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Psychiatria Danubina Oct 2023Emotional pressure, fear, and uncertainties affected healthcare workers (HCWs) who played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic crisis, the... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
The Emotional Impact on Mental Health Workers in the Care of Patients with Mental Disorders in the Pandemic and Post COVID-19 Pandemic: a Measure of "Burnout" and "Compassion Fatigue".
BACKGROUND
Emotional pressure, fear, and uncertainties affected healthcare workers (HCWs) who played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic crisis, the consequences on the health of mental HealhCare Workers are still significant. Our work aimed to evaluate burnout and compassion fatigue in HCWs.
METHOD
In our observational study, 102 (65 females, 37 males) mental HCWs were evaluated during and post-COVID-19 pandemic. We used the Compassion Fatigue-Short Scale, Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory.
RESULTS
Subscale Secondary Trauma Stress of CF-SS demonstrated an increase in the rate in the post-pandemic phase (24.51% in all HCWs). The percentage reached in males was high (37.84%). Instead, the levels of Job Burnout remained constant in the two periods analyzed (during and post-COVID-19). Depressive symptoms remained constant with a prevalence in females of the post-COVID period.
CONCLUSION
The results confirm increased stress secondary to the traumatic event, while the levels of job burnout are high. Closely associated with compassion fatigue are levels of empathy that were found to be unchanged.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Compassion Fatigue; COVID-19; Pandemics; Mental Health; Burnout, Professional; Empathy; Mental Disorders; Health Personnel; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Job Satisfaction
PubMed: 37800243
DOI: No ID Found -
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) Dec 2023It has often been reported that mental exertion, presumably leading to mental fatigue, can negatively affect exercise performance; however, recent findings have... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
It has often been reported that mental exertion, presumably leading to mental fatigue, can negatively affect exercise performance; however, recent findings have questioned the strength of the effect. To further complicate this issue, an overlooked problem might be the presence of publication bias in studies using underpowered designs, which is known to inflate false positive report probability and effect size estimates. Altogether, the presence of bias is likely to reduce the evidential value of the published literature on this topic, although it is unknown to what extent. The purpose of the current work was to assess the evidential value of studies published to date on the effect of mental exertion on exercise performance by assessing the presence of publication bias and the observed statistical power achieved by these studies. A traditional meta-analysis revealed a Cohen's d effect size of - 0.54, 95% CI [- 0.68, - 0.40], p < .001. However, when we applied methods for estimating and correcting for publication bias (based on funnel plot asymmetry and observed p-values), we found that the bias-corrected effect size became negligible with most of publication-bias methods and decreased to - 0.36 in the more optimistic of all the scenarios. A robust Bayesian meta-analysis found strong evidence in favor of publication bias, BF > 1000, and inconclusive evidence in favor of the effect, adjusted d = 0.01, 95% CrI [- 0.46, 0.37], BF = 0.90. Furthermore, the median observed statistical power assuming the unadjusted meta-analytic effect size (i.e., - 0.54) as the true effect size was 39% (min = 19%, max = 96%), indicating that, on average, these studies only had a 39% chance of observing a significant result if the true effect was Cohen's d = - 0.54. If the more optimistic adjusted effect size (- 0.36) was assumed as the true effect, the median statistical power was just 20%. We conclude that the current literature is a useful case study for illustrating the dangers of conducting underpowered studies to detect the effect size of interest.
