Interoceptive attention and mood in daily life: an experience-sampling study.

Theories of emotion ascribe a fundamental role to the processing of bodily signals (interoception) in emotional experience. Despite evidence consistent with this, current knowledge is limited by a focus on interoceptive accuracy and laboratory-based interoception measures. This experience-sampling study examines how state interoceptive attention and state emotional experience are related in everyday life, providing the first data to our knowledge examining: (1) within-subject fluctuations in interoceptive attention across domains, and (2) the relationship between trait and state interoception. Compared with rates of exteroceptive attention (auditory attention: engaged 83% of the time), interoceptive signals captured attention approximately 20% of the time, with substantial within- and between-person variability across domains. There were relationships between interoceptive attention and emotion in daily life (greater attention being associated with more negative valence and fatigue) that were specific to interoceptive attention (different patterns were observed with exteroceptive attention). State measures of interoceptive (but not exteroceptive) attention were correlated with the trait interoceptive attention, but not accuracy. Results underscore the relationship between interoceptive attention and emotion, providing new insights into interoceptive attention and the structure of interoceptive ability. Future research should examine the source(s) of within- and between-person variability in interoceptive and exteroceptive attention and its relationship with emotional experience. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sensing and feeling: an integrative approach to sensory processing and emotional experience'.

Assessing and accounting for measurement in intensive longitudinal studies: current practices, considerations, and avenues for improvement.

PURPOSE: Intensive longitudinal studies, in which participants complete questionnaires multiple times a day over an extended period, are increasingly popular in the social sciences in general and quality-of-life research in particular. The intensive longitudinal methods allow for studying the dynamics of constructs (e.g., how much patient-reported outcomes vary across time). These methods promise higher ecological validity and lower recall bias than traditional methods that question participants only once, since the high frequency means that participants complete questionnaires in their everyday lives and do not have to retrospectively report about a large time interval. However, to ensure the validity of the results obtained from analyzing the intensive longitudinal data (ILD), greater awareness and understanding of appropriate measurement practices are needed. METHOD: We surveyed 42 researchers experienced with ILD regarding their measurement practices and reasons for suboptimal practices. RESULTS: Results showed that researchers typically do not use measures validated specifically for ILD. Participants assessing the psychometric properties and invariance of measures in their current studies was even less common, as was accounting for these properties when analyzing dynamics. This was mainly because participants did not have the necessary knowledge to conduct these assessments or were unaware of their importance for drawing valid inferences. Open science practices, in contrast, appear reasonably well ingrained in ILD studies. CONCLUSION: Measurement practices in ILD still need improvement in some key areas; we provide recommendations in order to create a solid foundation for measuring and analyzing psychological constructs.

Comparative morphology of the oropharyngeal denticles in the order Rhinopristiformes and its functional implications (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea).

Guitarfishes and sawfishes are included in the order Rhinopristiformes, which currently encompasses five families: Pristidae, Rhinobatidae, Trygonorrhinidae, Rhinidae and Glaucostegidae. Considering the low number of studies focused on oral structures in Rhinopristiformes and the need to better understand their internal morphology, this study aimed to (1) evaluate and describe the morphological variation of the oropharyngeal denticles of guitarfishes and sawfish; (2) evaluate and describe the ontogenetic and sexual variation of the oropharyngeal denticles of Zapteryx brevirostris; (3) propose characters potentially useful for taxonomic and systematic purposes and (4) discuss the possible functions and advantages of these structures. Tissue samples were taken from the oropharyngeal region of specimens preserved in 70% alcohol and then prepared for visualization in scanning electron microscopy. A new method for sampling the pharynx region is proposed herein. Considerable morphological variation between families and genera was observed. However, no variation between conspecifics was found. Regional variations of denticles when examining a single individual were observed in shape, ornamentation, and orientation. In Zapteryx brevirostris, males had a significantly higher density of denticles in the ventral region than females and lower densities were observed in juveniles. The four characters discussed here are based on the presence of keels, number of cusps, distal end elongation and width/length ratio of the oropharyngeal denticles. Among the possible functions and advantages of these structures are the improvement of food adherence, tissue protection against food abrasion and parasitism, and attenuation of hydrodynamic drag in the oropharyngeal cavity during food ingestion.

