Mental State Research Articles

Transmission capabilities of SoulCollage in socio-pedagogical practice

Introduction. Artistic pedagogical technologies are widely used in pedagogical practice. However, a new technique, SoulCollage, is just beginning to be used in our country, and has not yet been reflected in Russian scientific publications. Scientific research devoted to SoulCollage and its use in practice has been published abroad since 2010.Purpose setting. The problem of the research is to find an answer to the question: does SoulCollage have transmission when used to form a positive mood? The purpose of the study is to search for manifestations of the property of transmission in the artistic pedagogical practice of collaging, using the example of SoulCollage. By transmission we mean a change in psychological state in response to a directed influence. The hypothesis of the study is the assumption that SoulCollage can be used as a socio-pedagogical practice when influencing the psychological state of a child in order to form a positive attitude (according to A. S. Makarenko).Methodology and methods of the study. The research methods were theoretical analysis, SoulCollage practice and pedagogical observation. Five educational practices on working with SoulCollage were conducted with students of Omsk State Pedagogical University aged 18 to 24 years. 54 people participated in the study.Results. The article reveals the historical origins of the development of SoulCollage and the technology of its application. The structure of the deck in Soul Collaging is described, which consists of deck suits: committee cards (psychological dimension), council cards (archetypal dimension), companion cards (consisting of animal guides that live in the chakras), community cards (social dimension). The technology for using SoulCollage in social and pedagogical practice is presented. Conclusions. The observation results showed that participants in social and pedagogical practice exhibit positive charge, they demonstrate increased interest in self-knowledge. The effects of socio-pedagogical practice are expressed interest: in SoulCollage cards, in participants in socio-pedagogical practice, in the study of Eastern philosophy and Jungian archetypes.

Intestinal barrier damage contributes to a higher prevalence of frailty in aging people living with HIV: a retrospective case control study in a Chinese cohort

BackgroundIt has been previously demonstrated that intestinal barrier damage is one of the underlying mechanisms leading to frailty in non-HIV-infected aging populations. However, there is a paucity of direct evidence which demonstrates the association between intestinal barrier damage and frailty in people living with HIV (PLWH).MethodsThe present study is a retrospective case control study. Participants older than 50 years old were stratified into a frail/pre-frail group (case group) and non-frail group (control group) according to the Fried frailty phenotype. We collected and curated data concerning socio-demographic variables, psychological states and social functioning, and clinical information associated with the identification of biomarkers of intestinal barrier damage, microbial translocation, and levels of inflammatory cytokines of participants.ResultsThe case group had significantly higher levels of Reg-3α (p=0.042) and I-FABP (p=0.045) compared to the control group. We further observed, after adjusting for confounding factors by logistic regression analysis, that I-FABP levels remained significantly higher in the case group compared to the control group (p=0.033). Also, Fried Phenotype scores positively correlated with I-FABP levels (rs=0.21, p=0.01), LPS levels (rs=0.20, p=0.02), and sCD14 levels (rs=0.18, p=0.04). Moreover, the study confirmed both the positive correlation between inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IP-10) with frailty in aging PLWH, and between inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and IP-10) with biomarkers of intestinal barrier dysfunction in older PLWH.ConclusionThe present study indicates that the inflammation induced by intestinal barrier damage/dysfunction is likely to contribute to frailty in aging PLWH.

A Metamorphosis: From HGW XX/7 to a Good Man

This paper explores the transformative power of music on psychological and political ideologies through the lens of the film The Lives of Others. It examines the character of Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi agent whose life undergoes profound changes after encountering the piece Sonata for a Good Man. Integrating insights from musicology, psychology, Sufism, and political science, the paper delves into how music transcends ideological boundaries, enabling deep personal introspection and connection. Unlike prior studies that focus broadly on art, this paper focuses specifically on music as a transformative force, offering a deeper exploration of how music incites psychological and ideological change. The analysis argues that music creates a liminal space where conventional boundaries dissolve, fostering a critical re-evaluation of one’s beliefs and perceptions. This transformation is evident in Wiesler’s shift from a loyal ideologue to a compassionate individual, impacting his emotional and cognitive states as well as his actions and ideologies. The paper highlights the capacity of music to challenge and alter both political and personal landscapes, emphasizing its role in facilitating ideological and emotional liberation. The paper contributes to a broader understanding of art’s impact on human behaviour and societal structures by examining the intersection of music and transformation within the context of East Germany. Through Wiesler’s story, the paper illustrates how art, particularly music, can be a potent force in challenging and reshaping ideological confines and nurturing human connection and empathy.

