Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder: Their perceptions of paternal role a predictor of caregiving satisfaction,self-efficacy and burden

BackgroundThe positive effect of a father’s involvement in children’s upbringing is now recognised. However, research on fathers raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still few. This study examines the relationship between the perception, fathers of children with ASD have of the importance of their role in the development of their children and the feelings (self-efficacy, caregiving burden, satisfaction) they express about their parenting experience.MethodSixty-three Swiss Italian fathers of children with ASD completed The Role of the Father Questionnaire (ROFQ), three sub-scales of the Caregiver Survey, a subtest of the Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale and a home-made questionnaire measuring Perceived Social Support.ResultsThe results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses show that the importance that fathers attach to the paternal role predicts positively their caregiving satisfaction and their feeling of self-efficacy. The children’s challenging behaviours predict positively the caregiving burden whereas the assessment of social support predicts it negatively.ConclusionsThe perception of the importance of the paternal role needs to be considered in the support offered to families with a child with ASD. A better understanding of the fathers’ feelings could be of value for the programmes.     

Percepciones de las enfermeras sobre el apoyo de los compañeros de trabajo en el lugar de trabajo: investigación cualitativa

ObjectiveAlthough the psychological factors of the work environment affect the quality of employees’ performance more than physical factors, they have not been broadly explained yet. This study is conducted to explore nurses’ perceptions of the co-worker support as psychological resource in the workplace.MethodThe present study is a qualitative research. Fourteen staff nurses who were working in hospitals affiliated to the Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Iran were selected based on purposeful sampling and interviewed using un-structured in-depth interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using conventional content analysis approach through constant comparative method.ResultsData analysis revealed four major themes with 11 sub themes. The four major themes include ‘emotional support’, ‘effective working relationship and collaboration’, ‘suitable social relationships’, and ‘guidance and teaching’.ConclusionThe results showed that, nurses had a positive perception of their colleagues’ support in the workplace. Co-worker support is a multidimensional phenomenon and is influenced by various factors. Perceiving support from the colleague and having a sense of support can promote the quality of care and increase dealing with stressful situations in nursing. Therefore, communication and flexibility skills should be taught to both staff and managers in this regard.     

“1+5”式支持教育联合体表感官刺激在住院精神分裂症患者中的应用

目的"1+5"式支持教育即1名辅导员负责5例患者,本研究探讨其联合体表感官刺激在住院精神分裂症患者中的应用效果。方法选择医院2019年1月—2020年3月住院精神分裂症患者80例为研究对象,按照组间年龄、病程、婚姻状况、住院时间、干预前简明精神病评定量表(BPRS)具有可比性的原则分为对照组和观察组,每组40例。对照组采取常规护理,观察组在对照组基础上加以"1+5"式支持教育联合体表感官刺激,比较两组患者的精神症状及社会功能状况。结果观察组患者精神症状严重程度低于对照组,社会功能评定量表(SSPI)各因子评分均高于对照组,差异比较有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论"1+5"式支持教育联合体表感官刺激在住院精神分裂症患者中的应用,能改善其精神症状及社会功能,促进疾病康复。     

Artificial intelligence-assisted psychosis risk screening in adolescents: Practices and challenges

Artificial intelligence-based technologies are gradually being applied to psych-iatric research and practice. This paper reviews the primary literature concerning artificial intelligence-assisted psychosis risk screening in adolescents. In terms of the practice of psychosis risk screening, the application of two artificial intelligence-assisted screening methods, chatbot and large-scale social media data analysis, is summarized in detail. Regarding the challenges of psychiatric risk screening, ethical issues constitute the first challenge of psychiatric risk screening through artificial intelligence, which must comply with the four biomedical ethical principles of respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and impartiality such that the development of artificial intelligence can meet the moral and ethical requirements of human beings. By reviewing the pertinent literature concerning current artificial intelligence-assisted adolescent psychosis risk screens, we propose that assuming they meet ethical requirements, there are three directions worth considering in the future development of artificial intelligence-assisted psychosis risk screening in adolescents as follows: nonperceptual real-time artificial intelligence-assisted screening, further reducing the cost of artificial intelligence-assisted screening, and improving the ease of use of artificial intelligence-assisted screening techniques and tools.     

