Body appreciation is associated with optimism/pessimism in patients with chronic kidney disease: Results from a cross-sectional study and validation of the Arabic version of the Optimism-Pessimism Short Scale-2.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients encounter many obstacles that affect their physical and psychological well-being. The primary objective of the present study was to investigate potential correlates of optimism/pessimism in a sample of patients with CKD, including socio-demographics, body appreciation and disordered eating symptoms. As a secondary objective, we proposed to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Optimism-Pessimism Short Scale-2 (SOP2) before its use in our sample. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out between April and May 2023, enrolling 108 participants from three hospitals in Lebanon providing insights into their sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity levels, body appreciation, optimism, pessimism, and eating attitudes. RESULTS: Results indicated that the Arabic-language adaptation of the SOP2 has good reliability coefficients. The two facets of the scale displayed a strong correlation to each other, and highly similar correlations with external study variables (i.e., household crowding index, physical activity, body appreciation, disordered eating), suggesting that the SOP2 can be interpreted as a unidimensional measure for the psychological dispositional optimism as proposed by the developers. Furthermore, findings revealed a strong positive correlation between body appreciation and optimism, suggesting that CKD patients who appreciate their bodies tend to exhibit a more optimistic outlook on life. Conversely, higher body appreciation is associated with lower pessimism, indicating that a positive body image may mitigate feelings of hopelessness and despair in CKD patients. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it offers the Arabic SOP2 as an brief tool to administer, and psychometrically sound instrument that can be useful for clinical and research purposes. Second, it unveils a clear correlation between higher body appreciation and a more optimistic, less pessimistic mindset in patients with CKD.

Whole-brain mechanism of neurofeedback therapy: predictive modeling of neurofeedback outcomes on repetitive negative thinking in depression.

Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-NF) has emerged as a promising intervention for psychiatric disorders, yet its clinical efficacy remains underexplored due to an incomplete mechanistic understanding. This study aimed to delineate the whole-brain mechanisms underpinning the effects of rtfMRI-NF on repetitive negative thinking in depression. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, forty-three depressed individuals underwent NF training targeting the functional connectivity (FC) between the posterior cingulate cortex and the right temporoparietal junction, linked to rumination severity. Participants were randomly assigned to active or sham groups, with the sham group receiving synthesized feedback mimicking real NF signal patterns. The active group demonstrated a significant reduction in brooding rumination scores (d = -1.52, p < 0.001), whereas the sham group did not (d = -0.23, p = 0.503). While the target FC did not show discernible training effects or group differences, connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) analysis revealed that the interaction between brain activity during regulation and brain response to the feedback signal was the critical factor in explaining treatment outcomes. The model incorporating this interaction successfully predicted rumination changes across both groups. The FCs significantly contributing to the prediction were distributed across brain regions, notably the frontal control, salience network, and subcortical reward processing areas. These results underscore the importance of considering the interplay between brain regulation activities and brain response to the feedback signal in understanding the therapeutic mechanisms of rtfMRI-NF. The study affirms rtfMRI-NF's potential as a therapeutic intervention for repetitive negative thinking and highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of the whole-brain mechanisms contributing to its efficacy.

Predictors of psychosocial impairment in a transdiagnostic sample: Unique effects of repetitive negative thinking.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process involving perseverative, unproductive, and uncontrollable thoughts. Although RNT may impede adaptive psychosocial functioning by prolonging negative mood states, strengthening cognitive biases, and preventing effective problem-solving, the extent to which RNT is associated with risk for poor psychosocial outcomes is unclear. Given that this has clear transdiagnostic treatment implications, the present study aimed to isolate the unique relationship of RNT with social functioning and life satisfaction in a mixed clinical and non-clinical sample. METHODS: In 201 mid-to-later life adult participants (27 with primary diagnoses of bipolar disorder, 84 with major depressive disorder, and 90 healthy volunteers), we measured RNT, social functioning, life satisfaction, trait rumination, DSM-5 diagnoses, depressive symptoms, manic symptoms, cognitive control performance, and global cognitive functioning. RESULTS: Linear regression models revealed that RNT, but not rumination, was significantly associated with poorer social functioning (ß = 0.42 p < .001) and reduced life satisfaction (ß = -0.42, p < .001) after controlling for clinical and cognitive covariates. LIMITATIONS: Limited demographic diversity, cross-sectional design, self-reporting of outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that RNT may confer risk for key psychosocial outcomes during middle to later adulthood, over and above the effects of clinical and cognitive variables and independent of diagnostic status. Findings lend support to the notion of RNT as a transdiagnostic process and suggest that RNT may be an important therapeutic target for adults with poor social functioning and/or reduced life satisfaction.

