Treatment Of Psychological Distress Research Articles

PAM trial protocol: a randomised feasibility study of psychedelic microdosing–assisted meaning-centred psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients

BackgroundAn advanced cancer diagnosis can be associated with a significant profile of distress. Psychedelic compounds have shown clinically significant effects in the treatment of psychological distress in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Given the challenges of delivering timely and effective intervention in the advanced cancer context, it is possible that an alternative, more pragmatic, approach lies in psychedelic ‘microdosing’. Microdosing refers to repeated administration of psychedelics in sub-hallucinogenic doses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomised controlled trial comparing psychedelic microdose-assisted–meaning-centred psychotherapy (PA-MCP) to standard meaning-centred psychotherapy (MCP) in New Zealand indigenous (Māori) and non-indigenous people with advanced cancer and symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Although MCP is a well-established psychotherapeutic treatment in advanced cancer populations, the potential efficacy and effectiveness of this therapy when delivered alongside a standardised microdose regimen of a psychedelic compound have not been investigated.MethodsParticipants with advanced-stage cancer and symptoms of anxiety and/or depression (N = 40; 20 Māori, 20 non-Māori) will be randomised under double-blind conditions to receive 7 sessions of MCP alongside 13 doses of either an LSD microdose (4–20 µg) (PA–MCP) or inactive placebo (placebo-MCP). The feasibility, acceptability, and safety of this intervention and physiological and psychological measures will be recorded at baseline, at each session of MCP, and at a 1-month and 6-month follow-up.DiscussionOur findings will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of a larger randomised controlled trial and provide an initial indication of the potential benefits of psychedelic microdosing for psychological distress in advanced-stage indigenous and non-indigenous cancer patients.Trial RegistrationNZCTR, ACTRN12623000478617. Registered 11 May 2023. https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=385810&isReview=true.

The accuracy of the Psychological Distress Inventory – Revised (PDI-R) in identifying distress in oncological outpatients: A pilot study using a machine learning approach.

e24222 Background: Ever greater importance is given to psychological distress in oncological settings. Distress could have a severe adverse effect on adherence and compliance to therapies, medical treatments, and quality of life (NCCN, 2015). Moreover, psychological research is progressively increasing in oncological settings and psychological distress has rapidly gained popularity – leading to the development of scales aimed at its evaluation. In this regard, the revised version of the Psychological Distress Inventory – the PDI-R (Rossi et al., 2022) – has demonstrated excellent psychometric properties but its screening properties were limited to self-report questionnaires. Consequently, to fill this gap, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the PDI-R in identifying the levels of distress of oncological outpatients compared to a diagnostic interview – using a machine learning approach. Methods: Oncological outpatients ( n = 603; mean age = 68.38, SD = 9.31; 316 males) were enrolled at the Presidio Ospedaliero of Saronno, ASST Valle Olona, Italy. Patients were tested with the PDI-R which is composed of 8 items that evaluate internal, external, and general distress. In this study, the PDI-R shows good internal consistency: McDonald’s omega = .922. Then, patients were interviewed by a psycho-oncologist who assessed distress levels of each patient. In accordance with the methodological procedures for the application of machine learning algorithms, patients were randomly divided into two different databases. The first database ( n = 400) was used to train the machine learning algorithm and the second one ( n = 203) was used to test the accuracy of its predictions. The k-nearest neighbors ( k-NN) algorithm was applied. Results: According to the clinical interview, the training database (mean age = 67.78, SD = 9.10; 212 males) shows that 76% of patients were without distress (or mild distress) and 24% had moderate or severe distress. Moreover, according to the clinical interview, the testing database (mean age = 69.58, SD = 9.62; 104 males) shows that 71% of patients were without distress (or mild distress) and 29% had moderate or severe distress. Using the 8 items of the PDI-R, the k-NN algorithm, correctly identified 193 subjects (144 true negatives and 49 true positives). At the same time, only 10 subjects (10 false negatives) were incorrectly classified – thereby showing a machine learning-based accuracy of 95%. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the PDI-R is a reliable self-report questionnaire with strong psychometric properties and high accuracy in identifying psychological distress. Its use in research and clinical practice is therefore recommended to increase the quality of both assessment and treatment of psychological distress in patients with oncological difficulties.

