Correlates of Problematic Gambling in Emerging Adult University Students in Ireland.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the correlates of problematic gambling among emerging adult university students is crucial for developing effective approaches to minimise harm. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey study reports on 397 18-25 year old emerging adults studying at Irish universities who completed an online survey about problematic gambling and a range of biopsychosocial variables. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses explored the relationships between problematic gambling and the biopsychosocial variables measured. RESULTS: Chi-square analyses showed that being male, having an online gambling account, having a mobile gambling app, novelty seeking (impulsivity), harm avoidance (fear of uncertainty), and high alcohol volume consumption were significantly associated with problematic gambling. Regression analyses showed that individuals were more likely to report problematic gambling if they were male (OR = 9.57 times), had an online gambling account (OR = 17.05 times), had a mobile gambling app (OR = 20.37 times), scored high in impulsivity (OR = 7.79 times), and reported high alcohol volume consumption (OR = 4.66 times). Individuals were less likely to report problematic gambling if they scored high in fear of uncertainty (OR = 0.26 times). CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of problematic gambling was observed among the current study sample. Participants were more likely to reported problematic gambling if they were male, had online gambling accounts, mobile gambling apps, scored high in impulsivity, scored low in fear of uncertainty, or consumed high volumes of alcohol in typical drinking sessions. These findings have implications for Irish legislation and policy-makers, Irish higher education institutions, and young adult Irish university students.

Sex and the facilitation of cued fear by prior contextual fear conditioning in rats.

Previous studies have shown that the formation of new memories can be influenced by prior experience. This includes work using pavlovian fear conditioning in rodents that have shown that an initial fear conditioning experience can become associated with and facilitate the acquisition of new fear memories, especially when they occur close together in time. However, most of the prior studies used only males as subjects resulting in questions about the generalizability of the findings from this work. Here we tested whether prior contextual fear conditioning would facilitate later learning of cued fear conditioning in both male and female rats, and if there were differences based on the interval between the two conditioning episodes. Our results showed that levels of cued fear were not influenced by prior contextual fear conditioning or by the interval between training, however, females showed lower levels of cued fear. Freezing behavior in the initial training context differed by sex, with females showing lower levels of contextual fear, and by the type of initial training, with rats given delayed shock showing higher levels of fear than rats given immediate shock during contextual fear conditioning. These results indicate that contextual fear conditioning does not prime subsequent cued fear conditioning and that female rats express lower levels of cued and contextual fear conditioning than males.

Afraid and tired: A longitudinal study of the relationship between cancer-related fatigue and fear of cancer recurrence in long-term cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) are two common concerns experienced by cancer survivors. However, the relationship between these two concerns is poorly understood, and whether CRF and FCR influence each other over time is unclear. METHODS: Data were from a national, prospective, longitudinal study, the American Cancer Society's Study of Cancer Survivors-I (SCS-I). Surveys were completed by 1395 survivors of 10 different cancer types at three time-points, including assessment 1.3 years (T1), 2.2 years (T2) and 8.8 years (T3) following their cancer diagnosis. CRF was assessed using the fatigue-inertia subscale of the Profile of Mood States, and FCR by the FCR subscale of the Cancer Problems in Living Scale. Multiple group random intercepts cross-lagged panel models investigated prospective associations between CRF and FCR. RESULTS: For younger participants (at or below median age of 55 years, n = 697), CRF at T1 and T2 marginally and significantly predicted FCR at T2 and T3, respectively, but no lagged effects of FCR on subsequent CRF were observed. Cross-lagged effects were not observed for survivors over 55 years of age. CONCLUSION: Both CRF and FCR are debilitating side effects of cancer and its treatments. Given that CRF may be predictive of FCR, it possible that early detection and intervention for CRF could contribute to lowering FCR severity.

