Search results for "applied psychology"
showing 10 items of 1960 documents
Increasing physical activity through an Internet-based motivational intervention supported by pedometers in a sample of sedentary students: A randomi…
2017
The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of an Internet-based motivational intervention (IMI) supported by pedometers (in comparison with IMI alone and non-intervention) on increasing daily steps and changing constructs related to physical activity (PA) in a sample of sedentary students.A randomised-controlled trial was conducted with 76 sedentary or low-active college students. The purpose of the IMI was to deliver information to increase motivation and set individualised PA goals. It involved a 3-week intervention and a 3-months follow-up.Objective measures were used to measure daily steps, and self-report questionnaires to assess different constructs related to PA.Results revealed…
Screening for DSM-5 Somatic Symptom Disorder: Diagnostic Accuracy of Self-Report Measures Within a Population Sample.
2017
OBJECTIVE The new DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder was introduced to improve the diagnosis of persons experiencing what used to be called somatoform disorders. So far, it is unclear whether existing self-report measures are useful to detect the new somatic symptom disorder. This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of three self-report questionnaires that measure somatic complaints (15 item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-15]) and psychological features (7-item Whiteley Index [WI-7]; Scale for Assessing Illness Behavior [SAIB]), in detecting somatic symptom disorder. METHODS A nationally representative general population survey was performed resulting in 250 participants (minimum age …
Global and regional cortical thinning in first-episode psychosis patients: relationships with clinical and cognitive features
2010
BackgroundThe thickness of the cortical mantle is a sensitive measure for identifying alterations in cortical structure. We aimed to explore whether first episode schizophrenia patients already show a significant cortical thinning and whether cortical thickness anomalies may significantly influence clinical and cognitive features.MethodWe investigated regional changes in cortical thickness in a large and heterogeneous sample of schizophrenia spectrum patients (n=142) at their first break of the illness and healthy controls (n=83). Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans (1.5 T) were obtained and images were analyzed by using brains2. The contribution of sociodemographic, cognitive and clinic…
Experimental evidence for a motivational origin of cognitive impairment in major depression.
2007
BackgroundDiagnostic criteria and empirical evidence support the existence of cognitive deficits in depression. However, depressed mood, loss of interest and low self-efficacy might influence cognitive performance.MethodGoal-setting instructions were used to promote motivation in depressed patients and control subjects during neuropsychological assessment. The resulting performance was compared with performance using standard instructions. Sixty in-patients with non-psychotic unipolar depression and 60 age- and education-matched healthy control subjects were assessed with standard neuropsychological tests [the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), the Digit Symbol Test (DST), the Regensburg…
Are Your Eyes “on the Road”? Findings from the 2019 National Study on Vision and Driving Safety in Spain
2020
Background: Vision is an undisputable contributor to the explanation of many human-factor related traffic crashes happening every day. The Inland Transport Committee (ITC), the United Nations regulatory platform, included on 1st April 2020 special action on the vision of road users inside the ITC Recommendations for Enhancing Road Safety Systems. The results of this wide-scale study on drivers&rsquo
Effects of functional remediation on neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients: enhancement of verbal memory
2016
BackgroundFunctional remediation is a novel intervention with demonstrated efficacy at improving functional outcome in euthymic bipolar patients. However, in a previous trial no significant changes in neurocognitive measures were detected. The objective of the present analysis was to test the efficacy of this therapy in the enhancement of neuropsychological functions in a subgroup of neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients.MethodA total of 188 out of 239 DSM-IV euthymic bipolar patients performing below two standard deviations from the mean of normative data in any neurocognitive test were included in this subanalysis. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted to assess the i…
Structural brain correlates of IQ changes in bipolar disorder
2006
Background. There is increasing evidence that cognitive deficits are present in bipolar disorder (BP), but their neural correlates have not been fully explored. The aim of this study is to correlate structural brain abnormalities with cognitive performance in BP and to explore differences between clinical subtypes. Method. Thirty-six BP patients (13 men, 23 women) with a mean age of 39 years (range 21–63 years) underwent neuropsychological testing and imaging. Twenty-five patients had bipolar disorder I (BP I) and 11 had bipolar disorder II (BP II). Patients with co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis, drug and alcohol abuse or systemic illness were excluded. Correlations between cognitive perform…
Lithium prevents grey matter atrophy in patients with bipolar disorder: an international multicenter study
2020
AbstractBackgroundLithium (Li) is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). However, its mechanisms of action remain unknown but include neurotrophic effects. We here investigated the influence of Li on cortical and local grey matter (GM) volumes in a large international sample of patients with BD and healthy controls (HC).MethodsWe analyzed high-resolution T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans of 271 patients with BD type I (120 undergoing Li) and 316 HC. Cortical and local GM volumes were compared using voxel-wise approaches with voxel-based morphometry and SIENAX using FSL. We used multiple linear regression models to test the influence of Li on cortical an…
Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder: Cognition and Emotion Processing
2006
Background. Cognitive impairment may be part of the endophenotype of bipolar disorder (BP), but little is known about patterns and severity of impairment in BP subgroups and their relation to depression. The same applies to deficits in emotion processing known to be present in BP.Method. To explore the relationship between depression and impairment in cognition and emotion processing and the differences between BP subgroups, we assessed 36 (25 BP I and 11 BP II) patients using a cognitive battery and a facial emotion recognition task.Results. BP patients were impaired compared to published norms on memory, naming and executive measures (Binomial Single Proportion tests, p<0·05). Cognitiv…
Lack of institutional support entails disruption in cortisol awakening response in caregivers of people with high-functioning autism.
2013
Several studies have found disruptions in cortisol awakening response in informal caregivers. Institutional support may modulate these effects, and this study analyses how the health of caregivers is affected when institutional support is provided for families of people with high-functioning autism. Self-reported health, depression and cortisol awakening response were analysed in three groups: supported caregivers, non-supported caregivers and non-caregivers. Non-supported caregivers presented higher somatic symptoms and lower cortisol awakening response than the supported caregiver and non-caregiver groups. A high number of somatic symptoms and low functionality of offspring were related …