Information seeking and health anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of catastrophic cognitions.

Cognitive-behavioural models of health anxiety propose a positive association between information seeking and health anxiety; however, it is unclear the extent to which cognitive mechanisms may mediate this relationship. Catastrophic cognitions are one type of cognition that may mediate this relationship, and the COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to examine these relationships within the context of a global health catastrophe. The current study investigated both cross-sectional (N = 797) and longitudinal (n = 395) relationships between information seeking, health anxiety and catastrophizing during the pandemic. Data were collected using Amazon Mechanical Turk during April and May 2020. Information seeking and health anxiety were positively associated both cross-sectionally and longitudinally (rs = .25-.29). Catastrophic cognitions significantly mediated the relationship between information seeking and health anxiety both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Developing effective methods of reducing information seeking and catastrophizing may serve to reduce health anxiety during global health crises such as the current pandemic.

Pregnancy and obstetric complications in women with a history of childhood maltreatment: Results from a nationally representative sample.

INTRODUCTION: A history of childhood maltreatment is associated with increased risk of perinatal complications, with research primarily focused on childhood sexual abuse. Limited research has examined the relationship between different types of childhood maltreatment on perinatal complications, particularly in population-based samples. METHODS: This study examined the association between childhood maltreatment and self-reported perinatal complications in a sample of pregnant and postpartum women (n = 1279) drawn from the 2012-2013 NESARC-III, a nationally representative survey of United States adults. RESULTS: Nearly half (45%) of pregnant or postpartum women reported at least one form of childhood maltreatment and a quarter (24.6%) of these women experienced a perinatal complication compared to 13.5% of women without a history of childhood maltreatment. Exposure to any childhood maltreatment, childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) during childhood were significantly associated with increased odds of perinatal complications after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and lifetime psychiatric disorders (AOR ranged from 1.87 to 2.09). Experiencing two or more types of childhood maltreatment (compared to none) was also associated with increased odds of perinatal complications (AOR 2.18 [99% CI = 1.22, 3.90]). CONCLUSIONS: This association may be explained by vulnerability to physical diseases/complications due to persistent changes in biological stress systems, physical injuries from abuse, or as a result of traumatic memories triggered by pregnancy and childbirth. Findings highlight one of many negative sequelae of childhood maltreatment and the importance of promoting healthcare provider awareness of this association so they can provide appropriate interventions when needed.

Predictors and consequences of loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global context in which social isolation has become normative in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. As a result of social distancing policies, the risk for loneliness and associated decline in quality of life has increased. The current study examined factors associated with loneliness and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic cross-sectionally (n = 797) and longitudinally (n = 395). Older age and larger social network size were associated with less loneliness, whereas having multiple physical or mental health diagnoses was associated with greater loneliness. Greater virtual social contact was also associated with increased loneliness. Greater loneliness was associated with all domains of quality of life both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Understanding factors associated with loneliness is critical to developing effective strategies at reducing loneliness and improving quality of life during the pandemic. Contrary to popular perceptions, older age was associated with less loneliness and more virtual social contact was associated with more loneliness. Thus, it may be prudent to deemphasize virtual social contact in public campaigns and to emphasize safe methods of interacting in person.

COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: Relations with anxiety, quality of life, and schemas.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a worldwide mental health crisis. Conspiracy beliefs regarding the origin of COVID-19 are prevalent, however, mental health consequences and factors associated with the likelihood of endorsing COVID-19 conspiracy theories have not yet been examined. The current study examined predictors and mental health consequences of conspiracy beliefs. METHODS: Participants in Canada and the United States were surveyed via Amazon Mechanical Turk in April 2020 (N = 797), approximately one month after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and again in May 2020 (N = 395). RESULTS: Approximately half of the sample (49.7%) believed at least one conspiracy theory. Greater Covid-19 conspiracy beliefs were associated with more anxiety at follow up but not quality of life. Religiosity/spirituality, not knowing someone at high-risk for COVID-19, and non-white ethnicity were associated with greater conspiracy beliefs. Lower positive other-schemas were associated with greater conspiracy beliefs, only at low and moderate levels of positive self-schemas. CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial conspiracy belief endorsement during the COVID-19 pandemic and conspiracy beliefs are associated with anxiety, but not quality of life. Positive self-schemas protect against believing conspiracy theories and interventions to increase positive self-schemas may be effective to reduce the negative effects of conspiracy beliefs.

Correction to: Parenting as a Mediator of Associations between Depression in Mothers and Children's Functioning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The original version of the article requires a correction to one of the sentences. Under the section 'Limitations', the last sentence 'Findings of no support for mediation was also deemed important as, for example, our findings suggest..' should read as below. Also important were where we found no support for moderation of the mediation model; for example, our findings suggest that parenting as a mediator of associations between depression and child functioning is concerning regardless of the ages of the children, for both sons and daughters, and for a broad range of aspects of children's functioning.

