Tuesday, March 19

Research

Calling the tune in maladaptive daydreaming
Informative, Research

Calling the tune in maladaptive daydreaming

New study published From the abstract: This study aimed to shed light on the role of music in maladaptive daydreaming (MD), a psychological condition characterized by excessive, immersive daydreaming that interferes with well-being and functioning. Forty-one individuals with probable MD participated in asynchronous in-depth email interviews. A thematic analysis yielded three themes describing the role of music in MD. Two homogeneous themes pertained to outlier experiences: Music necessary and Music not desired. The third theme, Music enhances the MD experience, encompassed most of the data retrieved in this study and was further divided into five subthemes: Music avoided in “low energy” daydreaming scenes, Music as white noise, Music enhances MD creativity, Music as an MD trigger c...
Mindfulness meditation and self-monitoring reduced maladaptive daydreaming symptoms: A randomized controlled trial of a brief self-guided web-based program.
Informative, Research

Mindfulness meditation and self-monitoring reduced maladaptive daydreaming symptoms: A randomized controlled trial of a brief self-guided web-based program.

New Study Published From the Abstract: All MD measures assessing daydreaming pathology, daydreaming frequency, and life functioning showed significant improvement with a large effect size (ES) from baseline to posttreatment in both intervention groups, whereas the wait-list group showed no significant improvement.Mindfulness with self-monitoring training for MD was superior to mindfulness alone in the short term, but they both were equally efficient in the long term. Both interventions were superior to relying on internet-based support forums only. The clinically significant improvement rate of mindfulness with self-monitoring training was 24%, while the reliable improvement rate reached 39%. At the 6-month follow-up, achievements were maintained. Herscu, O., Somer, E., Federman, ...
Non-MDers needed for ICMDR Study
Announcement, Research

Non-MDers needed for ICMDR Study

An appeal from the International Consortium for Maladaptive Daydreaming Research. We need your help in recruiting comparison non-MD participants! The Consciousness and Psychopathology lab currently studies reciprocal relations between self-concept, memories, and daydreaming. The maladaptive daydreaming (MD) community has always been very forthcoming. We were less successful in recruiting a non-MD control group which is necessary to understand MD's effect better. Fortunately, we were recently able to secure some funding for this purpose. To compensate respondents for their time, we will send them Amazon voucher gift cards worth $25! Still, it is difficult for us to reach interested non-MD respondents. We appeal to all who are comfortable distributing our Call for participants and enc...
Mental Imagery and Daydreaming; Call for Participation
Announcement, Research

Mental Imagery and Daydreaming; Call for Participation

Call for Participation in Daydreaming Study by the University of New South Wales, Sydney Hi there, We are conducting an experiment looking at mental imagery and its relationship with daydreaming. This study is conducted online, and if you wish to participate, please read the following instructions. If you are not interested, then please disregard this. In this study you will be answering questionnaires related to your mental imagery, daydreams, and daily life. The questionnaires should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. At the completion of this experiment, you will be entered into a $100 gift card draw as recompense for your participation. If you have any questions about this study, please don’t hesitate to ask us at: aphantasia@pearsonlab.org Online Questi...
Discrimination, Identity Shame, and MD; A Call for Participation
Announcement, Research

Discrimination, Identity Shame, and MD; A Call for Participation

New MD Study Looks for Subjects Hi, I am Faisal Lalani, working with Professors Eli Somer and Hisham Abu-Rayya from the University of Haifa, Israel. I will be conducting interviews as part of a research study aimed at increasing our understanding of the experience of discrimination, identity shame, and maladaptive daydreaming among minority or disabled individuals. Suppose you have experienced shame due to a disability or your racial or ethnic identity and believe you have maladaptive daydreaming. In that case, you are invited to join this study because you are in an ideal position to give us valuable first-hand information on these experiences. Should you agree to participate, please fill out this brief questionnaire, which contains an informed consent form to sign, the 16-item mal...
Maladaptive Daydreaming and Its Relationship with Psychopathological Symptoms, Emotion Regulation, and Problematic Social Networking Sites Use: a Network Analysis Approach
Informative, Research

