Claus Vögele | Université du Luxembourg (original) (raw)
Papers by Claus Vögele
The lecture will consider the opportunities for moving behavioral monitoring and interventions in... more The lecture will consider the opportunities for moving behavioral monitoring and interventions into the digital era as well as the challenges posed by such a move. It will illustrate the relevant issues with specific reference to the speaker's leadership of an international research program exploring the potential to digitalize screening and brief interventions for risky drinking. It will also consider recent developments in the use of digital technologies to enable patients to monitor aspects of their behavior and well-being, and explore the impact which such technologies can have on well-being. The potential to deploy a whole population approach to digital technologies for behavioral monitoring and interventions will be described in relation to an initiative currently in development in the North of England Health 4.0-How virtualization and big data are revolutionizing healthcare
Addiction Biology, 2020
The unprecedented development and ubiquity of sports betting constitute an emerging public health... more The unprecedented development and ubiquity of sports betting constitute an emerging public health concern. It is crucial to provide markers that could help to better identify people experiencing sports betting-related harms. The current study investigated whether problem gambling status, sports betting passion, and trait-self-control modulate brain reactivity to sports betting cues. Sixty-five frequent sports bettors (35 "nonproblem bettors" and 30 "problem bettors") were exposed to cues representing real upcoming sport events (with varying levels of winning confidence) that were made available or blocked for betting, during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recording. Sports betting passion and trait-self-control were assessed using self-report scales. Sport events nonavailable for betting elicited higher insular and striatal activation in problem bettors, as compared with nonproblem bettors. Within a large cluster encompassing the ventral striatum, hippocampus, and amygdala, lower trait-self-control was associated with increased brain reactivity to sport events with high levels of winning confidence that were nonavailable for betting. No significant effect of sports betting passion was observed. These findings suggest that sports bettors' brain reactivity to gambling unavailability might be a relevant marker of sports betting-related harms, as well as of blunted trait-self-control.
Addictive Behaviors, 2020
Background: Negative mood often triggers binge eating in bulimia nervosa (BN). We investigated mo... more Background: Negative mood often triggers binge eating in bulimia nervosa (BN). We investigated motivational salience as a possible underlying mechanism using event-related potentials (ERPs) as indicators of motivated attention allocation (P300) and sustained processing (LPP). Methods: We collected ERPs (P300: 350-400 ms; LPP: 600-1000 ms) from 21 women with full-syndrome or partially remitted BN and 21 healthy women (HC), matched for age and body mass index. Idiosyncratic negative and neutral situations were used to induce corresponding mood states (counterbalanced), before participants viewed images of high-and low-calorie foods and neutral objects, and provided ratings for pleasantness and desire to eat. Results: P300 was larger for foods than objects; LPP was largest for high-calorie foods, followed by low-calorie foods, then objects. The BN group showed an increased desire to eat high-calorie foods under negative mood and stronger mood induction effects on ERPs than the HC group, with generally reduced P300 and a small increase in LPP for high-calorie foods. Effects were limited to circumscribed electrode positions. Exploratory analyses showed clearer effects when comparing high vs. low emotional eaters. Conclusion: We argue that negative mood decreased the availability of cognitive resources (decreased P300) in BN, thereby facilitating disinhibition and food cravings (increased desire-to-eat ratings). Increased sustained processing might be linked to emotional eating tendencies rather than BN pathology per se, and reflect approach motivation, conflict, or regulatory processes. Negative mood appears to induce complex changes in food image processing, whose understanding may contribute to the development of tailored interventions in the future.
Environment and Behavior, 2018
We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psych... more We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psychophysiological responses to stress. We hypothesized that walking in nature has restorative effects over and above the effects of exposure to nature scenes (viewing nature on TV) or physical exercise alone (walking on a treadmill in a gym) and that these effects are greater when participants were expected to be more stressed. Healthy university students ( N = 90) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions and tested during an exam-free period and again during their exam time. Mood and psychophysiological responses were assessed before and after the interventions, and again after a laboratory stressor. All interventions had restorative effects on cortisol levels ( p < .001), yet walking in nature resulted in lower cortisol levels than did nature viewing ( p < .05) during the exam period. Walking in nature improved mood more than watching nature scenes ( p < .001) or physic...
