Zen meditation, length of telomeres, and the role of experiential avoidance and compassion

Mindfulness refers to an awareness that emerges by intentionally focusing on the present experience in a nonjudgmental or evaluative manner. Evidence regarding its efficacy has been increasing exponentially, and recent research suggests that the practice of meditation is associated with longer leukocyte telomere length. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this potential relationship are unknown. We examined the telomere lengths of a group of 20 Zen meditation experts and another 20 healthy matched comparison participants who had not previously meditated. We also measured multiple psychological variables related to meditation practice. Genomic DNA was extracted for telomere measurement using a Life Length proprietary program. High-throughput quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (HT-Q-FISH) was used to measure the telomere length distribution and the median telomere length (MTL). The meditators group had a longer MTL (p = 0.005) and a lower percentage of short telomeres in individual cells (p = 0.007) than those in the comparison group. To determine which of the psychological variables contributed more to telomere maintenance, two regression analyses were conducted. In the first model, which applied to the MTL, the following three factors were significant: age, absence of experiential avoidance, and Common Humanity subscale of the Self Compassion Scale. Similarly, in the model that examined the percentage of short telomeres, the same factors were significant: age, absence of experiential avoidance, and Common Humanity subscale of the Self Compassion Scale. Although limited by a small sample size, these results suggest that the absence of experiential avoidance of negative emotions and thoughts is integral to the connection between meditation and telomeres

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams Scale

Lucid dreaming, a specific phenomenon of dream consciousness, refers to the experience being aware that one is dreaming. The primary aim of this research was to validate a Spanish version of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams scale (LuCiD). A secondary aim was to explore whether meditation experience and mindfulness trait were related to LuCiD scores. Data from 367 Spanish men (34.6%) and women (65.4%) who completed LuCiD, the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were examined. From the total sample, 40.3% indicated some experience with formal meditation (meditators), while 59.7% did not have any meditation experience (non-meditators). A random subsample of 101 participants, who completed LuCiD for a second time after a period of 10-15days, was used for test-retest reliability analysis. The LuCiD scale comprises 28 items distributed across eight factors: insight, control, thought, realism, memory, dissociation, negative emotion, and positive emotion. Factor structure, reliability by both internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and construct and concurrent validity were tested. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the original eight-factor model, showing goodness of fit in contrast to a single-factor model. Item 15 was deleted from the Dissociation factor as it performed poorly (i.e., skewness and kurtosis, non-normal distribution of responses, and corrected item-total correlation under 0.40). The scale showed adequate values of internal consistency (between alpha=0.65 for Memory and alpha=0.83 for Positive Emotion) and test-retest reliability by significant Pearson correlations (p < 0.001) for each factor. The scores of meditators were higher for the LuCiD scale Insight and Dissociation factors, in contrast to those of non-meditators. The Observing facet of mindfulness was positively associated with all LuCiD factors, except Realism and Positive Emotion, and the Acting with Awareness facet showed a negative correlation with the LuCiD factor Realism. Finally, positive and negative affects was associated with the LuCiD factors Positive Emotion and Negative Emotion. This study provides a valid and reliable measure for exploring lucidity and consciousness in dreams for a Spanish population, Moreover, the results suggest a relationship with meditation experience, mindfulness trait, and positive and negative affect.</p

Validation of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS)

Background: Boredom, which is a common problem in the general population, has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. The Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) was developed, based on a theoretically and empirically grounded definition of boredom, to assess this construct. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish validated version of the MSBS in a multi-age sample recruited from the general population. Methods: The patients (N = 303) were recruited from primary care settings. In addition to the sociodemographic variables and the MSBS, the General Health Questionnaire 28 items (GHQ-28), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Negative subscale and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were administered. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyse the dimensionality of the MSBS. Cronbach’s a coefficient was used to analyse the internal consistency of the scale. The consistency of the MSBS over time (test-retest reliability) was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient. The construct validity was examined by calculating Pearson’s r correlations between the MSBS with theoretically related and unrelated constructs. Cronbach’s a for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87–0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. Results: The characteristics of the final sample (N = 303) were that the participants were primarily female (66.77 %) with a mean age of 49.32 years (SD, 11.46) and primarily European (94.71 %). The CFA of the MSBS confirmed that the original five-factor model showed good fit indices: CFI = .96; GFI = .94; SRMR = .05; and RMSEA = .06 [.05–.08]. Cronbach’s a for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87–0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. The MSBS showed a test-retest coefficient measured with an ICC of 0.90 (95 % CI, 0.88–0.92). The ICC for the 5 subscales ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. The MSBS showed a significant negative correlation with MAAS and a significant positive correlation with the GHQ (total score and subscales) and PANAS-Negative Affect. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the MSBS has been validated as a reliable instrument for measuring boredom in the general population. This study will facilitate the assessment of boredom for clinical and research purposes in Spanish-speaking populations

Analysis of the Calls Received during the COVID-19 Lockdown by the Mental Health Crisis Helpline Operated by the Professional College of Psychology of Aragon

