Neural bases of social deficits in ADHD: A systematic review. Does the Theory of Mind matter?

INTRODUCTION: The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) causes serious interpersonal problems from childhood to adulthood, one of them being problematic social functioning. This phenomenon in ADHD should be associated with impairments in the Theory of Mind (ToM). Therefore, understanding the neural correlates of the ToM could be crucial for helping individuals with ADHD with their social functioning. Thus, we aimed to review published literature concerning neuroanatomical and functional correlates of ToM deficits in children and adolescents with ADHD. METHODS: We reviewed studies published between 1970 and 2023. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, after data from three databases were collected, two authors (LN and PM) independently screened all relevant records (n=638) and consequently, both authors did the data extraction. The quality of the included studies (n=5) was measured by a modified version of The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and by measures specific for our study. This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020139847). RESULTS: Results indicated that impairments in performing of the ToM tasks were negatively associated with the grey matter volume in the bilateral amygdala and hippocampus in both, ADHD and control group. In EEG studies, a significantly greater electrophysiological activity during ToM tasks was observed in the, frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes in participants with ADHD as compared to healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: More research is needed to explore the ToM deficits in children with ADHD. Future research might focus on the neural circuits associated with attention and inhibition, which deficits seems to contribute to the ToM deficits in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Loneliness Is Associated With Problematic Internet Use but Not With the Frequency of Substance Use: A Czech Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the associations between loneliness and the frequency of substance use and problematic Internet use (PIU) in different age groups. Methods: Data were collected in April 2021 from a sample of 1,293 participants with main characteristics close to a nationally representative sample (mean age = 50.1 ± 15.4 years; 56% male). We measured loneliness with the Three-Item Loneliness Scale (TILS), PIU with the General Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS-2) and the frequency of drugs, alcohol, smoking or caffeine consumption. Spearman's correlation, the t-test, and one-way and multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: In our study, 43.8% of respondents reported moderate to severe levels of loneliness. Loneliness was associated with the severity of PIU [F (3, 1,277) = 15.25, p < 0.001], with higher loneliness corresponding to higher PIU. No significant relationship was found between loneliness and drugs, alcohol, smoking or caffeine consumption. Conclusion: Regardless of age, loneliness is associated with PIU but not with the frequency of substance use. Professional help for lonely people should focus on problematic Internet use in all age groups.

The effect of childhood trauma and resilience on psychopathology in adulthood: Does bullying moderate the associations?

BACKGROUND: Exposure to traumatic events in childhood, including bullying, can negatively affect physical and mental health in adulthood. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of bullying in different sociodemographic groups of the Slovak Republic and to assess the moderating effect of bullying on the associations between childhood trauma, resilience, and the later occurrence of psychopathology. METHODS: For the analyses, a representative sample of the population of the Slovak Republic was used (N = 1018, mean age 46.24 years, 48.7% of men). Multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate the predictive ability of childhood trauma (The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) and resilience (The Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) to explain psychopathology (The Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI-53). Bullying (The Adverse Childhood Experiences - International Questionnaire, ACE-IQ) was used as a moderator. RESULTS: In total, 13.5% of respondents have experienced bullying. The most common form of bullying was making fun of someone because of how their body or face looked (46.7%) and excluding someone from activities or ignoring them (36.5%). Higher scores in all types of psychopathology and the Global Severity Index (GSI) were significantly associated with higher scores of emotional and sexual abuse, and some of them with physical neglect. The protective effect of resilience was moderated by bullying in several types of psychopathology, specifically in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, psychoticism, and the GSI. CONCLUSION: Understanding the links between childhood trauma, bullying, and later psychopathology can help professionals target policies, resources, and interventions to support children and families at risk. Every child should feel accepted and safe at home and school.

Corrigendum: Religious Conspiracy Theories About the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Associated With Negative Mental Health.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604324.].

COVID-19 Vaccination Refusal-Which Factors are Related in the Czech Republic, One of the Most Affected Countries in the World?