Parenting as a Mediator of Associations between Depression in Mothers and Children's Functioning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This paper responds to the need to understand mechanisms in the pathways of risk from depression in mothers to their children's functioning. We systematically reviewed evidence in support of one often-proposed mediational model: that problematic parenting at least partially explains associations between mothers' depression and children's adverse functioning. We further aimed to understand the conceptual and method-based moderators. Eligible studies had to be published in English in a peer-reviewed journal, include data on mothers' depression and parenting and child functioning, and have a study design whereby measurement of depression in mothers preceded the measurement of parenting, which preceded the measurement of child outcome. Overall, across the 40 papers (37 "studies") that met our inclusion criteria, we found a significant, albeit small effect (r = .016), for the mediational model as a whole. This effect size was robust to context (poverty and ethnicity), children's characteristics of age and gender, and parenting quality (positive or negative). The model was significant for multiple domains of child functioning, although effect sizes varied across domains. We also found support, with small effect sizes, for all three pathways in the mediational model and some support for moderation of those pathways. Overall, the findings provide empirical support for parenting (both positive and negative) as a mediator of associations between mothers' depression and a broad range of child functioning and suggest that interventions should target samples that represent the population in terms of poverty and ethnicity and children's gender, with priority going to interventions targeting the youngest children.

Valence in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes task (RMET; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001) is commonly used to assess theory of mind abilities in adults. In the task, participants pair one of four mental state descriptors with a picture of the eye region of a face. The items have varying emotional valence, and nearly 100 studies have examined whether performance on this task varies with item valence. However, efforts to address this question have been hampered by cross-study inconsistencies in how item valence is assessed. Thus, the goal of this study was to establish reference ratings for the valence of RMET items. In Study 1, we recorded valence ratings for each RMET item with a large sample of raters (n = 164). We illustrated how valence categories are essentially arbitrary and largely influenced by sample size. In addition, valence ratings were continuously distributed, further questioning the validity of imposing categorical distinctions. In Study 2, we used an archival dataset to demonstrate how the different categorization schemes resulted in conflicting conclusions about the association between item valence and RMET performance. However, when we examined the association between item valence and performance in a continuous manner, a clear U-shaped pattern emerged: Items that had more extreme valence ratings (negative or positive) were associated with better performance than items with more neutral ratings. We conclude that using the item valence ratings we report, and treating item valence as a continuous rather than categorical predictor, will help bring consistency to the study of the association between item valence and performance in the RMET. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

An examination of the moderating effects of neurophysiology on treatment outcomes from cognitive training in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND: Impairments in neurocognition and community functioning are core features of schizophrenia and cognitive training techniques have been developed with the aim of improving these impairments. While cognitive training has produced reliable improvements in neurocognition and functioning, little is known about factors that moderate treatment response. Electroencephalographic (EEG) measures provide a neurophysiological indicator of cognitive functions that may moderate treatment outcomes from cognitive training. METHODS: Data from a clinical trial comparing two cognitive training approaches in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were utilized in the current report. Cluster analysis was conducted to identify participant clusters based on baseline P300, mismatch negativity (MMN), and theta power during an n-back task, and the EEG measures were also examined as continuous predictors of treatment response. RESULTS: Three clusters were identified based on the baseline EEG variables; however, there were no significant differences in treatment response across the three clusters. Higher P300 amplitude and theta power during the n-back at baseline were significantly associated with greater improvements in a cognitive composite score post-treatment. None of the EEG measures were significantly associated with treatment outcomes in specific cognitive domains or community functioning. Change in EEG measures from baseline to post-treatment was not significantly associated with durability of cognitive or functional change at 12-week follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Clusters derived from the EEG measures were not significantly associated with either neurocognitive or functional outcomes. P300 and n-back theta power may be associated with learning-related processes, which are important for acquisition and retention of skills during cognitive training programs. Future research should aim to identify at an individual level who is likely to respond to specific forms of cognitive enhancement.

Abuse as a risk factor for prenatal depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis.

Depression is the most common mental disorder in pregnancy. An important risk factor in the development of prenatal depression is lifetime history of abuse. The current review quantitatively synthesized research on the association between history of abuse and prenatal depressive symptoms using a meta-analytic technique. A total of 3322 articles were identified through electronic searches of the following databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE Cochrane Collaboration databases between the years of 1980 and 2016. All were independently screened against the following inclusion criteria: articles reporting on original data that included measures of prenatal depression and abuse. Data were extracted by the first and second authors. Descriptive analyses were conducted using Excel version 15.32, and all analyses involving effect sizes were conducted using comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) version 3.0. Seventy articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analyses. Meta-bias detected no publication bias. Abuse had a significant positive relation with prenatal depressive symptoms, with effect sizes in the moderate range for any abuse ([Formula: see text] = 0.287), physical abuse ([Formula: see text] = 0.271), sexual abuse ([Formula: see text] = 0.259), and emotional abuse ([Formula: see text] = 0.340; Cohen 1969. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Academic Press, New York). The meta-analyses found a robust relation between abuse and prenatal depressive symptoms holding across a variety of demographic and study design characteristics. These results reinforce the established association between trauma victimization and subsequent psychopathology, extending current knowledge to specifically address the under-studied area of prenatal depression. These findings highlight the need for women who have survived child or adulthood abuse to receive appropriate referral and psychological treatment to mitigate their risk for prenatal depression.