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This study investigated whether reading comprehension would differ when the texts are studied and tested on screen or on paper. Participants were 69 college students who were attending a college in midwestern United States. Participants read two expository texts each, under comparable paper and screen conditions and answered comprehension questions. Test forms and the order of the conditions were counterbalanced. The correlations between reading outcomes and reader characteristics were examined. Participants also completed a survey on their views on the two media (paper or screen). The results did not indicate a significant difference on students' reading comprehension as a function of medium and reader characteristics. However, students reported preferring paper-based reading for complex material.

Previous research indicates that imagining contact with someone who is an immigrant can reduce prejudice and promote positive friendship intentions. Much less is known about the optimal ways of effecting imagined contact. The reported research used an experimental design, where the status of a target-child toy puppet (immigrant versus refugee versus control) and the type of imagined contact (2D or 3D figures) was changed. Children aged 4-10 years, were tested for their responses towards immigrants and refugees, before and after a three-minute interactive play session with 2D or 3D toy puppet figures. Children were asked to show in the session how they would 'have a really good time' with the target-child toy puppet. Measures of children's direct contact with immigrants were also taken. The results suggest that 3D figures have a similar positive impact as 2-D figures on friendship intentions following imagined play. It was in the 2D experimental conditions only that children's friendship intentions were more positive with greater anxiety reduction.

This study analyzed the National Communication Association (NCA) members' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of their own and their peer presentations and the challenges they faced when preparing and giving conference presentations. Overall, participants (n = 187) feel fairly content with the effectiveness of NCA conference presentations and the value they have gained from them. The effectiveness of others' presentations has a significant association with members' perceived value of the conference presentations. The "lack of experience" and "lack of confidence" are key variables that heighten anxiety which can impact the effectiveness of presentations. "Process anxiety" was positively associated with presentation effectiveness whereas "performance anxiety" was negatively associated with presentation effectiveness. This needs assessment provides informed suggestions for making academic presentations more effective in the future.

Background: Major international guidelines recommend mental health screening during the perinatal period. However, substantial barriers to screening have been reported by pregnant and postpartum women and perinatal care providers. E-screening offers benefits that may address implementation challenges., Objective: The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Web-based mental health e-screening compared with paper-based screening among pregnant women. A secondary objective was to identify factors associated with women's preferences for e-screening and disclosure of mental health concerns., Methods: Pregnant women recruited from community and hospital-based antenatal clinics and hospital-based prenatal classes were computer-randomized to a fully automated Web-based e-screening intervention group or a paper-based control group. Women were eligible if they spoke or read English, were willing to be randomized to e-screening, and were willing to participate in a follow-up diagnostic interview. The intervention group completed the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale on a tablet computer, while controls completed them on paper. All women completed self-report baseline questions and were telephoned 1 week after randomization by a blinded research assistant for a MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Renker and Tonkin's tool of feasibility and acceptability of computerized screening was used to assess the feasibility and acceptability of e-screening compared with paper-based screening. Intention-to-treat analysis was used. To identify factors associated with preference for e-screening and disclosure, variables associated with each outcome at P<.20 were simultaneously entered into final multivariable models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% CIs., Results: Of the 675 eligible women approached, 636 agreed to participate (participation rate 94.2%) and were randomized to the intervention (n=305) or control (n=331) groups. There were no significant baseline differences between groups. More women in the e-screening group strongly or somewhat agreed that they would like to use a tablet for answering questions on emotional health (57.9%, 175/302 vs 37.2%, 121/325) and would prefer using a tablet to paper (46.0%, 139/302 vs 29.2%, 95/325), compared with women in the paper-based screening group. There were no differences between groups in women's disclosure of emotional health concerns (94.1%, 284/302 vs 90.2%, 293/325). Women in the e-screening group consistently reported the features of e-screening more favorably than controls (more private or confidential, less impersonal, less time-consuming). In the multivariable models, being in the e-screening group was significantly associated with preferring e-screening (AOR 2.29, 95% CI 1.66-3.17), while no factors were significantly associated with disclosure., Conclusions: The findings suggest that mental health e-screening is feasible and acceptable to pregnant women., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01899534; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01899534 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ntWg1yWb)., (©Dawn Kingston, Marie-Paule Austin, Sander Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Paula Harvalik, Rebecca Giallo, Sarah D McDonald, Glenda MacQueen, Lydia Vermeyden, Gerri Lasiuk, Wendy Sword, Anne Biringer. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 07.04.2017.)

»I want to grow into the sky, but that could destroy the world.« Psychotherapeutic treatment of a traumatized child in the field of tension between stabilization and structural change This paper describes the therapist's approach with a traumatized and psychologically already prestressed boy and reflects on it based on various theoretical concepts. The structural weaknesses of the patient appeared in the play in the fragility of the symbolization ability and the pretend mode. Strong feelings of anxiety and confusion, perceptible in the countertransference, as well as the presence of defense mechanisms such as splitting, idealization, omnipotence or dissociation, demand to a greater extent the therapist's container function. Therefore, at the beginning of the treatment, an initial phase served to stabilize the patient. Only gradually, after a good working alliance was established, a clearer confrontation with the fears became possible. Instead of being left alone with it, the patient found in therapy a language, images, space. Thus, the patient was able to reduce his omnipotent control and the transformation of stressful fantasies and feelings also developed in the relationship with the therapist. A gradual integration and de-idealization became possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this exploratory, mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between nontraditional undergraduate students' curiosity and their experiences researching a topic. The author collected and analyzed survey data and annotated bibliography rubric scores from 59 students at a private, liberal arts university and conducted in-depth interviews to gather a fuller picture of the students' curiosity. Based on the study's findings, librarians and professors should create opportunities for students to select research topics to which they have a personal connection while intentionally offering supportive feedback to students as they refine their topics to reduce anxiety and frustration.

