scholarly journals Symptoms of Selective Mutism in Non-clinical 3- to 6-Year-Old Children: Relations With Social Anxiety, Autistic Features, and Behavioral Inhibition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Muris ◽  
Nona Monait ◽  
Lotte Weijsters ◽  
Thomas H. Ollendick
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Behavioral Inhibition ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Selective Mutism ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Psychiatric Condition ◽  
Prominent Feature ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Abundant Evidence

Selective mutism (SM) is a psychiatric condition that is characterized by a failure to speak in specific social situations (e. g., at school) despite speaking normally in other situations (e.g., at home). There is abundant evidence that anxiety, and social anxiety in particular, is a prominent feature of SM, which is the main reason why this condition is currently classified as an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, there is increasing support for the notion that autism-related problems are also involved in SM. The present study examined the relations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar (i.e., the tendency to react with restraint and withdrawal when confronted with unfamiliar stimuli and situations). Parents of 172 3- to 6-year-old preschool children completed an online survey for measuring the relevant constructs. Results showed that there were positive and statistically significant correlations between SM and social anxiety, autistic features, and behavioral inhibition. Regression analyses revealed that (1) both social anxiety and autistic features accounted for a significant and unique proportion of the variance in SM scores, and (2) that both of these variables no longer made a significant contribution once behavioral inhibition was added to the model. It can be concluded that while the involvement of social anxiety is unambiguous in SM, autism-related problems are also implicated. Furthermore, behavioral inhibition seems to play a key role in the non-speaking behavior of non-clinical young children.

More f#!%ing rudeness: reliable personality predictors of verbal rudeness and other ugly confrontational behaviors

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Park ◽  
William Ickes ◽  
Rebecca L. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Inhibition ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Affect Intensity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personality Variables ◽  
Reward Responsiveness ◽  
Personality Predictors ◽  
Negative Predictor

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to (1) to identify personality variables that reliably predict verbal rudeness ( i.e by replicating previous findings) and (2) to investigate what personality variables predict more general ugly confrontational behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – In Study 1, the authors used an online survey to collect information regarding individual differences in social desirability, self-esteem, narcissism, blirtatiousness, behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation, conventional morality (CM), thin-skinned ego defensiveness (TSED), affect intensity for anger and frustration (AIAF), and verbal rudeness. In Study 2, the authors used a similar online survey to collect the same information, but extended the survey questionnaire to include measures of entitlement, psychopathology, Machiavellianism, and a retrospective checklist of ugly confrontational behaviors. Findings – In Study 1, regression analyses revealed that CM, behavioral inhibition, and behavioral activation reward responsiveness were significant negative predictors of rudeness. AIAF, TSED and behavioral activation drive were significant positive predictors of rudeness. In Study 2, regression analyses revealed that CM was again a significant negative predictor of rudeness. AIAF, and narcissism were significant positive predictors of rudeness. CM also negatively predicted ugly confrontational behaviors, whereas AIAF, blirtatiousness, and Machiavellianism were positive predictors. Originality/value – Although several measures of aggression exist, the current studies of rudeness and ugly confrontational behavior specifically assess tendencies to abuse strangers. These studies begin to establish a personality profile of the type of person that might abuse strangers.

Evaluations of anxious others: Using cluster analyses to explore the co-existence of positive and negative evaluations and social anxiety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Ferguson ◽  
Allison Ouimet
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Clinical Theory ◽  
Evidence Based Treatment ◽  
Cluster Analyses ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Negative Attributes

