Examining the specific dimensions of distress tolerance that prospectively predict perceived stress

We examined five dimensions of distress tolerance (i.e. uncertainty, ambiguity, frustration, negative emotion, physical discomfort) as prospective predictors of perceived stress. Undergraduate students (N = 135) completed self-report questionnaires over the course of two assessment sessions (T1 and T2). Results of a linear regression in which the five dimensions of distress tolerance and covariates (i.e. T1 perceived stress, duration between T1 and T2) served as predictor variables and T2 perceived stress served as the outcome variable showed that intolerance of uncertainty was the only dimension of distress tolerance to predict T2 perceived stress. To better understand this prospective association, we conducted a post hoc analysis simultaneously regressing two subdimensions of intolerance of uncertainty on T2 perceived stress. The subdimension representing beliefs that “uncertainty has negative behavioral and self-referent implications” significantly predicted T2 perceived stress, while the subdimension indicating that “uncertainty is unfair and spoils everything” did not. Results support a growing body of research suggesting intolerance of uncertainty as a risk factor for a wide variety of maladaptive psychological outcomes. Clinical implications will be discussed.     

进化观点下的幸福研究

人类社会生活的一项重要目标是追求幸福(happiness), 影响幸福体验的因素有食物、财富、婚姻及友谊等。寻求幸福与避免痛苦能让人们的幸福需求得到满足。幸福和痛苦不是人类通过进化获得的一种最终机能, 然而幸福和痛苦对人类远古祖先的影响在于调节行为活动以增加生存与繁衍可能。为什么有些环境刺激比其他刺激更能让人体验幸福？为什么回避痛苦与追求幸福同样重要？为什么幸福体验有相对性、过度性与目标性的特点？这些问题可以在进化观点中得到较好回答。人们的幸福感可以在认识基因与环境关系的基础上得到加强, 如加强亲属联系、强化社会合作、重视婚姻承诺以及满足本能欲望等。     

Exploring the factors contributing to empowerment of Turkish migrant women in the UK

This study examined the role of demographic factors (length of stay, education and language level), perceived discrimination, social support, four acculturation attitudes, and psychological distress in predicting empowerment among Turkish migrant women in the UK. The study sample comprised 248 Turkish migrant women (mean age: 34.38; SD: 7.6) living in London. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess empowerment, social support, acculturation attitude and psychological distress. The study hypothesized that perceived discrimination; acculturation attitudes of separation, assimilation and marginalization; and psychological distress would be negative predictors of empowerment and that social support and an integration acculturation attitude would be positive predictors of empowerment. To some extent, the study findings supported this hypothesis. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated psychological distress to be the most significant predictor of empowerment, with other significant predictors including level of education and social support. More specifically, lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of education and social support appeared to predict greater empowerment. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that level of education and social support may function as protective factors and that psychological distress may function as a risk factor for empowerment in the migration context. The paper discusses the findings of this study in relation to the previous literature and notes their implications for future research and practice.     

Stability of peer victimization in early adolescence: effects of timing and duration

The current study investigated the stability of peer victimization and the impact of the timing and duration of victimization on psychological and academic outcomes for boys and girls on a sample of 863 middle school students. Results demonstrated strong support for the onset hypothesis and concurrent effects of maladjustment in anxiety, depression, self-esteem, poor school attitude, GPA, and attendance. Support for the cessation hypothesis was mixed, depending on the outcome and gender: boys demonstrated recovery from internalizing distress, whereas girls demonstrated residual effects, even after the cessation of victimization. Girls also demonstrated residual effects of victimization on grades, and both boys and girls evidenced residual effects of victimization on attendance. Regarding duration of victimization, there was strong support for the life-events model of stress and coping across almost all outcomes, suggesting that even temporary experiences of victimization could have a negative impact on psychological and academic outcomes. Overall, results demonstrated the importance of considering the timing and duration of victimization in understanding the risks and damaging effects of victimization. The results from this study also highlight both the need and the potential to intervene during early adolescence when peer relationships are taking on increasing importance, as well as the importance of helping students regain social-emotional and academic functioning, even after victimization ceases.     

Gender, jealousy, and attachment: A (more) thorough examination across measures and samples

We examined the role of attachment and gender on responses to hypothetical sexual and emotional infidelity. Unlike previous studies, both categorical and continuous attachment style and infidelity distress measures were administered to separate samples of college students and adults. Consistent with previous jealousy research, we found moderate gender differences on forced-choice measures of infidelity distress but smaller differences on continuous measures. However, across all analyses, attachment style was not a significant predictor. We discuss this failure to replicate Levy and Kelly (2010) and provide suggestions for future research.     

