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Despite Latino sexual minority men (SMM) reporting high cigarette smoking rates compared to their heterosexual counterparts, limited research has investigated culturally relevant associations of smoking among this population. The gender role component of caballerismo may relate to no/low smoking to avoid smoking-related comorbidities with the potential of indirectly impacting the family. The other component, traditional machismo, may relate to difficulty expressing emotions, resulting in reliance on avoidant coping strategies to regulate negative affect, such as smoking. The present study's objective was to investigate how traditional machismo and caballerismo are associated with smoking among Latino SMM. Self-identified Latino SMM were recruited resulting in a sample of 151 individuals. Participants were recruited from within Southern California and were, on average, 24.19 years of age (SD = 3.19). Logistic regression analyses examined the associations between traditional machismo, caballerismo, and cigarette smoking. Bivariate results showed a significant positive correlation between traditional machismo and the number of cigarettes smoked per day and a significant negative correlation between caballerismo and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. In a multivariable model, traditional machismo scores were associated with 3.56 increased odds of smoking 1+ cigarette(s)/day and 2.15 increased odds of smoking 10+ cigarettes/day. Caballerismo scores were not significantly associated with smoking 1+ nor 10+ cigarettes/day. Traditional machismo may be a risk factor for cigarette smoking among Latino SMM. Caballerismo may, to an extent, be associated with low cigarette smoking. Smoking prevention/cessation programs with this vulnerable population may wish to address traditional machismo and caballerismo. Public Significance Statement: Two prominent gender role components among men in Latino culture are traditional machismo and caballerismo. In the present study, sexual minority Latino men with heightened traditional machismo were more probable to be daily cigarette smokers as well as moderate cigarette smokers. While caballerismo was not found to be related to being a daily cigarette smoker nor a moderate cigarette smoker, it was found that as caballerismo increased, the number of cigarettes that sexual minority Latino men smoked daily tended to decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of executive rounding in fostering hospital safety. Topics covered include the practice's conduct of regular touring of the facility, engaging with staff, and addressing safety concerns in real time by administrators, and such hospital workplace issues as environmental normalization, perceptual blindness, and avoidance behavior. Also noted are the executive rounding benefits of enhanced communication, increased visibility, and proactive problem-solving.

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is considered a traumatic experience with long-term adverse effects on the quality of adult intimate relationships. Research on the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon among Arab societies is scarce. Objective: This study investigated the impact of childhood physical abuse (PA) and emotional abuse (EA) on the quality of marital relationships. Additionally, it examined the mediating roles of two dimensions of insecure adult attachment (i.e., avoidant and anxious) to a romantic partner and psychological distress within gender-specific models. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a representative sample of 604 married Arab adults (M age = 33.5, SD = 6.52; 50.1% women) in Israel using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Childhood PA was significantly related to low levels of relationship quality among men and women. For men, childhood PA was positively related to psychological distress and both patterns of romantic attachment styles, which in turn were negatively associated with relationship quality. For women, childhood PA was positively associated with psychological distress and avoidant attachment, correlating with low levels of relationship quality. Conclusion: A retrospective assessment of childhood PA is associated with decreased levels of marital relationship quality for men and women. This association is mediated by psychological distress and romantic attachment styles. Implications: Implementing interventions focused on improving mental health and promoting a secure romantic attachment style can enhance the quality of marital relationships for adults with CM experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies showed that the ICD-11 C-PTSD is associated with considerable individual and social consequences. This study focused on the persistence and psychological predictors of C-PTSD. We analyzed longitudinal survey data from a sample of Hong Kong adults (N = 230) with an interval of approximately six months. Participants completed standardized self-report measures of C-PTSD and various psychological factors (including self-criticism, self-compassion, ruminative response, event centrality, and experiential avoidance) at both timepoints. Over 80% of participants with probable C-PTSD at baseline remained to meet the criteria for PTSD/C-PTSD at follow-up, while over 50% of participants with probable PTSD at baseline remitted at follow-up. Participants with probable C-PTSD were characterized by greater use of mental health services at both timepoints. Additionally, hierarchical multiple regression showed that, among a variety of psychological factors, experiential avoidance was the only significant predictor of PTSD (β = 0.271, p =.001) and disturbances in self-organization (DSO) (β = 0.200, p =.011) symptoms, after controlling for baseline symptom severity and treatment usage. This study shows that C-PTSD persists over time and its symptoms are predicted by experiential avoidance. More efforts are needed to prevent and address C-PTSD in the community. We also offer insights into the management of trauma-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS) among university students living in Hong Kong to assess weight and body image concerns. A convenience sample of 787 students (63.5% females; 24.5% overweight) were recruited online. The factor structure of the scale was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multigroup CFA was used to assess measurement invariance across gender and weight categories. The unidimensional structure of the scale was confirmed (χ2 = 78.046, CFI = 0.996). Factor loading ranged from 0.536 to 0.902, and internal consistency was good (α =.93, ω =.95). The scale was measurement invariant across gender and weight status using both metric and scalar invariance methods (−0.004<ΔCFI<-0.002). The scale can help to identify barriers of weight concerns regarding physical activity engagement which would help in the development of preventive interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study is part of the ODIN‐migraine (Optimization of Diagnostic Instruments in migraine) project. It is a secondary, a priori analysis of previously collected data, and aimed to assess the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Cogniphobia Scale for Headache Disorders (CS‐HD). We aimed to construct a German‐language version and a short version. Background: Cogniphobia is the fear and avoidance of cognitive exertion, which the patient believes triggers or exacerbates headache. High cogniphobia may worsen the course of a headache disorder. Methods: The 15‐item CS‐HD was translated into German and back translated in a masked form by a professional translator. Modifications were discussed and carried out in an expert panel. A cross‐sectional online survey including the CS‐HD and further self‐report questionnaires was conducted in a sample of N = 387 persons with migraine (364/387 [94.1%] female, M = 41.0 [SD = 13.0] years, migraine without aura: 152/387 [39.3%], migraine with aura: 85/387 [22.0%], and chronic migraine: 150/387 [38.8%]). Results: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in two clearly interpretable factors (interictal and ictal cogniphobia). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded an acceptable to good model fit (χ2(89) = 117.87, p = 0.022, χ2/df = 1.32, RMSEA = 0.029, SRMR = 0.055, CFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.995). Item response theory‐based analysis resulted in the selection of six items for the short form (CS‐HD‐6). Reliability was acceptable to excellent (interictal cogniphobia subscale: ω = 0.92 [CS‐HD] or ω = 0.77 [CS‐HD‐6]; ictal cogniphobia subscale: ω = 0.77 [CS‐HD] or ω = 0.73 [CS‐HD‐6]). The pattern of correlations with established questionnaires confirmed convergent validity of both the CS‐HD and the CS‐HD‐6. Conclusion: Both the CS‐HD and the CS‐HD‐6 have good psychometric properties and are suitable for the assessment of cogniphobia in migraine. Plain Language Summary: Cogniphobia is the fear of cognitive exertion, in which the patient believes effortful thinking triggers or exacerbates headache. The Cogniphobia Scale for Headache Disorders (CS‐HD) provides an assessment of this headache specific‐fear. A German version and a six‐item short form of the CS‐HD were developed from an online sample of 387 persons with migraine, and our results showed that this version was suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There is debate surrounding how to differentiate between anorexia nervosa (AN) and atypical AN (atypAN) as diagnostic entities, and whether a distinction based on BMI is warranted. Better understanding eating disorder (ED) and emotional symptoms across atypAN and AN subtypes [AN‐restricting (AN‐R), AN‐binge/purge (AN‐BP)], with and without controlling for BMI, can elucidate how atypAN differs from AN subtypes