Newly conducted research suggests that metabolic disorders, like diabetes and obesity, play a significant role as risk factors for psychiatric disorders. This connection presents a potential avenue for creating novel antidepressant medications by repurposing drugs originally developed to address antidiabetic conditions. Earlier investigations have shown that GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptide-1) analogs exhibit neuroprotective qualities in various models of neurological diseases, encompassing conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Moreover, GLP-1 analogs have demonstrated the capability to enhance neurogenesis, a process recognized for its significance in memory formation and the cognitive and emotional aspects of information processing. Nonetheless, whether semaglutide holds efficacy as both an antidepressant and anxiolytic agent remains uncertain. To address this, our study focused on a mouse model of depression linked to type 2 diabetes induced by a High Fat Diet (HFD). In this model, we administered semaglutide (0.05 mg/Kg intraperitoneally) on a weekly basis to evaluate its potential as a therapeutic option for depression and anxiety. Diabetic mice had higher blood glucose, lipidic profile, and insulin resistance. Moreover, mice fed HFD showed higher serum interleukin (IL)-1β and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) associated with impaired humor and cognition. The analysis of behavioral responses revealed that the administration of semaglutide effectively mitigated depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, concurrently demonstrating an enhancement in cognitive function. Additionally, semaglutide treatment protected synaptic plasticity and reversed the hippocampal neuroinflammation induced by HFD fed, improving activation of the insulin pathway, demonstrating the protective effects of semaglutide. We also found that semaglutide treatment decreased astrogliosis and microgliosis in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus. In addition, semaglutide prevented the DM2-induced impairments of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and G-protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) and simultaneously increased the NeuN + and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R+) neurons in the hippocampus. Our data also showed that semaglutide increased the serotonin (5-HT) and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and glutamatergic receptors in the hippocampus. At last, semaglutide changed the gut microbiota profile (increasing Bacterioidetes, Bacteroides acidifaciens, and Blautia coccoides) and decreased leaky gut, improving the gut-brain axis. Taken together, semaglutide has the potential to act as a therapeutic tool for depression and anxiety., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study was aimed at investigating attitude and anxiety of Indonesian lecturers in writing English papers for international publications, together with the influence of gender and functional grades on them. It involved lecturers of a private university in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia (n=62) who were attending a training on English academic writing especially designed to help them prepare manuscripts for international publications. Data were collected by questionnaires and analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. The study found that the attitude toward writing was positive. Three aspects of attitude namely behavioral, cognitive, and affective were all positive. The anxiety in writing English papers was found to be moderate and somatic anxiety was the type of anxiety the lecturers suffered the most. There was no difference on the attitude and level of anxiety across gender but there was a difference on the level of anxiety across functional grades. As attitude and anxiety predict the success of writing efforts, which may then affect the success of publication, the issue of attitude and anxiety needs to be addressed in the effort of increasing the productivity of Indonesian lecturers in making international publications.�

Learning a foreign language incorporates cognitive, communicative, emotional, and social aspects. Some of these aspects have to do with the structure of the language being studied; some others deal with social and psychological issues that influence the environment where the learning process takes place. This reflection paper addresses various emotional aspects that can bring up positive outcomes along the foreign language learning stages. Elements such as motivation, attitudes, levels of anxiety, acculturation, ethnicity, and personality are considered for this work. Readers should be able to find useful ideas for their ESL/EFL classes.

Introduction: Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is defined by short-lasting, stroke-like symptoms, and is recognised as a medical emergency. Symptoms are assumed to completely resolve, and treatment is focused on secondary stroke/TIA prevention. However, evidence suggests that patients with TIA may experience ongoing residual impairments, which they do not receive therapy for as standard practice. TIA-induced sequelae could impact on patients' quality of life and ability to return to work or social activities. We aim to investigate whether TIA is associated with subsequent consultation for fatigue, psychological or cognitive impairment in primary care., Methods and Analysis: A retrospective open cohort study of patients with first-ever TIA and matched controls. Relevant data will be extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database, an anonymised primary care database which includes data for over 12 million patients and covers approximately 6% of the UK population. Outcomes will be the first consultation for fatigue, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or cognitive impairment. Principal analysis will use Kaplan-Meier survivor functions to estimate time to first consultation, with log-rank tests to compare TIA and control patients. Cox proportional hazard models will predict the effect of demographic and patient characteristics on time to first consultation., Ethics and Dissemination: Approval was granted by a THIN Scientific Review Committee (ref: 14-008). The study's findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated at national and international conferences and through social media., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

This paper, co-authored between three adults and five children aged 8-11, adopts a 'collaborative writing as inquiry' approach to examine and discuss the authors' experiences of a participatory research project through the lens of critical dialectical pluralism. In the original project, children formed two 'young advisory panels', one online, comprising children from all over England, and one in a primary school in a suburban area in North England, informing and collaborating on the creation of 45 educational activities supporting critical digital literacy. Rather than focusing on the original research itself, the paper focuses on making a methodological contribution, through detailed and collaborative reflections on notions such as agency, power and control. Over a period of four 60 to 90 min-long meetings once the actual research was completed, adult and child authors considered their respective roles in the project, as well as detailing their understanding of the project as a whole. In co-framing our perceptions of participatory research, we problematise adult anxieties and highlight the importance of exploring 'silence as voice', arguing for an extension to participatory research projects, going beyond the research itself and creating a 'third space' which is un/familiar to all participants, openly inviting engagement with discomfort and normalising uncertainty.

This study investigates research writing anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs among English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) graduate students in engineering-related fields. The relationship between the two writing affective constructs was examined and students' perspectives on research writing anxiety were also explored. A total of 218 survey responses from engineering graduate students at Taiwanese universities were analyzed, along with qualitative data from open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that while master's and doctoral students felt a similar moderate level of writing anxiety, senior doctoral students were more self-efficacious about writing research papers in English than their junior counterparts. Overall, students with higher writing self-efficacy felt less apprehensive. Additionally, among the individual variables, experience in writing for publication better predicted writing anxiety and self-efficacy than students' self-reported English proficiency and the number of writing courses taken. The qualitative findings indicated various sources of graduate-level writing anxiety, including insufficient writing skills in English, time constraints, and fear of negative comments. Furthermore, composing different sections of a research paper provoked different levels of anxiety due to the variations in the rhetorical purposes and discourse structures of particular sections. Implications on dealing with research writing anxiety are also discussed.

