War: Mentalization and Totalitarian State of Mind.

For most residents of Europe, war is a new experience in which they find themselves both as witnesses and participants. In this paper the war in Ukraine serves as an illustration and case example. Like any unfamiliar experience, war elicits profound emotional responses which can be so overwhelming that an individual may be unable to fully process them and to create mental representations of the reality of war. When the psyche becomes entrapped in an unprocessed state, without the capacity to derive meaning from it, this results in the "fossilization" of the psyche akin to what McGinley and Segal describes as a totalitarian state of mind. Subjectivity and individual differences come under collective or personal attack, or both. This state of being prioritizes the needs of the collective psyche over the individual psyche. The image of Gorgon Medusa, who transformed living people into "fossilized" ones, is presented as a metaphor of total identification with the collective dimension. In contrast, the psyche can reveal a creative approach to resolving war-induced trauma. This is depicted in the concept of the Alchemical Stone and its creation, which symbolizes a harmonious connection between the external and internal realms, the subjective and objective experiences, and the real and the imaginal dimension.

Pour la plupart des habitants de l'Europe, la guerre est une nouvelle expérience dans laquelle ils se retrouvent à la fois témoins et participants. Dans cet article, la guerre en Ukraine sert d'illustration et de cas exemplaire. Comme toute expérience qui sort de l'ordinaire, la guerre suscite des réactions émotionnelles profondes qui peuvent être si accablantes qu'un individu peut se trouver incapable de les traiter pleinement et de créer des représentations mentales de la réalité de la guerre. Lorsque la psyché se retrouve piégée dans un état qu'elle ne peut pas traiter, sans la capacité d'en tirer un sens, il en résulte une « fossilisation ¼ de la psyché, semblable à ce que McGinley et Segal a décrit comme un état d'esprit totalitaire. La subjectivité et les différences individuelles font l'objet d'attaques collectives ou personnelles, ou des deux. Cet état d'être donne la priorité aux besoins de la psyché collective plutôt qu'à la psyché individuelle. L'image de la Gorgone Méduse, qui a transformé des êtres vivants en êtres «fossilisés¼, est présentée comme une métaphore de l'identification totale à la dimension collective. En revanche, la psyché peut révéler une approche créative pour résoudre les traumatismes induits par la guerre. Ceci est représenté par le concept de la Pierre Alchimique et de sa création, qui symbolise un lien harmonieux entre les royaumes extérieur et intérieur, les expériences subjectives et objectives, et les dimensions réelles et imaginales.

Para la mayoría de los habitantes de Europa, la guerra es una experiencia nueva en la que se encuentran tanto como testigos y como participantes. En este artículo, la guerra en Ucrania sirve como ilustración y ejemplo de caso. Como cualquier experiencia desconocida, la guerra provoca profundas respuestas emocionales que pueden ser tan abrumadoras que un individuo puede ser incapaz de procesarlas completamente y de crear representaciones mentales de la realidad de la guerra. Cuando la psique queda atrapada en un estado, sin posibilidad de elaborar y sin la capacidad para hallarle un sentido, se produce una "fosilización" de la psique similar a lo que McGinley Segal describe como un estado mental Totalitario. La subjetividad y las diferencias individuales son objeto de ataques colectivos o personales, o ambos. Este estado de ánimo prioriza las necesidades de la psique colectiva sobre la individual. La imagen de la Gorgona Medusa, que transformó a las personas vivas en "fosilizadas", se presenta como una metáfora de la identificación total con la dimensión colectiva. Por el contrario, la psique puede revelar un enfoque creativo para resolver el trauma inducido por la guerra. Esto se representa en el concepto de la Piedra Alquímica y su creación, que simboliza una conexión armoniosa entre los reinos externo e interno, las experiencias subjetivas y objetivas, y las dimensiones real e imaginal.

A shared novelty-seeking basis for creativity and curiosity.

