Links Between Stressful Life Events and Proactive and Reactive Functions of Aggression

Recently, more attention has been devoted to understanding how stressful life events might relate to proactive and reactive aggression. Findings suggest that stressful life events are more strongly linked to reactive, than proactive, aggression; however, it is unclear whether the impact of stressful life events on proactive and reactive aggression might vary as a function of the level of exposure to or type of stressful life event. The current study examined how level of exposure to stressful life events (i.e., witnessed, experienced, and learned about) and stressful life event types (i.e., war zone exposure, sexual victimization, interpersonal violence, and other trauma exposure) related to proactive and reactive aggression. The sample was comprised of 500 undergraduate students (M = 18.96, SD = 1.22, 49.6% male) recruited from a Midwestern university. Findings indicated that all three levels of stressful life event exposure (i.e., experienced, witnesses, and learned) were associated with reactive aggression; however, only witnessed stressful life events were associated with proactive aggression. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.     

Emotional reactivity to daily events in youth with anxiety disorders

Background: Although research supports associations between anxiety and emotional reactivity in adults (Cisler, J. M., Olatunji, B. O., Feldner, M. T., &; Forsyth, J. P. (2010). Emotion regulation and the anxiety disorders: an integrative review. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(1), 68–82.), few studies have examined emotional reactivity in anxious youth (e.g., Carthy et al., 2010; Tan, P. Z., Forbes, E. E., Dahl, R. E., Ryan, N. D., Siegle, G. J., Ladouceur, C. D., &; Silk, J. S. (2012). Emotional reactivity and regulation in anxious and nonanxious youth: a cell-phone ecological momentary assessment study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(2), 197–206.). Methods: Using daily diary methodology, this study examined both negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) reactivity to daily events in youth diagnosed with anxiety (N?=?68; 60% female; 78% non-Hispanic White; M age?=?11.18 years, SD?=?3.17). We also examined whether parent-reported emotion regulation would predict emotional reactivity. Results: Participants reported more NA on days they experienced more negative parent and teacher events and less PA on days that they experienced more negative peer events. Additionally, better emotion regulation was associated with less NA reactivity to negative teacher events and to both negative and positive academic events. Conclusions: Interpersonal events have a salient effect on daily affect for anxious youth. Youth anxiety therapists should target emotion regulation associated with negative events involving adults and address barriers to developing and maintaining positive peer relationships.     

The buffering effect of family functioning on the psychological consequences of headache

The current study aimed to examine whether high family functioning mitigates the association between headache intensity and distress. The sample consisted of 124 patients with chronic or recurrent headache. Patients completed validated questionnaires about headache intensity, family functioning, and distress. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to examine the interaction between headache intensity and family functioning on distress. Headache intensity was positively associated with distress (r = .28, p = .002). As hypothesized, family functioning moderated this association (B = ?.01, p = .023). More specifically, the positive association between headache intensity and distress was significant only among patients with lower family functioning (B = .01, p < .001) and not among patients with higher levels of family functioning (B = .006, p = .075). Functional families appear to buffer the distress level in patients; they showed relatively low levels of distress regardless of the severity of their headache. In contrast, patients with dysfunctional families who experienced more pain reported more distress, presumably because they did not receive adequate help and support from these families. This study underlines the importance of a broader perspective on family dynamics in coping with pain.     

Nonchildhood Sexual Abuse in Mexican American and Mexican College Students

This study aimed to assess and compare sexual abuse (SA) rates in female and male Mexican American college students (N = 514) and 2 samples of Mexican college students (N = 161 and N = 227). Participants responded to the Sexual Experiences Survey Victim Form (SES-SFV). SA prevalence and frequency rates were compared between sample groups for 3 categories of SA: nonchildhood SA (SA-NC, experienced since age 14), SA experienced in the previous 12 months (SA-12M), and lifetime self-labeled SA (SA-LL, any experience identified as abuse or rape by participants). Higher rates of self-reported SA were consistently found for Mexican versus U.S. samples. However, SA incidence was also consistently higher in older individuals and females; more recently experienced SA was reported at lower rates and with greater gender congruence than more distal SA; and variation between Mexican samples was roughly equal to variation between Mexican and U.S. samples. Findings show cross-national variation in SA rates.     

