Psychological Reports

Pinquart, Martin

doi: 10.1177/00332941221079732pmid: 35344463

The main objective of the present meta-analysis was to analyze associations between security of attachment to parents and self-esteem. Studies were included if they assessed bivariate associations between self-esteem and attachment security with mothers and/or fathers, or with both parents in general. A systematic search in the electronic databases PSYCINFO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PSYNDEX identified 202 studies with 81,485 participants that were included in this multilevel meta-analysis. Criteria from the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool were used for assessing the quality of the individual studies. Most studies assessed security with verbal measures (190 studies), and the mean age of participants was 16.5 years. We found a moderate positive concurrent correlation of attachment security to parents with self-esteem (r = .34; 95% confidence interval [CI], .33-.36), with associations being stronger when assessing attachment to parents in general (r = .37; CI, .35 to .40) rather than to mothers (r = .33; CI, .31 to .35) or fathers (r = .32; CI, .30 to .34) in particular. Cross-lagged effects indicate that higher initial attachment security predicts an increase in self-esteem over time (r = .19; CI, .09 to .28), while initial self-esteem predicts change in security (r = .08; CI, .02 to .14). Correlations of attachment security with self-esteem were weaker in older participants and stronger in studies with validated attachment measures. As most of the included studies have been conducted with adolescents and young adults, knowledge about associations of secure attachment to parents and self-esteem in the first years of life is still limited. Nonetheless, it is concluded that the available results support suggestions of attachment theory on the role of secure attachment for self-esteem, although causal effects could only be tested in experimental studies.

Robin, Frédérique; Salomé, Franck; El Haj, Mohamad

doi: 10.1177/00332941221083213pmid: 35379032

This study aimed to examine the false memories in individuals with stabilized schizophrenia. Using the Deese, Roediger, and McDermott (DRM) task, schizophrenia patients and matched healthy controls had to recall words from each DRM list. Following the presentation of the DRM lists, the participants performed a recognition task. Neuropsychological tests were also administered. Results demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia recalled and recognized significantly fewer studied words than the healthy participants. This failure in retrieval is likely to result from a lack of encoding strategies. Results also showed that a stabilized schizophrenic pathology neither increased nor reduced false memories. Patients and controls showed high levels of false memories. Signal detection analyses revealed that patients discarded the critical word as not having been studied, relying on a lax decision criterion (based on familiarity, best guess or chance). Although false memories fell within the normal range for both groups, in individuals with schizophrenia they probably result from deficient encoding processes. Nevertheless, correlational analyses did not show which cognitive deficits contribute to false memories in schizophrenia.

Grey, Ian; Arora, Teresa; Sanah, Amad

doi: 10.1177/00332941221079723pmid: 35343313

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, restrictions to minimize its spread have had a profound effect. Government instigated restrictions, such as social isolation, have affected millions worldwide, and the downstream consequences of perceived loneliness upon mental health and sleep are largely unknown. A total of 1662 individuals participated in an online survey. Loneliness, anxiety, and sleep quality were assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorders scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Higher levels of perceived loneliness, as well as each one-unit increase in anxiety, were independent predictors of poor sleep quality, where OR = 1.16 (95% CI: 1.03–1.31) and 1.16 (1.11–1.21), respectively, and after adjustment. In our path analysis, we revealed significant direct effects between loneliness and sleep quality (β = 0.25, p < .001), as well as generalized anxiety and sleep quality (β = 0.28, p < .001), and generalized anxiety mediated the relationship between loneliness and sleep quality (β = 0.33, p < .001). Heightened anxiety and perceived loneliness appear to be significant drivers of poor sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital media platforms that encourage support groups for those experiencing social isolation are encouraged, along with self-help and meditative practices, which may minimize an increase of mental health and sleep disorder diagnoses post COVID-19.

