Managing Uncertainty and Loneliness: Protective and Risk Factors Impacting on Older People's Mental Health in Hong Kong.

This study investigated the roles of loneliness and prospective intolerance of uncertainty (IU-P) on mental health, and identified the sources of stress and joy during the COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Two thousand two hundred and fifty-eight older adults completed the survey. Older adults who had higher levels of loneliness and IU-P were more likely to have poor mental health.

Impact of a physical exercise intervention on psychological resilience and mental ill-being in medical-naïve children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

The study aimed to evaluate whether a 12-week physical exercise intervention would improve psychological resilience and mental ill-being (e.g. internalising and externalising symptoms) in medical-naïve children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Are Older Adults More Prosocial Than Younger Adults? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Prosociality refers to voluntary behaviors that intend to benefit others. Most of the existing literature suggests that older adults tend to act more prosocially compared to younger adults, whereas some studies show that older adults might not be that prosocial under certain conditions. The current study aimed to summarize the mixed findings and quantify the age difference in prosociality by conducting a qualitative systematic review and a quantitative meta-analysis.

An AI-empowered indoor digital contact tracing system for COVID-19 outbreaks in residential care homes.

An AI-empowered indoor digital contact-tracing system was developed using a centralized architecture and advanced low-energy Bluetooth technologies for indoor positioning, with careful preservation of privacy and data security. We analyzed the contact pattern data from two RCHs and investigated a COVID-19 outbreak in one study site. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system in containing outbreaks with minimal contacts under quarantine, a simulation study was conducted to compare the impact of different quarantine strategies on outbreak containment within RCHs.

Examining the Utility of a Multiple Group Membership Intervention for Alleviating the Effects of Age-Based Stereotype Threat on Older adults' Memory Performance.

This study examined the effectiveness of a multiple group membership intervention for reducing the negative effects of age-based stereotype threat (ABST) on older adults' objective memory performance and subjective memory concerns. Healthy older adults ( = 68) were randomly allocated to an ABST + threat-removal (ABST+TR) or ABST + active-control (ABST+AC) condition. After activating ABST, the ABST+TR condition completed a group-listing task and the ABST+AC condition completed a meal-listing task.

Association Study of a Comprehensive Panel of Neuropeptide-Related Polymorphisms Suggest Potential Roles in Verbal Learning and Memory.

Neuropeptides are mostly expressed in regions of the brain responsible for learning and memory and are centrally involved in cognitive pathways. The majority of neuropeptide research has been performed in animal models; with acknowledged differences between species, more research into the role of neuropeptides in humans is necessary to understand their contribution to higher cognitive function. In this study, we investigated the influence of genetic polymorphisms in neuropeptide genes on verbal learning and memory.

Cost-utility analysis of a telehealth psychological support intervention for people with primary brain tumor: Telehealth Making Sense of brain tumor.

Objective: To undertake an economic evaluation of a telehealth psychological support intervention for patients with primary brain tumor (PBT).

Methods: A within-trial cost-utility analysis over 6 months was performed comparing a tailored telehealth-psychological support intervention with standard care (SC) in a randomized control trial. Data were sourced from the Telehealth Making Sense of Brain Tumor (Tele-MAST) trial survey data, project records, and administrative healthcare claims.

The perspectives of participants with traumatic brain injury on prospective memory rehabilitation incorporating compensatory and metacognitive skills training.

Objective: Patient feedback is rarely gathered systematically in cognitive rehabilitation research. This study examined the perceptions and experiences of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who participated in a trial of a 6-session educational program for the rehabilitation of prospective memory (PM) impairment.

Methods: A mixed methods design was used with 47 participants with TBI who completed a compensatory strategy training program (COMP) or COMP plus metacognitive strategy training program (COMP-MST) delivered by an occupational therapist.

Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions on executive functions in children and adolescents with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Although front-line doctors recommend medications, this kind of treatment has limited efficacy in improving executive functions (EFs) in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study explored the effects of non-pharmacological intervention on EFs in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Methods: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses guidelines, we searched seven electronic databases: APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, EMBASE, ERIC, Medline, Pubmed, and Web of Science, from inception to March 2022.

Evaluation of the telehealth making sense of brain tumor psychological support intervention for people with primary brain tumor and their caregivers: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This pragmatic randomized control trial aimed to evaluate clinical efficacy of the Making Sense of Brain Tumour program delivered via videoconferencing (Tele-MAST) for improving mental health and quality of life (QoL) relative to standard care in individuals with primary brain tumor (PBT).

Method: Adults with PBT experiencing at least mild distress (Distress Thermometer ≥4) and caregivers were randomly allocated to the 10-session Tele-MAST program or standard care. Mental health and QoL were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention (primary endpoint), and 6-weeks and 6-months follow-up.

Stigma and health inequality experienced by ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Chinese community: an implication to health policymakers.

