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BMC Public Health Jun 2024Previous studies have demonstrated a strong association between depression and job burnout among healthcare professionals, but the results have been inconsistent, and...
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have demonstrated a strong association between depression and job burnout among healthcare professionals, but the results have been inconsistent, and there is a lack of in-depth exploration of such a relationship among different healthcare professions. The present study aims to investigate the interrelationships between depression and burnout among Chinese healthcare professionals and whether there are differences in the networks of these symptoms between doctors and nurses.
METHODS
The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire were employed to assess job burnout and depression among 3,684 healthcare professionals. The translation has been refined to ensure accuracy and academic suitability. Subsequently, network analysis was conducted on 2,244 participants with a higher level of job burnout to identify core symptoms and explore the associations between job burnout and depression.
RESULTS
The present study showed a network association between lack of interest and pleasure in things and being exhausted from work, excessive tiredness facing work, tendency to collapse at work, and lack of passion for work than before among healthcare professionals, as well as a notable difference in the network association between lack of interest and pleasure in things and lack of passion for work than before between nurses and doctors.
CONCLUSIONS
The depression-burnout network structures differ between doctors and nurses, highlighting the need for targeted intervention measures for both groups.
Topics: Humans; Burnout, Professional; Female; Male; Adult; Depression; Physicians; China; Middle Aged; Nurses; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 38909182
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19193-3 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Jun 2024The activation of permissive beliefs is a cognitive mechanism through which individuals permit themselves to engage in pleasurable, yet potentially unregulated...
BACKGROUND
The activation of permissive beliefs is a cognitive mechanism through which individuals permit themselves to engage in pleasurable, yet potentially unregulated activities. Existing measures are heterogenous, focusing either on specific behaviors or on particular licensing mechanisms. The new Permissive Beliefs Questionnaire (PBQ) seeks to integrate self-licensing mechanisms from various research domains and to be applicable to different behaviors.
METHODS
Study 1 aimed at exploring the factor structure and reduce the number of items. In study 2, we used confirmatory factor analysis and tested convergent and discriminant validity in three subsamples of individuals playing videogames (n = 489), shopping online (n = 506), and drinking alcohol (n = 511). We tested the hypothesis whether individuals who experience a self-regulatory conflict show a greater expression of permissive beliefs.
RESULTS
The final version of the PBQ consists of 12 items which represent two factors: Deserving Reward and Defensive Optimism. The PBQ exhibited robust model fit indices and internal consistencies in the three samples. Permissive beliefs were heightened among individuals intending to downregulate their gaming, shopping, or drinking behaviors as compared to individuals without this intention.
CONCLUSION
The PBQ is a valid measure of permissive beliefs for gaming, online shopping, and drinking alcohol. It serves an ecologic and psychometrically valid tool to address empirical research questions regarding the functioning of permissive beliefs. Additionally, it may be used in clinical settings to measure and raise an understanding for permissive beliefs in clients.
PubMed: 38905774
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152507 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Positive sexuality, defined as the happiness and fulfillment individuals derive from their sexual experiences, expressions, and behaviors, has been linked to...
INTRODUCTION
Positive sexuality, defined as the happiness and fulfillment individuals derive from their sexual experiences, expressions, and behaviors, has been linked to relationship satisfaction and health. However, the intricate associations between positive sexuality and relationship functioning and health indicators have rarely been explored from a network perspective. This approach, by analyzing the interconnections among these factors within a broader system, can offer insights into complex dynamics and identify key variables for targeted interventions.
METHODS
The present study applied network analysis to uncover interconnections between positive sexuality, relationship satisfaction, and health indicators, highlight the most relevant variables and explore potential gender-based differences in a sample of 992 partnered individuals (51% women, aged 18-71 years). Networks were estimated via Gaussian Graphical Models, and network comparison test was used to compare men and women.
RESULTS
Results indicated that variables related to positive sexuality were more highly interconnected than the rest of the network. There were small-to-negligible connections between positive sexuality and relationship satisfaction variables, both of which had negligible or no connections with health. The network was globally invariant across gender, though a few connections were gender-specific. The most important variables, regardless of gender, related to pleasurable feelings during sexual intercourse.
DISCUSSION
The findings underscore the importance of enhancing positive sexual experiences within intimate relationships and have implications for research and clinical practice in positive sexuality.
PubMed: 38903470
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420148 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024This article proposes a data collection technique for describing experiences of a built environment. Besides the experiences of the visual and physical aspects of the...