Journal of pain research, 2017
Sleep problems are common among university students. Poor sleep is associated with impaired daily... more Sleep problems are common among university students. Poor sleep is associated with impaired daily functioning, increased risk of psychiatric symptoms, and somatic complaints such as pain. Previous results suggest that poor sleep exacerbates pain, which in turn negatively affects sleep. The purpose of the present study was to determine prevalence rates, comorbidity, and role of depression as a factor of moderating the relationship between sleep and physical complaints in German university students. In total, 2443 German university students (65% women) completed a web survey. Self-report measures included the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, three modules of the Patient Health Questionnaire, and a questionnaire on the functional somatic syndromes (FSSs). More than one-third (36.9%) reported poor sleep as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Somatoform syndrome was identified in 23.5%, and the prevalence of any FSS was 12.8%. Self-reported sleep quality, sleep onset latency, s...
International journal of mental health systems, 2017
This study examined the prevalence of sleep disturbances and mental strain in students from two E... more This study examined the prevalence of sleep disturbances and mental strain in students from two European countries, Luxembourg and Germany. A total of 2831 students took part in an online survey, with 2777 students from Germany and 184 students from Luxembourg. Sleep disturbances were assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and aspects of mental strain using the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Social-Interactive-Anxiety Scale, the self-efficacy questionnaire and the test anxiety questionnaire. In addition, we also assessed students' chronotypes. Across the whole sample mean scores on the sleep questionnaires were above the cut-off for clinically relevant sleep problems, indicating an increased prevalence of sleep disturbances in students from both countries. Sleep quality was impaired in 42.8%, and 17.9% showed clinically relevant scores. Overall 25.5% reported elevated depression and 13.3% social phobia symptoms, while 45% indicated ...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2017
Journal of psychosomatic research, 2017
The factors underlying the aetiology of fibromyalgia (FM) are largely unknown. According to the g... more The factors underlying the aetiology of fibromyalgia (FM) are largely unknown. According to the generalized hypervigilance hypothesis (GHH), FM patients show excessive attention towards pain stimuli and other sensory events, thereby increasing pain perception and dysfunctional behaviour. We tested this notion by assessing interoceptive accuracy (IA) in FM patients and matched healthy controls. We also tested the hypothesis that FM is characterized by reduced self-regulatory capacity as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV). 47 FM patients (Mage=45.5, 39 females) and 45 healthy controls (Mage=44.9, 37 females) completed several self-report scales (Body Vigilance Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Pain Catastrophizing Scale). To derive HRV, heart rate was monitored under resting conditions; for the assessment of IA participants performed a heartbeat tracking task in which they were asked to silently count their heartbeats. FM patients reported higher body vigilance than health...
![Research paper thumbnail of [Physiological reactivity and interoceptive awareness in pediatric anxiety disorders: A conceptual and empirical review]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/94161014/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Sante mentale au Quebec, 2016
Objectives This review aims to summarize the data relative to objective and subjective measures o... more Objectives This review aims to summarize the data relative to objective and subjective measures of body responses in children and adolescents with anxiety.Methods We reviewed 24 studies measuring (1) cardiac responses and (2) interoceptive processes in children and adolescents with anxiety.Results Anxious children and adolescents generally do not differ from their non-anxious peers on their cardiac parameters and objective physiological reactivity to stressful events but some results suggest a reduced autonomic flexibility in pediatric anxiety related to chronic anxiety. Moreover, anxiety does not alter the interoceptive accuracy, but youths with anxiety misinterpret the intensity and the visibility of their symptoms.Conclusion Interoception are biased in pediatric anxiety and further studies are needed to provide information about the role of perceptive, attentional, and interpretative processes in these biases, as well as determine the respective influence of anxiety type and symp...
Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 2016
The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcoho... more The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcohol-related brain damage. This study investigated vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) as a physiological predictor of QoL. Self-and proxy ratings of QoL and dysexecutive symptoms were collected once, while vmHRV was repeatedly assessed over a 3-week period at weekly intervals in a sample of nine alcohol-related brain damaged patients. We provide robustness checks, bootstrapped correlations with confidence intervals, and standard errors for mean scores. We observed low to very low heart rate variability scores in our patients in comparison to norm values found in healthy populations. Proxy ratings of the QoL scale "subjective physical and mental performance" and everyday executive dysfunctions were strongly related to vmHRV. Better proxy-rated QoL and fewer dysexecutive symptoms were observed in those patients with higher vmHRV. Overall, patients showed low parasympathetic activation favoring the occurrence of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies.
PLOS ONE, 2016
Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such cons... more Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such constitutes an important factor in rejection research. Attachment theory has been applied to understand psychological disorders, such as depression, and can explain individual differences in responses to rejection. Research on autonomic nervous system activity to rejection experiences has been contradictory, with opposing strings of argumentation (activating vs. numbing). We investigated autonomic nervous system-mediated peripheral physiological responses (heart rate) to experimentally manipulated ostracism (Cyberball) in 97 depressed patients with organized (n = 52) and disorganized attachment status (n = 45). Controlling for baseline mean heart rate levels, depressed patients with disorganized attachment status responded to ostracism with significantly higher increases in heart rate than depressed patients with organized attachment status (p = .029; ηp 2 = .051). These results suggest that attachment status may be a useful indicator of autonomic responses to perceived social threat, which in turn may affect the therapeutic process and the patienttherapist relationship.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Jan 3, 2015
Rationale: Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster... more Rationale: Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population. Objective: The study is aimed at understanding how people value nutritional information on food labels, in particular for front-of-pack labeling. Methods: A phone-assisted survey of 7550 consumers in 16 European countries was conducted. People were asked about their opinion on nutritional information provided at different levels, from the media to public institutions, and their commitment to healthy behavior. The value of pack labeling was estimated using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) elicitation technique. Results: Older age groups (>45 years old), members of a larger family, people of low income or low education, and those who perceived themselves to be obese valued front-of-pack nutritional labeling. WTP estimates across all countries provided an average accepted added price of $4.32 to the overall yearly food expenditure (95% confid...
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2009
To explore associations between family structure, children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am... more To explore associations between family structure, children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s body mass index (BMI), and eating behaviors of children and their mothers. Fifty-seven mothers and their children took part in an experimental study. BMI of children was measured. Mothers were asked to provide self-report data on sociodemographic background, mental health, and eating behaviors about themselves and their children. Parent-child-dyads represented their family structure using the Family System Test. We found negative associations in typical family situations between family hierarchy and children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s BMI, mothers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; emotional eating and mothers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; restrained eating. Family cohesion and restrained eating of the children were also negatively correlated. We obtained positive associations in typical and conflict family situations between family cohesion and external eating of the children. We found indications that family structure is associated with overweight and with eating behavior in children and their mothers.
Journal of Aging Research, 2012
Rumination has been defined as a mode of responding to distress that involves passively focusing ... more Rumination has been defined as a mode of responding to distress that involves passively focusing one's attention on symptoms of distress without taking action. This dysfunctional response style intensifies depressed mood, impairs interpersonal problem solving, and leads to more pessimistic future perspectives and less social support. As most of these results were obtained from younger people, it remains unclear how age affects ruminative thinking. Three hundred members of the general public ranging in age from 15 to 87 years were asked about their ruminative styles using the Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), depression and satisfaction with life. A Mokken Scale analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the RSQ with brooding and reflective pondering as subcomponents of rumination. Older participants (63 years and older) reported less ruminative thinking than other age groups. Life satisfaction was associated with brooding and highest for the earlier and latest life stages investigated in this study.
