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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.)

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.)

The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is recognised as a pivotal integrative centre for monitoring emotional valence. It is implicated in the regulation of diverse affective states and motivated behaviours, and decades of research have firmly established its critical role in anxiety-related behavioural processes. Researchers have recently intricately dissected the BST's dynamic activities, its connection patterns and its functions with respect to specific cell types using multiple techniques such as optogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging and transgenic tools to unmask the complex circuitry mechanisms that underlie anxiety. In this review, we principally focus on studies of anxiety-involved neuromodulators within the BST and provide a comprehensive architecture of the anxiety network-highlighting the BST as a key hub in orchestrating anxiety-like behaviour. We posit that these promising efforts will contribute to the identification of an accurate roadmap for future treatment of anxiety disorders., (© 2023 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The article announces the papers that won the "Stress and Health" Top Papers Award 2021, including "Work From Home Today for a Better Tomorrow! How Working From Home Influences Work-Family Conflict and Employees' Start of the Next Workday," "Midlife Family Financial Strain, Sense of Control and Pain in Later Years: An Investigation of Rural Husbands and Wives," and "Effectiveness of a Low-dose Mindfulness-based Intervention for Alleviating Distress in Young Unemployed Adults."

Objectives: To investigate whether levels of perfectionism, organization, and intolerance of uncertainty predispose women to more negative birth experiences and post-partum post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Birth experience was also examined as a potential moderator of the relationship between levels of the personality traits and post-natal PTSS., Design: Prospective survey., Method: First-time expectant mothers (N = 10,000) were contacted via Emma's Diary during the perinatal period. At 32-42 weeks' gestation, participants completed measures examining the three personality traits and prenatal mood. At 6-12 weeks' post-partum, instruments assessing childbirth experience, birth trauma, PTSS, and post-natal mood were completed. Data from 418 women were analysed., Results: Higher perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty were associated with more negative birth appraisals and PTSS. Organization was unrelated to birth experience or PTSS. In a regression, higher intolerance of uncertainty and perfectionism statistically predicted more negative birth appraisals. Only perfectionism predicted PTSS. Birth experience did not moderate the relationship between perfectionism or intolerance of uncertainty and PTSS., Conclusions: Personality risk factors for negative birth experiences and post-natal PTSS are identifiable prenatally. Maternity care providers could educate women about the unique roles of high perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty during antenatal birth preparation., Practitioner Points: Women who expect themselves to be more perfect or who find it more difficult to cope with uncertainty had more negative experiences of childbirth. Women with higher levels of perfectionism were more likely to experience more symptoms of post-traumatic stress during the early post-natal period. Being more perfectionistic continued to have a more negative effect on women's well-being after birth, regardless of whether they had a positive or negative experience of birth. Integrating these findings into antenatal discussion around birth preferences would increase women's awareness of predisposing and obstetric risk factors that partially explain experiences of unsatisfactory births and post-partum post-traumatic stress., (© 2020 The British Psychological Society.)

Objectives: Research largely supports the clinical effectiveness of low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (LICBT) for mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression, delivered by psychological well-being practitioners (PWPs). Knowledge regarding the predictors of treatment response, however, is relatively limited. The primary aim of this study was to model the heterogeneity in longitudinal changes in anxiety and depression throughout LICBT provided by PWPs in Northern Ireland (NI), and to explore associations between pre-treatment variables and differences in treatment response., Methods: Growth mixture modelling (GMM) techniques were employed to examine changes in psychological status in clients (N = 253) over the first six sessions of treatment, to identify divergent early response trajectories. A series of pre-treatment variables were used to predict class membership using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression models., Results: There was one class representing improvement and one representing no improvement for both anxiety and depression. Class membership was predictive of treatment outcome. Pre-treatment variables associated with less improvement included unemployment, risk of suicide, neglect of self or others, using medication, receiving previous or concurrent treatments, a longer duration of difficulties, and comorbidities., Conclusions: Findings indicate most of the sample populated an 'improvers' class for both depression and anxiety. Pre-treatment variables identified as predictive of poor treatment response may need to be considered by practitioners in potential triage referral decision policies, supporting cost-effective and efficient services. Further research around predictors of clinical outcome is recommended., Practitioner Points: Most of the sample belonged to an 'improvers' class. Several pre-treatment variables predicted poor treatment response (unemployment, suicide risk, neglect, medication, previous or concurrent treatments, longer duration of difficulties, and comorbidities). Few studies have utilized GMM to determine predictors of outcome following LICBT Regarding pre-treatment variables, the possibility of self-report bias cannot be excluded. The time period was relatively short, although represented the optimum number of sessions recommended for LICBT. The lack of a control group and random allocation were the main limitations., (© 2019 The British Psychological Society.)

Background: Much of the literature on school transfers has centred on academic adjustment and/or achievement, but school transfers also involve social adaption. Children who are socially anxious or lack emotional self-efficacy are likely to have difficulties with social aspects of the transition., Aim(s): We examined the influence of social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and emotional self-efficacy on (1) pre-transition concerns about the move to secondary school and social threat sensitivity relating to that transition experience, and (2) school and peer connectedness after the school transfer. We also examined whether pre-transition concerns predicted school and peer connectedness after the move., Sample: Year 6 children (10-11 years) from 15 primary schools in Northern England., Method: Children (N = 266) completed a questionnaire in their primary schools before the move to secondary school. A sub-group (n = 156) of those children also completed measures immediately after the move to secondary school and then again 4 months later., Results: Social anxiety influenced pre-transition concerns. Higher emotional self-efficacy was associated with lower social threat sensitivity pre-transition and with reductions over time. Higher emotional self-efficacy also influenced greater social adaption 4 months after the school move. Pre-transition concerns about the move were a good indicator of poorer social adaption later on., Conclusions: Based on the findings, interventions should target social anxiety to reduce pre-transition concerns. Programmes that target emotional self-efficacy are most likely to impact school and peer connectedness., (© 2019 The British Psychological Society.)

