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The Puerto Rico Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata wetmorei suffered a severe population decline after hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. We used distance sampling to estimate abundance (density and population size) in April–June 1986−2024, accounting for changes in detection probability. We used the distance-sampling abundance estimates to populate a Bayesian state–space logistic model and update posterior estimates of population carrying capacity, maximum population growth rate, population recovery time, and predicted abundance in April–June 2025−2034, accounting for observation and process variances. In addition, we used predicted abundance to assess potential extinction risk (probability Pr[N2025−2034 = 0|data]), population self-sustainability above 5,000 individuals (Pr[N2025−2034 >5,000|data]), and population surpassing the 2.5th percentile of carrying capacity (Pr[N2025−2034 >30,000|data]). The population has not recovered from the hurricanes, with estimated density averaging 0.0015 individuals/ha (bootstrapped standard error [SE] = 0.0006) and population size averaging 1,097 individuals (SE = 455) at the 749,000-ha survey region in April–June 2018−2024. Posterior mean estimates were 41,580 individuals (Markov Chain Monte Carlo standard deviation [SD] = 8,052) for population carrying capacity, 0.183 (SD = 0.056) for maximum population growth rate, six years (SD = 2) for recovery time, and 7,173 individuals (SD = 12,309) for predicted abundance in April–June 2025−2034. The population may reach self-sustainability levels (range Pr[N2025−2034 >5,000|data] = 0.326−0.631) but currently is undergoing a prolonged bottleneck and may become extinct (range Pr[N2025−2034 = 0|data] = 0.199−0.332), particularly if reproduction continues to be mostly unsuccessful, anthropogenic disturbances remain unabated, and on top of that another devastating hurricane makes landfall during the next 10 years. The Puerto Rico Plain Pigeon subspecies is in urgent need of management aiming to increase and maintain abundance above 5,000 individuals but preferably surpassing the 2.5th percentile of population carrying capacity as in the late 1990s (range Pr[N2025−2034 >30,000|data] = 0.000−0.181).
Cannabis use and familial vulnerability to psychosis have been associated with social cognition deficits. This study examined the potential relationship between cannabis use and cognitive biases underlying social cognition and functioning in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), their siblings, and controls.
Methods
We analyzed a sample of 543 participants with FEP, 203 siblings, and 1168 controls from the EU-GEI study using a correlational design. We used logistic regression analyses to examine the influence of clinical group, lifetime cannabis use frequency, and potency of cannabis use on cognitive biases, accounting for demographic and cognitive variables.
Results
FEP patients showed increased odds of facial recognition processing (FRP) deficits (OR = 1.642, CI 1.123–2.402) relative to controls but not of speech illusions (SI) or jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias, with no statistically significant differences relative to siblings. Daily and occasional lifetime cannabis use were associated with decreased odds of SI (OR = 0.605, CI 0.368–0.997 and OR = 0.646, CI 0.457–0.913 respectively) and JTC bias (OR = 0.625, CI 0.422–0.925 and OR = 0.602, CI 0.460–0.787 respectively) compared with lifetime abstinence, but not with FRP deficits, in the whole sample. Within the cannabis user group, low-potency cannabis use was associated with increased odds of SI (OR = 1.829, CI 1.297–2.578, FRP deficits (OR = 1.393, CI 1.031–1.882, and JTC (OR = 1.661, CI 1.271–2.171) relative to high-potency cannabis use, with comparable effects in the three clinical groups.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest increased odds of cognitive biases in FEP patients who have never used cannabis and in low-potency users. Future studies should elucidate this association and its potential implications.
Risky sexual relationships, reckless driving or initiating drug use are examples of health-related risk behaviours that are often related to poor emotional abilities (emotional identification, emotional understanding, facilitating thought and emotional regulation). However, the mechanisms by which this relationship operates have been relatively little studied. It is well known that certain personality traits such as impulsivity and sensitivity to reward are strongly related to risk-taking behaviour.
Objectives
The aim of this work was to explore the role of these two traits in the relationship between each of the different abilities/ branches of emotional intelligence and health risk behaviour, as well as to identify the emotional ability that best predicts this relationship.
Methods
A community sample of 250 participants (Mage = 23.60; 72% women) was used to measure levels of emotional intelligence in each of its branches (through the performance-based ability test MSCEIT), and levels of health risk behaviour, impulsivity and sensitivity to reward.
