Differences in Emotional Awareness Moderate Cytokine-Symptom Associations Among Breast Cancer Survivors.

Cancer survivors have elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which could be associated with cancer-related symptoms. Given that proinflammatory cytokines heighten negative affect by directly affecting the brain, we explored these direct associations and whether differences in levels of emotional awareness moderate the associations between proinflammatory cytokines and cancer-related symptoms. This cross-sectional, secondary analysis of baseline data was collected from 162 female breast cancer survivors (aged 36-70 years), who were enrolled 6 ± 4 months after completing cancer treatment.

Dance with me? Analyzing interpersonal synchrony and quality of interaction during joint dance.

This methodological paper examines the assessment of interpersonal synchrony during a joint dancing task between mothers and their children (aged 4 to 5 years) using OpenPose. This pose estimation tool captures movement in naturalistic settings. The study analyzes 45 mother-child dyads, comparing two analytical methods for assessing synchrony, and examines their correlation with the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) measure of interaction quality.

Children in sync: exploring how interpersonal synchrony experience induces cooperation between child peers.

Synchronous interpersonal movements induce positive prosocial behaviors in adults and children. The processes that underlie this are debated. Here, we investigate the extent to which visual cues available during synchrony experience-particularly shared facial expressions and mutual eye contact-are necessary.

Parenting in the Face of Trauma: Music Therapy to Support Parent-Child Dyads Affected by War and Displacement.

Background: The literature highlights the profound psychological impact of war on children, families, and communities, emphasizing the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and other symptoms among affected individuals. Interventions, such as Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and music therapy, show promise in mitigating trauma effects, underscoring the need for holistic approaches that address familial and community dynamics alongside individual well-being.

Methods: Aiming to explore the influences of dyadic music therapy sessions on parents' capacity to support their children, this study involved four families displaced from their home-kibbutz as result of a terrorist attack.

Silenced Echoes: Revenge Fantasies Toward Unjust Events in Drawings and Narratives of Indian Hindu Women.

The study explored revenge fantasies as a response to perceived injustices among Indian Hindu women amid the prevalent gender-based violence. A mixed-method design with 52 women (18-56 years) was used to collect their drawings and narratives depicting revenge fantasies, demographics, the Traumatic Events Questionnaire, and the Injustice Experiences Questionnaire. Participants highlighted non-family events with strangers as perpetrators, preferring avoidance as the common revenge fantasy.

Comparison between Thai and Indian Adolescents' Self-Figure Drawing as Child Abuse Art-Based Assessment.

Background/objectives: The current study compared Self-Figure drawings from Thai and Indian adolescents to assess the cross-cultural applicability of a child abuse assessment tool. The research aims to understand the extent to which distinctions or similarities arise in Self-Figure drawings among adolescents from two culturally similar yet distinct backgrounds characterized by differences in religious affiliations, socioeconomic contexts, and political environments.

Methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study utilized quantitative measures, including the Traumatic Events Checklist (TEQ-5) and Medical Somatic Dissociation Questionnaire (MSDQ), alongside a qualitative analysis of Self-Figure drawings.

A Theoretical Model of Emotional Processing in Visual Artmaking and Art Therapy.

Current theoretical models of emotional processing rely mainly on detecting emotional processing through verbal, conscious, and cognitive processes. However, artmaking can potentially reveal embodied and implicit processes that may otherwise remain hidden in verbal expression. This paper attempts to close the scholarly gap by introducing a novel art-based emotional processing model that integrates emotional processing and art therapy literature, incorporating emotional meaning-making, awareness, acceptance, and memory consolidation.

Emotional activation in a cognitive behavioral setting: extending the tradition with embodiment.

The neuroscience-based concept of "embodied cognition" or "embodiment" highlights that body and psyche are closely intertwined, i.e., effects of body and psyche are bidirectional and reciprocal.

The effectiveness of group interpersonal synchrony in young autistic adults' work environment: A mixed methods RCT study protocol.

Introduction: Few autistic adults are able to integrate successfully into the world of work given their difficulties adapting to the social and stressful aspects of work environments. Interpersonal synchrony, when two or more individuals share body movements or sensations, is a powerful force that consolidates human groups while promoting the ability to self-regulate and cooperate with others. The abilities to self-regulate and cooperate are crucial for maintaining a calm and productive work environment.

The Couples' Closeness-Distance Scale- Observation through joint-drawing: A pilot dyadic validation study.

The study aimed to evaluate the Couples' Closeness-Distance Scale (CCDS), an observational assessment reflecting couples' relational dynamics; based on joint-drawing, it offers measurable dimensions. Forty cohabiting Israeli couples participated in the joint-drawing task and answered self-report questionnaires for attachment, differentiation of self, and relationship satisfaction. The paintings were assessed by trained observers on the CCDS scales (too distant, too close, autonomy, engagement) for both the women's and men's experiences.