and whether there is a basis for a BMI cut‐off. Methods: 1810 female patients at an ED treatment centre completed intake surveys. ANCOVAs assessed differences across AN‐R (n = 853), AN‐BP (n = 726), and atypAN (n = 231) groups on ED, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness, with and without controlling for BMI. Results: Relative to AN‐R, atypAN and AN‐BP groups endorsed significantly higher ED and depressive symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, and significantly lower mindfulness (all p < 0.001), but atypAN and AN‐BP groups did not differ from one another. When controlling for BMI, all previously significant differences between atypAN and AN‐R did not remain significant. Conclusion: Individuals with atypAN who have a higher BMI experience more pronounced ED and emotional symptoms, suggesting that relying solely on BMI as a marker of illness severity may be problematic. Highlights: Atypical anorexia nervosa (atypAN) describes individuals who meet all of the criteria for AN, but who, despite significant weight loss, have a BMI within or above the 'normal' weight range.Individuals with atypAN endorsed more severe eating disorder and emotional symptoms than individuals with AN‐restricting subtype, and the higher BMI of individuals with atypAN accounted for these differences.atypAN symptoms may not only be just as severe as those of AN despite their higher weight, but may be exacerbated by weight stigma and greater body image concerns because of their higher weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: People with aphasia (PWA) often experience higher levels of anxiety and social isolation than people without aphasia. Although the presence of anxiety is appreciated in PWA, literature examining the etiology and persistent nature of anxiety in PWA is underdeveloped. Safety-seeking behaviors, or maladaptive acts used by individuals to decrease anxiety from a feared outcome, have been reported as key facilitators of long-term anxiety toward feared situations across a variety of clinical populations. The purpose of this viewpoint is to explore the concept of safety-seeking behaviors and discuss their potential relevance to the maintenance of anxiety in PWA. We further discuss the distinction between maladaptive (i.e., safety seeking) and adaptive (i.e., coping) behaviors and how this knowledge may improve the quality of clinical services for PWA. Conclusions: The present review advocates for further exploration of the safety-seeking behaviors that are used by PWA. Until critical attention is given to this subject, clinicians may remain ill-equipped to identify and depict whether a self-management strategy is facilitative or inhibitive to PWA's communicative participation goals. Critically, a behavior that may be "maladaptive" for one individual may be "adaptive" for another. Future research should seek to identify common behavioral and cognitive strategies that PWA implement to reduce acute perceptions of anxiety. This knowledge may help facilitate holistic aphasia rehabilitation by allowing clinicians to foster conversations around behaviors that inhibit or promote successful communicative participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment orientation has been argued to play a role in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, but this relationship has yet to be fully understood. Attachment orientation may also contribute to appraisals of uncertainty such as threatening and negative beliefs about the consequences of loss of control, constructs which may also be associated with OCD. The present study aimed to investigate whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and negative beliefs about losing control (BALC) mediate the relationship between attachment and OCD symptoms. Two hundred and five participants were recruited from the general community to undertake a cross-sectional online survey which included the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale – 12 item, the Beliefs About Losing Control Inventory, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised. Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, IU, and BALC were positively correlated with OCD symptoms. Both attachment dimensions were associated with IU and BALC. IU and BALC were found to be serial multiple mediators in the relationship between both attachment dimensions and OCD symptoms, though only the relationship between attachment anxiety and OCD remained significant when controlling for the corresponding attachment dimension. The results suggest that IU and BALC may play a key role in the relationship between attachment and OCD symptoms. What is already known about this topic: Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance have been demonstrated to be associated with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Both attachment dimensions have been demonstrated to be associated with intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and may be hypothesised to lead to negative beliefs about the consequences of loss of control. No research has investigated the potential mediating role of IU and beliefs about losing control on the relationship between attachment and OCD symptoms. What this topic adds: Attachment anxiety and avoidance were found to be associated with beliefs about losing control and IU, and all variables were associated with OCD symptoms. IU and beliefs about losing control were found to be serial-multiple mediators in the relationship between attachment dimensions and OCD symptoms. Attachment orientation, IU and beliefs about losing control may all be important variables to understand as potential contributors to the experience of OCD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined parental romantic attachment security as a mediator of prospective associations between hostile interparental conflict and parental discipline (i.e., power-assertive, permissive, and inductive discipline) for mothers and fathers of young children. Furthermore, this study utilized a novel, automatic assessment of romantic attachment security in examining whether romantic attachment assessed at controlled (i.e., self-reported) and automatic (i.e., a rapid word-sorting task) levels of representation differentially serve as spillover mechanisms. Participants included 235 mothers (62% White), fathers (55% White), and a target child between the ages of 2 and 4 (Mage = 2.97; 55% girls) recruited from a moderate-sized metropolitan area in the Northeastern United States. Families were assessed annually across three waves of data collection. Results from autoregressive structural equation model analyses revealed that romantic attachment operated as spillover mechanism for mothers. In particular, hostile interparental conflict was associated with power-assertive discipline through changes in mothers' automatic romantic attachment security. We also found that hostile interparental conflict was associated with inductive discipline through changes in mothers' romantic attachment avoidance. Neither controlled nor automatic romantic attachment representations served as spillover mechanisms for fathers. Findings are discussed within family systems and attachment frameworks. Public Significance Statement: This study suggests that hostile interparental conflict can influence mothers' discipline practices by undermining the mother's ability to rely on the father for support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primary goal of rehabilitation is to produce optimal health-related quality of life outcomes, which includes returning patients to their desired level of activity. Injury-related fear, kinesiophobia, and fear-avoidance beliefs are psychological factors that negatively impact health-related quality of life and are associated with decreased levels of physical activity. Conversely, increased levels of self-efficacy have been linked to favorable rehabilitation outcomes. To promote full recovery and optimal health-related quality of life, the rehabilitation process should consider addressing self-efficacy and injury-related fear (e.g., kinesiophobia, fear-avoidance beliefs). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to introduce a theoretical framework which integrates self-efficacy theory and the Fear-Avoidance Model to mitigate injury-related fear and optimize patient outcomes following musculoskeletal injury. The intention of this theoretical framework is to provide clinicians with psychosocial interventions to improve self-efficacy and prevent the progression of injury-related fear at varying times throughout the rehabilitation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The undergraduate mental health nursing course is an optimal time to address stigma and prejudice, while developing positive student attitudes toward those who live with mental health conditions. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, nonequivalent-group study with a sample of undergraduate nursing students in New York City (N = 126) was conducted to determine the impact of an undergraduate mental health nursing course on attitudes toward people living with a general mental illness, depression, or schizophrenia. The intervention resulted in a significant reduction in total prejudice scores toward those with a general mental illness when compared to the control (p = 0.033, partial η2 = 0.062). The intervention had no significant impact on total prejudice scores regarding those with depression, or schizophrenia. Subscale analysis revealed the intervention significantly reduced attitudes of fear/avoidance regarding general mental illness (p = 0.040, partial η2 = 0.058) and schizophrenia (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.164). There was no impact on authoritarian or malevolent attitudes. Though some attitudes were not amenable to change, this study provides evidence that positive attitudes can be cultivated through undergraduate nursing education. Curricular reform is needed to reduce all facets of prejudice and best prepare future nurses to care for those with mental health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased emphasis has been placed on elucidating the contribution of client variables, such as treatment preference, to optimize evidence-based practice. This analog study sought to better understand variables associated with treatment preference using a convenience sample of college students (n = 54) who read brief descriptions of three interventions for negative thoughts—defusion, noticing, and restructuring. They rated each on acceptability and practicality and completed measures of cognitive fusion, emotional distress, and experiential avoidance as possible moderating variables. Restructuring was overwhelmingly preferred and rated as more acceptable than the two alternatives by both the overall sample and a distressed subsample. Preference for defusion or noticing was not predicted by ratings of acceptability or practicality but by elevated levels of cognitive fusion and emotional distress consistent with a compensation model. Limitations of the study and its implications for further research on psychotherapy preference and its integration within evidence-based practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal characteristics mainly shape attachment security in early childhood and can impact toddler's emotional and social development. Although early determinants of attachment have been widely explored in the West, the studies in non-Western cultures are limited, especially in high-risk groups such as low-SES samples. Therefore, we examined the role of maternal parenting stress, attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance in romantic relationships and emotional availability in toddlers' attachment security. The Turkish mothers (N = 63; Mage = 30.17; SD = 4.87) filled out a pack of questionnaires including the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995) and Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R; Fraley et al., 2000) before video recorded home visits. The toddlers' (Mage = 22.96 months, SD = 7.09) attachment security was coded for Attachment Q-Sort (AQS; Waters, 1995) based on 2.5-h home-visit and 10-min free-play sessions were coded for Emotional Availability Scales (EAS; Biringen, 2008). The results showed that the mother's attachment avoidance and parenting stress were negatively associated with the child's attachment security, while the maternal sensitivity and structuring were positively associated with the child's attachment security. The mothers' behaviours on EAS did not mediate the relationship between maternal attachment dimensions and toddlers' attachment security. We showed that maternal attachment avoidance, parenting stress, lack of sensitivity and structuring behaviours could contribute to insecure attachment in Turkish toddlers. These identified factors warrant attention in the design and implementation of early intervention programs, particularly for mothers from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds in Turkey and in non-Western cultures characterised by similar cultural characteristics. Highlights: We examined the role of parenting stress, attachment, and emotional availability on the toddlers' attachment security. The results were obtained through observational data collected in-home visits from a sample of mothers and toddlers from low-SES background. This study represents one of the first attempts to apply Emotional Availability Scales and Attachment Q-Sort in a non-Western cultural context. Maternal attachment avoidance, parenting stress, sensitivity, and structuring emerged as potential early intervention areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of psychological variables in medication adherence in OCD. Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was carried out at Tehran Institute of Psychiatry in Tehran. The statistical population of the present study includes all OCD patients referred to the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry. The participants were selected by available sampling method. The patients completed the demographic questionnaire, Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Scale-Second Edition (Y-BOCS-II), Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS), Drug Attitude Questionnaire (DAI-10), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Special Support (MSPSS), Coping strategies scale of Lazarus and Folkman (WOCQ), and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was used to analyze the data. Results: The variable of education status (r=0.18) had a positive relationship and the variable of hospitalization history (r=-0.26) had a negative relationship with medication adherence. Medication adherence is only negatively associated with obsessive thoughts (r=-0.18, r=-0.20). Duration of drug use (r=0.27), attitude to treatment (r=0.25) and social support (r=0.54) had a positive relationship with medication adherence. Among the various dimensions of temperament and character, four dimensions of harm avoidance (r=-0.29), reward dependence (r=-0.44), persistence (r=-0.20) and self-transcendence (r=0.32) had a significant correlation with medication adherence. Variables of social support, reward dependence, persistence, harm avoidance and education status had the highest regression effect on medication adherence. Conclusion: Medication adherence is one of the behaviors that predicts successful treatment and reduces the negative side effects and severity of the OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents' mental health and well-being is a public health concern. We examined gender differences in stress, psychological distress and well-being and predictors of distress and well-being in adolescent boys and girls. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 954 Spanish adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years was conducted. All participants were assessed through questionnaires that measure psychological distress, eudaimonic well-being, life satisfaction, stress, coping styles, masculine/instrumental and feminine/expressive traits, self-esteem and social support. We find that girls scored higher than boys in psychological distress, chronic stress, minor daily hassles, social support, eudaimonic well-being and in feminine-expressive trait whereas boys scored higher than girls in detachment coping style and in masculine-instrumental trait. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the most relevant variable in the psychological distress of both girls and boys was higher emotional coping style, followed by higher number of life events during the previous year. The most relevant variables in boys' and girls' psychological well-being were higher self-esteem and social support. Higher scores in rational coping style and in masculine/instrumental trait were also important predictors of eudaimonic well-being in adolescent boys and girls. Furthermore, in boys, older age was associated with greater distress and lower well-being and life satisfaction, while, as for the girls, a smaller number of life events and greater emotional coping style were associated with lower eudaimonic well-being and life satisfaction. Results are relevant for the design of policies and programs aimed at promoting mental health and well-being in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment and removal from home have been increasingly examined among marginalized groups but less so among multiracial youth. The present study examined 99 multiracial youth aged 11–17 (M = 14.18, SD = 1.79) years. Classification and regression tree analysis was conducted on demographic (age, gender, family religion, self-identified religious, English first language), type of maltreatment, and psychological (depression, dissociation, anger, post-traumatic cognitions) variables for three post-traumatic symptom clusters. Pathways of low and high risk were identified for reexperiencing symptoms, avoidance, and hyperarousal. The findings have implications for tailoring assessment and intervention processes for this highly vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown the relevance of stress and coping factors in explaining caregivers' insomnia symptoms. However, few attempts have been made to empirically test an integrative model for insomnia severity in family caregivers of people with dementia. The aim of this study was to test such a model, in which insomnia severity is proposed to be influenced by predisposing factors, precipitated by stressors, and perpetuated by behaviors to cope with these stressors. 