Results
The results supported the existence of a negative relationship between the four emotional abilities and health risk-taking. Mediation analyses that included all four MSCEIT branches as predictors revealed an indirect effect of the “managing” branch on risk-taking, being the most important branch in predicting health-related risk-taking, due to its effects through impulsivity and sensitivity to reward.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that a strong negative relationship exists between emotional management ability and health risk-taking, highlighting that the emotional components of impulsivity and levels of sensitivity to reward have been shown to be among the mediating factors underlying this relationship. Further experimental research is needed to confirm the role of emotional intelligence, and in particular emotional management, as a protective factor for risk-taking behaviour.
Pre-service teachers must confront emotionally demanding situations associated with the profession, and they must be prepared for it. Previous literature has shown that two variables are important for managing mental health in this population: emotional intelligence (EI) and mindset. EI is the ability to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotions, while mindset refers to beliefs about the malleability of various life domains. According to their mindsets, those who believe that attributes are malleable are called incremental theorists, and those who believe attributes are fixed are entity theorists.
Objectives
This study aimed to explore the influence of intelligence and EI mindset on self-report and ability EI in a sample of 224 female pre-school pre-service teachers (M= 21.27, SD = 4.72).
Methods
Participants completed a questionnaire battery, including intelligence mindset, EI mindset, the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, the Trait Meta-Mood scale, and paternal and maternal educational status.
Results
The results showed that incremental EI theories — but not intelligence — were related to higher scores on self-report and ability EI. Specifically, being an incremental theorist of EI predicted 11% and 20% of the variance in global EI and the managing branch of ability EI, respectively
Conclusions
These results suggest that EI mindset training programs could be implemented and evaluated to explore their impact on the EI of female pre-service teachers
Burnout was reclassified in 2019 as an occupational phenomenon in ICD-11. The new condition includes the classic tridimensional definition with symptoms in areas of fatigue/energy depletion, mental distance/cinism and sense of ineffectiveness/lack of accomplishment.
Objectives
To evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of psychiatrists regarding new ICD-11 burnout definition.
To analyse the frequency of burnout symptoms in the psychiatric consultations and among the psychiatrists as healthcare professionals.
Methods
An online survey (designed with Microsoft® Forms) was sent in June 2023 to psychiatrists from three regions of Spain, contacted form local scientific societies. Psychiatrists, currently working, had to consent and answer a brief survey (average time: 2 min 32 sec) of 9 questions regarding the definition of burnout, their experience in clinical practice, their own symptoms and symptoms observed in colleagues.
Results
164 psychiatrists answered, 114 females (69.5%), mean age: 43.61 ± 11.28 years. 48.2% assured they had never used the term Burnout or the ICD codes Z73.0/QD85, whereas a 9.1% used them frequently in clinical practice. 58.5% considered burnout just a condition related to work and a 38.4% either a syndrome or a disorder.
Most psychiatrists referred that their patients exhibited symptoms of the three dimensions. Fatigue was the most common, attended frequently by 79.5% of the surveyed, followed by ineffectiveness (73.1%) and cinism (65.3%).
When reporting their own symptoms, only 16.5% psychiatrists referred not suffering any symptom. The most frequently involved was fatigue (66.5%), then ineffectiveness (56.1%) and cinism (41.5%). 28,7% reported concomitant symptoms of the three dimensions.
70.7% recognized fatigue symptoms in their colleagues, 61% ineffectiveness, 72.6% cinism and 45,5% recognized symptoms from the three dimensions. Only a 7.3% did not identify any of them.
A younger age was related to higher probability of suffering cinism (T:2.546; p=0.012) and ineffectiveness (T:2.900; p=0.004) and to a higher probability of recognizing cinism (T=3,293; p=0,001) an ineffectiveness in others (T=2.355; p=0.020)
Females showed a higher frequency of ineffectiveness symptoms (61.4% vs 44%; χ2:4.274; p=0,029).
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Conclusions
Psychiatrists’ concept of burnout is diverse but the main construct is convergent with ICD definition, not a medical illness but a condition related to work.
The three classic dimensions of burnout are common in clinical conditions and also in the laboral environment of psychiatrists themselves. Psychiatrists tend to recognized more easily burnout in other colleagues, particularly cinism symptoms. Cinism and ineffectiveness appear to be related to younger age that can be associated to an imbalance between work demands and individual resources.
These results highlight the challenge of preventing, detecting and addressing burnout syndrome in psychiatric services.
