Changes in heart rate variability during an eHealth behavior change intervention program in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is associated with health behaviors such as physical inactivity, dietary habits, and smoking. The autonomic nervous system plays a key role in this association. The present longitudinal study examines whether ECG-based indices of autonomic nervous system activity change during an eHealth-based behavior intervention program and assesses whether improvements in health behaviors are associated with increases in parasympathetic autonomic nervous system activity.

Effectiveness of behavior change techniques in eHealth-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coronary artery disease: A systematic review: Effective behavior change techniques in eHealth CR.

Background: Participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces risk of cardiovascular mortality, improves functional capacity and enhances quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). eHealth-based CR can increase participation rates, but research into effective components is necessary. The objective of this systematic review was to identify effective behavior change techniques (BCTs) used in eHealth-based CR interventions.

Research priorities for medically not yet explained symptoms expressed by patients, carers, and healthcare professionals in the Netherlands following the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership approach.

Objective: Experiencing physical symptoms that are medically not yet explained (MNYES) is associated with considerable burden in daily life. Research priorities in this area have been primarily investigator-driven. The present study identifies the top 10 research priorities, incorporating the views of patients, carers and healthcare professionals.

Ethics of Wearable-Based Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Detection.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major health problem, and immediate treatment is essential for improving the chances of survival. The development of technological solutions to detect out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and alert emergency responders is gaining momentum; multiple research consortia are currently developing wearable technology for this purpose. For the responsible design and implementation of this technology, it is necessary to attend to the ethical implications.

Affective Responses to Acute Exercise: A Meta-Analysis of the Potential Beneficial Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on General Mood, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms.

Objective: Acute exercise elicits various biobehavioral and psychological responses, but results are mixed with regard to the magnitude of exercise-induced affective reactions. This meta-analysis examines the magnitude of general mood state, anxiety, and depressive symptom responses to acute exercise while exploring exercise protocol characteristics and background health behaviors that may play a role in the affective response.

Methods: A total of 2770 articles were identified from a MEDLINE/PubMed search and an additional 133 articles from reviews of reference sections.

Personality traits related to cognitive functioning in patients with functional neurological disorder.

Cognitive symptoms are prevalent in patients with functional neurological disorder (FND). Several studies have suggested that personality traits such as neuroticism may play a pivotal role in the development of FND. FND has also been associated with alexithymia: patients with FND report difficulties in identifying, analyzing, and verbalizing emotions.

Anger regulation in patients with functional neurological disorder: A systematic review.

Background: Functional neurological disorder (FND) has been associated with predisposing psychological factors, including dysregulation of anger-related processes. This paper provides a systematic review of the literature on anger regulation in FND. We evaluated anger-related research on patient self-report, observational, and laboratory based measures in FND.

Patient-reported preferences in eHealth-based cardiac rehabilitation: A qualitative investigation of behavior change techniques, barriers and facilitators.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces recurrent cardiac events and mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Innovative eHealth methods can facilitate CR uptake and effectiveness by addressing barriers associated with clinic-based rehabilitation. Tailoring eHealth-based CR to patient preferences is needed to further enhance CR.

Living Lab Data of Patient Needs and Expectations for eHealth-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation in Germany and Spain From the TIMELY Study: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: The use of eHealth technology in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a promising approach to enhance patient outcomes since adherence to healthy lifestyles and risk factor management during phase III CR maintenance is often poorly supported. However, patients' needs and expectations have not been extensively analyzed to inform the design of such eHealth solutions.

Objective: The goal of this study was to provide a detailed patient perspective on the most important functionalities to include in an eHealth solution to assist them in phase III CR maintenance.

Rationale and design of the BECA project: Smartwatch-based activation of the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Aim: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major health problem, and the overall survival rate is low (4.6%-16.4%).

Alexithymia and facial emotion recognition in patients with functional neurological disorder.

Objectives: Patients with functional neurological disorder (FND) are known to have difficulties recognizing and processing emotions. Problems recognizing internal emotional states (alexithymia) are common in FND, but little is known about recognizing emotions expressed by other people. This study investigates whether patients with FND have higher levels of alexithymia and reduced facial emotion recognition compared to healthy controls.

Association of parental mental illness with anxiety and depression in adulthood: The role of potentially contributing factors.

