COVID-19 and beyond: A systematic review of adaptations to psychosocial support in oncology.

AIMS: To understand the strategies used to continue providing psychosocial support to cancer patients during the pandemic, including outcomes and implications beyond the pandemic. DESIGN: A systematic review of original research. DATA SOURCES: ProQuest Health & Medicine, CINAHL Complete (via EBSCOhost), Scopus, and PubMed were searched for original work published between January 2020 and December 2022. METHODS: Abstract and title screening identified eligible articles for full-text review. Following a full-text review, data were extracted from eligible articles, and a risk of bias assessment was conducted. A synthesis without meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-four articles met the selection criteria. These articles provide evidence that systematic adaptations during the pandemic improved the assessment and screening of psychological needs and/or increased the number of clients accessing services. Additionally, while the pandemic was associated with decreased psychosocial well-being for cancer patients, five intervention studies reported improvements in psychosocial well-being. Barriers, strategies, and recommendations were described. CONCLUSION: Adapting psychosocial support during a pandemic can be successful, achieved relatively quickly, and can increase the uptake of support for people experiencing cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: It is imperative that these adaptations continue beyond the pandemic to maximize adaptive psychosocial outcomes for a group vulnerable to ongoing mental health concerns. IMPACT: While the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased psychosocial need for cancer patients, evidence in the review suggested that adaptations made to service delivery facilitated increased access for patients who may not previously have been able to access support. Additionally, improvements in psychosocial well-being were achieved. These findings are relevant for clinicians and decision-makers who fund and design psychosocial support services for cancer patients. REPORTING METHOD: The review was guided by PRISMA Guidelines and the SWiM Reporting Guideline. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Quality of life and fear of cancer recurrence in patients and survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a common haematological cancer that is comprised of approximately 30 subtypes, of which Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare incurable form. It is typically managed using a watch-and-wait strategy that can contribute to illness uncertainty which may result in fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and poor health-related quality of life (QOL). However, few studies have examined the correlates of FCR and QOL in NHL patients, including WM patients. One-hundred males and 92 females with a mean age of 62.7 years who were an average of 6.8 years from diagnosis completed the online questionnaire which asked about demographics, medical history, QOL, FCR, stress, anxiety and depression. Few NHL patients reported significant stress or affective distress, most had moderate-high QOL and 41% experienced recent FCR, relative to published cut-off scores. Poorer QOL was related to depression symptoms, FCR, higher illness burden (i.e. comorbidity) and fewer personal resources (i.e. unemployed), whereas FCR was related to shorter time since diagnosis and more depressive symptoms. Results suggest that FCR and depressive symptoms may adversely impact QOL, whereas a recent cancer diagnosis and depression-related pessimism may contribute to FCR.

The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and interpersonal problems: A meta-analytic review.

Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been hypothesized to be associated with interpersonal problems. Furthermore, a stronger contention is that EMSs impact negatively on, or cause, interpersonal problems. The aims of this meta-analysis were (a) to assess the strength of the association between EMSs and interpersonal problems, (b) clarify which EMSs are most strongly associated with interpersonal problems, (c) examine any possible moderators on the relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems, and (d) examine whether any empirical evidence exists supporting a causal relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems. A comprehensive systematic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. A total of 49 empirical studies were reviewed investigating EMSs and interpersonal problems. EMSs were found to have a moderate positive association with interpersonal problems with different EMSs having small to moderate effect sizes. To date, there has been limited evidence supporting a causal effect of EMSs on interpersonal problems. Possible limitations and avenues for future research were discussed.

Modeling the Effects of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression on Rumination, Sleep, and Fatigue in a Nonclinical Sample.

