Exploring negative affect dynamics in high resolution: within-person relationship of inertia and instability with depression is mediated by affect intensity

Background: Temporal patterns of affective functioning such as emotional inertia and instability may indicate changes in emotion regulation that predict depression. However, affect dynamics’ incremental validity over affect intensity and exposure to stressors in predicting depression has been questioned.Methods: We collected longitudinal data regarding momentary affective states (measured multiple times a day), perceived stressors and depressive symptoms (measured every three days) from a general population sample during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave in Hungary. The final dataset included 7165 affective states surveys from 125 participants, which were aggregated in 464 three-day measurement windows. Using multilevel models, we explored the unique effects of within-person changes in mean level, inertia, and instability of negative affective states (NA), and stressor-exposure on two domains of depression (anhedonia and negative mood and thoughts) within the three-day windows.Results: Within-person increases in NA inertia and NA instability showed significant positive associations with negative mood and thoughts. These effects did not remain significant after adjusting for mean levels of NA. Multilevel mediation analysis revealed that within individuals, NA inertia and instability indirectly predicted negative mood and thoughts through elevated NA mean.Limitations: The application of self-report questionnaires might bias the results, and the overrepresentation of female participants could limit the generalizability of the findings.Conclusions: Specific patterns of temporal affective functioning are indirect predictors of depressive symptoms at the within-individual level. Our findings may facilitate automated depression risk assessment on the basis of simple affective time series.

Maternal Choline Supplementation as a Potential Therapy for Down Syndrome: Assessment of Effects Throughout the Lifespan

Maternal choline supplementation (MCS) has emerged as a promising therapy to lessen the cognitive and affective dysfunction associated with Down syndrome (DS). Choline is an essential nutrient, especially important during pregnancy due to its wide-ranging ontogenetic roles. Using the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS, our group has demonstrated that supplementing the maternal diet with additional choline (4-5 × standard levels) during pregnancy and lactation improves spatial cognition, attention, and emotion regulation in the adult offspring. The behavioral benefits were associated with a rescue of septohippocampal circuit atrophy. These results have been replicated across a series of independent studies, although the magnitude of the cognitive benefit has varied. We hypothesized that this was due, at least in part, to differences in the age of the subjects at the time of testing. Here, we present new data that compares the effects of MCS on the attentional function of adult Ts65Dn offspring, which began testing at two different ages (6 vs. 12 months of age). These data replicate and extend the results of our previous reports, showing a clear pattern indicating that MCS has beneficial effects in Ts65Dn offspring throughout life, but that the magnitude of the benefit (relative to non-supplemented offspring) diminishes with aging, possibly because of the onset of Alzheimer's disease-like neuropathology. In light of growing evidence that increased maternal choline intake during pregnancy is beneficial to the cognitive and affective functioning of all offspring (e.g., neurotypical and DS), the addition of this nutrient to a prenatal vitamin regimen would be predicted to have population-wide benefits and provide early intervention for fetuses with DS, notably including babies born to mothers unaware that they are carrying a fetus with DS.

The Consequences of Nutrition Hazards: A Literature Review

A better understanding of the factors that mitigate the consequences of nutrition-related hazards and encourage resilience is required to prevent against or improve poor development outcomes. This study included a review of the literature. Dietary adequacy is essential for growth and development, but current data suggests that nutrition supplements alone is insufficient to generate resilience to defend against, alleviate, and recover from nutritional stressors, as well as to promote healthy development. It is vital to combine nutrition therapy with stimulation and responsive care. Combined nutrition and psychosocial stimulation treatments may be successful in promoting protective factors and mitigating risks for impaired cognitive, motor, social, and affective functioning, hence assisting children in adapting to adversity.

