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Burned aggression: the relationship between burnout and aggressive behaviour among young adults in Czechia

IntroductionDespite stress being a critical component of burnout, few studies have investigated the relationship between burnout and aggressive behaviour. Therefore, the current study aims to verify whether states of exhaustion are associated with aggression.MethodsStructural equation models were constructed using data from a representative sample of 1027 young adults (Mage = 24.53), almost half of whom were men (n = 507). The models revealed the relationships between burnout, aggressive behaviour, emotion regulation strategies, risky alcohol consumption, stress, and adverse childhood experiences. ResultsAlthough there were minor differences in the pathways between men and women, both models showed a good fit for the data. Furthermore, among both men and women, the positive relationship between burnout and aggressive behaviour was mediated by maladaptive coping strategies and risky alcohol consumption. Interestingly, reliance on maladaptive emotion regulation strategies was also associated with increased depressive symptoms among women but not among men.ConclusionThe findings of this study reveal that aggressive behaviour is another negative consequence of burnout among young adults and highlight the importance of skills applied in responses to chronic stress. The implications of these findings and further results are discussed in relation to the existing literature.
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Collaborative care treatment for major depressive disorder

IntroductionMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a burdensome behavioral health condition that is costly and difficult to treat, particularly for patients with severe cases. The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) has been shown to be effective for moderate depression treatment but less is known about its effectiveness for severe depression. This study analyzes the impact of CoCM treatment on outcomes for depression patients across all ranges of MDD severity at Concert Health.Materials and methodsAnalysis was completed utilizing all closed patient treatment episodes (N = 30,162) at Concert Health between 2018 and 2025. Of these patients, 5,693 began treatment with severe depression. We compare effect sizes for change between baseline and final screener scores across severity levels. Additionally, we utilize logistic regression to complete analyses to understand treatment factors and patient characteristics that are associated with treatment response and remission, as measured by changes in PHQ-9 scores.ResultsThe primary analysis showed that patients with severe depression (PHQ-9 > 20) had slightly lower odds of achieving response compared to patients with moderate depression (OR: 0.93). The treatment factors of insurance type, suicide risk, anxiety presence, and touchpoints also had significant effects on the odds of achieving response and remission.DiscussionThe results suggest that CoCM may be effective for patients with severe depression in achieving treatment response. Patients on Medicaid or with more complex conditions such as anxiety presence or elevated risk for suicide may need higher levels of engagement from the care team to achieve response and remission.
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Association of oxidative stress, metacognition, and psychopathology in patients with schizophrenia: a case-control study

BackgroundMetacognitive deficits are common in schizophrenia (SZ) and may worsen symptoms and impair insight. Oxidative stress (OS) abnormalities have also been reported, but findings are inconsistent, and no study has examined their associations with metacognition and psychopathology.MethodsThis case-control study included 89 SZ patients and 90 healthy controls (HC). OS markers, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured. The patient group and healthy control group underwent metacognition was assessed using the abbreviated Metacognitive Assessment Scale (MAS-A) and patients’ symptoms with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Covariates included age, gender, education, BMI, and smoking, illness duration, onset age and medication.ResultsPatients showed significantly lower MAS-A total score and subscale scores (all p < 0.01) versus HC. Patients had lower SOD, CAT and GPX (130.69 vs 152.12 ng/L, 2.46 vs 6.62 ng/L, 158.09vs 197.75μmol/L) and higher MDA (9.22vs 7.34μmol/L) than controls (all p < 0.05). Partial correlation revealed that in patients: SOD was negatively correlated with positive/negative/PANSS total and MAS-A decentration scores; CAT was negatively correlated with general pathological/PANSS total scores, and positively correlated with MAS-A total score and its subscales (self-reflectivity, understanding the other’s mind, decentration, mastery), MDA was negatively correlated with negative symptom score and self-reflectivity score, and positively correlated with general pathological score; GPX was positively correlated with most clinical and metacognitive scores. Linear regression revealed SOD, CAT, and GPX significantly associated with the PANSS total score (β = -0.119, -6.169, -0.226; all p < 0.05), and with MAS-A total score (β = 0.021,2.879 0.049, all p < 0.001).ConclusionSchizophrenia patients exhibit OS abnormalities and metacognitive impairments. Greater OS severity correlates with worse metacognition and more severe psychopathology, suggesting OS as a key factor linking these domains.
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Just how goal-directed are hippocampal theta sweeps, anyway?

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02366-1

Planning is a cognitive process that is thought to be grounded in hippocampal sequences, but recent studies have suggested that a simpler mechanism, fundamentally incompatible with those planning hypotheses, underlies these sequences. Two studies in this issue of Nature Neuroscience provide the first steps to resolving that controversy.