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Cheadle JE, Goosby BJ, Jochman JC, Tomaso CC, Kozikowski Yancey CB, Nelson TD. Race and ethnic variation in college students' allostatic regulation of racism-related stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:31053-31062. [PMID: 33229568 PMCID: PMC7733862 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922025117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Racism-related stress is thought to contribute to widespread race/ethnic health inequities via negative emotion and allostatic stress process up-regulation. Although prior studies document race-related stress and health correlations, due to methodological and technical limitations, they have been unable to directly test the stress-reactivity hypothesis in situ. Guided by theories of constructed emotion and allostasis, we developed a protocol using wearable sensors and daily surveys that allowed us to operationalize and time-couple self-reported racism-related experiences, negative emotions, and an independent biosignal of emotional arousal. We used data from 100 diverse young adults at a predominantly White college campus to assess racism-related stress reactivity using electrodermal activity (EDA), a biosignal of sympathetic nervous system activity. We find that racism-related experiences predict both increased negative emotion risk and heightened EDA, consistent with the proposed allostatic model of health and disease. Specific patterns varied across race/ethnic groups. For example, discrimination and rumination were associated with negative emotion for African American students, but only interpersonal discrimination predicted increased arousal via EDA. The pattern of results was more general for Latinx students, for whom interpersonal discrimination, vicarious racism exposure, and rumination significantly modulated arousal. As with Latinx students, African students were particularly responsive to vicarious racism while 1.5 generation Black students were generally not responsive to racism-related experiences. Overall, these findings provide support for allostasis-based theories of mental and physical health via a naturalistic assessment of the emotional and sympathetic nervous system responding to real-life social experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E Cheadle
- Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712;
| | - Bridget J Goosby
- Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Joseph C Jochman
- Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588
| | - Cara C Tomaso
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588
| | | | - Timothy D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588
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102
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Inagaki TK, Meyer ML. Individual differences in resting-state connectivity and giving social support: implications for health. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:1076-1085. [PMID: 31269205 PMCID: PMC7657449 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing appreciation for the health benefits of giving support, though variability in such behavior exists. Based on the possibility that the dorsomedial (DMPFC) default network subsystem is associated with social thinking and behavior, integrity of this subsystem may facilitate giving support to others. The current study tested associations between DMPFC subsystem connectivity at rest and tendencies related to giving support. During a functional magnetic resonance imaging session, 45 participants completed an emotional social cues task, a resting-state scan and self-report measures of social support. Supportive behavior during the month following the scan was also assessed. Greater DMPFC subsystem connectivity at rest was associated with greater support giving (though not receiving or perceiving support) at the time of the scan and one month later. Results held after adjusting for extraversion. In addition, greater resting-state DMPFC subsystem connectivity was associated with attenuated dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula and amygdala activity to others’ negative emotional social cues, suggesting that DMPFC subsystem integrity at rest is also associated with the dampened withdrawal response proposed to facilitate care for others in need. Together, results begin to hint at an additional role for the ‘default’ social brain: giving support to others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristen K Inagaki
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Meghan L Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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103
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Inagaki TK. Health neuroscience 2.0: integration with social, cognitive and affective neuroscience. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:1017-1023. [PMID: 32888307 PMCID: PMC7657452 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tristen K Inagaki
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA
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104
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Crawford B, Muhlert N, MacDonald G, Lawrence AD. Brain structure correlates of expected social threat and reward. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18010. [PMID: 33093488 PMCID: PMC7582181 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74334-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prospection (mentally simulating future events) generates emotionally-charged mental images that guide social decision-making. Positive and negative social expectancies-imagining new social interactions to be rewarding versus threatening-are core components of social approach and avoidance motivation, respectively. Interindividual differences in such positive and negative future-related cognitions may be underpinned by distinct neuroanatomical substrates. Here, we asked 100 healthy adults to vividly imagine themselves in a novel self-relevant event that was ambiguous with regards to possible social acceptance or rejection. During this task we measured participants' expectancies for social reward (anticipated feelings of social connection) or threat (anticipated feelings of rejection). On a separate day they underwent structural MRI; voxel-based morphometry was used to explore the relation between social reward and threat expectancies and regional grey matter volumes (rGMV). Increased rGMV in key default-network regions involved in prospection, socio-emotional cognition, and subjective valuation, including ventromedial prefrontal cortex, correlated with both higher social reward and lower social threat expectancies. In contrast, social threat expectancies uniquely correlated with rGMV of regions involved in social attention (posterior superior temporal sulcus, pSTS) and interoception (somatosensory cortex). These findings provide novel insight into the neurobiology of future-oriented cognitive-affective processes critical to adaptive social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonni Crawford
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.
| | - Nils Muhlert
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Geoff MacDonald
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew D Lawrence
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
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105
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Virtual and real-life ostracism and its impact on a subsequent acute stressor. Physiol Behav 2020; 228:113205. [PMID: 33058901 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
While ostracism constitutes a social stressor with negative effects on physical and mental health, social inclusion seems to increase resilience. This may be true not only for face-to-face settings, but also for computer-mediated interactions. Hence, this study examined the differences between ostracism and social inclusion in real-life or Virtual Reality (VR) regarding self-reported stress, neuroendocrine and cardiovascular reactivity in a subsequent real-life socio-evaluative task. 84 females were randomly assigned to a 3 (agency: face-to-face/human controlled VR-avatar/computer VR-agent) x 2 (inclusion status: inclusion/exclusion) between-subject design using a Cyberball paradigm. Subsequently, they were exposed to a real-life Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Results indicate that the experience of ostracism constitutes a threat to fundamental social needs independent of agency. Excluded participants showed cardiovascular reactivity during TSST; also face-to-face and avatar excluded individuals had elevated salivary cortisol levels. Included participants reported more perceived social support during Cyberball and showed a blunted cortisol response to the TSST. These results suggest that face-to-face and avatar-related ostracism provokes responses in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Furthermore, they reveal that social inclusion may act as a stress-protector as it alters HPA- and SNS-related stress responsiveness to subsequent stressors.
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106
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Ike KG, de Boer SF, Buwalda B, Kas MJ. Social withdrawal: An initially adaptive behavior that becomes maladaptive when expressed excessively. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:251-267. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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107
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Quadt L, Esposito G, Critchley HD, Garfinkel SN. Brain-body interactions underlying the association of loneliness with mental and physical health. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:283-300. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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108
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Tabibnia G. An affective neuroscience model of boosting resilience in adults. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 115:321-350. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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A qualitative study of social connectedness and its relationship to community health programs in rural Chiapas, Mexico. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:852. [PMID: 32493280 PMCID: PMC7271512 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09008-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Social connectedness is an important predictor of health outcomes and plays a large role in the physical and mental health of an individual and a community. The presence of a functioning health clinic with a community health worker program may indirectly improve health outcomes by increasing the social connectedness of the community in addition to providing direct patient care. This study examines the social connectedness of the inhabitants of three Mexican towns within the catchment area of a healthcare Non-Government Organization (NGO) through a qualitative analysis. Methods Willing participants were videotaped answering open-ended questions about their community and use of healthcare resources. Interviews were then coded for relevant themes and analyzed for content relating to social connectedness, social isolation, and health. Results Respondents reported that having a functioning community clinic had improved their lives significantly through direct provision of care and by reducing the financial burden of travel to seek medical care elsewhere. Respondents from each town differed slightly in their primary means of social support. One town relied more heavily on organized groups (i.e., religious groups) for their support system. Social isolation was reported most frequently by housewives who felt isolated in the home and by respondents that had to deal with personal illness. Respondents that self-identified as Community Health Workers (CHWs) in their respective communities acknowledged that their roles bestowed physical and psychological health benefits upon themselves and their families. Conclusions Overall, a long-term health intervention may directly impact the relative social isolation and social connectedness of a community’s inhabitants. The social connectedness of the community is an important quality that must be considered when evaluating and planning health interventions.