双相障碍的功能损害及相关因素

本文目的是探讨双相障碍社会功能和认知功能的特点及其影响因素，为临床识别与干预提供参考。研究显示，双相障碍功能损害显著，即使在稳定期，双相障碍患者仍存在不同程度的认知功能和社会功能损害，双相障碍的功能损害可能存在病理心理机制和相关影响因素。本文从双相障碍社会功能损害、认知功能损害和二者的关系等方面进行阐述，并总结当前研究的不足之处。     

Social trauma and its association with posttraumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder

The key characteristic of a traumatic event as defined by the Diagnostic and Mental Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) seems to be a threat to life. However, evidence suggests that other types of threats may play a role in the development of PTSD and other disorders such as social anxiety disorder (SAD). One such threat is social trauma, which involves humiliation and rejection in social situations. In this study, we explored whether there were differences in the frequency, type and severity of social trauma endured by individuals with a primary diagnosis of SAD (n = 60) compared to a clinical control group of individuals with a primary diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD, n = 19) and a control group of individuals with no psychiatric disorders (n = 60). The results showed that most participants in this study had experienced social trauma. There were no clear differences in the types of experiences between the groups. However, one third of participants in the SAD group (but none in the other groups) met criteria for PTSD or suffered from clinically significant PTSD symptoms in response to their most significant social trauma. This group of SAD patients described more severe social trauma than other participants. This line of research could have implications for theoretical models of both PTSD and SAD, and for the treatment of individuals with SAD suffering from PTSD after social trauma.     

Examining the link between positive affectivity and anxiety reactivity to social stress in individuals with and without social anxiety disorder

BackgroundPositive affect (PA) attenuates negative reactivity to stress; however, this adaptive function of PA is seldom studied in psychiatric conditions characterized by more extreme forms of affective responding. We tested distinct associations of PA and negative affect (NA) with anxiety reactivity in participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD)—a condition characterized by heightened NA and diminished PA—and non-SAD control subjects.MethodAdults with a principal diagnosis of SAD (n = 71) and those without a psychiatric history (n = 36) rated their PA and NA during the past week, and were exposed to a laboratory stressor wherein they delivered a video-recorded speech on a controversial topic. Anxiety reactivity was assessed in terms of anticipatory anxiety prior to the speech, and observer-rated anxiety-related behavior during the speech.ResultsAcross all participants, higher PA significantly predicted lower anticipatory anxiety and less anxiety-related behavior, beyond level of NA; lower NA significantly predicted attenuated anticipatory anxiety, but not anxiety-related behavior, beyond level of PA. The association between PA and stress reactivity was diminished for individuals with especially elevated NA, as well as for individuals with SAD compared to those without.ConclusionsPA may be protective against negative reactivity to social stress; however, theoretical models and clinical applications should consider possible interactive effects of PA and NA in modulating stress reactivity.     

Worry,avoidance, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive network analysis

BackgroundMany psychological factors play a role in the COVID-19 pandemic, including various forms of worry, avoidance, and coping. Adding to the complexity, some people believe the threat of COVID-19 is exaggerated. We used network analysis to investigate how these diverse elements are interrelated.MethodsA population-representative sample of 3075 American and Canadian adults completed an online survey, including measures of COVID-19-related worry, avoidance, self-protective behaviors, and other variables.ResultsThe network contained three major hubs, replicated across gender and age groups. The most important hub centered around worries about the dangerousness of COVID-19, and formed the core of the previously identified COVID Stress Syndrome. The second most important hub, which was negatively correlated with the first hub, centered around the belief that the COVID-19 threat is exaggerated, and was associated with disregard for social distancing, poor hand hygiene, and anti-vaccination attitudes. The third most important hub, which was linked to the first hub, centered around COVID-19-related compulsive checking and reassurance-seeking, including self-protective behaviors such as panic buying and use of personal protective equipment.ConclusionNetwork analysis showed how various forms of worry, avoidance, coping, and other variables are interrelated. Implications for managing disease and distress are discussed.