Anxiety, depression, stress, and resilience among undergraduate nursing students at Al-Quds university: the impact of war started on October 7 in Palestine

BackgroundThe current outbreak of war in Palestine on the 7th of October 2023, heightened concerns about mental health and well-being of individuals, particularly undergraduate students in Palestine. Such traumatic experiences and political conflict did affect the social, economic, psychological, and academic status of university students in Palestine, in particular, nursing students. However, resilience is one of the moderators which may positively decrease the severity of those negative war-related symptoms.AimThe study aimed to examine the moderation effect of resilience on the relationship between sociodemographic and personal characteristics and depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate nursing students in Palestine.Design and methodsA quantitative, descriptive-correlational design utilized to investigate anxiety, depression, stress, and resilience among nursing students. A convenience sample of 325 nursing students recruited from Al-Quds University were asked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire.ResultsA total of 325 nursing students participated in this study. The analysis showed that the majority of the participants were experiencing extremely severe anxiety levels (43.7%, n = 142), while 25.5% (n = 83) were experiencing extremely severe depression and 14.5% (n = 47) were experiencing high-stress levels compared to 60% (n = 195) of the students were at their normal resilience level. There were statistically significant differences in the resilience based on sex (t323 = 2.994, p = .003). Knowing that males have higher resilience mean scores (M = 3.06, SD = 0.35) than females (M = 2.93, SD = 0.41) indicates higher resilience in males than females. After performing two steps of hierarchical regression, the results revealed that resilience negatively moderated the relationship between sociodemographics and depression, and anxiety.ConclusionThis study offers valuable insights into the mental health status of undergraduate nursing students in Palestine during the war. The results indicated that resilience is one of the pivotal moderators that may buffer anxiety and depression. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the diverse mental health needs of this population, considering the complex interplay of individual, demographic, and contextual factors. Future research should continue to explore these dynamics and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions promoting mental well-being during conflict.

Identification and Antibacterial Activity Study of a Terrestrial Strain of Brevibacterium aureus 431

This study isolated and purified strain 431 from an animal probiotic product. Through staining and microscopic examination, colony morphology analysis, biochemical reaction tests, and 16S rDNA sequence alignment, the strain was identified and named Brevibacterium aureus 431. The study focused on the production of biosurfactants by strain 431, and antibacterial activity tests were conducted on the strain and its secondary metabolites. The results showed that strain 431 exhibited no resistance to 10 commonly used drugs, and its concentrated secondary metabolites were highly sensitive to the indicator bacterium Escherichia coli. Oral administration of strain 431 to BALB/c mice resulted in normal mental state, diet, and bowel movements, with no signs of illness or death, indicating that strain 431 is highly safe and non-pathogenic to mice. The study suggests that Brevibacterium aureus 431 has significant research value as a new source of actinomycetes and that its secondary metabolites have potential application value in the development of antibacterial drugs.

The correlated factors of anxiety and depression among Chinese hospital staff during the COVID-19 local outbreak.