This article proposes a data collection technique for describing experiences of a built environment. Besides the experiences of the visual and physical aspects of the place, this technique helps describe the sensory, bodily, emotional, interactive, and social experiences occurring during the human-environment encounter. The enabling technique presented is called Reactions and Actions Description Survey (RADES). It employs 120 images depicting people going through different situations involving all the senses, showing expressions related to positive and negative emotions, and realizing varied activities. Forty-five participants visited the esplanade in the exterior of a historic building called Obispado. The case study is located on a hill and is a scenic viewpoint of Monterrey, Mexico. The participants answered the RADES and the Environmental Description Survey (ENVIDES), which focuses on describing the qualities of the place and the appraisals with which it is experienced. The comments about the experiences of the place obtained through both surveys were grouped into 133 categories. Qualitative and quantitative data about the experiences of the place were obtained through both techniques. A quantitative analysis of the data was realized since the participants not only described their experiences with words but also indicated numerically the intensity of such experiences. Spearman correlations between the experiences were calculated, and a general map of the experiences of the place was created through multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS). The study revealed the connections between the elements and qualities of the site and the views with specific positive and negative experiences occurring during the visit. Furthermore, MDS allowed the discovery of 10 dimensions of environmental experience-pleasure/displeasure, high/low arousal, dominance/submissiveness, knowing/inhabiting, environment/self, higher/lower cognition, spatiality/materiality, states/processes, natural/built, and visual/sensory. The presented techniques and the findings obtained through them can assist architects in recognizing valuable environmental features for the design of livable spaces.
PubMed: 38899129
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1303397 -
Brain and Behavior Jun 2024Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and potentially chronic eating disorder, characterized by low hedonic drive toward food, which has been linked with perturbations...
INTRODUCTION
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and potentially chronic eating disorder, characterized by low hedonic drive toward food, which has been linked with perturbations in both reward processing and dopaminergic activity. Neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an emerging method to index midbrain neuromelanin-a by-product of dopaminergic synthesis. The assessment of midbrain neuromelanin, and its association with AN psychopathology and reward-related processes, may provide critical insights into reward circuit function in AN.
METHODS
This study will incorporate neuromelanin-sensitive MRI into an existing study of appetitive conditioning in those with AN. Specifically, those with acute and underweight AN (N = 30), those with weight-restored AN (N = 30), and age-matched healthy controls (N = 30) will undergo clinical assessment of current and previous psychopathology, in addition to structural neuromelanin-sensitive MRI, diffusion MRI, and functional MRI (fMRI) during appetitive conditioning.
CONCLUSION
This study will be among the first to interrogate midbrain neuromelanin in AN-a disorder characterized by altered dopaminergic activity. Results will help establish whether abnormalities in the midbrain synthesis of dopamine are evident in those with AN and are associated with symptomatic behavior and reduced ability to experience pleasure and reward.
Topics: Humans; Reward; Melanins; Anorexia Nervosa; Mesencephalon; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Adolescent; Male; Pre-Registration Publication
PubMed: 38898625
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3573 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself as the new Co-Editor-in-Chief of the (JCM) [...].
It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself as the new Co-Editor-in-Chief of the (JCM) [...].
PubMed: 38892732
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113021 -
Nutrients May 2024The study aimed to identify predictors of the intention to eat less meat and more plant-based foods, including attitudes towards eating meat, habitual meat eating,...
The study aimed to identify predictors of the intention to eat less meat and more plant-based foods, including attitudes towards eating meat, habitual meat eating, subjective norms, and self-identity. A cross-sectional study using CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) was conducted in a group of 1003 Polish adults in 2023. To measure the predictor variables, the following tools were used: Beliefs and Eating Habits Questionnaire (KomPAN), Meat Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ), and scales to measure subjective norms and self-identity. Logistic regression analysis was used to verify associations between independent variables, and the intentions to eat more plant-based food and less meat next year were treated as dependent variables. More respondents were willing to increase their consumption of plant-based foods rather than reduce their meat consumption. The intention to consume less meat and more plant foods was more prevalent among women, older people (only intention to reduce meat consumption), and better-educated people (only intention to increase plant food consumption). Habitual frequency of eating plant foods, negative feelings about meat, and environmentally oriented identities had a stimulating effect on the intention to eat more plant foods and less meat, while experiencing pleasure in eating meat had a limiting effect on the intention to eat more plant foods and less meat. In addition, the habitual frequency of meat consumption and subjective norms reduced the likelihood of eating less meat, while no predictive effect was observed for the intention to eat more plant foods. In conclusion, educational and promotional activities to raise awareness of the link between food consumption and the environment can have a strong impact on eating less meat and more plant-based food, even among those strongly accustomed to meat consumption.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Poland; Adult; Middle Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feeding Behavior; Meat; Young Adult; Surveys and Questionnaires; Diet, Vegetarian; Intention; Aged
PubMed: 38892579
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111646 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jun 2024Ca/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) plays a critical role in long-term potentiation (LTP), a well-established model for learning and memory through the...
