Personality,life events and subclinical depression in students

Eighty-eight psychiatrically normal undergraduates, completed four paper-and-pencil measures; a Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ), a questionnaire measuring attributional style (QAS), a Beck Depression Inventory and an Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) measuring extraversion and neuroticism. Neuroticism and introversion were found to be significantly related to subclinical depression. The attributional style hypothesized by learned helplessness theory as a personality trait associated with depression was found to be related to neuroticism but not to depression. The relationship between depression and life events was found to depend upon the way events were interpreted. Depression was related to the frequency of events which students perceived to be unpleasant, uncontrollable and for whose occurrence they felt responsible. Neuroticism and the frequency of negative events for which responsibility was perceived were found to be the best predictors of depression. It is concluded the results support Eysenck's view of personality and vulnerability to depression and doubt is cast on the learned helplessness theory of vulnerability to depression.     

Individual differences in imagination inflation

Garry, Manning, Loftus, and Sherman (1996) found that when adult subjects imagined childhood events, these events were subsequentlyjudged as more likely to have occurred than were not-imagined events. The authors termed this effect imagination inflation. We replicated the effect, using a novel set of Life Events Inventory events. Further, we tested whether the effect is related to four subject characteristics possibly associated with false memory creation. The extent to which subjects inflated judged likelihood following imagined events was associated with indices of hypnotic suggestibility and dissociativity, but not with vividness of imagery or interrogative suggestibility. Results suggest that imagination plays a role in subsequent likelihood judgments regarding childhood events, and that some individuals are more likely than others to experience imagination inflation.     

Imagination and memory: Does imagining implausible events lead to false autobiographical memories?

Previous studies have reported that imagination can induce false autobiographical memories. This finding has been used to suggest that psychotherapists who have clients imagine suspected repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse may, in fact, be inducing false memories for the imagined events. In this study, at Time 1 and then, 2 weeks later, at Time 2, 145 subjects rated each of 20 events on the Life Events Inventory as to whether each had occurred to them in childhood. One week after Time 1, the subjects were told that 2 target events were plausible and 2 were implausible. They were then asked to imagine 1 plausible and 1 implausible target event. Plausibility and imagining interacted to affect occurrence ratings; whereas imagining plausible events increased the change in occurrence ratings, imagining implausible events had no effect on occurrence ratings.     

A conceptual model of cultural predictors of anxiety among Japanese American and part-Japanese American adolescents

A model integrating Japanese ethnicity, cultural identity, and anxiety was developed and assessed in Japanese American and part-Japanese American high school seniors (N = 141). Using measures from the Hawaiian High Schools Health Survey, the model incorporated the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Major Life Events Scale, and the Japanese Culture Scale (JCS). Japanese American adolescents scored higher on the JCS and reported fewer anxiety symptoms than part-Japanese American adolescents. Predictors for anxiety were being Japanese American versus part-Japanese American, income, and culturally intensified events. A significant interaction of behavior by self-identification was obtained. The model had good overall fit, suggesting that cultural identity formation may contribute to anxiety experienced particularly by adolescents of mixed heritage.     

Imagining nice and nasty events in childhood or adulthood: recent positive events show the most imagination inflation

We explored whether event recency and valence affect people’s susceptibility to imagination inflation. Using a three-stage procedure, subjects imagined positive and negative events happening in their distant or recent past. First, subjects rated how confident they were that they had experienced particular positive and negative events in childhood or adulthood using a Life Events Inventory (LEI). Two weeks later, they imagined two positive and two negative events from the LEI. Finally, they rated their confidence on the LEI a second time. For positive events, subjects showed more imagination inflation for adulthood than childhood events. For negative events, they showed no difference in imagination inflation for adulthood and childhood events. We discuss factors that may influence source confusions for memories of the past and highlight directions for future research.     