Abstract Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental genetic disorder associated with a characteristic behavioral phenotype that includes severe hyperphagia and a variety of other behavioral challenges such as temper outbursts and anxiety. These behaviors have a significant and dramatic impact on the daily functioning and quality of life for the person with PWS and their families. To date, effective therapies addressing these behavioral challenges have proven elusive, but several potential treatments are on the horizon. However, a limiting factor for treatment studies in PWS is the lack of consensus in the field regarding how to best define and measure the complex and interrelated behavioral features of this syndrome. The International PWS Clinical Trials Consortium (PWS-CTC, www.pwsctc.org ) includes expert PWS scientists, clinicians, and patient advocacy organization representatives focused on facilitating clinical trials in this rare disease. To address the above gap in the field, members of the PWS-CTC “Behavior Outcomes Working Group” sought to develop a unified understanding of the key behavioral features in PWS and build a consensus regarding their definition and description. The primary focus of this paper is to present consensus definitions and descriptions of key phenotypic PWS behaviors including hyperphagia, temper outbursts, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive behaviors, rigidity, and social cognition deficits. Patient vignettes are provided to illustrate the interrelatedness and impact of these behaviors. We also review some available assessment tools as well as new instruments in development which may be useful in measuring these behavioral features in PWS.

There is a profound paradox in modern medical knowledge production: The more we know, the more we know that we (still) do not know. Nowhere is this more visible than in diagnostics and early detection of disease. As we identify ever more markers, predictors, precursors, and risk factors of disease ever earlier, we realize that we need knowledge about whether they develop into something experienced by the person and threatening to the person's health. This study investigates how advancements in science and technology alter one type of uncertainty, i.e., temporal uncertainty of disease diagnosis. As diagnosis is related to anamnesis and prognosis it identifies how uncertainties in all these fields are interconnected. In particular, the study finds that uncertainty in disease diagnosis has become more subject to prognostic uncertainty because diagnosis is more connected to technologically detected indicators and less closely connected to manifest and experienced disease. These temporal uncertainties pose basic epistemological and ethical challenges as they can result in overdiagnosis, overtreatment, unnecessary anxiety and fear, useless and even harmful diagnostic odysseys, as well as vast opportunity costs. The point is not to stop our quest for knowledge about disease but to encourage real diagnostic improvements that help more people in ever better manner as early as possible. To do so, we need to pay careful attention to specific types of temporal uncertainty in modern diagnostics., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aim: To examine the intergenerational impact of systemic racism on mental health, depicting the evolution and patterns of anxiety symptoms and the application of the Bowenian family therapy to understand the interrelatedness and long‐standing impact of intergenerational trauma in African American families. This article highlights interventions that increase awareness of and promotes physical and mental health for African American populations. Design: Discursive Paper. Method: Searching literature published between 2012 and 2022 in PubMed, SCOPUS, EBSCO Host and Google Scholar, we explored factors associated with systemic racism and generational anxiety. Discussion: Evidence‐based literature supports the application of the Bowenian family therapy theoretical framework to understand the intergenerational impact of systemic racism and to address the transmission of anxiety symptoms in African American populations. Conclusion: Culturally appropriate interventions are needed to decrease anxiety symptoms in an attempt to heal intergenerational trauma and to improve family dynamics in African American populations. Impact to Nursing Practice: Nurses play an integral role in providing holistic quality patient‐centred care for African American populations who have experienced racial trauma. It is critical for nurses to implement culturally responsive and racially informed care with patients that focuses on self‐awareness, health promotion, prevention and healing in efforts to address racial trauma. Application of Bowenian family therapy can aid in the reduction of both intergenerational transmission of racial trauma and generational anxiety. No Patient or Public Contribution: There was no patient or public involvement in the design or drafting of this discursive paper. The authors reviewed the literature to develop a discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate differences in patients' anxiety and satisfaction between patients undergoing paper-based patient decision aid (PDA) for shared decision-making (SDM) and those receiving computer-based PDA. We retrospectively collected questionnaires before and after SDM. Basic demographic data as well as anxiety, satisfaction, knowledge acquisition, and participation in SDM were recorded. We divided our population into subgroups according to use of paper-based or computer-based PDA. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis was applied to assess the relationships among variables. In total, 304 patients who visited our Division of Nephrology were included in the final analysis. Overall, over half of the patients felt anxiety (n = 217, 71.4%). Near half of the patients felt a reduction in anxiety after SDM (n = 143, 47.0%) and 281 patients (92.4%) were satisfied with the whole process of SDM. When we divided all the patients based on use of paper-based or computer-based PDA, the reduction of anxiety level was greater in the patients who underwent paper-based PDA when compared with that of those who underwent computer-based PDA. However, there was no significant difference in satisfaction between the two groups. Paper-based PDA was as effective as computer-based PDA. Further studies comparing different types of PDA are warranted to fill the knowledge gaps in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of sucrose-sweetened drinks (SSDs) during pregnancy and breastfeeding can lead to various health and metabolism issues, but the potential impact on neurodevelopment and long-term effects remains unclear. This study aims to examine how maternal consumption of SSDs during gestation and lactation influences anxiety and depression-related behavior in adult offspring. Adult female CD-1 mice were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) or a sucrose group (SG) 2 weeks before gestation. The SG had 2 h of access to an SSD (15% w/w, 0.6 kcal/ml) for 2 weeks before mating, during pregnancy, and throughout lactation, totaling 8 weeks. Adult offspring were then evaluated for depressive-related behaviors and anxiety-related behaviors. Our findings reveal that perigestational consumption of SSDs does not lead to offspring presenting behaviors related to depression, but it does increase swimming behavior. However, maternal consumption of SSDs could impact the fighting response due to a diminished motivational component. In contrast, perigestational consumption of SSDs has apparent effects on anxiety-related behavior. Furthermore, female offspring appeared to be particularly vulnerable, exhibiting a higher anxiety index compared with controls. These findings indicate that females could be more vulnerable to the effects of maternal consumption of SSDs, being more susceptible to the presence of anxiety-related behaviors., (© 2024 International Society for Developmental Neuroscience.)