Risk and Resistance Factors for Psychological Distress in Icelandic Parents of Chronically Ill Children: An Application of Wallander and Varni’s Disability-Stress-Coping Model

The purpose of the study was to investigate Wallander and Varni’s (1998) disability-stress coping model in a sample of 105 Icelandic parents of chronically ill children. The Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Attributional Scale (AS), the Defence Style Questionnaire (DSQ), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), the World Assumption scale (WAS), The Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ), The Impact on Family scale (IFS), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC), and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), were completed by the parents of children with various diseases. Despite the heterogeneity of the sample in terms of disease type, PTSD was present in 13.2% of the parents and an additional 28.6% had subclinical PTSD. Emotional coping, extent of daily care, time since diagnosis, and changes in employment due to the disease explained 71% of the variance in HTQ total score.     

L’indépendance émotionnelle à la mère et au père en lien avec la détresse psychologique chez les jeunes femmes

Women aged from 18 to 25 years old are a group particularly at risk to experience elevated psychological distress. However, only a few studies have documented developmental factors associated with this variable for this population, especially in regard to emotional independence to mother's and father's individuation. The aim of the study is to explore the association between emotional independence to each parent, referring to the underlying emotional aspect related to the distance toward each parent, and psychological distress. The sample includes 1716 French-Canadian college women aged from 18 to 25 who completed an online survey. Results confirm the high prevalence of psychological distress among this population. Emotional independence to mothers and fathers are found to be moderately correlated. However, the mean emotional independence to mothers is significantly lower than the emotional independence to fathers. The results also suggest that low emotional independence, even to only one of parents is associated with higher levels of distress among young women. In contrast, levels of middle and high emotional independence from both parents are associated with lower levels of distress. The findings support the association between emotional independence to each parent and psychological distress. Empirically, further studies should distinguish between mother's and father's emotional independence. Clinically, these results emphasize the need to works patient's emotional independence to both parents.     

Mindfulness training reduces neuroticism over a 6-year longitudinal randomized control trial in Norwegian medical and psychology students

Reducing neuroticism in young adults is likely to reduce future psychopathology and improve quality of life. One method of reducing neuroticism may be mindfulness training. This randomized control study examined the effect of mindfulness training on neuroticism and psychological distress over a six-year time period in a sample of Norwegian medical and clinical psychology students receiving either a modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training (n = 144) or no intervention (n = 144). Mindfulness training decreased neuroticism and psychological distress over the six-year follow-up period, and decreases in neuroticism were associated with reduced psychological distress at the six-year follow-up. These findings suggest that mindfulness training can have a durable impact on neuroticism, and that mindfulness-based interventions may effectively reduce clinical symptomology linked with neuroticism.     

Infant withdrawal and behavior problems in urban Chinese toddlers: Roles of maternal sensitivity to infant distress and emerging delay ability

Using a longitudinal design, this study examined the associations between infant temperamental withdrawal and behavior problems during toddlerhood and tested the moderating effects of maternal sensitivity to infant distress (MSID) and toddlers’ ability to delay gratification (ADG) in urban Chinese families. Participants were 84 Chinese children (37 boys, 47 girls) and their mothers. When the infants were 6 months old (T1: infancy), their mothers reported their temperamental withdrawal, and research assistants observed and coded MSID by using a subscale of the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort during free-play interaction. When the toddlers were 1 year old (T2: early toddlerhood), their mothers reported their internalizing and externalizing problems. When the toddlers were 2 years old (T3: late toddlerhood), their mothers again reported their internalizing and externalizing problems, and their abilities of delay gratification were assessed through a laboratory-based procedure. Infant temperamental withdrawal was associated with increased internalizing problems in early toddlerhood and increased externalizing problems during middle to late toddlerhood; infants whose mothers were extremely high sensitive or low sensitive to their distress or those with late poor ability of delay gratification were at particular risk. The findings highlight the importance of matching parenting and promotion of self-control for temperamental withdrawn children's optimal development.     

Coping, Conflictual Social Interactions, Social Support, and Mood Among HIV-Infected Persons

This study considers the interrelationships among coping, conflictual social interactions, and social support, as well as their combined associations with positive and negative mood. Research has shown that each of these variables affects adjustment to stressful circumstances. Few studies, however, examine this full set of variables simultaneously. One hundred forty HIV-infected persons completed a questionnaire containing measures of coping, social support, conflictual social interactions, and positive and negative mood. Factor analyses showed that perceived social support and conflictual social interactions formed separate factors and were not strongly related. Compared to perceived social support, social conflict was more strongly related to coping behaviors, especially to social isolation, anger, and wishful thinking. Conflictual social interactions were more strongly related to negative mood than was perceived social support. Coping by withdrawing socially was significantly related to less positive and greater negative mood. The findings point to the importance of simultaneously considering coping, supportive relationships, and conflictual relationships in studies of adjustment to chronic illness. In particular, a dynamic may occur in which conflictual social interactions and social isolation aggravate each other and result in escalating psychological distress.