Adolescents’ Attachment to Parents and Reactive–Proactive Aggression: The Mediating Role of Alexithymia

Aggressive behaviors can serve different functions, which might be understood by distinguishing between reactive (RA) and proactive (PA) aggression. Few studies were conducted on adolescents’ family precursors and emotional processes associated with RA or PA. Accordingly, the current study compared RA and PA by evaluating their association with adolescents’ attachment to parents and alexithymia. N = 453 Italian adolescents aged 15–19 years (Mage = 16.48; SD = 0.69; 33.6% males) participated in the study filling in self-report measures. Results showed that PA and RA are significantly associated and that PA was higher among males. Moreover, four mediational models were performed to assess the influence of adolescents’ attachment to mothers vs. fathers on RA or PA, considering the mediating role of alexithymia. Gender was included as a covariate. Mediational models’ results showed a direct and indirect effect, through lower alexithymia, of adolescents’ attachment to mothers and fathers on RA. Differently, only attachment to mothers showed a direct effect on PA, while attachment to fathers only an indirect effect, mediated by lower alexithymia, on PA was shown. Findings support the greater relevance of emotional processes for RA while highlighting the differential contribution of adolescents’ attachment to mothers vs. fathers upon PA. Implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Social distancing from foreign individuals as a disease-avoidance mechanism: Testing the assumptions of the behavioral immune system theory during the COVID-19 pandemic

Topics of prejudice, discrimination, and negative attitudes toward outgroups have attracted much attention of social scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the preference for social distancing can originate from the perception of threat. One of the theoretical approaches that offers an explanation for avoidance tendencies is the behavioral immune system theory. As a motivational system that aims to identify and avoid pathogens, the behavioral immune system has been shown to be triggered by various cues of a potential disease threat (e.g., the risk of contracting a virus), which further leads to negative social consequences such as xenophobia, negative attitudes toward various social groups, and distancing tendencies. We present a correlational study (N = 588; Polish sample) that was designed to test mediational models derived from the behavioral immune system theory, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a source of natural disease threat. In serial mediation analyses we show that the perceived threat of COVID-19 translates into greater preferred social distance from foreign individuals, and that this occurs in two ways: 1) via pathogen disgust (but not sexual or moral disgust), and 2) via germ aversion (but not perceived infectability). Both pathogen disgust and germ aversion further predict general feelings toward foreign individuals, which finally determine the preferred social distance from these individuals. The results support the behavioral immune system theory as an important concept for understanding social distancing tendencies.

Rumination as a mechanism of the association between interpretation bias and depression symptoms: A longitudinal investigation

Depression is a common problem with debilitating effects. Both negative interpretation biases and rumination are related to depression, but how these factors interact to produce depression is unclear. Prior cross-sectional research indicates that negative interpretation biases have an indirect effect on depression symptoms through rumination, but to date, no longitudinal studies have examined this indirect effect, and prior studies have not differentiated between rumination subtypes. To examine these questions, data were collected online at three time points from undergraduates. Simple mediational models examined whether negative interpretation bias had an indirect effect on depression symptoms through rumination and rumination subtypes (brooding and reflection), and reverse models examined direction of effects. Cross-sectional analysis supported prior findings that interpretation bias had an indirect effect on depression symptoms through rumination, β = −.19, 95%CI [−.23, −.14], through both brooding, β = −.14, 95%CI [−.18, −.10], and reflection subtypes, β = −.09, 95%CI [−.12, −.05]. However, longitudinal analyses found no indirect effects of interpretation bias on depression symptoms through rumination, β = −.02, 95%CI [−.07, .02]; brooding: β = −.02, 95%CI [−.06, .01], reflection: β = .01, 95%CI [−.02, .04]. These longitudinal results contradict findings that cognitive biases lead to depression symptoms through rumination. The complex interplay between cognitive biases, rumination, and depression remains an important direction for future research.

Dampness and student-reported social climate: two multilevel mediation models

Background Little previous research has analysed the relationship between schools’ indoor air problems and schools’ social climate. In this study, we analysed a) whether observed mould and dampness in a school building relates to students’ perceptions of school climate (i.e. teacher-student relationships and class spirit) and b) whether reported subjective indoor air quality (IAQ) at the school level mediates this relationship. Methods The data analysed was created by merging two nationwide data sets: survey data from students, including information on subjective IAQ (N = 25,101 students), and data from schools, including information on mould and dampness in school buildings (N = 222). The data was analysed using multilevel mediational models. Results After the background variables were adjusted, schools’ observed mould and dampness was not significantly related to neither student-perceived teacher-student relationships nor class spirit. However, our mediational models showed that there were significant indirect effects from schools’ observed mould and dampness to outcome variables via school-level subjective IAQ: a) in schools with mould and dampness, students reported significantly poorer subjective IAQ (standardised β = 0.34, p < 0.001) than in schools without; b) the worse the subjective IAQ at school level, the worse the student-reported teacher-student relationships (β = 0.31, p = 0.001) and class spirit (β = 0.25, p = 0.006). Conclusions Problems in a school’s indoor environment may impair the school’s social climate to the degree that such problems decrease the school’s perceived IAQ.

