International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology最新文献

{"title":"Shame and loneliness in social anxiety disorder: A comparison with panic disorder","authors":"Zainab Kharbush,&nbsp;Roni Oren-Yagoda,&nbsp;Idan M. Aderka","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shame and loneliness are two important emotions that have been suggested to play a maintaining role in social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, it is not clear whether emotional processes involving these emotions are predominantly experienced in SAD or shared with other anxiety disorders. In the present study we examined the temporal relationship between shame and loneliness on one hand and anxiety on the other among individuals with SAD and among individuals with panic disorder (PD). We used a daily diary design in which participants reported their emotional experiences every evening for 21 consecutive days. We found that individuals with SAD had higher levels of shame but not higher levels of loneliness compared to individuals with PD. We also found evidence for a bidirectional relationship among individuals with SAD, in which anxiety on a given day predicted shame and loneliness on the following day, and shame and loneliness on given day predicted anxiety on the following day. This relationship was not found for individuals with panic disorder. Our findings are consistent with a negative cycle of emotions that may play a role in SAD. Implications for emotional models of psychopathology and for treatment of SAD are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100684"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early multimodal behavioral cues in autism: a micro-analytical exploration of actions, gestures and speech during naturalistic parent-child interactions","authors":"M. Mastrogiuseppe ,&nbsp;F.I. Famà ,&nbsp;R. Bruschetta ,&nbsp;E. Leonardi ,&nbsp;A. Campisi ,&nbsp;S. Aiello ,&nbsp;C. Carrozza ,&nbsp;A. Ruggeri ,&nbsp;S. Baieli ,&nbsp;S. Campisi ,&nbsp;L. Turriziani ,&nbsp;G. Di Rosa ,&nbsp;M.V. Lombardo ,&nbsp;G. Tartarisco ,&nbsp;O. Capirci ,&nbsp;G. Pioggia ,&nbsp;L. Ruta ,&nbsp;the Nest Team","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early signs of autism often emerge through distinct developmental pathways, particularly in communication, social interaction, and play. While naturalistic parent-child interactions during free play are ideal for observing spontaneous social behaviors, few autism studies have adopted this ecological and developmental approach. To address this gap, we used a fine-grained microanalytic method to examine motor, gestural, and vocal behaviors in young children, integrating machine learning to explore how combinations of these traits distinguish early autistic neurodivergence.</div><div>We analyzed video recordings of 58 autistic and non-autistic children (aged 13–40 months) engaged in naturalistic parent-child play. A frame-by-frame micro-coding scheme was applied to capture actions, gestures, speech, and their multimodal integration.</div><div>Clear differences emerged between neurotypical (NT) and autistic (ASC) children. NT children displayed more gestures, particularly deictic and conventional-interactive, greater gesture–gaze coordination, more functional object play, and more frequent multi-word utterances. In contrast, ASC children showed fewer deictic and conventional-interactive gestures and greater use of instrumental gestures, reduced gesture–gaze coordination, a higher reliance on vocalizations rather than words, and increased object manipulation compared to functional play.</div><div>Feature selection using ANOVA F-tests identified a core set of key predictors most frequently and independently selected across folds of cross-validation: Alternate Gaze, Reaching, and Instrumental Gesture. Higher values of Alternate Gaze were associated with NT classification, while elevated frequencies of Reaching and Instrumental Gestures were linked to ASC classification. A logistic regression classifier trained on these features achieved over 85% accuracy in distinguishing the two groups.</div><div>These findings underscore the value of an ecologically valid, and developmentally informed approach to identifying early behavioral markers of autism, supporting earlier recognition and the design of more personalized, strengths-based interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100664"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation techniques to modulate resting-state EEG and reduce SOL: A randomized controlled trial","authors":"Hao Lian ,&nbsp;Wenpeng Cai ,&nbsp;Mengyang He ,&nbsp;Xin Guo ,&nbsp;Junjie Xie ,&nbsp;Yanan Zhou ,&nbsp;Ruike Zhang ,&nbsp;Jingzhou Xu ,&nbsp;Hao Wang ,&nbsp;Shuyu Xu ,&nbsp;Lei Xiao ,&nbsp;Tong Su ,&nbsp;Yunxiang Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100597","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100597","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To investigate the effects of repetitive bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on sleep of latency (SOL) and resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) in individuals.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Twenty-eight young adults, aged 21–25 years, with a mean of 22.96 ± 0.87 years, were recruited and randomly grouped into an experimental group(13 people) and a control group (15 people). Subjects in the experimental group received five awake-phase resting-state tDCS over a one-week period, with anodes placed bilaterally in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3, F4) and cathode in the left upper arm. The current intensity was 1.5 mA, and the stimulation time was 15 min. The control subjects received pseudo-stimulation, with only the beginning and end of the stimulation for 30 s to receive a gradual rise and fall of the current. The intermediate current intensity was 0 mA, and the rest of the treatment parameters and processes were the same as those in the experimental group. All subjects filled out a sleep diary every day during the experiment.