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Schlechter P, Bryant RA, Morina N. Do aversive well-being comparisons mediate the effects of childhood adversity on anxiety and depression? CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 154:106938. [PMID: 38972075 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood adversity (CA) is strongly associated with depression and anxiety in later life. Many adults with a history of CA may have internalized an insecure self-concept, which may contribute to negative evaluations of one's current well-being relative to different standards. Yet, there is lack of research on well-being comparisons in adults with a history of CA. OBJECTIVE We examined aversive well-being comparisons (i.e., comparisons threatening the comparer's motives) in the context of CA and their predictive value in depression and anxiety beyond self-esteem, emotion regulation, and external control beliefs. Further, we investigated whether well-being comparison processes mediate the relationship between CA and depression and anxiety. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING We conducted a two-wave longitudinal study with 942 adult participants (mean age: 31.56 years, SD = 10.49, 18-75 years). METHODS Participants completed measures of CA, aversive well-being comparisons (social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons), self-esteem, emotion regulation, and locus of control at two time points, three months apart. RESULTS CA was significantly linked to more frequent aversive well-being comparisons. These comparisons were associated with greater discrepancies relative to the comparison standard and a more negative affective impact, ultimately contributing to higher levels of subsequent anxiety and depression symptoms. Comparison frequency emerged as key mediator, highlighting potential pathways through which CA affects adult mental health. These associations emerged despite controlling for established variables in this context, namely self-esteem, emotion regulation, and external locus of control. CONCLUSION Our findings underscore the unique importance of aversive well-being comparisons in individuals with a history of CA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard A Bryant
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Schlechter P, Meyer T, Morina N. Comparison Is the Thief of Joy? Introducing the Attitudes Towards Social Comparison Inventory. Assessment 2024; 31:1052-1069. [PMID: 37876134 PMCID: PMC11134996 DOI: 10.1177/10731911231203968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Social comparison has a significant impact on individuals' motivation, affect, and behavior. However, we lack a scale that captures individual differences in attitudes toward social comparison. To address this gap, we developed the Attitudes Toward Social Comparison Inventory (ASCI) drawing on existing scales that tap into metacognitive beliefs about worrying, self-motives, beliefs about emotions, and the general comparative-processing model. We examined the psychometric properties of the ASCI in a longitudinal study (N = 1,084), and a second (N = 550) and third cross-sectional study (N = 306). Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we identified a 12-item two-factor solution capturing positive and negative attitudes toward social comparison. The ASCI demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and time. The two factors were differentially and longitudinally associated with relevant constructs, including social comparison, metacognitive beliefs about worrying, depression, self-concept clarity, envy, and self-esteem. The ASCI facilitates comprehensive investigations of social comparison processes.
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Schlechter P, Hoppen TH, Morina N. Associations among posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, life satisfaction, and well-being comparisons: A longitudinal investigation. J Trauma Stress 2024; 37:448-459. [PMID: 38342979 DOI: 10.1002/jts.23018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Many individuals who encounter potentially traumatic events go on to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research suggests that survivors of traumatic events frequently compare their current well-being to different standards; yet, knowledge regarding the role of comparative thinking in well-being is limited to a few cross-sectional studies. We therefore examined the temporal associations among aversive well-being comparisons (i.e., comparisons threatening self-motives), PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction in individuals exposed to traumatic events. Participants (N = 518) with a trauma history completed measures of PTSD symptoms and life satisfaction, as well as the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being (CSS-W), at assessment points 3 months apart. The CSS-W assesses the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of aversive social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons related to well-being. All participants reported having engaged in aversive well-being comparisons during the last 3 weeks. Comparison frequency emerged as a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms, β = .24, beyond baseline PTSD symptom severity. Life satisfaction contributed unique variance to the comparison process by predicting comparison frequency, β = -.18; discrepancy, β = -.24; and affective impact, β = .20. The findings suggest that frequent aversive comparisons may lead to a persistent focus on negative aspects of well-being, thereby exacerbating PTSD symptoms, and further indicate that comparison frequency, discrepancy, and affective impact are significantly influenced by life satisfaction. Taken together, the findings support the need for a thorough examination of the role of comparative thinking in clinical populations, which may ultimately help improve clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thole H Hoppen