Considering the 'With Whom': Differences Between Event- and Signal-Contingent ESM Data of Person-Specific Social Interactions.

Experience sampling studies often aim to capture social interactions. A central methodological question in such studies is whether to use event- or signal-contingent sampling. The little existing research on this issue has not taken into account that social interactions occur with unique interaction partners (e.g., Anna or Tom). We analyze one week of social interaction data of 286 students from the University of Pittsburgh (60.8% male, mean age 19.2 years), taking into account the unique interaction partners of each student. Specifically, we investigate the differences between event- and signal contingent sampling in (1) the total number of unique interaction partners captured, as well as (2) the kinds of relationships, and (3) the quality of social interactions with these captured interaction partners. Apart from a larger quantity of interactions and unique interaction partners in the event-contingent sampling design, our analyses indicate subtle differences between the two designs when aiming to assess social interactions with more distant interaction partners, such as coworkers or strangers. Most importantly, in our analyses, specific interaction partners and social roles explained a considerable amount of variance in the quality of social interactions (up to 20.5%), suggesting that future research would benefit greatly from considering "with whom" individuals interact.

Individual outcomes after tailored versus generic self-management strategies for persistent fatigue in youth with a fatigue syndrome or rheumatic condition: A multiple single-case study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine individual outcomes after tailored lifestyle (PROfeel) or generic dietary advice as self-management intervention for persistent fatigue in adolescents and young adults with a chronic condition, to compare participants who did and did not benefit and to explore changes to factors in the biopsychosocial model of fatigue after PROfeel. METHOD: A multiple single-case AB-phase design was embedded in a randomized crossover trial (N = 45). Intensive longitudinal data (ILD) on outcomes 'fatigue severity', 'self-efficacy' and 'quality of life' (QoL) were collected through weekly smartphone measurement for 20 weeks. ILD on biopsychosocial factors were collected through experience sampling methodology for 28 days pre-post first intervention. Baseline characteristics were compared with t-tests and chi-square tests. Permutation distancing tests were used to assess change over time in all ILD. RESULTS: Regarding weekly measurements, nineteen participants (42.22%) showed small to large positive outcomes (drange = .05 to 2.59), mostly after PROfeel. Eleven participants (24.44%) showed small to moderate negative outcomes (drange = -.02 to -2.46), mostly after dietary advice. Fatigue severity improved most, followed by self-efficacy. Participants who benefitted showed higher QoL levels and lower fatigue and pain levels compared with others at baseline (all p < .02). When positive outcomes were observed after PROfeel, typically ≥1 biopsychosocial factor had been targeted successfully. CONCLUSION: Self-management advice has more potential when tailored to individual characteristics, including the biopsychosocial model of fatigue. PROfeel appears particularly useful as fatigue intervention for individuals with relatively less severe symptoms.

Temporal network of experience sampling methodology identifies sleep disturbance as a central symptom in generalized anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND: A temporal network of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms could provide valuable understanding of the occurrence and maintenance of GAD. We aim to obtain an exploratory conceptualization of temporal GAD network and identify the central symptom. METHODS: A sample of participants (n = 115) with elevated GAD-7 scores (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Questionnaire [GAD-7] ≥ 10) participated in an online daily diary study in which they reported their GAD symptoms based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria (eight symptoms in total) for 50 consecutive days. We used a multilevel VAR model to obtain the temporal network. RESULTS: In temporal network, a lot of lagged relationships exist among GAD symptoms and these lagged relationships are all positive. All symptoms have autocorrelations and there are also some interesting feedback loops in temporal network. Sleep disturbance has the highest Out-strength centrality. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates how GAD symptoms interact with each other and strengthen themselves over time, and particularly highlights the relationships between sleep disturbance and other GAD symptoms. Sleep disturbance may play an important role in the dynamic development and maintenance process of GAD. The present study may develop the knowledge of the theoretical model, diagnosis, prevention and intervention of GAD from a temporal symptoms network perspective.

A simulation study of extrapolation uncertainty in exposure assessment - Use of pilot study results for site investigation.

