The global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise from 50 to 152 million cases by 2050 due to the limited availability of therapeutic and preventive strategies and ageing populations...Show moreThe global prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise from 50 to 152 million cases by 2050 due to the limited availability of therapeutic and preventive strategies and ageing populations. Although digital tools can address the growing gap between healthcare supply and demand, their implementation is difficult, and personal factors can influence individuals’ intention to use such tools. Thus, this study explores the relationship between various personal factors, as self-reported by healthy individuals (N = 507) who are part of a brain research registry, and their intention to use and promote using digital tools in the context of brain health and dementia. According to the hypothesis formulated for the research, higher financial scarcity, lower educational attainment, and lower employment status predict lower intention to use and promote digital tools for brain health. The study examined four distinct digital tools: (1) MijnBreincoach (a prevention tool), (2) cCog (a diagnostic tool), (3) ADappt (a patient- orchestrated care tool), and Neurokeys (a prediction tool). It was found that Neurokeys exhibited the highest score for intention to use but the lowest score for intention to promote. In addition, medium and high educational attainment predicted higher behavioral intention to use MijnBreincoach, while the most beneficial (i.e., most secure, stable, and safe) employment status predicted higher intention to promote MijnBreincoach and cCog. In conclusion, it is important to recognize differences in intention to use and promote different types of digital tools across potential users and the influence of personal characteristics on the intention to use and promote digital tools for brain health. During the development of a digital tool, it is recommended to consider which target audience would derive the greatest benefit from it and tailor it accordingly.Show less
This 3-wave study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive empathy (awareness and understanding of another’s emotion), affective empathy (experience of emotions consistent with those of...Show moreThis 3-wave study aims to examine the relationship between cognitive empathy (awareness and understanding of another’s emotion), affective empathy (experience of emotions consistent with those of the observed person), and self-perception of close friendships (one’s perception of the ability to form and maintain close friendships), both directly and indirectly through prosocial behavior (voluntary behavior intended to benefit another person) from late childhood to early adolescence. Participants were 127 adolescents aged between 10 and 14 years old who reported on their empathy, prosocial behavior, and self-perception of close friendships in three consecutive years, respectively. Simple mediation analyses revealed that cognitive and affective empathy did not have a significant positive effect on adolescents’ self-perception of close friendships two years later. Considering these findings, prosocial behavior was not found to be a mediator between adolescents’ cognitive or affective empathy and their self-perception of close friendships from late childhood to early adolescence. Moreover, cognitive and affective empathy did not significantly predict prosocial behavior one year later, whereas prosocial behavior did significantly predict the self-perception of adolescents’ close friendships one year later. These results underline the significance of developing tailored intervention programs targeting prosocial behavior to foster adolescents’ self-perception as close friends, a competence that is crucial during this developmental period considering the greater influence of peers.Show less
There are numerous people that experience financial hardship. It is important that they get support to get financially back on track. However, they often refrain from seeking help, likely due to...Show moreThere are numerous people that experience financial hardship. It is important that they get support to get financially back on track. However, they often refrain from seeking help, likely due to the shame associated with their financial situation (Keizer, 2016; Plantinga, 2019). This shame hinders their ability to adopt problem-focused coping strategies and consequently improve their financial circumstances (De Hooge et al., 2010). However, shame resilience shows a promising role in addressing this issue. It involves reducing feelings of entrapment, powerlessness, and isolation, thereby managing feelings of shame in a way so that enables people to effectively deal with their situation (Brown, 2006). This study investigates the effectiveness of shame resilience interventions in increasing communication between creditors and debtors. We conducted an experiment involving participants in debt and manipulated creditor letters to increase shame resilience. Results indicate that shame resilience interventions significantly increase willingness to contact creditors and improve the perceived trustworthiness of the company. These findings suggest that applying shame resilience interventions can assist people in taking the first step toward seeking help to address their debt.Show less
