In the past decades, methylphenidate has gained widespread popularity onto the pharmacological market, directed toward individuals with a diagnosis of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD...Show moreIn the past decades, methylphenidate has gained widespread popularity onto the pharmacological market, directed toward individuals with a diagnosis of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and even human immunodeficiency virus infections. This cognitive enhancer exerts its effects by binding to the dopamine transporter, resulting in heightened extracellular dopamine levels. However, the psychophysiological side-effects associated with this medication are not yet fully understood. The present study delves deeper into erratic psychophysiological side-effects, including psychosis, mood changes, experiences of seizures, tics and the development of skin rashes. Our primary objectives were twofold. Firstly, we aimed at exploring the frequency of adverse symptom perception in individuals receiving methylphenidate as treatment. Secondly, we sought to investigate the potential impact of treatment duration on symptom perception, and examine any potential correlation between the two. To achieve this, we implemented an online version of ‘The Methylphenidate monitoring side effects scale’ (MMSES), with a total of 135 participants, 22 belonging to the experimental group, with prescribed medication, and 113 to the control group, not receiving medication. The results of our study revealed that adverse symptom perception did not significantly differ between the experimental and the control group, (t = 0.31, p = .852). However, psychotic symptoms were significantly lower in the control group in comparison to the experimental group (t = 0.56, p = .041). Additionally, the correlational analysis demonstrated a non-significant relationship between treatment duration and symptom perception (r(20) = .21, p = .353). These preliminary findings need to be followed up by future research and require to be interpreted with caution due to a possibly confounding effect of age differences and other limitations. Future directions may comprise the inclusion of neuroimaging techniques to identify the pathophysiological changes associated with methylphenidate administration, and a larger sample size.Show less
Childhood maltreatment is associated with dissociative symptoms in adulthood. However, there are only few empirical studies that differentiate between the different forms of childhood maltreatment...Show moreChildhood maltreatment is associated with dissociative symptoms in adulthood. However, there are only few empirical studies that differentiate between the different forms of childhood maltreatment which is why it continues to be unclear in what way they may have differing consequences. Moreover, the role of borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms in this context is not yet fully understood. In this study, the relationship between the severity of different forms of childhood maltreatment and dissociative symptoms was investigated. Further, it was investigated whether symptoms of BPD account for a significant part of these associations. Deepening this understanding may be helpful in improving prevention and intervention of dissociative disorders. Two datasets were used in this study. The first dataset was collected in The Netherlands and comprised n = 761 individuals. The second dataset was collected in Germany and comprised n = 426 individuals. Linear regression analysis was used to predict the severity of dissociation symptoms based on the severity of childhood maltreatment when accounting for BPD symptoms. Childhood maltreatment predicted dissociation in both datasets. In the first sample, emotional and physical abuse significantly predicted dissociation, with emotional abuse positively predicting dissociation and physical abuse negatively predicting dissociation. In the second dataset, emotional and sexual abuse positively predicted dissociation. In both samples, adding BPD scores accounted for up to 30% of explained variance in the dissociation scores. This study underlines the importance of childhood maltreatment and BPD in the understanding and exploration of dissociation.Show less
Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is frequently understood as a condition associated with aggressive behavior, while the contributing factors are less understood. Based on the...Show moreBackground: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is frequently understood as a condition associated with aggressive behavior, while the contributing factors are less understood. Based on the existing literature, it was suggested that impulsivity and acute dissociation might be important factors promoting aggressive behavior in BPD. The main objective of the study was to experimentally test a mediation model, in which higher BPD symptomatology would be associated with increased behavioral aggression, mediated by impulsivity and dissociation. Methods: In an all-female sample (N = 87), 29 individuals diagnosed with BPD were compared against 28 clinical controls (CC, diagnosis of ADHD without comorbid BPD) and 30 healthy controls (HC). Participants were tested baseline and in an experimentally induced stress condition. Aggression was assessed with the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP), impulsivity with the GoStop impulsivity paradigm and the Immediate Memory Task (IMT), and dissociation was measured with the Dissociative Stress Scale (DSS-4). Results: Individuals with BPD did not display higher rates of provoked aggression than the CC and HC groups. Furthermore, aggression was not mediated by either impulsivity (GoStop task), dissociation, or both in a serial mediation. An additional exploratory analysis yielded a significant mediation effect via impulsivity when measured with the IMT. Conclusion: A current diagnosis with BPD was not associated with elevated levels of aggression compared to healthy and clinical controls. The fact that one indicator of impulsivity yielded a significant mediation effect informs future research and entails implications for the treatment of BPD.Show less
