Inverse Correlation Between Distress and Performance in the Medical Rescuers Against COVID-19 in Wuhan

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government had transferred many medical rescuers to Wuhan, which provided effective support in disease control. The high-intensity working and mental stress during rescue could induce distress and negatively impact the performance of rescuer afterward.Materials and Methods: To identify the characteristics of stress load and its possible effects on performance, the study surveyed 90 medical rescuers in Wuhan using a mobile phone–based self-rated questionnaire.Results: The results showed an existence of universal but mostly mild distress in rescuers. About 95.6% of the participants reported that they had at least one symptom of distress, whereas, the median scores were <30 (100 as max). Compared with civilian rescuers, a higher proportion of working with immediate virus contact was found in military medical rescuers (P = 0.008); however, no statistical differences of stress load were found between civilians and militaries. The rescuers with positive cognition or good psychological preparation were found having lower stress loads than other rescuers. An inverse correlation between the stress load and performance (R = −0.24, P = 0.023) and a positive correlation between social support and working performance (R = 0.349, P = 0.001) were found in our survey, suggesting the possible negative effects of stress and the beneficial effects of social support on performance.Conclusion: Our study indicated that more attention should be paid to the distress of medical rescuers against COVID-19. Positive cognitions, good psychological preparations, and sufficient social support would be necessary to reduce the distress and improve the performance in COVID-19 rescue.

“They Think I’m Amazing but Won’t Talk with Me.” Neurotypical People Are More Cognitively Than Behaviorally Positive Towards Their Autistic Friends

Negative stereotypes and ostracism of those on the autism spectrum persist, with consequences for autistic people including fewer friendships and smaller social networks. Recent work in the area has found that diagnosis disclosure can have a positive effect on autistic peer perceptions and that non-autistic people often decide whether or not to maintain relations with autistic individuals based on initial thin slice judgements. Participants (N = 423) in this study were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (disclosure of autism diagnosis or no disclosure) and read a fictional vignette depicting a social interaction with someone displaying behaviors characteristic of autism. They then answered questions regarding their affective, behavioral, and cognitive responses to the character. Results indicate that non-autistic people show positive cognitions, but less positive behavior, towards those on the spectrum, and that participants with autistic friends (regardless of diagnosis disclosure) showed more negativity to the vignette character than those participants without such friends. Implications are discussed in light of situational factors that may be present within these relationships.

Positive Internal Experiences in PTSD Interventions: A Critical Review

Evidence suggests that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms exhibit deficits in positive internal experiences. This study critically reviewed empirically validated PTSD interventions to determine (1) whether positive memories, cognitions, and emotions were explicitly addressed and (2) the goals of focusing on these positive internal experiences. We selected 11 empirically validated PTSD interventions listed as “recommended/strongly recommended” in recently published reviews, reviewed existing literature for studies using these interventions ( N = 1,070), short-listed randomized controlled trial studies meeting predetermined inclusion criteria for the selected interventions (in English, developed for adults, individual therapy modality, in-person administration, tailored to PTSD; N = 47), and emailed authors ( N = 41) to obtain the unique intervention manuals. Hereby, we reviewed 13 unique empirically validated PTSD intervention manuals. Findings indicated 53.85%, 69.23%, and 69.23% of reviewed manuals explicitly discussed positive memories, emotions, and cognitions, respectively. Primarily, positive memories were integral to mechanisms underlying PTSD, a precursor to targeting negative experiences, an indicator of treatment progress, or a way to identify client problems; positive emotions were discussed when providing psychoeducation on PTSD/trauma reactions; and positive cognitions were addressed in reference to coping with negative experiences or as targets to enhance self-concept. This review demonstrates that comparatively, positive memories are infrequently elicited in the reviewed interventions; positive emotions and cognitions are explicitly referenced in two-thirds of the reviewed interventions but are included as a primary focus for therapeutic processing only in a few interventions; and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing has the most comprehensive focus on positive internal experiences.

