Causal Histories of Psychological Factors and Cancer: From Psychosomatic Medicine to Neuroimmunomodulation.

BACKGROUND: Establishing causal relationships is essential in biology and medicine. However, various notions of causality have been operationalized at different times in various fields of the life and health sciences. While this is expected from a history or sociology of science point of view, as different accounts may correspond to what is valued in terms of establishing causal relationships at different times as well as in different fields of biology and medicine, this may come as a surprise for a present-day actor in those fields. If, over time, causal accounts have not been fully dismissed, then they are likely to invite some form of, potentially salutary, explanatory pluralism. SUMMARY: In the decades following WWII, psychosomatic medicine could propose that psychological factors cause somatic diseases. But today, most medicine has to meet the standard of a randomized clinical trial before any causal relationship can be proposed. Instead, in biology, mechanisms seem to be the most-valued causal discourse to explain how phenomena of interest are brought about. Here, the focus will be on how psychoneuroimmunology, an interdisciplinary research field addressing interactions between the nervous system and immune system, and between behavior and health, has considered causal relationships between psychological factors and cancer. KEY MESSAGES: When it comes to causal explanations of links between psychological factors and cancer, psychoneuroimmunology is invited to consider the question of the directionality of these links as well as what and how factors causally contribute to cancer.

Current State of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in China and Future Directions.

This article provides an overview of the history and current status of consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) in China and its development within the Chinese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine. Over the past decade, various CLP practice models have been developed to meet the diverse needs of different regions in China. Notably, the Chinese Multidisciplinary Integrated Centers of Psychosomatic Medicine have been established as regional hubs throughout the country. Additionally, this article delves into the role of Chinese traditional medicine in the practice of CLP in China. Finally, several projects involving CLP-based multidisciplinary collaboration are highlighted. We hope this article offers a bird's-eye view of CLP in China and opens a window for future collaboration with CLP initiatives in other countries.

Physician resilience and perceived quality of care among medical doctors with training in psychosomatic medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quantitative and qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: At an individual level, physician resilience protects against burnout and against its known negative effects on individual physicians, patient safety, and quality of care. However, it remains uncertain whether physician resilience also correlates with maintaining a high level of healthcare quality during crises such as a pandemic. This study aimed to investigate whether higher resilience among physicians, who had received training in resilience-related competences in the past, would be associated with higher quality of care delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study enrolled physicians working in family medicine, psychiatry, internal medicine, and other medical specialties, who had obtained at least one of three consecutive diplomas in psychosomatic medicine in the past. Participants completed a quantitative and qualitative anonymous online survey. Resilience was measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and healthcare quality was assessed through single-item quality indicators, including perceived quality of care, professional autonomy, adequate time for patient care, and job satisfaction. RESULTS: The study included 229 physicians (70 males/159 females) with additional training in psychosomatic medicine, working in family medicine (42.5%), psychiatry (28.1%), internal medicine (7.0%), or other medical specialties (22.4%). Participants represented four intensity levels of training background (level 1 to level 4: 9.2%, 32.3%, 46.3%, and 12.2% of participants). Training background in psychosomatic medicine was positively associated with resilience (B = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p <.05). Resilience and training background independently predicted perceived quality of care, even after controlling for variables such as own health concerns, involvement in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, financial strain, percentage of working hours spent on patient care, age, and gender (resilience: B = 0.33, SE = 0.12, p <.01; training background: B = 0.17, SE = 0.07, p <.05). Both resilience and training background predicted job satisfaction (resilience: B = 0.42, SE = 0.12, p <.001; training background: B = 0.18, SE = 0.07, p <.05), while resilience alone predicted professional autonomy (B = 0.27, SE = 0.12, p <.05). In response to an open question about their resources, resilient physicians more frequently reported applying conscious resilient skills/emotion regulation (p <.05) and personal coping strategies (p <.01) compared to less resilient medical doctors. CONCLUSION: Physician resilience appears to play a significant role in the perceived quality of patient care, professional autonomy, and job satisfaction during healthcare crises.

Assessing ChatGPT's Mastery of Bloom's Taxonomy Using Psychosomatic Medicine Exam Questions: Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Large language models such as GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4) are being increasingly used in medicine and medical education. However, these models are prone to "hallucinations" (ie, outputs that seem convincing while being factually incorrect). It is currently unknown how these errors by large language models relate to the different cognitive levels defined in Bloom's taxonomy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore how GPT-4 performs in terms of Bloom's taxonomy using psychosomatic medicine exam questions. METHODS: We used a large data set of psychosomatic medicine multiple-choice questions (N=307) with real-world results derived from medical school exams. GPT-4 answered the multiple-choice questions using 2 distinct prompt versions: detailed and short. The answers were analyzed using a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach. Focusing on incorrectly answered questions, we categorized reasoning errors according to the hierarchical framework of Bloom's taxonomy. RESULTS: GPT-4's performance in answering exam questions yielded a high success rate: 93% (284/307) for the detailed prompt and 91% (278/307) for the short prompt. Questions answered correctly by GPT-4 had a statistically significant higher difficulty than questions answered incorrectly (P=.002 for the detailed prompt and P<.001 for the short prompt). Independent of the prompt, GPT-4's lowest exam performance was 78.9% (15/19), thereby always surpassing the "pass" threshold. Our qualitative analysis of incorrect answers, based on Bloom's taxonomy, showed that errors were primarily in the "remember" (29/68) and "understand" (23/68) cognitive levels; specific issues arose in recalling details, understanding conceptual relationships, and adhering to standardized guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: GPT-4 demonstrated a remarkable success rate when confronted with psychosomatic medicine multiple-choice exam questions, aligning with previous findings. When evaluated through Bloom's taxonomy, our data revealed that GPT-4 occasionally ignored specific facts (remember), provided illogical reasoning (understand), or failed to apply concepts to a new situation (apply). These errors, which were confidently presented, could be attributed to inherent model biases and the tendency to generate outputs that maximize likelihood.