He, Jingzhen; Wang, Rufang; Liu, Jun; Yip, Peter

doi: 10.1177/00332941221076776pmid: 35353658

People with drug addiction are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders than non-addicts. The roles that childhood adversity experiences and resilience play in the development of sleep disorders will be explored in this study. A total of 459 participants with drug addiction and 400 non-addicts were investigated with the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale from April 2019 to December 2020. Our results suggested that participants with drug addiction had worse sleep quality compared to non-addicts. Resilience acted as a mediator and significantly affected the relationship between ACEs and sleep quality. For all participants who experienced ACEs, individuals with high resilience reported lower PSQI score, the regulatory effect of medium and high resilience on sleep quality was better than that of low resilience. Moreover, comparing to the non-addicts who experienced mild ACEs, high resilience showed a good buffer effect on the sleep quality for people with drug addiction. And high resilience played a stronger regulatory role in females as compared to males. The results help to broaden the relevant research in the field of sleep and we should pay attention to the role of resilience in regulating sleep quality.

Lai, Xinyi; Hu, Chenyan; Ying, Liang; Xu, Huihui; Zhao, Chengjia; Yang, Xue; Yu, Xin; Zhang, Guohua

doi: 10.1177/00332941221084905pmid: 35412349

Both smartphone addiction and phubbing are emerging behavioral problems. The present study investigates potential risk and protective factors of smartphone addiction and phubbing behavior, including demographic factors, personal factors, and interpersonal factors among Chinese college students. A total of 866 college students (Mage = 21.01, SD = 1.60) completed self-reported questionnaires in classroom settings. Collected data were analyzed by using Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical linear regression analyses. The risk factors for smartphone addiction were phubbing behavior, depression, and social anxiety, while the protective factors were self-control and sense of security. In addition, the risk factors for phubbing behavior included female sex and smartphone addiction, while the protective factors included sense of security and interpersonal adaptability. Our findings help to enhance understanding of the general and specific risks and protective factors for smartphone addiction and phubbing behavior, which can benefit intervention development for related behavior prevention and reduction.

Pastore, Olivia Lena; Brett, Benjamin; Fortier, Michelle S.

doi: 10.1177/00332941221084902pmid: 35426746

Self-compassion is a healthy conceptualization of the self and has been associated with a myriad of health benefits. There is limited research regarding the influence of the subcomponents of self-compassion on happiness and vice versa. This study investigated (1) the influence and relative strength of the relationships of the 6 subcomponents of self-compassion onto happiness, (2) the influence and relative strength of the relationships of happiness onto the 6 subcomponents of self-compassion and (3) the bi-directional relationship between total self-compassion variables and happiness across two timepoints. This study followed a pre-post design whereby 33 university students and employees undergoing a physical activity counselling (PAC) program filled out validated online questionnaires before and immediately after individualized sessions. Results revealed that there was a positive bi-directional relationship between self-compassion and happiness over time, with the stronger influence being from happiness to self-compassion. This is likely because happier individuals are kinder to themselves and strongly connected with others. Moreover, results showed that mindfulness was the strongest subcomponent of self-compassion to positively influence happiness, and happiness was the strongest negative predictor of isolation. This has practical implications in that PAC counsellors and other practitioners should try to emphasize mindfulness in their interventions to maximize feelings of happiness, and try to cultivate happiness to reduce feelings of isolation and increase total self-compassion.

Vuelvas-Olmos, César Rubén; Sánchez-Vidaña, Dalinda Isabel; Cortés-Álvarez, Nadia Yanet

doi: 10.1177/00332941221086209pmid: 35437090

COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, resulting in significant morbidity, mortality, and negative psychological effects among general population. However, university students are particularly vulnerable in terms of mental health. The present study evaluated the association between mental health, quality of sleep, aggression, and physical activity in university students in Mexico after 1 year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, including a gender-sensitive analysis. Participants (935 university students) completed an online questionnaire which collected information regarding demographic data, psychological distress (IES-R scale), depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21), aggressiveness Buss-Perry Aggressive Questionnaire, sleep quality (PSQI) and physical activity (IPAQ-S). Findings showed that female students showed significantly higher scores in psychological distress, anxiety, stress scores and sleep quality, as compared to male students. By contrast, male students showed significantly higher scores on aggressiveness than female students. In addition, on physical activity, females performed significantly higher MET-min/week on moderate and high levels. Finally, liner regression model accounted for approximately 73.5% of the variance in DASS-21 scores, with the body mass index, IES-R, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and IPAQ subscales, emerging as significant individual (positive) predictors. Therefore, the pandemic affected female and male students differently. Female students reported more psychological distress, anxiety, and stress while male students reported higher aggressiveness. The differences observed may be due to physiological differences, the response to stress, and differences in sensitivity to life events.

