Day-to-day regularity and diurnal switching of physical activity reduce depression-related behaviors: a time-series analysis of wearable device data.

BACKGROUND: Wearable devices have been widely used in research to understand the relationship between habitual physical activity and mental health in the real world. However, little attention has been paid to the temporal variability in continuous physical activity patterns measured by these devices. Therefore, we analyzed time-series patterns of physical activity intensity measured by a wearable device and investigated the relationship between its model parameters and depression-related behaviors. METHODS: Sixty-six individuals used the wearable device for one week and then answered a questionnaire on depression-related behaviors. A seasonal autoregressive integral moving average (SARIMA) model was fitted to the individual-level device data and the best individual model parameters were estimated via a grid search. RESULTS: Out of 64 hyper-parameter combinations, 21 models were selected as optimal, and the models with a larger number of affiliations were found to have no seasonal autoregressive parameter. Conversely, about half of the optimal models indicated that physical activity on any given day fluctuated due to the previous day's activity. In addition, both irregular rhythms in day-to-day activity and low-level of diurnal variability could lead to avoidant behavior patterns. CONCLUSION: Automatic and objective physical activity data from wearable devices showed that diurnal switching of physical activity, as well as day-to-day regularity rhythms, reduced depression-related behaviors. These time-series parameters may be useful for detecting behavioral issues that lie outside individuals' subjective awareness.

Preliminary investigation of the feasibility of a long-term but low-frequency preventive intervention for depression in Japanese high schools.

AIM: We explored the feasibility of a long-term but low-frequency psychological preventive intervention in a high school setting. BACKGROUND: High school students may experience depression; psychological interventions to improve social and cognitive skills may be useful to decrease such depression. A long-term but low-frequency intervention may be feasible in this setting because of its minimal time demands and lack of need for specialist human resources DESIGN: We conducted a single-arm longitudinal descriptive study with an intervention applied six times over 2 years in one high school. METHOD: We conducted a psychological preventive intervention with 94 high school students in one school for 2 years (April 2014 to March 2016). This intervention aimed to improve social and cognitive skills. We measured social skills, cognitive distortion, and depression five times during the 2-year period, through a self-report scale. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Scores for maintaining relationship skills tended to increase over the 2 years. However, depression did not decrease over the intervention period. CONCLUSION: Although our research did not include control conditions and the intervention did not decrease depression, the six-session programme for high school adolescents improved an aspect of social skills that is a preventive factor against depression.

Thought habits and processing modes among Japanese university students do not influence dynamic associations between rumination and negative affect.

The integrated model of rumination argues that two trait factors-negative thinking habits and processing modes-get people stuck in maladaptive rumination. There is little evidence showing whether these factors influence the daily dynamic associations between rumination and negative moods. To address this, in this study, we conducted an experience-sampling method on Japanese university students. We recruited 92 Japanese university students and assessed their daily rumination and negative affect (NA) eight times a day for seven days. We examined the effects of habits and processing modes on the dynamic associations between rumination and negative moods using dynamic structural equation modeling. We found that individuals were more likely to ruminate when they experienced NA. However, contrary to previous findings, this study's participants did not experience NA after engaging in rumination. Moreover, we did not detect any significant trait factor effect on these dynamic associations. Our findings imply that individuals are more likely to engage in rumination after experiencing NA, but the reverse association, particularly the autoregression of rumination, may not be maintained in natural daily life. Furthermore, negative thinking habits and processing modes may not influence the daily dynamic associations between rumination and NA among Japanese university students.

The bidirectional associations of rumination with values-based action and depression among young adults in the school-to-work transition.

BACKGROUND: School-to-work transition is crucial for young adults, requiring them to maintain their values-based action, even though this task is likely to cause rumination associated with depression. In the HExAGoN model, individuals with rumination tend to engage in abstract-analytic thought (AAT) but not in concrete-experiential thought (CET). Although this inflexible style of thought is assumed to decrease values-based action and increase depression, no empirical research has examined these relationships in young adults during their transition period. Therefore, this study examined the bidirectional relationships between AAT, CET, depression, and values-based action in young adults. METHODS: A one-year five-wave longitudinal survey was conducted on 756 third-year university students who engaged in job searches in Japan. Cross-lagged panel model and random-intercept cross-lagged panel model were used to estimate the bidirectional relationships at the between-person and within-person levels, respectively. RESULTS: AAT and CET had bidirectional associations with depression and values-based action at the between-person level. Furthermore, CET decreased depression and marginally improved values-based action at the within-person level. LIMITATIONS: The study comprised only university students in Japan and had a high attrition rate. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that CET can reduce depression and improve values-based action in young adults undergoing the transition. It may also expand the understanding of the treatment and prevention of depression in young adults.

