The hippocampus underlies the association between self-esteem and physical health

The neural correlates of perceived social support and its relationship to psychological well-being

Introduction

Perceived social support is considered to play a significant role in promoting individuals' health and well-being, and yet the neural correlates of perceived social support were not fully understood. An exploration of the neural correlates of individual differences in the SPS can help us to gain more comprehensive understanding about the neural correlates of perceived social support. What's more, our study will explore the relationship among perceived social support, brain regions, and psychological well-being, which may provide new insights into the neural correlates underlying the relationship between perceived social support and psychological well-being from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience.

Methods

Herein, we used the Social Provisions Scale to assess individuals' perceived social support, and magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the gray matter (GM) volume of the whole brain. What's more, we also measured psychological well-being using the Psychological Well-Being Scale, and mediation analysis was used to explore the relationship among perceived social support, brain regions, and psychological well-being.

Results

The voxel-based morphometry analysis of the whole brain revealed that perceived social support was positively correlated with GM volume of the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG). The finding indicated that a person with greater GM volume in the left MTG perceived more social support. More importantly, the left MTG GM volume observed above was also associated with psychological well-being, and the link between the two was mediated by perceived social support.

Discussion

These results revealed the importance of MTG for perceived social support and psychological well-being, and also suggested that perceived social support might explain the relationship between MTG and psychological well-being.

The Reflection of Self-Esteem on the Brain Structure: A Voxel Based Morphometry Study in Healthy Young Adults

Introduction

Low self-esteem is a known risk factor for mental illnesses. Neuroimaging studies have identified evidence for a functional association between default mode network (DMN) and self-esteem levels. However, it is not clear whether there is a similar association between trait self-esteem and the structures composing DMN. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the DMN associated brain structures and trait self-esteem.

Methods

We obtained 3T structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 75 healthy subjects and detected anatomical regions correlated with their Rosenberg Self-Esteem scores via voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Results

We found positive associations between self-esteem and regional grey matter volumes in the right temporoparietal junction/inferior parietal lobule (BA 39), cortical midline regions at precuneus/dorsal cingulate cortex (BA 31), rostral and dorsal anterior cingulate cortices (BA 32).

Conclusion

The results of the current study support the fMRI studies suggesting self-esteem levels associated with DMN. Further neuroimaging studies should consider the functional and structural coupling of the default mode network during the execution of the functions related to self-esteem.

Hippocampus links perceived social support with self-esteem

Self-esteem is an important psychological resource with adaptive values, and numerous investigations have revealed that self-esteem is influenced by perceived social support. However, the potential neural basis linking perceived social support with self-esteem remains unclear. Therefore, we used voxel-based morphometry to explore whether the hippocampus and amygdala function as the neuroanatomical basis linking perceived social support with self-esteem in a cohort of 243 young healthy adults (128 women; mean age 22.64 years, standard deviation 1.01 years). The Social Provisions Scale and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale were used for the survey. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the gray matter volume of the hippocampus and amygdala. Correlation analysis revealed that those who perceived more social support had higher self-esteem. Notably, mediation analysis showed that hippocampal gray matter volume linked perceived social support with self-esteem. Our study suggests that the hippocampus plays a primary, but not exclusive, role in linking perceived social support with self-esteem, which provides a novel explanation for how perceived social support affects self-esteem from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience.

Synergist effect of antiretroviral therapy adherence and viral load suppression on quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS

AIMS

This study investigated the synergistic and independent effects of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and viral load on quality of life (QoL) among people with HIV/AIDS.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 129 patients with HIV/AIDS. The WHOQOL-BREF and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale were used to measure QoL and adherence respectively. Information on viral load and CD4 cell count was obtained from patients' records and verified by a physician. An additive interaction method was used to estimate the synergistic effect of the linear regression.

FINDINGS

Patients who were adhering to ART and had an undetectable viral load had significantly higher scores on four domains of QoL - environment, physical health, social relationships and psychological - than those who were non-adherent. Moreover, ART adherence and undetectable viral load had a positive synergistic effect on QoL after controlling for covariate variables.

