Negative Affect Mediates Impulsivity in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Examining specific and non-specific symptoms of the best-fitting posttraumatic stress disorder model in conflict-exposed adolescents

BACKGROUND

The 5th revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) construes PTSD symptoms into 4 clusters (intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, alterations in arousal and reactivity; Model 1). However, recent literature has shown that this symptom structure does not best represent PTSD. Unfortunately, the findings of studies investigating the proposed alternative models are from consensus. Adding to the complexity of the issue of symptom-grouping models is the identification of specific and non-specific symptoms of PTSD. The present study aims to address these gaps by identifying the best-fitting PTSD model and subsequently examining what symptoms are considered specific and non-specific to PTSD in adolescent-survivors of armed political conflict and violence.

METHODS

The study utilized a sample of 641 adolescent victim survivors. We conducted CFA analyses and compared nested models through the scaled χ2 difference test, while comparison of non-nested models was done using the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The best-fitted model was used in the consequent analysis, where we statistically controlled for the effect of non-specific psychological distress on PTSD by comparing the factor loadings and factor correlations before and after accounting for distress using the Aroian z-test.

RESULTS

The results provide support for the 7-factor hybrid model of PTSD over other proposed models for the current sample. Moreover, the data reveal that only 7 items could be construed as core symptoms, while the rest of the symptoms can be considered non-PTSD specific.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the findings provide support for the validity of the hybrid PTSD model among political conflict-exposed adolescents. The results also show that the DSM-5 PTSD has both specific and non-specific features in the present sample of conflict-exposed adolescents. This has potential implications for theory, practice, and treatment of the disorder.

Prediction of Impulsive Aggression Based on Video Images

In response to the subjectivity, low accuracy, and high concealment of existing attack behavior prediction methods, a video-based impulsive aggression prediction method that integrates physiological parameters and facial expression information is proposed. This method uses imaging equipment to capture video and facial expression information containing the subject's face and uses imaging photoplethysmography (IPPG) technology to obtain the subject's heart rate variability parameters. Meanwhile, the ResNet-34 expression recognition model was constructed to obtain the subject's facial expression information. Based on the random forest classification model, the physiological parameters and facial expression information obtained are used to predict individual impulsive aggression. Finally, an impulsive aggression induction experiment was designed to verify the method. The experimental results show that the accuracy of this method for predicting the presence or absence of impulsive aggression was 89.39%. This method proves the feasibility of applying physiological parameters and facial expression information to predict impulsive aggression. This article has important theoretical and practical value for exploring new impulsive aggression prediction methods. It also has significance in safety monitoring in special and public places such as prisons and rehabilitation centers.

The relationship between emotional regulation and hemispheric lateralization in depression: a systematic review and a meta-analysis

From a neurobiological perspective, diverse studies have associated emotional regulation with cognitive deficits. Structural and/or metabolic changes in the frontal cortex are often inferred from dysfunction in cognitive-emotional processing. In addition, electroencephalographic findings support the idea that alpha band oscillations are responses to these same processes. Thus, the objective of this meta-analytical literature review is to verify whether the possible hemispheric lateralization attributed to frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) correlates with emotional regulation and the cognitive deficits underlying depression. The data included in our meta-analysis are from articles published from 2009 to July 2020, which utilized DSM or ICD criteria to diagnose depression or anxiety disorders and included a control group. For statistical analysis, the measurements obtained through the 10-20 electroencephalography system were used. The frontal alpha asymmetry index was calculated from the difference between the logarithm of the absolute spectral values in the alpha rhythm observed from the F4 and F3 electrodes that were fixed to the scalp of the frontal region of the right and left hemispheres (ln µV² RH-ln µV² LH) = (F4-F3). Eighteen articles were included in the systematic review. Of these, 9 were homogeneous enough for statistical analyses (total N: 1061; N_Dep: 326; N_cont: 735). Nine others could not be statistically analyzed due to the absence of FAA measurements from the F4 and F3 electrodes. A random effects meta-analysis revealed low heterogeneity (Qt = 11,00, df = 8, p = 0.20, I² = 27%) and an average effect size of the studies equal to -0.03 (CI = [-0.07 to 0.01]). The results, although not significant, suggested a slight tendency toward left lateralization in the depression group. Although the effects shown in these data did not confirm hemispherical lateralization in depressed patients, it was found that emotional regulation and cognitive processes share similar neural circuits. Therefore, future research on this complex relationship is encouraged, especially studies that are focused on the search for quantitative biological markers in depression.

Anxiety predicts impulsive-compulsive behaviours in Parkinson's disease: Clinical relevance and theoretical implications

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often present symptoms of anxiety, depression and apathy. These negative affect manifestations have been recently associated with the presence of impulsive compulsive behaviours (ICBs). However, their relation with the use of dopamine replacement therapy (DRT), a renewed risk factor for ICBs, is still not fully understood. Elucidating the role of these different ICBs predictors in PD could inform both prevention/intervention recommendations as well as theoretical models. In the present study, we have analysed data collected in 417 PD patients, 50 patients with Parkinsonian symptoms but with scan without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD), and 185 healthy controls (HC). We examined each patient's clinical profile over a two-year time window, investigating the role of both negative affect and DRT on ICBs. Results confirmed the presence of higher levels of anxiety in both the clinical groups, and of higher level of ICBs in SWEDD patients, respect to both PD and HC. Mixed model analyses revealed a statistically significant association between anxiety and ICBs in the SWEDD patients who did not take any DRT. Findings suggest the independence between anxiety and DRT in ICBs development, and provide new evidence for the motivational opponency theoretical framework.