Prosocial behavior, defined as any action taken to benefit another, has maintained persistent interest in regarding its intricate relationship with loneliness and apathy. Loneliness, conceptualized...Show moreProsocial behavior, defined as any action taken to benefit another, has maintained persistent interest in regarding its intricate relationship with loneliness and apathy. Loneliness, conceptualized as a subjective feeling of social isolation is often found comorbid with apathy; one’s reduced motivation to put in effort for others’ benefit relative to one’s own benefit. Although all three variables demonstrate a relationship to one another, research remains scarce regarding their shared impact. However, findings show a positive influence of prosocial behaviors on social connections, consequently decreasing experiences of isolation as well as apathy. This investigation aims to uncover the potential mediating effect of prosocial behavior on the bidirectional relationship of loneliness and apathy. To fill the gap in the literature, assessing both models helps highlight intervention approaches aiming to effectively break the cycle – ultimately improving well-being. Higher levels of loneliness are expected to indicate higher levels of apathy, whereas prosocial behaviors may mediate and limit the negative affect. Ultimately, it is also expected higher levels of apathy lead to higher levels of loneliness, with prosocial behavior possibly mitigating this negative affect. 287 participants underwent a behavioral task assessing their prosocial tendencies, as well as questionnaires measuring their level of loneliness and apathy. Both mediation analyses revealed a significant total effect between the variables. This was indicative of a negligible mediating role of prosocial acts. These results underline the specific gaps left for future research, ranging from exploring the nuanced relationships and contextual factors involved affecting the constructs over time.Show less
Background: The cognitive and neuropsychiatric deficits present in patients with the behavioral variant of Frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) impacts their functionality in the activities of daily...Show moreBackground: The cognitive and neuropsychiatric deficits present in patients with the behavioral variant of Frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) impacts their functionality in the activities of daily living (ADLs). These activities are divided into advanced, instrumental, and basic domains, which begin to be undermined throughout the dementia progression. The detection of the cognitive and behavioral factors involved in the functional impairment of each ADLs domain is crucial for the implementation of suitable treatments. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with 27 patients with bvFTD in its early stage (< 2 years of evolution) and 32 healthy controls. A neuropsychological assessment was carried out wherein measures of cognitive function, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and functionality were obtained. The informant- report Technology-Activities of daily living questionnaire was used to assess the percentage of functional impairment on advanced, instrumental, and basic ADLs. Therefore, higher percentages imply worse performance on ADL. To identify the best determinants for each ADLs domain, three separate standard multiple regression analyses were performed, considering each functional impairment as the dependent variable and executive function, social cognition, disinhibition, and apathy as independent variables. Results: For the basic ADLs, a model that explains 28.2% of the variability was found, in which apathy (β = 0.33, p = .02) and disinhibition (β = 0.29, p = .04) were significant predictors of functional impairment. Concerning instrumental ADLs, the model produced accounted for 58.8% of the functional variability, with apathy (β = 0.70, p < .001) and executive function (β = -0.30, p = .04) as the main contributors. Finally, in terms of advanced ADLs, the model found explains 52.9% of variance, wherein only apathy was a significant predictor (β = 0.69, p < .001). Furthermore, social cognition deficits did not show an influence on functional performance Conclusion: The results of this study show the strong influence of neuropsychiatric features such as apathy and disinhibition with the functional impairment of patients with bvFTD in its early stage. Apathy is the primary determinant of functioning for all the ADLs domains. These results could guide the planning of tailored interventions and quality of life improvement.Show less
