Personality and well-being in adolescents

The Impact of Negative Moral Character on Health and the Role of Spirituality: A Narrative Literature Review

Although negative moral character is highly prevalent, it is not included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Along with the modification of WHO ICD-11, spirituality should be acknowledged for its potetnial role in the prevention of negative moral traits. This study aimed to explore the effects of negative moral character on health and determine the role of spirituality in improving negative moral traits. This narrative literature review was conducted from 2020 to 2023 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The articles were obtained from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. As demonstrated in this narrative literature review, most of the relevant experimental and observational studies have found that negative moral character can have significant negative impact on overall health and well-being. Many studies have established the positive role of spirituality in improving negative moral character. These studies concluded that facilities must be available within schools, universities, and communities for everyone to gain knowledge of spirituality and improve their negative moral character. Considering the adverse impacts of negative moral character on health, the current study proposes the addition of moral disorder to the WHO International Classification of Diseases. According to this literature review, spirituality will improve negative moral character and strengthen excellent moral traits.

The moderating and mediating effects of personality on the association between morningness and well-being

Background

Morningness (morning-eveningness preference or chronotypes) and personality can be both associated with well-being, but few studies have directly compared these two constructs as correlates of well-being. Thus, the first purpose of this study was to test the effects of interactions between stable personality traits (temperaments) and morningness on well-being. Furthermore, personality factors are often composed of both stable biological factors (temperament) and socio-cultural factors (character), and little is known about personality interplay of temperament and character factors with respect to morningness and well-being. The second purpose of this study was therefore to examine the sequential mediating effects of temperament and character factors on the relationship between morningness and well-being.

Methods

The Composite Scale of Morningness, the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short Version (TCI-RS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used to measure morningness, personality dimensions, and well-being, respectively, in 287 Korean university students. Moderating and sequentially mediating effects of temperament and character traits were determined using Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS after controlling for sex and age.

Results

First, novelty-seeking (NS) and persistence (PS) temperaments have demonstrated the moderating effect in the association between morningness and well-being. The positive effects of morningness on life satisfaction increased with lower NS and PS, respectively. However, other temperaments such as harm avoidance (HA) and reward dependence (RD) have not shown the moderation in the relationship between morningness on well-being. Second, HA temperament and self-directedness (SD) character sequentially mediated the relationship between morningness and well-being. The combination of low scores of HA and high scores of SD have shown the positive effect on the relationship between morningness and well-being.

Discussion

This study demonstrated that both the interactions between temperaments and morningness, and combination of specific TCI-RS temperament and character traits play important roles in influencing the association between morningness and well-being. The significance of the mature SD character and its implications for well-being are discussed with limitation of the present study.

Three joint temperament-character configurations account for learning, personality and well-being: normative demographic findings in a representative national population

Introduction

A common practice in research and clinical practice is to use data considered representative of a target population to compare and understand the personality characteristics of specific groups or specific individuals. To this end, numerous studies have presented normative data for the temperament and character traits outlined in Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality. However, recent genomic evidence demonstrates that human personality is organized as a complex hierarchy that ascends beyond the individual traits to multi-trait profiles that regulate emotional reactivity (temperament profiles) or goals and values (character profiles), and then to three phenotypic networks, which integrate temperament profiles and character profiles, that regulate learning. Given this recent understanding, our aim was to provide a novel and more comprehensive description of personality features at a societal level (using a stratified sample representative of the Portuguese population) by considering personality at its higher levels of complexity.

Methods

Toward this goal, a stratified sample of 2,443 Portuguese adults responded to the Revised Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R).

Results

We summarize the prevalence of (a) temperament profiles, (b) character profiles, and (c) integrated temperament-character networks within the whole sample, as well as for men vs. women and different age groups separately. Independent of age and education, women were more likely to be capable of resourceful productivity and helpful cooperation combined with being more intuitive, meditative and creative than men. Independent of age and gender, individuals with a degree were also more likely to present these biopsychosocial features. We also found that the organized character profile was most typical of adults in their 40s. Finally, the distribution of personality profiles across age differed as a function of gender: for men the oldest individuals had the most coherent personalities while high personality integration was most prevalent for women in their 30s.

Discussion

These results have strong implications for research and intervention. In particular, these results are relevant for understanding the epidemiology of interactions between personality, mental health and well-being, including their expressions in a national population as a function of demographic characteristics.