0646 Psychological distress as predictors of disturbed sleep among college students

Abstract Introduction Poor sleep quality is prevalent among college students and has a significant impact on their daily activities. Further, college students are under extreme pressure to excel in an academic, occupational and social context, and psychological distress often exacerbate sleep quality. This study aimed to examine relationships between psychological stress and sleep quality among undergraduate students. Methods Baseline data were obtained from students who completed self-report measures as part of a larger study (n=56; mean age 20.23 (1.5); 83.9% females). Poor sleepers were categorized when participants had at least 2 of the following indicators: excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), insomnia symptoms (Insomnia Severity Index), and poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). The Beck Depression Inventory-II assessed depressive symptoms, the PCL-5 determined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD) scale assessed for anxiety symptoms. Binary logistic regression analyses identified the association between poor sleepers, PTSD, GAD, and depressive symptoms, while adjusting for sex and body mass index (BMI). Results Approximately 33.9% of students experienced excessive daytime sleepiness, 30.4% suffered from insomnia, 89.3% had poor sleep quality, and 62.5% of the sample experienced one or more psychological stressors. Forty-eight percent of the students were categorized as poor sleepers. Using binary logistic regression, after adjusting for sex and BMI, students who experienced PTSD (OR= 1.075, 95%CI [1.023, 1.130]), GAD (OR=1.227, 95%CI [1.072, 1.406]), and depressive (OR=1.105, 95%Cl [1.023, 1.192]) symptoms had an increased risk for being poor sleepers. Conclusion Findings indicate that mental health is a core component of well-being and sleep health, and that early assessment and treatment of psychological distress may be an important strategy for intervention of poor sleep quality and disturbed sleep among college students. Support (if any) This study was funded by a Center Grant from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (Grant # P20GM103653).

Prevalence and risk factors of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Depression is a serious disorder disproportionately affecting people with chronic diseases, yet, to date is rarely recognized comorbidity in pediatric rheumatology clinical routine care. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression in children with Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and to identify associations to risk factors. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)-Fast Screen Questionnaire validated for ages 13 and older and confirmed by the BDI or Hamilton Depression Scale. A cross-sectional analysis of 148 patients attending the rheumatology outpatient clinic of the Asklepios Children’s Hospital Sankt Augustin between January 2018 and May 2019 was performed. Possible associations between routinely assessed parameters of disease activity and treatment were analysed. 148 JIA patients (71.5% female), median age 14.7 years, were included. The prevalence for depressive symptoms was 13% and for depression 9.5%, of which 71.4% were newly identified with depression. Significant associations with depressive symptoms included rheumatoid factor negative polyarthritis, higher pain scores, functional limitations, higher disease activity, decreased general well-being, higher number of medications taken and not being in remission. In addition, poor treatment response (persistent pain despite therapy) and failure to achieve minimal activity/remission of disease despite intensified therapy with biologics correlated significantly with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms are an important comorbidity in JIA. Early recognition and treatment of psychological distress is essential to prevent deterioration in quality of life and long-term prognosis. Consequently, treat-to-target principles should include mental health as a therapeutic goal.

Maternal mental-health treatment moderates the association between psychological distress and harsh parenting: A prospective cohort study.

Parental psychological distress (depression, anxiety) is detrimental to child mental health. A key reason for this is that depressed and anxious parents are at risk of engaging in more negative, reactive and harsh parenting. While treatment for psychological distress has a long history of success in adults, less is known about how treatment for parental psychological distress may positively influence parenting behaviours, particularly in the general population. We examined the moderating role of mothers receiving treatment for depression or anxiety on the longitudinal relationship between maternal psychological distress and the development of harsh parenting (smacking and shouting) across early childhood (ages 3 to 7). Using prospective data from 16,131 families participating in the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, we conducted moderator analysis within a multilevel repeated measures model to test whether receiving treatment for mental health problems could protect mothers with high psychological distress from engaging in harsh parenting. In each wave, about 7% of mothers reported undergoing treatment for depression or anxiety at that time. Maternal psychological distress was associated with increased use of harsh parenting and that, adjusting for psychological distress, receiving psychological treatment was related to decreased use of harsh parenting. Importantly, receiving psychological treatment buffered the negative effect of psychological distress on harsh parenting. In early-to-middle childhood, mental health treatment may help mothers with depression or anxiety to be less harsh toward their children, thereby benefiting their child's psychological adjustment.