Introduction: Research on individuals with social anxiety has primarily focused on their evaluations of themselves before, during, and after social situations. However, our most evidence-based treatment remains not effective for some. Considering social and clinical theory, we wonder if some people with social anxiety experience negative evaluations of others. Prior studies tested for group-based differences, which does not allow for the possibility that only a subset of people with social anxiety evaluate others negatively. Across two studies, we use cluster analyses to determine how social anxiety and negative other-evaluations co-vary. Methods: 267 (study 1) and 290 (study 2) unselected participants completed an online survey, including two measures modified for the current study: Modified-Interpretation and Judgemental Questionnaire (M-IJQ) and Modified Ways of Thinking about Social Behaviour Questionnaire (M-WTSBQ). Participants read several vignettes and judged the hypothetical anxious person across several positive and negative attributes (M-IJQ). Results: Results from the cluster analysis revealed consistent groups of individuals across both studies, including people with: 1) severe social anxiety and no judgements; 2) low social anxiety and no judgements; 3) mild-to-moderate social anxiety and positive judgements; and 4) some social anxiety who disagreed with all judgements. We discuss how these clusters relate to thoughts about themselves and others on the M-WTSBQ. Discussion: Previous research has been mixed on the presence of negative evaluations of others in social anxiety. This study clarifies some of the confusion by revealing subgroups of individuals with varying social anxiety and judgements of others.

Social Anxiety Disorder: Psychobiological and Evolutionary Underpinnings

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 806-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan J. Stein ◽  
Bavanisha Vythilingum
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Inhibition ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Tricyclic Antidepressants ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Limbic Structures

ABSTRACTSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) also know as social phobia is increasingly recognized as a highly prevalent and disabling psychiatric disorder. SAD patients demonstrate cognitive-affective distortions in relation to social situations and abnormal activation patterns in limbic structures during functional imaging. Behavioral inhibition is an endophenotype that may be useful in understanding vulnerability to SAD, and that has specific imaging and genetic correlates. From an evolutionary perspective, it has been speculated that SAD represents a false appeasement alarm. It is notable that SAD responds to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, but not to most tricyclic antidepressants; this finding is consistent with the importance of serotonin and dopamine in mediating this disorder.

scholarly journals Psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the failure to speak: a comparison between children with selective mutism and social anxiety disorder on autonomic arousal

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Vogel ◽  
Christina Schwenck
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Selective Mutism ◽  
Verbal Task ◽  
Compensatory Mechanism ◽  
Fear Response ◽  
Social Situations

Abstract Background Selective mutism (SM) has been conceptualized as an extreme variant of social anxiety disorder (SAD), in which the failure to speak functions as an avoidance mechanism leading to a reduction of intense fear arousal. However, psychophysiological studies in children with SM are scarce and physiological mechanisms underlying the failure to speak are largely unknown. In contrast, children with SAD are characterized by a combination of a chronically elevated physiological arousal and a blunted physiological fear response to social stress. Due to the large overlap between SM and SAD, similar mechanisms might apply to both disorders, while differences might explain why children with SM fail to speak. The aim of our study is to investigate psychophysiological mechanisms of the failure to speak in children with SM. Methods We assessed in a total of N = 96 children [8–12 years, SM: n = 31, SAD: n = 32, typical development (TD): n = 33] resting baseline arousal in absence of social threat and the course of physiological fear response in two social stress paradigms, differing in terms of whether the children are expected to speak (verbal task) or not (nonverbal task). Results Children with SM were characterized by increased tonic arousal compared to the other two groups, and by a more inflexible stress response in the nonverbal but not in the verbal task compared to TD-children. Further analyses revealed that children with SM who did not speak during the verbal task already demonstrated reduced arousal in anticipation of the verbal task. Conclusion The increased tonic arousal generalized to non-social situations in SM could indicate a long-term alteration of the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, the differential physiological stress response may indicate that silence acts as a maladaptive compensatory mechanism reducing stress in verbal social situations, which does not function in nonverbal situations. Our findings support the idea that the failure to speak might function as an avoidance mechanism, which is already active in anticipation of a verbal situation. Treatment of SM should take into account that children with SM may suffer from chronically elevated stress levels and that different mechanisms might operate in verbal and nonverbal social situations.