Child abuse has been associated with adverse outcomes later in life, one of which is perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). The two have previously been linked, but most of this research...Show moreChild abuse has been associated with adverse outcomes later in life, one of which is perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV). The two have previously been linked, but most of this research focuses either on sexual or physical abuse or on perpetration of IPV in men. The present study investigated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and perpetration of psychological IPV. Additionally, by means of a moderation analysis, it was investigated whether this relationship was stronger in men. The analysis was executed twice, once with n = 396 participants including outliers, and once with n = 381 participants which excluded outliers. Results from both models indicated a significant main effect (p Model 1 = <.001; p Model 2 = .015), in line with previous research on childhood abuse and IPV. The second hypothesis was rejected, meaning the effect was not bigger in men (p Model 1 = .626; p Model 2 = .725). Rejection of this hypothesis could be explained by the aforementioned fact that literature on perpetration of IPV focuses mainly on men, which is why the moderation effect expected to be bigger. There is only a small amount of research focusing on both genders and on the specific constructs researched here. Therefore, more research needs to be done to ensure conclusive results.Show less
Adaptive emotion regulation is crucial in all aspects of life and includes processes through which individuals influence the occurrence, timing, nature, experience, and expression of their emotions...Show moreAdaptive emotion regulation is crucial in all aspects of life and includes processes through which individuals influence the occurrence, timing, nature, experience, and expression of their emotions. The family environment plays an important role in the development of emotion regulation strategies and can affect it through various routes. In this study, we aimed to test the association of parental psychological control (PC) and adolescent cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation strategies. In addition, we investigated if childhood emotional maltreatment (EM) moderated the proposed relationship. It was expected that parental psychological control and emotional maltreatment would both be negatively related to emotion regulation. Additionally, we expected less adaptive emotion regulation strategies in adolescents with high parental psychological control and experiences of childhood emotional maltreatment. The proposed relationships were expected to differ for cognitive and behavioral emotion regulation and for the two different interaction tasks between parents and adolescents. The current sample consisted of 80 healthy adolescents (64% girls) and 137 parents, with the majority having Caucasian heritage (91%). We used a cross-sectional online survey to assess emotional maltreatment and emotion regulation. Psychological control was observed and coded during two on-sight interaction tasks. We analyzed the data with multiple linear regression analyses. None of the proposed associations were found to be significant. Therefore, it remains unclear whether parental psychological control relates to maladaptive adolescent emotion regulation and the extent to which emotional maltreatment may moderate this relationship. However, using data from healthy adolescents might have biased our results. Differences with other studies and implications for future research are discussed.Show less
Objective: Loneliness has become an increasingly common phenomenon due to lockdowns put in place to minimize spread of COVID-19. The current body of literature suggests the relationship between...Show moreObjective: Loneliness has become an increasingly common phenomenon due to lockdowns put in place to minimize spread of COVID-19. The current body of literature suggests the relationship between loneliness and various Big-5 personality dimensions, except openness to experience. The current study aimed to fill this gap by investigating if there is a predictive effect of 1) openness to experience and 2) tolerance to uncertainty on loneliness during COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed to investigate if this relation is influenced by gender. Methods: Responses from 349 participants were collected in anonymous online surveys at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim and at Leiden University. The survey was posted at online platforms and distributed amongst social media and the University Research Systems. Openness was assessed with the 10-Item Big Five Inventory (BFI10). Loneliness was measured with UCLA loneliness scale (ULS8). Intolerance of uncertainty was assessed with the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (UI18). Results: The results showed that higher BFI10 scores predicted higher ULS8 scores (loneliness) (B = .066, SE= .031, p =.036, 95% CI= [.004, .128]). Similarly, higher UI18 scores (intolerance of uncertainty) predicted higher scores on ULS8 (loneliness) (B = .298 , SE= .036, p =<.001, 95% CI= [.228, .369]). There was no significant effect of gender on loneliness. Conclusions: Our results show the importance of the personality trait openness and intolerance of uncertainty in predicting loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigation is is important to study this relationship using longitudinal designs and accounting for other personality characteristics.Show less