Curiosity and creativity are central pillars of human growth and invention. While they have been studied extensively in isolation, the relationship between them has not yet been established. We propose that curiosity and creativity both emanate from the same mechanism of novelty-seeking. We first present a synthesis showing that curiosity and creativity are affected similarly by a number of key cognitive faculties such as memory, cognitive control, attention, and reward. We then review empirical evidence from neuroscience research, indicating that the same brain regions are involved in both curiosity and creativity, focusing on the interplay between three major brain networks: the default-mode network, the salience network, and the executive control network. After substantiating the link between curiosity and creativity, we propose a novelty-seeking model (NSM) that underlies them both and suggest that the manifestation of the NSM is governed by one's state of mind (SoM).

Do Turkish mothers' emotion regulation, psychological symptoms and caregiving helplessness vary based on attachment states of mind?

Mothers' emotion regulation, mental health, and feeling of helplessness in caring for their child may vary based on maternal attachment classifications. Particularly, insecure attachment and unresolved state of mind can act as risk factors. Therefore, we examined how emotion regulation strategies of suppression and cognitive reappraisal, maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety, and caregiving helplessness differ based on maternal attachment classifications in the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Fifty mothers of children in the early childhood (AgeRange = 12-56 months) completed a pack of questionnaires, including Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Caregiving Helplessness Questionnaire. Then AAI interview protocol was administered and coded. Mothers did not vary in emotion regulation strategies, indicating emotion regulation balance. However, mothers with secure/autonomous AAIs reported less anxiety than mothers whose AAIs were judged to show unresolved loss or unresolved trauma. The mothers who provided AAIs judged to be secure/autonomous scored lower in depression and caregiving helplessness than mothers whose AAIs were judged to show unresolved loss or unresolved trauma. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies conducting AAI in Turkish mothers. We revealed the critical role of secure attachment for mental health and caregiving helplessness that can facilitate interventions targeting maternal attachment mind state.

Raw reveries, polaroid reveries: Some hypotheses about possible functions and technical uses of reveries in the session.

The author tries to show how the epiphany of a reverie during a session can become a source of unexpected intuitions about the essence and possible figurability of the emotional experience which is flowing in the here-and-now of the analytic life. Reverie becomes an important analytic source above all when an analyst is in contact with primordial states of the mind, characterized by turbulences of unrepresentable feelings and sensations. In this paper the author outlines a hypothetical kit of functions, technical uses and analytic effects of a reverie in an analytic process, working through the idea of analysis as the transformation in dreaming of the nightmares and terrors which beset and trouble the patient's mind. In particular the author describes: (a) the use of reverie as a criterion of analysability in first consultation meetings; (b) the specificity of two different types of reverie, which the author names reveries polaroid and raw reveries; and (c) the possible disclosure of a reverie in case of a specific kind of reverie that the author calls polaroid reverie. Sketches of analytic life become living portraits of the hypothesis proposed by the author about these different possible uses of a reverie in analytic work, as a probe and resource for beginning and developing a course of analysis that engages with archaic and presymbolic areas of psychic functioning.

Influence of mental energy on volleyball competition performance: a field test.

Athletic mental energy is a newly emerging research topic in sport science. However, whether it can predict objective performance in competition remains unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of mental energy on volleyball competition performance. We recruited 81 male volleyball players (Mage = 21.11 years ± SD = 1.81) who participated in the last 16 remaining teams in a college volleyball tournament. We assessed participants' mental energy the night before the competition and collected their competition performance over the next 3 days. We used six indices of the Volleyball Information System (VIS) developed by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to examine its associations with mental energy. All six factors of mental energy -motivation, tirelessness, calm, vigor, confidence, and concentration correlated with volleyball competition performance. Further, a hierarchical regression found mental energy predicted volleyball receivers' performance (R2 = .23). The findings advance our knowledge of mental energy and objective performance in competition. We suggest that future studies may examine the effects of mental energy on different sports with different performance indices.

How associative thinking influences scene perception.

Perception of our external environment is not isolated from the influence of our internal thoughts, and past evidence points to a possible common associative mechanism underlying both the perception of scenes and our internal thought. Here, we investigated the nature of the interaction between an associative mindset and scene perception, hypothesizing a functional advantage to an associative thought pattern in the perception of scenes. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that associative thinking facilitates scene perception, which evolved over the course of the experiments. In contrast to scene perception, Experiment 3 showed that associative thinking hinders the perception of mundane objects, in which associative information is minimized. Nevertheless, object perception was facilitated when associative thinking was reduced. This double dissociation suggests that an associative mind is more receptive of externally perceived associative information, and that a match between the orientation of internal and external processing may be key for perception.