The Ottawa clinical fear of recurrence instruments: A screener, self-report, and clinical interview.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) was recently defined by a group of experts during a Delphi study. Five criteria were agreed upon, namely: (a) high levels of preoccupation, (b) high levels of worry, (c) that are persistent, (d) hypervigilance and hypersensitivity to physical sensations that e) may result in functional impairment. No existing instruments comprehensively capture all these criteria for clinical FCR. METHODS: To remedy this gap, a set of three patient-reported outcome instruments including a one-item screener, self-report questionnaire, and semi-structured clinical interview, named the Ottawa Clinical Fear of Recurrence instruments, were developed. To do so, the research team first conducted a literature review of potential items. Additional FCR experts discussed the content of the screener and interview. The self-report's items were assessed for content validity by the same expert panel using Likert ratings and the Content Validity Index to narrow down the number of items. The three instruments were piloted with a group of cancer survivors to assess face validity following the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer recommendations. RESULTS: The literature review and content validity assessment led to a final draft pre-pilot of 23 potential items for the self-report questionnaire. The instruments were piloted. Pilot study participants suggested changing wording and response options (particularly for the self-report) for greater clarity. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the feedback received, minor modifications were made, mostly for the self-report. In general, content and face validity for the three instruments were good for both experts and cancer survivors.

Anhedonia is associated with overgeneralization of conditioned fear during late adolescence and early adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Pavlovian fear paradigms involve learning to associate cues with threat or safety. Aberrances in Pavlovian fear learning correlate with psychopathology, especially anxiety disorders. This study evaluated symptom dimensions of anxiety and depression in relation to Pavlovian fear acquisition and generalization. METHODS: 256 participants (70.31 % female) completed a Pavlovian fear acquisition and generalization paradigm at ages 18-19 and 21-22 years. Analyses focused on indices of learning (self-reported US expectancy, skin conductance). Multilevel models tested associations with orthogonal symptom dimensions (Anhedonia-Apprehension, Fears, General Distress) at each timepoint. RESULTS: All dimensions were associated with weaker acquisition of US expectancies at each timepoint. Fears was associated with overgeneralization only at age 21-22. General Distress was associated with overgeneralization only at age 18-19. Anhedonia-Apprehension was associated with overgeneralization at ages 18-19 and 21-22. CONCLUSIONS: Anhedonia-Apprehension disrupts Pavlovian fear acquisition and increases overgeneralization of fear. These effects may emerge during adolescence and remain into young adulthood. General Distress and Fears also contribute to overgeneralization of fear, but these effects may vary as prefrontal mechanisms of fear inhibition continue to develop during late adolescence. Targeting specific symptom dimensions, particularly Anhedonia-Apprehension, may decrease fear generalization and augment interventions built on Pavlovian principles, such as exposure therapy.

Sex differences in acute early life stress-enhanced fear learning in adult rats.

Patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) present with a spectrum of debilitating anxiety symptoms resulting from exposure to trauma. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD compared to men; however, the reason for this vulnerability remains unknown. We conducted four experiments where we first demonstrated a female vulnerability to stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL) with a moderate, acute early life stress (aELS) exposure (4 footshocks in a single session), compared to a more intense aELS exposure (15 footshocks in a single session) where males and females demonstrated comparable SEFL. Next, we demonstrated that this female vulnerability does not result from differences in footshock reactivity or contextual fear conditioning during the aELS exposure. Finally, using gonadectomy or sham surgeries in adult male and female rats, we showed that circulating levels of gonadal steroid hormones at the time of adult fear conditioning do not explain the female vulnerability to SEFL. Additional research is needed to determine whether this vulnerability can be explained by organizational effects of gonadal steroid hormones or differences in sex chromosome gene expression. Doing so is critical for a better understanding of increased female vulnerability to certain psychiatric diseases.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of the Arabic version of the fear avoidance components scale.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to translate, validate, and cross-culturally adapt the original FACS into the Arabic language. METHODS: The English version of the FACS was translated and culturally adapted into Arabic following international guidelines. The psychometric properties of the final version of the FACS-Arabic (FACS-A) were tested among 119 patients with different musculoskeletal (MSK) pain disorders. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α for the FACS-A was 0.86. The test-retest reliability, measured with intraclass correlation coefficient, was 0.80. The FACS-A showed positive significant correlations with other psychological patient-reported measures, including the pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) (r = 0.545); p ≤ 0.01), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-pain score (r = 0.546; p ≤ 0.01), BPI-pain interference score (r = 0.511; p ≤ 0.01), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (r = 0.451, 0.336, respectively; p ≤ 0.01). Confirmatory factor analysis of the FACS-A confirmed the two-factor structure found in the original English version. CONCLUSION: This study determined the FACS-A to be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of the fear-avoidance beliefs in Arabic-speaking individuals with MSK pain disorders.

