Putting the Gaming Experience at the Center of the Therapy-The Video Game Therapy Approach.

Video games have been increasingly used as a form of therapy for various mental health conditions. Research has shown that video games can be used to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. One of the main benefits of video games in therapy is that they can provide a sense of engagement and immersion that traditional therapy methods may lack.

A Cluster Analysis of the Acceptance of a Contact Tracing App-The Identification of Profiles for the Italian Immuni Contact Tracing App.

Digital contact tracing apps have been introduced by governments as a strategy to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital contact tracking is an alternative to traditional contact tracing performed by human tracers who have to reconstruct each contact an infected person had in the recent past by means of interviews. The Italian government proposed the Immuni digital contact tracking app as a solution.

The TTCYB Study Protocol: A Tailored Print Message Intervention to Improve Cardiovascular Patients' Lifestyles.

This article describes the development of the "Time to Change Your Behavior" (TTCYB) study protocol, a theory-based, tailored print message intervention to improve compliance with the self-care regimen in patients with cardiovascular diseases. A design with a baseline measurement and two follow-ups at six and 12 months will be applied. At baseline and the six-month follow-up, patients will complete self-report questionnaires evaluating lifestyle habits and socio-demographic and psychological variables; at the 12-month follow-up, patients will answer a telephone interview assessing lifestyle habits.

Stability and change of lifestyle profiles in cardiovascular patients after their first acute coronary event.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle and health behavior changes play an important role in the primary and secondary prevention of ACS recurrence. Changes in unhealthy lifestyles after an acute coronary event have been analyzed by considering separate behaviors individually, even though research on the healthy population has demonstrated that unhealthy behaviors tend to co-occur.

Changes in physical activity among coronary and hypertensive patients: A longitudinal study using the Health Action Process Approach.

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) is a key factor in cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), the present study investigated the process of change in PA in coronary patients (CPs) and hypertensive patients (HPs).

Design: Longitudinal survey study with two follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months on 188 CPs and 169 HPs.

A longitudinal study on the information needs and preferences of patients after an acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Research has shown that the provision of pertinent health information to patients with cardiovascular disease is associated with better adherence to medical prescriptions, behavioral changes, and enhanced perception of control over the disease. Yet there is no clear knowledge on how to improve information pertinence. Identifying and meeting the information needs of patients and their preferences for sources of information is pivotal to developing patient-led services.

A Type A and Type D Combined Personality Typology in Essential Hypertension and Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: Associations with Demographic, Psychological, Clinical, and Lifestyle Indicators.

Many studies have focused on Type A and Type D personality types in the context of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but nothing is known about how these personality types combine to create new profiles. The present study aimed to develop a typology of Type A and Type D personality in two groups of patients affected by and at risk for coronary disease. The study involved 711 patients: 51.

Changes in Dietary Behavior among Coronary and Hypertensive Patients: A Longitudinal Investigation Using the Health Action Process Approach.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Nutrition plays an important role in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of CVDs. The present longitudinal study used the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to investigate changes in dietary behavior in coronary patients (CPs) affected by acute coronary syndrome and hypertensive patients (HPs) affected by essential arterial hypertension.

Social support and adherence to treatment in hypertensive patients: a meta-analysis.

Background: It is important to examine factors associated with patient adherence to hypertension control strategies.

Purpose: A meta-analysis was conducted to examine whether social support was related to adherence to healthy lifestyle and treatment medication in hypertensive patients.

Methods: Journal articles were searched in medical (CINAHL, MEDLINE), psychological (PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES), and educational (ERIC) electronic databases; in reference lists of selected papers; and in the reference list of a previous review.