Journal of Psychosomatic Research最新文献

{"title":"The association of fatigue and pain with cognitive test performance in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome","authors":"Joukje M. Oosterman ,&nbsp;Marieke van der Schaaf ,&nbsp;Willemien P.E. de Kleijn ,&nbsp;Tanja A. Kuut ,&nbsp;Inti A. Brazil ,&nbsp;Hans Knoop","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) typically perform worse on cognitive tasks compared to controls. The present study explored the independent associations of fatigue and pain symptoms with cognitive performance in a large sample of patients who met CDC criteria of CFS (<em>n</em> = 1375), of whom most also met NICE/ IOM criteria (<em>n</em> = 1072). Moreover, we tested the hypothesis that these associations become stronger with older age and longer symptom duration.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Questionnaires and diaries were employed assessing fatigue and pain severity, together with the impact of health problems on daily life (using the SF-36 ‘Physical Functioning’ and ‘Bodily Pain’ subscales). Cognitive outcomes consisted of speeded performance measures, namely the Symbol Digit Test, motor speed, simple and choice reaction time (RT), and response inhibition. Categorical regression with lasso penalization was employed to identify relevant correlates of cognitive performance.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Fatigue severity remained as only correlate of response inhibition. For the other cognitive outcomes, fatigue severity consistently emerged together with contributions of pain severity, bodily pain and/or physical functioning. Restricting these analyses to those patients meeting NICE/IOM criteria revealed overall similar results. Age, not symptom duration, moderated several relationships, showing more pronounced associations between cognitive performance and pain severity, physical functioning, and bodily pain with older age.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study highlights that a multidimensional nature of symptoms, including fatigue and pain severity, and the impact on daily-life functioning, relate to lower cognitive performance in patients with ME/CFS. Studies are needed to identify the direction and potential causality of these associations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"199 ","pages":"Article 112401"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145289945","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":"Relationship between sleep duration and falls in older Mexican Americans: Sex differences in a longitudinal study","authors":"C. Perez ,&nbsp;S. Al Snih","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>To examine the effect of sex in the relationship of sleep duration, sleep disorders, and sleep quality with falls among older Mexican Americans without history of falls at baseline over 9 years of follow up.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants (<em>N</em> = 701) were from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (2007/08–2016). Independent variables were sleep duration (≤5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ≥10 h/night), sleep disorders and sleep quality. The outcome variable was falls, categorized as none versus ≥1 falls. Covariates included socio-demographics and health characteristics. Generalized estimating equation models were performed to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) of falls over time as a function of sleep duration, sleep disorders, and sleep quality, controlling for all covariates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Male participants who reported sleep of ≤5 h/night had greater odds (OR = 5.43, 95 % CI = 1.70–17.3) of falls over time compared to those who slept 8 h/night, after controlling for all covariates. Males with trouble falling asleep or poor quality of sleep had greater odds (OR = 2.35, 95 % CI = 1.23–4.49; OR = 2.38, 95 % CI = 1.12–5, respectively) of falls over time, after controlling for all covariates. No significant association was found between sleep duration, disorders, or quality with falls among females.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Older Mexican American males with short sleep duration, sleep disorders, and poor sleep quality had greater odds of falls over time. Sleep health promotions and behavioral interventions may reduce the risk of falls and injuries or death due to falls in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112397"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245515","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":"Self-management and treatment adherence in pediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A longitudinal study","authors":"Kaitlyn L. Gamwell ,&nbsp;James L. Peugh ,&nbsp;Neha Santucci ,&nbsp;Kahleb Graham ,&nbsp;Kevin A. Hommel","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Despite the increasing prevalence of pediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), multifaceted treatment, and stomach pain being one of the most common reasons youth see the doctor, there is a dearth of literature concerning self-management in this population.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This pilot study addresses this by providing a characterization of these variables and associated factors via a microlongitudinal and longitudinal design.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Daily diary data from 50 youth (10–18 years old) diagnosed with IBS across three 7-day time points were analyzed via multi-level modeling. This study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Most youth reported pain being a five out of ten and subjective well-being between five and eight. Oral medication/supplements were the most commonly reported treatment prescribed. However, the highest adherence was among those prescribed physical therapy. Youth were most likely to report their adherence strategy being/including caregiver reminders, and use of distraction as a coping skill to deal with their IBS pain. There was a significant inverted relationship between youth who reported caregivers reminded them to do treatment and/or they used a phone app with their report of well-being (β = −1.56, β = −2.29). Youth who reported greater confidence in their ability to problem-solve symptoms had significantly higher rates of physical activity (β = 0.06).