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Objectives: Although many research studies concerning changes in personality and behavior in time of COVID-19 pandemic emerged, important questions still have not been answered. This study with a large sample aimed to give insights into the impact of personality on pandemic fear and behavior by investigating the Big Five traits, COVID-19-fear, and associated behavioral changes in a large German-speaking sample. Methods: About 14,048 healthy respondents (65.5% female, 34.2% male, and 0.32% other gender/gender queer; range = 18-85 years, median age 35-44 years) participated in the survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two scales, "adherent" safety behavior (ASB, α = 0.857) and "dysfunctional" safety behavior (DSB, α = 0.876), three items each, measured pandemic-associated behavior. The Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10) tested personality traits. Results: While ASB correlated negatively with extraversion (rho = -0.053, ≤ 0.001), the other four traits were positively associated, with the highest association for neuroticism (rho = 0.116, ≤ 0.001), whereas neuroticism showed a positive correlation (rho = 0.142, ≤ 0.001) with DSB, extraversion (rho = -0.042, ≤ 0.001), agreeableness (rho = -0.028, ≤ 0.001), and conscientiousness (rho = -0.025, ≤ 0.001) correlated negatively with it. Regression analyses showed a small extent of the effect of personality traits. Moreover, neuroticism mediated the association between COVID-19-fear and DSB (positive-directed). Conclusions: Even though our results on correlations between personality, pandemic fear, and related behavior are in line with the existing literature studies, the analyses clearly show that the impact of personality traits, including neuroticism, on pandemic behavior is very small. Rather, pandemic fear has a much larger influence on the safety behavior mediated through neuroticism. Further studies should bear in mind that personality traits can not only have influencing effects but also mediating effects.
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Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are frequently characterized by an unstable readiness to change and high ambivalence toward treatment. Enhancing readiness to behavioral change therefore plays an essential role for adherence to treatment especially for severely ill patients treated in inpatient settings. Therefore, a novel 10 week program for the individual psychotherapy sessions was designed using elements from motivational interviewing to be applied within the multidisciplinary inpatient treatment for patients with AN. In a randomized controlled pilot trial, N = 22 patients with AN received either the new intervention or treatment as usual in one of two recruiting university hospitals. Readiness to change, eating disorder pathology, therapeutic alliance as well as acceptance and feasibility of the new intervention were measured from patients and therapists in week 1, 5, and 10 of inpatient treatment. Results confirm acceptance and feasibility of the MANNA intervention as evaluated by patients as well as therapists. Patients receiving the new intervention completed their inpatient treatment significantly more often on regular terms than patients receiving treatment as usual. No differences between the groups could be found concerning therapeutic alliance during and at the end of treatment and readiness to change. Absolute numbers of BMI increase indicate a larger increase in the intervention group albeit not significant in this pilot study sample. Limitations of the study such as the small sample size as well as possible adaptions and advancements of the intervention that need to be examined in a larger clinical trial of efficacy are discussed. This phase II study is registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) under the trial number DRKS00015639.
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INTRODUCTION: Neurofeedback (NF) or electroencephalogram (EEG)-Biofeedback is a drug-free form of brain training to directly alter the underlying neural mechanisms of cognition and behavior. It is a technique that measures a subject's EEG signal, processes it in real time, with the goal to enable a behavioral modification by modulating brain activity. The most common application of the NF technology is in epilepsies, migraine, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, affective disorders, and psychotic disorders. Few studies have investigated the use of NF in context of psychosomatic illnesses. Little is known about the use in cancer patients or postcancer survivors despite the high number of this patient group. OBJECTIVES: We here provide a systematic review of the use and effect of NF on symptoms and burden in cancer patients and long-term cancer survivors. METHODS: In conducting this systematic review, we followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Statement. RESULTS: Our search resulted in only 3 experimental studies, 1 observational study, and 2 case reports. Given the heterogeneity of the intervention systems and protocols, no meta-analysis was conducted. CONCLUSION: Altogether, there is initial evidence that NF is a complementary, drug-free, and noninvasive therapy that has the potential to ameliorate symptoms in this patient group, such as pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep. Further studies are highly needed.