Imagination can create false autobiographical memories

Previous studies have shown that imagining an event can alter autobiographical beliefs. The current study examined whether it can also create false memories. One group of participants imagined a relatively frequent event and received information about an event that never occurs. A second group imagined the nonoccurring event and received information about the frequent event. One week before and again 1 week immediately after the manipulation, participants rated the likelihood that they had experienced each of the two critical events and a series of noncritical events, using the Life Events Inventory. During the last phase, participants were also asked to describe any memories they had for the events. For both events, imagination increased the number of memories reported, as well as beliefs about experiencing the event. These results indicate that imagination can induce false autobiographical memories.     

Exploring Thematic Nightmare Content and Associated Self‐Harm Risk

Nightmares have been shown to be robust predictors of self‐harm risk, beyond depressive symptoms and hopelessness at times. However, few studies have investigated associations between nightmare content and increased self‐harm risk. This study explored associations of thematic nightmare content with history of self‐harm, and risk of self‐harm phenomena the morning following a nightmare. A mixed‐method diary study was performed. Prospective nightmare reports were obtained from 72 participants. A total of 47 nightmare reports met inclusion criteria and were analyzed for themes using inductive thematic analysis. Chi‐square and bootstrap Pearson's correlation tests were performed to assess the associations between nightmare themes and self‐harm history, and risk of self‐harm phenomena following a nightmare. “ Powerlessness to Change Behavior” was associated with a history of self‐harm engagement, whereas “Financial Hardship” indicated reduced risk. Themes were not significantly associated with increased risk of self‐harm phenomena following a nightmare. Content may be of use in detecting lifetime history of self‐harm engagement, particularly in populations where disclosure is seen as taboo. However, nightmare symptom severity remains a better indicator of risk. Evidence for the utility of nightmare content in assessing immediate self‐harm risk is presently lacking. Replication with increased power is recommended.     

Stress Buffers and Dysphoria in a Non-Western Population

The authors investigated whether generalized self-efficacy (GSE), positive automatic thoughts, optimism, or self-mastery moderated the relationship between stressful life events and dysphoria among students from Guam. The GSE Scale, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire—Positive, the Life Orientation Test, the Self-Mastery Scale, the Life Experiences Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire were administered to 63 Guamanian undergraduates twice over 3 months. GSE, optimism, and the GSE × Negative Life Events interaction predicted unique variance in dysphoria. Persons with greater GSE tended to remain nondysphoric even when experiencing higher life stresses, whereas persons with lower GSE tended to become dysphoric under high stress conditions. This is consistent with the hypothesis that GSE may help to buffer the effects of stress among Guamanians. Persons with higher optimism tended to be less dysphoric regardless of the level of stress, compared with persons with lower optimism.     

日常生活事件对中学生社会适应的影响：社会问题解决能力的中介作用

采用问卷法,对2157名中学生日常生活事件的特点,及其与社会适应、社会问题解决能力的关系进行研究。结果发现：（1）学业压力与人际冲突是中学生所遇到的最主要的日常生活事件,低年级经历的事件显著少于高年级,女生经历的事件显著少于男生;（2）中学生日常生活事件显著负向预测积极适应,显著正向预测消极适应;（3）社会问题解决能力在日常生活事件和社会适应之间起到部分中介作用,其中问题趋近、问题回避的作用尤其突出。     

The daily inventory of stressful events: an interview-based approach for measuring daily stressors

This study introduces the Daily Inventory of Stressful Events (DISE), an interview-based approach to the measurement of multiple aspects of daily stressors through daily telephone interviews. Using a U.S. national sample of adults aged 25 to 74 (N = 1,031), the prevalence as well as the affective and physical correlates of daily stressors are examined. Respondents had at least one daily stressor on 40 percent of the study days and multiple stressors on 11 percent of the study days. The most common class of stressors was interpersonal tension followed by work-related stressors for men and network stressors (events that occur to close others) for women. Stressors that involved danger of loss were more prevalent than stressors in which loss actually occurred. Regression analyses showed that specific types of daily stressors such as interpersonal tensions and network stressors were unique predictors of both health symptoms and mood.     