Pre-competition mental energy and performance relationships among physically disabled table tennis players.

Energy is essential to human daily functioning and performance. However, the association of mental energy with athletes' performance has rarely been examined. We attempted to examine the pre-competition mental energy-performance relationships by two studies. Study 1 administered Athletic Mental Energy Scale (AMES, Lu et al., 2018) to nine elite physically-disabled table tennis players one day before competition in 5 international tournaments. Then, we collected their subjective performance after each competition. In Study 2, we sampled 77 National-level physically-disabled table tennis players and examined the pre-competition mental energy-performance relationship as the procedure in Study 1. Results from Study 1 provided initial findings of how pre-competition mental energy is associated with performance and portrayed in elite physically-disabled table tennis players. Results from Study 2 further confirmed the pre-competition mental energy- performance relationships. We suggested future studies to examine the mental energy-performance relationships in physically-disabled and abled athletes and different sports.

La depresión y su relación con el deterioro cognitivo leve y la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Un estudio de revisión sistemática / Depression and its relationship with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: A review study

El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar si la depresión antecede al deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) como factor de riesgo o como predictor en la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA). Se realizó una revisión sistemática de estudios observacionales (transversales y de cohorte o seguimiento) mediante el algoritmo de búsqueda PRISMA, de los marcadores clínicos en DCL y EA, en las bases de datos Science Direct, Springer, Scopus y Proquest. Los criterios de elegibilidad del estudio incluyeron como criterios inclusión: tipos de documentos, artículos de estudios primarios; tipo de fuente, revistas científicas, en idioma inglés, desde enero de 2010 hasta abril de 2020, en pacientes con DCL y EA y en el grupo de edad comprendido en personas con un rango de edad mínimo de 45años. Los criterios de exclusión fueron: las publicaciones de más de 10años (el objetivo del artículo era explorar estudios recientes), estudios de investigación secundaria, tipo de documento de informe, otros idiomas diferentes al inglés. Se identificaron 3.385 artículos, de los que finalmente se seleccionaron 30 artículos. Se encontró que existe una asociación entre la depresión y la EA, pero propiamente como un factor de riesgo, mas no como un predictor o marcador clínico del desarrollo de la EA. El grado de asociación es mayor cuando presentan sintomatología depresiva y simultáneamente reportan quejas de memoria subjetiva o la presencia de DCL. (AU)

The objective of the present study was to determine whether depression precedes Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as a risk factor or as a predictor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). A systematic review of observational studies (cross-sectional and cohort or follow-up) was carried out using the PRISMA search algorithm, for clinical markers in MCI and AD, in the Science Direct, Springer, Scopus and Proquest databases. The study eligibility criteria included inclusion criteria: of types of documents, articles of primary studies, type of source scientific journals, published in the English language, from January 2010 to April 2020, in patients with MCI and AD and in the group of age included in people with a minimum age range of 45years. Exclusion criteria were: publications older than 10years because the aim of the article was to explore recent studies, secondary research studies, type of report document, languages other than English. 3385 articles were identified, of which 30 articles were finally selected. It was found that there is an association between depression and AD, but properly as a risk factor but not, as a predictor or clinical marker of the development of AD. The degree of association is greater when they present depressive symptoms and simultaneously report subjective memory complaints or the presence of MCI. (AU)

[Depression and its relationship with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: A review study]. / La depresión y su relación con el deterioro cognitivo leve y la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Un estudio de revisión sistemática.

The objective of the present study was to determine whether depression precedes Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as a risk factor or as a predictor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). A systematic review of observational studies (cross-sectional and cohort or follow-up) was carried out using the PRISMA search algorithm, for clinical markers in MCI and AD, in the Science Direct, Springer, Scopus and Proquest databases. The study eligibility criteria included inclusion criteria: of types of documents, articles of primary studies, type of source scientific journals, published in the English language, from January 2010 to April 2020, in patients with MCI and AD and in the group of age included in people with a minimum age range of 45years. Exclusion criteria were: publications older than 10years because the aim of the article was to explore recent studies, secondary research studies, type of report document, languages other than English. 3385 articles were identified, of which 30 articles were finally selected. It was found that there is an association between depression and AD, but properly as a risk factor but not, as a predictor or clinical marker of the development of AD. The degree of association is greater when they present depressive symptoms and simultaneously report subjective memory complaints or the presence of MCI.