Unveiling the power of optimism: Exploring behavioral and neuromolecular correlates of alcohol seeking and drinking in rats with biased judgement.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common psychiatric condition with substantial global mortality. Despite extensive research into its pathophysiology, the cognitive predispositions driving alcohol dependence are less understood. This study explores whether biased cognition, specifically traits of optimism and pessimism, predicts susceptibility to alcohol-seeking behaviors using an animal model. Rats were initially tested for judgement bias through Ambiguous Cue Interpretation tests. Those identified as 'optimistic' or 'pessimistic' were further examined for their tendency to escalate alcohol intake using the intermittent access 2-bottle choice (2BC) paradigm. Additionally, we assessed how judgement bias influenced the development of compulsive alcohol-seeking behavior in a Seeking-Taking (ST) and Seeking-Taking Punishment tasks, alcohol-seeking motivation in the Progressive Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement paradigm, the speed of extinction, and reinstatement after abstinence. Neurochemical analyses were conducted to investigate trait-specific differences in neurotransmitter-related gene expression and receptor densities in the brain. We used TaqMan Gene Expression Array Cards to analyze expression levels of genes linked to serotonergic, dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic pathways, and alcohol metabolism in various brain regions. Receptor densities for 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and D2 were measured using autoradiography analysis. Behaviorally, 'optimistic' rats showed significantly lower alcohol consumption in the 2BC paradigm compared to 'pessimistic' rats. This lowered intake correlated with decreased monoamine oxidase-A (Maoa) expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and increased metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (Grm2) expression in the amygdala (Amy). Additionally, we observed significant interactions between judgement bias and alcohol intake in the expression of several genes in the mPFC, nucleus accumbens (Nacc), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and Amy, as well as in 5-HT2A receptor binding in the Nacc. Overall, these results suggest that optimism is linked to lower alcohol consumption and related neurochemical changes, indicating a potential cognitive mechanism in AUD risk.

Repetitive negative thinking and suicidal ideation in internalizing psychopathologies: A replication study.

Suicidal ideation (SI), a risk factor for suicide, is prevalent in internalizing psychopathologies, including depression and anxiety. Rumination and worry are well-studied repetitive negative thinking (RNT) constructs implicated in internalizing psychopathologies. These constructs have shared and distinct characteristics. However, the relationship between rumination and worry and their associations with SI are not fully understood in clinical samples. The present study used correlational and regression analysis to evaluate these relationships as a secondary data analysis in treatment-seeking participants with internalizing psychopathologies in two independent samples (Study 1:n = 143; Study 2:n = 133). Results showed about half of the participants endorsed SI (Study 1:n = 79; Study 2:n = 71). Correlations revealed a significant, positive relationship between rumination and worry. Regression results with SI as the dependent variable showed rumination significantly positively corresponded with SI in both studies. Post-hoc partial correlations controlling for symptom severity (depression, anxiety), worry, and age showed the rumination-SI relationship was maintained in both studies. Findings for worry and SI were inconsistent between studies. Findings indicate rumination, but not worry, could be a stable, unique contributor to SI in internalizing psychopathologies. It may be useful to incorporate RNT into suicide risk assessment for individuals with internalizing conditions.

Something in the air: does smelling stress affect dogs?

Georgina Mills discusses research into the effects of human stress on dogs, and how this might lead to them being more pessimistic.

The bidirectional relationships of optimism and pessimism with depressive symptoms in adulthood - A 15-year follow-up study from Northern Finland Birth Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Low optimism and high pessimism have predicted depressive symptoms in several studies, but the associations in the other direction, from depressive symptoms to future optimism and pessimism, have been unexplored. We examined bidirectional associations of optimism and pessimism with depressive symptoms in adulthood. METHODS: A population-based sample of 4011 Finnish adults (55 % women) was analyzed with a 15-year prospective follow-up period from age 31 to age 46. Optimism and pessimism were measured with the Life Orientation Test-Revised, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Symptom Checklist-25. Temporal associations were investigated with cross-lagged panel models. RESULTS: According to the model fit indices (RMSEA < 0.04, CFI ≥ 0.97) optimism and pessimism had bidirectional relationships with depressive symptoms: optimism predicted lower depressive symptoms (ß = -0.09, p < .001), and depressive symptoms predicted lower optimism (ß = -0.10, p < .001) in the follow-up. Also, pessimism predicted higher depressive symptoms (ß = 0.08, p < .001), and depressive symptoms predicted higher pessimism (ß = 0.09, p < .001) in the follow-up. In the participants with clinically high depressive symptoms at age 31, the predictive associations from optimism and pessimism to depressive symptoms remained, but associations in the other direction were attenuated. LIMITATIONS: The follow-up study included only two time points with a 15-year time gap, which does not consider the possible fluctuation in the study variables between the measured times. CONCLUSION: Dispositional optimism and pessimism may have bidirectional relationships with depressive symptoms in adulthood when the baseline depressive symptoms are below the clinical level.