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110
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Jones LM, Ginier E, Debbs J, Eaton JL, Renner C, Hawkins J, Rios-Spicer R, Tang E, Schertzing C, Giordani B. Exploring Representation of Diverse Samples in fMRI Studies Conducted in Patients With Cardiac-Related Chronic Illness: A Focused Systematic Review. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:108. [PMID: 32477079 PMCID: PMC7240043 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction/Purpose: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and in the United States alone, CVD causes nearly 840,000 deaths annually. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a tool to assess brain activity, researchers have identified some brain-behavior connections and predicted several self-management behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the sample characteristics of individuals with CVD who participated in fMRI studies. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus. No date or language restrictions were applied and research methodology filters were used. In October 2017, 1659 titles and abstracts were identified. Inclusion criteria were: (1) utilized an empirical study design, (2) used fMRI to assess brain activity, and (3) focused on patients with CVD-related chronic illness. Articles were excluded if they: were theory or opinion articles, focused on mental or neuropathic illness, included non-human samples, or were not written in English. After duplicates were removed (230), 1,429 titles and abstracts were reviewed based on inclusion criteria; 1,243 abstracts were then excluded. A total of 186 studies were reviewed in their entirety; after additional review, 142 were further excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria. Forty-four articles met criteria and were included in the final review. An evidence table was created to capture the demographics of each study sample. Results: Ninety eight percent of the studies did not report the racial or ethnic composition of their sample. Most studies (66%) contained more men than women. Mean age ranged from 38 to 78 years; 77% reported mean age ≥50 years. The most frequently studied CVD was stroke (86%), while hypertension was studied the least (2%). Conclusion: Understanding brain-behavior relationships can help researchers and practitioners tailor interventions to meet specific patient needs. These findings suggest that additional studies are needed that focus on populations historically underrepresented in fMRI research. Researchers should thoughtfully consider diversity and purposefully sample groups by including individuals that are: women, from diverse backgrounds, younger, and diagnosed with a variety of CVD-related illnesses. Identifying and addressing these gaps by studying more representative samples will help healthcare providers reduce disparities and tailor interventions for all CVD populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenette M. Jones
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Emily Ginier
- Taubman Health Sciences Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Joseph Debbs
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Jarrod L. Eaton
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Catherine Renner
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Jaclynn Hawkins
- School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | | | - Emily Tang
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | | | - Bruno Giordani
- Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychology, and Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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111
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Affiliation(s)
- Madia Lozupone
- Neurodegenerative Disease Unit, Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, & Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Apulia, Italy
| | - Francesco Panza
- Unit of Epidemiological Research on Aging, National Institute of Gastroenterology 'Saverio de Bellis', Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Bari, Apulia, Italy
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112
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Kim S, Yoon H. Volunteering, Subjective Sleep Quality, and Chronic Inflammation: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Res Aging 2020; 42:291-299. [PMID: 32383394 DOI: 10.1177/0164027520922624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Studies indicate that the benefits of volunteering may extend to biological risk factors in disease development including chronic inflammation, though the pathway through which volunteer activity predicts chronic inflammation remains unclear. The current project focuses on the link between volunteering and C-reactive protein (CRP) as a measure of chronic inflammation, while paying a particular attention to sleep quality as a pathway. Using panel data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (N = 1,124), the present study examined whether sleep quality operates indirectly linking volunteer activity and CRP (indirect pathway), compensates for the lack of volunteerism (moderation-compensation), or regulates the benefits of volunteering on CRP (moderation-regulation). The findings suggest sleep quality as a compensatory pathway, in that sufficient sleep buffers the inflammatory effect of lack of volunteerism. The findings show that helping others may be beneficial for the helpers in terms of chronic inflammation and sleep quality as interconnected health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seoyoun Kim
- Department of Sociology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Hyunwoo Yoon
- School of Social Work, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
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113
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Han SH, Roberts JS, Mutchler JE, Burr JA. Volunteering, polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive functioning among older adults. Soc Sci Med 2020; 253:112970. [PMID: 32278238 PMCID: PMC7527033 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the context of the public health burden posed by increases in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) prevalence around the globe and the related research efforts to identify modifiable risk factors for the disease, we sought to provide an empirical test of earlier claims that volunteering may be considered as a health intervention that could help to prevent or delay the onset of AD. METHOD Using nine waves of panel data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (n=9,697), we examined whether volunteering conferred cognitive health benefits in later life and whether volunteering served a gene-regulatory function to help alleviate cognitive decline associated with polygenic risk for AD. Multilevel models were used to estimate associations between volunteering, polygenic risk for AD, and cognitive functioning over time. RESULTS We found robust within-person associations between volunteering (assessed as volunteer status and time commitment) and cognitive functioning over time, such that volunteering was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning and slower cognitive decline. The findings also provided evidence that the within-person associations for volunteering and cognitive decline were more pronounced for older adults at higher genetic risk for developing AD. CONCLUSIONS Our findings are in line with a growing body of theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence suggesting that prosocial behaviors are directly associated with biological systems and may modify gene regulation to confer health benefits. The analytic approach taken in this study also provided a useful framework for investigating the effectiveness of other modifiable risk factors that vary over time in the context of cognitive decline related to genetic risk for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sae Hwang Han
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton St., Stop A2702, Austin, TX, 78712-1248, United States.
| | - J Scott Roberts
- Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-2029, United States.
| | - Jan E Mutchler
- Department of Gerontology, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA, 02125, United States.
| | - Jeffrey A Burr
- Department of Gerontology, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA, 02125, United States.
