scholarly journals Unusual experiences and their association with metacognition: investigating ASMR and Tulpamancy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Claire Palmer-Cooper ◽  
Abigail Christine Wright ◽  
Nicola McGuire

Background: Unusual experiences in Tulpamancer and Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) communities are generally positive and sought after, unlike hallucinations and delusions in clinical populations. Metacognition, the ability to reflect on self-referential experiences, may aid sense-making around unusual experiences, reducing distress. This study investigated group differences in hallucination-proneness, delusion-proneness, and metacognition in these communities compared to controls, and whether metacognition predicted unusual experiences. Methods: 243 participants reporting ASMR, Tulpamancy, or neither, with no history of psychosis, took part in an online observational study. Participants completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, Metacognitions Questionnaire-30, and Brief Core Schema Scales to capture metacognition. A Tulpamancer+ (reporting ASMR) group was identified and included in analyses. ANCOVAs highlighted group differences in hallucination-proneness, with Tulpamancer+ scoring higher, and metacognitive beliefs, with Tulpamancers reporting lower metacognitive belief endorsement. There were no group differences in delusion-proneness, self-reflection, or self-schemas. Stepwise regression demonstrated metacognition does influence unusual experiences in the non-clinical population, and this influence varies across groups. Conclusions: In non-clinical populations, unusual sensory experiences are not associated with increased metacognitive beliefs, but having multiple unusual experiences is associated with higher hallucination-proneness. Results suggest improving metacognition in clinical groups may help reduce distress related to unusual sensory experiences.

Sports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Andrew V. Pasternak ◽  
David Fiore ◽  
Arthur Islas ◽  
Sarah Toti ◽  
Martin D. Hoffman

Nausea and vomiting are common for runners during ultramarathons and often contribute to non-finishes. We aimed to determine the efficacy of ondansetron, a commonly used antiemetic, to treat nausea and vomiting in runners during an ultramarathon. Runners who had a previous history of frequent nausea or vomiting during races and entered in 160, 80, and 55 km ultramarathons in 2018 and 2019 were randomized in a double-blind fashion to 4 mg ondansetron or placebo capsules to use if they developed nausea or vomiting during the race with the ability to take three additional doses. Study participants completed a post-race online survey to assess medication use and efficacy. Of 62 study participants, 31 took either ondansetron (20) or placebo (11). In this small study, there were no group differences in those reporting any improvement in nausea and vomiting (p = 0.26) or in the amount of improvement (p = 0.15). We found no evidence that ondansetron capsules improve nausea and vomiting during ultramarathons.


Author(s):  
Thomas Kleinlein

This contribution reflects on the role of tradition-building in international law, the implications of the recent ‘turn to history’ and the ‘presentisms’ discernible in the history of international legal thought. It first analyses how international legal thought created its own tradition in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These projects of establishing a tradition implied a considerable amount of what historians would reject as ‘presentism’. Remarkably, critical scholars of our day and age who unsettled celebratory histories of international law and unveiled ‘colonial origins’ of international law were also criticized for committing the ‘sin of anachronism’. This contribution therefore examines the basis of this critique and defends ‘presentism’ in international legal thought. However, the ‘paradox of instrumentalism’ remains: The ‘better’ historical analysis becomes, the more it loses its critical potential for current international law. At best, the turn to history activates a potential of disciplinary self-reflection.


Author(s):  
KA Mogan ◽  
U Venkatesh ◽  
Richa Kapoor ◽  
Mukesh Kumar

AbstractIntroductionSubstance abuse remains one of the major challenges in young people, as it is one of the top five causes of disability-adjusted life years (DALY). The present study aims to find the prevalence and determinants of substance use among young people attending an urban primary health center in Delhi.MethodologySystematic random sampling was used to enroll the calculated sample size of 190. Substance use was assessed using ASSIST (an Alcohol Smoking Substance Involvement Screening Tool) and brief intervention was given based on the standard guidelines of ASSIST. The total score among the substance users is calculated and divided into Grades 1, 2 or 3. Log binomial regression was performed to quantify the association between substance use and covariates such as age, sex, education, occupation, family history of substance use, socio-economic status and family type. The association was expressed in odds ratio (OR) with 95 percent confidence interval (CI).ResultThe mean age of study participants was 18.6 ± 4.1, ranges from 10 to 24 years. Out of 48 substance users, 43.7% were consuming only tobacco, 22.9% were consuming only alcohol and 33.3% were polysubstance users. The history of substance use among family members of participants was found to be 46.3%. Median substance involvement score of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis users was 19 (IQR: 14.5–22), 19 (IQR: 13.5–25) and 22.5 (IQR: 22–23), respectively. Among tobacco users, 2.7% were Grade 1 and 7.2% were Grade 2. Four (16%), 20 (80%) and one (4%) of alcohol users were Grades 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Among the cannabis users, four (100%) were in the Grade 2 category. The median age of initiation of substance use among users was 16 (range 13–21) years. The analysis shows substance use was almost 25 times (adjusted OR = 25.84, 95% CI 5.65–118.09) more common among males and it increase by 2.5 times with a decrease in socio-economic status (adjusted OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.27–5.02) and the result is significant. The substance use was almost 7 times higher when there is a family history of substance usage (adjusted OR = 7.40, 95% CI 2.15–25.4). Residential and marital status were not significantly associated with substance use.ConclusionMale sex, lower socio-economic status, participants currently not going to school/college, family history of substance use were found to be significant predictors of substance use among the study participants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-138
Author(s):  
Lauren M. E. Goodlad

