The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Metacognitions about Health Questionnaire in college students

COVID-19 anxiety and its relation to anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of individuals, particularly in the area of anxiety-related disorders. Anxiety regarding COVID-19 has been associated with health anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Additionally, COVID-19 anxiety has been associated with anxiety sensitivity, disgust, maladaptive metacognitions, and intolerance of uncertainty. While researchers have established that anxiety disorders and anxiety-related mechanisms were associated with COVID-19 anxiety, which specific anxiety-related symptoms and mechanisms are primarily associated with COVID-19 anxiety needs to be more extensively explored. The current study sought to further this area by examining which particular anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms were uniquely associated with COVID-19 anxiety. A non-clinical sample of 593 Canadian undergraduate participants (Mage = 21.13 years; 67.7 % female) completed this cross-sectional study between September 2020 and February 2021. Participants completed online questionaries assessing anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms in addition to multiple scales of COVID-19 anxiety. When examining symptoms, health anxiety (prs = 0.17-0.29) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (prs = 0.16-0.35) symptoms had the strongest unique associations with COVID-19 anxiety. Among the anxiety-related mechanisms, disgust sensitivity (prs = 0.14-0.16) and health anxiety-specific intolerance of uncertainty (prs = 0.12-0.30) had the strongest unique associations with COVID-19 anxiety. Individuals experiencing these disorders and anxiety-related mechanisms may be at a heightened vulnerability to experiencing heightened anxiety during future pandemics. Mental health professionals should discuss COVID-19 anxiety with individuals experiencing health anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Lastly, the study highlights the significance of considering a variety of specific anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms when working to understand pandemic anxiety.

Genes and Pathways Associated with Skeletal Sagittal Malocclusions: A Systematic Review

Skeletal class II and III malocclusions are craniofacial disorders that negatively impact people’s quality of life worldwide. Unfortunately, the growth patterns of skeletal malocclusions and their clinical correction prognoses are difficult to predict largely due to lack of knowledge of their precise etiology. Inspired by the strong inheritance pattern of a specific type of skeletal malocclusion, previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were reanalyzed, resulting in the identification of 19 skeletal class II malocclusion-associated and 53 skeletal class III malocclusion-associated genes. Functional enrichment of these genes created a signal pathway atlas in which most of the genes were associated with bone and cartilage growth and development, as expected, while some were characterized by functions related to skeletal muscle maturation and construction. Interestingly, several genes and enriched pathways are involved in both skeletal class II and III malocclusions, indicating the key regulatory effects of these genes and pathways in craniofacial development. There is no doubt that further investigation is necessary to validate these recognized genes’ and pathways’ specific function(s) related to maxillary and mandibular development. In summary, this systematic review provides initial insight on developing novel gene-based treatment strategies for skeletal malocclusions and paves the path for precision medicine where dental care providers can make an accurate prediction of the craniofacial growth of an individual patient based on his/her genetic profile.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer

PURPOSE

Emotional control, the attempt to suppress the expression of negative effects, is an essential factor in the prevalence of psychological distress in women with breast cancer. The Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS) is a commonly used self-report tool for assessing emotional suppression in both clinical and general groups. This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS) in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

METHODS

The study involved 680 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer aged 25 to 76 (mean age = 48.19, standard deviation (SD) = 8.57) from Changsha (China). Data analysis included Cronbach's alpha coefficients, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Pearson's correlations, Independent-Samples T test, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were conducted to determine the optimal model. For the best fitting model stability was assessed with tests for invariance across age, educational level, and employment status.

RESULTS

Internal consistency (α = 0.987) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.715) of the CECS were presented. Results confirm the structure of the Chinese version of the CECS with 21 items divided into three dimensions, anger suppression (CECS_AG), depression suppression (CECS_MD), and anxiety suppression (CECS_AX). Convergent and known-groups validity were acceptable. Additionally, this model remained invariant across age, educational levels, and employment status.

CONCLUSIONS

The Chinese version of the CECS has good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity, remaining invariant across age, educational levels, and employment status in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Validation of a Chinese version of the short form of Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30)

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the short form of Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30), which is an effective tool to assess metacognitive beliefs that have been linked to mental disturbance/disorder. We also tested whether metacognition factors would correlate with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) tendency.

METHODS

Six hundred and eighty Chinese university students (Mean age=19.72, SD=1.38; 31.9% male) voluntarily completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Using standard translation procedures, the MCQ-30 items were translated from English into Chinese language and then back-translated. Depression, anxiety, and IGD tendency were assessed by validated scales.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results supported the five-factor structure of the MCQ-30, with satisfactory model fit and good reliability. Criterion-related validity was also supported by significant positive correlations between the five factors and depression/anxiety symptoms. All of the five metacognition factors were also significantly correlated with IGD tendency, with positive beliefs about worry and cognitive confidence being the most salient factor after controlling for gender and age.

LIMITATIONS

This study did not examine the test-retest reliability of this scale, and the generalizability of the findings to other age groups remains unclear.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed satisfactory psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the MCQ-30 and is the first to demonstrate a positive association between specific metacognition factors and IGD tendency among Chinese people. The latter finding supports an application of metacognitive therapy to the treatment of behavioral addictions, including IGD.