AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THIRD-BODY PARTICLE TRANSPORT IN SLIDING CONTACT

An experiment is designed to study the third-body particle transport in a rough contact. To study the influence of particles in a pure form, it is assured that the first bodies have no contact and the sliding is very slow, so that the process can be considered as quasistatic. An example of sliding contact of a 3D printed “rough body” on small spheres artificially located on a rubber layer is presented. The trajectory of particles during the sliding is captured for studying their movement and the correlation to the fluctuation of normal and tangential force

A structural magnetic resonance imaging study in therapy-naïve transsexual individuals

Background: Transsexuality is explained and defined as a gender-identity disorder, characterised by very strong conviction of belonging to the opposite sex and has been associated with a distinct neuroanatomical pattern. Materials and methods: We performed a structural analysis in search of possible differences in grey matter structures based on magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brains of 26 individuals between 19 and 38 years of age. The participants were divided into two groups of 15 controls and 11 transgender individuals. The segmentation of subcortical grey matter was performed using FIRST model a model-based segmentation/registration tool, from FSL software package. Results: The results showed that the volume of the brain region called nucleus accumbens on the left side was significantly smaller in the group of transgender individuals compared to the control. It was the most important parameter which was shown to make distinction between two examined groups. Conclusions: The results also showed decreased volumes of the left thalamus, right hippocampus and right caudate nucleus

The Doctor Is In(ternet): The Mediating Role of Health Anxiety in the Relationship between Somatic Symptoms and Cyberchondria

Cyberchondria is a dysfunctional behavioral pattern characterized by an excessive and anxiety-amplifying engagement in searching for reassuring health information on the Internet. Research demonstrated that somatic symptoms and health anxiety might foster maladaptive health-related behaviors, such as cyberchondria. However, the relationships between somatic symptoms, health anxiety, and cyberchondria have been scarcely examined. Accordingly, this study aimed to test the mediating effect of health anxiety on the association between somatic symptoms and cyberchondria. Four hundred and thirty-one adults from the community (158 males, 36.66%), aged between 18 and 74, were recruited via an online survey. Participants completed self-report measures of somatic symptoms, health anxiety, and cyberchondria. A mediation analysis demonstrated that the severity of somatic symptoms predicted increased levels of cyberchondria and that health anxiety partially mediated this association. Therefore, interventions aimed at decreasing health anxiety may also play a role in decreasing the risk of developing cyberchondria

Measuring emptiness: Validation of the Italian version of the Subjective Emptiness Scale in clinical and non-clinical populations

Background: Although a feeling of emptiness is listed only as a symptom of the DSM-5 borderline personality disorder, it is commonly encountered in other disorders. The aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the Subjective Emptiness Scale (SES-I), a 7-item self-report instrument assessing the feeling of emptiness. Methods: Participants in one clinical group (n = 63) and one non-clinical group (n = 48) completed the SES-I along with several other instruments. A principal component analysis was used to analyze the structure of the SES-I and Cronbach's alpha and Rho's Spearman were used to establish aspects of reliability and validity, respectively. Results: The SES-I has a unidimensional structure reflecting the core feature of the feeling of emptiness. It showed an excellent internal consistency (a = 0.92) and convergent validity, as demonstrated by significant correlations with scores on the Beck Depression Inventory – II and conceptually related scales and subscales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory – III and Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Divergent validity was also demonstrated for the SES-I. SES-I scores in the clinical group were significantly higher than in the non-clinical group. A significant relationship was not found between the feeling of emptiness and self-harming behavior, impulsivity and acting-out. Limitations: A small sample size, several significant differences between the clinical and non-clinical groups and diagnostic heterogeneity in the clinical group limit generalizability of the study. Conclusion: The SES-I is a valid and reliable instrument, which should improve assessment of the feeling of emptiness and help clinicians better understand this complex phenomenon

Childhood emotional abuse and problematic social networking sites use in a sample of Italian adolescents: The mediating role of deficiencies in self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning

Objective: Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is associated with various negative mental health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between CEA and problematic social networking site (SNS) use in a sample of Italian adolescents. Design: Using structural equation modeling, the study examined whether the relationship between CEA and problematic SNS use was sequentially mediated by self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning in 1308 Italian adolescents (628 males, age range 13–19 years). Results: A history of CEA was positively associated with problematic SNS use. Furthermore, deficiencies in self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning partially mediated the relationship between CEA and problematic SNS use. Conclusions: The present study provides additional insight into the psychological dynamics underpinning problematic SNS use among adolescents. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed

Childhood emotional abuse and problematic social networking sites use in a sample of Italian adolescents: The mediating role of deficiencies in self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning.