Singh, Parwinder; Mishra, Navneet

doi: 10.1177/00332941221092657pmid: 35466799

The prevalence of depressive symptomatology in Indian women and the associated treatment gap are alarming and require interventions at a community level. Such interventions may succeed if the specific risk and protective factors are appropriately identified and addressed. Identifying such factors may suggest a Psychological Defensive Syndrome (PDS) against depressive symptomatology, and inculcating this PDS through specific interventions may help individuals manage depressive symptomatology. For evaluating the feasibility of such an idea, a two-phase research project was initiated, and the current paper presents findings of its first phase. The primary aim of the first phase was to explore the predictive relationship between depressive symptomatology and rumination, reappraisal, resilience, self-efficacy, neuroticism, and extraversion. A total of 671 women (Mage = 23.71) responded to standardized questionnaires in a semi-structured interview setting. The obtained data were subjected to correlational, regression, and path analysis. The findings support all the hypotheses; women, who reported less engagement in rumination and more in reappraisal, who scored low on neuroticism and high on extraversion, resilience and self-efficacy, showed less severe depressive symptoms than their counterparts. This pattern can be thought of as a PDS against depressive symptoms in Indian women. These results highlight the importance of addressing these factors in preventing and assuaging depressive symptomatology in Indian women.

Paula da Silva Ramos, Ana; Fernandes de Souza Ribeiro, Juliana; Lima Trajano, Eduardo Tavares; Aurélio dos Santos Silva, Marco; Alexsandra da Silva Neto Trajano, Larissa

doi: 10.1177/00332941221088967pmid: 35465784

This study aimed to assess the levels of anxiety, depression, and quality of life in hospitalized men and women using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). 60 patients of both sexes were recruited from at the outpatient department of the Hospital Universitário de Vassouras (HUV). The HADS-Anxiety (HADS-A) and BAI questionnaires were used to assess anxiety; the HADS-Depression (HADS-D) questionnaire to assess levels of depression, and the SF-36 to assess the quality of life. The results indicated that hospitalized women had higher levels of anxiety when compared to men. No difference was observed in the levels of depression between men and women. Regarding quality of life, women showed more deterioration in general and mental health compared to men. Thus, the findings suggest that hospitalized women have higher levels of anxiety when compared to men and that this increase can lead to worse general and mental health. Professionals should be aware of possible psychological changes in hospitalized women as they can affect the overall quality of life.

Petrovic, Julia; Bastien, Laurianne; Mettler, Jessica; Heath, Nancy L.

doi: 10.1177/00332941221089282pmid: 35473432

Stressful experiences are abundant in university and students with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may be hyper-reactive to stress. While brief mindfulness inductions have been proposed as a buffer against acute stress, whether they function differently in students with a history of NSSI remains in question. This study sought to explore the impact of an online mindfulness induction on (a) two facets of state mindfulness (i.e., mind and body) and (b) state stress, following a stress induction task, in university students with versus without a history of NSSI. Participants were Canadian university students with (n = 82; Mage = 21.30 years, SD = 2.92; 87.8% female) and without (n = 82; Mage = 21.71 years, SD = 3.18; 87.8% female) a history of NSSI, matched on gender, age, and faculty, who completed baseline (T1) measures of state stress and state mindfulness. Participants were randomly assigned to complete a mindfulness induction or an active control task. All participants then underwent a stress induction, and again completed measures of state stress and state mindfulness (T2). Results from three-way mixed ANOVAs revealed that state stress increased from T1 to T2 for all participants, regardless of group or condition. Among those assigned to the control condition, state mindfulness of the body was lower at T2 for participants with a history of NSSI compared to those without such a history. However, participants with a history of NSSI who completed the mindfulness induction reported greater state mindfulness of the body at T2 than students with a history of NSSI who completed an active control task. Findings highlight the unique response of university students with a history of NSSI to a brief mindfulness induction. Implications are discussed in the context of future research and clinical applications.