Reexamining gender differences and the transdiagnostic boundaries of various conceptualizations of perseverative cognition.

Research examining gender differences in perseverative cognition (repetitive, negative, and difficult-to-control thoughts) has focused on depressive rumination and internalizing syndromes. This study examines the transdiagnostic role of depressive rumination, anger rumination, and repetitive negative thinking across gender on internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Utilizing an ethnoracially diverse sample (33% Black, 35% Latinx, 32% White non-Hispanic) of n = 1,187 young adults (49.5% women), we found equivalent instrument functioning across gender for depressive rumination (specifically brooding), anger rumination, and internalizing problems. Differential item functioning was found for repetitive negative thinking and externalizing problems; partial metric and scalar invariance were established for repetitive negative thinking, and partial metric invariance was established for externalizing problems. After accounting for bias in measurement, women engaged in more perseverative cognition, though effects were small for brooding and anger rumination and large for repetitive negative thinking. Different types of perseverations were positively associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms across gender. Perseverative cognition may be a transdiagnostic mechanism beyond internalizing problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Are lateralized and bold fish optimistic or pessimistic?

Cognitive bias is defined as the influence of emotions on cognitive processes. The concept of the cognitive judgement bias has its origins in human psychology but has been applied to animals over the past 2 decades. In this study we were interested in determining if laterality and personality traits, which are known to influence learning style, might also be correlated with a cognitive bias in the three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used the judgement bias test with the go/no-go procedure where fish were first trained to discriminate between a black and white card and, after reaching a minimum learning criterion, tested their response to an ambiguous card (grey). Optimistic subjects were expected to have a high expectation of reward associated with an ambiguous stimulus, whereas pessimistic subjects a high expectation of non-reward. We used an emergence and a mirror test to quantify boldness and laterality, respectively. We hypothesised that male, bolder and more strongly lateralized fish would be more optimistic than female, shy and less strongly lateralised fish. We found that males and more strongly lateralized fish were more optimistic than females and less strongly lateralized fish. In addition, bold males were more optimistic than shy males as we predicted, but females showed the opposite pattern. Finally, fish trained on the black colour card learned the training task faster than those trained on a white card. Our results indicate that both laterality and personality traits are linked to animals' internal states (pessimistic or optimistic outlooks) which likely has broad implications for understanding animal behaviour particularly in a welfare context.

Optimism, pessimism, and physical health among youth: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: High levels of optimism (and low levels of pessimism) are associated with improved physical health in adults. However, relatively less is known about these relations in youth. The present study aimed to review the literature investigating optimism, pessimism, and physical health in children and adolescents from populations with and without health conditions. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review up until February 2024. Studies were included if they sampled youth (average age ≤18 years) and treated optimism or pessimism as predictors of health behaviors or outcomes. Data on study and sample characteristics, health outcome, optimism construct, and findings were extracted from eligible papers and results were synthesized. RESULTS: Sixty studies were retained. Most studies were conducted in North America, with adolescents, and used cross-sectional designs and self-reported measures of health. Measures of optimism and pessimism differed across studies. Roughly one-third of studies sampled medical populations. Health categories included substance use, diet and physical activity, sexual health practices, medical adherence, other health behaviors, cardiometabolic health, subjective health/health-related quality of life, pain, sleep, and oral health. Generally, we observed adaptive associations between optimism and health. Higher optimism and lower pessimism were most consistently associated with lower rates of substance use and lower cardiometabolic risk. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of optimism or the absence of pessimism appears to be associated with various adaptive health outcomes among youth with and without health conditions. Developmental, methodological, and clinical considerations for future research are discussed, such as conducting longitudinal studies with objective measures of health and psychometrically validated instruments.

