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Purpose: To better understand the multidimensional construct of Fear of Cancer Recurrence (FCR) in cancer survivors, the purpose of this study was to highlight key FCR symptoms and their strongest associations with depression and anxiety comorbidities. This approach is critical for developing effective interventions tailored to cancer survivors. We also investigated whether the network changes its symptom connectivity across different diagnostic and treatment subgroups classified as vulnerable or less vulnerable. Methods. We collected data from 234 cancer survivors (women: 78.20%; mean age: 35.58) who had been diagnosed with cancer, were undergoing cancer treatment, or had completed treatment. In addition to cancer-related data that allowed subgrouping, they completed the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The FCRI is a multidimensional construct that captures symptoms on the spectrum of intrusive thoughts, coping skills, and five others. Networks were estimated using the Gaussian graphical model. Results. The main findings suggest that intrusive thoughts were overall the most influential network symptoms. However, coping skills were central to the network and associated with depression only in the vulnerable subgroups. Conclusions. The present study found that intrusive thoughts were core network symptoms, whereas coping skills and their association with depression were significant only for some subgroups. Implications. Future clinical trials and interventions for FCR should specifically target intrusive thoughts and other repetitive thinking patterns. More research should be conducted to understand the unique characteristics of survivors and their interaction with symptomatology to maximize treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to test a moderated mediation model. We first looked into whether fear of a cancer recurrence mediated the effect of time since diagnosis on trauma centrality, a concept rendering the impact of cancer on one’s self-identity. Secondly, we looked into whether the indirect effect would depend on the stage of diagnosis. We expected a more pronounced indirect effect for early stages as opposed to late stages. We acquired data from 234 cancer survivors (78.02% female; Mage= 35.58), who received a cancer diagnosis, were undergoing cancer treatment or had finished their treatment. Together with demographics and basic medical information, participants completed the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory Short Form (FCRI-SF) and the Centrality of Event Scale – the Short - Form (CED-SF). In line with our expectations, the results confirmed an indirect effect of fear of cancer recurrence which was stronger for survivors in the early stage of diagnosis (i.e., I, II) as compared to those in the late stage (i.e., III, IV). Conclusions and Future Directions. The study emphasizes the significance of taking into account both the disease stage at diagnosis and the length of time since diagnosis when creating interventions to help cancer survivors address their fear of cancer recurrence. Theoretical ramifications and interpretive limitations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The online proliferation of misinformation is pressing both society and business actors to provide effective mitigation strategies. The current study aims to bring more clarity to the common belief that engagement with reliable data will lead to disengagement from inaccurate information. The proposed experiment on 290 volunteers simulates the process of reading a narrative on terrorism — under misinformation or accurate information — followed by exposure to official data. Participants that consulted official data following exposure to misinformation (N = 43) did not differ from participants exposed solely to misinformation in regard to the level of worry about terrorism (N = 43). Similarly, there was no significant difference between misinformation (N = 43) and accurate (N = 47) information groups in the level of worry about terrorism after consulting official data. However, the role of media engagement has proven essential: when presented with accurate information followed by reliable data, participants' worry about terrorism decreased significantly, but only for those highly engaged with news concerning terrorism. Similarly, when presented with misinformation followed by reliable data, participants' worry significantly increased, but only for those not engaged with terrorism-related news. Further analyses revealed a polarization effect within the group of participants exposed to inaccurate information and reliable data, with the engagement with terrorism-related news and conservatism as predictors. These findings broaden the literature on strategies to tackle misinformation, by clarifying the role of fact-checking and narrative unpacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is known to affect how individuals perceive social exchanges, either negative or positive ones. These difficulties are thought to partly arise from depression-related guilt and rejection sensitivity. Here, we examined whether individuals with elevated levels of depression reported more guilt after engaging in a series of controlled exchanges in the Ultimatum Game (UG) and if rejection sensitivity mediated this relationship in negative interactions. To this end, we utilized a multi-round, multi-shot UG in which participants (N = 72) were sequentially paired with (1) unfair and (2) altruistic allocators. State guilt and perceived fairness ratings were collected throughout the Ultimatum Game. Alternatively, we looked into perceived fairness of received offers and harm caused to the allocator as potential moderators of the mediation model. As expected, we found that rejection sensitivity partially mediated the relationship between depression and guilt. Interestingly, the effect of depression through rejection sensitivity on guilt was stronger when participants caused more harm to the allocator than when they perceived the allocator as extremely unfair. A path analysis was performed as well to check for goodness of fit of the moderated mediation model. Exploratory, we looked at how depression may interfere with the emotional and behavioral response in positive exchanges as well. Overall, our findings may contribute to the understanding of the dynamics in interpersonal transactions