PLoS ONE, 2013
Body image disturbances are core symptoms of eating disorders (EDs). Recent evidence suggests tha... more Body image disturbances are core symptoms of eating disorders (EDs). Recent evidence suggests that changes in body image may occur prior to ED onset and are not restricted to in-vivo exposure (e.g. mirror image), but also evident during presentation of abstract cues such as body shape and weight-related words. In the present study startle modulation, heart rate and subjective evaluations were examined during reading of body words and neutral words in 41 student female volunteers screened for risk of EDs. The aim was to determine if responses to body words are attributable to a general negativity bias regardless of ED risk or if activated, ED relevant negative body schemas facilitate priming of defensive responses. Heart rate and word ratings differed between body words and neutral words in the whole female sample, supporting a general processing bias for body weight and shape-related concepts in young women regardless of ED risk. Startle modulation was specifically related to eating disorder symptoms, as was indicated by significant positive correlations with self-reported body dissatisfaction. These results emphasize the relevance of examining body schema representations as a function of ED risk across different levels of responding. Peripheral-physiological measures such as the startle reflex could possibly be used as predictors of females' risk for developing EDs in the future.
Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 2010
This review gives an up-to-date account of the current state of research on neuropsychiatric comp... more This review gives an up-to-date account of the current state of research on neuropsychiatric complications associated with efavirenz therapy and critiques the methods used in previous studies. The authors suggest an extension of current research strategies using psychophysiological concepts and including behavioral regulation models. From a practical perspective, these may contribute to better screening methods for the identification of those at risk for neuropsychiatric complications and the improvement of neuropsychiatric monitoring during efavirenz treatment. From a theoretical viewpoint, the suggested research paradigms may help to move beyond the current state of descriptive approaches and thus improve our limited understanding of underlying mechanisms.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2012
Brain computer interfaces (BCI) can serve as a communication system for people with severe impair... more Brain computer interfaces (BCI) can serve as a communication system for people with severe impairment in speech and motor function due to neurodegenerative disease or injury. Reasons for interindividual differences in capability of BCI usage are not yet fully understood. Paradigms making use of the P300 event-related potential are widely used. Success in a P300 based BCI requires the capability to focus attention and inhibit interference by distracting irrelevant stimuli. Such inhibitory control has been closely linked to peripheral physiological parameters, such as heart rate variability (HRV). The present study investigated the association between resting HRV and performance in the P300-BCI. Methods: Heart rate was recorded from 34 healthy participants under resting conditions, and subsequently a P300-BCI task was performed. Results: Frequency domain measures of HRV were significantly associated with BCI-performance, in that higher vagal activation was related to better BCI-performance. Conclusions: Resting HRV accounted for almost 26% of the variance of BCI performance and may, therefore, serve as a predictor for the capacity to control a P300 oddball based BCI. Significance: This is the first study to demonstrate resting vagal-cardiac activation to predict capability of P300-BCI usage.
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2012
The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of fou... more The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of four reviews. These reviews included three critical and narrative reviews of educational strategies and psychological approaches explaining young children's acquisition and formation of energy-balance related behaviours, and the management of these behaviours, and also a systematic review of behavioural models underpinning school-based interventions in preschool and school settings for the prevention of obesity in children aged 4-6 years. This paper summarises and translates the findings from these reviews into practical evidence based recommendations for researchers and policy-makers to consider when developing and implementing interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in young (aged 4-6 years) children. The recommendations focus on two behaviours, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and healthy eating, and include general recommendations, intervention approach...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2011
The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG) ... more The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG) have recently been discussed in light of models of reciprocity and fairness-related behavior. It has been suggested that behavior following norm-oriented, internalized expectations of reciprocity requires overcoming economic self-interest. In this study we investigated both, behavioral and peripheral-physiological indicators of inhibitory capacity related to neuronal networks that are likely to be involved in the behavioral response to unfair offers. Both heartrate variability as an index of inhibitory capacity, and performance in a motor response inhibition task predicted rejection of unfair offers in an UG, suggesting an important role of inhibitory processes in overcoming economic temptations and regulating behavior conforming to social norms of reciprocity and fairness. The role of parasympathetic activity as a physiological traitmarker predicting inter-individual differences in the rejection of unfair offers is discussed.
