Personality Trait Scores Research Articles

Association between training methods and owner-reported problems behaviours in dogs enrolled in the ‘Generation Pup’ longitudinal study in the UK

This study aimed to explore factors associated with owners reporting problem behaviour in dogs. Owner-completed surveys collected as part of a longitudinal dog health/behaviour study were analysed. Owner-selected training methods were classified into four training categories on a scale from ‘Rewards only’ to ‘Aversive only’ that reflected the proportion of aversive- and rewards-based methods selected. ‘Owner-reported behaviour at 12 months’ (problem reported/ not) was modelled with logistic regression. Predictive variables included: dog/owner demographics; owner-reported behaviour at three timepoints (12/16 weeks, 6 and 9 months), the training category and change in the training category (to a more aversive/less aversive method or maintenance) at three timepoints (12/16 weeks, 9 and 12 months). The model was repeated for a subset of dogs whose owners completed a personality questionnaire (International Personality Item Pool-50). The second model included the predictive variables listed for the first model and owners’ personality scores. Dogs trained with only aversive methods were excluded (n <10). In the first model (X2=312, R2=0.33, p=<0.001, n=1130), owner-reported problem behaviour at 12 months was associated with the increased odds of: owner-reported problem behaviour at 12/16 weeks (OR=1.88, CI%1.38-2.55, p<0.001), 6 (OR= 2.19, CI%1.62-2.97, p<0.001) and 9 months (OR=6.51, CI%4.83-8.83, p<0.001) and changing to a more aversive training category between 9-12 months (compared to changing to a less aversive/ maintenance of the same category; OR=1.66, CI%1.06-2.63, p=0.029). In the second model (X2=178.4, R2=0.35, p=<0.001, n=590) owner-reported problem behaviour at 12 months was associated with increased odds of owner-reported problem behaviour at all previous timepoints (OR=1.83, CI%1.20-2.79, p<0.005; OR= 2.29, CI%1.1.49-3.51, p<0.001; OR=6.98, CI%4.61-10.70, p<0.001 for 12/16 weeks, 6 and 9 months, respectively). In this model, higher odds of owner-reported problem behaviour at 12 months were additionally associated with being a first-time owner (OR=1.93; CI%1.12-3.08, p=0.006), not seeing the dog’s mother on acquisition (OR=2.03, CI%1.12-3.68, p=0.02) and owner Openness personality trait score (OR=1.05, CI%1.01-1.09, p=0.02). The perception of deteriorating dog behaviour during the first year of a dog’s life may motivate owners to apply training with aversive components, warranting further education into the importance of consistent rewards-based training.

Relationship between sun exposure and seasonal affective disorder symptoms in rural older people with different personalities: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesEvidence suggests that environmental support, personality traits, and psychological factors can influence seasonal changes in human mood and behavior, particularly in rural middle-aged women and older people. This study aimed to quantify the associations between personality traits, seasonal affective disorder symptoms, and sun exposure in rural older people.MethodsThis study is a cross-sectional analytical study, the participants were 300 rural older persons from 12 natural villages and 5 geriatric service centers in 4 different cities in Jiangxi Province, China. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the Personal Inventory of Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (PIDS-SA-SimpChi), and the Sunlight Exposure Scale were used to conduct follow-up interviews throughout the year. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS and Geodetic Probes. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21 and Amos 23.0 mediated models.ResultsRural older people with low sun exposure exhibited higher personality trait scores (p < 0.001). Personality traits were directly associated with seasonal affective disorder symptoms(p < 0.01); Sun exposure mediated this effect in rural older people (p < 0.05).ConclusionHigh-scoring personalities are more typical of rural older people with low sun exposure, and there is a greater risk of emotional and behavioral instability. Latitudinal differences are not a determinant of SAD. Increased sun exposure is associated with symptom relief. The promotion of light therapy devices in rural areas with low sunlight is warranted.

