Objectives
We aimed to develop a measure of psychotherapists' attitudes toward integrating technology in psychotherapy—The Therapists' Attitudes toward using Modern Technologies in Psychotherapy and ...Counselling Scale (MTPS), to analyze its latent structure and test its reliability and validity.
Method
Items were developed based on interviews with psychotherapists, followed by two online surveys with psychotherapists (N1 = 219; N2 = 369) in five countries in South‐eastern Europe.
Results
The MTPS has a 4‐factor structure: perceived potential of modern technologies (MTs) to augment therapeutic improvement, perceived psychoeducational value of MTs, perceived risks associated with using MTs, and perceived relevance of MTs. Specific dimensions of the MTPS predicted psychotherapists' behaviors and intentions regarding technology (Rc = 0.15–0.46). The reliability of the MTPS subscales was satisfactory.
Conclusion
MTPS appears to be a useful instrument. Exploring psychotherapists' attitudes assists in predicting obstacles to the implementation of technology in psychotherapy and planning adequate intervention to overcome it.
The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of attachment styles among single and coupled participants (N = 632) in the associations between sexual self‐concept (sexual self‐esteem, ...sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation) and sexual satisfaction. The results indicated lower sexual self‐esteem and sexual satisfaction and higher sexual depression and avoidant attachment among singles, as compared to coupled participants. Furthermore, in coupled participants (securely, anxiously, and avoidantly attached), sexual self‐esteem and sexual depression were predictors of sexual satisfaction. Among securely, fearfully, and avoidantly attached singles, sexual self‐esteem was a predictor of sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction was also predicted by sexual preoccupation among avoidantly attached singles. Finally, the only predictor of sexual satisfaction among anxiously attached singles was sexual depression.
Pregnancy often triggers anxiety and health concerns in women, leading many to search for health information online. Excessive, compulsive, and repetitive online health research, accompanied by ...heightened anxiety, can result in cyberchondria. This study aimed to explore the risk factors, triggers, and outcomes of cyberchondria in pregnant women. A total of 149 participants completed an online questionnaire longitudinally across three stages of pregnancy: early (14-19 weeks), mid (24-29 weeks), and late pregnancy (34-39 weeks). The findings revealed that health anxiety and the cognitive component of anxiety sensitivity are risk factors for cyberchondria during pregnancy. Pregnancy concerns related to motherhood emerged as triggers for cyberchondria. While a connection between cyberchondria and fear of birth was observed, fear of birth did not appear to be a direct outcome of cyberchondria. These results highlight the importance of addressing health anxiety, cognitive anxiety sensitivity and motherhood concerns in prenatal care and support interventions. Understanding the factors contributing to cyberchondria in pregnant women can assist healthcare professionals in providing targeted support and resources to mitigate excessive online health searching behaviors and alleviate anxiety during pregnancy.
Background
Nocebo effect, the occurrence of adverse symptoms fallowing an inactive treatment, is much less understood than its opposite, placebo effect. This systematic review of contemporary studies ...exploring the nocebo effect focuses on (1) the mechanisms underlying the nocebo effect, (2) the characteristics of participants exhibiting a more intensive nocebo response, and (3) the circumstances that might reduce or prevent the nocebo effect.
Method
We included experimental nocebo studies published in English that examined the occurrence of nocebo in various domains (i.e., types of sensations and symptoms) and different levels of nocebo response (e.g., performance, self-assessment) and in different populations of participants (healthy and clinical). Using Web of Science, PsycInfo and PubMed, we identified 25 papers (35 studies) that met our criteria with a total of
N
= 2614 participants, mostly healthy volunteers.
Results
Nocebo was invoked by manipulating expectations, conditioning or both. A narrative content synthesis was conducted. Nocebo was successfully invoked in a range of domains (e.g., pain, nausea, itch, skin dryness) and levels (sensory, affective, psychological, and behavioral). Various characteristics of the conditioning procedure and participants’ emotions, expectations, and dispositions are found to be related to the nocebo response, which sheds insight into the possible mechanisms of the nocebo effect. Strategies successful and unsuccessful in diminishing the nocebo response are identified. Limitations of this review include a small sample of studies.
Conclusion
These findings point to the universality of nocebo as well as to the importance of participant characteristics and experimental circumstances in invoking the nocebo effect. Further research should examine the nocebo effect in clinical populations.
Assessment tools for measuring cyberchondria, a process of increased anxiety over one’s health as a result of excessive online searching, are still in the early stages of development. The goals of ...the present study were to develop a short cyberchondria scale and to evaluate its structure, reliability and validity among participants from a community sample. The analyses conducted in this study were based on data from three samples (
N
1
= 540;
N
2
= 379;
N
3
= 594) that were recruited online via a snowball method. Participants provided demographic information and completed the Short Cyberchondria Scale (SCS) as well as three comparison measures (Cyberchondria Severity Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index and Health Anxiety Questionnaire) via an online survey tool. Extensive analyses were performed in order to inspect various aspects of the validity of the new SCS scale, including its factor structure, measurement invariance and convergent validity. The findings of the present study suggest that the SCS is a satisfactory instrument for measuring cyberchondria.