Bienestar psicológico en un grupo de profesores de hatha yoga / Psychological well-being in a group hatha yoga teachers

Resumen Se busca describir el bienestar psicológico en profesores que enseñan hatha yoga; el estudio corresponde a un diseño fenomenológico. Los participantes fueron 10 profesores, 6 mujeres y 4 varones entre 21 y 58 años con residencia en la ciudad de Lima, Perú, quienes respondieron a una entrevista semiestructurada. La investigación empleó un análisis de contenido y los resultados se alinean a la teoría del bienestar psicológico a partir de la experiencia de instructores de hatha yoga. Los miembros del estudio indican que el hatha yoga los invita a sentir más control sobre sus vidas, que los permite involucrarse más en su trabajo cotidiano y que ayudó a encontrar en ellas y ellos un sentido de la vida. Además, mencionan que el efecto más destacado de su práctica es el alivio del dolor de origen psicosomático, lo que ayuda como complemento a la psicoterapia. Por último, se analizan las implicancias de los hallazgos.

Abstract The research describe the psychological well-being in teachers who instruct hatha yoga and the study corresponds to a phenomenological design. The participants were 10 teachers, 6 women and 4 men between 21 and 58 years of age residing in the city of Lima - Peru, who responded to a semi-structured interview. The investigation used a content analysis and the results are aligned with the theory of psychological well-being based on the experience of the hatha yoga instructors. The members of the study indicate that yoga invites them to feel more control over their lives, that it allows them to become more involved in their daily work and tells that hatha yoga helped them to find meaning in life. Also, they mention that the most outstanding effect of their practice is the confort of pain in psychosomatic origin, which helps as a complement to the psychotherapy. Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed.

Age and professional experience as determinants of the utilization of psychoneuroimmunological research in clinical practice: An exploratory study.

The immune system is affected by psychosocial stimuli and plays a major role in the development of various diseases. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)-based interventions may positively influence the disease course; however, the impact of PNI research findings on clinical practice differs depending on the medical specialties involved. A comprehensive overview of the use of PNI research findings in clinical practice is currently lacking. This exploratory study aimed to provide insight into the dissemination of PNI research findings and their practical applications among clinical practitioners. Data was collected from 50 physicians using an ad hoc online questionnaire. We invited participants to take part in our online survey via an article in the DocCheck Newsletter, a German-language newsletter for physicians. Bivariate nonparametric correlation analysis (Spearman correlation) were used to explore the relationship between independent variables (age, sex, medical specialty, professional experience, and clinical environment) and dependent variables (six questionnaire items concerned with awareness, relevance, and utilization of PNI concepts). While 46% of respondents believed that PNI research findings were relevant to patient treatment, only 22% used PNI-based interventions as part of their therapeutic regimen. Furthermore, 90% of participants could not refer their patients to therapists offering PNI-based interventions. Moderately positive correlations were identified between the increasing age (rs = .48, P < .001) and increasing amount of professional experience (rs = .34, P = .02) of study participants and awareness of the theoretical foundations of PNI research. Although there is some awareness of PNI among medical practitioners, there appears to be a clear barrier inhibiting the implementation of research findings in current treatment practices. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the impact of increasing age and professional experience on the utilization of PNI-based interventions in patient care.

A Relação Materno-Infantil e suas Implicações na Queixa Psicossomática / The Maternal-Infant Relationship and its Implications in Psychosomatic Complaint / La Relación Materno-Infantil y sus Implicaciones en la Queja Psicosomática

A somatização é uma manifestação corporal carente de simbolização. Relaciona-se com aspectos psicológicos tendendo a surgir no bebê, que se vê como uma extensão da mãe. O objetivo foi analisar aspectos psicológicos da relação materno-filial e suas implicações nas manifestações psicossomáticas. Trata-se de uma pesquisa documental, considerando os prontuários de crianças entre fevereiro/2015 e dezembro/2019, de uma clínica-escola do Grande ABC-SP. A busca realizada a partir de um software específico para arquivamento dos prontuários, utilizou como filtros os termos: infantil, queixas somatoformes, distúrbios alimentares e distúrbios do sono. Os dados foram categorizados em: a) identificação; b) evolução clínica; e c) aspectos da personalidade e o relacionamento materno. A análise qualitativa, de base psicanalítica, apontou que a dificuldade das mães em lidar com seus próprios conflitos influenciou no surgimento dos sintomas nos filhos. Observou-se relação entre os conflitos maternos e o tipo de queixa apresentada. Os resultados sustentam a importância da relação entre mães e filhos na queixa psicossomática. Fatores orgânicos no desenvolvimento infantil precisam ser considerados para além da natureza biológica, mas da dinâmica psíquica, ampliando a compreensão diagnóstica.