The papers included in this year's Annual Research Review represent a heterogenous mix of concerns, zooming out, in some cases, to summarize the state of the science for a particular condition or developmental process and zooming in, in other cases, to identify effects of specific (and timely) risk factors for child and adolescent mental health. These papers highlight where the field has made significant strides in advancing our understanding of etiology or mechanisms of change or stability and they highlight how much is left to learn about the causes of psychopathology and the conditions under which developmental trajectories are maintained or disrupted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of e‐exams in higher education is increasing. However, the role of student diversity in the acceptance of e‐exams is an under‐researched topic. In the current study, we considered student diversity in terms of three sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, and second language) and three dispositional student characteristics (computer anxiety, test anxiety, and technology openness). Objectives: The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between student diversity and acceptance of e‐exams. Methods: Our research combined cross‐sectional analyses (N = 1639) with data from a natural experiment on the introduction of e‐exams versus the established paper‐pencil exams (N = 626) and used both self‐report and institutional data. Sociodemographic and dispositional characteristics were indirectly related to pre‐exam acceptance via expectancy variables from the Technology Acceptance Model framework. Results and Conclusions: Comparisons of post‐exam acceptance showed that practical experience with the e‐exam led to a significant increase in e‐exam acceptance, and that students with low openness toward technology particularly benefited from this effect. Students' exam performance (i.e., grades) was unrelated to the exam format or their pre‐exam acceptance of the e‐exam format, and this was true across students' sociodemographic and dispositional characteristics. Takeaway: Student diversity plays a role in e‐exam acceptance, but its influence is mitigated by first‐hand experience with e‐exams. The practical implications for higher education institutions aiming to implement e‐exams are discussed. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The use of e‐exams in higher education is increasingThe role of student diversity for e‐exam acceptance is unclearTechnology acceptance is predicted by expectancies towards new system What this paper adds: We investigated students' sociodemographic and dispositional diversityDiversity predicted e‐exam acceptance via the expectanciesIn a natural experiment, first‐hand experience increased e‐exam acceptanceNo difference between performance in e‐exams and paper‐pencil‐exams found Implications of the study findings for practitioners: Higher education institutions implementing e‐exams should consider diversitySupport for older students and students with low technology openness neededNo student groups systematically disadvantaged by e‐exam implementationPractice rooms can increase experience with new system before exam [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Why some people recover emotionally after diagnosis and treatment of cancer and others do not is poorly understood. To identify factors around the time of diagnosis that predict longer-term distress is a necessary step in developing interventions to reduce patients' vulnerability. This review identified the demographic, clinical, social, and psychological factors available at or within 3 months of diagnosis that are reliable predictors of emotional distress at least 12 months later.Methods: A systematic search of literature for prospective studies addressing our research question and predicting a range of distress outcomes was conducted. Thirty-nine papers (reporting 36 studies) were subjected to narrative synthesis of the evidence.Results: There was no consistent evidence that demographic, clinical, or social factors reliably predicted longer-term distress. Of the psychological factors examined, only baseline distress (significant in 26 of 30 relevant papers; 24 of 28 studies) and neuroticism (significant in all 5 papers/studies that examined it) consistently predicted longer-term distress. The heterogeneity of included studies, particularly in populations studied and methodology, precluded meta-analytic techniques.Conclusions: This review supports current clinical guidance advising early assessment of distress as a marker of vulnerability to persistent problems. Additionally, neuroticism is also indicated as a useful marker of vulnerability. However, the review also highlights that more sophisticated research designs, capable of identifying the psychological processes that underlie the association between these marker variables and persistent distress, are needed before more effective early interventions can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dramatherapy, a creative form of psychotherapy, may be a useful treatment for child and adolescent mental health. As there is a growing evidence base, this systematic review sought to identify, describe and evaluate dramatherapy with children and adolescents who were experiencing emotional distress (anxiety, depression and trauma) in order to inform future research in this area. Methods: Seven databases (PsychInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, EMBASE and Cochrane) were searched for peer‐reviewed articles exploring dramatherapy as a treatment for child and adolescent emotional distress. Hand searches of relevant journals were also conducted. Two reviewers coded articles for eligibility and independently appraised papers using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. Details relating to intervention and participant characteristics were extracted and, where data were available, effect sizes on measures relating to emotional distress were calculated. Results: Fifteen papers were included. Studies showed that dramatherapy was often delivered in schools (46%) and clinical settings (20%) and was more frequently delivered to adolescents (53%) (>11 years) than children (26%) (8–11 years). Dramatherapy was used as a treatment for diagnostically heterogeneous groups (40%), for emotional and behavioural difficulties (33%) and following a shared, traumatic, experience (20%). Seven papers reported relevant quantitative data however, just three of these studies were controlled and none were blinded. Pre‐to‐post intervention effect sizes ranged from d = 0.17 to d > 2 yet samples were small and participant response to treatment was not always consistent. The largest effects were seen in dramatherapy employed following trauma and in clinical settings. Medium to large effects were also seen in early intervention school‐based dramatherapy. Conclusion: Despite promising results with regards to the treatment of child and adolescent emotional distress, the evidence base for dramatherapy is small and methodologically flawed. Larger, methodologically robust trials should test the efficacy of dramatherapy in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this interview by email, Ann Scott, Editor‐in‐Chief of the British Journal of Psychotherapy from 2009 to 2022, is in conversation with Brett Kahr, responding to questions put to her by him and the Journal's Editorial Board. The interview focuses on Scott's background and its influence on her work; her early role at Free Association Books and her role as Deputy Editor of the BJP. She identifies papers from the Journal, on her watch as Editor‐in‐Chief, that have resonated particularly powerfully for her, commenting that all convey a sense of urgency and immediacy. She is asked to comment on the relationship between clinical and research approaches; current debates about informed consent; the Journal's title; the impact of online as well as print publication; whether published topics have changed over time; and the Journal's international standing. She describes the editorial principles that have governed her approach to the editorship, drawing on work by Britton, Turquet, Rey and Gabbard. She comments on some challenges she has faced as an editor, and shares the highlights of her tenure. Lastly, she is asked whether the editorship has impacted on her clinical practice, whether she has any regrets, and how she would like to be remembered in relation to her editorial work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scars are fibrous tissues that replace normal tissue during the wound healing process. Scarring can lead to low self‐esteem, social impairment, depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric and psychological distress, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the latest perspectives, topical research, and directions in scarring‐mental health. This is a biblioshiny and VOSviewer based bibliometric analysis study. All data were obtained from the Web of Science, and a total of 664 articles from 2003 to 2022 met the criteria. The last 7 years have been a period of rapid growth in the field, with 2022 having the highest number of articles. The United States is the core country with the highest production and citation rate. The most cited literature was written in 2003 by Van Loey NE et al. Van Loey NE is the most prolific and influential author in this field. The top five popular keywords include "quality of life", "depression", "management", "anxiety", and "prevalence". The paper concludes that the current focus of scholars in the field is on the treatment of scars and that multidisciplinary treatment of such patients is worth exploring. These findings provide relevant researchers with the current state of research and possible future directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to address the uncertainty of some non‐Western learners about the applicability of Bowen theory to Asian culture, as the theory was developed out of research on Western families and stresses defining self. Scepticism is due to the commonly held view that Asian families are collectivistic while Western families are more individualistic. This paper reviews the basic tenets of Bowen theory and its underlying premise that families are regulated by emotional processes that also operate in all living beings, that is, biological and universal. Bowen