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Psychology is currently experiencing a "renaissance" where the replication and reproducibility of published reports are at the forefront of conversations in the field. While researchers have worked to discuss possible problems and solutions, work has yet to uncover how this new culture may have altered reporting practices in the social sciences. As outliers and other errant data points can bias both descriptive and inferential statistics, the search for these data points is essential to any analysis using these parameters. We quantified the rates of reporting of outliers and other data within psychology at two time points: 2012 when the replication crisis was born, and 2017, after the publication of reports concerning replication, questionable research practices, and transparency. A total of 2235 experiments were identified and analyzed, finding an increase in reporting from only 15.7% of experiments in 2012 to 25.0% in 2017. We investigated differences across years given the psychological field or statistical analysis that experiment employed. Further, we inspected whether data exclusions mentioned were whole participant observations or data points, and what reasons authors gave for stating the observation was deviant. We conclude that while report rates are improving overall, there is still room for improvement in the reporting practices of psychological scientists which can only aid in strengthening our science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the relationship between resilience, perceived meaning in life, and traumatic stress symptoms among coastal residents of Mississippi directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also known as the Gulf oil spill). The study was conducted as part of a larger project that assessed the spill's effect on the mental health of individuals seeking therapeutic services. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine if resilience and perceived meaning are significant predictors of scores from a measure of posttraumatic stress. Descriptive data, reliability coefficients, and correlations were also calculated. Higher levels of resilience and meaning together were predictive of fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms after controlling for the effect of the spill. Resilience and meaning appeared to be similar predictors of lower posttraumatic stress scores, and meaning appears to be an important facet of what makes a person resilient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study's purpose was to assess perceived meaning in adolescents. Specifically, our goals were to examine the psychometric properties of the Purpose in Life test-Short Form (PIL-SF) and its ability to predict psychological outcomes in an adolescent sample. Method Aspects of well-being (self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and resilience) and psychological distress (posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and general stress) were assessed in a sample of adolescents ( N = 91; 58.2% female; mean age = 14.89) receiving clinical services following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Results Meaning was positively associated with life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and resilience, and negatively associated with posttraumatic stress and depression. Meaning was not significantly related to anxiety or general stress. Females reported significantly more meaning than males, while no significant differences were noted by race/ethnicity. Conclusions The PIL-SF is a useful measure with adolescents. Moreover, meaning is an important concept to consider with respect to disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) with individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) in an inpatient setting ( N = 96). The 10-item MLQ comprises Presence (perceived meaning) and Search (motivation to discover meaning) scales. Design: This study focused on the reliability and validity of the MLQ, reporting a range of data, including correlations and regression (predicting scores on a measure of psychopathology, the Brief Symptom Inventory). Results: Both MLQ scales yielded reliable scores. The current sample tended to report greater Presence, whereas Search means tended to be similar to those reported in other studies. The association between Presence and the Brief Symptom Inventory was not statistically significant. As for Search, people reporting greater motivation to discover meaning tended to report greater degrees of symptoms. The Presence and Search scales correlated at r =.12, which was unexpected given that most studies note an inverse relationship. However, this finding is considered in light of an interaction effect between Presence and Search when predicting psychological distress. Conclusions: The current findings are supportive of the MLQ's utility with individuals with SMI. Limitations and directions for research are offered. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 67:1-10, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

( Headache 2011;51:581-589) Migraine is associated with significant negative impact, including reduced quality of life, impaired functioning, and comorbid psychiatric disorders. However, the impact of migraine on university students is understudied, despite their high prevalence of migraine and psychiatric disorders and their frequent use in research studies. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of migraine among college students on quality of life, functional impairment, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Three hundred and ninety-one students (76.73% female, mean age = 19.43 ± 2.80 years) completed well-validated measures of migraine and migraine-related disability, quality of life, and comorbid psychiatric symptoms. They also quantified impairment in school attendance and home functioning and reported the number of medical visits during the preceding 3 months. One hundred and one (25.83%) met conservative screening criteria for episodic migraine; their mean score on the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire was 9.98 ± 12.10. Compared to those not screening positive for migraine, the migraine-positive group reported reduced quality of life on 5 of 6 domains, as well as a higher frequency of missed school days (2.74 vs 1.36), impaired functioning at home (2.84 vs 1.21 days), and medical visits (1.86 vs 0.95). They also reported more symptoms of both depression and anxiety than controls, although differences in functional impairment remained after controlling for these comorbid psychiatric symptoms. These differences were highly statistically significant and corroborated by evidence of clinically significant impairment; the corresponding effect sizes were modest but non-trivial. Episodic migraine is associated with negative impact in numerous domains among university students. These findings replicate and extend those of studies on other samples and have implications for future research studies with this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]