ABSTRACT
Objective: Havening is a psychosensory therapeutic technique that purportedly harnesses the power of touch to stimulate oxytocin release and facilitate adaptive processing of distressing thoughts/memories. Although Havening is used in clinics worldwide, with anecdotal evidence, very few empirical studies exist to support its efficacy or mechanism of action. The present study is the first to investigate the effects of Havening Touch on subjective distress, mood, brain function, and well-being. Method(s): Participants (n = 24) underwent a single session of Havening, in response to a self-reported distressing event. Mood and resting-state electroencephalography were assessed prior to, and immediately following, the session. Psychological health was assessed at baseline and 2 weeks followup via an online self-report questionnaire. Result(s): There was a greater reduction in subjective units of distress during sessions that included Havening Touch (H+) than sessions that did not include Havening Touch (H-). Electroencephalography results showed an increase in beta and a reduction in gamma activity in H+. Both groups showed reduction in negative mood states immediately following the session and better psychological health at follow-up. Conclusion(s): Findings suggest both touch and nontouch components of the intervention have therapeutic potential, and that Havening Touch may accelerate a reduction in distress during a single Havening session.Copyright © 2022 American Psychological Association
ABSTRACT
Methods: Here, we sought to investigate the effects of TLR7 pathway activation on mouse behaviour 24 hours post-activation. Female CD1 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of the synthetic TLR7 agonist, R848, or an equivalent volume of saline and were subjected to the Open Field and Forced Swim Test 24 hours later (n=10/group). Brain and liver tissues were then collected for downstream gene expression analysis. Result(s): Independent T-tests confirmed that systemic R848 challenge induced a strong peripheral and central inflammatory response, as indicated by a 250-fold increase in hepatic SAA-2 mRNA expression (p<0.0001) and a 75-fold increase in CXCL10 mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex (p<0.01), relative to controls. These changes in inflammatory markers were accompanied by evidence of sickness behaviour - in particular, a decrease in exploratory rearing (p<0.01). Conclusion(s): This demonstrates that R848 can be used to create a model reflective of viral-like illness and provides a useful tool for investigating the behavioural effects of TLR7-mediated inflammation. To further these results, we aim to explore the metabolic consequences of LPS and R848 challenge and relate these to inflammatory and behavioural changes. This will accompany our data on the metabolic signatures of SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and animals, and of long-COVID patients. Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Background: The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has posed a major public health risk across the world. The threat of the virus and the resulting quarantine or "stay-home-orders," likely impacted physical and mental health across the US population. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological responses and behaviors during the initial stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in a US sample, applying the Common-Sense Model of illness to encourage a more comprehensive conceptualization of psychological and behavioral response to COVID-19.Methods: This study used Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a widely used data-sourcing tool, to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 and quarantine for a large sample (N = 584) of US citizens, applying the Common-Sense Model of Illness as a way of predicting cognitive and emotional representations of the virus, engagement in precautionary and self-care behaviors, and appraisals of control. Conclusions: These results suggested that US citizens felt knowledgeable about COVID-19 and confident in precautionary behaviors to control the spread of COVID-19. However, while most US citizens reported normative levels of emotional distress in response to COVID-19, about 19-30% reported scores that indicated moderate to severe distress. Greater distress predicted decreased engagement in self-care behaviors and certain precautionary behaviors. People who engaged in both precautionary and self-care behaviors felt that they were helpful. While the results of this study are preliminary and further study is needed, these results suggest that Leventhal's Common-Sense Model of Illness may be applicable to understanding the US citizen experience of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with a chronic medical condition (CMC) transition to adulthood with the burden of independently managing their health care. AYAs with a CMC are at elevated risk for depression, and available research suggests that illness-related cognitive appraisals play a critical role in this risk. Bakula et al. (2019) demonstrated that illness stigma and illness intrusiveness are two particularly salient cognitive appraisals (illness stigma -> illness intrusiveness -> depressive symptoms). The present study replicated and extended those findings by testing health anxiety as a mediator between stigma and illness intrusiveness in the serial mediation model (illness stigma -> health anxiety -> illness intrusiveness -> depressive symptoms). College students (N = 97) with a CMC completed self-report measures of illness-related stigma, health-related anxiety, illness intrusiveness, and depressive symptoms. The illness stigma -> illness intrusiveness -> depressive symptoms simple mediation path was significant, ab = .50, 95% CI [0.27-0.73]. The illness stigma -> health anxiety -> illness intrusiveness -> depressive symptoms serial mediation path was also significant, a1d21b2 = 0.16, 95% CI [0.05-0.31]. Illness stigma indirectly related to depressive symptoms through the consecutive influence of illness stigma on health anxiety and health anxiety on illness intrusiveness. The present study replicated and extended findings by Bakula et al. by identifying that illness stigma may elicit anxiety about health and amplify perceived illness intrusiveness, thus increasing depressive symptoms in AYAs with a CMC. These findings further confirm the importance of assessing cognitive appraisals among AYAs with a CMC. When working with AYAs with a CMC who endorse depression, it may be particularly important to assess health anxiety, illness stigma, and illness intrusiveness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)