CONCLUSION

Participants were more likely to have a good QoL if they had both undetectable viral loads and good ART adherence.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescent and Young Adult Retinoblastoma Survivors

Background: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a malignant intraocular tumor diagnosed in early childhood that requires extensive medical and surgical treatment at a young age. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is thought to be diminished due to visual impairment, facial deformities, and fear of recurrence or secondary cancer. However, few studies have identified variables associated with HRQOL among those with RB. Purpose: To compare HRQOL of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with RB to matched controls and to identify predictors of HRQOL in RB survivors. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 198 AYAs (101 RBs and 97 controls) completed HRQOL (PROMIS®-29 profile) and psychosocial questionnaires (Rosenberg self-esteem scale, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and Hollingshead index for socioeconomic status). Clinical variables (age at diagnosis, visual acuity, laterality, heredity, treatment regime, and anesthesia exposure) were extracted from the medical record. Correlates of HRQOL were estimated using linear regression models. Results: RB survivors reported similar HRQOL compared to controls. Physical function (p < .001), social support (p = .013), and self-esteem (p = .028) were lower in the RB group compared to controls. Visual acuity and self-esteem accounted for 52% of the variance in PROMIS physical health summary scores and self-esteem accounted for 38% of the variance in mental health summary scores. Conclusion: Despite deficits in physical function and self-esteem HRQOL in RB survivors was comparable to healthy counterparts. However, the majority of RB survivors in this study had normal visual acuity. Clinicians should explore ways to enhance self-esteem in RB survivors.

School Disengagement Predicts Accelerated Aging among Black American Youth: Mediation by Psychological Maladjustment and Moderation by Supportive Parenting

Early experiences of school disengagement may serve as a warning sign for later young adult adjustment difficulties and eventually contribute to accelerated aging among Black American youth. At the same time, supportive parenting may play a protective role. Using longitudinal data from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), we examined psychological maladjustment (comprising depression, lack of self-regulation, and low self-esteem) as a mediator of the relationship between school disengagement and accelerated aging. We also examined the effect of supportive parenting in buffering the impact of school disengagement on adulthood outcomes by controlling for covariates. Hypotheses were examined in a sample of 386 (Mean age = 28.68; Females = 62.7%; Males = 37.3%) Black American youth who were followed into young adulthood. Path modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships. We found school disengagement, i.e., problems with school attendance, performance, and engagement, reported across ages 10-18, predicted psychological maladjustment, which, in turn, predicted accelerated aging at age 29. We also found a buffering effect for supportive parenting. No significant gender difference in the indirect effect or buffering effect was found. This study highlights the potential importance of greater attention to school disengagement to identify and potentially influence long-term health trajectories and adult outcomes for Black American youth.

From Weight Bias Internalization to Health-Related Quality of Life: Self-esteem and Psychopathology in Pre-bariatric Surgery Patients

INTRODUCTION

It has been reported that people seeking bariatric surgery have poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is prevalent in this population and strongly associated with psychopathology and health status. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between WBI and the physical and mental dimensions of HRQoL remain to be clarified.

METHODS

A preoperative sample of patients with obesity (N = 246; women = 75.2%; M_age = 32.07) completed validated measures as part of a routine preoperative psychological assessment to assess their WBI, self-esteem, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and HRQoL.

RESULTS

After controlling for the effects of gender, age, and BMI, WBI was linked to poorer physical and mental HRQoL through low self-esteem and increased psychological distress, including anxiety and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

In pre-bariatric surgery patients with obesity, high WBI may predict impairments in mental and physical HRQoL by lowering self-esteem, and further increasing anxiety and depressive symptoms. Interventions targeting WBI may be an important aspect to consider in the clinical treatment of pre-bariatric surgery patients. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to determine causality.

Feeling Younger, Rehabilitating Better: Reciprocal and Mediating Effects between Subjective Age and Functional Independence in Osteoporotic Fracture and Stroke Patients

INTRODUCTION

The current study aimed to find reciprocal effects between subjective age and functional independence during rehabilitation from osteoporotic fractures and stroke and whether these effects can be mediated by indicators of well-being.

