Age and Sex Differences in Morningness/Eveningness Along the Life Span: A Cross-Sectional Study in Spain

Work psychology has noted the importance of considering the temporal dimension of behavior in organizations. Given that society widely operates on a 24-hr schedule, it is important to know how circadian typologies are distributed in the general population. In this study, diurnal preference was analyzed among 4,175 Spanish participants (61.3% women), 12–59 years old, who completed the Composite Scale of Morningness (Smith, Reilly, & Midkiff, 1989). Several measurement models of the CSM were analyzed using exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis. The bifactor model showed the best fit, with a general factor (morningness/eveningness) and three subfactors (morningness, morning affect, and time of retiring). The age and sex factorial invariance of the bifactor model were tenable at the latent variance-covariance level. Next, age and sex differences analysis indicated a progressive increase in morningness with age, but over 40 years old, men were more morningness oriented than women were. These results indicate that morningness/eveningness can be considered a multidimensional construct and that psychosocial factors must be considered when estimating the prevalence of morningness/eveningness in different populations or countries.     

Social Anxiety,Social Skills and Expectancy/ Cost of Negative Social Events

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between social anxiety, social skills and estimated cost as well as expectancy of negative social/non-social events. One hundred and twenty-six students (half males and half females) filled in the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), the Social Skills Inventory (SSI), and measures of expectancy and estimated cost of negative social and non-social events. Social anxiety was negatively correlated with self-reported social skills. Further, social anxiety was strongly related to both expectancy and estimated cost of negative social, as opposed to non-social, events. Social skills were related to expectancy, but not to estimated cost of negative social events. Finally, the correlation between social anxiety and expectancy of negative social events disappeared when social control (measured with a subscale of SSI) was partialized out of the relationship, whereas the correlation between social anxiety and estimated cost of negative social events did not. Potential therapeutic implications are discussed.     

Differential effects of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on NaCl-induced aversion learning

The vagus nerve has been proposed in numerous studies as one of the peripheral mechanisms involved in drug-induced taste aversion learning, although available data have been controversial. The differential results obtained in the present series of experiments with vagotomy and NaCl-induced short-term and long-term aversion learning suggest that the vagal system plays a decisive role in tasks requiring the rapid detection of an aversive substance in the gastrointestinal tract (short-term tasks). In contrast, this mechanism appears to be unnecessary in long-term tasks, where learning may be mediated by alternative slower-acting peripheral mechanisms such as the humoral system.     

Co-occurrence of non-suicidal self-injury and impulsivity in extreme weight conditions

The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in different eating disorder (ED) groups and morbid obesity, and to investigate whether NSSI in different ED/obesity groups co-occur with impulsivity. We assessed 535 individuals (365 ED and 170 obese patients) by means of a single item assessing lifetime NSSI and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, which measures different dimensions of impulsivity. The results showed that 19.1% of the ED patients engaged in at least one act of NSSI during their life-time. NSSI was more prevalent in Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified compared to Anorexia Nervosa, Restrictive type and morbid obesity. Finally, ED/obese patients who engaged in NSSI scored significantly higher on the attentional, motor and non-planning subscales than patients without NSSI. The implications of these findings for the treatment of NSSI in binge/purging ED patients are discussed.