TY - JOUR A1 - Gitzen, Harald A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Martin, Alexandra T1 - Subjective and physiological reactivity to emotional stressors in somatic symptom disorder JF - International Journal of Psychophysiology N2 - Objective: We examined whether autonomic flexibility to experimentally presented stressors is reduced in somatic symptom disorder (SSD) as this would point to reduced vagal control as a proposed indicator of emotion regulation deficits. Method: In this experimental study, the influence of health-related and social stressors on subjective and physiological reactivity was investigated in 29 subjects with SSD without any medical condition SSD(mc−), 33 subjects with SSD with medical condition SSD(mc+) and 32 healthy controls at the age from 18 to 70 years. Self-report and physiological variables were measured before and after/during stressor exposure, using state ratings of symptom intensity, disability, tension and mood, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: Overall, the tension increased and the mood worsened after exposure to stressors compared to pre-exposure. Compared to HC, the two SSD groups showed higher symptom intensity, disability, tension and worse mood. The SSD(mc−) group revealed higher HR than HC (p = .012, d = −0.77). Compared to pre-exposure, symptom impairment increased after social stressor exposure in SSD(mc−) (p < .001, d = 1.36). HRV-root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) only decreased in HC during exposure (p = .003, d = −1.09), not in the SSD groups. The two SSD groups did not differ in their reactivity to stressors. Conclusion: HRV in SSD, seems to respond less flexibly to stressors, potentially reflecting overall physiological disturbance through reduced parasympathetic influence on HR. Stress reactivity in SSD(mc−) and SSD(mc+) do not seem to differ. Y1 - 2024 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112273 VL - 2024 IS - 195 SP - 112273 EP - 112273 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Gallinat, Christina A1 - Martin, Alexandra T1 - Appearance-related concerns in individuals with Pathological Skin Picking - A comparison with individuals with dermatological conditions and skin-healthy controls JF - Frontiers in Medicine N2 - Pathological Skin Picking (PSP) is an excessive behavior which characterizes Skin Picking Disorder. Individuals repeatedly pick their skin and cause skin lesions, but are unable to control the behavior, which can cause severe distress. Visible self-inflicted skin lesions can additionally affect individuals with PSP due to emerging appearance-related concerns. However, these concerns and their role in PSP have hardly been studied, especially not in comparison with individuals with dermatological conditions and skin-healthy controls. The present cross-sectional study (n=453, 83.9% female, 15.9% male, 0.2% diverse) aimed at analyzing appearance-related concerns and mental health outcomes between four groups: Individuals with PSP and dermatological conditions (SP/DC; n=83), PSP without dermatological conditions (SP; n=56), dermatological conditions without PSP (DC; n=176) and skin-healthy controls (SH, n=138). We compared questionnaire data on dysmorphic concerns, appearance-based rejection sensitivity, and body dysmorphic symptoms, as well as PSP-symptoms and mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and self-esteem) between groups. The analyses showed a significant multivariate group effect in the appearance-related variables, F(6, 896)=19.92, Wilks’ Λ=0.78, p<.001, and mental health outcomes, F(6, 896)=16.24, Wilks’ Λ=0.81, p<.001. The SP/DC group had the strongest appearance-related concerns and mental health impairments, followed by the SP group, the DC group and the SH group. The SP/DC group and SP group only differed significantly with regard to dysmorphic concerns, but not in other variables. The DC group was less affected but still showed higher dysmorphic concerns and mental health impairments than skin-healthy controls. In contrast to the PSP groups, the other two groups did not exceed clinically relevant cut-off scores. The present study shows that individuals with PSP exhibit strong appearance-related concerns, regardless of the presence or absence of underlying or comorbid dermatological conditions. These findings shed new light on the importance of appearance-related concerns in skin picking disorder and the role of PSP as a potentially overlooked risk factor in dermatological patients. Therefore, appearance-related concerns should be explicitly addressed in dermatological and psychotherapeutic settings. Future studies should also include longitudinal and experimental analyses to more clearly classify the role of appearance-related concerns in the etiology of PSP and skin picking disorder. KW - Skin Picking KW - Dermatillomanie KW - Appearance-concerns KW - body image Y1 - 2023 UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1075743 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1075743 VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Opwis, Mareile A1 - Bartel, Eva Catrin A1 - Salewski, Christel A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer T1 - Sorry—Bad Habit! Validation of the German Self-Report Habit Index with a Test for Its Relation to Potentially Addictive Forms of Health-Risk Behaviors JF - International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction N2 - Habits are highly automated behaviors that have received renewed attention in addiction research. The Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) is a widely used measure of habits. Two cross-sectional online studies aimed at validating a German version of the SRHI to assess two everyday health-risk behaviors: caffeine consumption and smartphone/tablet use. In both studies (N = 1310), the SRHI scales (one adapted for caffeine consumption, one for smartphone/tablet use), as well as corresponding addiction scales and health outcomes (study 1), or established validity measures (study 2), were assessed. Both SRHI scales showed satisfying item characteristics, high internal consistencies (αs > .90), adequate construct validity, and a three-factorial solution with a satisfying model fit (CFI/TLIs > .95, SRMRs ≤ 0.05). Highest correlations emerged between SRHI and addiction scales. The studies show that the German SRHI can be used to validly assess health-risk behaviors. The observed strong correlations of the SRHI scales with addiction scales suggest that (self-reported) habit is indeed an important aspect to consider in addiction research. KW - Habit KW - Addiction KW - Caffeine KW - Smartphone KW - Self Report Habit Index Y1 - 2023 UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-023-01057-3 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01057-3 SN - 1557-1882 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kaufeld, Mara A1 - De Coninck, Katharina A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Hecht, Heiko T1 - Chewing gum reduces visually induced motion sickness JF - Experimental Brain Research N2 - Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is a common side-effect of exposure to virtual reality (VR). Its unpleasant symptoms may limit the acceptance of VR technologies for training or clinical purposes. Mechanical stimulation of the mastoid and diverting attention to pleasant stimuli-like odors or music have been found to ameliorate VIMS. Chewing gum combines both in an easy-to-administer fashion and should thus be an effective countermeasure against VIMS. Our study investigated whether gustatory-motor stimulation by chewing gum leads to a reduction of VIMS symptoms. 