Gender differences in the manifestation of sociotropy and autonomy personality traits

Depressive personality traits and temperament and character personality traits in a clinical sample: Results from regression and network analyses

Personality and psychopathology are highly relevant and easily relatable constructs. The current study investigated the relationships between dependency and self-criticism, sociotropy and autonomy depressive personality traits, and Cloninger's temperament and character personality traits postulated as vulnerability factors for depression, in relation to depressive and general psychopathology symptoms in a clinical sample of 100 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The results showed that self-directedness, a character trait of the temperament and character model, was positively associated with dependency, self-criticism, sociotropy, and autonomy. Applying more in-depth analyses with regression models revealed associations between self-directedness and depressive personality styles dependency and sociotropy, and general psychopathology symptoms was a significant clinical indicator in these relationships. Going beyond the regression models, network analysis showed that self-directedness is associated with self-criticism, sociotropy, autonomy, and general psychopathology symptoms. The relationship between self-directedness and sociotropy, self-criticism and autonomy suggests that these depressive personality traits may be attributable to aspects of self-determination, maturity, responsibility, discipline, and self-acceptance. General psychopathology research informed by literature incorporating personality traits has far-reaching implications for understanding individual differences as well as increasing efforts to contribute to the amelioration of disabling psychological disorders like major depressive disorders.

Psychosocial relationship status and quality as predictors of exercise intervention adherence and substance use outcomes: Results from the STRIDE (CTN-0037) study

Social/intimate relationship status and quality are associated with health-promoting behaviors, while living alone or being isolated are adversely associated with physical and mental health outcomes. Limited work has investigated how particular components of one's social environment - usual living arrangements, satisfaction with those arrangements, and global social and family discord - are related to substance use reduction and intervention adherence. We investigated these questions in 270 individuals receiving study intervention for stimulant abuse/dependence through the multi-site Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (CTN-0037) trial. Using mixed effects modeling, results indicated that individuals with baseline social discord used stimulants on more days throughout the intervention period than those without social discord (d=0.39). An interaction between gender, usual living arrangements, and satisfaction with those arrangements indicated that women who lived alone and were dissatisfied with that arrangement reported greater days of stimulant use compared to several other groups (d≥1.46). Finally, individuals who reported usually living with a non-partner over the past three years attended a greater percentage of intervention sessions compared to those usually living with a partner (d=0.34). These results identify sample subgroups with adverse stimulant use and intervention adherence outcomes and suggest areas for future inquiry/intervention.

The Effect of Beck's Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Sociotropic and Autonomous Personality Styles in Patients With Depression

Background:

Depression is characterized by a great risk of relapse and recurrence. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and cognitive therapy are efficacious psychosocial interventions for recurrent depression.

Objectives:

The aim of the present research was to compare the effect of Beck’s cognitive therapy (BCT) and MBCT on reduction of depression and sociotropic and autonomous personality styles in Iranian depressed patients.

Patients and Methods:

The study sample consisted of 30 subjects randomly selected from patients with depression in Mashhad city, Iran. The subjects were assigned randomly to experimental groups. The 2 techniques used for treatment were BCT and MBCT. The data collection instruments used in the research consisted of psychological interview, the Beck Depression Inventory II and the revised Personal Style Inventory (RPSI). The research data was analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results:

BCT and MBCT were effective in reducing depression, but BCT and MBCT did not cause any change in the sociotropic and autonomous personality styles in patients with depression.

Conclusions:

The results provide support for the role of BCT and MBCT plays in reducing depression. However, the results did not approve their role in changing sociotropic and autonomous personality styles in patients with depression.

Core belief content examined in a large sample of patients using online cognitive behaviour therapy

BACKGROUND

Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy provides a unique opportunity to collect and analyse data regarding the idiosyncratic content of people's core beliefs about the self, others and the world.

METHODS

'Beating the Blues' users recorded a core belief derived through the downward arrow technique. Core beliefs from 1813 mental health patients were coded into 10 categories.

