The aim of this study was to test whether state self-esteem shows stronger fluctuations in response to social feedback in adolescents compared to young adults, and more female than in male...Show moreThe aim of this study was to test whether state self-esteem shows stronger fluctuations in response to social feedback in adolescents compared to young adults, and more female than in male participants. A social evaluation paradigm was used on 261 participants between the ages of 12 and 38. It included the creation of an online profile, on which participants received approval, disapproval or no feedback and then reported on their state self-esteem. We hypothesized that adolescents would show greater state self-esteem fluctuations than adults, that women and girls would show greater fluctuations than men and boys, and that this gender difference would peak during adolescence. Results showed no evidence for an effect of age. However, there was a significant effect of gender, where women and girls showed consistently stronger state self-esteem fluctuations in response to approval or disapproval than men and boys. Additionally, in an exploratory t-test, adolescents showed greater drop of state self-esteem when receiving no feedback, compared to adults, who did not significantly differ from their self-esteem baseline. Limitations include low power on certain tests, unequal sample sizes paired with unequal variances, experimental differences and lower ecological validity due to the use of an online profile. Our results imply that within the age range we tested, containing mainly older adolescents and younger adults, the two groups might show relatively similar state self-esteem responses to social approval and disapproval. Adolescents might react more negatively to not receiving feedback. Girls and women seem to react more strongly to social feedback.Show less
Het coronavirus houdt Nederland al lange tijd in zijn greep. Dat jaarlijks in het laatste weekend van maart de klok een uur vooruit wordt gezet, maakt het er niet makkelijker op. De zomertijd is...Show moreHet coronavirus houdt Nederland al lange tijd in zijn greep. Dat jaarlijks in het laatste weekend van maart de klok een uur vooruit wordt gezet, maakt het er niet makkelijker op. De zomertijd is ingevoerd in 1916 en alhoewel een van de redenen het besparen van energie was, is hier weinig bewijs voor. Het verzetten van de klok kan een vermindering in slaapduur en het verlagen van de psychologische drempel voor stress tot gevolg hebben. Het is echter nog niet bekend wat de invloed is van de zomertijd op het slaap- en waakritme en het stressniveau in een tijd van COVID-19. In het huidige onderzoek is data verzameld van 21 maart344 tot en met 4 april. Het onderzoek begon met 51 participanten van 18 jaar en ouder. Een subset van 28 participanten zijn geanalyseerd voor de huidige onderzoeksvragen. Participanten hebben vragenlijsten ingevuld, om de stressniveaus, de impact van COVID-19 en het slaap-waakritme te kunnen bepalen. Participanten lieten na de zomertijd geen toename zien in stressniveau, er bleek geen significant verschil te zijn tussen jongvolwassenen en volwassenen en ook bleek de impact van COVID-19 niet groter te zijn voor jongvolwassenen. Bijna de helft van de participanten compenseerden voor het uur dat verzet door 27 maart op een eerder tijdstip naar bed te gaan. Bedtijden weken, na het ingaan van de zomertijd, af van de standaardtijd. Er is alleen bewijs gevonden voor het verband tussen het aantal uren slaap en het stressniveau van de participanten.Show less
Introduction: Reluctance is an important factor in treating patients with severe anorexia. Sometimes the pursuit of weight-loss gets so out of control that somatic values drop to become life...Show moreIntroduction: Reluctance is an important factor in treating patients with severe anorexia. Sometimes the pursuit of weight-loss gets so out of control that somatic values drop to become life threatening. In that case, involuntary treatment can be imposed, raising the question whether a treatment with resistance can be effective. In this study, an involuntary treatment group was compared with a voluntary group in terms of growth in BMI. Additionally, this study examined the relation between personal characteristics and BMI over time. Method: 31 patients participated who were currently being treated in an inpatients program. Quantitative data such as BMI, age, resistance, feeding-tube administration and history of admissions was collected from both groups. The collected data was analyzed through a multi-regression analysis. Results: The groups differ in BMI growth; the voluntary patients gain more weight in the early stages of admission, however it is the involuntary group who takes the lead in a later phase. Furthermore, it has been found that the BMI growth curve of patients who receive nutrition from a feeding-tube rise faster compared to patients who eat naturally and involuntary patients experience more resistance to recovery. However, that does not mean that scoring high on resistance equals less effective recovery. Discussion: This study suggests that involuntary treatment may be effective when a situation has become dire. Although there are negative sides, such as disrespecting autonomy and damaging the client-therapist relationship, patients can often reflect the importance of treatment afterwards. Further long-term research needs to be done to determine whether any future relapses play a role in recovery.Show less
Depression and Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are both in the top leading causes of death, disability and productivity loss in the world and this is only projected to get worse. As the urgence of...Show moreDepression and Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are both in the top leading causes of death, disability and productivity loss in the world and this is only projected to get worse. As the urgence of prevention is clear, research shows this could possibly be done simultaneously as there is a bidirectional effect between the two. One of the most recent explanations is that of an overactive HPA-axis and its hypersecretion of the hormone cortisol. One way of over-activating the HPA-axis is by ruminating, a common symptom of depression. Objective: This study explores the possibility of identifying the risk of developing depression and CVD early on using Pulse Transit Time (PTT) measurements and the LEIDS-RR. Methods: The participants, 34 women between 18-35 years old, were asked to fill out three questionnaires about depression and describe a negative situation that had happened to them. Weeks later their heart rates were measured in an fMRI where they were asked to ruminate about those negative situations. PTT was conducted using the ECG data. Results: No correlation between the LEIDS-RR scores and PTT during baseline or rumination was found. PTT scores did decrease significantly between baseline (M = 61.64687) and working memory task (M = 60.92451) (p = .048) though this was not in line with hypotheses. LEIDS-RR did not count as a moderator for this time effect. Discussion: A number of limitations may have affected the outcome of this study such as comorbidity, the circadian rhythm of cortisol, the low sample size, the duration of measurement or the vast variation in vehemence of described situations by the participants. Nevertheless, it is important to conduct further research into a possible early prevention of CVD and depression.Show less