Reciprocal within-day associations between incidental affect and exercise: An EMA study

Previous research suggests that how people feel throughout the course of a day (i.e. incidental affect) is predictive of exercise behaviour. A mostly separate literature suggests that exercise can lead to more positive incidental affect.

Objective: This study examines the potential reciprocal effects of incidental affect and exercise behaviour within the same day.

Design: Fifty-nine low-active (exercise <60 min/week), overweight (BMI: 25.0–39.9) adults (ages 18–65) participated in a six-month print-based exercise promotion programme.

Main outcome measures: Ecological momentary assessment was used to record self-reported exercise sessions in real time and incidental affective valence (feeling good/bad) as assessed by the 11-point Feeling Scale at random times throughout the day.

Results: Use of a within-subjects cross-lagged, autoregressive model showed that participants were more likely to exercise on days when they experienced more positive incidental affect earlier in the day (b = .58, SE = .10, p < .01), and participants were more likely to experience more positive incidental affect on days when they had exercised (b = .26, SE = .03, p < .01), with the former association significantly stronger than the latter (t = 23.54, p < .01).

Conclusion: The findings suggest a positive feedback loop whereby feeling good and exercising are reciprocally influential within the course of a day.     

Perceived Social Support Mediates the Relations Between Parental Attachment and Posttraumatic Growth and Resilience in Adolescents Following the Yancheng Tornado

Previous studies have shown that parental attachment is associated with higher levels of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and resilience in individuals who have experienced traumatic events. The present study investigated perceived social support as one pathway in which parental attachment is related to PTG and resilience among Chinese adolescents who have experienced trauma by considering the role of perceived social support. Participants were 443 Chinese adolescents who had experienced a severe tornado a year prior to this study. The results showed that our model fitted the data well [χ²/df = 2.847, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.970, TLI = 0.963, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (90% CI) = 0.065 (0.056–0.073)] and revealed that perceived social support partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment, and PTG and resilience. The clinical implications and limitations of our research, and recommendations for future research are discussed in this paper.     

The Effect of Employee Assistance Services on Reductions in Employee Absenteeism

Personal and work-related stressors experienced by employees can result in substantial costs to employers in the form of employee absenteeism. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide an important vehicle to assist employees with behavioral health issues, personal concerns, and work-related problems that impact employee absenteeism. This study tested the impact of EAPs on reducing employee absenteeism utilizing a well-matched control group and human resource timecard data. The study recruited employees from 20 areas of state government and used a prospective, quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching. EAP (n = 145) users were matched to non-EAP (n = 145) users on baseline demographic, psychosocial, and work-related characteristics that differentiate the groups. Hours of sick time recorded were provided by human resource offices. Differences in sick leave usage were tested using mixed model repeated measures. A steeper decline in sick leave usage for EAP than non-EAP employees was found, with estimates of 4.8 to 6.5% fewer hours lost per month to illness. Further analysis found that EAP services were most effective in helping clients move from moderate to low levels of sick leave rather than in reducing sick leave for those experiencing chronic absenteeism. Research on the effectiveness of EAPs rarely utilizes well-matched control groups and frequently relies on self-reported outcomes. Using an objective measure of work time lost, this study provides empirical evidence that users of EAP services tend to reduce their absenteeism at a faster pace than non-EAP users experiencing similar challenges to maintaining productivity.     

Conscientiousness and adherence to the oral contraceptive pill: a cross-sectional analysis of the facets of conscientiousness

We examine the association between a six-facet model of conscientiousness and adherence to the Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP), to investigate if these 6 facets can account for variation in adherence to the OCP. Cross-sectional data were collected from an opportunity sample of 243 female participants who were current users of the OCP, via online survey. Data were analysed using correlation and standard regression. The 60-item Chernyshenko Conscientiousness Scale (CCS), the 10-item IPIP Conscientiousness (IPIP C) subscale and the 5-item OCP Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) were employed. Both the total CCS (ρ = ?0.26, p < 0.01) and the IPIP C scale (ρ = ?0.22, p < 0.01) were associated with MARS. All facets measured by the CCS had small to medium-sized statistically significant correlations (r > ?0.18 and r < ?0.23, p < 0.05) with OCP adherence with the exception of traditionalism. Within a multivariable model, the six facets accounted for 7.1% of variance (p < 0.01) in adherence to the OCP. No one facet made a significant unique contribution to the model. These findings replicate and extend previous links between conscientiousness and OCP adherence. Further research should be conducted to establish the reliability of these findings in a general population of OCP users. Future interventions should focus on the development of interventions which take conscientiousness into consideration.     

