Coping profiles across adulthood: findings from a 3-wave longitudinal study using latent profile transition analysis
The use of various coping strategies has important impacts on individuals' health and well-being. However, most of the coping literature continues to use variable-centred approaches that ignore unique within-person interactions among coping strategies, as well as change in these interactions over time. The present study sought to address these gaps by identifying coping profiles representing distinct interactions between a set of coping strategies and examining the stability of these profiles over time.
Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms and daily social behavior predict hair cortisol concentration
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms are trait-like and associated with negative emotions and stress biomarkers like cortisol. Both GAD symptoms and cortisol have been linked to interpersonal dominance and affiliation. However, most studies on GAD symptoms and interpersonal processes remain cross-sectional, disconnected from daily stressors, or measure brief cortisol fluctuations. In contrast, hair cortisol concentration (HCC) assesses cortisol over longer periods.
Investigating profiles of positive and negative imagery ability with stress-related outcomes
Imagery is a common technique used to regulate stress and its associated emotions. Although imagery ability is proposed to influence imagery's effectiveness and be associated with stress-related outcomes, research has yet to identify profiles of positive and negative imagery ability.
Daily interpersonal tensions as predictors of threats to communion and agency, coping, and perceived coping efficacy: role of adverse childhood experiences
Daily interpersonal tensions, common sources of stress, have well-established links to adverse psychological and physiological health outcomes. This study examined whether daily interpersonal tensions differ from other stressors in their relations to threat appraisals and coping, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contribute to this process.
Bidirectional associations between negative relationship events and suicidal ideation: an EMA study of stress exposure and generation
Ecological momentary assessments (EMA) have recently enabled the examination of near-term associations between interpersonal stressors and suicide risk. Yet, studies have typically considered the impact of negative relationship events (NREs) on subsequent suicidal ideation (SI) (i.e., stress exposure), with little research examining the impact of SI on subsequent NREs (i.e., stress generation). The present study examined next-day bidirectional associations between NREs and SI, as well as between NREs and interpersonal constructs linked to SI (thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness).
Development and initial testing of an online security prime writing intervention during COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we tested the efficacy of a one-week online security prime (SP) writing intervention in reducing distress among 254 adults (60+ years and/or having an underlying health condition). The efficacy of writing interventions can depend on several factors. Attachment orientations, characterized by dimensions of anxiety and avoidance, reflect individuals' tendencies in how they seek proximity to and rely on others for support, and influence how people experience and regulate their emotions.
Understanding job demands and resources through network analysis: insights into workplace interconnectivity
This study uses network analysis to explore how job demands and resources may proliferate and interconnect within the workplace.
Family history of alcohol use disorder and stress-reactivity
Family history of alcohol use disorder (FHA) is posited to convey its risk on problematic drinking partly through how individuals react to stressful situations. Research thus far has found equivocal results, with some studies concluding that FHA is associated with heightened stress-reactivity and others finding FHA associated with blunted stress-reactivity. In addition, the preponderance of this research has been conducted using laboratory-based paradigms, raising questions about the ecological validity of the findings. The purpose of the current study was to further clarify the association between FHA and affective reactions to two types of stress (social and academic stress) using an ecologically valid, intensive-longitudinal research design.
Cumulative stressful life events and Australian women's depressive symptom trajectories: a longitudinal study of potential non-additive effects
There is strong evidence that accumulation of stressful life events (SLEs) contributes to depressive episodes, but the effect of cumulative SLEs on longitudinal trajectories of depressive symptoms in the general population is less well understood. In a pre-registered analysis involving multi-group Bayesian piecewise growth curve modeling applied to nationally representative data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health, we investigated whether, over 36 years, among women aged 45-50 at baseline, the effects of cumulative SLEs on depression symptoms are positive ("sensitizing") or negative ("steeling"), and additive or non-additive (interaction or threshold). Participants were grouped based on the number of SLEs experienced over the first 24 years of the study period: 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, or 20-24. Groups were propensity-score-matched at baseline. While groups differed on mental and physical health at baseline, no group exhibited an increase in depressive symptoms following their final SLE. Moreover, groups with the most SLEs exhibited faster declines in depressive symptoms. There was significant heterogeneity of trajectories within groups. The findings contribute to the growing literature supporting the steeling hypothesis, and suggest that, if SLEs increase the severity of depressive symptoms, they do so in small sub-populations that require further research attention.
Psychological distress and negative life events among university students: mapping patterns of exposure and impact
Early adulthood and commencing university coincide with new life circumstances for many students which increases exposure to negative life events (NLE). Such events can have lasting impacts on student mental health. An exploratory study was conducted in a student sample to examine the frequency of NLE, event co-occurrence, and associated mental health outcomes.
The mechanisms for maintenance of COVID Stress Syndrome symptom networks: a dynamic network analysis
COVID Stress Syndrome (CSS) is a new type of health anxiety triggered by the COVID epidemic. However, we know little about the causal relationship with CSS symptoms and the temporal and dynamic interactions between symptoms and cognitive processes associated with health anxiety.