Temperament & Character account for brain functional connectivity at rest: A diathesis-stress model of functional dysregulation in psychosis

The human brain's resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) provides stable trait-like measures of differences in the perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning of individuals. The rsFC of the prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to mediate a person's rational self-government, as is also measured by personality, so we tested whether its connectivity networks account for vulnerability to psychosis and related personality configurations. Young adults were recruited as outpatients or controls from the same communities around psychiatric clinics. Healthy controls (n = 30) and clinically stable outpatients with bipolar disorder (n = 35) or schizophrenia (n = 27) were diagnosed by structured interviews, and then were assessed with standardized protocols of the Human Connectome Project. Data-driven clustering identified five groups of patients with distinct patterns of rsFC regardless of diagnosis. These groups were distinguished by rsFC networks that regulate specific biopsychosocial aspects of psychosis: sensory hypersensitivity, negative emotional balance, impaired attentional control, avolition, and social mistrust. The rsFc group differences were validated by independent measures of white matter microstructure, personality, and clinical features not used to identify the subjects. We confirmed that each connectivity group was organized by differential collaborative interactions among six prefrontal and eight other automatically-coactivated networks. The temperament and character traits of the members of these groups strongly accounted for the differences in rsFC between groups, indicating that configurations of rsFC are internal representations of personality organization. These representations involve weakly self-regulated emotional drives of fear, irrational desire, and mistrust, which predispose to psychopathology. However, stable outpatients with different diagnoses (bipolar or schizophrenic psychoses) were highly similar in rsFC and personality. This supports a diathesis-stress model in which different complex adaptive systems regulate predisposition (which is similar in stable outpatients despite diagnosis) and stress-induced clinical dysfunction (which differs by diagnosis).

Disentangling the personality pathways to well-being

Recent genomic, psychological, and developmental research shows that human personality is organized as a complex hierarchy that ascends from individual traits in many specific situations to multi-trait profiles in two domains that regulate emotional reactivity (temperament) or goals and values (character), and finally to three integrated temperament-character networks that regulate learning to maintain well-being in changing conditions. We carried out person-centered analyses of the components of subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) to personality in both adolescents (N = 1739) and adults (N = 897). Personality was considered at each level of its organization (trait, temperament or character profiles, and joint temperament-character networks). We show for the first time that negative affect and life satisfaction are dependent on the personality network for intentional self-control, whereas positive affect is dependent on the personality network for self-awareness that underlies the human capacities for healthy longevity, creativity, and prosocial values.

Good Personality and Subjective Well-Being: Presence of Meaning in Life and Perceived Social Support as Mediators

BACKGROUND

Good personality is a positive moral personality in the context of Chinese Confucianism. Based on a social-cognitive model of normative well-being, we propose that good personality positively predicts subjective well-being, mediated by the perceived social support and presence of meaning in life in the context of Chinese culture.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, there were 665 Chinese adults (134 males and 531 females) who participated in the Good Personality Questionnaire, Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Presence of Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale.

RESULTS

Good personality was positively associated with subjective well-being (SWB). Both the presence of meaning in life and perceived social support independently mediated the link between good personality and subjective well-being (SWB), and in Chinese adults, perceived social support has a greater mediating effect than the presence of meaning in life.

CONCLUSION

These findings illustrate that the presence of meaning in life and perceived social support mediate the relationship between good personality and subjective well-being in the context of Chinese culture, which supports the model of normative well-being and can provide more targeted intervention guidance for research on promoting well-being in the Chinese context.

Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Adolescent Students’ Basic Psychological Needs at School Scale (ASBPNSS) and Evidence of Differential Associations With Indicators of Subjective Wellbeing

The study aimed to test the psychometric properties of a Portuguese adaptation of the Adolescent Students’ Basic Psychological Needs at School Scale (ASBPNSS). For this, we used data from a sample of eighth graders ( N = 1648; Mage = 14.1 years; 46.9% girls) from Portugal. Cronbach alpha and omega coefficients showed the ASBPNSS subscales—autonomy, relatedness, and competence—were reliable. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed the hypothesized three-factor model fit the data well. Multi-group CFAs showed the ASBPNSS had scalar invariance across gender and students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, need satisfaction in school was positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction and negatively correlated with negative affect. These findings support the theoretical assumptions of Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT), and particularly the assumption that basic needs are universally applicable. We conclude the ASBPNSS is a reliable and valid measure of basic need satisfaction at school in Portuguese adolescents.

Portuguese adolescents' cognitive well-being and basic psychological needs during the COVID-19 outbreak: A longitudinal study

Confinements and social distancing measures during COVID‐19 pandemic were particularly challenging to adolescents, impacting significantly their life and routines. Following a longitudinal design, this study sought to compare adolescents' cognitive well‐being—satisfaction with life, social support, and quality of life—before (T1) and during (T2) the COVID‐19 pandemic. Additionally, it aimed to clarify the predictive value of the three dimensions of the cognitive well‐being to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs of adolescents at school at T2. One thousand ninety‐nine Portuguese adolescents participated, showing generally increased scores in satisfaction with life, social support, and quality of life at T2. Even so, girls revealed lower changes in cognitive well‐being components compared with boys, between T1 and T2. In addition, satisfaction with life and quality of life were predictive of satisfaction of basic psychological needs at T2. This work highlights the relevance of cognitive well‐being as a dispositional dimension in determining the satisfaction of basic psychological needs in adolescence, during a worldwide catastrophic event.