Accurate characterization of soil contaminant concentrations is often crucial for assessing risks to human and ecological health. However, fine-scale assessments of large tracts of land can be cost prohibitive due to the number of samples needed. One solution to this problem is to extrapolate sampling results from one area to another unsampled area. In the absence of a validated extrapolation methodology, regulatory agencies have employed policy-based techniques for large sites, but the likelihood of decision errors resulting from these extrapolations is largely unexplored. This study describes the results of a simulation study aimed at guiding environmental sampling for sites where extrapolation concepts are of interest. The objective of this study is to provide practical recommendations to regulatory agencies for extrapolating sampling results on large tracts of land while minimizing errors that are detrimental to human health. A variety of site investigation scenarios representative of environmental conditions and sampling schemes were tested using adaptive sampling when collecting discrete samples or applying incremental sampling methodology (ISM). These simulations address extrapolation uncertainty in cases where a Pilot Study might result in either false noncompliance or false compliance conclusions. A wide range of plausible scenarios were used that reflect the variety of heterogeneity seen at large sites. This simulation study demonstrates that ISM can be reliably applied in a Pilot Study for purposes of extrapolating the outcome to a large area site because it decreases the likelihood of false non-compliance errors while also providing reliable estimates of true compliance across unsampled areas. The results demonstrate how errors depend on the magnitude of the 95% upper confidence limit for the mean concentration (95UCL) relative to the applicable action level, and that error rates are highest when the 95UCL is within 10%-40% of the action level. The false compliance rate can be reduced to less than 5% when 30% or more of the site is characterized with ISM. False compliance error rates using ISM are insensitive to the fraction of the decision units (DUs) that are characterized with three replicates (with a minimum of 10 percent), so long as 95UCLs are calculated for the DUs with one replicate using the average coefficient of variation from the three replicate DUs.

Associations between disturbed sleep and attenuated psychotic experiences in people at clinical high risk for psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Pre-diagnostic stages of psychotic illnesses, including 'clinical high risk' (CHR), are marked by sleep disturbances. These sleep disturbances appear to represent a key aspect in the etiology and maintenance of psychotic disorders. We aimed to examine the relationship between self-reported sleep dysfunction and attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) on a day-to-day basis. METHODS: Seventy-six CHR young people completed the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) component of the European Union Gene-Environment Interaction Study, collected through PsyMate® devices, prompting sleep and symptom questionnaires 10 times daily for 6 days. Bayesian multilevel mixed linear regression analyses were performed on time-variant ESM data using the brms package in R. We investigated the day-to-day associations between sleep and psychotic experiences bidirectionally on an item level. Sleep items included sleep onset latency, fragmentation, and quality. Psychosis items assessed a range of perceptual, cognitive, and bizarre thought content common in the CHR population. RESULTS: Two of the seven psychosis variables were unidirectionally predicted by previous night's number of awakenings: every unit increase in number of nightly awakenings predicted a 0.27 and 0.28 unit increase in feeling unreal or paranoid the next day, respectively. No other sleep variables credibly predicted next-day psychotic symptoms or vice-versa. CONCLUSION: In this study, the relationship between sleep disturbance and APS appears specific to the item in question. However, some APS, including perceptual disturbances, had low levels of endorsement amongst this sample. Nonetheless, these results provide evidence for a unidirectional relationship between sleep and some APS in this population.

The Role of Childhood Trauma in Affective Stress Recovery in Early Psychosis: An Experience Sampling Study.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES: Affective recovery, operationalized as the time needed for affect to return to baseline levels after daily stressors, may be a putative momentary representation of resilience. This study aimed to investigate affective recovery in positive and negative affect across subclinical and clinical stages of psychosis and whether this is associated with exposure to childhood trauma (sexual, physical, and emotional abuse). STUDY DESIGN: We used survival analysis to predict the time-to-recovery from a daily event-related stressor in a pooled sample of 3 previously conducted experience sampling studies including 113 individuals with first-episode psychosis, 162 at-risk individuals, and 94 controls. STUDY RESULTS: Negative affective recovery (ie, return to baseline following an increase in negative affect) was longer in individuals with first-episode psychosis compared with controls (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI; 1.03, 2.61], P = .04) and in at-risk individuals exposed to high vs low levels of emotional abuse (HR = 1.31, 95% CI [1.06, 1.62], P = .01). Positive affective recovery (ie, return to baseline following a decrease in positive affect) did not differ between groups and was not associated with childhood trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Our results give first indications that negative affective recovery may be a putative momentary representation of resilience across stages of psychosis and may be amplified in at-risk individuals with prior experiences of emotional abuse. Understanding how affective recovery contributes to the development of psychosis may help identify new targets for prevention and intervention to buffer risk or foster resilience in daily life.

