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Anti-gravity treadmills have been used in rehabilitation to manipulate exposure to loading and to prescribe return to outside running. Analysis is typically restricted to the vertical plane, but tri-axial accelerometry facilitates multi-planar analysis with relevance to injury mechanism. In this case a professional male soccer player, 4 weeks post-operative surgery to repair a medial meniscectomy, 8 months after Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction to the same knee, completed anti-gravity treadmill running at 70–95% bodyweight (BW) at 5% increments. Tri-axial accelerometers were placed proximal to the Achilles tendon of the injured and healthy leg, and at C7. The planar acceleration at touchdown highlighted an increase at 85% BW, identifying 70% and 85% BW as discrete loading progressions. C7 (3.21 ± 0.68 m·s−2) elicited lower (P < 0.001) vertical acceleration than the lower limb (9.31 ± 1.82 m·s−2), with no difference between limbs suggesting bilateral symmetry. However, in the medio-lateral plane the affected limb (−0.15 ± 1.82 m·s−2) was exposed to lower (P = 0.001) medio-lateral acceleration than the non-affected limb (2.92 ± 1.35 m·s−2) at touchdown, indicative of bilateral asymmetry. PlayerLoad during foot contact was sensitive to accelerometer location, with the affected limb exposed to greater loading in all planes (P ≤ 0.082), exacerbated at 90–95% BW. Tri-axial accelerometry provides a means of assessing multi-planar loading during rehabilitation, enhancing objective progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: While there is now strong evidence that psychological therapies can alter the activity of individual brain regions, their impact on the functional integration between regions has not yet been systematically evaluated. This area is important given that brain dysconnectivity has been implicated across almost all psychiatric disorders. Accordingly, we sought to establish connectivity predictors and mechanisms of effective psychological therapies. We further establish whether connectivity changes represent normalisation of disorder pathophysiology or compensatory changes. Method: We reviewed studies examining structural and functional connectivity longitudinally as either a predictor or outcome variable of successful psychological therapies across psychiatric disorders. Results: Fifteen studies met our inclusion criteria. All but three related to cognitive behavioural therapy. Of these, five assessed resting state, nine probed affective processing and one probed cognitive processing. Twelve studies reported evidence of functional connectivity as a significant predictor or outcome of cognitive behavioural therapy, with prefronto-limbic circuitry most commonly implicated. Only six studies included healthy participants, limiting direct inferences about normalisation as opposed to compensatory changes. Anxiety disorders were overrepresented, totalling 13 of the studies reviewed. No studies examined structural connectivity or utilised analyses allowing the directionality of functional connectivity to be inferred. Conclusion: While the evidence base is still in its infancy for other therapy approaches, there was clearer evidence that functional connectivity both predicts and is altered by cognitive behavioural therapy. Connections from prefrontal cortex appear especially key, perhaps given their role in cognitive appraisal of lower order affective, motivational and cognitive processes. A number of recommendations are made for this rapidly developing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Allocation of trainee therapist cases is often performed based on intuition and clinical circumstances, with lack of empirical evidence on the role of severity of presenting problem. This has the potential to be anxiety-provoking for supervisors, trainees and service users themselves. Aims: To determine how therapist experience interacts with symptom severity in predicting client outcomes. Method: An intention-to-treat analysis of annual outcome data for primary and secondary care clients seen by a specialist anxiety disorders service. 196 clients were stratified into mild, moderate and baseline severe symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9). We measured percentage change on these measures, as well as number of sessions and therapy dropout. We also examined rates of reliable and clinically significant change on disorder-specific measures. We hypothesized that qualified therapists would achieve better outcomes than trainees, particularly for severe presentations. Results: Overall, outcomes were comparable between trainee and qualified therapists on all measures, and trainees additionally utilized fewer therapy sessions. There was however an interaction between anxiety severity (GAD-7) and therapist group, such that severely anxious clients achieved greater symptom improvement with qualified as compared to trainee therapists. Further, for trainee but not qualified therapists, baseline anxiety was negatively associated with rate of reliable and clinically significant change on disorder-specific measures. Conclusions: These findings indicate generally favourable outcomes for trainee therapists delivering manualized treatments for anxiety disorders. They additionally suggest that trainee therapists may benefit from additional support when working with clients that present with severe anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background There is amassing evidence that risky decision-making in bipolar disorder is related to reward-based differences in frontostriatal regions. However, the roles of early attentional and later cognitive processes remain unclear, limiting theoretical understanding and development of targeted interventions. Methods Twenty euthymic bipolar disorder and 19 matched control participants played a Roulette task in which they won and lost money. Event-related potentials and source analysis were used to quantify predominantly sensory-attentional (N1), motivational salience (feedback-related negativities [FRN]), and cognitive appraisal (P300) stages of processing. We predicted that the bipolar disorder group would show increased N1, consistent with increased attentional orienting, and reduced FRN, consistent with a bias to perceive outcomes more favorably. Results As predicted, the bipolar disorder group showed increased N1 and reduced FRN but no differences