Objective: This study examined the willingness to get vaccinated and the factors influencing this attitude in extreme settings-in the Czech Republic (at the time of the survey, the third-worst affected country in the world). Methods: We used national data from the general adult Czech population (N = 1,401) and measured attitudes towards vaccination, sociodemographic characteristics, government trust, knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines, personal characteristics, depression and anxiety. Results: Respondents who were more likely to refuse the vaccine were: female, younger, living without a partner, self-employed or unemployed, living in a town, believers outside the church, and did not trust the government, obtained information about the vaccine from social media, were extroverts and depressed. Conversely, respondents who were less likely to refuse the vaccine were: pensioners, people with higher education, respondents with better real knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccines, those who obtained information about the vaccine from an expert and those who had higher scores in neuroticism. Conclusion: This study thus offers a deeper understanding of the factors that might influence vaccine intention and subsequently the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID anxiety and its predictors among Slovak adolescents.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions, mainly social distancing, had an impact on the mental health of various groups, including adolescents. Methods: The main goal of our study was to explore the impact of gender, age, resilience (measured using the Brief Resilience Scale), attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance (both measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Scale for adolescents), and mental and general health (measured using items of SF-8 Health Survey) on COVID anxiety (measured using the COVID Anxiety Scale) among a sample of Slovak adolescents (N = 1,786, age 15 to 19, mean age = 16.8, SD = 1.2). The data were collected online between 13 April and 24 May 2021. Results: Four nested linear regression models were fitted to the data and evaluated. The significant predictors that had a greater effect than our smallest effect size of interest (ß = 0.10) were gender (ß = -0.26, p < 0.001, where boys had lower scores in COVID anxiety), general and mental health (ß = -0.13 and ß = -0.14, respectively, both with p < 0.001), resilience (ß = -0.12, p < 0.001), and attachment avoidance (ß = -0.11, p < 0.001). Similarly, age and attachment anxiety were significant predictors with a lower effect size (ß = 0.06, p = 0.003, and ß = 0.09, p < 0.001, respectively). Discussion: Our results are in line with previous research findings highlighting the importance of prevention and interventions programs focused mainly on preventing loneliness and social disconnection, fostering secure attachment with parents and peers, and increasing the resilience of adolescents, especially in the stressful time of a pandemic, to promote their mental health.

Perceived stress of adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown: Bayesian multilevel modeling of the Czech HBSC lockdown survey.

Objective: Long-term isolation, including lockdowns and quarantines, may have a distressing effect on anyone experiencing it. Adolescent brain architecture is very sensitive to environmental adversities, and the mental health development of adolescents may be particularly vulnerable during the pandemic era. In order to better understand the triggers for perceived adolescent stress (PSS) during the COVID-19 lockdown, the present study aimed to assess the effects of social well-being and changes in time use during the lockdown, as well as the family COVID experience of adolescents. Methods: The sample for this study comprised n = 3,440 adolescents (54.2% girls; mean age = 13.5 ± 1.6 years). Bayesian correlations between PSS, health and well-being variables were assessed. PSS was then modeled as an outcome variable in a series of nested Bayesian multilevel regression models. Results: The negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown was more apparent in girls. PSS was moderately correlated with adolescent health and well-being. The strongest predictor of higher level of PSS was frequent feeling of loneliness. On the contrary, lower level of PSS was most associated with having someone to talk to. Conclusion: Long-term social isolation of adolescents could be harmful to their mental health. Psychological coping strategies to prevent the consequences of social isolation and development of mental health problems should be promoted on the individual, family, and even community level.

Parents' experiences of remote microphone systems for children with hearing loss.

