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Future thinking is the ability to mentally simulate future scenarios, events, or circumstances that one might be personally involved in. The present study sought to evaluate the Persian version of the Functions of Future Thinking Scale (FoFTS) in a large sample of the Iranian general population and to compare individuals with normal versus pathological worry. The Persian FoFTS had an acceptable 10‐factor structure and the reliability index of all factors was within an acceptable range. The validity was explored in terms of temporal distance of future thinking, past (positive and negative) thinking, self‐efficacy, affect (positive and negative), and mindset (pessimism and optimism). Individuals with pathological worry scored significantly higher on seven functions of future thinking (boredom reduction, death preparation, negative regulation, social bonding, planning, problem‐solving, and decision‐making) compared to individuals with normal worry, and they did not differ on three functions of future thinking (identity contrast, goal setting, and positive regulation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Neurovascular lesions can cause death or disability. Some of them are operable, but surgical approaches are complicated, and proper access to these lesions is crucial. A few of these surgeries occur during the residency educational program, and residents' experience in operating these lesions may be quite inadequate. Using new technologies like 3D-reconstruction of vascular lesion images may result in better training and improve residents' knowledge and understanding of these operations. Methods and Materials/Patients: Four senior neurosurgery residents were enrolled in this study. They were taught to use a 3D image rebuilding program (3D Slicer). They were then asked to rebuild a 3D image of every patient lesion, practice different surgical views, and review anatomical structures around the lesion before surgery Results: All residents mentioned that their knowledge of surgical approaches improved, and they learned more from each operation. Two of them commented that more self-trust during surgeries led to more effective education. Their ability in surgical planning was enhanced too. Attending physicians of these residents believed that this practice improved the residents' skills and educational quality. Conclusion: New technologies can promote residency educational programs. It seems that working on 3D images of lesions before surgery can boost residents' educational attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Nowadays, surgical educations and training experience new problems. Legal issues and patients' rights are a matter of concern in educational hospitals. The high cost of modern technology-based surgical education has also made the training of the residents increasingly difficult. Therefore, it seems that new approaches in the training of surgeons are necessary. One of the strategies for this purpose is the establishment of clinical skill lab programs. Methods and Materials/Patients: In this study, 4 clinical skill lab workshops were designed to increase the residents' clinical skills in a very low-cost setting. We recruited 13 residents in this study. The workshops were categorized as craniotomy, working with a microscope, tissue resection, and microsurgical dissection. After the workshop, the residents and their attending physicians were evaluated by answering the questions about the workshops. Results: According to the evaluations, both residents and their attending physicians believed that these workshops were significantly effective in enhancing these skills. Conclusion: It seems that adding clinical skill lab workshops into the residency curriculum can improve the quality of their training and avoid the stressful environment of an actual operating room and the possible legal problems. Also, residents can learn more in a shorter time and have better self-esteem for training in neurosurgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is widely accepted as a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for a range of mental health problems. It is considered a transsituational vulnerability factor associated with a range of responses to different stressful life situations. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the association between IU and specific psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the moderators of this relationship drawn from IU research and other studies on COVID-19., Method: The studies included were as follows: (i) English-language articles published in peer-reviewed journals or thesis/dissertations; (ii) reporting specific psychological impacts of COVID-19; (c) reporting IU; (iii) case-control studies, prospective cohort studies, experimental studies and cross-sectional studies of large populations and (iv) reporting correlation coefficients between the variables of interest. Studies on participants with a diagnosis of neurological and/or organic impairment were excluded. The databases searched were Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ProQuest, up until 31 December 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias Utilized for Surveys Tool (ROBUST, Nudelman et al., 2020). Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the one-study remove method, and studentized residuals and Cook's distance were examined. A random effects model was used., Results: We examined the association between IU and COVID-19-related psychological impacts across 85 studies from 22 countries (N = 69,997; 64.95% female; mean sample age, 32.90 ± 9.70). There was no evidence of publication bias. We found a medium and positive association between IU and COVID-19-related psychological impacts (N = 69,562, r = 0.35, k = 89, 95% CI [0.32, 0.37]), which was independent of the IU measure used or whether the psychological impact was measured in relation to the virus alone or broader aspects of the pandemic. It was also independent of severity, publication year, sample type and size, study quality, age and sample levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, stress, mental well-being and social support. However, the observed association varied significantly between countries and country income levels (stronger among low-incomes) and across genders (stronger among males) and was stronger for measures with greater reliability and more items, but lower among samples with more people who had been exposed to COVID-19., Conclusions: The findings support that IU is a higher order transsituational vulnerability factor related to cognitive, behavioural and distress responses during the pandemic. Limitations include English-language-only sources, reliance on a wide range of measures that were coded using a novel system and variable risk of bias across studies. The implications are considered in relation to the management of psychological consequences of major situational stressors experienced at a global scale, but the variations at a national and socioeconomic level also have implications for different or localized stressors at a regional or community level., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)