Investigating the effect of social support, social capital, and coping on the positive state of mind of Iranian older people with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Social resources help to adapt to stress and might positively affect the well-being of individuals with severe conditions like human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The present study investigates the effect of social support, social capital, and coping in a positive state of mind of Iranian older people with HIV/AIDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 older people with HIV referred to AIDS clinics in Tehran in 2019. Samples were randomly selected from patients aged 50 years and older. Data were collected using a questionnaire, a positive state of mind, social capital, coping, social support, and a checklist of demographical variables. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 21. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between social support, social capital, coping, education, and a positive state of mind. A significant negative correlation was also found between age, several chronic diseases of the patient, and a positive state of mind. The linear regression results showed that social support, social capital, coping, and education improved the positive state of mind. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we believe that social and psychological interventions effectively enhance patients' positive state of mind with HIV and ultimately, improve their quality of life.

A Study of Emotions in Sport Psychology Based on The Mood State Inventory / Un Estudio de las Emociones en la Psicología del Deporte Basado en el Inventario de Estado de Ánimo

This paper analyzes the emotional results of sports psychology by conducting an in-depth study and analysis of emotions in the form of a state of mind scale. This study takes the research on the effect of sports on an individual’s state of mind as the background, and the different effects of different sports on the state of mind of college students as the entry point. To achieve this, it uses a combination of the literature method, questionnaire survey method, experimental method, and mathematical and statistical methods. A total of 348 students are selected as experimental subjects, respectively, for 10 weeks of physical exercise in different sports, and their state of mind is measured twice before and after the experiment. The difference test is conducted on the measured state of mind data. Through the comparative study of the changes in the state of mind of college students who participate in different sports, this paper is able to analyze the effects of different sports on the state of mind of college students in different directions and to different degrees, which can help college students choose the sports that are suitable for them, provide a practical reference for sports to improve the state of mind of college students and promote their physical and mental health development. The mechanism of this predictive effect is mainly the indirect effect of internal motivation and intention to exercise, i.e., the self-comparison attention of college students cannot directly affect their exercise persistence but can promote their exercise persistence through the indirect path of enhancing their internal motivation and intention to exercise. To ensure the positive effect of the intervention of physical test self-comparison on college students' exercise persistence, it is necessary to focus on the mediating role of exercise internal motivation and exercise intention in their relationship.(AU)

Reliability and validity of an equanimity questionnaire: the two-factor equanimity scale (EQUA-S).

BACKGROUND: Many studies have revealed the positive impact of mindfulness training on mental health and proposed equanimity as a general outcome in contemplative research. Despite recent interest, relatively few studies have empirically examined equanimity and measurement instruments are still lacking. The main goal of this study was to develop an Equanimity Scale (the EQUA-S) in a Western population with or without meditation experience, based on previous definitions of equanimity, in order to investigate its relations with the relevant psychological constructs and health outcomes. METHODS: Adults from the general population (N = 265; M age = 34.81) completed various measures: the EQUA-S, mindfulness, hyper-sensitivity, avoidance and fusion, impulsivity, personality, alexithymia, sensitivity to punishment and reward and frequency of problematic addictive behaviors. The dimensionality of the EQUA-S was examined using Factor Analyses. The convergent validity of this new scale was investigated using Pearson's Correlations. RESULTS: The results of a factor analysis revealed two dimensions of equanimity: an even-minded state of mind (E-MSM) and a hedonic independence (HI) component. While the E-MSM was positively related to emotional stability, adaptive emotional regulation and several mindfulness-related abilities, HI was found to correlate negatively with addictive issues. DISCUSSION: The relations with personality constructs and possible related cognitive processes are discussed.

Seeking Positive Strengths in Buffering Athletes' Life Stress-Burnout Relationship: The Moderating Roles of Athletic Mental Energy.