The Significance of Family-of-Origin Dynamics for Adults’ Health and Psychological Wellbeing: The Perspective of Bowen Family System Theory

Bowen family system theory describes family interactional processes that are carried across the generations and determine an individual’s level of autonomy and emotional reactivity as well as the global functioning of the family. According to the theory, any personal, health-related, or relational issues can be explained as a result of diffused anxiety produced by destructive interactional patterns among family members. Although many studies are revealing the relationship between early family life experiences and functioning in adulthood, there is still a lack of studies exploring the complex mediational models based on Bowen theory that would reveal associations between different family-of-origin variables and adults’ health as well as psychological well-being. The chapter defines the main assumptions of Bowen theory as well as summarizes the main results of three studies demonstrating how family and personal factors defined by Bowen theory, such as family emotional system, triangulation, differentiation of self, relate to adults’ health and psychological well-being.

Dysfunctional Parenting and Psychological Symptomatology: An Examination of the Mediator Roles of Anger Representations in the Context of the Schema Therapy Model

In this study, we investigated the mediator roles of anger-related schema modes in the relationship between dysfunctional parent modes and psychological symptoms. We focused on specific schema modes (i.e., punitive and demanding parent modes; vulnerable, angry, and enraged child modes; and the angry protector mode). The study included 297 college students (159 women), with the average age of the sample being 19.66 years (SD = 1.53, range = 18 to 29 years). All participants completed self-report questionnaires on schema modes and psychological symptoms, as well as a demographic form. We evaluated two different mediational models to understand two different dysfunctional parenting styles. The results suggest that all variables significantly correlated with each other and almost all the direct paths in the models were significant. However, the mediator analysis revealed that some of the anger-related modes had very low but significant mediator roles in the models (i.e., the angry child mode for both models and the enraged child mode for the demanding parenting model). The vulnerable child mode played a central and key role in the relationship between dysfunctional parenting and psychological symptoms. The study suggests that anger representations might be windows to understand and intervene in unmet core emotional needs.

Psychotic-like experiences and polygenic liability in the ABCD Study

Background: Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) during childhood are harbingers for severe psychopathology, including psychotic disorders, and neurodevelopmental impairments in adolescence and adulthood. Methods: Data from children of genomically-confirmed European ancestries (n=4,650; ages 9-10; 46.8% female) who completed the baseline Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study session were used to assess whether PLEs (i.e., both total and the presence of significantly distressing) are associated with polygenic scores (PGS) related to psychopathology (i.e., schizophrenia [SCZ], educational attainment [EDU], psychiatric cross-disorder risk [CROSS], PLEs). We also assessed whether variability in global and region indices of brain structure (i.e., volume, cortical thickness, surface area) as well as behaviors proximal to PGS (e.g., cognition for EDU) indirectly linked PGS to PLEs using mediational models. Findings: EDU and CROSS PGS were associated with total and significantly distressing PLEs (all delta R2s=0.202-0.660%; ps<0.002). Significantly distressing PLEs were also associated with higher SCZ and PLEs PGS (both delta R2=0.120-0.171%; ps<0.02). Global brain volume metrics and cognition indirectly linked EDU PGS to PLEs (proportion mediated: 3.33-32.22%). Interpretation: Total and distressing PLEs were associated with genomic risk indices associated with broad spectrum psychopathology risk (i.e., EDU and CROSS PGS). Significantly distressing PLEs were associated with genomic risk for psychosis (i.e., SCZ, PLEs). Global brain volume metrics and PGS-proximal behaviors represent promising putative intermediary phenotypes that may contribute to genomic risk for psychopathology. Broadly, polygenic scores derived from genome-wide association studies of adult samples can generalize to indices of psychopathology risk among children and aid the identification of putative neural and behavioral intermediaries of risk.

The Intermediary Role of Burnout in the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Job Satisfaction Among Nurses

Background Self-compassion is the process of treating oneself kindly especially when suffering. Self-compassion is associated with decreased symptoms of burnout in nurses such that those high in self-compassion are less likely to report emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among self-compassion, burnout, job satisfaction, and sleep quality. Method and Participants: Recruited from MTurk, a final sample of 158 nurses living in the United States (57.6% female) completed indices of self-compassion, burnout, and outcomes of satisfaction and sleep via an online survey. Results Self-compassion was positively associated with satisfaction and sleep quality and negatively associated with burnout. In addition, increased burnout was associated with lower satisfaction and poorer sleep quality. Mediational models suggested that the relationships between self-compassion and outcomes were accounted for by the shared variance between self-compassion and burnout. Conclusions The results showed the predicted associations among self-compassion, burnout, and outcomes. Importantly, self-compassion was associated with lower burnout that, in turn, was associated with higher job satisfaction and better sleep. Despite the limitations of the study, these results add to the growing literature on the benefits of self-compassion for nurses for preventing and/or ameliorating symptoms of burnout.