Perceived treatment assignment influences the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on anxiety during an internet-based psychosocial stressor.

Mapping remembering, recovering, and relating: At-risk mothers' needs across pregnancy and postpartum within a multimodal digital peer-support intervention.

Psychosocial stress and chronic pain: A threshold model of biological lock-in.

Latent profiles analysis of maternal perinatal stress and their association with NR3C1 expression in the perinatal period.

Losing face? Facial activity during evaluative stress is characterized by rigidity, tension and unpredictability.

Exploring the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on autonomic functioning: A multisystem approach.

The aim of this study was to deeply examine the experiences of proxy grief among nurses providing pediatric palliative care. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with 16 nurses working in the pediatric ward of a hospital located in the northern region of the country. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method. The analysis revealed 3 themes (challenges experienced while caring for children in palliative care; secondary trauma and coping processes; proxy trauma and professional resilience) and 9 sub-themes (emotional strain during care, establishing an empathetic bond, emotional exhaustion, traumatic experiences, seeking psychological support, religious coping methods, developing a professional approach, resilience and acceptance, and motivation to continue in the profession). The study found that nurses providing pediatric palliative care experienced significant psychosocial stress. Pediatric nurses were particularly challenged emotionally when caring for palliative patients. In this context, it is important to develop stress-coping skills to help nurses manage vicarious trauma. Strengthening nurses psychologically and spiritually will positively impact their professional lives, which in turn will enhance the quality of care they provide.

Capturing inflammatory reactivity to acute psychosocial stress in plasma and saliva among adolescents.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a frequent and clinically meaningful consequence of cancer, yet current evidence is largely derived from older adult populations. Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) may be particularly vulnerable due to ongoing neurodevelopment, high cognitive demands, and cancer-related biological and psychosocial stressors. This review is timely given the growing interest in biological mechanisms and preventive models of CRCI, alongside the persistent lack of AYA-specific syntheses addressing cognitive trajectories, mechanisms, and optimal intervention timing. Approximately 25-30% of AYAs experience CRCI, most commonly affecting attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and working memory. Cognitive alterations may be detectable prior to treatment initiation and can persist across the cancer trajectory. Emerging AYA-specific evidence implicates biological mechanisms such as systemic inflammation and altered neuroplasticity, including changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A consistent dissociation between subjective cognitive complaints and objective performance is observed, underscoring the functional impact of subtle inefficiencies in academic and early professional contexts. While non-pharmacological interventions show promise in the general CRCI literature, early and AYA-specific preventive interventions remain scarce. CRCI in AYAs should be conceptualized as a dynamic, biologically grounded process embedded within ongoing neurodevelopment. Early, developmentally sensitive, and multimodal interventions may represent a key opportunity to preserve long-term cognitive, functional, and psychosocial outcomes in this vulnerable population.

This review aimed to systematically synthesize qualitative evidence on the perceptions, experiences, and practices of athletes and stakeholders regarding sports injuries, with a primary focus on risk factors, consequences, injury reporting, rehabilitation, and prevention strategies. A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and prospectively registered in PROSPERO. Six databases were searched from 2000 to July 2025. Eligible studies explored the lived experiences of sports injuries in athletes and stakeholders. Data were extracted, appraised using the CASP checklist, and synthesized thematically. Thirty-five studies were included, spanning a range of sports and competitive levels. Five overarching themes were identified: (i) risk factors including excessive training loads, poor recovery, early specialization, and psychosocial stressors; (ii) consequences of injury such as disrupted performance, long-term disability, financial costs, and significant psychological distress; (iii) rehabilitation highlighting both the challenges of self-management and the importance of interdisciplinary support; (iv) injury reporting and monitoring where normalization of pain, fear of deselection, and cultural pressures inhibited disclosure; and (v) injury prevention and performance sustainability emphasizing load management, evidence-based practices, collaborative monitoring, and contextual barriers such as limited resources and fixture congestion. Athletes and stakeholders perceive sports injuries as complex biopsychosocial phenomena shaped by cultural norms, resource availability, and interpersonal dynamics. Sustainable prevention requires both individualized and systemic approaches, combining tailored training plans, athlete-centered care, and structured surveillance systems. Qualitative insights highlight the necessity of embedding prevention and rehabilitation strategies within the lived realities of athletes, thereby enhancing health protection and long-term performance sustainability. REVIEW REGISTRATION: This review was prospectively registered on the Open Science Framework in March 2025 (registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/V79D2).

Psychological stress during medical internship is associated with inflammatory signatures linked to mental health.

