Cholecystokinin B receptor gene polymorphism (rs2941026) is associated with anxious personality and suicidal thoughts in a longitudinal study

Objective: Cholecystokinin is a neuropeptide with a role in the neurobiology of adaptive behaviour that is implicated in anxiety disorders, while the underlying mechanisms currently remain insufficiently explained. The rs2941026 variation in the cholecystokinin B receptor gene has previously been associated with trait anxiety. Our aim was to investigate associations between the CCKB receptor gene polymorphism rs2941026 with anxiety, personality, depressiveness, and suicidality in a longitudinal study of late adolescence and early adulthood. Methods: We used reports on trait and state anxiety, depressiveness and suicidal thoughts, as well as Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales, from the two birth cohorts of the Estonian Children Personality, Behaviour and Health Study. We measured associations between the CCKBR gene rs2941026 and anxiety-related phenotypes both longitudinally and cross-sectionally at ages 15, 18, 25 and 33. Results: Homozygosity for both alleles of the CCKBR rs2941026 was associated with higher trait and state anxiety in the longitudinal analysis. Cross-sectional comparisons were statistically significant at ages 18 and 25 for trait anxiety and at ages 25 and 33 for state anxiety. Higher depressiveness and suicidal thoughts were associated with the A/A genotype at age 18. Additionally, homozygosity for the A-allele was related to higher FEAR and SADNESS in the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales. The genotype effects were more apparent in females, who displayed higher levels of negative affect overall. Conclusions: CCKBR genotype is persistently associated with negative affect in adolescence and young adulthood. The association of the CCKBR rs2941026 genotype with anxiety-related phenotypes is more pronounced in females.

Impact of Face Masks and Viewers’ Anxiety on Ratings of First Impressions from Faces

Face mask is now a common feature in our social environment. Although face covering reduces our ability to recognize other's face identity and facial expressions, little is known about its impact on the formation of first impressions from faces. In two online experiments, we presented unfamiliar faces displaying neutral expressions with and without face masks, and participants rated the perceived approachableness, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and dominance from each face on a 9-point scale. Their anxiety levels were measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. In comparison with mask-off condition, wearing face masks (mask-on) significantly increased the perceived approachableness and trustworthiness ratings, but showed little impact on increasing attractiveness or decreasing dominance ratings. Furthermore, both trait and state anxiety scores were negatively correlated with approachableness and trustworthiness ratings in both mask-off and mask-on conditions. Social anxiety scores, on the other hand, were negatively correlated with approachableness but not with trustworthiness ratings. It seems that the presence of a face mask can alter our first impressions of strangers. Although the ratings for approachableness, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and dominance were positively correlated, they appeared to be distinct constructs that were differentially influenced by face coverings and participants’ anxiety types and levels.

Subjective well-being and anxiety level during the COVID-2019 crisis: study in Ukrainian adolescence

The global pandemia and introduced quarantine provides completely new social conditions that affect the mental health of people. The influence of trait and state anxiety on people with different levels of subjective well-being in quarantine remains unexplored. Method: We used the PERMA-Profiler (J. Butler, M. Kern) technique to diagnose the overall level of subjective well-being and its components. The STAI method (С. Spielberger) was also used to study the level of respondent’s trait and state anxiety. Results: It was found that the overall level of life satisfaction is sig- nificantly negatively correlated with the level of trait anxiety (r = - .25). The level of state anxiety was unexpectedly lower at the beginning of quarantine (43.95 ± 3.90), than one month later (48.50 ± 5.08). Qualitative analysis has led to the conclusion that in adolescence this is due to a lack of awareness of the dangers of a pandemic and the general attitude to quarantine as a holiday and vacation. There was an inverse relationship between anxiety and positive emotions before the quarantine, but under quarantine, positive emo- tions lost their potential to contain anxiety, and correlations were insignificant, so even positive events under quarantine could not reduce COVID-19 anxiety. However, the general level of subjective well-being of Ukrainian youth does not correlate with the level of anxiety and has not changed significantly during the first months of the quarantine. Conclusions: The concept of subjective well-being of Ukrainian youth is based primarily on subjective indicators of positive emotions and meanings and much less depends on more objective criteria, such as health, engagement and accomplishment. It was found that during the first month of the quarantine, the level of state anxiety did not affect the experience of subjective well-being by Ukrainian adolescence. Key words: subjective well-being, anxiety, pandemic, COVID-19, quarantine, adolescence. Пандемія та запроваджений карантин створили цілком нові соціальні умови, котрі впливають на стан психічного здоров’я людей. Недослідженою залишається особистісна і ситуативна тривожність осіб з різним рівнем суб’єктивного благополуччя в умовах карантину. Методологія та методи. Використано методику “PERMA-Profiler” (Дж. Батлер, М. Керн) для діагностики загального рівня суб’єктивного благополуччя та його складових. Використано методику “STAI” (Ч. Спілбергер) для дослідження рівня особистісної та ситуативної тривожності респондентів. Результати. Встановлено, що загальний рівень задоволення життям значуще негативно корелює з рівнем загальної (особистісної) тривожності (r = - .25). Зафіксовано, що рівень ситуативної тривожності є неочікувано статистично нижчим на початку карантину (43.95±3.90), ніж через місяць після (48.50±5.08). Якісне аналізування дало змогу констатувати, що у юнаків це пов’язано з недостатнім усвідомленням загроз пандемії та загальним ставленням до карантину, як до відпочинку і канікул. З’ясовано, що причинами ситуативної три- вожності на початку карантину було переважно обмежене спілкування, страх за здоров’я та обмежена мобільність. Звернуто увагу, що до початку карантину існувала обернена залежність між рівнем тривожності та позитивними емоціями, але через місяць карантину позитивні емоції втратили свій потенціал щодо стримування рівня тривожності. Констатовано, що встановлені кореляції є неіс- тотними, навіть позитивні події в умовах карантину не здатні знижувати рівень тривожності щодо COVID-19. Встановлено, що загальний рівень суб’єктивного благополуччя українського юнацтва не корелює з рівнем тривожності та істотно не змінився за перші місяці запровадженого карантину. Висновки. З’ясовано, що благополуччя української молоді ґрунтується насамперед на суб’єктивних показниках позитивних емоцій, і значно менше залежить від більш об’єктивних критеріїв, таких як стан здоров’я, залученість та досягнення. Було встановлено, що впродовж першого місяця запро- вадженого карантину рівень ситуативної тривожності не вплинув на переживання суб’єктивного благополуччя українськими юнаками і юнками. Ключові слова: суб’єктивне благополуччя, тривожність, пандемія, COVID-19, карантин, юнацтво.

