negative media attention related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters a company receives. This reflects both a significant increase in the range of ESG issues companies receive negative attention on, and an increase in the depth of criticism on individual issues, in particular corruption. The increased negative attention is unlikely to reflect a constructive exposure of companies to more transparent institutions, as company policy on corresponding ESG dimensions shows no improvement with increased EITI exposure. Our results instead suggest that EITI exposure is at best inconsequential for corporate behaviour, and at worst contributes to greenwashing of extractive company conduct.

L’Oréal’s Dilemma: Aligning Beauty Trends With Ethical Goals

On January 31, 2017, L’Oréal became a founding member of the Responsible Mica Initiative to combat safety concerns within their supply chain involving the mineral mica. Mica is affordable and holds unique qualities that make it very attractive in the cosmetic industry. However, it has received a lot of negative attention in recent years due to private investigations exposing inconsistencies between the message companies are sending to their customers, and what is actually happening within mining communities. As the leading cosmetic company in the world, L’Oréal’s actions have a large impact on these communities. This case study examines the approach L’Oréal has taken to combat these issues and possible extra steps they could take.

Environmental reputational risk, negative media attention and financial performance

AbstractTracing negative media attention, this paper investigates the effect of reputational risk on firm value. Decomposing reputational damage into environmental, social and corporate‐governance dimensions, it reports that environmental reputational risk has the most significant negative effect on price earnings, i.e., firms exposed to environmental risk are likely to be priced at a discount or charged a higher risk premium when discounting future earnings.

Rules of Origin in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Conceptual and Practical Challenges

In the context of preferential trade agreements, Rules of Origin have attracted negative attention for their propensity to serve protectionist objectives. Against this background, the author seeks to shed light on several conceptual and practical challenges in connection with the Rules of Origin negotiated in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The discussion proceeds from two basic propositions: first, the Rules of Origin included in this agreement resemble, in essential terms, those included in other modern EU trade agreements with advanced-economy partners; and second, preferential Rules of Origin, such as those agreed between the EU and the UK, embody the outcome of reconciling the divergent interests of import-competing and export industries by the negotiating partners. The author has identified and analysed the following specific challenges posed by the Rules of Origin in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: (1) limited possibilities for origin cumulation; (2) protectionist potential of transitional origin requirements and origin quotas; (3) trade-hindering effect with respect to Northern Ireland; and (4) chilling effect of the potential review of inward processing schemes on trade. Based on the analysis conducted, the author concludes that these challenges negatively affect trade because they operate to foreclose the expansion of legitimate trade opportunities under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Origin, Rules of Origin, Preferential Origin, Free Trade Agreements, EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Brexit, Inward Processing, Returned Goods, Diagonal Cumulation, Origin Quotas

Quantifying the structural and temporal characteristics of negative links in signed citation networks

Although the citation relationships among papers can help in tracking and understanding the development of knowledge, few studies have noted that the content and sentiments of citations of a paper differ. Here, we use sentiment-labeled citation data to construct a directed signed citation network, in which an author may agree with or criticize the cited paper and these represent different ways of inheriting knowledge. The dataset we use consists of 9,038 papers in the field of Computational Linguistics, including 25,275 citations, with 20.8% positive citations, 8.6% negative citations and 70.6% neutral citations. We systematically quantify the structural patterns of negative citations, impact assortativity of involved papers, occurrence time distribution and consequences of receiving negative attention. Remarkably, we find that papers with different impacts have a similar probability of receiving negative citations, and highly cited papers tend to give negative citations to low-impact papers around but avoid giving negative citations to high-impact papers. Our research also reveals the random occurrence rules and colocation patterns of negative citation distribution. In addition, we show that, in the short term, around 60% of multiple negative citations is positively related to the impact of the cited paper while more than 80% are negatively related to the impact in the long run. Our findings explain the pattern by which negative citations occur and deepen the understanding of negative citations.

UK Vice Chancellor compensation: Do they get what they deserve?