Enabling Self-Directed Academic and Personal Wellbeing Through Cognitive Education

Background

The international crisis of declining learner wellbeing exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with its devastating effects on physical health and wellbeing, impels the prioritization of initiatives for specifically enabling academic and personal wellbeing among school learners to ensure autonomous functioning and flourishing in academic and daily life. Research emphasizes the role of self-directed action in fostering wellbeing. However, there is limited research evidence of how self-directed action among school learners could be advanced.

Aim

We explore the effectiveness of an intervention initiative that exposes teachers to foregrounding Cognitive Education – the explicit and purposeful teaching of thinking skills and dispositions to learners that would advance self-regulated action - to establish the latent potential of the intervention for assisting learners to develop self-regulating abilities that progressively inspires increased self-directed action.

Method

We illuminate the qualitative outcomes of an exploratory pilot study with a heterogeneous group of willing in-service teachers from two public primary schools (n = 12), one private primary school (n = 3), and one pre-school (n = 2) in South Africa who received exposure to an 80-h intervention that comprised seven study units. The article delineates the experiences of the teachers concerning their participation in the intervention as reflected in their written reflections, as well as their perceptions about the value of the intervention probed with semi-structured one-on-one interviews after completion of the intervention.

Results

The findings revealed that exposure to the intervention holds benefits for equipping teachers with teaching strategies to create classroom conditions that nurture the development of thinking skills and dispositions that are important for self-regulating, and ultimately self-directing academic and personal wellbeing.

Conclusion

Cognitive Education is a form of strengths-based education that can play an indispensable role in enabling self-directed academic and personal wellbeing among school learners.

The Importance of Family and School Protective Factors in Preventing the Risk Behaviors of Youth

The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional associations of protective factors within a family and school context with adolescent risk behaviors. The study was conducted among adolescents (n = 9682) from five cities in Croatia. Mean age of participants was 16.2 years (SD = 1.2), and 52.5% were female. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between school attachment, school commitment, family communication, and family satisfaction with gambling, substance use, violence, and sexual risk behavior. Data analyses were conducted in two sets, the first using the full sample, and the second using a subsample (excluding Zagreb) for which there was data on sexual risk behavior. In the first model, school attachment was negatively associated with gambling and violence, while school commitment was negatively associated with students' gambling, substance use, and violence. Gambling was also associated with family satisfaction in this model. Results from the subsample model were similar with regards to school and family factors associated with gambling, substance use, and violence, with a few exceptions. In this model, family protective factors were found not to be significantly related with any risk behavior. These study results emphasize the importance of strengthening school protective factors, school attachment, and school commitment in preventing risk behaviors in adolescents.

The longitudinal interplay of personality and school experiences in adolescence

The school environment is one key developmental context that is assumed to shape individual characteristics during adolescence. However, little is known about which school experiences are central to personality change or whether school experiences and personality co-shape each other over time. We address this gap by examining the longitudinal interplay between seven school experiences in the three domains of achievement, social relationships, and well-being, and the Big Five personality traits at four measurement points from fifth to eighth grade. By using data from the German TRAIN study ( N = 3,473, MageT1 = 11.1 years, 45% female), we estimated bivariate latent growth curve models and cross-lagged panel models to illustrate this longitudinal interplay. Results demonstrated correlated change between school experiences and personality with differentiated patterns for achievement variables and a general longitudinal interplay with the social relationship and well-being variables. Furthermore, we found cross-lagged effects in both directions, although there were more effects of personality on school experiences. The most consistent predictor of school experiences was conscientiousness, whereas well-being in school in particular was related to personality change 1 year later. We integrate our findings into the current picture of personality development in adolescence and the role of school-related environmental factors.

Personality Networks and Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Integrating Temperament and Character Using Latent Profile and Latent Class Analyses

Recent research indicates that adaptive functioning and well-being depends on the integration of three dissociable systems of learning and memory that regulate associative conditioning, intentionality and self-awareness. Our study objective was to describe how different integrated configurations of these systems (i.e. different expressions of personality) relate to the presence of internalizing, externalizing and total problems. In total, 699 adolescents completed the JTCI and Achenbach's YSR. Latent profile analyses revealed two temperament profiles and six character profiles. Adolescents with a steady temperament, and those with healthy characters, were significantly less likely to present clinical levels of problems. The integration of a steady temperament and healthy character profiles in a Mature-Steady joint temperament-character network was also associated with significantly less clinical problems. In sum, our person-centered study indicates that adaptive expressions of associative conditioning, intentionality, and self-awareness (i.e. integrated personalities) are critical for mental health.

