Unraveling the Layers: Dissociative Identity Disorder as a Response to Trauma.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously recognized as multiple personality disorder, impacts approximately 1.5% of the population. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), outlines various dissociative disorders (DDs), including depersonalization/derealization disorder, dissociative amnesia, DID, unspecified DD, and other specified DDs. Among these, DID stands out as the most severe, characterized by persistent depersonalization/derealization and dissociative amnesia. This case report explores the symptomatology of DID, available treatments, and the role of trauma.

Social axioms and psychological toll: A study of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses across 35 cultures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the psychological well-being of individuals worldwide. Previous research has indicated that values and beliefs, particularly social axioms, are associated with psychological responses during crises. However, most of the studies have focused on specific regions; the impact of social axioms on a global scale remains unclear. We conducted a multinational study comprising stratified samples of 18,171 participants from 35 cultures. Using multilevel modeling, we examined the associations between social axioms, personal worry, normative concerns, trust, and individuals' psychological responses to the pandemic. The results showed that greater personal worry and normative concerns predicted more negative psychological responses. Furthermore, the study also identified significant buffering effects at the societal level, as cultures with higher overall levels of fate control, religiosity, or reward for application exhibited weaker associations between personal worry and negative responses. Our findings reveal the influence of social axioms on psychological responses during the pandemic, with varying effects across cultures. The buffering effects of fate control, religiosity, and reward for application underscore the importance of considering cultural differences and individual variability when examining the impact of social axioms on psychological outcomes.

No Association Between Injury-Related Fear and Isokinetic Quadriceps Strength in Individuals With a History of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

CONTEXT: Injury-related fear and quadriceps strength are independently associated with secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk. It is not known whether injury-related fear and quadriceps strength are associated, despite their individual predictive capabilities of secondary ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between injury-related fear and quadriceps strength in individuals at least 1 year after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Forty participants between the ages of 18 and 35 years at least 1 year post unilateral primary ACLR. Participants completed the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-11 (TSK-11) and a standard isokinetic quadriceps strength assessment using the Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer. Pearson Product-Moment correlations were used to examine the linear association between the TSK-11 scores and peak torque (in nanometers per kilogram) for each limb and between the TSK-11 scores and limb symmetry indices for each limb. Pearson Product-Moment correlation coefficients (r) were interpreted as very high (.90-1.00), high (.70-.90), moderate (.50-.70), low (.30-.50), and no correlation (.00-.30). RESULTS: The average TSK-11 score was 18.2 (5.3), average ACLR peak quadriceps torque was 1.9 (0.50) N·m/kg, average contralateral peak quadriceps torque was 2.3 (0.48) N·m/kg, and average limb symmetry index was 85.3% (12.6%). There was no statistically significant correlation between the TSK-11 and peak quadriceps torque on the ACLR limb (r = .12, P = .46), the TSK-11 and contralateral limb (r = .29, P = .07), or the TSK-11 and limb symmetry index (r = -.18, P = .27). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between kinesiophobia and peak isokinetic quadriceps strength in individuals at least 1 year post-ACLR. Both factors, independently, have been shown to influence risk of secondary injury in patients after ACLR.

Exploring Factors Affecting Parental Psychological Vulnerability During Their Child's PICU Admission: A Prospective Pilot Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Parental psychological responses during their child's pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission are often overlooked. This study aimed to identify pre-existing and peri-traumatic factors explaining parental stress and anxiety during their child's PICU admission and one-month follow-up. METHOD: A prospective pilot study included 60 PICU parents. Parental Stressors Scale and State-trait Anxiety Inventory measured stress and anxiety during PICU admission, and the State-trait Anxiety Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale at a one-month follow-up. RESULTS: During PICU admission, parental stress correlated with age, race, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), anxiety was linked to income. At one-month follow-up, anxiety related to child's health worries, perceived stress was linked to parental ACEs and education. Parental ACEs predicted perceived stress (b = 0.83, p = .028). Children's diagnoses explained anxiety, particularly respiratory and cardiac diagnoses (b = -13.44, p = .023; -10.03, p = .045). DISCUSSION: Identifying factors helps teams understand parental vulnerability and provide appropriate support.