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Compared with the pre-intervention period, in the subjective scale results, the sleep of latency factor score in the subjective sleep quality assessment scores of the subjects in the experimental group was significantly lower (<em>p</em> = 0.001); in the EEG results, the theta band power in the midline regions of the brains of the subjects in the experimental group (especially in the central Cz location and the prefrontal cortex) was significantly elevated, whereas the control group did not show such a difference.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Transcranial direct current stimulation can significantly reduce the sleep of latency of individuals and enhance theta band power to promote changes in the brain from wakefulness to drowsiness, thus enhancing sleep quality. This enhancement may be due to enhancement of inhibitory executive function. In the future, neuromodulation technology is expected to be applied to insomnia patients, especially those whose main symptom is difficulty falling asleep.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100597"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sleeping under attack: Sleep disruption and next-day emotions during active wartime","authors":"Shai Nimrodi ,&nbsp;Rony Gordon Roth ,&nbsp;Maya Poches ,&nbsp;Yael Millgram ,&nbsp;Michal Kahn","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100672","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100672","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Exposure to war is associated with marked impairments in both sleep and mental health, yet the short-term emotional consequences of war-related nighttime disturbances remain poorly understood. Leveraging nighttime air-raid alerts during the 2025 Israel-Iran war as a naturalistic manipulation, the present study examined their effects on civilians’ sleep and next-day emotions, testing sleep disruption as a mediator and evaluating the roles of siren timing and shelter characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 1340 adults residing in Israel (74% female; <em>n</em> = 1140 exposed to nighttime sirens, <em>n</em> = 199 unexposed) were recruited during days 5–11 of the war. Participants completed an online survey assessing nighttime air-raid siren exposure, sheltering conditions, sleep duration, nocturnal wakefulness, and next-day anxiety-depression and mood.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Exposure to nighttime air-raid sirens was associated with 39 fewer minutes of sleep and 34 additional minutes of nocturnal wakefulness compared to non-exposure. Exposed individuals also reported elevated anxiety-depression symptoms and reduced mood the following day. Sleep disruption fully mediated the relationship between nighttime siren exposure and next-day anxiety-depression, and partially mediated effects on mood. Moreover, the magnitude of sleep disruption varied by attack timing and shelter characteristics, with early-morning sirens and external sheltering associated with particularly poor outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Sleep disruption represents a key mechanism linking nighttime attacks to emotional harm in conflict-affected civilians. These findings identify sleep as a critical and modifiable intervention target for protecting mental health during wartime. Interventions to preserve or restore sleep may help mitigate the psychological toll of armed conflict on civilian populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100672"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147449081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric properties of ADHD screening and diagnostic tools in patients with severe substance use disorders","authors":"Norman Therribout ,&nbsp;Lucia Romo ,&nbsp;Thibault Hennequin ,&nbsp;Clara Chrétienneau ,&nbsp;Lucie Davost ,&nbsp;Tatiana Fontaine ,&nbsp;Frank Bellivier ,&nbsp;Florence Vorspan ,&nbsp;Alexandra Dereux ,&nbsp;Emily Karsinti ,&nbsp;Romain Icick","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The aim of this study was to compare the performance of several tools for diagnosing ADHD in an adult population suffering from SUD, within a multi-tool diagnostic procedure.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Eighty-two patients suffering from SUD and suspected of ADHD were referred to undergo the procedure. They were asked to complete two questionnaires: the Adult Self Report Scale (ASRS-6) and the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS-25) and three interviews: the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-S), the Dual Diagnosis Screening Interview (DDSI) and the Diagnostich Interview Voor ADHD (DIVA-5). Their performance was compared to a consensus statement provided by trained psychiatrists and psychologists informed by all the assessments.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>All the tools showed good sensitivity (0.81–0.98), but only the DIVA-5 showed good specificity (0.88). Accordingly, the negative predictive value calculated for an assumed prevalence of ADHD of 23 % was high for all tools (0.88 – 0.99) whereas only the DIVA-5 showed a good positive predictive value (0.71).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The ASRS, the WURS, the MINI and the DDSI are thus useful screening tools among SUD patients, but the DIVA-5 seems to provide the most accurate information to ascertain ADHD diagnosis in this population. Further investigations are needed to assess the impact of prior standardized comorbidity evaluations on the accuracy of DIVA-5.