Predictors of distress associated with altered appearance and function in people treated surgically for oral cancers: a cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study was performed to examine sources of variation in distress associated with altered appearance and fundamental functions in oral cancer patients at 2 months, 12–15 months, 24–36 months, and ≥ 5 years post-definitive treatment. Eligible patients completed six scales from the FACE-Q Head and Neck Cancer Module. Pre-specified regression models were used to examine sources of variation in study outcomes for 145 patients. Patient self-reports indicated that distress associated with altered appearance and fundamental functions was highly variable, and distress was present beyond 5 years post-definitive treatment in some patients. Associations between distress scores and time post-definitive treatment, reconstructive surgery, and adjuvant therapy were not statistically significant. There was, however, moderate to strong evidence against the null hypothesis of no association between eating distress scores and sex, primary cancer site, and T-stage; smiling distress scores and age and primary cancer site; appearance distress scores and geographical remoteness and primary cancer site; and speaking distress scores and primary cancer site. Primary cancer site was the only significant independent predictor of multiple distress scores. These findings suggest that predicting the psychological impact of oral cancer treatment remains a challenge for the multidisciplinary team. Screening and interventions for psychological distress are essential beyond the preoperative and acute care settings.

Excess healthcare costs of psychological distress in young women: Evidence from linked national Medicare claims data.

The prevalence of mental health disorders in young adults is increasing, yet there is limited empirical evidence on its economic consequences. We contribute to the literature by estimating the healthcare costs of psychological distress using panel data of young women (aged 18-23years with a 5-year follow-up) from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health and linked administrative data from Medicare Australia. Our empirical strategy is based on the classical two-part model of healthcare costs with individual specific fixed-effects. We complement our analysis with a test for selection on unobservables to address potential concerns of endogeneity. We find that young women with psychological distress have 15% higher annual healthcare costs (excluding hospital costs) than women with no psychological distress. A large proportion of these costs is driven by the use of antidepressants and the services of psychiatrists and psychologists. We further find that women with psychological distress have higher out-of-pocket costs on these mental health related services compared to non-mental health specific services. Additionally, we show that the effect of psychological distress on healthcare costs is highest during the first 6months of onset, which gradually decreases afterwards. The findings justify the importance of policy initiatives towards early prevention and treatment of psychological distress, especially among young women.

Mantram repetition and psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Researchers have examined several interventions for psychological distress, mindfulness being a popular one. One mindfulness intervention is mantram repetition. Mantram repetition is an ancient traditional practice of repeating a sacred word/phrase at various times throughout the day and whenever needed. To examine the evidence of the effect of mantram repetition on psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety and somatization). We searched 16 databases and retrieved 12 studies testing the effects of mantram repetition; only four of these measured aspects of psychological distress with comparison groups. All studies showed positive effects ranging from very mild (.08) to very strong (.71). The summary effect across all studies was small (.23, p=.015). Importantly, this small effect was found when compared to treatment as usual and even psychotherapy. The portable, cost-effective, mantram repetition intervention outperformed standard therapies. In patients who are prone to psychological distress, practitioners might teach this technique, encouraging them to use it initially as they go through their day and then when they are experiencing distress. Mantram repetition could be practiced with breathing exercises, when walking or exercising, or during chores, integrating the mantram into daily life.

Psychological distress and body image disturbances after modified radical mastectomy among breast cancer survivors: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care centre in North India.

Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and treatment can affect women both physically and psychologically. Women with BC undergo various painful and debilitating therapies as well as emotional trauma. Additionally, treatment modalities can bring about multiple changes, causing distress and alteration in one's appearance. This study aimed to assess the psychological distress and body image disturbances after modified radical mastectomy (MRM) among BC survivors. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in North India on 165 female survivors of BC who underwent MRM and attended outpatient follow-up. The median (interquartile range) age was 42 (36-51) years. Patients were evaluated using MINI 6·0·0 to assess for psychiatric comorbidities. The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure psychological distress. Additionally, the ten-item Body Image Satisfaction (BIS-10) scale was used to evaluate body image disturbances. The rates of depression, anxiety, and stress were 27·8%, 31·5%, and 24·8%, respectively. Most patients (92%) experienced body image disturbances, and BC survivors who completed treatment within 12 months were more likely (p<0·01) to have body image disturbances than women who had a long time since completion of treatment. Body image disturbances were not associated with age or psychological distress. Depression, anxiety, stress, and body image issues are common among BC survivors. Follow-up management plans for BC survivors should also include evaluation and treatment of psychological distress and addressing body image disturbances in patients undergoing mastectomy. Not applicable.