PURPOSE: Remote microphone systems improve intelligibility in difficult conditions when the performance of hearing aids/cochlear implants is insufficient. The purpose of this study was to explore parents' experiences with remote microphone systems for their children with hearing loss and to determine the advantages and disadvantages as perceived by parents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with parents of children with moderate to profound bilateral hearing loss (2-19 years old). The open coding method and thematic analysis were used. The final sample consisted of 19 mothers and 9 fathers who had experience with remote microphone systems. RESULTS: Parents listed the advantages of remote microphone systems for their child, for themselves and for other carers, such as better hearing and understanding, a life more similar to that of their peers without hearing loss, safety in road traffic, lower fatigue, vocabulary acquisition, better school results. Some limitations were identified, namely low benefits, technical issues and a reluctance to use the device by children or teachers. CONCLUSIONS: It is crucial to provide parents with information about assistive devices and the consequences of limited access to hearing speech. Professionals should motivate parents, children and teachers to use remote microphone systems even in situations when the benefit may not be obvious if there is a potential benefit for the child.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe main advantages of remote microphone systems perceived by parents are better hearing and understanding, a life more similar to peers without hearing loss, safety in traffic, lower fatigue, vocabulary acquisition and better school results.The main disadvantages are for parents: persisting hearing problems, low benefits, technical issues and a reluctance to use the device by children or teachers.Sufficient and accurate information is needed about remote microphone systems, but also about the consequences of hearing loss in general.The possibility to try wireless devices before buying and troubleshooting help is appreciated.

Why do many children who are hard of hearing not use remote microphones to compensate for their hearing loss?

Objectives: The aim of the study is to explore parents' reasons for not acquiring remote microphones that would compensate for their child's hearing loss and why some children do not use these devices even after they are purchased. Background: The benefit of remote microphones for better understanding speech has been proven by multiple studies. Consistent with the research, there is an official recommendation that all children who are hard of hearing should be considered as potential candidates for remote microphone systems in classrooms in Western countries, but in the Czech Republic, only a relatively small number of children use them. Therefore, it is important to focus on the reasons why parents do not buy such devices for their child and why some children do not use an already acquired device. Methods: Data from 41 semi-structured interviews were collected and analysed using the DIPEx methodology (personal experiences of health and illness), which involves rigorous analysis of narrative interviews of people with particular conditions chosen to represent the widest practicable range of experiences. Results: Parents report multiple barriers to buying remote microphones: insecurity about the right moment, financial reasons, a lack of information and the child's refusal to use them. The reasons why children do not use such devices despite their being purchased are the reluctance of children and teachers and the low perceived benefit of remote microphones. Conclusions: These barriers have to be taken into consideration by audiologists, policymakers and other stakeholders when addressing medical, educational and social systems supporting children who are hard of hearing as well as their families. Socio-political measures, improved systems of support for children who are hard of hearing and direct work with families can reduce these barriers.

Associations of childhood trauma with long-term diseases and alcohol and nicotine use disorders in Czech and Slovak representative samples.

OBJECTIVE: The abuse and neglect of a child is a major public health problem with serious psychosocial, health and economic consequences. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between various types of childhood trauma, selected long-term diseases and alcohol and nicotine use disorder in Czech and Slovak representative samples. METHODS: Data on retrospective reporting about selected long-term diseases, alcohol and nicotine use disorder (CAGE Questionnaire) and childhood maltreatment (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; CTQ) in two representative samples (Czech sample: n = 1800, 48.7% men, mean age 46.61 ± 17.4; Slovak sample: n = 1018, 48.7% men, mean age: 46.2 ± 16.6) was collected. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between childhood maltreatment and long-term diseases. RESULTS: There is a higher occurrence of some long-term diseases (such as diabetes, obesity, allergy, asthma) and alcohol and nicotine use disorder in the Czech sample; however, in the Slovak sample the associations between child maltreatment and long-term diseases are stronger overall. Emotional abuse predicts the occurrence of all the studied long-term diseases, and the concurrent occurrence of emotional abuse and neglect significantly predicts the reporting of most diseases. All types of childhood trauma were strong predictors of reporting the occurrence of three or more long-term diseases. CONCLUSION: The extent of reporting childhood trauma and associations with long-term diseases in the Czech and Slovak population is a challenge for the strengthening of preventive and therapeutic programmes in psychosocial and psychiatric care for children and adolescents to prevent later negative consequences on health.