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114
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The association between loneliness, social isolation and inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:519-541. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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115
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Prinstein MJ, Giletta M. Future Directions in Peer Relations Research. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 49:556-572. [PMID: 32347752 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2020.1756299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Peer relationships among youth have been examined as predictors of mental health outcomes for at least fifty years, revealing dozens of discrete peer constructs that each are associated with adjustment in childhood, adolescence, and later in adulthood. Future research may benefit by examining a range of new outcomes and psychological processes that have been discussed recently in related literatures. This paper reviews recent research on interpersonal determinants of physical health outcomes, and opportunities for greater examination of 1) peer influence processes toward health risk behaviors; 2) neural correlates of peer adversity; 3) adverse peer experiences that may affect physiological markers of stress response; and 4) immune system markers of peer adversity. Additional future directions include the study of differences in the forms and functions of peer interactions within the digital age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell J Prinstein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Matteo Giletta
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University.,Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University
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Pause BM, Storch D, Lübke KT. Chemosensory communication of aggression: women's fine-tuned neural processing of male aggression signals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190270. [PMID: 32306885 PMCID: PMC7209929 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study is the first to examine the central nervous processing of aggression chemosignals within men and women by means of chemosensory event-related potential (CSERP) analysis. Axillary sweat was collected from 17 men and 17 women participating in a competitive computer game (aggression condition) and playing a construction game (control condition). Sweat samples were pooled with reference to donor gender and condition, and presented to 23 men and 25 women via a constant flow olfactometer. Ongoing electroencephalogram was recorded from 61 scalp locations, CSERPs (P2, P3-1, P3-2) were analysed and neuronal sources calculated (low-resolution electromagnetic tomography, LORETA). Women, especially, showed larger P3-1 and P3-2 amplitudes in response to male as compared with female aggression signals (all p values < 0.01). The peak activation of this effect was related to activity within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 8). As male aggression commonly targets physical harm, the competence of the human brain to sensitively detect male aggression signals is considered to be highly adaptive. The detection of male aggression signals seems to be of higher importance for women than for men. It is suggested that the processing of male aggression signals in women induces an immediate response selection. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Olfactory communication in humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina M Pause
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dunja Storch
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Katrin T Lübke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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117
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Porcelli S, Kasper S, Zohar J, Souery D, Montgomery S, Ferentinos P, Rujescu D, Mendlewicz J, Merlo Pich E, Pollentier S, Penninx BWJH, Serretti A. Social dysfunction in mood disorders and schizophrenia: Clinical modulators in four independent samples. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 99:109835. [PMID: 31836507 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social dysfunction is a common symptom of several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, only in the last few years research began to systematically investigate clinical aspects of this relevant outcome. Interestingly, its distribution and link with other clinical variables is still unclear. This study investigated social dysfunction in 4 different cohorts of patients affected by mood disorders and schizophrenia to evaluate 1) the degree of social dysfunction in these populations; 2) the associations among social dysfunction and socio-demographic and psychopathological features. METHODS Data from 4 independent studies (CATIE, GSRD ES1, ES2 and ES3, STAR*D, STEP-BD) were investigated. Behavioural and affective indicators of social dysfunction were derived and operationalized from scales or questionnaire items related to the interaction with relatives, friends and significant people in patients affected by schizophrenia (N = 765) and mood disorders (N = 2278 + 1954 + 1829). In particular the social dysfunction indicator was derived from Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) for GSRD sample, from the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) for STAR*D sample, from the Life-Range of Impaired Functioning Tool (LRIFT) for STEP-BD sample, and from the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) for CATIE sample. The distribution of social dysfunction was described and association with socio-demographic and psychopathological characteristics were analysed. RESULTS Social dysfunction indicators showed a broad distribution in all samples investigated. Consistently across studies, social dysfunction was associated with higher psychopathological severity (all samples except CATIE) and suicide risk (GSRD ES1 and ES2, STAR*D, and STEP-BD) that explain up to 47% of the variance, but also to lower education level (GSRD ES2, STAR*D, CATIE, and STEP-BD), poorer professional/work status (GSRD ES2 and ES3, STAR*D, CATIE, and STEP-BD), marital status (STAR*D and CATIE), age (younger age in GSRD ES1 and STAR*D, older age in CATIE), higher BMI (GSRD ES2 and ES3, and STEP-BD), and smoking (GSRD ES2 and ES3). CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated that a significant percentage of patients affected by both mood disorders and schizophrenia shows relevant social dysfunction. Social dysfunction is related, but not completely explained by psychopathological severity. In several patients, it tends to persist also during remission state. Socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were also found to play a role and should therefore be taken into consideration in further studies investigating social dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Porcelli
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Siegfried Kasper
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | - Joseph Zohar
- Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Daniel Souery
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Medicale, Universitè Libre de Bruxelles and Psy Pluriel, Centre Européen de Psychologie Medicale, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Dan Rujescu
- University Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
| | | | - Emilio Merlo Pich
- Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Unit, Takeda Pharmaceutical International, Zurich, Switzerland; Imperial College School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephane Pollentier
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, CNS Diseases Research, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Brenda W J H Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alessandro Serretti
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Taylor CT, Pearlstein SL, Kakaria S, Lyubomirsky S, Stein MB. Enhancing Social Connectedness in Anxiety and Depression Through Amplification of Positivity: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Process of Change. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2020; 44:788-800. [PMID: 32661447 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-020-10102-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Background Anxiety and depressive disorders are often characterized by perceived social disconnection, yet evidence-based treatments produce only modest improvements in this domain. The well-established link between positive affect (PA) and social connectedness suggests that directly targeting PA in treatment may be valuable. Method A secondary analysis of a waitlist-controlled trial (N=29) was conducted to evaluate treatment response and process of change in social connectedness within a 10-session positive activity intervention protocol-Amplification of Positivity (AMP)-designed to increase PA in individuals seeking treatment for anxiety or depression (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02330627). Perceived social connectedness and PA/negative affect (NA) were assessed throughout treatment. Time-lagged multilevel mediation models examined the process of change in affect and connectedness throughout treatment. Results The AMP group displayed significantly larger improvements in social connectedness from pre- to post-treatment compared to waitlist; improvements were maintained through 6-month follow-up. Within the AMP group, increases in PA and decreases in NA both uniquely predicted subsequent increases in connectedness throughout treatment. However, experiencing heightened NA throughout treatment attenuated the effect of changes in PA on connectedness. Improvements in connectedness predicted subsequent increases in PA, but not changes in NA. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that positive activity interventions may be valuable for enhancing social connectedness in individuals with clinically impairing anxiety or depression, possibly through both increasing positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions.
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An Embodied Neurocomputational Framework for Organically Integrating Biopsychosocial Processes: An Application to the Role of Social Support in Health and Disease. Psychosom Med 2020; 81:125-145. [PMID: 30520766 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Two distinct perspectives-typically referred to as the biopsychosocial and biomedical models-currently guide clinical practice. Although the role of psychosocial factors in contributing to physical and mental health outcomes is widely recognized, the biomedical model remains dominant. This is due in part to (a) the largely nonmechanistic focus of biopsychosocial research and (b) the lack of specificity it currently offers in guiding clinicians to focus on social, psychological, and/or biological factors in individual cases. In this article, our objective is to provide an evidence-based and theoretically sophisticated mechanistic model capable of organically integrating biopsychosocial processes. METHODS To construct this model, we provide a narrative review of recent advances in embodied cognition and predictive processing within computational neuroscience, which offer mechanisms for understanding individual differences in social perceptions, visceral responses, health-related behaviors, and their interactions. We also review current evidence for bidirectional influences between social support and health as a detailed illustration of the novel conceptual resources offered by our model. RESULTS When integrated, these advances highlight multiple mechanistic causal pathways between psychosocial and biological variables. CONCLUSIONS By highlighting these pathways, the resulting model has important implications motivating a more psychologically sophisticated, person-specific approach to future research and clinical application in the biopsychosocial domain. It also highlights the potential for quantitative computational modeling and the design of novel interventions. Finally, it should aid in guiding future research in a manner capable of addressing the current criticisms/limitations of the biopsychosocial model and may therefore represent an important step in bridging the gap between it and the biomedical perspective.