Personality traits and change in depression status at 18 months: Findings from a British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

BackgroundDepression is a common mental disorder, yet it shows low remission rates. The available evidence on personality traits as factors associated with the course of depression has common methodological limitations. Identifying personality traits linked with depression can improve understanding of the course of illness. Therefore, we aimed to investigate personality traits that are associated with the course of depression over 18 months. Methodslongitudinal data of 2366 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey respondents were analysed. Assessments were applied at two-time points (baseline) and follow-up (about 18 months later). We assessed the total score on the screening questionnaire from the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-II) for the dependent, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline personalities. Depression was measured using the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) version. ResultsAn increase of one score on the borderline personality scale at baseline increased the odds of experiencing persistent depression by 1.50 times (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI [1.22–1.86]), depression onset by 1.30 times (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI [1.14–1.50]), and recovery by 1.52 times (OR = 1.52, 95 % CI [1.35–1.70]), comparing to no depression group. Elevated scores of dependent personality traits significantly predicted depression persistence (OR = 1.95, 95 % CI [1.52–2.49]). An increase of one score on the obsessive-compulsive personality scale increases the odds of depression onset by 1.21 times (OR = 1.21, 95 % CI [1.04–1.39]). LimitationsThe APMS survey defined depression statuses in a limited sense, which may affect the generalisability of these results. ConclusionThe present study confirms previous findings and contributes evidence suggesting that personality dysfunctions worsen depression outcomes.

HINT1 Gene Polymorphisms, Smoking Behaviour, and Personality Traits: A Haplotype Case-Control Study.

The factors influencing the development and maintenance of nicotine dependence are numerous and complex. Recent studies indicate that smokers exhibit distinct genetic predispositions to nicotine dependence. We aimed to analyse (1) the association between rs2551038 and cigarette smoking, (2) the association of between the rs3864236-rs2526303-rs2551038 haplotype and cigarette smoking, and (3) the personality traits measured by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory in cigarette users and never-smokers. No significant differences were present in the frequency of rs2551038 genotypes and alleles in the studied cigarette users compared to the control group. Cigarette users, compared to the control group, had higher scores on the NEO-FFI Extraversion scale (p = 0.0011), and lower scores were obtained by the cigarette users for the NEO-FFI Openness (p = 0.0060), Agreeability (p ≤ 0.000), and Conscientiousness (p ≤ 0.000) scales. There was a significant positive Pearson's linear correlation between the age and the Fagestrom test (r = 0.346; p < 0.0001) and the NEO-FFI Openness scale (r = 0.180; p < 0.0001) in the group of cigarette users. We observed significant linkage disequilibrium between rs2526303 and rs3864236 (D' = 0.3581; p < 2.2204 × 10-16) and between rs2526303 and rs2551038 (D' = 0.9993; p < 2.2204 × 10-16) in the tested sample. The sex-stratified haplotype analysis revealed that in the group of male never-smokers, the GTC haplotype was significantly more frequent than in the group of cigarette users (38% vs. 22%; p = 0.0039). The presented study reveals significant differences in personality trait scores between cases and controls. Moreover, the sex-stratified analysis showed significant differences in haplotype distribution. These results underscore the interplay between genetic predisposition, sex, and personality in nicotine-using individuals.

Maladaptive personality traits are associated with burnout risk in Italian anesthesiologists and intensivists: a secondary analysis from a cross-sectional study

BackgroundBurnout is a maladaptive response to chronic stress, particularly prevalent among clinicians. Anesthesiologists are at risk of burnout, but the role of maladaptive traits in their vulnerability to burnout remains understudied.MethodsA secondary analysis was performed on data from the Italian Association of Hospital Anesthesiologists, Pain Medicine Specialists, Critical Care, and Emergency (AAROI-EMAC) physicians. The survey included demographic data, burnout assessment using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and subscales (emotional exhaustion, MBI-EE; depersonalization, MBI-DP; personal accomplishment, MBI-PA), and evaluation of personality disorders (PDs) based on DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition) criteria using the assessment of DSM-IV PDs (ADP-IV). We investigated the aggregated scores of maladaptive personality traits as predictor variables of burnout. Subsequently, the components of personality traits were individually assessed.ResultsOut of 310 respondents, 300 (96.77%) provided complete information. The maladaptive personality traits global score was associated with the MBI-EE and MBI-DP components. There was a significant negative correlation with the MBI-PA component. Significant positive correlations were found between the MBI-EE subscale and the paranoid (r = 0.42), borderline (r = 0.39), and dependent (r = 0.39) maladaptive personality traits. MBI-DP was significantly associated with the passive-aggressive (r = 0.35), borderline (r = 0.33), and avoidant (r = 0.32) traits. Moreover, MBI-PA was negatively associated with dependent (r = − 0.26) and avoidant (r = − 0.25) maladaptive personality features.ConclusionsThere is a significant association between different maladaptive personality traits and the risk of experiencing burnout among anesthesiologists. This underscores the importance of understanding and addressing personality traits in healthcare professionals to promote their well-being and prevent this serious emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion state.

