Minority Stress and Mental Health of Gay Men in Turkey: The Mediator Roles of Shame and Forgiveness of Self

Proximal minority stressors (i.e., internalized homonegativity, anticipation of rejection, and concealment of sexual identity) lead to depression and anxiety. General psychological factors mediate the association of proximal stressors with depression and anxiety. Based on this, the present study aimed to investigate the sequential mediating roles of shame and forgiveness of self on the relations of proximal stressors with depression and anxiety in a sample of self-identified gay men in Turkey (N = 200). The findings revealed that proximal stressors significantly predicted depression and anxiety indirectly through shame and self-forgiveness. Thus, the link between minority stress and shame should be considered in clinical practice, and self-forgiveness should be integrated into intervention programs to eliminate the negative impacts of shame on depression and anxiety among this population. Limitations and directions for future studies are presented.

Health-related quality of life of women with endometriosis: An Attachment-Diathesis Model of Chronic Pain perspective

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder that occurs in women of reproductive age, and negatively affects women's quality of life. We tested 'Attachment-Diathesis Model of Chronic Pain' in a sample of Turkish women with endometriosis by analyzing the paths among attachment styles, pain catastrophizing, coping strategies, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Attachment anxiety was related to using less problem-focused coping and seeking more social support, while attachment avoidance was associated with seeking less social support as a coping strategy. Moreover, attachment anxiety and higher pain catastrophizing were related to a worse HRQoL. Finally, problem-focused coping strategy mediated the relation between attachment anxiety and HRQoL, meaning that by employing less problem-focused coping strategies, anxiously attached women experienced a poorer HRQoL. In light of our findings, psychologists may develop intervention techniques that question attachment patterns, pain perception, and coping strategies in clients diagnosed with endometriosis.

Life is short, stay awake: Death anxiety and bedtime procrastination

In the present study, the relation between bedtime procrastination and death anxiety, and also the moderator roles of gender and purpose in life were investigated. Data were collected from 245 participants through an online survey. The results revealed that gender, but not purpose in life, moderated the relation between death anxiety and bedtime procrastination. The effect of death anxiety on bedtime procrastination was significant only for males. Further, this effect was still significant even after controlling circadian energy and self-control. The findings can be explained based on the Terror Management Theory. Bedtime procrastination can be considered risk-taking behavior, and it functions as a world view for males. Moreover, males might have regarded sleep as a waste of time, and therefore, delayed bedtime to increase their non-sleeping lifetime.

Does Problem Focused Coping Buffer the Effects of Trait Anxiety on Depressive Symptoms of Chronic Urticaria Patients?

The present study examined the moderating role of problem-focused coping in trait anxiety-depressive symptoms' relationship in patients with chronic urticaria (CU). Eighty-eight CU patients, who applied to an outpatient clinic of Clinical Immunology and Allergic Diseases, filled out a questionnaire set including State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Ways of Coping Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory. The results suggested that CU patients high on trait anxiety reported more depressive symptoms, and the ones using more problem-focused coping (PFC) strategies reported less depressive symptoms. Also, PFC strategies moderated trait anxiety-depressive symptoms relation. Accordingly, PFC strategies did not lead to any significant difference in CU patients who were low on trait anxiety in terms of the level of depressive symptoms. However, CU patients with high trait anxiety experienced significantly less depressive symptoms if they used more PFC strategies. The findings were discussed in the light of the relevant literature.

Psychometric properties of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) in Turkish women

Research suggests that rates of body image and eating disturbance are on the rise in Turkey and may be reaching levels comparable to those observed in Western societies. However, research examining theoretically based etiological factors for disordered eating via validated assessment measures is limited. The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) in a sample of Turkish college women. Exploratory factor analysis indicated a 6-factor scale. Reliability and convergent validity of the SATAQ-4R subscales were good. Results suggest that the SATAQ-4R is appropriate for use with Turkish college females. Future work may seek to examine the scale with Turkish men.

HIERARCHICAL DIMENSIONS OF COPING STYLES: A STUDY CONDUCTED WITH TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

An empirical examination was carried out of the hierarchical dimensions of coping styles in a Turkish sample. Ways of coping data were collected from 194 university students, subjected to factor analysis and 5 factors were obtained. These factors were subjected to second-order factor analysis which revealed 3 main dimensions. As predicted the first two dimensions were problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. The third dimension consisted of items related to seeking social support, implying the presence and importance of an indirect coping style. In addition to construct validity, Guttman split-half reliability and criterion validity of these three higher order factors revealed good reliability and validity outcomes. It was also emphasized that these 3 higher order factors constituted independent dimensions of coping styles. Implications of the results are discussed.