Self-Compassion, Resilience and Mental Health in Community Adults.

PURPOSE: To investigate the associations among self-compassion, resilience and mental health of community residents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Voluntary survey of web-based, posters-based platform. PARTICIPANTS: 453 community residents. METHODS: Participants living in Kaohsiung, Taiwan were recruited from posters, online advertisements based platforms and were assessed with the self-compassion scale (SCS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and The Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-scale) measures during the period from March 1 to October 31, 2023. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender and education, stepwise regression analysis revealed that isolation, self-judgment, and control accounted for 14% of the variance in depressive symptoms (CES-D) (adjusted R2 = .149, P < .05). Over-identification, self-kindness and control accounted for 26% of the variance in satisfaction with life (SWLS) (adjusted R2 = .263, P < .001). Over-identification, self-kindness, isolation, control and personal competence and tenacity accounted for 37% of the variance in positive mental health (PMH-scale) (adjusted R2 = .375, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that components of self-compassion and resilience may be important factors that promote positive mental health and provide potential interventions for professionals to increase the well-being of community residents.

Resilience and Quality of Life in People with Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Resilience is viewed as an individual' positive adaptation and experiences of adversity. The maintenance and recovery of mental health in people with mental disorder is considered a sign of coping with adverse conditions. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to examine the association between resilience and quality of life in individuals with mental disorders. Methods: Studies were included if research reported measures of association with resilience, as assessed using self-reported resilience scale and quality of life. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO. Results: Eight studies involving a total of 1439 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Assuming a random-effects model, the weighted mean Pearson correlation between resilience and quality of life was r = 0.551 (95% confidence interval [0.370; 0.691], p < 0.001). This association was moderate, although the heterogeneity among individual effect sizes was substantial (I2 = 93.35%). Conclusion: Despite substantial heterogeneity across included studies, the findings suggest a strong association between resilience and quality of life in people with mental disorders. In clinical practice, the promotion of resilience is important to enhance the quality of life among people with mental illness.

Metacognitive Beliefs, Cognitive Functioning, Psychiatric Symptoms and Empathy in People with Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia often exhibit deficits in empathy, which plays a major role in social cognition and interpersonal relationship. However, little work has investigated potential factors that influence empathy in schizophrenia. The study aimed to investigate the relationship among metacognition, psychiatric symptoms, cognitive functioning and empathy in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty-eight people with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study group. All subjects participated in the metacognitions questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS), neurocognitive functioning, interpersonal reactivity index (IRI), and the pictorial empathy test (PET). RESULTS: Stepwise regression analysis revealed that cognitive self-consciousness (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30) accounted for 37% of the variance in perspective taking scores (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Resistance (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) and positive beliefs about worry (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30) accounted for 34% of the variance in fantasy (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Activation (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) was a significant predictor for empathic concern (domain of interpersonal reactivity index). Resistance, cognitive confidence (domain of metacognitions questionnaire-30), intellectual processes and inhibitory control (go-no-go task) accounted for 38% of the variance in personal distress. Negative symptoms (subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale) and cognitive self-consciousness were significant predictors for the pictorial empathy test. CONCLUSION: The study was aimed to examine self-perception of metacognitive beliefs and empathy. More research is needed to explore the association between metacognitive beliefs, cognitive functioning and psychiatric symptoms on empathy in people with schizophrenia.

Self-perception of mental illness, and subjective and objective cognitive functioning in people with schizophrenia.

Background: People with schizophrenia may have a negative self-perception of mental illness. However, the relationship between the self-perception of illness and subjective and objective cognitive functioning remains unclear. Method: Thirty-seven people with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study group. All subjects completed self-reported self-perception of mental illness questionnaires (Birchwood Insight Scale [BIS], Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness [ISMI]), subjective cognitive functioning (Scale to Investigate Cognition in Schizophrenia [SSTICS]) and objective cognitive functioning (Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery [LNNB]). Results: Spearman's rank analysis showed that awareness of illness (domain of insight) was positively associated with most domains of SSTICS and ISMI. Total insight was positively correlated with alienation (domain of ISMI).  Need for treatment (domain of insight) was negatively correlated with stigma resistance (domain of ISMI). Awareness of symptoms (domain of insight) and total insight were negatively associated with receptive speech and arithmetic (LNNB subtest), respectively. ISMI was positively correlated with most domains of SSTICS, but not with LNNB. The group with good insight had higher scores in attention (domain of SSTICS) and total SSTICS and alienation, stereotype endorsement, social withdrawal (domains of ISMI) and total ISMI than the group with poor insight. The group with mild to moderate internalized stigma had higher scores in explicit memory, attention, language, praxia (domains of SSTICS) and total SSTICS than the group with no internalized stigma. Conclusion: We identified that awareness of illness (domain of insight), internalized stigma were significantly associated with most domains of SSTICS, but not with LNNB. Total insight and awareness of symptoms (domain of insight) were significantly associated with receptive speech and arithmetic (LNNB subtest), respectively. Schizophrenia with higher insight or more internalized stigma reported more subjective cognitive impairment. Future studies with larger samples involving follow up are necessary to verify our findings and extend the applicability.