Polygenic Score for Conscientiousness Is a Protective Factor for Reversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Normal Cognition.

Spontaneous reversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognition (NC) is little known. Based on the data of the Genetics of Personality Consortium and MCI participants from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, the authors investigate the effect of polygenic scores (PGS) for personality traits on the reversion of MCI to NC and its underlying neurobiology. PGS analysis reveals that PGS for conscientiousness (PGS-C) is a protective factor that supports the reversion from MCI to NC. Gene ontology enrichment analysis and tissue-specific enrichment analysis indicate that the protective effect of PGS-C may be attributed to affecting the glutamatergic synapses of subcortical structures, such as hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and caudate nucleus. The structural covariance network (SCN) analysis suggests that the left whole hippocampus and its subfields, and the left whole amygdala and its subnuclei show significantly stronger covariance with several high-cognition relevant brain regions in the MCI reverters compared to the stable MCI participants, which may help illustrate the underlying neural mechanism of the protective effect of PGS-C.

Adaptive information fusion network for multi‐modal personality recognition

AbstractPersonality recognition is of great significance in deepening the understanding of social relations. While personality recognition methods have made significant strides in recent years, the challenge of heterogeneity between modalities during feature fusion still needs to be solved. This paper introduces an adaptive multi‐modal information fusion network (AMIF‐Net) capable of concurrently processing video, audio, and text data. First, utilizing the AMIF‐Net encoder, we process the extracted audio and video features separately, effectively capturing long‐term data relationships. Then, adding adaptive elements in the fusion network can alleviate the problem of heterogeneity between modes. Lastly, we concatenate audio‐video and text features into a regression network to obtain Big Five personality trait scores. Furthermore, we introduce a novel loss function to address the problem of training inaccuracies, taking advantage of its unique property of exhibiting a peak at the critical mean. Our tests on the ChaLearn First Impressions V2 multi‐modal dataset show partial performance surpassing state‐of‐the‐art networks.

Disentangling periodic and aperiodic resting EEG correlates of personality

Previous studies of resting electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of personality traits have conflated periodic and aperiodic sources of EEG signals. Because these are associated with different underlying neural dynamics, disentangling them can avoid measurement confounds and clarify findings. In a large sample (n = 300), we investigated how disentangling these activities impacts findings related to two research programs within personality neuroscience. In Study 1 we examined associations between Extraversion and two putative markers of reward sensitivity—Left Frontal Alpha asymmetry (LFA) and Frontal-Posterior Theta (FPT). In Study 2 we used machine learning to predict personality trait scores from resting EEG. In both studies, power within each EEG frequency bin was quantified as both total power and separate contributions of periodic and aperiodic activity. In Study 1, total power LFA and FPT correlated negatively with Extraversion (r ∼ -0.14), but there was no relation when LFA and FPT were derived only from periodic activity. In Study 2, all Big Five traits could be decoded from periodic power (r ∼ 0.20), and Agreeableness could also be decoded from total power and from aperiodic indices. Taken together, these results show how separation of periodic and aperiodic activity in resting EEG may clarify findings in personality neuroscience. Disentangling these signals allows for more reliable findings relating to periodic EEG markers of personality, and highlights novel aperiodic markers to be explored in future research.

Call to Action: Investigating Interaction Delay in Smartphone Notifications.

Notifications are an essential part of the user experience on smart mobile devices. While some apps have to notify users immediately after an event occurs, others can schedule notifications strategically to notify them only on opportune moments. This tailoring allows apps to shorten the users' interaction delay. In this paper, we present the results of a comprehensive study that identified the factors that influence users' interaction delay to their smartphone notifications. We analyzed almost 10 million notifications collected in-the-wild from 922 users and computed their response times with regard to their demographics, their Big Five personality trait scores and the device's charging state. Depending on the app category, the following tendencies can be identified over the course of the day: Most notifications were logged in late morning and late afternoon. This number decreases in the evening, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and at the same time exhibits the lowest average interaction delays at daytime. We also found that the user's sex and age is significantly associated with the response time. Based on the results of our study, we encourage developers to incorporate more information on the user and the executing device in their notification strategy to notify users more effectively.