Daily-level associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and reactions to retrieving positive autobiographical memories.

Trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report difficulties accessing and describing positive memories. To understand these patterns, we examined daily-level relations of PTSD symptoms with affective, cognitive (dwelling/rumination; pushing memory out of one's mind; suppression; avoidance; distraction; thinking about something else; remembering negative or positive memories/events; negative or positive thoughts; accepting or disapproving memory; reinterpreting memory), and behavioral (using alcohol/drugs; smoking cigarettes; cravings for or seeking out cigarettes/alcohol/drugs; craving, seeking out, or consuming large amounts of food; dissociation; engaging in risky behaviors; sharing memories; interference with ongoing task; arousal) reactions to retrieving positive memories. Eighty-eight trauma survivors (Mage= 39.89 years; 59.1% female) completed 7 daily measures of PTSD and reactions to retrieving positive memories. Days with more PTSD severity were associated with higher odds of same-day suppression, avoidance, distraction, thinking about something else, smoking cigarettes, craving substances, craving, seeking out, or consuming large amounts of food, dissociation, remembering negative memories/events/thoughts, engaging in risky behaviors, interference with ongoing tasks, and arousal (ORs=1.10-1.22); and greater negative affect (ß = 0.27). Supplemental lagged analyses indicated some associations between previous-day reactions to positive memory retrieval and next-day PTSD severity and vice versa. Trauma survivors with PTSD symptoms report negative and avoidance-oriented reactions to retrieving positive memories.

The temporal association between social isolation, distress, and psychotic experiences in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Psychotic experiences (PEs) and social isolation (SI) seem related during early stages of psychosis, but the temporal dynamics between the two are not clear. Literature so far suggests a self-perpetuating cycle wherein momentary increases in PEs lead to social withdrawal, which, subsequently, triggers PEs at a next point in time, especially when SI is associated with increased distress. The current study investigated the daily-life temporal associations between SI and PEs, as well as the role of SI-related and general affective distress in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. METHODS: We used experience sampling methodology in a sample of 137 CHR participants. We analyzed the association between SI, PEs, and distress using time-lagged linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: SI did not predict next-moment fluctuations in PEs, or vice versa. Furthermore, although SI-related distress was not predictive of subsequent PEs, general affective distress during SI was a robust predictor of next-moment PEs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that SI and PEs are not directly related on a moment-to-moment level, but a negative emotional state when alone does contribute to the risk of PEs. These findings highlight the role of affective wellbeing during early-stage psychosis development.

The SAFE Model: State Authenticity as a Function of Three Types of Fit.

The SAFE model asserts that state authenticity stems from three types of fit to the environment. Across two studies of university students, we validated instruments measuring self-concept, goal, and social fit as unique predictors of state authenticity. In Study 1 (N = 969), relationships between fit and state authenticity were robust to controlling for conceptually similar and distinct variables. Using experience sampling methodology, Study 2 (N = 269) provided evidence that fit and authenticity co-vary at the state (i.e., within-person) level, controlling for between-person effects. Momentary variation in each fit type predicted greater state authenticity, willingness to return to the situation, and state attachment to one's university. Each fit type was also predicted by distinct contextual features (e.g., location, activity, company). Supporting a theorized link to cognitive fluency, situations eliciting self-concept fit elicited higher working memory capacity and lower emotional burnout. We discuss the implications of fit in educational contexts.

SOMAScience: A Novel Platform for Multidimensional, Longitudinal Pain Assessment.

