Pseudoscientific Health Beliefs and the Perceived Frequency of Causal Relationships.
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SUBMITTER: Chow JYL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8583395 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe health crisis caused by COVID-19 has led many countries to opt for social quarantine of the population. During this quarantine, communication systems have been characterized by disintermediation, the acceleration of digitization and an infodemic (excess and saturation of information). The following debate arises: Do the levels related to the psychotic phenotype and pseudoscientific beliefs related to the interpretation of information vary before and after social quarantine?ObjectivesThis research aims to examine the psychological effects of social quarantine on the psychotic phenotype and pseudoscientific beliefs-experiences of the general nonclinical population. The following hypothesis was posed: social quarantine alters the levels of magical thinking, pseudoscientific beliefs and anomalous perceptions due to quarantine.MethodsA pre- and posttest analysis design was applied based on the difference in means, and complementary Bayesian estimation was performed. A total of 174 Spanish subjects responded to different questionnaires that evaluated psychopathological risks based on psychotic phenotypes, pseudoscientific beliefs and experiences before and after quarantine.ResultsSignificant differences were obtained for the variables positive psychotic symptoms, depressive symptoms, and certain perceptual alterations (e.g., cenesthetic perceptions), and a significant increase in pseudoscientific beliefs was also observed. The perceptual disturbances that increased the most after quarantine were those related to derealization and depersonalization. However, paranoid perceptions showed the highest increase, doubling the initial standard deviation. These high increases could be related to the delimitation of physical space during social quarantine and distrust towards information communicated by the government to the population. Is it possible that social alarmism generated by the excess of information and pseudoscientific information has increased paranoid perceptual alterations?ConclusionsMeasures taken after quarantine indicate that perceptual disturbances, subclinical psychotic symptoms and beliefs in the pseudoscience have increased. We discuss which elements of quarantine coincide with the social marginality theory and its clinical repercussions.
| S-EPMC7391050 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHealth care interactions may require patients to share with a physician information they believe but is incorrect. While a key piece of physicians' work is educating their patients, people's concerns of being seen as uninformed or incompetent by physicians may lead them to think that sharing incorrect health beliefs comes with a penalty. We tested people's perceptions of patients who share incorrect information and how these perceptions vary by the reasonableness of the belief and its centrality to the patient's disease.DesignWe recruited 399 United States Prolific.co workers (357 retained after exclusions), 200 Prolific.co workers who reported having diabetes (139 after exclusions), and 244 primary care physicians (207 after exclusions). Participants read vignettes describing patients with type 2 diabetes sharing health beliefs that were central or peripheral to the management of diabetes. Beliefs included true and incorrect statements that were reasonable or unreasonable to believe. Participants rated how a doctor would perceive the patient, the patient's ability to manage their disease, and the patient's trust in doctors.ResultsParticipants rated patients who shared more unreasonable beliefs more negatively. There was an extra penalty for incorrect statements central to the patient's diabetes management (sample 1). These results replicated for participants with type 2 diabetes (sample 2) and physician participants (sample 3).ConclusionsParticipants believed that patients who share incorrect information with their physicians will be penalized for their honesty. Physicians need to be educated on patients' concerns so they can help patients disclose what may be most important for education.HighlightsUnderstanding how people think they will be perceived in a health care setting can help us understand what they may be wary to share with their physicians.People think that patients who share incorrect beliefs will be viewed negatively.Helping patients share incorrect beliefs can improve care.
| S-EPMC11346123 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has the potential to treat brain disorders by modulating the activity of disease-specific brain networks, yet the rTMS frequencies used are delivered in a binary fashion - excitatory (>1 Hz) and inhibitory (≤1 Hz).ObjectiveTo assess the effective connectivity of the motor network at different rTMS stimulation rates during positron-emission tomography (PET) and confirm that not all excitatory rTMS frequencies act on the motor network in the same manner.MethodsWe delivered image-guided, supra-threshold rTMS at 3 Hz, 5 Hz, 10 Hz, 15 Hz and rest (in separate randomized sessions) to the primary motor cortex (M1) of the lightly anesthetized baboon during PET imaging. Each rTMS/PET session was analyzed using normalized cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements. Path analysis - using structural equation modeling (SEM) - was employed to determine the effective connectivity of the motor network at all rTMS frequencies. Once determined, the final model of the motor network was used to assess any differences in effective connectivity at each rTMS frequency.ResultsThe exploratory SEM produced a very well fitting final network model (χ(2) = 18.04, df = 21, RMSEA = 0.000, p = 0.647, TLI = 1.12) using seven nodes of the motor network. 5 Hz rTMS produced the strongest path coefficients in four of the seven connections, suggesting that this frequency is the optimal rTMS frequency for stimulation the motor network (as a whole); however, the premotor cerebellum connection was optimally stimulated at 10 Hz rTMS and the supplementary motor area caudate connection was optimally driven at 15 Hz rTMS.Conclusion(s)We have demonstrated that 1) 5 Hz rTMS revealed the strongest path coefficients (i.e. causal influence) on the nodes of the motor network, 2) stimulation at "excitatory" rTMS frequencies did not produce increased CBF in all nodes of the motor network, 3) specific rTMS frequencies may be used to target specific none-to-node interactions in the stimulated brain network, and 4) more research needs to be performed to determine the optimum frequency for each brain circuit and/or node.