As more environmental challenges arise, pro-environmental engagement becomes increasingly important. While sustainable diets are widely acknowledged for their ecological benefits, the interplay of...Show moreAs more environmental challenges arise, pro-environmental engagement becomes increasingly important. While sustainable diets are widely acknowledged for their ecological benefits, the interplay of social-emotional factors shaping such choices remained relatively underexplored. This study explored the interplay between guilt proneness, emotional support from best friends, and open- mindedness and their influence on young adults’ pro-environmental dietary choices. These variables were selected for their distinct impacts on decision-making processes and behavioural intentions, as guilt proneness motivates alignment with moral values, emotional support provides social reinforcement and validation, and open-mindedness encourages adoption of atypical diets. Plant-based diets involve (mostly) excluding meat including variations like flexitarian and pescetarian diets, while vegetarian diets exclude meat, and vegan diets exclude meat and animal-derived foods and products. The dietary choices in this study rank from the least to the most sustainable diet, being omnivores, plant-based, vegetarian, and ultimately, vegan. The cross-sectional design incorporated 213 individuals aged 17 to 26 from multiple genders and nationalities. The multiple stages assessment included a 45-minute online survey that employed specific tests to assess the factors. Dietary choice was assessed using the Dietarian Identity Questionnaire, guilt proneness using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect–3, emotional support from best friends using the Official short version of the Network Relationship Inventory, and open-mindedness using the Big Five Inventory-2. The multiple regression analyses indicated that guilt proneness, emotional support from best friend, open-mindedness, and the three-way interaction of these variables were non-significant predictors of dietary choice. These results diverged from initial hypotheses, emphasizing the need for exploration within different contexts and populations. The study's strengths included its cross-sectional design encompassing multiple nationalities and genders, and the thorough validation of statistical assumptions. However, the questionable to low reliability of some measures and the unequal gender distribution possibly affected the generalizability of the findings. Additional factors that may influence dietary choices among young adults, including cultural norms, socioeconomic status, anticipated pride, and peer influence, should be incorporated in future research. Interventions aimed at promoting pro- environmental dietary choices among young adults must adopt a holistic approach, considering individual, social, and environmental factors to facilitate long-term behaviour change.Show less
Placebos have been shown to affect both subjective experiences and physiological markers. However, their influence on defensive responses to threat has yet to be investigated. This study examines...Show morePlacebos have been shown to affect both subjective experiences and physiological markers. However, their influence on defensive responses to threat has yet to be investigated. This study examines whether a placebo manipulation can impact subjective pain ratings in response to the shock, as well as heart rate during shock anticipation, in healthy individuals. Participants (n=72) were tested in a Pavlovian threat conditioning paradigm over two days with a 24-hour interval, in a within-subject design. A sham analgesic electrical stimulation (TENS) was used to induce a placebo effect. The placebo conditioning process paired a placebo stimulus ("painful shock + TENS") with a low pain response, followed by two sessions of associative threat conditioning. Subjective pain ratings and heart rate, as an indicator of the freezing response, were measured across different conditions. The STAI-trait questionnaire was also completed. Results indicated higher subjective pain levels in response to the painful shock compared to the TENS shock during the threat acquisition phase. Importantly, during this phase, stronger heart rate deceleration, indicative of freezing, was observed when anticipating the painful shock versus the TENS shock. There was no evidence the placebo effect persisted during the threat retention stage, as there were no significant differences in heart rate while anticipating the two conditions. Trait anxiety did not significantly influence the placebo response. These findings demonstrate that a placebo intervention affects not only subjective experiences but also physiological responses to threat, highlighting the potential of using placebos as co-interventions for individuals experiencing anxiety.Show less
With an aging population, the need for informal care is rising, significantly impacting caregivers. The Oog Voor Naasten en Nabestaanden “Eye for Family Caregivers” (ON2) was a tailored...Show moreWith an aging population, the need for informal care is rising, significantly impacting caregivers. The Oog Voor Naasten en Nabestaanden “Eye for Family Caregivers” (ON2) was a tailored intervention aimed to involve volunteers and healthcare professionals in providing structural support to informal caregivers in palliative care settings in the Netherlands. The ON2 intervention was implemented with SMART goals, implementation intentions, a workshop, and training sessions with a duration of a year. The study employed a pre-post design to assess the care for informal caregivers by volunteers and healthcare professionals, with data collected via surveys from 98 healthcare professionals, 117 volunteers, and 229 informal caregivers across 15 healthcare organizations. Measures included inquiries about the ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ of informal caregivers, ‘Care Provided’ by volunteers and professionals and ‘Care Received’ by informal caregivers, perceived ‘Competence’ of volunteers and professionals to support informal caregivers, and informal caregiver ‘Satisfaction’. Post-intervention, professionals inquired about ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ from 76.41% and volunteers from 49.36% of informal caregivers. Healthcare professionals showed a significant increase in inquiries and perceived competence, while volunteers showed an increase in perceived competence alone. Informal caregivers reported higher ‘Satisfaction’ with the care they received post-intervention. The informal caregiver reported ‘Care Provided’, and ‘Care Received’ did not significantly increase post-intervention. The healthcare professionals' inquiries about ‘Wellbeing and Needs’ across different settings showed no significant overall change, but informal caregivers indicated more frequent inquiries in hospices and homecare compared to hospitals. Informal caregivers are an important resource for healthcare and their wellbeing is crucial to carry on their several roles. The ON2 intervention demonstrates that structural facilitation of informal caregiver support is achievable in palliative care settings.Show less
