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Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is believed to be a critical prerequisite for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aims to investigate whether anti-EBV titres are elevated before the onset of MS symptoms in people with radiologically isolated syndrome (pwRIS) and to evaluate their association with markers of adverse clinical outcomes. Methods: Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) and viral capsid antigen (VCA) titres were quantified in a cohort of 47 pwRIS and 24 healthy controls using Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay. Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light protein (NfL) were measured using single-molecule array. MRI lesion metrics and the development of MS symptoms over time were also evaluated. Results: EBNA1 titres were higher pwRIS compared to healthy controls (p=0.038), while VCA titres were not (p=0.237). A positive correlation was observed between EBNA1 titres and plasma GFAP in pwRIS (p=0.005). Neither EBNA1 nor VCA titres correlated with NfL. MRI lesion measures and the development of MS symptoms did not show any significant relationship with EBNA1 or VCA titres. Conclusions: Eelevated EBNA1 titres are detectable prior to MS symptom onset and correlate with GFAP, a biomarker associated with worse clinical outcomes. However, their role in disease progression and clinical outcomes requires further investigation.
Background: Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) is characterized by incidental MRI findings suggestive of multiple sclerosis in asymptomatic individuals. Emerging blood biomarkers, including neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and chitinase 3-like 1 protein (CHI3L1) are promising tools for evaluating neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 47 individuals with RIS who underwent MRI and plasma biomarker assessments. Plasma levels of CHI3L1, NfL, and GFAP were measured using highly sensitive assays. Correlations between biomarkers and MRI markers, including T1-black holes (BHs), central vein sign (CVS) positive lesions, paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs), choroid plexus volume (CPV), and thalamic and hippocampal volumes, were analyzed using linear regression. Results: Plasma CHI3L1 levels correlated with increased CPV (β = 0.347, p = 0.017) and reduced thalamic (β = -0.309, p = 0.035) and hippocampal (β = -0.535, p < 0.001) volumes. Plasma GFAP levels were associated with BHs, CVS, and PRLs, whereas plasma NfL showed no correlations with MRI measures. Conclusions: Plasma CHI3L1 correlates with subcortical grey matter atrophy and CPV increase in RIS, distinct from correlations observed with GFAP or NfL. This suggests that plasma CHI3L1 may reflect neurodegeneration and inflammation in RIS and provide insights into disease activity not captured by other biomarkers.
Background: In multiple sclerosis (MS), soluble mediators of neuroinflammation are released by activated lymphocytes and resident immune cells, leading to demyelination and neurodegeneration. Radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) is an entity in which white matter lesions fulfilling criteria for MS occur in individuals without any suggestive symptoms. The exact nature of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in blood, and their association with disease activity in RIS/MS requires further clarification. Methods: Plasma was collected and cryopreserved from healthy controls (HCs), people with RIS and relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) at the Barlo MS Centre. All samples were analyzed with OLink Target 96 Inflammation Multiplex Immunoassay Panel. Results: Individuals with RIS (p=0.0001; p= 0.0007; p= 0.0012) and RRMS (p<0.0001; p= 0.0003; p= 0.00112) had significantly higher concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and chemokine ligand 23 (CCL23) in plasma compared to HCs, and patients with RRMS (p=0.0087) had significantly higher concentrations of HGF compared to individuals with RIS. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that HGF, IL-6 and CCL23 are significantly increased in the plasma of patients with RIS and RRMS compared to HCs. Our observations suggest that the biology of MS is present in those with RIS, and these neuroinflammatory mediators may serve as a biomarker of disease activity.
The identification of predictors of treatment response is crucial for improving treatment outcome for children with anxiety disorders. Machine learning methods provide opportunities to identify combinations of factors that contribute to risk prediction models.
Methods
A machine learning approach was applied to predict anxiety disorder remission in a large sample of 2114 anxious youth (5–18 years). Potential predictors included demographic, clinical, parental, and treatment variables with data obtained pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at least one follow-up.