theory studies the emotional processes of families and how they react to anxiety. Viewed in this way, the theory certainly can be a useful framework for understanding family and enhancing family functioning, regardless of culture, ethnicity, and geography. The paper further discusses the use of Bowen theory in working with Asian families and Asian women, with case illustrations in enhancing mature and flexible practice of cultural values and increasing differentiation of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This integrative review aimed to identify and synthesize evidence on workplace stress and resilience in the Australian nursing workforce. A search of the published literature was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search was limited to papers published in English from January 2008 to December 2018. The review integrated both qualitative and quantitative data into a single synthesis. Of the 41 papers that met the inclusion criteria, 65.85% (27/41) used quantitative data, 29.26% (12/41) used qualitative data, and 4.87% (2/41) used mixed methods. About 48.78% (20/41) of the papers addressed resilience issues, 46.34% (19/41) addressed workplace stress, and 4.87% (2/41) addressed both workplace stress and resilience. The synthesis indicated that nurses experience moderate to high levels of stress. Several individual attributes and organizational resources are employed by nurses to manage workplace adversity. The individual attributes include the use of work–life balance and organizing work as a mindful strategy, as well as self‐reliance, passion and interest, positive thinking, and emotional intelligence as self‐efficacy mechanisms. The organizational resources used to build resilience are support services (both formal and informal), leadership, and role modelling. The empirical studies on resilience largely address individual attributes and organizational resources used to build resilience, with relatively few studies focusing on workplace interventions. Our review recommends that research attention be devoted to educational interventions to achieve sustainable improvements in the mental health and wellbeing of nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The views of the children and young people experiencing Extended School Non‐Attendance difficulties are scarcely represented in the literature. This systematic literature review provides a much needed overview of the existing research evidence through a detailed synthesis of the lived experiences of persistently non‐attending young people, using a meta‐ethnographic approach. Ten qualitative, UK‐based papers were selected and analysed, each of which focused specifically on the direct views of school non‐attenders. Using Noblit and Hare's seven‐step approach, the analysis generated seven themes: (1) difficult relationships with peer group; (2) inconsistent relationships with and support from adults; (3) negative experiences of school transition; (4) negative experiences of learning in school; (5) emotional wellbeing and mental health needs; (6) others' negative perceptions of the individual's needs; (7) personal beliefs about attendance. Through reciprocal translation of these themes, the overarching higher‐order concept was developed relating to the impact of a sense of school belonging. The implications of this review include an enhanced emphasis on the need to gather young people's views early and to use their preferred terminology when discussing their difficulties. While outside the scope of this paper, further research should look to the translation into policy and practice in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the higher education (HE) literature highlights how the sector is designed for a typified imagined student, the issues are particularly acute for care‐experienced students. The dominant HE discourse assumes that all students will be able or want to participate in 'stereotypical' aspects of student life and have stable networks to offer emotional, practical and financial support. Here, we deploy Holland et al.'s formative heuristic of figured worlds to interrogate how socially and culturally constructed realms and artefacts establish 'givens'. People 'figure' who they are through navigating different realms which are conceptually and materially produced. We take particular inspiration from figured worlds' focus on unequal power in social space; socially and institutionally endorsed understandings of how things 'should' be celebrate certain subjectivities and ways of 'doing' university while marginalising others. The paper discusses biographical‐narrative interviews and collaborative analysis with six students with experience of foster, residential and kinship care, all studying at a post‐1992 English university. Crucially, conversations highlighted participants' exceptional maturity, educational passion and tenacity. Yet challenges remained. This paper focuses on four domains where our participants felt forced into peripheral subjectivities: student accommodation, wellbeing support, societies and curricula. Halls became hostile spaces through high rents, late‐night/loud drinking cultures and their transitory nature. Wellbeing services felt inimical when designed for quotidian anxiety and stress, neglecting more complex stories. Similarly, society membership fees, requisite team kits and 'cliques' materially and symbolically constricted participants. Finally, specific areas of curricula and pedagogical delivery posed problems, namely when traumatic and/or painful content (e.g. domestic violence and safeguarding) was not assumed to relate to anyone in the classroom. Despite these barriers, participants continued to navigate their HE journeys with skill and creativity. Although this paper's perspective is partial, we argue for theorising the holistic student experience through the lens of figured worlds. This reveals how norms and practices make dominant subject positions hard to access for care‐experienced students, contradicting and undermining their obvious value. In concluding, we discuss how locating problems as structural speaks back to deficit discourses, challenging us to reimagine and reconfigure HE through alternative discourses of worth. Attention is needed within and beyond the classroom; students' lives are multifaceted and played out in multiple figured worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic brought about unprecedented changes and uncertainty to the daily lives of youth. The range of adjustment in light of a near‐universal experience of COVID restrictions highlights the importance of identifying factors that may render some individuals more susceptible to heightened levels of anxiety during stressful life events than others. Two risk factors to consider are temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI) and difficulties in emotion regulation (ER). As such, the current paper focused on BI examined prior to COVID, because of its developmental link to anxiety and ER, as difficulties may be associated with differences in anxiety. We examined a neurocognitive marker of ER processes, delta–beta coupling (DBC). The current paper had two goals: (1) to examine BI in relation to COVID‐related worry and social anxiety experienced during the pandemic, and (2) to explore the role of individual differences in early DBC in the relationship between BI and anxiety outcomes 6 months apart during COVID‐19 (n = 86; T1 Mage = 15.95, SD = 1.73; T6 Mage = 16.43, SD = 1.73). We found support for the moderating role of DBC in the relationship between BI levels and social anxiety disorder (SAD) symptom severity during the pandemic. Here, high BI was predictive of increased SAD symptom levels in adolescents with stronger DBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three papers in the December issue (2023) of JCPP Advances focus on children of parents with depression or anxiety. They highlight the value of using prospective longitudinal data to improve the understanding about the development of children of parents with depression or anxiety from early childhood to young adulthood. They contribute to an advanced understanding of long‐term outcomes, causality and resilience for children of parents with depression or anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Fever phobia describes exaggerated concerns about the consequences of childhood fever and broader awareness is needed in everyday clinical practice. We investigated the factors associated with fever phobia in caregivers and healthcare providers and the geographical distribution of the issue.Methods: The National Library of Medicine, Excerpta Medica and Google Scholar databases were searched.Results: We retrieved 76 papers, published in English from 1985 to 2018, which covered wide areas of Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Australia. The occurrence of fever phobia was confirmed in 65 papers covering 26 521 caregivers. A number of factors were significantly associated with fever phobia, including low educational or socioeconomic levels, a history of febrile seizures in the child and young maternal age. Fever phobia was also more common in Bedouins and in people from Latin America, Southern Italy and Turkey. There were also 15 papers that addressed fever phobia among 4566 healthcare providers. All the reports suggested that a fear of fever and a tendency to over treat was common among physicians and nurses.Conclusion: Fever phobia was a common world phenomena that affected caregivers and healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychiatric comorbidity is high in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with up to 90% having at least one additional condition, and two‐thirds having two or more other diagnoses. With an increasing aging population in industrialized counties, knowing which psychiatric disorders frequently co‐occur in older adults with PTSD can have implications to improve diagnosis and treatment. This systematic literature review explores the current empirical literature on psychiatric comorbidity in older adults with PTSD. Method: Literature databases PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched. The following inclusion criteria were applied: research done since 2013, PTSD diagnosis based on diagnostic criteria according to Diagnostic and Statistics Manual‐Fifth Edition, International Classification of Diseases—10th Revision (ICD‐10), or ICD‐11, and studies include individuals aged 60 years or older. Results: Of 2068 potentially relevant papers identified, 246 articles were examined based on titles and abstracts. Five papers met the inclusion criteria and were included. Major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder were the most frequently studied and diagnosed psychiatric comorbidities in older adults with PTSD. Conclusions and implications: Screening for depression and substance use in older adults should include an assessment of trauma and PTSD. Additional studies in the general older adult population with PTSD and a broader range of comorbid psychiatric disorders are needed. Key points: Major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorders are the most frequently studied and diagnosed psychiatric comorbidities in older adults with PTSD.Based on this, screening for trauma and PTSD should be included in older adults with depression and substance useQualitative epidemiological studies on psychiatric comorbidities, such as personality disorders, in older adults with PTSD are limited and needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