This study aims to investigate the effects of exercise-intensity on divergent creativity. It is hypothesized that exercise of moderate and high intensity enhance creativity more effectively than...Show moreThis study aims to investigate the effects of exercise-intensity on divergent creativity. It is hypothesized that exercise of moderate and high intensity enhance creativity more effectively than exercise of lower intensity. The study also investigates if arousal, positive high-arousal affect, and negative high-arousal affect serve as intermediary variables in this relationship. Scarce previous research has suggested a relationship between exercise-intensity and creativity, but studies comparing different exercise-intensities on creativity and potential underlying mechanisms were lacking. To address this knowledge gap, this study compares different intensities, namely low-intensity (cycling at 55% of maximum heart rate), moderate-intensity (cycling at 70% of maximum heart rate), high-intensity (cycling at 85% of maximum heart rate) and a control group, on divergent creativity (i.e., number and uniqueness of creative ideas); And looks at affect and arousal as underlying mechanisms. Happy (positive), elated (positive), upset (negative), tense (negative) and stressed (negative) are used as indicators for high-arousal affect and feelings of wakefulness and alertness as indicators for arousal. Participants in this study completed two appointments, of which the first appointment consisted of a fitness test to measure participants’ maximum heart rate. During the second appointment, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions and their affect and arousal were measured before and after the exercise or control task. Creativity was measured after the exercise or control task was completed. A Kruskal-Wallis Test showed that participants in the moderate-intensity and high-intensity exercise did not show higher creativity. Further, macro PROCESS model 4 revealed a significant effect of moderate-intensity and high-intensity exercise on arousal in comparison to low-intensity exercise and a significant effect of moderate-intensity exercise on positive high-arousal affect, in comparison to the control group. Other than this, the model revealed that none of the mediators significantly explained a relationship between exercise-intensity and creativity. This study thus suggests that exercise-intensity does not play a significant role in creativity enhancement, nor does arousal or high-arousal affect. However, future research is needed to confirm this for other modes of exercise, regular exercise instead of acute bouts of exercise and for different individual characteristics, such as age and gender.Show less
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique showing promise in stroke rehabilitation, with evidence indicating significant enhancement in motor function of...Show moreTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique showing promise in stroke rehabilitation, with evidence indicating significant enhancement in motor function of the contralateral limb following treatment. While TMS appears promising for stroke rehabilitation, there is variability in the level of improvement individuals exhibit. This variability may be attributed to oscillatory neurophysiology, which refers to the rhythmic electrical activity of the brain. Therefore, this study investigated phase-dependent changes in cortical excitability after TMS among stroke patients in affected and unaffected hemispheres. We investigated motor-evoked and TMS-evoked potentials at four phases of the ongoing motor cortical mu rhythm (trough, peak, rising, falling) in both hemispheres (affected, unaffected). Participants comprised N=11 chronic subcortical stroke patients (6 female, mean ± std age: 58 y ± 11.4) with affected lateralized upper-limb impairment. Four blocks of 150 TMS pulses were applied on each hemisphere, targeting the primary motor hotspot of the first dorsal interosseus muscle of the contralateral hand. Participants watched nature videos during stimulation to maintain consistent attention levels. Cortical excitability was assessed by analyzing motor-evoked potentials (MEP) and TMS-evoked potentials (TEP). Results showed that motor responses (measured through MEP amplitudes) were significantly larger at the trough and rising phase compared to the peak phase. No significant differences were observed between the affected and unaffected hemispheres. TEP components, the brain signals in response to TMS, did not exhibit significant phase-dependent changes. While our findings showed a nonsignificant effect of stroke severity, exploratory correlation analyses presented a positive association between higher remaining movement function and enhanced phase-dependent responses to TMS. The findings build upon previous research indicating phase-dependent changes in cortical excitability for MEPs but not for TEPs. The larger MEP amplitudes during trough and rising phases suggest that TMS can be more effective at specific points of cortical activity. Further exploration is needed to assess the efficacy of phase-specific TMS interventions in clinical settings, potentially through larger-scale clinical trials with longitudinal designs and comparative effectiveness studies, aiming to evaluate functional outcomes and determine their impact on motor recovery.Show less