Results
All machine learning models performed similarly for remission outcomes, with AUC between 0.67 and 0.69. There was significant alignment between the factors that contributed to the models predicting two target outcomes: remission of all anxiety disorders and the primary anxiety disorder. Children who were older, had multiple anxiety disorders, comorbid depression, comorbid externalising disorders, received group treatment and therapy delivered by a more experienced therapist, and who had a parent with higher anxiety and depression symptoms, were more likely than other children to still meet criteria for anxiety disorders at the completion of therapy. In both models, the absence of a social anxiety disorder and being treated by a therapist with less experience contributed to the model predicting a higher likelihood of remission.
Conclusions
These findings underscore the utility of prediction models that may indicate which children are more likely to remit or are more at risk of non-remission following CBT for childhood anxiety.
As demographic groups’ heterogeneity increases, questions emerge about how elected and unelected political representatives respond to such diversity. Representative bureaucracy scholarship suggests that representatives will rely on shared values and interests with clients of their demographic group to make decisions or implement policies that improve the group’s status. However, differences in immigration histories, demographic characteristics, language, and discrimination experiences within racial and ethnic groups are points of diversion that could affect representation. We explore the relationship between race and ethnicity to understand how within-group differences may disrupt the traditional assumptions of representation. Centering on the experiences of Afro-Latinx students, we ask, What effect do within-group differences have on bureaucrat-client representation?” Afro-Latinx students share a racial identity with Black education bureaucrats and an ethnic identity with Latinx education bureaucrats but may also differ from both groups in their language acquisition, culture, norms, and interests. We find that Black representatives offer Afro-Latinx students substantive representation, while Latinx representatives do not when we consider their racial identity. The research holds implications for understanding the boundaries of representation and may offer insight into the importance of disaggregating groups in representation studies.
Laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) enable the generation of intense and short proton bunches on a micrometre scale, thus offering new experimental capabilities to research fields such as ultra-high dose rate radiobiology or material analysis. Being spectrally broadband, laser-accelerated proton bunches allow for tailored volumetric dose deposition in a sample via single bunches to excite or probe specific sample properties. The rising number of such experiments indicates a need for diagnostics providing spatially resolved characterization of dose distributions with volumes of approximately 1 cm${}^3$ for single proton bunches to allow for fast online feedback. Here we present the scintillator-based miniSCIDOM detector for online single-bunch tomographic reconstruction of dose distributions in volumes of up to approximately 1 cm${}^3$. The detector achieves a spatial resolution below 500 $\unicode{x3bc}$m and a sensitivity of 100 mGy. The detector performance is tested at a proton therapy cyclotron and an LPA proton source. The experiments’ primary focus is the characterization of the scintillator’s ionization quenching behaviour.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic deleteriously impacted physical and mental health. In the summer of 2020, return-to-learn plans were enacted, including virtual, hybrid, and in-person plans, impacting educators and students. We examined (1) how return-to-learn plan was related to depressive and social anxiety symptoms among educators and (2) how psychological flexibility related to symptoms.
Methods:
Educators (N = 853) completed a survey via Qualtrics that assessed internalizing symptoms, psychological flexibility, and occupational characteristics. Two one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) examined between-group differences in return-to-learn plans across depression and social anxiety. Two hierarchical linear regressions examined the relation between psychological flexibility components and depressive and social anxiety symptoms.
Results:
Median T-scores were well above the national normative means for General Depression (median T-score: 81) and Social Anxiety (median T-score: 67). There were no significant differences between reopening plans in general depression nor social anxiety T-scores. Psychological flexibility accounted for 33% of the variance in depressive symptoms and 24% of the variance in social anxiety symptoms.
Conclusions:
Results indicated high levels of psychiatric symptoms among educators during COVID-19, and psychological flexibility was associated with lower symptoms. Addressing educator mental health is of utmost importance in future research.