Impact of patient attributes on the relationship between hearing handicap and readiness to pursue audiologic rehabilitation

Objective This study explored whether select patient attributes were significant predictors of readiness to pursue hearing aids (HAs) and estimated the impacts of hearing aid self-efficacy (HASE) and emotional states, on the relationship between perceived hearing handicap and readiness to pursue HAs. Design & study sample Sixty-two adults with self-reported hearing difficulties and no previous experience with HAs self-reported their hearing handicap, HASE, personality, emotional states in varying contexts, and readiness to pursue HAs. Results Individuals with greater hearing handicap and who had experienced hearing loss for a shorter duration were more ready to pursue HAs. Having higher HASE, more positive emotional states in “Social” situations, higher scores for the Agreeableness, and having lower Conscientiousness personality trait scores also independently predicted readiness. Neither HASE nor reported emotional states had a significant impact on the relationship between perceived hearing handicap and readiness to pursue HAs. Conclusions Certain patient characteristics independently motivate people towards or away from pursuing HAs. However, it remains unclear whether targeted modification of these attributes would directly facilitate behaviour change. Future research should further explore these questions to facilitate a more individualised audiologic rehabilitation.

Relationship Between Personality Traits and Workplace Bullying Victims in Saudi Arabia.

Background Workplace bullying is persistent aggressive behavior, including verbal or physical abuse, exhibited in a working environment. The impact of workplace bullying in any industry leads to negative outcomes in multiple dimensions, such as issues with mental health, problems with physical health, and a reduction in productivity in the workplace. This study aims to measure the relationship between personality traits and workplace bullying victims. Moreover, it explores how personality traits predict being a victim of workplace bullying. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted among 625 participants from various regions of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a self-administered survey, which included sociodemographic questions, the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) for bullying assessment, and the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10) for personality trait assessment. The statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics and inferential tests such as the correlation test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. These analyses were conducted using the SPSS software version 27.0.1 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Personal-related bullying was more prevalent compared to work-related bullying, particularly "facing disregard of opinion" was the most frequent type of bullying. Moreover, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience were demonstrated as major self-perceived personality traits among participants. Some sociodemographic factors were reported to be significantly associated with both bullying and personality trait scores. Personality traits such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion were adversely correlated while openness to experience and neuroticism were positively correlated with bullying. Conclusions Our study illustrates the current prevalence of workplace bullying in Saudi Arabia and its impact on participants' mental health and productivity. We identified a significant correlation between self-perceived personality traits and the risk of experiencing workplace bullying. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, enabling them to develop targeted interventions to reduce bullying within work settings in Saudi Arabia.

Exploring the Association Between Dreams and Personality Traits

This study focuses on the often-neglected aspect of 'dream attitudes,' such as participants' interest in dreams and the impact of their dreams. By examining the relationships between dreaming, attitudes toward dreams, gender, and personality traits, we aim to explore the continuity between dreaming and wakefulness from a new perspective. Specifically, we hypothesize that: (1) there are differences in dream frequency between males and females;(2) individuals of different genders and personality traits vary in their dream recall and clarity; (3) there are differences in dream attitudes and recall frequency based on personality traits.The participants of the experiment were college students, and data were collected through a specially designed dream research questionnaire. Gender and personality trait scores were used as independent variables, and dream frequency and attitudes as dependent variables, analyzed using factor analysis, correlational analysis, and t-tests. The findings suggest that individual characteristics may influence attitudes toward dreams and are possibly related to the frequency of dream recall. Future research should be more multidimensional and comprehensive, taking into account the interplay between personality traits and dream content.

Investigating Differences in Personality Traits, Self-Esteem, Eating Attitudes, and Body Image among Participants in Indoor and Outdoor Fitness Activities.

Physical activity environments influence physical condition, nutrition, individual and social behaviors, and emotional well-being. The aim of the study was to investigate differences in eating attitudes, self-esteem, personality traits, and body image among participants in indoor and outdoor leisure-time fitness programs. Participants included 1747 adults (882 men and 865 women) aged 34 ± 9.2 years, divided into experimental and control groups. All participants completed the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26), the Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Traits Personality Questionnaire 5 (TPQue5), and the Appearance Scales of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ-AS). The results revealed statistically significant differences between groups. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed noteworthy variations in personality trait scores between the groups (neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) as well as body image factors (self-esteem and eating attitudes). Two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between gender and participation in different types of exercise. Females had lower self-esteem and body area satisfaction scores but higher eating disorder proneness, neuroticism, appearance evaluation, and overweight preoccupation scores than males. These findings add to the current literature focusing on the psychosocial and behavioral mechanisms associated with physical activity and exercise environments. The findings provide an effective supplement to promote public health-focused fitness programs and leisure-time physical activity motivation strategies.