Religious Conspiracy Theories About the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Associated With Negative Mental Health.

Objectives: Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories have begun to spread. Evidence is lacking for religious conspiracy theories (RCT) related to COVID-19 in a non-religious environment. This study aimed to assess links between religiosity and spirituality (R/S) and RCT about COVID-19, and to examine their associations with mental health. Methods: A sample of Czech adults (n = 1,273, mean age = 47.5, SD = 16.4; 51.5% male) participated in the survey. We measured R/S, RCT, negative religious coping (NRC), feelings impairment and mental health symptoms. Results: We found R/S were significantly associated with RCT with ß 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.82) for the strongest association. Moreover, RCT and NRC were strongly associated with paranoia, anxiety and depression. The most frequent association was found for NRC and paranoid ideation, with ß of 0.35 (95% CI 0.26-0.44). Conclusion: Our findings showed associations between religiosity/spirituality and beliefs in religious conspiracy theories about COVID-19. Moreover, these RCT and negative religious coping were linked to higher possibility of mental health problems. Understanding these associations may help prevent this negative impact and contribute to the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic help.

Posttraumatic Growth and Its Measurement: A Closer Look at the PTGI's Psychometric Properties and Structure.

Despite negative connotations, surviving trauma can result in improvements in some domains of a person's life. This phenomenon is known as posttraumatic growth (PTG), and it is typically measured using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Given the ambiguous results of the existing validation studies, the present study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the PTGI in a representative sample of Slovak citizens. Although the results suggest that a modified one-factor structure fit the data best, other issues, such as extremely high correlations between the latent factors related to the PTGI's factor structure, were observed. It is likely that the application of the latent variable model does not represent the essence of PTG adequately and the network approach thus appears to be a far more suitable conceptualization of PTG. More detailed information on between-person differences and within-person changes in PTG could help to tailor more effective interventions or preventive programs.

Perception of dignity in older men and women in the early stages of dementia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a serious problem in old age, that impacts an individual's ability to function and may threaten personal dignity. Given the variable features of the illness and the diversity of life experiences, many factors may contribute to the perception of dignity by men and women with dementia. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that contribute to dignity and its domains in men and women with dementia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 316 community-dwelling patients with early-stage dementia (aged ≥ 60) (PwD). We assessed the participants' sociodemographic and social involvement characteristics, health-related variables (pain, depression, physical performance, visual and hearing impairments), attitude to aging, and self-sufficiency in the activities of daily living (ADL). These factors were investigated as independent variables for the perception of dignity and of its domains in men and women. RESULTS: Multivariate regression analysis showed that PwD experienced minor dignity problems in the early stages of dementia. In both men and women higher rates of depression, negative attitudes to aging, and pain were associated with reductions in the perception of dignity. In men, but not in women visual impairment had a negative effect on overall dignity, and on the associated domains of 'Loss of Autonomy' and 'Loss of Confidence'. In women, lowered self-sufficiency in ADL contributed to reduced self-perception of dignity and in the associated domains of 'Loss of Purpose of Life', 'Loss of Autonomy', and 'Loss of Confidence'. Sociodemographic and social involvement characteristics, hearing impairment, and physical performance did not influence the participants' self-perception of dignity. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that several common factors (depression, attitudes to aging, and pain) contribute to the perception of dignity in both men and women. Other factors, visual impairments in men, and self-sufficiency in ADL in women, appear to be more gender specific. These differences might relate to their specific gender roles and experiences. The self-perception of dignity in PwD can be helped by supporting the individual, to the extent that their illness allows, in maintaining activities that are important to their gender roles, and that preserve their gender identity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04443621.