The Arabic version of the fear avoidance component scale is a reliable and valid tool to assess pain fear-avoidance beliefs in individuals with musculoskeletal pain.This tool can be used to assess fear-avoidance beliefs in clinical practice for Arabic-speaking individuals.

Comparison of psychological reactions, fear of negative evaluation and mood-emotional alexithymia in successful and unsuccessful people in addiction recovery: a survey of Baluchestan in Iran.

The aim of this study was to examine psychological responses, fear of negative evaluation, and mood-related alexithymia in individuals in addiction recovery who have succeeded versus those who have not. This study employed a causal-comparative design. The research focused on all individuals who sought treatment for addiction at clinics within a specific district in Zahedan city, Iran. Out of the group, 100 individuals were chosen (50 who successfully stopped their addiction and 50 who were unsuccessful in their attempts to quit) through convenience sampling. Data were gathered using the depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Lori's fear of negative evaluation scale, and Toronto's mood-emotional alexithymia scale. Data were examined through both descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance. Based on the results, successful and unsuccessful individuals in addiction recovery showed varying levels of depression, stress, fear of negative evaluation, and having no fear of negative evaluation (p < .01). In simpler terms, unsuccessful individuals in addiction recovery scored higher in depression, stress, fear of negative evaluation, inability feeling emotions, inability to express feelings compared to successful individuals. But successful individuals in addiction recovery obtained higher mean scores than unsuccessful individuals in addiction recovery on having no fear of negative evaluation. According to the findings psychological reactions, fear of negative evaluation and mood-emotional alexithymia play a significant role in addiction treatment and can be helpful in addiction recovery in unsuccessful people in addiction recovery. It is feasible to enhance the effectiveness of addiction recovery by implementing interventions that target the reduction of depression, stress, fear of negative evaluation, and alexithymia.

Self-Testing for Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis of Fear.

Following the growing economic relevance of mobile health (mHealth) and the increasing global prevalence of dementia, self-testing apps for dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder (MCD) have been developed and advertised. The apps' promise of a quick and easy tool has been criticized in the literature from a variety of angles, but as we argue in this article, the celebratory characterization of self-testing also stands in disbalance to the various kinds of fears that may be connected to taking the test. By drawing on Sara Ahmed's phenomenological theory on emotions and by referring to illustrative experiences from two users with a particular dementia self-testing app, we explore four dimensions of fear derived from phenomenology: performative, ontological, embodied, and temporal dimensions. We argue that fear (1) motivates one to take the self-test and to try to take control over one's health; (2) is shaped by and shapes the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and others as cognitively deficient; (3) constructs and is constructed by our differently embodied presence in the world; and that (4) testing makes a fearful future self as cognitively deficient more tangible. In outlining these different dimensions of fear, this article expands the understanding of the meaning of experiencing self-testing in comparison to the mostly quantitative literature on this topic.

Assessment of Nurses Fear Working in COVID-19 Pandemic Hospitals.

Introduction: Nurses play pivotal roles in various facets of managing the COVID-19 epidemic, encompassing tasks such as identifying potential cases with infections, managing suspected patients, conducting patient assessments, and providing critical care to individuals afflicted with COVID-19. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the level of COVID-19 fear among nurses who care for infected or suspected COVID-19 patients in pandemic hospitals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 nurses employed at COVID-19 hospitals in Palestine. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) was employed to measure participants' fear levels. The scale's potential values range from 7 to 35, with higher scores indicating a greater fear of COVID-19. Independent t-tests and ANOVA tests were utilized to evaluate differences between the variables. Results: The analysis revealed that the mean total fear score of the nurses was 25.22 ± 5.07 (ranging from 7 to 35), indicating a high level of fear. Married nurses exhibited a fear mean score of 27.0 ± 4.9 (p < 0.05). Similarly, nurses with children scored a mean fear level of 29.0 ± 4.6 (p < 0.05). Additionally, nurses engaged in rotating shift work reported a fear mean score of 27.9 ± 4.4 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, nurses who received COVID-19 training exhibited a fear mean score of 24.6 ± 4.8 (p < 0.05). Likewise, nurses who experienced patient loss due to COVID-19 reported a fear mean score of 23.2 ± 4.5 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study confirmed that nurses in Palestine exhibit a significant level of fear concerning COVID-19. Marital status, having children, working schedule, experiencing the loss of a patient due to COVID-19, and receiving training related to COVID-19 were identified as factors associated with the fear of COVID-19 among nurses.

Understanding Parental Intentions for COVID-19 Child Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study From Jordan Using Theory of Planned Behavior.

Introduction: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study addresses the factors that influence parental intentions to vaccinate their 12- to 17-year-old children against COVID-19. The study looked at how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and fear of the COVID-19 vaccine impact these intentions. Methods: Between November and December 2021, 396 Jordanian parents completed an anonymous online survey. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used for analyzing the relationships. Results: While 94.7% of children had received routine vaccinations, only 23.5% intended to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, indicating a vaccine acceptance gap. The analysis revealed that attitudes are the most significant positive predictor of vaccination intent, accounting for 75% of the variance. Subjective norms had a positive influence on parents' decisions, whereas fear of the COVID-19 vaccine was a significant barrier. Perceived behavioral control had a small but negative effect, indicating significant challenges to vaccination. Conclusion: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) clarifies numerous factors that influence parents' decisions to immunize their children against COVID-19. Understanding these factors is critical for narrowing the gap between high rates of routine vaccinations and low rates of COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as developing effective strategies to increase vaccine acceptance among parents.

Evaluation of fear and stress levels and methods of coping with stress among parents having children with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the fear and stress levels of parents having children with chronic disease and their methods to cope with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN AND METHODS: This descriptive and correlation study was conducted with the participation of 390 parents with and without children suffering from chronic diseases. Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCS), Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF), and Coping Response Inventory (CRI) were used to collect data. In the data analysis, Kurtosis and Skewness coefficients were used to check the assumption of normal distribution, t-test was used to compare two independent groups and Pearson correlation analysis was used to make relational inferences. RESULT: It was found that 84.9% (n = 331) of the parents were mothers and 15.1% (n = 59) were fathers. The FCS mean score of the parents having children with chronic diseases was 21.52 ± 5.07, their PSI-SF mean score was 68.27 ± 25.56, and their CRI mean score was 96.97 ± 15.12. For the parents having children without chronic diseases, the FCS mean score was 18.10 ± 5.80, the PSI-SF mean score was 68.75 ± 23.43, and the CRI mean score was 94.77 ± 15.08. CONCLUSION: It was determined that parents having children with chronic diseases had higher levels of COVID-19 fear during the pandemic than parents having child without chronic diseases, but their stress levels and CRI mean scores were similar. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: It is important for nurses to take into account the feelings of fear and stress experienced by parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic and provide coping methods.

A national survey of pandemic fear and cyberchondria after ending zero-COVID policy: The chain mediating role of alexithymia and psychological distress.

BACKGROUND: More than half the domestic population in China were infected with COVID-19 in two months after ending "zero-infection policy", which severely overwhelmed frontline healthcare providers with stress and fear. However, there is no study to date investigating the associations between nurses' fear of pandemic and cyberchondria. This study aimed to 1) investigate the correlations between fear pandemic and cyberchondria among frontline nurses, and 2) discover its potential mechanism. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of frontline nurses (N = 8161) was recruited from 98 hospitals across China in February 2023. Participants were invited to complete an online, self-rated standardized questionnaire focused on pandemic fear, alexithymia, psychological distress, and cyberchondria. Environmental, clinical and socioeconomic information were collected for adjustment while conducting chain mediation analysis. RESULTS: When other covariates were controlled, it was found that fear of the pandemic significantly contributed to cyberchondria (b = 0.58, 95%CI [0.56, 0.60], p < .001). The chain mediation model suggested that both alexithymia and psychological distress were mediating factors between pandemic fear and cyberchondria. CONCLUSIONS: The higher the perceived fear, the greater the cyberchondria, which suggests that reducing fear about the pandemic and providing adequate support could reduce the incidence of cyberchondria. As alexithymia and psychological distress may be transdiagnostic mechanisms between fear and cyberchondria, targeted interventions focused on expression dysregulation and emotional identification could be useful.

Social fear extinction susceptibility is associated with Microbiota-Gut-Brain axis alterations.

