BMC Psychology最新文献

{"title":"Gender-specific interpersonal neural synchronization during same-gender closeness-building interactions among strangers: an fNIRS hyperscanning study.","authors":"Yuhang Li, Shibo Zhou, Liutong Ou, Yilin Hu, Xiuyun Lin, Qi Zhao, Rihui Li, Peilian Chi","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05129-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05129-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Self-disclosure, sharing of personal information, is crucial for initiating and deepening interpersonal relationships. Although it has been consistently shown that mutual self-disclosure fosters closeness between strangers, the underlying dual brain neural mechanism remains unexplored. This study aims to uncover these gender-modulated differences and their underlying neural mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We investigated the interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) among zero-history, same-gender strangers. We applied the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning technique to simultaneously measure the brain hemodynamic activities of 32 female and 30 male dyads. Participants engaged in an adapted Fast Friends paradigm, featuring a naturalistic interaction progression from superficial \"small talk\" to incrementally escalating levels of mutual self-disclosure.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The structured interactions elicited significant increases in self-disclosure, emotional arousal, and perceived interpersonal closeness as the tasks progressed from the no-disclosure stage to increasingly intimate self-disclosure stages. This psychological escalation was accompanied by significantly enhanced INS between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) exclusively during the deep self-disclosure stage relative to the no-disclosure stage. Crucially, gender significantly moderated the relationship between this cross-regional coupling and relationship-building outcomes (closeness: β = -0.386, p_FDR = .025). For female-female dyads, INS significantly mediated the relationship between self-disclosure and closeness (indirect effect = 0.03); however, these associative and mediation pathways were entirely absent in male-male dyads.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings illuminate the dual-brain neural underpinnings of relationship initiation, highlighting that relationship formation between females may rely more heavily on emotional verbal expression and INS than their male peers. This advances theoretical models of social cognition and offers insights into developing strategies for various social settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13595777/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149018191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of sleep quality on the offline storage state of visual working memory.","authors":"Li Gong, Jinghan Chen, Xiaojing Li, Qiang Liu","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05342-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05342-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Visual working memory (VWM) is a core cognitive function in humans, which enables flexible and efficient storage of visual information from complex contexts into either online or offline states in accordance with current task demands. Among these two states, the offline state demonstrates greater advantages in resisting interference and stabilizing stored information. Previous research has demonstrated that an individual's sleep quality can predict performance in VWM tasks. However, these studies have primarily focused on the online storage state of VWM. To date, there remains unclear whether sleep quality affects the offline storage state, and whether its influence differs between the two distinct storage states. This study aimed to clarify the behavioral association between sleep quality and VWM online and offline storage performance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The present study employed a mixed experimental design, combining the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with a sequential presentation retrieval paradigm to examine the effects of sleep quality on different storage states of VWM. Valid data were obtained from 76 volunteers (mean age = 19.95 ± 1.72 years, male proportion = 27.63%). All participants completed the standard Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index assessment to obtain comprehensive subjective sleep quality scores, which were adopted as the core predictive indicator for subsequent behavioral correlation analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The experimental results showed that the total score of participants' sleep quality was significantly negatively correlated with VWM accuracy in both online and offline states. In addition, for VWM accuracy, the main effects of sleep quality and VWM storage state were significant, and a significant interaction effect between sleep quality and storage state was also observed. Simple effect analyses further revealed that participants with higher sleep quality exhibited significantly higher VWM accuracy in the offline state compared with those with lower sleep quality. For VWM reaction time, only a significant main effect of VWM storage state was identified.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These behavioral findings indicate that sleep quality exerts differential influences on distinct VWM storage states. Specifically, poor sleep quality imposes a more pronounced detrimental effect on VWM offline accuracy relative to the online state. This study provides empirical behavioral evidence supporting the differentiation between online and offline VWM storage states and supplements existing research on the association between sleep quality and VWM performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13587488/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148991839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of high-quality voice on observing employees' helping behavior among Chinese employees: a moderated mediation model.","authors":"Liang Liang, Zhongqiu Li, Hangbiao Shang, Feng Zhao, Sitong Liu","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05315-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05315-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Drawing on social exchange theory, this study targets Chinese workplace employees and aims to explore the relationship between voicers' high-quality voice and observing employees' helping behavior within the Chinese organizational context, while considering the mediator of perceived benefits of resource access, along with the moderating role of goal competitiveness.