Despite the deleterious effects feelings of loneliness can have on mental and physical health, factors that may mitigate feelings of loneliness are understudied in youth with autism spectrum...Show moreDespite the deleterious effects feelings of loneliness can have on mental and physical health, factors that may mitigate feelings of loneliness are understudied in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study focused on the role of friendships in feelings of loneliness in autistic students and their allistic peers. We aimed to examine the extent to which autistic and allistic students differ in the number of perceived, received, and reciprocal friendships, how these three types of friendships are related to feelings of loneliness in school, and how autistic and allistic (without ASD) students differ in this relation. Forty-one autistic students (92,7% male, M age = 10.17, SD = 1.0) were compared with 44 allistic students (43,2% male, M age = 11.14, SD = 1.0), both from special education schools. Participants completed the Children’s Loneliness Scale and provided names of their best friends (up to five names). Results indicated that autistic students did not have fewer perceived, received, and reciprocated friendships than their allistic peers, and did not differ in feelings of loneliness with their allistic peers. Also, the number of received and reciprocal friendships did not contribute to feelings of loneliness, but having more perceived friendships was associated with less feelings of loneliness, to the same extent in the two groups. In conclusion, the findings showed that autistic students can form friendships that fulfill their social needs when in a suitable environment, and the perception of having friends could be the most important for both groups to feel a sense of connectedness in school. Thus, for regular schools, it may be helpful to learn from special education schools to facilitate the best environment for all students to form and maintain friendships.Show less
The main focus of this thesis is the humorous aspect of the Hokusai Manga, which is a 15-volume containing series made by Japanese ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist Katsushika Hokusai.
The current study investigated the role of early maladaptive schema (EMS), particularly the schemas subjugation and self-sacrifice in mediating the relationship between adverse childhood...Show moreThe current study investigated the role of early maladaptive schema (EMS), particularly the schemas subjugation and self-sacrifice in mediating the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and transdiagnostic somatic symptoms. Through convenience sampling, participants’ demographic data, EMS score (YSQ-3), ACE score (ACE questionnaire), and presence of transdiagnostic somatic symptoms (DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure) were measured. The total scores of subjugation and self-sacrifice, ACE, and transdiagnostic somatic symptoms were respectively summated, then analysed through mediation analysis. Participants were (N = 131) students of Leiden University from the age of 18 years old (M = 19, IQR = 2), comprising of 91.2% female and 8.8% male. Through the analysis, it was found that subjugation and self-sacrifice together significantly mediate the relationship between ACE and transdiagnostic somatic symptoms (b = .314, p = .003). The indirect effect was found to have mediated 55.6% (b = .175, p = .002) of the relationship. Moreover, exploratory analyses indicated that individually, subjugation and self-sacrifice also successfully mediated this relationship. This finding further strengthens the existing argument that following ACE, particular behavioral stress-response may lead to transdiagnostic somatic symptoms in later life. In this case, the schemas subjugation and self-sacrifice were found to be crucial in this relationship. Thus, providing a deeper look into the developmental trajectory of the ACE, EMS, and transdiagnostic domains and may aid clinicians in recognizing and targeting schemas related to transdiagnostic somatic symptoms.Show less
This study aims to empirically assess the influence of K-pop music on the perception of South Korea as a desirable travel destination among foreign K-pop fans. Investigating the multifaceted...Show moreThis study aims to empirically assess the influence of K-pop music on the perception of South Korea as a desirable travel destination among foreign K-pop fans. Investigating the multifaceted factors that attract visitors, including the roles of government initiatives and corporate efforts, the research explores the significance of K-pop within the broader context of influences on foreign K-pop fans’ decisions to visit South Korea. Through survey data collected from 1751 K-pop fans, the results demonstrate that K-pop has a substantial impact on their perception of South Korea, contributing positively to the country's image as a tourist destination. Furthermore, the research underscores the continued value of government and corporate efforts to attract visitors, particularly through the creation of K-pop-related locations for fan visits. While K-pop does not emerge as the primary motivational factor for half of the respondents, it emerges as the most influential factor shaping the intention to visit South Korea.Show less
While amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are primarily defined by cognitive deficits, studies have demonstrated that motor impairments can precede cognitive...Show moreWhile amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are primarily defined by cognitive deficits, studies have demonstrated that motor impairments can precede cognitive symptoms by several years in these conditions. However, it is uncertain if the ability to learn sequences of movements is also impaired in this population. Therefore, this study investigated whether aMCI and AD affect motor sequence learning abilities, and how such abilities are related to AD biomarkers. The sample included 33 individuals with aMCI, 28 with AD, and 52 healthy controls (HCs). All groups completed a motor task consisting of performing a sequence of button presses, alternated with random blocks. Reaction time, coefficient of variation, and learning rates were obtained from the task. Participants also completed a series of cognitive tests to assess memory, visuospatial abilities, processing speed, language, and attention. Additionally, the following biomarkers for AD were assessed: amyloid beta via PET imaging, hippocampal volume via structural MRI, and number of e4 alleles via APOE genotyping. ANOVAs showed that AD participants had longer and more variable reaction times, followed by aMCI individuals, and with HCs having the shorter and more consistent reaction times. No significant differences in sequence learning rate were observed between groups. Exploratory analyses revealed that aMCI/AD had significantly slower initial learning rate than HCs. Linear regressions showed associations of slower reaction times with smaller hippocampal volume, and of higher coefficients with higher amyloid deposition. Poisson regressions revealed no significant correlations between motor sequence learning and APOEe4 allele count. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) results indicated that combining cognitive test with motor measures improves the prediction of AD biomarkers. Overall, AD and aMCI individuals showed impairments in general motor performance but relatively preserved motor sequence learning abilities, with some deficits in initial rate of learning. Moreover, statistical model comparison suggested that adding motor sequence learning measures to neuropsychological assessment tools enhanced the prediction of AD biomarkers. As such, future studies should explore the value of integrating motor sequence learning measures in the assessment and tracking of AD/aMCI.Show less