Psychological Distress, Pain and Insurance Claims Negatively Affect Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life After Road Traffic Injuries.

ObjectiveA prospective cohort study to investigate how injury and early post-injury psychosocial factors influence health outcomes 12 months after road traffic injury.MethodsResidents of New South Wales, Australia, with road traffic injury in the period 2013–16 were recruited. Explanatory factors were evaluated for outcomes over 12 months using 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) Physical and Mental Component Scores (PCS and MCS). Path models and mediation analysis were used to examine the effect of injury severity and explanatory factors.ResultsSF-12 PCS and MCS outcomes were poorer among participants with baseline psychological distress, for all injury severities (β coefficients –3.3 to –9.3, p < 0.0001). Baseline pain and psychological distress, and baseline PCS and MCS were each involved in indirect effects of injury severity on 12-month PCS and MCS. Injury severity, baseline PCS and MCS, and baseline psychological distress were also associated with the likelihood of a compulsory third-party insurance claim, and claiming was negatively associated with 12-month PCS and MCS outcomes (beta coefficients –0.22 and –0.14, respectively, for both, p < 0.01).ConclusionBaseline factors, including pain, psychological distress and lodging a compulsory third-party insurance claim, negatively impact long-term physical and mental health status following road traffic injury, emphasizing the importance of early screening and intervention.Trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical trial registry identification number: ACTRN12613000889752.LAY ABSTRACTRoad traffic injury (RTI) can lead to adverse long-term physical and mental health outcomes. This study followed participants with RTI for 12 months to assess the effects of acute post-injury psychological distress and physical and mental health outcomes. For physical health outcomes, greater severity of injury leads directly to a more restricted physical state; pain and psychological distress soon after injury also contribute to negative physical outcomes for participants experiencing more severe injuries. For mental health outcomes, injury severity has no direct effect on worsening mental state; mental state and psychological distress soon after injury leads to worsening outcomes for participants experiencing more severe injury. Individuals with higher psychological distress or pain were more likely to lodge a motor vehicle insurance claim. These people had subsequently poorer 12-month physical and mental health outcomes. It is essential to understand how early screening and interventions for psychological distress and pain can affect recovery.

Screening for Distress in Oncological Patients: The Revised Version of the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI-R).

BackgroundPsychological research in oncological settings is steadily increasing and the construct of psychological distress has rapidly gained popularity—leading to the development of questionnaires aimed at its measurement. The Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI) is one of the most used instruments, but its psychometric properties were not yet deeply evaluated. The present studies aimed at investigating the psychometric properties of the PDI (Study 1) and providing a revised version of the tool (Study 2).MethodsOncological outpatients were enrolled at the Department of Medical Oncology of the Presidio Ospedaliero of Saronno, ASST Valle Olona, Italy. For the first study (N = 251), an Exploratory Graph Analysis was used to explore the item structure of the PDI. In the second study (N = 902), the psychometric properties of the revised PDI (PDI-R) were deeply assessed.ResultsStudy 1 showed that the PDI has a not clear structure and it should be reconsidered. On the opposite, Study 2 showed that the revised version (PDI-R) has a solid factorial structure, it is invariant across gender and age, and it has good psychometric properties.ConclusionResults suggest that the PDI-R is a reliable measure of psychological distress in different samples of oncological patients, with stronger psychometric properties than the original version. Its use in the clinical and research field is therefore recommended to improve the quality of both assessment and treatment of psychological distress in patients with oncological problems.

We are in the Same Boat: Group Therapy as a Treatment for Psychological Distress in Dating Violence Survivors

Young adults are synonymous with the task of developing intimacy. This phase is inseparable from the problem of dating violence. This situation is a social stressor that causes a negative stress response commonly known as psychological distress. The purpose of this study is to provide treatment for 5 young adults who have experienced dating violence with online group intervention. The intervention design was carried out for seven 60-90 minutes sessions. The evaluation was done using observation, DASS, and BDI-II. Friedman’s test showed a significant result for depression (BDI-II, χ 2 F = 6.533, p = .038; DASS, χ 2 F = 6.533, p = .038) and anxiety (χ 2 F = 6.000, p = .050), and a non-significant result for stress (χ 2 F = 3.500, p = .174).

