Publications by authors named "Toh Wei Lin"

Objective: Neurocognitive underpinnings are implicated in the aetiology and maintenance of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD); however, inconsistent findings across a range of neurocognitive domains suggest that a comprehensive synthesis of the literature using a hierarchical framework of neurocognition is needed.

Methods: A final search across OVID Medline, PsycNET, Scopus and Web of Science databases was conducted on 20 June 2024 to identify research that examined performance on behavioural tasks of objective neurocognition in BDD. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

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Objectification theory posits that self-objectification can lead to disordered eating, with significant positive correlations between self-objectification and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology found in women in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Maladaptive rumination is another process frequently associated with EDs, but its relationship with self-objectification and ED psychopathology needs further investigation. Our aim was to conduct a preliminary test to investigate whether maladaptive rumination mediated the relationship between self-objectification and ED psychopathology in women.

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Multisensory hallucinations refer to unusual perceptual events in the absence of corresponding stimuli, experienced in two or more sensory modalities. Within the schizophrenia-spectrum disorder literature, the cognitive correlates of multisensory and non-auditory hallucinations remain largely unknown. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesise research that explored relationships between cognition and non-auditory and multisensory hallucinations in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

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Objective: Auditory hallucinations (hearing voices) have been associated with a range of altered cognitive functions, pertaining to signal detection, source-monitoring, memory, inhibition and language processes. Yet, empirical results are inconsistent. Despite this, several theoretical models of auditory hallucinations persist, alongside increasing emphasis on the utility of a multidimensional framework.

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Introduction: Hallucinations can be experienced across multiple sensory modalities, but psychiatric studies investigating the cognitive mechanisms of hallucinations have been somewhat restricted to the auditory domain. This study explored the cognitive profiles of individuals experiencing multisensory hallucinations (MH) in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and compared these to those experiencing unimodal auditory hallucinations (AH) or no hallucinations (NH).

Methods: Participants included SSD patients ( = 119) stratified by current hallucination status (NH, AH, MH) and nonclinical controls (NCs;  = 113).

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Objective And Background: Visual auras in migraine have been extensively studied, but less is known about multisensory hallucinations or other unusual sensory experiences, including whether these should be diagnostically considered as part of aura symptoms. The current study aimed to conduct a systematic review and synthesis to bring together existing empirical evidence on these non-visual perceptual experiences, focusing on their phenomenological descriptions and clinical correlates.

Methods: Forty-eight relevant studies were included based on a systematic search across PsycINFO APA and Web of Science, for peer-reviewed publications in the English language, from 1980 to the present.

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Disturbances in eating behaviours and differences in personality characteristics, such as perfectionism, cognitive flexibility, and obsessive-compulsive behaviours, are commonly reported in individuals with eating disorders (ED) and can influence the development and maintenance of EDs. The presence of these characteristics in ED professionals may also have an influence on their patients. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the presence of these behaviours and characteristics in ED clinicians/researchers (EDCR).

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Nonauditory hallucinations in psychosis have not received as much attention relative to voice-hearing experiences. The current paper aimed to document the characteristics of these hallucinations in affective and nonaffective psychosis. Participants were selected from a primary voice-hearing sample, who had endorsed visual, tactile, or olfactory hallucinations ( N = 55-75).

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Background And Objectives: Visual auras in migraine have been extensively studied, but less is known about unusual experiences in other sensory domains, including whether they should be diagnostically considered as part of aura symptoms. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of multisensory aura experiences in migraine and their phenomenologic and clinical correlates.

Methods: Respondents were 729 participants with probable migraine, who completed an online study examining unusual sensory experiences.

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Concerns pertaining to one's physical appearance or specific body parts is not uncommon in the community. Whether such dissatisfaction is related to superior (or inferior) face perception abilities, or interacts with related constructs, such as perfectionism, is unknown. The current study aimed to investigate whether multidimensional perfectionism (e.

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Background: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), or voice-hearing, can be a prominent symptom during fluctuating mood states in bipolar disorder (BD).

Aims: The current study aimed to: (i) compare AVH-related distress in BD relative to schizophrenia (SCZ), (ii) examine correlations between phenomenology and voice beliefs across each group, and (iii) explore how voice beliefs may uniquely contribute to distress in BD and SCZ.

Method: Participants were recruited from two international sites in Australia (BD=31; SCZ=50) and the UK (BD=17).