Attentional bias (AB) is when certain stimuli catch attention quicker than others, which varies according to individual characteristics. The study investigated: (1) if there is an AB to or from...Show moreAttentional bias (AB) is when certain stimuli catch attention quicker than others, which varies according to individual characteristics. The study investigated: (1) if there is an AB to or from itch; (2) whether this differs between people with chronic itch and healthy controls; (3) and if there is a possible AB/stress association. This is because understanding ABs to/from itch further elucidates the experience of patients with chronic itch and possible future clinical applications. Furthermore, an explorative analysis compared two tasks measuring AB, namely the Posner cueing and dot-probe task. The two tasks, alongside a stress-questionnaire, were administered online to the participants (N=70). A (frequentist and Bayesian) RM ANOVA was done for the main analysis, and a within- subjects t-test for the explorative task-comparison. Given that the task-comparison found the two tasks differing significantly (p = 0.01 d = -0.31), the results of the two tasks were interpreted separately. Overall, indications of AB being biased away from itch stimuli was found. When the AB was contrasted between participant group (people with and without chronic itch), the Posner cueing task found no significant difference (p = 0.68, ηp 2 = 0.003) whereas the dot-probe task found an AB away from itch-stimuli in patients with chronic itch (p = 0.02, ηp 2 = 0.077). Similar pattern unfolded with the stress-association: the Posner cueing task finding that AB did not significantly differ with stress (p = 0.23, ηp 2 = 0.021). The dot-probe task did find that they significantly differed (p = 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.091) where with higher stress, the AB switched to being an AB towards itch stimuli. The discrepancy between the two tasks aligns with expectations considering that the tasks were found inequivalent - highlighting one of the strengths of this study being that the two tasks were compared. Altogether this points towards differences in what the two tasks tap into, and that the attention of people with chronic itch is biased as a function of stress. Summarizing, AB to itch differed between the two groups and was associated with stress when using dot-probe task, which did not apply to the Posner cueing task.Show less
Extinction learning, a process where conditioned responses to a previously threatening stimulus are reduced, is a foundational process of many therapeutic interventions such as exposure therapy....Show moreExtinction learning, a process where conditioned responses to a previously threatening stimulus are reduced, is a foundational process of many therapeutic interventions such as exposure therapy. Individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment may have impairments in extinction learning processes, potentially affecting the efficacy of these therapies for this population. Investigation of this relationship between childhood trauma and extinction learning can better the development of effective therapeutic strategies for those with trauma histories.. The relationship between childhood maltreatment and extinction learning in healthy volunteers was investigated to explore whether individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment exhibit different patterns of threat extinction compared to those without exposure to maltreatment. Using a cross-sectional design, data was analyzed from healthy adult volunteers, combined from two studies (n= 73), those with and without exposure to childhood maltreatment, divided into two groups based on their Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) scores. Participants completed an extinction paradigm, during which skin conductance responses (SCR) and heart rate (HR) were measured. The results showed that CTQ-exposed participants exhibited heightened HR to CS+ and lower responses to CS- during extinction trials compared to non-exposed individuals, revealing distinct physiological reactions. There were no additional significant differences in SCR and HR extinction and re-extinction patterns between the maltreatment-exposed and non-exposed groups. These findings suggest that childhood maltreatment may not necessarily impair extinction learning in a healthy adult population. Further research with longitudinal designs and clinical populations is needed to further understand how maltreatment experiences may influence extinction processes.Show less
This study investigates how perceptions of status and warmth of help-seekers affect the willingness of help-givers to offer help as well as the type of help they offer (autonomyoriented help...Show moreThis study investigates how perceptions of status and warmth of help-seekers affect the willingness of help-givers to offer help as well as the type of help they offer (autonomyoriented help/dependency-oriented help). Data were collected using a scenario approach (N = 205) in an experimental study, which simulated a debt assistance setting in a municipality. The variables Status (low/high) and Warmth (low/high) were investigated in a betweensubjects design. Participants completed an online survey on perceived warmth, status, and locus of attribution of a help-seeker and indicated their willingness to help as well as the type of help. It was hypothesized that warmth perceptions of help-seekers would influence the likeliness to help, that status perceptions would influence the locus of attributions as well as the type of help and that the effect between status and type of help would be mediated by the locus of attributions. The study did not find support for these hypotheses. However, exploratory analyses revealed a significant positive effect of both Status and Warmth on perceived competence, and significant correlations between locus of attributions and likeliness to help, autonomy and dependency-oriented help, and emotions (admiration/envy/pity) and type of help. These findings underline the role of stereotypes and biases in influencing helping behavior, emphasizing the need for further investigations of helping mechanisms.Show less