Objective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood...Show moreObjective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and the living situation on loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic to identify vulnerable groups. Methods: 349 participants took part in this cross-sectional study. They completed online selfquestionnaires assessing their level of loneliness, psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and living situation. The study was conducted online during September 2020 and April 2021 at the Universities of Leiden (the Netherlands) and Mannheim (Germany). Most of the respondents were 18-25 years old university students from 30 different nationalities. Results: The results indicated that childhood trauma (B =.074, SE =.012 t = 6.29, p < .05) and psychological distress (B = .007, SE = .003, t = 2.11, p < .05) predict loneliness while mistrust (B = -.074, SE =.044, t = -1.68, p = .092) does not. The effect of psychological distress became insignificant, when controlling for the other predictor variables (β = .003, SE =.003 t = 1.11, p =.26). No significant effect was found on loneliness score between two categories of living situation (F(1,347) =.64, p =.424, ηp 2 =.002). There was no significant interaction between childhood trauma and psychological distress. Conclusions: The current study highlights that experiencing childhood trauma is a risk factor for the feeling of loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prospective research is needed to fully understand the reasons and consequences of loneliness and its relationship with possible risk factors.Show less
Every year, around 800.000 people die from suicide. Previous studies suggest that having a history of childhood maltreatment is a key predictor of suicide attempts. One in ten children go through...Show moreEvery year, around 800.000 people die from suicide. Previous studies suggest that having a history of childhood maltreatment is a key predictor of suicide attempts. One in ten children go through psychological abuse, also known as emotional maltreatment. Emotional maltreatment is the most common form of childhood abuse, which often leads to difficulties in emotion regulation strategies (DERS). Moreover, a disorder that has been commonly associated with DERS is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Suicide rates are high amongst this disorder. Therapy has been shown to improve suicidality by a great level, specifically when it was targeted at thoughts and behavior. This study focusses on the effects of childhood emotional maltreatment, BPD symptoms, former treatment and DERS on suicide attempts. In 406 participants, multiple standardized questionnaires and structured clinical interviews have been taken to investigate the effects of abuse, emotion regulation and therapy on suicide attempts. Our results show that emotional abuse influences suicide attempts in all participants, regardless of BPD symptoms. Moreover, the participants who did not have therapy, the results showed a significant relationship with suicide attempts. These findings suggest that DERS may be an important treatment target for preventing suicidal events in those with child emotional abuse.Show less
Emotions are different for everyone. Everyone deals with their emotions differently. You are taught different strategies to deal with your emotions from an early age. In addition, you learn from an...Show moreEmotions are different for everyone. Everyone deals with their emotions differently. You are taught different strategies to deal with your emotions from an early age. In addition, you learn from an early age how to deal with various stressful situations. This is often taught by the parents. The way a child is attached to the parent can influence how a child responds to emotions and stressful situations. In this study, it is therefore examined whether the different attachment styles influence the use of different emotion regulation strategies. By means of an online survey it is examined which attachment styles there are and whether there is a connection between the attachment styles and the different emotion regulation strategies. This is done by means of a MANOVA and a calculation of the correlations with a n = 395. The mediational hypothesis had a significant effect on the relationship between attachment styles and the different types of emotion regulation. Here, a significant correlation was also found between different emotion regulation strategies and insecure attachment. The results are consistent with previous findings of an association between insecure attachment and the maladaptive coping strategies. The research may provide new questions about the relationship between the emotion regulation strategy seeking distraction and insecure attachment.Show less