Background: Itch as the most common symptom in dermatology has been shown to be related to psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression. Moreover, associations were found between perceived stigmatization and itch. However, studies investigating the differences between patients with dermatoses with and without itch regarding perceived stress, stigmatization, anxiety and depression are missing. Therefore, one of the aims of the second study of the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP study II) was to investigate these relationships in a large cohort of patients with different itchy dermatoses., Results: 3399 patients with 14 different itchy dermatoses were recruited at 22 centres in 17 European countries. They filled in questionnaires to assess perceived stigmatization, stress, signs of clinically relevant anxiety or depression, itch-related quality of life, the overall health status, itch duration, frequency and intensity. The most significant association between the severity of itching and the perception of stress was observed among individuals with rosacea (correlation coefficient r = 0.314). Similarly, the strongest links between itch intensity and experiences of stigmatization, anxiety, and depression were found in patients with seborrheic dermatitis (correlation coefficients r = 0.317, r = 0.356, and r = 0.400, respectively). Utilizing a stepwise linear regression analysis, it was determined that within the entire patient cohort, 9.3% of the variation in itch intensity could be accounted for by factors including gender, levels of anxiety, depression, and perceived stigmatization. Females and individuals with elevated anxiety, depression, and perceived stigmatization scores reported more pronounced itch intensities compared to those with contrary attributes., Conclusion: This study underscores the connection between experiencing itch and its intensity and the psychological strain it places on individuals. Consequently, psychological interventions should encompass both addressing the itch itself and the interconnected psychological factors. In specific cases, it becomes imperative for dermatologists to direct individuals towards suitable healthcare resources to undergo further psychological assessment., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate death anxiety (DA) in caregivers of patients with advanced cancer and identify associated factors in the context of Chinese culture., Methods: Caregivers (N = 588) of advanced cancer patients in a tertiary cancer hospital completed anonymous questionnaire surveys. Measures included the Chinese version of the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (C-T-DAS), the Quality-of-Life Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. Data were analyzed in SPSS (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation test, and linear regression., Results: Respondents returned 588 (93.03%) of the 632 questionnaires. The total C-T-DAS score was 7.92 ± 2.68 points. The top-scoring dimension was "Stress and pain" (3.19 ± 1.29 points), followed by "Emotion" (2.28 ± 1.31 points) and "Cognition" (1.40 ± 0.94 points). In contrast, the lowest-scoring dimension was "Time" (1.06 ± 0.77 points). Factors associated with DA (R 2  = 0.274, F = 13.348, p < 0.001) included quality of life (QoL), trait anxious personality, social support, caregiver length of care, caregiver gender, and patients' level of activities of daily living (ADL)., Conclusions: Our results demonstrated high levels of DA in caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. Generally, female caregivers and those with low social support had high DA. Caregivers caring for patients with low ADL levels or with a low QoL and trait anxious personality reported high DA. Certain associated factors help to reduce caregivers DA. Social interventions are recommended to improve the end-of-life transition and trait anxious personality as well as quality of life for caregivers., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: We aimed to compare symptom frequency and severity in children with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) and to evaluate anxiety, quality of life (QoL) and global health during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related quarantine and after 17 months., Methods: Children diagnosed with FAPDs between October 2019 and February 2020 at 5 different centers were enrolled and prospectively interviewed during the COVID-19 quarantine and 17 months later when schools, hospital services, and routine activities had re-opened to the public. The patients were asked to complete the Rome IV questionnaire, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0) Generic Core Scale, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) anxiety and global health questionnaires. Data about COVID-19 infection and its clinical outcome were also collected., Results: Ninety-nine out of 180 (55%) children completed the follow-up. The number of patients reporting a worsening of their symptoms was significantly higher at follow-up when compared to the quarantine period (24/99 [24.2%] vs. 12/99 [12.1%]; p = 0.04). The PedsQL 4.0 subtotal score at follow-up significantly decreased at 17 months of follow-up (65.57 [0-100]) when compared to the quarantine (71 [0-100], p = 0.03). Emotional functioning was the most significantly reduced (Follow-up: 64.7 [0-100] vs. Quarantine: 75 [0-100]; p = 0.006). We did not identify significant differences in symptoms and QoL between COVID-19 infected children and the remaining cohort at the two time points., Conclusions: An improvement of symptoms and QoL was observed during the quarantine, followed by a worsening at-follow-up. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that the nest effect overweighted COVID-19 fears during the quarantine and highlight the importance of psychological factors in symptom exacerbation., (© 2024 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.)

