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Pellegrini L, Clarke A, Fineberg NA, Laws KR. The inflexible mind: A critical factor in understanding and addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 179:360-365. [PMID: 39357399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/21/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine hesitancy has gained heightened relevance amid the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the urgency of understanding its determinants. This study explores the association between Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy, mental health variables and inflexible thinking. METHODS A convenience sample of 252 UK adults was assessed online between June 2021-July 2022 (when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions had finally eased). We assessed participants using the Oxford Covid Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (OCVHS), various aspects of mental health, using: the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), Compulsive Personality Assessment Scale (CPAS), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21), and finally, performance on a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sort Task (WCST). This study was preregistered at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/xd5wz). RESULTS Multiple regression analyses showed that only cognitive inflexibility, and specifically the WCST item of perseverative errors, significantly predicted vaccine hesitancy. CONCLUSION Our exploratory analysis provides the first evidence that cognitive inflexibility, measured using an objective task, is an independent risk-factor for vaccine hesitancy. Public health strategies should consider the impact of an inflexible thinking style on the decision-making of those most at risk of vaccine hesitancy and adapt interventions accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Pellegrini
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - A Clarke
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - N A Fineberg
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK; University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK
| | - K R Laws
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
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Tempia Valenta S, Campanile G, Albert U, Marcolini F, Faedi G, De Ronchi D, Atti AR. Beyond the surface: Understanding obsessive symptoms and body perceptions, from shape concerns to fear of blushing. Compr Psychiatry 2024; 132:152481. [PMID: 38552348 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent reclassifications have expanded the understanding of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCDs), now incorporated into a broader category known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Related Disorders (OCRDs). This study sought to assess obsessive-compulsive symptoms and body uneasiness among outpatients seeking treatment for Eating Disorders (ED). Additionally, we aimed to explore associations and potential mediation effects between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and body uneasiness. This investigation extended beyond concerns related solely to body shape and weight, encompassing fears associated with specific body components (such as facial features, abdominal region, and limbs) or functions (including sweating, blushing, emitting noises, and releasing odors). METHODS Psychometric assessments included the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). Statistical analyses involved bivariate correlations, linear regression, and mediation analysis to explore the associations and potential mediation effects between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and different manifestations of body uneasiness. RESULTS The sample (N = 210) demonstrated substantial obsessive-compulsive symptoms and notable body discomfort. OCI-R scores positively correlated with various dimensions of body dissatisfaction, including shape, weight, and specific body components or functions. Linear regression revealed significant associations between OCI-R scores and overall body uneasiness (BUT-A) as well as concerns about body components or functions (BUTB). Mediation analysis indicated that BUT-A mediated the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and BUTB. CONCLUSION This study offers new insights into the comprehensive landscape of OCRDs. It specifically emphasizes the association between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and body uneasiness, embracing not only concerns about body shape and weight but also extending to body components and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tempia Valenta
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - G Campanile
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - U Albert
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - F Marcolini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - G Faedi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - D De Ronchi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - A R Atti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Rask CU, Duholm CS, Poulsen CM, Rimvall MK, Wright KD. Annual Research Review: Health anxiety in children and adolescents-developmental aspects and cross-generational influences. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:413-430. [PMID: 37909255 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Health anxiety involves excessive worries about one's health along with beliefs one has an illness or may contract a serious disease. Concerning evidence suggests that health anxiety is on the rise in society, possibly further fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent classification systems acknowledge that impairing health-related worries and beliefs can emerge in early childhood with significant levels of symptoms persisting throughout childhood, and possibly continuous with diagnostic considerations in adulthood. This narrative review summarizes recent research advances in health anxiety in children and adolescents, focusing on various developmental aspects of health anxiety and related concepts in youths. Findings suggest that health anxiety symptoms in young age groups are associated with impairment, distress, and increased healthcare use, as well as substantial comorbidity with mainly other emotional problems and disorders. Furthermore, longitudinal studies suggest that childhood health anxiety can persist across adolescence, perhaps with links to chronic courses in adulthood. The growing literature was further reviewed, thus extending our understanding of early risk factors, including the potential role of exposure to serious illness and transgenerational transmission of health anxiety. Learning more about developmental trajectories will be highly relevant to inform strategies for early detection and prevention. While modified cognitive behavioral therapies in adults are successful in treating health anxiety, specific interventions have not yet been tested in youths. Given substantial overlaps with other psychopathology, it could be important to develop and explore more transdiagnostic and scalable approaches that take advantage of common factors in psychotherapy, while also including a wider perspective on potential familiar maladaptive illness cognitions and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Ulrikka Rask
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Steen Duholm
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University Hospital Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Martin Køster Rimvall
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristi D Wright
- Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
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Bailey R. Why health anxiety needs NICE clinical guidelines. Lancet Psychiatry 2024; 11:164-165. [PMID: 38218199 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00404-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Bailey
- School of Psychology, University of Bolton, Bolton BL3 5AB, UK.