Introduction: While research suggests that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) leads to sexual revictimization in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), the role of attachment anxiety in this...Show moreIntroduction: While research suggests that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) leads to sexual revictimization in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), the role of attachment anxiety in this relationship remains unclear. This study tested if there is a moderating relationship. Methods: An online self-report survey was used to measure the severity of CSA, the participants’ attachment styles, and the frequency of sexual revictimization which was measured in the context of IPV. The sample (N=430) was recruited via online platforms and Leiden University. The statistical analyses included a simple linear regression analysis and a moderation analysis that were both performed using PROCESS. Results: The simple linear regression was found to be significant supporting that severe CSA leads to sexual revictimization. However, the moderation model was not supported by the statistical analysis; thus, attachment anxiety does not moderate the relationship between CSA and sexual revictimization. Discussion: The link between CSA and sexual revictimization was again supported. The moderation model should be further explored in future studies after methodological refinement. Future studies should also investigate the role of other moderators, such as anti-bisexual prejudice.Show less
Introduction Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder in clinical populations. However, many people are undiagnosed yet still possess strong Borderline...Show moreIntroduction Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder in clinical populations. However, many people are undiagnosed yet still possess strong Borderline personality features that manifest in their daily lives. Previous studies have found that child maltreatment might be a potential risk factor for the development of BPD and BP features. This study investigates whether higher severity of child abuse can predict higher levels of BPD features, as well as the associations between four BP features and four types of abuse. Methods n=454 respondents from a mixed sample (nonclinical and clinical) completed self-report measures of child abuse and Borderline Personality disorder features in an online survey. A simple linear regression analysis was performed in order to test whether higher overall severity of child abuse predicts higher levels of BPD features. Consequently, a correlational analysis was performed in order to investigate the associations between neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse and affective instability, identity diffusion, negative relationships, self-harm. Results & Discussion The analysis revealed that as severity of child abuse increases, levels of Borderline personality features increase as well, suggesting a positive correlation between the two variables. The correlational analysis results supported previous findings in that emotional abuse was the variable with highest positive correlation with BP features. In turn, sexual abuse was the variable with the lowest positive correlations with BP features. No negative correlations were found.Show less
Introduction: Childhood abuse has been found to contribute to the development of psychopathology, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, there is still further investigation...Show moreIntroduction: Childhood abuse has been found to contribute to the development of psychopathology, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, there is still further investigation needed in order to get information about the associations of different types of childhood abuse and the development of certain psychopathological features. This study focuses on the correlations of physical childhood abuse (CPA) and emotional childhood abuse (CEA) with impulsivity levels and the role of emotion regulation in this context. Impulsivity has been investigated to be a core feature of BPD. Methods: An online survey collecting self-reported data about childhood abuse experiences, impulsivity levels, and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation resulted in a sample size of n=373. The collected data was analyzed by using hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results: CPA had a significant positive predicting effect on impulsivity while a significant predicting effect of CEA on impulsivity was not found. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation was investigated to have a significant positive predicting effect on impulsivity. Discussion: The findings suggest that CPA predicts higher levels of impulsivity than CEA. Furthermore, a dose-response relationship between CPA and impulsivity was investigated. The association between CPA and impulsivity may be mediated by genetics, gene-environment interactions, observational learning, and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation which need to be investigated in future research.Show less
Childhood maltreatment can result in many psychopathological consequences, including emotional dysregulation, and may increase the use of maladaptive ways of behavioural emotion regulation as...Show moreChildhood maltreatment can result in many psychopathological consequences, including emotional dysregulation, and may increase the use of maladaptive ways of behavioural emotion regulation as opposed to use of adaptive ways. The aim of this study was to observe whether this expected relationship between childhood trauma experiences and maladaptive behavioural emotion regulation was to be found. A self-report instrument (the Behavioural Emotion Regulation Strategies Inventory; BERQ) was used on a sample of 495 participants to measure their responses on experience of childhood trauma and use of behavioural emotion regulation. A simple linear regression revealed that childhood maltreatment and behavioural emotion regulation were positively related. Subsequently, a Spearman correlation showed positive relations between use of maladaptive emotion regulation and experience of more childhood trauma, and negative relations between use of adaptive emotion regulation and experiences of childhood trauma. The findings of this study support the hypothesis of a higher risk of maladaptive use of emotion regulation in response to more childhood maltreatment.Show less
