Frontiers in Psychiatry最新文献

{"title":"Genomic structural equation study reveals links between anorexia nervosa and delay discounting and lack of perseverance but not other facets of impulsivity.","authors":"Sevim B Bianchi, Laura Vilar-Ribó, Abraham A Palmer, Daniel E Gustavson, Sandra Sanchez-Roige","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1613776","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1613776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a heritable condition, characterized by a fear of weight gain and a distorted body image, for which treatments are only limited. AN is characterized by excessive control over feeding behaviors, which has been hypothesized to indicate that low impulsivity, including low emotional impulsivity (urgency), may place certain individuals at risk for AN; however, this has not been fully genetically evaluated. We used genomic structural equation modeling and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on individuals of European ancestry (n = 72,517-903,147) to examine the latent genetic architecture between AN and several measures of impulsivity. Because AN is positively genetically associated with substance use disorders (SUDs), which are also strongly associated with impulsivity, we conditioned our analyses using GWAS data from four SUDs (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and opioid use disorders). AN was not significantly genetically correlated with impulsivity latent factors as indices of Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) or Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, and Positive Urgency (UPPS) subscales (common impulsivity, <i>r_g</i> = -0.07; urgency-specific impulsivity, <i>r_g</i> = 0.14; and sensation seeking, <i>r_g</i> = -0.07) but was significantly negatively genetically correlated with delay discounting (<i>r_g</i> = -0.19) and lack of perseverance (<i>r_g</i> = -0.15), even after controlling for SUDs (<i>r_g</i> = -0.32 or <i>r_g</i> = -0.25, respectively). This work suggests that delay discounting and lack of perseverance capture genetically informative dimensions of AN; clarifying shared etiologies could inform AN diagnosis and treatment mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1613776"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271091/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144674480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A sport-for-protection program reduces suicidal ideation in youth affected by displacement: a secondary analysis of the Game Connect trial in Uganda.","authors":"Kathleen Latimer, Rita Larok, John Paul Nyeko, Bashir Lukungu, Simon Rosenbaum, Lydia Murungi, Robinah Nannungi, Jeroen Carrin, Esther Nanfuka Kalule, Ronald Luwangula, Davy Vancampfort","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1569793","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1569793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Displaced youth face numerous stressors and are at high risk of experiencing suicidal ideation. Sport-for-protection programs offer a potentially effective strategy to reduce this risk; however, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating interventions in displacement contexts are lacking.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Displaced youth and youth from host communities in five humanitarian settings across Uganda, aged 15 to 24 years, with at least mild symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and suicidal ideation, were randomized to a 13-session sport-for-protection program or a wait-list control. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, adolescent version (PHQ-9-A) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Logistic and linear regression modeling were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 542 of 817 young people (66.3%) reported suicidal ideation (PHQ-9-A ≥1) in the past 2 weeks. Of these 542, 277 were randomized to the experimental group and 265 to the control group. The median age was 19.0 years, 45.6% were boys, 13.1% had a self-reported or observed disability, 25.8% were from host communities, and 74.2% were displaced youth. The prevalence of suicidal ideation dropped to 11.5% following the sport-for-protection intervention, compared to 53.2% in the control group (Cohen's h = 0.94, P<0.001, indicating a large difference; odds ratio for no suicidal ideation following sport-for-protection vs the control condition = 8.7, 95% confidence interval = 5.6-13.5).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Sport-for-protection is an effective stand-alone or adjunctive intervention to reduce suicidal ideation among young people affected by displacement in humanitarian settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1569793"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144674467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiences of childhood emotional maltreatment and emotional intelligence in young women.","authors":"Thomas Suslow, Anette Kersting, Dennis Hoepfel","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1583066","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1583066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research on the long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment underscores its contribution to impairments in cognitive-affective functions. According to trait models, emotional intelligence is subdivided into experiential abilities (emotion perception and thought facilitation through emotion) and strategic abilities (understanding and managing emotion). In the present study, we examined the relationship of emotional and other forms of childhood maltreatment with overall trait emotional intelligence and its specific facets in women with adverse childhood experiences.