Journal of affective disorders最新文献

{"title":"Network analysis of misophonia symptoms using the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire.","authors":"Yanyan Shan, Marta Siepsiak, Kibby McMahon, Rachel Guetta, Lisalynn Kelley, Tao Chen, M Zachary Rosenthal","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Misophonia is a complex disorder characterized by a strong aversion to specific sounds, leading to significant distress and impairment. While the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (DMQ) is one of the most comprehensive and validated measures for assessing misophonia, the relative importance of specific subscales and items within the DMQ remains unclear. Network analysis enables an understanding of the interconnections among subscales, providing insights into which parts of the measure are most central to the others. This study employed network analysis to examine the interconnections among DMQ subscales and identify the most central components of misophonia symptomatology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Network analysis was conducted on DMQ data from 144 adults with varying levels of misophonia symptoms. Four network models were examined: overall misophonia, symptoms, beliefs, and impairment. Sex differences were also explored.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Impairment subscale emerged as the most central in the overall network for both males and females. Key items included cognitive reactions (\"I need to get away from the sound,\" \"I thought about physically hurting the person making the sound\") as well as affective reactions (panic, anger) in the symptom sub-network, non-acceptance of misophonia beliefs (\"I hate being like this\") in the belief sub-network, and deterioration of self-esteem due to misophonia in the impairment sub-network. Females reported more severe cognitive and physiological symptoms than males.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The DMQ Impairment subscale and specific items identified as most central in each network may represent key aspects of misophonia symptomatology. Prioritizing these components in assessment and intervention efforts may be beneficial when appropriate.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1190-1200"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parent perceptions of various treatment approaches for PANS and PANDAS.","authors":"Megan M Dailey, Gianna M Colombo, Caitlin M Pinciotti, Sarah J Sadek, Eyal Muscal, Kirti Saxena, Wayne K Goodman, Eric A Storch","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.100","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDAS) is characterized by sudden, dramatic onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) following a Group A Streptococcus infection. Pediatric acute neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) refers to sudden, dramatic onset OCD and/or restricted eating triggered by infections and other inflammatory reactions. A variety of treatments have been utilized for PANS/PANDAS; however, there is no \"gold standard\" intervention protocol. Parental expectations of a given treatment have been found to improve a child's overall treatment experience; however, parent attitudes towards PANS/PANDAS treatments are unknown, which was the purpose of this study. An online survey was distributed to 208 parents of children with self-reported PANS/PANDAS. Treatments were grouped together within overarching categories (i.e., psychotherapy, psychiatric/psychotropic, inflammation/infection mitigation, supplements, lifestyle changes, and surgery). Categorically, parents rated inflammation/infection mitigation interventions and lifestyle changes as most appropriate, and psychiatric/psychotropic interventions as least appropriate. At the individual level, treatments including antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, intravenous immunoglobulin, and family counseling received ratings between \"appropriate\" and \"extremely appropriate\" Alternatively, treatments including deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, antidepressant medications, and exposure and response prevention received ratings between \"inappropriate\" and \"extremely inappropriate.\" Study limitations include a lack of gender and race representation in our sample. Findings indicate a need for dissemination of current, relevant research to the parent population as well as further examination of the parent experience throughout onset, diagnosis, and treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1215-1222"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Who decides to follow the referral advice after a positive postpartum depression screening result? Reflections about the role of sociodemographic, health, and psychological factors from psychological consultations - a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Magdalena Chrzan-Dętkoś, Natalia Murawska, Marta Łockiewicz","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objective: </strong>Postpartum depression (PPD), a common and severe mental health problem, affects about 13-20 % of new mothers. Despite the psychological intervention's effectiveness, referral uptake rates among affected women are low. In the article, we aim to characterise those new mothers who adhered to referral advice after a positive PPD screening result.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>9161 women had taken part in a midwife-led PPD screening. Those who scored equal to or more than ten points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were referred for psychological consultations (12 %, n = 1109). We used data gathered during the realization of a PPD prevention programme. The following measures were used: EPDS, a sociodemographic and health data survey, and psychological consultation cards.