Positive and negative affect as predictors of social functioning in Spanish children

Relationship Between Change in Participation and Later Mental Health Problems in Children

BACKGROUND

Participation in everyday activities is beneficial for mental health. However, little is known about the extent to which changes in children's participation are associated with later mental health.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between changes in the frequency and involvement in home, school, and community activities and subsequent mental health problems in children. Methodology: We recruited 242 school-aged children. Their parents completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth twice, and after 2 years, they completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

RESULTS

After controlling for demographic factors, hierarchical regression analysis revealed that reductions in children's involvement in home and community activities were significantly associated with elevated levels of externalizing and internalizing problems. Furthermore, an increase in children's involvement in school activities showed significant relationships with better mental health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

These findings inform participation-based interventions for occupational therapists aimed at mitigating children's future mental health problems.

Validation of the parents' version of the KINDLR and Kiddy Parents questionnaire in a South African context

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess the usefulness of the parent version of the KINDLR and the additional items of the Kiddy Parents questionnaire in the South-African context and to validate it as an appropriate tool for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHOD

The ExAMIN Youth SA study was designed to investigate lifestyle behaviours, including psychosocial factors that may adversely impact on cardiovascular health of children. Construct validity was examined by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, while internal consistency was tested by Cronbach's alpha. The final factor structure was confirmed by model fit indices.

RESULTS

The study included children (n = 1088) aged between 5 and 10 years in North-West, South Africa. The reliability coefficients of the original factors could not be reproduced in this data set, with the Cronbach's alphas ranging between 0.46 and 0.78. With exploratory factor analysis, including the additional items, our data supported a 7-factor structure with acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.68-0.79; Omega: 0.75-0.85) and acceptable model fit indices (CFI: 0.91; TLI: 0.90; RMSEA: 0.05; SRMR: 0.07). Two factors (emotional wellbeing and everyday functioning) further split into separate factors for positive and negative experiences related to each of these dimensions.

CONCLUSION

We confirmed a new factor structure of the parent version of the KINDLR and the additional items of the Kiddy Parents questionnaire, which can be used in the African context. Although the new factor structure has great overlap with the original structure, some items did not contribute to the factors as expected. Language and cultural differences between the original German group and the current South African study group resulted in a different factor structure.

Personality and emotional intelligence of researchers: The importance of affects

Researchers, who play a crucial role in knowledge production, deal with various emotions in their challenging work environment. Their personality might affect how well they manage their emotions, but their moods could help counteract these effects. This study aims to investigate whether researchers' moods influence the connection between their personality and emotional intelligence. 7,463 Spanish researchers replied to an online survey. Responses analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling show significant positive relationships between the big five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability) and emotional intelligence. In addition, positive affect positively mediates the relationships between each of the personality traits and emotional intelligence, and negative affect mediates the same relationships but negatively. The importance of managing emotional states to regulate emotional experiences in the work of researchers is discussed.

Mental health, gender, and higher education attainment

We compared the mental health of higher education students with that of nonstudents. Moreover, we examined whether the mental health of students predicts their probability of obtaining a higher education degree, and whether the extent to which mental health affects educational attainment varies by gender. Drawing on a risk and resilience framework, we considered five facets of mental health that may be implicated in distinct ways in the educational attainment process: positive attitude towards life, self-esteem, self-efficacy, negative affectivity, and perceived stress. We used data from a nationally representative panel study from Switzerland (Nstudents = 2070, 42.8% male; Nnonstudents = 3755, 45.9% male). The findings suggest that overall, the mental health of higher education students was relatively similar to that of nonstudents, although students exhibited slightly higher self-esteem, slightly weaker self-efficacy, greater negative affectivity, and higher levels of perceived stress. The effects of different facets of mental health on higher education degree attainment were mostly statistically and/or practically insignificant. However, positive attitudes towards life had a substantial positive effect on the probability of being awarded a higher education degree. Mental health was equally important for male and female students' educational attainment.