Maladaptive Daydreaming and Its Relationship with Psychopathological Symptoms, Emotion Regulation, and Problematic Social Networking Sites Use: a Network Analysis Approach

New paper published! From the abstract: ... Results showed that, compared to non-MDers, MDers showed significantly higher scores in all the study variables, except for cognitive reappraisal. Moreover, in the MDers network, the following patterns were identified: (i) no connections between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms, and neither cognitive reappraisal nor expressive suppression; (ii) a connection, through obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms, between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms and MD-interference with life; and (iii) a connection between PSNSU and MD-interference with life. Accordingly, the Network Comparison Test evidenced that the network structures of MDers vs. non-MDers were significantly different (M=.24; p=.01). Overall, higher scores on psychopath...
Shared Challenges and Cooccurrence of Maladaptive Daydreaming and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Informative, Research

Shared Challenges and Cooccurrence of Maladaptive Daydreaming and Autism Spectrum Disorder

More research on MD and ASD published This month maladaptive daydreaming researchers, Melina West, Eli Somer and Inge-Marie Eigsti, published their second recent paper on the relationship between MD and ASD traits. The paper was published in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, a journal which publishes "research on intellectual and developmental disabilities, and cognitive impairments resulting from acquired traumatic or nontraumatic brain injury." This is, currently the third paper to examine MD and ASD. For a full list of MD studies check out the publications tab of the ICMDR.From the abstract: A path analysis revealed that broad ASD traits were associated with MD symptoms via the mediating effects of loneliness and emotion regulation difficulties. Moreover, 43% of adults ...
Call for participation; Self-Concept, Memory and Daydreaming
Announcement, Research

Call for participation; Self-Concept, Memory and Daydreaming

Graduate Research on Maladaptive Daydreaming. A new call for participation went out this month. Graduate student Ori Median, of Ben Gurion University, is calling on the MD community to take part in a study on "the dynamics and reciprocal relations between self-concept, memories, and daydreaming." 18+English LanguageMDers only My name is Ori and I'm a graduate student of Dr. Nirit Soffer-Dudek from Ben Gurion University, Israel. As some of you may know, one of the main focuses of research in the lab is Maladaptive Daydreaming. Much of the progress in Maladaptive Daydreaming research is due to the willingness of the MDer community to participate in our studies. We wish for MD to get recognized officially by the scientific and medical community, a recognition well deserved and such t...
Daily Feelings and the Affective Valence of Daydreams in Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Longitudinal Analysis
Informative, Research

Daily Feelings and the Affective Valence of Daydreams in Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Longitudinal Analysis

New Study Published! Hildy Wen, of UMass Amherst, led a peer-reviewed paper, Daily feelings and the affective valence of daydreams in maladaptive daydreaming: A longitudinal analysis, published in Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. The findings indicate that individuals who daydream to cope with negative memories, feelings, and realities experience more negative emotions following the daydream. In contrast, individuals who daydream about rewarding pastimes and as a means of wish fulfillment typically experience more positive emotions. From the abstract: Individuals who experience higher levels of depression and daydream intensity experience greater levels of negative emotions after their daydreams. Individuals who daydream to cope with negative memories, fe...
Are Defense Styles Mediators between traumatic Experiences and Maladaptive Daydreaming?
Informative, Research, Resource

Are Defense Styles Mediators between traumatic Experiences and Maladaptive Daydreaming?

New paper published. Alessandro Musetti, Alessio Gori, Giovanni Michelini, Cinzia Di Monte, Christian Franceschini & Rachele Mariani recently published a new paper in Current Psychology; A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues. From the abstract: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a new proposed mental disorder in which an excessive absorption in vivid, narrative fantasies generates impairments in various life domains. This study aimed to examine the role of traumatic life experiences and immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles in MD. Three hundred and fifty-six Italian adults, ranging in age from 18 to 60 years completed an online survey, including measures of MD, traumatic life events, and defense styles. A multiple mediation model showed that...
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