The compensation received by UK Vice Chancellors (VCs) has been on an upward trend in recent years and attracted a lot of negative media attention. In this paper, we examine whether VCs receive the compensation they deserve. Using a panel dataset covering the academic years 2007/2008 to 2018/2019, we develop a model to predict expected VC compensation to determine whether VCs are over- or undercompensated. Our model finds that VCs are not overcompensated regarding their base salary, but some are overcompensated in terms of their benefits and pension contributions. However, there is very little difference in terms of characteristics of over- and undercompensated VCs, indicating that on average, UK VCs receive the compensation they deserve. For robustness purposes, we employ a variety of alternative model specifications and subsamples which all support our previous findings.

Media Attention, Environmental Information Disclosure and Corporate Green Technology Innovations in China’s Heavily Polluting Industries

ABSTRACT Green technology innovation is an effective way to overcome the constraints of combining resources and environment. This paper focuses on the impacts of media attention and corporate environmental information disclosure on green technology innovation of China’s 487 listed heavily polluting companies from 2007 to 2019. The corporate environmental information disclosure was measured using text analytics and data mining and considering the impacts of political connections. The results indicate that: (1) both positive and negative media attention and the quality of environmental information disclosure significantly contribute to corporate green technology innovation, with negative media attention having a more substantial impact than positive media attention; (2) The environmental information disclosure of China’s heavily polluting industries acts as a mediator in the impact of negative media attention on enterprise green technology innovation; (3) Political connection as a moderating factor has a major suppressive impact on the mediating model. This paper enriches the research relevant to the drivers of green technology innovation in enterprises. It also provides new ideas for exploring the research on the influence on green technology innovation behavior from the perspective of political connections.

Nuanced Longitudinal Effects of Domains of Perceived Gender Similarity on Adolescent Peer Victimization.

Gender similarity is an indicator of perceived fit with own-gender peers and other-gender peers and is strongly correlated with indicators of adolescent adjustment, including negative peer interactions. Although gender similarity is generally studied as a composite variable, evidence is increasing that peer victimization might be uniquely related to specific domains of gender similarity such as appearance or interests. A better understanding of the specific factors that motivate peer victimization will likely aid in intervention efforts. We analyzed five domains of own- and other-gender similarity (feelings, actions, appearance, preferences, time spent with peers) for adolescents, and explored whether they uniquely predicted negative peer interactions including general peer victimization (e.g., pushing/hitting) and experiencing or perpetrating gender-based peer victimization (e.g., anti-gay name-calling) over time. With 407 adolescents (14–17 years old, Mage = 15.42, 50% girls, 52% White) from two timepoints that were six months apart, we first conducted MANOVAs at T1 to assess gender differences in peer victimization experiences. Next, we conducted logistic regression path analyses to model the relation between gender similarity and peer victimization over time. Adolescents reported unique outcomes for different domains of gender similarity with girls focused on appearance and boys focused on not spending time with girls. We discuss how girls’ and boys’ experiences of gender similarity may be differentially informed by androcentric culture and how different expressions of gender uniquely provoke negative peer attention.

Reduction of automatically maintained self-injurious behavior

Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is highly prevalent in the population of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with one-third of the sample engaging in it and in most cases, SIB is automatically reinforced. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of the noncontingent matched stimulation (NCRMS) procedure in combination with wearing wrist weights on reducing automatically reinforced SIB in an 11-year-old participant with ASD and epilepsy who exhibited high rates of head and chin SIB, as well as to examine the effectiveness of the isolated application of those two procedures. NCRMS procedure alone leads to immediate SIB reduction for head SIB of 75% on average while for chin SIB leads to 90% of reduction on average. Wrist weight wearing alone was not as efficient, since it led to head SIB reduction of 31% on average and chin SIB reduction with an average of 51%. A combination of those two procedures was proven to be successful in reducing SIB, with the average success rate of 93% for head SIB and 98% for chin SIB. We believe that wearing wrist weights only increased response effort for engaging in problem behaviour, while the NCRMS procedure matched the reinforcing properties of SIB and consequently reduced it. It is important to examine the practical aspect of wearing massagers outside of the house because it can lead to attracting negative attention from others and future research might examine the acceptability of NCRMS procedure implementation that involves the use of certain objects that are not socially acceptable for public use.