Hospital staff in the COVID-19 local outbreak were facing different situations, their mental status and influencing factors were also different. The aim of this study is to investigate the anxiety and depression of hospital staff and its potential influence factors during the COVID-19 local outbreak. This was a cross-sectional survey based on a hospital with a local outbreak of COVID-19. We collected the demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related issues, self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS) of participants through an anonymous questionnaire. Factors associated with anxiety and depression were explored through univariate and multivariate analyses. We also constructed nomograms and calibration curves to predict the probability of anxiety and depression. A total of 800 people completed the questionnaire. 239 (29.9%) of them were doctors, 249 (31.1%) of them were nurses and 312 (39.0%) of them were others. There were 173 (21.6%) cases had anxiety, including 36 (20.8%) doctors, 76 (43.9%) nurses and 61 (35.3%) from other occupations and 281 (35.1%) cases had depression, including 64 (22.8%) doctors, 101 (35.9%) nurses, and 116 (41.3%) from other occupations. Nurses had higher SAS and SDS score than doctors and others (F = 17.856, P < .001 and F = 14.376, P < .001). In addition, multivariate analysis found that occupation, education level, health condition, and reduced sleep were significant influences on anxiety and depression. At the same time, reduced income was also significantly associated with anxiety. During the local outbreak of COVID-19, hospital staff still had varying degrees anxiety and depression. Occupation, education level, health condition and reduced sleep were both significant influencing factors for anxiety and depression. The mental state of hospital staff, including nonmedical-related staff should still be taken seriously.

The effect of functional asymmetry of the brain on the consumption of psychoactive substances by adolescents in South Siberian regions: prevention strategies

Introduction. It is assumed that the functional asymmetry of the brain must be taken into account in a complex of other predisposing factors that influence the tendency to various kinds of deviations in adolescents, in particular, the consumption of psychoactive substances.Purpose setting. The aim of the study was to study the relationship between functional asymmetry of the brain and the consumption of psychoactive substances (alcohol, nicotine) in adolescents of the South Siberian regions (Tuva, Altai).Methodology and methods of the study. 2 559 adolescents aged 14–17 years, students of educational institutions were examined. All students completed a specially designed questionnaire on their substance use. Motor, sensory and mental asymmetry have been studied. The test «Self-assessment of mental states of personality» was applied for adolescence by G. Aizenk in the interpretation of O. V. Zikeeva. The statistical analysis was carried out in the SPSS-26 program.Results. It has been shown that right-hemisphere adolescents have significantly more pronounced anxiety, frustration and rigidity, indicating a violation of social adaptation and predisposing to the consumption of psychoactive substances, which indirectly confirms the influence of functional asymmetry of the brain. Right- brain adolescents are more vulnerable to nicotine and alcohol. Conclusion. The results obtained allow us to substantiate prevention strategies that should take into account the functional asymmetry of the target audience’s brain.

The effect of unaffected side resistance training on upper limb function reconstruction and prevention of sarcopenia in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

Aging has made stroke a top killer and disabler, with post-stroke sarcopenia worsening disability and quality of life. While resistance training benefits the elderly, its impact on stroke patients is understudied. This study evaluates the potential of a 4-week unilateral resistance training (URT) program to prevent sarcopenia in stroke patients. It assesses the impact of URT on hand grip strength (HG), muscle thickness (MT), upper limb functionality, and the psychological status of the patients. The study aims to quantitatively analyze these indicators to inform evidence-based post-stroke rehabilitation practices. This study employed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 77 eligible stroke survivors, equally allocated into a control group (n = 39) and an intervention group (n = 38). The control group received standard rehabilitation, while the intervention group additionally underwent a 4-week URT program. The primary outcomes were unaffected side HG and MT, measuring muscle mass and function. Secondary outcomes included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) for upper limb functionality and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) for psychological well-being changes. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (p < 0. 05) in all measured parameters between the intervention and control groups after the 4-week period. Intra-group comparisons also indicated substantial improvements (p < 0. 05). Unilateral resistance training significantly mitigates muscle atrophy in stroke patients, preventing sarcopenia and enhancing upper limb function. It also ameliorates depressive symptoms, improving rehabilitation outcomes and overall quality of life.