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that only 85 (8 %) of referred mothers later enrolled in psychological consultations. Those mothers who adhered to the referral advice had higher EPDS (total score) and EPDS - 3A anxiety scores than mothers who did not contact a psychologist. Moreover, they had a higher gestational age at birth and, on average, fewer children. More PPD symptoms, C-section experience, self-assessed good financial situation and a postgraduate higher education degree were predictors of seeking help.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A mother's decision to follow the referral advice is crucial in mental health prevention and should be treated as an addition to a separate step 2: referral in a 3-step PDD management process, with identification constituting a step 1, and intervention - a step 3.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1122-1130"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Costs and benefits of item reduction: The abridgment of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ).","authors":"Giusy Danila Valenti, Palmira Faraci","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.079","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Shortening existing instruments is a highly required procedure, as short scales may have several advantages over the long versions, especially in time and/or resources restrictions. However, abbreviated forms may be weaker than their parent versions from both content coverage and psychometric robustness. Also, the abridgment of instruments is often lacking in methodological strictness, and the potential drawbacks of the shortened scales are rarely reported. The current study aims to describe the whole process of scale shortening, emphasizing the potential costs and benefits, in terms of balance between time-resource savings and loss of validity and reliability. We shortened the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), involving a sample of 459 participants (53.2% males). Item reduction was driven by searching to preserve the content breadth of the construct and scale's psychometric quality. Our results supported the two-factor structure of the measure (Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression), χ²₍₈₎ = 11.357 ns, CFI = 0.995, TLI = 0.990, RMSEA = 0.030 (0.000-0.067), SRMR = 0.031, and three items were selected for each subscale. The two intended factors showed good levels of reliability (α > 0.710). A latent variable model was performed to evaluate how the original ERQ and our proposed short version (ERQS) were related to depression, anxiety, and stress: A similar pattern of associations was found, with Cognitive Reappraisal (negatively) and Expressive Suppression (positively) reporting significant but weak associations. The ERQ-S can be beneficial over the original version, as it effectively assesses the two emotion regulation strategies with a trivial loss in reliability and predictive validity.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":"369 ","pages":"978-985"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Abnormal brain entropy dynamics in ADHD.","authors":"Xiaoyang Xin, Shuangshuang Gu, Cuiping Wang, Xiaoqing Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Brain entropy (BEN) is a novel measure for irregularity and complexity of brain activities, which has been used to characterize abnormal brain activities in many brain disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While most research assumes BEN is stationary during scan sessions, the brain in resting state is also a highly dynamic system. The BEN dynamics in ADHD has not been explored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used a sliding window approach to derive the dynamical brain entropy (dBEN) from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) dataset that includes 98 ADHD patients and 111 healthy controls (HCs). We identified 3 reoccurring BEN states. We tested whether the BEN dynamics differ between ADHD and HC, and whether they are associated with ADHD symptom severity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>One BEN states, characterized by low overall BEN and low within-state BEN located in SMN (sensorimotor network) and VN (visual network), its FW (fractional window) and MDT (mean dwell time) were increased in ADHD and positively correlated with ADHD severity; another state characterized by high overall BEN and low within-state BEN located in DMN (default mode network) and ECN (executive control network), its FW and MDT were decreased in ADHD and negatively correlated with ADHD severity.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>The window length of dBEN analysis can be further optimized to suit more datasets. The co-variation between dBEN and other dynamical brain metrics was not explored.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings revealed abnormal BEN dynamics in ADHD, providing new insights into clinical diagnosis and neuropathology of ADHD.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1099-1107"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining depression, antidepressants use, and class and their potential associations with osteoporosis and fractures in adult women: Results from ten NHANES cohorts.","authors":"Humam Emad Rajha, Reem Abdelaal, Khouloud Charfi, Aisha O Alemadi, Alyaa S Al-Sheraim, Mubarak A Al-Maadid, Youssef Louati, Suhail Doi, Salma M Khaled","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.114","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Osteoporosis, a significant public health concern, affects millions of adult women globally, leading to increased morbidity and fracture risk. Antidepressant use, prevalent in this demographic, is suggested to influence bone mineral density (BMD), yet evidence remains limited across antidepressant classes.