Health-promoting Lifestyles and Psychological Distress Associated with Well-being in Community Adults.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the associations among health-promoting behaviors, psychological distress, and well-being among community residents. Well-being measurement was examined through health-promoting behaviors and psychological distress. METHODS: From March 1 to October 31, 2016, a total of 383 community residents were assessed in their health-promoting lifestyles (HPLP-II), psychological distress (K10) and wellbeing (SWLS and PWB). RESULTS: Stepwise regression analysis revealed that interpersonal relations, physical activity, and psychological distress accounted for 21% of the variance in life satisfaction (SWLS). Interpersonal relations, nutrition, stress management, spiritual growth and psychological distress accounted for 53% of the variance in psychological well-being (PWB). CONCLUSIONS: Findings may assist mental health professionals in enhancing health-promoting behaviors and reduce the psychological distress of community residents to improve well-being.

Self concepts, health locus of control and cognitive functioning associated with health-promoting lifestyles in schizophrenia.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate the relationship among self concepts, health locus of control, cognitive functioning and health-promoting lifestyles in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. We examined health-promoting lifestyles through self-efficacy, self-esteem, health locus of control and neurocognitive factors. METHOD: Fifty-six people with schizophrenia were enrolled in the study group. All subjects participated in the self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale), health locus of control (The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales), health-promoting lifestyles (Health Promotion Life-style Profile-II) and a series of neurocognitive measures. FINDINGS: Stepwise regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy, internal health locus of control and attentional set-shifting accounted for 42% of the variance in total health-promoting lifestyles scores. Self-efficacy, self-esteem, internal and powerful others health locus of control and attentional set-shifting were significant predictors for domains of health-promoting lifestyles, respectively. CONCLUSION: Study findings can help mental health professionals maintain and improve health-promoting behaviors through a better understanding of self-esteem, self-efficacy, health locus of control and neurocognitive functioning among people with schizophrenia.

Cognitive functioning correlates of self-esteem and health locus of control in schizophrenia.

AIM: The study aimed to investigate the relationship among sociodemographic factors, neurocognitive factors, self-esteem, and health locus of control in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. We examined the self-esteem, internal health locus of control, and external health locus of control through sociodemographic and neurocognitive factors. METHODS: Forty-six schizophrenic patients and 31 healthy residents from the community or hospital were recruited as the control group. All subjects participated in the self-esteem questionnaire, health locus of control questionnaire, and a series of neuropychological measures. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis revealed that inhibition of attention and external health locus of control were predictors for self-esteem (r=-0.30, P<0.05; r=0.41, P<0.01); inhibition of attention and external health locus of control were contributors for internal health locus of control (r=-0.43, P<0.01; r=0.61, P<0.001); and education was related to external health locus of control (r=-0.31, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The current study integrated background characteristics and cognitive function to better understand the impact of self-esteem and health locus of control in schizophrenia. The findings indicated that inhibition of attention, external health locus of control, and education contributed to self-esteem, internal health locus of control and external health locus of control. However, the overall predicted variance accounted for by these predictors was small; thus, further research is necessary to examine imperative variables related with self-esteem and health locus of control in schizophrenia.

Is a patient-administered depression rating scale valid for detecting cognitive deficits in patients with major depressive disorder?

AIMS: Although cognitive deficits are a common and potentially debilitating feature of major depressive disorder (MDD), such subjective declines in cognitive function are seldom validated by objective methods as a clinical routine. The aim of this study was to validate the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (TDQ) for detecting cognitive deficits in a sample of drug-free patients with MDD. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 40 well-characterized medication-free patients with MDD and 40 healthy controls. Clinical and neuropsychological assessments, including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, the Continuous Performance Test, and the Finger-Tapping Test, were administered at the time of recruitment. RESULTS: Factor analyses of the TDQ yielded three factors. Memory, attention and psychomotor performance were significantly poorer in patients with MDD. The performances of verbal and delayed memory of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised were correlated with the cognitive domains of the TDQ. Generalization of our results must be undertaken with caution considering the relatively small sample size, which could lead to increased ß-error. CONCLUSION: Cognitive subdomains might be considered important for including in patient-administered questionnaires used to measure symptoms of MDD when developing a new scale.