In search of positive strengths that bolster athletes' reaction to stress, the purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effects of athletic mental energy on the athletes' life stress-burnout relationship. This study recruited two samples (Study 1 = 230; Study 2 = 159) and administered the College Student-Athlete's Life Stress Scale (CSALSS; Lu et al., 2012), Athletic Mental Energy Scale (AMES; Lu et al., 2018), and Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke and Smith, 2001). Two separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that the emotional and cognitive components of athletic mental energy moderated the athletes' life stress-burnout relationship across the two studies. Results provided the initial evidence that athletic mental energy can be positive strengths in buffering the stress-burnout relationship. Theoretical implications, limitations, practical applications, and future research directions are discussed.

Measuring Athletic Mental Energy (AME): Instrument Development and Validation.

Although considerable research indicates that mental energy is an important factor in many domains, including athletic performance (Cook and Davis, 2006), athletic mental energy (AME) has never been conceptualized and measured. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conceptualize and develop a reliable and valid instrument to assess AME. In Study 1, a focus group interview established the initial framework of AME. Study 2 used a survey to collect athletes' experiences of AME and develop a scale draft titled "Athletic Mental Energy Scale (AMES)." In Study 3, we examined the psychometric properties and the underlying structure of AMES via item analysis, internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In Study 4, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine AMES's factorial validity; and examined concurrent and discriminant validity by examining correlations with athletes' life stress, positive state of mind, and burnout. In study 5, we examined the measurement invariance of the 6-factor, 18-item AMES with Taiwanese and Malaysian samples. Study 6 examined the predictive validity by comparing AMES scores of successful and unsuccessful martial artists. Across these phases, results showed a 6-factor, 18-item AMES had adequate content validity, factorial structure, nomological validity, discriminant validity, predictive validity, measurement invariance, and reliability. We suggest future studies may use AMES to examine its relationships with athletes' cognition, affect, and performance. The application of AMES in sport psychology was also discussed.

The Improvisational State of Mind: A Multidisciplinary Study of an Improvisatory Approach to Classical Music Repertoire Performance.

The recent re-introduction of improvisation as a professional practice within classical music, however cautious and still rare, allows direct and detailed contemporary comparison between improvised and "standard" approaches to performances of the same composition, comparisons which hitherto could only be inferred from impressionistic historical accounts. This study takes an interdisciplinary multi-method approach to discovering the contrasting nature and effects of prepared and improvised approaches during live chamber-music concert performances of a movement from Franz Schubert's "Shepherd on the Rock," given by a professional trio consisting of voice, flute, and piano, in the presence of an invited audience of 22 adults with varying levels of musical experience and training. The improvised performances were found to differ systematically from prepared performances in their timing, dynamic, and timbral features as well as in the degree of risk-taking and "mind reading" between performers, which included moments of spontaneously exchanging extemporized notes. Post-performance critical reflection by the performers characterized distinct mental states underlying the two modes of performance. The amount of overall body movements was reduced in the improvised performances, which showed less unco-ordinated movements between performers when compared to the prepared performance. Audience members, who were told only that the two performances would be different, but not how, rated the improvised version as more emotionally compelling and musically convincing than the prepared version. The size of this effect was not affected by whether or not the audience could see the performers, or by levels of musical training. EEG measurements from 19 scalp locations showed higher levels of Lempel-Ziv complexity (associated with awareness and alertness) in the improvised version in both performers and audience. Results are discussed in terms of their potential support for an "improvisatory state of mind" which may have aspects of flow (as characterized by Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) and primary states (as characterized by the Entropic Brain Hypothesis of Carhart-Harris et al., 2014). In a group setting, such as a live concert, our evidence suggests that this state of mind is communicable between performers and audience thus contributing to a heightened quality of shared experience.

Mothers' History of Child Sexual Abuse and Child Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Mothers' Helpless State of Mind.