Analysis of protein association networks regulating the neuroactive metabolites production in Lactobacillus species

Human population is intensively suffering from mental disorders and stress. Microbial metabolites may alter the brain activity, which seems to be an effective approach in the treatment of psychological distress. Earlier, microbial neuroactive metabolites such as trimethylamine, imidazolone propionate and taurine have been shown to alter the brain activity. In the present study proteins regulating their production and activity were explored in Lactobacillus species with the help of STRING (11.5) as a bioinformatic tool. Dataset network of urocanate hydratase, glycine radical enzyme and taurine ABC transporter protein (ATP-dependent transporter) have been identified in Lactobacillus nodensis, Lactobacillus vini and Lactobacillus paraplantarum strains. Further, cluster analysis of network resulted with groups of homologous proteins that most likely related to reductive monocarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate fermentation to acetate IV and L-histidine degradation I pathway. The findings emphasize on the use and evaluation of selected Lactobacillus strains as psychoactive bacteria for the prevention and treatment of certain neurological and neurophysiological conditions.

Mental health and implications for antiretroviral adherence in a multiethnic Asian cohort

ObjectivesResearch suggests a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in people living with HIV, resulting in negative health outcomes and poorer help-seeking behaviours when undetected. Subsequent disease progression and non-adherence...

Which Psychological and Electrodiagnostic Factors Are Associated With Limb Disability in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

It has been observed that patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) who also experience emotional distress, depression, or anxiety report more severe symptoms. As patients' own perspectives about their health increasingly are guiding treatment decisions, it seems important to study the simultaneous association of psychological distress and neuropathology with hand disability in patients who have CTS, as this may help prioritize and sequence management steps. What are the relationships among validated scores for (1) depression, (2) anxiety, (3) pain catastrophizing, and (4) nerve electrodiagnostic severity with measures of hand disability in patients with confirmed CTS? Between 2017 and 2019, we evaluated 116 patients for CTS in a referral urban hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Of those, we considered 85% (99) as potentially eligible by considering the following Electromyography-Nerve Conduction Study (EMG-NCS) diagnostic criteria: sensory latency ≥ 3.5 Ms, median-ulnar latency difference ≥ 0.5 Ms, motor latency ≥ 4.2 Ms, and abnormal EMG findings in the opponens pollicis muscle (neurogenic motor unit action potentials, positive sharp waves, or fibrillation). A further 13% (15 of 116) were excluded because of nonidiopathic CTS and prior surgery, and another 12% (14 of 116) were lost because of incomplete datasets, leaving 60% (70 of 116) for final inclusion in this cross-sectional study. In all, 89% of patients were women with total mean age of 47 years. We measured depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire (scored from 0 to 21, with a minimum clinically important difference [MCID] of 1.7 points), and we evaluated patients' state of mind regarding pain using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) (scored from 0 to 52). Higher scores on these questionnaires represent more distress and pain catastrophizing. Hand disability was assessed with Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire outcomes (scored from 0 [no disability] to 100 [most severe disability]; MCID of 15 points), Likert pain score (from 0 to 10), and grip/pinch dynamometry results. Correlational analyses were conducted once among HADS and PCS scores and again among EMG-NCS indices with pain and disability variables to answer our first, third, and fourth questions, respectively. Regression analysis was performed to assess the percentage of variance in QuickDASH and pain severity, which could be explained by psychological and electrodiagnostic factors. We did not include grip and pinch in our multivariable model (regression analysis) as dependent variables because they did not correlate with any of psychological or EMG-NCS variables (all p values > 0.1). Significance was set at p < 0.05. Correlational analysis showed that the scores of all three psychological questionnaires correlated with the QuickDASH score (r = 0.50, 0.42, and 0.53 for HADS-A, HADS-D, and PCS, respectively; p < 0.001 for all three), while EMG-NCS parameters had no correlation with QuickDASH and pain scores. We also found that 37% of the variance in QuickDASH score can be explained by HADS and PCS scores (r2 = 0.37; p < 0.001). Evaluation and treatment of psychological distress before deciding on elective surgery for CTS is important because patient-reported disability-often used as a factor in surgical decision-making-is substantially correlated with emotional distress. Future prospective, controlled studies on this topic are recommended; ideally, these should evaluate psychological interventions specifically to ascertain whether they improve patients' ratings of hand disability. Level III, prognostic study.