Social anxiety disorder is a common psychiatric condition that severely affects individual quality of life and is a significant societal burden. Although many risk factors for social anxiety exist, it is currently unknown how social fear sensitivity manifests biologically. Furthermore, since some individuals are resilient and others are susceptible to social fear, it is important to interrogate the mechanisms underpinning individual response to social fear situations. The microbiota-gut-brain axis has been associated with social behaviour, has recently been linked with social anxiety disorder, and may serve as a therapeutic target for modulation. Here, we assess the potential of this axis to be linked with social fear extinction processes in a murine model of social anxiety disorder. To this end, we correlated differential social fear responses with microbiota composition, central gene expression, and immune responses. Our data provide evidence that microbiota variability is strongly correlated with alterations in social fear behaviour. Moreover, we identified altered gene candidates by amygdalar transcriptomics that are linked with social fear sensitivity. These include genes associated with social behaviour (Armcx1, Fam69b, Kcnj9, Maoa, Serinc5, Slc6a17, Spata2, and Syngr1), inflammation and immunity (Cars, Ckmt1, Klf5, Maoa, Map3k12, Pex5, Serinc5, Sidt1, Spata2), and microbe-host interaction (Klf5, Map3k12, Serinc5, Sidt1). Together, these data provide further evidence for a role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in social fear responses.

The effect of illness-related fears of parents of children with epilepsy during the COVID-19 period on their children's seizure self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Seizure-related self-efficacy is the belief individuals have that they can perform the necessary actions to cope effectively with their seizures. Determining, developing, strengthening, and maintaining the perception of self-efficacy in children with epilepsy facilitates the child's disease management and their ability to cope with it. This study aimed to assess the impact of epilepsy-related parental fears during the COVID-19 period on the seizure self-efficacy of their children. METHODS: A total of 321 children with epilepsy and their parents participated in this descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study. Data were collected through the Descriptive Information Form, the Seizure Self-Efficacy Scale for Children (SSES-C), and the Epilepsy-Related Fears in Parents Questionnaire (EFPQ). Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean scores, were used to analyze the characteristics of the children and their parents. The Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized to assess the normality of the scale data. Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationship between parents' epilepsy-related fears and their children's seizure self-efficacy, while multiple regression analysis determined the effect of parental fears on children's seizure self-efficacy. RESULTS: The mean age of children included in the study was 12.65±2.37 years. Analysis revealed a strong and significant negative correlation between parents' epilepsy-related fears during the COVID-19 period and the seizure self-efficacy of their children. In the model created with regression analysis, The mean scores of parents on the short-term fears of parents about epilepsy of the EFPQ explained 85 % of children's seizure self-efficacy. The mean scores of parents on the long-term fears of parents about epilepsy of the EFPQ explained 85 % of children's seizure self-efficacy. It was determined that all of these variables together explained 85 % of the seizure self-efficacy of children with epilepsy. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study underscore the importance of addressing parents' fears regarding epilepsy, emphasizing the need for healthcare professionals to be aware of and provide support for these concerns. Future studies should focus on interventions to enhance the seizure self-efficacy of children with epilepsy.

Psychometric Characteristics of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Severity Subscale Among Korean Cancer Survivors.

Objectives: Despite the importance of choosing and using a valid assessment tool for fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) for early detection and interventions, the validity of the FCR inventory has yet to be thoroughly investigated in Korea. This study explored the psychometric properties of the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-Severity (FCRI-S) subscale and assessed its applicability to cancer survivors in Korea. Methods: The survey involved 93 Korean individuals who had survived cancer. The reliability of the FCRI-S subscale was assessed using Cronbach's α and composite reliability (CR). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), along with tests for discriminant and convergent validity, was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of the FCRI-S subscale. Results: The FCRI-S subscale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.88; CR = 0.89). CFA showed a good factor structure for the FCRI-S subscale, and the correlations of the FCRI-S subscale with FCR-related measures (r = 0.69 to 0.80) and other psychosocial measures (r = -0.23 to 0.37) confirmed both the convergent and discriminant validity of the FCRI-S subscale. Conclusions: This study confirmed the robust psychometric characteristics of the FCRI-S subscale among cancer survivors in Korea. The use of the FCRI-S subscale would be helpful for health professionals to rapidly screen FCR levels in clinical settings.

