Smartphones tend to interfere with their users’ daily tasks and cause distraction. Therefore, many consider these digital devices a real threat to individuals’ ability to pay attention, accomplish tasks, and thus their well-being. A specific positive experience necessary for human well-being is flow or deep concentration. Flow is one of the key indicators of focused attention and, therefore, might be highly affected by digital distractions. In this study, using an experience sampling method, we examined the potential effects of smartphones on flow state during daily tasks that require focused attention through the mediation role of distraction. 181 university students received a web-based questionnaire five times a day for a week, including the 9-item Short Flow Scale, one question for distraction check, and a list of daily activities categorized into attention-demanding tasks and smartphone-related activities. The results of multilevel modeling method and Indirect MLM mediation analysis showed that although engaging in smartphone-related activities were associated with distraction (b=.35, 95% CI: [.21, .47]) smartphone-related use did not affect flow score (b_Indirect= -.03, 95%CI: [-.09, .04]). Noteworthily, this effect was statistically significant for the potential effect of smartphone checking on flow experience (b_Indirect=-.15, 95% CI: [-.23, -.07]). In conclusion, this study suggested that the effect of smartphone use on flow state is considerably varied between people

Experience sampling method

Smartphone app

Affect

10.31234/osf.io/ew3tp

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Neuroscience-Informed Psychoeducation for Recovery: A Program to Promote Metacognition in People With Substance Use Disorders

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (2021)

Tara Rezapour Mohammad Barzegari Elham Sharifi Nastaran Malmir Hamidreza Ghiasvand

Psychoeducation

Relapse prevention

Source

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Research Paper: How people emotionally respond to the news on COVID-19: An online survey

Zahra Hamidein Javad Hatami Tara Rezapour

Introduction: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, news media has played an important role in informing people to satisfy their curiosity about this stressful condition. Regular exposure to such stressful news may elicit different emotions in people and engage them in using strategies to control their emotions. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the most common negative emotion(s) experienced by individuals, as well as the most frequent Emotion Regulation (ER) strategies used facing the COVID-19-related news. We also examined whether the variable of personal relevance can moderate these emotional responses. Methods: 617 individuals living in Tehran who regularly read the news about the COVID-19 from the early stages of spread completed an online survey. After excluding the participants with high scores from the Beck Depression Inventory (>18), data obtained from 443 participants were analyzed in terms of the experienced negative emotions and ER strategies. Results: Anxiety (55.8%) was the most common negative emotion reported by participants facing COVID-19-related news and problem-solving was the most frequent strategy used to control negative emotions. Both groups with high and low personal relevance indicated a similar pattern in experiencing high and low arousal emotions, as well as using ER strategies, and no significant differences were found (X 2=0.006, p=0.51; X 2=0.14, p=0.39, respectively). We also found that participants with high scores in the resilience scale used an integrative rather than a single approach of the ER strategies (rbp=0.15, p=0.01). Conclusion: We found that during the COVID-19 outbreak, news media may have important role in triggering anxiety in people who regularly read the relevant news, and problem-solving was the most frequent strategy among them. Being directly involved with COVID-19 in personal life did not make any differences in the way that individuals emotionally respond to the news. While using an integrative approach in regulating emotion was found in more resilient individuals..

Curiosity

Relevance

10.32598/bcn.11.covid19.809

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Neuroscience-informed psychoeducation for addiction: a conceptual and feasibility study

Frontiers in Psychiatry (2025)

Tara Rezapour Kayla L. McLean Elena Psederska Khashayar Niki Maleki Hamed Ekhtiari

Over the past few decades, our understanding of substance use disorders (SUD) has been reshaped by evidence from neuroscience, which suggests that SUD are characterized by specific neuromarkers that transcend traditional diagnostic boundaries and act as pre-diagnostic markers that could be targeted through preventive attempts. Connectivity-based neuromarkers or brain networks have emerged as a promising framework, providing new insights into the neurocognitive mechanisms of SUD. Utilizing this data-driven framework assists prevention and intervention developers in offering a non-judgmental insight for adolescents regarding the potential vulnerability of neurocognitive systems to continued substance use. Given the importance of such awareness, this paper proposes a neural network-informed approach based on research domain criteria (RDoC) to characterize the content of neuroscience-informed psychoeducation designed for SUD. Furthermore, we argue that various features related to content and structure need to be considered when developing such interventions delivered through digital platforms (e.g., apps and websites). Finally, we introduce a theory-driven app called “NIPA”, developed with the aim of increasing adolescents’ awareness and resilience to the effects of drugs and other emotional triggers on brain and cognitive functions.

Psychoeducation

Addiction medicine

10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1527828

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