The importance of mentalization, coping mechanisms, and perceived stress in the prediction of resilience of healthcare workers.

Resilience is the process of overcoming stressors. Being able to examine the effect of the Covid epidemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) has provided us a unique opportunity to understand the impact of trauma on resilience. We aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, mentalization, and an individual's coping capacity against a real risk (Covid-19) and evaluate the predictors of resilience. 302 HCWs have enrolled in the study and completed an online questionnaire assessing demographics, perceived stress, resilience, coping, and mentalization. We utilized statistical analysis together with a Random Forest classifier to analyze the interaction between these factors extensively. We applied ten times ten-fold cross-validation and plotted Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) with the calculated Area Under the Curve(AUC) score and identify the most important features. Our experiments showed that the Perceived stress scale has the strongest relationship with resilience. The subject's awareness level of emotional states is an important factor that determines the level of resilience. Coping styles such as the decision of giving up is also a crucial indicator. We conclude that being aware of the risks and the mental states are the dominant factors behind the resilience levels of healthcare workers under pandemic conditions.

How is the problematic smartphone use affected by social support? A research model supported by the mediation of Ikigai.

Social support and ikigai (making life worthwhile) have positive effects on problematic smartphone use and are seen to be related to each other. However, what mediates these relationships has not been adequately analyzed. This study aims to examine how the effect between social support and problematic smartphone use occurs by suggesting the mediator role of ikigai. The study was designed as quantitative and cross-sectional, and 1189 university participants aged 18 and over were reached online. The multidimensional scale of perceived social support, ikigai-9 scale, smartphone application-based addiction scale and sociodemographic information form were used as data collection tools in the study. The data obtained were carried out using SPSS 24 and Amos 25 statistical programs. Established hypotheses were tested with correlation, multiple regression and mediation analyzes. The results confirmed that social support was positively associated with ikigai, and ikigai was negatively associated with problematic smartphone use. In addition, interaction analyzes found that ikigai had a mediating effect. These findings show the importance of implementing specific applications based on the meaning and purpose of life (ikigai), especially for vulnerable groups, to minimize the problems that may arise with the excessive use of smartphones.

Demonstration of chewing-related areas in the brain via functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To localize and identify chewing-related areas and their connections with other centres in the human brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Material and methods: The paradigm of the present study was block designed. Spontaneous and controlled chewing with sugar-free gum was used as the main task in a 3-Tesla fMRI unit with a 32-channel birdcage coil. Our study popu-lation comprised 32 healthy volunteers. To determine possible intersections, we also put the rosary pulling (silent tell one's beads) movement in the fMRI protocol. The data analyses were performed with the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) toolbox integrated into the Matlab platform. Results: The superomedial part of the right cerebellum was activated during either pulling rosary beads or spontaneous chewing. This region, however, was not activated during controlled chewing. We did not find statistically significant activation or connection related to the brain stem. Conclusion: We have confirmed that the cerebellum plays an important role in chewing. However, we could not find a definite central pattern generator (CPG) in the brain stem, which has been hypothesized to underlie spontaneous chewing.

The effect of different types of honey on healing infected wounds.

OBJECTIVE:: To investigate the effects of treatments of 'mad honey', blossom honey and nitrofurazone on infected wound healing. METHOD:: Male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: 'mad honey' (MH), blossom honey (BH), nitrofurazone (N) and control (C). All rats were anaesthetised intraperitoneally. A circular skin incision was made to the back regions. Grafts containing slime-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis were placed on the incision area and then sutured to the skin. Infection in the wound area was confirmed after 48 hours. Wounds were dressed twice daily with the various treatment materials. Rats were randomly euthanised on days 7 or 14, and tissue samples taken. Tissue samples were assessed for hydroxyproline (HP), tensile strength (TS) and macroscopic measurement (area and intensity). RESULTS:: HP levels were higher in the treatment groups (MH, BH, N) at days 7 and 14 compared with the control group. 'Group x day' interaction was found in the HP levels (p=0.015). Increases in HP levels in the MH and N groups between days 7 and 14 were significantly higher than those in the other groups (p<0.05). Intensity was significantly lower in the control group and significantly higher in group MH compared with the other groups. Significant 'group x day' interaction was observed in intensity (p=0.006). TS was significantly lower on day 7 than on day 14 (p=0.022). No marked difference was observed between the groups, nor any 'group x day' interaction, in terms of TS. CONCLUSION:: Honey administration successfully healed infected wounds. However, there was no significant difference between the effect of MH and that of N in terms of wound healing.