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
Childhood trauma is strongly associated with the risk of developing various physical and mental health disorders, such as depression and eating disorders. Three-quarters of chronically depressed...Show moreChildhood trauma is strongly associated with the risk of developing various physical and mental health disorders, such as depression and eating disorders. Three-quarters of chronically depressed people have experienced childhood trauma. Depression, described as a disorder of impaired emotion regulation, is linked to various disordered eating behaviors. Emotional eating, overeating in response to negative affect, is viewed as a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy and may contribute to the creation, maintenance, or worsening of depressive symptoms. This study aimed to examine the association between childhood trauma and emotional eating in a large sample of adults with current or past depression. Given that women show higher prevalence in disordered eating, we tested for a moderation effect of gender. Additionally, we explored how separate subtypes of trauma are related to emotional eating. We used data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), an ongoing naturalistic longitudinal cohort study. The sample consisted of 1,353 individuals (818 women, 355 men) aged 26-75 years (M = 51.30). To assess childhood trauma, depression, and emotional eating, we used the Comprehensive Trauma Interview, CIDI 2.1, and the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. As hypothesized, childhood trauma was predictive of emotional eating. Although women showed higher levels of emotional eating, no moderation effect of gender was found. As the first study in the Netherlands to examine these relationships, the results highlight the importance of assessing childhood trauma in any psychopathology and emphasize the need to screen for emotional eating in the depressed population to better inform treatment options.Show less
Psychotherapy necessarily involves a relationship between a therapist and a client. In examining this relationship, researchers address what is referred to as the therapeutic alliance. Contemporary...Show morePsychotherapy necessarily involves a relationship between a therapist and a client. In examining this relationship, researchers address what is referred to as the therapeutic alliance. Contemporary research established this alliance as an important common factor that has a significant effect on therapeutic outcomes. An alliance rupture is defined as a breakdown in agreement on therapeutic goals or tasks or of the therapeutic bond. Such ruptures are a near inevitable aspect of the therapeutic process. Distinct from existing meta-analyses which explored the relationship of rupture repairs on outcomes, the present research examines the effect that alliance ruptures themselves, identified through direct measures, have on therapeutic outcomes. Five studies were included in the meta-analysis (N = 366). A multilevel model was used to determine an aggregate effect size of ruptures on outcome across the included studies. In agreement with the paper’s hypothesis, the analysis showed a small but consistent positive relationship between ruptures and therapeutic outcomes where increased ruptures correlated with greater impairment in outcomes.Show less
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a common autoimmune disorder. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients may experience cognitive impairments such as memory problems, even after receiving LT4-monotherapy. This...Show moreHashimoto’s thyroiditis is a common autoimmune disorder. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients may experience cognitive impairments such as memory problems, even after receiving LT4-monotherapy. This study investigates the memory performance of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients with residual symptoms after receiving LT4 monotherapy, utilizing participants from the T3-4 Hypo Trial. Memory performance was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) 15-Word Task and the data were compared to normative data from the Advanced Neuropsychological Diagnostics Infrastructure Norms (ANDI-Norms). Results indicate that Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients do not significantly perform different to the general population. This study investigated whether age and sex are potential predictors of memory performance. These factors showed no significant results suggesting that they are not related to memory performance. However, this study does highlight limitations such as possible comorbidity, uneven distribution of sex and education levels that need consideration. Future research is advised to better understand the complex relationship between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and cognitive function. This study contributes to the broader understanding of the relationship between cognitive function and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and underscores the need for future research to develop effective and/or improve existing clinical management strategies.Show less