Stress and affective distress have previously been shown to predict sleep quality, and all the factors have been shown to predict fatigue severity. However, few prior studies have examined the likely indirect mediational relationships between stress, affective distress, and sleep quality in predicting fatigue severity, and the potential role played by ruminative thinking. A short questionnaire asked 229 participants about their recent experiences of stress, affective distress, rumination, sleep, and fatigue in a community sample. High stress, anxiety, and depression were related to more ruminative thinking, which in turn was related to poor sleep quality (composed of subjective sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, sleep latency, and sleep disturbance) and poor sleep quality predicted worse fatigue. The results suggest that rumination parsimoniously explains the tendency of stress and affective distress to contribute to poor sleep quality, and together with poor sleep, it may also contribute to worse fatigue in some individuals.

Schizophrenia literacy: the effects of an educational intervention on populations with and without prior health education.

BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy is an important predictor of appropriate help-seeking behaviour. AIMS: This study investigated (a) the effects of an educational intervention on schizophrenia mental health literacy, beliefs about causes, discrimination, treatment, and attitudes that promote recognition, and (b) whether schizophrenia literacy would be higher in people with prior education in a health-related area than people without such education. METHOD: A randomised control design tested the effects of an educational intervention on schizophrenia literacy relative to a control group. Participants (N = 260; mean age = 31.18 years, SD = 11.43, female = 78.8%) answered a mental health literacy questionnaire, based on a vignette of a person with schizophrenia, before and after watching either an educational video on schizophrenia or a control video. RESULTS: The intervention significantly increased schizophrenia identification and literacy, reduced personal stigma, and increased perceived discrimination in society. The health background group reported significantly greater schizophrenia identification than the no health background group. Participants thought help should be sought from health care professionals and through psychotherapy, close friends and physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted education can significantly improve the ability to identify schizophrenia which may have positive implications for reducing the time individuals take to seek help.

Can body temperature dysregulation explain the co-occurrence between overweight/obesity, sleep impairment, late-night eating, and a sedentary lifestyle?

PURPOSE: Overweight/obesity, sleep disturbance, night eating, and a sedentary lifestyle are common co-occurring problems. There is a tendency for them to co-occur together more often than they occur alone. In some cases, there is clarity as to the time course and evolution of the phenomena. However, specific mechanism(s) that are proposed to explain a single co-occurrence cannot fully explain the more generalized tendency to develop concurrent symptoms and/or disorders after developing one of the phenomena. Nor is there a clinical theory with any utility in explaining the development of co-occurring symptoms, disorders and behaviour and the mechanism(s) by which they occur. Thus, we propose a specific mechanism-dysregulation of core body temperature (CBT) that interferes with sleep onset-to explain the development of the concurrences. METHODS: A detailed review of the literature related to CBT and the phenomena that can alter CBT or are altered by CBT is provided. RESULTS: Overweight/obesity, sleep disturbance and certain behaviour (e.g. late-night eating, sedentarism) were linked to elevated CBT, especially an elevated nocturnal CBT. A number of existing therapies including drugs (e.g. antidepressants), behavioural therapies (e.g. sleep restriction therapy) and bright light therapy can also reduce CBT. CONCLUSIONS: An elevation in nocturnal CBT that interferes with sleep onset can parsimoniously explain the development and perpetuation of common co-occurring symptoms, disorders and behaviour including overweight/obesity, sleep disturbance, late-night eating, and sedentarism. Nonetheless, a significant correlation between CBT and the above symptoms, disorders and behaviour does not necessarily imply causation. Thus, statistical and methodological issues of relevance to this enquiry are discussed including the likely presence of autocorrelation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, narrative review.

Suicidal risk and sexual orientation in adolescence: a population-based study in Iceland.