Objective: Children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) are at risk of developing mental disorders in adulthood, especially anxiety disorders and depression. The role of the family environment and demographic factors as related to adult anxiety and depression is insufficiently understood. We examined potentially contributing factors in the associations between a COPMI background with anxiety and depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Evaluation of an application for the self-assessment of lifestyle behaviour in cardiac patients.

Background: Currently, no uniform, well-validated and comprehensive lifestyle behaviour self-assessment instrument exists for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the usability of a novel mobile application (LifeStyleScore) based on validated instruments for the assessment of cardiovascular risk behaviours. Secondly, the application's acceptance by healthcare professionals (HCPs) and its association with improved patient activation and lifestyle behaviour was evaluated.

Social media use as a risk factor for depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

Background: Accumulating research has shown associations between excessive social media use (SMU) with depressive symptoms. Depression is common during pregnancy, but it is not known whether SMU plays a role in the etiology and clinical course of depressive symptoms during pregnancy.

Methods: The current study is a prospective cohort study with Dutch-speaking pregnant women recruited at the first antenatal appointment (N = 697).

Adherence to a lifestyle monitoring system in patients with heart disease: protocol for the care-on prospective observational trial.

Background: Lifestyle factors such as physical fitness, dietary habits, mental stress, and sleep quality, are strong predictors of the occurrence, clinical course, and overall treatment outcomes of common cardiovascular diseases. However, these lifestyle factors are rarely monitored, nor used in daily clinical practice and personalized cardiac care. Moreover, non-adherence to long-term self-reporting of these lifestyle factors is common.

Determinants of information needs in patients with coronary artery disease receiving cardiac rehabilitation: a prospective observational study.

Objectives: Knowledge on information needs in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients is scarce. This study investigates determinants of information needs in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Design: Prospective observational study.

Psychological and physical wellbeing in adults who grew up with a mentally ill parent: A systematic mixed-studies review.

Objective: Genetic vulnerability factors and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are associated with an increased risk of psychopathology and other adverse health outcomes across the lifespan. However, less is known about how childhood experiences of parental mental illness affect psychological and physical wellbeing in adulthood. This review synthesizes research on the consequences of growing up as a child of a parent with mental illness (COPMI) for adult psychological and physical wellbeing.

Personality factors and cognitive functioning in patients with somatic symptom and related disorders.

Objective: Somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRD) are often complicated by cognitive symptoms, including reduced information processing speed, memory, and planning. Depression has been related to poor cognitive functioning in SSRD, but the role of underlying personality factors is poorly understood. This study investigates the association between personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) with cognitive functioning in patients with SSRD.

Complications and Healthcare Consumption of Pregnant Women with a Migrant Background: Could There be an Association with Psychological Distress?

Objective: Previous studies reported less prenatal healthcare consumption and more perinatal complications in women with a migrant background. Hence, we investigated in a country with free healthcare access whether women with a migrant background differed with respect to pregnancy complications, healthcare consumption and in terms of associations with psychological distress in comparison to native Dutch.

Methods: We included 324 native Dutch and 303 women with a migrant background, who visited two hospitals in Amsterdam for antenatal care between 2014 and 2015.

Facial Emotion Expression and the Inducibility of Myocardial Ischemia During Cardiac Stress Testing: The Role of Psychological Background Factors.

Objective: Negative emotional states, such as anger and anxiety, are associated with the onset of myocardial infarction and other acute clinical manifestations of ischemic heart disease. The likelihood of experiencing these short-term negative emotions has been associated with long-term psychological background factors such as depression, generalized anxiety, and personality factors. We examined the association of acute emotional states preceding cardiac stress testing (CST) with inducibility of myocardial ischemia and to what extent psychological background factors account for this association.

Changes in Perceived Stress and Lifestyle Behaviors in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in The Netherlands: An Online Longitudinal Survey Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantial implications for physical and mental wellbeing. This study investigated changes, over time, in lifestyle behaviors and perceived stress during the initial phase of the pandemic and associations with COVID-19 symptoms, in the Dutch general population. An online longitudinal survey study was performed with pre-lockdown measurements in February, and subsequently in April and June 2020 (n = 259, mean age 59 ± 14 years, 59% women).