in P300. N1 amplitude was additionally associated with real-life risk taking, and N1 source activity was reduced in visual cortex but increased activity in precuneus, frontopolar, and premotor cortex, compared to those of controls. Conclusions These findings demonstrate an early attentional bias to reward that potentially drives risk taking by priming approach behavior and elevating reward salience in the frontostriatal pathway. Although later cognitive appraisals of these inputs may be relatively intact in remission, interventions targeting attention orienting may also be effective in long-term reduction of relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar disorder is characterized by impaired decision-making captured in impulsivity and risk-taking. We sought to determine whether this is driven by a failure to effectively weight the lower-order goal of obtaining a strongly desired reward in relation to higher-order goals, and how this relates to trait impulsivity and risk-taking. We hypothesized that in bipolar disorder the weighting of valuation signals converging on ventromedial prefrontal cortex are more heavily weighted towards ventral striatum inputs (lower-order), with less weighting of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex inputs (higher-order). Twenty euthymic patients with bipolar disorder not in receipt of antipsychotic medication and 20 case-matched controls performed a roulette task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Activity in response to high-probability (‘safe’) and low-probability (‘risky’) prospects was measured during both anticipation, and outcome. In control subjects, anticipatory and outcome-locked activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was greater for safe than risky reward prospects. The bipolar disorder group showed the opposite pattern with preferential response to risky rewards. This group also showed increased anticipatory and outcome-locked activity in ventral striatum in response to rewards. In control subjects, however, ventromedial prefrontal activation was positively associated with both ventral striatum and dorsolateral prefrontal activity; patients evidenced a strong positive association with ventral striatum, but a negative association with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Response to high-probability rewards in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was inversely associated with trait impulsivity and risk-taking in the bipolar disorder group. Our findings suggest that clinically impulsive and risky decision-making are related to subjective valuation that is biased towards lower-order preference, with diminished integration of higher-order goals. The findings extend a functional neuroanatomical account of disorders characterized by clinically impulsive decision-making, and provide targets for evaluating interventions that foster self-control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both theoretical models and functional imaging studies implicate the involvement of emotions within the delay discounting process. However, defining this role has been difficult to establish with neuroimaging techniques given the automaticity of emotional responses. To address this, the current study examined electrophysiological correlates involved in the detection and evaluation of immediate and delayed monetary outcomes. Our results showed that modulation of both early and later ERP components previously associated with affective stimuli processing are sensitive to the signalling of delayed rewards. Together with behavioural reaction times that favoured immediacy, we demonstrated, for the first time, that time delays modify the incentive value of monetary rewards via mechanisms of emotional bias and selective visual attention. Furthermore, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that delayed and thus intangible rewards are perceived less saliently, and rely on emotion as a common currency within decision making. This study provides a new approach to delay discounting and highlights a potential novel route through which delay discounting may be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mania is characterised by increased impulsivity and risk-taking, and psychological accounts argue that these features may be due to hypersensitivity to reward. The neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we examine reinforcement learning and sensitivity to both reward and punishment outcomes in hypomania-prone individuals not receiving pharmacotherapy. Method: We recorded EEG from 45 healthy individuals split into three groups by low, intermediate and high self-reported hypomanic traits. Participants played a computerised card game in which they learned the reward contingencies of three cues. Neural responses to monetary gain and loss were measured using the feedback-related negativity (FRN), a component implicated in motivational outcome evaluation and reinforcement learning. Results: As predicted, rewards elicited a smaller FRN in the hypomania-prone group relative to the low hypomania group, indicative of greater reward responsiveness. The hypomania-prone group also showed smaller FRN to losses, indicating diminished response to negative feedback. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that proneness to hypomania is associated with both reward hypersensitivity and discounting of punishment. This positive evaluation bias may be driven by aberrant reinforcement learning signals, which fail to update future expectations. This provides a possible neural mechanism explaining risk-taking and impaired reinforcement learning in BD. Further research will be needed to explore the potential value of the FRN as a biological vulnerability marker for mania and pathological risk-taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypomania is associated with impulsive decision making and risk taking, characteristics that may arise from hypersensitivity to reward. To date, the neural dynamics underlying intertemporal reward processing have neither been characterized clinically nor in the general population. Taking vulnerability to hypomania as a surrogate model of impulsivity, we utilized event-related potentials to study the neural mechanisms of delay discounting. Methods: In the first experiment, 32 participants completed an established Two Choice Impulsivity Paradigm in which free choice between immediate and delayed rewards was used to quantify