Creativity Under Attack: How People’s Role in Competitive Conflict Shapes Their Creative Idea Generation

Although creativity is helpful if not needed to deal with conflicts, research on the effects of conflict on creativity shows inconsistent findings. In this study, the possibility that effects may depend on people’s role in conflict was considered. Whether, when, and why assuming the role of attacker or defender in conflict affects creative idea generation was therefore investigated. The prediction was tested if attackers are more creative than defenders. In addition, control over the situation as a moderating variable and anxiety as a mediator were considered. Participants (n = 115, M_age = 22.06, SD_age = 2.75, 83 women) were recruited in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and were randomly assigned to an attacker, defender, or role control condition. Controllability over the situation was manipulated within-subjects and anxiety and creativity were measured during 2 rounds of idea generation. Results revealed no differences in creative performance and anxiety between defenders and attackers and that defenders generated a greater number of ideas than people in the role control condition. Exploratory analyses further revealed that attackers and defenders generated a greater number of aggressive ideas. Finally, attackers and defenders experienced more anxiety, but increased anxiety did not account for observed differences in the number of (aggressive) ideas. The effect of controllability could not be investigated due to a failed manipulation. Limitations and implications are discussed.     

Same clinic,different conceptions: Drug users’ and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of how stigma may affect clinical care

Stigma experienced by drug users by their healthcare professionals can be a barrier to treatment engagement, which in turn affects mortality and morbidity rates. Attribution theory suggests that stigma will be greatest whenever drug use is attributed to factors within personal control. Here, clients (n = 76) and healthcare professionals (n = 62) identified features that characterize good and bad clinical interactions, and responded to a vignette about a drug user who attributed his use to personal control or situational factors. Healthcare professionals completed the vignette and drug users gave their best guess of how healthcare professionals would react to this vignette. Clients and professionals held overlapping prototypes of clinical interactions. Clients overestimated both how negative healthcare professionals’ reactions would be, and the extent to which healthcare professionals’ reactions would accord with attribution theory. Despite healthcare professionals’ believing they are acting in nonstigmatizing ways, they may engender stigma in clinical situations more than they realize. Discrepancies between professionals’ hypothetical responses and clients’ anticipation of these responses are discussed in terms of the influence of self‐stigma and societal understandings of drug use and control. Attribution theory only offers a limited explanation for these discrepancies, because professionals’ beliefs about drug users are complex. Implications for theories of stigma and engagement with services are discussed, and the importance of clients’ anticipation of stigma is highlighted as a primary target for addressing treatment disengagement. Anti‐stigma campaigns may also benefit from changing their focus from individuals’ attributions to holistically addressing discrepant conceptions of treatment.     

Trauma history as a resilience factor for patients recovering from total knee replacement surgery

Research concerning the impact of trauma history on individuals' ability to cope with subsequent events is mixed. While many studies find that trauma history increases vulnerability for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain, others reveal that there are benefits associated with moderate levels of stress (e.g. development of coping skills).

Objective: The present study investigated whether the experience of prior traumatic stressors would serve as a risk or resilience factor based on physical and emotional outcomes among patients recovering from total knee replacement surgery (TKR).

Design: 110 patients undergoing unilateral, TKR completed surveys before surgery, as well as one and three months following the procedure.

Results: Contrary to hypotheses, patients who reported more prior traumas experienced less severe pain and functional limitations at one- (β = ?.259, p = .006) and three-month follow-up assessments (β = ?.187, p = .04). A similar pattern emerged when specific types of traumas (e.g. interpersonal) were examined in relation to physical recovery. Further, patients’ trauma history was negatively related to symptoms of post-traumatic stress three-months following surgery (e.g. Avoidance: β = ?.200, p = .037).

Conclusion: Trauma history represents a source of resilience, rather than vulnerability, within the context of arthroplastic surgery.     

Reaching Out: Improving the Continuity of Care of Community Mental Health Services Through a Weekly Climbing Group

This mixed-method study examined the impact of a novel activity group on engagement in care. Thirty-two participants were recruited from National Health Service (NHS) community mental health services in three inner-London boroughs. Participants undertook eight weekly sessions of supervised climbing. There was a significant quantitative improvement in the domain “individual progress” (Z = 2.12, p = 0.03). Qualitative data indicated a wide range of benefits. The study identified both direct and indirect benefits to continuity of care. The study validates the use of a climbing activity group to engage and benefit community mental health service users.     