The effect of temperament on the treatment adherence of bipolar disorder type I.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Treatment adherence is one of the most important factors that may determine treatment response in patients with bipolar disorders (BD). Many factors have been described to be associated with treatment adherence in BD. Temperament that can influence the course of BD will have an impact on treatment adherence. The aim of this study is to investigate temperament effect on treatment adherence in euthymic patients with BD-I. METHODS: Eighty patients with BD-I participated in the study. A psychiatrist used the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-I Disorders to determine the diagnosis and co-morbidities. Hamilton Depression and Young Mania Rating Scale were used to detect the remission. We used the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire and the 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale to evaluate temperament and treatment adherence, respectively. The study group was divided into two groups as "treatment adherent" and "treatment non-adherent". RESULTS: The cyclothymic and anxious temperament scores of the treatment non-adherent patients with BD-I were significantly higher than those of the treatment adherent group (p < 0.001, p = 0.006, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis determined that cyclothymic temperament predicted treatment non-adherence (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: It should be kept in mind that BD-I patients with cyclothymic temperament may be treatment non-adherent and future studies should explore whether temperament characteristics deteriorate BD-I course by disrupting treatment adherence.

Validity and Reliability of Turkish Translation of Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality-of-Life (NePIQoL) Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to adapt the "Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality-of-Life Questionnaire" (NePIQoL) into Turkish and to test its validity and reliability in neuropathic pain patients. METHODS: We enrolled 200 chronic pain patients who admitted to the Neurology Department of Kirikkale University, Faculty of Medicine, in our study. Patients were diagnosed with neuropathic or nociceptive pain based on medical history, physical examination, electromyography and nerve conduction studies, laboratory examinations, and imaging techniques. Discriminant analysis was used to diagnose the neuropathic pain regarding sensitivity and specificity. The original version of the NePIQoL was translated into Turkish by standard procedures. RESULTS: Total NePIQoL scores were statistically different between neuropathic and nociceptive pain patients in both the first and second NePIQoL applications (P < 0.001). Cronbach's alpha coefficient of total 12 items of the first and second applications was 0.95. These results suggest a high validity level for the Turkish version of the NePIQoL. CONCLUSIONS: The Turkish version of NePIQoL appears to be reliable and valid for neuropathic pain impact on quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain.

Magical ideation associated social cognition in adolescents: signs of a negative facial affect recognition deficit.

BACKGROUND: Studies provide evidence for impaired social cognition in schizotypy and its association with negative symptoms. Cognitive features related to magical ideation - a component of the positive dimension of schizotypy - have been less investigated. We aimed to assess social cognitive functioning among adolescents with high magical ideation scores, mainly focusing on face and emotion recognition. METHODS: 22 subjects with magical ideation scale scores above the cut off level and 22 controls with lowest scores from among 250 students screened with this scale were included in the study. A face and emotion recognition n-back test, the empathy quotient, theory of mind tests and the Physical Anhedonia Scale were applied to both magical ideation and control groups. RESULTS: The magical ideation group performed significantly worse than controls on both face and emotion recognition tests. Emotion recognition performance was found to be affected by memory load, with sadness, among emotions, revealing a difference between the two groups. Empathy and theory of mind tests did not distinguish the magical ideation group from controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide evidence for a deficit in negative emotion recognition affected by memory load associated with magical ideation in adolescents.

Effects of comorbid anxiety disorders on the course of bipolar disorder-I.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although comorbid anxiety disorders (AD) are quite frequent in bipolar disorders (BD), data on how this comorbidity affects BD are limited. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of comorbid AD in Turkish patients with bipolar disorder-I (BD-I) and the effects of comorbid AD on the course of BD-I. METHODS: 114 patients with BD-I were included in the study. All patients were diagnosed by a psychiatrist. The patients were divided into two groups as BD-I patients with lifetime comorbid AD (BDI-CAD) or those without comorbid AD (BDI). RESULTS: 37 (32.46%) patients had one or more comorbid lifetime AD. The numbers of admissions to the outpatient clinic within calendar year 2013 (P = 0.014), the number of lifetime mood episodes (P = 0.019) and the duration of BD (P = 0.007) were higher in the BDI-CAD group compared with the BDI group. There was a strong relationship between the duration of the disorder and the number of episodes (r = 0.583, P < 0.001). Partial correlation analyses showed that the number of admission to the outpatient clinic correlated significantly with the frequency of episodes (P = 0.007, r = 0.282). CONCLUSION: We found that the patients with BDI-CAD use the healthcare system more frequently than the BDI patients. This suggests that AD comorbidity may have a negative influence on the course of BD-I and it is a factor that should be considered in the clinical follow-up.