impulsivity behaviorally. In the second experiment, electroencephalography was recorded while 32 separately recruited participants completed a speeded response task involving gains and losses of monetary incentives to be paid at three different delays after the experiment. Results: In the first experiment, the hypomania-prone group made significantly more immediate choices than the control group. In the second experiment, the hypomania-prone group evidenced greater differentiation between delayed and immediate outcomes in early attention-sensitive (N1) and later reward-sensitive (feedback-related negativity) components. Proneness to hypomania was also associated with greater N1 amplitude to rewards per se. Conclusions: These results indicate steeper delay discounting in hypomania at multiple stages of information processing. The N1 modulation by valence and delay suggests an attentional bias to immediate rewards, which may drive subsequent cognitive appraisal of outcomes (feedback-related negativity). These results highlight the early influence of attention on reward processing and provide support for reward dysregulation accounts of bipolar disorder. Potential implications for mindfulness training and other therapeutic interventions are highlighted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to develop an experimental paradigm, using healthy controls, to measure change in tactile sensitivity and response bias for subsequent testing of patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). Methods: Participants judged whether or not they detected a weak tactile pulse (presented in 50% of trials). Performance in two conditions (tactile pulses presented with or without a concomitant light) was compared using signal detection analysis to assess whether a task-irrelevant light can invoke the sensation of touch, even in its absence. Results: The results showed that the presence of a concurrent light significantly improved participants'' detection of the tactile stimulus by 13.7% [t(18)=4.24, P<.001]. Also, more false alarms (perceiving that the touch was present when it was not) were made when the light was present [t(18)=2.10, P=.05]. Although differences in sensitivity between the light conditions were not significant [t(18)=1.14, P=.268], participants were more likely to report a touch, regardless of whether a touch was presented or not, in the light-present condition [t(18)=−3.84, P=.001]. Conclusion: When discriminating weak vibration pulses on the finger from no stimulation, a simultaneous light was capable of creating the sensation of touch, even when it was not present. The findings of this research will be of interest to those studying psychosomatic disorders or MUS, where patients experience physical symptoms without an identifiable organic cause. This paradigm provides an experimental measure of such distortions in perception, which may elucidate underlying mechanisms of action. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There has been concern about adolescent mental health during the pandemic. The current study examined adolescent mental health during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Using indicator of psychological distress, wellbeing and resilience, latent profile analysis was used to identify homogeneous mental health groups among young people aged 13–24 (N = 1971). Multinomial logistic regression was then used to examine which sociodemographic and psychosocial variables predicted latent class membership. Four classes were found. The largest class (Class 1, 37.2%) was characterised by moderate symptomology and moderate wellbeing. Class 2 (34.2%) was characterised by low symptomology and high wellbeing, while Class 3 (25.4%) was characterised by moderate symptomology and high wellbeing. Finally, Class 4 was the smallest (3.2%) and was characterised by high symptomology and low wellbeing. Compared to the low symptomology, high wellbeing class, all other classes were associated with less social engagement with friends, poorer family functioning, greater somatic symptoms, and a less positive model of self. A number of unique associations between the classes and predictor variables were identified. Although around two-thirds of adolescents reported moderate-to-high symptomology, most of these individuals also reported concurrent moderate-to-high levels of wellbeing, reflecting resilience. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate how a more comprehensive picture of mental health can be gained through adopting a dual-continua conceptualisation of mental health that incorporates both pathology and well-being. In this way, at-risk youth can be identified and interventions and resources targeted appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to establish the effectiveness of time-restricted eating (TRE) compared with the Mediterranean diet for people with bipolar disorder (BD) who have symptoms of sleep disorders or circadian rhythm sleep–wake disruption. This work builds on the growing evidence that TRE has benefits for improving circadian rhythms. TRE and Mediterranean diet guidance will be offered remotely using self-help materials and an app, with coaching support. Methods: This study is an international RCT to compare the effectiveness of TRE and the Mediterranean diet. Three hundred participants will be recruited primarily via social media. Main inclusion criteria are: receiving treatment for a diagnosis of BD I or II (confirmed via DIAMOND structured diagnostic interview), endorsement of sleep or circadian problems, self-reported eating window of ≥ 12 h, and no current mood episode, acute suicidality, eating disorder, psychosis, alcohol or substance use disorder, or other health conditions that would interfere with or limit the safety of following the dietary guidance. Participants will be asked to complete baseline daily food logging for two weeks and then will be randomly allocated to follow TRE or the Mediterranean diet for 8 weeks, during which time, they will continue to complete daily food logging. Intervention content will be delivered via an app. Symptom severity interviews will be conducted at baseline; mid-intervention (4 weeks after the intervention begins); end of intervention; and at 6, 9, and 15 months post-baseline by phone or videoconference. Self-rated symptom severity and quality of life data will be gathered at those timepoints, as well as at 16 weeks post baseline. To provide a more refined index of whether TRE successfully decreases emotional lability and improves sleep, participants will be asked to complete a sleep diary (core CSD) each morning and complete six mood assessments per day for eight days at baseline and again at mid-intervention. Discussion: The planned research will provide novel and important information on whether TRE is more beneficial than the Mediterranean diet for reducing mood symptoms and improving quality of life in individuals with BD who also experience sleep or circadian problems. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06188754. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the highly infectious nature of COVID-19, social distancing practices are key in stemming the spread of the virus. We aimed to assess the complex interplay among psychological factors, socio-demographic characteristics and social distancing behaviours within the framework of the widely used Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model. The present research employed network psychometrics on data collected during the first UK lockdown in April 2020 as part of the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study. Using a network approach, we examined the predictions of psychological and demographic variables onto social distancing practices at two levels of analysis: macro and micro. Our findings revealed several factors that influenced social distancing behaviour during the first UK lockdown. The COM-B model was successful in predicting particular aspects of social-distancing via the influence of psychological capability and motivation at the macro-and micro-levels, respectively. Notably, demographic variables, such as education, income, and age, were directly and uniquely predictive of certain social distancing behaviours. Our findings reveal psychological factors that are key predictors of social distancing behaviour and also illustrate how demographic variables directly influence such behaviour. Our research has implications for the design of empirically-driven interventions to promote adherence to social distancing practices in this and future pandemics. Supplemental data for this article is available online at [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Established in March 2020, the C19PRC Study monitors the psychological and socio‐economic impact of the pandemic in the UK and other countries. This paper describes the protocol for Wave 6 (August–September 2021). Methods: The survey assessed: COVID‐19 related experiences; experiences of common mental health disorders; psychological characteristics; and social and political attitudes. Adult participants from any previous wave (N = 3170) were re‐invited, and sample replenishment procedures helped manage attrition. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the on‐going original panel (from baseline) was nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and household income, amongst other factors. Results: 1643 adults were re‐interviewed at Wave 6 (51.8% retention rate). Non‐participation was higher younger adults, those born outside UK, and adults living in cities. Of the adults recruited at baseline, 54.3% (N = 1100) participated in Wave 6. New respondent (N = 415) entered the panel at this wave, resulting in cross‐sectional sample for Wave 6 of 2058 adults. The raking procedure re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1.3% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusions: This paper outlines the growing strength of the publicly available C19PRC Study data for COVID‐19‐related interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the psychological wellbeing of some people, there is evidence that many have been much less affected. The Ecological Model of Resilience (EMR) may explain why some individuals are not resilient whilst others are. In this study we test the EMR in a comparison of UK survey data collected from the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) longitudinal study of a representative sample of the United Kingdom (UK) adult population and data from an Italian arm of the study. We first compare data from the third wave of the UK arm of the study, collected in July/August 2020, with data from an equivalent sample and stage of the pandemic in Italy in July 2020. Next, using UK longitudinal data collected from C19PRC Waves 1, 3 and 5, collected between March 2020 and April 2021 we identify the proportion of people who were resilient. Finally, we examine which factors, drawn from the EMR, predict resilient and non-resilient outcomes. We find that the 72% of the UK sample was resilient, in line with the Italian study. In the cross-sectional logistic regression model, age and self-esteem were significantly associated with resilience whilst death anxiety thoughts, neuroticism, loneliness, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms related to COVID-19 were significantly associated with Non-Resilient outcomes. In the longitudinal UK analysis, at Wave 5, 80% of the sample was Resilient. Service use, belonging to wider neighbourhood, self-rated health, self-esteem, openness, and externally generated death anxiety were associated with Resilient outcomes. In contrast, PTSD symptoms and loneliness were associated with Non-Resilient outcomes. The EMR effectively explained the results. There were some variables which are amenable to intervention which could increase resilience in the face of similar future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current study argues that population prevalence estimates for mental health disorders, or changes in mean scores over time, may not adequately reflect the heterogeneity in mental health response to the COVID-19 pandemic within the population. Methods: The COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study is a longitudinal, nationally representative, online survey of UK adults. The current study analysed data from its first three waves of data collection: Wave 1 (March 2020, N = 2025), Wave 2 (April 2020, N = 1406) and Wave 3 (July 2020, N = 1166). Anxiety-depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (a composite measure of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7) and COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the International Trauma Questionnaire. Changes in mental health outcomes were modelled across the three waves. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify subgroups of individuals with different trajectories of change in anxiety-depression and COVID-19 PTSD. Latent class membership was regressed on baseline characteristics. Results: Overall prevalence of anxiety-depression remained stable, while COVID-19 PTSD reduced between Waves 2 and 3. Heterogeneity in mental health response was found, and hypothesised classes reflecting (i) stability, (ii) improvement and (iii) deterioration in mental health were identified. Psychological factors were most likely to differentiate the improving, deteriorating and high-stable classes from the low-stable mental health trajectories. Conclusions: A low-stable profile characterised by little-to-no psychological distress ('resilient' class) was the most common trajectory for both anxiety-depression and COVID-19 PTSD. Monitoring these trajectories is necessary moving forward, in particular for the ~30% of individuals with increasing anxiety-depression levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study was established in March 2020 to monitor the psychological and socio‐economic impact of the pandemic in the UK and other countries. This paper describes the protocol for Wave 5 (March–April 2021). Methods: The survey assessed: COVID‐19 related experiences; experiences of common mental health disorders; psychological characteristics; and social and political attitudes. Adults who participated in any previous wave (N = 4949) were re‐invited to participate. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the longitudinal panel was nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and household income, amongst other factors. Results: Overall, 2520 adults participated. A total of 2377 adults who participated in the previous survey wave (November–December 2020) were re‐interviewed at Wave 5 (61.5% retention rate). Attrition between these two waves was predicted by younger age, lower household income, children living in the household, and treatment for mental health difficulties. Of the adults recruited into the C19PRC study at baseline, 57.4% (N = 1162) participated in Wave 5. The raking procedure re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1.5% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusion: This paper outlines the growing strength of the publicly available C19PRC Study data for COVID‐19‐related interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency has led to numerous attempts to assess the impact of the pandemic on population mental health. The findings indicate an increase in depression and anxiety but have been limited by the lack of specificity about which aspects of the pandemic (e.g. viral exposure or economic threats) have led to adverse mental health outcomes. Methods: Network analyses were conducted on data from wave 1 (N = 2025, recruited 23 March–28 March 2020) and wave 2 (N = 1406, recontacts 22 April–1 May 2020) of the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium Study, an online longitudinal survey of a representative sample of the UK adult population. Our models included depression (PHQ-9), generalized anxiety (GAD-7) and trauma symptoms (ITQ); and measures of COVID-specific anxiety, exposure to the virus in self and close others, as well as economic loss due to the pandemic. Results: A mixed graphical model at wave 1 identified a potential pathway from economic adversity to anxiety symptoms via COVID-specific anxiety. There was no association between viral exposure and symptoms. Ising network models using clinical cut-offs for symptom scores at each wave yielded similar findings, with the exception of a modest effect of viral exposure on trauma symptoms at wave 1 only. Anxiety and depression symptoms formed separate clusters at wave 1 but not wave 2. Conclusions: The psychological impact of the pandemic evolved in the early phase of lockdown. COVID-related anxiety may represent the mechanism through which economic consequences of the pandemic are associated with psychiatric symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way many individuals go about their daily lives. This study attempted to model the complexity of change in lifestyle quality as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its context within the UK adult population. Methods: Data from the COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium Study (Wave 3, July 2020; N = 1166) were utilised. A measure of COVID-19-related lifestyle change captured how individuals' lifestyle quality had been altered as a consequence of the pandemic. Exploratory factor analysis and latent profile analysis were used to identify distinct lifestyle quality change subgroups, while multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to describe class membership. Results: Five lifestyle dimensions, reflecting partner relationships, health, family and friend relations, personal and social activities, and work life, were identified by the EFA, and seven classes characterised by distinct patterns of change across these dimensions emerged from the LPA: (1) better overall (3.3%), (2) worse except partner relations (6.0%), (3) worse overall (2.5%), (4) better relationships (9.5%), (5) better except partner relations (4.3%), (6) no different (67.9%), and (7) worse partner relations only (6.5%). Predictor variables differentiated membership of classes. Notably, classes 3 and 7 were associated with poorer mental health (COVID-19 related PTSD and suicidal ideation). Conclusions: Four months into the pandemic, most individuals' lifestyle quality remained largely unaffected by the crisis. Concerningly however, a substantial minority (15%) experienced worsened lifestyles compared to before the pandemic. In particular, a pronounced deterioration in partner relations seemed to constitute the more severe pandemic-related lifestyle change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge in understanding the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disorders is rigorously quantifying subjective metrics that lie at the core of mental illness, such as low self-esteem. Self-esteem can be conceptualized as a 'gauge of social approval' that increases in response to approval and decreases in response to disapproval. Computational studies have shown that learning signals that represent the difference between received and expected social approval drive changes in self-esteem. However, it is unclear whether self-esteem based on social approval should be understood as a value updated through associative learning, or as a belief