Maladaptive Daydreaming in Relation to Linguistic Features and Attachment Style

(1) Background: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a concept that describes a significant imaginary activity that replaces human engagement and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning. We explored the interaction between attachment style, reflective functioning (RF), and the narrative dimension of MD. (2) Methods: 414 adults completed an online survey, including socio-demographic variables, the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Relationship Questionnaire, and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. Participants were asked to write a short description of the most representative episodes of their daydreams. Eighty-four participants were identified as maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). (3) Results: A set of t-tests between MDers and non-MDers group showed differences in attachment dimensions, RF, and linguistic measures. A linear regression model with Global Severity Index (GSI) of the revised Symptom Checklist-90 as the dependent variable, and psychological scales as independent variables showed that the MD score was the strongest predictor of GSI. Regarding differences between the two groups in linguistic measures, the MDers showed more use of reflection and sensory-somatic words, and a smaller number of affective words. (4) Conclusions: These results support the idea that the MD is a process connected to psychopathological mechanisms, probably to a sub-symbolic activation, and to dysfunctional self–other relational patterns that are difficult to integrate.

Comparative Analysis of Paired Correlations Structure Between Psychological Scales in Relation to Groups of Different Sizes

Purpose: To propose a procedure for comparative analysis of correlation relationships structure between psychological scales in samples of different sizes. Material and methods: A procedure of comparative analysis of correlation relationships structure between psychological indicators in groups of different sizes based on the «zet» method of R. Fisher is proposed. To illustrate the method, data from psychodiagnostic surveys of the nuclear power plant (NPP) personnel who worked in normal conditions and the personnel of the Chernobyl NPP at four different stages of aftermath activities in 1986–1987 were used. All the subjects performed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI); the results of each of the groups were subjected to a correlation analysis using the Pearson method. The analysis took into account average (0.5 ≤ r < 0.7) and strong (r ≥ 0.7) correlations. Results: Using the example of a number of psychodiagnostic examinations of the Chernobyl NPP personnel at various stages of aftermath activities, it is shown that the structure of correlation relationships between the MMPI scales can reflect the peculiarities of mental adaptation of professional teams working in regular and extreme conditions. It was shown that in the aftermath process by March–April 1987, the number of medium and strong pairwise Pearson correlations between the clinical MMPI scales increased. This fact apparently indicates that during this period, the NPP personnel were characterized by the simultaneous activation of various mechanisms of intrapsychic adaptation. The core of the correlation pleiad consisted of scales 1, 2, 7, and 8. Such a multidirectional reaction to the aftermath stressors was accompanied by a statistically significant increase in almost all clinical scales (except scale 6) of the average MMPI profile in comparison with the control group. The absence of stable correlations of clinical scales with the F scale indicates that the marked increase in the MMPI profile was not associated with a tendency to aggravation. By the period of November–December 1987, the hypochondria scale occupied a leading place in the correlation pleiad of the MMPI indicators of the Chernobyl NPP personnel, the number of its significant connections with other clinical scales (2, 3, 7 and 8) reached four. Apparently, the mechanism of anxiety somatization at that time could be considered as a syndrome-forming factor and taken into account when planning rehabilitation and health measures. Conclusion: The use of the proposed method of the strength standardization of pairwise correlation relationships between the MMPI scales allowed us to legitimately compare these indicators in groups that differ significantly in number. The chosen representation form of correlations facilitates the analysis of their structure.

IMPACT OF COVID19 ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SLEEP HEALTH OF MEDICAL AND PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS

The objective of this study was to evaluatey the distress, anxiety, depression, and sleep impact of COVID19 pandemic on medical and paramedical students via an online survey. This prospective cross-sectional study included 382 (115 male and 267 female) participants and was conducted at University of Health Sciences, in northern India, through an online survey using three psychological scales- Peritraumatic distress Inventory (PDI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). The respondents included phase one and two students from various streams namely M.B.B.S (n=208; 53.47%), B.D.S (n=62; %), Nursing (n=91; 6%) and technical courses (n=21; 5.7%). One ninety-eight students (51.8%) suffered mild to severe stress, 161(42.1%) suffered anxiety, 169(44.2%) were depressed and 189(49.5%) students suffered some degree of insomnia. There was no difference in psychological and sleep morbidities in subgroup analysis of gender, residence and stream of medical education. CONCLUSION: The psychological morbidity is high in medical and paramedical students in terms of anxiety, depression, mental distress and sleep abnormalities in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The students should be counselled regarding mental health at regular interval and professional help should be taken when necessary.

Relationship between the Severity of Anxiety Symptoms, Aggression and Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

Background and objectives: There have been many reports of mental health in the pandemic period. The research conducted so far has indicated an increase in the severity of anxiety and aggression and an escalation of alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the severity of anxiety, the amount of alcohol consumed and the severity of aggression. Materials and Methods: A total of 538 Polish residents—413 women (76.77%) and 125 men (23.23%)—participated in the study via an online survey. It included socio-demographic parameters and psychological scales: AUDIT—to determine the model of alcohol consumption, GAD-7—to measure the severity of anxiety and the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Results: There was a correlation between the severity of anxiety and generalized aggression, and its two components—anger and hostility—in the entire study group. Moreover, relations were found between the intensity of alcohol consumption and generalized aggression and its components—anger and verbal and physical aggression. Those relationships turned out to be gender specific. The increased anxiety intensity affected the pattern of alcohol consumption and the severity of aggression. Conclusions: Psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational interactions and some elements of psychiatric treatment should aim at reducing the severity of anxiety in society, and thus minimizing the health and social consequences—aggressive behaviour and excessive alcohol consumption.

