Cyber Victimization and Internalizing Difficulties: The Mediating Roles of Coping Self-Efficacy and Emotion Dysregulation

Cyber victimization has consistently been associated with internalizing difficulties in adolescents. However, the underlying psychological mechanisms linking this relationship have not been adequately examined. The present study aimed to investigate the mediational roles of coping self-efficacy and emotion dysregulation in the relationships between cyber victimization with depression and social anxiety. Participants were 459 students (199 girls) from independent middle-class schools in grades 8 (M _age ?=?13 years 9 months) and 10 (M _age ?=?15 years 7 months). They completed a self-report questionnaire about cyberbullying participation, internalizing symptoms, coping self-efficacy, and emotion dysregulation. Structural equation modeling revealed that most domains of coping self-efficacy and emotion dysregulation partially mediated the relationship between cyber victimization and depression, and fully mediated the relationship between cyber victimization and social anxiety. The results highlight the importance of targeting these mediating factors in intervention programs to reduce the negative impact of cyber victimization on adolescents.     

A Positive Psychology Intervention for Patients with an Acute Coronary Syndrome: Treatment Development and Proof-of-Concept Trial

Positive psychological constructs are associated with superior outcomes in cardiac patients, but there has been minimal study of positive psychology (PP) interventions in this population. Our objective was to describe the intervention development and pilot testing of an 8-week phone-based PP intervention for patients following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Initial intervention development and single-arm proof-of-concept trial, plus comparison of the PP intervention to a subsequently-recruited treatment as usual (TAU) cohort. PP development utilized existing literature, expert input, and qualitative interview data in ACS patients. In the proof-of-concept trial, the primary outcomes were feasibility and acceptability, measured by rates of exercise completion and participant ratings of exercise ease/utility. Secondary outcomes were pre-post changes in psychological outcomes and TAU comparisons, measured using effect sizes (Cohen’s d). The PP intervention and treatment manual were successfully created. In the proof-of-concept trial, 17/23 PP participants (74 %) completed at least 5 of 8 exercises. Participants rated the ease (M = 7.4/10; SD = 2.1) and utility (M = 8.1/10, SD = 1.6) of PP exercises highly. There were moderate pre-post improvements (ds = .46–.69) in positive affect, anxiety, and depression, but minimal effects on dispositional optimism (d = .08). Compared to TAU participants (n = 22), PP participants demonstrated greater improvements in positive affect, anxiety, and depression (ds = . 47–.71), but not optimism. A PP intervention was feasible, well-accepted, and associated with improvements in most psychological measures among cardiac patients. These results provide support for a larger trial focusing on behavioral outcomes.     

Relationships among depressive symptoms, benefit-finding, optimism, and positive affect in multiple sclerosis patients after psychotherapy for depression.

OBJECTIVE: While many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience psychological problems, such as depression, benefit-finding is commonly reported. Using the Broaden-and-Build Model of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001) and the Expectancy-Value Model of optimism (Carver & Scheier, 1998) as two related, yet, distinct conceptual frameworks, this study examined positive affect and optimism as mediators of the relationship between improved depression and enhanced benefit-finding. DESIGN: MS patients (N=127), who participated in a larger, randomized clinical trial comparing two types of telephone psychotherapy for depression, were assessed at baseline, midtherapy (8 weeks), end of therapy (16 weeks), and 6- and 12-month posttherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Depression was measured with a telephone administered version of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; Positive Affect was measured with the Positive Affect Subscale from the Positive and Negative Affect Scale; Optimism was measured with the Life Orientation Test-Revised; Benefit-Finding was measured with the revised version of the Stress-Related Growth Scale. RESULTS: Data were analyzed with multilevel random-effects models, controlling for time since MS diagnosis and type of treatment. Improved depression was associated with increased benefit-finding over time. The relationship between improved depression and benefit-finding was significantly mediated by both increased optimism and increased positive affect. CONCLUSION: Findings provide support to both theoretical models. Positivity appears to promote benefit-finding in MS.     

Therapeutic Identity among Clinical Psychology Professionals in India

This study explored the therapeutic identity among clinical psychology professionals in India with objectives of assessing therapeutic style, attitudes, orientation, values and its relationship with work experience, age and gender. Out of 79 clinical psychology professionals contacted, 50 gave written informed consent for participation in study. The data obtained from Psycho-Therapeutic Identity Questionnaire (ThIdQ). Cluster analysis of the responses on attitude scales revealed broad themes of therapeutic identity in the form of three cluster profiles: Vague psychodynamic assumptions with high self-doubt and low optimism about change (n = 9); Entangled in their own strong feelings of limitations and doubts as a therapist (n = 16); and Eclectic approach with low self-doubt and high optimism about change(n = 25). A lack of synchrony was seen between assessed and reported therapeutic orientation with overuse of the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) orientation. Correlation findings indicated that increased work experience in the field and higher age were associated with low self-doubt and high optimism about change in therapy. Findings on therapeutic identity provide mixed bag of results, positive as well as negative, with equal number of participants on each side.     

