Maladaptive daydreaming and problematic online behaviors: A network analysis approach.

Previous evidence showed that Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is positively associated with different Problematic Online Behaviors (POBs). This study aimed to investigate the mutual relationship between MD and several POBs. Data were collected from 1209 participants, aged 18-73 (M = 30.59, SD = 12.26), through self-report questionnaires assessing MD and POBs, including problematic online gambling, problematic online gaming, problematic cybersex, Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), problematic online shopping, and cyberchondria. Two psychometric network analyses were performed to examine the associations between all POBs at item levels, and between MD and POBs at construct levels. Results revealed six distinct communities, supporting the specificity of each POB. Furthermore, MD was found to be more strongly associated with PSMU and cyberchondria, and weakly associated with problematic online gaming, problematic cybersex, and problematic online shopping. The mutual relationships between MD and POBs might have relevant implications for the assessment and treatment of these clinical conditions.

Provision of Telepsychological Care Via Email during COVID-19 Confinement: An Exploratory Study.

Within teletherapy, email interventions have been studied scarcely. For this reason, this exploratory study aims to characterize the assistance provided by email in a university telepsychology service and to compare the data with the assistance provided by telephone in the same service and period. For this purpose, the records of 81 users assisted via email during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Spain were analyzed. The data were compared with those of the 338 users assisted by telephone in the same period. Despite its many limitations, results indicate high satisfaction with the email modality. Users express that they prefer a preference for using email when they do not feel safe in other ways. We found a lot of variation between the number of emails exchanged and the days that each case was active. Additionally, differences were found with telephone users in aspects such as age (email users being younger) and in a depression screening (email users scoring more positively). This study concludes on the high potential of this channel for the application of certain techniques (e.g., psychoeducation) or for people with certain characteristics.

Do childhood experiences influence associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and positive autobiographical memories among military veteran students? An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence links posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and features of positive autobiographical memories (accessibility, vividness, coherence, sharing, emotional intensity, distancing). There is a knowledge gap on how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may influence these relationships. OBJECTIVES: The current study explored whether the number ACEs or BCEs moderated associations between PTSD symptom severity and features of positive autobiographical memories. DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample included 124 student military veterans who had experienced a trauma (Mage = 33.90; 77.4% male; 75.0% White). RESULTS: Path analyses showed more PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with less positive autobiographical memory vividness (ß = -0.26, p = .019, R2 = 0.06). Further, the number of ACEs moderated the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and positive autobiographical memory accessibility (ß = -0.25, p = .023, R2 = 0.10) and vividness (ß = -0.20, p = .024, R2 = 0.10). Among individuals with more ACEs (1 SD above the mean) compared to those with fewer ACEs (1 SD below the mean), less accessibility and vividness of positive autobiographical memories was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity. The number of BCEs was not a significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS: Positive memory-based interventions may be particularly useful to address PTSD symptoms among military veterans with a history of childhood adversity.

Daily-level associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and reactions to retrieving positive autobiographical memories.

Trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report difficulties accessing and describing positive memories. To understand these patterns, we examined daily-level relations of PTSD symptoms with affective, cognitive (dwelling/rumination; pushing memory out of one's mind; suppression; avoidance; distraction; thinking about something else; remembering negative or positive memories/events; negative or positive thoughts; accepting or disapproving memory; reinterpreting memory), and behavioral (using alcohol/drugs; smoking cigarettes; cravings for or seeking out cigarettes/alcohol/drugs; craving, seeking out, or consuming large amounts of food; dissociation; engaging in risky behaviors; sharing memories; interference with ongoing task; arousal) reactions to retrieving positive memories. Eighty-eight trauma survivors (Mage= 39.89 years; 59.1% female) completed 7 daily measures of PTSD and reactions to retrieving positive memories. Days with more PTSD severity were associated with higher odds of same-day suppression, avoidance, distraction, thinking about something else, smoking cigarettes, craving substances, craving, seeking out, or consuming large amounts of food, dissociation, remembering negative memories/events/thoughts, engaging in risky behaviors, interference with ongoing tasks, and arousal (ORs=1.10-1.22); and greater negative affect (ß = 0.27). Supplemental lagged analyses indicated some associations between previous-day reactions to positive memory retrieval and next-day PTSD severity and vice versa. Trauma survivors with PTSD symptoms report negative and avoidance-oriented reactions to retrieving positive memories.