The effects of media and peers on negative body image among Chinese college students: a chained indirect influence model of appearance comparison and internalization of the thin ideal

BackgroundNegative body image is a common psychological phenomenon among Chinese college students meriting investigation. Peers and the media are important factors that negatively influence body image. This study explored the mechanisms of media and peers promoting negative body image among Chinese college students.MethodData from 407 college students (173 men and 234 women) were collected using the Revised Social and Cultural Attitude Questionnaire of Appearance, Appearance Comparison Scale, Peer Impact Scale, and Negative Body Image Scale.ResultsCorrelational analysis results demonstrated that media attention was not significantly correlated with negative body image. All other variables were significantly positively correlated. Path analysis results indicated that the direct effect of media attention on negative body image was not significant, while the direct effect of peer impact was significant. In addition, appearance comparison and internalization of the thin ideal acted as a chained indirect effect between negative body image, media attention, and peer impact.ConclusionsThe research revealed that focusing on perfect bodies displayed in the media did not produce a negative body image. However, focusing on the media and peer conversations regarding the body caused the participants to compare appearances and internalize ideal body shape standards, leading to negative self-evaluations.

Current Insights Into the Role of Neuropeptide Y in Skin Physiology and Pathology.

Neuropeptide Y is widely distributed within the body and has long been implicated as a contributor to skin disease based on the correlative clinical data. However, until recently, there have been few empirical investigations to determine whether NPY has a pathophysiological role in the skin. Due to appearance-altering phenotypes of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo, those suffering from these diseases often face multiple forms of negative social attention. This often results in psychological stress, which has been shown to exacerbate inflammatory skin diseases – creating a vicious cycle that perpetuates disease. This has been shown to drive severe depression, which has resulted in suicidal ideation being a comorbidity of these diseases. Herein, we review what is currently known about the associations of NPY with skin diseases and stress. We also review and provide educated guessing what the effects NPY can have in the skin. Inflammatory skin diseases can affect physical appearance to have significant, negative impacts on quality of life. No cure exists for these conditions, highlighting the need for identification of novel proteins/neuropetides, like NPY, that can be targeted therapeutically. This review sets the stage for future investigations into the role of NPY in skin biology and pathology to stimulate research on therapeutic targeting NPY signaling in order to combat inflammatory skin diseases.

The Rebellious Attitudes Of Forugh Farrokhzad's Poetry

Forugh Farrokhzad was one of Iran’s pre-eminent mid-20th-century writers, both reviled and revered for her poems, which often dealt with female desire. Throughout her life she struggled with how her gender affected the reception of her work in a culture where women were often confined to traditional roles, but where there are few higher callings than the life of a poet. Farrokhzad's strong feminine voice became the focus of much negative attention and open disapproval, both during her lifetime and in posthumous reception of her work. Emphasizing on human issues, she also calls for a recognition of women's abilities that goes beyond the traditional binary oppositions. Farrokhzad is Iran's most revered female poet. She was a poet of great audacity and extraordinary talent. Her poetry was the poetry of protest-- protest through revelation-- the revelation of the innermost world of women (considered taboo until then), their intimate secrets and desires, their sorrows, longings, aspirations and at times even their articulation through silence. Her poems are still relevant in their advocacy for women’s liberation and independence. In this paper, we will disscuss the rebellious attitudes of Forugh Farrokhzad’s poety.