RESULTS

The most common were global self-evaluation, attachment, and competence. Women were more likely, and men were less likely (than chance), to provide an attachment-related core belief; and men were more likely, and women less likely, to provide a self-competence-related core belief. This may be linked to gender differences in sources of self-esteem. Those who were suffering from anxiety were more likely to provide power- and control-themed core beliefs and less likely to provide attachment core beliefs than chance. Finally, those who had thoughts of suicide in the preceding week reported less competence themed core beliefs and more global self-evaluation (e.g., 'I am useless') core beliefs than chance.

LIMITATIONS

Concurrent symptom level was not available. The sample was not nationally representative, and featured programme completers only.

CONCLUSIONS

Men and women may focus on different core beliefs in the context of CBT. Those suffering anxiety may need a therapeutic focus on power and control. A complete rejection of the self (not just within one domain, such as competence) may be linked to thoughts of suicide. Future research should examine how individual differences and symptom severity influence core beliefs.

I know how you feel: the warm-altruistic personality profile and the empathic brain

The ability to empathize with other people is a critical component of human social relationships. Empathic processing varies across the human population, however it is currently unclear how personality traits are associated with empathic processing. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that specific personality traits are associated with behavioral and biological indicators of improved empathy. Extraversion and Agreeableness are personality traits designed to measure individual differences in social-cognitive functioning, however each trait-dimension includes elements that represent interpersonal social functioning and elements that do not represent interpersonal social functioning. We tested the prediction that interpersonal elements of Extraversion (Warmth) and Agreeableness (Altruism) are associated with empathy and non-interpersonal elements of Extraversion and Agreeableness are not associated with empathy. We quantified empathic processing behaviorally (empathic accuracy task using video vignettes) and within the brain (fMRI and an emotional perspective taking task) in 50 healthy subjects. Converging evidence shows that highly warm and altruistic people are well skilled in recognizing the emotional states of other people and exhibit greater activity in brain regions important for empathy (temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex) during emotional perspective taking. A mediation analysis further supported the association between warm-altruistic personality and empathic processing; indicating that one reason why highly warm-altruistic individuals may be skilled empathizers is that they engage the temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex more. Together, these findings advance the way the behavioral and neural basis of empathy is understood and demonstrates the efficacy of personality scales to measure individual differences in interpersonal social function.

Sociotropic cognition and eating disordered attitudes and behavior in young adults

Sociotropic cognition is a mindset characterized by a strong need for social approval and fear of interpersonal rejection. Sociotropic cognition has been associated with depression and health risk behavior in women, but few studies have specifically addressed eating disordered attitudes and behaviors, and studies including men are lacking. The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of sociotropic cognition on eating-related attitudes and behaviors in men and women. Participants were N=362 undergraduate students (51% female; mean age=19.2±1.43) who completed measures of sociotropic cognition, depressed mood, eating disordered attitudes and behaviors, body shape satisfaction, and physical activity. Using hierarchical regression, the results demonstrated that sociotropic cognition was associated with greater dietary restraint, body shape, eating, and weight concerns, emotional eating, and global eating disordered score. Body shape dissatisfaction and emotional eating were found to mediate the relationship between sociotropic cognition and eating disordered behaviors. Sociotropic cognition appears to be an important predictor of body shape dissatisfaction and eating disordered behaviors in a non-clinical sample. Individuals high in sociotropic cognition may engage in eating disordered behavior in response to fears of social evaluation. These findings have implications for prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies are suggested to reduce sociotropic cognition and its influence on eating disordered behavior.

Adult attachment, dependence, self-criticism, and depressive symptoms: a test of a mediational model

Attachment anxiety is expected to be positively associated with dependence and self-criticism. However, attachment avoidance is expected to be negatively associated with dependence but positively associated with self-criticism. Both dependence and self-criticism are expected to be related to depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed from 424 undergraduate participants at a large Midwestern university, using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the relation between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by dependence and self-criticism, whereas the relation between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms was partially mediated by dependence and self-criticism. Moreover, through a multiple-group comparison analysis, the results indicated that men with high levels of attachment avoidance are more likely than women to be self-critical.