The mental health of officials who regularly examine child sexual abuse material: strategies for harm mitigation

BACKGROUND

The current study aims to better understand the mental health and subjective well-being of investigators and forensic examiners exposed to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by examining which components of this work are associated with elevated mental health conditions and decreased well-being, as well as the intra-personal and organizational variables that may mitigate harm and improve well-being.

METHODS

Police investigators, forensic examiners, and others connected with the criminal justice system from across the United States who were exposed to CSAM as part of their professions (N = 500) completed an anonymous online survey. Participants were recruited through connections with the National Criminal Justice Training Center.

RESULTS

Duration, frequency, amount, and content of CSAM exposure was not related to poorer mental health with the exception of exposure to violent CSAM which was related to elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms. Several agency-level practices and policies, such as the availability of an Officer Wellness Program and more frequently knowing the final case resolution, were related to better mental health and well-being. Harm mitigation strategies, such as talking to other officers investigating the case and taking breaks from the material being viewed, were also related to better mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that police agencies have options for implementing agency-level procedures and practices that have the potential to reduce the negative impact of CSAM investigations. Additionally, many investigators use strategies that are correlated with greater well-being, suggesting opportunities for improving training programs.

Mobile Phone Addiction and Academic Procrastination Negatively Impact Academic Achievement Among Chinese Medical Students

The problem of mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination among medical students has been widely acknowledged. This study aimed to explore the influence of demographic factors on mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement among medical students. Further, it investigated the association between mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement. This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and June 2019. A total of 3 511 medical students participated in an online questionnaire survey (effective response rate = 81.7%). Demographic factors, the Scale of Academic Achievement, the short scale of the Mobile Phone Problem Use (MPPUS-10), and the Academic Procrastination Scale–Short (APS-S) were used. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the average scores for academic procrastination, mobile phone addiction, and academic achievement were 2.66 ± 0.91, 5.13 ± 1.53, and 4.51 ± 0.71, respectively. Moreover, there were significant differences in gender, grade, leadership experience, and family monthly income across mobile phone addiction, academic procrastination, and academic achievement. Mobile phone addiction was negatively associated with learning dedication, learning performance, and relationship facilitation. Academic procrastination was negatively associated with learning dedication, learning performance, relationship facilitation, and objective achievement. Mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination was revealed as prevalent among Chinese medical students, and negatively influences their academic achievement. It is critical to establish a more efficient learning environment for Chinese medical students to minimize the negative impact of mobile phone addiction and academic procrastination.

Articulation, oral function, and quality of life in patients treated with implant overdentures in the mandible: A prospective study

BACKGROUND

Modifications of facial and oral structures affect aesthetic appearance, orofacial functions, and have impact on quality of life.

PURPOSE

This study determined alterations of articulation, oromyofunctional behavior, and Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in patients replacing complete removable dentures by implant retained overdentures in the mandible.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-one fully edentulous patients received mandibular overdenture retained on a bar connecting two titanium dental implants. Patients were evaluated after receiving a new set of fully removable dentures (stage 1), after surgery during provisionalization on healing abutments (stage 2), and after final connection to the bar (stage 3). Assessments were taken by speech therapists and included evaluation of: articulation (picture naming and reading); oromyofunctional behavior; OHRQoL (OHIP-14 questionnaire), and overall satisfaction and speech (VAS). To measure changes over time, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank-test and McNemar test was used.

RESULTS

There was no significant impact of the treatment on speech nor on the results of oromyofunction. In stage 1, patients had different kinds of articulation errors (mean:1.21) which evolved to 0.71 and 0.67. In stage 3, especially problems with the /s/ sound are seen in 37% (7/19) of the participants. Results of OHRQoL and satisfaction reveal that the average of satisfaction with oral health evolved from 67% to 63% and finally 78%. OHIP-14 total score was 17.4/56 in stage 1, remained unchanged in stage 2 and evolved in stage 3 to 9.8/56 (P: .010). This indicates improvement. Satisfaction with speech evolved significantly from 68% pretreatment to 82% in stage 3 (P: .013).

CONCLUSION

Despite existing articulation and oromyofunctional disorders after treatment, people are very satisfied with their OHRQoL and their speech. Impact of mandibular denture wearing on OHRQoL declines once connected. It's important to inform patients that speech and oromyofunctional disorders may occur during treatment where especially the /s/ sound is vulnerable.

