Factors influencing schizotypal personality trait-dependent immersion and digital media usage: Adaptation and maladaptation.

Immersion in the digital environment has been widely researched; however, the effects of adaptive and maladaptive schizotypal personality traits on immersion have received relatively little attention up till now. This study investigates the factors of personal immersion while using entertainment and digital communication applications and other variables such as problematic internet usage, and Facebook addiction. The Immersive Tendency Questionnaire was applied to measure participants' tendency to experience artistic and life-like scenarios in traditional settings (reading a book and watching a movie) and digital environments (playing computer games and using the internet). The study was conducted with 717 college students and graduate persons including, 186 males (mean age: 28.49) and 531 females (mean age: 28.4). The results show that lowered focusing abilities are directly linked with deficiencies in self-coherence, and maladaptive behavior that manifests in problematic internet and Facebook usage. Furthermore, the attention/focusing ability during immersion is accompanied by coherent self-structure and psychological well-being. Therefore, for people who have adequate focusing skills and coherent self-structure, the usage of social media and computer gaming can be considered adequate digital tools for developing their cognitive and social skills.

Recurrent acute pancreatitis prevention by the elimination of alcohol and cigarette smoking (REAPPEAR): protocol of a randomised controlled trial and a cohort study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) due to alcohol and/or tobacco abuse is a preventable disease which lowers quality of life and can lead to chronic pancreatitis. The REAPPEAR study aims to investigate whether a combined patient education and cessation programme for smoking and alcohol prevents ARP. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The REAPPEAR study consists of an international multicentre randomised controlled trial (REAPPEAR-T) testing the efficacy of a cessation programme on alcohol and smoking and a prospective cohort study (REAPPEAR-C) assessing the effects of change in alcohol consumption and smoking (irrespective of intervention). Daily smoker patients hospitalised with alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) will be enrolled. All patients will receive a standard intervention priorly to encourage alcohol and smoking cessation. Participants will be subjected to laboratory testing, measurement of blood pressure and body mass index and will provide blood, hair and urine samples for later biomarker analysis. Addiction, motivation to change, socioeconomic status and quality of life will be evaluated with questionnaires. In the trial, patients will be randomised either to the cessation programme with 3-monthly visits or to the control group with annual visits. Participants of the cessation programme will receive a brief intervention at every visit with direct feedback on their alcohol consumption based on laboratory results. The primary endpoint will be the composite of 2-year all-cause recurrence rate of AP and/or 2-year all-cause mortality. The cost-effectiveness of the cessation programme will be evaluated. An estimated 182 participants will be enrolled per group to the REAPPEAR-T with further enrolment to the cohort. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Scientific and Research Ethics Committee of the Hungarian Medical Research Council (40394-10/2020/EÜIG), all local ethical approvals are in place. Results will be disseminated at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04647097.

Cognitive Gain or Handicap: Magical Ideation and Self-Absorption in Clinical and Non-clinical Participants.

Background: This study aimed to examine magical ideation and absorption traits across non-clinical and clinical groups to determine their potential adaptive and maladaptive functions. Method: We enrolled 760 healthy participants from neighboring communities (female = 53.2%). Moreover, we recruited 318 patients (female = 66.5%), which included 25, 183, and 110 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders, respectively. Potentially adaptive and maladaptive sociocognitive functions were measured to determine the role of magical ideation and self-absorption in patients with psychiatric disorders. Results: The degree of magical ideation and absorption gradually increased in the following order: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Furthermore, enhanced self-absorption-related enhanced consciousness traits were essential indicators of the presence of self-integration weakness in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Conclusion: Magical ideation and psychological absorption may be considered as mental model construction functions, which result in both gains and handicaps in social adaptation.

[Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40): factors, validity and reliability].

INTRODUCTION: Empirical research in defense mechanisms - a concept that stem from the work of Sigmund and Anna Freud and gave rise to a number of thematic approaches - dates back to the mid-20th century. From the psychometric measure instruments developed since that time, the present investigation was aimed to assess the short form of Defense Style Questionnaire that can be efficiently applied in clinical practice and that was supposed to be used as the sixth diagnostic factor of the new version of DSM. A multi-level validity analysis of DSQ-40 was carried out. METHODS: We applied trait assessing measures for anxiety, avoidant behavior, schizotypal traits and personality disorder diagnostic measures developed for DSM-5. To evaluate discriminant validity we applied instruments that assess the stability of self-esteem and the state of self and that can measure the clarity of self-representations. 670 healthy university students volunteered to participate in the investigation. RESULTS: Based on the applied questionnaires, it was revealed that its inner consistency and validity measures are adequate. Its factors that discriminate neurotic and immature defense styles can be applied to identify persons inclined to use either adaptive or maladaptive defense mechanisms. Our findings correspond to other international research results. CONCLUSION: Our results attest that DSQ-40 is a reliable instrument to assess defense style.