Exercise and other lifestyles are key treatment strategies to improve diabetes outcome, prevent cardiovascular risk and may also result in further results in quality if life and emotional symptoms.
Objectives
To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise intervention program for people with diabetes or cardiovascular risk.
To evaluate the influence of previous metal health and quality of life status in the results.
Methods
61 people with a type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular risk factors were recruited from health primary health centers in Ponferrada (EL Bierzo), including patients from the mental health association. After informed consent they were included in a 20 week, twice a week supervised walking training program to improve exercise and other lifestyles. A poster used for advertisement of the adtivity (“the way/walk to change diabetes”) is displayed in image 1). Baseline and after 20 weeks BMI and Waist perimeter were assessed, quality of life was evaluated with EQ-5D-5L and WHO-5 scales and the weekly steps walked were recorded previously and after the intervention with the subject usual mobile device.
Differences in the variables were compared with Paired Ts and repeated ANCOVAs measures adjusted by gender, age and initial steps.
Results
46 subjects (75.4%) completed more than 90% of the sessions and 3 more 70-90%. The 19.7% that did not complete had worse scores in SF-12 Role Physical (t 2.261, p=0.041) and Role Emotional (t:2.048, p=0.045) and Mental Component Summary (t:2,313; p=0,036) and WHO5 Total Score (t:2.101; p=0,040) at Baseline. Main reasons for dropout (Image 2) were health related problems (50%) and adherence to exercise and motivation problems (31.25%).
Those who completed the training improve number of weekly steps (baseline: 42022,92 +- 18836,35, final: 66448.06 +-28914,58; t:5.038; p<0.001), BMI (29.45 +-4.66 to 28.25 +-4.09 kg/m2; t:5.629; p<0.001), waist (from 107,34 + 9.98 to 102,88 +9,79 cm; t:6,840; p<0.001) and the EoQ-5D-EL VAS (form 72.88 to 82.42; t:6.122; p<0.001, image 3). The increase in the steps correlated directly with the improvement in the EoQ VAS (r:0.308; p=0.033).
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Conclusions
Exercise and lifestyle supervised intervention programs appear to be useful to improve physical health, wellbeing, emotional symptoms and quality of life in people with diabetes and cardiovascular risk.
Factors associated to higher dropout rates were previous limited quality of life scores and mental health worse status. These could be related with limited motivation and adherence to the program and may be of interest to develop specific strategies for these high-risk groups.
Studies focused on the long-term effect of the program are warranted.
The endemic Little Vermilion Flycatcher (LVF) Pyrocephalus nanus has suffered a drastic decline on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, where it was common 30 years ago. Currently, fewer than 40 individuals remain in the last remnants of natural humid forest in the Galapagos National Park on the island. This small population has low reproductive success, which is contributing to its decline in Santa Cruz. Previous studies have identified Avian Vampire Fly Philornis downsi parasitism, changes in food sources, and habitat alteration as threats to this species. In Santa Cruz, invasive plants may strongly affect the reproductive success of LVF because they limit accessibility to prey near the ground, the preferred foraging niche of these birds. Since 2019, we restored the vegetation in seven plots of 1 ha each by removing invasive blackberry plants and other introduced plant species. In all nests that reached late incubation, we also reduced the number of Avian Vampire Fly larvae. In this study, we compared foraging and perch height, pair formation, incubation time, and reproductive success between managed and unmanaged areas. As predicted, we found significantly lower foraging height and perch height in 2021 in managed areas compared with unmanaged areas. In 2020, the daily failure rate (DFR) of nests in the egg stage did not differ between management types; however, in 2021, the DFR in the egg stage was significantly lower in managed areas than in unmanaged areas. The DFR during the nestling stage was similar between managed and unmanaged areas in 2020, but in 2021, only nests in managed areas reached the nestling stage. Females brooded significantly more during the incubation phase in managed areas. Additionally, we found significantly higher reproductive success in managed areas compared with unmanaged areas in 2021, but not in 2020. Habitat restoration is a long-term process and these findings suggest that habitat management positively affects this small population in the long term.