Mental Imagery, Optimism, and Self-efficacy: The Role of Imagery Perspective and Imagery Modality in Positive Cognition

This study examined whether using different imagery perspectives and modalities plays a role in the link between vividness of imagining positive events and positive cognition such as optimism, self-efficacy and memory for positive mood. We asked participants to complete self-rating scales of positive cognition and to imagine doing various actions in positive situations from the external and internal perspectives of visual modality and when using kinesthetic modality. We found that vividness of imagining actions in positive situations from an external perspective predicts all positive cognitions: optimism and self-efficacy and memory of positive mood. The vividness of imagining actions in positive situations from the internal perspective of visual modality and kinesthetic imagery predicted only self-efficacy and memory of positive mood but not optimism. We discuss the findings in light of existing theories regarding imagery and positive cognition and suggest several possibilities of using imagery perspective for imagery interventions.

Are commercials able to give you wings? The impact of risk-glorifying commercials on risk behavior.

Previous research on risk-glorifying media has provided encompassing evidence for a positive connection between risk-glorifying contents and (a) risk-positive emotions, (b) risk-positive cognitions and attitudes, and (c) risk-positive behavioral inclinations. Nevertheless, little evidence shows whether risk-glorifying content increases actual risk behavior. We conducted three experimental studies to assess whether risk-glorifying commercials increase risk behavior. In all studies, participants were randomly assigned to a risk-glorifying or a neutral commercial. Additionally, in Study 2 participants were randomly assigned to an additional arousal or a non-arousal condition to test the mediating effect of arousal. In Study 3, we tested the mediating effect of the accessibility to risk-positive cognitions. We measured participants’ risk behavior via the risk assessment ramp. Our results revealed that participants who watched the risk-glorifying commercial walked faster to the jumping-off point (Study 1, 2, & 3) and jumped from a higher level (Study 2 & 3), thus, indicating the exposure to risk-glorifying media content increases people’s risk behavior. Neither arousal, nor the accessibility to risk-positive cognition mediated the effect of risk-glorifying media content. Beyond our findings, we offer a new tool to assess risk behavior that is effective and easy to apply.

Comorbid Conditions, Emotional Distress, and Dysfunctional Cognitions

At least 70% of adults with ADHD have at least one comorbid disorder. Substance abuse is common. Why are people with ADHD more likely to have anxiety and depression? Perhaps there is shared genetic vulnerability. Perhaps certain environmental risk factors increase both the risk of ADHD and anxiety or depression. Plus, the stresses of living with ADHD make people feel anxious and depressed. Adults with ADHD feel more stress and have more stressors. Adults with ADHD may be especially prone to worry, rumination, and negative automatic thoughts. ADHD is not caused by maladaptive cognitions, but adults with ADHD have more negative automatic thoughts, even when they are not depressed. Maladaptive positive cognitions can be problematic as well and often maintain dysfunctional behavior in adults with ADHD.

Psychological factors addressed in cognitive behaviour therapy for paediatric functional abdominal pain: Which are most important to target?

The effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy for paediatric functional abdominal pain leaves room for improvement. We studied which factors addressed in cognitive behaviour therapy relate most strongly to the physical and psychological functioning of children with functional abdominal pain and are thus most important to target. Questionnaires were filled out by 117 children with functional abdominal pain and their parents. Multiple regression analyses showed that children’s passive coping and parental and children’s positive cognitions relate to child functioning. Negative cognitions and parental solicitous behaviour were unrelated to child functioning. Cognitive behaviour therapy for functional abdominal pain may benefit most from changing children’s passive coping and promoting positive cognitions.

Optimism as a Correlate of Happiness among Working Women

Promoting positive cognitions has been the quest for psychologists since the psychology has been pre-fixed with the very term positive. To be optimistic is one of the greatest strength for having positive cognitions which is expected to promote feeling of well-being within an individual. Thus, with positive thinking one can achieve the higher level of happiness. Particularly, working women is one of the groups which have been expected to perform multiple roles with efficiency. They have to meet expectations of each and every family member; even then, if they are working they are expected to be equally competent on professional front as well. Therefore it was worth full to conduct a study on working women to access their optimism and strength of its association with happiness for them. The study was carried out on a sample of 130 working females. The results from the statistical analysis revealed that happiness was strongly associated with optimism. Results also indicated that, working women those who scored high on happiness were also found high on optimism as compared to those who fall on the lower side on both the positive attributes.