Aim of the studyThe aim of the study was to assess the level of acceptance of the disease and attitudes towards pharmacological treatment in patients hospitalized in forensic psychiatry departments and to analyze the relationship between these variables and the length of hospitalization.Materials and methodsThe study included 121 patients hospitalized in forensic psychiatry wards. The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) were used. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric tests, with a significance level of p < 0.05.ResultsThe mean AIS score was 28 points, indicating moderate to good disease acceptance. A positive attitude toward pharmacological treatment was demonstrated by 74% of respondents. There was no significant correlation between disease acceptance and attitudes toward treatment (p = 0.70), nor was there any effect of hospitalization length on attitudes toward pharmacotherapy (p = 0.317).ConclusionsPatients of forensic psychiatry wards demonstrate a medium or high level of acceptance of the disease and a mostly positive attitude towards pharmacotherapy; the lack of significant correlations between these variables and the independence from the length of hospitalization indicate the need for individualized therapy.
Machiavellianism, level of personality functioning, and maladaptive personality traits: mediation analyses in a clinical sample
IntroductionMachiavellianism was repeatedly found to be associated with personality dysfunction. The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders offers a dimensional approach to personality disorders including level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits. The aim of this study was to test mediation models wherein level of personality functioning was suggested to mediate the relationship between maladaptive personality traits and Machiavellian views and tactics.MethodUsing self-report measures, 341 mental health patients (Mage = 34.78 years; SDage = 10.99) of an inpatient psychotherapy ward participated in the study with various mental disorders. 200 patients identified as females, 94 as males, 1 as non-binary, 46 participants didn’t report their gender. Participation was anonymous and voluntary. All patients gave their informed consent.ResultsCorrelational analyses revealed that impairment in level of personality functioning and all maladaptive personality trait domains were positively associated with Machiavellian views and tactics (except for the nonsignificant association between Negative Affectivity and Machiavellian Tactics). According to results of mediational analyses, maladaptive personality traits of Detachment, Psychoticism, and Negative Affectivity were associated with Machiavellian views via indirect pathways through level of personality functioning, whereas Negative Affectivity and Antagonism were directly associated with Machiavellian tactics.DiscussionCorrelational results were in line with existing literature. Correlational results and mediation analyses supported the distinct characteristics of Machiavellian views and tactics. The results of this study could be conclusive both for clinical practice and a better understanding of the concept of Machiavellianism.
A phenomenological study on psychological resilience among medical vocational college freshmen
BackgroundMedical vocational college freshmen face severe challenges to their psychological resilience from various stressful events upon their enrollment. This qualitative study aimed to explore the authentic experiences and intrinsic characteristics of psychological resilience among medical vocational college freshmen.MethodsThe study employed a descriptive phenomenological design. A purposive sample of 24 medical vocational college freshmen was recruited as participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data between January 2025 and February 2025. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the Colaizzi descriptive analysis method.ResultsData analysis identified nine subthemes falling into three macrothemes: (a) Challenges: The Erosion of Psychological Resilience, describing how freshmen’s psychological resilience is eroded when they face difficulties in adapting to college life; (b) Support: The Recovery of Psychological Resilience, focusing on how freshmen regain resilience through internal and external support; (c) Cognition: The Maintenance of Psychological Resilience, explaining the factors that promote the sustained development of freshmen’s psychological resilience.ConclusionFreshmen face pressures in academics, interpersonal relationships, and self-management. Family and peer support, together with personal growth, contribute to resilience recovery. Educators should employ cognitive restructuring, experiential learning, and other strategies to help maintain their psychological resilience.
Harsh discipline mediates the association between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and adolescents: survey-based and online intervention evidence
BackgroundParenting stress evokes harsh discipline and induces internalizing problems in children and adolescents. To test this hypothesis, this study examined the potential mediating role of harsh discipline in the association between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and adolescents while considering the moderating effect of emotion regulation.MethodsTwo studies were conducted: Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey using questionnaires (N = 971), and Study 2 implemented a three-week online parental intervention training program combining courses and psychological diary recording (N = 123).ResultsBoth studies consistently demonstrated that harsh discipline mediated the link between parenting stress and internalizing problems in children and adolescents. Furthermore, acceptance and cognitive reappraisal reduced the effect of parenting stress on harsh discipline, whereas distraction and rumination enhanced it. Expressive suppression had no significant moderating effect. The intervention enhanced parents’ emotion regulation (increased acceptance), reduced parenting stress and alleviated internalizing problems in children and adolescents, with preliminary evidence of reduced harsh discipline.ConclusionThese findings clarify the psychological mechanisms through which parenting stress influences child adaptiveness and underscore the value of interventions focused on emotion regulation in mitigating parenting stress, harsh discipline and enhancing child mental health.