Discussion of Dhaliwal, Goodman, Hoffman, and Schwab (2019): Revisiting Tax-Related Reputational Costs

Discussion of Dhaliwal, Goodman, Hoffman, and Schwab (2019): Revisiting Tax-Related Reputational Costs

MRI as a screening tool for prostate cancer: current evidence and future challenges

PurposeProstate cancer (PCa) screening, which relies on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, is a contentious topic that received negative attention due to the low sensitivity and specificity of PSA to detect clinically significant PCa. In this context, due to the higher sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), several trials investigate the feasibility of “MRI-only” screening approaches, and question if PSA testing may be replaced within prostate cancer screening programs.MethodsThis narrative review discusses the current literature and the outlook on the potential of MRI-based PCa screening.ResultsSeveral prospective randomized population-based trials are ongoing. Preliminary study results appear to favor the “MRI-only” approach. However, MRI-based PCa screening programs face a variety of obstacles that have yet to be fully addressed. These include the increased cost of MRI, lack of broad availability, differences in MRI acquisition and interpretation protocols, and lack of long-term impact on cancer-specific mortality. Partly, these issues are being addressed by shorter and simpler MRI approaches (5–20 min bi-parametric MRI), novel quality indicators (PI-QUAL) and the implementation of radiomics (deep learning, machine learning).ConclusionAlthough promising preliminary results were reported, MRI-based PCa screening still lack long-term data on crucial endpoints such as the impact of MRI screening on mortality. Furthermore, the issues of availability, cost-effectiveness, and differences in MRI acquisition and interpretation still need to be addressed.

Media, reputational risk, and bank loan contracting

We investigate how reputational risk arising from traditional and online media coverage of Corporate Social Irresponsibility (CSI) conducts affects the cost of borrowing and what are the factors that can mitigate or amplify this effect. First, we find that negative media attention increases bank loan costs and show that this result is robust to endogeneity concerns and alternative measures of key variables. Next, we find that the impact of negative media attention on bank loan costs is more severe if the misconduct involves borrowers with prior high Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reputations, while it is smaller when prior lending relationships exist between the lead arranger and the borrower.

De-policing as a result of public scrutiny: examining officers’ perceptions of negative media attention and willingness to engage in self-initiated activity

ABSTRACT With police facing constant negative publicity, concerns have been raised that officers working the street will draw back on their efforts. Prior research relying on official data has not found increases in crime as a result of this so-called Ferguson or de-policing effect. In the present study, it is argued that officers’ own reported willingness to initiate proactive enforcement activities should be added to this body of research. If there is a Ferguson effect, it most likely exists in the realm of high-discretion, low-visibility decision making. Data are from surveys administered in-person to officers in a large, urban department. Results show that officers who perceive higher levels of negative publicity feel that police are less likely to self-initiate stops. Those who feared being filmed unfairly also reported reluctance among their colleagues. Perceptions of being supported by top management appeared to be a protective factor, with those experiencing strong support from managers reporting less concern about self-initiated enforcement. Findings support the existence of a de-policing or Ferguson effect insofar as intense scrutiny from the public and media appear to discourage some officers from initiating proactive stops. This indicates that when de-policing occurs, it is likely concentrated among high-discretion, low-visibility decisions.

The Relationship Between Attentional Bias, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic in China.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to observed increases in reported mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. There is evidence attentional bias is associated with depression and anxiety, and it has been further suggested that anxiety sensitivity has a role in both the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety symptoms. Understanding these relationships may help inform preventative interventions for those at risk of mental health concerns. The present study explores the role of anxiety sensitivity, specifically physical and cognitive concerns, as a potential mediator of the relationship between attentional bias with depression and anxiety symptoms.MethodParticipants (n = 460) were recruited from the general population in China, and completed an online survey between February and March, 2020 which included the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale (APNI), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). After exploring the correlations between the measures, mediation analysis was performed to explore the role of anxiety sensitivity (physical and cognitive subscales) in the relationship between attentional bias and depression and anxiety (as measured by the DASS-21).ResultsThe results indicated that negative attention bias was significantly positively correlated with physical and cognitive concerns, physical and cognitive concerns were significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety, and negative attention bias was significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety (all ps < 0.001). Physical and cognitive anxiety sensitivity mediated the relationship between negative attention bias and both anxiety and depression symptoms.ConclusionNegative bias was associated with levels of anxiety and depression, and physical and cognitive anxiety sensitivity mediated associations between negative bias and anxiety and depression symptoms. The study provides theoretical support for intervention and guidance on individual mental health during the pandemic, and helps individuals increase their concern to negative emotions.