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SoleimanvandiAzar N, Amirkafi A, Shalbafan M, Ahmadi SAY, Asadzandi S, Shakeri S, Saeidi M, Panahi R, Nojomi M. Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) symptoms among health care workers in COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:862. [PMID: 37990311 PMCID: PMC10664495 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05353-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms, are among the serious mental health challenges that Health Care Workers (HCWs) faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these symptoms reduce the mental well-being and effectiveness of HCWs which are followed by poor health outcomes for patients, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the prevalence of OCD symptoms among HCWs worldwide. METHODS PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Emerald, and ERIC databases were searched using related keywords till the end of October 2021. Observational studies about the prevalence of OCD symptoms among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic were screened and evaluated. In order to assess the quality of studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) checklist was used. The effect measure was the prevalence rate with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS A total of 7864 individuals from 11 studies were included. The range of OCD symptoms prevalence across these studies was from 0.07 to 0.47. Due to the high heterogeneity between the studies (I2 = 98.6%, P < 0.01), the random effects model was used. The pooled prevalence was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.22-0.38) based on logit transformed CI. CONCLUSIONS The pooled prevalence of OCD symptoms was 29% among the HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This prevalence was higher than the general population according to the pre-pandemic literature, but lower than the recent reports amid the pandemic. Psychosocial interventions are suggested to be designed and implemented in such conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda SoleimanvandiAzar
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Amirkafi
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Shalbafan
- Mental Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyyed Amir Yasin Ahmadi
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shadi Asadzandi
- Department of Medical Library and Information Science, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shiva Shakeri
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Saeidi
- Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Panahi
- Mental Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marzieh Nojomi
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health Research Center, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Nipissing University, North Bay, ON, Canada.
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Kargbo RB. Microbiome: The Next Frontier in Psychedelic Renaissance. J Xenobiot 2023; 13:386-401. [PMID: 37606422 PMCID: PMC10443327 DOI: 10.3390/jox13030025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The psychedelic renaissance has reignited interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health and well-being. An emerging area of interest is the potential modulation of psychedelic effects by the gut microbiome-the ecosystem of microorganisms in our digestive tract. This review explores the intersection of the gut microbiome and psychedelic therapy, underlining potential implications for personalized medicine and mental health. We delve into the current understanding of the gut-brain axis, its influence on mood, cognition, and behavior, and how the microbiome may affect the metabolism and bioavailability of psychedelic substances. We also discuss the role of microbiome variations in shaping individual responses to psychedelics, along with potential risks and benefits. Moreover, we consider the prospect of microbiome-targeted interventions as a fresh approach to boost or modulate psychedelic therapy's effectiveness. By integrating insights from the fields of psychopharmacology, microbiology, and neuroscience, our objective is to advance knowledge about the intricate relationship between the microbiome and psychedelic substances, thereby paving the way for novel strategies to optimize mental health outcomes amid the ongoing psychedelic renaissance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Kargbo
- Usona Institute, 2800 Woods Hollow Rd., Madison, WI 53711-5300, USA
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Homayuni A. Investigating the correlation between perceived stress and health anxiety with obsessive-compulsive disorder and quality of life during COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychol 2023; 11:54. [PMID: 36855204 PMCID: PMC9971677 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-023-01090-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between perceived stress and health anxiety with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and quality of life during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed in the general public in Isfahan and Bandar Abbas. 559 citizens were selected by convenience sampling. An online questionnaire was used to collect the data, which consisted of: short health anxiety inventory, perceived stress scale, world health organization quality of life questionnaire and Padua inventory. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-24 and Amos-21. RESULTS There were significant positive correlations between health anxiety and perceived stress (r = 0/338), obsessive-compulsive symptoms and perceived stress (r = 0/16), obsessive-compulsive symptoms and health anxiety (r = 0/344). Also there were significant negative correlations between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and quality of life (r = - 0/21), health anxiety and quality of life (r = - 0/366), perceived stress and quality of life (r = - 0/715). CONCLUSION health anxiety and perceived stress during COVID-19 affect the obsessive-compulsive symptoms and quality of life. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to these psychological disorders during this global crisis and take actions to prevent and treat them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atefeh Homayuni
- Student Research Committee, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
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Validity and clinical utility of distinguishing between DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder in pathological health anxiety: Should we close the chapter? J Psychosom Res 2023; 165:111133. [PMID: 36624001 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the validity and clinical utility of distinguishing between DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder (SSD) and illness anxiety disorder (IAD) in pathological health anxiety: the excessive and recurrent fear of, or preoccupation with, having or developing a serious health condition. METHODS We compared SSD to IAD in pathological health anxiety (N = 334) with regard to concurrent, antecedent, and predictive validators. This was primarily a cross-sectional study, though we studied the effect of CBT longitudinally. Because we were interested in the discriminatory value of SSD and IAD over and above trait health anxiety, we used trait health anxiety as a covariate. RESULTS SSD (68%; 228/334) vs. IAD (32%; 106/334) differences were mostly non-significant and small in sociodemographics, core clinical characteristics, apparent course, etiological attribution, and physician visits (gs = -0.18-0.20; RRs = 0.84-1.09; IRRs = 0.87-0.99). However, SSD was associated with a significantly higher somatic symptom burden (gs = 0.20-0.72), more psychologist visits (IRR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.24-3.28), and slightly higher disability (g = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.03-0.42). There was no significant difference in symptom reduction during CBT (g = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.37-0.05). CONCLUSION Although not all differences between SSD and IAD in pathological health anxiety seem to be explained by the level of trait health anxiety, the SSD vs. IAD distinction appears to convey little useful information in pathological health anxiety. Tentatively, considering the well-documented clinical characteristics and effective clinical interventions, it is probably most helpful to regard pathological health anxiety as a de facto anxiety or perhaps obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, regardless of the DSM-5 diagnosis of SSD or IAD.
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