Cognitive fusion and affective isolation: Blurred self-concept and empathy deficits in schizotypy.

This is a cross-sectional nonclinical sample study to examine the different levels of the Ipsiety Disturbance Model (IDM) for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (introduced by Sass and Parnas, 2003). Three faces of schizotypy were studied: diminished self-presence, hyper-reflexivity, and distortion in experience of own self and another person's self-discrimination. A sample of college students (N = 1312) was provided a questionnaire packet that contained the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire Brief-Revisited (SPQ-BR), the Self-Concept Clarity Sale, the Tellegen Absorption Scale, and Interpersonal Reactivity Index measures. Results: higher absorption capabilities predict higher scores on both the SPQ-BR cognitive and SPQ-BR disorganization factors. High scores in cognitive empathy predicted a low score on both SPQ-BR cognitive and SPQ-BR interpersonal scores. In contrast, higher affective empathy predicted high scores on the SPQ-BR interpersonal factor. The deficiency in self-concept clarity predicted an elevated score on the SPQ-BR cognitive, interpersonal, and disorganization schizotypy symptoms. We argue that a lack of self-concept clarity manifested in both the hyperreflexivity level (measured by absorption) and the metallization level (measured by empathy). We argue that the IDM is a reliable way to interpret functioning with different levels of schizotypy.

[Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire Brief Revisited (SPQ-BR) Hungarian adaptation and interpretation of factors].

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire - Brief Revised (SPQ-BR) is to help the diagnosis of schizotypial personality disorders within the framework of the DSM-5 and identification of people with an increased vulnerability towards schizophrenia related symptoms. The aim of our current study is twofold; validation of the SPQ-BR's Hungarian adaptation and investigating it's latent structure. METHODS: The sample consisted of 1702 Hungarian university students and university graduated persons. Exploratory factor analytic procedures were performed, cross-validating their results by the use if confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The results suggested that the Hungarian SPQ-BR is best represented by a model of the hierarchical structure, reflected by seven first order factors, and two higher order dimensions of positive and negative symptoms. On lower order factors males were shown significantly greater constricted affects, and proneness to eccentric behaviors and unusual perceptions, while females were characterized by higher magical thinking, next to stronger social anxieties. Gender differences in the Ideas of references - Suspicion and odd speech scales were found to be non-significant. Concerning it''s validity with other scales we found that magical thinking and unusual perceptions from the positive symptoms significantly positively correlated with the magical ideation (MI), anxiousness (ASI), and self-concept clarity (SCCS) scales, next to a negative correlation between unusual perceptions and the self-esteem (RSES) scale. Among the negative symptoms the No close friends-Constricted affect and the Ideas of references - Suspicion subscales showed significant negative linear associations with the ASI, SCCS scales. CONCLUSION: The Hungarian version of the SPQ-BR showed adequate psychometrical properties, it was found to be reliable.

[Schizotypy: detachment or magical fusion].

Nowadays, both in the clinical population, and in general communities, we tend to encounter an increasing number of personality disorder patients, whose social adjustment, partnerships and efficient life management is made difficult by the disorder. The ideas of borderline personality disorder patients, who fluctuate between farfetched expectations and fears of their selves being demolished, schizoid patients, who close their selves in their own alienating prison, avoidant patients, who try to escape difficulties, which would enhance their self-esteem, OCD patients, who build their own mythic superstitious world, and antisocial patients who tend to ignore and aggressively override others' interests are all important in the development of cultures with insecure identities. Taking into consideration the symptoms enlisted in the diagnostic system of DSM-5, it is the task of experts of cultural anthropology, psychology, psychopathology and cognitive neuroscience to explore the referring ways of personality development, relationships and of conflict management. Notwithstanding, avoiding the psychopathological terminology, rather pointing at population characteristics, we need to identify personal functionings of the general features of perception, cognition and world views, which in the long run, may modify personal developmental possibilities, individual approaches to information technology, and emotional, family or professional motivations. Based on the respective literature and clinical experience, below we intend to explore the different aspects of schizotypy, which contribute to the formation of schizoid personality disorder. We analyze the interrelations of avoiding relationships and empathy toward relationship building.