AIM: Suicidality is an important public health problem, particularly among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents and young adults. The purpose of the present study is to compare the rate of suicide ideations and attempts among LGB adolescent to that of non-LGB adolescents in a population-based sample, and to identify important protective factors as well as risk factors Method: We used the Icelandic data set from the 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The sample consisted of 3813 grade 10 Icelandic adolescents; 1876 girls and 1937 boys. The participants were asked about attraction and/or activity, as well as about suicidal ideation and/or attempts. The questionnaire also included various other items regarding health and lifestyle. RESULTS: LGB adolescents were five to six times more likely to have had frequent suicidal ideations. Factors that were associated with less suicide ideations and fewer attempts were easy communication and liking school. The LGB girls were six times more likely to have had frequent suicide attempts, whilst the LGB boys were 17 times more likely to have attempted suicide that often. No specific protective or risk factors were identified for suicidality in LGB adolescents other than bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents that had engaged in heterosexual activity and those that had LGB attraction had similarly heightened risk for suicidality, but sexually active LGB adolescents were far more likely to have suicidal ideations or to have attempted suicide.

Is tinnitus acceptance the same as tinnitus habituation?

INTRODUCTION: Tinnitus habituation and tinnitus acceptance both describe an apparent lack of responding to tinnitus noise. However, no prior studies have evaluated the possible overlap between tinnitus habituation and acceptance processes in chronic tinnitus sufferers. OBJECTIVES: We examined responses to the seven acceptance items from the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) along with 19 items that tapped the perceptual/behavioural aspects of tinnitus habituation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large sample of chronic tinnitus sufferers (n = 273) were recruited via advertisements placed at tinnitus clinics and websites and in the media. They were asked to complete an online survey asking about their tinnitus history and recent experiences of tinnitus habituation, sensitization to tinnitus noise, and tinnitus acceptance, and distress. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis showed that a single factor solution explained 40% of the variance in the scale items. Acceptance and tinnitus habituation (vs. sensitization) subscale scores were highly negatively correlated with each other. CONCLUSION: Tinnitus acceptance and tinnitus habituation may describe related cognitive and perceptual/behavioral aspects of tinnitus adaptation. That is in this study, tinnitus-habituation items tapped perceptual awareness and behavioral responses to tinnitus, whereas tinnitus acceptance items tapped cognitive responses to the noise (i.e. lack of need to respond to the noise).

Development of the Tinnitus response scales: factor analyses, subscale reliability and validity analyses.

OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering with tinnitus are often advised to accept the noise, but few studies have examined what tinnitus acceptance entails. The present project developed and tested a new instrument to assess the mindfulnessbased constructs of acceptance, control, and defeat, in relation to the experience of chronic tinnitus. METHOD: Initial scale development involved an expert panel. Participants were recruited from the general population and tinnitus support organizations and complete the first version of the Tinnitus Response Scales (TRS) and measures of tinnitus coping, severity and distress, general distress, illness cognitions, and tinnitus and health characteristics. RESULTS: Three interpretable TRS factors were found: acceptance, control and defeat (an Internet sample, N = 273) and confirmed using another sample (hard-copy sample, N = 278). Factors were shown to have high internal consistency and testretest reliabilities and differed in terms of their related cognitions, behaviour, and emotional responses to tinnitus, and their tinnitus characteristics. CONCLUSION: The TRS factors provide an alternative conceptualisation of tinnitus responding. TRS is a brief psychometrically valid measure of tinnitus responding that appears to distinguish between adaptive and non-adaptive responses to tinnitus noise, and should prove useful as a clinical measure.

Birth related PTSD and its association with the mother-infant relationship: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of research showing that birth related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may impact the mother-infant relationship. The present study assessed the strength of the association between birth related PTSD symptoms and the mother-infant relationship. METHOD: A total of twelve studies (5,572 participants) were included based on database searches using PubMed, EBSCO and ProQuest. RESULTS: The findings showed that greater levels of birth related PTSD symptoms were associated with poorer mother-infant relationship, r = -0.36, 95% CI: [-0.43 - -0.28], random effects model. The outcomes appeared to be heterogeneous (Q(11) = 81.63, p <.001, tau2 = 0.0123, I2 = 80.73%), despite all outcomes being in the same direction as the overall outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that birth related PTSD symptoms are negatively associated with the mother-infant relationship. Further investigation into the prevention of birth related trauma is suggested. Improving birthing experiences for mothers is likely to contribute to improved infant mental health, thereby reducing overall social and economic costs.