An intervention to promote concrete thinking style in young adults: Effects on depressive symptoms and its protective factors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Individuals with low concreteness-experiential thought (CET) tend to have exacerbated depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at increasing CET have been shown to influence depressive symptoms. The present study examined the effects of increasing CET on depressive symptoms and its protective factors. METHODS: A two-armed experimental intervention was conducted with 86 healthy university students in Japan. They were randomly allocated to the intervention and waitlist groups. Participants in the intervention group engaged in an unguided and web-based (UW) intervention to increase CET (UW-CET). This intervention included a one-off session, to explain the rationale behind increasing CET via a psychoeducation video, and a five-session training on CET over a week. We assessed depressive symptoms, thought styles, and protective factors, such as mindfulness and goal striving, both pre- and-post-assessment and at the one-month follow-up. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group had marginally increased CET in the follow-up assessments; however, participants in the waitlist group did not. Furthermore, participants in the intervention showed marginally increased mindfulness tendencies and strivings toward their personal goals, but their depressive symptoms were not affected. LIMITATIONS: The present study did not include any active control conditions. Additionally, the sample consisted of only healthy university students. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the UW-CET can marginally increase adaptive thinking, such as CET, and promote positive psychological aspects in healthy young adults; however, the effect is small. The findings may also help expand clinical implementations to prevent depression in young adults.

The development and validation of the multidimensional fear-of-injection scale.

Background: Adults and children alike can feel anxious and afraid of needles. As a result, some people avoid necessary medical injections, leading to health problems. Assessing the fear of injections should consider fear factors, avoidance behaviors, and physical symptoms. We have developed a single scale that measures each of these variables. Conventional fear-of-injection scales do not simultaneously measure the aforementioned components, and thus may not adequately capture the fear of injections. Furthermore, no scale has been developed in Japan to measure the fear of injections. Method: A multidimensional fear-of-injection scale was developed in Study 1. The participants, 419 university students, were administered a questionnaire to check the reliability and validity of the scale. In Study 2, to establish the cut-off value of the scale, we conducted a questionnaire and analyzed the data of 771 university students. The outcome is the multidimensional fear-of-injection scale. Results: The results from factor analysis showed that this scale has a four-factor structure (direct fear, indirect fear, physiological response, and avoidance behaviors). The results of the receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that a cut-off value of 35 points identifies people with a subjective fear of injections. Conclusion: The multidimensional fear-of-injection scale is a comprehensive measure of the fear of injections and serves as an effective indicator for intervention and screening. Additionally, it provides a quantitative assessment of the fear of injection in Japan.

Diverse Trajectories of Hikikomori Symptoms During Job Search and the Role of Identity Distress: Three Wave Longitudinal Research.

Objective: Hikikomori, a prolonged form of social withdrawal, has received attention in various research areas. This longitudinal study aimed to identify diverse trajectories of hikikomori symptoms among young Japanese adults engaged in a job search. It also tested whether identity distress, a critical developmental issue, predicts these trajectories while controlling for other risk factors (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, career expectations, and gender). Methods: A total of 756 third-year Japanese university students (at Time 1, M age = 20.88 years; women: 78.97%) who engaged in job search participated in our three-wave longitudinal survey at six-month intervals. To assess hikikomori symptoms, we used the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire. In addition, identity distress was measured using the 10-item Identity Distress Survey. Results: Latent class growth analysis revealed four different trajectories of hikikomori symptoms. Most young adults showed severe levels and escalating hikikomori symptoms over time. In contrast, a small proportion of young adults prevented hikikomori symptoms through the period of job search. Additionally, young adults with more severe levels of identity distress followed trajectories marked by severe hikikomori symptoms after controlling for other risk factors. Conclusion: The present study's findings contribute to developing a primary intervention for hikikomori symptoms by identifying the period of greatest risk. Group-based counseling support for hikikomori from the perspective of identity is recommended.

