Associations Between Hypochondriacal Symptoms and Illness Appraisals, and Their Moderation by Self-Focused Attention

Influence of subjective social class and social mobility beliefs on self-focused attention: the mediating role of sense of control

We verified whether social class shapes different models of the self in China, by integrating individuals' social mobility beliefs and exploring the mediating effect of sense of control. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 (subjective social class: upper vs. low class) × 2 (social mobility beliefs: high vs. low mobility) manipulation conditions. They then completed the sense of control questionnaire and self-focused attention task. High mobility belief could alleviate the difference in perception among different subjective social classes and improve lower classes' control perception. Sense of control mediates subjective social class effects and social mobility beliefs on self-focused attention.

Effects of intergroup exclusion on individual needs threat and behavior tendencies

This study explores the effects of intergroup exclusion on need-threat and the behavioral tendencies of excluded individuals. Results show that those excluded by in-group members perceived more threat to relational needs, while participants excluded by out-group members perceived more threat to efficacy needs. In addition, participants excluded by out-group members displayed significantly more aggression intention and less helping intention than those who were excluded by in-group members. This study indicates that the group relationship between excluders and the excluded will directly affect threat perception and behavioral responses.

The mediating role of dysfunctional coping in the relationship between beliefs about the disease and the level of depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Aim. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most severe chronic diseases. In many cases it leads to disability and results in a decreased quality of life and increased levels of anxiety and depression. The problem that needs to be addressed is the following: which mental processes lead to increased levels of depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis? Methods. 210 patients with rheumatoid arthritis hospitalized in rheumatology wards took part in the research. They filled in illness perception questionnaires (IPQ-R) and questionnaires for testing strategies of handling stress (Mini-COPE) and the level of depression (CES-D). Results. The observed correlation coefficients indicate that several elements of the perception of one's disease moderately contribute to a high level of depression. Moreover, frequent use of dysfunctional coping strategies contributed to high levels of depression. Dysfunctional coping was moderately linked to depression. Conclusion. The conducted analyses confirmed the links between the beliefs about the disease and levels of depression and showed that the use of dysfunctional coping strategies mediates the relationship between the following elements of the representation of the disease: illness coherence, emotional representation, psychological attribution, risk factors, and the level of depression.