Current Clinical Concepts: Integration of Psychologically Informed Practice for Management of Patients With Sport-Related Injuries.

Psychologically informed practice is an approach to patient management that encourages clinicians to treat patients from a biopsychosocial perspective and can be adopted by athletic trainers to manage sport-related injuries. As described in the domains of athletic training clinical practice, athletic trainers are expected to identify, address, and make appropriate referrals regarding psychosocial responses to injuries and mental health symptoms. Psychologically informed practice suggests addressing physical impairments in addition to screening and intervening for psychosocial responses with patients. In this Current Clinical Concepts paper, we discuss appropriate patient-reported outcome measures used to screen for mental health symptoms and psychosocial responses, provide recommendations on psychological interventions that can be integrated to enhance patient outcomes, and describe how to effectively refer a patient to an appropriate mental health professional.

The placebo effect of a pink non-caloric, artificially sweetened solution on strength endurance performance and psychological responses in trained individuals.

Background: The pink color enhances the perceived sweetness, increasing the individuals' expectation of the presence of sugar/carbohydrate in a beverage. Hence, it is plausible to speculate that providing a pink solution during exercise could induce an ergogenic benefit through a potential placebo effect. Aim: We examined whether ingesting a pink non-caloric, artificially sweetened solution can improve endurance strength exercise performance and psychological responses. Methods: Eighteen strength-trained individuals (34 ± 7 y; 1.74 ± 0.06 m; 79.86 ± 10.91 kg) completed three experimental trials in a randomized, single-blind, crossover counterbalanced fashion. In each trial, participants performed a 5-set strength endurance test at 70% of the one-repetition maximum in the bench press exercise, interspersed by 2 min. Before each set, participants ingested either a pink (PINK) or a transparent (TRANSP) non-caloric, artificially sweetened solution. A session without ingestion (CON) was also completed. Total number of repetitions and psychological responses such as motivation, emotional arousal, affect, and ratings of perceived exertion were obtained throughout the exercise protocol. Results: Total repetitions improved in PINK (60 ± 12 reps) compared to TRANSP (p = 0.03; 56 ± 10 reps; ES = 0.22; ±3.8%) and CON (p = 0.01; 56 ± 9 reps; ES = 0.33; ±6.6%), but no difference occurred between TRANSP and CON (p = 0.84; ES = 0.12; ±2.4%). Comparable responses were observed in motivation, emotional arousal, affect, and ratings of perceived exertion in PINK, TRANSP, and CON trials (all, p > 0.05), despite the greater total physical work performed in PINK trial. Conclusion: Ingesting a pink non-caloric, artificially sweetened solution improved strength endurance performance with comparable psychological responses. These results have implications for future nutritional studies and performance assessments in real-world sports scenarios.

Motivational decline and proactive response under thermal environmental stress are related to emotion- and problem-focused coping, respectively: Questionnaire construction and fMRI study.

Despite the diversity of human behavioral and psychological responses to environmental thermal stress, the major dimensions of these responses have not been formulated. Accordingly, the relevance of these responses to a framework of coping with stress (i.e., emotion- and problem-focused) and the neural correlates are unexplored. In this study, we first developed a multidimensional inventory for such responses using social surveys and a factor analysis, and then examined the neural correlates of each dimension using a functional magnetic resonance imaging; we manipulated the ambient temperature between uncomfortably hot and cold, and the correlations between the inventory factor scores and discomfort-related neural responses were examined. We identified three factors to construct the inventory: motivational decline, proactive response, and an active behavior, which appeared to reflect inefficient emotion-focused coping, efficient problem-focused coping, and positive appreciation of extreme environmental temperatures, respectively, under environmental thermal stress. Motivational decline score was positively associated with common neural response to thermal stress in the frontal and temporoparietal regions, implicated in emotion regulation, while proactive response score negatively with the neural responses related to subjective discomfort in the medial and lateral parietal cortices, implicated in problem-solving. We thus demonstrated that two of three major dimensions of individual variation in response to and coping with environmental thermal stress conform to an influential two-dimensional framework of stress coping. The current three-dimensional model may expand the frontiers of meteorological human science in both basic and application domains.

Uptight responses between clenching and forearm raising with factors of visual feedback and maintenance effort in healthy young women: An experimental study on factorial design.