Topics: Humans; Bayes Theorem; Publication Bias; Mental Fatigue
PubMed: 37682411
DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01926-w -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2022The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental fatigue induced by a demanding cognitive task and impaired physical performance in endurance...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mental fatigue induced by a demanding cognitive task and impaired physical performance in endurance due to a higher perception of effort. A total of 12 healthy adults and volunteers, who had previously practiced endurance activities for 4 to 8 h per week, performed a one-hour cognitive task involving either the process of response inhibition (Stroop task) or not (visualization of a documentary as control task), then 20 min of pedaling on a cycle ergometer at a constant perception of effort while cardio-respiratory and neuromuscular functions were measured. The Stroop task induces subjective feelings of mental fatigue (vigor: 3.92 ± 2.61; subjective workload: 58.61 ± 14.57) compared to the control task (vigor: 5.67 ± 3.26; = 0.04; subjective workload: 32.5 ± 10.1; = 0.005). This fatigue did not act on the produced perceived effort, self-imposed, and did not affect the cardio-respiratory or neuromuscular functions during the subsequent physical task whose type was medium-term endurance. Regardless of the mental condition, the intensity of physical effort is better controlled when the participants in physical activity control their perception of effort. Mental fatigue does not affect subsequent physical performance but estimated perceived exertion, which increases with the intensity and duration of the exercise.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Mental Fatigue; Perception; Physical Endurance; Physical Exertion; Physical Functional Performance; Stroop Test
PubMed: 36078686
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710973 -
NeuroImage Nov 2021Long-lasting and demanding cognitive activity typically leads to mental fatigue (MF). Indirect evidence suggests that MF may be caused by altered motivational processes....
Long-lasting and demanding cognitive activity typically leads to mental fatigue (MF). Indirect evidence suggests that MF may be caused by altered motivational processes. Here, we hypothesized that if MF consists in an alteration of motivational states, brain functional changes induced by MF could specifically affect the brain motivation circuit. In order to test this hypothesis, we devised a functional neuroimaging protocol to detect altered brain activity in reward-related brain regions in relation to cognitively induced mental fatigue. Twenty-five healthy participants underwent a FATIGUE and a CONTROL session on different days. In the FATIGUE session, MF was induced by performing a demanding cognitive task (adapted Stroop task) during 90 min, whereas in the CONTROL session, participants were asked to read magazines for the same period of time. We measured the neural consequences of the MF induction during a working memory task (Missing Number task) while modulating extrinsic motivation with block-wise variations in monetary reward. We also tracked participants' momentary fatigue, anxiety state and intrinsic motivation prior to and following the MF inducement and measurement. Accuracy on the Missing Number Task was lower in the FATIGUE than in the CONTROL condition. Furthermore, subjective MF, but not its behavioral manifestations, was associated with hypoactivity of the task-evoked neural responses. Importantly, activity in regions modulated by reward showed no differences between FATIGUE and CONTROL sessions. In parallel, subjective MF correlated with increased on-task activity and resting-state functional connectivity in the default mode network. These results indicate that subjective mental fatigue is not associated with altered activity in the brain motivation circuit but rather with hypoactivity in task-specific brain regions as well as relative increases of activity and connectivity in the default mode network during and after the task.
Topics: Adult; Brain; Brain Mapping; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory, Short-Term; Mental Fatigue; Motivation; Nerve Net; Neuropsychological Tests; Reward; Stroop Test; Young Adult
PubMed: 34496289
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118532 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2023The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an epidemic worldwide. Most patients suffer residual symptoms, the so-called "Long COVID," which includes respiratory and...
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an epidemic worldwide. Most patients suffer residual symptoms, the so-called "Long COVID," which includes respiratory and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Brain Fog, one of the symptoms of Long COVID, is a major public health issue because it can impair patients' quality of life even after recovery from the disease. However, neither the pathogenesis nor the treatment of this condition remains unknown. We focused on serum ferritin levels in this study and collected information on the onset of Brain Fog through questionnaires and found that high ferritin levels during hospitalization were associated with the occurrence of Brain Fog. In addition, we excluded confounders as far as possible using propensity score analyses and found that ferritin was independently associated with Brain Fog in most of the models. We conducted phase analysis and evaluated the interaction of each phase with ferritin levels and Brain Fog. We found a positive correlation between serum ferritin levels during hospitalization and Brain Fog after COVID-19. High ferritin levels in patients with Brain Fog may reflect the contribution of chronic inflammation in the development of Brain Fog. This study provides a novel insight into the pathogenic mechanism of Brain Fog after COVID-19.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Quality of Life; Hospitalization; Mental Fatigue; Ferritins; Brain