This paper investigates the transport of drugs delivered by direct injection into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that fills the intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. Because of the small drug diffusivity, the dispersion of neutrally buoyant drugs has been shown in previous work to rely mainly on the mean Lagrangian flow associated with the CSF oscillatory motion. Attention is given here to effects of buoyancy, arising when the drug density differs from the CSF density. For the typical density differences found in applications, the associated Richardson number is shown to be of order unity, so that the Lagrangian drift includes a buoyancy-induced component that depends on the spatial distribution of the drug, resulting in a slowly evolving cycle-averaged flow problem that can be analysed with two-time scale methods. The asymptotic analysis leads to a nonlinear integro-differential equation for the spatiotemporal solute evolution that describes accurately drug dispersion at a fraction of the cost involved in direct numerical simulations of the oscillatory flow. The model equation is used to predict drug dispersion of positively and negatively buoyant drugs in an anatomically correct spinal canal, with separate attention given to drug delivery via bolus injection and constant infusion.
The first human infection with Gongylonema in Iran is reported in a 35-year-old Iranian woman with complaints of one year duration and treated as a psychotic patient. Two worms, a male, and a female, were retrieved, described, and identified as G. pulchrum based on their morphological characteristics.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Renal vascular resistance (RVR) is the opposition to blood flow by renal arteries. At the population level, dietary salt increases RVR and blood pressure (BP), which are associated with cardiovascular disease. Recent data indicate exogenous ketones may offset adverse cardiorenal effects of salt. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Our registered clinical trial (NCT05545501) is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Participants are being randomized to three 10-day conditions: A) control; B) high salt; C) high salt and ketone supplementation. Ten participants are enrolled (target 30 participants). Renal blood velocity (RBV) in the renal and segmental arteries will be measured in the decubitus position using Doppler ultrasound during a 3-minute baseline and 3-minute cold pressor test. We will measure brachial BP with an automated oscillometric BP monitor. RVR will be calculated as mean BP divided by RBV. Statistical analyses will include ANOVA and correlations with α set at ≤ 0.05. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate attenuated RBV and increased BP during the cold pressor test, particularly following high salt loading, leading to greater RVR. We hypothesize ketone supplementation will attenuate the high salt induced increase in RVR during the cold pressor test. In addition to RVR we will examine renal vascular conductance which is the ease with which blood flows through arteries, calculated as RBV divided by mean BP. Additional hemodynamics such as heart rate and systolic and diastolic BP will be reported and correlated with primary outcomes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Dietary salt plays a role in hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease, which are leading causes of death. Ketone supplementation may be a promising approach to counteract the detrimental effects of high dietary salt and improve cardiovascular health in adults.
First-episode psychotic disorders comprise a heterogeneous phenotype with a complex etiology involving numerous common small-effect genetic variations and a wide range of environmental exposures. We examined whether a family of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (FH-Sz) interacts with an environmental risk score (ERS-Sz) regarding the outcome of patients with non-affective first episode psychosis (NAFEP).
Methods:
We included 288 patients with NAFEP who were evaluated after discharge from an intensive 2-year program. We evaluated three outcome measures: symptomatic remission, psychosocial functioning, and personal recovery. We analyzed the main and joint associations of a FH-Sz and the ERS-Sz on the outcomes by using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) approach.
Results:
A FH-Sz showed a significant association with poor symptomatic remission and psychosocial functioning outcomes, although there was no significant interaction between a FH-Sz and the ERS-Sz on these outcomes. The ERS-Sz did not show a significant association with poor symptomatic remission and psychosocial functioning outcomes, even though the magnitude of the interaction between ERS-Sz and FH-Sz with the later outcome was moderate (RERI = 6.89, 95% confidence interval −16.03 to 29.81). There was no association between a FH-Sz and the ERS-Sz and personal recovery.
Conclusions:
Our results provide further empirical support regarding the contribution of FH-Sz to poor symptomatic remission and poor psychosocial functioning outcomes in patients with NAFEP.
Here we describe the first articulated olenid trilobite specimens recovered from the lowermost Fezouata Shale Formation (lower Tremadocian, Ordovician) of Morocco. Prior to the discovery of this sample, only two partial olenid trilobite specimens had been found from this part of the rock record. The specimens are well preserved enough to confidently identify as Leptoplastides salteri (Callaway, 1877), extending the species geographic range from Avalonia into Gondwana. We argue that the Moroccan occurrences formerly referred to as “Beltella sp.” in the literature are likely to be those of L. salteri. This species is the only olenid trilobite known from African Gondwana.