Supplementary Information

The online version of this article (10.1007/s11618-023-01187-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Addressing Anxiety and Stress for Healthier Eating in Teens (ASSET): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol for Reducing Anxiety, Disinhibited Eating, Excess Weight Gain, and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adolescent Girls

(1) Background: Standard-of-care lifestyle interventions show insufficient effectiveness for the prevention and treatment of excess weight and its associated cardiometabolic health concerns in adolescents, necessitating more targeted preventative approaches. Anxiety symptoms are common among adolescents, especially girls at risk for excess weight gain, and have been implicated in the onset and maintenance of disinhibited eating. Thus, decreasing elevated anxiety in this subset of adolescent girls may offer a targeted approach to mitigating disinhibited eating and excess weight gain to prevent future cardiometabolic health problems. (2) Methods: The current paper describes the protocol for a multisite pilot and feasibility randomized controlled trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) in N = 40 adolescent girls (age 12-17 years) with elevated anxiety symptoms and body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) ≥ 75th percentile for age/sex. (3) Results: Primary outcomes are multisite feasibility of recruitment, protocol procedures, and data collection, intervention fidelity, retention at follow-ups, and acceptability of interventions and study participation. (4) Conclusions: Findings will inform the protocol for a future fully-powered multisite randomized controlled trial to compare CBT and IPT efficacy for reducing excess weight gain and preventing adverse cardiometabolic trajectories, as well as to evaluate theoretically-informed treatment moderators and mediators.

Predictive models for social functioning in healthy young adults: A machine learning study integrating neuroanatomical, cognitive, and behavioral data

Poor social functioning is an emerging public health problem associated with physical and mental health consequences. Developing prognostic tools is critical to identify individuals at risk for poor social functioning and guide interventions. We aimed to inform prediction models of social functioning by evaluating models relying on bio-behavioral data using machine learning. With data from the Human Connectome Project Healthy Young Adult sample (age 22-35, N = 1,101), we built Support Vector Regression models to estimate social functioning from variable sets of brain morphology to behavior with increasing complexity: 1) brain-only model, 2) brain-cognition model, 3) cognition-behavioral model, and 4) combined brain-cognition-behavioral model. Predictive accuracy of each model was assessed and the importance of individual variables for model performance was determined. The combined and cognition-behavioral models significantly predicted social functioning, whereas the brain-only and brain-cognition models did not. Negative affect, psychological wellbeing, extraversion, withdrawal, and cortical thickness of the rostral middle-frontal and superior-temporal regions were the most important predictors in the combined model. Results demonstrate that social functioning can be accurately predicted using machine learning methods. Behavioral markers may be more significant predictors of social functioning than brain measures for healthy young adults and may represent important leverage points for preventative intervention.

Affect and Cognitive Closure in Students—A Step to Personalised Education of Clinical Assessment in Psychology with the Use of Simulated and Virtual Patients

Introduction: Since there was no general model of competencies to determine a successful clinical assessment, we based our study on the many skills that are needed to perform one. We analysed students’ learning performance based on inner determinants, such as affect and cognitive closure, with the use of two teaching methods (i.e., simulated patient (SP) or virtual patient (VP)). Methods: The sample comprised 56 fifth-year clinical psychology students. The need for closure (NFC) and efficacy in fulfilling the need for closure (EFNC) were measured using standardised questionnaires. The authors’ VP and SP tools were used to teach and measure the effectiveness of learning psychological interview techniques and clinical reasoning. Clinical interview skills included building contact with the patient, gathering important information and making mistakes. Clinical reasoning skills were divided into eight dimensions for the assessment of mental health. Results: Affect and cognitive closure are important psychological variables in anticipating and developing interview and clinical reasoning skills for psychology students. The simulated patient was more effective for interview skills, while the virtual patient was a beneficial teaching tool for most clinical reasoning skills. Virtual patient training was a useful teaching method for students with a low EFNC, probably because it provided a stable and strong structure. Simulated patient training was effective for people with a high EFNC, presumably because it allowed them to build on their advanced structuring skills. Conclusions: Affect and cognitive closure can be used to identify students’ learning abilities to provide a more personalised education. The results of the present study may be useful for evaluating different teaching methods, monitoring their effectiveness and enhancing students’ performance.