Quality of memories in battered women: Analysis of positive narratives.

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, the evidence regarding the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories in the field of posttraumatic stress disorder has gained increasing interest. The objective of this study was to add to the evidence in this area by analyzing the characteristics of positive memories in a specific trauma population, namely victims of intimate partner violence. METHOD: The study compared the narratives of highly positive events of 50 battered women (trauma-exposed group) with those of 50 nonexposed women (controls). RESULTS: The results show that, compared with the narratives of the control group, the narratives of the trauma-exposed group contained fewer references to positive emotions and achievement and more words related to the first person and mistreatment. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the hypothesis that the consequences of trauma can impact the characteristics of positive autobiographical memories. The resulting clinical implications point toward the possible relevance of adding work with positive memories to the clinical approach to trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Positive memory intervention techniques: a scoping review.

The scoping review examines and summarises the available knowledge base on intervention techniques focused on positive memories. An iterative series of PsycInfo and Medline searches was conducted up to April 2021 following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Thirty-nine studies, spanning 12 intervention techniques, were selected and described including: (1) theoretical basis; (2) type of study, sample, and measures; (3) intervention protocol; and (4) results of empirical studies if applicable. Results indicated that most techniques have only been tested in one-two studies with modest sample sizes and, when follow-ups are conducted, they are typically short. Results indicate that working with positive memories has the greatest impact on improving positive affect and reducing depressive symptoms, and that these effects are often temporary. This review serves as a quick reference guide to help professionals' access to descriptions and information on empirical evidence of positive memory techniques, improving their therapeutic arsenal to enhance well-being and therapeutic outcomes in their patients.

Budget impact analysis of a pneumococcal vaccination programme in the 65-year-old Spanish cohort using a dynamic model.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the costs and clinical benefits of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) administered annually to the 65-year-old cohort in Spain versus the alternative of not vaccinating patients and treating them only when infected. METHODS: Cases of pneumococcal disease avoided were calculated through a dynamic model based on the work of Anderson and May (1999). Sixty-six percent of the 65-year-old cohort was assumed to have been vaccinated with one PCV13 dose (304,492 subjects). Base-case estimated vaccine effectiveness and serotype coverage were 58% and 60%, respectively. Disease-related costs were calculated based on published data. RESULTS: Over the 5-year period, a total of 125,906 cases of pneumococcal disease would be avoided. Net savings of €102 million would be obtained. The cost-saving distribution was not homogeneous, starting in the 2nd year and increasing through the 5th. To demonstrate model robustness, an additional scenario analysis was performed using extreme values of model parameters (vaccination programme coverage, vaccine effectiveness, discount rate and disease costs). Under those scenarios, net savings were always achieved. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the assumptions of the model, the 65-year-cohort pneumococcal vaccination campaign appears to be a cost-saving intervention in the Spanish population under different scenarios.

Epidemiology of hospitalizations due to syphilis in large urban areas in Spain between 1997 and 2006.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology and trends of hospitalizations due to syphilis over a ten-year period (1997-2006) in Madrid, Spain. METHODS: Retrospective study using data provided by the National Epidemiology Surveillance System for Hospital Data (Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos; CMBD). Hospitalized patients suffering from syphilis were identified through the corresponding ICD-9-CM codes (090-097). RESULTS: Between 1997 and 2006, 1265 hospitalizations related to syphilis were recorded in Madrid. The annual hospitalization rate was 2.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, the mortality rate was 0.09 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the case fatality rate was 4.03%. The rate of hospitalization and the case fatality rate were significantly higher among men and patients over the age of 80 years. CONCLUSION: We found a significant increase in hospitalization rates during study period. Syphilis continues to be an important public health problem in Madrid, especially among men. Policies designed to control the course and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases needs to be improved.

