The Effect of Parental Depression on Cognitive Vulnerability

This paper reports on research on the effect of parental depression on cognitive vulnerability to depression. Although there is extensive literature to suggest that parental depression confers depressotypic cognitive thinking in children, no research has examined the effect of this vulnerability factor in young adults. Data were collected from 38 college-age students, who, after being given a negative mood prime, were measured for dysfunctional attitudes, irrational beliefs, and information processing biases. Results showed a difference between the groups on measures of attributional style and endorsement of depressogenic words. High-risk individuals displayed greater depressotypic cognitive thinking. Implications and potential underlying mechanisms are discussed

Commentary: Is it possible to bring the emancipatory practice development and evidence-based practice agendas together in nursing and midwifery?

Imagine a future where evidence-based practice and emancipatory practice development work together in a way that is so seamless we don’t even have to think about it. Can you? This is the vision as described in the article by Fairbrother et al., published in the IPDJ in 2015. In a bold move, the authors invite the reader to contemplate ‘the birth of a new healthcare phenomenon’, that of evidence-based emancipatory practice development (EBEPD). In the article, the authors offer a robust case for building momentum towards achieving a mutualised, evidence-based emancipatory practice development platform for knowledge and development in contemporary nursing practice. With detailed reference to a range of well-known, and often epistemologically polar opposite philosophical positions, the authors invite us to put aside our differences and work together to build a stronger evidence-based platform for emancipatory practice development work. In a creative and interesting manner, the authors refer to the yin and yang philosophy to illustrate how two opposites can complement each other, and they offer a diagram to illustrate the desirable fusion of EPD and EBP, working together and nestled within the concept of embodied integrated knowing

Frenemies in the Academy: Relational Aggression among African American Women Academicians

Black women academicians represent a highly educated group that at times hold positional power within institutions of higher education. In this paper, the authors utilize a critical race feminist frame to explore their experiences with relational aggressive dynamics within higher education work settings. Using auto-narrative qualitative methodology, they collected data through scholarly personal narratives in the form of journals. The entries were analyzed by utilizing an intersectional lens with a focus on coping. Data analysis yielded four themes framed as coping with frenemy dynamics between individuals and contexts. The authors consider the contribution of individual, institutional and structural elements

A review of the cognitive effects observed in humans following acute supplementation with flavonoids, and their associated mechanisms of action

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds found in varying concentrations in many plant-based foods. Recent studies suggest that flavonoids can be beneficial to both cognitive and physiological health. Long term flavonoid supplementation over a period of weeks or months has been extensively investigated and reviewed, particularly with respect to cognitive ageing and neurodegenerative disease. Significantly less focus has been directed towards the short term effects of single doses of flavonoids on cognition. Here, we review 21 such studies with particular emphasis on the subclass and dose of flavonoids administered, the cognitive domains affected by flavonoid supplementation, and the effect size of the response. The emerging evidence suggests that flavonoids may be beneficial to attention, working memory, and psychomotor processing speed in a general population. Episodic memory effects are less well defined and may be restricted to child or older adult populations. The evidence also points towards a dose-dependent effect of flavonoids, but the physiological mechanisms of action remain unclear. Overall, there is encouraging evidence that flavonoid supplementation can benefit cognitive outcomes within an acute time frame of 0–6 h. But larger studies, combining cognitive and physiological measures, are needed to strengthen the evidence base

Mindfulness in Individuals at Risk for Depression: The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies

A major aim of depression research is to study vulnerability factors for the onset and reoccurrence of the disorder. One area of research has investigated how mindfulness meditation can be used to prevent depression relapse in those with chronic recurrent depression; however, major gaps still exist in our understanding of how mindfulness may relate to depression risk and what role trait mindfulness may play in depression onset and reoccurrence. The goal of the current study was to explore whether cognitive emotion regulation strategies (rumination, cognitive reappraisal, and thought suppression) mediate associations between trait levels of mindfulness and positive and negative affect in at-risk populations, defined as having at least one previous episode of depression or having a parental history of depression. Participants were assessed using an online questionnaire format, and mediation models were tested using structural equation modeling. Both rumination and cognitive reappraisal mediated the relationship between trait mindfulness and positive and negative affect. The current study provides evidence for how mindfulness relates to depression risk through specific cognitive emotion regulation strategies and has implications for the role mindfulness plays in depression vulnerability and resilience

The Mediation of Mental Health between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risky Sexual Behavior

Risky sexual behaviors (RSB) have the potential to negatively impact individuals by increasing the risk of mental health issues, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unwanted pregnancies. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health disorders, such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression, have been known to increase RSB. The purpose of this study was to see if these mental health disorders mediate the relationship between ACEs and RSB. Participants (n = 342, mean age = 32) were recruited through social media to complete an online questionnaire. While history of ACEs significantly predicted engagement in RSB as well as all three of the mental health measures, none of the three measures of mental health emerged as a significant mediator of the relationship between ACEs and engagement in RSB (depression: b = .0060, SE = .0568, 95% CI[-.1175, .1148]; anxiety: (b = -.0136, SE = .0565, 95% CI[-.1393, .0904]; PTSD: (b = .1131, SE = .0807, 95% CI[-.0313, .2867]. Ultimately, this research showed that the history of ACEs exerts a strong, direct effect on engaging in RSB, and that in this sample, mental health symptoms are not sufficient to explain this relationship. Therefore, other factors should be explored as possible mechanisms maintaining this relationship. Furthermore, future research efforts should extend this exploration to young participants that may be more likely to participate in RSB