BACKGROUND: To achieve different central preset force levels requires various fine-tuning efforts and may elicit different uptight responses. The mandibular lever system has a distinct regularity in the fine-tuning function of the upper limbs. The purpose of the present study was to detect whether the uptight responses elicited from motivating clenching differ from those induced by motivating forearm raising at different force levels. METHODS: Twenty-five healthy females were enrolled in this study. The target was low, medium, and maximum force levels with or without visual feedback and/or maintenance effort. Surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity was recorded from the bilateral anterior temporalis and masseter or left biceps brachii muscle (BicL), and the T-Scan III System synchronously recorded the sensitive force values. The uptight responses and task difficulties were recorded for occlusal and left forearm lifting tasks using a unique visual analogue scale. RESULTS: The highest uptight response value was achieved at a low clenching force level with visual feedback requiring no maintenance effort but at a maximum forearm-raising force level with visual feedback and maintenance effort. The SEMG activities of both jaw-closing muscles and BicL were associated with the central preset force level (P < 0.001). However, the maintenance effort only increased the jaw-closing muscles' SEMG activity at the maximal force level (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clenching at the central preset lower force level with visual feedback is prone to elicit a higher degree of uptight response. The constant need for a low-intensity bite can have a negative effect on an individual's mood.

The Effect of Aerobic Fitness on Psychological, Attentional and Physiological Responses during a Tabata High-Intensity Interval Training Session in Healthy Young Women.

The current study examines the effects of a Tabata high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session on affective, cognitive and physiological indicators in women of different fitness levels. A total of 28 adult women (aged 24.2 ± 1.5 years) completed a 20 m shuttle run test and were then assigned to higher fitness and lower fitness groups (HF and LF, n = 14 each) according to their predicted aerobic power. On a separate occasion, participants completed a 30 min Tabata workout (six 4 min rounds separated by 1 min passive rest). Each round included eight exercises (20 s exercise and 10 s rest). Affective, physiological and cognitive responses were assessed prior to, during and after the protocol. Heart rate and blood lactate concentration increased similarly in both groups over time throughout the workout (p < 0.001). Total Mood Disturbance was higher for LF (111.4 ± 15.7) vs. HF (102.9 ± 11.7) (p = 0.48), vigor showed a level by time interaction of p = 0.006 and Activation−Deactivation Adjective Check List factors deteriorated over time (p < 0.001). The Concentration Grid Test was better overall for HF (10.5 ± 3.6) vs. LF (8.6 ± 3.6) (p = 0.05). The Feeling Scale and Rating of Perceived Exertion worsened similarly in both groups over time (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). Positive and negative affect and arousal did not differ between groups or change over time (p > 0.05). These results show that, despite the different levels of aerobic fitness, physiological, metabolic, perceptual and affective responses were similar in the two groups of women during a 30 min Tabata session. This may imply that affective responses during this type of HIIT are independent of aerobic fitness.

"I Can't See an End in Sight." How the COVID-19 Pandemic May Influence Suicide Risk.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences may affect population mental health and suicide risk. Aims: To explore the experiences among suicidal individuals who made calls to a suicide prevention hotline and to identify factors and psychological responses that may influence suicide risk. Method: We identified 60 eligible recorded calls to Taiwan's suicide prevention hotline (January 23, 2020-May 31, 2020) and analyzed the transcripts using a framework analysis. Results: We identified three themes: (a) effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society (impacts on local economies, the fear of contagion, and disruptions caused by outbreak control measures); (b) stress experienced by callers, including increased challenges (financial burden, restricted freedom of movement, interpersonal conflicts, feelings of uncertainty, and education/career interruption) and reduced support (reduced access to health services and social support); and (c) the callers' psychological responses to stress, including anxiety, sleep disturbance, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, and entrapment, which may increase suicide risk. Limitations: Only the experiences among those who sought help by calling the hotline during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 were explored. Conclusion: Our findings revealed the potential process underlying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide risk and have implications for prevention and intervention strategies.

Spatial stimuli in films: Uncovering the relationship between cognitive emotion and perceived environmental quality.