The effects of photographs and event plausibility in creating false beliefs

Recent studies have shown that using photographs as memory retrieval aids can significantly increase the likelihood of false memories. The current study further investigated this effect by examining the interactive effects of photographs and event plausibility in developing false beliefs. At Time 1 and two weeks later at Time 2, participants rated 20 events on the Life Events Inventory (LEI) as to whether each occurred to them in childhood. One week after Time 1, participants were told that two target events were plausible and two were implausible. They then used event-related photographs to visualize one plausible and one implausible event. Occurrence ratings significantly increased from Time 1 to Time 2 for plausible events in the photo condition. These results suggest that the use of photographs as a memory enhancing technique is unlikely to cause false memories for events that are not perceived personally plausible.     

Perfectionism Cognitions, Rumination, and Psychological Distress

The current study examined the extent to which dimensions of perfectionism are associated with a ruminative response orientation and the experience of cognitive intrusions in response to stressful events. Our main goal was to test the hypothesis that individuals characterized by frequent automatic thoughts involving perfectionistic themes would also be characterized by a ruminative response orientation when distressed and they would report intrusive thoughts and images following the experience of a stressful event. A sample of 65 students completed several measures, including the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Response Styles Questionnaire, the Impact of Events Scale, and indices of depression and anxiety. Correlational analyses confirmed that high scores on the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory were correlated with a ruminative response orientation and the reported experience of intrusive thoughts and images following the experience of a stressful event. High levels of perfectionism cognitions, socially prescribed perfectionism, and rumination were also correlated with measures of depression and anxiety representingthe tripartite model. The results support the view that there is a salient cognitive aspect to perfectionism and the experience of frequent perfectionistic cognitions and related forms of rumination contribute to levels of psychological distress.     

The relationships between stressful life events during childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood

This study examined the relationships between stressful life events in childhood and differentiation of self and intergenerational triangulation in adulthood. The sample included 217 students (173 females and 44 males) from a college in northern Israel. Participants completed the Hebrew versions of Life Events Checklist (LEC), Differentiation of Self Inventory‐Revised (DSI‐R) and intergenerational triangulation (INTRI). The main findings were that levels of stressful life events during childhood and adolescence among both genders were positively correlated with the levels of fusion with others and intergenerational triangulation. The levels of positive life events were negatively related to levels of emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off and intergenerational triangulation. Levels of stressful life events in females were positively correlated with emotional reactivity. Intergenerational triangulation was correlated with emotional reactivity, emotional cut‐off, fusion with others and I‐position. Findings suggest that families that experience higher levels of stressful life events may be at risk for higher levels of intergenerational triangulation and lower levels of differentiation of self.     

中学生创新心理素质与相关因素的综合研究

采用创新心理素质、青少年生活事件、父母教养方式、艾森克人格和应对量表对558名中学生进行调查。结果表明：(1)中学生创新意识与健康适应、父母理解、父亲过分保护和干涉、内外向、解决问题、合理化、求助显著正相关;创新能力与人际压力、健康适应、父母理解、父亲过分保护和干涉、解决问题、合理化、求助显著正相关;竞争心与精神质、神经质、不良情绪应对和退避显著负相关,与内外向、父母理解、解决问题、合理化和求助显著正相关。(2)解决问题、内外向进入对创新意识的回归方程,解决问题、内外向、父亲过分保护和干涉、人际压力进入对创新能力的回归方程,解决问题和内外向进入对竞争心的回归方程。     

The life events scale for students: Validation for use with British samples

The life events scale for students is a checklist measure of life events intended for use with undergraduate populations. The report describes the validation of the scale for use with British undergraduates. Ratings for the events on the scale were obtained from a sample of 191 undergraduates. A second analysis using a sample of 40 undergraduates showed that scores on the scale were predictive of elevated levels of psychopathology. Furthermore, this relationship was largely independent of negative affectivity or repression-sensitization. The Life Events Scale for Students provides a suitable measure for use in stress research using undergraduate populations.     