Perceived stress, optimism-pessimism, psychological adjustment, and death distress of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between death distress, psychological adjustment, optimism, pessimism and perceived stress among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: this study was designed as cross-sectional/cohort. The population of the study involved 408 nurses from Northern Cyprus, which are registered as full members of the Nurse Council. The sample comprised 214 nurses, who volunteered to participate in the study. The study data was collected using a web-based online survey (Demographic form, the Coronavirus Stress Measure, The Optimism and Pessimism Questionnaire, The Brief Adjustment Scale-6, The Death Distress Scale). RESULTS: the results indicated that perceived stress significantly and negatively predicted optimism (ß = -0.21, p < 0.001) and pessimism (ß = 0.38, p < 0.001). Perceived stress had significant and positive predictive effects on psychological adjustment (ß = 0.31, p < 0.001) and death distress (ß = 0.17, p < 0.01). Further analysis results revealed that pessimism mediates the association of stress with psychological adjustment and death distress; however, optimism only mediates the effect of stress on psychological adjustment among nurses. CONCLUSION: a low level of pessimism is effective in strengthening nurses' psychological adjustment skills againt perceived stress and death distress. Nurses should consider behavioral strategies to help reduce the level of pessimism during periods such as pandemics. BACKGROUND: (1) High levels of perceived stress increased higher score of psychological adjustment. (2) Pessimism mediates the association of stress with adjustment and death distress. (3) Optimism only mediates the effect of stress on psychological adjustment among nurses.

Efficiency neglect: Why people are pessimistic about the effects of increasing population.

In six studies, we find evidence of efficiency neglect: when thinking about the effects of population growth, people intuitively focus on increased demand while neglecting the changes in production efficiency that occur alongside, and often in response to, increased demand. In other words, people tend to think of others solely as consumers, rather than as consumers as well as producers. Efficiency neglect leads to beliefs that the real costs of some consumer goods are rising when they are actually decreasing and may contribute to antiimmigration sentiments because of the fear that increasing local population creates competition for fixed resources. We demonstrate that economic pessimism and antiimmigration sentiments are reduced when people are prompted to consider their own beliefs about increased productivity over time, but are unchanged when they consider their beliefs about increases in demand. Together, these findings shed light on people's lay economic theories and suggest promising interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Can an intervention designed to reduce repetitive negative thinking alter the response to a psychosocial stressor? A randomized controlled study.

Prior research suggests that repetitive negative thinking (RNT) negatively impacts mental health by intensifying and prolonging emotional reactivity to stress. This study investigated whether an intervention designed to reduce RNT alters emotional reactivity. Young adults with high trait RNT (N = 79) were randomly allocated to an RNT-focused intervention (smartphone app-based, 10 days) or a waiting list before exposure to a standardized stressor. The pre-registered analysis did not reveal a significant condition * time interaction for negative affect. However, exploratory analyses showed that whilst initial increases in negative affect in response to the stressor did not differ between conditions, participants in the intervention condition reported less negative affect throughout the following recovery phase. Additionally, participants in the intervention condition appraised their ability to cope with the stressor as higher and reported less RNT in the recovery phase. In contrast, the intervention did not affect biological stress responses. The findings indicate that RNT-focused interventions might have positive effects on mental health by breaking the self-reinforcing cycle of RNT, negative affect and maladaptive appraisals in response to stress. However, as findings are partly based on exploratory analyses, further research is needed to confirm whether reduced subjective stress reactivity mediates the effects of RNT-focused interventions on psychopathological symptoms.

The Link between Abstract Thinking Style and Subjective Well-Being: Its Impact when People are in (Real or Perceived) Financial Scarcity

Across three studies, we explored the link between an abstract mindset and subjective well-being (SWB) in participants with real and/or perceived financial scarcity. In Studies 1 and 2, samples presented real objective financial vulnerability: Adolescents from lower-middle income districts (Study 1; N = 256), and adults without higher education and with very low incomes (Study 2; N = 210). In Studies 1 and 2 participants completed a survey including measures of thinking style and SWB. In Studies 2 and 3 perception of financial difficulty and SWB were also measured. Study 3 (N = 161) used a sample of university students and employed an experimental design manipulating participants’ thinking style (i.e., concrete versus abstract mindset conditions); additionally, all participants were induced to perceive financial scarcity. Correlations revealed a significant and positive relationship between an abstract thinking style and SWB (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, these results showed that a relatively more abstract thinking style was associated with greater life satisfaction. In Studies 2 and 3 mediation analyses indicated that adults who presented a more abstract thinking style, perceived lower financial difficulties and then reported greater SWB. Overall, given that an abstract thinking style can be induced, these results offer a new intervention approach for improving the SWB of people living in situations of financial scarcity. (AU)

Is it better to be happy or right? Examining the relative role of the pragmatic and epistemic imperatives in momentary affective evaluations.