311 family caregivers of people with dementia were assessed for variables categorized as predisposing (e.g. female gender), precipitating (e.g. care-recipient's behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia [BPSD]), and perpetuating factors (e.g. sleep aids). A theoretical model was developed and then statistically tested using structural equation modelling, analyzing the direct and indirect effects of the assessed variables on caregivers' insomnia severity. Distress, sleep aids, and experiential avoidance showed a direct association with insomnia severity. Female gender, younger age, cognitive fusion, leisure activities, dysfunctional thoughts, frequency and distress caused by care-recipient's BPSD showed indirect associations with insomnia severity. The model explained 22% of the variance of caregivers' insomnia severity. The results provide additional empirical support for the importance of predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors associated with caregivers' insomnia severity. The integrative model we propose may also be useful for developing interventions targeting insomnia symptoms in family dementia caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel intentions are influenced by not only personal background but also external factors such as national disasters, infectious diseases, and government policy. While international flights and the travel market are sharply recovering from the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic, travel risk will affect future travel demand. This study analyzed the relationship between potential risk of destination and travel avoidance intention using the stimulus‐organism‐response (SOR) model. The survey was conducted with 303 Chinese and 253 South Korean respondents living in countries adjacent to Japan. The results reveal that travel avoidance intentions may be influenced by emotional reactions to the complexity of the geopolitical environment or the diverse protection motivation perceptions of travelers. This study proposes that nationality has a moderate effect on tentative travel avoidance intention compared to gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's aims were to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in depression levels of 21 months postpartum women who were initially sampled before the pandemic and whether COVID-19-related worries mediated the association between women's attachment orientations and this hypothesized increase. Participants comprised 185 postpartum women sampled in the maternity ward of a tertiary healthcare center in Israel followed from childbirth to 21 months postpartum in four-time points.. We analyzed demographic and obstetric information and the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) scale at T1; changes in the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) levels at all timepoints (T1-4); and COVID-19-related worries at T4. Results showed a significant increase in depression levels at T4 compared to T2 and T3, and an increase in the prevalence of women at the lower clinical EPDS threshold. COVID-19-related worries mediated the association between anxious attachment and depression (indirect effect: B =.21, p <.05, 95% CI = (.015,.47), R2=0.12). The evident effect of COVID-19 on postpartum depression is associated with variability between people. Thus, early assessment of women's attachment orientations might provide a strategy for identifying and treating women at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to advance knowledge related to the concept of the 'shame–blame complex' by analysing the accounts and experiences of parents with cognitively disabled children. It draws on 29 interviews with parents of children with Down syndrome and shadowing sessions with one family, carried out in Italy. Results show how the feeling of shame as a consequence of being associated with a disabled child is turned into blame for bad parenting. The sources of this blaming process are twofold: firstly, neoliberalism has disseminated an intensive parenting model based on the imperative of individual responsibility and risk avoidance. Secondly, ableism acts as a network of processes and beliefs that produce a particular kind of self and body as the perfect and complete human being. Participants have been held responsible for their children's condition because they avoided prenatal screening or continued a pregnancy after receiving a positive result. Consequently, parents' moral culpability for their children's diversity and their social marginalisation were enhanced. Although the interviewees resist the shame of being associated with a cognitively disabled child and the blame for bad parenting, they seem unable to escape from the grips of the shame–blame complex. The latter has structural and cultural underpinnings. In an age of 'neoliberal‐ableism', this complex is indeed a powerful weapon to erode the rights of families with cognitively disabled members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the association between Hofstede's cultural values and societal aging indicators. Longevity and birth rate data for 59 countries and regions from the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s were used. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and gender gaps in higher education and workforce participation. Uncertainty avoidance (UA) was positively associated with the percentage of older adults in all three decades and negatively associated with the total fertility rate in the 1990s. Interactions between UA and GDP were significant for the percentage of female older adults in the 1990s and 2000s, male and female life expectancy, and the total fertility rate in the 1990s. UA was positively associated with life expectancy and negatively associated with the total fertility rate in countries with higher GDP, but not in countries with lower GDP. UA may therefore be a key cultural value for aging societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment has previously been linked to people's health. However, less is known about how romantic attachment in currently partnered and single people predicts their health. The present study examines the association between romantic attachment and health outcomes at different timescales (i.e., cross-sectional and across 2 years) while considering individuals' relationship status (i.e., partnered and single). The concurrent results based on 516 partnered individuals suggest that more anxious partnered individuals experience lower health satisfaction while more avoidant partnered individuals place less importance to their health. Our results suggest no long-term prediction of partnered individuals' romantic attachment on their health satisfaction and health goal importance. For the results based on a sample of 173 singles, the picture was painted differently regarding the role of romantic attachment in their health: Avoidance was concurrently negatively linked to health satisfaction and health goal importance; yet, longitudinally, it emerged as a positive predictor for health satisfaction and health goal importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cancer among U.S. men and women and the second deadliest. Effective screening modalities can either prevent CRC or find it earlier, but fewer than two thirds of U.S. adults are adherent to CRC screening guidelines. We tested whether people who defensively avoid CRC information have lower adherence to CRC screening recommendations and weaker intentions for being screened and whether CRC information avoidance adds predictive ability beyond known determinants of screening. Participants, aged 45–75 years, completed a survey about known structural determinants of CRC screening (healthcare coverage, healthcare use, provider recommendation), CRC information avoidance tendencies, and screening behavior (n = 887) and intentions (n = 425). Models were tested with multivariable regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). To the extent that participants avoided CRC information, they had lower odds of being adherent to CRC screening guidelines (OR = 0.55) and if non-adherent, less likely to intend to be screened (b=-0.50). In the SEM model, avoidance was negatively associated with each known structural determinant of screening and with lower screening adherence (ps < 0.01). Fit was significantly worse for nested SEM models when avoidance was not included, (i.e., the paths to avoidance were fixed to zero). Information avoidance was associated with screening behavior and other known structural determinants of screening adherence, potentially compounding its influence. Novel strategies are needed to reach avoiders, including health communication messaging that disrupts avoidance and interventions external to the healthcare system, with which avoiders are less engaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the hypothesis that positive expectancies (i.e., the belief that gaming will be rewarding) and avoidance expectancies (i.e., the belief that gaming will relieve stress) would mediate the impact of peer social influence on problematic internet gaming behavior. Internet game players (n = 120) accessed the link to the study through the psychology department research pool website as well as through Reddit gaming threads. After providing informed consent and demographic information, participants completed the remaining measures in a randomized order. Social influence was measured using the Peer Influence for Internet Gaming Addiction (IGA) scale which assessed approval of gaming, perceived frequency of gaming, and invitations to play. The Game-Use Expectancies scale assessed positive and avoidance expectancies of online gaming. Problematic internet gaming behavior was assessed using the Internet Gaming Disorder Test-20 (IGDT). Participants played internet games at least once per week and had an average IGDT score of 43.1 (SD = 10.42; Median = 44) with scores ranging from 21 to 68. None of our participants met criteria for IGD. Mediation was tested using Hayes (2022) PROCESS Macro model 4. Stronger peer influence and stronger expectations of relief (i.e., avoidance expectancies) were associated with higher IGDT scores. Moreover, stronger peer influence was associated with more positive outcome expectancies. Neither positive nor avoidance expectancies mediated the association between peer influence and IGDT score. Our results indicate that avoidance, as opposed to positive, expectancies are important predictors of problematic internet gaming behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Anxiety is a global problem that is readily treatable with psychosocial interventions, though many individuals do not benefit following participation in extant treatment protocols. Accordingly, clarification of process‐related variables that may be leveraged to enhance outcomes appears warranted. Emotion regulation (ER) is a robust correlate of anxiety symptoms and is often targeted in