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100682"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147713638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transference of spatial and visual memory from virtual environments to the real world. Implications for clinical and health interventions","authors":"Roberto Llorens ,&nbsp;Ángela Méndez ,&nbsp;Adrián Borrego ,&nbsp;Jorge Latorre ,&nbsp;Mariano Alcañiz","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used across health-related domains to improve cognitive abilities, mental health, and motor function, the mechanisms underlying the transfer of skills learned in VR to real-world performance (the ultimate objective of health interventions) remain largely unknown. This study investigated the effectiveness of VR training in transferring spatial and visual memory skills to real-world performance using an everyday task consisting on navigating and locating items in a grocery-store aisle, a complex instrumental activity of daily living. Forty-seven healthy adults were randomly assigned to train either in a virtual replica of the aisle or directly in the physical setting. Participants trained in VR subsequently demonstrated significantly improved real-world task performance, exhibiting shorter task completion times and reduced travel distances compared to those performing the task for the first time. However, while skill transfer from VR to real-world tasks was confirmed, performance improvements in task completion time were superior following direct real-world training, consistent with the principle of encoding specificity. Consequently, although the results provide robust evidence supporting VR as a valuable training tool for improving skills relevant to daily activities and indicate the utility of VR as a preparatory training stage, precise context-dependent tasks might necessitate direct physical practice for maximum efficacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100681"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147656239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Timing of MVPA and psychosocial outcomes in adolescents with overweight/obesity","authors":"Siyu Pan ,&nbsp;Peng Wang ,&nbsp;Yiming Tao ,&nbsp;Zhihao Zhang ,&nbsp;Fabian Herold ,&nbsp;Matthew Heath ,&nbsp;Alyx Taylor ,&nbsp;Vahid Farrahi ,&nbsp;Cassandra J. Lowe ,&nbsp;André O. Werneck ,&nbsp;Brendon Stubbs ,&nbsp;David Moreau ,&nbsp;Myrto F. Mavilidi ,&nbsp;Fred Paas ,&nbsp;Tianze wuhao ,&nbsp;Qian Yu ,&nbsp;Jinming Li ,&nbsp;Linjing Zhou ,&nbsp;Ziquan Cai ,&nbsp;Kaiqi Guan ,&nbsp;Liye Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Adolescents with overweight/obesity have an elevated risk of mental health and behavioral difficulties. Exercise has been shown to impart psychological benefits to these individuals; however, whether the effects of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) delivery differ between weekdays and weekends is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of weekday and weekend MVPA at age 14 on internalizing and externalizing problems at age 17 among adolescents with overweight/obesity.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed data from two assessment waves of the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MSC): MCS6 (2015–2016; age ∼14) and MCS7 (2018–2019; age ∼17). Data were restricted to adolescents classified as overweight/obesity at MCS6 using the UK90 thresholds. Weekday and weekend MVPA were measured at age 14 using the wrist-worn GENEActiv accelerometer, including one pre-specified weekday and one weekend day. Outcomes at age 17 were parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) internalizing (emotional + peer problems) and externalizing (conduct + hyperactivity/inattention) composites. We estimated average treatment effects (ATEs) and conditional average treatment effect (CATEs, heterogeneous effects) using a causal forest framework (EconML) and adjusted for pre-exposure covariates (age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, cognitive decision-making, household income, parental education, and parental mental health). Missing data were treated via K-Nearest Neighbors imputation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analytic sample included 1,238 adolescents (mean age 14.25 years). Mean MVPA was higher on weekdays than weekends (135.74 ± 62.08 vs 113.80 ± 64.37 min/day). Covariate-adjusted average treatment effects (ATEs; per 1 min/day MVPA) were small and not statistically significant for internalizing or externalizing problems. Weekday MVPA ATEs were −0.0025 (95% CI −0.0062 to 0.0012) for internalizing and 0.0003 (−0.0027 to 0.0033) for externalizing; weekend MVPA ATEs were −0.0008 (−0.0051 to 0.0035) and 0.0005 (−0.0026 to 0.0037), respectively. Heterogeneity was evident only for weekday MVPA effects on internalizing (22.98% with significant individual effects), with height as the strongest moderator (β = 0.0002; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001; R² = 0.519) and more negative CATEs among shorter adolescents (Q1 −0.004994 vs Q4 −0.001903; ANOVA F = 106.741, p &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In adolescents with overweight/obesity, estimated average effects of weekday and weekend MVPA at the age of 14 on parent-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at age 17 were close to zero under a selection-on-observables framework. Any potential benefits may be subgroup-specific and context-dependent; the observed weekday-specific heterogeneity warrants replication with more reliable exposure measurement and a richer set of contextual covariates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100687"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147802794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Placebo mechanisms in aging: A randomized controlled trial comparing deceptive and open-label placebos on psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning in older adults","authors":"Diletta Barbiani,&nbsp;Alessandro Antonietti,&nbsp;Francesco Pagnini","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100673","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100673","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>No study has yet examined whether a placebo in its traditional meaning—an inert treatment presented as active—can influence functions that tend to naturally decline with age. We aimed to clarify whether a deceptive and open-label placebo procedure would affect psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning in community-dwelling older adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Ninety healthy older adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a control group receiving no intervention; a deceptive placebo group receiving placebo pills along with information that these contained active ingredients known to improve functioning and well-being; an open-label placebo group, explicitly informed that the pills were inert but capable of eliciting beneficial mind–body responses. Participants completed self-report measures (perceived stress, psychological well-being, sleepiness, fatigue, optimism, self-efficacy, aging stereotypes) and objective tests of short-term memory, selective attention, and physical performance before and after the 3-week intervention.