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Self-management is important for youth experiencing chronic pain/IBS. Given the integrated treatment approach, common age of diagnosis, and intermittent symptom activity, identifying barriers and facilitators is critical to help tailor treatment and improve health outcomes. Future studies with larger samples should focus on further identification of modifiable variables to inform targeted interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112396"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269057","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":"Somatic symptom disorder in patients with irritable bowel syndrome or ulcerative colitis – Cross-sectional baseline findings from the SOMA.GUT-RCT","authors":"Luisa Peters ,&nbsp;Anna Matysiak ,&nbsp;Sina Hübener ,&nbsp;Ansgar W. Lohse ,&nbsp;Yvonne Nestoriuc ,&nbsp;Kerstin Maehder ,&nbsp;Bernd Löwe","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is characterised by distressing somatic symptoms accompanied by excessive symptom-related thoughts, emotions, or behaviour. While initial evidence supports SSD's relevance in gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC), structured interview-based data are lacking. This study examined SSD frequency and its associations with biopsychosocial variables in patients with IBS or UC recruited in the context of a psychological intervention trial.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Cross-sectional baseline data from a randomised controlled trial of patients with UC or IBS were analysed. SSD was diagnosed using structured DSM-5-based diagnostic interviews. Measures included illness-related anxiety (WI-7), neuroticism (BFI-10), illness perceptions (B-IPQ), symptom-related disability (adapted PDI), and gastrointestinal symptom severity (IBS-SSS). Between-group comparisons and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>SSD was diagnosed in 41.5 % (95 % CI 35.6–47.9) out of 236 patients, including 125 patients with UC and 111 with IBS (73.7 % female; M_age = 40.14, SD = 13.8). SSD was more frequent in IBS (55.0 %; 95 % CI 44.4–64.9) than in UC (29.6 %; 95 % CI 21.7–37.1) (χ²(1) = 15.67, <em>p</em> &lt; .001), and linked to higher illness-related anxiety, negative illness perceptions, and symptom-related disability in both groups. Gastrointestinal symptom severity was highest in patients with IBS and SSD. Regression analysis showed IBS diagnosis, illness-related anxiety, and neuroticism correlated with SSD.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A substantial number of patients with IBS or UC met SSD criteria in structured interviews. SSD occurred more commonly in IBS and was associated with psychological distress in both conditions. Findings highlight SSD's diagnostic relevance in functional and inflammatory bowel diseases. Future studies should investigate whether targeted SSD diagnosis and treatment in these conditions could improve clinical outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112395"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222647","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":"Exploring loneliness in individuals with diabetes – The role of childhood abuse and neglect, and personality functioning: Findings from a German population-based sample","authors":"Sandra Zara ,&nbsp;Johannes Kruse ,&nbsp;Elmar Brähler ,&nbsp;Mareike Ernst ,&nbsp;Jörg M. Fegert ,&nbsp;Astrid Lampe ,&nbsp;Tobias Nolte ,&nbsp;Miriam Rassenhofer ,&nbsp;David Riedl ,&nbsp;Hanna Kampling","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study examines 1) loneliness frequency in individuals with diabetes, 2) associated factors, and 3) personality functioning and the epistemic stance as underlying mechanisms linking childhood abuse and neglect, and loneliness.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using representative population data (<em>N</em> = 2428), loneliness (UCLA-LS) was assessed in individuals with self-reported diabetes (<em>n</em> = 206) and compared to those without. Regression analyses tested age, sex, relationship status, childhood abuse and neglect (ICAST-R), depression and anxiety (PHQ-4), personality functioning (OPD-SQS), and the epistemic stance (ETMCQ-12) as predictors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) investigated personality functioning and the epistemic stance as mediators between childhood abuse and neglect, and loneliness.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In the total sample, 12.4 % reported loneliness, and loneliness was more frequent in individuals with diabetes (24.8 %) than those without (11.3 %). Higher loneliness was linked to being single, greater depression and anxiety symptoms, and impaired personality functioning. While childhood abuse and neglect were initially associated with loneliness, this became nonsignificant when personality functioning was included as a mediator, increasing the explained variance from 3.4 % to 42.0 %.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Nearly a quarter of individuals with diabetes experience loneliness, particularly linked to emotional abuse. Impaired personality functioning, associated with interpersonal difficulties, appears as a shared mechanism for diabetes and loneliness. Considering loneliness and impairments in personality functioning might be highly important in research and clinical practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112390"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222646","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":"The role of internet use between ADL disability and depressive symptoms in Chinese middle-aged and older adults: Evidence from a longitudinal study","authors":"Ruirui Guo ,&nbsp;Yixuan Liu ,&nbsp;Xuyang Zhao ,&nbsp;Yibing Chen ,&nbsp;Ranran Li ,&nbsp;Xinyu Gao ,&nbsp;Jiamin Feng ,&nbsp;Cuiping Wang ,&nbsp;Bingyang Nian ,&nbsp;Hongjian Liu ,&nbsp;Xiumin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to explore the role of internet use between ADL disability and depressive symptoms onset and the effect of age on association mentioned above.