Study of Positive and Negative Affect and Neurocognitive Functioning in Adolescents

The main purpose of the present work was to study neurocognitive performance of adolescents at risk for emotional difficulties. The sample included a total of 1,509 adolescents from stratified random cluster sampling. Derived from this sample, a group of high-risk (n = 92) and a comparison group (n = 92) were selected based on the short version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for comparison on the University of Pennsylvania computerized neuropsychological test battery for children (PENN). A Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was performed taking the scores on the PENN as dependent variables and the two groups derived from the scores of the PANAS (at risk vs. comparison) as a fixed factor. Adolescents at high risk of presenting affectivity problems showed statistically significant differences in several different neurocognitive domains, in accuracy, λ = .820, F(9, 160,000) = 3.913, p < .01, partial η² = .180; speed, λ = .502, F(5, 88,000)= 17.493, p < .01, partial η² = .498; and efficiency, λ = .485, F(4, 89,000) = 23.599, p <.01, partial η² = .515. The high risk group showed lower neurocognitive performance than the comparison group. In addition, a positive statistically significant correlation was found between all the neurocognitive competences (p < .05). Results found in this study reveal that neurocognitive impairments can be shown in adolescents at psychometric high risk for emotional problems before transition to more severe psychological problems.

Impact of total sleep deprivation and related mood changes on approach-avoidance decisions to threat-related facial displays

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Total sleep deprivation is known to have significant detrimental effects on cognitive and socio-emotional functioning. Nonetheless, the mechanisms by which total sleep loss disturbs decision-making in social contexts are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impact of total sleep deprivation on approach/avoidance decisions when faced with threatening individuals, as well as the potential moderating role of sleep-related mood changes.

METHODS

Participants (n = 34) made spontaneous approach/avoidance decisions in the presence of task-irrelevant angry or fearful individuals, while rested or totally sleep deprived (27 h of continuous wakefulness). Sleep-related changes in mood and sustained attention were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affective Scale and the psychomotor vigilance task, respectively.

RESULTS

Rested participants avoided both fearful and angry individuals, with stronger avoidance for angry individuals, in line with previous results. On the contrary, totally sleep deprived participants favored neither approach nor avoidance of fearful individuals, while they still comparably avoided angry individuals. Drift-diffusion models showed that this effect was accounted for by the fact that total sleep deprivation reduced value-based evidence accumulation toward avoidance during decision making. Finally, the reduction of positive mood after total sleep deprivation positively correlated with the reduction of fearful display avoidance. Importantly, this correlation was not mediated by a sleep-related reduction in sustained attention.

CONCLUSIONS

All together, these findings support the underestimated role of positive mood-state alterations caused by total sleep loss on approach/avoidance decisions when facing ambiguous socio-emotional displays, such as fear.

Temperament and the Impact of Stuttering in Children Aged 8-14 Years

Purpose The goal of this study was to evaluate possible associations between child- and mother-reported temperament, stuttering severity, and child-reported impact of stuttering in school-age children who stutter. Method Participants were 123 children who stutter (94 boys and 29 girls) who were between 9;0 and 14;10 (years;months) and their mothers. Temperament was assessed with the revised child and parent version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (Ellis & Rothbart, 2001). The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (Yaruss & Quesal, 2006) was used to evaluate the stuttering impact. Results Child- and mother-reported Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised temperament factors correlated moderately. No statistically significant associations were found between temperament and stuttering severity. The temperament factors of Surgency (both child- and mother-reported) and Negative Affect (only child-reported) correlated moderately with the Overall Impact and several subsections (i.e., Speaker's Reactions, Daily Communication, and/or Quality of Life) of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Conclusions More extraverted and less fearful/shy children experience a lower overall impact of their stuttering. Children with higher levels of irritability and frustration experience a higher overall impact of their stuttering. Since children's ratings of temperament were more sensitive to these associations than mothers, this study supports the inclusion of child-reported temperament questionnaires in future research.

Social functioning in schizotypy: How affect influences social behavior in daily life

OBJECTIVE

Social deficits are already exhibited by people at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Technological advances have made passive detection of social deficits possible at granular levels.

METHOD

In this real-world study, we tested if schizotypy status (high/low) predicted two types of social behavior: (1) being around other people; and (2) actively socializing with others. We also examined if schizotypy influences relationships between social behavior and affect using subjective and objective instruments.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed that socializing with others was significantly decreased in the high schizotypy group. Positive affect increased in social situations and predicted later social behavior in those low, but not high, in schizotypy.