Perceived Effectiveness of Random Testing for Alcohol and Drugs in the Australian Aviation Community

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Christina M. Rudin-Brown ◽  
Eve Mitsopoulos-Rubens ◽  
Michael G. Lenné
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Random Testing ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Student Pilots ◽  
Alcohol And Drugs ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
One Year ◽  
Alcohol And Other Drugs

Random testing for alcohol and other drugs (AODs) in individuals who perform safety-sensitive activities as part of their aviation role was introduced in Australia in April 2009. One year later, an online survey (N = 2,226) was conducted to investigate attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge regarding random testing and to gauge perceptions regarding its effectiveness. Private, recreational, and student pilots were less likely than industry personnel to report being aware of the requirement (86.5% versus 97.1%), to have undergone testing (76.5% versus 96.1%), and to know of others who had undergone testing (39.9% versus 84.3%), and they had more positive attitudes toward random testing than industry personnel. However, logistic regression analyses indicated that random testing is more effective at deterring AOD use among industry personnel.

Fear of Missing Out as motivation to process information: How differences in Instagram use affect attitude formation online

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110118
Author(s):  
Dominik Neumann ◽  
Patricia T Huddleston ◽  
Bridget K Behe
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Fear Of Missing Out ◽  
Advertising Strategy ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Advertising Content ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Marketing Messages

Marketing on social media has become ubiquitous. Consequently, social media platforms are increasing the level of advertising content that users may later encounter when navigating online shopping websites. It is unclear how this amplification of exposure to marketing messages through social media affects consumers’ attitudes to products online. Furthermore, the roles of social media participation and proneness to experience Fear of Missing Out on product attitude remain largely unexplored. In this research ( N = 1002), we employed an online survey of US Instagram users. These data were submitted to three-way moderation regression analyses with attitude toward the product as the dependent variable. Consumers who are more active on social media and had high (vs low) Fear of Missing Out expressed more favorable attitudes toward online products after being exposed to Instagram content (vs not exposed). The theoretical and practical implications for cognitive processing research and advertising strategy and study limitations are discussed.

scholarly journals Mental health and preventive behaviour of pregnant women in China during the early phase of the COVID-19 period

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Wang ◽  
Phoenix K. H. Mo ◽  
Bo Song ◽  
Jiang-Li Di ◽  
Feng-Rong Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Regression Analyses

Abstract Background The COVID-19 has caused significant toll over the globe. Pregnant women are at risk of infection. The present study examined the frequency of washing hands with soap and wearing face mask when going out, prevalence of depression and anxiety, and identified their associated factors among pregnant women during the early phase of COVID-19 outbreak in China. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 24 February and 3 March 2020. A total of 15 428 pregnant women who were using maternal health care services in China completed a questionnaire which assessed their socio-demographic and pregnancy-related characteristics, contextual, cognitive and social factors related to COVID-19, frequency of washing hands and wearing face masks, and depression and anxiety. Logistics regression analyses were performed to identify the associated factors of preventive behaviours and mental health. Results The prevalence of probable anxiety and depression was 28.2% and 43.6% respectively. 19.8% reported always wearing face mask when going out, and 19.1% reported washing hands with soap for more than 10 times per day. Results from logistic regression analyses showed that older age was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety (OR = 0.42–0.67) and higher frequency of washing hands (OR = 1.57–3.40). Higher level of education level was associated with probable depression (OR = 1.31–1.45) and higher frequency of wearing face mask (OR = 1.50–1.57). After adjusting for significant socio-demographic and pregnancy-related factors, place of residence being locked down (aOR = 1.10–1.11), being quarantined (aOR = 1.42–1.57), personally knowing someone being infected with COVID-19 (aOR = 1.80–1.92), perception that COVID-19 would pose long term physical harm to human (aOR = 1.25–1.28) were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety, while the perception that the disease will be under control in the coming month was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety (aOR = 0.59–0.63) and lower tendency of always wearing face mask (aOR = 0.85). Social support was associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety (aOR = 0.86–0,87) and higher frequency of washing hands (aOR = 1.06). Conclusions The mental health and preventive behaviours of pregnant women during COVID-19 outbreak was associated with a range of socio-demographic, pregnancy-related, contextual, cognitive and social factors. Interventions to mitigate their mental health problems and to promote preventive behaviours are highly warranted.

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