Dimensions of caregiver strain may partially mediate the relationship between youth symptomology and counseling utilization among Latinxs

Whether Latinx families use youth mental health services (MHS) depends on complex influences of barriers and facilitators within and outside of the home. This research sought to shed light on caregiver strain as part of the equation focused on parental identification and responses to youth mental health needs. We examined multiple dimensions of caregiver strain as potential mediators between youth mental health symptom severity and psychological counseling utilization. The present sample consisted of 598 Latinx caregivers to youths ages 6-18 who provided information on youth internalizing and externalizing problems, caregiver strain, and youth psychological counseling service utilization within the last year. Our findings suggest that youth symptom severity (internalizing and externalizing problems) was generally positively associated with dimensions of caregiver strain. Youth symptom severity through objective and subjective internalized strain pathways were associated with greater odds of youth MHS utilization. In contrast, youth symptom severity through subjective externalized strain reduced the odds that Latinx caregivers would report utilizing youth MHS. These models only partially mediated the relationship between youth problems and service use. Findings suggest that Latinx caregivers may navigate conflicting sources of strain related to their child's mental health problem severity in ways that may differentially impact the odds that they access youth MHS. Along with addressing structural and systemic barriers to care, utilization of psychological counseling services may also be improved through interventions that help Latinx caregivers view youth services as avenues for addressing caregiver strain and providing psychoeducation that frames externalized strain within a mental health lens.

Early adversity and sexual diversity: the importance of self-reported and neurobiological sexual reward sensitivity

Work shows that sexually-diverse individuals face high rates of early life adversity and in turn increased engagement in behavioral outcomes traditionally associated with adversity, such as sexual risk taking. Recent theoretical work suggests that these associations may be attributable to heightened sexual reward sensitivity among adversity-exposed women. We aimed to test these claims using a combination of self-report and EEG measures to test the relationship between early adversity, sexual reward sensitivity (both self-reported and EEG measured) and sexual risk taking in a sexually diverse sample of cis-gender women (N = 208) (Mage = 27.17, SD = 6.36). Results showed that childhood SES predicted self-reported sexual reward sensitivity which in turn predicted numbers of male and female sexual partners. In contrast we found that perceived childhood unpredictability predicted neurobiological sexual reward sensitivity as measured by EEG which in turn predicted male sexual partner number. The results presented here provide support for the notion that heightened sexual reward sensitivity may be a pathway through which early life adversity augments future sexual behavior, and underscores the importance of including greater attention to the dynamics of pleasure and reward in sexual health promotion.

The iBelong Scale: Construction and validation of a measure of racial-ethnic-cultural belonging

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of racial-ethnic-cultural (REC) belonging for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). The iBelong Scale was designed to assess the multidimensional components of REC belonging across diverse BIPOC groups. The scale was constructed based on a grounded conceptual framework of REC belonging, and the initial pool of items received feedback from community members and content experts. Validation of the iBelong Scale comprised data from 808 BIPOC participants collected across three interrelated studies for the purposes of initial validation, construct validity, and test-retest reliability. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis yielded a 25-item scale with five factors: (a) Home, (b) Connection, (c) Authenticity, (d) REC Thriving, and (e) Self-Definition. Results from Study 2's confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the five-factor model was an acceptable fit of the data and the best fit among competing models. Measurement invariance was assessed, and results indicated that the iBelong Scale measures REC belonging similarly across differing BIPOC groups. The iBelong Scale was related to a range of measures in theoretically expected ways, including positive associations with general belonging, racial/ethnic identity, and general well-being, and negative associations with loneliness and REC nonbelonging. Findings from Study 3 indicated the test-retest reliability of the iBelong Scale over a 2-week period. Limitations of the studies and implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Relations between discrimination, rejection sensitivity, negative affect, and decrements in problem-solving ability following social rejection: An experimental investigation

INTRODUCTION

While negative affect and problem-solving deficits have been consistently linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, the latter are often conceptualized and studied as time- and/or context-invariant. Though requiring additional empirical support, theory suggests that discrimination may strengthen the relation between rejection sensitivity and increases in negative affect as well as declines in problem-solving abilities following rejection. The aim of the current study was to test this claim using a social rejection paradigm (i.e., Cyberball) with young adults experiencing past-month suicidal ideation.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 50 participants. Lifetime discrimination and rejection sensitivity were assessed prior to Cyberball. Negative affect and problem-solving abilities were assessed pre- and post-Cyberball. SPSS and the PROCESS macro were used to test relations among variables of interest.

RESULTS

Rejection sensitivity predicted greater problem-solving decrements, but not negative affect, following rejection among individuals who had experienced higher (vs. lower) levels of lifetime discrimination.

CONCLUSION

Addressing rejection sensitivity and sources of discrimination within the context of treatment may reduce the impact of social rejection on problem-solving abilities among young adults at risk for suicide.

Short-term personality development and early career success: Two longitudinal studies during the post-graduation transition

OBJECTIVE

Investigate short-term personality development during the post-graduation transition.

BACKGROUND

Prior research indicates that long-term personality development matters for employment outcomes. However, this evidence is primarily limited to multi-year longitudinal studies. This research switches the focus to personality changes during a shorter, impactful life transition.

METHOD

We examined how short-term personality development during the 14-month post-graduation transition relates to early career outcomes among two diverse samples of graduates from universities (N = 816) and community colleges (N = 567). We used latent growth curve models to examine associations between career outcomes measured 14 months after graduation with initial personality levels and personality changes.