Ca/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) plays a critical role in long-term potentiation (LTP), a well-established model for learning and memory through the enhancement of synaptic transmission. Biochemical studies indicate that CaMKII catalyzes a phosphotransferase (kinase) reaction of both itself (autophosphorylation) and of multiple downstream target proteins. However, whether either type of phosphorylation plays any role in the synaptic enhancing action of CaMKII remains hotly contested. We have designed a series of experiments to define the minimal requirements for the synaptic enhancement by CaMKII. We find that autophosphorylation of T286 and further binding of CaMKII to the GluN2B subunit are required both for initiating LTP and for its maintenance (synaptic memory). Once bound to the NMDA receptor, the synaptic action of CaMKII occurs in the absence of target protein phosphorylation. Thus, autophosphorylation and binding to the GluN2B subunit are the only two requirements for CaMKII in synaptic memory.
Topics: Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; Phosphorylation; Animals; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Long-Term Potentiation; Memory; Synapses; Rats; Mice
PubMed: 38889145
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2402783121 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2024Stroke survivors often face challenges in motor learning and motivation during rehabilitation, which can impede their recovery progress. Traditional rehabilitation...
Improving rehabilitation motivation and motor learning ability of stroke patients using different reward strategies: study protocol for a single-center, randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Stroke survivors often face challenges in motor learning and motivation during rehabilitation, which can impede their recovery progress. Traditional rehabilitation methods vary in effectiveness, prompting the exploration of novel approaches such as reward strategies. Previous research indicates that rewards can enhance rehabilitation motivation and facilitate motor learning. However, most reward paradigms have utilized fixed reward amounts, which also have limitations. Exploring alternative, more effective reward strategies, such as probabilistic rewards, is warranted to optimize stroke patient rehabilitation.
METHODS
A total of 81 stroke patients will be recruited and randomly assigned to control, fixed reward, or probabilistic reward groups at a ratio of 1:1:1 using a randomized number table method. Participants will undergo 10 days of daily hand motor function rehabilitation training, with sessions lasting 20 min each. The training will involve pegboard tests and box and block tests. Control group participants will receive standard training, while fixed reward group members will receive monetary incentives for completing tests, and probabilistic reward group members will have the chance to win monetary rewards through a lottery box. Rehabilitation motivation and motor performance and functional near-infrared spectroscopy brain imaging will be conducted at designated time points. The primary outcome measure is the stroke rehabilitation motivation scale, and the second outcome measures include motor performance, simple test for evaluating hand function, motivation and pleasure scale self-report, and Pittsburgh rehabilitation participation scale.
DISCUSSION
Reward-based training enhance rehabilitation participation and adherence, it also improve motor learning speed and memory retention of stroke patients. The fixed reward applied in the past studies could diminish the sensitivity of stroke patients to rewards, while probabilistic reward may provide unpredictable or variable incentives or reinforcements for motor rehabilitation. This study will compare the efficacy of different reward strategies in enhancing motor learning ability and rehabilitation motivation among stroke patients. By conducting a randomized controlled trial, the study seeks to provide valuable insights into optimizing stroke rehabilitation protocols and improving patient outcomes.https://www.chictr.org.cn/, ChiCTR2400082419.
PubMed: 38882687
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1418247 -
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair Jun 2024Actual and imagined cued gait trainings have not been compared in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
BACKGROUND
Actual and imagined cued gait trainings have not been compared in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the effects of cued motor imagery (CMI), cued gait training (CGT), and combined CMI and cued gait training (CMI-CGT) on motor, cognitive, and emotional functioning, and health-related quality of life in people with MS.
METHODS
In this double-blind randomized parallel-group multicenter trial, people with MS were randomized (1:1:1) to CMI, CMI-CGT, or CGT for 30 minutes, 4×/week for 4 weeks. Patients practiced at home, using recorded instructions, and supported by ≥6 phone calls. Data were collected at weeks 0, 4, and 13. Co-primary outcomes were walking speed and distance, analyzed by intention-to-treat. Secondary outcomes were global cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression, suicidality, fatigue, HRQoL, motor imagery ability, music-induced motivation, pleasure and arousal, self-efficacy, and cognitive function. Adverse events and falls were continuously monitored.
RESULTS
Of 1559 screened patients, 132 were randomized: 44 to CMI, 44 to CMI-CGT, and 44 to CGT. None of the interventions demonstrated superiority in influencing walking speed or distance, with negligible effects on walking speed (η = 0.019) and distance (η = 0.005) observed in the between-group comparison. Improvements in walking speed and walking distance over time corresponded to large effects for CMI, CMI-CGT, and CGT (η = 0.348 and η = 0.454 respectively). No severe study-related adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSIONS
CMI-GT did not lead to improved walking speed and distance compared with CMI and CGT alone in people with MS. Lack of a true control group represents a study limitation.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00023978.
PubMed: 38873806
DOI: 10.1177/15459683241260724