Religiosity and Exposure to Users in Explaining Illicit Drug Use among Emerging Adults

Religiosity is a protective factor against illicit drug use, but further investigation is needed to delineate which components of religiosity are protective against use. A racially diverse sample (N = 962) was surveyed about religiosity, exposure to users, and recent use of marijuana, powder cocaine, ecstasy, and nonmedical use of opioids and amphetamine. Results suggest that identifying as Agnostic increased odds of use for each of the five drugs; however, this effect disappeared when controlling for religious importance and attendance. High levels of religious attendance were protective against recent use of marijuana and cocaine, but protective effects diminished when controlling for exposure to users, which was a robust predictor of use of every drug. Religion is a protective mechanism against drug use, but this effect may diminish in light of exposure to users. Alternative preventative methods need to be directed toward individuals who are not religious or are highly exposed to users.     

Social functioning using direct and indirect measures with children with High Functioning Autism,nonverbal learning disability,and typically developing children

Social perception is an important underlying foundation for emotional development and overall adaptation. The majority of studies with children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) or nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) evaluating social functioning have used measures of parent and/or teacher ratings. The present study utilized parent and teacher ratings of behavior as well as executive functioning in addition to direct measures of social perception. Three groups participated in this study (control [n = 38] HFA [n = 36], NLD [n = 31]). Results indicated that the HFA group experienced the most difficulty understanding emotional cues on the direct measure while both the HFA and NLD groups experienced difficulty with nonverbal cues. Significant difficulties were reported on the parent rating scale for sadness and social withdrawal for both clinical groups. Executive functioning was found to be particularly problematic for the clinical groups. The direct social perception measure was highly correlated with the measures of executive functioning and reflects the contribution that executive functions have on social functioning. These findings suggest that the clinical presentation on behavior rating scales may be very similar for children with HFA and NLD. Moreover, it appears that measures of executive functioning are sensitive to the clinical difficulties these groups experience. The findings also suggest there is a commonality in these disorders that warrants further investigation.     

Factors related to life satisfaction among urban African American adults receiving care at a publicly-funded sexual health clinic

Life satisfaction is linked to premature morbidity and mortality and it may be compromised for individuals living in economically-disadvantaged, urban neighborhoods. The present study explores how behavioral and social-environmental health factors are associated with life satisfaction among a sample of African American young adults. Participants (N = 307, M_age = 26.6 years, 53% male) were recruited from a publicly-funded clinic for a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Data from the baseline assessment of the RCT, which included measures of sleep, depression, anxiety, social support, alcohol and drug use problems, city stress, and life satisfaction, were used for the current study. Correlation analyses assessed bivariate associations between life satisfaction and the demographic and health-related factors. Linear regression using backward elimination determined the best fitting model of factors associated with life satisfaction. Backward elimination resulted in the following variables remaining as significantly associated with life satisfaction: age (b = ?2.40, p = .017), anxiety (b = ?5.32, p < .001), and social support (b = 2.89, p = .004). Feeling rested upon waking also remained in the best fitting model, although this association did not achieve statistical significance (p = .099). The results suggest that African American adults who are younger, less anxious, and report adequate social support are more likely to report satisfaction with life. These findings add to the literature aimed at examining health and social factors impacting the well-being of African Americans living in low-income, urban communities.     

Pain-Related Anxiety and Marijuana Use Motives: A Pilot Test Among Active Marijuana-Using Young Adults

The present investigation examined pain-related anxiety in regard to marijuana use motives among a sample of young adult marijuana users (N = 180; 45% women; M _age = 21.11 years, SD = 6.41). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine the relations between pain-related anxiety and marijuana use motives. After controlling for current marijuana use frequency (past 30 days), daily cigarette smoking rate, current rate of alcohol consumption, level of bodily pain (current), and other marijuana use motives, pain-related anxiety was significantly and uniquely associated with coping and conformity motives for marijuana use. Pain-related anxiety was not significantly related to other marijuana use motives. These results offer novel empirical insight pertaining to a relation between pain-related anxiety and coping as well as conformity motives for marijuana use among active users.     

