Depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between illness representations and perceived distress in patients with chronic pain.

Illness representations explain the individual's perception and processing of health-related information. In a chronic condition such as persistent pain, illness representations might influence treatment adherence and outcome. This study aims to exploratively identify illness representations of patients with chronic pain and their association to mental disorders and subjective distress.

Health-Related Quality of Life after Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Qualitative Comparison of Perspectives of Children and Adolescents after TBI and a Comparison Group without a History of TBI.

Background: The assessment of the impact of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the children and adolescents affected can be ameliorated by a disease-specific instrument. Such an instrument does not yet exist. This qualitative study investigates how children and adolescents after TBI subjectively perceive their HRQoL and whether and how this differs from the perspective of individuals without a history of TBI.

Comparing stress, areas of stress and coping-strategies between distance-learning and on-campus students - A mixed-methods approach.

In recent years, the increase in stress experienced by students, and the related health problems have become a key challenge for health psychologists. The aim of this cross-sectional survey study was to compare stress, areas of stress and coping-strategies of 246 distance-learning (81.7% female; 33.

Comparing the Acceptance of Mobile Hypertension Apps for Disease Management Among Patients Versus Clinical Use Among Physicians: Cross-sectional Survey.

Background: High blood pressure or hypertension is a vastly prevalent chronic condition among adults that can, if not appropriately treated, contribute to several life-threatening secondary diseases and events, such as stroke. In addition to first-line medication, self-management in daily life is crucial for tertiary prevention and can be supported by mobile health apps, including medication reminders. However, the prescription of medical apps is a relatively novel approach.

Investigating the Persuasive Effects of Testimonials on the Acceptance of Digital Stress Management Trainings Among University Students and Underlying Mechanisms: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This experiment aims to investigate the influence of narrative information varying in the degree of perceived similarity and source credibility in supplemented testimonials on the acceptance of digital mental health services (digi-MHSs). In fall 2020, =231 university students were randomly assigned to an active control group (aCG, =55, "information only") or one of three intervention groups (IGs) receiving information plus different testimonials being presented either by nonacademic staff (IG1, =60), university students (IG2, =58) or experts (IG3, =58). We assessed mediation effects of similarity and credibility on acceptance in terms of attitudes and usage intentions.

To Get Vaccinated, or Not to Get Vaccinated, That Is the Question: Illness Representations about COVID-19 and Perceptions about COVID-19 Vaccination as Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccination Willingness among Young Adults in The Netherlands.

Mass vaccination is considered necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, vaccination willingness was found to be especially low among young adults. Therefore, based on the extended Common Sense Model, the unique effects and the interplay of illness representations about COVID-19 and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccination in explaining COVID-19 vaccination willingness was investigated using a cross-sectional design. An online survey measuring the relevant variables was filled in by 584 participants (69.

Exploring the influence of testimonial source on attitudes towards e-mental health interventions among university students: Four-group randomized controlled trial.

Electronic mental health services (eMHSs) offer additional options for the dissemination of psychological interventions for university students. Still, many university students are reluctant to use eMHSs. Narrative messages may help increase the awareness and acceptance of quality-approved programs.

Effect of an internet- and app-based stress intervention compared to online psychoeducation in university students with depressive symptoms: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Depression is highly prevalent among university students. Internet-based interventions have been found to be effective in addressing depressive symptoms, but it is open if this also applies to interventions directed at academic stress. It is also largely unclear if the techniques employed in such programs provide significant additional benefits when controlling for non-specific intervention effects.

Effects of a brief multimodal online intervention on the intention to conduct sun protective behaviours through targeting illness representations about skin cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

The incidence of skin cancer can be reduced by increasing sun protective behaviours. Based on the Common-Sense Model and the Intervention Mapping approach, a brief intervention targeting illness representations about skin cancer to increase the intention to conduct sun protective behaviours was developed and evaluated regarding its effectiveness. A randomized pre-post control group design with 509 healthy participants (69% women, mean age 39 years).

Internet- and App-Based Stress Intervention for Distance-Learning Students With Depressive Symptoms: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mental disorders are highly prevalent among university students. Distance-learning students are particularly burdened and have limited access to conventional university health services. Interventions for stress are sought after in distance learners and may help increase treatment coverage.

Acceptance of Mobile Health Apps for Disease Management Among People With Multiple Sclerosis: Web-Based Survey Study.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) apps might have the potential to promote self-management of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in everyday life. However, the uptake of MS apps remains poor, and little is known about the facilitators and barriers for their efficient utilization, such as technology acceptance.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the acceptance of mHealth apps for disease management in the sense of behavioral intentions to use and explore determinants of utilization among people with MS based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).

Improving attitudes toward e-mental health services in the general population via psychoeducational information material: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: In recent years, effective Internet-delivered electronic (e-) mental health services have been developed to overcome the limited resources in face-to-face health care. For the successful dissemination of e-mental health services, individual predictors for their uptake and utilization need to be explored. For instance, little is known about the role of different information sources in attitudes toward Internet therapies.

Public Attitudes Toward Guided Internet-Based Therapies: Web-Based Survey Study.

Background: Internet interventions have been proposed to improve the accessibility and use of evidence-based psychological treatments. However, little is known about attitudes toward such treatments, which can be an important barrier to their use.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) determine attitudes toward guided internet interventions, (2) assess its acceptability compared with other internet-based formats, and (3) explore predictors of acceptance.

Gender differences in eating behavior and eating pathology: The mediating role of rumination.

Objective: Rumination is a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy which contributes to psychopathology and is more frequently used by women than men. It has been found to mediate the relationship between gender and the occurrence of anxiety disorders or depression. Since gender differences also appear in dysfunctional eating, the aim of the study is to test, whether rumination mediates the association between gender and several facets of eating pathology.

Coping mediates the influence of personality on life satisfaction in patients with rheumatic diseases.

A rheumatic disease can severely impair a person's quality of life. The degree of impairment, however, is not closely related to objective indicators of disease severity. This study investigated the influence and the interplay of core psychological factors, i.

Illness representations as mediators of the relationship between dispositional optimism and depression in patients with chronic tinnitus: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Both dispositional optimism and illness representations are related to psychological health in chronic patients. In a group of chronic tinnitus sufferers, the interplay between these two variables was examined. Specifically, it was tested to what extent the relationship between dispositional optimism and depression is mediated by more positive illness representations.

Quality of life among parents of children with phenylketonuria (PKU).

Background: Parents of children with chronic conditions are known to be at risk of impairment in their quality of life (QoL). Studies considering other chronic conditions proposed diverse factors to have an impact on the parent's QoL. So far, there has been little research on parents who have a child with phenylketonuria (PKU).

Illness representations of depression and perceptions of the helpfulness of social support: comparing depressed and never-depressed persons.

Background: Interactions between depressed persons and persons within their social network are often characterized by misunderstanding and unsuccessful social support attempts. These interpersonal problems could be fostered by discrepancies between depressed and never-depressed persons' illness representations of depression and/or discrepancies in the perceived helpfulness of supportive behaviors.

Methods: Illness representations of depression (IPQ-R) and perceptions of the helpfulness of different social support behaviors (ISU-DYA and ISAD) were assessed in 41 currently depressed persons and 58 persons without a history of depression.

Illness representations in families with a chronically ill adolescent: differences between family members and impact on patients' outcome variables.

The impact of parents' illness representations on well-being and illness-related strain of adolescents suffering from a chronic skin disease was examined. Because family characteristics have proved to be important for coping, adolescents' perceived family cohesion was also assessed. Five categories of illness representations (causes, control, timeline, curability, and effective treatments) were assessed from 30 adolescents and their parents.