behavioural treatments applied to anxiety‐related problems. Yet, some evidence suggests ER difficulties may be a proxy variable for emotional avoidance (EA). Clarifying the relative influence of ER and EA on anxiety symptom severity may improve specificity in targeting behavioural processes within psychosocial treatments designed to alleviate anxiety‐related suffering. Accordingly, we examined relations of ER and EA to anxiety symptom severity after accounting for anxiety sensitivity and anxiolytic medication use in a community‐based treatment‐seeking sample. Design: A four‐step hierarchical linear regression analysis of cross‐sectional data provided by a community‐based treatment‐seeking sample. Methods: Totally, 120 participants (Mage = 39.18; Female = 58.3%) completed a questionnaire packet upon intake to an anxiety disorders clinic. Results: EA and ER were strongly correlated, and each accounted for significant variance over and above model covariates. EA was a dominant risk factor for anxiety symptom severity, as ER was not a significant predictor (p =.073) following the inclusion of EA in the model (p =.006). Conclusions: EA appears to be a dominant risk factor, and ER a proxy risk factor, for anxiety symptom severity. EA may be an avenue for greater treatment specificity for those with anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This report describes a hearing device and corresponding fitting protocol designed for use in a transitional intervention for debilitating loudnessbased hyperacusis. Method: The intervention goal is to transition patients with hyperacusis from their typical counterproductive sound avoidance behaviors (i.e., sound attenuation and limited exposure to healthy low-level sounds) into beneficial sound therapy treatment that can expand their dynamic range to the point where they can tolerate everyday sounds and experience an improved quality of life. This requires a combination of counseling and sound therapy, the latter of which is provided via the hearing device technology, signal processing, and precision fitting approach described in this report. The device combines a miniature behind-the-ear sound processor and a custom earpiece designed to maximize the attenuation of external sounds. Output-limiting loudness suppression is used to restrict exposure to offending high-level sounds while unity gain amplification maximizes exposure to healthy and tolerable lower level sounds. The fitting process includes measurement of the real-ear unaided response, the realear measurement (REM) system noise floor, the real-ear occluded response, real-ear insertion gain, and the output limit. With these measurements, the device can achieve the prescribed unity gain needed to provide transparent access to comfortable sound levels. It also supports individualized configuration of the therapeutic noise from an on-board sound generator and adaptive output limiting based on treatment-induced increases in dynamic range. Results and Conclusion: The utility of this device and fitting protocol, in combination with structured counseling, is highlighted in the outcomes of a successful 6-month trial of the transitional intervention described in a companion report in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggest that child behavior problems were associated with higher levels of parenting stress and depressive symptoms in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents' coping strategies have been found to provide potential buffering effects. Thus, this study investigated the mediation effect of coping strategies on the relationships between child behavior problems, parenting stress and depressive symptoms in Taiwanese mothers of children with ASD. Participants were 128 children with ASD (mean age = 32.32 months, SD = 10.43) and their mothers. All mothers completed a battery of questionnaires on parenting stress, depressive symptoms, coping strategies and child behavior problems. Principal components factor analysis identified three coping categories: Problem-focused coping, avoidance coping, and distraction coping. Problem-focused coping was correlated with decreased parenting stress and depressive symptoms, whereas avoidance coping was associated with increased parenting stress and depressive symptoms. In addition, problem-focused coping mediated the relationship between child externalizing behavior problems and parenting stress. In conclusion, problem-focused coping could be an effective strategy to deal with the stress issues on mothers of preschool-age children with ASD, and potentially may decrease the possibilities of negative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This meta‐analysis aimed to examine the relationship between automatic processes and behavior as well as their moderators. Methods: There were 126 effect sizes (Fisher's Z) extracted from 55 independent research studies involving 10,432 participants. Meta‐analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis Version 3.3. Univariate meta‐regression models were used to analyze underlying moderators. Results: Meta‐analysis after correction found that automatic processes could significantly and positively predict behavior, but the effect size was small (Fisher's Z = 0.057, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.043, 0.070]). Conclusions: Different components of automatic processes, task reliability, and study design moderated the relationship between automatic processes and behavior. Future research could explore automatic measures at a neurophysiological level or use population‐matched stimuli for specific populations to improve measure validity. In addition, future research should accumulate evidence on how to reduce sedentary behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School bullying victimization is a highly concerning issue that can lead to a range of negative outcomes. Despite the research showing a significant association between bullying victimization and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), the internal mechanisms with its two components (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms [PTSD] and disorders of self-organization symptoms [DSO]) remain unclear. Previous studies have indicated that attachment style may influence the development of CPTSD symptoms and that there may be sex differences in attachment styles. Thus, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of insecure attachment between school bullying victimization and CPTSD symptoms in males and females. The study assessed bullying victimization, attachment orientation, and CPTSD (i.e., PTSD symptoms and DSO symptoms) symptoms in 675 college students (65.2% females; Mage = 19.6, SD = 1.34) from China who had reported bullying experiences at two different time points, 6 months apart. For females, school bullying victimization predicted PTSD and DSO symptoms through attachment anxiety and only predicted DSO symptoms through attachment avoidance. For males, we found that school bullying victimization predicted PTSD symptoms through attachment avoidance. These findings suggest that attachment is critical in understanding how school bullying victimization may lead to CPTSD symptoms among individuals of different sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To characterize the effect of the actual and potential ability to get rides from others on older adults' driving reduction at 3-year follow-up in the United States. Methods We analyzed National Health and Aging Trends Study data from community-dwelling drivers in 2015 (unweighted n  = 5,102). We used weighted logistic regression models to estimate whether getting rides from others in 2015 was associated with older adults increasing the number of driving behaviors they avoided, decreasing the frequency with which they drove, or not driving at 3-year follow-up after adjusting for biopsychosocial variables. We also measured presence of social network members living nearby including household and non-household members and estimated associated odds of driving reduction at 3-year follow-up. Results Older adults who got rides from others in 2015 had greater odds of reporting no longer driving at 3-year follow-up compared to those who did not get rides (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–2.11). We found no statistically significant association between older adults living with others or having more nearby confidantes outside their household and their odds of reducing driving at 3-year follow-up. Discussion These findings suggest that getting rides from others plays an important role in the transition to non-driving for older adults. Future research should examine whether other aspects of social networks (e.g. type, quality, and closer proximity) might also be key modifiable coping factors for older adults transitioning to non-driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association between negative aging stereotypes and goal pursuit in daily life among older adults. We also explored the roles of stereotype threat and stereotype challenge reactions in mediating this association. Additionally, this study investigated whether variations in these associations exist among older adults based on their self-integrity levels. Methods Participants were 100 older adults who completed daily measures assessing negative aging stereotype experiences, threat and challenge reactions, goal pursuit activities, and self-integrity over a week. Results More daily experiences of negative aging stereotypes were associated with greater avoidance of responsibilities in goal pursuit and less progress toward goals. Increased threat reactions and decreased challenge reactions were mediators of the association between stereotype experiences and avoidance of responsibilities, as well as that between stereotype experiences and progress toward goals, respectively. Moreover, the