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study employed a two-wave time-lagged survey design to examine the theoretical model. A total of 226 employees in China were used to test our hypotheses by adopting hierarchical multiple regression method. SPSS and MPLUS were used to analyze data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings revealed that voicers' high-quality voice was positively related to observing employees' helping behavior, and perceived benefits of resource access mediated this relationship (estimate = 0.23, SE = 0.07, 95% CI = [0.10, 0.39]). Furthermore, goal competitiveness weakened the positive relationship between voicers' high-quality voice and observing employees' perceived benefits of resource access as well as the positive indirect effects of voicers' high-quality voice on observing employees' helping behavior via perceived benefits of resource access (estimate = -0.02, SE = 0.01, 95% CI [-0.06, -0.001]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Voice quality is vital for organizational effectiveness but related research is limited. Hence, scholars encourage future research to shift attention from voice frequency to voice quality. Using Chinese employee samples, our research contributes to the emerging literature on employee voice quality by revealing the positive relationship between high-quality voice and observing employees' helping behavior through perceived benefits of resource access and exploring the boundary condition (i.e., goal competitiveness) of this relationship. Our research is among the first to unpack how high-quality voice relates to observing employees' helping behavior based on Chinese workplace data, enriching the literature on voice quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13632412/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149116034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A systematic review culturally adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CaCBT) for Arabic-speaking populations including North African subgroups.","authors":"Rania Driouach, Constantina Badea, Sylvia Martin","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05125-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05125-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for common mental disorders. However, most CBT protocols have been developed within Western cultural frameworks, which may limit their relevance for culturally diverse populations. Culturally adapted CBT (CaCBT) seeks to enhance treatment acceptability and effectiveness by integrating linguistic, cultural, religious, and contextual factors. Despite growing interest in culturally adapted interventions, evidence regarding Arabic-speaking populations, including North African subgroups, remains fragmented.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, and OpenAlex from inception to June 2025. Empirical studies assessing CaCBT among among Arabic-speaking populations, including North African subgroups in Europe or North Africa were included. Study selection involved independent double screening, and findings were synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria, including randomized controlled trials, qualitative studies, case reports, an exploratory dissemination study, and two review articles. CaCBT was associated with reductions in depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, particularly in internet-based formats. Common adaptations included language, culturally relevant metaphors, social norms, and occasionally religious or spiritual elements. High attrition rates were frequently reported in digital interventions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The available evidence suggests that culturally adapted CBT may be a promising intervention for Arabic-speaking populations, including North African subgroups. However, conclusions should be interpreted cautiously given the methodological heterogeneity of the evidence base, the predominance of studies involving broader Arabic-speaking populations, high attrition rates in digital interventions, and the limited reporting of participants' countries of origin and migration-related characteristics. Future research should employ more rigorous designs, recruit more diverse and representative samples, and improve the reporting of cultural adaptation processes to strengthen the evidence base and inform culturally responsive mental health care.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13488148/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148799098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A network analysis of school refusal behavior among Hani adolescents in rural border regions of Yunnan, China.","authors":"Yunpeng Jiang, Chenwei Liu, Xuelian Gao, Dehong Tan, Yong Yang, Xiao Ma","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-04951-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-04951-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study applied network analysis to explore the complex associations between school refusal behavior (SRB) and related individual and environmental psychosocial factors among rural ethnic minority adolescents in China's border regions (Yunnan), identifying core and bridge nodes to inform targeted interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional design was used to survey 1,357 adolescents aged 11-15 years (M_age = 12.82, SD = 1.16) from two rural schools in Yunnan Province, China. Measures included assessments of social mobility belief, non-suicidal self-injury, pathological internet use, subjective well-being, harsh parenting, friendship quality, and SRB. SRB assessed across four dimensions: anxious anticipation (i.e., worry and fear about attending school), difficult transition (i.e., difficulty leaving home or entering the classroom), interpersonal discomfort, and school avoidance. A Gaussian graphical model was constructed using R software. Expected Influence (EI) and bridge Expected Influence (BEI) were computed to identify core and bridge nodes, with network stability tested via bootstrapping.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The network revealed strong connections within SRB dimension, with the strongest edge between anxious anticipation and difficult transition (edge weight = 0.567). Among cross-variable connections, harsh parenting showed the strongest links with school avoidance (0.279) and pathological internet use (0.227). Centrality analysis indicated that anxious anticipation and difficult transition were the core nodes. Bridge centrality analysis identified harsh parenting and pathological internet use as key bridge nodes, linking family risk, emotional distress, and avoidance behaviors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>SRB among rural ethnic minority adolescents is embedded in a psychosocial network centered on anxious anticipation and difficult transition, closely intertwined with family risk (harsh parenting) and pathological internet use. Interventions should systematically address core anxiety symptoms while jointly targeting bridge factors such as improving parenting practices and managing pathological internet use to disrupt the maintenance of SRB.