Affective facial expression in sub-clinically depressed and non-depressed mothers during contingent and non-contingent face-to-face interactions with their infants

BackgroundDepression in the postpartum period involves feelings of sadness, anxiety and irritability, and attenuated feelings of pleasure and comfort with the infant. Even mild- to- moderate symptoms of depression seem to have an impact on caregivers affective availability and contingent responsiveness. The aim of the present study was to investigate non-depressed and sub-clinically depressed mothers interest and affective expression during contingent and non-contingent face-to-face interaction with their infant.MethodsThe study utilized a double video (DV) set-up. The mother and the infant were presented with live real-time video sequences, which allowed for mutually responsive interaction between the mother and the infant (Live contingent sequences), or replay sequences where the interaction was set out of phase (Replay non-contingent sequences). The DV set-up consisted of five sequences: Live1-Replay1-Live2-Replay2-Live3. Based on their scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the mothers were divided into a non-depressed and a sub-clinically depressed group (EPDS score ≥ 6).ResultsA three-way split-plot ANOVA showed that the sub-clinically depressed mothers displayed the same amount of positive and negative facial affect independent of the quality of the interaction with the infants. The non-depressed mothers displayed more positive facial affect during the non-contingent than the contingent interaction sequences, while there was no such effect for negative facial affect.ConclusionsThe results indicate that sub-clinically level depressive symptoms influence the mothers’ affective facial expression during early face-to-face interaction with their infants. One of the clinical implications is to consider even sub-clinical depressive symptoms as a risk factor for mother-infant relationship disturbances.     

互联网使用对共情的影响

随着信息技术的发展,互联网已成为当今社会人际交往的新平台。网络环境和现实环境不同,它具有匿名、便捷和易控制等特点。共情在人际交往中扮演重要的角色,它是指对他人情感的感同身受。互联网环境下共情的研究逐渐受到学者的重视。现有研究表明,不同的互联网使用对共情产生不同的影响:在线暴力视频游戏会降低共情,而在线亲社会视频游戏则对共情产生积极影响;网络社区的使用为网络中人们表露共情提供了重要平台;过度网络使用会对共情产生负面影响。但现有研究比较零散,还存在一些不足。未来要结合多种研究方法进行更多的应用研究,同时加强理论建构。     

An evaluation of in vivo desensitization and video modeling to increase compliance with dental procedures in persons with mental retardation

Fear of dental procedures deters many individuals with mental retardation from accepting dental treatment. This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of two procedures, in vivo desensitization and video modeling, for increasing compliance with dental procedures in participants with severe or profound mental retardation. Desensitization increased compliance for all 5 participants, whereas video modeling increased compliance for only 1 of 3 participants.     

A Comparison of Patient Satisfaction with Telehealth and On-Site Consultations: A Pilot Study for Prenatal Genetic Counseling

Many different fields of medicine are now utilizing video conferencing as a means to offer consultations to individuals in rural communities. However, there is a lack of published literature regarding the use of telehealth in clinical genetics and, specifically, in genetic counseling. Those experiences that have been reported mostly centered on cancer genetic counseling, sickle cell anemia consultation and care, or pediatric/adult genetic assessment. In these studies, the patients reported an overall satisfaction with telehealth, signifying that this type of communication may play an important role in the future of medicine. This pilot study compared patient satisfaction with prenatal genetic counseling performed via video conferencing versus that performed on-site. The results show that there was a high level of patient satisfaction when video conferencing was used to conduct prenatal genetic counseling consultations, suggesting that telehealth can be utilized as a means to offer this service to underserved populations. Telehealth refers to any type of communication technology in health care, distance education, transmission of radiological images, etc. The actual screening, diagnosis, treatment, management, etc., using distance technology is referred to as telemedicine.The term on-site indicates that genetic counseling was performed in person, rather than using telehealth.     

Video game experience and its influence on visual attention parameters: An investigation using the framework of the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA)

Experts with video game experience, in contrast to non-experienced persons, are superior in multiple domains of visual attention. However, it is an open question which basic aspects of attention underlie this superiority. We approached this question using the framework of Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) with tools that allowed us to assess various parameters that are related to different visual attention aspects (e.g., perception threshold, processing speed, visual short-term memory storage capacity, top-down control, spatial distribution of attention) and that are measurable on the same experimental basis. In Experiment 1, we found advantages of video game experts in perception threshold and visual processing speed; the latter being restricted to the lower positions of the used computer display. The observed advantages were not significantly moderated by general person-related characteristics such as personality traits, sensation seeking, intelligence, social anxiety, or health status. Experiment 2 tested a potential causal link between the expert advantages and video game practice with an intervention protocol. It found no effects of action video gaming on perception threshold, visual short-term memory storage capacity, iconic memory storage, top-down control, and spatial distribution of attention after 15 days of training. However, observations of a selected improvement of processing speed at the lower positions of the computer screen after video game training and of retest effects are suggestive for limited possibilities to improve basic aspects of visual attention (TVA) with practice.     

短时接触双人电子游戏对幼儿同伴交往与亲社会行为的影响

电子游戏颇受儿童青睐,其用户日趋低龄化,它对幼儿的影响不容小觑。本实验以双人合作/竞技游戏为载体,考查了短时接触电子游戏对60名4~6岁幼儿的同伴交往与亲社会行为的影响,结果发现：1）幼儿与非好友玩伴共同接触双人电子游戏后会变得更喜欢自己的搭档,将其视为新好友并更希望未来与其交往;2）合作比竞技游戏更能促使幼儿喜爱玩伴,竞技游戏的获胜者比失败者更喜欢其搭档;3）年长比年少幼儿更喜欢与同伴交往;4）与其他非好友同伴相比,幼儿更愿意帮助自己的搭档。这表明短时接触内容适宜的双人电子游戏对幼儿的同伴交往和亲社会行为发展较为有益。