</p><p><strong>Objective/aim: </strong>We investigated the association between antidepressant use and osteoporosis in a representative sample of adult women in the United States, focusing on different classes of antidepressants and their potential associations with BMD and fracture risk.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from ten cohorts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 1999-2000 to 2017-2020. The sample included adult women, with data collected on antidepressant use, BMD scores, and reported fractures. Statistical models adjusted for potential confounders such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), age, physical activity, and comorbidities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Antidepressant use was associated with a 44 % increase in the odds of osteoporosis. Phenylpiperazines showed the highest association, followed by miscellaneous antidepressants and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) also demonstrated significant, though comparatively lower associations. The odds of fractures were elevated by 62 % among antidepressant users, particularly with phenylpiperazines and miscellaneous antidepressants. A dose-response analysis indicated that both the number and duration of antidepressants were associated with increased odds of osteoporosis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings underscore the need for heightened awareness of the adverse effects of antidepressants on bone health, particularly in adult women. Careful consideration is necessary when prescribing these medications, especially in populations at risk for osteoporosis and MDD.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1223-1232"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142567896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adjunctive cariprazine for the treatment of major depressive disorder: Number needed to treat, number needed to harm, and likelihood to be helped or harmed.","authors":"L Citrome, I Reda, M Kerolous","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The number needed to treat (NNT) for efficacy and number needed to harm (NNH) for tolerability/safety were evaluated for adjunctive cariprazine in major depressive disorder (MDD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were extracted from five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of adjunctive cariprazine in MDD. NNTs (response, remission, severity shift) and NNHs (discontinuations due to adverse events [AEs], AEs, laboratory shifts) were determined in dose groupings; likelihood to be helped/harmed (LHH) was calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>NNTs (95 % CI) for adjunctive cariprazine versus placebo were statistically significant at week 6/early termination for response on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), as defined by a decrease in total score ≥ 50 % (doses ≥ 1 mg/d = 12 [9-21]; 1-2 mg/d = 12 [8-25]; 2-4.5 mg/d = 14 [9-43]) and other response/remission outcomes. NNHs for cariprazine versus placebo were generally ≥ 10 for AEs that were statistically significant; an apparent dose-response was seen for akathisia (lower dose = 24 [17-43]; higher dose = 9 [7-11]). LHHs were ≥ 1 (acceptable benefit/harm ratio) for MADRS total score response versus most important cariprazine AEs in most dose groupings. For response versus discontinuation because of an AE, adjunctive cariprazine 1-2 mg/d had a more favorable response/tolerability profile in indirect comparison with other approved atypical antipsychotics.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>Post hoc analysis; indirect comparisons.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Patients receiving adjunctive cariprazine encountered benefits more often than harms; NNT values at week 6/early termination were statistically significant versus placebo on response/remission outcomes across dose groupings from the five pooled studies. Adjunctive cariprazine was well tolerated; NNH values versus placebo were generally > 10, with better akathisia tolerability in the lower-dose range.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1238-1247"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142466086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reduced resting-state functional connectivity of default mode network subsystems in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.","authors":"Qihui Guo, Rongrong Zhu, Huixia Zhou, Zheng Ma, Ying He, Dongmei Wang, Xiangyang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.109","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Neuroimaging studies have reported extensive resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) abnormalities in the default mode network (DMN) in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but findings are inconsistent. DMN can be divided into three subsystems: core, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC), and medial temporal lobe (MTL). This study aimed to explore abnormalities in rsFC strength within and between DMN subsystems in OCD patients, and their relationship with clinical symptoms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study recruited 39 OCD patients and 45 healthy controls (HCs). OCD symptoms were assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS). The seed-to-seed method was used to construct rsFC matrix. The rsFC strength within and between the three DMN subsystems were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared to the HC group, the OCD group exhibited reduced rsFC strength within core subsystem (F = 7.799, p = 0.007, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.042). Further, this reduction was also observed in the unmedicated OCD group (n = 19), but not in the medicated OCD group (n = 18). In addition, rsFC strength within core subsystem was negatively correlated with the obsession subscale of YBOCS in the OCD group (r = -0.512, p = 0.004, Bonferroni corrected p = 0.008). Further, this correlation was also significant in the unmedicated OCD group, but not in the medicated OCD group.