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13445878/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148686123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the online sexual objectification experiences scale among college women: a cross-cultural validation using CTT and IRT.","authors":"Aixin Tong, Li Zhou, Dongbo Tu, Kyla M Cary","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05281-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05281-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the rise of online social activities, sexually objectifying content has become increasingly prevalent, contributing to women's self-objectification. However, the Online Sexual Objectification Experiences Scale (OSOES) had not yet been validated in a Chinese or non-Western cultural context. This study evaluated the applicability of the OSOES within a Chinese cultural context using Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). Participants were 644 Chinese female college students. CTT analyses assessed construct validity, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency. IRT examined item parameters, item and test information, and reliability. Results showed that (1) the three-factor structure of the Chinese version of OSOES (C-OSOES) was supported, with sound internal consistency and criterion-related validity; (2) all 18 items demonstrated appropriate discrimination and location parameters and high precision across most latent trait levels, though category characteristic curves revealed some issues. These findings offer insights for refining the C-OSOES and, more importantly, provide initial psychometric evidence for the applicability of the OSOES three-factor structure among Chinese female college students.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670464/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149184750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of age on emotion-regulatory strategies, emotional work demands, and health/work outcomes: a systematic PRISMA literature review with narrative synthesis.","authors":"Tímea Zsuzsanna Popucza, Lars Eriksson, Bernice Skytt, Anna Bjärtå, Mårten Eriksson","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05277-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05277-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>An increasing age of the workforce necessitates a better understanding of age-related differences in emotions at work to inform age-inclusive workplace policies and practices. This review critically evaluates how age relates to emotion-regulatory strategies at work (emotional labour and emotion regulation), emotional work demands, and associated health and work outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed studies examining relationships between age, emotion-regulatory strategies, emotional work demands, and health/work outcomes. A completed PRISMA 2020 checklist is provided in the Supplementary Materials. Twenty-six studies were included and synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across studies, no generalisable pattern of age-related differences emerged. While several studies reported age differences in the associations between emotion-regulatory strategies and health or work outcomes, often indicating comparatively more favourable outcomes among older workers, these findings were not consistently observed across studies, with some studies reporting reversed or null effects. Moreover, studies reporting age differences varied in what aspect these differences reflected, including variation in the frequency or type of strategies used, as well as differences in how these strategies related to outcomes across age. Similarly, associations between emotional work demands and outcomes varied by age in some studies but did not follow a uniform pattern. Overall, the evidence suggests that while age-related differences in these associations are sometimes observed, they are inconsistent, not systematically associated with advantage or disadvantage for any age group, and their underlying mechanisms remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Age did not emerge as a robust determinant of how emotion-regulatory strategies or emotional work demands relate to health and work outcomes. The findings underscore the need for more integrative, theoretically grounded, and methodologically rigorous approaches that better account for how age, emotional work demands, regulation, and outcomes are linked, while addressing key conceptual and design challenges.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>PROSPERO CRD42022300000, published on 10 May 2022.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13439848/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148674321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social media addiction, self-concept clarity, and social media fatigue: a two-wave longitudinal study.","authors":"M Cagri Aksu, Adnan Omerustaoglu, Tuba Kalay Usta, Firdevs Burcak, Erdem Tüfekci","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05287-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05287-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although social media addiction has been linked to numerous negative psychological outcomes, the self-level processes underlying the connection between this addiction and psychological burnout have not been sufficiently elucidated. This study examined whether self-concept clarity plays a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between social media addiction and social media fatigue in a sample of Turkish adults. Conducted using a two-wave cross-lagged panel design, the study collected data from 344 adults (M_age = 34.06, SD = 8.81; 68% female) at two different measurement points three months apart. The model fit indices were χ²(4) = 38.20, p < .001, χ²/df = 9.55, GFI = .97, CFI = .95, NFI = .95, IFI = .96, SRMR = .05, and RMSEA = .158, 90% CI [.12, .21]. Although several incremental fit indices were within acceptable ranges, χ²/df and RMSEA exceeded conventional thresholds, indicating that the model did not achieve acceptable overall fit. Cross-lagged panel model analyses revealed that, when controlling for initial self-concept clarity, social media addiction at Time 1 significantly and negatively predicted self-concept clarity at Time 2 (β = -.27, p < .01). Additionally, self-concept clarity at Time 2 significantly and negatively predicted social media fatigue during the same period (β = -.14, p < .01). The indirect effect of social media addiction at Time 1 on social media fatigue at Time 2 was found to be significant via self-concept clarity at Time 2 (B = .14, 95% CI [.02, .34], p < .05); however, the direct path from social media addiction to social media fatigue was not statistically significant. The findings suggest that self-concept clarity may be one of the key psychological mechanisms explaining the relationship between social media addiction and social media fatigue, and suggest that identity-focused approaches could be explored in future intervention research for individuals experiencing the negative consequences of compulsive social media use.