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OBJECTIVE: The literature on clinical psychophysiology highlights the possibility of using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as an index of psychophysical balance and resilience to stress. This study investigates the differences in stress reactivity and subsequent recovery between a group of migraineurs and healthy controls. METHODS: Socio-demographic (i.e., sex, age, profession, marital status, and level of education) and psychophysiological (HR and HRV) measures of a group of thirty subjects with migraine (26 migraineurs without aura (86.7%), 2 migraineurs with aura (6.7%), and 2 migraineurs with and without aura (6.7%)) and from thirty healthy control subjects were collected. In particular, HRV was analyzed through frequency-domain parameters, including Low-Frequency (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) and High-Frequency (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) bands as well as LF/HF ratio during a Psychophysiological Stress Profile (PSP) structured in seven phases: (1) Baseline, (2) Objective stressor 1 (Stroop Test), (3) Rest 1, (4) Objective stressor 2 (Mental Arithmetic Task), (5) Rest 2, (6) Subjective stressor (recount a significant life event), and (7) Rest 3. The LF, HF, and LF/HF ratio values were transformed into a logarithmic scale (i.e., log-LF, log-HF, and log LF/HF ratio). Additionally, LF and HF were converted into normalized units (0-100) (i.e., LF% and HF%) which, in turn, were used to obtain reactivity and recovery to stress through delta values (Δ) calculation. RESULTS: Subjects with migraine reported greater ΔLF% levels of reactivity and recovery to subjective stressor, demonstrating a prevalence of sympathetic activity while recounting a personal life event. At the same time, a lowering of the same values was found in the subjects of the group control. DISCUSSION: Our results underline the importance of conducting a psychophysiological assessment in patients with headaches because reduced stress management skills could influence the clinical manifestations of the disease, considering stress as one of the most common triggers for migraine patients.
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PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between state (i.e., hostility) and trait (i.e., social detachment, alexithymia) psychological constructs associated with suicidal ideation among university students. METHODS: A group of 190 university students was consecutively recruited in the period between September 2022 and March 2023. After a clinical interview, a series of psychological tests were administered: the Cattell's 16-Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the anamnestic form of the Cognitive Behavioral Assessment (CBA2.0), which contains a specific question regarding the suicidal ideation. RESULTS: The analyses demonstrated that alexithymia fully mediated the relationship between a particular aspect of introversion (social detachment or low warmth) and hostility which, in turn, seemed to be a significant predictor of suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: The path analysis conducted seemed to highlight the importance of personality traits, such as social detachment and the ability to recognize and express one's internal states, on the mental health of university students in terms of hostility and suicidal ideation. Considering that the reduction of suicide mortality has been prioritized as a global target in the 15-19 age group, identifying the psychological factors associated with it is fundamental.
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(1) Background: The literature regarding orthorexia nervosa (ON) has well documented the association with other mental disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive and eating disorders. However, the research has not taken into account stress-related behavior and the conduction of physical activity (PA), both structured and unstructured. (2) Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 165 students of the University of Parma (92 females and 74 males) aged between 18 and 49 years old (mean = 24.62 ± 4.81) were consecutively recruited. The ORTO-15 questionnaire was used to divide the total sample into a group without orthorexia (score > 40) and a group with orthorexia (score < 40). All subjects completed the P Stress Questionnaire, and specific items were extrapolated from the Eating Habits Structured Interview (EHSI) to investigate lifestyle, including structured and unstructured PA. (3) Results: Subjects with orthorexia represented 83% of the total sample and reported higher levels of stress-related risk behaviors (i.e., sense of responsibility (t = -1.99, p = 0.02), precision (t = -1.99, p = 0.03), stress disorders (t = -1.38, p = 0.05), reduced spare time (t = -1.97, p = 0.03), and hyperactivity (t = -1.68, p = 0.04)) and a higher frequency of PA (i.e., hours spent training in structured PA, daily (t = -1.68, p = 0.05), weekly (t = -1.91, p = 0.03), and monthly (t = -1.91, p = 0.03), the tendency to carry out physical exercise even if tired (t = -1.97, p = 0.02), and to adhere to unstructured PA (i.e., moving on foot or by bike rather than using transport (t = 1.27, p = 0.04)). (4) Conclusions: The results confirmed the presence of hyperactivity at a motor and behavioral level in people with orthorexia. Further studies are necessary to highlight the causality between ON, stress, and physical activity but it may be possible to hypothesize that "obsessive" physical exercise may not generate the benefits generally known by the literature.