Various forms of anxiety, including state and trait cognitive test anxiety, are associated with disruptions in an individual’s cognitive task performance via its detrimental effects on attentional...Show moreVarious forms of anxiety, including state and trait cognitive test anxiety, are associated with disruptions in an individual’s cognitive task performance via its detrimental effects on attentional control capacity of individuals. These disruptions become more evident when the individual is under stress. Frontal EEG theta/beta ratio (TBR) has been suggested to reflect individuals’ baseline attentional control capacity. Furthermore, caffeine has been associated with facilitating or impairing attentional control processes, depending on individuals’ baseline prefrontal cortex functioning. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeine on an individual’s working memory (WM) task performance under stress, based on their baseline TBR and anxiety vulnerability. An n-back task was used to assess WM task performance after experimentally induced acute performance stress in a betweensubjects design where the caffeine (200mg) and placebo manipulation was double-blinded, and the sample composed of 120 simulated data. Results of this study are based on synthetic data because of the inability to collect data during covid-19 lockdown. Results showed a moderation of TBR on caffeine: for people with high TBR at baseline (i.e. low attentional control capacity) caffeine boosted WM performance efficiency; while for people with low TBR at baseline (i.e. high attentional control capacity) caffeine disrupted WM performance efficiency. Results provide further support for TBR to be an indicator of attentional control capacity as well as underlining the importance of taking baseline prefrontal functioning of individuals into account when investigating the effects of caffeine on cognitive task performance as previously reported.Show less
Background: Emotion regulation difficulties and impulsive aggression are common occurrences in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients,...Show moreBackground: Emotion regulation difficulties and impulsive aggression are common occurrences in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients, often leading to interpersonal problems. Traumatic childhood experiences may further negatively affect adaptive functioning and quality of life in these populations in various ways. The current study aimed to elucidate the relationships between these three factors, specifically investigating if emotion regulation difficulties predict impulsive aggression and if childhood trauma severity moderates this relationship. Methods: A total of 87 all-female participants aged 18-50, divided into healthy control (HC) (n = 30), BPD (n = 29), and ADHD (n = 28) groups, completed two self-report questionnaires; the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Additionally, the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) was applied, which assesses impulsive aggressive behaviors in response to provocation. Results: Neither patient group scored higher on measures of impulsive aggression than controls, and emotion regulation difficulties did not predict impulsive aggression. A model where childhood trauma severity moderates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and impulsive aggression was also insignificant. Unexpectedly, childhood trauma severity did positively predict impulsive aggression on its own. Conclusions: The fact that these results partially contradict previous research calls for replications of this study with more representative samples and in-depth analyses of the factors involved (e.g. taking into account differences between various types of aggression, emotion regulation skills, or abuse/neglect). The finding that childhood trauma severity predicts impulsive aggression appears to be a relative novelty, and should be investigated further.Show less
Suicide attempts are highly prevalent in borderline personality disorder (BPD), whereas risk factors still remain to be discovered. There is empirical evidence that childhood trauma might predict...Show moreSuicide attempts are highly prevalent in borderline personality disorder (BPD), whereas risk factors still remain to be discovered. There is empirical evidence that childhood trauma might predict suicide attempts. The biosocial model by Linehan assumes that childhood abuse causes emotion dysregulation, which leads to dysfunctional behavior patterns, such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts. Still, the mechanisms underlying these links are not entirely understood. Therefore, it was investigated whether the link between childhood trauma and suicide attempts is mediated by difficulties in emotion regulation as well as NSSI in BPD. The results showed that difficulties in emotion regulation and NSSI indeed mediate the link between childhood trauma and suicide attempts, whereas non-significant results were obtained for a serial mediation model. Overall, both difficulties in emotion regulation and NSSI seem to be significantly related to suicide attempts in individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment. To conclude, given the correlational design of this study, the causal interplay of these factors remains to be discovered.Show less