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The participants who are 45 years old and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were included in the 2018 baseline and 2020 follow-up research. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between ADL disability in 2018 and depressive symptoms in 2020. Interaction testing and stratified analyses were used to assess the role of internet use between them.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There were 6784 subjects included in the study and 1503 (22.2 %) participants developed depressive symptoms in follow-up. ADL disability was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in all participants after adjusting for all covariates (OR: 1.530, 95 %CI: 1.301, 1.797). This association remained in participants not using the internet (OR: 1.532, 95 %CI: 1.294, 1.811), but this association was not found in participants using the internet (OR: 1.242, 95 %CI: 0.638, 2.290). In addition, the role of internet use varied by age groups. Internet use may attenuate the association between ADL disability and depressive symptoms in middle-aged adults and younger older adults, but not in older adults aged 70 years and above.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>ADL disability positively associated with depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults and internet use may attenuate the association between them especially in middle-aged and younger older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112394"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145208591","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":"ACT for postsurgical pain and dysfunction in at-risk veterans: Multisite, double-blind, cluster RCT","authors":"Lilian Dindo ,&nbsp;Katherine Hadlandsmyth ,&nbsp;Lauren Garvin ,&nbsp;James Marchman ,&nbsp;M. Bridget Zimmerman ,&nbsp;Joseph A. Buckwalter IV ,&nbsp;David M. Green ,&nbsp;John K. Wollaeger ,&nbsp;Andrea Strayer ,&nbsp;Kyung Soo Kim ,&nbsp;Wen Liu ,&nbsp;Jennie Embree ,&nbsp;Merlyn Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Barbara A. Rakel","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) and functional limitations after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) often vary in severity and duration, with higher levels seen in individuals at elevated risk. This multisite, double-blinded randomized controlled trial compared Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to an active educational plus support attention control (AC), in Veterans “at-risk” for PPSP following TKA. Veterans indicated for unilateral TKA and at-risk for PPSP completed a 1-day (5 h) group workshop prior to surgery and at least 1 postoperative phone booster session. 336 patients who underwent TKA were randomized to ACT (<em>N</em> = 173) or to AC (<em>N</em> = 163). Of these, 95 % in the ACT group and 97 % in the AC group received at least 1 booster session. Primary outcomes included self-reported pain severity, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Quality of Life (QoL). The secondary outcome was time to opioid cessation. Both groups showed significant reductions in pain severity across time points: at 3 months, ACT participants had greater pain reduction (−2.78) than AC (−2.50), suggesting an earlier advantage. ADL function also improved significantly in both groups (6-month scores: ACT 31.4, AC 29.9). Median time to opioid cessation was similar overall: 2.71 weeks in both groups. Among participants without postoperative complications, ACT showed a non-significant trend toward earlier cessation (2.36 vs. 2.80 weeks). These findings suggest that brief, preoperative group-based interventions—whether ACT or educational support—can improve pain and function following TKA. ACT may offer additional early benefits in pain reduction and opioid tapering in Veterans at elevated risk for PPSP.</div><div><strong>Trial Registration:</strong> <span><span>Clinicaltrials.gov</span><svg><path></path></svg></span> under the number <span><span>NCT03965897</span><svg><path></path></svg></span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112393"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145208596","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":"Comparing depressive symptom representation between individuals with cancer, non-cancer controls and healthy individuals: A network approach","authors":"Judith Hirschmiller ,&nbsp;Mareike Ernst ,&nbsp;Tamara Schwinn ,&nbsp;Elmar Brähler ,&nbsp;Jörg Wiltink ,&nbsp;Rüdiger Zwerenz ,&nbsp;Philipp S. Wild ,&nbsp;Thomas Münzel ,&nbsp;Jochem König ,&nbsp;Karl J. Lackner ,&nbsp;Norbert Pfeiffer ,&nbsp;Manfred E. Beutel ,&nbsp;GHS Research Consortium,&nbsp;Lina Krakau","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112376","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112376","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Individuals affected by cancer are vulnerable to depression, but prevalence rates vary greatly between studies. The preponderance of somatic rather than psychological symptoms, overlapping with cancer-related symptoms, has spurred controversy on depressive symptom assessment in cancer. This work moves beyond sum scores of symptoms and explores symptom interrelations in individuals affected by cancer (compared to non-cancer and healthy controls) to deepen the understanding of depressive symptom expression in the context of cancer. It also compares the symptom network of individuals with cancer to a) non-cancer and b) healthy controls.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Network analyses and comparisons were conducted on 3512 participants from the Gutenberg-Health-Study (1230 with cancer; 1230 non-cancer controls; 1230 healthy individuals). Gaussian graphical models were estimated for each group, and network structures were compared regarding symptom predictability and centrality of PHQ-9 items.