James Strachey published his seminal paper on the nature of therapeutic action in 1934 in which he introduced his ideas on the mutative interpretation. He saw interpretation as the cornerstone of the psychoanalytic method. Since then, there has been a great deal of work looking at the essential nature of the interpretation and how it can promote change. By the1960s, Loewald and others were discussing how interpretation needed to incorporate new psychoanalytic thinking, particularly in the area of object relations. As the intersubjectivity of the psychoanalytic encounter gained more prominence, the use of the structural interpretation decreased. The author suggests that there is still need for further work on how interpretation can promote change. Using theoretical ideas and clinical examples, the paper concludes that the mutative interpretation continues to offer something potentially transformative, but that the technique has to take account of relational aspects of the treatment and the developmental issues of the patient. However, the clinician's relationship with the ideas about a mutative interpretation can also affect the clinician's ability to use it to a therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fear and anxiety can interfere profoundly with a person's ability to deliberate. Patients sometimes face critical medical decisions while subject to intense emotions which involve catastrophic (or wishful) convictions about the future. Medical teams, and even psychiatrists and bioethicists, lack a model for what to do in such cases. Philosophical accounts of autonomy and the clinical criteria for decision‐making capacity derived from them fail to address cases in which emotions do not merely skew judgment but rather block decision‐making capacity itself. This paper provides an account of when emotions undermine a person's freedom to deliberate, which is the basis of the capacity for autonomy. People subject to what I call 'concretized emotions' meet the cognitive criteria for decision‐making capacity. Yet their emotions dictate their views of reality and prevent them from meeting the basic conditions for deliberation. To deliberate one needs to be able to think through alternatives, and this thinking through alternatives needs to be responsive to evidence. With concretized fear, both the ability to think through alternatives and the ability to respond cognitively to evidence is undermined. The person can engage in apparent deliberation, but her thought processes regarding the feared matter are characterized by the rigid view that things are just as they seem from her emotional view. This paper develops a theoretical and clinical model for a more appropriate and nuanced approach to acting responsibly toward patients subject to intense fear and related emotional states that block their decision‐making capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The incidence of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation continues to increase worldwide largely due to greater awareness of the symptoms of cardiac events and increased attention to cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in the community. Globally, predicted survival rates after cardiopulmonary resuscitation have remained at 10% for decades and although patient outcome remains unpredictable, there is a positive trend in life expectancy. For a resuscitation attempt to be classed as successful, not only survival but also quality of life has to be evaluated. Aim The aim of this review was to examine literature that explores the quality of life ( QOL) for survivors' after CPR and the influence cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) has had on their QOL. Review methods This review follows Whittemore and Knafl's framework for an integrative literature review. Electronic databases EBSCO, Ovid, PubMed and EMBASE were searched. After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, thirty-six papers published from January 2000 to June 2015 were included in this review. Results These papers represent a broad spectrum of research evaluating quality of life for survivors of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The heterogeneous research methods and vast number of different research tools make it challenging to compare the findings. The majority of papers concluded that quality of life for survivors of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was generally acceptable. However, studies also described survivors' experience of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion A majority of papers reported an acceptable quality of life if the patient survived to hospital discharge. The heterogeneity in quantitative papers was noticeable and indicates a marked variance in patient outcomes. This review highlights the absence of specialized tools used to investigate survivors' experience of the event. Further exploration of the impact cardiopulmonary resuscitation has on the individual may improve ongoing rehabilitation and quality of life levels for survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety is now recognized as one of the most common co‐occurring conditions in youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite the prevalence of this comorbid condition, accurate assessment and diagnosis of anxiety in ASD has proven difficult. This paper will address the considerable research literature on assessing anxiety in youth with ASD, including difficulties related to assessment and differential diagnosis. In addition, this paper will describe relevant tools and methods for assessing anxiety in this complex population. Highlights: Due to the communication and cognitive impairments that make it challenging to identify and diagnose anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), when trying to tease apart whether a symptom is better explained by autism or anxiety, psychologists should ask questions about the behavioral markers of anxiety that may accompany the given symptom and attempt to directly observe these behaviors.Although some questionnaires that were designed to assess anxiety in neurotypical youth may be appropriate for screening anxiety in some youth with ASD, it may be more accurate to use questionnaires and interviews that were designed and validated specifically for youth with ASD, such as the Anxiety Scale for Children—ASD (ASC‐ASD), the Parent‐rated Anxiety Scale for ASD (PRAS‐ASD), or the Autism Spectrum Addendum to the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS/ASA).Given that it may be challenging for children with ASD to verbally report their symptoms of anxiety and/or for parents or teachers to recognize the symptoms of anxiety in ASD, direct observation often provides more detailed and accurate information about the behaviors children exhibit when they are anxious, the situations that elicit anxiety, and the consequences that maintain anxiety in youth with ASD.In light of the challenges associated with assessing anxiety in youth with ASD, we recommend a multi‐informant and multi‐method approach for assessing anxiety in youth with ASD using a combination of direct observation, interviews, and questionnaires (self‐report, parent‐report, and teacher‐report questionnaires) to most reliably and accurately identify anxiety in this complex populationIt is important to differentiate between anxiety and other emotional states in youth with ASD, particularly in those with minimal verbal ability, so that parents, teachers, and clinicians do not misattribute anxiety to anger, frustration, sadness, boredom, or excitement, or vice‐versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers education in the context of life‐threatening illness from a psychoanalytic perspective and is an edited and shortened version of a dissertation written for a Master's Degree in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies. Informed by the Work Discussion module, this paper uses observational material of a single case study during the author's time working as a learning mentor in a hospital school. The case study, with its participant observation method, considers the complexity of engaging a 4‐year‐old girl in learning while she undergoes treatment for cancer. The defences this child used against anxiety, such as a muscular rigidity as a form of protection against the trauma she was experiencing, will be explored. The author also suggests that with the consistent daily presence and available mind of the observer/mentor, who was able to think about Poppy's experience, the child began to let go of her 'second‐skin' defences and showed the beginnings of an interest in learning. The way in which the staff group struggle to manage the intense anxieties stirred up by their everyday work will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on Family Therapy through its tradition of nurturing tolerance, diversity, dialogue and difference, an empathic understanding of others, resilience, creativity, values and becomes all the salient as persons are increasingly confined to and dependent on household living and family groups. Topics icnlude the Australia on dialogical family therapy for young people with serious mental health issues, and the Czech Republic on innovations in solution-focused brief therapy.