| S-EPMC5385705 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ability to savor positive life events is associated with higher emotional well-being; however, few studies have examined savoring ability in older adults. The present study used a longitudinal design to examine changes in perceived savoring abilities and associations with perceived health in older adulthood. Older adults (N=131) reported on beliefs about savoring and perceived health at baseline and 2½ years later. Perceived anticipation (savoring the future) and reminiscing (savoring the past) abilities declined from baseline to follow-up. Better perceived health at baseline predicted greater perceived reminiscing and anticipation abilities at follow-up. Greater perceived ability to savor the present moment at baseline predicted better perceived health at follow-up. Aging and poorer health focus older adults' thoughts on present-moment pleasures, which may benefit health, but may also lead to reductions in perceived anticipation and reminiscing abilities.
| S-EPMC5521279 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Covid-19 pandemic has inspired many conspiracy theories, which are associated with detrimental health beliefs and behaviors (e.g. reduced physical distancing; decreased vaccination intentions). We propose a previously unrecognized mediator of these relationships: A self-perceived likelihood to already have experienced a Covid-19 infection. Results from a large sample (N = 9033) revealed that self-perceived infections mediated the link between conspiracy beliefs and health beliefs and behaviors. These findings emerged independently of institutional distrust, and actual infections as indicated by a positive medical test. These findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs shape people's interpretation of the physical signals of their own body.
| S-EPMC9036149 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDepression is a prevalent and severe disorder associated with considerable stigma. This stigma contributes to the suffering and impedes help seeking behaviour of those affected. Stigma can be influenced by causal beliefs about depression and personal contact with people suffering from depression. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the associations between beliefs about the aetiology of depression and personal / perceived stigma, as well as (2) a possible moderating effect of personal contact with people with depression on these associations.MethodsStigma, causal beliefs, and contact with depression were assessed in a representative online survey among German adults (N = 5,000). Multiple regression analyses were performed with contact levels (unaffected vs. personally affected (diagnosed) vs. personally affected (undiagnosed) vs. affected by relatives with depression vs. persons who treat depression) and causal beliefs (biogenetic vs. psychosocial vs. lifestyle) as predictor variables for personal and perceived stigma as dependent variables.ResultsHigher personal stigma was associated with lifestyle causal beliefs (p < .001, f² = 0.07), lower personal stigma with biogenetic (p = .006, f² = 0.01) and psychosocial (p < .001, f² = 0.02) causal beliefs. A positive interaction between psychosocial beliefs and the contact group "relatives" (p = .039) further suggests that this contact group does not benefit so strongly from psychosocial causal beliefs regarding personal stigma. Higher perceived stigma was associated with psychosocial (p < .001, f² = 0.01) and lifestyle (p < .011, f² = 0.01) causal beliefs. Regarding contact levels, the "unaffected" had significantly higher personal stigma scores than each of the other contact groups (p < .001). The contact group "affected (diagnosed)" had significantly higher perceived stigma scores than "unaffected".ConclusionsThe available data show that anti-stigma campaigns should clearly communicate, that depression is not caused by an unfavorable lifestyle. In general, psychosocial or biological explanatory models should be explained. Especially for the target group "relatives of depressive patients", who can be an important support for patients, education about biogenetic explanatory models should be provided. However, it is important to note that causal beliefs are only one of many factors that impact on stigma.