Objectives: The research paper establishes the impact of spatial stimulus on human cognition and emotion by studying environmental events as cues to understand how people perceive spatial qualities. The medium of film to implement visually disruptive events was used in the research to find the relationship between the subjective evaluation of space and emotional responses. Method: Ninety participants participated in watching three films showcasing unexpected spatial stimuli, thus impacting their psychological state. Standard questionnaires involving Aesthetic chills and The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) model were used to capture emotional responses, and Normalized Accumulated Quality (NAQ) model was used to receive space quality assessments. The Pearson correlation coefficient was subsequently used to find the association of chills and The SAM with NAQ. Univariate and multivariate regression models were also conducted to find the impact of emotional responses on NAQ. Results: A significant association of NAQ with chills (p-value: 0.001), pleasure (p-value <0.001), arousal (p-value: 0.016), and dominance (p-value: 0.015) was witnessed in film 1. In film 2, NAQ was significantly associated with pleasure (p-value <0.001), while in film 3, NAQ was highly associated with arousal (p-value: 0.043). According to the adjusted impact of variables on NAQ in film 1, significant impacts of chills (p-value: 0.028), arousal (p-value: 0.117), pleasure (p-value <0.001), and dominance (p-value: 0.113) on NAQ were observed. In film 2, pleasure (p-value <0.001) and dominance (p-value: 0.113) impacted NAQ using the univariate model, while only pleasure had an impact on NAQ in the multivariate model. In film 3, arousal was the only variable to impact NAQ (p-value: 0.043) in a univariate model. In regression analyses, higher slopes were witnessed for models in film 1. Conclusion: The experiment highlighted that using affect-based video clips can help us capture the relationship between emotional responses and perceived quality of space. The appearance of spatial stimuli can engage learning, expectation, and attention, leading to a superior improvement of cognitive ability and mental health in space. This level of understanding can help design a more sustainable place.

Psychophysiological Adaptations to Yoga Practice in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Topical Review.

Physical activity has been documented as a foundational approach for weight management and obesity, improving several cardiometabolic and mental health indices. However, it is not clear whether yoga practice can induce beneficial improvements in anthropometric and body composition parameters, performance, metabolic health, and well-being among overweight/obese people. The aim of this topical review was to catalog training studies examining the psychophysiological responses to yoga interventions in order to detect which outcomes have been investigated, the research methods applied, and the conclusions. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were met by 22 published articles involving 1178 (56% female) overweight/obese participants. This brief review on yoga-induced adaptations demonstrates that this widely used meditative movement activity can meaningfully improve the vast majority of the selected markers. These beneficial alterations are focused mostly on various anthropometric and body composition variables, cardiovascular disease risk factors, physical fitness parameters, quality of life, and stress in previously inactive overweight/obese individuals. Instead, yoga-based physical exercise interventions investigating anxiety, depression, mood state, exercise enjoyment, affect valence, and adherence were limited. Further research should focus on the yoga intervention configuration and potential mechanisms behind favorable changes in various psychophysiological indices through large-scale, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials implementing long-term interventions in overweight/obese individuals.

Psychophysiological Adaptations to Pilates Training in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Topical Review.

The prevalence of overweightness and obesity has been documented as a major public health issue since it has increased at an alarming rate worldwide. Structured physical exercise programs have been reported as an essential strategy for preventing, managing, and treating obesity, inducing critical improvements in various physiological and psychological markers. However, it is unclear whether Pilates training can elicit positive changes in body composition, physical fitness, cardiometabolic health, and well-being among overweight and obese populations. The purpose of this topical review was to catalog studies investigating the physiological and psychological adaptations to Pilates training in order to identify what outcomes have been assessed, the research methods used, and the results. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were met by 14 published articles involving 582 participants (83% female) who were overweight or obese. The present topical review on Pilates training-induced adaptations shows that this widely used exercise type can significantly improve the majority of the selected indicators. These beneficial changes are frequently focused on anthropometric parameters, body composition, glucose, and lipid metabolism, as well as blood pressure in sedentary overweight or obese women. Specialized equipment-based Pilates interventions and trials investigating various mental health indices were limited. Further research is warranted in this area, emphasizing the Pilates training configuration and potential mechanisms behind positive alterations in several psychophysiological markers through large-scale randomized controlled trials with superior methodological quality, implementing long-term interventions in various populations that are overweight and obese.