The Impact of COVID-19 Related Distress on Antenatal Depression in Australia.

Globally, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health has been significant. Pregnant women are known to be a vulnerable population in relation to mental health. In Australia, there was an unprecedented demand during the pandemic for mental health services, including services for pregnant women. Maternal mental health has unique and enduring features that can significantly shape a child's overall development and poor maternal mental health can have considerable social and economic costs. This cross-sectional study evaluated symptoms of antenatal depression and COVID-19-related distress in a sample of two hundred and sixty-nine pregnant women residing in Australia aged between 20 and 43 (M = 31.79, SD = 4.58), as part of a larger study. Social media advertising was used to recruit participants between September 2020 and November 2021. Prevalence rates for antenatal depression were found to be higher in this study (16.4%) compared with previous Australian prevalence rates (7%). COVID-19 distress in relation to having a baby during a COVID-19 outbreak significantly predicted symptoms of antenatal depression, B = 1.46, p < 0.001. Results from this study suggest that mothers and families may have increased mental health vulnerabilities as a consequence of the pandemic for some time yet.

Validation of the brief Adjustment Disorder New Modules with Australian oncology patients.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that up to 30% of cancer patients may meet the criteria for adjustment disorder. However, no assessment instruments have been validated for use with cancer patients. The Adjustment Disorder New Module (ADNM)-8 and ADNM-4 are brief screening tools for adjustment disorder mapped directly to the new ICD-11 criteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the factor structure and validity of both instruments in an Australian sample of adult oncology patients.  METHODS: A total of 405 participants with a cancer diagnosis were recruited online from across Australia. Participants reported cancer-specific information, such as time since diagnosis, treatment stage, cancer stage, type of cancer, and the following questionnaires: 8-item Adjustment Disorder New Module (ADNM-8), the World Health Organisation Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the short form Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The predictiveness of stressors was assessed using multiple regression analysis and the structure of the ADNM-8 and the ADNM-4 was tested using confirmatory factor analysis.  RESULTS: Six previously tested models were examined, and the results suggested a 2-factor structure reflecting the two ICD-11 diagnostic criteria clusters of preoccupation with the stressor and failure to adapt was a good fit for both scales. The ADNM-4 outperformed the longer version of the scale on numerous fit indices though the ADNM-8 and ADNM-4 were highly correlated. Correlations of both scales with the psychological distress scale, the stress subscale, and the wellbeing index indicated good construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the ADNM-8 and ADNM-4 are useful screening tools for assessing adjustment disorder symptoms in cancer patients. The prompt screening of cancer patients encourages early intervention for those at risk of adaptation difficulties and informs research and clinical decisions regarding appropriate treatments.

Assessing the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and interpersonal problems using interpersonal scenarios depicting rejection.

BACKGROUND: Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been theorised to contribute to reoccurring interpersonal problems. This study developed a novel experimental paradigm that aimed to assess if EMSs moderate the impact of interpersonal situations on interpersonal responses by manipulating the degree of rejection in a series of interpersonal vignettes depicting acceptance, ambiguous rejection and rejection. METHOD: In a sample of 158 first-year psychology students (27.2% male; 72.2% female; 0.6% other) participant responses to interpersonal scenarios were measured including degree of perceived rejection, emotional distress, conviction in varying cognitive appraisals consistent with attribution theory and behavioural responses to scenarios. Qualitative data was analysed using inductive content analysis and statistical analyses were conducted using multi-level mixed effect linear and logistic regression models using the software Jamovi. RESULTS: People reporting higher EMSs reported increased emotional distress (F(1, 156) = 24.85, p < .001), perceptions of rejection (F(1, 156) = 34.33, p < .001), self-blame (F(1, 156) = 53.25, p < .001), other-blame (F(1, 156) = 13.16, p < .001) and more intentional (F(1, 156) = 9.24, p = .003), stable (F(1, 156) = 25.22, p < .001) and global (F(1, 156) = 19.55, p < .001) attributions but no differences in reported behavioural responses. The results also supported that EMSs moderate the relationship between interpersonal rejection and perceptions of rejection (F(2, 1252) = 18.43, p < .001), emotional distress (F(2, 1252) = 12.64, p < .001) and self-blame (F(2, 1252) = 14.00, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Together these findings suggest that people with EMSs experience increased distress and select negative cognitions in situations where there are higher levels of rejection but that distress and negative cognitions are generally higher in people with EMSs irrespective of the situation.