Effects of Experiential Learning Programmes on Adolescent Prosocial Behaviour, Empathy, and Subjective Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Effective adolescent learning programmes can positively influence adolescent development and curb risky behaviour. By immersing learners in an experience, experiential learning motivates learners to reflect on the experience to transform and create new skills, attitudes and ways of thinking. However, evidence of its effectiveness in learning programs facilitating positive youth development is still lacking. The objective of this study is to (a) identify the effect of adolescent learning programmes on prosocial behaviour, empathy and subjective well-being, (b) compare the effectiveness of experiential learning programmes and non-experiential learning programmes on improving these three outcomes, and (c) evaluating the effects of age on the outcomes of adolescent learning programmes. Methods: This study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Randomised controlled trials of learning programmes for typically developing adolescents aged 8-25 in the past 15 years were identified, and assessed for quality with the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO) scale. One thousand ninety-six records were screened with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 20 studies were adopted for this meta-analysis. The standardised mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the effect of experiential learning program on empathy, prosocial behaviour, and subjective well-being were examined. Sub-group analysis based on age was conducted to examine the effects of experiential learning on adolescents in different stages of life. Results: Experiential learning programmes were more effective than non-experiential learning programmes in improving empathy [d = 0.65 (0.07, 1.23)] and subjective well-being [d = 0.46 (0.33, 0.59)]. The effect sizes of the three outcomes in non-experiential learning programmes were non-significant. Studies conducted on older adolescents had the most significant improvements in the three outcomes. Conclusions: Results suggest the broader application of experiential learning in adolescent learning programmes for older adolescents in the future to promote positive youth development.

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.

Not all screen time is created equal: associations with mental health vary by activity and gender

PURPOSE

Previous research on associations between screen media use and mental health produced mixed findings, possibly because studies have not examined screen activities separately or accounted for gender differences. We sought to examine associations between different types of screen activities (social media, internet, gaming, and TV) and mental health indicators separately for boys and girls.

METHODS

We drew from a nationally representative sample of 13-15-year-old adolescents in the UK (n = 11,427) asking about hours per day spent on specific screen media activities and four mental health indicators: self-harm behavior, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.

RESULTS

Hours spent on social media and Internet use were more strongly associated with self-harm behaviors, depressive symptoms, low life satisfaction, and low self-esteem than hours spent on electronic gaming and TV watching. Girls generally demonstrated stronger associations between screen media time and mental health indicators than boys (e.g., heavy Internet users were 166% more likely to have clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms than low users among girls, compared to 75% more likely among boys).

CONCLUSION

Thus, not all screen time is created equal; social media and Internet use among adolescent girls are the most strongly associated with compromised mental health. Future research should examine different screen media activities and boys and girls separately where possible. Practitioners should be aware that some types of screen time are more likely to be linked to mental health issues than others.

Students' Personality Contributes More to Academic Performance than Well-Being and Learning Approach-Implications for Sustainable Development and Education

The present study aimed to describe the predictive role of personality dimensions, learning approaches, and well-being in the academic performance of students. In total, 602 students participated in this cross-sectional study and completed a set of questionnaires assessing personality, learning approach, and well-being. Two indexes were calculated to assess affective and non-affective well-being. The results partially support the hypotheses formulated. Results revealed that personality temperament and character dimensions, deep learning approach, and affective well-being were significant predictors of academic performance. A deep approach to learning was a full and partial mediator of the relationship between personality and academic performance. The results improve the understanding of the differential contribution of personality, type of learning approach, and type of well-being to academic performance. Comprehending that personality is the strongest predictor of academic performance, after controlling the type of learning approach and the type of well-being, informs school policies and decision-makers that it is essential to encourage personality development in adolescents to improve academic performance. These results also have implications for educational policies and practices at various levels, including an emphasis on the role of well-being as an educational asset. Understanding the links between personality, well-being, and education is essential to conceptualize education as a vital societal resource for facing current and future challenges, such as sustainable development.

Personality traits mediate the association between perceived parental bonding and well-being in adult volunteers from the community

Background

Previous studies reported that subjective well-being in adulthood correlates with perceived parental bonding in childhood as well as personality traits. However, whether personality traits mediate the effect of perceived parental bonding on well-being or not has not been reported to date. In this study, we hypothesized that 'parental care and overprotection' in childhood affect 'well-being' in adulthood through various 'personality traits', and analyzed this using structural equation modeling.

Methods

A total of 402 adult volunteers from the community provided responses to the following questionnaires: 1) Parental Bonding Instrument, 2) Temperament and Character Inventory, and 3) The Subjective Well-being Inventory. Two structural equation models were designed and the maximum likelihood estimation method was used for covariance structure analysis.

Results

Parental care in childhood directly increased well-being in adulthood and indirectly increased it through personality traits (harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-directedness). Parental overprotection in childhood had no direct effect on well-being in adulthood but decreased well-being in adulthood indirectly through personality traits (harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-directedness) and increased it through one personality trait (self-transcendence).

Conclusions

This study showed that the influences of perceived parental bonding on well-being in adulthood are mediated by self-directedness, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-transcendence among the seven personality dimensions evaluated by the Temperament and Character Inventory.

