scholarly journals The effect of raising and lowering tryptophan levels on human mood and social behaviour

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1615) ◽  
pp. 20110375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon N. Young
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Acute Tryptophan Depletion ◽  
Tryptophan Depletion ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Important Relationship ◽  
Study Participants

Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) studies indicate that low serotonin can lower mood and also increase aggression, although results vary somewhat between studies with similar participants. Lowering of mood after ATD is related to the susceptibility of the study participants to clinical depression, and some participants show no effect on mood. This indicates that low serotonin can contribute to lowered mood, but cannot—by itself—cause lowered mood, unless other unknown systems interact with serotonin to lower mood. Studies using tryptophan supplementation demonstrate that increased serotonin can decrease quarrelsomeness and increase agreeableness in everyday life. Social interactions that are more agreeable and less quarrelsome are associated with better mood. Thus, serotonin may have direct effects on mood, but may also be able to influence mood through changes in social behaviour. The increased agreeableness and decreased quarrelsomeness resulting from increases in serotonin will help foster congenial relations with others and should help to increase social support. As social support and social isolation have an important relationship with both physical and mental health, more research is needed on the implications of the ability of serotonin to modulate social behaviour for the regulation of mood, and for future physical and mental health.

scholarly journals DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH HEALTH AMONG OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S319-S319
Author(s):  
Samuel Asante ◽  
Eun-Jun Bang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Study Participants

Abstract Social support is fundamental to human survival, and is significantly involved in the attainment and maintenance of good health and wellbeing. Previous studies have often considered social support as a singular, non-dimensional construct. While this is important and enlightening, the method of adding up individual aspects to create a singular, non-dimensional construct has produced little understanding of these aspects/dimensions of social support and their implications for health. This study examined three dimensions or types of social support-affective, confidant, and instrumental support-and their associations with physical and mental health in older adults. Data for this study were obtain from Utah Fertility, Longevity, and Aging (FLAG) study. Participants involved 325 older adults, aged 50 years or older. Results showed a significant, strong positive correlation between affective support and physical and mental health, and weak association between confidant support and physical and mental health. The correlation between instrumental support and physical and mental health was moderate. After controlling for the influence of socio-demographic variables, affective and instrumental support significantly predicted physical and mental health. Confidant support was not a significant predictor of either physical or mental health. The findings suggest both affective and instrumental support might be relatively more important to the health and mental wellbeing of older adults than confidant support, underscoring the relative importance older adults attach to quality rather than confidant support, which essentially is quantity of social ties.

16Up: Outline of a Study Investigating Wellbeing and Information and Communication Technology Use in Adolescent Twins

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 345-357
Author(s):  
Brittany L. Mitchell ◽  
Katherine M. Kirk ◽  
Kerrie McAloney ◽  
Margaret J. Wright ◽  
Tracey A. Davenport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Study Participants

AbstractThe ‘16Up’ study conducted at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute from January 2014 to December 2018 aimed to examine the physical and mental health of young Australian twins aged 16−18 years (N = 876; 371 twin pairs and 18 triplet sets). Measurements included online questionnaires covering physical and mental health as well as information and communication technology (ICT) use, actigraphy, sleep diaries and hair samples to determine cortisol concentrations. Study participants generally rated themselves as being in good physical (79%) and mental (73%) health and reported lower rates of psychological distress and exposure to alcohol, tobacco products or other substances than previously reported for this age group in the Australian population. Daily or near-daily online activity was almost universal among study participants, with no differences noted between males and females in terms of frequency or duration of internet access. Patterns of ICT use in this sample indicated that the respondents were more likely to use online information sources for researching physical health issues than for mental health or substance use issues, and that they generally reported partial levels of satisfaction with the mental health information they found online. This suggests that internet-based mental health resources can be readily accessed by adolescent Australians, and their computer literacy augurs well for future access to online health resources. In combination with other data collected as part of the ongoing Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study, the 16Up project provides a valuable resource for the longitudinal investigation of genetic and environmental contributions to phenotypic variation in a variety of human traits.