about approval, updated by new evidence depending on how strongly it is held. Our results show that belief-based models explain self-esteem dynamics in response to social evaluation better than associative learning models. Importantly, they suggest that in the short term, self-esteem signals the direction and rate of change of one's beliefs about approval within a group, rather than one's social position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two theoretical perspectives have been proffered to explain changes in alcohol use during the pandemic: the 'affordability-availability' mechanism (i.e., drinking decreases due to changes in physical availability and/or reduced disposable income) and the 'psychological-coping' mechanism (i.e., drinking increases as adults attempt to cope with pandemic-related distress). We tested these alternative perspectives via longitudinal analyses of the COVID-19 Psychological Consortium (C19PRC) Study data (spanning three timepoints during March to July 2020). Respondents provided data on psychological measures (e.g., anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, paranoia, extraversion, neuroticism, death anxiety, COVID-19 anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, resilience), changes in socio-economic circumstances (e.g., income loss, reduced working hours), drinking motives, solitary drinking, and 'at-risk' drinking (assessed using a modified version of the AUDIT-C). Structural equation modelling was used to determine (i) whether 'at-risk' drinking during the pandemic differed from that recalled before the pandemic, (ii) dimensions of drinking motives and the psychosocial correlates of these dimensions, (iii) if increased alcohol consumption was predicted by drinking motives, solitary drinking, and socio-economic changes. The proportion of adults who recalled engaging in 'at-risk' drinking decreased significantly from 35.9% pre-pandemic to 32.0% during the pandemic. Drinking to cope was uniquely predicted by experiences of anxiety and/or depression and low resilience levels. Income loss or reduced working hours were not associated with coping, social enhancement, or conformity drinking motives, nor changes in drinking during lockdown. In the earliest stage of the pandemic, psychological-coping mechanisms may have been a stronger driver to changes in adults' alcohol use than 'affordability-availability' alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper outlines fieldwork procedures for Wave 4 of the COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study in the UK during November–December 2020. Methods: Respondents provided data on socio‐political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, and mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress). In Phase 1, adults (N = 2878) were reinvited to participate. At Phase 2, new recruitment: (i) replenished the longitudinal strand to account for attrition; and (ii) oversampled from the devolved UK nations to facilitate robust between‐country analyses for core study outcomes. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the longitudinal panel was representative of the baseline sample characteristics. Results: In Phase 1, 1796 adults were successfully recontacted and provided full interviews at Wave 4 (62.4% retention rate). In Phase 2, 292 new respondents were recruited to replenish the panel, as well as 1779 adults from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, who were representative of the socio‐political composition of the adult populations in these nations. The raking procedure successfully re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The C19PRC Study offers a unique opportunity to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research addressing important public health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) are self-report measures of major depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. The primary aim of this study was to test for differential item functioning (DIF) on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 items based on age, sex (males and females), and country. Method: Data from nationally representative surveys in UK, Ireland, Spain, and Italy (combined N = 6,054) were used to fit confirmatory factor analytic and multiple-indictor multiple-causes models. Results: Spain and Italy had higher latent variable means than the UK and Ireland for both anxiety and depression, but there was no evidence for differential items functioning. Conclusions: The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were found to be unidimensional, reliable, and largely free of DIF in data from four large nationally representative samples of the general population in the UK, Ireland, Italy and Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 continues to pose a threat to global public health. Multiple safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 are available with one-third of the global population now vaccinated. Achieving a sufficient level of vaccine coverage to suppress COVID-19 requires, in part, sufficient acceptance among the public. However, relatively high rates of hesitance and resistance to COVID-19 vaccination persists, threating public health efforts to achieve vaccine-induced population protection. In this study, we examined longitudinal changes in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitance, and resistance in two nations (the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) during the first nine months of the pandemic, and identified individual and psychological factors associated with consistent non-acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination. Using nationally representative, longitudinal data from the United Kingdom (UK; N = 2025) and Ireland (N = 1041), we found that (1) COVID-19 vaccine acceptance declined in the UK and remained unchanged in Ireland following the emergence of approved vaccines; (2) multiple subgroups existed reflecting people who were consistently willing to be vaccinated ('Accepters': 68% in the UK and 61% in Ireland), consistently unwilling to be vaccinated ('Deniers': 12% in the UK and 16% in Ireland), and who fluctuated over time ('Moveable Middle': 20% in the UK and 23% in Ireland); and (3) the 'deniers' and 'moveable middle' were distinguishable from the 'accepters' on a range of individual (e.g., younger, low income, living alone) and psychological (e.g., distrust of scientists and