associations between threat reactions and avoidance of responsibilities as well as between stereotype experiences and challenge reactions were more pronounced in older adults with lower self-integrity levels. Discussion This study is pioneering in demonstrating the real-life interplay between aging stereotypes and goal pursuit among older adults. Its findings not only expand upon the literature concerning aging stereotypes, but also offer theoretical insights for the development of interventions aimed at goal pursuit. These insights have significant implications for fostering healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: After the divorce of their parents, children face various behavioral problems, and the attachment styles of the parents and their parenting styles will affect these problems. This research assesses the mediating role of attachment styles in the relationship between parent-child relationships and parenting styles with children's behavioral problems after divorce. Methods: The investigation was classified as a descriptive-correlation type. The population consisted of mothers of children aged 6 to 10 years who had undergone divorce proceedings at the Shahid Bahonar Judicial Institute's Welfare Department in Tehran City, Iran, during the first half of 2022. A convenience sampling method was used to select 268 mothers based on a correlation plan. They completed the child behavior inventory (CBCL), parent-child relationships survey questionnaire (PCRS), parenting styles inventory (PSI), and revised attachment style survey (RAAS). The research hypotheses were tested using the smart partial least squares in structural equation modeling. Results: The assessment of the research tools' reliability was conducted via the Cronbach α method and the composite reliability coefficient, with all variables showing a coefficient of above 0.7, indicating acceptable reliability. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated using the average variance extracted, which exceeded 0.4, indicating relatively acceptable validity. The assessment of the adequacy of the structural model involved analyzing important coefficients of Z, R2, and Q2, with the obtained results indicating an appropriate fit. The results displayed that the mediating role of anxious-ambivalent attachment style and avoidant attachment style is evident in the association between authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and the parent-child relationship, particularly concerning children's behavioral problems (β=0.184, P<0.05; β=0.019, P<0.01). Secure attachment style serves as a mediating role (partial role) in the association between authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting style and parent-child relationship with children's behavioral problems (β=-0.364, P<0.05; β=-0.096, P<0.01; β=0.056, P<0.05). Discussion: Avoidant and secure attachment styles can mitigate the impact of permissive and authoritarian parenting styles by mediating roles in the association between parent-child relationships and parenting styles with children's behavioral problems after divorce. They also highlight the emphasis on maintaining positive parent-child relationships and implementing authoritative parenting styles to reduce children's behavioral problems following. Further research is needed to address and assess concerns regarding children's behavioral problems after divorce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often in the forensic context, child victims and witnesses are interviewed several times, exposing them to suggestive questions and social pressures. The present study had the main purpose of verifying the effect of coping strategies on the levels of immediate suggestibility and on the Resistant Behavioral Responses (RBRs) of children subjected to repeated suggestive interviews. A sample of 90 children, aged between 11 and 14, were administered the two parallel Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS2 and GSS1) a few months apart and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) to detect their coping strategies. The results showed that the avoidance coping increased suggestive vulnerability and reduced resistant responses. Task-oriented coping favored responses with greater source monitoring, which allow for the rejection of misleading information. Coping strategies did not show direct effects on the management of the socioemotional aspects involved in the suggestive interaction. After the negative feedback that invites children to be more accurate, a smaller effect of the avoidance strategy was recorded, indicating how actively requesting greater source monitoring can lead children to better recognize misleading information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craving has been identified as a major factor in substance use relapse and studied in conjunction with distress tolerance. This research aimed to investigate the mediating roles of experiential avoidance and difficulties in emotion regulation in individuals recovering from opioid use disorder in the early stages. The research involved 241 adult males in residential treatment centers. To be eligible for inclusion, participants must have a self-reported abstinence period of at least three months at the time of data collection. The structural model showed strong fit indices (GFI = 0.913, RMSEA = 0.075, SRMR = 0.047), with low distress tolerance determining high craving. Furthermore, only experiential avoidance and not emotion dysregulation mediated this path significantly. The significant mediating effect of experiential avoidance rather than emotion dysregulation could be interpreted as the study participants would not see their distress as just unpleasant feelings. This implies that craving may be viewed as a private experience comprised of thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, and bodily sensations. Thus, focusing on experiential avoidance might be more beneficial for individuals in the early stages of recovery from opioid use disorder in a residential program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scoping review was performed to examine the extent and nature of research activity on kinesiophobia and fear avoidance in older adults and summarize research findings. Four databases were searched from January 2006 to May 2021. Eleven papers were selected for inclusion, with a predominance of cross-sectional design (54.5%; n = 6). Most of the studies were associated with chronic pain (n = 9; 81.8%). Higher levels of kinesiophobia were found among frailer and older people, predominantly living in care homes. Kinesiophobia and fear avoidance have been related to other constructs of the fear avoidance model, and the conclusions partially support the assumptions derived from it in older adults. Nevertheless, kinesiophobia proved to be a more dominant factor in determining the level of physical activity than pain in this population. None of the studies aimed to test the effectiveness of interventions directly targeting kinesiophobia or fear avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior Questionnaire (FFABQ) into Brazilian–Portuguese (FFABQ-B), and to examine its reliability and validity in Brazilian older adults. The FFABQ-B was translated and tested in 10 Brazilian older adults. We assessed 52 community-dwellers, 68.7 (±6.2) years, using the FFABQ-B, BERG Balance Scale, Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, Falls Efficacy Scale, 6-Minute Walk Test, Timed Up and Go test, and activity monitor. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity, and floor and ceiling effects were analyzed. The FFABQ-B had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α =.90) and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient =.81; 95% confidence interval [.68,.90]). The FFABQ-B was associated with 6-Minute Walk Test, Timed Up and Go, BERG Balance Scale, physical activity time (p <.05), Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, and Falls Efficacy Scale (p <.001). The FFABQ-B is both reliable and valid to assess avoidance behavior in activities and participation due to fear of falling in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are sex differences in vulnerability and resilience to the stressors of aging and subsequent age-related cognitive decline. Cellular senescence occurs as a response to damaging or stress-inducing stimuli. The response includes a state of irreversible growth arrest, the development of a senescence- associated secretory phenotype, and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with aging and age-related diseases. Senolytics are compounds designed to eliminate senescent cells. Our recent work indicates that senolytic treatment preserves cognitive function in aging male F344 rats. The current study examined the effect of senolytic treatment on cognitive function in aging female rats. Female F344 rats (12 months) were treated with dasatinib (1.2 mg/kg) + quercetin (12 mg/kg) or ABT-263 (12 mg/kg) or vehicle for 7 months. Examination of the estrus cycle indicated that females had undergone estropause during treatment. Senolytic treatment may have increased sex differences in behavioral stress responsivity, particularly for the initial training on the cued version of the watermaze. However, pre-training on the cue task reduced stress responsivity for subsequent spatial training and all groups learned the spatial discrimination. In contrast to preserved memory observed in senolytic-treated males, all older females exhibited impaired episodic memory relative to young (6-month) females. We suggest that the senolytic treatment may not have been able to compensate for the loss of estradiol, which can act on aging mechanisms for anxiety and memory independent of cellular senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the difficulties nurses face, resulting in higher turnover rates and workforce shortages. This study investigated the relationships between nurses' moral distress, burnout, and turnover intention during the last stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explored the coping strategies nurses use to mitigate moral distress. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, this study analyzed data from 307 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in acute care hospitals through an online survey conducted in November 2022. Our data analysis encompassed quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics and path analysis, using a generalized structural equation model. For the qualitative aspect, we examined open-ended responses from 246 nurses using inductive content analysis. The quantitative findings revealed that nurses' moral distress had a significant direct effect on turnover intention. In addition, burnout significantly mediated the relationship between moral distress and turnover intention. Qualitative analyses contextualized the relationships uncovered in the quantitative analyses. The qualitative analysis identified various positive and negative coping strategies. Positive strategies included a commitment to minimize COVID-19 transmission risks, adopting a holistic approach amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic, voicing concerns for patient safety, engaging in continuous learning, and prioritizing self-care. Conversely, negative strategies involved adopting avoidance behaviors stemming from feelings of powerlessness and adopting a passive approach to one's role. Notably, some participants shifted from positive to negative coping strategies because of institutional barriers and challenges. The findings underscore the importance for hospital administrators and nurse managers to acknowledge the impact of the pandemic-related challenges encountered by nurses and recognize the link among moral distress, burnout, and turnover intention. It highlights the essential role of organizational and managerial support in fostering effective coping strategies among nurses to address moral distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 epidemic is a novel collective traumatic event. Different types of traumatic events lead to different symptomatic structures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To understand the symptom structure of PTSD in the context of this particular traumatic event and its possible development, we explored the interrelationships among PTSD symptoms and the interrelationships between PTSD symptoms and anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and quality of life. Participants were recruited from the psychological assistance hotline platform based at Central China Normal University. 308 participants who met the provisional diagnosis of PTSD were included in the analysis. This study estimated the interrelationships among PTSD symptoms, with the symptom in addition to four covariates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and quality of life by network analysis to construct Gaussian graphical models and directed acyclic graphs. The core of the PTSD symptom network was nightmares. Five pairs of symptoms showed the strongest connections: Hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response, avoidance of thoughts and avoidance of reminders, negative beliefs and negative trauma-related emotions, nightmares and flashbacks, and flashbacks and emotional cue reactivity. The network did not change significantly with the inclusion of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and quality of life. Nightmares may be the core of the development of PTSD resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic. In this particular context, interventions for PTSD focus on nightmares may contribute to the relief of other symptoms and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships of early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidant behaviors with sociodemographic, psychological, legal, and substance use status of individuals under probation due to illicit substance use. Methods. The data of this cross-sectional study were collected from adults under probation through self-report. The dependent variables were early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidant behaviors. Sociodemographic, legal, and psychological characteristics and characteristics related to illicit substance use were the independent variables of the study. Student-t test and ANOVA or Mann–Whitney-U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used in bivariate analyses. Multiple linear regression analysis was used in multivariate analyses. Results. A total of 300 adult individuals under probation participated in the study, and the inclusion rate was 93.5%. The mean age of the study group was 27.96 ± 6.40 years. The amount of smoking (B = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.04–1.27), p = 0.038), frequency of illicit substance use (B = 12.15 (95% CI: 2.04–22.25), p = 0.019), and childhood violence (B = 29.24 (95% CI: 16.92–41.56), p < 0.001) were explanatory for schema scores ( R 2 : 0.240). Frequency of illicit substance use (B = 7.06 (95% CI: 0.58–13.54), p = 0.033) and childhood violence (B = 9.18 (95% CI: 1.36–17.00), p = 0.022) were explanatory for compensation scores ( R 2 : 0.083). The amount of smoking (B = 0.49 (95% CI: 0.22–0.76), p = 0.001), frequency of illicit substance use (B = 5.16 (95% CI: 0.67–9.65), p = 0.025), being treated for substance use disorder (B = 6.74 (95% CI: 0.30–13.17), p = 0.040), and experiencing violence in childhood (B = 6.02 (95% CI: 0.59–11.45), p = 0.030) were explanatory for avoidant scores ( R 2 :0.169). Conclusion. Childhood violence and frequency of illicit substance use were associated with early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidance. Smoking appears to be a behavioral way of coping with both early maladaptive schemas and schemas through avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined coping and pain responses using a behavioural inhibition (BIS) – behavioural activation (BAS) framework in 489 student athletes (M(age) = 20, SD = 4; 69% female). Two samples of athletes (226 pain-free athletes and 232 athletes with current pain) completed surveys assessing BIS- and BAS-related cognitions, emotions, and behaviours. Distinct groupings of BAS-related variables were identified in both samples, evidenced by significant positive correlations within BAS-related variables (positive affect, pain openness, approach thoughts and behaviours). Most BIS-related variables (depression, anxiety, harm beliefs, pain catastrophizing and avoidance behaviours) were also correlated in the sample of athletes with pain; however, this was not observed in pain-free athletes. In athletes with pain, BIS-related variables were significantly associated with pain variables, with this association stronger than that found for BAS-related variables. Regression analyses highlighted the pivotal role of pain catastrophizing as a predictor of pain unpleasantness and intensity. Findings shed light on the factors shaping athletes' coping, pain perception and decisions as to whether to pause or push through. Future investigations to explore these dynamics in more depth may aid in the development of targeted interventions that enhance athletes' ability to cope and to manage pain more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weight bias internalization (WBI), the process of internalizing negative attitudes and stereotypes towards overweight individuals, significantly impacts self-worth and health behaviors, such as exercise avoidance. In the current study, we focused on the mediating role of fitness-related self-conscious emotions, particularly shame and guilt. A cross-sectional study involving 150 self-described overweight Dutch women (age M = 49.63 ± 10.72) was conducted online. Participants completed measures assessing weight bias internalization, exercise avoidance, and body/fitness-related self-conscious emotions. Data were analyzed using linear regression and mediation analysis, controlling for age, BMI, and exercise frequency. The results show that weight bias internalization, guilt-free shame, and shame-free guilt uniquely predict exercise avoidance. Guilt-free shame partially mediated the relationship between weight bias internalization and exercise avoidance, indicating that increased internalized weight bias led to higher levels of guilt-free shame, which in turn contributed to exercise avoidance. Shame-free guilt did not act as a unique mediator. These findings underscore the importance of addressing weight bias internalization and fitness-related self-conscious emotions, particularly guilt-free shame, in interventions targeting exercise avoidance among overweight individuals. Strategies promoting self-compassion and reducing shame may prove beneficial in improving exercise behaviors and overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Client suicide refers to cases where a mental health practitioner is exposed, affected, or bereaved by a client's suicide and is known to have a profound impact on MHPs. The current study investigated the role of coping styles in understanding short- and long-term impact of client suicide. An international sample of 213 mental health practitioners who experienced a client suicide completed a survey on coping strategies (i.e., Brief-COPE) and the impact of traumatic events (i.e., impact of event scale-revised, long-term emotional impact scale and professional practice impact scale). Results indicate coping strategies explain 51% of the short-term, 64% of the long-term emotional and 55% of the long-term professional differences in impact of client suicide. Moreover, while an Avoidant coping style predicted more impact of client suicide, Positive coping