Parenting Challenges in Families of Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Research Study in Istanbul.

Introduction: This qualitative research study examines problems experienced by families with children who have received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) living in Turkey. Background: In recent years, Turkey has moved to expand services to children who have received a diagnosis of ASD and their families. However, families still experience hidden issues that are crucial to consider while developing appropriate policies. Method: In this study, we interviewed 10 families whose children attended special education schools in the Bagcilar and Bahçelievler districts of Istanbul. We used semistructured interviews conducted via phone, WhatsApp video chat, and Zoom and a phenomenological approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the caregivers' experience. Themes were obtained by utilizing descriptive analysis. Results: Parents expressed a variety of concerns including financial burden, intrafamilial conflict, mental health problems, and community-related issues. Conclusions: Moving forward, the emerging social work profession should assist children who have been given a diagnosis of ASD and their parents in accessing mental and behavioral health and community-level resources, especially mothers, as they often bear the most responsibilities in Turkey.

Four serially mediating mechanisms in the relationship between COVID-19 fear and employee performance.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers were forced to work remotely, although having no prior experience, and as a result, they were exposed to new job-related stressors. OBJECTIVES: To examine the mediating role of job stress, work-family conflict and job satisfaction between fear of COVID-19 and job performance. METHODS: An online questionnaire was conducted a survey of remote workers in Turkey. Responses were obtained from 351 subjects. Related scales were used to measure work-life balance, job stress, job satisfaction, and employee performance as well as fear of COVID-19. Because all hypothesis constructs can be analyzed simultaneously, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that fear of COVID-19 affects job stress (p = .001; ß= .264). There was a significant relationship between job stress and job satisfaction (p = .001; ß= .619). Also, work-family conflict was affected employee job stress (p = .001; ß= .516). Job stress had a mediator role fear of COVID-19 on job satisfaction and work-family conflict on job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide a useful measurement model that can be used to evaluate and improve job performance and job satisfaction through work stress and work-family conflict in times of crisis such as COVID-19.

Functional connectivity in rumination: a systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies.

INTRODUCTION: Rumination, defined as intrusive and repetitive thoughts in response to negative emotions, uncertainty, and inconsistency between goal and current situation, is a significant risk factor for depressive disorders. The rumination literature presents diverse findings on functional connectivity and shows heterogeneity in research methods. This systematic review seeks to integrate these findings and provide readers diverse perspectives. METHOD: For this purpose, the literature on functional connectivity in rumination was reviewed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Regional connectivity and network connectivity results were scrutinized according to the presence of depression, research methods, and type of rumination. After screening 492 articles, a total of 36 studies were included. RESULTS: The results showed that increased connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) was consistently reported. Other important findings include alterations in the connectivity between the DMN and the frontoparietal network and the salience network (SN) and impaired regulatory function of the SN. Region-level connectivity studies consistently show that increased connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and the prefrontal cortex is associated with rumination, which may cause the loss of control of the frontoparietal network over self-referential processes. We have seen that the number of studies examining brooding and reflective rumination as separate dimensions are relatively limited. Although there are overlaps between the connectivity patterns of the two types of rumination in these studies, it can be thought that reflective rumination is more associated with more increased functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Although there are many consistent functional connectivity outcomes associated with trait rumination, less is known about connectivity changes during state rumination. Relatively few studies have taken into account the subjective aspect of this thinking style. In order to better explain the relationship between rumination and depression, rumination induction studies during episode and remission periods of depression are needed.

Resazurin microplate test method for rapid determination of colistin resistance in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii isolates.

BACKGROUND: Colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates are extremely important pathogens for hospital-acquired infections. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of the resazurin microplate assay (REMA) for the rapid determination of colistin resistance. METHODS: Susceptibility for colistin was investigated in vitro by the broth microdilution method (BMD) and the resazurin microplate assay (REMA) on 106 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. RESULTS: The results of both test methods were compared, and the categorical agreement between them was found to be 100%. No minor, major, or very major discrepancy was observed between the 2 methods. CONCLUSIONS: The most important advantages of REMA are that the results are obtained within 6 hours compared to the reference method, that it is easy to evaluate because it is colorimetric, and that the susceptibility result can be reported to the clinician on the same day as bacterial identification.

The Associations between Childhood Experiences and Occupational Choice Capability, and the Mediation of Societal Gender Roles.