Psychological scales adaptation for conservation: Example of human-wildlife conflict for Komodo dragon conservation

First adaptation of psychology scales in human-wildlife conflict context in Indonesia.

The Relationship Between Gratitude And Subjective Welfare In Students Of The Faculty Of Psychology And Educational Sciences Muhammadiyah University Sidoarjo

Recently, students often experience stress due to various demands, such as college assignments and thesiss. This study aims to determine the relationship between gratitude and subjective well-being in students of the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo. The method in this study uses a correlational quantitative approach. The sample in this study were students of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Muhammadiyah University of Sidoarjo, totaling 299 students. The sampling technique was carried out by random sampling method. Data collection used two psychological scales with a Likert scale model for gratitude scale and a Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule for subjective well-being scale. Data analysis using the product moment correlation test technique. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between gratitude and subjective well-being in students of the Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo, with a correlation coefficient of 0.093 with a significance of 0.017 > 0.05. The determinant coefficient test shows a result of 0.006 (R Square), which explains that in this study, the gratitude variable has an effective effect of 0.6% on subjective well-being. The test results show the hypothesis can be accepted.

Using Constrained Factor Mixture Analysis to Validate Mixed-Worded Psychological Scales: The Case of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in the Dominican Republic

A common method to collect information in the behavioral and health sciences is the self-report. However, the validity of self-reports is frequently threatened by response biases, particularly those associated with inconsistent responses to positively and negatively worded items of the same dimension, known as wording effects. Modeling strategies based on confirmatory factor analysis have traditionally been used to account for this response bias, but they have recently become under scrutiny due to their incorrect assumption of population homogeneity, inability to recover uncontaminated person scores or preserve structural validities, and their inherent ambiguity. Recently, two constrained factor mixture analysis (FMA) models have been proposed by Arias et al. (2020) and Steinmann et al. (2021) that can be used to identify and screen inconsistent response profiles. While these methods have shown promise, tests of their performance have been limited and they have not been directly compared. Thus the objective of the current study was to assess and compare their performance with data from the Dominican Republic of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (N = 632). Additionally, as this scale had not yet been studied for this population, another objective was to show how using constrained FMAs could help in the validation of mixed-worded scales. The results indicated that removing the inconsistent respondents identified by both FMAs (≈8%) reduced the amount of wording effects in the database. However, whereas the Steinmann et al. method only cleaned the data partially, the Arias et al. (2020) method was able to remove the great majority of the wording effects variance. Based on the screened data with the Arias et al. method, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the RSES for the Dominican population, and the results indicated that the scores had good validity and reliability properties. Given these findings, we recommend that researchers incorporate constrained FMAs into their toolbox and consider using them to screen out inconsistent respondents to mixed-worded scales.

The Potential Role of Serotonergic Hallucinogens in Depression Treatment

Due to an increasing number of depression diagnoses and limited effective treatments, researchers continue to explore novel therapeutic strategies for this disorder. Recently, interest has revolved around the use of serotonergic psychedelics to reduce the symptoms of depression. In this systematic review, we summarize the currently available knowledge on the safety and efficacy of psychedelic substances for the treatment of depression. A literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database identified 14 clinical trials from the last 10 years that examined the use of psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, or LSD for the treatment of depression symptoms. Some psychedelics, especially psilocybin, demonstrated an ability to reduce depressive symptoms as measured by several psychological scales, which was often sustained for months after the last psychedelic session. Moreover, one study revealed that psilocybin has comparable efficacy to escitalopram in the treatment of depression. None of the studies reported any serious adverse events associated with psychedelic administration. The reviewed studies suggest that psychedelics have great potential in depression therapy and, after addressing and overcoming the current study limitations, may be used as a novel method of treating depression in the future.

The effects of firefighting boots and personal protective equipment load on foot thermal comfort

Maintaining foot comfort is important as it influences the overall comfort of the human body. Shoe microclimate and foot skin temperature have been suggested to contribute to the thermal sensation of the foot. Considering the thermal environment and personal protective equipment (PPE) used for structural and proximity firefighting, climatic chamber tests with 13 male participants were conducted during standing and walking. Four test conditions – unloaded with training shoes, loaded with training shoes, unloaded with firefighting boots, and loaded with firefighting boots – were designed to investigate the effects of firefighting boots and PPE load on the thermal comfort of the human foot. Physiological variables of in-shoe and foot skin temperature at the whole and local regions of the foot were measured and subjective responses were gathered using psychological scales. The results showed that wearing firefighting boots may elevate the thermal sensation of wearers. The PPE load increased the in-shoe and foot skin temperature as well as subjective ratings. Subjective sensations of the foot were strongly correlated with in-shoe and skin temperature in the plantar regions. Correlation analysis of thermal sensation at the whole and local foot regions indicated that the sensation at the forefoot was closest to the whole foot, followed by the midfoot and heel. The findings address the relationship of physiological and subjective variables as well as the thermal sensation of whole and local foot regions, which can be considered for footwear design and thermal comfort prediction of the foot and whole body.