Longitudinal Associations Between the Five-Factor Model of Personality and The Bi-Factor Model of Psychopathology: Continuity,Pathoplasty and Complication Effects in Adolescents

The study of the bifactor structure of psychopathology, which includes a general factor of psychopathology (or p factor) in addition to the internalizing and externalizing factors, has gained attention. However, its associations with the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality has been addressed in few studies, and none has examined different plausible etiological models (i.e., continuity, pathoplasty, complication) to explain its relationship, which is the aim of the present research. Additionally, the longitudinal association of the General Factor of Personality (GFP) and the p factor will be also explored. Personality and psychopathological symptoms of high school students were assessed at three time points (once a year) (n?=?655; M?=?13.79, SD?=?1.24; 49.8% girls). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (and measurement invariance across waves) were tested for the traits, the GFP and the bifactor model of psychopathology. While the bifactor model and the one-factor solution for each personality trait displayed good fit to the data and remained invariant over time, the structure of the GFP was adequate and invariant in two of the three waves. The resulting factors were included in cross-lagged panel models and showed that the FFM traits and the psychopathology factors influenced each other reciprocally. Most associations fell in line with the continuity model, but minor pathoplastic and complication effects were also reported. Similar associations were found between the GFP and the p factor. These results suggest that interventions in riskier personality profiles might prevent the development of general and more specific psychopathology spectra.

     

Early emotional memories and well-being in adolescence: The roles of shame and self-critical attitudes

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Some studies have demonstrated the link between the recall of early affiliative experiences and psychopathological symptoms in adolescence. However, literature...     

Criterion and Incremental Validity of the MMPI-3 Eating Concerns Scale in a University Sample

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the validity of scores on the Eating Concerns (EAT) scale on the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3), which aims to assess for problematic eating behaviours. It was hypothesised that the EAT scale scores would be correlated with binge eating, purging, restrictive eating, weight and body shape concerns. Participants were 396 university students, who completed a series of well-validated eating disorder measures. The EAT scale scores evidenced moderate to large correlations with many symptom dimensions of EDs, including binge eating, purging, restrictive eating and weight and shape concern, thus, supporting the hypotheses and showing evidence for criterion validity. Hierarchical regression analyses also revealed incremental validity for the EAT scale above and beyond other MMPI-3 Specific Problems scale scores. Overall, scores on the new MMPI-3 EAT scale were associated with positive support for validity in a university population and seem promising as a good screening measure for eating pathology.

     

What Drives Happiness? The Interviewer’s Happiness

Journal of Happiness Studies - Interviewers in face-to-face surveys can potentially introduce bias both in the recruiting and the measurement phase. One reason behind this is that the measurement...     

A critical review of positive education: challenges and limitations

Social Psychology of Education - Positive education has gained increased interest and attention in the last decade. Born as an applied movement within positive psychology, positive education aims...     

Humor Styles,Perceived Threat,Funniness of COVID-19 Memes,and Affective Mood in the Early Stages of COVID-19 Lockdown

Existing psychological research has long considered humor as a useful strategy for individuals in coping with adverse circumstances and life stressors. However, empirical studies are called for to better understand the role of humor in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. In a community sample of 527 Spanish adults, we investigated the associations between humor styles, perceived threat from COVID-19, funniness of COVID-19 memes, and individuals’ affective mood. Data were collected during the third week of lockdown in Spain (from 26 to 31 March 2020). Our results suggest that intrapsychic humor styles were associated with better coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling showed that self-enhancing and aggressive humor styles were related to perceiving COVID-19 as less psychologically threatening, which, in turn, was associated with a greater perceived funniness of COVID-19 memes, thus predicting higher levels of happiness. Interestingly, the opposite pattern of connections was found for self-defeating humor. These findings suggest that humor styles aimed at boosting one’s own self, irrespective of their potentially lighter or darker nature, may contribute to alleviating adverse psychological consequences arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

     

Enacting the aesthetic: A model for raw cognitive dynamics

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - One challenge faced by aesthetics is the development of an account able to trace out the continuities and discontinuities between general experience and...     

Skepticism,naturalism, pyrrhonism

Skepticism and naturalism bear important connections with one another. Do they conflict or are they different sides of the same coin? In this paper, by considering the ways in which Sextus and Hume have examined these issues, I offer a Pyrrhonian response to Penelope Maddy's attempt to reject skepticism within the form of naturalism that she calls “second philosophy” (Maddy, 2007, 2017) and to Timothy Williamson's attempt to avoid skepticism from emerging within his knowledge-first approach (Williamson, 2000). Some lessons about Pyrrhonism result.     

Liveability Versus Sustainability in Spanish Cities: First Evidences Using Synthetic Indicators

The aim of liveable, sustainable cities has become one of the major challenges for urban planning. However, achieving both goals at the same time is no easy task, particularly when liveability and sustainability may be defined by certain elements that tend to be in conflict. The main goal of this work is to analyse the relationship between liveability and environmental sustainability within the context of Spanish urban spaces. To this end, we propose two synthetic indicators: one for liveability and the other for urban environmental sustainability. Each of these indicators is constructed using a technique based on goal programming. A bivariate analysis is carried out using these indicators, which allows us to compare the extent to which Spanish cities are liveable and sustainable. This analysis should be useful for urban planners when taking and implementing policy decisions. By comparing cities with similar profiles using a benchmarking system, it becomes possible to judge the margin for improvement in one attribute without detriment to the other. This benchmarking system also allows us to reveal the specific dimensions of liveability or sustainability for which there is the greatest opportunity for improvement.

     

Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood

Gender is recognized as an important social determinant of health, but past research on gender differences in psychological well-being have not produced conclusive results. This study investigated gender differences in eudaimonic well-being and life satisfaction in emerging adulthood. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 1990 emerging adults (50% males) from the Spanish general population was conducted. Participants were assessed through five questionnaires. Results showed that women scored higher than men in purpose in life and personal growth. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the most important predictors of emerging adult men’s and women’s eudaimonic well-being and life satisfaction were higher self-confidence and lower negative self-evaluation. Other significant variables in the eudaimonic well-being of both women and men were higher score in the masculine/instrumental trait, higher emotional social support, higher educational level, and higher score in the feminine/expressive trait. Furthermore, higher instrumental social support was associated with eudaimonic well-being in females. Other predictors of women’s and men’s life satisfaction were higher score in the feminine/expressive trait, less age, higher educational level and higher instrumental social support. In addition, higher emotional social support was associated with life satisfaction in males. The results suggest that gender is important in the psychological well-being of people in emerging adulthood, although self-esteem and instrumental social support are, in both emerging adult women and men, the most important predictors of psychological well-being.