Experiences in family, school, and social life during childhood are associated with gender roles and occupational choice capability. This study examines how competent individuals are in occupational choice capability and the relationships of childhood experiences and gender roles with their competencies in occupational choice capability. The research is composed of 805 individuals aged 18 and older, who reside in Turkey. In the research, we used the Personal Information Form, Childhood Experiences Scale, Gender Roles Attitude Scale, and The Scale of Occupational Choice Capability. The SPSS 25 program and PROCESS-Macro were used to analyze the variables. The relationship between the scales was investigated using Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. According to the findings we obtained, individuals' family and school life were positively correlated with their career choices, and family function sexism harmed their choice of profession. We also found gender roles had a mediating role in the relationship between school life and career choice.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder from an Embodied Cognition Perspective.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by problems of control over behavior and cognition. Although almost all of the studies on pathogenesis of OCD point out fronto-striatal dysfunction, it is still not possible to reveal mechanisms to explain the entire clinical course of OCD through these circuits. A more holistic explanation can be given through the Embodied Cognition (EC) perspective, which suggests that the alteration/dysfunction of low-level sensory-motor process may appear as a multifarious extent of dysfunction of high-level cognitive processes. Fronto-striatal circuits play fundamental role in behavioral control. These circuits also have a central role for the feed-forward motor control (FFMC). In FFMC, the internal model of movement is driven by efference copies as templates for motor behavior, without being adjusted by sensory information. If impairment of low-level sensory-motor processing is crucial to occurrence of compulsions, one possible hypothesis about this impairment is the problem which emerges from occurrence of efference copy in FFMC. On the other hand, the efference copy has also pivotal role for subject's feeling of the agency of an action. Therefore, there may be role of failure in successfully reproduction of the efference copy in the background of subjects' experience of losing control on compulsive behaviors. In this paper, we will discuss how the embodied cognition (EC) perspective which can be one of the biological bases of computationalism, which brings neuroscientific explanations on the functioning of nervous system to a more symbolic perspective, may contribute to our understanding of etiopathogenesis of OCD. In this perspective, our method will be to integrate the theoretical basis provided by EC perspective to the current models for OCD, rather than falsifying them.

Cognitive control of a simple mental image in patients with obsessive--compulsive disorder.

The nature of obsessions has led researchers to try to determine if the main problem in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is impaired inhibitory control. Previous studies report that the effort to suppress is one of the factors that increase the frequency of obsessive thoughts. Based on these results and those of the present study that suggest inferior parietal lobe (IPL) abnormality in OCD and findings of a recent study that reported the importance of the right posterior parietal cortex in cognitive control of a simple mental image, the present cognitive control paradigm study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in brain dynamics between OCD patients and non-obsessive controls while performing tasks that necessitate cognitive control of a simple mental image, and whether the right posterior parietal region is one of the regions in which a difference in activity between the OCD patients and controls would be observed. Functional brain imaging was performed while the participants attempted to suppress, imagine, or manipulate a mental image. The general linear model showed that there was a main effect of group and main effect of task. Accordingly, in all contrasts (suppression minus free-imagination, erasing minus free-imagination, and imagination minus free-imagination), the right IPL, right posterior cingulate cortex, and right superior frontal gyrus activity were lower in the OCD patients than in the healthy controls. These results and the observed correlations between activity levels, and symptom and subjective performance scores are discussed. In conclusion, the results of the present study and those of previous studies suggest that the main problem in OCD might be difficulty activating the right frontoparietal networks during tasks that require cognitive control, which might result in the intrusiveness of obsessive thoughts.

Does Emotional Intelligence Increase Satisfaction with Life during COVID-19? The Mediating Role of Depression.

COVID-19 has spread rapidly and become a health crisis around the world, and negatively affected the mental state of individuals. Emotional intelligence (EI) can play an important role in coping with the mental problems experienced due to the pandemic. This study examined how individuals' emotional intelligence levels affect depression and satisfaction with life during the COVID-19 period. The study was designed as quantitative and cross-sectional and reached 578 adult participants online. Emotional intelligence trait scale-short form, depression subscale (DASS-21), satisfaction with life scale, and sociodemographic questions as control variables were used as data collection tools in the study. The data obtained were conducted using SPSS 24, PROCESS-Macro, and Amos 25 statistical programs. The hypotheses established were tested by correlation, multiple regression, mediating, and moderating analyzes. Results confirmed that emotional intelligence had a positive association with satisfaction with life and a negative association with depression. In addition, interaction analyses found that age and family type had a moderating effect on satisfaction with life, and depression had a mediating effect. After discussing the importance of emotional intelligence as a coping mechanism in dealing with problems, some suggestions were made to policymakers and practitioners.

Why Are Turkish University Students Addicted to the Internet? A Moderated Mediation Model.

