Felix S. Hussenoeder

Background: Food addiction (FA) has been linked to pathological eating, obesity, and a variety of detrimental mental health outcomes, yet the role of trait anger remains largely unexplored. This study examined whether trait anger and anger expression and regulation dimensions are associated with FA independently of the Big Five personality traits. Methods: We used data collected between 2011 and 2014 from 1,138 adults aged 20–79 years participating in the LIFE-Adult Study, a population-based German cohort study. Sequential Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine associations of trait anger and the anger expression and regulation dimensions, i.e., anger expression-in, anger expression-out, anger control, with FA symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, social support, alcohol use, and the Big Five personality traits. Results: Higher trait anger was associated with higher FA symptom counts and remained significant after adjustment for the anger expression and regulation dimensions and sociodemographic characteristics. In the fully adjusted model, trait anger, lower social support, higher neuroticism, and lower conscientiousness were associated with higher symptom counts, whereas the anger expression and regulation dimensions were no longer significant. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that trait anger may be a relevant emotional correlate of FA beyond broader personality-related vulnerability, whereas specific anger expression and regulation dimensions appear to play a less central role. Given the cross-sectional design, conclusions regarding temporal ordering and causality remain limited.

Zusammenfassung: Trotz des Potentials von Teilzeitmaßnahmen (TZM) in der beruflichen Rehabilitation werden diese bislang selten genutzt und die Forschung zu Bedarfen, Präferenzen und Umsetzungsbarrieren ist begrenzt. Diese Studie leistet einen ersten Beitrag. Befragt wurden 154 Rehabilitand*innen zu soziodemografischen sowie gesundheits- und arbeitsbezogenen Merkmalen, außerdem zu Gründen, Präferenzen und Bedenken hinsichtlich TZM. 69% der Frauen und 39% der Männer äußerten einen mittleren bis starken Wunsch nach TZM, insbesondere Personen mit Konzentrationsschwierigkeiten, familiären Verpflichtungen oder psychischen Belastungen. Bevorzugt wurden maximal sechs Stunden täglich (40% der Befragten), Pausen von 10–30 Minuten (96%) sowie hybride Formate (36%). Bedenken betrafen finanzielle Unsicherheiten und Umsetzbarkeit. Die Studie zeigt eine substantielle, heterogene Nachfrage nach TZM. Diese sollte zukünftig berücksichtigt und mit Angebotsstrukturen sowie finanziellen Rahmenbedingungen abgestimmt werden.

Aim: Unemployed individuals are more often affected by depression, and their mental health can benefit from (re)integration into the labor market. However, the reduced level of psychosocial functioning associated with depression can prevent them from (re)entering working life. In order to better understand these mechanisms, we analyze the associations between unemployment, social network size, anxiety, somatization, and global level of functioning (GLoF). Subject and methods: Our study is based on a sample from LIPSY, a project that aims to maintain or restore the employability of unemployed people with mental illness. Two regression analyses were conducted on a sample of participants diagnosed with depression (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] code: F32/F33) with the outcome variable GLoF (Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF]). In the first analysis, age, gender, education, living with a partner, and depression (Mini-Symptom Checklist [MSCL]) were used as predictors; in the second analysis, social network size (Lubben Social Network Scale [LSNS-6]), unemployment duration, anxiety, and somatization (MSCL) were added. Results: Our sample included 286 unemployed individuals with depression, with an average age of 36.1 years and an average GAF of 48.5; 50.3% were female. The final regression showed a significant positive association between social network size and GLoF, and a significant negative association between anxiety and GLoF. There were no significant associations between either unemployment duration or somatization and GLoF. Conclusion: Participants exhibited high levels of social isolation and anxiety as well as connections between both and GLoF, highlighting the importance of psychological screening/diagnostics in this high-risk group and the need for targeted prevention measures and therapeutic tools.

Purpose: Loneliness is a pervasive phenomenon that is linked to adverse health outcomes. Unemployed individuals with mental illnesses (UMIs) constitute a high-risk group, with substantial implications for both health and vocational (re)integration. This study aims to gain deeper insights into the relationships between psychological problems and symptoms of psychopathology and loneliness in UMIs. Methods: Our research is based on a sample from LIPSY, a project that aims to maintain or restore employability. Two regression analyses were conducted on a sample of unemployed participants diagnosed with a mental illness (ICD-10: F-code) with the outcome variable loneliness (UCLA). In the first analysis, age, gender, education, cohabitation status, and social network size (LSNS-6) were used as predictors; in the second one, the nine symptom dimensions (SCL-90) - (1) Somatization, (2) Obsessive-Compulsive, (3) Interpersonal Sensitivity, (4) Depression, (5) Anxiety, (6) Anger-Hostility, (7) Phobic Anxiety, (8) Paranoid Ideation, (9) Psychoticism -were added. Results: Our sample included 397 participants with an average age of 35.8 years, 53.1% were female. The final regression showed significant positive associations between higher levels of education, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, and the outcome loneliness, and a significant negative relationship between Somatization and loneliness. Conclusion: The high scores on all SCL-90 dimensions, and the links identified between Somatization, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, and loneliness highlight the importance of psychological screening and/or diagnostics in this high-risk group and offer several starting points for prevention measures as well as interventions.

