Psycho-social factors associated with mental resilience in the Corona lockdown.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only a threat to physical health but is also having severe impacts on mental health. Although increases in stress-related symptomatology and other adverse psycho-social outcomes, as well as their most important risk factors have been described, hardly anything is known about potential protective factors. Resilience refers to the maintenance of mental health despite adversity. To gain mechanistic insights about the relationship between described psycho-social resilience factors and resilience specifically in the current crisis, we assessed resilience factors, exposure to Corona crisis-specific and general stressors, as well as internalizing symptoms in a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 24 languages during the most intense phase of the lockdown in Europe (22 March to 19 April) in a convenience sample of N = 15,970 adults. Resilience, as an outcome, was conceptualized as good mental health despite stressor exposure and measured as the inverse residual between actual and predicted symptom total score. Preregistered hypotheses (osf.io/r6btn) were tested with multiple regression models and mediation analyses. Results confirmed our primary hypothesis that positive appraisal style (PAS) is positively associated with resilience (p < 0.0001). The resilience factor PAS also partly mediated the positive association between perceived social support and resilience, and its association with resilience was in turn partly mediated by the ability to easily recover from stress (both p < 0.0001). In comparison with other resilience factors, good stress response recovery and positive appraisal specifically of the consequences of the Corona crisis were the strongest factors. Preregistered exploratory subgroup analyses (osf.io/thka9) showed that all tested resilience factors generalize across major socio-demographic categories. This research identifies modifiable protective factors that can be targeted by public mental health efforts in this and in future pandemics

Toward an ecological characterization of social functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) are respectively a neurodevelopmental disorder and a rare genetic syndrome, both characterized by social difficulties. However, the phenomenology of these social impairments remains poorly studied, especially with regard to everyday social interactions. The aim of the present work is thus to better characterize the social phenotypes of these two populations in order to disentangle the similarities and differences presented by each. To achieve this goal, we propose a theoretical model of social functioning integrating the social components classically described in the literature, i.e. social skills and social motivation (which would be underpinned by social cognition according to our model), but also the component of social interactions, which we distinguish into objective aspects (named social behaviors) and subjective aspects (named social experiences). Based on this theoretical model, we propose to use ecological methods to get as close as possible to everyday social interactions, which are still too rarely studied in the current literature, especially in clinical populations such as ours. The first objective of this thesis is therefore to study social interactions, using ecological methods (i.e. momentary ecological assessment on a smartphone and role-plays), in order to plunge into the heart of the daily lives of youths with ASD and 22q11DS. The second objective is to focus on two mechanisms underlying social motivation and social cognition respectively, i.e. future projection and pleasure anticipation on the one hand, and intention discrimination based on movement observation on the other. Finally, methodological reflection forms the backdrop to this work, with questions raised about the choice of methodology in relation to the problem under study, the feasibility of ecological methods and, finally, the links between classical and ecological methods.Les troubles du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) et le syndrome de microdélétion 22q11.2 (del22q11) sont respectivement un trouble du neurodéveloppement et un syndrome génétique rare, tous deux caractérisés par des difficultés sociales. Toutefois, la phénoménologie de ces particularités sociales demeure peu étudiée, surtout en ce qui concerne les interactions sociales de la vie quotidienne. Le but du présent travail est ainsi de mieux caractériser les phénotypes sociaux de ces deux populations afin de démêler les similitudes et les différences présentées par chacune d'elle. Pour atteindre ce but, nous proposons un modèle théorique du fonctionnement social intégrant les composantes sociales classiquement décrites dans la littérature, c'est-à-dire les compétences sociales et la motivation sociale, qui seraient sous-tendus par la cognition sociale selon notre modèle, mais aussi la composante des interactions sociales que nous distinguons en aspects objectifs (appelés comportements sociaux) et aspects subjectifs (appelés expériences sociales). Mis au service de ce modèle théorique, nous proposons d'utiliser des méthodes écologiques pour s'approcher au plus près des interactions sociales de la vie quotidienne qui sont encore trop peu souvent étudiées dans la littérature actuelle, surtout dans des populations cliniques comme les nôtres. Le premier objectif de cette thèse est ainsi l'étude des interactions sociales, au moyen de méthodes écologiques (i.e. évaluation écologique momentanée sur smartphone et jeux de rôle), afin de plonger au cœur du quotidien des jeunes avec TSA et del22q11. Le second objectif est de s'intéresser à deux mécanismes sous-tendant respectivement la motivation sociale et la cognition sociale, c'est-à-dire la projection dans le futur et l'anticipation du plaisir d'une part, et la discrimination d'intention à partir de l'observation du mouvement d'autre part. Enfin, une réflexion méthodologique constitue la trame de fond de ce travail avec un questionnement du choix de méthodologie en fonction de la problématique étudiée, de la faisabilité des méthodes écologiques et finalement des liens entre méthodes classiques et écologiques. </p