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After 3 weeks, the open-label placebo group exhibited lower perceived stress compared with both the deceptive placebo and control groups. Short-term memory performance also significantly improved in the open-label placebo group relative to controls. Within-group analyses revealed consistent cognitive and physical improvements in both placebo groups, with particularly pronounced effects in the open-label placebo group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Placebo interventions enhanced multiple domains of functioning in older adults, with open-label placebos producing benefits comparable to or greater than deceptive placebos. These findings suggest the potential of open-label placebos as a promising, ethically acceptable approach for supporting healthy aging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100673"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the acceptability and feasibility of implementing VR relaxation in naturalistic settings","authors":"Glen Debard ,&nbsp;Romy Sels ,&nbsp;Marlon van Loo ,&nbsp;Sylvie Bernaerts ,&nbsp;Bert Bonroy","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2026.100676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stress increased markedly in recent years, highlighting the need for effective and accessible relaxation strategies. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising intervention. While most prior VR studies were conducted under controlled conditions, the present study explored the acceptability and feasibility of VR as a relaxation tool in naturalistic settings. Additionally, it explored the effects on the perceived level of relaxation and mood, and whether heart rate (HR) data obtained from consumer-grade wearables correlated with changes in psychological state.</div><div>The study involved 160 participants, including healthcare and research professionals, patients, and attendants in healthcare organizations. VR relaxation was tested using both smartphone-based and standalone VR applications in clinical and non-clinical studies. Changes in mood and relaxation were explored using validated instruments, while acceptability and feasibility were assessed through open-ended questions.</div><div>Qualitative feedback was predominantly positive, with participants willing to reuse and recommend the VR application. VR relaxation was perceived as an effective means of environmental escape, offering immersive natural settings complemented by guided exercises, ambient sounds, and voice instructions. Wearable devices generally recorded HR reductions during VR sessions; however, these exploratory physiological changes did not significantly correlate with subjective relaxation levels.</div><div>Participants reported increased relaxation (VAS scores), reduced muscle tension, fewer cardiovascular symptoms of stress (slower breathing and HR), and greater overall physical calmness. Regarding mood, most participants experienced fewer negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, guilt, sadness) following VR exposure, although positive affect (e.g., enthusiasm, confidence) remained unchanged according to PANAS. POMS scores indicated reductions in tension after VR sessions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100676"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing self- and desired psychiatric diagnoses among emerging adults: Mixed-methods insights from clinical psychologists","authors":"Matthias Neumann ,&nbsp;Verena Steiner-Hofbauer ,&nbsp;Martin Aigner ,&nbsp;Anna Höflich ,&nbsp;Anita Holzinger ,&nbsp;Gloria Mittmann","doi":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anecdotal observations suggest that self-diagnoses and desired psychiatric diagnoses may be increasing among emerging adults, yet systematic evidence from clinical practice is scarce. This mixed-methods study surveyed 93 Austrian clinical psychologists (CPs) regarding their experiences with these phenomena in the context of conducting psychological assessments. CPs rated the frequency of both self-diagnoses and desired diagnoses as significantly higher than the neutral scale midpoint (“no change”), with large effect sizes (both <em>p</em> &lt; .001). ADHD and ASD were most frequently identified as self-diagnosed or desired. Patients presenting with such expectations were commonly described as female, highly educated, and strongly engaged in online activities. CPs, many of whom indicated that they actively inquire about patients’ motives when suspecting a desired diagnosis, explained such pursuits mainly in terms of relief from guilt, identity affirmation, and social recognition, while treatment access was cited less often. Qualitative analyses highlighted three recurring themes: (1) the impact of self- and desired diagnoses on the course of the assessment itself, including diagnosis-driven responding and limited openness to collaborative exploration; (2) strong reactions to diagnostic discrepancies, such as emotional distress, rejection of outcomes, criticism of clinicians, or “diagnosis shopping”; and (3) increased demands on clinical practice, particularly extended assessment time and the challenges of feedback sessions where unexpected outcomes must be communicated with clarity and empathy. These dynamics are discussed in relation to online mental health cultures and the symbolic appeal of neurodivergence, underscoring how digital environments shape both the spread of self-diagnosis and the pursuit of professional confirmation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47673,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology","volume":"26 1","pages":"Article 100661"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145885189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}