BackgroundPrevious studies have mainly examined the associations between partner phubbing and relationship outcomes among phubbees, whereas less is known about how marital relationship quality is associated with phubbing among phubbers themselves. This study aims to examine the relationship between marital satisfaction and phubbing among Chinese married adults, and examine the mediating role of depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating role of subjective social status (SSS) in this association.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 565 married adults in China (31.85 ± 4.85 years; 67.3% female). Participants completed self-report measures of marital satisfaction, depressive symptoms, phubbing, and SSS. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to examine the indirect role of depressive symptoms and the conditional indirect associations across levels of SSS.ResultsDepressive symptoms significantly mediated the association between marital satisfaction and phubbing. SSS moderated both the direct path from marital satisfaction to phubbing and the second stage of the mediation model from depressive symptoms to phubbing. Simple slope analyses revealed that marital satisfaction was negatively associated with phubbing only among individuals with a high SSS (βsimple = -0.42, t = -4.16, p < 0.001). Furthermore, depressive symptoms were positively associated with phubbing among adults with low SSS (βsimple = 0.62, t = 6.99, p < 0.001), while this association was not significant among those with high SSS (M + 1SD) (βsimple = 0.11, t = 1.13, p = 0.26).ConclusionDepressive symptoms accounted for part of the indirect association between lower marital satisfaction and greater phubbing among Chinese married adults, and this process varies as a function of SSS. Prevention and intervention efforts targeting phubbing in marital contexts may benefit from considering both depressive symptoms and individuals’ perceived social status.
Association between perceived school climate and employment anxiety among medical undergraduates: the mediating role of intentional self-regulation and the moderating role of perceived employability
BackgroundEmployment anxiety is an important psychological concern for medical undergraduates during the transition from university to work. This study examined the association between perceived school climate and employment anxiety and evaluated the roles of intentional self-regulation and perceived employability in this association.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,857 undergraduate students from four medical universities in Heilongjiang Province, China, between September and December 2025. Participants completed measures of perceived school climate, intentional self-regulation, perceived employability, employment anxiety, and demographic and academic characteristics. Hierarchical regression, indirect-association analysis, and moderated mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstrap resamples were performed. Multivariable models included university fixed effects and were adjusted for demographic and academic covariates.ResultsA more positive perceived school climate was associated with lower employment anxiety and stronger intentional self-regulation. Intentional self-regulation statistically accounted for part of the association between perceived school climate and employment anxiety. Perceived employability moderated the association between intentional self-regulation and employment anxiety: the negative association, and consequently the conditional indirect association, was stronger among students with lower perceived employability and weaker among those with higher perceived employability. However, the incremental magnitude of the moderation effect was modest.ConclusionsSupportive perceived school climate was associated with lower employment anxiety partly through intentional self-regulation, with a modest moderating role of perceived employability. Integrating school-climate improvement, self-regulation training, and targeted career support may strengthen psychological adaptation during the school-to-work transition.
Developing Microbiome and Dietary Strategies Based on Chrono-nutrition for Targeting ADHD
Conditions: ADHD; ADHD – Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity
Interventions: Behavioral: Circadian fasting
Sponsors: Spanish National Research Council; Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset; Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, National Research Council; State Research Agency, Spain
Enrolling by invitation
Interventions: Behavioral: Circadian fasting
Sponsors: Spanish National Research Council; Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset; Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, National Research Council; State Research Agency, Spain
Enrolling by invitation
Breaking the Cycle of Social Media Addiction: Efficacy of a 4-STEP Training Program in Reducing Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Procrastination, and Burnout Among Adolescents
Conditions: Social Media Addiction
Interventions: Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS
Sponsors: Government College University Faisalabad
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS
Sponsors: Government College University Faisalabad
Not yet recruiting
4-STEP Training Program for Social Media Addiction, Cognitive Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Academic Burnout and Procrastination Among Students
Conditions: Social Media Addiction
Interventions: Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS
Sponsors: Government College University Faisalabad
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Behavioral: 4-STEP-TPS
Sponsors: Government College University Faisalabad
Not yet recruiting
Exploration of the relationship between social cognition and PTSD using data from the ALSPAC cohort
Background and hypothesisPrevious studies have shown an association between social cognition (emotion recognition, social perception, attributional style, and mentalization) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but there have been no longitudinal studies on this topic. We hypothesize that childhood social cognitive differences are associated with subsequent trauma exposure and PTSD.Study designData from the Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used. The Social Communications Disorder Checklist (SCDC) at age 7.5 years, the Diagnostic Analysis of Non-Verbal Accuracy Scale (DANVA) Receptive Facial Expressions Subtest at 8 years, and the Emotional Triangles task at 13.5 years were used. Outcome measures were trauma ages 14–23 years using the LEC-5 and screening positive for PTSD at 23 years of age using the PCL-5. Logistic regression analyses were used and adjusted for sex, socioeconomic status, verbal IQ, and autism diagnosis for the trauma outcome and, additionally, childhood trauma ages 0–10 years for the PTSD outcome. A sensitivity analysis examined whether an association remained with adolescent/adult trauma after excluding those with childhood trauma.Study resultsGlobal social cognition differences measured via the SCDC were associated with trauma in the main and sensitivity analyses (ORadj 1.09, 95% CI 1.08, 1.11, p-value <0.001) as were errors on the Triangles task (ORadj 1.04, 95% CI 1.03, 1.06, p-value <0.001). The SCDC was also associated with PTSD (ORadj 1.15, 95% CI 1.12, 1.18, p-value <0.001) as were errors on the Triangles task (ORadj 1.16, 95% CI 1.13, 1.20, p-value <0.001). No association was found with the DANVA task and the outcomes measured.ConclusionsThese results support a temporal relationship between social cognitive variation and subsequent trauma and PTSD.