Association between personality characteristics and sleep quality among Chinese middle-aged and older adults: evidence from China family panel studies

BackgroundPoor sleep quality will have adverse effects on physical and mental health, quality of life and other aspects of middle-aged and older adults. Sleep quality is affected by many factors. Whether the sleep quality measures of the participants had changed in the previous or subsequent time period is not easily taken into account. Moreover, there have been no studies on this topic in Chinese middle-aged and older adults. The objective of this study was to mitigate the bias of sleep quality assessment, and analyze the association between personality traits and sleep quality in Chinese middle-aged and older adults.MethodsThe data came from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). A total of 6031 participants aged ≥ 45 years were included in this study. Personality characteristics were evaluated based on the scores of each dimension of Big Five personality traits. Sleep duration and sleep perception were used as indicators to measure sleep quality. Logistic models were used to analyze the relationship between personality traits and sleep duration or sleep perception, respectively.Results4.5% of the participants had abnormal sleep duration, and 14.4% had a pessimistic sleep perception. Conscientiousness was rated the highest among the personality traits (3.97 ± 0.6). Participants with higher scores for extraversion personality traits had more normal sleep duration (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64–0.93) and more optimistic sleep perception (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76–0.96). Using the Internet and feeling unwell in the past week have a moderating effect on the impact of conscientiousness personality characteristics on sleep duration or sleep perception, respectively (but not overall sleep quality). In addition, participants with a spouse or no recent physical discomfort tended to have a normal sleep duration and a more optimistic sleep perception.ConclusionsThe higher the score of extraversion personality traits, the better the overall sleep quality of middle-aged and older adults. Having a spouse and feeling unwell were the important factors affecting their sleep quality. Specific personality traits intervention should be carried out for middle-aged and older adults with poor sleep quality to make their personality traits are closer to extraversion. In addition, middle-aged and older adults without spouses should be encouraged to marry or remarry. We will strengthen health management and medical expenditures for middle-aged and older adults.

Obsessive-compulsive severity, gender, and religiosity as predictors of personality trait scores

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) impacts 1%—4% of the United States population. Scrupulosity, or obsessions related to morality and religion, is the fifth most common obsession. Although clinicians and researchers may have ample assessment information about their clients, such as OCD severity, gender, and religious background, little research in the field has shown how these variables relate to personality factors. Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, we recruited 230 participants to (a) determine if scrupulosity were predictive of openness and neuroticism while accounting for gender, OCD severity, and religiosity; (b) investigate whether religious identity interacted with scrupulosity when predicting openness and neuroticism; and (c) examine if gender identity contributed to openness and neuroticism. Using linear mixed models, we found that higher scrupulosity predicted lower levels of openness across all religious groups, and that higher scrupulosity was associated with higher negative emotionality for nonreligious individuals. Implications for practice and continued research are discussed.

Examination of narcissistic personality traits of volleyball players according to some variables

This research is conducted to analyze the narcissistic personality traits of volleyball players in terms of certain variables. In the study, a personal data form prepared by the researcher to collect data related to participants' gender, age, league category, and national team status, and the 16-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory developed by Ames, Rose, and Anderson in 2005, and adapted to Turkish by Atay in 2009, is used. The research group consists of a total of 221 volleyball players, 111 female and 110 male. The scale and personal data form have been applied to the volleyball players who participated in the study using an online method through purposive sampling. The data obtained from the research have been analyzed using the SPSS.22 package program. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test for binary group comparisons, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for multiple group comparisons have been applied. Post-Hoc (Scheffe) tests have also been used to determine the direction of the difference between groups. A significance level of 0.05 is considered in interpreting the results. When the narcissistic personality trait scores of volleyball players are analyzed according to the age variable, any significant difference could not been observed. When the study data have been evaluated in terms of the gender variable, the statistical analysis has revealed that the average narcissistic personality levels of volleyball players do not differ according to the age variable. When the narcissistic personality traits of volleyball players have been examined according to the league category variable, a statistically significant difference has been found in the sub-dimension scores of superiority for volleyball players playing in the Efeler and Sultanlar Leagues compared to those playing in the 1st League. In the study, when the narcissistic personality traits of volleyball players have been examined according to the national team variable, it has been identified that the narcissistic personality scores of the national team players are higher than those who are not national team players.