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120
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A tale of two systems: Testing a positive and negative valence systems framework to understand social disconnection across anxiety and depressive disorders. J Affect Disord 2020; 266:207-214. [PMID: 32056878 PMCID: PMC7351468 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social disconnection is a common and pernicious feature of anxiety and depressive disorders, yet is insufficiently addressed by our best available treatments. To better understand why people with anxiety and depression feel socially disconnected, we tested a positive and negative valence systems framework informed by research on how normative social connections develop and flourish. METHOD Individuals seeking treatment for anxiety or depression (N = 150) completed measures of perceived social connectedness, positive and negative valence temperament, social goals, affect, symptoms, and life satisfaction. RESULTS Feeling less socially connected was associated with diminished life satisfaction, beyond clinical symptom severity. Regression analyses revealed that both diminished positive valence and heightened negative valence temperament, and their corresponding motivational and affective outputs, were significantly and uniquely (with no significant interaction between them) associated with lower perceived connectedness. LIMITATIONS Data was cross-sectional and based on self-report-limiting conclusions about causality and social disconnection processes at different units of analysis. CONCLUSIONS Understanding social disconnection through the lens of a positive and negative valence systems framework may inform transdiagnostic models and treatment approaches.
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121
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Fett AKJ, Mouchlianitis E, Gromann PM, Vanes L, Shergill SS, Krabbendam L. The neural mechanisms of social reward in early psychosis. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:861-870. [PMID: 31506672 PMCID: PMC6847053 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In chronic psychosis, reduced trust is associated with a neural insensitivity to social reward and reduced theory of mind (ToM). Here we investigate whether these mechanisms could underlie emerging social impairments in early psychosis. Twenty-two participants with early psychosis and 25 controls (male, 13–19 years) participated in two interactive trust games against a cooperative and unfair partner. Region of interest neuroimaging analyses included right caudate, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), involved in reward and ToM processing. Both groups showed similar levels of trust (i.e. investments). However, individuals with psychosis failed to activate the caudate differentially in response to cooperation and unfairness while making decisions to trust. During cooperative returns, patients showed reduced and controls increased caudate activation. Patients demonstrated greater rTPJ activation than controls, possibly pointing towards compensatory mechanisms. Effects were associated with Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence vocabulary scores. No group differences emerged in mPFC activation. Early psychosis is associated with an aberrant neural sensitivity to social reward. This could foster reduced social motivation and social isolation. Absent behavioural differences in early, relative to chronic psychosis could indicate that trust is achieved through increased compensatory demand on ToM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kathrin J Fett
- Department of Psychology, City University of London, London ECIV 0HB, United Kingdom.,King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychosis Studies, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, United Kingdom.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elias Mouchlianitis
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychosis Studies, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paula M Gromann
- Department of Psychology, City University of London, London ECIV 0HB, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Vanes
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychosis Studies, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, United Kingdom.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sukhi S Shergill
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychosis Studies, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia Krabbendam
- Department of Developmental and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, VU Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1s, 1081 BT Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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122
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Feeling needed: Effects of a randomized generativity intervention on well-being and inflammation in older women. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 84:97-105. [PMID: 31759092 PMCID: PMC7010547 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Generativity, or concern for and contribution to the well-being of younger generations, plays an important role in successful aging. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, writing-based intervention to increase feelings of generativity and test the effect of this intervention on well-being and inflammation in a sample of older women. Participants in this study (n = 73; mean age = 70.9 years, range 60-86 years) were randomly assigned to a 6-week generativity writing condition (writing about life experiences and sharing advice with others) or a control writing condition (neutral, descriptive writing). Self-reported measures of social well-being, mental health, and physical health, as well as objective measures of systemic and cellular levels of inflammation (plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α; genome-wide RNA transcriptional profiling), were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The generativity intervention led to significant improvements across multiple domains, including increases in participation in social activities, decreases in psychological distress, more positive expectations regarding aging in the physical health domain, and decreases in pro-inflammatory gene expression. Thus, this study provides preliminary evidence for the ability of a novel, low-cost, low-effort intervention to favorably impact inflammation and well-being in older women.
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123
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Saris IMJ, Penninx BWJH, Dinga R, van Tol MJ, Veltman DJ, van der Wee NJA, Aghajani M. Default Mode Network Connectivity and Social Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder. Sci Rep 2020; 10:194. [PMID: 31932627 PMCID: PMC6957534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57033-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Though social functioning is often hampered in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), we lack a complete and integrated understanding of the underlying neurobiology. Connectional disturbances in the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) might be an associated factor, as they could relate to suboptimal social processing. DMN connectional integrity, however, has not been explicitly studied in relation to social dysfunctioning in MDD patients. Applying Independent Component Analysis and Dual Regression on resting-state fMRI data, we explored DMN intrinsic functional connectivity in relation to social dysfunctioning (i.e. composite of loneliness, social disability, small social network) among 74 MDD patients (66.2% female, Mean age = 36.9, SD = 11.9). Categorical analyses examined whether DMN connectivity differs between high and low social dysfunctioning MDD groups, dimensional analyses studied linear associations between social dysfunction and DMN connectivity across MDD patients. Threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) with family-wise error (FWE) correction was used for statistical thresholding and multiple comparisons correction (P < 0.05). The analyses cautiously linked greater social dysfunctioning among MDD patients to diminished DMN connectivity, specifically within the rostromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior superior frontal gyrus. These preliminary findings pinpoint DMN connectional alterations as potentially germane to social dysfunction in MDD, and may as such improve our understanding of the underlying neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilja M J Saris
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Brenda W J H Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Dinga
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marie-Jose van Tol
- BCN Neuroimaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nic J A van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Moji Aghajani
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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124
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Kornienko O, Schaefer DR, Ha T, Granger DA. Loneliness and cortisol are associated with social network regulation. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:269-281. [PMID: 31900027 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1709540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study examines how loneliness and the body's stress response system interact to regulate social connections. We suggest that the drive to reconnect signaled by loneliness can be accompanied physiologically by the production of cortisol, which can offer supportive coping resources. Thus, we investigated how loneliness, cortisol levels, and their interaction predicted changes in network connections in a social organization. Participants (n = 193; 53% female) provided friendship network data at two times. At time 1, participants reported on loneliness and donated saliva (later assayed for cortisol). Results revealed that concurrently, lonely individuals reported fewer friendships, whereas over time, they named more friends. These results support the hypothesis that loneliness is a signal to develop connections. We also explored whom lonely individuals befriended over time. Results showed that cortisol significantly moderated the preference for friends with a similar level of loneliness. Specifically, lonely individuals with higher cortisol befriended those who were less lonely over those who were lonelier. Thus, cortisol levels may serve an adaptive function in mobilizing resources to develop connections that fulfill social belongingness needs. Results supported the theorized signaling function of loneliness and revealed that loneliness and the stress response system interact to shape social connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Kornienko
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University , Fairfax, VA, USA.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine , Irvine, CA, USA
| | - David R Schaefer
- Department of Sociology, University of California Irvine , Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Thao Ha
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine , Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Psychology, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine , Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California Irvine , Irvine, CA, USA.,Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD, USA
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125