People in debt often avoid contacting their creditors, a behaviour likely driven by feelings of shame. In the Netherlands, around one million households face significant debt, leading to stress and...Show morePeople in debt often avoid contacting their creditors, a behaviour likely driven by feelings of shame. In the Netherlands, around one million households face significant debt, leading to stress and shame, which exacerbates financial problems by hindering communication with creditors. This study investigates the impact of building shame resilience on reducing avoidance behaviours among debtors. Enhancing shame resilience means increasing individuals' sense of control over their situation and reducing feelings of being trapped. These factors can empower debtors to confront their financial problems rather than avoid them. Thus, an experiment involving 308 participants with financial distress evaluated the effectiveness of different versions of the same creditor letter. These messages were adjusted to either increase a sense of control, reduce feelings of being trapped, or serve as a baseline with no specific emotional content. The study hypothesised that these adjustments would lead to greater willingness to contact creditors and that gender might moderate the impact. Results showed that messages enhancing control or reducing feelings of being trapped significantly increased participants' willingness to engage with creditors. Although the hypothesis regarding gender moderation was not supported overall, women responded more positively to messages reducing feelings of being trapped. These findings suggest that supportive communication strategies addressing emotional barriers like shame can facilitate better debt management. The study's implications for policy and creditor practices emphasise prioritising psychological well-being to enhance financial stability.Show less
Introduction: The Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a small structure residing in the midbrain and is the primary source of Noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. The LC-NA system’s roles include focusing...Show moreIntroduction: The Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a small structure residing in the midbrain and is the primary source of Noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. The LC-NA system’s roles include focusing attention towards salient stimuli. Animal studies suggest that the LC-NA system plays a role in reward related functions, an aspect primarily attributed to the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) Dopamine (DA) system. Animal studies suggest that habituation of the LC to salient stimuli occurs rapidly. The Dorsal and Ventral attentional networks (DAN and VAN respectively) are other regions relevant in attentional focus. Thus, we hypothesise that the reward and salient stimuli will elicit higher responses in the LC compared to the control, the LC will habituate across trials, the DAN network will respond highest to reward, and the VAN highest to salience. Methods: Forty-five healthy participants were recruited to complete a reward-oddball task during fMRI scanning. Repeated Measures (RM)-ANOVAs assessed changes in BOLD levels in our regions of interest (LC, VTA, DAN, VAN) as participants responded to the different stimuli oddballs (reward, salient, no reward). Results: A main effect for stimulus type on LC activity was not found (p=.079). Activity in the LC did not significantly habituate (p=.469). The DAN had overall higher activation than the VAN and had higher activation to the reward oddball compared to the salient (p<.001). The VAN region also had higher activation to the reward compared to the salient condition (p<.001). Conclusion: Results suggest that the LC had a similar degree of activation to each stimulus. This may suggest that the LC responds to contextual saliency and may not account for how goal relevant a stimulus is. We did not find a statistically significant habituation across trials. This may suggest that habituation in humans happens at a slower/less extensive rate than rats. The DAN region had globally higher activation than the VAN, reflecting this region’s role in sustained and goal related attention. The lack of activation within the VAN may suggest an orientation response was not required during this task. Strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.Show less
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by motor symptoms due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. However, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive...Show moreParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by motor symptoms due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. However, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive decline are prevelant in up to 80% of PD patients. Multi-system degeneration and neurotransmitter decifiences are likely the cause. One of the systems implicated in PD-related cognitive decline is the cholinergic system but it remains unclear to what extent the system is affected and how it links to different disease stages. This retrospective cohort study explores the integrity of the cholinergic system in PD through the measurement of alpha reactivity using electroencephalography (EEG). EEG data from 191 participants, including 46 early-stage PD patients, 17 late-stage PD patients, and 128 healthy controls was analyzed. Alpha reactivity, measured as the difference in alpha power between eyes closed and eyes open conditions, was assessed via EEG. Cognition was assessed via the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Results revealed significantly reduced alpha reactivity in PD patients compared to healthy controls. ANCOVA analyses demonstrated reductions in alpha reactivity in both early-stage and late-stage PD groups when compared to healthy controls. However, no significant reduction in alpha reactivity was found between early and late-stage PD patients. These findings provide neurophysiological evidence of a reduction in alpha reactivity in PD patients, which could indicate a cholinergic dysfunction in PD, irrespective of disease stage. This study also highlights the potential utility of alpha reactivity as a biomarker for assessing disease severity.Show less
