Relationship between coping strategies and change in symptom severity in contamination-focused OCD patients during the COVID-19: a one-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between coping strategies and the change in symptom severity in contamination-focused OCD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic over a one-year follow-up. METHODS: In March 2020, a one-year follow-up study was initiated with 56 contamination-focused OCD patients in Turkey. Coping strategies were evaluated using the COPE scale. OCD symptom severity was assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) at the beginning and end of the year. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was administered mid-year. RESULTS: One year post the onset of COVID-19, 68% of patients showed increased OCD symptom severity, while 32% displayed a decrease. Higher scores on the fear of COVID-19 scale and lower acceptance scores from COPE subscales were correlated with increased OCD symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified OCD symptoms in a substantial proportion of patients, particularly those with heightened fears related to the pandemic, and reduced acceptance-based coping strategies. Tailored interventions emphasising adaptive coping mechanisms may benefit OCD patients in managing their symptoms during external stressors like pandemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant variations in OCD symptom severity among individuals with contamination-focused OCD.Sixty-eight percent of patients showed an increase in OCD symptom severity (ISS group), while 32% displayed a decrease (DSS group) over a year after the pandemic's onset.Fear of COVID-19 was significantly higher among those with increased OCD symptoms, highlighting a link between external stressors and OCD exacerbation.Acceptance as a coping mechanism correlated with reduced OCD symptoms. Patients displaying increased OCD symptoms demonstrated lower acceptance scores.External factors, such as global pandemics, can have profound effects on existing mental health conditions. The correlation between fear of COVID-19 and OCD symptom progression confirms this.Acceptance-based therapeutic interventions might be effective for OCD patients facing significant stressors.

Exploring the Relationship between Smartphone Addiction, Quality of Life, and Personality Traits in University Students.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the dynamics of the relationship among smartphone addiction, quality of life, and personality characteristics in university students. Method : This correlational and descriptive research was conducted to investigate the relationship between smartphone addiction, quality of life, and personality traits among university students. Using a nonprobability random sampling method, 496 university students were selected. Data collection involved the Student Information Form, Smartphone Addiction Scale, Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Abridged Form (EPQR-A), and the WHO Quality of Life Scale-Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF). Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS 25.0, utilizing Chi-square tests, independent sample t-tests, and Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: Out of 496 students (average age of 20.52), 59.87% were identified as smartphone addicts based on the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. A notable difference was found by study year (P = 0.009) and socioeconomic status (P = 0.003). Participants with smartphone addiction registered higher SCL-90-r scores for conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Psychoticism. The Eysenck Personality Inventory highlighted that the Psychoticism score was significantly higher in the group with smartphone addiction (P = 0.001). A negative correlation between smartphone addiction scores and general health (WHOQoL) was identified, whereas a positive correlation with SCL-90-R's Psychoticism dimension score was observed (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is widespread among university student population. The study indicates that smartphone addiction not only impacts the individual's quality of life but also is associated with personality disorders, and these problems intensify with the severity of addiction. The findings underscore the need for interventions and educational programs to address smartphone addiction in this population.

Effect of childhood trauma on disease severity in patients with fibromyalgia: The mediating role of psychological resilience.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effect of childhood traumas on the disease severity in fibromyalgia and evaluate the mediating role of psychological resilience in this effect. Patients and methods: Between June 2017 and January 2018, this study included a total of 80 female patients (mean age: 31.9±4.0 years; range, 20 to 40 years) with fibromyalgia according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. All patients were evaluated using the sociodemographic data form, Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Results: A positive correlation was observed between the FIQ and CTQ total scores, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect scores. The FIQ was negatively correlated with the RSA scores. Path analysis conducted to evaluate mediating effect of psychological resilience revealed that psychological resilience had a mediator role in the correlation between FIQ and emotional abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect scores. Conclusion: The main finding of this study is the protective effect of psychological resilience -improvable capacity to cope with early life traumas- on fibromyalgia symptoms that leads to negative functioning of several aspects.

Is the relationship between affective temperament and resilience different in depression cases with and without childhood trauma?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate if the relationship between affective temperament and resilience in major depression is different in cases with and without childhood trauma. METHODS: For this purpose 100 cases with major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis according to DSM-IV were evaluated consecutively in their regular outpatient clinic follow-up interviews. Diagnostic interviews were done with SCID-I, affective temperament was evaluated with TEMPS-A (Evaluation of Temperament Memphis, Pisa, Paris and SanDiego-Autoquestionnaire) Temperament Questionnaire, resilience was evaluated with The Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA)-Turkish version. The presence of childhood trauma (CT) was determined by Early Trauma Inventory. RESULTS: In MDD cases without CT a correlation was present between psychological resilience and hyperthymic temperament, while there was a correlation between psychological resilience and depressive temperament in cases with CT. The relationship between depressive temperament and psychological resilience in cases with CT was observed in the perception of self, family cohesion, and social resources dimensions of psychological resilience. CONCLUSION: In depression cases with and without childhood trauma, the relationship between temperament and resilience appears to be different. According to our results psychological resilience was associated with hyperthymic temperament in depressive cases without childhood trauma, while it was associated with depressive temperament in depressive cases with childhood trauma.