and Humor predicted less impact of client suicide. Social Support coping did not predict impact of client suicide. Implications for both research and clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knowledge about how disability professionals understand ableism may provide insight into the production of inequalities. The aim of this study was to examine how disability professionals understand ableism. Methods: We asked 347 disability professionals, all of whom worked with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, among other populations, to define ableism and then analysed those definitions using content analysis. Results: The themes about how participants understood ableism were: discrimination; differential treatment; individualization; norms and othering; ableist language; microaggressions; and systems and environments. It was also not uncommon for participants to say ableist things, and express misconceptions in their definitions. This included these themes: avoiding disability; using ableist language; framing disability as in/ability; centring people without disabilities; ignoring invisible disabilities; believing only people without disabilities have bias; and believing ableism does not exist. Conclusions: Knowing disability professionals' understandings of ableism is necessary to intervene biased attitudes and reduce ableism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavioral avoidance test (BAT) is a well-known diagnostic tool assessing fear by directly measuring avoidance behavior. For instance, in spider phobia, participants or patients gradually approach a live spider until they feel too uncomfortable to continue. However, the use of different BAT protocols in various studies hampers the comparability of results. Moreover, conducting the test requires considerable preparation by researchers and clinicians. Thus, we have developed an open-access online BAT (vBATon). We validated its efficacy in measuring avoidance behavior and eliciting feelings of anxiety and disgust by comparing it to a real-life BAT (rl-BAT). Spider-fearful (N = 31) and nonfearful (N = 31) individuals completed a rl-BAT and vBATon on two separate dates within a 1-week interval. As expected, both tests successfully distinguished between spider-fearful and nonfearful individuals. Crucially, equivalence tests confirmed that vBATon captures avoidance behavior, anxiety, and disgust equal to the rl-BAT. Assessing validity, we found moderate to high correlations between vBATon and (a) the rl-BAT and (b) self-report measurements of spider fear (Spider Phobia Questionnaire, Fear of Spiders Questionnaire). Overall, our study displayed initial evidence of validity of vBATon and suggests that it is a standardized, efficient, and user-friendly alternative to rl-BATs for measuring spider fear. It can be utilized in both research and clinical practice. Public Significance Statement: We developed a software-based, open-access online alternative for the behavioral avoidance for spider fear called vBATon. The test directly measures avoidance behavior by assessing the degree to which an individual can approach a live spider. Our study found that vBATon functions comparably well as the real-life behavioral avoidance test; thus, providing a feasible alternative for researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine whether early adolescents who report higher levels of teacher connection have a greater prevalence of flourishing and whether this association is present across levels of parent connection. We analyzed cross-sectional data, collected in the International Survey of Children's Well-Being (2016–2019), from 33,269 11- to 13-year-olds in 25 countries. The teacher connection score, analyzed as quartiles, asked about care, support, and respect from teachers. The flourishing score (range 0–10) was based on items about self-acceptance, purpose in life, positive relations, growth, environmental mastery, and autonomy. The prevalence (95% confidence interval) of flourishing (score > 8) was 66.0% (65.4%, 66.5%). The covariate-adjusted difference in flourishing prevalence between those in highest and lowest quartiles of teacher connection was 26.8% (25.2%, 28.5%). This difference was similar across groups with varying levels of parent connection. Teacher connection may contribute to adolescent flourishing, in addition to academic achievement and the avoidance of negative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive body of literature shows how people deal with conflicts, verbally and nonverbally, in interpersonal interactions. However, the role of technologically-mediated communication (TMC) in romantic relational conflict has received less attention. Through the lenses of Relational Turbulence and Expectancy Violations Theories, this study explored how a chronemic expectancy violation from a romantic partner impacts emotional well-being in a TMC-involved conflict discussion. Two online questionnaires were distributed. First, a pilot study was conducted to understand the basic online communication dynamics between emerging adult romantic partners (e.g., usual response latency) and possible emotions when they experience a chronemic expectancy violation from their partner on TMC. Results show that people are likely to experience negative affect and other specific emotions (e.g., disillusion, loneliness, frustration, hurt, anger) if their partner takes longer than expected to respond. The main study then further explored how individuals' expectations differ in a hypothetical TMC-involved conflict scenario where they use text-based TMC to discuss a recent romantic conflict with their partners. Participants were instructed to imagine a chronemic expectancy violation whereby their partner does not respond within their expected time period (i.e., conflict expected latency) and report their feelings about it. Results show that people expect their partners to respond more rapidly in the conflict scenario than usual and report negative feelings after the expectancy violations. Conflict-specific (e.g., seriousness), personal (e.g., attachment anxiety and avoidance), and relational (e.g., commitment) variables also influence the intensity of their emotional experiences. This research enhances comprehension of nonverbal cues in text-based TMC and potential emotional repercussions in romantic conflict management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies examined how committed people perceived their partners' social media behaviors and how the presence of these behaviors impacted feelings of relationship security and satisfaction. Study 1 identified the specific social media behaviors that signal commitment by a romantic partner. Study 2 then manipulated the identified partner social media behaviors to examine if buffering occurred for people with high levels of attachment insecurity. Study 2 found that when a person was led to believe their partner engaged in high commitment online behaviors, they reported greater felt relationship security and relationship satisfaction. Attachment avoidance, but not attachment anxiety, moderated the manipulation's effect on relationship satisfaction. Perceiving that a partner signals high commitment when the threat of online alternatives is salient may be one specific route to mitigate attachment avoidance's impact on relationship satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Among adolescents, disinhibited eating and anxiety commonly co‐occur. Precision intervention approaches targeting unique mechanistic vulnerabilities that contribute to disinhibited eating and anxiety may therefore be helpful. However, the effectiveness of such interventions hinges on knowledge of between‐ and within‐person associations related to disinhibited eating, anxiety, and related processes. Method: A sample of 39 adolescent females (12–17 years) with elevated anxiety and above‐average weight (BMI %ile ≥ 75th) completed measures of theoretically driven social and cognitive‐behavioral variables, disinhibited eating, and anxiety via ecological momentary assessment over 7 days. Data were analyzed using mixed‐effects models. Results: Between‐person differences in social stressors were linked to emotional eating, eating in the absence of hunger, and anxiety, whereas between‐person differences in negative thoughts were associated with all disinhibited eating variables and anxiety. Between‐person differences in avoidance were not related to any outcome. Additionally, between‐person differences in social stressors and negative thoughts—as well as within‐person deviations (from person‐average levels) of social stressors, negative thoughts, and avoidance—were associated with anxiety. In turn, between‐person differences in anxiety predicted eating in the absence of hunger and emotional eating, and within‐person deviations in anxiety were associated with emotional eating at any given time point. Discussion: Findings support elements of both the interpersonal and cognitive‐behavioral models of disinhibited eating. Differential trigger effects on anxiety, both at the between‐ and within‐person levels, and significant associations between anxiety and all eating‐related outcomes, highlight the potential utility of interventions targeting individual differences in sensitivity to anxiety triggers. Public Significance: Findings provide support for the interpersonal and cognitive‐behavioral models of disinhibited eating, highlighting anxiety as a salient vulnerability and potential mechanistic factor underlying disinhibited eating. Social, cognitive, and behavioral variables were differentially related to anxiety across participants, suggesting potential for future intervention tailoring and intervention selection based on adolescents' sensitivity to anxiety as a trigger for disinhibited eating behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]