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Depressive symptoms were more frequent in individuals affected by cancer than in non-cancer controls (<em>d</em> = 0.131) and healthy individuals (<em>d</em> = 0.172), but network structures did not differ. Mean predictability (amount of symptom variance explained through all other symptoms) ranged between 25 % and 29 %; with <em>depressed mood</em> highest in individuals with cancer and <em>energy loss</em> highest in non-cancer and healthy controls. Both symptoms were the most central nodes in all groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Symptom structure did not differ between individuals affected by cancer, non-cancer controls and healthy individuals. While somatic symptoms were more frequent in individuals with cancer, they were as closely associated with other symptoms as in the control populations. Along with psychological symptoms, somatic symptoms should be considered in screening as well as targeted by interventions in those with cancer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112376"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119779","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":"Development and clinimetric validation of the Brief Brain Fog Scale (BBFS) for post-COVID cognitive symptoms","authors":"Yubo Zhang ,&nbsp;Chenguang Jiang ,&nbsp;Wenhao Jiang ,&nbsp;Yucheng Yuan ,&nbsp;Dong Cao ,&nbsp;Yonggui Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To develop and clinimetrically validate the Brief Brain Fog Scale (BBFS), a concise self-report tool for assessing post-COVID-19 cognitive symptoms, and to evaluate its structural validity, reliability and precision.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The BBFS was generated from literature and expert review and finalized as five items targeting core brain-fog symptoms.A total of 844 participants completed an online cross-sectional survey, including 686 with self-reported post-COVID brain fog and 158 healthy controls. Rasch modeling and Mokken scaling were used to examine unidimensionality, item fit, person reliability, and item scalability. Local independence and differential item functioning (DIF) were assessed across age, sex, and education groups.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The BBFS fit Rasch model expectations (χ² = 44.6, df = 60, <em>p</em> = 0.928) and showed strong scalability (Mokken H = 0.679). Reliability was high (PSI = 0.846; WLE reliability = 0.846; EAP reliability = 0.852), with optimal precision in the moderate symptom range. All items had acceptable Infit MNSQ values (0.5–1.5), though several exhibited elevated Outfit in the highest response category. Local independence was largely supported; one pair marginally exceeded the indicative Q3^⁎ threshold (0.204), and none exceeded 0.30. Uniform DIF was identified across age, sex, and education. Two items showed lower thresholds in older respondents, two showed higher thresholds in females, and four showed lower thresholds in postgraduate respondents. ‘Forgetful’ did not exhibit education-related DIF.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The BBFS is a reliable, unidimensional instrument for post-COVID brain fog, with robust measurement properties supported by Rasch and Mokken analyses. Although some items showed demographic sensitivity, the total scale functioned consistently across groups. The BBFS represents a potentially valid and practical screening instrument. Future work should examine longitudinal responsiveness, cross-cultural generalizability, and item refinements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112380"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119778","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":"Angry body, angry mind – mediation analysis of anger suppression, psychopathology and quality of life in bodily distress","authors":"Stefan M. Kahnert ,&nbsp;Nora Kämpfer ,&nbsp;Markus Ramm ,&nbsp;Franziska Geiser ,&nbsp;Rupert Conrad","doi":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Bodily distress is highly prevalent in the adult population and those affected exhibit a decreased quality of life (QoL). What contributes to this decreased QoL is incompletely understood. As bodily distress has been associated both with comorbidities and alterations in emotion regulation, in particular anger suppression, the relation between suppressed anger, psychopathology and QoL was studied.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a cross-sectional study of adult psychosomatic outpatients presenting with bodily distress classified as somatoform disorders, anger suppression (Anger-In scale from the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory), psychopathology (Symptom Checklist 90-R) and QoL (short version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire) were assessed. Firstly, the association between anger suppression and different domains of QoL was examined. Secondly, mediation analyses were employed to test whether the relationship between anger suppression and QoL was mediated by the level of psychopathological symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Data from 539 patients (63.1 % female, mean age 41.3 (SD: 15) years) were analysed. Higher Anger-In was associated with decreased QoL in all four domains (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Mediation analysis showed a direct effect of anger suppression on decreased psychological and social QoL. For the physical and environmental domains of QoL, however, this relationship was fully mediated by psychopathology (depression, somatisation).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Anger suppression was strongly associated with decreased QoL in patients with bodily distress. While this was partly explained through basic psychopathology, there were some direct effects of anger suppression, in particular on social and psychological QoL. Anger management might hence be integrated in the treatment of bodily distress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50074,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research","volume":"198 ","pages":"Article 112381"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119777","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}