Background: Few studies have examined the prevalence of cancer worry in the general and at-risk population. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of cancer worry in a sample of individuals at increased risk of developing hereditary cancer, determine differences in cancer worry by socio-demographic characteristics and assess the relationship between cancer worry and psychological distress., Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed with 895 patients. The Cancer Worry Scale (CWS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological distress and sociodemographic characteristics were examined. The multiple linear regression model was developed to explore what variables were predicted for cancer worry. To identify variables associated with higher cancer worry scores, a logistic model was fitted., Results: In the at-higher-risk sample of hereditary cancer, the mean of CWS was 10.20 (SD: 3.70). The significant predictors for cancer worry were gender, age, previous psychiatric treatment, patients affected by cancer and having children. In the sample, 38% of patients had higher scores on cancer worry, the variables associated were patients affected by cancer compared, women, widow/divorced participants, less than secondary school, patients with previous psychiatric treatment and patients less than 55 years old. Using the HADS cutoff score 29% of the sample showed significant psychological distress, more anxiety (35%) than depressive (22%) symptomatology. Psychological distress showed a higher variability (36%) on cancer worry., Conclusion: Findings highlighted distinctive profiles in socio-demographic characteristics according to the degree of cancer worry; therefore, genetic counseling should continue to be provided to address cancer worry and relieve psychological distress., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To explore the mediating role of trait anxious personality in the association between quality of life (QoL) and death anxiety (DA), as well as to test the moderating effect of social support in the mediation model., Methods: The Death Anxiety Scale, Quality of Life Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Scale, and Social Support Rating Scale were used to measure 588 family caregivers of advanced cancer patients. We then constructed a moderated mediation model., Results: The presence of QoL was negatively associated with DA (β =  - 0.67, p < 0.01). Trait anxious personality partially mediated the relationship between QoL and DA (indirect effect β =  - 0.08, p < 0.01). Social support moderated both the antecedent and subsequent segments of the mediating paths of "QoL → trait anxious personality → DA" and the direct relationship between QoL and DA. Among caregivers with a low level of social support, the mediating effect coefficient of trait anxious personality was higher at 0.25 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.059-0.182), in contrast to caregivers with a high level of social support, where the mediating effect coefficient of trait anxious personality was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.029-0.072)., Conclusion: QoL is directly associated with an increased risk of DA and indirectly related to DA by increasing the risk of trait anxious personality among caregivers. Social support can moderate the mediating effect of trait anxious personality and the relationship between QoL and DA. The intervention strategy for preventing DA among caregivers who have encountered QoL reduction should focus on reducing trait anxious personality and social support., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: Being front-line healthcare professionals is associated with possible severe information anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigating signs of information anxiety is the first and key step of its targeted medical intervention. This study aims to explore the signs of front-line healthcare professionals' information anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic., Design: This study is qualitative research. Grounded theory was used to classify information anxiety signs of front-line healthcare professionals., Methods: Twenty-four front-line healthcare professionals from a general hospital with over 5000 beds in Wuhan were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. According to the frequency and frequency variation of signs appearing in interviews, the trends of signs during the virus encounter, lockdown, flattening and second wave were compared. Based on the interviews, those signs that were conceptually related to each other were extracted to construct a conceptual model., Results: Psychological signs (emotion, worry, doubt, caution, hope), physical signs (insomnia, inattention, memory loss, appetite decreased) and behavioural signs (panic buying of goods, be at a loss, pay attention to relevant information, change habits) could be generalized from 13 subcategories of information anxiety signs. Psychological signs were the most in every period of the pandemic. Furthermore, psychological signs decreased significantly during lockdown, while behavioural and physical signs increased. Finally, severe psychological and behavioural signs were associated with physical signs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Delusions are a hallmark feature of psychotic disorders and lead to significant clinical and functional impairment. Internalizing symptoms-such as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma exposure-are commonly cited to be related to delusions and delusional ideation and are often associated with deficits in social functioning. While emerging studies are investigating the impact of low social engagement on psychotic-like experiences, little work has examined the relationship between social engagement, internalizing symptoms, and delusional ideation, specifically., Methods: Using general population data from the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland (NKI-Rockland) database (N = 526), we examined the relationships between self-reported delusional ideation, internalizing symptoms, and social engagement and tested four indirect effect models to understand how these factors interrelate., Results: Delusional ideation was significantly associated with both increased internalizing symptoms (r = 0.41, p < 0.001) and lower social engagement (r = - 0.14, p = 0.001). Within aspects of social engagement, perceived emotional support showed the strongest relationship with delusional ideation (r = - 0.17, p < 0.001). Lower social engagement was also significantly associated with increased internalizing symptoms (r = - 0.29, p < 0.001). Cross-sectional models suggest that internalizing symptoms have a significant indirect effect on the association between delusional ideation and social engagement., Conclusions: These findings reveal that elevated delusional ideation in the general population is associated with lower social engagement. Elevated internalizing symptoms appear to play a critical role in reducing engagement, possibly exacerbating delusional thinking. Future work should examine the causal and temporal relationships between these factors., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Background: Math anxiety (MA) is a worldwide appearing academic anxiety that can affect student mental health and deter students from math and science-related career choices., Method: Using the Arabic version of the Modified-Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (m-AMAS), the prevalence of MA was investigated in a very large sample of students (N = 10093) from grades 7 to 12 in Qatar., Results: The results showed a better fit to the original two-factor model of the m-AMAS (learning MA and Evaluation MA) than to a single-factor solution. This two-factor model was also confirmed in each grade. Notably, the distribution of MA scores was right-skewed, especially for learning MA. Using the inter-quartiles ranges, norms for MA were provided: A score of ≤16 indicates low MA whereas a score of ≥30 identifies high MA. Previous studies conducted in Western countries defined high math-anxious students as those who score above the 90th percentile corresponding to a score of 30 on the m-AMAS. Using this cut-off criterion, the current study found that one-fifth of students in Qatar were highly math-anxious, with a higher proportion of females than males. We also calculated the percentage of participants selecting each response category for each questionnaire item. Results showed that attending a long math class was the context that elicited the highest levels of learning MA. In contrast, having an unexpected math test was the situation that triggered the highest levels of evaluation MA., Conclusion: The prevalence of MA might vary across different cultures., (© 2024 British Psychological Society.)

This research paper aimed to study the transformation of Being in Mahmoud Darwish's last poem "The Dice Player" through a Heideggerian framework analysis. It took Heidegger's famous quote "The poets are in the vanguard of a changed conception of Being" as a point of departure in investigating and unveiling the assumed transformation in the Darwishian Being in the poem. By employing a descriptive-interpretative qualitative research method, the paper argued that "The Dice Player" depicted Darwish's implicit and explicit changed conception of his own Being which Heidegger called 'minemess' particularly in relation to his amour propre, his perception of Death and the 'Other'. The findings reveal that the Darwishian changed conception of Being, which was driven by his anxiety and submission to death, gave rise to a new Darwishian Being. The new Darwishian Being developed a different perception of himself ("amour propre"), death and others in "The Dice Player" when compared to his previous poems. Therefore, the paper concluded that Darwish seemingly joined "the vanguard of a changed conception of Being" by showing a transformation in his Being at three different levels.