Burden of adult varicella hospitalizations in Spain (2001-2007).

A population-based retrospective epidemiological study to estimate the burden of adult varicella hospitalizations in Spain was conducted by using data from the national surveillance system for hospital data, Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD). Records of all adult patients admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of varicella (ICD-9-MC codes 052.0-052.9) during a 7-year period (2001-2007) were selected. There were 5,450 hospital discharges with a diagnosis of varicella during the study period. The hospitalization rate for the seven-year study period was 2.2 hospitalizations/100,000 people (CI 95% 2.17-2.29). The highest incidence was observed in the 34-45 year age group [4.10 hospitalizations/100,000 people (CI 95% 3.91-4.28)].There were 149 deaths among hospitalised cases in the study period, which represents a mortality of 0.061 deaths/100,000 people (CI 95% 0.05-0.07) and a case-fatality ratio of 2.73% (CI 95% 2.30-3.17)Adult varicella hospitalizations generate an annual expenditure in Spain of 2,962,912 €. Although varicella is mainly a pediatric disease, it causes an important burden of hospitalization in adults. Hospitalization rates related to varicella infection did not vary during the 7-year study period.

[Hospital admissions for meningococcal infections in Madrid, Spain (1997-2005)]. / Ingresos hospitalarios por infecciones meningocócicas en la Comunidad de Madrid (1997-2005).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neisseria meningitidis infection causes an important morbidity and mortality in Spain. Our study aims to estimate the burden of hospital admissions for meningococcal infection in Spain during a nine-year period (1997-2005) by analyzing the Spanish hospital surveillance system. METHODS: An epidemiological retrospective study was conducted. Data were obtained from the national surveillance system for hospital data (Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos) maintained by the Ministry of Health. Information about hospitalizations, age, length of stay in hospital, mortality and cost per patient was obtained. RESULTS: There were 1137 hospital discharges for meningococcal disease (International Classification of Diseases 9th Clinical Modification: ICD 9 CM code 036 in any listed diagnosis) during the study period. Annual incidence was 2.41 cases per 100,000 individuals. Mortality rate and case-fatality rate were 0.19 cases per 100,000 population and 7.7%, respectively. The average length of hospitalization was 12 days. The youngest age group showed the highest hospitalizations incidence (24.42 hospitalizations per 100,000 population in those under 4 years of age) but the case-fatality rate was higher in the oldest group (11% in patients over 30 years). These hospitalizations imply an annual cost of 592,980 euro to the Madrid Health System. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that meningococcal infection is still an important cause of hospital admissions and mortality in Madrid, resulting in a high cost to the Health Care System.

Epidemiology of typhoid and paratyphoid fever hospitalizations in Spain (1997-2005).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This epidemiological survey was undertaken to estimate the burden of hospitalizations for typhoid and paratyphoid fever in Spain over a nine-year period (1997-2005). RESULTS: There were 1,106 hospitalizations for typhoid and paratyphoid fever during the study period. The annual hospitalization rate was 0.31 cases per 100,000 population. The mortality and case fatality rates were 0.003 per 100,000 population and 0.9%, respectively. The average length of hospitalization was 10.19 days. These hospitalizations impose an annual direct cost of euro334,000. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Hospital discharges for typhoid or paratyphoid fever reported during a nine-year period in Spanish hospitals were obtained from the national surveillance system for hospital data, which is maintained by the Ministry of Health and covers more than 97% of Spanish hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive measures are vital to reduce the occurrence of typhoid fever and avoid new outbreaks. Effective prevention would result in large cost savings to the National Health Care System.