The Relationship Between Time-Related Characteristics of Visual Impairment and Psychological Symptoms in Adults Who Are Blind

Introduction The prevalence of depression among blind people is higher than in sighted populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between time-related characteristics of visual impairment (i.e., onset and duration), as well as depressive symptoms, fatigue, sleepiness, and stress, in the context of self-reported total blindness and the inability to perceive light exposure. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional design utilizing the combination of online survey and telephone survey. The Centre for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Inventory, the Fatigue Syndrome Inventory, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale were selected for the self-reported questionnaires. For statistical analysis, independent t-tests, analysis of variance tests, Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests, chi-square tests, multiple linear regression models, and multivariable ordinal logistic regressions were conducted using the R software program and its required packages. Results A total of 154 respondents completed the online and telephone surveys. Although the number of years of experiencing blindness showed negative correlations with the scores of fatigue ( r = −.16, p &lt; .05), stress ( r = −.18, p &lt; .05), and depressive feelings ( r = −.21, p &lt; .05) in Model 1, the impacts of the onset of blindness on the depressive symptoms (β = −.02, p = .570) and the presence of severe depressive symptoms, OR = 1.42, 95% CI [0.49, 4.19], p = .518, were insignificant in Model 2. Discussion Blindness seems to be regarded as a more severe chronic condition which affects individuals’ psychological status. Given the effects of the limited range of social activities and daily tasks and the dramatically reduced accessible visual information inputs, the severe depressive symptoms in this group can be understood. Implications for Practitioners Regular counseling and psychological services monitoring depressive symptoms, chronic fatigue, and severe distress should be continued even after the completion of rehabilitation programs.

Identification of spontaneous patient-reported complaints related to perianal fistula in patients with Crohn's disease.

To identify patient-reported complaints affecting quality of life in Crohn's disease patients with a perianal fistula, and to compare differences between subgroups. A questionnaire was distributed to 1667 patients from the Dutch Crohn's and Colitis Patients' organization, those patients with Crohn's disease and perianal fistula were included. Patients were asked to report (using free text) their most important fistula-related complaints affecting their quality of life. All responses were structurally analyzed and categorized. Data comparisons were made between subgroups: women versus men, patients with versus without current presence of a seton, and patients aged ≤40 versus >40 years. Of 743 respondents (44.6%), 123 patients with Crohn's disease and perianal fistula were included (92 women, median age 41 years [IQR 34-56] and 36 with seton). A total of 776 complaints were allocated to 36 categories, with 19 reported in >10% of patients. Perianal fistula-related complaints affected nearly all patients (95.9%). Impact on psychological status (71.7% vs. 29.0%; p < 0.0001) and on sexual activities (37.0% vs. 16.1%; p = 0.003) were more common in women than men. Younger patients more often reported insecurity (38.7% vs. 18.0%; p = 0.026), shame (29.0% vs. 11.5%; p = 0.024), and impact on sexual activities (40.3% vs. 23.0%; p = 0.048) than older patients. Patients with a seton more frequently reported self-experienced malodour (50.0% vs. 23.0%; p = 0.005), physical activity limitations (41.7% vs. 19.5%; p = 0.014), and work/study impact (22.2% vs. 5.7%; p = 0.019). We identified 19 perianal fistula-related complaints reported by >10% of patients. These complaints may guide improvement of current outcome measures.

Investigating Brain Responses to Transcutaneous Electroacupuncture Stimulation: A Deep Learning Approach

This study investigates the neurophysiological effects of transcutaneous electroacupuncture stimulation (TEAS) on brain activity, using advanced machine learning techniques. This work analyzed the electroencephalograms (EEG) of 48 study participants, in order to analyze the brain’s response to different TEAS frequencies (2.5, 10, 80, and sham at 160 pulses per second (pps)) across 48 participants through pre-stimulation, during-stimulation, and post-stimulation phases. Our approach introduced several novel aspects. EEGNet, a convolutional neural network specifically designed for EEG signal processing, was utilized in this work, achieving over 95% classification accuracy in detecting brain responses to various TEAS frequencies. Additionally, the classification accuracies across the pre-stimulation, during-stimulation, and post-stimulation phases remained consistently high (above 92%), indicating that EEGNet effectively captured the different time-based brain responses across different stimulation phases. Saliency maps were applied to identify the most critical EEG electrodes, potentially reducing the number needed without sacrificing accuracy. A phase-based analysis was conducted to capture time-based brain responses throughout different stimulation phases. The robustness of EEGNet was assessed across demographic and clinical factors, including sex, age, and psychological states. Additionally, the responsiveness of different EEG frequency bands to TEAS was investigated. The results demonstrated that EEGNet excels in classifying EEG signals with high accuracy, underscoring its effectiveness in reliably classifying EEG responses to TEAS and enhancing its applicability in clinical and therapeutic settings. Notably, gamma band activity showed the highest sensitivity to TEAS, suggesting significant effects on higher cognitive functions. Saliency mapping revealed that a subset of electrodes (Fp1, Fp2, Fz, F7, F8, T3, T4) could achieve accurate classification, indicating potential for more efficient EEG setups.