The CopeNYP program: A model for brief treatment of psychological distress among healthcare workers and hospital staff

In the midst of the Spring 2020 initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, members of the Psychiatry Department of Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital rapidly created and implemented a brief, behavioral skills-based intervention program, “CopeNYP”, to address the immediate mental health needs of the employees of the hospital and medical school. We describe the development, implementation and evolution of this telehealth-delivered program staffed primarily by in-house clinical psychologists, postdoctoral fellows, pre-doctoral interns and counselors who were redeployed or volunteered their time to provide urgent support for employees. We discuss the challenges and lessons learned in providing brief, skills-based psychological interventions for employees subjected to chronic stress. As the impact of the pandemic became prolonged, employees faced compounding stressors including social isolation, fear of infection, grief and loss, and sequelae of COVID-19-related illness combined with work-related demands. Our goal is to present our program design, implementation, and utilization as a blueprint for other institutions that would like to develop an evidence-based clinician-staffed psychological intervention program to support ongoing employee mental health needs.

Clinician Facial Expression of Emotion Corresponds with Patient Mindset.

Mental health has a notable and perhaps underappreciated relationship with symptom intensity related to musculoskeletal pathophysiology. Tools for increasing awareness of mental health opportunities may help musculoskeletal specialists identify and address psychological distress and unhealthy misconceptions with greater confidence. One such type of technology-software that identifies emotions by analyzing facial expressions-could be developed as a clinician-awareness tool. A first step in this endeavor is to conduct a pilot study to assess the ability to measure patient mental health through specialist facial expressions. (1) Does quantification of clinician emotion using facial recognition software correlate with patient psychological distress and unhealthy misconceptions? (2) Is there a correlation between clinician facial expressions of emotions and a validated measure of the quality of the patient-clinician relationship? In a cross-sectional pilot study, between April 2019 and July 2019, we made video recordings of the clinician's face during 34 initial musculoskeletal specialist outpatient evaluations. There were 16 men and 18 women, all fluent and literate in English, with a mean age of 43 ± 15 years. Enrollment was performed according to available personnel, equipment, and room availability. We did not track declines, but there were only a few. Video recordings were analyzed using facial-emotional recognition software, measuring the proportion of time spent by clinicians expressing measured emotions during a consultation. After the visit, patients completed a demographic questionnaire and measures of health anxiety (the Short Health Anxiety Inventory), fear of painful movement (the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia), catastrophic or worst-case thinking about pain (the Pain Catastrophizing Scale), symptoms of depression (the Patient Health Questionnaire), and the patient's perception of the quality of their relationship with the clinician (Patient-Doctor Relationship Questionnaire). Clinician facial expressions consistent with happiness were associated with less patient health anxiety (r = -0.59; p < 0.001) and less catastrophic thinking (r = -0.37; p = 0.03). Lower levels of clinician expressions consistent with sadness were associated with less health anxiety (r = 0.36; p = 0.04), fewer symptoms of generalized anxiety (r = 0.36; p = 0.03), and less catastrophic thinking (r = 0.33; p = 0.05). Less time expressing anger was associated with greater health anxiety (r = -0.37; p = 0.03), greater symptoms of anxiety (r = -0.46; p < 0.01), more catastrophic thinking (r = -0.38; p = 0.03), and greater symptoms of depression (r = -0.42; p = 0.01). More time expressing surprise was associated with less health anxiety (r = -0.44; p < 0.01) and symptoms of depression (r = -0.52; p < 0.01). More time expressing fear was associated with less kinesiophobia (r = -0.35; p = 0.04). More time expressing disgust was associated with less catastrophic thinking (r = -0.37; p = 0.03) and less health anxiety (GAD-2; r = -0.42; p = 0.02) and symptoms of depression (r = -0.44; p < 0.01). There was no association between a clinicians' facial expression of emotions and patient experience with patient-clinician interactions. The ability to measure a patient's mindset on the clinician's face confirms that clinicians are registering the psychological aspects of illness, whether they are consciously aware of them or not. Future research involving larger cohorts of patients, mapping clinician-patient interactions during consultation, and more sophisticated capture of nonverbal and verbal cues, including a broader range of emotional expressions, may help translate this innovation from the research setting to clinical practice. Tools for measuring emotion through facial recognition could be used to train clinicians to become aware of the psychological aspects of health and to coach clinicians on effective communication strategies both for gentle reorientation of common misconceptions as well as for appropriate and timely diagnosis and treatment of psychological distress.