Cyberchondria is defined as excessive online health research followed by distress. Theoretical models of cyberchondria suggest that it can be influenced by both characteristics of the internet ...(content, information ranking, amount and quality of information) and individual vulnerability factors (general health anxiety or COVID-19 fear). In order to simultaneously explore the role of both factors, an innovative search engine software (Foogle) was developed and used in the present study that enables manipulation of the presented content and content ranking while also recording users’ online behavior. A total of 36 participants with high and 28 participants with low COVID-19 fear searched for the long-term health effects of COVID-19 using Foogle. They were presented with search engine results that rank long-term health effects of COVID-19 from more to less severe or vice versa (randomized). Results revealed that participants who were presented with articles describing more to less severe long-term COVID-19 health effects accessed articles with a higher mean severity index. In general, participants spent more time on articles depicting more severe content. Participants with high COVID-19 fear felt more anxious post-search than those with low COVID-19 fear and expressed a greater wish to continue searching.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences for health, in part due to the numerous changes to daily routines that arose due to public health measures and restrictions. The aim of this ...study was to examine the experience of occupational disruption during pandemic and the consequences for mental health among women living in Croatia. In May 2020, 661 women completed an online questionnaire exploring changes to time spent engaged in various occupations, changes to the quality of occupational participation, and psychological health. While most participants experienced changes to daily occupations, these changes were not universal across occupational domains or for all participants. Cluster analysis revealed three unique groups: participants who reported poorer quality of participation in all domains; those who reported reduced quality in most domains, but stable or improved quality in leisure and outdoor occupations; and those who reported stable or improved quality in most domains. Participants in the first cluster exhibited significantly greater levels of anxiety, depression, and stress compared to the other two clusters, suggesting that greater occupational disruption was related to poorer mental health. This study is among the first to demonstrate the way in which the pandemic and measures used to restrict the spread of the virus have contributed to occupational disruption. Findings indicating the varying degrees to which this disruption was perceived and experienced by participants shed new light on factors that influence potential vulnerability or resilience to the effects of occupational disruption. Findings are consistent with existing work demonstrating the role of participation in maintaining health and emphasize the importance of preserving daily routines during pandemic.
A network of healthcare professionals specializing in transgender care was established in Croatia in 2011, and legal advancements were subsequently made in 2014. Both achievements made gender ...transition more transparent and thus more attainable in Croatia. This observational study was conducted to assess the number of transgender individuals initiating gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) in Croatia and describes trends in age and sex assigned at birth. Between 2011 and 2022, a total of 111 transgender individuals initiated GAHT. Within the cohort, 52 were assigned male at birth (AMAB) and 59 were assigned female at birth (AFAB). The overall annual incidence rate of transgender individuals initiating GAHT was 0.52 per 100,000 age-adjusted individuals. There was a statistically significant increase (
p
< 0.01) in transgender individuals commencing GAHT before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a rising trend toward masculinizing rather than feminizing treatment was identified (
p
< 0.05), particularly among younger transgender individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these trends in 2020, except for the trend of initiating therapy at a younger age (
p
< 0.01). The annual incidence and age distribution trends of transgender individuals initiating GAHT in Croatia closely mirrored those in other European countries, with a higher prevalence of individuals assigned female at birth. The study underscores a significant rise in the number of individuals initiating gender-affirming hormone treatment, emphasizing the need for proper legal regulation and healthcare system response.
Introduction: Fear of childbirth (FOC) has been mostly studied in peripartum women; however, it can be present in non-pregnant young women, and the question is whether it occurs even before pregnancy ...planning.
Objective: (1) to determine the prevalence of clinically significant FOC in non-pregnant female students, and (2) to investigate the role of anxiety sensitivity (AS), trait anxiety, childbirth pain expectancy, and sources of birth knowledge for FOC.
Methods: Non-pregnant female students (N = 374) from different study programmes (health studies, social sciences and humanities, and biotechnical studies) participated in the study. They completed
Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ, version A), The State-Trait Anxiety
Inventory (STAI-T), Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the average expected labor pain, and sources
of information about childbirth.
Results: The results showed that 25.9% of students reported clinically significant FOC. FOC could be predicted by postponing pregnancy planning, the high expectancy of labor pain, high trait anxiety, and high physical dimension of AS. Students from health sciences reported a lower level of FOC, as opposed to social science and humanities' students. Students reported receiving the most information about childbirth from family and the least from the professional books.
Conclusions: Fear of childbirth is highly prevalent in the sample of young nulliparous women with one in four women reporting clinically significant fear. The higher levels of the FOC could be predicted, by AS, trait anxiety, expected labor pain, and sources of knowledge about the childbirth. Implications of the findings are discussed.
PDF