scholarly journals Impact of the Coronavirus Lockdown on Older Adolescents Engaged in a School-Based Stress Management Program: Changes in Mental Health, Sleep, Social Support, and Routines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Schjølberg Marques ◽  
Ruth Braidwood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Return To School ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
School Based ◽  
Older Adolescents ◽  
Stress Management Program

Abstract The mental health effects of the coronavirus pandemic are likely to be significant and sustained, especially for those who experience adversity or preexisting mental health difficulties. This article examines the experiences of older adolescents during the United Kingdom government’s “lockdown” period (April 2020 to June 2020) on mental health, social support, sleep, and routines using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants were enrolled in DISCOVER, a school-based stress management program, in London (N = 107; 72 percent Black, Asian, or minority ethnicity). The Coping with COVID-19 questionnaire was developed and administered online. Changes in mental health, sleep, and routines were reported during the lockdown period as well as increased worry about family members’ physical and mental health. Positive experiences of the lockdown period included improvements in quality of relationships and increased time to spend on hobbies. Participants reported the use of cognitive–behavioral therapy techniques for coping. Results have implications for supporting older adolescents during the pandemic, including on their return to school.

How Relationship Satisfaction Influences Post-Pandemic COVID-19 Anxiety: A Four-Wave Study in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyi Ou ◽  
yunhanqi ◽  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Yuexiao Du ◽  
Yihang He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
The Social

The social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic exerts lasing impacts on people’s mental health. However, whether and how people’s pre-existing positive social relationships can serve as stable reserves to alleviate people psychological distress following the disaster remains unknown. To address the question, the current study examined whether pre-pandemic relationship satisfaction would predict post-pandemic COVID-19 anxiety through middle-pandemic perceived social support and/or gratitude using four-wave data in China (N = 222, 54.50% female, Mage = 31.53, SD = 8.17). Results showed that people’s COVID-19 anxiety decreased from the peak to the trough pandemic stage; perceived social support increased markedly from the pre-pandemic to the peak and remained stable afterwards, while relationship satisfaction remained unchanged throughout. Further, it was middle-pandemic perceived social support, but not gratitude, mediated the association between pre-pandemic relationship satisfaction and post-pandemic COVID-19 anxiety, indicating perceived social support played a more crucial role than gratitude in this process. Last, it is suggested to distinguish perceived social support from gratitude as two different components of social interactions.

scholarly journals What does social support sound like? Challenges and opportunities for using passive episodic audio collection to assess the social environment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anubhuti Poudyal ◽  
Alastair van Heerden ◽  
Ashley Hagaman ◽  
Celia Islam ◽  
Ada Thapa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Audio Data

Abstract Background: The social environment, including social support, social burden, and quality of interactions, influences a range of health outcomes, including mental health. Passive audio data collection on mobile phones (e.g., episodic recording of the auditory environment without requiring any active input from the phone user) enables new opportunities to understand the social environment. We evaluated the use of passive audio collection on mobile phones as a window onto the relationship between the social environment within a study of mental health among adolescent mothers in Nepal.Methods: We enrolled 23 adolescent mothers who first participated in qualitative interviews to describe their social support and identify sounds potentially associated with that support. Then episodic recordings were collected for two weeks from the same women using an app to capture 30 seconds of audio every 15 minutes from 4am to 9pm. Audio data were processed and classified using a pretrained model. Each classification category was accompanied by a predicted accuracy score. Manual validation of the machine-predicted speech and non-speech categories (10%) was done for accuracy.Results: In qualitative interviews, mothers described a range of positive and negative social interactions and the sounds that accompanied these. Potential positive sounds included adult speech and laughter, baby babbling and laughter, and sounds from baby toys. Sounds characterizing negative stimuli included yelling, crying, screaming by adults and crying by babies. Sounds associated with social isolation included silence and TV or radio noises. Speech comprised of 43% of all passively recorded audio clips (n=7725). Manual validation showed a 23% false positive rate and 62% false-negative rate for speech, demonstrating potential underestimation of speech exposure. Other common sounds included music and vehicular noises.Conclusions: Passively capturing audio has the potential to improve understanding of the social environment. However, the limited accuracy of the pre-trained model used in this study did not adequately distinguish between positive and negative social interactions. To improve the contribution of passive audio collection to understanding the social environment, future work should improve the accuracy of audio categorization, code for constellations of sounds, and combine audio with other smartphone data collection such as location and activity.