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Schlechter P, Morina N. The Role of Aversive Appearance-Related Comparisons and Self-Discrepancy in Depression and Well-Being From a Longitudinal General Comparative-Processing Perspective. Behav Ther 2024; 55:636-648. [PMID: 38670674 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2023.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Research indicates that aversive appearance-related comparisons (i.e., perceived as threatening one's own motives) are associated with depressive symptoms. However, central elements underlying the comparison process are poorly understood. Drawing on central propositions of comparison theory, we hypothesized that an increased aversive comparison frequency instigates high levels of perceived comparison discrepancy to the standard, resulting in an intensified negative affective impact. Consequently, this heightened affective impact is expected to elicit more depressive symptoms and lower psychological well-being. We additionally expected that these pathways are moderated by dispositional self-discrepancies. In a two-wave longitudinal study, participants with elevated depressive symptoms (N = 500) responded to measures of self-discrepancy, depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Appearance. The latter assesses aversive social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons regarding their frequency, perceived discrepancy to the standard, and engendered affective impact. The affective impact after engaging in aversive appearance-related comparisons (partially) accounted for the relation between comparison discrepancy and subsequent depressive symptoms and psychological well-being. Perceived discrepancy to the aversive comparison standards was not a key variable in this process. Dispositional self-discrepancy emerged as moderator on different pathways. Clinical implications are discussed in light of central theoretical accounts from a general comparative-processing perspective.
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Meyer T, Sickinghe M, Matera V, Morina N. Comparison standards shape everyday judgments of low and high wellbeing in individuals with and without psychopathology: a diary-based investigation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4063. [PMID: 38374170 PMCID: PMC10876573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54681-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
People can easily rate and express their current levels of wellbeing, but the cognitive foundations for such judgments are poorly understood. We examined whether comparisons to varying standards underlie fluctuating wellbeing judgments within-person (i.e., throughout daily episodes) and between-person (i.e., high vs. low levels of psychopathology). Clinical and non-clinical participants recorded subjective affect for each distinct episode for one week. Participants briefly described current, best, and worst daily episodes, which we coded for presence and type of comparison standard (social, past temporal, criteria-based, counterfactual, prospective temporal, and dimensional). Participants also rated their engagement with these standards and the respective affective impact. During best episodes, participants reported more downward (vs. upward) comparisons that resulted in positive affective impact. In worst episodes, upward (vs. downward) comparisons were more frequent. In best and worst episodes, we most frequently identified past-temporal and criteria-based comparisons, respectively. The clinical group engaged more often with all potential standard types during worst daily episodes and was more negatively affected by comparative thoughts, amid consistently more negative affect levels across all episode types. Our data suggest that judgments of affect and wellbeing may indeed rely on comparative thinking, whereby certain standards may characterize states of negative affect and poor mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Meyer
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Marthe Sickinghe
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Vanessa Matera
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Schlechter P, Morina N. The associations among well-being comparisons and affective styles in depression, anxiety, and mental health quality of life. J Clin Psychol 2024; 80:355-369. [PMID: 37847587 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Frame-of-reference theories suggest that individuals use different comparison types to evaluate their well-being. Research indicates that the frequency of aversive well-being comparisons is related to depression, with engendered comparison affective impact partly accounting for this relationship. We aimed to replicate this finding, examine whether this extends to anxiety and mental health quality of life, and whether these pathways are moderated by affective styles of concealing, adjusting, and tolerating. We expected concealing as a response-focused style to be associated with higher effects of comparison affective impact on depression, anxiety, and mental health quality of life. Adjusting as an antecedent-focused strategy was expected to mitigate the effects of aversive comparison frequency on comparison affective impact, and the effects of comparison affective impact on the outcomes. Finally, tolerating was expected to be associated with lower effects on both pathways. METHODS AND MEASURES Participants (N = 596) responded to measures of well-being comparisons, affective styles, depression, anxiety, and mental health quality of life. RESULTS Frequency of aversive well-being comparisons was associated with all outcomes. These relationships were partially mediated by comparison affective impact. Adjustment moderated the pathway between aversive comparison frequency and comparison affective impact. No other moderation effect emerged. CONCLUSION The comparison process appears important in well-being evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Schlechter P, Hellmann JH, Morina N. The longitudinal relationship between well-being comparisons and anxiety symptoms in the context of uncontrollability of worries and external locus of control: a two-wave study. ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38248916 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2024.2306530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety is a prevalent mental health condition. Comparisons of one's own well-being to different aversive standards may contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety symptoms. OBJECTIVES Our primary goal was to investigate whether aversive well-being comparisons predict anxiety symptoms and vice versa. Additionally, we aimed at examining exploratorily whether well-being comparisons are reciprocally related to metacognitive beliefs about worrying and external control beliefs. METHODS In this two-wave longitudinal survey design, 922 participants completed measures of anxiety, metacognitions about the uncontrollability of worries, external locus of control, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being (CSS-W) at two timepoints, three-months apart. The CSS-W assesses the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of social, temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons. RESULTS When autoregressive effects were adjusted for, aversive comparison frequency, comparison affective impact, and uncontrollability of worries at the first timepoint predicted subsequent anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, well-being comparison frequency and discrepancy at the second timepoint were predicted by baseline anxiety symptoms. External locus of control predicted comparison frequency and discrepancy. CONCLUSIONS Well-being comparisons contribute distinct variance to anxiety symptoms and vice versa, pointing to a vicious cirlcle of symptom escalation. These findings have significant implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jens H Hellmann
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Morina N, Meyer T, McCarthy PA, Hoppen TH, Schlechter P. Evaluation of the Scales for Social Comparison of Appearance and Social Comparison of Well-Being. J Pers Assess 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38215337 DOI: 10.1080/00223891.2023.2298887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
People constantly compare their appearance and well-being to that of other individuals. However, a measure of social comparison of well-being is lacking and existing appearance-related social comparison assessment is limited to comparison tendency using predefined social situations. This limits our understanding of the role of social comparison in appearance and well-being. Therefore, we developed the Scale for Social Comparison of Appearance (SSC-A) and the Scale for Social Comparison of Well-Being (SSC-W) to assess upward and downward social comparisons with regard to (a) frequency, (b) perceived discrepancy to the standard, and (c) engendered affective impact during the last 3 weeks. In one longitudinal and three cross-sectional studies (Ns = 500-1,121), we administered the SSC-A or SSC-W alongside measures of appearance social comparison, body satisfaction, self-concept, social rank, well-being, envy, rumination, depression, and anxiety. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the expected two-factor model representing upward and downward social comparison for both scales. Overall, upward comparison displayed the anticipated associations with the measured constructs, whereas downward comparison showed mostly small or nonsignificant correlations with the validators. The SSC-A and SSC-W are efficient measures of social comparison for appearance and well-being with good evidence for their reliability and validity in our samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nexhmedin Morina
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Meyer
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Peter A McCarthy
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Thole H Hoppen
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Schlechter P, König M, McNally RJ, Morina N. Crying over spilled milk? A network analysis of aversive well-being comparison, brooding rumination and depressive symptoms. J Affect Disord 2023; 339:520-530. [PMID: 37467791 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comparative thinking about one's well-being is ubiquitous. Comparisons that threaten an individual's self-motives are aversive and interact with rumination and depression. Aversive well-being comparisons include upward social, past temporal, counterfactual, and criteria-based comparisons, as well as downward prospective temporal comparisons. Although the frequency, discrepancy, and affective impact of aversive comparison total scores have been associated with brooding rumination and depression, no study has investigated the interaction of specific comparison standards (e.g., social or counterfactual) with symptom cascades of brooding and depressive symptoms. METHODS To examine this interaction, we conducted network analyses on the interplay between aversive well-being comparisons, brooding rumination, and depression. Specifically, we conducted a cross-sectional study in N = 500 dysphoric individuals and a longitudinal study in N = 921 participants at two timepoints, three months apart. Participants completed measures of depression, brooding, and the Comparison Standards Scale for Well-being, which assessed the frequency, perceived discrepancy, and affective impact of aversive well-being comparisons. RESULTS Feelings of worthlessness emerged as the most central attribute in the networks of the dysphoric sample. Longitudinally, brooding and depressive symptoms predicted aversive comparisons, but not the other way around, which accounted for social and other-referent counterfactual comparisons to a greater degree than for other comparison types. LIMITATIONS We used nonclinical samples. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the critical role of comparison standards in depression. Further research is warranted to detect potential intervention targets for mitigating negative effects of negative self-evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meret König
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Richard J McNally
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, United States of America
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