The moderating role of pessimism in the association between retrospective relational peer victimization,interpersonal risk factors,and suicide ideation

Peer victimization (PV) is a serious concern for youth and is associated with subsequent suicide ideation in young adulthood. The interpersonal theory of suicide may provide a framework for understanding suicide ideation in this population. Specifically, thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) have been significantly associated with suicide ideation among young adults with a history of peer victimization. Additionally, the personality trait of pessimism is associated with elevated suicide ideation. Thus, this study tested the association between self-reported frequency of retrospective relational (i.e., verbal and indirect) PV in primary and secondary school, thwarted interpersonal needs (TB and PB), and current suicide ideation, as well as how these relations may vary based on current pessimism. Participants were 330 undergraduate students. Nonparametric bootstrap moderated mediation procedures were used to test hypotheses. Results indicated significant indirect effects of frequency of retrospective relational PV and suicide ideation through PB and TB. Contrary to predictions, results did not indicate significant moderated mediation; however, the association between PB and suicide ideation was stronger at lower pessimism levels. We also provide supplemental analysis with optimism as the moderator. These findings suggest that clinicians may consider targeting TB, PB, as well as pessimism and optimism among those with a history of relational PV when assessing and intervening on current suicide ideation. Implications, limitations, and future directions are further discussed.     

The Measurement of Subjective Wellbeing: Item-Order Effects in the Personal Wellbeing Index—Adult

When multi-item questionnaires are included in psychological research, many factors can influence the response given. One such factor that has traditionally been overlooked is the potential impact of item-order effects. This paper extends upon the work of Kaplan et al. (J Happiness Stud 14:1443–1458, 2013. doi:  10.1007/s10902-012-9388-5) who explored item-order effects in measures of job satisfaction, and applies similar principles to the measurement of life satisfaction, or subjective wellbeing, by exploring item-order effects within the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI; IWBG in Personal Wellbeing Index, 5th edn. Australian Centre on Quality of Life, Deakin University, Melbourne, 2013. http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/acqol/intruments/wellbeing-index/index.php). In a preliminary study, participants completed the PWI in its standard format (general-specific) and psychometric properties were compared to those who completed the PWI in an alternate format (specific-general). Analyses revealed that the PWI performed adequately for both groups, though there were subtle indications of item-order effects. In a second study, the order of the PWI domains was randomised (random-order) and compared to the standard format (fixed-order). Results revealed lower mean scores and more variation in scores when items were randomised. Overall, the PWI performed as expected for most interrogative analyses. It achieved a single factor solution, no matter the order of items, and the same domains emerged as significant unique predictors of general life satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of exploring item-order effects as part of the psychometric validation procedure, and it is recommended that all new scales be subject to this investigation to reduce measurement error and improve accuracy in psychological assessment.     

Feeling left out? The mediating role of perceived rejection on workgroup mistreatment and affective,behavioral, and organizational outcomes and the moderating role of organizational norms

This two‐study paper examines the detrimental impact of workgroup mistreatment and the mediating role of perceived rejection. In Study 1, perceived rejection emerged as a mediator between workgroup mistreatment and depression, organization‐based self‐esteem, organizational deviance, and organizational citizenship behaviors. In Study 2, the role of organizational norms was examined. Employees who experienced supportive organizational norms reported lower levels of perceived rejection, depression and turnover intentions, and higher levels of organization‐based self‐esteem and job satisfaction. Employees in the supportive norms condition reported that they were more likely to seek reconciliation after experiencing mistreatment than those who experienced low support. Perceived rejection also emerged as a mediator. Results, practical implications, and future research directions are discussed.     

Adolescent recognition of parental affect: influence of depressive symptoms

This study examined depressive biases in adolescents' labeling of parental affect. Adolescents (151 girls; 82 boys) and their parents engaged in videotaped problem-solving interactions. Adolescents then participated in a video-mediated recall procedure in which they watched the videotaped interaction and indicated how they thought their parents were feeling. Indices of parents' affect during the problem-solving interactions were also provided by parent self-report and behavioral observations. Adolescent depressive symptoms were associated with overreporting of parental aggressive affect and underreporting of parental happy and neutral affects, relative to both directly observed and self-reported parental affect. Depressive symptoms were not associated with overreporting of parental dysphoric affect. Given the importance of accurately reading affective cues for negotiating interpersonal interactions, these findings likely have implications for understanding processes that contribute to adverse relationships among the families of adolescents with depressive symptoms.     

Maltreated Children’s Social Understanding and Empathy: A Preliminary Exploration of Foster Carers’ Perspectives

Previous research suggests that parental abuse and neglect can have adverse effects on children’s peer relationships and self-perceptions. Emerging theoretical and empirical work suggests that children’s social understanding and empathy could play a key role as mediators of these effects, but we have little knowledge about the viability of such a model in explaining the everyday experiences of children in care. Thus, in order to gain an in-depth insight into the potentiality of this conceptual model, a focus group and detailed semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with a total of 10 foster carers. First, a thematic analysis revealed that problematic self-perceptions and peer relationships were indeed commonplace. Crucially, in line with our theoretical model, carers readily identified children’s difficulties with social understanding and empathy as relevant explanations for their socio-emotional problems. Carers reported using a variety of strategies to help children, but expressed a need for a clearer training package of practical strategies that could be used to encourage social understanding and empathy in children, with the aim of improving their social relationships.     

