The association between adolescent risk behaviours and feelings of sadness or hopelessness: a cross-sectional survey of South African secondary school learners

Poor mental health in adolescents has shown associations with engagement in other risk behaviours. However, evidence of this association in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly South Africa, is lacking. This study examines the associations between pertinent risk behaviours and feelings of sadness or hopelessness amongst a nationally representative sample of South African school going adolescents. Data was analysed from the South African Youth Risk Behaviour Survey 2011 (n=10,997), a cross-sectional national survey among grades 8–11 school learners. Logistic regression examined the association of demographic, substance use, violent behaviour, sexual activity and suicidal plans and attempts with the primary outcome, feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Having feelings of sadness or hopelessness was significantly associated with more senior grades, being bullied (AOR:1.67, 95% CI: 1.42–1.96), being assaulted by a partner (1.33 [1.05–1.68]), forced sex (1.78 [1.37–2.32]); gang membership (1.32 [1.06–1.65]), binge drinking (1.37 [1.14–1.65]), ever having sex (1.23 [1.02–1.47]), having ≥1 partner/s in preceding three months (1.25 [1.02–1.53]), having made a plan to attempt suicide (2.50 [1.95–3.21]) and suicide attempt (1.49 [1.21–1.85]). Adolescents in South Africa are experiencing a multiple burden of risk. Health promotion strategies targeting adolescent mental health and risk behaviours need to be developed and implemented in a timely and comprehensive manner.     

老年人日常人际问题解决中的悲伤情绪体验和情绪调节策略: 年龄和人格特质的作用

考察了日常人际问题解决中老年人的悲伤情绪体验和情绪调节策略与青年人的差异,以及年龄和人格特质的作用。共45名老年人和59名青年人接受半结构化访谈和人格特质测量。结果表明：（1）以教育水平为协变量的方差分析表明,老年人和青年人的悲伤情绪体验没有显著差异。老年人的被动情绪调节策略的使用和青年人存在显著差异;（2）老年人的被动情绪调节策略不但与年龄有关,而且与悲伤情绪体验有关。悲伤情绪体验可以显著预测其被动情绪调节策略使用;（3）老年人的悲伤情绪体验与人格特质神经质维度存在显著正相关;（4）老年人与年轻人的被动情绪调节策略都与悲伤情绪有关,但老年人的被动情绪调节策略不能由人格特质显著预测,而青年人的被动调节策略还可以由人格特质内外向维度显著预测。人格特质的内外向维度对老年人和青年人的前摄性情绪调节策略的预测效应是一致的。最后针对老年人的悲伤情绪体验和情绪调节策略的意义进行了讨论。     

Should I just listen to you or change your mind too? Target's perceived efficacy of agents’ interpersonal affect improvement strategies

People shape and influence others’ emotions every day. If these attempts are perceived as successful, they may have a positive effect on people's relationships and well-being. Across two studies, targets’ perceived efficacy of regulation strategies to improve their sadness and anxiety/stress has been investigated. In Study 1, participants (n = 120) were provided with two scenarios depicting sadness and anxiety/stress and asked to imagine themselves in these situations. Afterwards, they were provided with different regulation strategies and asked to rate their perceived efficacy to downregulate their sadness and anxiety. In Study 2, participants (n = 120) were asked to describe a situation where they felt sad and another one where they felt anxious. They were then provided with strategies aimed at reducing their sadness and anxiety. Results from both studies showed that whereas for sadness higher perceived efficacy was predicted by affective engagement, for anxiety/stress was predicted by cognitive engagement.     

A bright side of sadness: The depolarizing role of sadness in intergroup conflicts

Intractable conflicts constitute violent and threatening environments that lead to intense emotions and polarized attitudes. Sadness is one emotion frequently elicited by the price of such conflicts. This investigation characterized the effects of sadness on conflict‐related information processing and attitudes in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Findings from four experimental studies suggest that both incidental and integral sadness can induce a depolarization of political attitudes. In Study 1 (N = 163), sadness reduced the effect of political ideology on conflict‐related decisions. Sadness reduced the effect of political ideology on in‐group bias in resource allocation in Studies 2 (N = 213) and 4 (N = 274), willingness to negotiate in Studies 1 and 3 (N = 174), and openness to information supporting the out‐group's perspective (Study 4). Overall, in addition to its more negative implications, these results suggest that sadness (compared to both the non‐emotional and anger conditions) may have a bright side, since it may induce depolarization of political attitudes in intractable conflicts.     

Effect of regulating anger and sadness on decision-making

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of reappraisal, acceptance, and rumination for regulating anger and sadness on decision-making. Participants (N = 165) were asked to recall two autobiographical events in which they felt intense anger and sadness, respectively. Participants were then instructed to reappraise, accept, ruminate, or not use any strategies to regulate their feelings of anger and sadness. Following this manipulation, risk aversion, and decision-making strategies were measured using a computer-based measure of risk-taking and a simulated real-life decision-making task. Participants who were instructed to reappraise their emotions showed the least anger and sadness, the most adaptive decision-making strategies, but the least risk aversion as compared to the participants in the other conditions. These findings suggest that emotion regulation strategies of negative affective states have an immediate effect on decision-making and risk-taking behaviors.     

大学生不同负性情绪中的情绪一致性效应

分别诱导被试在悲伤、愤怒、中性三种情绪下对相应的三种词语进行学习再认,采用学习再认的实验程序,以再认正确率和反应时作为指标,运用信号检测论进行分析,主要考察情绪一致性在不同负性情绪中的表现,在悲伤和愤怒情绪之间证实了情绪一致性记忆效应。     

Demarcating depression

How to draw the line between depression‐as‐disorder and non‐pathological depressive symptoms continues to be a contested issue in psychiatry. Relatively few philosophers have waded into this debate, but the tools of philosophical analysis are quite relevant to it. In this paper, I defend a particular answer to this question, the Contextual approach. On this view, depression is a disorder if and only if it is a disproportionate response to a justifying cause or else is unconnected to any justifying cause. I present four objections to this approach and then defend it from them. Along the way, I explain why it matters whether we get this question right.     

幼儿生气和伤心情绪情景理解

考察三类成人（113名幼儿母亲、42名幼儿教师、221名大学生）对西方研究者常用的22个生气和伤心情景中幼儿情绪的推断;以中国成人的情绪情景理解为标准,进一步考察120名4-6岁幼儿生气和伤心情景理解能力的发展。结果表明：三类成人一致推断的6个生气情景和6个伤心情景,与西方研究者的界定基本一致;幼儿的伤心情景理解能力显著高于生气情景理解能力;4岁幼儿的伤心情景理解能力显著低于5岁和6岁幼儿