According to research highlighting the importance of predictions, the confirmation of expectations may be a positively-laden experience. A strong test of this principle is the case of the "doomsayer's delight": the possibility that belief confirmation can be rewarding even when negative expectations are realized. In order to investigate this idea, we conducted two high-powered experiments examining people's immediate affective reactions following exposure to expected or unexpected positive and negative stimuli. The results show that people feel significantly worse when their pessimistic expectations are confirmed than when their optimistic expectations are violated. This finding was not moderated by several theoretically relevant individual difference measures or temporal dynamics. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding of the interplay between epistemic and pragmatic motivations in guiding emotional responses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The associations between repetitive negative thinking, insomnia symptoms, and sleep quality in adults with a history of trauma.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disturbance are highly comorbid and repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is associated with both sleep disturbance and PTSD. However, few studies have examined the association between RNT and sleep disturbance in individuals exposed to trauma, with and without PTSD. METHOD: Associations between trait-level and trauma-related RNT, insomnia, and sleep quality were investigated in a trauma-exposed MTurk (N = 342) sample. Additionally, PTSD symptom severity was tested as a moderator of the associations between RNT and insomnia and sleep quality. RESULTS: Trait-level RNT predicted poorer sleep quality and greater insomnia, regardless of PTSD severity. Trauma-related RNT was also associated with greater insomnia, though the effect was moderated by PTSD severity such that it was significant for participants with low and moderate, but not severe, PTSD. Both trait- and trauma-related RNT were associated with several specific aspects of sleep quality, including: sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, use of sleep medications, sleep onset latency, and subjective sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates significant associations linking RNT with insomnia and sleep disturbance in trauma-exposed individuals. Clinically, results suggest that it may be helpful to target both general and trauma-related RNT in sleep interventions for trauma-exposed individuals with insomnia.

Risk factors for internalizing symptoms: The influence of empathy, theory of mind, and negative thinking processes.

Internalizing symptoms such as elevated stress and sustained negative affect can be important warning signs for developing mental disorders. A recent theoretical framework suggests a complex interplay of empathy, theory of mind (ToM), and negative thinking processes as a crucial risk combination for internalizing symptoms. To disentangle these relationships, this study utilizes neural, behavioral, and self-report data to examine how the interplay between empathy, ToM, and negative thinking processes relates to stress and negative affect. We reanalyzed the baseline data of N = 302 healthy participants (57% female, Mage = 40.52, SDage = 9.30) who participated in a large-scale mental training study, the ReSource project. Empathy and ToM were assessed using a validated fMRI paradigm featuring naturalistic video stimuli and via self-report. Additional self-report scales were employed to measure internalizing symptoms (perceived stress, negative affect) and negative thinking processes (rumination and self-blame). Our results revealed linear associations of self-reported ToM and empathic distress with stress and negative affect. Also, both lower and higher, compared to average, activation in the anterior insula during empathic processing and in the middle temporal gyrus during ToM performance was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms. These associations were dependent on rumination and self-blame. Our findings indicate specific risk constellations for internalizing symptoms. Especially people with lower self-reported ToM and higher empathic distress may be at risk for more internalizing symptoms. Quadratic associations of empathy- and ToM-related brain activation with internalizing symptoms depended on negative thinking processes, suggesting differential effects of cognitive and affective functioning on internalizing symptoms. Using a multi-method approach, these findings advance current research by shedding light on which complex risk combinations of cognitive and affective functioning are relevant for internalizing symptoms.

Lack of reinforcement is hard to "bear": Assessing judgment bias in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis).

Cognitive biases reveal underlying affective state by indicating optimism and pessimism. This methodology may permit assessment of positive welfare in animals that have few validated positive welfare indicators, such as bears. Our goal was to validate a judgment bias test for assessing optimism in brown bears, using a touchscreen. After training the bears on a conditional discrimination, we compared responses to an ambiguous stimulus in a 2 × 2 nested design involving four experimental conditions representing presence or absence of a behind-the-scenes tour and presence or absence of a keeper training session with food reinforcement. We recorded bears' behavior during the conditions as a measure of convergent validity. Testing revealed the possibility of pessimism in the absence of reinforcement in one bear. More frustration behaviors were also observed during the no food reinforcement conditions. This is the first experimental demonstration of brown bears using a touchscreen and one of only three reports in which bears have been reported to perform a conditional discrimination. This method of assessing underlying affective state shows promise for the future.