Effectiveness of Trimetazidine in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Stratified by the Expression of Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 (sST2): A Prospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Trimetazidine has been reported to have potential benefits in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) was shown to worsen CHF and, hence, has a diagnostic value in heart failure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of trimetazidine in patients expressing high and low levels of sST2 compared with their matched placebo. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 170 patients were enrolled. Patients expressing more than 35 ng/mL sST2 (S+) were split into a trimetazidine group (group A) and placebo group (group B). Likewise, patients expressing 35 ng/mL or less of sST2 (S-) were divided into a trimetazidine (group C) and placebo group (group D). Patients in both the trimetazidine groups were administered 20-mg twice-a-day doses of trimetazidine. Trimetazidine effectiveness was determined in terms of changes in cardiac function, motor function, and mental status at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months from baseline among the four groups. RESULTS: A total of 158 patients were included for final data analysis (group A, n = 50; group B, n = 57; group C, n = 27; group D, n = 24). On comparing different outcomes between the four groups and across the time points, significant difference was observed between the groups in ejection fraction (EF; P < 0.001), cardiac index (CI; P < 0.001), New York Heart Association score (P < 0.001), 6-min walk test (P < 0.001), Veterans Specific Activity Questionnaire (VSAQ; P < 0.001), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ; P < 0.001), hospital anxiety and depression scores (P < 0.001), and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (P < 0.001). Significant difference in systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001), heart rate (P < 0.001), EF (P < 0.001), CI (P < 0.001), VSAQ (P = 0.017), and MLHFQ (P < 0.001) was observed. CONCLUSION: Trimetazidine demonstrated an overall improvement in cardiac function, motor function, quality of life (QoL), and mental status in both S+ and S- patients. Among patients administered trimetazidine, significant changes in maximum outcomes were observed among those expressing higher levels of sST2 compared with placebo.

Effects of mental fatigue on the psychophysiological responses, kinematic profiles, and technical performance in different small-sided soccer games.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of mental fatigue (MF) on the psychophysiological responses, kinematic profiles, and technical performance of young soccer players in small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-four young soccer players (age: 15.9 ± 1.0 years) played 2vs2, 3vs3, and 4vs4 SSGs consisting of four bouts (with two-minute passive rest periods between bouts) under two different playing conditions: MF+SSGs and SSGs. The heart rate, total distance covered, and technical performance of each player were monitored during all SSGs, and the rating of perceived exertion, visual analogue scale, and Rating Scale Mental Effort values were determined after each bout. The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) were also determined at the end of each SSG. The results demonstrated that all MF+SSGs induced higher psychophysiological responses (p ≤ 0.05) than SSGs, except regarding the PACES responses. By contrast, the SSGs group covered a greater total distance (p ≤ 0.05) than the MF+SSGs group. During SSGs, the players' technical performances (in terms of lost balls and unsuccessful passes) were negatively affected after MF (p ≤ 0.05). The results of this study indicate that both PACES scores and mood responses were negatively affected after the MF intervention. Coaches could use the MF intervention before SSGs to improve soccer-specific technical and decision-making performances in young soccer players.

Psychological sequelae within different populations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review of extant evidence.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has a potentially significant impact on not only physical health but also psychological well-being. To the best of our knowledge, no review thus far has consolidated the psychological impact of COVID-19 across different subpopulations. A systematic search of the literature until 15 June 2020 found 150 empirical papers pertinent to the mental health consequences of the pandemic. The majority (87.3%) were from China (45.3%), the rest of Asia (22.0%) and Europe (20.0%), and mostly examined the general population (37.3%), healthcare workers (31.3%) and those with pre-existing mental and physical illnesses (14.7%). The most common psychological responses across these subpopulations were anxiety (overall range 24.8%-49.5%), depression (overall range 18.6%-42.6%) and traumatic stress symptoms (overall range 12.7%-31.6%). Healthcare workers and those with pre-existing physical and mental illnesses were more severely affected. Future studies are needed on underexamined subgroups such as the elderly and patients who recovered from COVID-19.

Psychological Responses of Health Care Workers Are Strongly Associated With Pandemic Management.