Psychotherapists' Reports regarding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Patients: A Cross-National Descriptive Study Based on the Social-Ecological Model (SEM).

The COVID-19 outbreak has raised questions about how vulnerable groups experience the pandemic. Research that focuses on the view of individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions is still limited, and so are cross-country comparative surveys. We gathered our sample of qualitative data during the first lockdown after governmental measures against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came into force in Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Slovakia. A total of n = 1690 psychotherapists from four middle European countries answered the question of how the COVID-19 pandemic was addressed in sessions by their patients during the early stage of unprecedented public health conditions. We employed a descriptive qualitative methodology to determine themes following levels of the social-ecological model (SEM) regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected patients. At the public policy level, stressful environmental conditions concerned the governmental mitigation efforts. At the level of community/society, reported key themes were employment, restricted access to educational and health facilities, socioeconomic consequences, and the pandemic itself. Key themes at the interpersonal level regarded forced proximity, the possibility of infection of loved ones, childcare, and homeschooling. Key themes at the individual level were the possibility of contracting COVID-19, having to stay at home/isolation, and a changing environment. Within the SEM framework, adaptive and maladaptive responses to these stressors were reported, with more similarities than differences between the countries. A quantification of word stems showed that the maladaptive reactions predominated.

Ambivalent bonds, positive and negative emotions, and expectations in teachers' perceptions of relationship with their students with ADHD.

A growing body of research has been focusing recently on the life and well-being of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also on the well-being of their teachers. However, there is a need for in-depth, qualitative insights into ADHD issues from the teachers' perspectives. Therefore, the main aim of this qualitative study was to use thematic analysis to explore how teachers perceive the relationship with students with ADHD and the factors that influence the quality of this relationship. Sixteen teachers working with adolescent ADHD students were interviewed for this purpose. The results indicate that the quality of the teacher-ADHD student relationship is associated with the ADHD students related behaviours, ambivalent emotions of the teacher, the teacher's beliefs about ADHD and the beliefs about the determinants of the behaviour of the students with ADHD and the teacher's approaches and methods of work in the classroom. Furthermore, the results suggest that increasing the quality of the teachers' well-being is associated with knowledge of ADHD determinants, regulation of ambivalent emotions, empathy, teachers' ability to perceive positive qualities and the potentials of the students with ADHD and their motivation to teach ADHD students.

The Associations of Experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic With Religiosity and Spirituality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Czech Adults.

Objectives: We investigated the associations between religiosity/spirituality and respondents' changes in their relationships, feelings, thinking, and behaviour during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic. Methods: A sample of Czech adults (n = 1,434; 48.3 ± 16.4 years; 49.65% women) participated in the online survey. We measured spirituality, religiosity, self-reported changes in relationships, disrupted feelings, and changes in behaviour during the pandemic. Results: Spiritual respondents were more likely to report increased physical activity, sex, reading and self-education, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.09-1.46) to 1.56 (1.31-1.86). The combination of spirituality and religiosity led to an increase in the range of ORs to 1.57-2.69. Spiritual and religious participants were less likely to feel the decrease of hope by 70%, while mere spirituality significantly reduced the decrease of hope by only 30%. Religiosity itself led to a lower risk of reporting a disrupted day structure with an OR = 0.74 (0.58-0.95). Conclusion: Religiosity and spirituality separately help people during a pandemic in some areas. Especially their combination has a more positive impact on relationships, feelings, and behaviour.

Subjective perception of life stress events affects long-term pain: the role of resilience.