Investigating the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and loneliness among people with type-2 diabetes in Bangladesh: a community-based study

Diabetes mellitus is a major worldwide health concern. Diabetes has been associated with a number of adverse mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and loneliness that can negatively impact diabetes outcomes. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with depression, anxiety, and loneliness in people, in the community, suffering with diabetes in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 600 people with type-2 diabetes (54.83% females; mean age: 52.70 ± 11.56 years) between July and September 2022. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit the participants. A validated semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic and other data. Depression, anxiety, and loneliness were measured using the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and UCLA Loneliness scale, respectively. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to ascertain factors that were significantly associated with these mental health conditions. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and loneliness was 31.17%, 21.83%, and 28.00%, respectively. A lack of formal education, and not taking part in physical activities were significantly associated with all three mental health states. Duration of diabetes and being on medication for high cholesterol were also associated with depression and anxiety. Older age and being widowed were significantly associated with loneliness. This study found that depression, anxiety, and loneliness are prevalent among Bangladeshi people with diabetes, with certain sociodemographic and diabetes-related factors associated with increased risk. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to people within the communities, at grassroot levels in order to improve reduce health inequality, and improve the mental health of people living with diabetes.

Dynamics of Mental Regulation of Psychological States in Various Conditions of Educational Activity of Students

Dynamics of Mental Regulation of Psychological States in Various Conditions of Educational Activity of Students

SCOPE AND FLIGHT IN LITERARY IMAGES OF OUR TIME: METAMORPHOSES OF THE IDEA

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the idea of flight in fiction and the scope it provides for the representation of a person’s real vision or the symbolic designation of psychological states and understanding. The interpretation of one’s perspective as a personal quality and a property of space or time is also considered. The comparison of literary works is focused on the expressive approach аin the scholarly heritage of the 20th-century outstanding philosophers and aestheticians M. Bakhtin and A. Losev. The novel Aviator by Evgeny Vodolazkin, a representative of modern Russian prose, is analyzed in detail. The ideas and interpretations of flight in the works of R. Bach, A. de Saint-Exupery, and other famous writers of the past century are compared. The dependence of the destinies of those who strive for flight on the historical turns of their time is demonstrated. The main value of the concept of flight for these authors lies in the breadth of human horizons, in the “vigilance of the heart” and “touch to the soul.”

Teacher‐Student Rapport: An Essential Mediator in Creating a Learning Climate Conducive to Psychological Well‐Being of Chinese Students

ABSTRACTThe success of students is closely tied to their well‐being and those students with high degrees of well‐being are more likely to excel in academic environments. Accordingly, the internal and external factors that cause positive changes in students' mental states and lead them to higher levels of psychological well‐being (PWB) need to be divulged. In response to this necessity, many scholars have explored the internal and external predictors of students' PWB such as teacher–student rapport (TSR) and learning climate in different educational domains. To narrow these gaps, this research inspects the role of TSR as a mediator in creating a learning climate conducive to PWB of Chinese Students. To do so, three scales were given to 588 Chinese students, among them 560 were valid. Then, structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to analyse participants' answers. The results disclosed strong and close connections between TSR, learning climate and students' PWB. The results also uncovered that TSR was a significant mediator between learning climate and PWB. The outcomes of this investigation might be illuminating for teachers, teacher trainers and educational managers.