Yoğun Bakımlarda Çalışan Hemşirelerin Kişilik Özellikleri Açısından Deliryum Farkındalıkları ve Yönetimi

Objective: The study was carried out to determine delirium awareness and management among the nurses working in intensive care in terms of their personality traits.&#x0D; Method: It was a descriptive study. The study was carried out in a university hospital located in the western region of Turkey between February May 1 and May 31, 2019. The sample was composed of 84 nurses who were working in the adult intensive care unit. Data collection form, The Nurses’ Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Big Five Personality Trait Test were used to collect data. Data were evaluated with t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, Bonferroni Corrected Pairwise Comparison Test, and Spearman Correlation coefficient using SPSS 24.0 package program.&#x0D; Results: The total mean personality score of the nurses was 158.38±14.32. The total delirium knowledge score of the participants was found to be 44.77±9.83. Knowledge score of the nurses regarding the definition of delirium was found to be negatively correlated with the personality trait of extraversion whereas their delirium sign/symptom scores were positively correlated with conscientiousness, agreeableness and total big five personality trait score. In addition, positive correlations were found between delirium management score and their conscientiousness, neuroticism, and big five personality trait scores and between their total delirium knowledge score and personality trait of conscientiousness (p

Changes in satisfaction and anxiety about radiotherapy for pediatric cancer by two-step audio-visual instruction.

Although radiotherapy is an essential component of pediatric cancer treatment, inadequate radiotherapy information for childhood cancer and unusual treatment situations can negatively affect parental perceptions and emotions. This study aims to investigate the effect of two-step audio-visual instruction system effects introduced by our institution on parent satisfaction and anxiety when initiating radiotherapy. The two-step audio-visual instruction system comprised instructive animation using patient avatars and a live video system. The live video system has a 55-inch-wide monitor, and a no-latency sound module. Parents in the radiotherapy division can view the patient in the treatment room through the live video system. This prospective study compared satisfaction and anxiety about radiotherapy introduction before and after two-step audio-visual instruction. We enrolled 20 parents whose child underwent radiotherapy, and they completed a set of questionnaires-Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and original questionnaires about radiotherapy. Satisfaction scores improved significantly after two-step audio visual instruction (25.5±3.4) compared with those before the instruction (27.7±3.1) (p = <0.01). Anxiety scores also decreased significantly after the instruction (50±9) compared with those before the instruction (54±11) (p=0.004). However, anxiety-related personality trait scores did not change drastically before and after viewing (48±8.5 vs. 49±7.5) (p=0.419). This single-arm prospective study indicates that two-step audio-visual instruction for radiotherapy is effective in improving parents' anxiety about radiotherapy introductions. However, large-scale and comparative studies are warranted to generalize the benefit of two-step audio visual instruction.

Nasal obstruction in adults: how it affects psychological status?

This study investigated the psychological status of patients with unilateral or bilateral complete nasal obstruction. The study included 49 consecutive cases of unilateral or bilateral complete nasal obstruction. In order to assess participants' personality traits, both groups completed the Personality Belief Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory form, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. The groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics. Patients with unilateral or bilateral complete nasal obstruction had higher scores on all the psychological assessments compared with the healthy controls, except for the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Although all personality assessment scores were higher in patients, the only differences that were statistically significant were in the dependent, antisocial and avoidant personality trait scores. The psychological conditions of patients with structural deformities that cause nasal obstruction may be affected, and appropriate treatment should be provided to improve their symptoms and quality of life.

Association between Reaction Times in the Joint Simon Task and Personality Traits.

Joint go and no-go effects (joint Simon effects; JSEs) are considered to have a stimulus-response compatibility effect on joint reaction time tasks (joint Simon task) caused by the presence of other people. Additionally, JSEs are known to be associated with various social factors and are therefore a potential clinical marker for communicative function; however, the relationship with the personality that is associated with communication skills remains unclear. In this study, we focused on the association between JSE and personality traits. Thirty Japanese participants (fifteen women) were recruited. First, personality trait scores were obtained using the Japanese version of the ten-item personality inventory before the experiment. Second, we measured reaction times in the joint Simon task and single go and no-go tasks with the go signal presented on the congruent and incongruent sides. At last, we analyzed the association between reaction times and personality traits by using Spearman's correlation analysis. As a result, we observed two pairs with significant correlations: JSE and neuroticism and short reaction times in the joint condition and agreeableness. In conclusion, we identified potential psychological markers associated with the joint Simon task. These findings may lead to an additional hypothesis regarding the neurobiological mechanisms of JSEs.