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Renna ME, Fresco DM, Mennin DS. Emotion Regulation Therapy and Its Potential Role in the Treatment of Chronic Stress-Related Pathology Across Disorders. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2020; 4:2470547020905787. [PMID: 32440604 PMCID: PMC7219947 DOI: 10.1177/2470547020905787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Although stress is an inevitable part of everyday life, its chronicity, severity, and perceived burden can result in enduring distress, which may manifest as heightened emotionality, contributing to a number of self-regulatory failures. Specifically, distress disorders are characterized, in part, by heightened sensitivity to underlying motivational systems related to threat/safety, reward/loss, or both. Further, individuals suffering from these conditions typically engage in perseverate negative thinking (e.g., worry, rumination, self-criticism) in an effort to manage motivationally relevant distress and often utilize these processes at the detriment of engaging in new contextual learning. Distress disorders are often brought on by enduring chronic stress, coupled with these maladaptive emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses and ensuing impairment which contribute to and in turn worsen the deficits from these purported mechanisms. Emotion regulation therapy is a theoretically derived treatment that is based upon affective science to offer a blueprint for improving intervention by focusing on targeting the motivational responses and corresponding regulatory failures of individuals with distress disorders. Open and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated considerable preliminary evidence for the utility of emotion regulation therapy and its proposed mechanisms in treating the distress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E. Renna
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research & Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - David M. Fresco
- Department of Psychiatry & Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Douglas S. Mennin
- Department of Clinical and Counseling Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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126
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Seeman T, Merkin SS, Goldwater D, Cole SW. Intergenerational mentoring, eudaimonic well-being and gene regulation in older adults: A pilot study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 111:104468. [PMID: 31589939 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
To clarify the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between pro-social behavior and health, this pilot study examined the impact of a 9-month intergenerational helping intervention on conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) gene expression profiles, which are characterized by up-regulation of genes involved in inflammation and down-regulation of genes involved in antiviral defenses. The Generation Xchange program trains and places older (age 50+) volunteers in K-3rd grade classrooms to aid students' academic development (reading and math) and address behavioral issues (e.g., inability to focus during class, behaviors that disrupt class). Volunteers were predominately women (89%) and African American (94%) from the neighborhoods around the schools. Repeated measures planned contrast analysis of 53 CTRA indicator transcripts in 50 blood samples collected from 18 individuals on 2-3 occasions revealed a significant reduction in CTRA gene expression from baseline to the average of 3- and 9-month follow-up. The magnitude of individual decrease in CTRA gene expression correlated with the magnitude of individual increase in eudaimonic well-being over time (net of changes in hedonic well-being). In addition to clarifying biological pathways through which pro-social behavior might impact health, these pilot data suggest that the GenX program may have favorable effects on immune cell gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Seeman
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Le Conte Ave, Suite 2339, Los Angeles, CA, 900945-1687, United States.
| | - Sharon Stein Merkin
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Le Conte Ave, Suite 2339, Los Angeles, CA, 900945-1687, United States.
| | - Deena Goldwater
- Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Le Conte Ave, Suite 2339, Los Angeles, CA, 900945-1687, United States.
| | - Steven W Cole
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 11-934 Factor Bldg, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1678, United States
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127
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Chronic stress, structural exposures and neurobiological mechanisms: A stimulation, discrepancy and deprivation model of psychosis. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2019; 152:41-69. [PMID: 32451000 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress exposure has been established as a key vulnerability factor for developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia. A structural, or systems level perspective, has often been lacking in conceptualizations of chronic stress for psychotic disorders. The current review thus identified three subtypes of structural exposures. Stimulation exposures included urban environments, population density and crime exposure, with intermediary mechanisms of lack of safety and high attentional demands. Underlying neural mechanisms included threat neural circuits. Discrepancy exposures included environmental ethnic density, income inequality, and social fragmentation, with intermediary mechanisms of lack of belonging and social exclusion, and neural mechanisms including the oxytocin system. Deprivation exposures included environments lacking socioeconomic, educational, or material resources, with intermediary mechanisms of lack of needed environmental enrichment, and underlying neural mechanisms of over-pruning and protracted PFC development. Delineating stressor etiology at the systems level is a necessary step in reducing barriers to effective interventions and health policy.
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128
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Holt-Lunstad J, Uchino BN. Social Ambivalence and Disease (SAD): A Theoretical Model Aimed at Understanding the Health Implications of Ambivalent Relationships. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2019; 14:941-966. [PMID: 31533019 PMCID: PMC7089572 DOI: 10.1177/1745691619861392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The protective influence of social relationships on health is widely documented; however, not all relationships are positive, and negative aspects of relationships may be detrimental. Much less is known about the relationships characterized by both positivity and negativity (i.e., ambivalence). This article provides a theoretical framework for considering the influence of ambivalent relationships on physical health, including reasons why ambivalence should be considered separately from relationships characterized as primarily positive (supportive) or primarily negative (aversive). We introduce the social ambivalence and disease (SAD) model as a guide to understanding the social psychological antecedents, processes, and consequences of ambivalent relationships. We conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature and features of the SAD model that may serve as a guide to future research on potential health-relevant pathways of ambivalent relationships.
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129
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Ditzen B, Eckstein M, Fischer M, Aguilar-Raab C. Partnerschaft und Gesundheit. PSYCHOTHERAPEUT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00278-019-00379-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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130
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Leschak CJ, Eisenberger NI. Two Distinct Immune Pathways Linking Social Relationships With Health: Inflammatory and Antiviral Processes. Psychosom Med 2019; 81:711-719. [PMID: 31600173 PMCID: PMC7025456 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social relationships can both influence and be influenced by immune processes. Past work implicates two distinct pathways along which this interaction may occur: inflammatory processes and antiviral processes. This article reviews how social behavior is modulated by these two immune processes and how such processes may in turn regulate social behavior. METHODS This narrative review outlines existing work on social behavior and both inflammatory and antiviral processes. We propose an evolutionary framework that aims to integrate these findings. Specifically, social isolation has evolutionarily increased the likelihood of wounding and therefore increased the need for inflammation, which works to promote healing. Conversely, broader social networks provide protection from physical threats but also lead to increased pathogen exposure, necessitating a more robust antiviral response. RESULTS This review highlights that social adversity, such as social exclusion or loneliness, is associated with increased inflammation, whereas social contact is associated with increased antiviral immunity. Furthermore, increased inflammation leads to sensitivity to social stimuli, presumably to avoid hostile conspecifics and approach allies who may provide care while vulnerable. Individuals with inadequate antiviral immunity engage in behaviors that minimize pathogen exposure, such as reduced affiliative behavior. CONCLUSIONS This review suggests that adverse social experiences (social isolation, perceived social threat) may induce inflammatory responses while suppressing antiviral immunity, whereas positive experiences of social connection may reduce inflammation and bolster antiviral responses. Although acutely elevated inflammation would be adaptive under conditions where wounding is likely, chronic inflammation related to continued social adversity may have detrimental health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrianne J Leschak
- From the Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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131
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Emotions in Social Relationships and Their Implications for Health and Disease: Introduction to the Special Issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. Psychosom Med 2019; 81:676-680. [PMID: 31599821 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Social relationships and emotions are important to health and disease, but research in this area has largely progressed along parallel and distinct historical paths. These areas are critically linked because relationships are among the most powerful elicitors of health-relevant emotions and emotions can in turn influence relationships for better or worse. Conceptually, relationships and emotions can have mediational, reciprocal, and interactive influences on health outcomes, associations that seem dependent on the broader sociocultural context. The articles in this issue of Psychosomatic Medicine are based on a joint meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society and the Society for Affective Science titled "Emotions in social relationships: implications for health and disease." Recent research and conceptual models that fall at the interface of relationships, emotions, and health are highlighted in this special issue. Future work that capitalizes on these links will be critical if this area is to fulfill its potential in terms of new scientific insights and intervention opportunities.