Decrease in Primary Caregivers’ Quality of Life During the Care of a Relative with Palliative Care Needs: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

Background/Objectives: The quality of life is a complex concept that is insufficiently assessed in clinical practice. It is influenced by different factors, as follows: the individual’s characteristics, personal values and beliefs, physical and mental state, and relationship to other members of their community. The quality of life of the primary caregiver influences their health and the quality of their care interventions. This study aims to investigate how the quality of life of caregivers changes during palliative patients’ care. Methods: This is a prospective longitudinal study that assesses the different aspects of the quality of life of primary caregivers who care for patients with palliative needs. The tool used in this study was the Medical Outcomes Scale-Short Form 36 (MOS-SF36). Results: This study included 140 caregivers, of which 63 were involved in the care of patients with cancer and 77 were involved in the care of patients with non-oncological diseases. Almost 9 out of 10 caregivers were a family member of the patient and over two-thirds of these were women. The caregivers of patients with non-malignant diseases had a decreased quality of life in the following aspects: limitations in their usual role due to emotional problems, social functioning, energy, and their perception of their general health. In the group of oncological patients, the caregivers displayed limitations in their daily role due to physical health, emotional problems, and social functioning. Conclusions: The large number of responsibilities, the long time spent caring, and the uncertainty about the evolution of the disease as well as the marginalization and lack of time for oneself are some of the elements that increase caregiver burden. Along with this, the quality of life of caregivers decreases significantly in different aspects, such as physical, psycho-emotional, and social, with the perception of deteriorating general health.

Role Of Socioeconomics, Psychological State, and Attitude Toward Care Giving on Quality of Life of Dependent Patients’ Caregivers in the Northeast of Thailand

Background Caring for patients with dependency is a burden on primary caregivers, which impacts them economically, socially, and psychologically. The perception of caregiving and the psychological state associated with it further contribute to these effects. Objectives This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to study the socioeconomic and caregiving burden factors associated with the Quality of Life (QOL) of dependent patients’ caregivers in the Northeastern region of Thailand. Methodology A total of 1,335 dependent patients’ caregivers aged 18–59 years in the Northeastern Region of Thailand were selected by multistage random sampling to respond to a self-administered structured questionnaire. The Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) was performed to identify socioeconomic and caregiving burden factors associated with QOL while controlling the effects of covariates, presenting Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Results Among 1,335 dependent patients’ caregivers, more than half of them had poor QOL (58.05%; 95% CI:39.28 - 44.65). Factors associated with poor QOL were age 46-59 years (AOR=4.30; 95% CI: 2.84-6.51, p-value&lt;0.001), insufficient financial status with debt (AOR=5.89; 95% CI: 3.85-9.01, p-value&lt;0.001), low caregiving knowledge level (AOR=2.43; 95% CI: 1.63-3.64, p-value&lt;0.001), average to low attitude caregiving level (AOR=4.45; 95% CI: 3.30-5.99, p-value &lt;0.001), and having depression (AOR = 3.57; 95% CI: 1.93-6.59, p-value&lt;0.001). Conclusion The findings from this study have important implications for healthcare practice and policy—interventions aimed at improving the QOL of caregivers.

Intelligent Human Operator Mental Fatigue Assessment Method Based on Gaze Movement Monitoring