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Our sample consisted of ninety-seven young women with experiences of childhood maltreatment as assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Trait emotional intelligence was measured using the Self-Rated Emotional Intelligence Scale (SREIS). Participants' verbal intelligence, cognitive flexibility, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms were also assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Emotional neglect was negatively correlated with the SREIS subscale Understanding emotions. Regression analysis indicated that emotional neglect was a significant predictor of understanding emotion independent of women's verbal intelligence, cognitive flexibility, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Neither emotional abuse nor other CTQ subscales showed correlations with any of the SREIS scores.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Experiences of emotional neglect during childhood but not of other types of maltreatment seem to go along with a decreased ability to understand and verbalize emotional states in adulthood. Thus, early emotional neglect could have an impact on strategic emotional abilities. Emotional neglect may have a greater effect on the development and expression of emotional intelligence than emotional abuse.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1583066"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12271162/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144674470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differential effects of exposure to cooperative versus competitive games on sharing behavior in young children.","authors":"Qian Zhang, JiaLe Ruan, DingYong Xiong","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1545932","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1545932","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous research has documented a relationship between prosocial video games and prosocial behaviors. However, there has been much less evidence on the potential effects of real-life prosocial games. Theoretically, games in which characters cooperate and help each other in nonviolent ways should increase prosocial behavior.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>In this study, we experimentally evaluated the effects of competitive and cooperative games on sharing behavior.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study sample were 120 children (<i>M</i> _age = 4.73 years, <i>SD</i> = 0.49) from two kindergartens in China. Participants were randomly assigned to play the same game for 15 minutes in either a cooperative or competitive setting. Then their sharing behaviors were measured. A 2(Setting) × 2 (Gender) Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was performed, controlling for age.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results indicated that playing a cooperative game (versus competitive game) increased sharing behavior. In addition, we observed a Setting × Gender interaction. Basically, boys' sharing attitudes and behaviors were unaffected by the Setting manipulation, whereas girls' were affected. Similarly, the competitive setting increased girls' sharing attitudes and behaviors, whereas the boys' was relatively unaffected. Precisely, girls reported more sharing behavior than boys in competitive gaming condition.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings of this study suggest that educational practitioners can utilize a cooperative game (versus competitive game) as an effective way to develop sharing behavior among kindergarten children. Boys should be a target group for sharing behavior development, especially in a competitive game setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1545932"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12268353/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Event-related potential evidence of impaired proactive control in individuals with subthreshold depression.","authors":"Zhijun Wang, Jinsheng Hu, Qi Qiang, Zhihong Liu, Qingshuo Yang","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1528316","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1528316","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective and rationale: </strong>Cognitive control deficits are considered as central features of cognitive impairments in depression. The dual mechanisms of control (DMC)-proactive and reactive control-can further elucidate the nature of these deficits. However, evidence regarding proactive control in mild depression remains uncertain. This study investigated alterations of DMC and their related neural correlates in subthreshold depression (SD).</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Participants with SD were identified through a mental health screening and assigned to the SD group (<i>n</i> = 27), while healthy controls (HC) without depressive symptoms were recruited as the control group (<i>n</i> = 28). All participants completed the AX-Continuous Performance Task while measuring behavioral (reaction time and accuracy) and electrophysiological responses (cue-P3 and probe-N2/P3). The primary outcome focused on the alteration of proactive control in individuals with SD, assessed through group differences in BX performance and the cue-P3 component. Secondary outcomes encompassed AY trial performance and probe-N2/P3 components, indexing reactive control alteration in individuals with SD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Slower responses in BX and BY trials were observed for the SD relative to the HC group, indicating the impairment of context processing in individuals with SD. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that cue-P3 components were less positive for the SD group relative to the HC group, indicating reduced cue utilization and attentional allocation to the cue in individuals with SD. Moreover, the positive correlation between the probe-N2 component and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores implies that individuals with SD may rely more on reactive control.