77 subjects were assigned to three experimental groups (control, peppermint gum, and ginger gum) and completed a 15-min virtual helicopter flight, using a VR head-mounted display. Before and after VR exposure, we assessed VIMS with the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), and during the virtual flight once every minute with the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS). Chewing gum (peppermint gum: M = 2.44, SD = 2.67; ginger gum: M = 2.57, SD = 3.30) reduced the peak FMS scores by 2.05 (SE = 0.76) points as compared with the control group (M = 4.56, SD = 3.52), p < 0.01, d = 0.65. Additionally, taste ratings correlated slightly negatively with both the SSQ and the peak FMS scores, suggesting that pleasant taste of the chewing gum is associated with less VIMS. Thus, chewing gum may be useful as an affordable, accepted, and easy-to-access way to mitigate VIMS in numerous applications like education or training. Possible mechanisms behind the effect are discussed. Y1 - 2022 UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00221-021-06303-5 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00221-021-06303-5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schlüter, Constanze A1 - Kraag, Gerda A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer T1 - Body Shaming: an Exploratory Study on its Definition and Classification. JF - International Journal of Bullying Prevention N2 - Body shaming (BS) is a popular term for a type of negative social interaction, which frequently occurs in social media. However, there is a lack of a clear scientific definition of BS and data on its relation to other concepts in social aggression research. The present study therefore aimed at providing a definition and classification of BS. In an exploratory online-study, 25 participants (60%) provided personal definitions of BS and rated the fit of a suggested definition. In addition, they reported similarities with and differences to related concepts (appearance teasing, cyberbullying, trolling). We conducted qualitative analyses of the verbal definitions guided by the Grounded Theory approach and quantified the fit to existing concepts in the field of social aggression. The results show that BS is perceived as an unrepeated act in which a person expresses unsolicited, mostly negative opinions/comments about a target’s body, without necessarily intending to harm him/her. Still, the target perceives the comments as negative. BS can range from well-meant advice to malevolent insults and it can occur online and offline. Participants saw similarities between BS and appearance teasing. BS can be a tool for trolling and can evolve to cyberbullying with repetition over time. Altogether, BS is a form of social aggression that has a negative impact on individuals. The definition and classification help to investigate BS and its effects on body image and mental health in future research. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42380-020-00073-4 VL - 2021 IS - 3 SP - 182 EP - 195 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Blume, Marie A1 - Schmidt, Ricarda A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Martin, Alexandra A1 - Hilbert, Anja T1 - EEG Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Adults with Binge-Eating Disorder: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study JF - Neurotherapeutics N2 - Specific alterations in electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain activity have recently been linked to binge-eating disorder (BED), generating interest in treatment options targeting these neuronal processes. This randomized-controlled pilot study examined the effectiveness and feasibility of two EEG neurofeedback paradigms in the reduction of binge eating, eating disorder and general psychopathology, executive functioning, and EEG activity. Adults with BED and overweight (N = 39) were randomly assigned to either a food-specific EEG neurofeedback paradigm, aiming at reducing fronto-central beta activity and enhancing theta activity after viewing highly palatable food pictures, or a general EEG neurofeedback paradigm training the regulation of slow cortical potentials. In both conditions, the study design included a waiting period of 6 weeks, followed by 6 weeks EEG neurofeedback (10 sessions à 30 min) and a 3-month follow-up period. Both EEG neurofeedback paradigms significantly reduced objective binge-eating episodes, global eating disorder psychopathology, and food craving. Approximately one third of participants achieved abstinence from objective binge-eating episodes after treatment without any differences between treatments. These results were stable at 3-month follow-up. Among six measured executive functions, only decision making improved at posttreatment in both paradigms, and cognitive flexibility was significantly improved after food-specific neurofeedback only. Both EEG neurofeedback paradigms were equally successful in reducing relative beta and enhancing relative theta power over fronto-central regions. The results highlight EEG neurofeedback as a promising treatment option for individuals with BED. Future studies in larger samples are needed to determine efficacy and treatment mechanisms. Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13311-021-01149-9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Martin, Alexandra T1 - The influence of physiological and psychological learning mechanisms in neurofeedback vs. mental imagery against binge eating JF - Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10484-020-09486-9 VL - 45 IS - 4 SP - 293 EP - 305 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jensen, Martin A1 - Hüttenrauch, Eva A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Andersson, Gerhard A1 - Chavanon, Mira-Lynn A1 - Weise, Cornelia T1 - Neurofeedback for tinnitus: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial assessing the specificity of an alpha/delta neurofeedback training protocol in alleviating both sound perception and psychological distress in a cohort of chronic tinnitus sufferers JF - Trials Y1 - 2020 UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32370767/ U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04309-y VL - 21 IS - 1 SP - 382 EP - 382 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Martin, Alexandra T1 - Appearance teasing and mental health: Gender differences and mediation effects of appearance-based rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns JF - Frontiers in Psychology Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00579 VL - 10 SP - 579 EP - 579 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidt, Jennifer A1 - Martin, Alexandra T1 - „Smile away your cravings” – Facial feedback modulates cue-induced food cravings JF - Appetite Y1 - 2017 SN - 0195-6663 VL - 116 SP - 536 EP - 543 ER -