Do Self-Compassion Factors Affect Value-Based Behavior Promotion for Adolescents? The Context of Behavioral Activation.

Behavioral activation has been shown to engender improvement of depressive symptoms. Behavioral activation specifically addresses behavioral patterns that maintain depressive symptoms and increases activation of rewarding behaviors based on a person's own values. Nevertheless, behaving according to those values can be difficult. Consequently, discussing reduction in barriers to activation of value-based behaviors is important. Self-compassion might promote value-based behavior when a person confronts some obstacle. We evaluated differences in self-compassion and behavioral characteristics at high and low levels of value-based behaviors. Furthermore, we examined relations of self-compassion to value-based behaviors while considering activation, avoidance, and positive reinforcement in the context of behavioral activation. All 800 university student participants (415 women, 385 men; mean age=20.47years; age range 18-24years) in this study completed assessments. Descriptive statistics, MANOVA, and stepwise regression analysis relations elucidated their value-based behavior, self-compassion, and behavioral characteristics. Results suggest that participants who behaved according to values had high levels of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Results of stepwise regression analyses suggest as a new finding that positive components of self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness) are related to value-based behaviors even when behavioral factors are considered in the context of behavioral activation.

Impact of repetitive thought and processing mode on goal striving.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Striving to attain personal goals is important for maintaining well-being. Previous research indicates that repetitive thoughts can influence the affect and cognition associated with personal goal strivings. Repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode improves affect and cognition after a negative event more than does repetitive thought in the abstract-analytic processing mode. We extend this prior work by examining whether repetitive thought directly influences the maintenance of personal goal strivings through a longitudinal survey. METHODS: In Study 1, we examined the daily maintenance effect of repetitive thought on personal goal strivings using a multilevel analysis of 29 participants who reported their thoughts and goal strivings daily for one week. In Study 2, participants (N = 131) reported their thoughts and goal strivings over 10 weeks, and we examined the maintenance effect of repetitive thought on personal goal strivings every two weeks. RESULTS: Highly repetitive thought in the abstract-analytic processing mode decreased the maintenance of short-term personal goal strivings in individuals with difficult goals. However, highly repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode increased the maintenance of long-term personal goal strivings in individuals with difficult goals. LIMITATIONS: The study participants were university students; therefore, we cannot generalize the results to clinical populations or other age groups. CONCLUSION: Interventions that increase repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode may be effective in facilitating long-term goal strivings in individuals attempting to overcome difficult situations and achieve important personal goals.

Insect water-specific aquaporins in developing ovarian follicles of the silk moth Bombyx mori: role in hydration during egg maturation.

Egg formation in terrestrial insects is an absorptive process, accommodated not only by packing proteins and lipids into yolk but also by filling chorions with water. An osmotic swelling of ovarian follicles takes place during oocyte maturation. This study investigated the role of the aquaporin (AQP) water channel in the osmotic uptake of water during oogenesis in the silk moth Bombyx mori Linnaeus, 1758. Using the antibodies that specifically recognize previously characterized AQPs, two water-specific subtypes-AQP-Bom1 and AQP-Bom3-belonging to the Drosophila integral protein (DRIP) and Pyrocoelia rufa integral protein (PRIP) subfamilies of the insect AQP clade, respectively, were identified in the developing ovaries of B. mori. During oocyte growth, Bombyx PRIP was distributed at the oocyte plasma membrane, where it likely plays a role in water uptake and oocyte swelling, and may be responsible for oocyte hydration during fluid absorption by ovarian follicles. During the transition from vitellogenesis to choriogenesis during oocyte maturation, Bombyx DRIP expression became abundant in peripheral yolk granules underlying the oocyte plasma membrane. The restricted DRIP localization was not observed in non-diapause-destined follicles, where DRIP was evenly distributed in medullary yolk granules. There was no difference in PRIP distribution between diapause- and non-diapause-destined follicles. The diapause-destined oocytes encase DRIP protein in the peripheral yolk granules, where DRIP might be inert. This would be reflected in the metabolic arrest associated with diapause after fertilization and egg oviposition.