The Moderating Role of Hope in the Relationship Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Anxiety Among Early Adolescents

Associations between perfectionism and symptoms of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression in young people: a meta-analysis

Perfectionism is a transdiagnostic process contributing to the onset and maintenance of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the association between perfectionism, and symptoms of anxiety, OCD and depression among young people aged 6-24 years. A systematic literature search retrieved a total of 4,927 articles, with 121 studies included (Mpooled age = ~17.70 years). Perfectionistic concerns demonstrated significant moderate pooled correlations with symptoms of anxiety (r = .37-.41), OCD (r = .42), and depression (r = .40). Perfectionistic strivings demonstrated significant, small correlations with symptoms of anxiety (r = .05) and OCD (r = .19). The findings highlight the substantial link between perfectionistic concerns and psychopathology in young people, and to a smaller extent perfectionistic strivings, anxiety, and OCD. The results indicate the importance of further research on early intervention for perfectionism to improve youth mental health.

Loneliness before and after COVID-19: Sense of Coherence and Hope as Coping Mechanisms

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major threat to public health, with long-lasting consequences for the daily habits and practices of people around the world. The combination of hazardous health conditions and extensive changes to people's daily routines due to lockdowns, social restrictions, and employment uncertainty have led to mental health challenges, reduced levels of subjective wellbeing, and increased maladaptive behaviors and emotional distress. Nevertheless, some studies have reported increased adaptive functioning and resilience after the pandemic, suggesting a more complex pattern of effects. The goals of the current study were to explore the role of two coping variables, sense of coherence and hope, in people's emotional wellbeing and adaptation in dealing with loneliness before and after such a stressful period. In a cross-sectional study, 974 Israeli participants (sample 1: 540 participants before the pandemic; sample 2: 434 participants after the pandemic restrictions) answered online questionnaires about their loneliness, hope and sense of coherence levels before and after the pandemic. While the two groups did not differ in their levels of hope, the participants in the group before COVID-19 reported lower levels of loneliness and sense of coherence. However, the results also indicated that although the COVID-19 pandemic was related to increased levels of loneliness, the participants' sense of coherence mediated this increase and their levels of hope moderated it. The theoretical contribution of these findings is discussed, as well as interventional implications and future directions.

Feedback-related negativity in perfectionists: An index of performance outcome evaluation

It has been suggested that maladaptive perfectionists are more prone to concern over their performance outcomes than adaptive perfectionists. Performance outcome evaluation is reflected in the amplitude of feedback-related negativity (FRN) in brain electroencephalography (EEG). Hence, the amplitude of the FRN after receiving unfavorable feedback indicating a negative performance outcome may reflect personality characteristics. In other words, EEG could be a better marker of personality characteristics than self-report measures. However, the FRN component has not yet been investigated between different types of perfectionists. In the present study, group differences in the FRN were examined between two groups of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists and a group of non-perfectionists during a monetary gambling task. We observed a larger FRN amplitude for adaptive perfectionists than for maladaptive perfectionists. This finding is consistent with previous reports that reward prediction error is reflected in the amplitude of the FRN. This difference in FRN could be interpreted as the pessimistic outcome expectation biases in maladaptive perfectionists.

A Literature Review on the Role of Hope in Promoting Positive Youth Development across Non-WEIRD Contexts

Theoretical and empirical evidence has identified hope as a key adolescent strength that is linked to positive youth developmental outcomes. Although hope must be understood from a cultural lens, most of the evidence regarding adolescent hope is derived from samples of white youth from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) nations. Therefore, in order to have a more comprehensive and global understanding of the antecedents, outcomes, and processes of hope, we apply a positive youth development perspective in order to review the literature (N = 52 studies) on hope from diverse cultural and international contexts. In organizing the findings by global region, our review provides evidence of the shared function of hope in promoting positive youth developmental outcomes and the usefulness of the Child Hope Scale across contexts. Family and parental relationships were identified as key assets in promoting hope; however, there exists cultural and contextual variation in what aspects of these relationships promote hope. We conclude this review by considering the priorities for research, practice, and policy, based on these findings.

The practice of hope in public health interventions: a qualitative single-case study

This study examines hope practices in the context of participation in a public health intervention. Theoretically, the study builds upon Cheryl Mattingly’s notion of hope as a practice, which renders the possibility of examining participants actions, interactions and challenges with participating. This analytical lens contributes knowledge about how interventions are incorporated into participants’ hopes for a future life and the consequences of intervening in peoples’ everyday lives. The study builds on empirical material from a pilot study of the primary preventive intervention known as TOF (Tidlig Opsporing og Forebyggelse—a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) which aimed to identify high risk individuals and provide targeted preventive services. A by-product of a larger qualitative study, itself based on the TOF pilot study in 2019, this single-case study illustrates how participants’ life situation influence how they interpret and manage activities in a public health intervention. The study shows how the practice of hope in public health interventions is closely linked to participants’ own interpretations of how participation can lead to a life worth living. The findings, which show that participants’ needs, and life situation influence the ways in which they respond to an intervention, adds to the complexity in intervention research. Further, the study illustrates some of the ethical challenges that arise when researchers intervene in people’s everyday life. It reinforces the need for ongoing critical reflection and attention to be directed at how those being studied articulate and practice hope.