The Correlation between Adolescent Daily Breakfast Consumption and Socio-Demographic: Trends in 23 European Countries Participating in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study (2002-2018).

Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day and can benefit adolescent health in several ways. The aims of the present study were (1) to identify adolescents' socio-demographic (sex, family affluence and family structure) determinants of daily breakfast consumption (DBC) and (2) to describe trends in DBC among adolescents across 23 countries. Cross-sectional surveys of nationally representative samples of adolescents (aged 11, 13, and 15 years) (n = 589,737) participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey from 2002 to 2018 were used. Multilevel logistic regression analyses modeled DBC over time, adjusted for family affluence, family structure and year of survey. Four countries showed an increased trend in DBC (the Netherlands, Macedonia, Slovenia, and England). A significant decrease in DBC was observed in 15 countries (Belgium-Fr, France, Germany, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden). In 4 countries no significant change was observed (Czech Republic, Scotland, Ireland and Norway). In most of the countries (n = 19), DBC was higher among the adolescents from high-affluence homes. In all the countries analysed, the adolescents living in two-parent households report higher DBC use than those in single-parent households. More than half of the countries showed a decrease in DBC. There is a need to implement key interventions by developing different strategies (education, incorporating educational curriculum and counselling programmes) to increase DBC. Comparing DBC patterns across HBSC countries is important for understanding regional and global trends, monitoring strategies, and developing health promotion programmes.

Control cognitions and causal attributions as predictors of fatigue severity in a community sample.

Control cognitions and causal attributions of fatigue were examined in relation to Weiner's Causal Attribution theory in a community sample. Participants were 97 females and 43 males, aged 18-83 years. Weiner's dimensions of stability and uncontrollability and physical and psychosocial attributions of fatigue were related to fatigue severity. Escape-avoidance coping mediated between psychosocial causal attributions of fatigue to fatigue; whereas planful problem-solving and exercise moderated between stability cognitions to fatigue and psychosocial attributions of fatigue to fatigue, respectively. This, the cause(s) of fatigue were perceived as stable, uncontrollable, and involving physical and psychosocial factors, participants reported worse fatigue. Taken together, the results suggest that fatigue treatments may be most effective when they are tailored or matched to the belief systems of the individuals with fatigue.

A meta-analytic investigation of emotional intelligence and alcohol involvement.

The relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and alcohol involvement has been investigated by numerous studies. The present meta-analysis analyzed the findings of these studies. The meta-analysis, based on 16 effect sizes from 11 studies with a total of 2,271 participants, showed that lower EI was significantly related to higher alcohol involvement, r = -.18. Lower EI was significantly associated with both alcohol-related problems, r = -.32 and level of alcohol use, r = -.10, but the association was significantly higher with alcohol-use-related problems. The results suggest that future research would most profitably examine the role of EI in alcohol consumption-related problems.

Effect of task complexity on ipsilateral motor response programming to physically presented and imagined stimuli.