Character strengths predict resilience over and above positive affect,self-efficacy,optimism, social support,self-esteem,and life satisfaction

The incremental value of character strengths in the prediction of resilience, after the effects of other well-known resilience-related factors (i.e. positive affect, self-efficacy, optimism, social support, self-esteem, life satisfaction) and sociodemographic variables are accounted for, is examined. Using a cross-sectional design, participants (N = 363 adults) completed online measures of character strengths, resilience, and resilience-related factors. A principal component analysis of character strengths was conducted and five factors were extracted, which could be interpreted as emotional, interpersonal, intellectual, restraint, and theological strengths. All strengths factors, except theological strengths, yielded significant positive correlations with resilience. A hierarchical regression showed that strengths predicted an additional 3% of the variance in resilience over and above sociodemographic variables, positive affect, self-efficacy, optimism, social support, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Emotional strengths and strengths of restraint were significant positive predictors. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.     

Anxiety,depression, and health-related quality of life in aging people living with HIV compared to diabetes patients and patients with minor health conditions: a longitudinal study

HIV infection has evolved from a fatal to a treatable condition, leading to an increase in the rate of elderly People Living with HIV (PLWH). However, little is known about the psychosocial burden of elderly PLWH. Thus, the aim of this longitudinal multi-center cohort study was to investigate whether elderly PLWH experience more anxiety and depression and reduced health related quality of life (HRQOL) compared to elderly patients with other chronic conditions. PLWH were compared to diabetes patients (DM) and patients with minor health conditions (MHC), e.g. patients with hypertension or allergic conditions. All patients were over 50 years old. Anxiety and depression (HADS) as well as HRQOL (SF-36) were assessed at baseline and after 12 months. 218 PLWH, 249 DM and 254 MHC were included. At baseline, the study groups did not differ in anxiety, depression, and physical HRQOL. However, PLWH indicated lower mental HRQOL than DM and MHC patients (p = 0.001). We did not obtain any moderating effects showing a differential effect of patient characteristics on anxiety, depression, and HRQOL in the three patient groups. At follow-up, the level of anxiety, depression, and HRQOL did not change significantly. The prevalence of anxiety ranged between 27 and 35%, and that of depression between 17 and 28%. Thus, the results of our investigation tentatively suggest that the psychosocial adaptation to HIV among elderly PLWH resembles those of other chronic diseases. There may be some subtle impairments, though, as PLWH experienced lower mental HRQOL.     

Unique Contributions of Positive Schemas for Understanding Child and Adolescent Life Satisfaction and Happiness

Much research has examined negative cognitive schemas as associates of psychopathology. Although some research has established relations between positive cognitive schemas and psychopathology, little research has examined positive cognitive schemas in the context of well-being among children and adolescents. In the current study, contributions of positive schemas to two indicators of well-being, namely happiness and life satisfaction, were examined. Specifically we examined how positive schemas predict well-being beyond negative schemas, whether age and gender moderate the relations between positive schemas and well-being, and the contributions of specific positive schema themes to well-being. 282 child and adolescent boys (n = 122) and girls (n = 160) aged 8–18 (M = 13.37, SD = 2.18), completed measures of positive schemas, negative schemas, life satisfaction, and happiness. Results indicated that positive schemas related to life satisfaction and happiness beyond negative schemas, supporting the importance of examining positive schemas in models of well-being. Positive schemas were more strongly tied to happiness in older adolescents versus younger children, but the relations between positive schemas and life satisfaction did not vary as a function of age. Gender effects indicate that the relation between positive schemas and life satisfaction and happiness was stronger for females than for males. When the relative contributions of positive schema themes (i.e., trust, worthiness, optimism, success, self-efficacy) were explored in the prediction of life satisfaction and happiness, worthiness emerged as the strongest predictor. Results emphasize the importance of considering positive schemas in models of well-being among children and adolescents.     