Momentary predictors of dissociation in functional neurological disorder: an ecological momentary assessment-based pilot study
IntroductionEvidence suggests that dissociation may play a role in the manifestation of functional neurological disorder (FND). Dissociative experiences are frequently reported in FND, yet their dynamic associations with affective and physiological states remain underexplored. This pilot study aimed to examine dissociative symptoms in daily life in FND, to identify predictors of dissociation using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) combined with wearable heart-rate monitoring.MethodsSeventeen individuals with FND (functional seizures/motor symptoms) and seventeen age- and gender-matched healthy controls completed EMA via pseudorandom smartphone prompts eight times daily for one week. This was a secondary analysis of data from a pilot case-control intensive longitudinal observation study. Dissociation (depersonalisation, derealisation, amnesia), negative affect, and subjective arousal were assessed using items modified from validated scales, while heart-rate was continuously recorded via Fitbit devices. Multilevel modelling was conducted to examine between-group differences, and momentary associations between predictors (negative affect, subjective arousal, heart-rate) and dissociative symptoms within the FND group. Time-lagged analyses explored temporal relationships between the predictors and dissociative symptoms.ResultsThe FND group reported significantly higher dissociative symptoms across the week compared to controls; amnesia (F(1,34)=13.09, p <.001), depersonalisation (F(1, 34)=7.35, p = .010), and derealisation (F(1, 34)=8.31, p = .007), these differences withstood correction for anxiety, but not for depression. Negative affect (p-values=<0.001, β=0.094-0.111), subjective arousal (p-values=<0.001, β=0.102-0.124), and higher heart-rate (p-values = 0.01-0.006, β= 0.078-0.091) were each significant concurrent predictors of all three dissociative symptom types. In combined models, negative affect and subjective arousal remained robust predictors across all symptom domains, whereas heart-rate lost significance. Time-lagged analyses did not yield significant associations.ConclusionIndividuals with FND self-reported elevated dissociative symptoms in daily life compared to healthy controls; however, these significant differences did not remain when controlling for depression. Dissociation was consistently associated with subjective arousal and negative affect, but not heart-rate, underscoring the importance of subjective emotional states over physiological influences on self-reported dissociative symptom variability. The absence of temporal effects highlights the transient nature of dissociation in FND. These findings support the possibility of conceptualising FND through a dissociative lens and emphasise the need for larger longitudinal studies to clarify underlying mechanisms.
A data-driven risk stratification framework for clinical obesity
Nature Medicine, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04370-1
To inform precision management of obesity, this study developed and externally validated a parsimonious model (OBSCORE) that accurately predicts the risk of 18 obesity-related complications. This was achieved by integrating thousands of clinical, molecular and other health-related characteristics assessed in 200,000 individuals with overweight or obesity within a machine-learning framework.
The Download: the North Pole’s future and humanoid data
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Digging for clues about the North Pole’s past
In the past, getting to the North Pole involved a treacherous trip through ice many meters thick. But last year, a research vessel encountered open water and thin ice, which created an easy passage. It provided a reminder of how quickly the Arctic is changing.
Now scientists are digging deep below the seabed to find out if the Arctic Ocean was ever ice-free—and what that could mean for the future of Earth’s northernmost waters. Here’s what they hope to discover.
—Tim Kalvelage
This story is from the latest issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature. Check out the full issue here, and subscribe to get the next one when it lands.
Humanoid data: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now
I was recently invited to join an app that would pay me to film myself doing tasks like putting food in a bowl and microwaving it. Another site asked if I’d like to remotely control a robotic arm to help improve its dexterity. What on earth is happening?
These examples are just part of a growing push by robotics companies to collect data on our movements for training humanoids. As the race for real-world data heats up, our everyday movements are being turned into training data. Read the full story.