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132
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Hilliard AT, Xie D, Ma Z, Snyder MP, Fernald RD. Genome-wide effects of social status on DNA methylation in the brain of a cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:699. [PMID: 31506062 PMCID: PMC6737626 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6047-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Successful social behavior requires real-time integration of information about the environment, internal physiology, and past experience. The molecular substrates of this integration are poorly understood, but likely modulate neural plasticity and gene regulation. In the cichlid fish species Astatotilapia burtoni, male social status can shift rapidly depending on the environment, causing fast behavioral modifications and a cascade of changes in gene transcription, the brain, and the reproductive system. These changes can be permanent but are also reversible, implying the involvement of a robust but flexible mechanism that regulates plasticity based on internal and external conditions. One candidate mechanism is DNA methylation, which has been linked to social behavior in many species, including A. burtoni. But, the extent of its effects after A. burtoni social change were previously unknown. RESULTS We performed the first genome-wide search for DNA methylation patterns associated with social status in the brains of male A. burtoni, identifying hundreds of Differentially Methylated genomic Regions (DMRs) in dominant versus non-dominant fish. Most DMRs were inside genes supporting neural development, synapse function, and other processes relevant to neural plasticity, and DMRs could affect gene expression in multiple ways. DMR genes were more likely to be transcription factors, have a duplicate elsewhere in the genome, have an anti-sense lncRNA, and have more splice variants than other genes. Dozens of genes had multiple DMRs that were often seemingly positioned to regulate specific splice variants. CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed genome-wide effects of A. burtoni social status on DNA methylation in the brain and strongly suggest a role for methylation in modulating plasticity across multiple biological levels. They also suggest many novel hypotheses to address in mechanistic follow-up studies, and will be a rich resource for identifying the relationships between behavioral, neural, and transcriptional plasticity in the context of social status.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dan Xie
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Zhihai Ma
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Michael P. Snyder
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
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133
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Smith R, Gudleski GD, Lane RD, Lackner JM. Higher Emotional Awareness Is Associated With Reduced Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients: Preliminary Results. Psychol Rep 2019; 123:2227-2247. [PMID: 31407944 DOI: 10.1177/0033294119868778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Recent evidence indicates that interventions designed to improve emotional awareness reduce pain in irritable bowel syndrome. This preliminary study sought to determine whether trait emotional awareness is associated with typical pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. METHODS Healthy volunteers (n = 66) and irritable bowel syndrome patients (n = 50) were asked to self-report their typical levels of pain intensity and complete both the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale and the Somatization Scale of the Brief Symptom Inventory. RESULTS Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale scores in irritable bowel syndrome patients did not differ from scores in healthy participants; however, higher Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale scores in irritable bowel syndrome patients predicted lower levels of typical pain intensity (r(45) = -.36, p = .01, 95% CI [-.59, -.08]) and lower levels of somatization (r(45)= -.31, p = .03, 95% CI [-.55, -.02]). CONCLUSIONS This inverse relationship between emotional awareness and both pain and somatization symptoms is consistent with evidence that irritable bowel syndrome patients experience reduced pain from therapies designed to improve emotional awareness. The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale could potentially be used to identify patients who could benefit from such therapy and could potentially be a moderator of response to efficacious psychological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; 276165Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Gregory D Gudleski
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo-The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Richard D Lane
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Lackner
- Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo-The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
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134
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Vine V, Hilt LM, Marroquín B, Gilbert KE. Socially oriented thinking and the biological stress response: Thinking of friends and family predicts trajectories of salivary cortisol decline. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13461. [PMID: 31403209 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The cortisol stress response has been related to perceived social support, but previous studies rely on self-reported social support variables. The cortisol recovery phase in particular has been theorized to serve a social coping function, but individual differences in recovery slope have not yet been examined in relation to social coping-relevant indices. This study addressed these gaps by examining the relationship of cortisol trajectories after a socioevaluative task to individual differences in covertly assessed cognitions related to close social relationships. We examined trajectories of cortisol change related to socially oriented thinking, the semi-implicit activation of cognitive representations of friends or family. Young adults (N = 64) gave salivary cortisol samples before and for 45 min after a speech task. Participants' thoughts were sampled repeatedly; the frequency of words related to friends or family was assessed to index socially oriented thinking. A free curve slope intercept latent growth curve model showed excellent fit with the cortisol data. Socially oriented thinking was unrelated to overall magnitude of cortisol response to the task (latent intercept) but predicted the latent cortisol trajectory, independently of cortisol intercept and baseline cortisol levels. Socially oriented thinkers showed more gradual cortisol declines, whereas nonsocially oriented thinkers showed a steeper downslope driven primarily by cortisol changes 45 min after the task. Individual differences in socially oriented thinking may manifest in different rates of biological changes following a performance task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Vine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Lori M Hilt
- Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin
| | - Brett Marroquín
- Department of Psychology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California
| | - Kirsten E Gilbert
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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135
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Fresco DM, Mennin DS. All together now: utilizing common functional change principles to unify cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:65-70. [PMID: 30502664 PMCID: PMC6491260 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have made important contributions to resolving the global burden of mental illness. However, response rates are comparatively more modest for the distress disorders. Newer CBTs enriched with MBI components have emerged with promising findings for distress disorders but with a high degree of heterogeneity and, subsequently, an unclear path for determining the unique and synergistic contributions from CBTs and MBIs. We propose that one way to elucidate and improve upon this union is to identify common overarching principles (i.e. attention change; metacognitive change) that guide both approaches and to refine therapeutic processes to optimally reflect these common targets and their interplay (e.g. sequencing and dosing).
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Fresco
- Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, United States.
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136
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Mindfulness and the contemplative life: pathways to connection, insight, and purpose. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:60-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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137
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Lodewyk KR, McNamara L, Sullivan P. Associations Between Elementary Students’ Victimization, Peer Belonging, Affect, Physical Activity, and Enjoyment by Gender During Recess. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1177/0829573519856814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
School recess scholars have called for more research into collective relations between social, personal, and physical factors on students’ engagement and enjoyment of recess. Overall and by gender, this study serves to investigate a proposed model among 355 elementary school students from victimization to enjoyment through peer belonging, positive affect, and physical activity. Consenting students completed an online survey, and structural equation modeling (overall and in boys and girls) revealed an excellent fit of the data to the model (comparative fit index [CFI] and goodness of fit index [GFI] > .95, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] < .08, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] < .10). Each of the path regression coefficients was significant ( p < .001) except for between victimization and positive affect. Results by gender revealed that all factor loadings were significant for both males and females, and all pathways between factors were significant for males, whereas for females, all pathways were significant except from victimization to affect and from physical activity to enjoyment. Boys were also significantly higher in victimization and physical activity during recess. For enhanced recess enjoyment among elementary school students, some schools may need to better consider how to support students’ reciprocal needs for peer belonging, affect, physical activity, and reduced victimization.
