Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations Between Positive Emotions and General Life Satisfaction in Adolescents

Informed by the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (PE), we tested a model of the origins of life satisfaction (LS) with a sample of 567 middle school students from the Southeastern United States. The pathways thinking domain of hope was proposed to mediate the relation between PE and general LS at a single time point, as well as over 1 year. At Time 1, pathways thinking was a significant mediator of PE and LS. In the prospective model, PE did not predict later LS after controlling for baseline LS. The findings have implications for theory and efforts to promote and sustain LS over time in adolescents.     

Associations Between Gender Segregation and Gender Identity in College Students

We investigated associations between gender segregation and the two traditions of gender identity identified by Wood and Eagly (2015): gender-typed personality traits and gender reference group identity. We also investigated whether one of these traditions was associated with gender segregation to a greater extent than the other. Our sample consisted of 73 male (and 93 female undergraduate students aged 18–24 attending a university in the northeastern United States of America. In support of our hypotheses we found that male and female college students reported a greater proportion of same-gender than cross-gender friends and that gender segregation was negatively associated with femininity for male college students and positively associated with gender reference group identity for male and female college students. In addition, as hypothesized, we found that gender reference group identity was associated with gender segregation to a greater extent than gender-typed personality traits. That gender segregation is associated with gender reference group identity to a greater extent than gender-typed personality traits supports a multifaceted model of gender, and it highlights the importance of considering different traditions of gender identity in gender research (Mehta 2015; Wood and Eagly 2015).     

Prospective Longitudinal Associations Between Persistent Sleep Problems in Childhood and Anxiety and Depression Disorders in Adulthood

The objective of this study was to examine the associations between persistent childhood sleep problems and adulthood anxiety and depression. Parents of 943 children (52% male) participating in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study provided information on their childrens sleep and internalizing problems at ages 5, 7, and 9 years. When the participants were 21 and 26 years, adult anxiety and depression were diagnosed using a standardized diagnostic interview. After controlling for childhood internalizing problems, sex, and socioeconomic status, persistent sleep problems in childhood predicted adulthood anxiety disorders (OR (95% CI) = 1.60 (1.05–2.45), p = .030) but not depressive disorders (OR (95% CI) = .99 (.63–1.56), p = .959). Persistent sleep problems in childhood may be an early risk indicator of anxiety in adulthood.     

Associations Between Self-Esteem,General Self-Efficacy,and Approaches to Studying in Occupational Therapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to explore associations between self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and the deep, strategic, and surface approaches to studying. Norwegian occupational therapy students (n?=?125) completed questionnaires measuring study approaches, self-esteem, and general self-efficacy. Regression analyses were used to explore the direct relationships between self-esteem, general self-efficacy and the approaches to studying, after controlling for age, gender, prior higher education, and time spent on independent studying. General self-efficacy displayed positive associations with deep and strategic approaches to studying and a negative relationship with a surface approach to studying. Self-esteem was not significantly associated with approaches to studying.     

Prospective Associations Between Sleep Disturbance and Repetitive Negative Thinking: The Mediating Roles of Focusing and Shifting Attentional Control

Although considerable evidence has linked sleep disturbance to symptoms of psychopathology, including repetitive negative thinking, few studies have examined how sleep disturbance may predict repetitive negative thinking over time. Further, no study to date has examined specific mechanisms that may account for this relationship. The present study sought to address these gaps in the literature by testing focusing and shifting attentional control as two potential mediators of the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking over a 6-month period. A final sample of 445 unselected community participants completed measures of sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking at Time 1, measures of focusing and shifting attentional control 3 months later, and measures of repetitive negative thinking again 6 months later. Results revealed that focusing, but not shifting, attentional control mediated the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking, specifically, worry, rumination, and obsessions. These findings provide preliminary evidence for focusing attentional control as a candidate mechanism that may explain the causal role of sleep disturbance in the development of repetitive negative thinking observed in various disorders.     

Associations Between Psychological Factors and Nighttime/Daytime Symptomatology in Insomnia

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine psychological factors in insomnia and the association between psychological mechanisms and nighttime and daytime symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional examination in the general population was used. The study sample consisted of 1890 participants from the general population. The participants completed a survey on nighttime and daytime symptoms, health outcomes, and psychological factors. Results: Relative to poor and normal sleepers, the insomnia group had higher scores on worry, beliefs, physiologic arousal, monitoring/attentional bias, and safety behaviors than the other two groups, and the poor sleepers exhibited a similar pattern relative to the normal sleepers. High total wake time was associated with more worry, physiologic arousal, and safety behaviors (26.3% variance), low sleep restoration with more worry, unhelpful beliefs, and monitoring/attentional bias (28.2% variance), and low sleep quality with higher scores on all the psychological mechanisms (35.8% variance). Elevated daytime symptoms were related to more unhelpful beliefs and monitoring/attentional bias (44.3% variance). Conclusion: The findings indicate that psychological factors are linked to nighttime and daytime symptomatology in insomnia.     