We investigate the linear Floquet stability of two fluid layers undergoing oscillations in the direction parallel to the flexible wall that separates them. This canonical configuration is inspired by the cerebrospinal fluid flow in the spinal canal of subjects with hydromyelia/syringomyelia. The analysis focuses on the marginal conditions for the onset of instability, and how these depend on the spatial wavelength of the perturbation, and on the values of the control parameters, which are the two channel widths, the Reynolds number and the wall stiffness. Unstable perturbations are found to oscillate synchronous with the base flow. The wavelength of the most unstable perturbation, of the order of the stroke length of the basic oscillatory motion, depends strongly on the wall stiffness, but is only weakly influenced by the channel widths and the Reynolds number. In general, around criticality, it was found that increasing the Reynolds number has a destabilizing effect, and that decreasing the canal widths stabilizes the instability. The wall stiffness on the other hand has a non-monotonic effect, exhibiting an intermediate value for which the instability is maximally amplified. The present analysis is a first step towards a better understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern many (bio)fluid mechanical problems that involve oscillatory flows near compliant walls.
This terrestrial and underwater archaeological research project around a Mediterranean islet identifies that it was a commercial centre during the fifth century AD. The results shed light on Late Roman island occupation dynamics.
The maximum size and lifetime of an acoustically nucleated cavitation bubble is inversely proportional to the driving frequency and has achieved a limit of approximately 10 MHz. Smaller cavitation bubbles that are critical to microscopic applications require shorter lifetimes that correspond to higher oscillation frequencies. Here, we demonstrate that acoustic cavitation in the 100 MHz range and beyond can be achieved through wave propagation in a solid rather than in a liquid. The cavitation bubble is nucleated at a nano-sized fracture on a glass substrate, and its expansion is driven by a leaky Rayleigh wave, while the inertial collapse is induced by a trailing shock wave. As both waves travel at different velocities, the time interval between these two events is a function of the distance to the source. In this way, we demonstrate experimentally control of the lifetime of the bubbles in a range between 6 and 80 ns, corresponding to oscillation frequencies between 13 and 166 MHz. Our results agree with finite-volume fluid–structure interaction simulations.
Smoking prevalence in patients with mental illness ranges between two to 4 times higher than general population. This higher prevalence has a multifactorial origin, and some of the possible causes are still unknown.
They have a higher prevalence of tobacco-associated diseases and higher mortality.
Additionally, these patients have greater difficulty in treating and quitting smoking.
A relationship has been found between severity of mental illness and smoking. Risk of suicide seems to be higher in patients with higher tobacco consumption. Schizophrenia is the mental illness that has been most closely related to smoking, with a prevalence close to 90%.
Objectives
The aim of this work is reviewing the current bibliography referring to smoking treatments for patients with mental illness
Methods
A literature search using electronic manuscripts available in PubMed database published during the last ten years and further description and discussion of a single-patient clinical case
Results
The treatment of tobacco dependence in patients with mental illnesses is sometimes waited until there is psychiatric stability, which can take a long time in those cases with more severe mental disorders, which can have negative physical and psychiatric consequences.
The combined treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacological treatment is the most effective approach. Nicotine replacement therapy can be useful, while combined use of antidepressants or anxiolytics is also recommended.
Bupropion has shown efficacy. In patients with schizophrenia it does not seem to worsen positive symptomatology, but improving the negative one. It should not be used in patients with bipolar disorder or bulimia.
Varenicline has shown efficacy in the general population, but limitations were established in patients with mental illness, although it is the drug that has shown greater efficacy. However, is not currently available in our country.
Cytisine is a drug with limited number of studies in the psychiatric population but it may be a reasonable treatment alternative.
Conclusions
The prevalence of tobacco use in patients with mental illness is higher than the general population, especially in paranoid schizophrenia. The consequences on physical health and the evolution of psychiatric illness are very relevant. Based on above, a multidisciplinary and coordinated management involving psychiatrists and other specialists in the treatment of these patients should be desirable.
Motivation is an essential determinant of performance, particularly for those working in difficult conditions, such as the conditions facing many health workers. The relationship between motivation and performance is influenced by the health workers’ organizational environment and social context. Many intrinsic and extrinsic factors may influence the impulse to head for and maintain and effort to achieve the objectives of the organization these may include acknowledgements, status and incentives, but also auto efficacy perception, personal growth, welfare and physical and mental health.
In the last years and particularly during COVID-19 pandemic health organizations have suffered a crisis of lack of motivation and high turnover rates in health professional, particularly among highly specialized professions.
Objectives
to develop a quality program to promote mental health and motivation, detect risk of mental disorders and improve communication skills in the health workers of the Health Area of El Bierzo (GASBI).