Background of behavioral addictions, which include smartphone addiction, is complicated and unclear. Belonging to an Internet community that shows many forms of virtual pathology and generates new, artificial trends also favors the development of mental implications which include lowered mental immunity, emotional lability, increased depressiveness, aggression, inadequate self-esteem, lowered self-value and personality disorders. Implications regarding the social sphere are above all related to the gradual alienation from the closest environment as a result of preoccupation with the subject of dependence. Those consequences include deterioration of social relations, loss of interpersonal skills and former interests, as well as the minimization of contacts with the closest ones which lead to the sense of social isolation and loneliness.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to estimate the scale of mobile phone addiction among young adults as well as to establish whether the low level of perceived social support is related to the problematic smartphone use, and whether an addictive pattern of smartphone use is related to the prevalence of depressiveness and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Methods
The study involved 567 young-adult respondents from West Pomeranian Voivodship in Poland. The study was carried out using the diagnostic poll method via questionnaire technique. Both the author’s own questionnaire and the following standardized research tools were used: the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale for Adolescents (MPPUSA), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).
Results
Perceived social support was significantly lower in the group of respondents who problematically used their smartphones in comparison with the ones who used them in a correct way (p < 0.05). Severity of depressive symptoms and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.05) was significantly greater in respondents addicted to their mobiles in comparison with non-addicted ones.
Conclusions
The scale of the mobile phone addiction phenomenon in respondents was low. Many respondents though expressed a subjective sense of being addicted to their smartphones in comparison with the obtained results. Problematic smartphone use concerns to the same degree members of both sexes, residents of villages and cities, as well as singles and ones in relationships (both formal and informal). The mobile phone addiction is associated with the risk of severe symptoms of depression and excessive daytime sleepiness. Pathologic pattern of smartphone use much more frequently concerned individuals who perceived their social support level as low.
The rapid development of civilization is accompanied by many changes affecting human functioning. Technological development, wide access to positive stimuli and the neglect of emotional control and self-awareness in the learning process make it difficult for individuals to control their behavior. Such a loss of control is associated with the development of addictions. Therapists, doctors and researchers more and more often encounter cases of compulsive behavior focused on a specific activity - apart from gambling or playing computer or internet games, more and more often the subjects of preoccupation are compulsive shopping, sexual activities and work (workaholism).
Objectives
The aim of the research was to try to define the mediating role of depression in the relationship between addiction to shopping and work and loneliness, understood in terms of general loneliness among Polish women.
Methods
The study was conducted among 556 women. The research was carried out with the use of the diagnostic survey method, using the questionnaire technique: the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, the Purchasing Behavior Scale, the Work Addiction Risk Test, Beck Depression Inventory and a questionnaire of our authorship.
Results
Depressiveness is a mediator in the relationship between the feeling of loneliness and the degree of addiction to shopping (β = -0.0246, z = -2.03, p = 0.043) and in the relationship between the feeling of loneliness and the degree of addiction to work (β = -0.0722, z = -4.002, p < 0.001). The direct impact of the feeling of loneliness on the degree of addiction to shopping (p = 0.237) and work (p = 0.576) is statistically insignificant.
Conclusions
In the mediation model adopted, it was shown that depressiveness plays the role of a mediator between the feeling of loneliness and the degree of addiction to shopping and work. The increase in the level of depression increased the degree of addiction to shopping and work. The mediator’s participation lowered the level of the feeling of loneliness. Loneliness was not a significant predictor of addiction to shopping and work. There is a need to include activities aimed at identifying psychological factors influencing the occurrence of addictions to shopping and work among women. It seems important to be able to use psychological help when needed. It is also necessary to take institutional preventive measures to prevent the occurrence of behavioral addictions among women.