The lecture will consider the opportunities for moving behavioral monitoring and interventions in... more The lecture will consider the opportunities for moving behavioral monitoring and interventions into the digital era as well as the challenges posed by such a move. It will illustrate the relevant issues with specific reference to the speaker's leadership of an international research program exploring the potential to digitalize screening and brief interventions for risky drinking. It will also consider recent developments in the use of digital technologies to enable patients to monitor aspects of their behavior and well-being, and explore the impact which such technologies can have on well-being. The potential to deploy a whole population approach to digital technologies for behavioral monitoring and interventions will be described in relation to an initiative currently in development in the North of England Health 4.0-How virtualization and big data are revolutionizing healthcare
Addiction Biology, 2020
The unprecedented development and ubiquity of sports betting constitute an emerging public health... more The unprecedented development and ubiquity of sports betting constitute an emerging public health concern. It is crucial to provide markers that could help to better identify people experiencing sports betting-related harms. The current study investigated whether problem gambling status, sports betting passion, and trait-self-control modulate brain reactivity to sports betting cues. Sixty-five frequent sports bettors (35 "nonproblem bettors" and 30 "problem bettors") were exposed to cues representing real upcoming sport events (with varying levels of winning confidence) that were made available or blocked for betting, during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recording. Sports betting passion and trait-self-control were assessed using self-report scales. Sport events nonavailable for betting elicited higher insular and striatal activation in problem bettors, as compared with nonproblem bettors. Within a large cluster encompassing the ventral striatum, hippocampus, and amygdala, lower trait-self-control was associated with increased brain reactivity to sport events with high levels of winning confidence that were nonavailable for betting. No significant effect of sports betting passion was observed. These findings suggest that sports bettors' brain reactivity to gambling unavailability might be a relevant marker of sports betting-related harms, as well as of blunted trait-self-control.
Addictive Behaviors, 2020
Background: Negative mood often triggers binge eating in bulimia nervosa (BN). We investigated mo... more Background: Negative mood often triggers binge eating in bulimia nervosa (BN). We investigated motivational salience as a possible underlying mechanism using event-related potentials (ERPs) as indicators of motivated attention allocation (P300) and sustained processing (LPP). Methods: We collected ERPs (P300: 350-400 ms; LPP: 600-1000 ms) from 21 women with full-syndrome or partially remitted BN and 21 healthy women (HC), matched for age and body mass index. Idiosyncratic negative and neutral situations were used to induce corresponding mood states (counterbalanced), before participants viewed images of high-and low-calorie foods and neutral objects, and provided ratings for pleasantness and desire to eat. Results: P300 was larger for foods than objects; LPP was largest for high-calorie foods, followed by low-calorie foods, then objects. The BN group showed an increased desire to eat high-calorie foods under negative mood and stronger mood induction effects on ERPs than the HC group, with generally reduced P300 and a small increase in LPP for high-calorie foods. Effects were limited to circumscribed electrode positions. Exploratory analyses showed clearer effects when comparing high vs. low emotional eaters. Conclusion: We argue that negative mood decreased the availability of cognitive resources (decreased P300) in BN, thereby facilitating disinhibition and food cravings (increased desire-to-eat ratings). Increased sustained processing might be linked to emotional eating tendencies rather than BN pathology per se, and reflect approach motivation, conflict, or regulatory processes. Negative mood appears to induce complex changes in food image processing, whose understanding may contribute to the development of tailored interventions in the future.
Environment and Behavior, 2018
We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psych... more We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psychophysiological responses to stress. We hypothesized that walking in nature has restorative effects over and above the effects of exposure to nature scenes (viewing nature on TV) or physical exercise alone (walking on a treadmill in a gym) and that these effects are greater when participants were expected to be more stressed. Healthy university students ( N = 90) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions and tested during an exam-free period and again during their exam time. Mood and psychophysiological responses were assessed before and after the interventions, and again after a laboratory stressor. All interventions had restorative effects on cortisol levels ( p < .001), yet walking in nature resulted in lower cortisol levels than did nature viewing ( p < .05) during the exam period. Walking in nature improved mood more than watching nature scenes ( p < .001) or physic...