Altered autonomic stress reactivity and recovery have been linked to reduced self-regulation and adverse health outcomes. Based on the autonomic flexibility-neurovisceral integration model, panic disorder (PD) may be associated with dysregulated autonomic control and reduced physiological flexibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare heart rate (HR), the time-domain heart rate variability parameters SDNN and RMSSD, in individuals with PD and healthy controls during psychosocial stress induction. Thirty individuals with PD and thirty age- and gender-matched healthy controls underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Before, during, and after the TSST, their HR, SDNN, and RMSSD were measured. Both groups showed the expected autonomic response to stress, reflected in increased HR and decreased HRV during the TSST, followed by recovery thereafter. Individuals with PD showed attenuated stress-related decreases in RMSSD (β=0.018, p=.002) and SDNN (β=0.011, p=.010), as well as slower recovery thereafter in RMSSD (β=-0.044, p=.002) and SDNN (β=-0.026, p=.024), whereas no group differences emerged for HR. These findings suggest altered autonomic stress reactivity and recovery in PD, consistent with reduced autonomic flexibility. Rather than indicating a specific directional deficit in vagal withdrawal alone, the results point to broader dysregulation of autonomic adaptation to psychosocial stress. Cardiac vagal control may play a mediating role for therapy outcome and efficacy in PD.

A data-informed multidimensional composite score for stress assessment.

Integrating personalized experience sampling methodology in schema therapy for late-life depression and comorbid avoidant personality disorder.

Partner separation and sex contribute to anxiety-like behavior, but partner separation alone amplifies hippocampal inflammation following immune challenge.

There has been significant progress in studying gender-based violence (GBV) and precarious employment independently, yet there is a paucity of research on their intersection and the health impacts. The objective of this secondary analysis of a scoping review is to synthesize existing literature on this intersection and the associated health impacts among migrant women. Seven databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles in May 2024, with an updated search in May 2025. This secondary analysis was built on all the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the original scoping review, which focused on empirical studies including migrant women, aged 15 years and older, who self-report experiences of GBV and engagement in precarious employment. A total of 28 studies were included for analysis. Findings revealed the significant impact of the intersection of GBV and precarious employment on the health and well-being of migrant women. Unsafe working conditions and psychosocial stressors were found to be significantly associated with heightened risks of mental distress, physical injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, and barriers to accessing healthcare services. Community networks offered support but were often ineffective for women living with their employers. This review highlighted the urgent gaps in research, policy, and workplace protections that impact the health and well-being of migrant women. Addressing these issues to achieve health equity remains a priority.

Salivary glucocorticoid receptor gene DNA methylation and cortisol output in relation to lifestyle, psychological distress, and cognition in university students.

A neurodevelopmental model of eating disorder risk in midlife to older adulthood.

Background Children with solid tumors experience prolonged treatment, repeated hospital visits, and psychosocial stressors. This exploratory single-center cross-sectional study evaluated anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life in children with solid tumors and examined their associations with selected sociodemographic, clinical, school functioning, and social functioning variables. Methods Fifty children aged 8–18 years with solid tumors were evaluated at a tertiary pediatric hematology-oncology center in Türkiye between August 2024 and August 2025. Validated Turkish versions of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale–Child Version (RCADS-CV), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) were administered by a child and adolescent psychiatry specialist. The primary outcome was the SCARED total score. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were recorded. Results The median age was 13 years. Clinically significant depressive symptoms (CDI ≥ 19) were detected in 16% of patients, and high anxiety risk (SCARED ≥25) in 56%. Median RCADS-CV total anxiety and depression scores were 42.0 and 44.5, respectively. Girls had higher PedsQL emotional functioning scores than boys ( p < 0.001), whereas school functioning did not differ significantly between age groups ( p = 0.124). In exploratory analyses, lower maternal education was associated with a higher likelihood of clinically significant depressive symptoms (Spearman's rho = −0.383, p = 0.006). Conclusion Children with solid tumors showed a substantial burden of anxiety risk and depressive symptoms. Standardized psychosocial assessment may help identify children requiring emotional support and guide individualized, family-centered interventions. Larger longitudinal multicenter studies are needed to validate these exploratory findings.

Entrepreneurs play a vital role in economic development but are exposed to significant psychosocial stressors, including financial uncertainty, long working hours, and job insecurity, which may adversely affect mental health. Evidence on anxiety, depression, and psychological distress among entrepreneurs in Nigeria remains limited. This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress among small and medium-scale entrepreneurs in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 156 entrepreneurs registered with the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME). Data were collected electronically using a structured questionnaire incorporating the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and a work-related stress scale based on the Job Demand-Control model. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between socio-demographic and occupational factors and mental health outcomes. Overall,12.9% of respondents had anxiety,12.3% had depression, and 17.9% had psychological distress. High work-related stress was reported in 25.6% of participants, while 60.6% reported feeling stressed at work. Male entrepreneurs were less likely to have depression. (AOR 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.54). Entrepreneurs who had dependents were more likely to have psychological distress (AOR = 4.50; 95% CI: 1.08-18.78). Good job control was protective against anxiety (AOR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05-0.57), depression (AOR 0.10, 95% CI: 0.02-0.40), and psychological distress (AOR = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.04-0.40). High work-related stress significantly increased the odds of anxiety (AOR 3.43, 95% CI: 1.10-10.69) and psychological distress (AOR 5.33, 95% CI: 1.70-16.72). Working more than 40h per week was protective against depression and psychological distress. ( AOR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.73) CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of entrepreneurs in Southwest Nigeria experienced anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, largely associated with having dependents, high work-related stress and low job control while male entrepreneurs were less likely to have depression. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health interventions, stress management support, and policies that promote healthier and more supportive work environments for entrepreneurs.