Barriers to Adolescents' Adherence to Medical Advice after Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: A Statistical Analysis.

Adolescent obesity has markedly increased worldwide, and metabolic bariatric surgery is an effective treatment option. A major predictor of the outcomes of this procedure is adherence to post-surgery lifestyle changes and medical recommendations. While adolescents generally have more difficulty adhering to medical advice than adults, their failure to do so could adversely affect their physical and psychological health, the cost-effectiveness of medical care, and the results of clinical trials.

Beyond Surviving: A Glimpse Into Jewish-Israeli Women's Recovery Trajectories After Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence.

The present study identifies and articulates the recovery trajectories of 12 Jewish-Israeli women who experienced intimate partner violence. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the Clinical Ethnographic Narrative interviews revealed three central themes. The first theme dealt with the chronology of the violence and its escalation.

Linkage between Psychological Factors and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: A Preliminary Study.

Substantial evidence has accumulated showing that psychological distress affects immune regulation, the response to cancer treatment, and survival. The effect of psychological parameters on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment has not yet been studied. This preliminary study aimed to (a) examine the associations between psychological factors and responses to ICI treatment and (b) assess the associations between psychological factors and blood measures of sPD-1, sCTLA-4, and cytokines that may alter the effect of ICI treatment.

Music for autism: a protocol for an international randomized crossover trial on music therapy for children with autism.

The notion of a connection between autism and music is as old as the first reported cases of autism, and music has been used as a therapeutic tool for many decades. Music therapy holds promise as an intervention for individuals with autism, harnessing their strengths in music processing to enhance communication and expression. While previous randomized controlled trials have demonstrated positive outcomes in terms of global improvement and quality of life, their reliance on psychological outcomes restricts our understanding of underlying mechanisms.

Meaning reconstruction 70 years later: Processing older adults' unfinished business in a drama therapy group.

Unfinished business (UB), when individuals appraise their relationship with others or themselves as incomplete or unresolved, entails difficult emotions such as regret, remorse, and guilt. UB is often associated with bereavement and is considered to be a predictor of complicated grief. Here we report two case studies describing the processing of the sudden death of a significant other in the context of a randomized controlled study of 12-week drama therapy groups for older adults.

Mapping the Physical Language of Children Diagnosed with Autism: A Preliminary Study.

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have a unique motor profile, characterized by, for example, unusual posture or compulsive use of the body. However, not much is known about specific characteristics of their physical language, such as their movement direction, their self-touch pattern, etc., and even less is known about these characteristics with regard to their typically developing siblings.

The role of emotion processing in art therapy (REPAT) intervention protocol.

Psychological and physical health are known to improve with emotion processing, which is becoming aware of bodily sensations, accepting them as information that can be translated into emotion concepts and expressing them symbolically and linguistically as emotions. Art therapy utilizes the visual arts for processing emotions to facilitate self-expression and communication with the goal of improving psychological wellbeing. The mental health of individuals coping with and recovering from cancer is known to benefit from art therapy.

The Therapeutic Aspects of Embroidery in Art Therapy from the Perspective of Adolescent Girls in a Post-Hospitalization Boarding School.

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the experiences of adolescent girls with emotional disorders from post-hospitalization boarding schools who embroidered in an art therapy open studio group. A Youth Participatory Action Research approach and the bioecological model were used to shed light on the therapeutic process of embroidery. Through a thematic analysis of the focus groups and interviews with 13 participants, we identified five themes specifically related to embroidery: (a) control versus release/freedom; (b) calmness that comes from the repetitive action and focus; (c) the experience of being exceptional versus conventional; (d) the "stitch through time" experience, which involves a dialogue with the past, present, and future through embroidery; and (e) the overt-latent layers of consciousness.

The Meaning of a Group Facilitation Training to Creative Arts Therapists Working in the Public Education System.

Many creative arts therapists who provide group therapy to children and adolescents in the Israeli education system do not feel they were sufficiently trained as group facilitators. Group facilitation training was provided over the course of two consecutive years by a regional support center to over 40 creative arts therapists and their clinical supervisors working in the Israel Ministry of Education. A two-stage qualitative research project examined the participants' experiences during this training.

Self-Help Groups within Nursing Homes: The Experiences of Family Caregivers in Northeastern Italy.

Older adults and their family caregivers experience nursing home placement as a particularly critical time of life. The present study explored the experiences of family caregivers of nursing home residents taking part in a self-help group for caregivers. The sample was composed of six caregivers of older adults residing in a nursing home in the northeast of Italy.