doctors, conspiracy mindedness) factors. The use of two high-income, Western European nations limits the generalizability of these findings. Nevertheless, understanding how receptibility to COVID-19 vaccination changes as the pandemic unfolds, and the factors that distinguish and characterise those that are hesitant and resistant to vaccination is helpful for public health efforts to achieve vaccine-induced population protection against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented global changes in individual and collective behaviour. To reduce the spread of the virus, public health bodies have promoted social distancing measures while attempting to mitigate their mental health consequences. The current study aimed to identify cognitive predictors of social distancing adherence and mental health symptoms, using computational models derived from delay discounting (the preference for smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards) and patch foraging (the ability to trade-off between exploiting a known resource and exploring an unknown one). In a representative sample of the UK population (N = 442), we find that steeper delay discounting predicted poorer adherence to social distancing measures and greater sensitivity to reward magnitude during delay discounting predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, under-valuing recently sampled information during foraging independently predicted greater violation of lockdown guidance. Our results suggest that those who show greater discounting of delayed rewards struggle to maintain social distancing. Further, those who adapt faster to new information are better equipped to change their behaviour in response to public health measures. These findings can inform interventions that seek to increase compliance with social distancing measures whilst minimising negative repercussions for mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID‐19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study aims to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the adult population in multiple countries. This paper describes the third wave of the UK survey (the 'parent' strand of the Consortium) during July‐August 2020. Methods: Adults (N = 2025) who participated in the baseline and/or first follow‐up surveys were reinvited to participate in this survey, which assessed: (1) COVID‐19 related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; (2) the occurrence of common mental disorders; as well as the role of (3) psychological factors and (4) social and political attitudes, in influencing the public's response to the pandemic. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure that the cross‐sectional sample is nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and household income, and representative of the baseline sample characteristics for household composition, ethnicity, urbanicity and born/raised in UK. Results: 1166 adults (57.6% of baseline participants) provided full interviews at Wave 3. The raking procedure successfully re‐balanced the cross‐sectional sample to within 1% of population estimates across selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusion: This paper demonstrates the strength of the C19PRC Study data to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research addressing important public health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The C19PRC study aims to assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the adult population of the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Spain. This paper describes the conduct of the first two waves of the UK survey (the "parent" strand of the Consortium) during March–April 2020. Methods: A longitudinal, internet panel survey was designed to assess: (1) COVID‐19 related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; (2) the occurrence of common mental health disorders as well as the role of (3) psychological factors and (4) social and political attitudes, in influencing the public's response to the pandemic. Quota sampling (age, sex, and household income) was used to recruit a nationally representative sample of adults. Results: Two thousand and twenty five adults were recruited at baseline, and 1406 were followed‐up one‐month later (69.4% retention rate). The baseline sample was representative of the UK population in relation to economic activity, ethnicity, and household composition. Attrition was predicted by key socio‐demographic characteristics, and an inverse probability weighting procedure was employed to ensure the follow‐up sample was representative of the baseline sample. Conclusion: The C19PRC study data has strong generalizability to facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary research on important public health questions relating to the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The over-purchasing and hoarding of necessities is a common response to crises, especially in developed economies where there is normally an expectation of plentiful supply. This behaviour was observed internationally during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the absence of actual scarcity, this behaviour can be described as 'panic buying' and can lead to temporary shortages. However, there have been few psychological studies of this phenomenon. Here we propose a psychological model of over-purchasing informed by animal foraging theory and make predictions about variables that predict over-purchasing by either exacerbating or mitigating the anticipation of future scarcity. These variables include additional scarcity cues (e.g. loss of income), distress (e.g. depression), psychological factors that draw attention to these cues (e.g. neuroticism) or to reassuring messages (eg. analytical reasoning) or which facilitate over-purchasing (e.g. income). We tested our model in parallel nationally representative internet surveys of the adult general population conducted in the United Kingdom (UK: N = 2025) and the Republic of Ireland (RoI: N = 1041) 52 and 31 days after the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were detected in the UK and RoI, respectively. About three quarters of participants reported minimal over-purchasing. There was more over-purchasing in RoI vs UK and in urban vs rural areas. When over-purchasing occurred, in both countries it was observed across a wide range of product categories and was accounted for by a single latent factor. It was