CONCLUSION

Decreased social behavior in schizotypy may be explained, in part, by these individuals being less incentivized than their peers to pursue social situations. Future studies should test this explanation in larger samples exhibiting elevated positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy traits.

Validation of a general subjective well-being factor using Classical Test Theory

BACKGROUND

Subjective Well-Being (SWB) is usually conceptualized in terms of an affective (i.e., judgements of biological emotional reactions and experiences) and a cognitive component (i.e., judgements of life satisfaction in relation to a psychological self-imposed ideal). Recently, researchers have suggested that judgements of harmony in life can replace or at least complement the cognitive component of SWB. Here, however, we go beyond that suggestion and propose that harmony in life should be seen as SWB's social component since it is the sense of balance between the individual and the world around her-a process that comprises acceptance, adaptation, and balance. By adding judgements of one's social interactions (i.e., harmony in life) to judgments of one's life satisfaction (psycho) and judgements of one's emotional reactions (bio), we propose a tentatively biopsychosocial model of SWB. As a first step, we used different factorial models in order to determine if both a general factor and specific sub-factors contribute to the biopsychosocial model of SWB.

METHOD

A total of 527 participants responded to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; 20 items), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; five items), and the Harmony in life Scale (HILS; five items). We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to validate the biopsychosocial model of subjective well-being and a general factor (SWBS).

RESULTS

The 20 PANAS items reflected a mixture of general latent structure saturation and specific latent structure saturation, but contributed to their respective specific latent factor (PA: 48%; NA: 49%) more than to the general latent SWBS factor (positive affect: 25%; negative affect: 32%). The five SWLS items contributed to a larger degree to the general SWBS factor (72%) than to life satisfaction itself (22%), while the five HILS items contributed to even a larger degree to the general SWBS factor (98%) than to harmony in life (0%). The bifactor model was the best model compared with all other models we tested (χ2 = 1,660.78, df = 375, p < 0.001); Satorra Bentler χ2 = 1,265.80, df = 375, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.92; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.067. This model of a general SWBS factor explained about 64% of the total variance in the model, while specific SWBS components together explained 15% of the total variance.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests SWB as a general factor in a multidimensional biopsychosocial model. Indeed, as much as 64% of the variance of SWB was explained by this general factor. The SWB components, however, contributed to a different degree to each corresponding factor in the model. For instance, while the affective and cognitive components seem to be their own constructs and also part of the general SWB factor, the social component tested here contributed 0% to its own variance but 98% to the general factor.

Factorial Invariance, Latent Mean Differences of the Panas and Affective Profiles and Its Relation to Social Anxiety in Ecuadorian Sample

Positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) are related with aspects that are part of people’s psychological well-being, and the possibility of combining both dimensions to create four affective profiles, self-fulfilling (high PA and low NA), low affective (low PA and low NA), high affective (high PA and high NA) and self-destructive (low PA and high NA), has recently appeared. The current work aims to validate the short version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in Ecuador, test the existence of the four affective profiles and analyze its relation with social anxiety. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents was employed in a sample of 1786 Ecuadorian students aged from 15 to 18 years (M = 16.31, SD = 1.01). The factorial invariance of the scale across sex and age groups was proved and latent mean analyses showed that girls and 18-year-old students obtained the highest scores in negative affect. With regard to the affective profiles, the cluster analyses confirmed the existence of the four mentioned profiles, and the self-fulfilling profile obtained the lowest scores in all the dimensions of social anxiety, whereas the self-destructive profile obtained the highest scores.

The study of Positive and Negative Affect in children and adolescents: New advances in a Spanish version of the PANAS

The study of affective disorders among young population has become increasingly relevant in the last years. The PANAS is a widely used questionnaire devoted to assess positive and negative affect. The main purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PANAS for children (PANAS). The sample consisted of 1032 children and adolescents aged between 10 and 15 years. The ESEM two factor model (Positive Affect and Negative Affect) was found as the most suitable model. The PANAS scores also showed acceptable internal consistency. The ESEM two factor model was invariant across gender and educational level. Results showed statistically significant differences in the latent mean scores with females scoring higher than males in and younger students scoring lower in PA. Positive and negative affect were related with external variables of well-being. The present psychometric study supports the PANAS as a brief and useful tool for the screening of PA and NA in children and adolescents.