This is the first of a series of papers that present an update of the over‐four‐decades practice, theorising and universalisation of a systems approach to management from China: Wuli‐Shili‐Rneli (WSR). The paper begins with a brief review of the evolution, features and problematics of WSR 1.0, then envisages continuities, changes and tasks in developing WSR 2.0 and finally traces the evolution trajectory of the meaning of li, a core category in Confucian teaching and the WSR approach. This is to lay a historical‐conceptual stage for the proceeding of the forthcoming papers in the series that will address, respectively, wuli‐shili‐renli notions, WSR and systems thinking, pragmatic ontology, pragmatic rationality, application modes and rooted universalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although colposcopy is the leading follow-up option for women with abnormal cervical cytology, little is known about its psychological consequences.Objectives: We performed a systematic review to examine: (1) what, if any, are the adverse psychological outcomes following colposcopy and related procedures; (2) what are the predictors of adverse psychological outcomes post-colposcopy; and (3) what happens to these outcomes over time.Search Strategy: Five electronic databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus) were searched for studies published in English between January 1986 and February 2014.Selection Criteria: Eligible studies assessed psychological wellbeing at one or more time-points post-colposcopy.Data Collection and Analysis: Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts. Full texts of potentially eligible papers were reviewed. Data were abstracted from, and a quality appraisal performed of, eligible papers.Main Results: Twenty-three papers reporting 16 studies were eligible. Colposcopy and related procedures can lead to adverse psychological outcomes, particularly anxiety. Ten studies investigated predictors of adverse psychological outcomes; management type and treatment had no impact on this. Seven studies investigated temporal trends in psychological outcomes post-colposcopy; findings were mixed, especially in relation to anxiety and distress. Studies were methodologically heterogeneous.Conclusions: Follow-up investigations and procedures for abnormal cervical cytology can cause adverse psychological outcomes among women. However, little is known about the predictors of these outcomes or how long they persist. There is a need for a more standardised approach to the examination of the psychological impact of colposcopy, especially longer-term outcomes.Tweetable Abstract: Follow-up investigations for abnormal cervical cytology can cause adverse psychological outcome among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an increasingly data‐driven world, statistical literacy is a necessity yet statistical learning is often inhibited by statistics anxiety. Using the Auzmendi Scale to Measure Attitude toward Statistics (ASMAS), this study examines how statistics anxiety in university students is related to other dimensions of their attitudes toward statistics and how statistics anxiety and other dimensions change following introductory statistics instruction. Based on data collected from Spain, Canada, and Australia, this study finds that anxiety is negatively related to security–confidence, pleasantness, and motivation. The structure of these relationships is consistent across countries and disciplines and remains in place after statistics instruction. Further, by the end of an introductory statistics course, students report higher security–confidence and pleasantness but lower anxiety. Results thus suggest where efforts to improve students' experience with statistics might need to be directed, and the paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for statistics instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, almost 8 million people left the country; more than 1 million of them relocated to Germany. It is to be expected that the war puts considerable strain on refugees, which will impact the public health system in host countries. This paper presents baseline data and protocol of longitudinal online experimental study of 619 Ukrainian refugees in Germany started in autumn 2022, focusing on participants' self‐reports of appetite, food intake, and levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms to examine their associations. Results indicate that levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in refugees significantly exceed the indicators of relevant parameters as reported by independent large‐scale surveys conducted in Ukraine before the war as well as strong correlations between these deviations (.59 ≤ r ≤.69, p =.005). Changes in appetite were related to more severe psycho‐emotional deviations (.15 ≤ r ≤.19, p =.003) and somewhat unhealthier food intake (r = −.08, p <.001). The study underlines the need of psychological care for refugees to improve their mental health and counteract potential negative consequences for physical health via changes in food intake, for which suitable interventions need to be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aims Methods and Procedures Outcomes and Results Conclusions and Implications WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject What this study adds What are the clinical implications of this work? While wearing masks during the pandemic poses communication and social challenges for people in everyday life, those with social anxiety might find them plausible, aligning with contemporary cognitive theories. Social anxiety involves fearing negative assessments and holding a negative self‐image. Concealing anxiety symptoms during mask use may contribute to a more positive self‐perception.Given that up to 60% of adults seeking stuttering treatment also meet criteria for social anxiety disorder, this study aims to investigate the complex relationship between communication freedom, self‐perceived stuttering and anxiety in adults who stutter (AWS). The unique context of mandatory mask‐wearing during the pandemic provides an opportunity to explore these dynamics and understand the conflicting relationships between stuttering, anxiety‐related safety behaviours and the need for open communication in AWS.Twenty AWS participated in interviews, responding to open‐ended questions to elucidate their affective, cognitive and behavioural experiences while wearing masks during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Thematic analysis was used to identify the emerging themes and subthemes based on information‐rich quotes, employing a six‐phase recursive process. Various speech and anxiety‐related measures were used to describe the characteristics of the study participants.Three main themes and sub‐themes emerged. The first theme highlights communication challenges for AWS wearing masks, impacting verbal and nonverbal interactions. The second theme reveals AWS wearing masks to conceal stuttering cues, experiencing reduced stress. The third theme indicates that, despite the comfort in concealment, most AWS prefer speaking freely without a face mask.The conflict between the desire for authentic, fluent communication and the ease of hiding stuttering symptoms poses a major dilemma for AWS. According to the results of this study, most adults who stutter prioritize open communication. However, there were some individual differences. A major factor influencing their decision was their fear of negative evaluation. The prevalence of social anxiety is higher among adults who stutter (AWS), possibly stemming from their prior negative experiences with stuttering. In response, AWS may adopt adaptive or maladaptive coping behaviours to manage stuttering and mitigate fears of negative evaluation. Maladaptive strategies, like avoiding certain communication situations, can diminish their satisfaction with everyday speaking situations. This study leveraged the mask‐wearing mandate during the pandemic to explore the intricate relationship between anxiety‐related symptoms and communication. While some participants saw masks as a plausible means to conceal stuttering and anxiety, most preferred open communication without the challenges posed by masks. Our findings offer additional support for the varied emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses that AWS may display in response to changes in daily life, emphasizing the individual differences within this population and highlighting that stuttering goes beyond observable speech dysfluencies. Our study underscores the need for comprehensive therapeutic interventions addressing both the physical and cognitive‐emotional aspects of stuttering in AWS. Recognizing the role of safety behaviours and self‐focused attention emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach, enhancing communication efficacy and social well‐being for AWS. Addressing speech fluency alone, without considering pertinent cognitive‐emotional factors, falls short in providing adequate stuttering treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the increasing number of people achieving exceptionally long lifespans, there is an urgent need for a better understanding of mental health in centenarians. This study aimed to understand the prevalence of mental health conditions—depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbances, disinhibition, and aberrant motor behaviour—among centenarians in Switzerland. Methods: Data were collected from N = 169 participants via telephone interviews or paper questionnaires, either directly from centenarians or through proxy informants. Half the data were collected during a period