The effect of state extraversion on four types of affect

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of state extraversion on different types of affect. Ninety six participants were instructed to be extraverted or introverted in a 10‐minute dyadic discussion. State extraversion had a strong effect on positive affect and smaller (but still strong) effects on pleasant and activated affect, with these latter two effects almost equal in magnitude. This pattern of findings appears to increase confidence that the effect of state extraversion is genuine rather than the result of construct overlap, in that extraversion's effect on positive affect is not dominated by its effect on activated affect. No support for reward sensitivity as a potential explanatory mechanism was found. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quality of life and social participation in dental rehabilitation: A personality and multi-informant perspective

OBJECTIVES

Contemporary research on the impact of dental rehabilitation scarcely focuses on the role of personality and social relationships in QoL related to dental implant treatment. To overcome biases related to evaluation with self-reports, descriptions provided by informed external observers are recommended.

AIMS

To investigate the impact of implant-supported rehabilitation on quality of life and social participation taking into account patient's personality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-four patients were included in this study and assigned to either a single unit group (n = 15) or a complete jaw restoration group (n = 39). Of the 54 participants, 49 nominated an external observer who can evaluate the daily behavior of the patient. Before and after treatment patients and their external observer completed the OHIP-14, the NEO-FFI and the MSPP questionnaires respectively focusing on Oral Health related Quality of Life, Personality and Social participation.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The correlations between self- and observer ratings on pre and post treatment outcomes on were insignificant (QoL pre: p = 0.086, post: p = 0.115, freq. soc. part pre: p = 0.944, post: p = 0.876, div. soc. part pre: p = 0.798, post: p = 0.167), suggesting considerable differences in observer perspectives. The traits Neuroticism, Extraversion and Agreeableness were associated with QoL. Openness, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were associated with social participation. Patients in the complete jaw restoration group reported more impact of the implant treatment on quality of life as compared to the single unit group (p = 0.007). The complete jaw restoration group reported an improved quality of life after treatment and significant increases of both frequency (p = 0.001) and diversity of social participation (p = 0.036). In conclusion there was a minor impact of treatment with single crowns on quality of life and social participation compared to the full denture group. The role of personality and the use of multi-informants in evaluating dental treatment was found important.

High levels of depression and anxiety among Croatian medical and nursing students and the correlation between subjective happiness and personality traits

High levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are commonly reported among medical students. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical and nursing students at the University of Osijek, Croatia and their relation to subjective happiness and personality traits. This cross-sectional study included a total of 562 students. To assess the levels of depression and anxiety, the PHQ-9 (The Patient Health Questionnaire), GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale), and IPIP Big-5 questionnaires were used. A very high prevalence of both anxiety (54.5%) and depressive (60.2%) symptoms was found among medical and nursing students. Subjective happiness most strongly correlated with emotional stability and extraversion, also emotional stability correlated negatively with anxiety and depression. Nursing students scored higher on subjective happiness and in the domain of conscientiousness, but lower on depression. The differences in depression and anxiety could not be attributed to personality traits. Although the reported symptoms were mostly mild in intensity, we believe that this represents a significant public mental health concern. Appropriate measures should be taken to motivate students to seek help for their symptoms and to increase the availability of mental health services for students.

Regional Cultures and the Psychological Geography of Switzerland: Person-Environment-Fit in Personality Predicts Subjective Wellbeing

The present study extended traditional nation-based research on person-culture-fit to the regional level. First, we examined the geographical distribution of Big Five personality traits in Switzerland. Across the 26 Swiss cantons, unique patterns were observed for all traits. For Extraversion and Neuroticism clear language divides emerged between the French- and Italian-speaking South-West vs. the German-speaking North-East. Second, multilevel modeling demonstrated that person-environment-fit in Big Five, composed of elevation (i.e., mean differences between individual profile and cantonal profile), scatter (differences in mean variances) and shape (Pearson correlations between individual and cantonal profiles across all traits; Furr, 2008, 2010), predicted the development of subjective wellbeing (i.e., life satisfaction, satisfaction with personal relationships, positive affect, negative affect) over a period of 4 years. Unexpectedly, while the effects of shape were in line with the person-environment-fit hypothesis (better fit predicted higher subjective wellbeing), the effects of scatter showed the opposite pattern, while null findings were observed for elevation. Across a series of robustness checks, the patterns for shape and elevation were consistently replicated. While that was mostly the case for scatter as well, the effects of scatter appeared to be somewhat less robust and more sensitive to the specific way fit was modeled when predicting certain outcomes (negative affect, positive affect). Distinguishing between supplementary and complementary fit may help to reconcile these findings and future research should explore whether and if so under which conditions these concepts may be applicable to the respective facets of person-culture-fit.