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest proactive control deficits in individuals with SD, as evidenced by diminished attentional allocation to the cue and inefficient cue utilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1528316"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12267287/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research trends and hotspots in the mental health of widowed older adults: a bibliometric analysis.","authors":"Doudou Lin, Jiaojiao Wu, Weibing Chen, Xiangying Shen, Zhongxiang Cai, Nian Wang, Dou Fu, Yinglin Li, Xiaojie Ma","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1612813","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1612813","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The mental health of widowed older adults has garnered increasing research attention due to its profound impact on well-being and quality of life. Despite growing scholarly interest, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of evolving research trends, key topics, and knowledge structures remains scarce. This study aims to identify key research themes, emerging trends, and interdisciplinary linkages to inform future studies on the mental health of widowed older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data from the Web of Science Core Collection (2004-2024). CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the R package \"Bibliometrix\" were utilized to visualize publication trends, country and author collaborations, keyword co-occurrences, theme analysis, and emerging research topics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 891 articles were analyzed. The United States produced the highest number of publications, followed by China and the United Kingdom, with the United States, England, and Canada exhibiting strong research collaborations. Depression, prevalence and mental health were identified as core research themes, while life satisfaction and social support emerged as growing areas of interest. Citation burst and thematic evolution analyses revealed shifting scholarly interest from clinical and diagnostic concerns towards psychosocial adaptation and person-centered approaches over time.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This bibliometric study systematically maps the research landscape, hotspots, and emerging trends in the mental health of widowed older adults over the past two decades. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers seeking to identify key research directions, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and develop targeted interventions to support the mental well-being of widowed older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1612813"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12272063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144674481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation and treatment of compulsive sexual behavior: current limitations and potential strategies.","authors":"Lu Zhu, Wenwen Ma, Rongqiu Zhang, Chao Wang, Bing Song, Yunxia Cao, Guanjian Li","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1621136","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1621136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>Despite having been introduced into ICD-11, the appropriate classification and symptomatology of compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) remain controversial.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this review, we examined the historical background, epidemiological status quo, comorbidities, neuroscience theories, current diagnoses, and treatment recommendations for CSBD. Additionally, we emphasized the limitations of the current research and the prospects for future work.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are the preferred treatment methods for CSBD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and naltrexone are commonly used as \"off-label\" drugs. The diagnosis and treatment of patients with CSBD should integrate biological, psychological, and social factors with expertise in sexual medicine by employing a comprehensive and holistic therapeutic approach. This treatment aims not only to control abnormal sexual desires and behaviors but also to assist patients in achieving a healthy and satisfying sexual life and well-being.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Future research should focus on understanding etiology, improving study population representation, correcting methodological flaws in treatment evaluation, enhancing clinician training in sexual medicine, and addressing patients' addictions and sexual function issues. Narrowing these research gaps is crucial for improving clinical diagnosis and treatment levels and formulating targeted social intervention measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1621136"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12268503/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental health and coping among graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a gender-based analysis.","authors":"Keira C M Aubin, Tara A Thachet, Isabella Hotston, Ashley M E Thompson, Kim G C Hellemans","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1532987","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1532987","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the mental health of young adults in Canada, with research showing high rates of depression and anxiety symptomatology. Graduate students, who already experience elevated mental health challenges, represent a particularly vulnerable population-yet research examining their experiences during the pandemic remains limited. This study aims to investigate mental health and well-being outcomes, negative impacts, coping strategies, and gender differences among Canadian graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Canadian graduate students (N = 261) to assess mental health symptoms, well-being, negative impacts, coping strategies, and gender differences during the COVID-19 pandemic using a series self-report of questionnaires (e.g. BDI, BAI, DASS-S). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and t-tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings revealed significant mental health challenges among Canadian graduate students during the pandemic, with high rates of depression, anxiety, and stress reported. Female students reported worse mental health outcomes and experienced greater negative impacts compared to males. Coping strategies predominantly involved avoidant behaviors, such as watching TV and using social media, with gender differences in coping strategies.