when protective measures were imposed due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, and half were collected after the measures were lifted. Results: Mental health conditions were prevalent in our sample, particularly depressive symptoms (44.51%) and anxiety (42.17%). Significant positive associations were found between depressive symptoms and anxiety, and between disinhibition and aberrant motor behaviour. Furthermore, we identified statistical predictors for the occurrence of mental health conditions. Notably, institutionalised living increased the odds of depressive symptomatology, while those with higher education levels or an absence of cognitive impairment experienced more sleep disturbances. Finally, cognitive impairment was linked to increased disinhibition and aberrant motor behaviour. Conclusions: The high prevalence of mental health conditions underscores the need for proactive mental health care strategies in advanced old age. Moreover, it is vital to consider the interconnected nature of mental health conditions and to prioritise vulnerable groups, such as centenarians in institutional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Design Methods Results Conclusions A life interference measure specifically designed for young adults with anxiety and depressive symptoms does not currently exist. This paper describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a brief self‐report measure of life interference associated with young adult anxiety and depression, the Child Anxiety and Depression Life Interference Scale – Young Adult version (CADLIS‐YA).Cross‐sectional, correlational and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).Five‐hundred and thirty‐two participants aged 18–24 years recruited from an undergraduate and community sample completed the CADLIS‐YA.An EFA supported a three‐factor model describing the impact of young adult anxiety and depression on social life, family and daily life interference. Test–retest reliability and internal consistency were good to excellent. Convergent validity was demonstrated, and the scale differentiated between young adults with and without elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms. Support for divergent validity was limited.The CADLIS‐YA is a reliable and valid life interference measure for young adults with symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is potentially suitable for administration in low‐resource research settings and it has promise for use in clinical settings; however, it needs validation in a clinical sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Film therapy, the therapeutic use of movies in psychological therapies, is a growing area of interest to therapists and researchers. This paper discusses the benefits of film therapy and presents a method, the MOVIE model of film therapy, a widely applicable, trauma‐informed framework for individual or group therapy, counsellor education and self‐help. Film or cinema therapy is a highly accessible and relatable method for many diverse groups. The benefits identified include emotional processing, greater ease of dialogue, increased empathy, interpersonal learning, new perspectives and learning skills. Following the model's reflective steps, clients mindfully observe and voice their emotional and psychological responses to movie‐watching; identify how the imagery, characters, themes and story symbolise personal experience; and consider any new possibilities that emerged for their own lives. The model is informed by a practice‐focussed review of literature and draws on methods from mindfulness and experiential and narrative therapies. The steps are widely applicable in a range of settings and can be adapted across counselling modalities. Further research to consider the outcomes of using the model, alongside qualitative research on clients' experiences of working this way with film, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this exploratory case study, the researchers conducted a descriptive, qualitative microanalysis of the tutoring of two eighth grade students with learning disabilities while solving algebra problems. The researchers analyzed the participants' problem solving tendencies and interventions that helped the students succeed. One of the students, Nicole, demonstrated considerable capability at supporting her memory and processing by carefully and neatly writing out her steps for solving equations on paper. The other participant, Rachel, struggled at times to organize her thinking processes on paper and solve equations due to poor handwriting legibility, math anxiety and issues of confidence as a learner of mathematics that all seemed to be inter‐related. Both students demonstrated success with solving algebra equations, but Rachel required intensive intervention for addressing her difficulties with math anxiety and visual‐motor integration, while Nicole mostly required mathematics instruction designed to capitalise on her success at creating useful visual representations of her thought processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a large community health organisation, following high‐profile cases of non‐recent (historical) child sexual abuse, there was an increase in such disclosures and in uncertainties voiced by clinicians, both medical and non‐medical, about the most appropriate response to them. Practitioners within the safeguarding children team realised that there was little clear practice guidance available on this subject. This paper explores the process of how guidance for responding to disclosure of non‐recent child sexual abuse was developed and how, in the face of initial considerable anxiety and concern from clinicians, successful implementation was ultimately achieved. 'This paper explores the process of how guidance for responding to disclosure of non‐recent child sexual abuse was developed' Key Practitioner Messages: Addressing non‐historic disclosure of sexual abuse: Is complex and requires flexibility of approach from professionals at the time of disclosure and subsequently.Should wherever possible include the wishes of the individual making the disclosure but may require additional professional decisions to prevent harm to others.Requires appreciation of the perspectives of professionals from different disciplines and agencies.Requires clear process and good senior, interagency working relationships if resolution of complex dilemmas is to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of sleep disturbance and its relationship with anxiety and depression symptoms, social support and hope in breast cancer patients in China during chemotherapy. Design: A single‐centre cross‐sectional study. Methods: A total of 329 breast cancer patients were selected via convenience sampling method before they began chemotherapy (n = 115), before the 5th week of chemotherapy (n = 117) or 1 month after chemotherapy ended (n = 97) and administered paper‐and‐pencil questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality, depression and anxiety symptoms, social support and hope. Risk factors significantly associated with sleep disturbance during bivariate were incorporated in the multivariate analysis. Bivariate analyses showed that age, menopausal status, depression and anxiety symptoms, emotional/informational support, tangible support, affectionate support, positive social interaction and total support were predictors of sleep disturbance. Results: Sleep disturbance was prevalent in breast cancer patients before (27.0%), during (32.5%) and after (39.2%) chemotherapy, with 37.4%, 41.9% and 52.6% of participants, respectively, reporting sleeping below the recommended 7 h. Only 8.6%–15.5% of patients reported taking sedative‐hypnotic drugs during the chemotherapy. Multivariate analyses found that participants reporting clinically significant anxiety (HADS > 8) were 3.5 times more likely to report sleep disturbance (PSQI > 8) than participants without clinically significant anxiety, and each increment in emotional/informational support was associated with a 9.04% reduced risk of sleep disturbance. Moreover, age was an independent predictor of sleep disturbance during multivariate modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benefited from advances in technology, virtual reality (VR) has been widely applied to learning content in operational training as well as hands‐on courses. However, most current studies tend to evaluate learning effectiveness in this application, and few were focused on how learners can be benefited from transferring the knowledge learned to real‐world field performance. Moreover, in application‐oriented hands‐on courses such as embedded electronic circuits, to our best knowledge, none were presented in interactive learning materials with the combination of VR and neither were the understanding of the changes in cognition, learning anxiety, and learning confidence during the learning process. Method and Objective: We combine VR technology with hands‐on tasks to design a VR‐based embedded electronic circuit learning system. We conduct a quasi‐experiment to investigate differences in knowledge, comprehension, and application levels in different learning environments, and to assess learning performance, learning anxiety, and learning confidence levels when applying the knowledge learned to real‐world hands‐on tasks. Results: Groups that receive VR‐mediated training exhibit superior knowledge, comprehension, and application levels. In addition, learners with higher levels of knowledge and application exhibit lower learning anxiety and higher learning confidence during practical application tasks. Conclusions: We investigate