Introduction: Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and an increased pain sensitivity. Relating psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety to...Show moreIntroduction: Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and an increased pain sensitivity. Relating psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety to pain sensitivity measures could potentially increase our understanding of the multifaceted nature of pain perception. In this study the specific relationship between depression and the pressure pain threshold (PPT) was investigated, as well as the network of associations between depression, anxiety, PPT, temporal summation (TS), and aftersensation (AS). Methods: Fifteen female participants were included in this cross-sectional study. Depression and anxiety were measured with the HADS questionnaire and baseline measures of the PPT, TS, and AS were collected on thumb and tibia muscle locations. The PPT was assessed by applying pressure with an algometer until it became painful; TS was assessed by applying 10 pain stimuli in a row at the PPT level; AS included a pain score 15 seconds after the tenth pain stimulation and a ratio for its relative size. Correlation analysis was performed both on the data of the thumb and tibia muscle, as well as on pooled data. Results: Correlation analysis found no significant correlations between depression and the PPT (rs(13) = .312, p = .257; rs(13) = .047, p = .867; rs(28) = .063, p = .741). Significant correlations were found for depression and anxiety (rs (13) = .800, p < .001; rs(28) = .800, p < .001), PPT and AS (rs(13) = .531, p = .041; rs(13) = .745, p = .001; rs(28) = .442, p = .014), PPT (l) and AS ratio (a) (rs(13) = .525, p = .044), depression and AS ratio (rs(28) = -.361, p = .050), for all correlations between AS and AS ratio, and for all correlations between the thumb and tibia muscle location of each variable (e.g., PPT (a) and PPT (l)). All other relationships were non-significant. Conclusion: Forming solid conclusions remains difficult due to research limitations and explorative analysis. This study does symbolize an innovative scientific step towards using a network approach for looking at a complex condition like fibromyalgia, with the aim to create a more integrative understanding.Show less
Coronavirus disease 2019 has negatively affected the general population, and especially university undergraduates. Attending to and being aware of the present moment in an open, accepting and...Show moreCoronavirus disease 2019 has negatively affected the general population, and especially university undergraduates. Attending to and being aware of the present moment in an open, accepting and compassionate manner (i.e. mindfulness) has been shown to decrease depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and increase positive affect. In our present study, we used network analysis to examine the associations between anxiety, depression, stress, mindfulness and joy. An observational research design was used with a convenience sample of 66 undergraduate students aged 18 to 34 years who completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) on their phones. They were asked eight questionsーtwo psychological constructs and six subclinical psychopathology symptomsーfour times a day for two weeks. Network analysis resulted in temporal and contemporaneous network models, indicating that mindfulness at time t does not significantly predict any variable at later time t+1 on the temporal level. At the contemporaneous level, mindfulness is associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and joy. Given the limitations of the present study and the hypothesis generating nature of network analysis, we conclude that the significant partial correlations between mindfulness, psychological well-being and joy in the contemporaneous network may indicate potential causal relations worth following up on in future research.Show less
Previous research has investigated the association between hunger and mental health. Although constructs such as stress, anxiety and depression have been indeed found to be related to appetite,...Show morePrevious research has investigated the association between hunger and mental health. Although constructs such as stress, anxiety and depression have been indeed found to be related to appetite, results are often contradictory and point to different causal directions. The present study investigates such associations in a student population of 84 individuals, by means of an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method. Participants’ perceived levels of stress, anxiety, depression and hunger were recorded four times per day, during a two-weeks period. In addition, before accessing the study, students had to fill in a baseline assessment, which allowed for a further investigation of the relationship between trait and state hunger. A network approach was utilized for the first statistical analysis, allowing for the depiction of contemporaneous, temporal and between-subjects network, whilst a linear regression analysis was used to compare hunger data at baseline and during EMA. Results failed to replicate previous findings concerning appetite and mental health, as for all networks, hunger was not associated with any other variable of interest. However, we were able to identify a linear relationship between trait and state hunger, with the former being a significant positive predictor of the latter.Show less