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Young Australians have been differentially affected by lockdowns and social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study compared the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions for young people in two Australian states, Victoria and Queensland, with Victoria experiencing more days in lockdown and greater infection rates. An online survey was completed between 01/04/2021 and 31/07/2021 by 687 young people, aged 16 to 24 years; 337 from Victoria and 350 from Queensland.

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Background And Hypothesis: Patients with hearing impairment (HI) may experience hearing sounds without external sources, ranging from random meaningless noises (tinnitus) to music and other auditory hallucinations (AHs) with meaningful qualities. To ensure appropriate assessment and management, clinicians need to be aware of these phenomena. However, sensory impairment studies have shown that such clinical awareness is low.

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Objectives: At least one in four persons with bipolar disorder (BD) are estimated to have experienced auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) or heard voices at some point. Yet few studies have investigated AVH in detail in this population. This preliminary study examined the phenomenology of AVH in BD to identify commonalities and differences relative to other psychiatric disorders where AVH are commonly reported.

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Background: Non-visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease (PD) can be prevalent and distressing. Most existing research has however, focused on visual hallucinations as well as related risk factors. The current study thus conducted a systematic review to collate existing evidence on non-visual hallucinations in PD, focusing on their prevalence, phenomenology, and clinical-cognitive correlates.

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Background: While physical inactivity is associated with adverse psychological outcomes, less is known about the psychological outcomes associated with sedentary behaviour, and specifically, its mentally active and passive forms. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a unique opportunity to study associations between these variables in light of widespread stay-at-home mandates and restrictions on outdoor exercise/social activities. Using a cross-sectional dataset acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, we examined whether physical activity and sedentary behaviour were associated with subjective quality of life (sQoL) and subjective cognitive dysfunction, and whether these associations were mediated by depressive symptoms.

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Negative body image may be associated with heightened feelings of paranoia. The current study aimed to conduct multidimensional assessments of body image and psychosis facets in the general population. Respondents were 407 individuals, who provided basic sociodemographic information, and completed online questionnaires evaluating dysmorphic concerns, body consciousness, paranoia, persecutory and magical ideation and perceptual aberration.

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Hallucinations and delusions in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are understudied. The authors explore the phenomenology of multisensory hallucinations and delusions in individuals with BPD and compare them to those in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Clinical psychopathology was also explored.

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The mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant in Australia. The aim of this study was to investigate coping strategies that individuals have adopted to assist them through this stressful period. Survey data collected in September and December 2020 as part of a larger study (the COLLATE project) were analysed.

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Background: Earlier schizophrenia onset in men relative to women has been a consistent finding in the literature, but a nuanced understanding of underlying reasons remains elusive. Further consideration should be given to factors associated with sex differences in age of onset.

Method: Participants with schizophrenia were derived from the 2010 Australian Survey of High Impact Psychosis (n = 857).

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Previous research has indicated that lifetime body image concerns are associated with increased odds of paranoid ideation. In this study, we sought to replicate and extend this finding by exploring how paranoia relates to different aspects of body image concern using a comprehensive, cross-sectional design. Women without a mental health diagnosis (n = 119) completed online questionnaires assessing paranoia, shape and weight concerns, and figure ratings for how they "think" their body looks and how they "feel" in their body.

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused major disruptions to social and other forms of functioning, which may influence schizotypy expression. The current study aimed to explore possible distal and proximal predictors contributing to schizotypy in a sample of the Australian general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COvid-19 and you: mentaL heaLth in AusTralia now survEy (COLLATE) project is an online mental health study aimed at tracking key mental health indicators over the progression of the pandemic.

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Positive and negative symptoms are core aspects of schizophrenia and have been shown to influence patient quality of life (QOL). Previous studies have largely focused on current or state symptoms, with limited work on the contributions of trait symptoms to QOL. This study sought to examine the relationship between both state and trait symptoms and objective and subjective QOL.

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Objectives: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) occur as a symptom in various mental disorders, and show different phenomenological aspects, depending on their underlying psychopathology. Anxiety and depression, which are known to be involved in the development of AVHs, are suggested to amplify a vicious cycle in which negative interpretations of daily experiences feed into the formation of negative core schemas about the self and others. However, the way in which these variables interrelate is still unknown.

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Hallucinatory experiences (HEs) can be pronounced in psychosis, but similar experiences also occur in nonclinical populations. Cognitive mechanisms hypothesized to underpin HEs include dysfunctional source monitoring, heightened signal detection, and impaired attentional processes. Using data from an international multisite study on non-clinical participants (N = 419), we described the overlap between two sets of variables - one measuring cognition and the other HEs - at the level of individual items.

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