Journal of pain research, 2017
Sleep problems are common among university students. Poor sleep is associated with impaired daily... more Sleep problems are common among university students. Poor sleep is associated with impaired daily functioning, increased risk of psychiatric symptoms, and somatic complaints such as pain. Previous results suggest that poor sleep exacerbates pain, which in turn negatively affects sleep. The purpose of the present study was to determine prevalence rates, comorbidity, and role of depression as a factor of moderating the relationship between sleep and physical complaints in German university students. In total, 2443 German university students (65% women) completed a web survey. Self-report measures included the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, three modules of the Patient Health Questionnaire, and a questionnaire on the functional somatic syndromes (FSSs). More than one-third (36.9%) reported poor sleep as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Somatoform syndrome was identified in 23.5%, and the prevalence of any FSS was 12.8%. Self-reported sleep quality, sleep onset latency, s...
International journal of mental health systems, 2017
This study examined the prevalence of sleep disturbances and mental strain in students from two E... more This study examined the prevalence of sleep disturbances and mental strain in students from two European countries, Luxembourg and Germany. A total of 2831 students took part in an online survey, with 2777 students from Germany and 184 students from Luxembourg. Sleep disturbances were assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and aspects of mental strain using the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Social-Interactive-Anxiety Scale, the self-efficacy questionnaire and the test anxiety questionnaire. In addition, we also assessed students' chronotypes. Across the whole sample mean scores on the sleep questionnaires were above the cut-off for clinically relevant sleep problems, indicating an increased prevalence of sleep disturbances in students from both countries. Sleep quality was impaired in 42.8%, and 17.9% showed clinically relevant scores. Overall 25.5% reported elevated depression and 13.3% social phobia symptoms, while 45% indicated ...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2017
Journal of psychosomatic research, 2017
The factors underlying the aetiology of fibromyalgia (FM) are largely unknown. According to the g... more The factors underlying the aetiology of fibromyalgia (FM) are largely unknown. According to the generalized hypervigilance hypothesis (GHH), FM patients show excessive attention towards pain stimuli and other sensory events, thereby increasing pain perception and dysfunctional behaviour. We tested this notion by assessing interoceptive accuracy (IA) in FM patients and matched healthy controls. We also tested the hypothesis that FM is characterized by reduced self-regulatory capacity as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV). 47 FM patients (Mage=45.5, 39 females) and 45 healthy controls (Mage=44.9, 37 females) completed several self-report scales (Body Vigilance Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Pain Catastrophizing Scale). To derive HRV, heart rate was monitored under resting conditions; for the assessment of IA participants performed a heartbeat tracking task in which they were asked to silently count their heartbeats. FM patients reported higher body vigilance than health...
Sante mentale au Quebec, 2016
Objectives This review aims to summarize the data relative to objective and subjective measures o... more Objectives This review aims to summarize the data relative to objective and subjective measures of body responses in children and adolescents with anxiety.Methods We reviewed 24 studies measuring (1) cardiac responses and (2) interoceptive processes in children and adolescents with anxiety.Results Anxious children and adolescents generally do not differ from their non-anxious peers on their cardiac parameters and objective physiological reactivity to stressful events but some results suggest a reduced autonomic flexibility in pediatric anxiety related to chronic anxiety. Moreover, anxiety does not alter the interoceptive accuracy, but youths with anxiety misinterpret the intensity and the visibility of their symptoms.Conclusion Interoception are biased in pediatric anxiety and further studies are needed to provide information about the role of perceptive, attentional, and interpretative processes in these biases, as well as determine the respective influence of anxiety type and symp...
Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 2016
The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcoho... more The reliable measurement of quality of life (QoL) presents a challenge in individuals with alcohol-related brain damage. This study investigated vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) as a physiological predictor of QoL. Self-and proxy ratings of QoL and dysexecutive symptoms were collected once, while vmHRV was repeatedly assessed over a 3-week period at weekly intervals in a sample of nine alcohol-related brain damaged patients. We provide robustness checks, bootstrapped correlations with confidence intervals, and standard errors for mean scores. We observed low to very low heart rate variability scores in our patients in comparison to norm values found in healthy populations. Proxy ratings of the QoL scale "subjective physical and mental performance" and everyday executive dysfunctions were strongly related to vmHRV. Better proxy-rated QoL and fewer dysexecutive symptoms were observed in those patients with higher vmHRV. Overall, patients showed low parasympathetic activation favoring the occurrence of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies.
PLOS ONE, 2016
Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such cons... more Depression is assumed to be both a risk factor for rejection and a result of it, and as such constitutes an important factor in rejection research. Attachment theory has been applied to understand psychological disorders, such as depression, and can explain individual differences in responses to rejection. Research on autonomic nervous system activity to rejection experiences has been contradictory, with opposing strings of argumentation (activating vs. numbing). We investigated autonomic nervous system-mediated peripheral physiological responses (heart rate) to experimentally manipulated ostracism (Cyberball) in 97 depressed patients with organized (n = 52) and disorganized attachment status (n = 45). Controlling for baseline mean heart rate levels, depressed patients with disorganized attachment status responded to ostracism with significantly higher increases in heart rate than depressed patients with organized attachment status (p = .029; ηp 2 = .051). These results suggest that attachment status may be a useful indicator of autonomic responses to perceived social threat, which in turn may affect the therapeutic process and the patienttherapist relationship.
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Jan 3, 2015
Rationale: Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster... more Rationale: Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population. Objective: The study is aimed at understanding how people value nutritional information on food labels, in particular for front-of-pack labeling. Methods: A phone-assisted survey of 7550 consumers in 16 European countries was conducted. People were asked about their opinion on nutritional information provided at different levels, from the media to public institutions, and their commitment to healthy behavior. The value of pack labeling was estimated using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) elicitation technique. Results: Older age groups (>45 years old), members of a larger family, people of low income or low education, and those who perceived themselves to be obese valued front-of-pack nutritional labeling. WTP estimates across all countries provided an average accepted added price of $4.32 to the overall yearly food expenditure (95% confid...
International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2009
To explore associations between family structure, children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;am... more To explore associations between family structure, children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s body mass index (BMI), and eating behaviors of children and their mothers. Fifty-seven mothers and their children took part in an experimental study. BMI of children was measured. Mothers were asked to provide self-report data on sociodemographic background, mental health, and eating behaviors about themselves and their children. Parent-child-dyads represented their family structure using the Family System Test. We found negative associations in typical family situations between family hierarchy and children&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s BMI, mothers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; emotional eating and mothers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; restrained eating. Family cohesion and restrained eating of the children were also negatively correlated. We obtained positive associations in typical and conflict family situations between family cohesion and external eating of the children. We found indications that family structure is associated with overweight and with eating behavior in children and their mothers.
Journal of Aging Research, 2012
Rumination has been defined as a mode of responding to distress that involves passively focusing ... more Rumination has been defined as a mode of responding to distress that involves passively focusing one's attention on symptoms of distress without taking action. This dysfunctional response style intensifies depressed mood, impairs interpersonal problem solving, and leads to more pessimistic future perspectives and less social support. As most of these results were obtained from younger people, it remains unclear how age affects ruminative thinking. Three hundred members of the general public ranging in age from 15 to 87 years were asked about their ruminative styles using the Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), depression and satisfaction with life. A Mokken Scale analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of the RSQ with brooding and reflective pondering as subcomponents of rumination. Older participants (63 years and older) reported less ruminative thinking than other age groups. Life satisfaction was associated with brooding and highest for the earlier and latest life stages investigated in this study.