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138
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Novembre G, Zanon M, Morrison I, Ambron E. Bodily sensations in social scenarios: Where in the body? PLoS One 2019; 14:e0206270. [PMID: 31185013 PMCID: PMC6559636 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bodily states are fundamental to emotions’ emergence and are believed to constitute the first step in the chain of events that culminate in emotional awareness. Recent works have shown that distinct topographical maps can be derived to describe how basic and more complex emotions are represented in the body. However, it is still unclear whether these bodily maps can also extend to emotions experienced specifically within social interactions and how these representations relate to basic emotions. To address this issue, we used the emBODY tool to obtain high-resolution bodily maps that describe the body activation and deactivation experienced by healthy participants when presented with social scenarios depicting establishment or loss of social bonds. We observed patterns of activation/deactivation for each single social scenario depending on the valence, but also a common activation of head, chest and deactivation of limbs for positive and negative social scenarios, respectively. Furthermore, we show that these maps are comparable to those obtained when taking the perspective of a third person, suggesting the existence of common body representation of social emotions for the self and other person evaluation. Finally, we showed that maps related to complex social scenarios are strongly correlated with bodily states experienced in basic emotions, suggesting that the patterns of body activation/deactivation observed for social scenarios might arise from a complex interaction of the basic emotions that these experiences elicit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Novembre
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, CSAN, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Marco Zanon
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, "Alma Mater Studiorum" Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - India Morrison
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, CSAN, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elisabetta Ambron
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, SISSA, Trieste, Italy
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Neurology Department, School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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139
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Ryan L, Hay M, Huentelman MJ, Duarte A, Rundek T, Levin B, Soldan A, Pettigrew C, Mehl MR, Barnes CA. Precision Aging: Applying Precision Medicine to the Field of Cognitive Aging. Front Aging Neurosci 2019; 11:128. [PMID: 31231204 PMCID: PMC6568195 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current "one size fits all" approach to our cognitive aging population is not adequate to close the gap between cognitive health span and lifespan. In this review article, we present a novel model for understanding, preventing, and treating age-related cognitive impairment (ARCI) based on concepts borrowed from precision medicine. We will discuss how multiple risk factors can be classified into risk categories because of their interrelatedness in real life, the genetic variants that increase sensitivity to, or ameliorate, risk for ARCI, and the brain drivers or common mechanisms mediating brain aging. Rather than providing a definitive model of risk for ARCI and cognitive decline, the Precision Aging model is meant as a starting point to guide future research. To that end, after briefly discussing key risk categories, genetic risks, and brain drivers, we conclude with a discussion of steps that must be taken to move the field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Ryan
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Meredith Hay
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Matt J. Huentelman
- Neurobehavioral Research Unit, Division of Neurological Disorders, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Audrey Duarte
- Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Tatjana Rundek
- Clinical and Translational Research Division, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Bonnie Levin
- Neuropsychology Division, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Anja Soldan
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Corinne Pettigrew
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Matthias R. Mehl
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Carol A. Barnes
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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140
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Solomonov N, Bress JN, Sirey JA, Gunning FM, Flückiger C, Raue PJ, Areán PA, Alexopoulos GS. Engagement in Socially and Interpersonally Rewarding Activities as a Predictor of Outcome in "Engage" Behavioral Activation Therapy for Late-Life Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2019; 27:571-578. [PMID: 30797650 PMCID: PMC6511287 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Loneliness and social isolation are associated with depressive symptoms, cognitive and physical disabilities, and increased risk of mortality among older adults. Socially rewarding activities reduce loneliness, and neurobiological evidence suggests that these activities may activate neural reward systems in older adults to a greater extent than other rewarding experiences. The current study was designed to investigate whether engagement in social and interpersonal activities (i.e., exposure to social rewards) predicts subsequent increase in behavioral activation and reduction in depressive symptoms in reward exposure treatment for late-life depression. METHODS Forty-eight older adults without cognitive impairment and with major depression received nine sessions of "Engage" psychotherapy. Behavioral activation and depression severity were assessed by trained raters at baseline and weeks 6 and 9. Patients' weekly behavioral plans were categorized into three groups: 1) solitary activities; 2) social-group activities (attending a social gathering or a social setting such as church or a senior center); and 3) interpersonal-individual activities (engaging in an interpersonal interaction with a specific friend or family member). RESULTS Mixed-effects models showed reduction in depression severity and increase in behavioral activation over time. In linear regression models, a higher percentage of interpersonal-individual activities (but not solitary or social-group activities) predicted subsequent increase in behavioral activation and improvement of depression. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the importance of understanding the effects of engagement in specific types of rewarding activities in behavioral activation treatments for late-life depression. Exposure to socially rewarding interpersonal interactions could contribute to the efficacy of psychotherapy for late-life depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nili Solomonov
- Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry (NS, JNB, JAS, FMG, GSA), Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY.
| | - Jennifer N Bress
- Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry (NS, JNB, JAS, FMG, GSA), Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY
| | - Jo Anne Sirey
- Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry (NS, JNB, JAS, FMG, GSA), Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY
| | - Faith M Gunning
- Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry (NS, JNB, JAS, FMG, GSA), Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY
| | | | - Patrick J Raue
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PJR, PAA), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
| | - Patricia A Areán
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PJR, PAA), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
| | - George S Alexopoulos
- Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry (NS, JNB, JAS, FMG, GSA), Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY
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141
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Maintenance and Development of Social Connection by People with Long-term Conditions: A Qualitative Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16111875. [PMID: 31141893 PMCID: PMC6603716 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16111875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Social connection is important for people’s health and well-being. Social isolation arising from a lack of meaningful connection with others can result in deterioration of well-being with negative consequences for health. For people living with multiple long-term conditions, the building and maintaining of social connection may be challenging. The aim of this study was to explore with people with long-term conditions how they perceive they maintain and develop social connections. We undertook semi-structured interviews with seventeen adults, and analyzed the data for themes. Themes were “Meaningful connection”, “Wherewithal for social connection” and “Impact of a major change in life course”. The findings suggest that social connection is valued, and facilitates meaningful ways to reciprocate support with others, thus enabling access to knowledge and resources for better health and well-being. However, people with long-term conditions can experience challenges to developing and maintaining social connectedness after a major change in life course. We suggest that healthcare providers are well placed to facilitate ways for people with long-term conditions to socially connect with others in their neighbourhood and community, and that this in particular be attended to after a major life change.