Self-Regulation and Psychological Well-Being in Early Adolescence: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study

This paper addresses the question of whether self-regulation capacities are a significant psychological resource of schoolchildren's psychological well-being. The study contributes to the search of significant predictors of the students' psychological well-being. Moscow secondary schools pupils (N = 239) participated in a two-wave longitudinal study, the procedure being made in the 4th grade and repeated in the 5th grade, six months after the first measurement. The results are presented describing the dynamics of manifestations of the psychological well-being and the conscious self-regulation of the schoolchildren during their transition from the primary to the middle school. Using the cross-lagged panel analysis allowed concluding that the level of conscious self-regulation of the learning activity of the 4th graders significantly predicts their psychological well-being not only in the 4th grade, but also in the 5th grade. The study revealed the specific regulatory predictors characteristic of different manifestations of the schoolchildren' psychological well-being. The obtained results highlight the significance of research on the conscious self-regulation of learning activities as a resource for pupils' psychological well-being, which is predictive for its maturation in the subsequent ages.

Social Impact of Psychological Research on Well-Being Shared in Social Media

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the Social Impact in Social Media (SISM, hereinafter) methodology applied in psychological research provides evidence for the visibility of the social impact of the research. This article helps researchers become aware of whether and how their improvements are capturing the interest of citizens and how citizens are applying such evidence and obtaining better outcomes, in this case, in relation to well-being. In addition, citizens can access the latest evidence on social media and act as channels of communication between science and social or personal networks and, in doing so, they can improve the living conditions of others. This methodology is also useful for agencies that support researchers in psychology with financial assistance, which can use it to evaluate the social impact of the funds that they invest in research. In this article, the 10 studies on well-being were selected for analysis using the following criteria: their research results led to demonstrable improvement in well-being, and these improvements are presented on social media. We applied the social impact coverage ratio to identify the percentage of the social impact shared in social media in relation to the total amount of social media data collected. Finally, examples of quantitative and qualitative evidence of the social impact of the research on well-being are presented.

The Resistance to Change Scale: Assessing Dimensionality and Associations with Personality and Wellbeing in Adolescents

Resistance to change (RTC) is the tendency to have a negative attitude toward change. It is a relevant construct in adolescence because change can be perceived as a challenge to the formation of an integrated independent identity: the primary developmental task of this period. Currently, there are no validated measures of RTC for adolescents. To address this research gap, we tested the psychometric properties of the Resistance to Change Scale in a sample of adolescents from Portugal. Confirmatory factor analyses supported modeling the RTC scale via a bifactor model. Statistical indices indicated that RTC scale scores were largely unidimensional. When this model was applied, RTC was positively related with trait reactance, negatively related with wellbeing, and linked to high Harm Avoidance and low Self-Directedness personality dimensions. The bifactor model was equivalent across gender and early vs. late adolescent groups. Our findings suggest that the RTC scale is a psychometrically sound and potentially useful tool for researchers and educators who wish to measure RTC in adolescents.

Cloninger's TCI associations with adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies

Background

Cognitive emotion regulation plays a crucial role in psychopathology, resilience and well-being by regulating response to stress situations. However, the relationship between personality and adaptive and maladaptive regulation has not been sufficiently examined.

Methods

Adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies of 247 university students were measured using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and their temperament and character characteristics were analyzed with the Temperament and Character Inventory—Revised Short (TCI-RS). Two-step hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to analyze whether TCI-RS explains the use of adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. The latent classes of cognitive emotion regulation strategies were extracted with Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and significant differences in the subscales of CERQ and TCI-RS were examined with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Profile Analysis after controlling for sex and age.

Results

The two-step hierarchical multiple regression model using the seven TCI-RS subscales explained 32.30% of the adaptive and 41.70% of the maladaptive CERQ subscale scores when sex and age were introduced in the first step as covariates. As for temperament, Novelty Seeking (NS) and Persistence (PS) were pivotal for adaptive and Harm Avoidance (HA) and PS for maladaptive CERQ total scores. In addition, the character traits Self-Directedness (SD) and Cooperativeness (CO) were critical for high adaptive and low maladaptive CERQ scores. Four latent emotion regulation classes were confirmed through LCA, and distinct TCI-RS profiles were found. The temperament trait HA and character trait SD were significantly different among the four latent emotion regulation classes.

Discussion

This study demonstrated that SD and CO are related to cognitive emotion regulation strategies along with psychological health and well-being, and that PS exhibits dualistic effects when combined with NS or HA on response to stressful situations. The importance of developing mature character represented by higher SD and CO in regard to mental health and its clinical implementation was discussed.

The role of personality in posttraumatic stress disorder, trait resilience, and quality of life in people exposed to the Kiss nightclub fire

Objective

To evaluate the relationship among personality (according to Cloninger’s psychobiological model), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, trait resilience and quality of life (QoL) in people who were exposed to the Kiss nightclub fire.