Subjective Well-Being in Adolescence: The Role of Self-Control,Social Support,Age, Gender,and Familial Crisis

Focusing on adolescents’ subjective well-being, the present study comprised three parts. The first examined the role of two coping mechanisms, self-control and social support, in predicting subjective well-being. The second related to the role of age and gender in predicting adolescents’ subjective well-being. The third raised the question of whether exposure to familial crisis would predict adolescents’ subjective well-being and whether self-control and social support would moderate the link between crisis and adolescents’ subjective well-being. Participants included 380 adolescents ages 13–17 years (M = 15.32, SD = .98; 194 boys, 176 girls, 10 unspecified), from six integrative junior-high and high schools in central Israel. All schools served a heterogeneous Jewish student population. Based on responses to a questionnaire identifying adolescents who reported experiencing a severe life crisis during the last year (e.g., severe illness in family, parent death or separation/divorce), the sample was divided into two groups: exposure to familial crisis (n = 96) and no exposure to familial crisis (n = 284). Outcomes revealed that both self-control and social support predicted adolescents’ subjective well-being. As expected, older adolescents presented lower levels of subjective well-being than younger ones. In contrast to the hypothesis, gender did not predict subjective well-being. Although exposure to crisis did not predict higher negative affect or lower positive affect, an interaction emerged between self-control and crisis in predicting positive affect. Thus, among adolescents who experienced crisis, better self-control skills predicted higher levels of positive affect.     

Self-Efficacy for Affect Regulation as a Predictor of Future Life Satisfaction and Moderator of the Negative Affect—Life Satisfaction Relationship

Life satisfaction is an important index of mental health and also predicts other important outcomes such as longevity and decreased mortality. Negative affect has a unique inverse relationship with life satisfaction across the life span. Therefore, determining psychological factors that uniquely predict future life satisfaction and that reduce the trait negative affect—life satisfaction relationship is theoretically and clinically important. In light of recent evidence from long-term longitudinal studies that self-efficacy for regulation of negative emotions (SERN) predicts higher future life satisfaction, as well as evidence from a cross-sectional study that a subtype of SERN—self-efficacy for regulating anger—buffers the relationship between trait negative affect and life satisfaction, we tested whether SERN and subtypes of SERN predicted higher life satisfaction and buffered the negative affect—life satisfaction relationship longitudinally over short time periods. After controlling for time 1 life satisfaction, higher time 1 self-efficacy for regulating despondency and distress (SEDes) predicted higher future life satisfaction over average time periods of 17 days (N = 127), 32 days (N = 83), and 41 days (N = 65) among college students. However, in post hoc exploratory regressions that included self-efficacy for experience and expression of positive emotions (SEPos), SEDes predicted higher time 2 life satisfaction, but only SEPos uniquely predicted higher time 3 and time 4 life satisfaction.     

Dispositional Optimism and Judgments of Future Life Events: Affective States as Moderators

This research examined the relation between dispositional optimism and judgments of future life events and whether this relation is moderated by affective states. In this study the moderating role of experimentally induced affective states, using film clips (N = 259), was investigated. After filling in the questionnaire for dispositional optimism, the participants were randomly assigned in the experimental conditions in order to induce positive versus negative affective states. Finally, the participants filled in the affective states and judgments of future life events scales. The results indicated that the participants with a higher level of optimism had the tendency to judge positive events as more likely and negative events as less likely to happen in the future. We found evidence for affective states as moderators; the association between dispositional optimism and judgments of future positive events depended on experimentally induced affective states. Specifically, in positive affective state condition, the association between dispositional optimism and judgments of future positive events was weaker than in both negative affective state and control conditions. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of optimism and affective states, in determining the judgments about the likelihood of future events are discussed.     

The Effect of Religious Belief and Forgiveness on Coping with Diabetes

We aimed to investigate the relationship of religious beliefs and forgiveness in diabetic patients with various sociodemographic characteristics, emotional problems and glycaemic control. The study comprises 100 patients diagnosed with type 2 DM. We used a data collection form, the Scale of Forgiveness and Religiosity (SFR), Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL). We also recorded blood glucose and HbA1c test results. A statistically significant relationship was determined only between the scores of the STAI-I and the religious belief scales (r = 0.198, p = 0.049). A statistically significant negative relationship was determined between the forgiveness scale points and the BDI (r = 0.326, p = 0.001), the STAI-II (r = 0.308, p = 0.002) and PAID (r = 0.313, p = 0.001) and a positive correlation with ADDQoL (r = 0.284, p = 0.004). To conclude, forgiveness by patient himself or others reduced the emotional problems which were experienced related to diabetes by reducing stress levels and could increase quality of life.     