The Happy Culture: A Theoretical, Meta-Analytic, and Empirical Review of the Relationship Between Culture and Wealth and Subjective Well-Being

Do cultural values enhance financial and subjective well-being (SWB)? Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we meta-analytically reviewed the field, found it thinly covered, and focused on individualism. In counter, we collected a broad array of individual-level data, specifically an Internet sample of 8,438 adult respondents. Individual SWB was most strongly associated with cultural values that foster relationships and social capital, which typically accounted for more unique variance in life satisfaction than an individual’s salary. At a national level, we used mean-based meta-analysis to construct a comprehensive cultural and SWB database. Results show some reversals from the individual level, particularly masculinity’s facet of achievement orientation. In all, the happy nation has low power distance and low uncertainty avoidance, but is high in femininity and individualism, and these effects are interrelated but still partially independent from political and economic institutions. In short, culture matters for individual and national well-being.

National Personality Traits and Regime Type

Domestic theories of democratization emphasize the role of values, interests, and mobilization/opportunities as determinants of regime change. This article takes a step back and develops a model of national personality and democratization to ascertain the indirect effect of national personality traits on worldwide variation of regime type. In particular, I theorize that personality traits influence a country’s regime type by shaping citizens’ traditional and self-expression values, which, in turn, influence the establishment and consolidation of democratic institutions. Data from McCrae and Terracciano’s assessment of the five-factor model from 47 countries allow me to assess this hypothesis empirically. Results reveal that countries whose societies are high in Openness to experience tend to have more democratic institutions, even after adjusting for relevant confounders: economic inequalities, economic development, technological advancement, disease stress, climate demands, and methodological characteristics of the national sample. Although the effect of Extraversion on a country’s democratic institutions is also significantly positive, the inclusion of confounders weakens the reliability of this association. In an exploration of the mechanisms of these associations, a mediation analysis shows that the relationship between national Openness and democratic institutions is channeled through secular and especially self-expression national values. The same analysis with the effect of Extraversion on democracy indicates that the association between this trait and democracy is only channeled through national self-expression values but not national secular values. In short, this article constitutes a first step toward a more complete understanding of the cross-cultural psychological roots of political institutions.

The Geographic Distribution of Big Five Personality Traits

The Big Five Inventory (BFI) is a self-report measure designed to assess the high-order personality traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, the BFI was translated from English into 28 languages and administered to 17,837 individuals from 56 nations. The resulting cross-cultural data set was used to address three main questions: Does the factor structure of the English BFI fully replicate across cultures? How valid are the BFI trait profiles of individual nations? And how are personality traits distributed throughout the world? The five-dimensional structure was robust across major regions of the world. Trait levels were related in predictable ways to self-esteem, sociosexuality, and national personality profiles. People from the geographic regions of South America and East Asia were significantly different in openness from those inhabiting other world regions. The discussion focuses on limitations of the current data set and important directions for future research.

National Differences In Organizational Commitment

This article examines organizational commitment in a sample of 49 countries. Affective commitment (AC) varies significantly by country and is strongly related to dimensions of personality. AC is high in countries where the population is extravert and low in countries where the population is neurotic. Consistent with the notion that high extraversion and low neuroticism are indicative of positive affect, AC is also found to be high in countries where the population is happy. Socioeconomic conditions have a statistically significant but marginal influence on AC. AC tends to be slightly higher in countries with low levels of unemployment and high economic activity rates but is unrelated to per capita national income. There are significant relationships between AC and some aspects of national culture. AC is negatively related to societal cynicism and positively to egalitarian commitment. In general, however, most cultural dimensions are unrelated to AC.

The relationship between personality types and leisure time activities amongst Casino employees’ workplace expectations

Orientation: Associations between a person’s character strengths, happiness and well-being can be explained with the overlap that they have with personality. Casino employees’ working hours were and are increasing, which means that their leisure time is decreasing concomitantly, with only 20 hours per week being used in pursuit of leisure activities.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate 1502 casino employees’ personality types and the relationship it has on their leisure life and overall happiness.Motivation for the study: The importance of leisure participation and time to take part in leisure activities, and the effect it has on casino employees’ happiness in the workplace, warrants further investigation. If human resources managers and general management want happier casino employees in the workplace, they should focus on their personality types and make more leisure activities available to them; which will result in a happier workforce.Research design, approach and method: The target population consisted of 3032 casino employees, who received the questionnaires and were given the opportunity to complete the questionnaires anonymously. An availability sampling technique was used, based on the number of casino employees who were willing and available to complete the questionnaires.Main findings and practical/managerial implications: In terms of the structural equation modelling, it was found that the positive personalities such as extraversion and openness to experience correlated well with leisure life and happiness. In this study, the standardised regression weights showed that if an individual has a negative personality, he or she will not necessarily be unhappy. A positive relationship was found between positive personality traits such as cooperativeness and agreeableness and leisure life and happiness. Considering mediation effects, leisure preference was the greatest partial mediator between happiness and personalities.Contribution: Human resource managers of casino establishments can use these results to determine the type of personality of casino employees that will experience a good leisure life and happiness in relation to the workplace, contributing to positive psychology and human resource literature. Keywords: Casino employees; employee benefits; feelings toward the company; happiness; human resource management

