F15. NEGATIVE BELIEF UPDATING BIAS FOR POSITIVE LIFE EVENTS IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

ABSTRACTBackground:The impact of stressful life events as a risk factor of dementia diseases is inconclusive. We sought to determine whether stressful negative life events are associated with incidental dementia in a population-based study with long-term follow-up. We also tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of positive life events could mitigate or overcome the possible adverse effects of negative life events on dementia conversion.Methods:The study involved 2,462 dementia-free participants aged 55 years and older. Information on life events was ascertained at baseline from a comprehensive Life Event Inventory, which included 56 questions about specific life events. For each life event, the emotional impact (both positive and negative) and emotional adjustment were asked for.Results:During follow-up, 423 participants developed dementia; of these, 240 developed Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cox regression analysis showed no association between the total number of negative life events and the incidence of dementia when adjusted solely for age and gender (hazard ratio = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.92–1.02), or with multiple adjustments for a range of covariates (hazard ratio = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.91–1.01). Similarly, neither emotional impact nor emotional adjustment to these life events was associated with incident dementia. A separate analysis of AD did not alter the results.Conclusions:The result of this population-based study finds no association between negative or positive life events and dementia. Accordingly, our results reject the hypothesis that stressful life events trigger the onset of dementia diseases.

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Life Events, Cardiovascular Reactivity, and Risk Behavior in Adolescent Boys

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.96.6.1101 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 96 (6) ◽

pp. 1101-1105

Author(s):

Sai-Woon Liang ◽

John M. Jemerin ◽

Jeanne M. Tschann ◽

Charles E. Irwin ◽

Diane W. Wara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Risk Behavior ◽

Arterial Blood Pressure ◽

Life Events ◽

Cardiovascular Reactivity ◽

Mean Arterial Blood Pressure ◽

Cardiovascular Responses ◽

Adolescent Boys ◽

Positive Life Events ◽

Arterial Blood

Background. Risk behavior contributes to injuries, one of the most important sources of morbidity and mortality in adolescents. Although research has shown that environmental stress makes adolescents more likely to engage in risk behavior and to sustain injuries, the magnitude of these associations has been small. Little is known about the role of individual differences in psychobiologic reactivity to stress in moderating the impact of stressful events. In this study, we examined associations among environmental stressors, cardiovascular reactivity to stress, and the level of risk behavior in adolescent boys. Methods. Twenty-four 14- to 16-year-old boys underwent a laboratory protocol designed to measure responses to psychologically and physically stressful tasks. Changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure were measured serially at standard points in the protocol, and levels of positive and negative life events and recent risk behavior were measured using self-report questionnaires. Results. Neither life events nor cardiovascular reactivity were independently associated with risk behavior. Positive life events and mean arterial blood pressure reactivity significantly interacted, however, in predicting risk behavior (R2 increment = .25). Boys with high reactivity who reported numerous positive life events engaged in markedly less risk behavior than their peers. Conclusion. We conclude that adolescents with exaggerated cardiovascular responses to laboratory stressors are associated with less risk behavior in a setting of positive life circumstances. This result suggests that reactivity may exert protective, rather than harmful, influences in some environments.

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Sensitivity to the Average and Summative Impact of Multiple Events: When “More is More” and When “More is Less”

Review of General Psychology ◽

10.1177/1089268019887716 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 75-93

Author(s):

John J. Seta ◽

Catherine E. Seta

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Basic Question ◽

Negative Events ◽

Average Value ◽

Positive Life Events ◽

Full Picture ◽

S Model ◽

Affective Impact ◽

Detrimental Impact ◽

Alternative Theories

How people respond to positive and negative events is a basic question in psychology. Most theoretical accounts assume that the detrimental impact of negative life events is cumulative, resulting in a “more is more” effect. A similar assumption of “more is more” is typically used to predict the influence of multiple positive life events, people’s reactions to evaluative stimuli (e.g., an audience), and their judgments of consumer goods. In this article, we present a model that suggests that these conclusions do not capture the full picture of how people respond to multiple positive or negative events. More specifically, the averaging/summation (A/S) model does not predict that the underpinnings of individuals’ responses to positive or negative events always reflect summative affective impact. Rather, individuals’ responses often reflect the average value of events, as well as their summative value. We review research supporting the model’s predictions and discuss alternative theories and interpretations, such as the conservation of resource model, the peak–end rule, mental accounting, distraction, and assimilation/contrast. In addition, we suggest new avenues for research.

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Racism, racial life events and mental ill health

Advances in Psychiatric Treatment ◽

10.1192/apt.7.5.343 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 343-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Dinesh Bhugra ◽

Oyedeji Ayonrinde

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Life Events ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

The Body ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Positive Life Events ◽

Minority Ethnic Groups ◽

Different Cultures ◽

The Impact

The association of life events with the onset of various psychiatric disorders is well-known. The body of evidence has highlighted the impact of negative or positive life events on the genesis of common mental disorders, especially depression. These findings have been replicated across different cultures, although the impact of different life events varies between cultures. In addition, the roles of chronic difficulties (defined in Life events and psychiatric disorders, below) and resulting ongoing chronic stress have been shown to contribute to vulnerability to certain mental illnesses. However, data on the impact of life events, especially those perceived as racial, on members of minority ethnic groups are rather sparse. The questions that need to be addressed concern the perception of life events as racial, the role of pervasive and perceived institutional and individual racism, and chronic difficulties.

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