of depressed individuals with relevance for counseling and diagnosis. Theoretical implications and interpretive caveats are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopted a cumulative risk approach to examine the relations between various domains of risk factors (i.e., social isolation and home confinement, other pandemic-related risk factors, and pre-existing psychosocial risk factors) and carers' and children's mental health during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The sample consisted of 1475 carers of 6- to 16-year-old children and adolescents residing in five European countries (Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Spain, and The Netherlands) who completed an online survey. The results showed that each of the three domains of adversity accounted for unique variation in carers' and children's mental health outcomes. Also, the results indicated that pre-existing psychosocial risk factors moderated the relationship between pandemic-related risk factors and children and carers' anxiety and between social isolation and confinement and carers' well-being. Simple slopes analysis suggested a stronger relationship between these domains of adversities and mental health outcomes in already more vulnerable families. It is important to consider the implications of social isolation measures and confinement for families' mental health, paying special attention to families with pre-existing psychosocial vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disgust sensitivity plays a key role in generating and maintaining outgroup biases. To test our hypotheses, we used a quasi-experimental between-subjects design, in which participants were randomly assigned to a disgust induction condition (N = 102) or a non-induction neutral group (N = 92). The induction scenario featured the return of the diaspora to their home country due to COVID-19 concerns. In one scenario, the diaspora lied about the country they arrived from, and in the other, there was no moral transgression. We hypothesized that the effect of disgust sensitivity on dehumanization and aggressive tendencies passed through contamination fear and the moderated mediation model indicated that this indirect effect was stronger for participants in the disgust-induction than in the non-induction group. This effect was found for biological dehumanization and passive aggression outcomes, both related to outgroup bias. Consistent with the role of disgust as a disease-avoidance mechanism, our results suggest that disgust could facilitate stronger outgroup bias in the context of a high health threat, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine cross-cultural differences, as operationalized by Schwartz's refined theory of basic values, in burnout levels among psychotherapists from 12 European countries during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We focused on the multilevel approach to investigate if individual- and country-aggregated level values could explain differences in burnout intensity after controlling for sociodemographic, work-related characteristics and COVID-19-related distress among participants. 2915 psychotherapists from 12 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Great Britain, Serbia, Spain, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland) participated in this study. The participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey, the revised version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and a survey questionnaire on sociodemographic, work-related factors and the COVID-19 related distress. In general, the lowest mean level of burnout was noted for Romania, whereas the highest mean burnout intensity was reported for Cyprus. Multilevel analysis revealed that burnout at the individual level was negatively related to self-transcendence and openness-to-change but positively related to self-enhancement and conservation values. However, no significant effects on any values were observed at the country level. Male sex, younger age, being single, and reporting higher COVID-19-related distress were significant burnout correlates. Burnout among psychotherapists may be a transcultural phenomenon, where individual differences among psychotherapists are likely to be more important than differences between the countries of their practice. This finding enriches the discussion on training in psychotherapy in an international context and draws attention to the neglected issue of mental health among psychotherapists in the context of their professional functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social anxiety (SA) is characterized by marked difficulties in forming and maintaining social relationships. Several theoretical perspectives suggest that individuals with social anxiety tend to prioritize social rank goals. As such, the socially anxious view the world in hierarchical rather than cooperative terms. Methods: One hundred and eleven participants were assigned to one of three subgroups based on SA severity and depressed mood. The resulting subgroups consisted of participants with elevated levels of SA, with and without depressed mood (n = 46 and n = 24, respectively) as well as non-anxious participants (n = 41). By using an asymmetrical Ultimatum Game (UG) in which participants' identities were concealed, we sought to investigate how SA levels modulate behavioural responses to unfair treatment and to subsequent fairness considerations. Results: Overall, SA was associated with higher rejection rates of unfair splits, which suggests that participants with elevated SA prioritize fairness over financial maximization. Our findings also show that SA was associated with a tendency toward costly punishment, that is, both SA subgroups engaged in more punitive actions in spite of financial loss. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings show that given the chance, individuals with elevated SA can resort to active punishment instead than acting submissively in asymmetric interactions, in partial disagreement with theoretical models of SA. We further advance that social rank threats are important drivers of punitive actions in SA. Empirical and practical implications, as well as interpretative caveats, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate factors associated with resilience in familial caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database, with the registration number CRD42018105180. Several electronic databases were searched for studies. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on 26 selected studies that associated resilience to an array of other variables (i.e., psychological distress, social support, coping, perceived health, life satisfaction). Overall, the significant pooled effect sizes were small to medium, ranging from r = 0.291 for coping to r = 0.442 for social support. Although the literature on the topic has improved, there is a lot of study heterogeneity and the need for focusing on male caregivers becomes evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpretation biases are a core feature of social anxiety. Used to automatically train positive interpretation biases, the existing versions of Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation (CBM-I) render mixed results. The current study presents the development and testing of a one-session novel adaptation of CBM-I for social anxiety that provides an adaptive instead of a positive meaning to socially loaded situations. Informed by Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy and latest theoretical upgrades, we argue that biases exist on a continuum from adaptive to maladaptive and defining them by valence may fuel unrealistic positive illusions. A hundred forty volunteers with high social anxiety were randomized to the CBM-I or to the sham-training condition. Baseline, post-training, and during impromptu speech assessments of self-reported anxiety were made, while adaptive interpretation bias was measured at baseline and post-training. First, near-transfer effects in favor of the CBM-I group were found. Second, no far-transfer effects were found regarding the anxiety experienced during the speech. Third, a main finding was that changes in interpretation bias fully mediated training effects on anxiety. To our knowledge, this is the first CBM-I study to evidence that experimentally induced changes in interpretation mediate changes in anxiety. The therapeutic potential of this new adaptation of CBM-I requires testing in clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03500-5. The Funding information section was missing from this article and should have read "This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-2140, within PNCDI III" and author Ioana R. Podina and Liviu A. Fodor should have been denoted as contributed equally to this work and share first authorship. [Extracted from the article]

The definition published by the National Society of Genetic Counselors' Task Force states that genetic counseling is the process of facilitating people's understanding and adaptation to the medical, psychological, and familial collateral consequences of genetic diseases. Although the definition of genetic counseling practice goes beyond giving medical information, the great majority of studies, which tested the efficacy of a genetic counseling intervention, focused mainly on providing medical information and seemed to have given less attention to more specific psychological interventions, which could have addressed emotional distress and significant behavioral change relevant to the medical outcomes. Although most genetic counseling theorists recognize the complex emotional, behavioral, and family contexts in which the counselees find themselves during this process, very few studies have investigated the role of specific psychological interventions in the genetic counseling package. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the counseling framework with the most empirical support for a wide range of psychological problems. Consequently, we propose an evidence-based system of psychological interventions CBT that could be added to the genetic counseling paradigm in helping clients deal with specific difficult life situations and the emotional distress associated with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined a circumscribed class of cognitions (i.e., dispositional optimism and perceived consequences) in connection to the emotional distress experienced in anticipation of a major seismic event (i.e., pre-hazard emotional distress). Grounded on cognitive-behavioral theory, it was argued that dispositional optimism exerts distal influence on distress, while the perceived consequences of a major seismic event are proximal to distress and, therefore, interpose the optimism-distress relationship. The hypothesis was tested via a cross-sectional study on a sample of 189 volunteers located in areas of high seismic hazard. Participants reported their level of pre-hazard emotional distress, their dispositional optimism, and their perceived consequences of a major seismic hazard. The results showed that there was a partial indirect effect from dispositional optimism to emotional distress via perceived consequences, indirect effect = −0.190, SE = 0.114, 95 % CI [−0.487; −0.021], k = 0.051. These findings could inform future prevention programs targeting emotional distress in anticipation of a natural hazard with impact on post-disaster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several meta-analyses indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) via electronic/technological devices or applications (i.e., eCBT) is an effective alternative to standard therapist-delivered CBT for anxious adults. However, we know little about the efficacy of eCBT interventions for anxious children and adolescents. The present meta-analysis set out to investigate the efficacy of eCBT in comparison to standard CBT or waitlist control for anxious children and adolescents. Eight randomized controlled studies (N = 404 participants) that targeted anxiety at post-intervention and follow-up were included in the analysis. The results indicated that eCBT was as effective as standard CBT (g = .295) and more effective than waitlist (g = 1.410) in reducing anxiety symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed that anxious children and adolescents benefited the most from eCBT in the minimal therapist involvement condition (g = 2.682) in contrast to the significant therapist involvement group (g = .326). Furthermore, older participants seemed to extract greater clinical benefits from eCBT in contrast to younger participants (slope = .514). Current eCBT interventions for anxious children and adolescents appear to be promising, but require further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]