PubMed: 37567939
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40011-0 -
Psychophysiology Dec 2022Although mentally fatiguing cognitive tasks can impair subsequent physical endurance, the importance of cognitive task duration and the role of response inhibition... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Although mentally fatiguing cognitive tasks can impair subsequent physical endurance, the importance of cognitive task duration and the role of response inhibition remain unclear. This study compared the effects of a serial incongruent Stroop color-classification task (i.e., with response inhibition) and N-back memory updating task (i.e., without response inhibition) on mental fatigue and subsequent rhythmic handgrip exercise. Participants (N = 90) were randomly assigned to one of three cognitive task groups (Stroop, 2-back, control) and completed four 10-min blocks of one cognitive task followed by a 5-min physical endurance task (self-paced rhythmic handgrip exercise). Heart rate, heart rate variability, electromyographic forearm activity, and force were recorded throughout along with self-reported measures of fatigue, exertion, and motivation. From the start, the Stroop and 2-back tasks elicited higher heart rate and lower heart rate variability as well as greater fatigue, effort, and interest/enjoyment than the control task. From the second block onwards, the Stroop and 2-back groups produced less force than the control group. There were no group differences in forearm muscle activity. In sum, mental fatigue was induced after performing a cognitive task for 10 mins, whereas muscular endurance was impaired after performing a cognitive task for 20 mins. That these effects were observed for both types of cognitive task indicates that response inhibition is not a necessary condition. The cognitive task duration required to induce mental fatigue and impair rhythmic handgrip endurance performance lay between the durations reported previously for isometric (a few minutes) and whole-body (half an hour) endurance exercise.
Topics: Humans; Physical Endurance; Hand Strength; Mental Fatigue; Stroop Test; Cognition; Physical Exertion
PubMed: 35726493
DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14126 -
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine Mar 2017Long-term mental fatigue following traumatic brain injury is endorsed as one of the most distressing symptoms, interfering considerably with return to work and social...
OBJECTIVE
Long-term mental fatigue following traumatic brain injury is endorsed as one of the most distressing symptoms, interfering considerably with return to work and social life. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the prevalence of long-term mental fatigue after traumatic brain injury and to evaluate its association with employment status.
METHODS
All patients (age range 19-65 years) diagnosed with traumatic brain injury irrespective of severity at Kungälv Hospital, Kungälv, Sweden, over a period of 5 years (n = 613) were invited by post to respond to questions about their injury, employment status and complete a questionnaire about mental fatigue, the Mental Fatigue Scale (MFS).
RESULTS
A response rate of 38% was achieved. Among respondents, 39% scored above the MFS cut-off of 10.5. Higher MFS scores were associated with decreased employment status (p < 0.001). Rating on the MFS was higher for women, for those with a longer initial duration of acute post-traumatic brain injury symptoms, and for those who had previously experienced a traumatic brain injury. No association was found between mental fatigue and age, severity of injury, or time since injury.
CONCLUSION
Long-term mental fatigue was frequent among people who had experienced a traumatic brain injury, and a higher rating on the MFS was associated with decreased employment status.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Cross-Sectional Studies; Employment; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Fatigue; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden; Time Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 28150857
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2190 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Mental fatigue is a widely studied topic on account of its serious negative effects. But how the neural mechanism of task switching before and after mental fatigue...
Mental fatigue is a widely studied topic on account of its serious negative effects. But how the neural mechanism of task switching before and after mental fatigue remains a question. To this end, this study aims to use brain functional network features to explore the answer to this question. Specifically, task-state EEG signals were recorded from 20 participants. The tasks include a 400-s 2-back-task (2-BT), followed by a 6480-s of mental arithmetic task (MAT), and then a 400-s 2-BT. Network features and functional connections were extracted and analyzed based on the selected task switching states, referred to from Pre_2-BT to Pre_MAT before mental fatigue and from Post_MAT to Post_2-BT after mental fatigue. The results showed that mental fatigue has been successfully induced by long-term MAT based on the significant changes in network characteristics and the high classification accuracy of 98% obtained with Support Vector Machines (SVM) between Pre_2-BT and Post_2-BT. when the task switched from Pre_2-BT to Pre_MAT, delta and beta rhythms exhibited significant changes among all network features and the selected functional connections showed an enhanced trend. As for the task switched from Post_MAT to Post_2-BT, the network features and selected functional connectivity of beta rhythm were opposite to the trend of task switching before mental fatigue. Our findings provide new insights to understand the neural mechanism of the brain in the process of task switching and indicate that the network features and functional connections of beta rhythm can be used as neural markers for task switching before and after mental fatigue.