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13621606/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149076114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depressive symptoms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: associations with quality of life, disease progression and perceived social support-a German multicenter study.","authors":"Nina Domke, Kristina Geue, Ina Schlichte, Markus Ullsperger, Thomas Meyer, Susanne Petri, Stefanie Schreiber, Stefan Vielhaber, Florian Junne, Susanne Vogt","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05273-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05273-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease. Patients with ALS are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. A clearer understanding of the associations between depressive symptoms, disease progression, health-related quality of life and perceived social support is needed to advance intervention-oriented research and improve psychosocial care in ALS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a multicenter cross-sectional study, patients with ALS were asked to complete patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to evaluate depressive symptoms (ALS-Depression-Inventory, ADI-12), health-related quality of life (ALS-Assessment-Questionnaire, ALSAQ-5/ALSAQ-40), physical functioning (ALS-Functional Rating Scale-Extension, ALSFRS-EX) and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, MSPSS). To evaluate associations between demographic/clinical variables and PROs, we performed Pearson's, Spearman's, and partial correlation analyses. In addition, a multiple regression was run to identify predictors of depressive symptoms. Comparisons of patient groups were performed with chi-squared tests for categorical variables and Student t-tests or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables, followed by post-hoc tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of the 150 patients examined, 60% reported depressive symptoms, with half of them exhibiting clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with disease progression (r = .466, p < .001), various aspects of health-related quality of life (mobility: r = .394, activities of daily living: r = .268 and emotional well-being: r = .793, all p < .001), the MSPSS sum score (partial r = -.234, p  = .007), and the ALSFRS-EX sum score (r = -.352, p < .001). Patients with depressive symptoms reported significantly more physical impairments (p = .002) and less perceived social support by their families (p = .016) and friends (p < .001) compared to patients without depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Depressive symptoms are prevalent in patients with ALS and are closely associated with faster disease progression, reduced physical functioning, poorer health-related quality of life, and lower perceived social support. Further studies, particularly using qualitative methods, are needed to elucidate protective factors, clarify psychosocial mechanisms, and support the conceptualization of specialized and integrated psychosocial care for patients with ALS in Germany.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13435928/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148670747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"tVNS and obesity-related inflammation: a prospective sham-controlled randomized crossover study protocol.","authors":"Luisa Kaluza, Anne Kühnel, Ernesto Picòn-Galindo, Mona Hergenröther, Hesham Alkhateeb, Simon Michalski, Dalila Juliana Silva Ribeiro, Susanne V Schmidt, Dagmar Wachten, Nils B Kroemer","doi":"10.1186/s40359-026-05219-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s40359-026-05219-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Overweight and obesity are characterized by detrimental effects on energy metabolism and an increase in adipose tissue, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation. This metaflammation may contribute to mental symptoms, such as reduced mood and motivation. Inflammatory processes are modulated by the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAIP) that can be targeted with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). However, the effects of non-invasive transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) on inflammation have predominantly been investigated in small feasibility studies in humans. Whereas acute anti-inflammatory effects of tVNS have been reported, no study has investigated the effect of daily home-based application on obesity-related metaflammation to date.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To assess tVNS-induced effects on inflammation, motivation, and mood, we are conducting a single-blind, randomized crossover study in participants with an elevated BMI (target N = 60, 27-35 kg/m², 18-40 y). Participants will self-administer high- (active) and low-intensity (sham) stimulation daily (≥ 30 min) for ~ 14 days each (≥ 7 d washout). We will assess peripheral (cytokine levels, circulating immune cells) and central (diffusion weighted imaging) inflammation, motivation (using an effort allocation task during functional MRI), and mood at baseline and after each stimulation phase. During each stimulation phase, participants will complete daily ecological momentary assessments of mood and food choices. We will use mixed-effects models to evaluate differences in slopes of high- vs. low-intensity tVNS.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study uses a 14-day home-based tVNS protocol (≥ 30 min daily) accompanied by daily ecologocial momentary assessments to investigate mid-term effects on chronic low-grade inflammation, mood, and motivation. The multimodal study design including a comprehensive panel of peripheral and central inflammatory markers enables the integration of inflammatory and behavioral outcomes and will provide important evidence regarding the efficacy of tVNS in chronic inflammation, based on a study with sufficient statistical power. In addition, the study could provide pathophysiological insights into the link between obesity and symptoms of depression via inflammatory processes. Ultimately, the study will facilitate future research on vagus nerve stimulation to complement the current set of therapies in overweight and obesity.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>The study has been preregistered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06954844 ) on March 21, 2025, Version 1.</p>","PeriodicalId":37867,"journal":{"name":"BMC Psychology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13435442/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148674313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}