Healthcare workers are exposed to increased risks of insomnia and aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives
The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence rate of insomnia and aggression and identify associated risk factors among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Methods
A total of 264 healthcare workers participated in the study. The study was conducted with the diagnostic survey method, using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a questionnaire of our authorship.
Results
The vast majority of the respondents (81.06%) suffered from insomnia and had poor sleep quality (78.03%). Education (p=0.038), marital (p=0.043) and parental status (p=0.004), and contact with patients suffering from COVID-19 (p=0.024) were statistically significant contributors to insomnia. Working time was found to significantly correlate with insomnia (r=0.124 p=0.044) and a physical aggression (r=0.168 p=0.006), anger (r=0.121 p=0.05), a verbal aggression (r=-0.132 p=0.032). Age was found to significantly correlate with total aggression (r=-0.133 p=0.031), verbal aggression (r=-0.138 p=0.025), anger (r=-0.151 p=0.014). Sex was found to be statistically significantly related to physical aggression (p=0.017), anger (p=0.032), and hostility (p=0.002).
Conclusions
A considerable proportion of HCWs experienced sleep disorders during the pandemic, emphasizing the need to establish ways to reduce long-term adverse outcomes associated with chronic insomnia and adjust interventions under pandemic conditions. Our findings confirm that insomnia and poor sleep quality are consistently associated with aggression.
Behavioral addictions are a growing problem in the society. Digital technologies are used by people of different ages, and their number is increasing every year. The precise reasons for the development of addictions remain unknown. In the case of behavioral addictions, especially Internet addiction, the significance of personality traits and behaviors predisposing an individual to addiction, such as depressiveness, anxiety, hostile attitude, aggression, impulsiveness, psychotic behaviors, shyness and self-esteem disorders, are emphasized. Personality predispositions play an essential role in Internet addiction.
Objectives
The aim of this study was a general assessment of the level of Internet addiction with regard to personality traits according to the Big Five model by Costa and McCrae among women from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Methods
The study involved 556 women, whose average age was 34 years and who met the inclusion criteria: female sex, age of 18 years or above, place of residence in the West Pomeranian Voivodship, an informed consent for participation in the study, and completion of the set of questionnaires. The study was conducted using a diagnostic poll method with a questionnaire technique. To carry out the analysis both author’s own and standardized tools were used: the author’s questionnaire covering socio-demographic data, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory which assesses the levels of personality traits, and the Internet Addiction Test used to measure behaviors and characteristics related to compulsive use of the Internet.
Results
Most (70.9%) of the women were average users of the Internet, 25% of respondents were at risk of addiction, and the least numerous group of women (4.1%) was addicted to the Internet. Conscientiousness negatively correlated with Internet addiction (r = -0.22; p < 0.001; R2 = 4.9%). Openness to experience was conducive to Internet addiction (r = 0.15; p < 0.001; R2 = 11.1%). A positive link between neuroticism and Internet addictions was established (r = 0.33; p < 0.001; R2 = 11.1%). No significant relationships between Internet addiction and extraversion (r = 0.03; p = 0.45) as well as agreeableness (r = -0.07; p = 0.10) were demonstrated.
Conclusions
The type of personality of the studied women implicated relationships to Internet addiction. Neuroticism might be a personality trait that particularly predisposes to an increased risk of Internet addiction. Openness to experience was conducive to Internet Addiction. Low levels of conscientiousness more often become addicted to the Internet.
Social network addicts may differ significantly from non-addicts in terms of personality traits, such as agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. Addicts may be prone to negative emotions and unpleasant experiences, which may be associated with a higher level of neuroticism. Addicts often fail to cope in the real world, often experience negative emotions, quickly give up their goals, see themselves and others in a negative light, and escape into virtual reality. The virtual world is devoid of the anxiety that an individual faces in real life interactions, hence the tendency for addiction among people with higher levels of neuroticism. The primary cause of Internet Addiction may be innate temperamental traits (i.e., impulsiveness of behavior and impulsiveness of decisions) that influence the susceptibility to functional and chemical addictions. According to the concept of addictive personality, people who have this problem are prone to addiction as such, regardless of what they are addicted to.