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142
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Shaked D, Millman ZB, Moody DLB, Rosenberger WF, Shao H, Katzel LI, Davatzikos C, Gullapalli RP, Seliger SL, Erus G, Evans MK, Zonderman AB, Waldstein SR. Sociodemographic disparities in corticolimbic structures. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216338. [PMID: 31071128 PMCID: PMC6508895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This study sought to examine the interactive relations of socioeconomic status and race to corticolimbic regions that may play a key role in translating stress to the poor health outcomes overrepresented among those of lower socioeconomic status and African American race. Participants were 200 community-dwelling, self-identified African American and White adults from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span SCAN study. Brain volumes were derived using T1-weighted MP-RAGE images. Socioeconomic status by race interactions were observed for right medial prefrontal cortex (B = .26, p = .014), left medial prefrontal cortex (B = .26, p = .017), left orbital prefrontal cortex (B = .22, p = .037), and left anterior cingulate cortex (B = .27, p = .018), wherein higher socioeconomic status Whites had greater volumes than all other groups. Additionally, higher versus lower socioeconomic status persons had greater right and left hippocampal (B = -.15, p = .030; B = -.19, p = .004, respectively) and amygdalar (B = -.17, p = .015; B = -.21; p = .002, respectively) volumes. Whites had greater right and left hippocampal (B = -.17, p = .012; B = -.20, p = .003, respectively), right orbital prefrontal cortex (B = -.34, p < 0.001), and right anterior cingulate cortex (B = -.18, p = 0.011) volumes than African Americans. Among many factors, the higher levels of lifetime chronic stress associated with lower socioeconomic status and African American race may adversely affect corticolimbic circuitry. These relations may help explain race- and socioeconomic status-related disparities in adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Shaked
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Zachary B. Millman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Danielle L. Beatty Moody
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - William F. Rosenberger
- Department of Statistics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Hui Shao
- Department of Statistics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Leslie I. Katzel
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christos Davatzikos
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Rao P. Gullapalli
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stephen L. Seliger
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Guray Erus
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michele K. Evans
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alan B. Zonderman
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shari R. Waldstein
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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143
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Matthews GA, Tye KM. Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1457:5-25. [PMID: 30875095 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Social connections are vital to survival throughout the animal kingdom and are dynamic across the life span. There are debilitating consequences of social isolation and loneliness, and social support is increasingly a primary consideration in health care, disease prevention, and recovery. Considering social connection as an "innate need," it is hypothesized that evolutionarily conserved neural systems underlie the maintenance of social connections: alerting the individual to their absence and coordinating effector mechanisms to restore social contact. This is reminiscent of a homeostatic system designed to maintain social connection. Here, we explore the identity of neural systems regulating "social homeostasis." We review findings from rodent studies evaluating the rapid response to social deficit (in the form of acute social isolation) and propose that parallel, overlapping circuits are engaged to adapt to the vulnerabilities of isolation and restore social connection. By considering the neural systems regulating other homeostatic needs, such as energy and fluid balance, we discuss the potential attributes of social homeostatic circuitry. We reason that uncovering the identity of these circuits/mechanisms will facilitate our understanding of how loneliness perpetuates long-term disease states, which we speculate may result from sustained recruitment of social homeostatic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian A Matthews
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Kay M Tye
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, La Jolla, California
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144
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Lac A, Luk JW. Development and validation of the Adult Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Scale: Measuring mother, best friend, and romantic partner acceptance. Psychol Assess 2019; 31:340-351. [PMID: 30520655 PMCID: PMC6389402 DOI: 10.1037/pas0000669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Acceptance-rejection studies and inventories commonly examine children's relationships with parents, but no measurement scale is available in the literature to assess interpersonal acceptance across adulthood close relationships. The Adult Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Scale (AIARS) was developed, validated, and psychometrically scrutinized across three studies using independent samples of adult participants. In Study 1 (N = 342), the created items were administered to participants and data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. The correlated three-factor structure of Mother Acceptance, Best Friend Acceptance, and Romantic Partner Acceptance was preliminarily supported. In Study 2 (N = 420), confirmatory factor analysis successfully cross-validated the three-factor measurement model after the deletion of items possessing the poorest loadings. In Study 3 (N = 315), convergent, discriminant, and criterion validities were scrutinized with tests of correlations and multiple regression. Higher acceptance subscale scores uniquely contributed to higher positive emotions, lower negative emotions, and higher life satisfaction. The current research confers measurement and assessment insights to capture the construct of interpersonal acceptance and yields applied implications for future research using the scale. Administration of the scale is anticipated to encourage novel primary investigations that examine acceptance across pivotal close relationships in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Lac
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
| | - Jeremy W Luk
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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145
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Abstract
Gene expression profiling studies of people exposed to chronic threat have identified a Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA) in circulating immune cells. This physiological pattern is characterized by up-regulated expression of genes involved in inflammation and down-regulated expression of genes involved in Type I interferon responses. The CTRA is mediated by beta-adrenergic signaling pathways that transduce sympathetic nervous system activity into changes in transcription factor activity and hematopoietic output of myeloid lineage immune cells (monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells). Recent research has begun to identify the CNS processes that regulate peripheral CTRA activity, define its implications for disease, and explore the role of positive psychosocial factors in buffering such effects. The CTRA provides a genomic framework for understanding PNI relationships and connecting macro-level psychosocial processes to the micro-level biology of health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven W Cole
- UCLA School of Medicine, Prepared for Current Opinion in Behavioral Science - Psychoneuroimmunology
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146
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A neurobehavioral account for decentering as the salve for the distressed mind. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:285-293. [PMID: 31059966 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Distress is commonly characterized by prolonged internal suffering that can range from self-focused processing of negative emotions and stressors, to highly intensely aversive and prolonged emotional states, thereby, worsening or complicating emotional and physical conditions. Decentering represents a metacognitive capacity thought to reflect three interrelated processes: meta-awareness, disidentification from internal experience, and reduced reactivity to thought content-which is reliably increased with mindfulness-based interventions. In this essay, we seek to link the clinical presentation of distress disorders to known or hypothesized disruptions in neural networks that underlie emotion, cognition, and goal directed behavior, and offer a neurobehavioral account for how and why treatments imbued with mindfulness meditation might ameliorate these conditions, in part through increases in decentering.
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147
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Effects of Social Exclusion on Cardiovascular and Affective Reactivity to a Socially Evaluative Stressor. Int J Behav Med 2019; 25:410-420. [PMID: 29616454 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-018-9720-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Socially disconnected individuals have worse health than those who feel socially connected. The mechanisms through which social disconnection influences physiological and psychological outcomes warrant study. The current study tested whether experimental manipulations of social exclusion, relative to inclusion, influenced subsequent cardiovascular (CV) and affective reactivity to socially evaluative stress. METHODS Young adults (N = 81) were assigned through block randomization to experience either social exclusion or inclusion, using a standardized computer-based task (Cyberball). Immediately after exposure to Cyberball, participants either underwent a socially evaluative stressor or an active control task, based on block randomization. Physiological activity (systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR)) and state anxiety were assessed throughout the experiment. RESULTS Excluded participants evidenced a significant increase in cardiovascular and affective responses to a socially evaluative stressor. Included participants who underwent the stressor evidenced similar increases in anxiety, but systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate did not change significantly in response to the stressor. CONCLUSIONS Results contribute to the understanding of physiological consequences of social exclusion. Further investigation is needed to test whether social inclusion can buffer CV stress reactivity, which would carry implications for how positive social factors may protect against the harmful effects of stress.
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148
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Can autism be catered with artificial intelligence-assisted intervention technology? A comprehensive survey. Artif Intell Rev 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10462-019-09686-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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149
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Oxytocin for learning calm and safety. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 136:5-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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150
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Abstract
As an intensely social species, humans demonstrate the propensity to contribute to other individuals and groups by providing support, resources, or helping to achieve a shared goal. Accumulating evidence suggests that contribution benefits the givers as well as the receivers. The need to contribute during adolescence, however, has been underappreciated compared with more individually focused psychological or social developmental needs. The need is particularly significant during the teenage years, when children's social world expands and they become increasingly capable of making contributions of consequence. Moreover, contribution can both promote and be a key element of traditionally conceived fundamental needs of the adolescent period such as autonomy, identity, and intimacy. The neural and biological foundations of the adolescent need to contribute, as well as the ways in which social environments meet that need, are discussed. A scientific and practical investment in contribution would synergize with other recent efforts to reframe thinking about the adolescent period, providing potential returns to the field as well as to youths and their communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Fuligni
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles
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