| S-EPMC10249268 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Characterizing how different cortical rhythms interact and how their interaction changes with sensory stimulation is important to gather insights into how these rhythms are generated and what sensory function they may play. Concepts from information theory, such as Transfer Entropy (TE), offer principled ways to quantify the amount of causation between different frequency bands of the signal recorded from extracellular electrodes; yet these techniques are hard to apply to real data. To address the above issues, in this study we develop a method to compute fast and reliably the amount of TE from experimental time series of extracellular potentials. The method consisted in adapting efficiently the calculation of TE to analog signals and in providing appropriate sampling bias corrections. We then used this method to quantify the strength and significance of causal interaction between frequency bands of field potentials and spikes recorded from primary visual cortex of anaesthetized macaques, both during spontaneous activity and during binocular presentation of naturalistic color movies. Causal interactions between different frequency bands were prominent when considering the signals at a fine (ms) temporal resolution, and happened with a very short (ms-scale) delay. The interactions were much less prominent and significant at coarser temporal resolutions. At high temporal resolution, we found strong bidirectional causal interactions between gamma-band (40-100 Hz) and slower field potentials when considering signals recorded within a distance of 2 mm. The interactions involving gamma bands signals were stronger during movie presentation than in absence of stimuli, suggesting a strong role of the gamma cycle in processing naturalistic stimuli. Moreover, the phase of gamma oscillations was playing a stronger role than their amplitude in increasing causations with slower field potentials and spikes during stimulation. The dominant direction of causality was mainly found in the direction from MUA or gamma frequency band signals to lower frequency signals, suggesting that hierarchical correlations between lower and higher frequency cortical rhythms are originated by the faster rhythms.
| S-EPMC2978901 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Diabetes is one of the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases in the world. This disease can affect both physical and mental health in the population. This study analyzed the prevalence of Self-Perceived Health (SPH), self-reported depression, and depressive symptoms in comparison with the Physical Activity Frequency (PAF) reported by Spanish older adults with diabetes. A cross-sectional study was carried out with data from 2799 self-reported diabetic participants, all of whom were residents of Spain, aged 50-79 years, and included in the European Health Surveys carried out in Spain (EHIS) both in 2014 and 2020. The relationships between the variables were analysed with a chi-squared test. A z-test for independent proportions was performed to analyze differences in proportions between the sexes. A multiple binary logistic regression was carried out on the prevalence of depression. Linear regressions were performed on depressive symptoms and SPH. Dependent relationships were found between the SPH, self-reported depression, and depressive symptoms with PAF. Most of the very active participants reported a higher prevalence of self-reported depression. Physical inactivity increased the risk of depression, major depressive symptoms, and negative SPH.
| S-EPMC9958756 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Evaluating the impacts of clinical or policy interventions on health care utilization requires addressing methodological challenges for causal inference while also analyzing highly skewed data. We examine the impact of registering with a Family Medicine Group, an integrated primary care model in Quebec, on hospitalization and emergency department visits using propensity scores to adjust for baseline characteristics and marginal structural models to account for time-varying exposures. We also evaluate the performance of different marginal structural generalized linear models in the presence of highly skewed data and conduct a simulation study to determine the robustness of alternative generalized linear models to distributional model mis-specification. Although the simulations found that the zero-inflated Poisson likelihood performed the best overall, the negative binomial likelihood gave the best fit for both outcomes in the real dataset. Our results suggest that registration to a Family Medicine Group for all 3?years caused a small reduction in the number of emergency room visits and no significant change in the number of hospitalizations in the final year.
| S-EPMC5340564 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAdherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines varies across individuals.PurposeThis study examined the relations of pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, generalized and institutional trust, and political party affiliation to adherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines over three months, as well as the explanatory role of COVID-19 risk perceptions in these relations.MethodsA U.S. nationwide sample of 430 adults (49.8% women; mean age = 40.72) completed a prospective online study, including an initial assessment (between March 27 and April 5, 2020), a 1 month follow-up (between April 27 and May 21, 2020), and a 3 month follow-up (between June 26 and July 15, 2020). We hypothesized that greater pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, lower governmental, institutional, and dispositional trust, and Republican Party affiliation would be associated with lower initial adherence to social distancing and greater reductions in social distancing over time and that COVID-19 risk perceptions would account for significant variance in these relations.ResultsResults revealed unique associations of lower governmental trust, greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs, and greater trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower initial adherence to social distancing. Whereas greater COVID-19 risk perceptions and CDC trust were associated with less steep declines in social distancing over time, both Republican (vs. Democratic) Party affiliation and greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs were associated with steeper declines in social distancing over time (relations accounted for by lower COVID-19 risk perceptions).ConclusionsResults highlight the utility of public health interventions aimed at improving scientific literacy and emphasizing bipartisan support for social distancing guidelines.
| S-EPMC8083329 | biostudies-literature