the learning outcomes of learners on practical hands‐on tasks after VR‐mediated learning. To improve the learning experience and performance for learners in an embedded electronic circuit course, we discuss the learning performance in terms of the knowledge and concepts learned in the VR environment and transferred to the real world. The results show that learners achieve better cognitive levels in the learning process through the VR system described here. Better performance on hands‐on tasks was also obtained as well as low anxiety and high confidence levels. Lay Description: What Is Already Known about this Topic: Multimedia learning materials are important for improving hands‐on practical ability.Multimedia learning materials are already being used to promote learning effectiveness and outcomes.There is a significant impact on learning anxiety and learning confidence in the cognitive process. What this Paper Adds: Embedded electronic circuits course presented by IVR reduces learning anxiety and increases learning confidence in the hands‐on practical task.Through IVR learning, students can construct their knowledge better and be able to perform better in hands‐on tasks. Implications for Practice and/or Policy: We show the effectiveness of a hands‐on embedded electronic circuit course when transferring and applying knowledge to real‐world hands‐on tasks after learning in a virtual environment.Learners exhibit better performance on practical hands‐on tasks, as well as lower anxiety and higher confidence levels.Future work could explore adaptive factors by learners such as feedback and prompts given by learners in the VR learning environment to better understand the changes and effects in learners' cognitive processes. What Are the 1 or 2 Major Takeaways from the Study: According to these results, the combination of IVR in hands‐on courses is an effective learning method, which can effectively improve students' knowledge, comprehension, and application ability.We reveal the potential for hands‐on embedded courses to outperform traditional lecture courses through VR learning. Learners exhibit higher confidence and lower anxiety in the process of hands‐on practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients look to their clinicians for explanations and treatments that achieve predictable cures with certainty. Clinicians usually respond accordingly. Acknowledging uncertainty, while necessary, is difficult, anxiety‐provoking and at times overwhelming for patients and clinicians alike. We here present three case studies to illustrate the uncertainties of managing patients with potentially life‐threatening illnesses. Research aims to provide answers to clinical problems. But, conducting research almost inevitably entails a reduction of real‐world complexities. Research ultimately can only provide 'partial or in general answers' mostly revealing new questions. Due to the complexity of clinical care, research cannot really achieve certainty and predictability for an individual within his specific living context and values. In an unavoidably uncertain environment, instead of oversimplifying, clinicians like patients—as far as possible—ought to better embrace a complexity thinking frame. This provides a deeper understanding how living bodies function as‐a‐whole within their living contexts. Uncertainty and unpredictability, being inherent elements of complexity thinking, cannot be overcome. However, it may be made easier to cope with uncertainty by at least adopting the thinking in probabilities for benefits and harms of patient related outcomes as introduced in Sackett's Evidence‐Based Medicine framework. Through the lenses of evidence‐based medicine and complexity sciences this paper critically explores the clinical management of three patients diagnosed as having coronary artery disease. They all received the same treatment even though they presented with very different clinical complaints arising from different disease manifestations. Looking at these case studies the authors reflect on the reasons behind this astonishing, but widely seen medical behaviour of 'one size fits all'. They critically reflect the importance of research and evidence in view of a person‐centred solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical procedures and post‐traumatic management of dental patients require effective pain management during treatment, but being considerably more invasive than conservative treatments, pain management is required into the postoperative period. Clinical trials on pain intensity following dental surgical procedures (e.g., 3rd molar extraction, implant placement, periodontal, and endodontic surgery) have shown that pain is most intense approximately 5–6 h after completion of the procedure, reaching its peak levels during the first postoperative day. Greatest consumption of analgesics occurs during the first 48–72 h after 3rd molar extraction. For the management of perioperative pain associated with either conservative or surgical dental treatment, the local anesthetics articaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, and prilocaine are preferred. These drugs, with a vasoconstrictor, provide a rapid onset and a duration of pulpal anesthesia adequate to complete most dental and surgical procedures painlessly. For management of post‐traumatic and postsurgical pain, bupivacaine—administered by an appropriate nerve block—near the conclusion of a surgical procedure, can provide the patient with a pain‐free period of up to 12 h. Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs represent the most effective drugs for the management of dental postsurgical pain. NSAIDs, as a group in therapeutic doses, have numbers needed to treat (NNTs) ranging from 2 to 3, while opioid analgesics do not approach those for NSAIDs. A protocol for management of pain following surgical procedures and traumatic injuries is discussed in this paper and includes preemptive NSAID; perioperative pain management; postoperative pain management—local anesthesia; postoperative pain management—analgesics; postoperative telephone call. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of evidence‐based, individualized coping plans and to compare the rates of child anxiety, child cooperation, and parent anxiety before and after implementation of these coping plans for children receiving recurring BoNT‐A injections emphasizing the role of Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) within the interdisciplinary team approach. Design and Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for children receiving BoNT‐A injections at a Physical Medicine clinic pre‐ and post‐implementation of the coping plan. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate care plan implementation, child cooperation, child anxiety, and parent anxiety. Results: Post‐implementation of coping care plans, children experienced improved cooperation during BoNT‐A injections. Parental anxiety decreased once coping plans were implemented. Documentation improved after the implementation of coping plans specific to areas involving cooperation, child's anxiety and distress, and parental anxiety and distress. It was also noted that there was an increase in child anxiety assessments within documentation. Practice Implications: CCLS were able to utilize their expertise to collaboratively create individualized coping care plans to increase child's cooperation and decrease parental anxiety during BoNT‐A injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mobile‐based assessment has been an active area of research in the field of mobile learning. Prior research has demonstrated that mobile‐based assessment systems positively affect student performance. However, it is still unclear why and how these systems positively affect student performance. Objectives: This study aims to identify the determinants of student performance during students' use of a mobile‐based assessment application in a formative assessment activity as part of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses in higher education. Methods: A structural model based on hypotheses was validated using PLS‐SEM with data from the interaction of 127 students of eight EFL courses from the A1 and A2 levels of English that used a mobile‐based assessment system for a period of 4 weeks. Automatic data collection in the application and self‐reported instruments were applied. Results and Conclusions: Use of scaffolding mechanisms, time on‐task and reported effort are strong predictors of students' learning outcomes. The use of scaffolding strategies predicts students' time on‐task. The provision of corrective feedback is not a predictor of students' learning performance but predicts other constructs such as perceived usefulness and the behavioural intention to use. Implications: Mobile‐based assessment systems should include scaffolding mechanisms and integrate strategies to increase the perceived relevance of the formative assessment activity to increase the student learning performance. Scaffolding mechanisms are also useful to increase the student time on‐task in the formative assessment activity. In mobile‐based formative assessment activities more elaborated forms of feedback other than corrective feedback are needed to increase student performance. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Mobile‐based assessment increase students' learning outcomes and motivation.Mobile‐based assessment provides some advantages with respect to other modes of assessment.The determinants of mobile‐based acceptance have been identified. What this paper adds: Scaffolding, time on‐task and reported effort are strong predictors of student performace.The use of scaffolding strategies predicts students' time on‐task in mobile‐based formative assessment.Simple corrective feedback might not be useful for increasing student performance in mobile‐based formative assessment. Implications for practice and/or policy: Mobile‐based assessment systems should include scaffolding mechanisms to increase student learning performance.More elaborated forms of feedback other than corrective feedback are needed in mobile‐based assessment.Scaffolding mechanisms increase student time on‐task in mobile‐based formative assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although research on mathematics learning programs has taken off in recent years, little is known about how different person characteristics are related to practice behaviour with such programs. When implementing a mathematics learning program in the classroom, it might be important to know whether students with specific characteristics need more encouragement to make use of this learning opportunity. Objectives: Using a supply‐use model, we analysed the predictive power of students' cognitive characteristics (prior mathematics knowledge), personality traits (conscientiousness), motivational‐affective characteristics (mathematics self‐concept and mathematics anxiety), and family background characteristics (socioeconomic status and migration background) for practising with an adaptive arithmetic learning program. Methods: We used longitudinal data from 203 fifth graders from seven non‐academic‐track schools in Germany. Practice behaviour, measured by completed tasks in the learning program, was recorded weekly for every student over a period of 22 weeks. Results and Conclusions: The results of our multilevel analyses showed that mathematics anxious students practised less with the program. We did not find any relationship with the other characteristics. Takeaways: Our results suggest that mathematics anxious students need more encouragement when practising with a mathematics learning program; otherwise, they do not get the chance to benefit from the use. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: The use of mathematics learning programmes in mathematics education has recently intensified.It is important that students practice with such learning programmes regularly over a longer period of time in order for them to achieve learning success.Students differ in their mathematics learning behaviour. What this paper adds: Little is known about how person characteristics are related to practice behaviour with mathematics learning programmes.Students may differ in their use of a mathematics learning programme, which is why cognitive characteristics, personality traits, motivational‐affective characteristics, and family background characteristics may affect students' practice behaviour. Implications for practice: Mathematics anxious students practiced less with a mathematics learning program, and need more encouragement to benefit equally from the implementation in school.Teachers should keep in mind that after the initial enthusiasm, practice with a programme may decrease over time, especially after school holidays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we review the psychological burden of SARS‐CoV‐2 on children and how health care workers can play a role in mitigating its mental health impact during anesthetic procedures. We evaluate the societal changes that have affected children over 2 years of the pandemic and the subsequent soaring rates of anxiety and depression reported. Unfortunately, the perioperative setting is a stressful experience at baseline and the addition of COVID‐19 has only exacerbated the situation. Anxiety and depression are often linked to maladaptive behavior post‐surgery, including increased rates of emergence delirium. Providers can utilize techniques based on developmental milestones, Certified Child Life Specialists, parental presence during induction, and medications to reduce anxiety. As health care workers, we need to recognize and address these concerns as untreated mental health issues can leave long‐term consequences for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This tribute to Howard Rachlin speculates about scholarly work that might have been. It explores how behavioral data might bear on philosophical issues, with examples that might be called case studies in experimental philosophy. In 1964, an issue of the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society served a similar function. It was entitled "Psychology: A Behavioral Interpretation"; the papers included "Will," "Experience," "Appetite," "Humors," "Anxiety," and "Man." This presentation imagines what a contemporary project devoted to philosophical and behavior analytic perspectives on the topics of causation, freedom and volition, good and evil, time, words, and mind might have looked like. Along the way it notes how the project would have benefitted from Howard Rachlin's seminal contributions to both behavior analysis and philosophy. If ever such a project comes to pass, it will inevitably bear the stamp of his contributions., (© 2023 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.)

Background: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has been impactful in increasing access to psychological therapies at primary care level. However, it remains unclear whether IAPT's widely disseminated achievements include the reduction in service users' transition to secondary care services and whether IAPT services are providing interventions that match the level of complexity of presenting problems of those who are referred. Aims: This review sets out to clarify the clinical characteristics of IAPT cohorts, whether the interventions provided target these characteristics, and whether outcomes are related to the use of the stepped‐care model advocated in the operationalization of IAPT services. Method: A systematic literature search was undertaken on PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Embase using the terms: IAPT, anxiety, and depression. Results: Of 472 paper identified, 24 articles were deemed pertinent. It appears that IAPT cohorts are complex and current service delivery frameworks may not meet their needs. IAPT developments and research for long‐term physical health conditions and serious mental illness have been recently advocated, though whether these are sufficient and viable when set in IAPT's prescriptive backdrop remains unclear. Conclusions: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies provision and research at present does not adequately consider the complexity of its clientele in the context of treatment outcomes and service delivery. Recommendations are provided for future research and practice to tackle these deficiencies. Practitioner Points: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) has significantly increased access to psychological therapies within primary care over the last decade, though it is unclear whether its interventions are sufficiently tailored to meet the actual levels of complexity of its clientele and prevent them from needing onward referral to secondary care as originally envisaged.Given the ongoing focus on and investment in IAPT informed developments into long‐term conditions and serious mental illness, this review considers whether additional elucidation of the model's original objectives is required, as a precursor to its expansion into other clinical areas.The review indicates that there is a stark lack of data pertaining to the generalisable, real‐world clinical benefits of the IAPT programme as it currently stands.Recommendations are provided for future areas of research, and practice enhancements to ensure the value of IAPT services to clients in the wider context of NHS mental health services, including the interface with secondary care, are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a response to a research paper which analyses how US newspapers represent young people and parents in their response to climate crisis, this commentary observes that the newspapers achieve some advantage in selecting frames, which privilege adult behaviour at the expense of actions taken by young people. It suggests that one effect of newspapers' choice to frame teens' awareness and activities surrounding climate change in disparaging terms may be to increase any eco‐anxiety by devaluing it. It argues that this is done to benefit the newspapers by supporting rather than challenging the schema of their adult readers, following a commercial rather than societal agenda. A subsidiary effect may be to drive younger people away from mainstream media, which fails to represent their viewpoint and towards misinformation and disinformation from unreliable sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This is the fourth paper in a series proposing a psychoanalytic concept of community. The third paper of the series centered on the unconscious psychological tasks involved in creating and sustaining a community and in it achieving its reason for existence; tasks such as the formation of bonds, identity and boundary. In this fourth paper we propose that the effectiveness with which a community can carry out these tasks determines how well that community is able to function. The successful performance of the tasks is dependent on: (1) a community's capacity for psychic function, that is, its capacity to process internal tension and conflict, and both everyday and adverse experiences; (2) the effectiveness of its social defense against anxiety; and (3) its adaptability to changes and challenges in its environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]