OBJECTIVE: There is evidence that experiencing childhood trauma and life stressors across the lifespan together with lower resilience is associated with chronic pain-related conditions. The aim of this study was to explore the potential mediating role of resilience in the relationship between childhood trauma and long-term pain and to explore a possible moderating role of serious life stressors in the last year. METHODS: The participants, drawn from a representative sample of citizens of the Czech Republic (n = 1800, mean age: 46.6 years, 48.7% male), were asked to report various long-term pain conditions, childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ), life stressors (Life Stressor Checklist Revised, LSC-R) and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) in a cross-sectional face-to-face study conducted in 2016. A conditional process SEM model of moderated mediation was performed. RESULTS: The occurrence of life stress events affecting the participant's last year moderated the relationship between childhood trauma, resilience and health. In the group of participants who experienced at least one life stress event affecting their last year, resilience fully mediated the effect of past childhood trauma on long-term pain. In participants who did not experience life stressors with an impact on the last year, the direct path from childhood trauma to health through resilience lost its significance. CONCLUSION: The subjective meaning of stress events on one's life has an impact on the trajectory between childhood trauma and health and acts as a moderator. Resilience may buffer the negative effect of trauma on later long-term pain.

Dispositional resilience predicted the perceived stress experienced by psychotherapists during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic elicited huge stress responses in most world populations, and at this time psychotherapy is an important protective service against this stress. However, a somewhat neglected question is: How stressful was the COVID-19 outbreak for psychotherapists themselves? The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether dispositional resilience predicted the perceived stress reported by psychotherapists during the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 338 psychotherapists organized within the national psychotherapy associations of three European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia) were included in this online study (mean age 46.7, 77.8% female, 22.2% male). The participants were administered the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). For the data analysis, nonparametric ANOVA and two-level (mixed-effect) linear regression models were used. Dispositional resilience significantly predicted the perceived stress reported by psychotherapists during the COVID-19 outbreak. Higher dispositional resilience significantly reduced the level of perceived stress among psychotherapists (adjusted ß = -0.47, p < .001). Those with moderate resilience (between mean ± SD values) had a lower perceived stress score than those with low resilience (mean + SD value) had a lower perceived stress score than the low resilience group by an average of 6.5. The results of this study imply that the involvement of psychotherapists in resilience supportive training may reduce their vulnerability to stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric Analysis of the Shortened Version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale on the Slovak Population (SWBS-Sk).

This study was focused on verifying the factor structure of the shortened version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) on a representative sample of adult Slovak citizens (N = 1018, 49% men, age 18-85 years, and mean age 46.2). The shortened version of the SWBS consists of 10 items divided into two subscales: religious well-being (RWB) and existential well-being (EWB). Results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed insufficient parameters of the full two-factor model due to three negatively formulated items. After their exclusion, the two-factor model was found to be valid in the Slovakian population (χ (13) = 53.1, p < 0.001, χ2/df = 4.1, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.055, and SRMR = 0.028). The reliability of the final version of the SWBS-Sk, consisting of seven positively worded items, is high, with α = 0.86 and ω = 0.94. Religious respondents and women scored significantly higher on the whole scale (p = 0.001) as well as on the two subscales (p < 0.05). A higher age was associated with a higher RWB score (p = 0.001) and a lower EWB score (p = 0.002). The shortened version of the SWBS-Sk consisting of positively worded items was found to be valid and reliable for further use in the Slovak environment.

Neural correlates of compassion - An integrative systematic review.

Compassion is a psychological construct that has received increasing attention in recent years. Even though a lot of work has been done to identify neural correlates of empathy across studies, such work has not been properly done on neural correlates of compassion. Therefore, the aim was to systematically review the literature on neural correlates of compassion. We have searched through PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science for relevant articles published between 1985 and 2020. We included the studies (n = 35) examining the relationship between brain structure or function and compassion. Screening was performed by two authors, between whom a level of agreement was calculated. The quality of the studies was assessed by measures used in other studies as well by measures specific for our study aims. This study was conducted under PRISMA guidelines. Our analysis revealed that the most frequent neural associations with compassion across all analysed studies can be found in the orbital part of the left inferior frontal gyrus, in the right cerebellum, the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, in the bilateral insula and the right caudate nucleus. Our findings suggest that people displaying a lower compassion tend to have either lower neural activity or a grey matter volume in neural areas associated with reward.