RESULTS

Results revealed that mean-level changes in personality were small and mostly negative. Moreover, individual differences in personality changes were not associated with career outcomes. However, initial levels of conscientiousness, emotional stability, and extraversion positively related to both subjective and objective career success. Initial levels of agreeableness were also positively related to subjective (but not objective) success.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that individual differences in personality trait levels at graduation are stronger predictors of early career success compared to short-term personality changes during the post-graduation transition. Taken together, these results help define the time sequence through which personality changes relate to career outcomes.

Development and validation of the Trans- and Nonbinary-Affirming Parental Practices (TAPP) measure

Parental support is instrumental in protecting the mental health of trans and nonbinary youth (TNB). Yet minimal measures exist that measure parental support, and current measures typically measure parental attitudes or general perceptions of supportiveness rather than measuring specific TNB-affirming behaviors. This study aimed to fill this gap by developing and validating the Trans- and Nonbinary-Affirming Parental Practices scale. The scale items were developed based on existing psychological literature on TNB-affirming parenting behaviors as well as adapting existing measures. The sample consisted of 570 parents or caregivers of TNB youth ages 5-27 (M = 15). The vast majority of participants were White (90%) and cisgender women (92%). The sample was randomly split to conduct both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Factor analysis found good fit for a four-factor structure with 14 items. Each subscale represented a type of TNB-affirming parental behavior: communicating support, affirming language, advocating for their TNB child, and seeking affirming resources. The measure demonstrated invariance with both heterosexual participants and participants with minoritized sexual identities and demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. The Trans- and Nonbinary-Affirming Parental Practices measure can be useful in intervention research aimed at increasing TNB-affirming behaviors among parents and caregivers of TNB youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A feasibility and pilot trial of the Brief Educational Guide for Individuals in Need (BEGIN): Psychoeducation for individuals at risk for psychosis

Individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) report a strong desire for psychoeducation, and clinical guidelines recommend psychoeducation in early psychosis care. Although several CHR psychoeducation models have been developed, additional research is needed to establish the effectiveness of these models. The goal of this study was to conduct a pilot trial of the Brief Educational Guide for Individuals in Need (BEGIN). BEGIN is a brief structured psychoeducation intervention designed to educate CHR individuals on symptoms and treatment options. We conducted a feasibility and pilot study of 25 CHR individuals (60% female, Mage = 20.6, 64% non-White, 52% Hispanic/Latino) identified via the Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes. Qualitative interviews were administered to learn about their experience and analyzed using iterative thematic analysis. Participants (n = 12) completed pre- and post-BEGIN self-report measures to assess factors that influence treatment engagement, including CHR knowledge and motivation for therapy. Data were analyzed using Hedges' g effect sizes and paired samples t tests. The intervention completion rate (83%) and therapeutic alliance were high. Qualitative themes and quantitative measures converged on similar results showing how CHR individuals were impacted by receiving psychoeducation via BEGIN, including increased CHR knowledge (g = 1.37), competence to monitor symptoms (g = 0.53), hope (g = 0.87), and motivation for therapy (g = 0.46). This study demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefits of the BEGIN CHR psychoeducation model, including enhancing motivation for treatment. The flexible but standardized format can facilitate BEGIN's implementation and dissemination.This pilot study found that the Brief Educational Guide for Individuals in Need (BEGIN), a standardized five-session psychoeducation intervention for individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR), was feasible, acceptable, and enhanced mental health literacy and motivation for subsequent treatment. Clinicians can utilize the BEGIN intervention to ensure the empathic provision of psychoeducation when disclosing patients' CHR status. Future research with a larger sample will establish efficacy and the development of a clinician training to facilitate implementation (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Shyness and inhibitory control in preschool dyads: An actor-partner model of social behavior

The risk potentiation model of cognitive control posits that inhibitory control heightens children's risk for problematic outcomes in the context of shyness because it limits shy children's ability to engage flexibly with their environment. Although there is empirical support for the risk potentiation model, most studies have been restricted to parent report of children's outcomes and do not consider the influence of shyness and inhibitory control on other children's social behavior. In the present study, we used an actor-partner interdependence model to examine whether shyness and inhibitory control at Time 1 (N = 105, 52 girls, Mage = 3.50 years; 87% White; Mincome = between $75,000 and $100,000 in Canadian dollars) predicted children's own and their partner's observed social behavior with an unfamiliar peer at Time 2 (Mage = 4.76 years). When the child's own inhibitory control was high, the child's own shyness was negatively associated with their own approach behaviors but negatively associated with their partner's avoidance behaviors. However, when the child's own inhibitory control was low, the child's own shyness was unrelated to their own approach behaviors but positively associated with their partner's avoidance behaviors. Although inhibitory control was negatively associated with approach-related behavior for some shy children, this did not translate to more avoidance from the social partner. These results highlight the importance of examining the child's own behavior in addition to their partner's behavior when considering children's socioemotional development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Avoidant Parent-Child Communication About COVID-19: A Longitudinal Investigation of Associations with Youth Adjustment Across the First 6 Months of the Pandemic

In the aftermath of discrete disasters, how families discuss the event has been linked with child well-being. There is less understanding, however, of how family communication affects adjustment to a protracted and ongoing public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research leveraged a large longitudinal sample of families (N = 1884) across the United States and Canada to investigate factors that predicted family communication styles (active versus avoidant communication) about the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the longitudinal sequelae of mental health outcomes for youth associated with different family communication styles. Parents of youth between 5 to 17 years old completed surveys about their own mental health, their child's mental health, and family communication about the COVID-19 pandemic at two time points 6 months apart. Overall, findings indicated that poorer parental mental health was related to greater use of avoidant communication, and avoidant communication styles were associated with poorer youth mental health over time. Findings suggest potential perils of avoidant family communication about ongoing threats and can help identify families at risk of negative mental health outcomes.