Risk Perception and Maternal Prenatal Depressive Symptoms in the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Role of Negative Emotions and Family Sense of Coherence.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal depression is associated with adverse health outcomes for both mothers and their children. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has presented new risks and challenges for expectant mothers. The aims of the study were to investigate the underlying mechanism between COVID-19 risk perception of Chinese pregnant women and their prenatal depressive symptoms and potential protective factors such as family sense of coherence (FSOC). METHOD: A total of 181 Chinese pregnant women (Mage = 31.40 years, SD = 3.67, ranged from 23 to 43) participated in an online survey from April 22 to May 16, 2020. Risk perception and negative emotions (fear and anxiety) related with COVID-19, FSOC, and prenatal depressive symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: The experience of maternal COVID-19 related negative emotion fully mediated the positive relationship between COVID-19 risk perception and prenatal depressive symptoms of pregnant women (ß = 0.12, 95% CI [0.06, 0.19]). When confronting COVID-19 related fear and anxiety, expectant mothers from higher coherent families experienced a significantly lower level of prenatal depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Contextual negative emotional experience was demonstrated to explain how risk perception impacts depressive symptoms during severe public health crisis for pregnant women. FSOC may be a psychological resource protecting pregnant women from experiencing adverse psychological outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic.

Dyadic effects of financial toxicity and social support on the fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients and caregivers: an actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

PURPOSE: In this study, the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) was applied to breast cancer patients and their caregivers to assess the factors that affect the fear of cancer recurrence. In particular, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the mediating effect of social support on financial toxicity and the fear of cancer recurrence, providing an effective basis for developing plans to reduce the level of fear of cancer recurrence. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional design, and 405 dyads of breast cancer patients and their caregivers were enrolled. Financial toxicity, social support, and fear of cancer recurrence were assessed by computing comprehensive scores for financial toxicity based on patient-reported outcome measures, the Social Support Rating Scale, and the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory Short Form, respectively. The data were analysed using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 23.0. RESULTS: The results showed that the fear of cancer recurrence of breast cancer patients and their caregivers was significantly related to dyadic financial toxicity and social support. In addition, the financial toxicity of breast cancer patients and their caregivers had significant actor effects and partner effects on the fear of cancer recurrence through dyadic social support. CONCLUSIONS: The financial toxicity of breast cancer patients and their caregivers could produce actor and partner effects on the fear of cancer recurrence through the mediation of social support, which provided empirical support for improving reducing the level of fear of cancer recurrence among patients and caregivers at the dyadic level.

First They Scream, Then They Laugh: The Cognitive Intersections of Humor and Fear.

On the surface, fear and humor seem like polar opposite states of mind, yet throughout our lives they continually interact. In this paper, we synthesize neurobiological, psychological, and evolutionary research on fear and humor, arguing that the two are deeply connected. The evolutionary origins of humor reside in play, a medium through which animals benignly explore situations and practice strategies, such as fight or flight, which would normally be accompanied by fear. Cognitively, humor retains the structure of play. Adopting a view of humor as requiring two appraisals, a violation appraisal and a benign appraisal, we describe how fear-inducing stimuli can be rendered benignly humorous through contextual cues, psychological distance, reframing, and cognitive reappraisal. The antagonistic relationship between humor and fear in terms of their neurochemistry and physiological effects in turn makes humor ideal for managing fear in many circumstances. We review five real-world examples of humor and fear intersecting, presenting new data in support of our account along the way. Finally, we discuss the possible therapeutic relevance of the deep connection between humor and fear.

The impact of mindfulness training on alleviating COVID-19 fear among international students in China: A quasi-experimental study.

This study investigated the effects of mindfulness training on alleviating fear of the COVID-19 epidemic among international students in China during the academic year 2020. The training group participants (N = 41) and the control group participants (N = 44) were surveyed pre-and post-training with the two English questionnaires: The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the fear of the COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S). The results showed that, regarding the relationship between the two main variables in the study, mindfulness is related negatively to the COVID-19 epidemic. Moreover, compared to the control group, results showed that individuals in the training group demonstrated significant improvements in mindfulness levels and decreased Fear of COVID-19. Thus, findings suggest that a short online mindfulness meditation training may reduce fear of the COVID-19 epidemic.