A longitudinal model of emotion pathways to growth, depreciation, and health outcomes after life stress
The emotion belief and emotion regulation pathways that shape negative (posttraumatic depreciation; PTD) and positive adaptation (posttraumatic growth; PTG) following daily life stressors are poorly understood. This longitudinal study examined how emotion beliefs and emotion regulation strategies influence PTD and PTG, and subsequent mental (depression, anxiety, stress) and physical health (headaches, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory infections, sleep disturbances) symptoms.
Single-session expressive writing interventions for test anxiety: a meta-analysis
Test anxiety is a common experience, and a variety of intervention approaches for it have been developed. In recent years, single sessions of expressive writing (a brief exercise in which students write about their worries just prior to taking a test) have been promoted as an intervention.
Patterns in transitions of coping and their associations with adolescents' post-traumatic distress and growth: a random intercept latent transition analysis
We aimed to investigate whether adolescents employ different profiles of coping, how profiles transition, and how transitions influence adolescents' depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and posttraumatic growth (PTG).
Birthing during the stress of war: mode of birth and flow state
This study investigated the impact of war stress on birth outcomes, specifically birth mode and the subjective childbirth experience ("flow"). We hypothesized that war stress would adversely affect birth mode and the reported "flow."
Perceived and behavioral distress tolerance: links with avoidance and anxiety
Theories propose that low distress tolerance (DT) leads to anxious avoidance. Operational definitions and measurement of DT are inconsistent across studies. This study examined associations between perceived and behavioral DT with experiential and anxiety-specific behavioral avoidance in the context of anxiety.
Self-compassion as a shield? Investigating self-compassion's prospective role in buffering the effects of traumatic and negative life events
Existing research highlights the potential role of self-compassion in promoting trauma recovery over time but does not clarify whether an individual's level of self-compassion prior to experiencing a trauma is a protective factor against the onset of symptoms. This prospective study tests whether baseline self-compassion buffers the link between exposure to traumatic or stressful events and subsqeuent mental and behavioral health (post-traumatic stress symptoms, general psychological distress, eating pathology, alcohol use problems, and sexual dissatisfaction) among college students. Undergraduate students ( = 312) completed an electronic survey at the beginning of the academic semester (T1) and 7-10 weeks later (T2). T1 trait self-compassion did not consistently buffer the impacts of experiencing traumatic or negative events during the semester on end-of-semester mental and behavioral health. Results suggest that trait self-compassion may be a factor associated with better functioning across some domains following trauma or stress, but that the links between exposure and poor mental and behavioral health may be similar regardless of one's pre-exposure levels of self-compassion. Enhancing self-compassion may facilitate better recovery following trauma exposure but trait self-compassion does not appear to reduce the impacts associated with exposure.
Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between self-compassion and social anxiety: a meta-analytic structural equation modeling study
Social anxiety (SA) is a prevalent issue that can hinder social interactions and overall well-being. This study examines how emotional intelligence (EI) mediates the relationship between self-compassion (SC) and SA using meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) based on 64 effect sizes from 52 studies. Our findings indicated a partial mediation model wherein SC exhibited a negative correlation with SA. Furthermore, SC positively influenced EI, which, in turn, demonstrated a negative correlation with SA, suggesting that elevated levels of EI may contribute to a reduction in SA. Our moderation analysis revealed that cultural differences, specifically between Eastern and Western cultures, impact the mediation model. Specifically, the direct effect of SC on SA was stronger in Eastern individuals, whereas EI demonstrated a stronger mediating effect in Western individuals. This study provides a comprehensive synthesis of existing research, highlighting the potential of EI as a mediator in the SC-SA relationship and offering insights into culturally tailored interventions for SA.
Posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress relationship across time: a change dynamics approach
Posttraumatic growth research demonstrates equivocal findings with limited consensus on the expected relationship between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress. This study evaluated the relationship of the change dynamics for posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic distress using a nonlinear approach.
Googling as avoidance: anxiety responses to online health information about long COVID
People search the internet for health information, although this increases anxiety and worry, particularly in the health-anxious. Applying the avoidance theory of worrying, we tested whether online health research serves to emotionally distance oneself from illness. Googling long COVID was compared to imagery of suffering from the disease in 60 participants. We assumed that anxiety responses to googling would be lower than during imagery, but higher than during baseline. Self-report, skin conductance (SCL), heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration rate (RR) indicated anxiety. SCL was higher during imagery than googling. However, HR, high frequency HRV and RR signaled stronger activation by googling than imagery. Physiological measures demonstrated a stronger anxiety response to googling compared to baseline. Regarding self-report, an interaction effect of sequence and condition emerged. Those who started with googling reported higher levels of anxiety during imagery. Among participants who began with imagery, anxiety was elevated during googling compared to baseline, but there were no significant differences when compared to anxiety during imagery. Results at least partially support the notion that health-related internet research may serve to avoid the physical and self-reported anxiety responses.
Emotion regulation and high social anxiety: spontaneous and instructed use of cognitive reappraisal to regulate anger
Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder and those high in social anxiety (HSA) experience greater anger difficulties compared to those with low social anxiety (LSA).