Examining the roles of disability-related body esteem and perceived burdensomeness in suicidal ideation among adults with vision- and mobility-related disabilities

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

People with disabilities (PWD) generally exhibit an increased risk of suicidal ideation (SI) and behaviors. Underlying cognitive states, namely perceived burdensomeness, have been identified as a contributor to the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in PWD. However, the role of body esteem in the development of SI in this population remains unexamined, despite its salience in other populations. In this study, we examined whether the interaction of perceived burdensomeness and body esteem contributed to the perceived likelihood of future SI among PWD, and whether this relationship was further moderated by disability type.

METHOD

Participants included 119 adults with self-reported vision- and mobility-related disabilities who participated in a larger study focused on disability and suicide involving interviews and self-report measures. We examined the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and disability-related body esteem on self-reported likelihood of future SI and whether this interaction was further moderated by disability type (i.e., vision- or mobility-related disability).

RESULTS

Greater perceived burdensomeness was associated with a greater perceived likelihood of future SI only for participants with vision impairments and at low levels of body esteem.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS

The combination of experiences of perceived burdensomeness and low body esteem may be particularly relevant to SI among people with vision-related versus mobility-related disabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Online racial discrimination, centrality, and academic outcomes among Black youth

Online racial discrimination (ORD) has been found to have deleterious effects on the psychological and academic outcomes of youth of color. Racial centrality (i.e., the extent to which one regards their racial group membership as important to their identity) may be a powerful buffer of these effects and has been identified as an important sociocultural asset for Black youth in particular. This study examined the relations among ORD, racial centrality, academic self-efficacy (ASE), and academic achievement among Black children and adolescents (ages 8-17). Results indicated that ORD and centrality increased with age, and the majority (76%) of youth reported at least one incident of ORD in the last year. Racial centrality moderated ORD's relationship with ASE but not with achievement; specifically, ORD and ASE were more strongly related at higher levels of centrality. Centrality was not significantly related to achievement; however, it was indirectly related to achievement via ASE. These findings underscore the importance of disrupting ORD as well as providing support for children and adolescents who experience it. This study also highlights racial centrality as an important mechanism for promoting academic achievement among Black youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding internalizing and externalizing symptoms in trauma exposed community members

OBJECTIVE

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly comorbid with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but few studies have examined risk factors that can account for these comorbidities. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the role of blame attribution (i.e., self-blame and other blame) and impulsivity dimensions (i.e., negative and positive urgency) in predicting internalizing (i.e., social anxiety, depression, and worry) and externalizing symptoms (i.e., aggression, risky thrill-seeking, risky substance use, and sexual risk-taking) when statistically controlling for PTSD.

METHOD

Participants were 63 trauma-exposed community members (47.6% diagnosed with PTSD; Mage = 27.17, 84.1% female) interviewed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-5. We hypothesized that self- and other blame would predict internalizing symptoms and that self-blame, negative urgency, and positive urgency would predict externalizing symptoms after controlling for PTSD.

RESULTS

Findings showed that self-blame was associated with all three internalizing symptoms and risky sex and that negative urgency predicted risky aggression.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that self-blame is an important risk factor for a broad range of internalizing symptoms and for at least one type of externalizing symptom and that the effects of self-blame are not fully explained by PTSD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A mixed method comparison of stigma toward autism and schizophrenia and effects of person-first versus identity-first language

Introduction

While stigma toward autistic individuals has been well documented, less is known about how autism is perceived relative to other stigmatized disabilities. As a highly stigmatized condition with similar social cognitive features to autism, schizophrenia may offer a useful comparison for stigma. Previous studies have found that autistic people may be perceived more favorably than those with schizophrenia, but little is known about the underlying volitional thoughts that contribute to differences in how these conditions are perceived.

Methods

The present study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, allowing for a detailed understanding of how young adults perceive different diagnostic labels. 533 college undergraduates completed questionnaires reflecting their perceptions of one of eight diagnostic labels: four related to autism (autism, autistic, autism spectrum disorder, or Asperger's), two related to schizophrenia (schizophrenia or schizophrenic), and two related to an unspecified clinical condition (clinical diagnosis or clinical disorder). Participants also completed an open-ended question regarding their thoughts about, and exposure to, these labels. Responses were compared across broader diagnostic categories (autism, schizophrenia, general clinical condition), with thematic analysis used to assess the broader themes occurring within the open-ended text.

Results

While perceptions did not differ significantly for person-first and identity-first language within labels, several differences were apparent across labels. Specifically, quantitative results indicated greater prejudice towards autism and schizophrenia than the generic clinical condition, with schizophrenia associated with more perceived fear and danger, as well as an increased preference for social distance, compared to autism. Patterns in initial codes differed across diagnostic labels, with greater variation in responses about autism than responses about schizophrenia or the general clinical condition. While participants described a range of attitudes toward autism (patronizing, exclusionary, and accepting) and schizophrenia (fear, prejudice, and empathy), they refrained from describing their attitudes toward the general clinical label, highlighting the centrality of a cohesive group identity for the development of stigma. Finally, participants reported a number of misconceptions about autism and schizophrenia, with many believing features such as savant syndrome to be core characteristics of the conditions.

