Violence and Latin‐American preadolescents: A study of social brain function and cortisol levels

The present study investigated exposure to violence and its association with brain function and hair cortisol concentrations in Latin‐American preadolescents. Self‐reported victimization scores (JVQ‐R2), brain imaging (fMRI) indices for a social cognition task (the ‘eyes test’), and hair cortisol concentrations were investigated, for the first time, in this population. The eyes test is based on two conditions: attributing mental state or sex to pictures of pairs of eyes (Baron‐Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001). The results showed an association among higher victimization scores and (a) less activation of posterior temporoparietal right‐hemisphere areas, in the mental state condition only (including right temporal sulcus and fusiform gyrus); (b) higher functional connectivity indices for the Amygdala and Right Fusiform Gyrus (RFFG) pair of brain regions, also in the mental state condition only; (c) higher hair cortisol concentrations. The results suggest more exposure to violence is associated with significant differences in brain function and connectivity. A putative mechanism of less activation in posterior right‐hemisphere regions and of synchronized Amygdala: RFFG time series was identified in the mental state condition only. The results also suggest measurable effects of exposure to violence in hair cortisol concentrations, which contribute to the reliability of self‐reported scores by young adolescents. The findings are discussed in light of the effects of exposure to violence on brain function and on social‐cognitive development in the adolescent brain. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHcXq7Y9PBk     

Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos

Adolescents’ social networking site (SNS) use has dramatically grown in the past few years and has increasingly become focused on pictures and visual self-presentation. Attention directed toward online physical appearance appears to trigger some body-related behaviors (e.g., body image monitoring) which potentially are related to self-objectification and problematic SNS use. Indeed, the use of social media platforms (including the active creation of content and peer interactions) provides a highly accessible medium for socializing with self-objectification. The present study evaluated the previously unexplored predictive role of body shame on SNS use, testing the mediating effect of body image control in photos on SNS. A total of 693 Italian adolescents (45% male; M_age?=?16 years, range?=?13–19 years) participated in the study. Results only partially confirmed the direct effect of body shame on problematic SNS use. However, body shame strongly predicted body image control in SNS photos, leading indirectly to both male and female adolescents’ problematic social media use. The study demonstrated novel findings in the field of self-objectification research and contributes toward the ongoing debate on possible predictors of problematic SNS use.

     

Replicating and Extending Past Personality/Job Satisfaction Meta-Analyses

A meta-analysis summarizing results of 187 studies reporting cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between job satisfaction and personality is described. The Big Five factor of Neuroticism related most strongly and negatively to job satisfaction (?.25), with the other factors ranging from .16 (Conscientiousness) to ?.02 (Openness to Experience). Job satisfaction was positively related to internal locus of control (LOC), positive affectivity, and Type A (achievement striving). Results showed negative relationships with external LOC, trait anger, Machiavellianism, negative affectivity/trait anxiety, and Type A (global and impatience/irritability). Job satisfaction had a very weak, negative correlation with narcissism that was indistinguishable from zero. These relationships were similar, although the effect sizes were generally not as strong, when examined in a longitudinal context. The distinctiveness of Extraversion and positive affectivity, as well as that of global and composite measures of job satisfaction, are discussed.     

Automaticity of chronically accessible constructs in person x situation effects on person perception: it's just a matter of time

Models of Person X Situation influences on social behavior and judgement have invoked two distinct mechanisms: a personality disposition and a situational press. In this study we conceptualized both influences in terms of a single underlying mechanism, construct accessibility. We pitted the characteristic ways that individuals perceive others against situational influences on accessibility (i.e., contextual priming) and tracked over time the relative power of these competing influences on the outcome of an impression-formation task. Subjects possessed either a chronically accessible (chronics) or an inaccessible (nonchronics) construct for either outgoing or inconsiderate behavior. As predicted, as the delay since the priming event lengthened (from 15 to 180 s), chronics were progressively more likely to use the chronically accessible construct instead of the primed alternative construct to categorize an ambiguous target behavior, whereas nonchronics' relative use of the primed and alternative constructs did not change as a function of postpriming delay.     

Comparing Maltreating and Foster Families in Italy

Maltreating and foster families belong to different research areas and have rarely been considered together. This exploratory study compared maltreating and foster families to demonstrate an integrated approach that overcomes the dichotomic view that often separates problematic families from those who have resources. This study had 81 participants: 48 maltreating parents and 33 foster parents and the children who were in foster care. We examined family functioning (FES), adult attachment styles (ASQ) and foster children’s strengths and difficulties (SDQ) in maltreating and foster families to examine the differences and similarities between families. Both types of families had significant differences on the FES and ASQ scales. Maltreating families had a stronger orientation to succeed and a family profile that was more orientated towards independence. Maltreating parents had higher scores on the scale that measured discomfort with closeness than foster families. However, both family types had a high level of confidence. Many foster children had SDQ scores that were in the borderline and problem categories. These components may promote a theoretical view of an integrated model for family and children’s problems that promotes children’s welfare and supports maltreating parents. Practitioners can build on parent’s strengths or protective factors and provide services to address less developed areas.