This conceptual paper introduces the Mindful Interactions (MI) tool designed to enable university teaching academics to promote student mental health and in so doing, impact positively on academic outcomes. The MI tool is comprised of three elements: "understandings" to provide theoretical guidance which inform pedagogy, "practices" to provide strategies for translating theory into practice, and "guiding principles" which provide a catalyst for critical reflexion, challenge existing beliefs, and create a shared vision from which to work. Relationships are at its core, acknowledging that university students report teacher-student relationships as key to their mental health. Issues related to university student mental health, of which psychological distress is an important component, have been well documented and exacerbated since the onset of COVID-19, increasing demands on universities to meet student mental health needs. It is contended in this paper that understanding the causes of psychological distress, particularly in relation to Adverse Childhood Experiences, offers an alternative lens through which to view student mental health. This lens suggests additional ways of thinking about how university teaching academics and universities might proactively respond to student mental health needs. Cultural Historical Activity Theory informed the theoretical framework for the study, whilst two 'approaches' (the 'Three Pillars of Trauma-informed Care' and 'Trust Based Relational Intervention') along with associated trauma literature underpinned the development of the MI tool.

Existing studies on language learner emotions mainly focus on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE). They are primarily conducted in offline learning settings. This paper reports the empirical findings of an exploratory investigation conducted in a fully synchronous online learning environment for "ab initio" Korean. Through an Achievement Emotions Questionnaire administered to 117 students in an Australian university, this study measures learners' pride as well as their enjoyment and anxiety during four teaching weeks. In addition, this paper examines how learner emotions correlate with academic achievement as well as crucial learner and teacher variables. The study confirms many patterns of learner emotions in offline teaching environments, such as the association of positive emotions with positive outcomes and with some teacher characteristics, and the association of anxiety with negative outcomes. However, it also reveals patterns that appear to be new, warranting further empirical studies. The pedagogical implications of results for L2 teaching and learning are also discussed.

My comment on the interdisciplinary study of Heidegger and Freud by Shoshani et al. is focused on the semantic and conceptual differences between these thinkers concerning the meaning of truth and the role of anxiety. Heidegger emphasizes truth as a philosophical goal, whereas for Freud truth is a challenge to study the dynamic functions of the human mind by avoiding predetermined answers. The authors describe convincingly how Heidegger and Freud tread on the same phenomenological terrain. Their approaches differ, however, in their respective goals. For Heidegger, the goal is a new philosophical understanding of the sense of being defined by him as Dasein. For Freud, the goal is to understand the dynamics of the human mind in a two-person clinical relationship. This difference in their goals also implies a difference in their ontological approach. On the other hand, Shoshani et al. highlight the value of Heidegger's view of anxiety as a trigger that calls for a search for increased understanding. According to the authors, this point is important, as it opens a shared humane way to treat people with severely disturbed mental conditions. In this respect, the understanding of the meaning of anxiety by Heidegger can also inspire clinical work and thereby open perspectives common with psychoanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the negative impact of the shutdown of contact-based learning on learners' mental health as a result of COVID-19 and provides recommendations to promote learners' mental health during and post COVID-19. A qualitative research method was used to guide the collection and analysis of the data. Data was collected from a sample of 20 learners from Cape Town and analysed through thematic analysis. The study findings revealed that with the shutdown of contact-based learning as one of the COVID-19 containment measures by the government learners experienced social anxiety disorder and sleeping disorder. Youth policymakers need to design interventions that promote mental health in after-school programmes implemented by qualified youth workers and social workers. Youth workers should take the courses of action in a non-formal education to promote youth mental health.

Purpose: Recently, there has been an increase in awareness of social stigma and mental health issues experienced by transgender individuals in South Korea. To provide quantitative evidence, we conducted a nationwide cohort study of transgender adults, first of its kind in Asia. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and examine their associations with discrimination experiences among transgender adults., Methods: We conducted a two-wave longitudinal survey of 269 Korean transgender adults, where the baseline was collected in October 2020 and the follow-up in October 2021. Experiences of discrimination in the past 12 months at follow-up were categorized accordingly: those who experienced (1) none, (2) only anti-transgender discrimination, (3) only other types of discrimination, and (4) both anti-transgender and other types of discrimination. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale at both waves and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 only at follow-up. We used modified Poisson regression to examine the association between experiences of discrimination and mental health outcomes at follow-up and adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and baseline depressive symptoms., Results: A total of 63.9% had depressive symptoms and 47.2% had anxiety symptoms. Participants who experienced both anti-transgender and other types of discrimination had 1.38-times (95% CI 1.06-1.81) and 1.77-times (95% CI 1.16-2.70) higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, compared to those without any experiences of discrimination., Conclusions: Interventions to lessen discrimination towards transgender individuals are needed for the promotion of mental health among transgender individuals., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

The current study examined factorial invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) using a convenience sample of 434 adults surveyed though Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were sorted into two groups based on their score on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Results indicated that the CESD-R did not demonstrate configural invariance. The DASS-21 demonstrated evidence of scalar invariance, indicating cross-group equality in factor loadings and factor intercepts. Findings suggest that the DASS-21 measures symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress consistently across individuals with high and low levels of ASD-related traits, whereas the CESD-R may not be valid when assessing symptoms of depression in those with a high level of ASD-related traits., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The escalating concern over Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among children underscores the urgency of comprehending its determinants and links to mental health, particularly for interventions targeting school-aged children., Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of IGD and its association with depression, anxiety, and behavior among 8-12-year-old children attending private schools in Salem city., Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study involving 780 children aged 8-12 years from Salem district was conducted. Schools were randomly sampled, and data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire., Materials and Methods: Data were gathered from children without genetic, systemic, or mental disorders and brain trauma. The questionnaire, adapted from Alhamoud M A et al. (2022), encompassed sections on sociodemographic characteristics, gaming behavior, and scales for assessing IGD, depression, and anxiety. Administration occurred during school hours with a 30-35 min completion time., Statistical Analysis Used: Data analysis utilized SPSS v23.0, including descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Chi-square tests for intergroup comparisons, and Pearson's correlation coefficient to determine associations., Results: The prevalence of IGD in Salem district was 1.2%, with higher rates of anxiety and depression observed among older children, particularly males., Conclusions: A positive correlation was evident between IGD, anxiety, and depression. Urgent preventive measures have to be warranted to curb the rising trend of IGD, such as limiting screen time and promoting outdoor activities to enhance children's overall health., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry.)