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that reduced rsFC strength within core subsystem is a feature of OCD patients and may serve as a potential biomarker of obsession severity. Moreover, pharmacological treatments may affect rsFC strength in DMN.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1108-1114"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative efficacy of PsyPills and OCAT mobile psychological interventions in reducing depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms: A blinded randomized clinical trial.","authors":"Vasile Sîrbu, Oana Alexandra David, Alvaro Sanchez-Lopez, Ivan Blanco","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Digital applications, such as in smartphone apps format, have shown high suggestive evidence for their efficacy in reducing general distress, but rigorous studies of their efficacy in symptom change and the mechanisms involved are still needed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the current multi-arm parallel-group randomized trial, participants aged 18-65 with smartphone access were recruited through social media. They were randomly assigned to two app interventions (PsyPills and OCAT) or an active placebo group (shamOCAT). The primary outcome was psychological distress measured up to one month.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 229 participants from diverse regional and demographic groups of the general population of Romania were randomly allocated into the three groups (PsyPills n = 80; OCAT n = 70; shamOCAT n = 79) and included in intention-to-treat analyses. Both the PsyPills (MD = -522; 95%CI = -10.00 to -0.44; d = 0.48) and OCAT (MD = -6.30; 95%CI = -11.39 to -1.21; d = 0.58) reduced significantly, with medium effect sizes, the psychological distress levels compared with the control group at follow-up. For the separate outcomes, only PsyPills showed significant medium reduction effects for anxiety symptoms (MD = -2.17; 95%CI = -3.83 to -0.50; d = -0.60), while OCAT showed reduction effects of small size for depression (MD = -1.50 (95%CI = -3.53 to 0.54, d = -0.34), that was however statistically nonsignificant.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>We registered high attrition and low adherence rates. Also, lower-than-planned effects might have been statistically underpowered to detect.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results support the high potential of both apps as scalable tools to provide low-intensity self-guided interventions for common psychological problems in the general population and expand opportunities for further research (e.g., confirm and capitulate on the differential effects).</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"945-953"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142466089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sniffing out a solution: How emotional body odors can improve mindfulness therapy for social anxiety.","authors":"Cinzia Cecchetto, Elisa Dal Bò, Emma T Eliasson, Elisa Vigna, Ludovica Natali, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, Alberto Greco, Fabio Di Francesco, Gergö Hadlaczky, Johan N Lundström, Vladimir Carli, Claudio Gentili","doi":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Human body odors (BOs) serve as an effective means of social communication, with individuals exposed to emotional BOs experiencing a partial replication of the sender's affective state. This phenomenon may be particularly relevant in conditions where social interactions are impaired, such as social anxiety. Our study aimed to investigate if emotional human BOs could augment the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We enrolled 48 women with social anxiety symptoms and assigned them to groups exposed to happiness BO, fear BO, or clean air. Participants engaged in mindfulness practice over two consecutive days, which included breathing, meditation, and relaxation exercises. During these interventions, the odor specific to each group was presented. Affective symptoms were assessed at the beginning and end of each day, with heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) recorded during the intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Self-reported anxiety level revealed a significant reduction in anxiety on the second day for both happiness and fear conditions, but not for the clean air group. However, on a physiological level, fear BO exposure compared to clean air led to decreased HRV, indicating that fear BO may induce a less physiological relaxed state. No significant differences were observed in SCL between odor conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings suggest that exposure to BOs triggers the perception of a \"social presence\", improving the ecological validity of a psychological treatment. If replicated and expanded, these findings could pave the way for using BOs as catalysts in existing therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":14963,"journal":{"name":"Journal of affective disorders","volume":" ","pages":"1082-1089"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142500794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}