Somatization is a bodily manifestation lacking symbolization. It relates to psychological aspects tending to appear in the baby, who sees himself as an extension of the mother. The objective was to analyze the psychological aspects of the mother-child relationship and its implications for psychosomatic manifestations. This is documentary research, considering the clinical reports of children between February/2015 and December/2019, from a clinical school in Grande ABC-SP. The search performed using clinical reports record file software, used terms as filters: infant, somatoform complaints, eating disorders and sleep disorders. Data were categorized into a) identification; b) clinical evolution; and c) aspects of personality and maternal relationship. The qualitative analysis, based on psychoanalysis, showed that mothers' difficulty dealing with their own conflicts influenced the appearance of symptoms in their children. There was a relationship between maternal conflicts and the type of complaint presented. The results support the importance of the relationship between mothers and children in psychosomatic complaints. Organic factors in child development need to be considered beyond the biological nature, but the psychic dynamics, expanding the diagnostic understanding.

La somatización es una manifestación en el cuerpo del no simbolizado. Se relaciona con aspectos psicológicos que tienden a aparecer en el bebé, quien se ven a sí mismos como una extensión de la madre. El objetivo fue analizar aspectos psicológicos de la relación madre-hijo y sus implicaciones en las manifestaciones psicosomáticas. Es una investigación documental, que toma en cuenta las historias clínicas de niños en los períodos de febrero/2015 y diciembre/2019, de una clínica escuela del Grande ABC-SP. La búsqueda fue hecha con auxilio de un software específico de archivo de las historias clínicas, se utilizó como filtros los términos: infantil, quejas somatomorfas, desórdenes alimentarios y desórdenes del sueño. Los datos se clasificaron en: a) identificación; b) evolución clínica; y c) aspectos de personalidad y relación materna. El análisis cualitativo de base psicoanalítica señalo que la dificultad de las madres para lidiar con sus propios conflictos influyó en la aparición de los síntomas en sus hijos. Hubo relación entre los conflictos maternos y el tipo de queja presentada. Los resultados respaldan la importancia de la relación entre madres y hijos en quejas psicosomáticas. Factores orgánicos del desarrollo infantil necesitan ser considerados más allá de la naturaleza biológica, más de la dinámica psíquica, para ampliar la comprensión del diagnóstico.

Technological Innovations in Biobehavioral and Psychosomatic Medicine.

ABSTRACT: The role of technological innovations in health care has increased over the past years and will continue to improve the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of various physical and mental disorders. In biobehavioral and psychosomatic medicine, the use of technology has also increased in both research and clinical contexts. The articles in the current special issue of Psychosomatic Medicine focus on technological solutions that have been applied to patient-monitoring/assessment (health-related behaviors and vital functioning) and treatment (ehealth and mhealth interventions). Although such solutions are promising and considered acceptable by patients and health care providers, important barriers have also been identified regarding the implementation of these technological advances. Topics addressed in this issue cover the following themes: the use of biological and behavioral sensors that are linked to user smartphones, technological innovations in clinical conditions (asthma, alcohol-associated liver disease, and chronic pain), the use of virtual humans in clinical settings, digital mental health interventions, and the importance of reducing health disparities in the development and implementation of technological innovation. These topics are critically relevant to the field of biobehavioral and psychosomatic medicine and provide future directions for research and clinical practice.

The Impact of Virtual Humans on Psychosomatic Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: Virtual humans are likely to enhance the delivery of health care over the next decade. Virtual humans are artificially intelligent computer agents with hyperrealistic, autonomously animated embodiments based on affective computing techniques. Virtual humans could be programmed to screen for health conditions, triage patients, and deliver health interventions, with appropriate facial expressions and body gestures, functioning as a supplement to human care. This article provides a perspective on the implications of virtual humans for behavioral and psychosomatic medicine, and health psychology. METHODS: A narrative review was conducted to integrate observations and findings from research on virtual humans from 91 articles in this multidisciplinary area. RESULTS: Virtual humans can be used for multimodal behavior analysis of patients, individualized tailoring of interventions, and detection of changes of psychological and behavioral measures over time. Virtual humans can also pair the scalability of a website with the interactivity and relational skills of a human tele-therapist. Research is beginning to show the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of virtual humans in a range of populations. Virtual humans can be easily tailored in terms of their appearance, voice, and language, and may be adapted to fit the characteristics of a patient population or hard-to-reach groups. If co-designed with these communities, virtual humans may help to promote health care engagement and improve outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual humans can engage and motivate patients, and deliver personalized psychological and behavioral health care. This article provides an overview of the potential impact of virtual humans on psychosomatic medicine and discusses ethical implications.