—James O’Donnell
Humanoid data is one of our 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, a new look at the big ideas, trends, and technologies really worth your attention in the buzzy world of AI.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have all set AI spending records
Collectively, they’re up 71% on the same quarter last year. (NYT $)
+ Microsoft, Google and Amazon reported big payoffs from the splurge. (FT $)
+ But Meta’s shares slid after its plans spooked investors. (BBC)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)
2 The White House opposes Anthropic’s plan to expand Mythos access
It’s concerned about the model’s cyber risks. (Bloomberg $)
+ And worried that the government will lose compute access. (WSJ $)
+ Anthropic is seeking funding at a valuation over $900 billion. (Bloomberg $)
3 Elon Musk has claimed OpenAI’s leaders “looted the nonprofit”
During testimony, Musk said he “was a fool” for trusting them. (Gizmodo)
+ But he had raised his own concerns about OpenAI’s non-profit status. (The Verge)
+ The case could reshape the AI landscape. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Autonomous vehicles may be worsening
According to emergency first-responders, glitches are increasing. (Wired)
5 OpenAI has abandoned much of its Stargate plan
It will no longer develop its own data centers. (FT $)
+ The project’s compute requirements have been questioned. (MIT Technology Review)
6 A convicted Harvard scientist is rebuilding a brain-computer lab in China
He had previously been named the world’s top chemist. (Reuters $)
+ But was then convicted for lying about payments from China. (NYT $)
7 Families have sued OpenAI over a mass shooter’s use of ChatGPT
They say OpenAI provided a dangerously defective version of the chatbot. (NPR)
8 Apple is reportedly close to giving up on the Vision Pro
After the latest model flopped. (MacRumors)
9 Senators are interrogating US AI firms on safeguards against China
Over fears of IP theft. (Axios)
10 Friendly AI chatbots are more likely to be inaccurate
A new study found kinder answers contained more mistakes. (BBC)
Quote of the day
“Never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant to the user’s query.”
—OpenAI instructs Codex to avoid critter talk in a system prompt for the coding agent, Ars Technica reports.
One More Thing
ARTHUR MOUNT
Is this the most energy-efficient way to build homes?
When engineers began designing an ultra-efficient home in the 1970s, they realized the trick wasn’t generating energy in a greener way, but using less of it. They needed to make a better thermos, not a cheaper coffee maker.
That idea helped inspire today’s passive-house standard: airtight buildings that can cut energy use by up to 90% through better windows, insulation, and ventilation.
Although they’re often considered a cold-climate approach, passive houses actually have universal benefits. Find out what makes them so efficient.
—Patrick Sisson
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ Finally, someone built a gaming PC inside a microwave that runs DOOM.
+ Experience the rhythm of the city through this rapid-fire collage of urban photography.
+ Get a dose of pure cuteness as these tiny snow leopard cubs leave their den for the first time.
+ If you’re staring at a random assortment of groceries, SuperCook will find a recipe based on what’s already in your pantry.
STAT+: New obesity tool aims to predict risk of 18 serious complications
Body mass index has its limitations, but for now it’s the metric medicine often defaults to when predicting weight-related health problems. A new tool promises to better define who’s at risk for obesity complications, based on measures that include BMI but also family history, diet, current illness, and socioeconomic factors culled from medical records.
One aim of the research is to better understand who’s a candidate for an obesity drug, often prescribed based on BMI alone or BMI in combination with another disease. Over time, GLP-1 medications, whose initial target was type 2 diabetes, have revealed their power to ease cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis, in addition to promoting significant weight loss. But discerning who’s the best fit for the costly, lifelong treatment has been uncertain.
“We really wanted to have an integrated model that enables us to look at not one, but 18 different obesity-relevant complications,” Claudia Langenberg, co-author of a study about the new model published Thursday in Nature Medicine, said in a media briefing Tuesday. She is director and professor of medicine and population health at Precision Healthcare University Research Institute of Queen Mary University of London.
Securing NIH awards is getting more competitive — and confusing
The likelihood of snagging National Institutes of Health grants has plunged to historic lows, forcing frustrated academic researchers to resort to a variety of tactics to try to obtain funding and, in some cases, keep their jobs, according to a nationwide STAT survey and follow-up interviews with respondents.
NIH data show that securing research awards has become more competitive under the second Trump administration than ever before, and more unpredictable. Just 13% of applications were funded in the past fiscal year, and even top-rated proposals aren’t a sure thing.
Opinion: Congress must hold RFK Jr. accountable after hearings
Our former colleagues in Congress recently heard from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the first time in more than half a year.
Several congressional committees held hearings with Kennedy as they examined the Trump administration’s budget priorities. It was a key opportunity for lawmakers to build on the administration’s significant health policy achievements — and for the most part, they seized it. While Democrats were predictably critical of the secretary’s every move, Republicans wisely pushed back on the administration’s proposal to reduce funding for the National Institutes of Health. And with good reason. Sustained NIH funding underpins the research and development pipeline that makes vaccines possible at a time when voter polling shows Americans want leaders that support vaccine access.