Neuroticism and State Differences in Partisanship in the USA: Emotional Stability, Ideological Orientation, and Republican Preference

Relations between Neuroticism, Republican-Democrat preference, and conservative-liberal ideological orientation were examined with the states of the USA as units of analysis. State-aggregated Neuroticism scores were based on 1999-2005 responses of 619,397 residents to the 44-item Big Five Inventory. State Republican-Democrat preference was based on the 2002 occupancy of the U.S. Presidency, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, state House, state Senate, and state Governorship, as well as state-aggregated partisanship responses of 110,305 persons to 1998-2002 CBS/New York Times national polls. State conservative-liberal ideological orientation was based on 1998-2002 state-aggregated responses of 103,828 persons to CBS/New York Times national polls. Using correlation, partial correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression, it was determined that lower state resident Neuroticism is associated with Republican preference, and that both conservative-liberal ideological orientation and state resident Neuroticism account independently for variance in Republican-Democrat preference. These relations were found when 1998-2002 state socioeconomic status, white percent, and urban percent were statistically considered and controlled in partial correlation and hierarchical regression analysis. In contrast, corresponding analyses involving the other Big Five showed that only Openness and Conscientiousness showed any relation to partisanship, albeit infrequent and inconsistent. State resident Neuroticism is the primary state-level Big Five predictor of Republican/Democratic Party choice.

A Conceptual and Methodological Framework for Psychometric Isomorphism

The conceptual and methodological framework for measurement equivalence procedures has been well established and widely used. Although multilevel theories and methods have been widely used in organizational research, there is no comparable framework for measurement equivalence of multilevel constructs, or psychometric isomorphism. In this article, we present a conceptual and methodological framework for understanding and testing various forms of isomorphism. Within this framework, we explicate (a) the different types of psychometric isomorphism, (b) the conditions where psychometric isomorphism is appropriate and necessary, (c) how psychometric isomorphism corresponds with different composition models and estimation methods, and (d) the analytic procedures that can be used. Using simulated data, we also illustrate how the proposed procedures may be applied via two analytic methods—item response theory and factor analysis. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and methodological implications provided by the proposed framework of psychometric isomorphism.

Pathways From Personality to Happiness

Personal sense of uniqueness, a major construct in humanistic psychology, has been recently shown to be a robust correlate of happiness. Yet the antecedents of this experience are not known. To address this limitation, we focused on extraversion and openness to experience, the two traits referred to as plasticity in higher-order framework of personality, as predictors of uniqueness and happiness. In light of theory and past empirical research, we proposed that the two traits representing plasticity would promote a sense of uniqueness, which in turn influence happiness. This model was tested in a college sample ( N = 370) by relying on structural equation modeling. Results showed that uniqueness mediated the associations of extraversion and openness to experience with happiness. This model was supported when the effects of neuroticism, a marker of vulnerability to psychopathology, on uniqueness was taken into account. The implications of the findings for future research were addressed and sense of uniqueness as an element of a good life was highlighted.

Scalar Equivalence of OPQ32

Scalar equivalence of Big Five scale scores, derived from OPQ32i data, for over one million people are reviewed in terms of differences between 31 countries involving over 20 different languages. Strong relationships are found between country average scale scores and country standard deviations ( SDs), on the one hand, and two of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, on the other. Country SDs are also seen to vary with cultural “tightness” ratings. Country-level performance indicators are also examined (the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index and UN Human Development indices). Strong correlations are found between these indicators and both country-level mean personality scores and SDs of personality scores. While Hofstede’s dimensions also predict variation in global competitiveness ( R = 0.66), adding OPQ32 Big Five personality scale data increases the level of prediction to R = 0.84. It is argued that the strength of these relationships with independent country-level metrics supports the view that between-country differences represent true score variance rather than systematic instrument-related biases.

Chronic medical problems and distressful thoughts of suicide in primary care patients: mitigating role of happiness

OBJECTIVE

Chronic medical problems might amplify suicide risk in later life. Feelings of happiness may reduce this risk. We tested the hypothesis that happiness attenuates the association between number of self-reported chronic diseases and suicidal distress.

METHODS

A sample of 1,801 depressed, primary care patients, 60 years of age or older, entering a clinical trial, were assessed for the presence of positive emotion, suicidal distress and self-reported chronic medical problems.