While ample research has shown that sport injuries are associated with poor psychological status, scant attention has been given to changes in injured athletes' psychological status over the full course of recovery and return to sport. The aim of the present study was to prospectively investigate potential changes in injured athletes' psychological status across four phases of recovery and return to sport. A total of 38 severely injured adult competitive athletes (58% female; mean age 24.1 ± 7.18 years) participated in this prospective weekly investigation (n = 319 observations). Athletes' were asked to indicate their current phase of recovery or return to sport (acute care, rehabilitation, adapted training, or full return to sport) after which they responded to visual analog scales assessing post-injury psychological status, including: perceived pain (frequency and intensity), emotions (positive and negative), anxiety (cognitive and physiological), motivation, self-efficacy, and satisfaction. During the acute care phase, participants showed higher scores of perceived pain, and physiological anxiety compared to the other phases. During the adapted training phase, amotivation was higher than in the acute care phase, and self-efficacy was lower than in other phases. At full return to sport, athletes showed less perceived pain, cognitive anxiety, and more satisfaction than during other phases. The present study provides a deeper prospective understanding of changes in athlete's psychological status over the course of injury recovery and return to sport and highlight the importance of monitoring psychological status., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the effect of music therapy on patients with end-stage cancer in hospice care., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 195 patients with end-stage cancer from January 2021 to December 2023. The conventional group comprised patients who received routine hospice care, whereas the combination group comprised those who received routine hospice care and music therapy. The immune indicators, anxiety and depression scores, quality of life scores, and sleep quality scores of both groups were compared before and after management., Results: Before management, no significant differences were observed in the immune indicators, anxiety and depression scores, quality of life scores, and sleep quality scores between both groups (P > 0.05). However, after management, the immune indicators lymphocytes CD3+ and CD4+ were significantly higher in the combination group than in the conventional group (P < 0.05); in contrast, anxiety and depression and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were lower in the combination group than in the conventional group (P < 0.05). Lastly, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version scores were significantly higher in all domains in the combination group than in those in the conventional group; furthermore, the degree of decline in the physical, psychological, and social relationship domain scores was smaller in the combination group than in the conventional group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: For patients with end-stage cancer, music therapy can improve their immune status, quality of life, and sleep and ameliorate their anxiety and depression., (Copyright © 2024 Noise & Health.)

Background and Objectives: Depression and anxiety often co-occur and have worse impacts on the elderly when experienced simultaneously. Although physical exercise may alleviate depression and anxiety, how it affects the specific symptoms is not fully understood., Methods: A total of 8884 participants was selected from the 2018 CLHLS database. The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were used to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. Participants were divided into the exercise and the nonexercise groups using propensity score matching to minimize the influence of confounding variables. Depression-anxiety symptom networks were constructed, and network indexes were computed for each group, based on various packages of R. By computing network connectivity, invulnerability simulation was used to investigate the role of physical exercise in network robustness., Results: Both groups had D3 (sad mood), A4 (trouble relaxing) and A2 (uncontrollably worry) as central symptoms. In the exercise group, A1 (nervousness), A3 (too much worry) and D1 (bothered by little things) were the strongest bridge nodes. In the nonexercise group, A1 (nervousness), D1 (bothered by little things) and A4 (trouble relaxing) played this role. Participation in physical exercise decreased the centrality of D9 (cannot get doing) but increased the centrality of A3 (too much worry). Furthermore, the exercise group had higher network invulnerability than the nonexercise group under random attack conditions., Conclusions: Physical exercise affected core symptoms of depression-anxiety and the interactions of symptoms. Targeting central or bridge nodes may be an effective intervention for alleviating the comorbidity. Increased network invulnerability manifested the positive effects of physical exercise., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Teachers are among the key actors of education who are responsible for preparing students to become qualified and well-educated individuals. Therefore, teachers should be trained well throughout their education. The knowledge and skills that teachers acquire throughout their study may have either a positive or a negative impact on their future professional careers. Identifying factors involved in the teaching professional early in the teacher training processes and finding applicable solutions will change the direction of that impact. Against this background, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between preservice teachers' levels of teaching self-efficacy and occupational anxiety and find out whether their self-efficacy and occupational anxiety differ according to the year of study. To this end, a descriptive survey research design was used. The sample consisted of 156 preservice teachers studying at the faculty of education of a university. The "Occupational Anxiety Scale for Prospective Teachers" and the "Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale" were employed as data collection instruments. The analysis results showed that preservice teachers' self-efficacy differed according to the year of study, while their occupational anxiety did not differ. The results also showed a moderate positive correlation between preservice teachers' levels of teaching self-efficacy and occupational anxiety. Thus, based on the correlation between teaching self-efficacy and occupational anxiety, it is recommended to make efforts to increase preservice teachers' self-efficacy and decrease their occupational anxiety during their study. [Paper presented at the International Scientific Research Congress (10th, 2021).]

The aim of our paper is to explore the predictor variables of autonomous use of technology (Benson, 2011) in relation to second language learning. To this end, we explored motivated learning behavior (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2021), self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986) and several language learning-related emotions, such as enjoyment, pride, hope, curiosity, confusion, anxiety, shame, boredom, and apathy (Albert et al., 2021) in our quantitative study. Our research questions concerned the investigation of gender differences in addition to exploring relationships between the constructs analyzed. Our standardized questionnaire was completed by 1,152 secondary school students, 467 boys and 682 girls. Regression analysis results suggest that, in addition to motivation and self-efficacy, there are several emotions which significantly shape the autonomous use of technology related to language learning. Out of these, confusion (with a negative effect) and boredom (surprisingly with a positive effect) influence autonomy for all students, while pride and shame are significant only for boys and anxiety exclusively for girls. Our results have both theoretical and pedagogical implications. The findings concerning the individual difference variables tested contribute to the study of the complex interplay of these variables, and the pedagogical implications draw our attention to the important role of teachers in shaping emotions.