Modern mental fatigue detection methods include many parameters for evaluation. For example, many researchers use human subjective evaluation or driving parameters to assess this human condition. Development of a method for detecting the functional state of mental fatigue is an extremely important task. Despite the fact that human operator support systems are becoming more and more widespread, at the moment there is no open-source solution that can monitor this human state based on eye movement monitoring in real time and with high accuracy. Such a method allows the prevention of a large number of potential hazardous situations and accidents in critical industries (nuclear stations, transport systems, and air traffic control). This paper describes the developed method for mental fatigue detection based on human eye movements. We based our research on a developed earlier dataset that included captured eye-tracking data of human operators that implemented different tasks during the day. In the scope of the developed method, we propose a technique for the determination of the most relevant gaze characteristics for mental fatigue state detection. The developed method includes the following machine learning techniques for human state classification: random forest, decision tree, and multilayered perceptron. The experimental results showed that the most relevant characteristics are as follows: average velocity within the fixation area; average curvature of the gaze trajectory; minimum curvature of the gaze trajectory; minimum saccade length; percentage of fixations shorter than 150 ms; and proportion of time spent in fixations shorter than 150 milliseconds. The processing of eye movement data using the proposed method is performed in real time, with the maximum accuracy (0.85) and F1-score (0.80) reached using the random forest method.

Social Anxiety in Adolescents: An Analysis of the Psychological Influence Mechanism of Social Media Use

With the rapid progress of Internet technology, social media has become an indispensable part of the daily life of contemporary teenagers, which has a profound impact on their social habits, information acquisition methods and psychological development tracks. This paper explores the psychological mechanism of social anxiety in adolescents using social media, aiming to reveal how social media exerts a profound influence on social behavior, psychological cognition and emotional state of adolescents through various complex ways.The features of social media, such as convenience, interaction, anonymity and visualization, together constitute the basic environment for teenagers to use social media. They have many impacts on teenagers, including positive aspects such as the expansion of social circle, the convenience of information acquisition and the realization of self-expression, and may also bring negative impacts, especially social anxiety. This paper makes an in-depth analysis from multiple dimensions. On the one hand, the phenomenon of social comparison on social media is widespread, and teenagers are prone to inappropriate self-evaluation and feelings of inferiority when browsing the life fragments carefully selected and displayed by others, which will trigger social anxiety. On the other hand, there is also the ever-present threat of cyberbullying and harassment, and these negative experiences pose a serious threat to adolescents' mental health and exacerbate their symptoms of social anxiety. In addition, the increase of information overload and cognitive burden, addiction and dependence on social media are also important factors leading to social anxiety among adolescents. From the family, school and social level, it is necessary to strengthen the education and guidance of young people, help them establish the correct concept of social media use, set a reasonable time to use, encourage physical social activities, and cultivate self-esteem and self-confidence. At the same time, for adolescents with social anxiety symptoms, professional psychological help should be sought in time to alleviate their anxiety and promote their mental health development.

Advances in the Neuro-Rehabilitation of Parkinson’s Disease: Insights from a Personalized Multidisciplinary Innovative Pathway

Background/Objectives: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that requires comprehensive and personalized rehabilitation. This retrospective study focused primarily on the usability and patient acceptability of the innovative pathway. In addition, the secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a personalized and multidisciplinary rehabilitation pathway on cognitive function, especially executive functions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 80 patients with PD (Hoehn and Yahr scores 1–3). Patients were divided into an experimental group (EG), which received the innovative pathway, and a control group (CG), which received traditional therapy. The rehabilitation program included three phases: initial outpatient assessment, a two-month inpatient program, and a telerehabilitation phase in a day hospital (DH) or home environment. Interventions combined traditional therapies with treatments based on robotic and virtual reality. Cognitive assessments (Mini Mental State Examination—MMSE—and frontal assessment battery—FAB), mood (Hamilton Rating Scale—Depression—HRS-D), anxiety (HRS-Anxiety—HRS-A), and goals achievement (GAS) were the primary outcome measures. Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, gender, education, or test scores. After rehabilitation, EG showed significant improvements in all measures (p &lt; 0.001), particularly in cognitive tests and goal achievement. CG improved in GAS (p &lt; 0.001) and mood (HRS-D, p = 0.0012), but less than EG. No significant changes were observed in the MMSE of CG (p = 0.23) or FAB (p = 0.003). Conclusions: This study highlights the high usability and acceptability of VR and robotics in PD rehabilitation, contributing to improved adherence and patient engagement. The experimental group showed greater cognitive benefits, particularly in executive functions. These results are in line with the existing literature on personalized technology-based rehabilitation strategies for PD.