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to generally assess the degree of women’s dependence on social networking sites on the example of Facebook, taking into account personality traits according to the five-factor model of personality, the so-called Big Five by Costa and McCrae
Methods
The study included 556 women. This survey-based study was carried out using the questionnaire technique. The following research tools were used to analyze behavioral addictions in adult women: the Bergen Face- book Addiction Scale (BFAS), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO FFI) and the author’s questionnaire.
Results
Among the surveyed women, 69.6% were average Facebook users, of whom 16.4% had scores indicating possible Facebook addiction, and 14.0% had scores indicating addiction. The higher the neuroticism, the more serious the Facebook addiction (r = 0.26; p < 0.001; R2 = 6.7%). A weak negative correlation was obtained for the agreeableness subscale e (r = -0.08; p < 0.05; R2 = 7.2%). A weak negative correlation was also obtained for the subscale of conscientiousness (r = -0.16; p < 0.001; R2 = 2.6%). There was no statistically significant correlation between the log10 score obtained on the BFAS and the score on the NEO-FFI subscales of extraversion (r = 0.04; p = 0.40) and openness to experience (r = 0.04; p = 0.30).
Conclusions
The personality types of the studied women indicated relationships in terms of behavioral addictions. Women characterized by neuroticism showed stronger addiction to Facebook. Women characterized by high conscientiousness were at lower risk of behavioral addictions, while agreeableness as a personality trait significantly protected the surveyed women against Facebook addiction.
Laser–plasma accelerated (LPA) proton bunches are now applied for research fields ranging from ultra-high-dose-rate radiobiology to material science. Yet, the capabilities to characterize the spectrally and angularly broad LPA bunches lag behind the rapidly evolving applications. The OCTOPOD translates the angularly resolved spectral characterization of LPA proton bunches into the spatially resolved detection of the volumetric dose distribution deposited in a liquid scintillator. Up to 24 multi-pinhole arrays record projections of the scintillation light distribution and allow for tomographic reconstruction of the volumetric dose deposition pattern, from which proton spectra may be retrieved. Applying the OCTOPOD at a cyclotron, we show the reliable retrieval of various spatial dose deposition patterns and detector sensitivity over a broad dose range. Moreover, the OCTOPOD was installed at an LPA proton source, providing real-time data on proton acceleration performance and attesting the system optimal performance in the harsh laser–plasma environment.
When speaking of behavioral addictions (especially to the Internet and social media), it is emphasized that it is not the environment that is the main contributor to addiction, but rather certain behaviors and personality traits.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to assess the level of Internet and social media addiction on the example of Facebook with regard to psychological and social factors.
Methods
This survey-based study involved a group of women representing the female population in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland (N = 556). Research instruments were a self-developed questionnaire concerning sociodemographic data, the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Internet Addiction Test, and the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale.
Results
Age, depressive symptoms, loneliness were the variable contributing to Internet and Facebook addiction among the studied. Available studies confirm the results of their own research.
Employed n = 496
Unemployed n = 60
p
BDI
4.0(1.0 – 10.0)
6.5 (1.5 – 12.5)
0.20
DJGLS
34.1 ± 3.7
33.0 ± 5.0
0.09
IAT
32.0 (24.0 – 44.0)
24.5 (20.0 – 32.0)
< 0.001
BFAS
8.0 (6.0 – 12.0)
6.0 (6.0 – 7.5)
< 0.001
Conclusions
Depressive symptoms and dependence on the Internet and Facebook were more common among single women. In the employed women, we only observed higher levels of Internet and Facebook addiction. The level of dependence on the Internet and Facebook was higher among younger women. Loneliness correlated with Internet and Facebook addiction, and more severe depressive symptoms entailed higher levels of Internet and Facebook addiction.