Associations Between Mixed-Gender Friendships,Gender Reference Group Identity and Substance Use in College Students

We investigated the associations between same-gender friendship, gender reference group identity, and substance use in college students (54 % male, M age?=?19.23, SD?=?1.23) from the northeastern United States using an online survey. Male students reported greater weekly marijuana, but not alcohol use than female students. Regression analyses revealed that having a greater proportion of same-gender friendships was associated with greater weekly alcohol use for male students and lesser weekly alcohol and marijuana use for female students. Gender reference group identity was negatively associated with weekly marijuana use for male and female students. For female students, gender reference group identity mediated the association between proportion of same-gender friendships and weekly marijuana use. Our study highlights the importance of considering the social context (e.g., the gender of friends) and individual variables relating to gender (e.g. gender reference group identity) in substance use research. Our findings fit within social constructionist models of social development that suggest participation in gendered contexts (e.g., same-gender or other-gender-peer contexts) over time cue gender-typed behaviors such as using marijuana.     

Subjective Sleep Disturbances in Sexual Assault Survivors: Associations With Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity

Prior work implicates sleep disturbance in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the majority of this literature has focused on combat veteran men, and limited work has examined links between sleep disturbance and PTSD symptoms in sexual assault survivors. This is a notable gap in the literature, as sexual trauma is disproportionately likely to result in PTSD and is more common in women. We sought to examine the relations between subjective sleep disturbance, sexual assault severity, and PTSD symptoms in a sample of sexual assault survivors with PTSD (PTSD+), without PTSD (PTSD-), and healthy controls. The sample (N = 60) completed the Insomnia Severity Index and prospectively monitored their sleep for 1 week using the Consensus Sleep Diary. The sexual assault survivors also completed the Sexual Experiences Survey and PTSD Checklist-5. Results of group comparisons found that the PTSD+ group reported significantly higher insomnia symptoms, longer sleep onset latency, more nocturnal awakenings, and lower sleep quality compared to the healthy control group and higher insomnia symptoms compared to the PTSD- group. Results of regression analyses in the sexual assault survivors found that insomnia symptoms and number of nocturnal awakenings were significantly associated with higher PTSD symptoms, and sexual assault severity was significantly associated with higher insomnia symptoms, longer sleep onset latency, and lower sleep quality. These findings highlight specific features of sleep disturbance that are linked to trauma and PTSD symptom severity among sexual assault survivors.     

Kinship Support and Academic Efficacy Among College Students: A Cross-Sectional Examination

The study examined whether relationships with extended kin were related to higher levels of mental health and academic functioning among college students. Specifically, the study tested whether perceived emotional support from extended (non-nuclear) family was related to self-esteem, psychological distress, and academic efficacy and dedication above and beyond relationships with one’s primary caregivers, and whether these associations varied by class year in college. The sample consisted of 530 students (average age = 20.82), at a public, four-year university. The results revealed that freshmen and seniors who reported high levels of positive relationships with their extended kin also reported higher levels of academic-efficacy and dedication, as well as lower levels of psychological distress. However, the relation between kin emotional support and these outcomes were not significant for sophomores and juniors. There was also a significant association between kinship support and self-esteem for participants in all four class levels. The study underscores the need to examine extended social support systems among college students, above and beyond those maintained with primary caregivers, as well as the dynamic nature of family support during young adulthood.     

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Sleep and Daytime Functioning in College Students

The purpose of this study was to pilot test if cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective intervention for insomnia and daytime functioning in college students. College students’ developmental stage and lifestyle are significantly different than the general adult population, yet there have been no studies of CBT-I in this age group.     

Dyadic Cross-Sectional Associations Between Negative Mood,Marital Idealization,and Relationship Quality

This study aimed to evaluate (a) dyadic associations between relationship quality (RQ) and both depressive and anxious mood (DM and AM), (b) reciprocity hypotheses of negative mood within dyadic interactions, and (c) mediational role of marital idealization between negative mood and relationship quality. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) were performed using data from a sample of 198 dyads. Our results showed that (a) these two facets of negative mood did not have the same weight on RQ and that they had a gender-specific effects pattern, and (b) there was no support for the mood transmission hypothesis. Men's DM displayed direct and indirect (via marital idealization) actor as well as partner effects on RQ, whereas women's DM displayed only a direct actor effect on RQ. There were no significant direct actor effects of AM on RQ, meaning that this link is fully mediated by marital idealization. However, only women's AM showed such indirect effects on RQ.     