Methods

188 participants were assessed with the Posttraumatic Checklist–civilian version (PCL-C), the Resilience Scale (RS), the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the World Health Organization Quality of Life–Bref (WHOQOL-Bref), and the WHOQOL-100 Spirituality, religiousness, and personal beliefs (WHOQOL-100-SRPB). Data were analyzed in a dimensional approach, with correlation analysis, multiple linear regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with PCL-C, RS, and WHOQOL-Bref dimensions as dependent variables.

Results

Multiple linear regression showed that PTSD symptoms were predicted by harm avoidance (β = .34, p < .001), self-directedness (β = -.28, p < .01), and self-transcendence (β = .24, p < .01). Trait resilience was predicted by harm avoidance (β = -.38, p < .01), self-directedness (β = .20, p < .05), and self-transcendence (β = .18, p < .05). Also, PTSD symptoms had considerable negative effect on all dimensions of QoL. Self-transcendence was a positive predictor of subjective and spiritual QoL. SEM showed that QoL was predicted by PTSD symptoms (β = -.52, p < .001), trait resilience (β = .30, p < .001), cooperativeness (β = .135, p = 0.40), and self-directedness (β = .27, p < .01). The effect of self-directedness on QoL was mediated by PTSD symptoms and trait resilience. PTSD symptoms also mediated the relationship between trait resilience and QoL, and RS mediated the relationship of personality and PTSD symptoms.

Conclusion

The study gives insights on prediction of PTSD severity, trait resilience and QoL from temperament and character traits, in a sample of people exposed to the Kiss nightclub fire. Harm avoidance was the most influent trait on PTSD symptoms and trait resilience. Self-directedness was the most import trait related to QoL, still that it was more related to PTSD severity than personality traits. Self-transcendence had positive effects on both PTSD symptoms and trait resilience, indicating a coping style that may coexist with psychopathology.

Therapeutic reactance in adolescents: the psychometrics of the Therapeutic Reactance Scale in adolescents

BACKGROUND

The Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS) is a classic measure of psychological reactance, yet only two studies have evaluated its factorial structure. Both proposed different multidimensional structures based on exploratory analyses. Not only is the factorial structure of the TRS unclear, but the scale has yet to be validated in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to test the factorial structure of the TRS in adolescents.

METHODS

The authors conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and analyses of reliability and validity, with a sample of 1,344 adolescents.

RESULTS

A four-factor model fits well to the data. Three of the four TRS dimensions (not susceptibility to influence, SI) were correlated with the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS). These three dimensions were also correlated with novelty seeking, cooperativeness and persistence components of personality (Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality), while SI showed a different pattern.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study demonstrates that the TRS is a suitable and potentially useful tool for measuring reactance in adolescents, but the authors propose that practitioners may wish to consider excluding items pertaining to the SI dimension.

Addressing a Need for Valid Measures of Trait Reactance in Adolescents: A Further Test of the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale

Research is scant concerning the developmental aspects of trait reactance. If measures are not validated for use across different age groups, it is difficult for researchers to investigate the specificities of reactance across the life span. So far, the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS) have not been tested in adolescents. In Study 1, using data from 1,301 Portuguese adolescents (M = 14.8 years), we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to test a series of competing factor models. Post hoc modifications resulted in a bifactor model with acceptable fit. Bifactor statistical indexes showed that HPRS scores are unidimensional. Path analysis via structural equation modeling indicated HPRS scores were strongly related to scores from another measure of trait reactance. Study 2, using an independent sample of 327 Portuguese adolescents (M = 14.2 years), supported modeling the HPRS with a bifactor model. Finally, our results indicated HPRS scores were negatively correlated with indicators of emotional and cognitive well-being, supporting a conceptualization of reactance as patterns of negative cognitions and negative affect. Overall, this study indicates the HPRS is an appropriate measure for assessing trait reactance in adolescents.

Understanding the experience of psychopathology after intimate partner violence: the role of personality

OBJECTIVES

To fully understand the dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) it is necessary to understand the role of personality. The current understanding of which personality characteristics are associated with IPV victimization is, however, far from comprehensive. Given this gap in the literature, our objective was to examine the associations between the dimensions of the psychobiological model of personality and psychopathological symptoms in women who had experienced IPV.

METHODS

Using a case-control design, a group of women who had experienced IPV and who were living in shelters (n = 50) were compared to a group of control women who had not experienced IPV (n = 50). All women completed the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised and the Brief Symptom Inventory.

RESULTS

Victims of IPV showed significantly higher levels of Harm Avoidance and Self-Transcendence, and lower levels of Reward Dependence and Self-Directedness, than the non-IPV control group. Victims of IPV also reported elevated levels of psychopathological symptoms. Personality dimensions showed a broadly consistent pattern of associations across different psychopathological symptoms. A regression analysis indicated that Novelty Seeking was negatively associated with psychopathological symptoms in victims of IPV, but not significantly associated in non-victims.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the important role of Harm Avoidance and Self-Directedness for understanding psychopathological symptoms. Novelty Seeking appears to play an important role in the expression of individuals' experiences of IPV. These results have important implications for research and practice, particularly the development and implementation of interventions.