scholarly journals Relationship of Perceived Social Support with Mental Health in Older Caregivers

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Muñoz-Bermejo ◽  
José Carmelo Adsuar ◽  
Salvador Postigo-Mota ◽  
Inés Casado-Verdejo ◽  
Claudia Mara de Melo-Tavares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health State ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Older Caregivers ◽  
Elderly Caregivers ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background: Elderly caregivers present increased physical and mental health problems. These factors can lead to a lack of autonomy and a need for social support. This study aims to analyse the relationships between perceived social support and mental health status in elderly caregivers aged 65 and older. Methods: a cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey (ENSE-17) carried out on 7023 people. The study population was restricted to 431 caregivers aged ≥65 years. A study of the correlation between the mental health state and the perceived social support was carried out. Both variables were related to the sex of the caregiver. Results: Perceived social support by older caregivers is significantly related to mental health (p = 0.001), and stress (p < 0.001). Also, there is a significant relationship between perceived social support and mental well-being (p = 0.001), self-esteem (p = 0.005) and stress (p = 0.001) in older women caregivers. Conclusions: Older caregivers have adequate mental well-being and perceive high social support. Perceived social support can contribute to improving the mental well-being of older caregivers.

A review and preview of developments in the measurement of sociability

2020 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-101
Author(s):  
Nicholas Boswell ◽  
Jian Cao ◽  
W. Jackeline Torres ◽  
Margaret Beier ◽  
Ashutosh Sabharwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Quantitative Measurement ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Social Patterns ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Mental Health Effects

Sociability is a complex, multifactorial trait. Its importance is underscored by a multitude of negative physical and mental health effects related to loneliness and social isolation. However, current measures of sociability primarily rely on subjective recall and self- report, which have inherent weaknesses and limitations. Although objective and automatic measurements could help to avoid some of these issues, they are still in early stages of development. In this article, the authors review past and present methods of measuring sociability and social interactions. This encompasses both subjective and objective subsets of qualitative and quantitative measurement modalities to gain a broader, more accurate perspective on sociability. Through an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of measurement methods within these categories, a foundational knowledge of sociability measurement can be understood. Utilizing current technology and research methods holds promise to more accurately represent individuals' social networks and social patterns.

scholarly journals Perceptions, Uses of, and Interests in Complementary Health Care Approaches in Depressed Pregnant Women

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Matthews ◽  
Jennifer L. Huberty ◽  
Jenn A. Leiferman ◽  
Darya McClain ◽  
Linda K. Larkey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Unhealthy Lifestyle ◽  
Complementary Health Approaches ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Study Participants

Depression affects up to 23% of pregnant women and is associated with adverse physical/mental health outcomes for both the mother and baby. Depressed pregnant women may be more likely to engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors that contribute to an increased risk for chronic disease. Little is known regarding depressed pregnant women’s perceptions, uses of, and interests in complementary health approaches. Study participants (mean age 28.7 ± 6.8; n = 1032) included pregnant women ≥8 weeks gestation who responded to a survey assessing physical and mental health and wellness practices. Of those completing the survey, depressed pregnant women (n = 272) had significantly higher levels of anxiety ( P < .001) and stress ( P < .001) and had poorer sleep quality ( P < .001), mindfulness ( P < .001), and social support ( P < .001) compared to nondepressed pregnant women (n = 760). A majority (84%) of depressed pregnant women would consider using a complementary health approach for weight and/or stress management during pregnancy, and more than 50% were interested in yoga.

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