Brain activity during reappraisal and associations with psychotherapy response in social anxiety and major depression: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) or major depressive disorder (MDD), yet there is variability in clinical improvement. Though prior research suggests pre-treatment engagement of brain regions supporting cognitive reappraisal (e.g. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [dlPFC]) foretells CBT response in SAD, it remains unknown if this extends to MDD or is specific to CBT. The current study examined associations between pre-treatment neural activity during reappraisal and clinical improvement in patients with SAD or MDD following a trial of CBT or supportive therapy (ST), a common-factors comparator arm. METHODS: Participants were 75 treatment-seeking patients with SAD (n = 34) or MDD (n = 41) randomized to CBT (n = 40) or ST (n = 35). Before randomization, patients completed a cognitive reappraisal task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, patients completed clinician-administered symptom measures and a self-report cognitive reappraisal measure before treatment and every 2 weeks throughout treatment. RESULTS: Results indicated that pre-treatment neural activity during reappraisal differentially predicted CBT and ST response. Specifically, greater trajectories of symptom improvement throughout treatment were associated with less ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) activity for CBT patients, but more vlPFC activity for ST patients. Also, less baseline dlPFC activity corresponded with greater trajectories of self-reported reappraisal improvement, regardless of treatment arm. CONCLUSIONS: If replicated, findings suggest individual differences in brain response during reappraisal may be transdiagnostically associated with treatment-dependent improvement in symptom severity, but improvement in subjective reappraisal following psychotherapy, more broadly.

Validation of the Childhood Family Mealtime Questionnaire in Mexican Adolescents with Obesity and Their Caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern in Mexico, with far-reaching implications for the nation's healthcare system and economy. In light of this challenge, our study sought to validate the Childhood Family Mealtime Questionnaire (CFMQ) in Mexican adolescents living with obesity and their primary caregivers. METHODS: A sample of 56 adolescents ages 13 to 17 years and their primary caregivers from one pediatric obesity clinic participated in the study. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the CFMQ's consistency, reliability, and construct validity among all participants. Internal consistency was determined using Cronbach's α, and the questionnaire's reliability was assessed through test-retest and intraclass correlation coefficients. Construct validity was assessed through an exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Our findings confirmed strong internal consistency and reliability for both adolescents and caregivers. Construct validity was established through exploratory factor analysis, refining the questionnaire while preserving its original seven dimensions. This validation of the CFMQ highlights its applicability in evaluating family mealtime experiences in this context, providing valuable insights into the dynamics that influence adolescent nutrition and health. CONCLUSION: The CFMQ proves to be a reliable tool for assessing family mealtime experiences in Mexican adolescents living with obesity and their caregivers who seek care at third-level public hospitals.

Intersecting experiences, motivating beliefs: The joint roles of class and race/ethnicity in the development of youths' sociopolitical perceptions and participation.

Positioning our analyses within two theoretical frameworks, system justification (SJ) theory and critical consciousness (CC), we examine relationships between social class and endorsement of SJ and CC beliefs and behaviors within a sample of low-income, Latinx and Black youth living in Chicago. We operationalize social class using five indicators: income-to-needs ratio (INR), subjective social status (SSS), financial strain, violence exposure, and neighborhood income. We find that for Black youth, higher INR is related to a greater likelihood of rejecting the status quo. Comparatively, living in a higher income neighborhood is negatively related to and being exposed to violence is positively related to the likelihood of engaging in social change behaviors. A different pattern emerged for Latinx youth where, higher perceived status was positively associated with accepting the status quo and greater exposure to violence was negatively related to youths' perceived ability to make a difference in the world around them.