This investigation evaluated a theoretically specified model of associations among mothers' history of child sexual abuse (CSA), a helpless state of mind (SOM) with regard to the mother-child relationship, and increased behavior problems in the next generation. Moreover, we evaluated the moderating influence of child gender on predicted relations between mothers' CSA severity and helpless SOM (i.e., moderated mediation). Participants were 225 biological mother-preschooler dyads (48% female; 46.4% Latinx) drawn from an ongoing, longitudinal study of representation and regulation in child development. Mothers' history of CSA was assessed when their children were 4 years old and emerged as a prominent risk factor in this diverse, high-risk community sample with 40% of mothers reporting contact-based sexual abuse prior to age 18. Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect pathway from a continuous rating of mothers' CSA severity to increased externalizing behavior problems from ages 4 to 8 in the next generation via mothers' helpless SOM at age 6. Further, this indirect path was significant for mother-daughter dyads, but not for mother-son dyads. This investigation contributes to the neophyte literature on intergenerational CSA effects by revealing the impact of a mother's CSA history on her SOM regarding the mother-child relationship, particularly when parenting daughters. Clinical interventions that enhance survivors' awareness of and reflection on their SOM regarding the parent-child relationship may attenuate intergenerational CSA effects on child adaptation.

Travelling the circle together, solo: An individual protocol for the Circle of Security intensive intervention.

Circle of Security (COS) is an approach to help parents better understand the attachment needs of their children. The COS model, which began as an intensive, individualized intervention delivered in the context of a group, has been implemented in a variety of formats, including a DVD-based format (Circle of Security Parenting [COS-P]). This article presents a return to the original intensive intervention, adapted to be delivered in an individual therapy context and incorporating clips from COS-P. This approach emphasizes the importance of retaining video review within this intervention, showing the client directly interacting with his or her own child. The application of this hybrid format is demonstrated through the case of a mother and 5-year-old child presenting with difficulty negotiating separations.

Desarrollo de un Taller de Risaterapia con un grupo de personas mayores / Conducting a laughter therapy workshop with a group of elderly people / Desenvolvimento duma Oficina de terapia do riso com um grupo de pessoas idosas

Resumen Introducción: El proceso de envejecimiento en los países desarrollados conlleva que las personas mayores constituyan un grupo de edad al que prestar especial atención. En este contexto, se hace necesario implementar actividades que fomenten el envejecimiento activo y que repercutan en su bienestar psicosocial. Objetivo: en este estudio se investigan los beneficios de la participación en un taller de risaterapia sobre el bienestar subjetivo y psicológico de un grupo de personas mayores a partir de su experiencia. Metodología: estudio con enfoque cualitativo mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas a 57 personas mayores no institucionalizadas, con edades comprendidas entre los 60 y 88 años, socias de tres Centros de Día para personas mayores de la Gerencia Territorial de Servicios Sociales de Salamanca (Junta de Castilla y León). El taller de risaterapia se desarrolló durante cuatro sesiones de tres horas de duración cada una, con una periodicidad semanal. Resultados: El análisis de contenido de los discursos de los participantes desvelan categorías vinculadas a: crecimiento personal, mejora del estado de ánimo, valoración de la risa como actividad física y lúdica, incremento de la motivación y fortalecimiento de las relaciones interpersonales. Conclusiones: los resultados confirman los efectos positivos de los talleres de risaterapia sobre el bienestar psicológico y subjetivo de las personas mayores.

Abstract Introduction: Elderly people constitute an age group that requires special care. With this aim in mind, it has become necessary to implement activities to promote active aging and psychosocial wellbeing. Objective: This procedure researches the benefits of taking part in a laughter therapy workshop for an elderly group of people based on their experience. Methodology: This is a qualitative study conducted via the semi-structured interviewing of 57 non-institutionalized elderly people, of ages ranging from 60 to 88, members of three day centers for the elderly from the Salamanca Social Services Territorial Management Department (Junta de Castilla y León). The laughter therapy workshop was conducted in four 3-hour weekly sessions. Results: The analysis of the contents of the participants' discourses revealed categories related to personal growth, state of mind or mood improvement, laughter therapy assessment considering it a physical and a recreational activity, motivation enhancement and the strengthening of interpersonal relations. Conclusions: Results show the positive effects of the laughter therapy workshops on elderly people's psychological and subjective well-being.