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is associated with various negative mental health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between CEA and problematic social networking site (SNS) use in a sample of Italian adolescents. Using structural equation modeling, the study examined whether the relationship between CEA and problematic SNS use was sequentially mediated by self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning in 1308 Italian adolescents (628 males, age range 13-19 years). A history of CEA was positively associated with problematic SNS use. Furthermore, deficiencies in self-other differentiation and uncertain reflective functioning partially mediated the relationship between CEA and problematic SNS use. The present study provides additional insight into the psychological dynamics underpinning problematic SNS use among adolescents. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed

Research Directions in the Study of Gaming-Related Escapism: a Commentary to Melodia, Canale, and Griffiths (2020)

Escapism motivations and related processes (e.g., avoidance, dissociation, relaxation, and emotion dysregulation) have been identified as risk factors for problematic gaming. However, the escapism construct has often been poorly conceptualized and operationalized in assessment instruments. In their systematic review, Melodia et al. (2020) proposed that conceptualizing escapism as an avoidant coping strategy could provide a sound basis for further study of problematic gaming. In this commentary, we critically examine some terminological and conceptual issues in relation to escapism to guide future research

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Nepean Dysphoria Scale in a Clinical Sample

© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. The construct of dysphoria has been described inconsistently across a broad range of psychopathology. The term has been used to refer to an irritable state of discontent, but is also thought to incorporate anger, resentment and nonspecific symptoms associated with anxiety and depression, such as tension and unhappiness. The Nepean Dysphoria Scale has been developed to allow assessment of dysphoria, but its factor structure has not yet been investigated in clinical samples. We aimed to determine the latent structure of dysphoria as reflected by the Nepean Dysphoria Scale, using a clinical sample. Adults (N = 206) seeking treatment at a range of mental health services were administered the Nepean Dysphoria Scale. Four putative factor structures were investigated using confirmatory factor analysis: a single-factor model, a hierarchical model, a bifactor model and a four-factor model as identified in previous studies. No model fit the data except for a four-factor model when a revised 22-item version of the original 24-item scale was investigated. A four-factor structure similar to that identified in non-clinical samples was supported, albeit following the removal of two items. The Nepean Dysphoria Scale appears to have utility for the assessment of dysphoria in routine clinical settings

Does emotional reasoning change during cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety?

© 2015 Swedish Association for Behaviour Therapy. Abstract: Emotional reasoning refers to the use of subjective emotions, rather than objective evidence, to form conclusions about oneself and the world. It is a key interpretative bias in cognitive models of anxiety disorders and appears to be especially evident in individuals with anxiety disorders. However, the amenability of emotional reasoning to change during treatment has not yet been investigated. We sought to determine whether emotional reasoning tendencies change during a course of routine cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Emotional reasoning tendencies were assessed in 36 individuals with a primary anxiety disorder who were seeking treatment at an outpatient clinic. Changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as emotional reasoning tendencies after 12 sessions of CBT were examined in 25 individuals for whom there was complete data. Emotional reasoning tendencies were evident at pretreatment assessment. Although anxiety and depressive symptoms decreased during CBT, only one of six emotional reasoning interpretative styles (pertaining to conclusions that one is incompetent) changed significantly during the course of therapy. Attrition rates were high and there was not enough information regarding the extent to which therapy specifically focused on addressing emotional reasoning tendencies. Individuals seeking treatment for anxiety disorders appear to engage in emotional reasoning, however routine individual CBT does not appear to result in changes in emotional reasoning tendencies