Background: Research shows that unemployed individuals are more often affected by mental illness, and that mental illness can impede an individual’s work ability, creating a significant obstacle to (re)entering the workforce. Aims: The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between psychological symptoms and work ability in unemployed individuals with mental illnesses (UMIs). This will enable us to identify the symptoms that are most relevant for future research and application. Method: Our study is based on a sample from the project LIPSY, which aims to maintain and/or restore the employability of UMIs. We conducted regression analyses with the outcome variable work ability in a sample of unemployed individuals with a mental illness (ICD-10: F-diagnosis). In the initial analysis, age, gender, education, and cohabitation status were used as predictors; in the final model, all nine symptom dimensions (SCL-90) were added, that is, (1) Somatization, (2) Obsessive-Compulsive, (3) Interpersonal Sensitivity, (4) Depression, (5) Anxiety, (6) Anger-Hostility, (7) Phobic Anxiety, (8) Paranoid Ideation, and (9) Psychoticism. Results: Our sample comprised 402 participants, with a mean age of 35.7 years, 52.5% were female. In the final analysis, we found significant positive associations between education, Paranoid Ideation, and work ability, and a significant negative one between Depression and work ability, but no other significant associations. Conclusions: The elevated scores on all SCL-90 dimensions, along with the associations between two dimensions and work ability, underscore the need for psychological screening, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy (Depression) as well as additional public health attention and research (Paranoid Ideation) in this high-risk population.

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Einsamkeit ist ein weitverbreitetes Phänomen und steht in Zusammenhang mit gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen. Dabei stellen Arbeitslose mit psychischen Erkrankungen (ALPE) eine Hochrisikogruppe in Hinblick auf Gesundheit und berufliche Wiedereingliederung dar. Ziel dieser Studie ist ein besseres Verständnis der Zusammenhänge zwischen Soziodemografie, psychischer Gesundheit und Einsamkeit bei ALPE. Methoden: Für die vorliegende Studie wurden die Fragebögen von 526 arbeitslosen Personen im ALG-2-Bezug und mit mindestens einer psychiatrischen Diagnose aus dem Erhebungszeitraum 09/2020–09/2023 ausgewertet. Es wurden 2 Regressionsanalysen mit robusten Schätzern und der Outcome-Variable Einsamkeit (University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale, UCLA) durchgeführt. Bei der ersten Regression wurde der alleinige Prädiktor soziales Netzwerk (Lubben Social Network Scale, LSNS-6) verwendet, bei der zweiten wurden Schulden (Ja/Nein), Depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9), Angst (Mini-Symptom-Checkliste, MSCL) und Somatisierung (MSCL) ergänzt sowie Alter, Geschlecht, Bildung und Zusammenleben mit Partner als Kontrollvariablen. Ergebnisse: Es zeigen sich ein signifikant negativer Zusammenhang zwischen sozialem Netzwerk und Einsamkeit sowie ein signifikant positiver Zusammenhang zwischen hoher Bildung, Depression, Angst und Einsamkeit. Diskussion: Bei den ALPE fanden sich im Vergleich zu anderen Studien hohe Belastungen durch Depression, Angst, Somatisierung und Einsamkeit. Die identifizierten Zusammenhänge zwischen sozialem Netzwerk, psychischer Gesundheit und Einsamkeit verdeutlichen die Wichtigkeit von psychologischen Screeningverfahren und/oder Diagnostik in dieser Hochrisikogruppe und bieten Ansatzpunkte für die Prävention.

There is an empirical association between stress and symptoms of food addiction (FA), but it is still not clear which domains of stress are the most relevant when it comes to FA, limiting the ability of researchers and practitioners to address problematic eating‐related health outcomes. In order to address this gap in the literature, we analysed how different domains of chronic stress are related to FA. We used data from a subsample of the LIFE‐Adult‐Study (N = 1172), a German cohort study. We conducted a linear regression analysis with stress domains (Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress, TICS) as predictors of FA (Yale Food Addiction Scale, YFAS). In the second regression analysis we included sociodemographic variables, personality, and smoking as control variables. There was a significant and positive association between Social Overload, Work Discontent, Excessive Demands from Work, and Chronic Worrying and FA. After adding control variables, only Social Overload, Excessive Demands from Work, and Chronic Worrying remained significant predictors. Connections between stress domains and FA can serve as starting points for the development of meaningful interventions that support individuals self‐care strategies (Social Overload), complexity management (Excessive Demands from Work), and coping with negative emotions (Chronic Worrying).

While there are studies connecting everyday physical activity (PA) to mental health, they mostly use self-report measures for PA which are biased in multiple ways. Nevertheless, a realistic assessment of everyday PA is important for the development and implementation of low-threshold public health interventions. Therefore, we want to analyze the relationship between objectively measured daily steps and mental health. We included 1451 subjects from a subsample of the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study (2011–2014) with an average age of 55.0 years, 52.1% were female. We analyzed the effects of PA (step count measured via SenseWear Pro 3) on depression (CES-D), anxiety (GAD-7), and quality of sleep (PSQI). The regression analysis showed a significant negative association between low to moderate PA [Incidence rate ratio: 0.87 (0.77; 0.98)] as well as high to very high PA [0.84 (0.74; 0.95)] and depression and no significant associations between PA and anxiety [l-m: 0.98 (0.81; 1.18)/h-vh: 1.00 (0.82; 1.21)] or quality of sleep [l-m: 0.94 (0.84, 1.06)/h-vh: 0.92 (0.82, 1.03)], controlling for sociodemographic variables and personality. Low-threshold interventions that increase daily step count could be a useful approach for the prevention of depression. The use of objective PA measurement for research is highly encouraged.