PLoS ONE, 2013
Body image disturbances are core symptoms of eating disorders (EDs). Recent evidence suggests tha... more Body image disturbances are core symptoms of eating disorders (EDs). Recent evidence suggests that changes in body image may occur prior to ED onset and are not restricted to in-vivo exposure (e.g. mirror image), but also evident during presentation of abstract cues such as body shape and weight-related words. In the present study startle modulation, heart rate and subjective evaluations were examined during reading of body words and neutral words in 41 student female volunteers screened for risk of EDs. The aim was to determine if responses to body words are attributable to a general negativity bias regardless of ED risk or if activated, ED relevant negative body schemas facilitate priming of defensive responses. Heart rate and word ratings differed between body words and neutral words in the whole female sample, supporting a general processing bias for body weight and shape-related concepts in young women regardless of ED risk. Startle modulation was specifically related to eating disorder symptoms, as was indicated by significant positive correlations with self-reported body dissatisfaction. These results emphasize the relevance of examining body schema representations as a function of ED risk across different levels of responding. Peripheral-physiological measures such as the startle reflex could possibly be used as predictors of females' risk for developing EDs in the future.
Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 2010
This review gives an up-to-date account of the current state of research on neuropsychiatric comp... more This review gives an up-to-date account of the current state of research on neuropsychiatric complications associated with efavirenz therapy and critiques the methods used in previous studies. The authors suggest an extension of current research strategies using psychophysiological concepts and including behavioral regulation models. From a practical perspective, these may contribute to better screening methods for the identification of those at risk for neuropsychiatric complications and the improvement of neuropsychiatric monitoring during efavirenz treatment. From a theoretical viewpoint, the suggested research paradigms may help to move beyond the current state of descriptive approaches and thus improve our limited understanding of underlying mechanisms.
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2012
Brain computer interfaces (BCI) can serve as a communication system for people with severe impair... more Brain computer interfaces (BCI) can serve as a communication system for people with severe impairment in speech and motor function due to neurodegenerative disease or injury. Reasons for interindividual differences in capability of BCI usage are not yet fully understood. Paradigms making use of the P300 event-related potential are widely used. Success in a P300 based BCI requires the capability to focus attention and inhibit interference by distracting irrelevant stimuli. Such inhibitory control has been closely linked to peripheral physiological parameters, such as heart rate variability (HRV). The present study investigated the association between resting HRV and performance in the P300-BCI. Methods: Heart rate was recorded from 34 healthy participants under resting conditions, and subsequently a P300-BCI task was performed. Results: Frequency domain measures of HRV were significantly associated with BCI-performance, in that higher vagal activation was related to better BCI-performance. Conclusions: Resting HRV accounted for almost 26% of the variance of BCI performance and may, therefore, serve as a predictor for the capacity to control a P300 oddball based BCI. Significance: This is the first study to demonstrate resting vagal-cardiac activation to predict capability of P300-BCI usage.
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2012
The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of fou... more The ToyBox intervention was developed using an evidence-based approach, using the findings of four reviews. These reviews included three critical and narrative reviews of educational strategies and psychological approaches explaining young children's acquisition and formation of energy-balance related behaviours, and the management of these behaviours, and also a systematic review of behavioural models underpinning school-based interventions in preschool and school settings for the prevention of obesity in children aged 4-6 years. This paper summarises and translates the findings from these reviews into practical evidence based recommendations for researchers and policy-makers to consider when developing and implementing interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in young (aged 4-6 years) children. The recommendations focus on two behaviours, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and healthy eating, and include general recommendations, intervention approach...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2011
The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG) ... more The processes underlying decision-making in response to unfair offers in the ultimatum game (UG) have recently been discussed in light of models of reciprocity and fairness-related behavior. It has been suggested that behavior following norm-oriented, internalized expectations of reciprocity requires overcoming economic self-interest. In this study we investigated both, behavioral and peripheral-physiological indicators of inhibitory capacity related to neuronal networks that are likely to be involved in the behavioral response to unfair offers. Both heartrate variability as an index of inhibitory capacity, and performance in a motor response inhibition task predicted rejection of unfair offers in an UG, suggesting an important role of inhibitory processes in overcoming economic temptations and regulating behavior conforming to social norms of reciprocity and fairness. The role of parasympathetic activity as a physiological traitmarker predicting inter-individual differences in the rejection of unfair offers is discussed.