Conclusion

These findings offer a more detailed account of how non-autistic individuals view autism and may therefore aid in the development of targeted programs to improve attitudes toward autism.

How biology shapes the development of shyness within specific contexts: A longitudinal, cross-lagged investigation

Shyness is a temperamental trait that refers to fear and wariness in the face of social novelty and is known to have a biological basis. One proposed physiological correlate of shyness has been the change in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from baseline to a stressor. However, past research linking shyness and RSA change has been mixed, which may be, in part, due to a failure to carefully consider the context under which RSA change is measured and the directionality of relations. Using a longitudinal design and cross-lagged analysis (N = 103, 52 girls), we examined parent-reported shyness and RSA change during a stranger approach task (social stressor) and a locked box task (nonsocial stressor) at ages 3 (Mage at Time 1 = 3.50 years, SDage = 0.19 years) and 4 (Mage at Time 2 = 4.76 years, SDage = 0.38). Cardiac vagal withdrawal during the stranger approach task, but not during the frustration task, at age 3 positively predicted shyness at age 4. Shyness at age 3 did not predict cardiac vagal change in either context at age 4. We also found that changes in RSA measured during the frustration task were stable across time, but changes in RSA measured during the stranger approach task were not stable across time, suggesting a developmental change in physiological regulatory systems to social threat. These results suggest that, although biology may come first in shaping children's behavior, this relation depends critically on the context and the incentives in the child's environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The moderating roles of emotion regulation and coping self-efficacy on the association between PTSD symptom severity and drug use among female sexual assault survivors

OBJECTIVE

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders are a significant comorbid concern among sexual assault survivors. Thus, underlying risk and protective factors are critical to investigate in understanding how to prevent this comorbidity.

METHOD

The current study assessed potential moderating effects of coping self-efficacy (CSE) and emotion dysregulation on the association between sexual assault-related PTSD symptom severity and drug use severity in a sample of college women. In this study, 518 female undergraduate students completed self-report measures of nonconsensual sexual experiences, PTSD symptoms, CSE, emotion dysregulation, and drug use severity.

RESULTS

Of these participants, 287 women reported at least 1 incident of attempted or completed rape. We found evidence of a significant moderation effect, suggesting that high levels of CSE and low levels of emotion dysregulation reduce the likelihood of drug use issues for female sexual assault survivors.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that assessment tools, interventions, and trauma-related policies should target CSE and emotion dysregulation in attenuating the risk of drug use for women with assault-related PTSD symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Impact of Learning Multiple Real-World Skills on Cognitive Abilities and Functional Independence in Healthy Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

The natural learning experience from infancy to emerging adulthood, when considerable cognitive and functional growth is observed, mandates learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously. The present studies investigated whether learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously is possible in older adults and also whether it improves both their cognitive abilities (working memory, episodic memory, and cognitive control) and functional independence.

METHODS

Over two studies (15 and 27 participants), older adults learned at least three new skills (e.g., Spanish, drawing, music composition) simultaneously for 3 months. Participants completed cognitive and functional assessments before, during, and after the intervention in both studies. Participants were recruited sequentially for an intervention or no-contact control group in Study 1, and Study 2 included only an intervention group, who also completed assessments 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the intervention (i.e., they served as their own control group).

RESULTS

Results from both studies show that simultaneously learning multiple skills is feasible and potentially beneficial for healthy older adults. Learning multiple skills simultaneously increased cognitive abilities in older adults by midpoint of the intervention, to levels similar to performance in a separate sample of middle-aged adults.

DISCUSSION

Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential of conducting a real-world skill-learning intervention involving learning three novel skills with older adults. Our multiskill intervention may provide broad cognitive gains, akin to the benefits experienced earlier in the life span.

Shyness, inhibitory control, and social support seeking in preschoolers: Role of familiar and unfamiliar contexts

The risk potentiation model of cognitive control posits that inhibitory control may heighten the risk for problematic outcomes among some temperamental styles characterized by high reactivity. Because shyness is a temperamental style defined as wariness and heightened reactivity to social novelty, we examined whether the interaction between shyness and inhibitory control predicted social support seeking differently depending on context using a between-subjects design. Typically developing preschoolers (N = 167, 52% female, M_age = 4.05 years, SD_age = .77 years) were observed during a model building task that included a familiar (i.e., with their mother) or unfamiliar (i.e., with a novel adult female) social context. In the unfamiliar context, shyness was negatively associated with social support seeking at relatively high levels of inhibitory control, in line with the risk potentiation model of control. However, in the familiar context, we found that shyness was positively associated with social support seeking at relatively high levels of inhibitory control. These results suggest that high levels of inhibitory control may potentiate social fear for preschoolers who are also shy and that these relations may depend on contextual factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Testing the nightmare cognitive arousal processing model

OBJECTIVE

Posttrauma nightmares are recurring nightmares that begin after a traumatic experience. Research has only recently begun to identify variables that predict posttrauma nightmare occurrences. Research has identified presleep arousal-cognitive (PSA-C) and presleep arousal physiological (PSA-PHYS), sleep onset latency (SOL), and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) as potential predictors of posttrauma nightmares. However, previous research includes methodological limitations, such as a lack of physiological measures and a homogeneous sample. To replicate previous findings and increase generalizability, the current study investigated predictors of nightmare occurrences in a sample of male inpatient veterans with mixed-trauma history.