RESULTS

Chronic medical problems are associated with suicide ideation and, as hypothesized, happiness attenuates the relationship between self-reported diseases and suicidal distress.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased risk for distressing thoughts of suicide in the context of medical illness is predicted by the presence of positive emotions. Our results suggest that treatments designed to help older primary care patients identify sources of joy and enhance happiness might decrease suicide risk.

A Theory of the Emergence, Persistence, and Expression of Geographic Variation in Psychological Characteristics

Volumes of research show that people in different geographic regions differ psychologically. Most of that work converges on the conclusion that there are geographic differences in personality and values, but little attention has been paid to developing an integrative account of how those differences emerge, persist, and become expressed at the geographic level. Drawing from research in psychology and other social sciences, we present a theoretical account of the mechanisms through which geographic variation in psychological characteristics emerge and persist within regions, and we propose a model for conceptualizing the processes through which such characteristics become expressed in geographic social indicators. The proposed processes were examined in the context of theory and research on personality traits. Hypotheses derived from the model were tested using personality data from over half a million U.S. residents. Results provided preliminary support for the model, revealing clear patterns of regional variation across the U.S. and strong relationships between state-level personality and geographic indicators of crime, social capital, religiosity, political values, employment, and health. Overall, this work highlights the potential insights generated by including macrolevel perspectives within psychology and suggests new routes to bridging theory and research across several disciplines in the social sciences.

Hypertension and happiness across nations

In surveys of well-being, countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands emerge as particularly happy while nations like Germany and Italy report lower levels of happiness. But are these kinds of findings credible? This paper provides some evidence that the answer is yes. Using data on 16 countries, it shows that happier nations report systematically lower levels of hypertension. As well as potentially validating the differences in measured happiness across nations, this suggests that blood-pressure readings might be valuable as part of a national well-being index. A new ranking of European nations' GHQ-N6 mental health scores is also given.

Neuroticism and Physical Disorders Among Adults in the Community: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey

To examine the association between neuroticism and physical disorders among adults in the United States, data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (n = 5,877). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between neuroticism and physical disorders among adults in the community, adjusting for differences in demographic characteristics and comorbid mental disorders.Results indicated that neuroticism was associated with significantly elevated rates of a wide range of physical disorders, with the exception of stroke. After adjusting for differences in demographic characteristics and comorbid mental disorders, neuroticism was associated with increased odds of arthritis (OR = 1.5), diabetes (OR = 3.33), kidney/liver disease (OR = 2.56), stomach/gallbladder problems (OR = 2.27), and ulcer (OR = 3.23). Based on those findings, neuroticism appears to be a general predictor of a range of physical health problems among adults in the United States. Much of this association appears to be partially mediated by comorbid mental disorders, yet the association between neuroticism and arthritis, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, stomach problems, and ulcer persist even after adjusting for differences in demographic characteristics and comorbid mental disorders. Future studies that can examine the nature and mechanism of these linkages across the lifespan are needed next.

Personality profiles of cultures: Aggregate personality traits

Personality profiles of cultures can be operationalized as the mean trait levels of culture members. College students from 51 cultures rated an individual from their country whom they knew well (N=12,156). Aggregate scores on Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) scales generalized across age and sex groups, approximated the individual-level 5-factor model, and correlated with aggregate self-report personality scores and other culture-level variables. Results were not attributable to national differences in economic development or to acquiescence. Geographical differences in scale variances and mean levels were replicated, with Europeans and Americans generally scoring higher in Extraversion than Asians and Africans. Findings support the rough scalar equivalence of NEO-PI-R factors and facets across cultures and suggest that aggregate personality profiles provide insight into cultural differences.

Personality dimensions across cultures

In order to generalize the dimensional structure of personality-relatively independent groups of covarying traits-across languages and cultures, a large number of cultures must be studied. Until recently only a few worldwide personality datasets have been available. The first large-scale studies indicate that the pattern of covariation between personality traits is universal and is relatively easily generalizable across languages and cultures. In contrast to the structure of personality, the comparison of the mean trait scores across cultures is much more problematic because cross-cultural differences turned out to be very small in their magnitude, about one-third of the magnitude of individual differences within culture. More integral (e.g., the similarity between personality profiles) or subtle (e.g., the disparity between positively and negatively worded items) measures can reveal more systematic relationships with relevant socioeconomic and geographic variables than the mean scores themselves. Relatively modest sizes of cross-cultural differences in the mean values may imply that a reasonable scalar equivalence can be achieved, and all individuals, irrespective of their language and culture, can be represented in a common metric.