Internet addiction has become a significant problem that primarily affects young people. It has an essential effect on the individual's self-perception and assessment of their competencies. This study aimed to reveal whether there is a significant relationship between the level of internet addiction of university students and their age and self-esteem. For this purpose, internet addiction and self-esteem scales were used in addition to questions such as age, gender, the purpose of internet use, and internet daily usage time. We used a quantitative research method to obtain cross-sectional data from 400 Turkish young people using online surveys. Correlation, regression, mediation, and moderation analyses were performed using SPSS and the PROCESS macro plugin for data analysis. Internet addiction was significantly associated with self-esteem, gender, age, and daily internet usage. In addition, we discovered that self-esteem and daily usage time played a mediation role in the effect of the age variable on internet addiction. Moreover, the moderation roles of social networks, gender, and location in the impact of self-esteem on internet addiction were determined. With this study, we understood that as age increases, self-esteem triggers the decrease of internet addiction. In this sense, policies should be developed to increase self-esteem among young people to ensure the conscious use of the internet.

The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Fear and the Moderator Effects of Individuals' Underlying Illness and Witnessing Infected Friends and Family.

The COVID-19 virus has become a fearful epidemic for people all over the world. In Turkey, long quarantine periods and curfews have increased both physical and psychological problems. Due to the rapid spread and substantial impact of the COVID-19 virus, different psychological effects were observed among different segments of society, such as among young people, elderly people, and active workers. Because of fear caused by the COVID-19 virus, it is thought that depression, stress, and anxiety levels have increased. It is estimated that there are more psychological issues for people with poor health and others whose friends or family became ill or have died because of COVID-19. To explore and test the situation mentioned above, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Turkey with 3287 participants above 16 years old. We measured COVID-19 fear, along with anxiety, stress, and depression levels (DASS21) and demographics. Firstly, we tested whether COVID-19 fear predicts stress, anxiety, and depression. Secondly, we investigated if the effect of COVID-19 fear is stronger for those who have underlying illness and for those whose friends or family became ill or have died because of COVID-19. The results showed that women and 16-25 years old youths have higher COVID-19-related fear, anxiety, depression, and stress. Furthermore, we found a significant relationship between COVID-19 fear and stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as significant moderation effects of having an underlying illness and having friends or family who were infected or have died. These results show the importance of implementing specific implementations, particularly for vulnerable groups, to minimize the psychological problems that may arise with the pandemic.

The Mediating Role of Gaming Disorder in the Effect of Narcissism on Happiness in Children.

We aimed to determine the relationship between gaming disorder, narcissism, and happiness levels of children between the ages of 9 and 15. This study was based on the compensation theory. The sample consists of 461 boys who continue their education in public schools in Istanbul. In the study, a mixed research design, which nests qualitative data into quantitative, was used. In addition to the scales and sociodemographic form, the Draw-a-Person test was also used to better understand children's inner world. According to the findings, there is a significant relationship between gaming disorder and narcissism and happiness levels in children. Accordingly, as narcissism increases in children, the gaming disorder level increases, and happiness decreases. We also found a mediation effect in the impact of narcissism on happiness through gaming disorder. According to the results, we think that the problem is not caused by the individual but by society. For a solution, we recommend making more macro-level social work interventions within the framework of system theory instead of the current medical model in combating gaming disorder.

Optimal Model-free Approach Based on MDL and CHL for Active Brain Identification in fMRI Data Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cluster analysis is a robust tool for exploring the underlining structures in data and grouping them with similar objects. In the researches of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), clustering approaches attempt to classify voxels depending on their time-course signals into a similar hemodynamic response over time. OBJECTIVE: In this work, a novel unsupervised learning approach is proposed that relies on using Enhanced Neural Gas (ENG) algorithm in fMRI data for comparison with Neural Gas (NG) method, which has yet to be utilized for that aim. The ENG algorithm depends on the network structure of the NG and concentrates on an efficacious prototype-based clustering approach. METHODS: The comparison outcomes on real auditory fMRI data show that ENG outperforms the NG and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) methods due to its insensitivity to the ordering of input data sequence, various initializations for selecting a set of neurons, and the existence of extreme values (outliers). The findings also prove its capability to discover the exact and real values of a cluster number effectively. RESULTS: Four validation indices are applied to evaluate the performance of the proposed ENG method with fMRI and compare it with a clustering approach (NG algorithm) and model-based data analysis (SPM). These validation indices include the Jaccard Coefficient (JC), Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), Minimum Description Length (MDL) value, and Minimum Square Error (MSE). CONCLUSION: The ENG technique can tackle all shortcomings of NG application with fMRI data, identify the active area of the human brain effectively, and determine the locations of the cluster center based on the MDL value during the process of network learning.