Resumo Introdução: As pessoas idosas constituem um grupo de idade que requer especial atenção. Neste contexto, se faz necessário implementar atividades que fomentem o envelhecimento ativo e o seu bem-estar psicossocial. Objetivo: se investigam os benefícios da participação numa oficina de terapia do riso sobre o bem-estar subjetivo e psicológico dum grupo de personas idosas a partir da sua experiência. Metodologia: Estudo com enfoque qualitativo mediante entrevistas semiestruturadas de 57 pessoas idosas não institucionalizadas, com idades compreendidas entre os 60 e 88 anos, sócias de três Centros de Dia para pessoas idosas da Gerencia Territorial de Serviços Sociais de Salamanca (Junta de Castilla y León). A oficina de terapia do riso se desenvolveu quatro sessões de três horas de duração cada uma, com uma periodicidade semanal. Resultados: As análises de conteúdo dos discursos dos participantes revelam categorias vinculadas ao crescimento pessoal, melhora do estado de ânimo, valoração do riso como atividade física e lúdica, incremento da motivação e fortalecimento das relações interpessoais. Conclusões: Os resultados mostram os efeitos positivos das oficinas de terapia do riso sobre o bem-estar psicológico e subjetivo das pessoas idosas.

Differential Recall Bias, Intermediate Confounding, and Mediation Analysis in Life Course Epidemiology: An Analytic Framework with Empirical Example.

The mechanisms by which childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) affects adult mental health, general health, and well-being are not clear. Moreover, the analytical assumptions employed when assessing mediation in social and psychiatric epidemiology are rarely explained. The aim of this paper was to explain the intermediate confounding assumption, and to quantify differential recall bias in the association between CSES, childhood abuse, and mental health (SCL-10), general health (EQ-5D), and subjective well-being (SWLS). Furthermore, we assessed the mediating role of psychological and physical abuse in the association between CSES and mental health, general health, and well-being; and the influence of differential recall bias in the estimation of total effects, direct effects, and proportion of mediated effects. The assumptions employed when assessing mediation are explained with reference to a causal diagram. Poisson regression models (relative risk, RR and 99% CIs) were used to assess the association between CSES and psychological and physical abuse in childhood. Mediation analysis (difference method) was used to assess the indirect effect of CSES (through psychological and physical abuse in childhood) on mental health, general health, and well-being. Exposure (CSES) was measured at two time points. Mediation was assessed with both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Psychological abuse and physical abuse mediated the association between CSES and adult mental health, general health, and well-being (6-16% among men and 7-14% among women, p < 0.001). The results suggest that up to 27% of the association between CSES and childhood abuse, 23% of the association between childhood abuse, and adult mental health, general health, and well-being, and 44% of the association between CSES and adult mental health, general health, and well-being is driven by differential recall bias. Assessing mediation with cross-sectional data (exposure, mediator, and outcome measured at the same time) showed that the total effects and direct effects were vastly overestimated (biased upwards). Consequently, the proportion of mediated effects were underestimated (biased downwards). If there is a true (unobserved) direct or indirect effect, and the direction of the differential recall bias is predictable, then the results of cross-sectional analyses should be discussed in light of that.

Disorganized attachment in young adulthood as a partial mediator of relations between severity of childhood abuse and dissociation.

Disorganized attachment has been proposed as a mediating mechanism in the relation between childhood abuse and dissociation. However, support for mediation has been mixed when interview or self-report measures of attachment have been used. In the current work, relations among severity of abuse, attachment disorganization, and dissociation were assessed in young adulthood using both interview and interaction-based measures of attachment. A total of 112 low-income young adults were assessed for socioeconomic stresses, abusive experiences in childhood, and attachment disorganization at age 20. Attachment disorganization was assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview, coded independently for Unresolved states of mind and for Hostile-Helpless states of mind. Attachment disorganization was also measured using a newly validated assessment of young adult-parent interaction during a conflict discussion. Mediation analyses revealed that the link between childhood abuse and dissociation was partially explained by disturbances in young adult-parent interaction. Narrative disturbances on the Adult Attachment Interview were related to abuse and to dissociation but did not mediate the link between the two. Results are discussed in relation to the role of parent-child communication processes in pathways to dissociation.