Behavior problems and personality in Korean high school students

Introduction

Extant studies have examined the effect of psychological characteristics on clinical features that define behavior problems. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of temperament and character as both individual factors and complex profiles on behavior problems in a community sample of adolescents.

Methods

Behavior problems and personality of 670 Korean high school students were measured with the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Junior version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). Stepwise regression analysis analyzed the effects of JTCI character and temperament traits on YSR Total, Internalizing and Externalizing subscale scores, and Profile Analysis examined differences of JTCI personality profiles among three latent YSR subscale profiles acquired from Latent Profile Analysis.

Results

Seven subscales of the JTCI explained 38% of the YSR total degree of behavior problems, and JTCI Novelty-Seeking and Harm-Avoidance were found to account for vulnerability while JTCI Reward-Dependence and Self-Directedness explained resilience to behavior problems. There were three distinct latent YSR profile groups based on nine YSR subscales, and low behavior problem group showed a resilient personality profile characterized by low Novelty-Seeking and Harm-Avoidance and high Reward-Dependence, Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness while high behavior problem group exhibited a vulnerable personality profile of the opposite tendency.

Discussion

Temperament and character explained behavior problems of Korean high school students as both individual personality traits and a complex personality profile. The results and implications of this study were examined in regard to mental health of adolescents, and the importance of education in the development of mature personality are discussed.

Improving Teenagers' Divergent Thinking With Improvisational Theater

Improvisational theater (improv) is supposed to have an impact on cognitive processes (divergent thinking, flexibility, language, memory, problem solving, and co-construction), academic performance, and everyday life in many ways. However, little research studied on the psychological impact of improv, with some results highlighting a divergent thinking enhancement in children and adults, but not with teenagers, one of the most important age groups to practice improv. Therefore, this study aims to assess divergent thinking for middle school students before and after an 11-weeks session compared to a control group with a sport practice. The Alternative Uses Task (AUT) was used before and after the session for both groups to evaluate divergent thinking. The improv group had better performance in originality, flexibility and gave less prototypical items after the improv sessions compared to before, while the control group performance was similar before and after. Our results suggest that improv helps teenagers’ divergent thinking to improve, not only with experimental games in the lab context but also after ecological sessions. We urge scientists to study in depth psychological impacts of improvisational theater and applied improvisation, for a better understanding of improv and as a model to study embodied cognition.

Psychometric Properties of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in 15-16 Years Old Norwegian Adolescents

A better understanding about prerequisites of health and well-being in adolescents is important to prevent chronicity and comorbidities of stress and to improve health promotion in this group. For this purpose, useful instruments are required. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) is developed for research, with an emphasis on predictive validity. The PSQ comprises different components of stress, and the instrument might be useful in studying prerequisites and predictors of health and well-being in adolescents. However, the instrument has not been evaluated in Norwegian psychosomatic populations and in adolescents. Moreover, the factor structure of the PSQ seems to vary between populations, and invariance across gender and concurrent validity regarding mindfulness are not previously tested. The objective of this study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the PSQ in adolescents, including evaluate the fit of previously proposed PSQ-models in females and males and test measurement invariance across gender. Concurrent validity with respect to mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale- Adolescent [MAAS-A]) was preliminary evaluated. Confirmatory factor analysis for each previously proposed model was conducted, separately for females and males. Multi-group factor analyses were performed to test measurement invariance of the different PSQ-models across gender. The associations between the PSQ and the MAAS-A and inter-scale correlations were preliminary evaluated. Preceding the data collection and main analyses, the instruments were translated to Norwegian following standardized procedures. The participants in study were Norwegian adolescents aged 15-16 years (N = 524). The overall PSQ performance seemed to correspond to previous findings, and internal consistency was supported across gender. A four-factor model of the PSQ showed best fit to the data in both females and males and configural and metric invariance seemed supported. Full scalar invariance was not supported for the four-factor model, implying that cross-group comparisons (between females and males) on latent means may be uncertain and must be interpreted with caution. Concurrent validity with respect to mindfulness (MAAS-A) was preliminary supported. Further studies might be needed to confirm the findings from this study.

Temperament and character effects on late adolescents' well-being and emotional-behavioural difficulties

Background

Research on adults points to personality as a crucial determinant of well-being. The present study investigates the question of personality's relation to well-being and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence.

Methods

We assessed the role of temperament and character (Temperament and Character Inventory, TCI-125), on psychological well-being (PWB; Psychological Well-Being scales), subjective well-being (SWB; Positive and Negative Affect, PA and NA, respectively), and psychosocial adjustment (emotional-behavioural problems measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Adolescents, SDQ-A), in 72 Italian late adolescents (aged 17.5 ± 0.75). Multiple regressions were conducted to predict PWB, SWB, and SDQ-A scores using TCI-125 scales as predictors.