This essay shows how genre and place enable the “ontological reading” of narrative fiction. Such sense-making dialectics enable readers to infer the terms of existence that shape fictional worlds. World-systems thinkers have theorized the critical premise of material worlds shaped though ongoing processes of combined and uneven development. Ontological reading is a comparative practice for studying the narrative work of “figuring out” those processes—for example, through the “occulted landscapes” of Yorkshire noir. Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights () can be likened to a species of crime fiction in prefiguring the “hardboiled” pull from epistemological certainty to ontological complication. Whereas David Peace's millennial Red Riding series of novels and films palimpsestically layers multiple pasts and presents, Wuthering Heights’ photomontage-like landscape airbrushes the seams of combined and uneven histories. Both narratives evoke moorland terrains conducive to a long history of woolens manufacturing reliant on the energized capital and trade flows of Atlantic slavery. Both works body forth occulted landscapes with the capacity to narrate widely: their troubling of ontological difference—between human and animal, life and death, past and present, nature and supernature—lays the ground for generically flexile stories of regional becoming. Ontological reading thus widens literary study.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A148-A149
Author(s):  
Jessica Dietch ◽  
Norah Simpson ◽  
Joshua Tutek ◽  
Isabelle Tully ◽  
Elizabeth Rangel ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between current beliefs about hypnotic medications and historical use of prescription hypnotic medications or non-prescription substances for sleep (i.e., over the counter [OTC] medications, alcohol, and cannabis). Methods Participants were 142 middle age and older adults with insomnia (M age = 62.9 [SD = 8.1]; 71.1% female) enrolled in the RCT of the Effectiveness of Stepped-Care Sleep Therapy In General Practice (RESTING) study. Participants reported on history of substances they have tried for insomnia and completed the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire-Specific with two subscales assessing beliefs about 1) the necessity for hypnotics, and 2) concerns about potential adverse consequences of hypnotics. Participants were grouped based on whether they had used no substances for sleep (No Subs, 11.6%), only prescription medications (Rx Only, 9.5%), only non-prescription substances (NonRx Only, 26.6%), or both prescription and non-prescription substances (Both, 52.3%). Results Sixty-one percent of the sample had used prescription medication for sleep and 79% had used non-prescription substances (74% OTC medication, 23% alcohol, 34% cannabis). The greater number of historical substances endorsed, the stronger the beliefs about necessity of hypnotics, F(1,140)=23.3, p<.001, but not about concerns. Substance groups differed significantly on necessity beliefs, F(3,1)=10.68, p<.001; post-hocs revealed the Both group had stronger beliefs than the No and NonRx Only groups. Substance groups also differed significantly on the concerns subscale, F(3,1)=6.68, p<.001; post-hocs revealed the NonRx Only group had stronger harm beliefs than the other three groups. Conclusion The majority of the sample had used both prescription and non-prescription substances to treat insomnia. Historical use of substances for treating insomnia was associated with current beliefs about hypnotics. Individuals who had used both prescription and non-prescription substances for sleep in the past had stronger beliefs about needing hypnotics to sleep at present, which may reflect a pattern of multiple treatment failures. Individuals who had only tried non-prescription substances for sleep may have specifically sought alternative substances due to concerns about using hypnotics. Future research should seek to understand the impact of treatment history on engagement in and benefit from non-medication-based treatment for insomnia. Support (if any) 1R01AG057500; 2T32MH019938-26A1


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1161
Author(s):  
Lidia Delrieu ◽  
Liacine Bouaoun ◽  
Douae El Fatouhi ◽  
Elise Dumas ◽  
Anne-Deborah Bouhnik ◽  
...  