METHOD

Participants (n = 15) completed an initial assessment battery and seven consecutive days of pre and postsleep diaries, including measures of posttrauma nightmare triggers and posttrauma nightmare occurrences. Portable objective measurements of sleep and presleep states were used to examine sleep quality and physical arousal.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that PSA-C and SOL both predicted posttrauma nightmare occurrences and that PSA-PHYS was significantly higher on nights when nightmares occurred.

CONCLUSION

Results replicate earlier research which posits that PSA and SOL play a role in triggering the occurrence of posttrauma nightmares. It should be noted that the sample was relatively small, warranting cautious interpretation of results. However, when taken together with the findings of the replicated study, results could suggest the plausibility of therapies targeting presleep cognitions, SOL, and presleep arousal in the treatment of posttrauma nightmares. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Clarity of Emotions and Goals: Exploring Associations with Subjective Well-Being Across Adulthood

Despite declines in cognition associated with age, emotional health tends to increase. However, extant studies find few differences in the type or number of emotion regulation strategies used by older compared to younger adults. This study tested the hypothesis that older adults have greater clarity of their emotions and goals compared to younger adults. Participants (total N = 709, ages 18-81) recruited in age-stratified samples completed measures of emotional clarity, goal clarity, depression, and life satisfaction. Results suggested that emotional clarity and goal clarity are positively correlated factors, with emotional clarity showing the lowest levels in emerging adults and highest levels in older adults. Goal clarity was lowest among emerging adults, but only small differences were found between middle and older adults. Across adulthood both emotional clarity and goal clarity were linked to lower depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. Limitations include data being cross-sectional and self-report based and the youngest sample being recruited differently from the older samples, but the results raise the possibility of developmental changes in emotional clarity across adulthood.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00179-6.

Value-based neural representations predict social decision preferences

Social decision-making is omnipresent in everyday life, carrying the potential for both positive and negative consequences for the decision-maker and those closest to them. While evidence suggests that decision-makers use value-based heuristics to guide choice behavior, very little is known about how decision-makers' representations of other agents influence social choice behavior. We used multivariate pattern expression analyses on fMRI data to understand how value-based processes shape neural representations of those affected by one's social decisions and whether value-based encoding is associated with social decision preferences. We found that stronger value-based encoding of a given close other (e.g. parent) relative to a second close other (e.g. friend) was associated with a greater propensity to favor the former during subsequent social decision-making. These results are the first to our knowledge to explicitly show that value-based processes affect decision behavior via representations of close others.

Emergence of Language Related to Self-experience and Agency in Autobiographical Narratives of Individuals With Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Disturbances in self-experience are a central feature of schizophrenia and its study can enhance phenomenological understanding and inform mechanisms underlying clinical symptoms. Self-experience involves the sense of self-presence, of being the subject of one's own experiences and agent of one's own actions, and of being distinct from others. Self-experience is traditionally assessed by manual rating of interviews; however, natural language processing (NLP) offers automated approach that can augment manual ratings by rapid and reliable analysis of text.

STUDY DESIGN

We elicited autobiographical narratives from 167 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ) and 90 healthy controls (HC), amounting to 490 000 words and 26 000 sentences. We used NLP techniques to examine transcripts for language related to self-experience, machine learning to validate group differences in language, and canonical correlation analysis to examine the relationship between language and symptoms.

STUDY RESULTS

Topics related to self-experience and agency emerged as significantly more expressed in SZ than HC (P < 10-13) and were decoupled from similarly emerging features such as emotional tone, semantic coherence, and concepts related to burden. Further validation on hold-out data showed that a classifier trained on these features achieved patient-control discrimination with AUC = 0.80 (P < 10-5). Canonical correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between self-experience and agency language features and clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Notably, the self-experience and agency topics emerged without any explicit probing by the interviewer and can be algorithmically detected even though they involve higher-order metacognitive processes. These findings illustrate the utility of NLP methods to examine phenomenological aspects of schizophrenia.

Prospective associations between pandemic-related adversity, harsh parenting, and the development of prosociality across middle to late childhood

Parenting behaviors and children's prosociality (i.e., voluntary behaviors intended to benefit others) are linked across development. Contextual risk and environmental stressors may undermine parenting behaviors known to promote children's prosocial behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique context in which to examine how stress and contextual risk disrupt parenting practices and the development of children's prosociality over time. To explore the associations between pandemic-related adversity, parenting practices, and child prosocial behavior, we used survey data from 303 families (child Mage = 6.43; 51.4% female, 48.6% male; 65.7% White) who participated in a three-wave longitudinal study during the first year of the pandemic. Families were recruited from two northeastern cities in the United States. Growth mixture modeling identified two groups of parents who varied in their experience of pandemic-related adversity. The high-adversity group reported significantly more symptoms of depression and anxiety, parental burnout, and pandemic-related worries than the low-adversity group. At baseline, parents in the high-adversity group reported harsher parenting and perceived less prosocial behavior in their children. Across the full sample, there were no significant changes in harsh parenting and parental perceptions of child's prosociality across the first year of the pandemic. However, within the high-adversity group, increases in harsh parenting were related to reductions in children's prosociality over time. Results are interpreted in the context of family systems theory and contribute to our understanding of the links between parenting and children's prosociality and patterns of risk and resilience in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Physical Effort Exertion for Peer Feedback Reveals Evolving Social Motivations From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Peer relationships and social belonging are particularly important during adolescence. Using a willingness-to-work paradigm to quantify incentive motivation, we examined whether evaluative information holds unique value for adolescents. Participants (N = 102; 12-23 years old) rated peers, predicted how peers rated them, and exerted physical effort to view each peer's rating. We measured grip force, speed, and opt-out behavior to examine the motivational value of peer feedback, relative to money in a control condition, and to assess how peer desirability and participants' expectations modulated motivated effort across age. Overall, when compared with adolescents, adults were relatively less motivated for feedback than money. Whereas adults exerted less force and speed for feedback when expecting rejection, adolescents exerted greater force and speed when expecting to be more strongly liked or disliked. These findings suggest that the transition into adulthood is accompanied by a self-protective focus, whereas adolescents are motivated to consume highly informative feedback, even if negative.