Cultural Adaptation of New Affective Well-Being Measure in Hindi-Speaking Youth: Scale of Positive and Negative Experience

This study is an attempt to culturally adapt the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE, Diener et al. in Soc Indic Res 97(2):143–156, 2010) in the Indian context. The study was conducted on youth in the age range of 15–24 years (N = 966), and reliability and factorial validity of translated version (in Hindi) of SPANE were calculated. Convergent validity of translated scale was also examined with different measures of well-being (life satisfaction, psychological distress, and happiness) and positive expectations scales (optimism and self-efficacy). Results supported the original two-factor structure of SPANE, and the scale also demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Further analyses revealed structural invariance for scale items across gender, different age groups (adolescents and young adults), different residential areas (urban and rural), and different socioeconomic levels. Results also provided a support for the convergent validity of the Hindi version.     

Subjective Well-Being in Mexican and Mexican American Women: The Role of Acculturation,Ethnic Identity,Gender Roles,and Perceived Social Support

Latinas experience multiple oppressions and poorer mental health due to their often triple minority status as poor, female, women of color. The present study examined whether identifying with both Mexican culture and the dominant culture (bicultural), having high ethnic identity, identifying with both feminine and masculine behavior (androgynous gender role), and perceiving greater family social support predicted life satisfaction and positive affect in low socioeconomic status, Mexican and Mexican American women (n = 194). Results indicated that greater ethnic identity and greater perceived family social support significantly predicted Mexican and Mexican American women’s life satisfaction. Greater ethnic identity, greater feminine gender identity, greater androgynous gender identity, and greater perceived family social support were significant predictors of positive affect. Furthermore, as expected, social support from family was the most significant predictor for both life satisfaction and positive affect. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Emotional Competence and Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analytic Review

Anxiety is conceptualized as a state of negative emotional arousal that is accompanied by concern about future threat. The purpose of this meta-analytic review was to evaluate the evidence of associations between emotional competence and anxiety by examining how specific emotional competence domains (emotion recognition, emotion expression, emotion awareness, emotion understanding, acceptance of emotion, emotional self-efficacy, sympathetic/empathic responses to others’ emotions, recognition of how emotion communication and self-presentation affect relationships, and emotion regulatory processes) relate to anxiety in childhood and adolescence. A total of 185 studies were included in a series of meta-analyses (N’s ranged from 573 to 25,711). Results showed that anxious youth are less effective at expressing (r = ?0.15) and understanding emotions (r = ?0.20), less aware of (r = ?0.28) and less accepting of their own emotions (r = ?0.49), and report less emotional self-efficacy (r = ?0.36). More anxious children use more support-seeking coping strategies (r = 0.07) and are more likely to use less adaptive coping strategies including avoidant coping (r = 0.18), externalizing (r = 0.18), and maladaptive cognitive coping (r = 0.34). Emotion acceptance and awareness, emotional self-efficacy, and maladaptive cognitive coping yielded the largest effect sizes. Some effects varied with children’s age. The findings inform intervention and treatment programs of anxiety in youth and identify several areas for future research.     

Dimensionality and Validity of the Serbian Version of the Life Orientation Test-Revised in a Sample of Youths

The main aim of this research was to evaluate psychometric properties and dimensionality of the Serbian version of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). The sample consisted of 744 youths, with a mean age 18.68 years. Psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the LOT-R were found to be satisfactory. The total scale and both subscales (Optimism and Pessimism) had adequate internal consistency. Convergent validity was demonstrated by moderate correlations with well-being measures (positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, hope, self-efficacy, loneliness and general distress). The results of confirmatory factor analyses yielded two correlated dimensions reflecting optimism and pessimism, and provided support for the two-factor model of optimism. The results of simultaneous multiple regression analyses demonstrated that both optimism and pessimism contributed uniquely to various indicators of well-being. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.     

Looking forward to tomorrow: The buffering effect of a daily optimism intervention

This research demonstrates the effectiveness of a brief daily self-applied optimism intervention in an adult normal population. Participants completed Life Orientation Test-Revised, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Burnout Measure scales before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention. At baseline, optimism intervention group (N = 36) and control group (N = 41) were statistically similar on the variables of interest. At post-test, and also one month later, the intervention group demonstrated reduced pessimism, negative affect, and emotional exhaustion, although optimism, positive affect, and life satisfaction did not increase. Higher initial optimism increased the intervention effect for the optimism group, but not for the control group, by diminishing negative affect and emotional exhaustion, and increasing optimism. Sixty-one percent of the activities mentioned by the control group participants focused on duties and work, compared to 28% in the optimism condition. No correlations were found between initial optimism or pessimism, and the type of activities mentioned.     

Is Symptomatic Long QT Syndrome Associated with Depression in Women and Men?