Chronic pain is one of the most significant health issues in the United States, affecting more than 20% of the population. Despite its contribution to the increasing health crisis, reliable predictors of disease development, progression, or treatment outcomes are lacking. Self-report remains the most effective way to assess pain, but measures are often acquired in sparse settings over short time windows, limiting their predictive ability. In this paper, we present a new mobile health platform called SOMAScience. SOMAScience serves as an easy-to-use research tool for scientists and clinicians, enabling the collection of large-scale pain datasets in single- and multicenter studies by facilitating the acquisition, transfer, and analysis of longitudinal, multidimensional, self-report pain data. Data acquisition for SOMAScience is done through a user-friendly smartphone app, SOMA, that uses experience sampling methodology to capture momentary and daily assessments of pain intensity, unpleasantness, interference, location, mood, activities, and predictions about the next day that provide personal insights into daily pain dynamics. The visualization of data and its trends over time is meant to empower individual users' self-management of their pain. This paper outlines the scientific, clinical, technological, and user considerations involved in the development of SOMAScience and how it can be used in clinical studies or for pain self-management purposes. Our goal is for SOMAScience to provide a much-needed platform for individual users to gain insight into the multidimensional features of their pain while lowering the barrier for researchers and clinicians to obtain the type of pain data that will ultimately lead to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic pain.

Methodological Characteristics and Feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies in Psychosis: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) involves completing multiple surveys over time in daily life, capturing in-the-moment experiences in real-world contexts. EMA use in psychosis studies has surged over several decades. To critically examine EMA use in psychosis research and assist future researchers in designing new EMA studies, this systematic review aimed to summarize the methodological approaches used for positive symptoms in psychosis populations and evaluate feasibility with a focus on completion rates. METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and Embase databases using search terms related to EMA and psychosis was conducted. Excluding duplicate samples, a meta-analysis was conducted of EMA survey completion rates and meta-regression to examine predictors of completion. RESULTS: Sixty-eight studies were included in the review. Characteristics and reporting of EMA methodologies were variable across studies. The meta-mean EMA survey completion computed from the 39 unique studies that reported a mean completion rate was 67.15% (95% CI = 62.3, 71.9), with an average of 86.25% of the sample meeting a one-third EMA completion criterion. No significant predictors of completion were found in the meta-regression. A variety of EMA items were used to measure psychotic experiences, of which few were validated. CONCLUSIONS: EMA methods have been widely applied in psychosis studies using a range of protocols. Completion rates are high, providing clear evidence of feasibility in psychosis populations. Recommendations for reporting in future studies are provided.

Population mental health, help-seeking and associated barriers following the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of repeated nationally representative cross-sectional surveys in Czechia.

This study investigated the Czech adults' mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential influence of data collection methodology on prevalence estimates. Separately, it investigated changes in help-seeking and associated barriers. Data from representative surveys on Czech adults, conducted in November 2017 (n = 3,306), in May (n = 3,021) and November 2020 (n = 3,000), and in November and December 2022 (n = 7,311), were used. Current mental disorders were assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the treatment gap was established in individuals scoring positively. In help-seeking individuals, encountering barriers was investigated. In 2017 and 2022, 20.02 % and 27.22 % of individuals had at least one mental disorder, respectively. The 2022 panel sampling and online and telephone interviewing estimates (34.29 % and 26.7 %) were substantially higher than those from household sampling and personal interviewing (19.9 %). Prevalence rates based on household sampling and personal interviewing were broadly consistent in 2017 and 2022. The treatment gap was around 80 % from 2017 to 2022. More than 50 % of individuals encountered structural barriers in help-seeking in 2022. This study showed that prevalence rates were still elevated in 2022, but suggests that data collection methodology influenced the estimates. Separately, the treatment gap remained consistently very high, and encountering structural barriers in help-seeking was common.

How mood is affected by environment and upsetting events: The moderating role of psychological flexibility.

OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering from psychological disorders report decreased quality of life and low mood. The relationship of these symptoms to daily upsetting events or environments, and in the context of active coping mechanisms is poorly understood. The present study thus investigates the association between mood, psychological flexibility, upsetting events, and environment in the daily life of outpatients. METHOD: We investigated 80 outpatients at the beginning of treatment, using event sampling methodology (ESM). Patients' mood, occurrence of upsetting events, current environment, and psychological flexibility were sampled six times per day during a one-week intensive longitudinal examination. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models (LMMs). RESULTS: Participants reported worse mood the more upsetting events they experienced. Further, participants reported better mood when in private environments (e.g., with friends), and worse mood when at the hospital, compared to being at home. Higher levels of psychological flexibility, however, were associated with better mood, irrespective of the occurrence of upsetting events or current environment. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that mood is positively associated with psychological flexibility, not despite, but especially during the dynamic and context-specific challenges of daily life. Psychological flexibility may thus potentially act as a buffer against distress-provoking situations as patients go about their daily lives. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN.org identifier: ISRCTN11209732.