Preferences for experienced versus remembered happiness

Abstract

Consider two types of happiness: one experienced on a moment-to-moment basis, the other a reflective evaluation where people feel happy looking back. Though researchers have measured and argued the merits of each, we inquired into which happiness people say they want. In five studies (N = 3351), we asked people to choose between experienced happiness and remembered happiness – for shorter timeframes (e.g. one’s next hour) and longer timeframes (e.g. one’s lifetime). The results revealed a consistent pattern: most people choose experienced happiness for longer timeframes, but not for shorter timeframes. Since people typically live hour-to-hour, these findings imply that people may end up living a different version of happiness than what they believe is a happy life.     

Cumulative neurological factors associated with long-term outcomes in adult survivors of childhood brain tumors

Prior research has demonstrated the reliability and validity of the Neurological Predictor Scale (NPS) in relation to childhood brain tumor survivor outcomes; however, its use has not been examined in adult long-term survivors. The current study examines the concurrent validity of the NPS with long-term intellectual and adaptive outcomes in adult survivors of childhood brain tumors relative to individual variables alone. A total of 68 adult survivors of childhood brain tumors (M = 24 years old, SD = 4) almost 16 years post diagnosis (SD = 6) completed intellectual evaluations using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Survivors’ adaptive functioning skills were assessed via informant structured clinical interviews (SIB-R). NPS scores were computed from data acquired from medical records. The NPS was significantly associated with intellectual (R² = 0.208, p < .05) and adaptive outcomes (R² = 0.30, p < .05) over and above individual risk factors. Approximately 18% of long-term survivors were identified as impaired in intellectual outcomes, and 29% were identified as impaired in adaptive functioning in everyday life skills. The NPS quantifies the cumulative effects of treatment and neurological sequelae experienced by both short- and long-term survivors of childhood brain tumors. It is a useful and easy measure to employ in clinical research that focuses on quantifying the neurological risk factors associated with long-term intellectual and adaptive functioning outcomes in adult survivors of childhood brain tumors.     

Narrative Skills,Gender, Culture,and Children’s Long-Term Memory Accuracy of a Staged Event

This study examined the extent to which school-aged children’s general narrative skills provide cognitive benefits for accurate remembering or enable good storytelling that undermines memory accuracy. European American and Chinese American 6-year-old boys and girls (N = 114) experienced a staged event in the laboratory and were asked to tell a story from a picture book that accessed their narrative skill. Children were interviewed about the staged event 6 months later to assess memory accuracy. Greater narrative skill when storytelling was associated with decreased free recall and recognition memory accuracy for the staged event. In free recall responses, this effect was driven by an increase in the likelihood that inaccurate details would be included in responses from children with better general narrative skills. For girls only, narrative skill predicted poorer recognition accuracy. Girls were also more language-proficient and provided more correct details in free recall than did boys. Chinese American children were more accurate than European American children when responding to recall prompts due to less frequent provision of incorrect details, particularly in girls. Findings are discussed in light of the roles of socialization in memory-reporting accuracy.     

Parent and Family Characteristics and Their Associates in a Follow-Up of Outpatient Children with ADHD

We examined associations between child symptoms, demographic variables, parent and family characteristics in a long-term follow-up study of 214 outpatient children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The children’s mean age was 12.6 (SD = 2.1) years, and the mean interval from diagnosis to follow-up was 3.7 (SD = 2.2) years. We compared the characteristics of the clinical group with a community group (n = 110) recruited from the same catchment area. Parents filled out questionnaires on child symptoms, parent characteristics, and family functioning. The results showed that parents of young boys (<13 years) experienced more parenting stressors than those of adolescent boys (≥13 years), but the opposite was true for parents of girls. Parents of children with both ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in the clinical range experienced significantly more parent and family dysfunctions than those of children with ADHD only (even after controlling for levels of ADHD symptoms in the child). Parents of children in the community group experienced significantly less parent and family dysfunctions than those of children with ADHD. Partial correlations between parent characteristics and child symptoms showed that oppositional symptoms were most strongly associated with parent and family dysfunction. Fathers experienced significantly less parenting stress, parental efficacy, and child involvement than mothers. We conclude that parents of children with ADHD experienced considerable strain related to a broad range of parent and family characteristics. Assessment of such characteristics should be part of routine assessment procedures and a prerequisite for family-focused treatment of children with ADHD.