COVID-19 has had a direct impact on the physical and mental health of millions of people worldwide. Therefore, a Mental Health Crisis Helpline (MHCH) was set up and offered free of charge by the Professional College of Psychology of Aragon (COPPA) during the lockdown period. This research aims to study the reasons for the calls, to describe the population segments that used it, and to analyse the possible relationships between the variables studied. A total of 1411 calls were answered and 598 were registered. The main reasons for the calls were: anxiety symptoms, concern for a relative, previous mental health problems, conflicts, and depressive symptoms. Significantly more men called for anxiety symptoms (60.8% vs. 49.5%) versus more women calling regarding a chronic physical illness (3.5% vs. 0.7%), concern about a relative (22.7% vs. 12.4%), care guidelines (6% vs. 1.3%), and bereavement (6.2% vs. 2%). Calls regarding conflict increased slightly as the lockdown period progressed (p < 0.001; r = 0.15), in contrast with calls regarding previous psychological conditions and anxiety symptoms (p = 0.035; r = -0.09; p = 0.005; r = -0.12). These results highlight the intensive use of the MHCH, confirming the need for the implementation of specific psychological care resources in times of crisis. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Diagnostic ability and capacity of optical coherence tomography-angiography to detect retinal and vascular changes in patients with fibromyalgia

Background. To evaluate the neuroretina and retinal vasculature of fibromyalgia (FM) patients and calculate a linear discriminant function (LDF) to improve retinal parameters’ contribution to FM diagnosis. Methods. Fifty FM patients and 232 healthy controls underwent retinal evaluation using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) angiography (Triton plus; Topcon) and spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) (Spectralis; Heidelberg). The macular (m) and peripapillary (p) retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) were assessed, as was the macular vascular density. A logistic regression analysis was performed, and an LDF was calculated to evaluate OCT’s contribution to FM diagnosis. Results. With Triton OCT, the patients presented pRNFL thinning in the temporal sector (). Spectralis OCT measurements showed decreased pRNFL in patients in the following sectors: superonasal, ; nasal, ; inferonasal, ; temporal, ; and inferotemporal, . No significant differences were observed in the macular vascular plexus between patients and controls. However, vascular density in the superior sector showed a strong inverse correlation with disease duration (r = −0.978, ). The LDF calculated for Spectralis OCT yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.968. Conclusions. FM patients present RNFL thinning observable using SS- and SD-OCT. However, these patients show similar vascular density in the macular area to healthy controls. The LDF that combines several RNFL parameters obtained using Spectralis OCT gives this device a powerful ability to differentiate between healthy individuals and individuals with FM

Analysis of Retinal Layers in Fibromyalgia Patients with Premium Protocol in Optical Tomography Coherence and Quality of Life

Purpose To evaluate the inner retinal layers in fibromyalgia (FM) patients compared to control subjects using posterior pole protocol (PPole) analysis in optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to correlate structural retinal changes with subjective quality of life. Methods Seventy-four eyes of healthy subjects and 55 eyes of those with FM were analyzed. All subjects underwent retinal evaluation using the PPole protocol for Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering) to obtain measurements of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in the macular area. The EuroQol (EQ-5D) questionnaire and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) were performed to analyze health-related quality of life. Additionally, the FM group was divided into three groups depending on the disease phenotype (atypical, depressive, and biological). Results Patients with FM presented with a reduction of the RNFL thickness compared to controls in 17/64 cells of the PPole area, and a reduction of the GCL thickness in 47/64 cells. Depressive FM phenotype showed the greatest number of cells with significant reduction compared with the control group in both RNFL and GCL layers. A correlation between temporal-inferior cells of the GCL and the EuroQol 5D questionnaire results was observed. Conclusions Patients with FM present with a reduction of the inner retinal layers in the macular area. This degeneration correlates with disease severity/reduced quality of life in these patients. The PPole protocol for OCT is a non-invasive and fast tool that might help clinicians diagnose and monitor neurodegeneration in FM patients

〈初期軍記〉における戦闘被害の表現-女の描かれ方をめぐって-

軍記・語り物研究会第374回例会(平成19年7月22日・於:法政大学)共同討議「初期軍記」研究の検証と展開-新たな「状況」と「変容」を探る-における基調報

Symptoms of distress when suffering from burnout: a comparison between the traditional and typological definitions of the syndrome.

Objective: To compare the structure and explanatory power of the traditional and the subtype burnout definitions on symptoms of distress. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design with a random sample of university employees (n=429), who completed the MBI-GS, BCSQ-12 and HSCL-30. The structure of the scales was assessed using parallel analysis from polychoric correlations, unweighted least squares and pro- min rotation. Multivariate regression models were built among symptoms and burnout models. Results: The HSCL showed a two-factor structure (psychological and somatic; IFS=0.87; GFI=0.99; RMSR=0.05); the MBI a forced three-factor structure (exhaustion, efficacy and cyni- cism; IFS=0.95; GFI>0.99; RMSR=0.03); the BCSQ a three-factor structure (neglect, lack of development and overload; IFS=0.98; GFI>0.99; RMSR=0.02). The variance of psychological distress was for 40% explained by MBI-GS and for 27% by BCSQ-12; the variance of somatic symptoms was for 31% explained by MBI-GS and 16% by BCSQ-12. All the BCSQ-12 factors contributed to explain psychological and somatic symptoms, but only exhaustion from MBI-GS. Conclusions: The typological definition showed better structure, but worse explanatory power on symptoms, than the traditional perspective. Exhaustion seems to be the burnout core dimension, althought the subtypes would explain a specific characterization of the syndrome

Mean and standard error of the mean of retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses obtained with the Cirrus and Spectralis optical coherence tomography devices in patients with early and advantage stages of Fibromyalgia syndrome and statistical significance with controls.

<p>Mean and standard error of the mean of retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses obtained with the Cirrus and Spectralis optical coherence tomography devices in patients with early and advantage stages of Fibromyalgia syndrome and statistical significance with controls.</p