Introduction: Ethnic minorities are considered one of the most vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the explanatory pathway of how their disadvantaged experiences during epidemics are related to the embedded and longstanding stigmas against them and how these embedded stigmas can affect their resilience in disease outbreaks are not well understood. This study investigated the experiences of ethnic minorities in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how their experiences were related to the embedded stigma toward them.

Using knowledge of, attitude toward, and daily preventive practices for COVID-19 to predict the level of post-traumatic stress and vaccine acceptance among adults in Hong Kong.

Introduction: COVID-19 has been perceived as an event triggering a new type of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) that can live during and after the pandemic itself. However, it remains unclear whether such PTSD is partly related to people's knowledge of, attitude toward and daily behavioral practices (KAP) for COVID-19.

Methods: Through a telephone survey, we collected responses from 3,011 adult Hong Kong residents.

Health practitioner beliefs regarding the impact of age-based stereotype threat on performance in the cognitive assessment of older adults.

Objectives: Health practitioners' understanding of the impact of age-based stereotype threat (ABST) on the cognitive test performance of older adults is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate health practitioners' ability to recognize the influence of ABST in the cognitive assessment of older adults and their perceptions of its impact in practice.

Methods: One-hundred and twenty-nine health practitioners (86% female; age = 39.

The effects of implementation intentions on prospective memory in young and older adults.

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to perform a planned action at a future time, while carrying on with other unrelated tasks. Implementation Intentions (II) is a promising metacognitive strategy for improving PM in older adults, though its generalization and longer-term effects are not well-understood. We examined the effects of II on PM in 48 community-dwelling older adults (77% female, = 71.

Understanding the Neural Basis of Prospective Memory Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to perform a planned action at an intended future time. This study examined the neural correlates of PM using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). This study employed a within-participants design.

The application of technology to improve cognition in older adults: A review and suggestions for future directions.

The rapidly increasing worldwide population of older adults, along with the increasing prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in this population, is a growing health-care problem. As such, advances in technology-based cognitive interventions and games are playing an increasingly key role in preserving and improving older adults' cognitive function, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when opportunities for face-to-face activities or training are few. In this paper, we summarize from previous studies systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the various types of technology used in cognitive interventions (namely, computerized cognitive training, virtual-reality interventions and robot-assisted interventions) and the empirical evidence on the effects of these technologies on global and specific cognitive functions in healthy and clinical populations of older adults (e.

Prospective Memory Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Prospective memory (PM), which enables one to remember to carry out delayed intentions, is crucial for everyday functioning. PM commonly deteriorates upon cognitive decline in older adults, but several studies have shown that PM in older adults can be improved by training. The current study aimed to summarise this evidence by conducting a qualitative systematic analysis and quantitative meta-analysis of the effects of PM training in older adults, for which systematic searches were conducted across seven databases (Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, CINAHL and Scopus).

COVID-19 one year on: identification of at-risk groups for psychological trauma and poor health-protective behaviour using a telephone survey.

Background: This study examined the profiles and correlates of psychological trauma, compliance with preventative measures, vaccine acceptance and participation in voluntary testing during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among the adult population in Hong Kong (n = 3,011).

Methods: Data were collected through a telephone survey between December 2020 and February 2021, using measures of psychological trauma, compliance with preventative measures, reading news reports on COVID-19, vaccine acceptance and willingness to participate in voluntary testing.

Results: The prevalence of possible post-traumatic stress disorder was found to be 12.

Perceptions of and hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination in older Chinese adults in Hong Kong: a qualitative study.

Background: COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for older adults by the World Health Organization. However, by July 15, 2021, only 26% of individuals over 60 years old in Hong Kong had received a first dose of the vaccine. The health belief model and the theory of planned behavior have been used to understand the determinants for COVID-19 vaccination in past literature.

Improving self-awareness of prospective memory function after TBI using experiential feedback on a board game activity: An observational study.

This study investigated whether experiential and video feedback on performance of prospective memory (PM) tasks embedded within a board game activity improved self-awareness of PM function in adults with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury. An observational pre-post study design with 26 participants from a larger trial of a 6-session PM rehabilitation programme. Sessions 3 and 4 included a board game activity with embedded time-, event-, and activity-based PM tasks.

The impact of using implementation intentions as task instructions on prospective memory performance after stroke.

Prospective Memory (PM), the ability to remember to carry out intentions in the future, is often impaired after stroke. Little is known about rehabilitation of PM post-stroke with literature limited by small sample sizes and reliance on self-reported memory performance. Implementation intentions may make prospective remembering more automatic and follow a simple if-then structure (if X occurs, then I will do Y), focusing on the cue rather than the task.

Relations between Executive Functions, Theory of Mind, and Functional Outcomes in Middle Childhood.

This study examined whether hot and cool executive functions (EFs) differentially predicted functional outcomes and the independent and mediating roles of theory of mind (ToM). 126 children completed tests of hot and cool EF, ToM, intelligence, and academic achievement. Parents completed questionnaires of peer problems and prosocial behavior.