Psychometric properties of the life events checklist

The Life Events Checklist (LEC), a measure of exposure to potentially traumatic events, was developed at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) concurrently with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) to facilitate the diagnosis of PTSD. Although the CAPS is recognized as the gold standard in PTSD symptom assessment, the psychometric soundness of the LEC has never been formally evaluated. The studies reported here describe the performance of the LEC in two samples: college undergraduates and combat veterans. The LEC exhibited adequate temporal stability, good convergence with an established measure of trauma history -- the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ) -- and was comparable to the TLEQ in associations with variables known to be correlated with traumatic exposure in a sample of undergraduates. In a clinical sample of combat veterans, the LEC was significantly correlated, in the predicted directions, with measures of psychological distress and was strongly associated with PTSD symptoms.     

Socioeconomic,family, and social stress correlates of adolescent antisocial and delinquent behavior

A total of 84 male and female adolescents were surveyed for SFS, family systemic functioning, and four types of social stress (Induced Transitions, Daily Hassles, Developmental Transitions, and Circumscribed Life Events) in relation to level of antisocial and delinquent behavior to determine the individual and cumulative effect of these psychosocial predictors. Univariate analyses indicated that perceived and Desired Family Cohesion, Daily Hassles, Circumscribed Life Events, and Developmental Transitions correlated significantly with reported antisocial and delinquent behavior, but SES and gender did not. Multivariate analyses affirmed that SES was of little use in understanding such behavior, at least among the general population, and that family functioning and social stress contributed interactively. Desired Cohesion was the most reliable indicator, with other family and stress variables' importance differing for males and females. These findings suggest that a family's ability to support each other and to harness that support to cope with transitions and stress during adolescence relates to a lower level of antisocial behavior.     

Internet addiction,adolescent depression,and the mediating role of life events: Finding from a sample of Chinese adolescents

The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of life events in the relation between Internet addiction and depression using an adolescent sample in China. A total of 3507 urban adolescent students were asked to complete the questionnaires including Young's Internet Addiction Scale, Adolescent Self‐Rating Life Events Checklist, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Parent–Child Conflict Tactics Scales, and demographic characteristics. Path analyses demonstrated that life events fully mediated the relationship between Internet addiction and adolescent depression. Specificity for the mediating role of life events was demonstrated in comparison to alternative competing mediation models. The findings support our hypothesis that the effect of Internet addiction on adolescent depression is mediated by the life events. Further research is required to test the temporal relationship between Internet addiction and adolescent depression and explore mechanisms underlying the pathways leading to adolescent depression.     

Does self-complexity moderate the effects of exposure to political violence for adolescents?

This study examined the moderating role of self-complexity (SC) on well-being (WB) and psychopathology among Israeli adolescents exposed to the Second Lebanon War (2006). Adolescents (N=584, mean age 16.41) completed a SC measure, Political and Negative Life Events (NLE) scales, Brief Symptom Inventory and Satisfaction with Life Scale. The theoretical model analyzed the function of SC as a moderator of exposure effects to political life events (PLE), while controlling for general NLE. Results corroborated the model with SC moderating the effects of the war-related PLE. Adolescents with low SC are at risk for damaged WB and psychiatric consequences from political violence exposure. This opens a diagnostic avenue for identification of at-risk adolescents in this socio-political context toward whom clinical programs should be directed.     

The role of perceived social support and dysfunctional attitudes in predicting Taiwanese adolescents' depressive tendency

This study examined the moderating effect of perceived social support on the association of dysfunctional attitudes with depression among Taiwanese adolescents. Seventh graders (N = 458) completed the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (Weisman & Beck, 1978), Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends (Procidano & Heller, 1983), Stressful Life Events (Chiu, 1988), and Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1981). The results indicated that perceived social support from friends moderates the relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and depression, implying that as peer support increases, the positive relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and depression weakens.