Results

Character maturity, and in particular Self-Directedness, had a widespread protective effect on well-being and psychosocial adjustment, while different strengths and emotional-behavioural difficulties were associated to specific temperamental and character traits. For example, Harm-Avoidance and Novelty-Seeking positively predicted internalized and externalized problems, respectively.

Discussion

The present results suggest the usefulness of continuing to evaluate temperament and, in particular, character dimensions in investigations focused on adolescents' well-being and psychosocial functioning, especially in the contexts of potential interventions aimed at enhancing development of adolescents' character dimensions at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal levels.

The effects of temperament and character traits on perceived social support and quality of life in patients with epilepsy

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperament and character traits on perceived social support and quality of life in patients with epilepsy (PWE).

METHODS

Fifty-two PWE and 54 healthy controls were included in this study. Demographics and clinical data were recorded. Temperament and Character traits were investigated using Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Perceived Social Support was evaluated by Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS), and quality of life was assessed using a 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Participants also completed the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS).

RESULTS

TCI and MSPSS scores showed no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). Mental and physical subscales of SF-36 were significantly lower in PWE than the controls (p=0.012, p=0.020, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that Reward Dependence and Cooperativeness were independent predictors for perceived social support, and Persistence score was an independent predictor for the physical subscale of SF-36 even after adjustment for confounding background variables (p<0.05, for all).

CONCLUSION

Temperament and character traits may affect perceived social support and quality of life in PWE. Thus, an evaluation of temperament and character traits may play a significant role in preventing negative effects on perceived social support and quality of life in PWE.

The Psychometrics of the European Portuguese Version of the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised

Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality integrates contributions from behavioral genetics, neurobiology, and psychology in the description of the human personality. The temperament and character inventory (TCI) is its assessment instrument. The Brazilian Portuguese version of the TCI has shown good psychometric properties. However, Portuguese spoken in Brazil presents marked and substantial differences to that spoken in Portugal, and no study has yet described the psychometrics of the European Portuguese version. The objective of this study was thus to describe the psychometric properties of the European Portuguese adult version of the TCI (the temperament and character inventory-revised (TCI-R)). This study involved 1400 Portuguese adult participants. The factorial structure of the European Portuguese version was tested using four methods: exploratory factor analysis, orthogonal procrustes rotation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and exploratory structural equation modeling. The integration of data coming from these methods suggested that the Portuguese version of the TCI-R presented good structural validity (as revealed by the emergence of the temperament and character structures predicted by theory) and high levels of congruence between the American and the Portuguese versions. An improvement in the goodness of fit of the models for the Portuguese population was achieved by using exploratory structural equation modeling over confirmatory factor analysis. Although some facets registered questionable consistency, all dimensions had acceptable to good consistency (all ≥ .79). These results confirm the validity of the Portuguese TCI-R and its adequacy for use in European Portuguese samples.

The genetic and environmental structure of the character sub-scales of the temperament and character inventory in adolescence

BACKGROUND

The character higher order scales (self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence) in the temperament and character inventory are important general measures of health and well-being [Mens Sana Monograph 11:16-24 (2013)]. Recent research has found suggestive evidence of common environmental influence on the development of these character traits during adolescence. The present article expands earlier research by focusing on the internal consistency and the etiology of traits measured by the lower order sub-scales of the character traits in adolescence.

METHODS

The twin modeling analysis of 423 monozygotic pairs and 408 same sex dizygotic pairs estimated additive genetics (A), common environmental (C), and non-shared environmental (E) influences on twin resemblance. All twins were part of the on-going longitudinal Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS).

RESULTS

The twin modeling analysis suggested a common environmental contribution for two out of five self-directedness sub-scales (0.14 and 0.23), for three out of five cooperativeness sub-scales (0.07-0.17), and for all three self-transcendence sub-scales (0.10-0.12).

CONCLUSION

The genetic structure at the level of the character lower order sub-scales in adolescents shows that the proportion of the shared environmental component varies in the trait of self-directedness and in the trait of cooperativeness, while it is relatively stable across the components of self-transcendence. The presence of this unique shared environmental effect in adolescence has implications for understanding the relative importance of interventions and treatment strategies aimed at promoting overall maturation of character, mental health, and well-being during this period of the life span.

Percepção dos alunos acerca das estratégias de promoção do sucesso educativo e envolvimento com a escola

As associações entre as percepções dos alunos acerca das características da escola e o envolvimento dos alunos com a escola são ainda pouco compreendidas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a relação entre a percepção dos alunos acerca das estratégias de promoção de sucesso educativo e o seu envolvimento com a escola. Participaram neste estudo 529 alunos do 2º e 3º ciclo de um município do Norte de Portugal, Vila Nova de Famalicão. Os resultados demonstram a existência de uma correlação positiva e estatisticamente significativa entre a percepção dos alunos acerca das estratégias de otimização de aprendizagem e o envolvimento escolar. Estes resultados têm fortes implicações para os esforços de melhoria e da eficácia da escola, incluindo para a promoção de trajetórias acadêmicas positivas.