The relationship between real-life social support and Internet addiction among the elderly in China

Internet addiction among the elderly is a novel issue in many countries. However, extant research about excessive use of the Internet is focusing on adolescents and younger adults. There are few studies to explore the topic of the elderly's Internet addiction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between real-life social support and Internet addiction among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article adopted a self-reported questionnaire via internet links to collect data. A total of 303 valid samples about Internet addiction for the elderly were obtained in China. The results suggested that real-life social support is significantly and negatively related to Internet addiction among the aged. Moreover, the findings revealed that real-life social support could mitigate Internet addiction by increasing the levels of hopefulness and decreasing the feeling of loneliness. We expect that this study can enrich the understanding of the problematic Internet usage within older populations. Finally, the contributions, practical significance, and limitations of this study were discussed.

The association between insecurity and subjective well-being among youth during the COVID-19 outbreak: A moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Sudden and unpredictable changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly threatened the psychological well-being and increased insecurity among adolescents worldwide. At a critical developmental stage, the well-being of the youth is more vulnerable to adverse environments. This study constructed a moderated mediation model to explore the buffering factors between insecurity and subjective well-being of the youth during the pandemic.

METHODS

During the COVID-19 outbreak in June 2020, data of 5,503 Chinese youth (15-29 years old) were collected via an online questionnaire. Subjective well-being, insecurity, self-control, and hope were measured, and the moderated mediation model was analyzed.

RESULTS

Findings from this study showed that with the mediating effect of self-control, insecurity negatively predicted subjective well-being, and hope moderated the association between insecurity and self-control. Specifically, the link between insecurity and self-control was stronger when hope was low but weaker when hope was high.

LIMITATIONS

Since this study was mainly conducted in China, and considering the continuous change of the pandemic on a global scale, it is of great significance to conduct cross-cultural and cross-time studies in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that self-control and hope play important roles in buffering the negative effects of insecurity on the subjective well-being of adolescents and young adults. The findings provide implications for reducing the negative impact of insecurity from a positive psychology perspective and for youth mental health interventions during public health crises.

Development of the Coronavirus Anxiety Model in the Elderly: Based on Hope and Health-Related Quality of Life With the Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support

This study examined the mediation role of perceived social support in the association between hope and health-related quality of life with coronavirus anxiety in the elderly. The research was conducted by descriptive method with a structural equations design. The population included all the over-60 elderly individuals residing in Sanandaj city, Iran, in 2021. Among them, 220 individuals were selected through available sampling method. To gather the data, the questionnaires of coronavirus anxiety, perceived social support, hope and health-related quality of life were used. Data analysis was conducted by using structural equations modeling and via SPSSv23 and AMOSv26 software. Data analysis indicated that there is a significant and negative relationship between hope, health-related quality of life, and perceived coronavirus anxiety among the elderly. Moreover, perceived social support plays a mediating role in the relationship of both hope and health-related quality of life with coronavirus anxiety. The present study provided an important insight regarding the mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship of hope and health-related quality of life with coronavirus anxiety the elderly. Through creating programs to hold suitable interventions for improving perceived social support, the COVID-19-related anxiety can be reduced during its prevalence.

The Role of Hope to Alleviate Anxiety in COVID-19 Outbreak among Community Dwellers: An Online Cross-sectional Survey

Introduction: The worldwide emergence of COVID-19 has been associated with diverse consequences, including anxiety. Hope is believed to act as a motivation to enable one to cope with the anxiety. This study was conducted to identify the role of hope in alleviating anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak during the primary phase among community dwellers in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 3,565 subjects with the convenience sampling method. Data collection tools used included the COVID-19 knowledge checklist, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires and Snyder Hope Scale. Participants were asked to fill in the questionnaires online. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (multivariate linear regression analysis). Results: Participants’ mean scores of anxiety and hope were 6.06±4.52 and 31.27±4.52, respectively. The results indicated that 27.1% of the changes in the anxiety scores were predictable with some of the variables examined in this study. A high score of hope was directly associated with a lower level of anxiety. In addition, the number of hours spent following news and information on COVID-19 was significantly related to anxiety level. Moreover, female gender, urban residence, and having relatives suffering from COVID-19 were significantly related to a higher level of anxiety (P<0.05). Conclusion: The morbidity and mortality associated with the COVID-19 outbreak had brought a lot of anxiety among community dwellers. Hope, potentially, can contribute to overcoming anxiety. Therefore, health policymakers can introduce appropriate social interventions to enable the community to cope with stress and anxiety. Keywords: Generalised anxiety disorder, hope, mental health, pandemic

Perceived Stress, Hope, and Health Outcomes Among Medical Staff in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the buffering role of hope between perceived stress and health outcomes among front-line medical staff treating patients with suspected COVID-19 infection in Shenzhen, China. In the cross-sectional study with online questionnaires, medical staff's perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and hope were measured by the 10-item Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Locus-of-Hope Scale, respectively. A total of 319 eligible front-line medical staff participated. The prevalence of anxiety (29.70%), depression (28.80%), poor sleep quality (38.90%) indicated that a considerable proportion of medical staff experienced mood and sleep disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internal locus-of-hope significantly moderated the effects of stress on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. Moreover, external family locus-of-hope and external peer locus-of-hope significantly moderated the association between perceived stress and depression. The prevalence of symptoms indicates that both mental and physical health outcomes of front-line medical staff deserve more attention. Internal and external locus-of-hope functioned differently as protective factors for medical staffs' health and might be promising targets for intervention.