We examined whether long QT syndrome (LQTS) mutation carrier status or symptomatic LQTS are associated with depression, and whether there are sex differences in these potential relationships. The sample comprised 782 participants (252 men). Of the 369 genetically defined LQTS mutation carriers, 169 were symptomatic and 200 were asymptomatic. The control group consisted of 413 unaffected relatives. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). No association was found for LQTS mutation carrier status with depression. The multinomial logistic regression showed that LQTS mutation carrier men with arrhythmic events scored higher on depression compared with the control group, even when adjusting for age, β-blockers, antidepressants, and social support (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI [1.02, 1.15], p = .007). The binary logistic regression comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers showed that symptomatic LQTS was associated with depression in men (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI [1.03, 1.19], p = .009). The results were unchanged when additionally adjusted for education. These findings suggest that symptomatic LQTS is associated with depression in men but not in women. Overall, however, depression is more frequent in women than men. Thus, regular screening for depression in LQTS mutation carriers and their unaffected family members can be important.     

Longitudinal examination of optimism,personal self-efficacy and student well-being: a path analysis

The present longitudinal study, based on existing theoretical tenets, explored a conceptual model that depicted four major orientations: optimism, self-efficacy, and academic well-being. An important question for consideration, in this case, involved the testing of different untested trajectories that could explain and predict individuals’ mastery-approach goal orientations. This research investigation, in particular, is of significance for its unexploratory nature, and its findings, we contend, would contribute to our understanding of individuals’ academic and learning patterns. Data were collected across six separate time points, and path analytical procedures were used to test the hypothesized relationships. MPlus 7.3 produced a number of notable findings, emphasizing mediating mechanisms and interesting trajectories, for example: (1) the impact of enactive learning experience on Time 1 optimism and Time 3 self-efficacy, (2) the positive impact of Time 1 optimism on Time 2 motivation towards learning, and on Time 3 self-efficacy, (3) the direct impact of Time 1 optimism on Time 6 mastery-approach goals, mediated by Time 4 optimism and then Time 5 motivation towards learning. This evidence, overall, is substantive in terms of making theoretical contributions, as well as informing sound pedagogical practices for consideration and implementation.     

Optimism, pessimism, and change of psychological well-being in cancer patients

Whereas most previous studies have assessed optimism/pessimism as a unidimensional construct, there is increasing awareness that optimism and pessimism may represent two partially independent dimensions. In this study, the role of optimism and pessimism for the maintenance of psychological well-being was assessed in 161 newly diagnosed cancer patients. Before the start of chemotherapy, more positive affect balance was associated with higher optimism and lower pessimism. Over the course of 9 months following diagnosis, pessimism predicted negative change in affect balance, whereas no effect of optimism appeared. Higher levels of perceived side-effects of chemotherapy were associated with negative change in affect balance. However, an interaction effect of perceived side-effects with pessimism indicated that this was only the case in patients with above-median levels of pessimism. The conclusion is drawn that it may be more important to be less pessimistic than to be optimistic when diagnosed with cancer.     

Health-Related Quality of Life in a Low-Socioeconomic Status Public Rental-Flat Population in Singapore

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a well-established measure of health and general well-being. Socioeconomic status (SES) can affect HRQoL. We sought to determine whether there were differences in HRQoL between low versus higher area-SES flat communities in Singapore. Residents in two integrated public housing precincts comprising of rental-flat blocks (low area-SES neighborhood) and neighboring owner-occupied blocks (higher area-SES neighborhood) were asked to rate their self-perceived HRQoL using the EuroQol Group five dimensions (EQ-5D) instrument. The EQ-5D assesses HRQoL in five domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, anxiety/mood and pain) and with a global visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). We evaluated differences in HRQoL between the rental and owner-occupied neighborhoods, and factors associated with anxiety/depression in the rental-flat neighborhood using multivariate logistic regression. The participation rate was 89.1% (634/711). In the owner-occupied neighborhood, 56.7% (216/381) were in full health, compared with 54.2% (137/253) in the rental-flat population (OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.66–1.24, p = 0.568). Across the five domains, staying in a rental-flat neighborhood was independently associated with anxiety/depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.10–2.92, p = 0.019). In the rental-flat population, having anxiety/depression was independently associated with minority ethnicity, problems with self –care, pain/discomfort, difficulty with healthcare costs, and not being on subsidized primary care (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference on the EQ-VAS between the two neighborhoods (p = 0.627). Staying in a low area-SES neighborhood was associated with more mental health problems. In the rental-flat population, self-reported anxiety/depression was associated with minority ethnicity, physical health problems, and financial disadvantage in healthcare.