Proximal associations among college students' alcohol use and cyber partner abuse perpetration

OBJECTIVE

Research and theory support alcohol use as a proximal antecedent to in-person partner abuse (PA). However, event-level research has not examined cyber PA thereby limiting our understanding of whether alcohol use proximally relates to cyber PA.

METHOD

We collected daily data on alcohol use and cyber PA from college students (N = 236; 73.3% women) for 60 consecutive days. Controlling for cyber PA victimization, we evaluated whether college students who consumed more drinks perpetrated more cyber PA (between-person effects), whether cyber PA was more likely to occur on days in which alcohol use was higher than each individual's average (within-person effect), and whether within- and between-person associations between alcohol use and cyber PA varied by sex.

RESULTS

Women were more likely than men to perpetrate cyber PA but there were no sex differences in the association between alcohol use and cyber PA. Multilevel modeling revealed that neither higher average alcohol use, nor drinking more than one usually does on a given day, associated with odds of subsequent cyber PA. Although alcohol use did not associate with odds of subsequent cyber PA, posthoc analyses revealed that odds of cyber PA increased as alcohol use increased, regardless of whether drinking occurred before or after cyber PA. Thus, alcohol use may have been more likely to occur after cyber PA.

CONCLUSIONS

Results did not support alcohol use as a proximal antecedent to college students' cyber PA. Future research should investigate of cyber PA as a proximal risk factor for subsequent alcohol use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Links Between Inflammation, Mood, and Physical Function Among Older Adults With HIV

OBJECTIVES

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) treated with antiretrovirals have life spans similar to their HIV-negative peers. Yet, they experience elevated inflammation-related multimorbidity. Drawing on biopsychosocial determinants of health may inform interventions, but these links are understudied in older PLWH. We investigated cross-sectional relationships between psychosocial factors (mood, loneliness, and stigma), inflammatory markers, and age-related health outcomes among 143 PLWH aged 54-78 years.

METHOD

Participants provided blood samples for serum cytokine and C-reactive protein (CRP) analyses, completed surveys assessing psychosocial factors and health, and completed frailty assessments. Regression models tested relationships between key psychosocial-, inflammation, and age-related health variables, adjusting for relevant sociodemographic and clinical factors.

RESULTS

Participants with more depressive symptoms had higher composite cytokine levels than those with fewer depressive symptoms (β = 0.22, t(126) = 2.71, p = .008). Those with higher cytokine levels were more likely to be prefrail or frail (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-2.93) and reported worse physical function (β = -0.23, t(129) = -2.64, p = .009) and more cognitive complaints (β = -0.20, t(129) = -2.16, p = .03) than those with lower cytokine levels. CRP was not significantly related to these outcomes; 6-month fall history was not significantly related to inflammatory markers.

DISCUSSION

Novel approaches are needed to manage comorbidities and maximize quality of life among older PLWH. Illustrating key expected biopsychosocial links, our findings highlight several factors (e.g., depressive symptoms, poorer physical function) that may share bidirectional relationships with chronic inflammation, a key factor driving morbidity. These links may be leveraged to modify factors that drive excessive health risk among older PLWH.

"A blessing and a curse": Work loss during coronavirus lockdown on short-term health changes via threat and recovery

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in national lockdown orders, followed by employment changes to reduce labor costs. We assess how health varied for hospitality workers due to the lockdown (i.e., comparing health a month before to a month after), employment change (i.e., comparing those with loss vs. no change), and employee response (i.e., more job threat vs. more personal recovery). Comparing pre- and post-lockdown surveys of 137 U.S. and U.K. hospitality employees, psychological health (i.e., negative and positive affect) worsened but physical health (i.e., symptoms and sleep) improved. We proposed those facing work loss (66% had reduced hours, furloughs, or layoffs) had more job threat but also more personal recovery (i.e., relaxation, mastery, exercise), resulting in opposing pathways to health. Results from a path analysis showed that work loss indirectly linked to higher psychological distress due to job threat, but to lower distress and fewer physical symptoms due to relaxation. Regardless of work loss, mastery (e.g., hobbies) was related to immediate changes in positive affect and sleep, while exercise did not have short-term health benefits. Further, recovery benefits from work loss were short-lived; only job threat carried the effect to psychological distress 2 months later. We offer quotes from the hospitality workers to contextualize the blessing and curse of work loss during the lockdown for these particularly vulnerable employees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Lure of Counterfactual Curiosity: People Incur a Cost to Experience Regret

After you make a decision, it is sometimes possible to seek information about how things would be if you had acted otherwise. We investigated the lure of this counterfactual information, namely, counterfactual curiosity. In a set of five experiments (total N = 150 adults), we used an adapted Balloon Analogue Risk Task with varying costs of information. At a cost, people were willing to seek information about how much they could have won, even though it had little utility and a negative emotional impact (i.e., it led to regret). We explored the downstream effects of seeking information on emotion, behavior adjustment, and ongoing performance, showing that it has little or even negative performance benefit. We also replicated the findings with a large-sample (N = 361 adults) preregistered experiment that excluded possible alternative explanations. This suggests that information about counterfactual alternatives has a strong motivational lure—people simply cannot help seeking it.