Topics: Humans; Electroencephalography; Mental Fatigue; Brain; Brain Mapping; Support Vector Machine
PubMed: 36298387
DOI: 10.3390/s22208036 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023Constraints are common in soccer training to develop physical, technical-tactical, and mental training concurrently. This study examined how different scoring systems...
Constraints are common in soccer training to develop physical, technical-tactical, and mental training concurrently. This study examined how different scoring systems influence physical, tactical, and mental demands during large-sided games in soccer. Eighteen youth-elite male (17.39 ± 1.04 y) soccer players completed three 8 vs. 8 large-sided games where the different score systems were i) official score system (OSS; i.e., 1 goal = 1 goal), ii) double the value of the goal-4 min (DVx4; i.e., 1 goal = 1 goal from 0.00 to 7.59 min, and 1 goal = 2 goals from 8.00 to 12.00 min), and iii) double the value of the goal-8 min (DVx8; i.e., 1 goal = 1 goal from 0.00 to 3.59 min, and 1 goal = 2 goals from 4.00 to 12.00 min). Physical demands and tactical behaviors were recorded during tasks using a global positioning system and video camera. Mental fatigue was recorded pre- and post-task using a visual analogue scale. Also, the ratio of perceived exertion and mental load were recorded after tasks were finished. Results reported the highest values of mental and physical demands in DVx4. Mental fatigue increased during all three large-sided games, although this increase was significantly higher in DVx4 compared with OSS ( = 0.006) and DVx8 ( = 0.027). Tactical behavior showed a trend towards more direct play during DVx4, which was less observed during DVx8, and not at all during OSS. In conclusion, changing the scoring system affects physical, tactical, and mental demands.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Male; Athletic Performance; Mental Fatigue; Physical Examination; Soccer
PubMed: 36767454
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032087 -
Acta Psychologica Oct 2022The mechanisms underlying increased dual-task costs in the comparison of modality compatible stimulus-response mappings (e.g., visual-manual, auditory-vocal) and...
The mechanisms underlying increased dual-task costs in the comparison of modality compatible stimulus-response mappings (e.g., visual-manual, auditory-vocal) and modality incompatible mappings (e.g., visual-vocal, auditory-manual) remain elusive. To investigate whether additional control mechanisms are at work in simultaneously processing two modality incompatible mappings, we applied a transfer logic between both types of dual-task mappings in the context of a mental fatigue induction. We expected an increase in dual-task costs for both modality mappings after a fatigue induction with modality compatible tasks. In contrast, we expected an additional, selective increase in modality incompatible dual-task costs after a fatigue induction with modality incompatible tasks. We tested a group of 45young individuals (19-30 years) in an online pre-post design, in which participants were assigned to one of three groups. The two fatigue groups completed a 90-min time-on-task intervention with a dual task comprising either compatible or incompatible modality mappings. The third group paused for 90 min as a passive control group. Pre and post-session contained single and dual tasks in both modality mappings for all participants. In addition to behavioral performance measurements, seven subjective items (effort, focus, subjective fatigue, motivation, frustration, mental and physical capacity) were analyzed. Mean dual-task performance during and after the intervention indicated a practice effect instead of the presumed fatigue effect for all three groups. The modality incompatible intervention group showed a selective performance improvement for the modality incompatible mapping but no transfer to the modality compatible dual task. In contrast, the compatible intervention group showed moderately improved performance in both modality mappings. Still, participants reported increased subjective fatigue and reduced motivation after the fatigue intervention. This dynamic interplay of training and fatigue effects suggests that high control demands were involved in the prolonged performance of a modality incompatible dual task, which are separable from modality compatible dual-task demands.
Topics: Humans; Reaction Time; Psychomotor Performance; Photic Stimulation; Acoustic Stimulation; Mental Fatigue
PubMed: 36242924
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103766