(1) Background: we aimed to investigate the effects of physical activity on cognitive functions and deficits of healthy population and other needy groups. Secondly, we investigated the relation between healthy habits and psychopathological risks. Finally, we investigated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on exercise addiction and possible associated disorders. (2) Methods: From April 2021 to October 2021, we conducted a review aimed at identifying the effects of physical exercise on mental health, from cognitive improvements to risk of addiction; we searched for relevant studies on PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINHAL. (3) Results: For the first purpose, results indicated multiple effects such as better precision and response speed in information processing tasks on healthy populations; improvement of executive functions, cognitive flexibility and school performance in children; improvement of attention and executive functions and less hyperactivity and impulsiveness on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); improvement of executive and global functions on adults; improvement of overall cognitive functioning on patients with schizophrenic spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder. Data also demonstrated that exercise addiction seems to be related to low levels of education, low self-esteem, eating disorders and body dysmorphisms. Eventually, it was found that people with lower traits and intolerance of uncertainty show a strong association between COVID-19 anxiety and compulsive exercise and eating disorder. (4) Conclusions: these findings underline on one side the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognitive function in healthy individuals in a preventive and curative key, while on the other side the importance of an adequate evaluation of psychological distress and personality characteristics associated with exercise addiction.
(1) Background: we investigated and analyzed the most recent implementations of technology in the fields of psychotherapy, clinical rehabilitation, and addiction treatment. (2) Methods: from December 2021 to January 2022, we conducted a review aimed at identifying the recent implementations of technology in cyber health psychology, with particular reference to Virtual Reality in psychotherapy, mHealth tools in clinical rehabilitation, and smartphone applications in the treatment of addiction to substances of abuse, searching for relevant studies in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Health & Medical Collection, and APA PsycArticles. (3) Results: the tools analyzed are in constant development and are increasingly used, with good results, and further technological progress could lead to even better treatment outcomes; as far as mHealth tools and smartphone applications are concerned, anti-smoking Apps are the most widespread, followed by those for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, and there is no presence of Apps for the treatment of heroin, cocaine, or crack addiction. (4) Conclusions: the results of the review indicate that these technological tools are increasingly used and are, in principle, effective and have numerous advantages, including low cost and versatility.
(1) Background: Twitch.tv is a live video content website. As of 2022, Twitch users are generally adolescents and young adults, with estimates of the percentage of users aged 16-24 between 22.3% and 41%, predominantly males with estimates ranging from 65% to 78.36%. In recent years, “slotstream” content has become increasingly popular, where streamers gamble online while users watch them. (2) Methods: from July 2022 to November 2022, we researched articles related to Twitch, live streaming, gambling, casino, slot, gambling online, modeling, social media influencers, conditioning, and celebrities, searching for relevant studies in the databases LexisNexis Academic, Business Source Complete, PubMed, Web of Science, Freedom Collection, Health & Medical Collection, Elsevier Journal, Springer, APA PsycARTICLES, Wiley, and other single journals. (3) Results: we took into consideration Gambling Disorder, Online Gambling Disorder, and Internet Gaming Disorder on the one hand, and consumer components such as persuasive communication and influencer-audience relationship on the other; we then hypothesized that the presence of these variables within the slotstream format is positively correlated with the development of pathological gambling, especially in an adolescent audience. (4) Conclusion: we assume that there is a positive correlation between watching slotstream content and the probability of developing both pathological and non-pathological gambling behavior.
Background: Forest therapy is the clinical application of Shinrin-Yoku, also known as forest bathing. Specifically, the term Shinrin-Yoku refers to what is known as “a bath in the air of the forest”, which is carried out by walking and observing the landscapes of nature. In recent years, ecopsychology has become increasingly interested in the use of forest therapy as a credible, eco-sustainable, and easily adaptable treatment. The idea is to borrow the typical techniques of mindfulness and apply them to environmental contexts to verify if this leads to a better physical and mental well-being of the individual. Given the few contexts in which forest therapy is applied, this article aims to investigate, through a review of available literature, the applications of forest therapy existing in various severe or mild disorders, in order to understand if this technique can represent a credible alternative to traditional treatments and consequently arouse the interest of future experimental research in different contexts. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines that allowed us to identify n = 7 unique papers to be included in our analysis. Results: Forest therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for improving a range of psychological and physiological parameters in college students, the elderly, women with postmenopausal insomnia, patients with alcoholism syndrome, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), patients with chronic widespread pain and psychiatric patients. Conclusion: The analyzed studies are not yet sufficiently able to tell us if forest therapy is better than traditional treatments. However, the effectiveness demonstrated in the studies gives empirical evidence of the credibility of forest therapy and opens new scenarios for more eco-sustainable, versatile, affordable, and adaptable therapies to the needs of patients.
BACKGROUND In recent years, electronic cigarettes have seen a significant increase in use. Since 2014, e-cigarette use has surpassed that of traditional cigarettes. Early 2019 surveys show even higher rates of frequent, daily use of e-cigarette products. We have analyzed the latest treatments and studies regarding nicotine vaping cessation to understand what are the effects that these have on our health and what are the best strategies that help people to quit vaping. Vaping devices include e-cigars, vape pens, other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), and the electrical and heating elements of pre-filled nicotine e-cigarettes. OBJECTIVE Develop nicotine vaping cessation reccomendations. METHODS in January 2023, we conducted a review aimed at identifying the status of nicotine vaping cessation treatments and future perspectives in this field. Our systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Health & Medical Collection, Web of Science, Elsevier Journal, Freedom Collection, Springer, and the CENTRAL database of the Cochrane Library. RESULTS we found that cessation for tobacco combustion products and nicotine vaping share similarities in barriers and reasons for cessation. Currently, nicotine vaping cessation is understudied, with little information available on the effects of ECs that inhibit quit motivation. CONCLUSIONS the findings of the review indicate that there has been progress in nicotine vaping cessation in recent years, but other issues remain. There is a need to increase the effectiveness of public health campaigns to promote awareness of the effects of vaping, improve recruitment in cessation trials in people of all ages and promote information campaigns on multiple media platforms and outlets. These entail encouraging people to stop vaping while continuing to educate them about the risks of smoking and vaping other substances. A re-education process must encompass health professionals, the media, policymakers, and the public whose opinions are often distorted due to inadequate knowledge about the substances contained in vaping products.
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