Academic stress among adolescents can undermine academic achievement and harm mental health. Levels of academic stress vary considerably across countries and education systems, but little is known regarding the causes of this variation. In this paper, I develop a theoretical framework positing that stress will be lower in education systems that reduce the stakes attached to academic achievements, temper competition and high aspirations, and weaken the link between achievements and self-worth. I test observable implications of the framework by analysing if stress is influenced by the degree of external differentiation and vocational orientation of education systems, using harmonised survey data on pupils in more than 30 countries. The empirical analyses largely support the implications of the framework: pupils in more differentiated and vocationally orientated systems report significantly lower levels of stress, also in models adjusting for country fixed effects. Moreover, academic achievement is a less important predictor of stress in differentiated or vocational systems, possibly due to lower stakes attached to achievements. I end by proposing further predictions of the framework that can be tested in future research, and by discussing implications of the results with regard to possible trade-offs between different goals of education policy.

The problem of mental health in academia is increasingly discussed in literature, and to extract meaningful insights from the growing amount of scientific publications, text mining approaches are used. In this study, BERTopic, an advanced method of topic modeling, was applied to abstracts of 2,846 PubMed articles on depression, anxiety, and burnout in academia published in years 1975-2023. BERTopic is a modular technique comprising a text embedding method, a dimensionality reduction procedure, a clustering algorithm, and a weighing scheme for topic representation. A model was selected based on the proportion of outliers, the topic interpretability considerations, topic coherence and topic diversity metrics, and the inevitable subjectivity of the criteria was discussed. The selected model with 27 topics was explored and visualized. The topics evolved differently with time: research papers on students' pandemic-related anxiety and medical residents' burnout peaked in recent years, while publications on psychometric research or internet-related problems are yet to be presented more amply. The study demonstrates the use of BERTopic for analyzing literature on mental health in academia and sheds light on areas in the field to be addressed by further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis and estimated the prevalence of depression and anxiety and their related factors among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)., Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and CBM databases., Review Methods: A systematic search was performed for relevant studies published before August 17, 2021. A random effects model was used to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety. Subgroup analysis was performed by continent or region, study setting, sex, sample size, diagnosis, and assessment method., Results: Twenty-two articles covering 40,956 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled crude prevalence estimates of depression and anxiety were 25.2% (95% CI, 20.9%-29.6%) and 28.9% (95% CI, 16.1%-41.6%), respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed the following: (1) continent or region, study setting, sex, sample size, depression assessment method, and CRS diagnosis were significantly correlated with the prevalence of depression, and (2) continent or region, study setting, sample size, anxiety assessment method, and CRS diagnosis were significantly correlated with the prevalence of anxiety. Meta-regression analysis revealed that study setting and sample size were negatively associated with the pooled prevalence of depression. In contrast, CRS diagnosis and anxiety assessment method were positively associated with the pooled prevalence of anxiety., Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are common in patients with CRS, especially among clinics. Therefore, in patients with CRS, screening and early diagnosis of depression and anxiety are necessary for prevention and treatment., (© 2023 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

This paper examines evidence for relationships among individual differences (IDs) in L1 achievement, L2 aptitude, and L2 achievement. It begins by providing an overview of my academic journey from L1 educator to L2 researcher and explains the development of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH). Next, I review Peter Skehan's influential research on language aptitude and L1-L2 relationships and summarizes research showing that IDs in L1 achievement (and L1 ability) are universal, can be identified early, and are stable over time. Then, I review research on L1-L2 relationships and IDs in L2 learning, focusing on the longitudinal studies and reporting two new studies that examine the relationship between L1 achievement and L2 aptitude on the MLAT. Overall, I argue that the development of L1 literacy leads to growth in metalinguistic awareness, which enhances L1 literacy skills, and that L1 literacy and metalinguistic awareness provide the foundation for L2 aptitude, the ability to use and understand "decontextualized" material. I conclude the paper by proposing an answer to the title.

The general purpose of this study is to determine the mediating role of resilience in the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the mental health continuum. 443 volunteer individuals who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic process in Turkey participated in this study. In data collection, The Fear of COVID-19 Scale, The Brief Resilience Scale and Mental Health Continuum Short Form were used. Data were analyzed with the two-stage Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The full mediating role of resilience has been proven in the impact of fear of COVID-19 on the mental health continuum. [This study was presented as an oral presentation at the 4th International Conference on COVID-19 Studies.]

Speaking in public involves three parts: an act, a process, and art; however, stage fright is a common dilemma for students across all proficiency levels and cultural orientations. In this paper, some critical factors of successful public speaking affecting both students' self-scoring and the professor's grading of in-class presentations were scrutinized using a likert-based survey method with quantitative and qualitative results. Specifically, areas investigated were anxiety, gestures and facial expressions, voice tone and relaxed attitude or behavior, spontaneity, and planned organization of delivery. It was found by the professors in this course that there are no statistically significant values or differences between students' self-evaluation and actual delivery in the five factors or aspects of their public speaking performances. However, whether the differences are huge or tiny, the resulting report of our research was informative, as the differences provide the vehicle for understanding some issues in teaching and learning which require further attention and reconciliation in a public speaking class. This paper offers insights to guide teachers and students in carrying out their goals and objectives more realistically in public speaking classes by examining student perspectives on public speaking in the target language.

This position paper explores the needs of rural families of children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, literature portrays elevated stress in families of individuals with ASD and health and socioeconomic disparities for rural and underserved populations. These disparities were exacerbated due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns and economic turmoil. Academic and adaptive skills training were particularly impacted due to school closures, with parents tasked with taking some responsibility for training these skills. Our goals for this article focus on special considerations for rural families regarding: (1) neurobiological and developmental impacts of stressful experiences like COVID-19; (2) delineation of the impacts on individuals with ASD and other comorbid and related conditions; and (3) education and intervention needs during these times. Finally, we offer suggestions for future care during pandemic events, including recommendations for improving service delivery under such conditions.