Improving family functioning and wellbeing among families of children with disabilities in Rwanda: an application of the SAFE child protection model
BackgroundFamilies of children with disabilities in low-resource settings face heightened challenges to family functioning and wellbeing. Improving a child and caregiver’s environment in these settings requires a broader understanding of the family ecosystem. This study aims to investigate factors that should be considered to enhance family functioning and inform family-centered interventions.MethodologyWe conducted 34 in-depth interviews with 30 caregivers of children with disabilities aged 6–8 years enrolled in a larger cluster randomized trial of the Sugira Muryango parenting intervention. Additionally, six focus group discussions were conducted with 36 community workers, and 6 Early Childhood Developmental (ECD) advocates participants. Guided by the SAFE Model for child protection, content analysis was used to understand threats to child protection and caregivers’ well-being among caregivers of children with disabilities enrolled in Sugira Muryango.ResultsConsistent with the domains outlined in the SAFE Model, our analysis revealed the following threats to child safety: 1) Safety/Freedom from harm, including father’s mental health and substance abuse, abandonment and stigma related to a child’s disability; 2) Access to basic physiological needs and healthcare, including lack of basic necessities (food, utilities and housing), additional needs related to caring for a child with disabilities, caregiver mental health needs, limited access to health insurance and mother illness; 3) Family and connection to others, including the single-parent dilemma, lack of support from family and community, and father abandonment; and 4) Education and economic security, including additional expenses due to the child’s disability and financial stress related to health care costs.ConclusionImproving family functioning and wellbeing among caregivers of children with disabilities in limited resources requires a deep understanding of socioecological forces operating on the family system. These findings provide further evidence of how the threats to child safety highlighted by the SAFE Model can inform how researchers, and policy makers design and implement family-centered interventions tailored to children with disabilities in low-resource settings.
Emotion regulation difficulties and experiential avoidance in adolescents with non-suicidal self-injury: a latent profile and moderation analysis
BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) represents a significant clinical concern among adolescents. Although emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) and experiential avoidance are associated with NSSI, how these regulatory vulnerabilities co-occur within individuals and whether experiential avoidance influences the ERD–NSSI association remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize regulatory vulnerability profiles based on ERD and experiential avoidance and examine the moderating role of experiential avoidance in adolescent NSSI.MethodsThe study included 456 adolescent psychiatric inpatients with NSSI (Mage = 15.30, SD = 1.66). Participants completed self-report measures assessing ERD, NSSI, and experiential avoidance, including the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Adolescent Non-suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ), and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using clinician-administered Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale-14 (HAMA-14) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) ratings conducted by trained psychiatric clinicians. Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify profiles based on ERD and experiential avoidance. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) method was used to compare depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and NSSI severity across profiles. Moderation analysis was conducted to examine whether experiential avoidance modified the strength of the association between ERD and NSSI.ResultsLPA identified three profiles characterized predominantly by low (23.25%), moderate (42.54%), and high (34.21%) levels of regulatory vulnerability. BCH analysis identified significant profile differences in NSSI, depression, and anxiety. NSSI and anxiety showed graded differences across profiles, while depressive symptoms were elevated in both Moderate and High profiles. Experiential avoidance showed a modest moderating effect on the association between ERD and NSSI (B = 0.005, 95% CI = [0.001, 0.008]), indicating that the strength of this association differed across levels of experiential avoidance.ConclusionLatent profiles of ERD and experiential avoidance were identified among adolescents with NSSI, with differences in clinical burden across profiles. Experiential avoidance modestly moderated the association between ERD and NSSI, with the magnitude of this association varying across levels of experiential avoidance. These findings provide complementary person-centered and variable-centered perspectives on regulatory vulnerability among adolescents with NSSI.
STAT+: Definium’s LSD therapy eased anxiety in second large trial
Definium Therapeutics said Monday that its LSD therapy helped patients with anxiety in a second late-stage trial, setting up the company to seek the first approval of a psychedelic drug for anxiety.
In the 12-week trial, patients taking a 100-microgram dose of the drug, called DT120, experienced a 9.8-point drop on a test called the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, while those on placebo experienced a 4.7-point drop. The difference of 5.1 points is similar to what was seen in Definium’s first late-stage anxiety study and larger than what’s been observed with many other anxiety therapies, though it’s difficult to compare results across studies.
Definium is among the first wave of biotechs nearing regulatory approval for psychedelic therapies, a class of treatments that may be especially attractive to patients since they appear to exert rapid benefits. (In the latest trial, Definium said patients experienced changes as early as the second day after dosing.) In contrast, the effects of traditional options like antidepressants take weeks to kick in.
Comparisons of the structure and function of higher cortical circuits in marmosets and macaques: Models for mental health disorders
Non-human primates are extremely valuable for neuroscience research due to their strong homology to humans. Marmosets are small, highly social primates, amenable to genetic and circuit manipulations. Macaques, a larger and more aggressive primate, have been the non-human primate model of choice for decades, particularly for studying cognition. Comparative structural and functional studies have begun to reveal important similarities and differences between these models, shedding new light on their respective strengths and limitations for modeling psychiatric disorders.