METHODS

Participants were 194 older adults (mean age = 78.32 years, SD = 7.37; 64.8% women) who were hospitalized following an osteoporotic fracture or stroke. Participants completed measures of subjective age and well-being (i.e., optimism, self-esteem, and life satisfaction) several times during rehabilitation. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was completed by nursing personnel at admission and at discharge.

RESULTS

Younger subjective age at admission predicted higher FIM scores at discharge. The reverse effect, that is, of FIM scores at admission on subjective age at discharge, was nonsignificant. Optimism during hospitalization mediated the effect of subjective age on subsequent FIM scores while self-esteem and life satisfaction did not. Sensitivity analyses further showed that the effect of subjective age on FIM was significant for both fracture and stroke patients.

DISCUSSION

The findings highlight the effect of subjective age on rehabilitation outcomes among osteoporotic fractures and stroke patients and suggest several potential mechanisms behind this effect. Rehabilitation outcomes following osteoporotic fractures or strokes could improve if subjective age and an optimistic outlook are taken into consideration.

Systemic And Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, And Approaches To Dismantling

Racism is not always conscious, explicit, or readily visible-often it is systemic and structural. Systemic and structural racism are forms of racism that are pervasively and deeply embedded in systems, laws, written or unwritten policies, and entrenched practices and beliefs that produce, condone, and perpetuate widespread unfair treatment and oppression of people of color, with adverse health consequences. Examples include residential segregation, unfair lending practices and other barriers to home ownership and accumulating wealth, schools' dependence on local property taxes, environmental injustice, biased policing and sentencing of men and boys of color, and voter suppression policies. This article defines systemic and structural racism, using examples; explains how they damage health through many causal pathways; and suggests approaches to dismantling them. Because systemic and structural racism permeate all sectors and areas, addressing them will require mutually reinforcing actions in multiple sectors and places; acknowledging their existence is a crucial first step.

Exploring the Link Between the Hazards and Value of Work, and Overcoming Risk for Community-Based Health Interventions for Immigrant Latinx Low-Wage Workers

Few studies integrate work and immigration as intersecting social determinants of health. We synthesize data from 12 focus groups (N = 97) originating from two separate community-engaged studies that originally centered on exploring barriers to health and hazards of work among immigrant Latinx women and men to explore the role of work in their overall health and well-being. The three major interrelated themes we drew from this research-hazards of work, value of work, and building agency to overcome risk-provide insights that can help to reframe and begin to operationalize how community-based health promotion practice might better incorporate workplace issues for Latinx low-wage workers. The value of work, and its subtheme, pride in performing well specifically, could be engaged by workers to actively change conditions for themselves and others. We discuss findings in light of previous occupational health research and implications for community-based intervention design and practice.

Chubby, Hairy and Fearless. Subcultural Identities and Predictors of Self-Esteem in a Sample of Polish Members of Bear Community

Bear subculture exists within a larger gay community, which has been recognized by public health experts as disproportionately burdened with stigma and related health adversities. Bears are distinguished by a particular body look—body hirsuteness and heavy-set physique. Previous research documented the various health risks, and the exposure to both sexual minority and weight stigma, of this population. In this study we focused on the determinants of self-esteem in Bears. We explored the significance of such predictors as: perceived sexual minority and weight stigma, age, resilience, and physique as reflected by the BMI. Our sample consisted of 60 men from the Polish Bear community (i.e., Bears, Cubs, Otters, Wolves). Linear regression models were performed for the entire sample (N = 60) and for Bear-identified men (N = 31). Perceived sexual minority stigma negatively, and resilience positively, predicted self-esteem. In the case of Bear-identified men, age, perceived exposure to weight discrimination, and BMI were also significant predictors of self-esteem. Higher BMI in the case of Bear-identified men predicted higher self-esteem. Our results suggest that although Bear-identified men are characterized by their similarities to other gay men, subcultural identities create unique social contexts that are important for health and health interventions in this population.