Using experience sampling methodology (ESM) to improve our understanding of day-to-day intrusion frequency and related distress in survivors of trauma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that appraisals of traumatic sequelae and subsequent distress drive the development and maintenance of PTSD. Posttraumatic research has relied heavily on macro-longitudinal designs, with weeks or months between assessments of trauma-related cognitions and symptoms. The present study uses experience sampling methodology (ESM) better understand the day-to-day experiences of trauma exposed individuals. METHODS: One-hundred trauma exposed adults reported their posttraumatic symptoms, interpretations, and behaviours four times a day over a 10-day ESM period. RESULTS: As anticipated, within-person fluctuations in negative appraisals of intrusions and maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., thought suppression) were significantly positively associated with intrusion frequency and related distress. In all cases, the associations for negative appraisals and maladaptive coping were stronger with intrusion related distress than intrusion frequency. LIMITATIONS: The observed contemporaneous associations only demonstrate that variables reliably fluctuated together and cannot indicate causality. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate that day-to-day fluctuations in trauma related perceptions and sequelae are significant and should be explored alongside broader individual differences to advance our understanding of the development, maintenance, and treatment of PTSD.

Using Experience Sampling Methodology to Capture Disclosure Opportunities for Autistic Adults.

Background: Despite a recent surge in literature contributing to our understanding of autistic individuals' disclosure experiences, the findings remain mixed. Research based on autistic people's perspective often indicates negative outcomes, while research that focuses on nonautistic perspectives is more positive. In addition, no disclosure study has used ecologically valid research methods, which help to reduce the risk of memory biases and are more representative of real-world experiences. The aim of this research was to capture outcomes from real-world disclosure opportunities as reported by a diverse range of autistic adults. Methods: Thirty-six autistic adults reported their disclosure opportunities through experience sampling methodology (58% female, 28% male, and 14% nonbinary), multiple times per day or week for 2 months. Importantly, we embedded coproduction from conception to dissemination, ensuring that the outputs are relevant and beneficial for the autistic community. Results: In total, participants recorded 231 disclosure opportunities (M = 6.42, SD = 4.83). Two-thirds of opportunities (n = 153) were categorized as disclosure, where the participants decided to share they were autistic, and 33.8% (n = 78) were labeled nondisclosure, where the participants decided not to share that they were autistic. Qualitative thematic analysis of open responses resulted in five themes that illustrated the thought processes during disclosure opportunities, the reactions of others, and reflections following disclosure for autistic adults in our study. Conclusion: These findings show that disclosure decisions and outcomes are complex and are influenced by both internal and external factors. Both support for autistic adults navigating this process and knowledge for nonautistic individuals on the experiences of their autistic friends, family, and community members will help to alleviate negative experiences and improve the mental well-being of autistic adults who face these decisions daily.