It is unclear whether task representation generated in imagery simulates performance demands in reacting to stimuli. This study investigated whether perceptual and motor control processes used to react to unpredictable stimuli and initiate an ipsilateral movement were replicated during imagery. Fifty-nine undergraduate students (Mage = 27.01 years, SD = 8.30) completed 30 simple, two-choice congruent and two-choice incongruent ipsilateral finger-foot movement trials in response to a physically presented or imagined stimulus. The results appear to indicate that participants were reacting to imagined and actual stimuli, as the ipsilateral finger-foot programming rule was maintained and reaction time initially slowed as task difficulty increased. These findings support theoretical similarities between imagery and physical performance of reaction tasks, with imagers generating and reacting to unpredictable stimuli. Slower imagery performance than physical performance on the two-choice incongruent task may indicate that task complexity is limited during imagery. Variation in results between the imagery and physical conditions potentially supports that imagers were able to react to the imagined stimulus. However, exploratory processes used to react to stimuli were not replicated during imagery. The present findings have potentially significant implications for the functional and applied use of imagery for skill acquisition.

Controlling metal-insulator transitions in reactively sputtered vanadium sesquioxide thin films through structure and stoichiometry.

We present a study of [Formula: see text] thin films grown on c-plane [Formula: see text] substrates by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering. Our results reveal three distinct types of films displaying different metal-insulator transitions dependent on the growth conditions. We observe a clear temperature window, spanning 200 [Formula: see text]C, where highly epitaxial films of [Formula: see text] can be obtained wherein the transition can be tuned by controlling the amount of interstitial oxygen in the films through the deposition conditions. Although small structural variations are observed within this window, large differences are observed in the electrical properties of the films with strong differences in the magnitude and temperature of the metal-insulator transition which we attribute to small changes in the stoichiometry and local strain in the films. Altering the sputtering power we are able to tune the characteristics of the metal-insulator transition suppressing and shifting the transition to lower temperatures as the power is reduced. Combined results for all the films fabricated for the study show a preferential increase in the a lattice parameter and reduction in the c lattice parameter with reduced deposition temperature with the film deviating from a constant volume unit cell to a higher volume.

To Vaccinate or Not: The Relative Impact of Attitudes toward Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Ability to Interpret Scientific Information on Vaccination Decisions.

BACKGROUND: This pilot study investigated vaccine decision making, i.e., the relationships between knowledge and attitudes towards autism spectrum disorders (ASD), scientific literacy, attitudes toward the (MMR) vaccine, and children's MMR vaccination status. METHODS: A sample of 132 parents and expectant parents (mean age 38.40 years; >60% with university education) participated in a survey where they were asked about their knowledge of ASD, attitudes towards ASD and MMR, and their children's MMR vaccine status. The participants also completed a standardized science test (The American College Test) to test their scientific literacy. RESULTS: Knowledge of ASD was positively correlated with attitudes towards ASD. Attitudes towards ASD were positively correlated with scientific literacy and attitudes towards MMR. Attitudes towards MMR were positively correlated with MMR vaccine status (i.e., vaccination decision). DISCUSSION: Factors other than scientific literacy seem to contribute towards children's MMR vaccine status such as attitudes towards MMR. However, these are preliminary findings and need to be interpreted with caution.

The Restorative Effect of the Natural Environment on University Students' Psychological Health.

The present study evaluated the effect of a three-week intervention aimed at improving psychological health in university students. Participants included 200 Australian students randomly assigned to an experimental or waitlist control group, with 42 adhering to intervention instructions. Participants in the experimental group read a story about someone who used the natural environment to decrease stress and burnout levels and to increase their perceived satisfaction with life. They were then instructed to spend 20 minutes each week, for three weeks, in any chosen natural environment. Waitlist control participants received intervention instructions three weeks later. Restorativeness was positively associated with life satisfaction and negatively related to stress and burnout. Experimental participants, compared to waitlist control participants, experienced a significant decrease in stress; however, the intervention had no effect on life satisfaction or burnout. More research is still needed to determine the practical significance of nature exposure on university students' psychological health.