Breast cancer (BC) remains complex for women both physically and psychologically. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the evolution of the main sequelae and treatment two and five years after diagnosis in women with early-stage breast cancer, (2) explore patterns of sequelae associated with given sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors. The current analysis was based on 654 localized BC patients enrolled in the French nationwide longitudinal survey “vie après cancer” VICAN (January–June 2010). Information about study participants was collected at enrollment, two and five years after diagnosis. Changes over time of the main sequelae were analyzed and latent class analysis was performed to identify patterns of sequelae related to BC five years after diagnosis. The mean age (±SD) of study participants at inclusion was 49.7 (±10.5) years old. Six main classes of sequelae were identified two years and five years post-diagnosis (functional, pain, esthetic, fatigue, psychological, and gynecological). A significant decrease was observed for fatigue (p = 0.03) and an increase in cognitive sequelae was reported (p = 0.03). Two latent classes were identified—functional and esthetic patterns. Substantial sequelae remain up to five years after BC diagnosis. Changes in patient care pathways are needed to identify BC patients at a high risk.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
Amy Goodwin ◽  
Alexandra Hendry ◽  
Luke Mason ◽  
Tessel Bazelmans ◽  
Jannath Begum Ali ◽  
...  

Mapping infant neurocognitive differences that precede later ADHD-related behaviours is critical for designing early interventions. In this study, we investigated (1) group differences in a battery of measures assessing aspects of attention and activity level in infants with and without a family history of ADHD or related conditions (ASD), and (2) longitudinal associations between the infant measures and preschool ADHD traits at 3 years. Participants (N = 151) were infants with or without an elevated likelihood for ADHD (due to a family history of ADHD and/or ASD). A multi-method assessment protocol was used to assess infant attention and activity level at 10 months of age that included behavioural, cognitive, physiological and neural measures. Preschool ADHD traits were measured at 3 years of age using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Child Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ). Across a broad range of measures, we found no significant group differences in attention or activity level at 10 months between infants with and without a family history of ADHD or ASD. However, parent and observer ratings of infant activity level at 10 months were positively associated with later preschool ADHD traits at 3 years. Observable behavioural differences in activity level (but not attention) may be apparent from infancy in children who later develop elevated preschool ADHD traits.


Author(s):  
Sarah Commodore ◽  
Pamela L. Ferguson ◽  
Brian Neelon ◽  
Roger Newman ◽  
William Grobman ◽  
...  

Asthma in children poses a significant clinical and public health burden. We examined the association between reported neighborhood traffic (a proxy for traffic-related air pollution) and asthma among 855 multi-racial children aged 4–8 years old who participated in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort. We hypothesized that high neighborhood traffic density would be associated with the prevalence of asthma. Asthma/asthma-like symptoms (defined as current and/or past physician diagnosed asthma, past wheezing, or nighttime cough or wheezing in the past 12 months) was assessed by parental report. The relationship between neighborhood traffic and asthma/asthma-like symptoms was assessed using logistic regression. The prevalence of asthma/asthma-like symptoms among study participants was 23%, and 15% had high neighborhood traffic. Children with significant neighborhood traffic had a higher odds of having asthma/asthma-like symptoms than children without neighborhood traffic [adjusted OR = 2.01 (95% CI: 1.12, 3.62)] after controlling for child’s race-ethnicity, age, sex, maternal education, family history of asthma, play equipment in the home environment, public parks, obesity and prescribed asthma medication. Further characterization of neighborhood traffic is needed since many children live near high traffic zones and significant racial/ethnic disparities exist.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596711770770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Otoshi ◽  
Shinichi Kikuchi ◽  
Kinshi Kato ◽  
Ryohei Sato ◽  
Takahiro Igari ◽  
...  

Background: Traction apophysitis of medial epicondyle (MEC) lesions and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum are common elbow injuries in adolescent baseball players. However, the age-specific prevalence of these pathologies and their influence on elbow pain remain unknown. Purpose: To investigate the age-specific prevalence of each MEC lesion and capitellar OCD and to identify the incidence of elbow pain in each condition. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Study participants consisted of 4249 baseball players aged 6 to 17 years. A questionnaire was used to assess history of elbow pain, and morphological changes of the elbow joint were assessed using ultrasonography. Results: Regarding MEC lesions, fragmented (FG) and irregular (IR) lesions both reached their greatest respective prevalence at 11 to 12 years of age. After 14 years of age, IR decreased sharply, whereas FG was maintained at approximately 10%. Hypertrophic (HT) lesions increased sharply, reaching over 50% at 16 years of age, while there was a decrease in IR and FG lesions in the same age group. The prevalence of capitellar OCD remained the same (approximately 2%) throughout all ages except for in players aged 7 to 8 years (>7%). Players with MEC lesions had significantly greater prevalence of a history of elbow pain compared with those without (68.0% vs 39.1%) and were at a significantly greater risk for FG lesions (odds ratio [OR], 4.04; 95% CI, 3.16-5.22) compared with IR (OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 2.44-4.27) and HT lesions (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.75-2.36). Players with capitellar OCD also had a significantly greater risk of a history of elbow pain (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.40-4.11). Conclusion: Controlling the amount of practice and its intensity according to the condition of each player in the preadolescent and adolescent periods may be important in accelerating bony healing and decreasing preventable elbow pain in adulthood.


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