Weight Bias Internalization and Psychosocial,Physical, and Behavioral Health: A Meta-Analysis of Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations

Coinciding with widespread efforts to address obesity, weight bias internalization (a process of self-devaluation wherein individuals apply weight-biased stereotypes to themselves) has gained increased attention as a robust correlate of poor health outcomes. The present meta-analysis aimed to provide the largest quantitative synthesis of associations between weight bias internalization and health-related correlates. Studies that provided zero-order correlations for cross-sectional or prospective associations between weight bias internalization and physical, psychosocial, and behavioral health correlates were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-regression determined whether these associations differed based on demographic (sex/gender, race, age), anthropometric (body mass index), and study-level (publication status, sample type, study quality) moderators. Data for 149 (sub)samples were identified that included between 14 and 18,766 participants (M sample size = 534.96, SD = 1,914.43; M age = 34.73, SD = 12.61, range = 9.95–65.70). Results indicated that greater weight bias internalization was concurrently associated with worse psychosocial (e.g., negative and positive mental health, social functioning), physical (e.g., BMI, weight maintenance, health-related quality of life [HRQoL]), and behavioral health (e.g., disordered eating behaviors, healthy eating, physical activity) across most constructs, with effects ranging from small to very large in magnitude. Preliminary evidence also suggested that greater weight bias internalization was subsequently associated with less weight loss and increased negative mental health. Notable variations in the nature and magnitude of these associations were identified based on the health-related correlate and moderator under consideration. These findings indicate that weight bias internalization is linked to multiple adverse health-related outcomes and provide insight into priorities for future research, theory building, and interventions in this area.     

Concurrent and Prospective Associations Between Social Anxiety and Responses to Stress in Adolescence

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - Several studies have investigated the relationship between adolescents’ responses to stress and general anxiety and depression, but only few...     

Prospective Associations Between Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescence: The Protective Role of Hope

Youth who experience aggression at the hands of peers are at an increased risk for a variety of adjustment difficulties, including depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower self-esteem. The links between peer victimization and internalizing problems are robust, but less work has been done to identify individual-level protective factors that might mitigate these outcomes. The current study investigated whether hope served as a moderator of the prospective links from peer victimization to depressive and anxiety symptoms and self-esteem during adolescence. Participants included 166 high school students (64% female; 88% Black/African American). Youth completed self-report measures at three different time points across the Spring semester of an academic year. As predicted, hope interacted with peer victimization to predict changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms over the course of the semester. That is, for youth with low levels of hope, peer victimization predicted more stable patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms. For adolescents with average levels of hope, however, peer victimization did not influence anxiety and depressive symptoms over time. Finally, for adolescents with high levels of hope, peer victimization predicted greater decreases in anxiety symptoms over time. Hope did not interact with peer victimization to predict self-esteem. Rather, hope uniquely predicted higher levels of self-esteem, whereas peer victimization uniquely predicted lower levels of self-esteem. The current study provides initial support for the notion that hope can serve as a protective factor among youth who are victims of peer aggression.

     

大学生自我复杂性与主观幸福感的关系

对188名大学生采用生活满意度量表和情感量表测量主观幸福感,运用与Linville相近的方式测量自我复杂性,并探讨两者的关系。研究发现:(1)积极自我复杂性与消极自我复杂性相互独立。(2)积极自我复杂性和消极自我复杂性与主观幸福感有着不同的关系。(3)自我复杂性测量时积极词汇与消极词汇的比例以及幸福感测量工具的不同都可能使两者关系出现不同结果。     

The Correspondence Between Attachment Dimensions and Prayer in College Students

Attachment theory applied to religious behavior suggests that at a given point in time, "avoidant" individuals (who experience discomfort with closeness) engage in less prayer overall, and less prayer during times of stress than nonavoidant individuals. Additionally, "anxious" individuals (who worry about abandonment) would be expected to engage in more help-seeking prayer than nonanxious individuals. To test these hypotheses in a college sample, the frequency of three types of prayer were individually regressed on avoidance, anxiety, anxiety × avoidance, stress, stress × avoidance, stress × anxiety, in addition to the control variables of age, church attendance during childhood and adolescence, gender, gender × avoidance, and gender × anxiety. The hypotheses were supported in so far as: (a) avoidance was significantly and negatively related to colloquial (conversational) and meditative (contemplative) prayer, (b) stress × avoidance showed the predicted relation to colloquial and meditative prayer, and (c) anxiety was a significant predictor of petitionary (materialistic help-seeking) prayer, only.     

Religious Confession and Symptom Severity: A Prospective Comparative Study

Little research has been done on comparing confessions regarding mental health. In the present study, 320 people (78 Buddhists, 77 Catholics, 89 Protestants and 79 Muslims) were compared in terms of their symptom severity. Buddhists and Protestants had lower scores than Catholics and Muslims for obsessive–compulsive behavior and hostility. Muslim group had the highest comparative scores for psychoticism. Buddhists and Protestants had comparatively low scores for paranoid ideation and overall symptom severity, with Catholics and Muslims having high ones. Results reveal that confession should be taken in account in psychological research and diagnosis, since it is explicitly associated with psychological well-being.