Scene Matching Method for Children’s Psychological Distress Based on Deep Learning Algorithm

In the process of children’s psychological development, various levels of psychological distress often occur, such as attention problems, emotional problems, adaptation problems, language problems, and motor coordination problems; these problems have seriously affected children’s healthy growth. Scene matching in the treatment of psychological distress can prompt children to change from a third-person perspective to a first-person perspective and shorten the distance between scene contents and child’s perceptual experience. As a part of machine learning, deep learning can perform mapping transformations in huge data, process huge data with the help of complex models, and extract multilayer features of scene information. Based on the summary and analysis of previous research works, this paper expounded the research status and significance of the scene matching method for children’s psychological distress, elaborated the development background, current status, and future challenges of deep learning algorithm, introduced the methods and principles of depth spatiotemporal feature extraction algorithm and dynamic scene understanding algorithm, constructed a scene matching model for children’s psychological distress based on deep learning algorithm, analyzed the scene feature extraction and matching function construction of children’s psychological distress, proposed a scene matching method for children’s psychological distress based on deep learning algorithm, performed scene feature matching and information processing of children’s psychological distress, and finally conduced a simulation experiment and analyzed its results. The results show that the deep learning algorithm can have a deep and abstract mining on the characteristics of children’s psychological distress scenes and obtain a large amount of more representative characteristic information through training on large-scale data, thereby improving the accuracy of classification and matching of children’s psychological distress scenes. The study results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the scene matching method for children’s psychological distress based on deep learning algorithm.

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Pregnancy on Psychological Distress and Gestational Age: Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Given stress, anxiety, and depression affect 15–25% of women during pregnancy and are associated with adverse outcomes for maternal and child health if untreated, a randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week modified Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Perinatal Depression (MBCT-PD) intervention for psychological distress. A community sample of pregnant women who self-identified as experiencing high levels of psychological distress was randomized into MBCT-PD (n = 28) or treatment as usual (n = 32). Participants completed online questionnaires assessing symptoms of distress, pregnancy and generalized anxiety, depression, and stress during lab visits at enrolment (before allocation), immediately following the intervention, and at follow-up (3 months postpartum). Women also reported delivery type and gestational age of their newborn. Using an intention-to-treat approach, multilevel modeling indicated a significant effect of MBCT-PD treatment on overall psychological distress, but not on other symptoms. Path analysis revealed a moderated mediation, with an indirect effect of MBCT-PD treatment on lengthening gestational age through decreasing pregnancy anxiety among women with higher baseline symptoms. In pregnant women seeking treatment for high levels of psychological distress, MBCT-PD was associated with improved overall distress, but not other specific symptoms such as anxiety and depression beyond treatment as usual. MBCT-PD has the potential to reduce the risk of preterm birth by targeting and reducing high levels of pregnancy anxiety during early gestation. Further research is warranted to examine other outcomes (e.g., coping skills, interpersonal functioning) and comparisons to other interventions.

Technology-based psychosocial management for psychological distress due to stigma associated with COVID-19: A case study from North Karnataka

COVID-19 is associated with a significant distress and stigma. Due to the nature of the disease, it is difficult to conduct counseling and therapy without taking significant precautions such as wearing a complete personal protective equipment kit which impedes with rapport and dampens the speech which is quite essential for therapy. Herewith, we present a case where we used technology-based interventions, course, and outcome. Although the results of this case study cannot be generalized, few factors clearly stand out in the treatment of psychological distress among COVID-19-positive clients – psychoeducation, supportive therapy components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and management of expressed emotion may play a key role in dealing with rural population. Family interventions were used to facilitate healthy family communication pattern (using technology) toward healthier involvement, connectedness aid client's recovery in the aftermath and acceptance of COVID-19 diagnosis. Intervention should also equip and empower client and family to deal with stigma and helplessness through clarifying misconceptions, providing knowledge, and enhancing agency or mastery over circumstances. These can serve as guidelines during treatment of psychological distress among COVID-19-positive clients and their families.