Why is this an important issue?: Disclosure is choosing to tell someone that you are autistic. Nondisclosure is choosing not to tell someone you are autistic. This can be difficult for many people and can have a significant impact on their life. What was the purpose of this study?: We wanted to explore disclosure opportunities for autistic people. We wanted to know what these experiences looked like over 2 months and on a daily basis. What did the researchers do?: The research team asked autistic adults to complete a survey through a smartphone application every time they considered sharing that they were autistic over 2 months. The questions asked participants about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors right after the experience. What were the results of the study?: Our participants shared 231 disclosure opportunities with us over 2 months. Some people shared no experiences, while others shared up to 19 experiences. On average, people shared six experiences. People told us how these opportunities went, and we found five common threads ("themes") across their experiences. First, when deciding whether to disclose or not, autistic people considered how safe they felt in their environment and with the people around them. Autistic people often thought about what they were hoping to gain by disclosing, and if there was nothing to gain, they decided against it. We learned that disclosure takes a lot of energy. We also learned that other people responded to disclosure in positive, neutral, and negative ways across all contexts. Finally, we found that our participants tried to learn from their experiences before the next time they thought about disclosure. What do these findings add to what was already known?: Our findings were similar to previous research that explored how complex autistic disclosure is. However, by gathering information in real time (instead of relying on recall), we learned that a decision to disclose is not only weighing up personal advantages and disadvantages, but also takes into consideration how safe the person feels in a particular environment and how much energy they feel they have at the time. We also learned that sometimes people do not disclose because they are worried about how someone might respond, but other times they simply feel there is no benefit to disclosure. What are the potential weaknesses in the study?: We understand that the experiences of our participants may not apply to all autistic people. Also, because participants had to use a computer or smartphone to be in the study, the findings may be different for individuals who were not able to participate. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: The findings help us to listen to autistic voices and learn about their experiences. We have used the results to make resource guides. This includes a guide for autistic people (including an easy English version) and a guide for nonautistic people. These resource guides can be found within the Supplementary Data, on our research website, or by getting in touch with the authorship team.Link to "a guide for autistic people" https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/uploads/documents/Research/Disclosure-opportunities-resource-guide-for-Autistic-people-Easy-English.pdf Link to "easy English version" https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/uploads/documents/Research/Disclosure-opportunities-resource-guide-for-Autistic-people_2022-12-12-005526_vgvt.pdf Link to "non-autistic people" https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/Supporting-Autistic-people-who-may-want-to-disclose.

Mapping Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Everyday Life.

The growing literature on interpersonal emotion regulation has largely focused on the strategies people use to regulate. As such, researchers have little understanding of how often people regulate in the first place, what emotion regulation goals they have when they regulate, and how much effort they invest in regulation. To better characterize features of the regulation process, we conducted two studies using daily diary (N = 171) and experience sampling methods (N = 239), exploring interpersonal emotion regulation in the context of everyday social interactions. We found people regulated others' emotions nearly twice a day, regulated their own emotions through others around once a day, and regulated both their own and others' emotions in the same interaction roughly every other day. Furthermore, not only did people regulate others' emotions more often than regulating their own emotions through others, but they also put in more effort to do so. The goals of regulation were primarily to make themselves or others feel better, most often through increasing positive emotions, rather than decreasing negative emotions. Together, these findings provide a foundational picture of the interpersonal emotion regulation landscape, and lay the groundwork for future exploration into this emerging subfield of affective science. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00223-z.

A nationwide monitoring of atmospheric microplastic deposition.

Plastic production continues to increase every year, yet it is widely acknowledged that a significant portion of this material ends up in ecosystems as microplastics (MPs). Among all the environmental compartments affected by MPs, the atmosphere remains the least well-known. Here, we conducted a one-year simultaneous monitoring of atmospheric MPs deposition in ten urban areas, each with different population sizes, economic activities, and climates. The objective was to assess the role of the atmosphere in the fate of MPs by conducting a nationwide quantification of atmospheric MP deposition. To achieve this, we deployed collectors in ten different urban areas across continental Spain and the Canary Islands. We implemented a systematic sampling methodology with rigorous quality control/quality assurance, along with particle-oriented identification and quantification of anthropogenic particle deposition, which included MPs and industrially processed natural fibres. Among the sampled MPs, polyester fibres were the most abundant, followed by acrylic polymers, polypropylene, and alkyd resins. Their equivalent sizes ranged from 22 µm to 398 µm, with a median value of 71 µm. The particle size distribution of MPs showed fewer large particles than expected from a three-dimensional fractal fragmentation pattern, which was attributed to the higher mobility of small particles, especially fibres. The atmospheric deposition rate of MPs ranged from 5.6 to 78.6 MPs m-2 day-1, with the higher values observed in densely populated areas such as Barcelona and Madrid. Additionally, we detected natural polymers, mostly cellulosic fibres with evidence of industrial processing, with a deposition rate ranging from 6.4 to 58.6 particles m-2 day-1. There was a positive correlation was found between the population of the study area and the median of atmospheric MP deposition, supporting the hypothesis that urban areas act as sources of atmospheric MPs. Our study presents a systematic methodology for monitoring atmospheric MP deposition.