Differentiated associations between childhood maltreatment experiences and social understanding: A meta-analysis and systematic review

The extreme parenting experiences encountered by children who are physically abused or neglected place them at increased risk for impaired socio-emotional development. There is growing evidence that maltreated children may apprehend interpersonal encounters in different ways from children without such traumatic histories. This systematic review examines the links between childhood physical abuse and neglect and various constituent skills of social understanding (including emotion recognition and understanding, perspective taking, false belief understanding, and attributional biases) in 51 empirical studies. The review incorporates a meta-analysis of 19 studies on emotion recognition and understanding in this population. This showed an overall negative effect of maltreatment, but moderation analyses revealed that significantly stronger effects were found for measures of emotion understanding rather than recognition, and for younger rather than older age groups. The broader review also reveals a complex and differentiated profile of social understanding among maltreated children. Directions for future research that addresses individual differences in children’s experiences, both within and outside the maltreatment context, are discussed.     

Hemispheric dissociation of the involvement of NOS isoforms in memory for discriminated avoidance in the chick

Previous research has indicated a role for both the neuronal (nNOS) and endothelial (eNOS) nitric oxide isoforms in memory formation. In addition, two distinct periods of activity of nitric oxide activity, dissociated by hemispheric localization, are implicated following passive avoidance training in the chick. In the present study, we trained black Australorp-white Leghorn chicks on a color discrimination avoidance task. Diphenyleneiodonium chloride (1 microM) or N-propyl-l-arginine (50 microM) was administered into either the left or right hemisphere of the chick brain in an attempt to differentiate the effects of inhibiting eNOS or nNOS, respectively. The memory loss previously observed following administration of diphenyleneiodonium chloride between 10 and 20 min posttraining was found to be lateralized to the right hemisphere, although administration of this agent into the left hemisphere around the time of training was also amnestic. In contrast, N-propyl-l-arginine caused memory loss only when administered to the left hemisphere around the time of training. These findings suggest that activation of both eNOS and nNOS isoforms may be essential for long-term memory consolidation of this task. Further, these two periods of activity are defined temporally and by hemisphere localization, although confirmation with more selective inhibitors when they become available is advised.     

Mixing qualitative methods versus methodologies: A critical reflection on communication and power in inpatient care

This paper offers an illustrative example to demonstrate one way of combining qualitative methods. The context for the study was a UK inpatient psychiatric hospital. Data set one was collected from weekly ward rounds where inpatient staff met with autistic patients to review medication, listen to patient concerns and make plans or adjustments in light of this. Data set two was reflective discursive interviews with patients and staff. The research objective was to critically consider the potential reasons for discrepancies in dissatisfaction reports from patients in the interviews, compared to relative compliance exhibited by patients in the ward rounds. Utilising a video‐reflexive design and critical discursive psychology approach, both data sets were analysed together. It is possible to simultaneously analyse two different data sets, one naturally occurring and one researcher generated because of the epistemological congruence in the overall design. We have presented an argument for the benefits of mixing two qualitative methods, thereby extending the mixed‐methods evidence base beyond the traditional discussions of quantitative and qualitative paradigms.     

Assessing the Utility of Compound Trait Estimates of Narrow Personality Traits

It has been argued that approximations of narrow traits can be made through linear combinations of broad traits such as the Big Five personality traits. Indeed, Hough and Ones (2001 Hough, L. M., &; Ones, D. S. (2001). The structure, measurement, validity, &; use of personality variables in industrial, work, and organizational psychology. In N. Anderson, D. S. Ones, H. K. Sinangil, &; C Viswesvaran (Eds.), Handbook of industrial, work, and organizational psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 233–277). London, UK: Sage.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) used a qualitative analysis of scale content to arrive at a taxonomy of how Big Five traits might be combined to approximate various narrow traits. However, the utility of such compound trait approximations has yet to be established beyond specific cases such as integrity and customer service orientation. Using data from the Eugene-Springfield Community Sample (Goldberg, 2008 Goldberg, L. R. (2008). The Eugene-Springfield community sample: Information available from the research participants. Eugene: Oregon Research Institute. [Google Scholar]), we explore the ability of linear composites of scores on Big Five traits to approximate scores on 127 narrow trait measures from 5 well-known non-Big-Five omnibus measures of personality. Our findings indicate that individuals' standing on more than 30 narrow traits can be well estimated from 3 different types of linear composites of scores on Big Five traits without a substantial sacrifice in criterion validity. We discuss theoretical accounts for why such relationships exist as well as the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners.