Search

Even before the current pandemic, university students were known to have high levels of hassles, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. In all probability, the advent of COVID-19 has substantially raised these levels. The present study measured the emotional state of university students during lockdown and identified the relevant situational and psychological factors. To this end, 1,297 French university students were assessed during lockdown, which lasted from 16 March to 11 May in France. Situational factors included the belief that lockdown was compromising their future job prospects, COVID-19 symptoms, and health concerns. Psychological factors included students’ implicit theory of emotion, and the coping strategies they used during lockdown. We explored the extent to which these factors were associated with levels of hassles, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that students’ belief that lockdown was compromising their future job prospects was positively related to hassles ( r = .34, p < .001), while concerns about their own health and that of relatives were positively associated with anxiety ( r = .37 and .34; p < .001). In addition, use of the positive reframing coping strategy mediated the effect of students’ implicit theory of emotion on their depressive symptoms. Even though the national lockdown is now over, the pandemic will continue to have a major impact on university students over the coming months. It is therefore essential for universities to provide them with adequate psychological support.

Many risk factors for PTSD have been identified in flood victims. Yet, some have been under-explored, like cognitive coping, which has been identified as a risk factor for PTSD for other traumatic events. Moreover, while flooding can affect places that are important to individuals (e.g. their home and neighbourhood), the role of sense of place in PTSD has been neglected. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential role of under-explored individual and situational risk factors in PTSD in flood victims. To this end, the following variables were measured in 79 French flood victims: sense of place (with sense of place scale), cognitive coping (with CERQ), and PTSD (with PCL-5). Results showed that the more individuals use inappropriate cognitive emotional regulation strategies, the more attached they are to their home and city, and the higher their PTSD scores. These results can help to target vulnerable people and improve care.

International audience; Health beliefs, and especially illness representations, have been widely used to understand clinical out-comes and psychosocial adjustment in people with physical diseases. However, this area of research has been under-explored in the field of mental health, and the few studies that have been conducted have used very differen tmethods. Therefore, the aim of our study was to identify the tools and methods that have been used to evaluate illness representations inpsychiatry. To this end, a mini review has been conducted and 58 articles werere tained. This mini review highlights that the quantitative method is the most used, and that the scales mobilised are often adapted for the study, but not validated. Indeed,multiple modifications and adaptations have been made by the authors (e.g.deletion of subscales, addition of items) ,which lead to questions about the reliability of what is measured In the future, it is essential to have a validated generic tool for mental disorders, which could be based on the Illness perceptions questionnaire for schizophrenia.

International audience

Floods, which are frequent in France, can trigger a range of psychiatric problems. The most common is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although personality traits and cognitive emotion regulation strategies have already been shown to play a role in PTSD, the influence of these two dimensions and their interactions has seldom been explored among flood victims. We therefore set out to fill this lacuna, by PTSD symptoms, personality traits and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in 67 adults whose homes had been flooded. Results showed that the more participants used catastrophizing and rumination strategies, and the less they used putting into perspective and positive reappraisal strategies, the higher their PTSD symptom scores. High levels of neuroticism and catastrophizing were major risk factors for PTSD. Results also showed that putting into perspective moderated the influence of neuroticism as a risk factor. In conclusion, we recommend that flood victims showing signs of PTSD, especially those with elevated neuroticism, be offered therapeutic interventions designed foster the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies such as putting into perspective and positive reappraisal.

Background Mothers of ADHD children often display high levels of distress. Understanding the origin of such distress in a view to reducing it is an essential part of the clinical management of ADHD children. Studies have shown that children's symptoms are linked to mothers' stigma and that such stigma can cause mothers' distress. However, no study has explored the links between symptoms, stigma and distress. Aim We tested (1) whether children's symptoms are sources of affiliate stigma, which in turn contributes to generating mothers' distress and (2) whether such relationship is stronger in mothers of male ADHD children. Method 159 French mothers of an ADHD child were recruited. Four indices were used to assess mothers' distress: anxiety, depression, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Children's ADHD symptoms and mothers' affiliate stigma were also measured and contrasted with distress. Results Mothers' distress was positively related with both affiliate stigma and children's ADHD symptoms, but this was only true in mothers of male ADHD children. The relationship between children's symptoms and mothers' distress was mediated by affiliate stigma. Conclusions Psychosocial interventions in mothers of ADHD children must integrate affiliate stigma and should be adjusted according to child's gender.

International audience; Background: Lesbians, gays, and bisexual people (LGB) present high levels of suicidal ideation. The disclosure of sexual orientation is a stressful experience which presents a high suicide risk. Research has not paid sufficient attention to stress during this disclosure in order to understand suicide among LGB people. The aims of this study were to investigate: (1) the characteristics of stress during this revelation, more precisely cognitive appraisal, emotions, and coping; and (2) associations between these characteristics and suicidal ideation. Method: A total of 200 LGB young adults answered the ``Stressful situation assessment questionnaire'', focusing on the most stressful disclosure of sexual orientation they have ever experienced. Results: Avoidance coping is a good predictor of suicidal ideation, and mediates the association between primary appraisal (risk ``Harm myself and others'') and suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Our study illustrates the need to better understand stress during the disclosure of sexual orientation to prevent and care for suicide risk among LGB young adults.

Introduction:The stigmatization of various mental disorders has been widely studied, but the common understanding of mental disorders has seldom been explored, especially for specific psychiatric d...

International audience; Background: According to the Self-Regulation Model, illness perceptions influence an individual's coping (such as the taking of treatment) and emotional response to their illness. Emerging research suggests that this model could be used to explore illness perceptions in mental health. The aim of this exploratory study is, firstly, to measure and describe illness perception in French patients with a bipolar diagnosis and, secondly, to explore associations between illness perceptions and adherence in this population.Method: Thirty-eight French patients with bipolar disorder completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire for Schizophrenia (except the identity dimension). We measured medication adherence with the Medication Adherence Rating Scale.Results: Our results showed that patients with high perceptions concerning treatment control, low perceptions of negative emotions of their mental illness, low perception of consequences and high comprehension of their disorder had a better adherence.Conclusions: Illness perceptions can provide a framework for understanding adherence in bipolar disorder, and the findings could have important clinical and research implications.

The aim of this study was to show the characteristics of stress during a highly stressful coming out compared to other stress situations. Our sample comprised 400 lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) young adults ages 18–26 recruited from two French online dating sites. The results showed high stress during the coming-out process, and almost all participants experienced at least one stressful coming out. According to the transactional model of stress, the primary appraisal (risk assessment/threat) and the secondary appraisals (resources) were examined. Two specificities were present during coming out: the fear to hurt close ones and the limited resources to cope. These data show the necessity of better understanding this specific stressor and developing interventions for young French LGB people.