Impact of Self-Efficacy and Affective Functioning on Pediatric Concussion Symptom Severity

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-efficacy predicted pediatric concussion symptom severity and explore whether affective mood states (e.g., depression) influenced this relationship. Method: Children (8–17 years) who were diagnosed with a concussion within 30 days of injury participated in the study (n = 105). Following a clinical assessment, participants and caregivers completed questionnaires that assessed overall concussion symptom severity and current depression symptoms. Participants also completed ratings capturing self-efficacy for managing concussion recovery. Results: Linear regression models revealed that greater levels of self-efficacy predicted lower parent- (R2 = 0.10, p = .001) and youth-rated (R2 = 0.23, p < .001) concussion symptom severity. Interestingly, depression symptoms moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and concussion symptom severity. Conclusions: Findings provide initial support for a relationship between self-efficacy and concussion outcomes and highlight the influence of depressive symptoms. Interventions that optimize youth’s self-efficacy have the potential to increase treatment adherence, reduce concussion symptom severity, and improve recovery prognosis.

Exploring Fidelity in School-Based Mindfulness Programs

A small but growing body of research on school-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) has demonstrated benefits for students’ cognitive and affective functioning and overall wellbeing. Yet, lack of fidelity in SBMP implementation may diminish these programs’ purported benefits. This commentary presents 4 current challenges that need to be addressed so that questions of whether and how mindfulness improves student functioning can be clarified and implementation of programs can be strengthened and sustained. These challenges include coming to consensus on the definition and intention of mindfulness training, balancing adherence with flexibility in SBMP delivery, determining the role SBMP teachers’ mindfulness experience plays in program fidelity, and delineating distinctive features of mindful pedagogy. Some suggestions for addressing each of these challenges are provided.

Nutrition quality of life associated with affective functioning among Omani patients with type 2 diabetes from primary health care

Diabetes requires challenging lifelong dietary management, affects quality of life and heightens the impact of affective functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Nutrition Quality of Life (NQOL) and affective functioning in a sample of Omani patients with type 2 diabetes. A sample of 149 adults with type 2 diabetes was conveniently recruited from seven Primary Health Centers (PHCs) during follow-up visits. Data were gathered via face-to-face interviews. Pearson correlation and χ2 test of independence were applied to examine associations at P < 0⋅05. Most patients had poor glycemic control (71⋅1 %), BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (85⋅2 %) and central obesity (75⋅8 %), and moderate (54⋅4 %) and poor (32⋅9 %) level of NQOL. Based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 16⋅1 and 23⋅5 % of the sample endorsed the presence of anxiety and depression, respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between NQOL and HADS (r −0⋅590, P = 0⋅000), anxiety (r −0⋅597, P = 0⋅000) and depression (r −0⋅435, P = 0⋅000). There was a significant association between NQOL and HADS, χ2 (2) = 38⋅21, P < 0⋅01 that was large, Cramer's V = 0⋅51. Also, there were significant associations (P < 0⋅01) between NQOL and HADS when controlling for HbA1c, BMI, waist circumference and HMNT that were moderately to largely strong, Cramer's V = 0⋅43–0⋅55. There is an evident association between NQOL and affective functioning in adults with type 2 diabetes. Further research is recommended to confirm these relationships and to guide intervention programmes at PHCs to help improve the general quality of life of such patients.

Perceived Effects, Motor Dexterity, Cognitive and Affective Functioning Between Smokers and Non-Smokers among Selected College Students

Background/Aim: Smoking addiction is a pervasive and high risk behavior linked with complex and damaging effects to a person’s biology, behaviors, psychological well-being and cultural influence. Chronic smoking is also associated with increased risk of exposure to neurodegenerative diseases and cigarette smoking poorly affects both cognitive and affective functioning of the smokers. The perceived effects of smoking are often generalized by society such that it is viewed in extremes. This means that the societal perceptions are either smoking serves as a “relaxing mechanism”, hence, making it as acceptable as any normal habit or that, conversely, smoking is gravely dangerous to one’s health when considered as a vice. This research focused on the causal comparative ex post facto of smoking and its perceived effects to the psychological functioning among smokers and non-smokers. Methods: O’ Connor Finger Dexterity Test, Abstract Reasoning Test and Affective Functioning Assessment Test were used as bases of data comparison between the two groups. Result/Conclusion: The test results indicate that there is a significant difference between the cognitive functioning and affective functioning among the smokers in comparison with non-smokers.