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Compared to pre-pandemic findings, graduate students in this pandemic sample reported elevated rates of mental health challenges. Women appeared to be disproportionately impacted, reflecting the heightened mental health burden they reported during this period. Avoidant coping strategies were most commonly used-aligning with the socially isolating conditions of the pandemic-with notable gender differences in types of strategies employed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have exacerbated the mental health crisis among Canadian graduate students, with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress reported compared to pre-pandemic findings. Female students face heightened challenges, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive support strategies. Universities should prioritize mental health support and promote healthy coping mechanisms to address the impacts of the pandemic on graduate student well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1532987"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12268504/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Verbal memory in major depressive disorder in a long-term perspective: a five-year longitudinal study of first episode patients.","authors":"Marit Schmid, Eivind Haga Ronold, Maiken Løchen, Åsa Hammar","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1623126","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1623126","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with cognitive impairment, including verbal memory. Limited knowledge exists following memory performance in first episode (FE) MDD. This study investigated verbal memory, depressive symptoms, and relapse in FE MDD over five years, from the trait, state, and scar perspectives. These perspectives suggests that deficits in memory either preexists, manifest in MDD, or exacerbates with every MDD episode, respectively.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty patients and 30 healthy matched controls (HC) were assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test, second edition (CVLT-II) across three test occasions; in the acute phase (Y0), at one-year (Y1) and five-year (Y5) follow-up. The relationship between CVLT-II scores and depression severity (measured by the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale) and relapse at the five-year follow-up, was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The FE MDD group demonstrated significantly poorer performance on List A, Trial 1 immediate free recall at Y0 compared to HC, however correction for multiple comparisons the difference did not reach significance. No differences were observed in any other condition at any time point. Further, the PG had a significant improvement on List A, trial 1 from Y0 to Y5. No associations were found between symptom severity and verbal memory, and no performance differences were identified between patients with and without relapse in a five -year perspective.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>In conclusion, individuals with FE MDD show normal verbal memory performance, but exhibit impaired performance on List A, Trial 1 immediate free recall in the acute phase improving in remission, indicative of a state-related deficit in auditory attention. No evidence of scarring deficits in the FE MDD group was observed in the follow-up period.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1623126"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12267185/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144658920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping research trends in obsessive-compulsive disorder before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a bibliometric analysis focusing on its molecular mechanisms.","authors":"Yuito Inoue, Nobutoshi Ichise, Wataru Ukai, Jun Shinozaki, Toshifumi Ogawa, Takuro Karaushi, Marenao Tanaka, Yukinori Akiyama, Masato Furuhashi, Atsushi Kuno, Tatsuya Sato","doi":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1615497","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1615497","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that primarily develops during adolescence, and is characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. Although multiple factors including heredity, environment, and abnormalities in neural networks and synapses are involved in the onset and exacerbation of OCD, their underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic worsened OCD phenotypes. Hence, this global crisis may have changed the field of molecular-focused OCD research. We conducted a brief bibliometric analysis to investigate changes in prevalent topics in molecular-focused OCD research before (2015-2019) and after (2020-2025) the COVID-19 pandemic using Web of Science and VOSviewer. \"Schizophrenia\" and \"metaanalysis\" remained highly ranked terms in molecular-focused OCD research. In terms of neurotransmitters, the term \"serotonin\" became more prevalent than \"dopamine\" after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, research interest shifted toward younger populations, and there was a noticeable increase in terms related to neural networks such as \"connectivity\". However, only a few specific molecular mechanisms or cellular physiological pathways by which COVID-19 exacerbates OCD have been identified. To address this gap, an additional <i>post hoc</i> analysis focusing on inflammation-related terms was conducted, revealing the emergence of \"oxidative stress\" and \"c-reactive protein\" in studies published after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study highlight several potential clues for elucidating the pathophysiology of OCD and identifying aggravating factors such as COVID-19, while also emphasizing the importance of continued molecular-focused research to establish novel therapeutic targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":12605,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychiatry","volume":"16 ","pages":"1615497"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12263677/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144649229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}