Psychobiological indicators of the subjectively experienced health status - findings from the Women 40+ Healthy Aging Study

BACKGROUND

Healthy aging is particularly important in women, as their life-span is generally longer than men's, leaving women at higher risk for age-related diseases. Understanding determinants of women's healthy aging is therefore a major public health interest. Clinical utility of previous research is limited, through its focus on either single psychosocial or biological predictors. The present study investigated psychobiological predictors of women's healthy aging, for the first time including positive psychological traits and biomarkers of healthy aging.

METHODS

Totally, 121 generally healthy women aged 40 to 75 were investigated cross-sectionally. Healthy aging was operationalized via self-rated health (SRH). To gain a nuanced view of the particularities at the upper end of the illness-wellness continuum, women with excellent SRH and those with good SRH were analyzed as distinct groups. Socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables, health behavior, resilience, optimism, and self-worth as well as menopausal symptoms, and levels of steroid hormones and gonadotropins were considered as predictors of SRH. Binary logistic regression analyses using the forward conditional method were performed with the two health status groups as dependent variable.

RESULTS

Women with a lower body mass index (BMI; OR = .59, 95% CI = .33-1.03), higher intensive physical activity (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.06-4.86), and higher resilience (OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.34-4.18) were more likely to rate their health as excellent compared to good. No clinically significant differences could be found regarding endocrine levels.

CONCLUSION

Psychobiological indicators (lower BMI, intensive physical activity, higher resilience) discriminated SRH at the top level of the health spectrum. In healthy women, the predictive value of endocrine markers seems to be secondary. Interventions targeting these indicators could promote women's healthy aging.

The minority strengths model: Development and initial path analytic validation in racially/ethnically diverse LGBTQ individuals

OBJECTIVE

The minority stress model and much research based upon it tend to adopt and reinforce a deficit-based approach. This study created and initially validated the minority strengths model, which by contrast outlines how personal and collective strengths in minority populations create resilience and positive mental and physical health.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

A sample of 317 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds completed a national online survey.

RESULTS

A minority strengths path model was generated with statistically significant paths and good fit indices, including all possible significant indirect effects. The model explained 16.8% of the variance in identity pride, 19.7% in self-esteem, 32.9% in resilience, 41.6% in mental health, and 13.0% in positive health behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

The minority strengths model holds promise to stimulate research on the personal and collective strengths of minority populations and the ways in which strengths generate resilience and positive mental and physical health.

Love is a physiological motivation (like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex)

The multitude of terms associated with love has given rise to a false perception of love. In this paper, only maternal and romantic love are considered. Love is usually regarded as a feeling, motivation, addiction, passion, and, above all, an emotion. This confusion has consequences in the lives of human beings, leading not only to divorces, suicides, femicides but possibly also to a number of mental illnesses and suffering. Therefore, it is crucial to first clarify what is meant by emotion, motivation and love. This work aims to finally place love within the category of physiological motivations, such as hunger, thirst, sleep, or sex, on the basis that love is also essential for human survival, especially in childhood. Love is presented from an evolutionary perspective. Some other similarities between love and other physiological motivations are pointed out, such as its importance for appropriate human development, both its ontogeny and its permanence, and the long-lasting consequences of abuse and neglect. There are summarized reasons that account for this, such as the fact that physiological motivations are essential for survival and that love is an essential motivation for the survival of human offspring. Other reasons are that minimum changes in the quantity and quality of love alters development, that there can be a variety of neurophysiological and behavioural states within a motivation, and that motivations (also love) appear and change throughout development. Also, motivations and love sometimes may lead to an addictive behaviour. Finally, it is recognized that once physiological motivations (and love) appear, they become permanent. In a third section, some potential social, cultural, clinical and scientific consequences of the proposed consideration of love as a motivation are discussed. Accordingly, love's recognition as a motivation in the clinical field would imply a better understanding of its disorders and its inclusion in classifications manuals such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Considering love as a motivation rather than an emotion could also impact the results of scientific research (an example is included). A comprehensive understanding of these questions could potentially allow for a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of mental illness, while offering an all-inclusive evolutionary explanation of cultural phenomena such as the origin and diffusion of both language and art. Love should be understood as a physiological motivation, like hunger, sleep or sex, and not as an emotion as it is commonly considered.