Methods
A committee with four members form the psychiatry and mental health service, two from the Quality and Security Unit and 1 from the Occupational Risk Prevention Service analyzed the GASBI with a SWOT-CAME matrix analysis. Actions to be implemented were ordered with a Hanlon method score according to a representative sample of the employees of GASBI.
Results
The CAME matrix recommended an offensive strategy, given a number of strengths and the opportunities for an administration sensible to new paradigms. The program proposed included 6 main lines (evaluation, access to mental health consultation, prevention of suicide behavior, resilience group, communication and relation groups and a group of actions to improve motivation and prevent burnout called “10 actions to dream together”, displayed in figures 1 and 2. The Hanlon classified suicide behaviour as the highest priority (score: 16,25 points), mental disorders the second (score: 13.75), then fatigue (13 p), burnout and resilience (12p) and the less prioritary was motivation (7 points). The project was displayed in a canvas business model (figure 3)
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Conclusions
Mental health, fatigue, burnout and motivation of health workers is a complex problem that affect health organizations and quality of services. Mental Health service have an important role in the promotion of wellbeing and prevent burnout in the health system.
Mirror exposure therapies (MET) have been proposed to reduce symptomatology in patients with Anorexia Nervosa. However, most MET protocols or related studies do not specify the patients’ distance to the mirror, or when they do so, such a distance may differ significantly (from 0,5 to 3 meters). Such modifications of mirror positioning could imply variations in patients’ fixation patterns on different body parts (i.e., attentional bias between weight-related and non-weight related body parts), since previous studies shown that dissociated neural systems (either in left or right cerebral hemispheres) are involved in the attentional patterns and scanning strategies depending on the distance (i.e., in near and far space). Furthermore, as the body-related attentional bias (AB) has been shown to be a part of the maintenance mechanism of AN symptomatology, any modification of attentional patterns due to mirror’s distance variations may influence the efficacy of MET.
Objectives
This study aims to use Virtual Reality (VR) and Eye-Tracking (ET) technologies to precisely analyse the effect of the distance to the mirror on the attentional patterns.
Methods
137 female college students were immersed in a VR environment in which they could look in the mirror at their respective avatars created from the measurements and photos of their real bodies. The mirror was positioned at 3.30m in front of the participants in “group 1” (n1 = 54), and at 1.54m in front of the participants in “group 2” (n2 = 83). Eye-Tracking feature and OGAMA software (Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany) were used to record and process the visual attentional pattern of each participant, during a 30-second free viewing task at her avatar. Complete Fixation Time (CFT) was assessed as the fixation time difference between weight- and non-weight- related body parts, defined from the weight scale of the PASTAS questionnaire. Independent Sample t-Test was conducted to analyse CFT mean difference between both groups.
Results
Independent Samples t-Test shows statistically significant CFT mean difference (F (1, 135) = 1.571, p < 0.001, 95% IC [1717; 5581]) between both groups. While fixation pattern of the group positioned further to the mirror (group 1) was more focused on weight-related body parts (CFT mean = 2282ms, SD = 809), the fixation pattern of the group positioned closer to the mirror (group 2) was more focused on non-weight-related body parts (CFT mean = -1367ms, SD = 587).
Conclusions
This study shows new opportunities to use VR and ET technologies to precisely analyse the variations of fixation patterns as a function of mirror position in MET. Such information may contribute to adapt and develop new MET’s protocols for AN patients, optimizing the distance to the mirror. It also underscores the importance of specifying the distance to the mirror in MET-related studies to improve replicability.
Previous research has shown that virtual reality (VR)-based exposure therapy is effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. However, more information regarding the specific features of this intervention for the treatment of fear of flying (FoF) is needed. The primary aim of this systematic review was to update and analyse the existing data on the efficacy of VR exposure treatment (VRET) in FoF, providing information on the optimal methodological conditions for its administration. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was employed to select the articles. PsycInfo, Medline and Web of Science were chosen as databases with a wide range of publications related to health and psychology. Thirty-three eligible articles were included in this review. Results showed that participants’ anxiety decreased after being systematically exposed to flight-related VR environments. VRET is at least as effective as other evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or in vivo exposure therapy (IVET), and therefore is a highly recommended alternative when IVET is difficult to administer, and an excellent complement to enhance CBT efficacy. Regarding sensory cues, the addition of motion feedback synchronised with visual and auditory cues during the exposure to VR environments might improve the efficacy of VRET for FoF, but more research supporting this statement is still needed.