Depression, anxiety, burnout and empathy among Spanish medical students

Medical Education studies suggest that medical students experience mental distress in a proportion higher than in the rest of the population In the present study, we aimed to conduct a nationwide analysis of the prevalence of mental health problems among medical students. The study was carried out in 2020 in all 43 medical schools in Spain, and analyzes the prevalence of depression, anxiety, empathy and burnout among medical students (n = 5216). To measure these variables we used the Beck Depression Inventory Test for assessing depression, the Maslach Burnout Inventory Survey for Students was used for burnout, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to assess anxiety state and trait and the Jefferson Empathy Scale 12 to obtain empathy scores. In relation to depression, the data indicate an overall prevalence of 41%, with 23.4% of participants having moderate to severe levels, and 10% experiencing suicidal ideation. Burnout prevalence was 37%, significantly higher among 6th year than among 1st year students. Anxiety levels were consistent with those reported previously among medical students (25%), and were higher than in the general population for both trait and state anxiety. The prevalence of trait anxiety was higher among women. Empathy scores were at the top end of the scale, with the highest-scoring group (>130) containing a greater percentage of women. Similarly to those published previously for other countries, these results provide a clear picture of the mental disorders affecting Spanish medical students. Medicine is an extremely demanding degree and it is important that universities and medical schools view this study as an opportunity to ensure conditions that help minimize mental health problems among their students. Some of the factors underlying these problems can be prevented by, among other things, creating an environment in which mental health is openly discussed and guidance is provided. Other factors need to be treated medically, and medical schools and universities should therefore provide support to students in need through the medical services available within their institutions.

COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on the Mental Health of Professional Soccer: Comparison of Anxiety Between Genders

This study verifies associated factors with trait and state anxiety in professional soccer teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was composed of 315 athletes, coaches, and physical trainers of professional soccer teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. From this amount, 214 were classified with trait anxiety, and 315 were classified with state anxiety using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). This study is an epidemiological and cross-sectional study. We applied an observational method, and we performed a remote measurement. The measurement was made via online questionnaires in male and female individuals working on soccer teams (soccer professionals or athletes) who could be affected by anxiety during social isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic. Each questionnaire was composed of sociodemographic questions, self-perceived performance, and STAI. The main results indicated a significant difference between female vs. male soccer professionals in state anxiety (54.97 ± 9.43 vs. 57.65 ± 9.48 index) and trait anxiety (54.21 ± 5.74 vs. 55.76 ± 6.41 index) with higher results in men. Sociodemographic variables impacted significant differences between female and male athletes and professionals of soccer clubs, and anxiety during the pandemic COVID-19 period impacted self-perceived performance analysis. The present results highlight the importance of cognitive behavior therapy for professional soccer teams.

Personality Traits and Anxiety in Patients With Temporomandibular Disorders

BackgroundTemporomandibular disorders have long been suggested to result from psychological factors. Recent studies, however, tend to consider TMD a chronic psychosomatic illness. The present study was designed to explore the association between TMD and personality profile. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Reconstructed form was used to evaluate the association for the first time.MethodsA total of 258 subjects were participated in this case-control study. TMD cases as detected by Helkimo index were questioned regarding their personality characteristics and anxiety levels using MMPI-2-RF and Spielberger state and trait anxiety inventory.ResultsPatients with TMD scored higher on all personality characteristics except for Aberrant Experiences. The psychological profile of TMD showed no significant difference between theoretical and experimental ideas of persecution means. Patients with TMD reported significantly higher mean levels of state and trait anxiety than controls. The most frequently found anxiety levels in TMD cases have been mild state and trait anxiety (77.5% versus 74.4%).ConclusionPersonality characteristic scores were considerably higher in TMD patients. TMD cases detected by Helkimo index manifest both trait and state anxiety as common findings.