Background: Globally, governments adopted protective measures to stabilize the worsening COVID-19 pandemic situation. These measures had a large impact on health care workers (HCWs) and could make the work environment more stressful for them. Therefore, we explored the associations of the psychological responses of HCWs and pandemic management among Slovak health care workers during the second wave of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: We obtained data about psychological responses, COVID-19 experiences, information overload, non-adherence of the public, work stress and barriers and facilitators of health care provision from HCWs at the COVID-19-related departments of one hospital that mainly covered eastern Slovakia (215 health care professionals, 77.7% females, M/SD = 44.4). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models adjusted for gender. Results: Pandemic management was most strongly associated with psychological responses, such as irritability, sadness, anxiety, dizziness, and back pain, in health care workers. The non-adherence of the public had the strongest associated psychological impact on HCWs, mostly affecting anxiety and irritability (odds ratios, ORs varying from 3.9 to 7.0). From the barriers and facilitators of health care provision, the use of personal protective equipment had the most impact psychologically, whereas efficient department management was most protective, with ORs around 0.3. Conclusion: Pandemic management has a large impact on health care workers, and promoting resilience may seriously decrease job-related stress and associated psychological responses of HCWs.

Return of comprehensive tumour genomic profiling results to advanced cancer patients: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: The introduction of comprehensive tumour genomic profiling (CGP) into clinical oncology allows the identification of molecular therapeutic targets. However, the potential complexity of genomic results and their implications may cause confusion and distress for patients undergoing CGP. We investigated the experience of advanced cancer patients receiving CGP results in a research setting. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 37 advanced cancer patients were conducted within two weeks of patients receiving CGP results. Interviewees were purposively sampled based on CGP result, cancer type, age and gender to ensure diversity. Themes were derived from interview transcripts using a framework analysis approach. RESULTS: We identified six themes: (1) hoping against the odds; (2) managing expectations; (3) understanding is cursory; (4) communication of results is cursory; (5) genomics and incurable cancer; and (6) decisions about treatment. CONCLUSION: Despite enthusiasm regarding CGP about the hope it provides for new treatments, participants experienced challenges in understanding results, and acceptance of identified treatments was not automatic. Support is needed for patients undergoing CGP to understand the implications of testing and cope with non-actionable results.

Between Multiple Identities and Values: Professionals' Identity Conflicts in Ethically Charged Situations.

This study explored identity conflict dynamics in interpersonal interactions in professionals facing ethically charged situations. Through semi-structured interviews (N = 47), we conducted a qualitative study among doctors and nurses working for the English National Healthcare Service and analyzed the data with grounded theory approaches. Our findings reveal that identity conflict is triggered by three micro processes, namely cognitive and emotional perspective taking, as well as identifying with the other. In these processes, identity conflict is signaled by emotions and recognized as a clash not only between identities and their values, but also within one identity and its multiple values. Behavioral and psychological outcomes of identity conflict involve seeking peer support, doing reflective practices and identity growth. This article contributes to identity literature by providing a multilevel approach of identity conflict dynamics able to account for both interpersonal and intrapsychic processes, deeply hold values and emotions, as well as crucial behavioral and psychological consequences.

Psychological Adaptations to High-Intensity Interval Training in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Topical Review.

Regular exercise has been reported as a fundamental piece of the management and treatment puzzle of obesity, playing a vital role in numerous psychological indicators. However, it is unclear whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve critical psychological health markers such as adherence, exercise enjoyment, affective responses, health-related quality of life, anxiety, and depression in overweight and obese adults. The purpose of this topical review was to catalogue studies investigating the psychological responses to HIIT in order to identify what psychological outcomes have been assessed, the research methods used, and the results. The inclusion/exclusion criteria were met by 25 published articles investigating either a traditional, single-component (84%) or a hybrid-type, multi-component (16%) HIIT protocol and involving 930 participants with overweight/obesity. The present topical review on HIIT-induced psychological adaptations shows that this popular exercise mode, but also demanding for the masses, can meaningfully increase the vast majority of the selected mental health-related indices. These improvements seem to be equal if not greater than those observed for moderate-intensity continuous training in overweight and obese adults. However, further research is needed in this area, focusing on the potential mechanisms behind positive alterations in various psychological health parameters through larger samples and high-quality randomized controlled trials.