positively predicted by household income, the presence of children at home, psychological distress (depression, death anxiety), threat sensitivity (right wing authoritarianism) and mistrust of others (paranoia). Analytic reasoning ability had an inhibitory effect. Predictor variables accounted for 36% and 34% of the variance in over-purchasing in the UK and RoI respectively. With some caveats, the data supported our model and points to strategies to mitigate over-purchasing in future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to estimate the association between anxiety associated with COVID-19 and somatic symptoms, using data from a large, representative sample (N = 2,025) of the UK adult population. Results showed that moderate to high levels of anxiety associated with COVID-19 were significantly associated with general somatic symptoms and in particular with gastrointestinal and fatigue symptoms. This pattern of associations remained significant after controlling for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), pre-existing health problems, age, gender, and income. This is the first evidence that anxiety associated with COVID-19 makes a unique contribution to somatization, above and beyond the effect of GAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest global health threats facing humanity in recent memory. This study aimed to explore influences on hygienic practices, a set of key transmission behaviours, in relation to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour change (Michie et al., 2011).Design: Data from the first wave of a longitudinal survey study were used, launched in the early stages of the UK COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Participants were 2025 adults aged 18 and older, representative of the UK population, recruited by a survey company from a panel of research participants. Participants self-reported motivation, capability, and opportunity to enact hygienic practices during the COVID-19 outbreak.Results: Using regression models, we found that all three COM-B components significantly predicted good hygienic practices, with motivation having the greatest influence on behaviour. Breaking this down further, the subscales psychological capability, social opportunity, and reflective motivation positively influenced behaviour. Reflective motivation was largely driving behaviour, with those highest in reflective motivation scoring 51% more on the measure of hygienic practices compared with those with the lowest scores.Conclusions: Our findings have clear implications for the design of behaviour change interventions to promote hygienic practices. Interventions should focus on increasing and maintaining motivation to act and include elements that promote and maintain social support and knowledge of COVID-19 transmission. Groups in particular need of targeting for interventions to increase hygienic practices are males and those living in cities and suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We reviewed 33 studies of functional connectivity of emotion in healthy participants. • Our results challenge a hierarchical model of emotion processing. • Causal connectivity analyze identify dynamic modulatory relationships between regions. • We derive a quality tool to make recommendations addressing variability in study design. Existing models of emotion processing are based almost exclusively on brain activation data, yet make assumptions about network connectivity. There is a need to integrate connectivity findings into these models. We systematically reviewed all studies of functional and effective connectivity employing tasks to investigate negative emotion processing and regulation in healthy participants. Thirty-three studies met inclusion criteria. A quality assessment tool was derived from prominent neuroimaging papers. The evidence supports existing models, with primarily limbic regions for salience and identification, and frontal areas important for emotion regulation. There was mixed support for the assumption that regulatory influences on limbic and sensory areas come predominantly from prefrontal areas. Rather, studies quantifying effective connectivity reveal context-dependent dynamic modulatory relationships between occipital, subcortical, and frontal regions, arguing against purely top-down regulatory theoretical models. Our quality assessment tool found considerable variability in study design and tasks employed. The findings support and extend those of previous syntheses focused on activation studies, and provide evidence for a more nuanced view of connectivity in networks of human emotion processing and regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Mania is argued to stem from the dysfunctional processing of reward. Investigation of hypomania in healthy samples has the potential to offer refined insight into the particular aspects of reward processing in mania that are dysfunctional. Method: In this study, fMRI was employed in contrasting a sample of 12 unmedicated subclinical hypomanic individuals with a sample of 12 unmedicated controls in order to investigate reward-related processing in a reinforcement-learning task. Results: Four findings in the hypomania-prone group relative to the control group supported atypical reward processing. Firstly, striatal activation that correlated with reward value and prediction error was stronger in response to cues and outcomes respectively, consistent with hypomania being related to an enhanced perception of the value of goals that may lead to reward. Secondly, value-related medial temporal activation was stronger in response to cues, suggesting that in hypomania-prone individuals, stimuli in memory were represented in accordance with their perceived value. Thirdly, these effects failed to be modulated by the actual value of outcomes, suggesting that hypomania is related to a decreased ability to discriminate between cues differing in value. Fourthly, increased insula activation in response to expected, but absent, reward was consistent with a bias towards expecting positive outcomes in decision-making. Conclusion: Together, the findings suggest that enhanced perception and representation of goal-value that nonetheless fails to discriminate on the basis of actual goal-value, coupled with a positive outcome-expectancy bias, could be causally related to insatiable and indiscriminate reward seeking in mania. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]