Relationships Between Anxiety, Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, and Smartphone Use During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in a Sample of Italian College Students

Introduction: As of March 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a “pandemic” by the WHO. This has led to the need for governments around the world to implement restrictive containment and isolation measures to stem the spread of the virus; these measures have included social distancing, isolation, and quarantine. The fear of contagion has been indicated as one of the causes of stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia in the general population. With respect to the response of young people to the pandemic, the category of University students deserves further attention. The sudden change in “University” habits (i.e., poor interaction with teachers and colleagues, disturbing learning environment, and difficulty in adapting to online learning), the consequent loss of a social network, and the economic problems in their families have seriously affected the psychophysical well-being of University students. The aim of this study was to explore, in a sample of Italian University students, the relationships among anxiety, perceived vulnerability to disease, and smartphone use during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A sample of 194 volunteer college students (i.e., 86 males and 108 females) aged between 18 and 30 years (M = 21.74; SD = 2.39) were recruited to participate in this study. Participants were recruited through an online questionnaire sent to students of the University of Catania, Italy, and distributed from September 2020 to January 2021. The volunteer participants were given an online protocol that included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) for the evaluation of fear, the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease (PVD) for the evaluation of perceived vulnerability to disease, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for the evaluation of trait and state anxiety, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version for Adolescents and Young Adults (SAS-SV) for the evaluation of use, abuse, or addiction of smartphone use.Results: The fear of COVID-19 did not reach an intensity such as to be defined as serious (i.e., fear score: 15.53) in the whole sample. Both men and women showed a high risk of smartphone addiction (i.e., score of males: 28.33 and score of females: 26.88) in SAS-SV. University students showed moderate trait and state anxiety [i.e., a score of 51.60 in Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and a score of 47.21 in State Anxiety Inventory (SAI)] in STAI. In addition, students showed moderate perceived vulnerability to disease (i.e., a score of 51.51) in PVD. The results showed that fear of COVID-19 and trait anxiety appear to be the predictors of SAI and PVD but not the predictors of risk of smartphone addiction (SAS-SV).Conclusions: The data highlighted the presence of a perception of vulnerability to infections in subjects in which there was also a moderate anxiety, both state and trait, associated with the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that a large part of the population will soon be vaccinated, including University students, and therefore, it would be desirable to carry out further assessments in the post-vaccine phase to highlight any differences in the state of anxiety and the perception of vulnerability to infections. The possible positive role of the use of smartphones in maintaining social contacts should also be emphasized.

Anxiety- and Depression-Related Individual Differences in Affective and Cognitive Judgments of Self-Referential Praise and Criticism

Introduction: While praise is generally pleasant and criticism unpleasant, individual differences in response to social evaluations arise from distinct personal traits and states. Here, we investigate how processing of self-referential praise and criticism varies with personal attributes related to anxiety and depression, two highly prevalent and often chronic affective conditions. Methods: Ninety-three healthy participants first completed questionnaires for anxiety- and depression-related traits and states, and then they were scheduled to perform an evaluation task to rate praise and criticism for pleasantness and truthfulness. Results: Fear of negative evaluation positively correlated with unpleasantness of criticism. Trait- and state-anxiety and depression were positively associated with the truthfulness of criticism but negatively associated with that of praise. We further divided participants into high- and low-scoring groups based on the medians of their scores of each scale that displayed significant correlations with comment ratings and found group differences in their responses to praise and criticism. Discussion: The findings suggest that more highly anxious and depressed individuals may be subject to negatively-distorted self-representations in response to self-referential evaluations, thus exhibiting attenuated rejection for criticism or reduced acceptance for praise, which may have important implications not only for facilitating daily social interactions but also for subclinical and clinical diagnosis and treatment given that affective and cognitive processing of self-referential evaluations serves as a critical process exhibiting the sense of the self.

Sources of Health Anxiety for Hospital Staff Working during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the likelihood that hospital staff will report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress has increased. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative influences of circumstantial, demographic, and trait–state anxiety variables on health anxiety in this group. Methods: A total of 168 hospital staff members (mean age: 28.91 years; 56.5% females) participated in the study. They completed a series of questionnaires covering sociodemographic characteristics, health anxiety, state–trait anxiety, and job-related information. Participants also reported whether they had close acquaintances (friends, family members) infected with COVID-19. Results: Higher health anxiety was related to both trait and state anxiety. Working on the frontline, being in contact with close acquaintances infected with COVID-19, and higher state and trait anxiety predicted higher health anxiety. Gender, age, and educational background were not predictors. Conclusions: In a sample of hospital staff, subjective feelings of anxiety about one own’s health were related to personality traits, individual experiences of having close acquaintances infected with COVID-19, and working on the frontline.