Activité physique et prévention de l'obésité chez l'enfant de 3 à 6 ans: une revue de littérature : travail de Bachelor

L’obésité est un facteur prépondérant dans les pathologies Cardiovasculaires, première cause de mortalité au monde. L’âge préscolaire (3 à 6 ans), durant lequel survient le rebond d’adiposité, représente une période critique de la prévention primaire de l’obésité. Les physiothérapeutes sont à même de lutter contre la sédentarité, facteur pronostique de l’obésité. Chez les préscolaires, l’importance de l’activité physique dans la prévention de cette pathologie n’a pas encore été déterminée. Objectif : Montrer l’impact de l’activité physique sur le développement de l’adiposité chez les préscolaires dans le cadre de la prévention primaire de l’obésité

Cognitive emotion regulation difficulties increase affective reactivity to daily-life stress in autistic adolescents and young adults

Increased reactivity to daily stressors is associated with mental health difficulties, which are common in autistic individuals. We investigated affective reactivity to daily-life stress, cognitive emotion regulation, and their link with co-occurring mental health symptoms in adolescents and young adults with autism. A 6-day ecological momentary assessment protocol was used to assess perceived daily-life stress (event-related, activity-related, and social stress) as well as negative affects in autistic (n=39, age=18.4) and non-autistic (n=55, age=18.1) participants. Co-occurring mental health difficulties, social functioning, and cognitive emotion regulation were assessed with questionnaires and clinical evaluations. Youth with autism showed higher levels of perceived stress related to their daily social context and activities, as well as an increased affective reactivity to activity-related stressors compared with non-autistic youth. Moreover, they reported using less adaptive and more non-adaptive emotion regulation, the latter increasing their affective response to daily stressors and possibly contributing to the severity of co-occurring mental health symptoms. Our findings demonstrate high perceived daily-life stress in autistic adolescents and young adults. To minimize the negative effects of stress and the development of mental health symptoms, interventions could focus on effective stress management and strategies that autistic young people use to manage their emotions

Cognitive emotion regulation difficulties increase affective reactivity to daily-life stress in autistic adolescents and young adults

Increased reactivity to daily stressors is associated with mental health difficulties, which are common in autistic individuals. We investigated affective reactivity to daily-life stress, cognitive emotion regulation (ER), and their link with co-occurring mental health symptoms in adolescents and young adults with autism. A 6-day Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) protocol was used to assess perceived daily-life stress (event-related, activity-related and social stress) as well as negative affects (NA) in autistic (n=39, age=18.4) and non-autistic (n=55, age=18.1) participants. Co-occurring mental health difficulties, social functioning and cognitive ER were assessed with questionnaires and clinical evaluations. Youth with autism showed higher levels of perceived stress related to their daily social context and activities, as well as an increased affective reactivity to activity-related stressors compared to non-autistic youth. Moreover, they reported using less adaptive and more non-adaptive ER, the latter increasing their affective response to daily stressors and possibly contributing to the severity of co-occurring mental health symptoms. Our findings demonstrate high perceived daily-life stress in autistic adolescents and young adults. To minimize the negative effects of stress and the development of mental health symptoms, interventions could focus on effective stress management and strategies that autistic young people use to manage their emotions

Characterizing daily-life social interactions in adolescents and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders: a comparison between individuals with Autism Spectrum Disoders and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

AbstractSocial impairments are common features of several neurodevelopmental conditions, including 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, little is known about social interactions in daily-life. The Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) was used to have access to daily-life information and to distinguish the phenomenology of social interactions between the two conditions, often considered as presenting a similar profile of social impairments. 32 individuals with 22q11DS, 26 individuals with ASD and 44 healthy controls (HC) aged 12-30 were recruited. All participants were assessed during 6 days 8 times a day using a mobile app. The EMA protocol assessed positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect, social context (alone versus in company) and the subjective experience of aloneness and social interactions. Participants with 22q11DS and ASD did not spend more time alone, but spent less time with familiar individuals such as friends, and more time with people they live with, compared to HC. However, distinct profiles emerged between the two conditions regarding the subjective experience of aloneness, with more intense feelings of exclusion in participants with ASD compared to participants with 22q11DS and HC. The subjective appreciation of interactions revealed that individuals with ASD felt more judged and more nervous than both 22q11DS and HC. Nevertheless, both conditions expressed a higher desire to be alone when in company of other people than HC. This study highlights distinct social functioning profiles in daily-life in 22q11DS and ASD, giving new intel regarding the social phenotype in these conditions, and pointing towards different therapeutic targets

Cognitive emotion regulation difficulties increase affective reactivity to daily-life stress in autistic adolescents and young adults

Final datase