Focused attention meditation changes the boundary and configuration of functional networks in the brain

Research has shown that focused attention meditation not only improves our cognitive and motivational functioning (e.g., attention, mental health), it influences the way our brain networks [e.g., default mode network (DMN), fronto-parietal network (FPN), and sensory-motor network (SMN)] function and operate. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the possibility that meditation alters the architecture (composition) of these functional brain networks. Here, using a single-case experimental design with intensive longitudinal data, we examined the effect of mediation practice on intra-individual changes in the composition of whole-brain networks. The results showed that meditation (1) changed the community size (with a number of regions in the FPN being merged into the DMN after meditation) and (2) led to instability in the community allegiance of the regions in the FPN. These results suggest that, in addition to altering specific functional connectivity, meditation leads to reconfiguration of whole-brain network architecture. The reconfiguration of community architecture in the brain provides fruitful information about the neural mechanisms of meditation.

Epigenetic tuning of brain signal entropy in emergent human social behavior

BACKGROUND

How the brain develops accurate models of the external world and generates appropriate behavioral responses is a vital question of widespread multidisciplinary interest. It is increasingly understood that brain signal variability-posited to enhance perception, facilitate flexible cognitive representations, and improve behavioral outcomes-plays an important role in neural and cognitive development. The ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to complex and dynamic social information is particularly critical for the development of adaptive learning and behavior. Social perception relies on oxytocin-regulated neural networks that emerge early in development.

METHODS

We tested the hypothesis that individual differences in the endogenous oxytocinergic system early in life may influence social behavioral outcomes by regulating variability in brain signaling during social perception. In study 1, 55 infants provided a saliva sample at 5 months of age for analysis of individual differences in the oxytocinergic system and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) while listening to human vocalizations at 8 months of age for the assessment of brain signal variability. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report. In study 2, 60 infants provided a saliva sample and underwent EEG while viewing faces and objects and listening to human speech and water sounds at 4 months of age. Infant behavior was assessed via parental report and eye tracking.

RESULTS

We show in two independent infant samples that increased brain signal entropy during social perception is in part explained by an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and accounts for significant individual differences in social behavior in the first year of life. These results are measure-, context-, and modality-specific: entropy, not standard deviation, links OXTR methylation and infant behavior; entropy evoked during social perception specifically explains social behavior only; and only entropy evoked during social auditory perception predicts infant vocalization behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Demonstrating these associations in infancy is critical for elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms accounting for individual differences in cognition and behavior relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our results suggest that an epigenetic modification to the oxytocin receptor gene and brain signal entropy are useful indicators of social development and may hold potential diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

Implementing the Bounce Back trauma intervention in urban elementary schools: A real-world replication trial

The current study provides the first replication trial of Bounce Back, a school-based intervention for elementary students exposed to trauma, in a different school district and geographical area. Participants in this study were 52 1st through 4th graders (Mage = 7.76 years; 65% male) who were predominately Latino (82%). Schools were randomly assigned to immediate treatment or waitlist control. Differential treatment effects (Time × Group Interaction) were found for child-reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and parent-reported child coping, indicating that the immediate treatment group showed greater reductions in PTSD and improvements in coping compared with the delayed group. Differential treatment effects were not significant for depression or anxiety. Significant maintenance effects were found for both child-reported PTSD and depression as well as parent-reported PTSD and coping for the immediate treatment group at follow-up. Significant treatment effects were also found in the delayed treatment group, showing reductions in child-reported PTSD, depression, and anxiety as well as parent-reported depression and coping upon receiving treatment. In conclusion, the current study suggests that Bounce Back is an effective intervention for reducing PTSD symptoms and improving coping skills, even among a sample experiencing high levels of trauma and other ongoing stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record

Greater than the sum of its parts: Development of a measure of collectivism among Asians

OBJECTIVES

Collectivism can contextualize subjective cultural experiences, yet operationalization and measurement approaches for understanding this construct among Asians and Asian Americans have been discrepant. Inconsistency has resulted from diverse levels of analyses, unidimensional versus multidimensional approaches to organizing related subconstructs, and different degrees of cultural specificity of existing instruments. The Brief Collectivism Questionnaire (BCQ) was developed to address these limitations in assessing general collectivism in Asian cultures, while capturing its diverse attitudinal and behavioral manifestations, using a bifactor framework.

METHOD

Data were collected from 2 samples of Asian American and Asian international students (N₁ = 267: M_age = 20.4, 48.7% women; N₂ = 375: M_age = 19.0, 55.6% women). The structure underlying collectivism was examined in exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory (Study 2) factor analyses. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses tested the BCQ's validity, particularly the extent to which broadband collectivism and content-specific subdomains overlapped with existing measures of the construct (Study 3).