Psychological health problems, especially emotional disorders, have become an important topic of considerations for many scientists, because the epidemiology of these disorders is strongly influenced by stressful events, such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate selected parameters of psychosocial functioning as well as socio-demographic correlates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and perceived stress among the residents of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Methods
An online questionnaire was completed by 323 participants, in whom the parameters of psychosocial functioning were assessed: symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), severity of sleep disorders (AIS) and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale).
Results
The majority of the respondents (75.2%) scored high on the Perceived Stress Scale, almost half of the respondents (47.1%) had sleep disorders and 26% of the participants had no depressive symptoms. Age statistically significantly correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms and sleep disorders. Parental status statistically significantly correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms. There was a strong correlation between the severity of depression and anxiety and a strong correlation between depression and sleep disorders.
Conclusions
Age and parental status contributed to the severity of depressive symptoms and the occurrence of sleep disorders among the residents of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Some of the residents of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship showed high levels of stress or insomnia. The severity of depressive symptoms significantly influenced the levels of anxiety and perceived stress, as well as the occurrence of sleep disorders.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by emotion dysregulation, interpersonal impairment, and high suicidality. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is the most widely studied psychotherapeutic treatment for BPD. To date, the vast majority of DBT research has focused on cisgender women, with a notable lack of systematic investigation of sex and/or gender differences in treatment response. In order to encourage effective, equitable treatment of BPD, further investigation into treatment targets in this population is critical. Here, we employed a systematic strategy to delineate gaps in the DBT literature pertaining to sex and gender differences and propose directions for future research. Findings demonstrate a significant discrepancy in measurement of sex and gender, particularly among gender-diverse individuals. Exploring DBT treatment response across the full spectrum of genders will facilitate the provision of more tailored, impactful care to all individuals who suffer from BPD.
Key learning aims
(1) To date, DBT treatment literature has focused almost exclusively on cisgender women, with only two of 253 DBT studies in current literature accounting for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals.
(2) Recognize how gender minority stress may impact the prevalence of BPD among TGD individuals.
(3) Learn how future research initiatives can be employed to rectify this gap in the DBT literature.
Mergers of neutron stars and black holes are nowadays observed routinely thanks to gravitational-wave astronomy. In the isolated, binary-evolution channel, a common-envelope phase of a red supergiant and a compact object is crucial to sufficiently shrink the orbit and thereby enable a merger via gravitational-wave emission. Here, we use the outcome of three-dimensional hydrodynamic common-envelope simulations of a 9.4 solar mass red supergiant and a 5 solar mass black-hole to explore the further evolution and final fate of the remnant binary. The binary system undergoes another phase of mass transfer during which it is visible as an X-ray binary. We find that the donor star does not explode as an ultra-stripped supernova because of the large remaining envelope mass, but as a Type Ib/c supernova. Supernova kicks are actually required to sufficiently perturb the orbit and thus facilitate a merger within a Hubble time via gravitational-wave emission.
The first magnetic field in a star other than the Sun was detected in 1947 in the star 78 Vir. Today, we know that about 10% of these intermediate-mass and high-mass stars have strong, large-scale surface magnetic fields whose origin has remained a mystery till today. It has been suggested that merging of main-sequence and pre-main-sequence stars could produce such strong fields. The massive star τ Sco is a well-known member of the group of magnetic stars and is a blue straggler given its apparently young age compared to that of other members of the Upper Scorpius association. Here, we present 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the coalescence of two massive main-sequence stars and 1D stellar evolution computations of the subsequent evolution of the merger product that can explain τ Sco’s magnetic field, apparent youth and other observed characteristics. We argue that field amplification in stellar mergers is a general mechanism to form strongly-magnetised massive stars. Such stars are promising progenitors of magnetars, which may give rise to some of the enigmatic fast radio bursts, and their supernova explosions may be affected by the strong magnetic fields.