RESULTS

A bifactor structure with 1 general factor of collectivism and 3 specific factors (Prosocial Motivations, Maintaining Harmony, and Concern for Face) demonstrated the best fit for the data and supported the conceptual framework. The BCQ showed adequate internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and concurrent and incremental validity predicting depression and openness toward treatment seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

The BCQ appears to be a multidimensional, psychometrically sound measure that assesses broadband and narrowband contents of collectivism among Asians. The bifactor structure integrates diverse conceptualizations of individual-level collectivism, and clarifies how this construct is related to adjustment outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

"Are you gonna publish that?" Peer-reviewed publication outcomes of doctoral dissertations in psychology

If a doctoral dissertation represents an original investigation that makes a contribution to one's field, then dissertation research could, and arguably should, be disseminated into the scientific literature. However, the extent and nature of dissertation publication remains largely unknown within psychology. The present study investigated the peer-reviewed publication outcomes of psychology dissertation research in the United States. Additionally, we examined publication lag, scientific impact, and variations across subfields. To investigate these questions, we first drew a stratified random cohort sample of 910 psychology Ph.D. dissertations from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Next, we conducted comprehensive literature searches for peer-reviewed journal articles derived from these dissertations published 0-7 years thereafter. Published dissertation articles were coded for their bibliographic details, citation rates, and journal impact metrics. Results showed that only one-quarter (25.6% [95% CI: 23.0, 28.4]) of dissertations were ultimately published in peer-reviewed journals, with significant variations across subfields (range: 10.1 to 59.4%). Rates of dissertation publication were lower in professional/applied subfields (e.g., clinical, counseling) compared to research/academic subfields (e.g., experimental, cognitive). When dissertations were published, however, they often appeared in influential journals (e.g., Thomson Reuters Impact Factor M = 2.84 [2.45, 3.23], 5-year Impact Factor M = 3.49 [3.07, 3.90]) and were cited numerous times (Web of Science citations per year M = 3.65 [2.88, 4.42]). Publication typically occurred within 2-3 years after the dissertation year. Overall, these results indicate that the large majority of Ph.D. dissertation research in psychology does not get disseminated into the peer-reviewed literature. The non-publication of dissertation research appears to be a systemic problem affecting both research and training in psychology. Efforts to improve the quality and "publishability" of doctoral dissertation research could benefit psychological science on multiple fronts.

Conceptual and statistical issues in couples observational research: Rationale and methods for design decisions

Observational behavioral coding methods are widely used for the study of relational phenomena. There are numerous guidelines for the development and implementation of these methods that include principles for creating new and adapting existing coding systems as well as principles for creating coding teams. While these principles have been successfully implemented in research on relational phenomena, the ever expanding array of phenomena being investigated with observational methods calls for a similar expansion of these principles. Specifically, guidelines are needed for decisions that arise in current areas of emphasis in couple research including observational investigation of related outcomes (e.g., relationship distress and psychological symptoms), the study of change in behavior over time, and the study of group similarities and differences in the enactment and perception of behavior. This article describes conceptual and statistical considerations involved in these 3 areas of research and presents principle- and empirically based rationale for design decisions related to these issues. A unifying principle underlying these guidelines is the need for careful consideration of fit between theory, research questions, selection of coding systems, and creation of coding teams. Implications of (mis)fit for the advancement of theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Adversity, emotion recognition, and empathic concern in high-risk youth

Little is known about how emotion recognition and empathy jointly operate in youth growing up in contexts defined by persistent adversity. We investigated whether adversity exposure in two groups of youth was associated with reduced empathy and whether deficits in emotion recognition mediated this association. Foster, rural poor, and comparison youth from Swaziland, Africa identified emotional expressions and rated their empathic concern for characters depicted in images showing positive, ambiguous, and negative scenes. Rural and foster youth perceived greater anger and happiness in the main characters in ambiguous and negative images than did comparison youth. Rural children also perceived less sadness. Youth’s perceptions of sadness in the negative and ambiguous expressions mediated the relation between adversity and empathic concern, but only for the rural youth, who perceived less sadness, which then predicted less empathy. Findings provide new insight into processes that underlie empathic tendencies in adversity-exposed youth and highlight potential directions for interventions to increase empathy.

Salivary cytokine response in the aftermath of stress: An emotion regulation perspective

Elevated inflammation in the context of stress has been implicated in mental and physical health. Approaching this from an emotion regulation perspective, we tested whether the salivary cytokine response to stress is dampened by using distraction to minimize opportunity for poststressor rumination. Healthy young adults were randomized to an acute stressor: modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST, Study 1) or angry memory retrieval (Study 2). Within each study, participants were randomized to poststressor condition-rest or distraction-at a 3:1 ratio. Saliva, collected before and 40 min after the end of each stressor, was assayed for proinflammatory cytokines (PICs): interleukin-1β (IL-1β), TNF-α, and IL-6. Both stressors increased all PICs, and both provoked negative emotion. At 40 min post-TSST, salivary PIC increases did not differ between distraction and rest, but correlated positively with emotional reactivity to stress. At 40 min after memory retrieval, IL-1β increases and intrusive rumination were lower during distraction than rest, but did not correlate with emotional reactivity. Trait rumination and interference control mechanisms, also measured, played little role in PIC increases. Overall, after some stressors, some salivary cytokine responses are lower during distraction than rest. The roles of specific emotions, emotional intensity, and poststressor timing of saliva collection in this finding require clarification. Furthermore, the possibility of two affective paths to inflammation in the context of stress-one sensitive to opportunities for early occurring emotion regulation (as reflected in emotional reactivity), and one sensitive to late-occurring emotion regulation (as reflected in distraction after stress)-deserves attention. (PsycINFO Database Record