The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is growing worldwide, and experiencing violent victimization, especially during childhood, worsens its symptoms and raises the likelihood of being...Show moreThe prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is growing worldwide, and experiencing violent victimization, especially during childhood, worsens its symptoms and raises the likelihood of being victimized again. This study assessed the impact of different forms of child abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) on depressive symptoms in patients with MDD and a recent history of victimization, and whether gender moderates this relationship. Additionally, it investigates whether Internet Emotion Regulation Training (iERT) as an addition to Treatment as Usual (TAU) can reduce emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms in the same population. 153 patients filled in questionnaires and the hypotheses were tested by a hierarchical regression analysis and two repeated measure ANOVAs. Regarding the first research question, a significant association was found between depression and physical- and emotional child abuse, but not sexual abuse. This effect was not moderated by gender. Regarding the second research question, no significant effect was found of adding iERT to TAU on either emotion regulation difficulties or depressive symptoms.Show less
Since the emergence of Generative AI-powered (GenAI) chatbots, their potential impact on education has been widely discussed in academic and educational fields. This study explores students’...Show moreSince the emergence of Generative AI-powered (GenAI) chatbots, their potential impact on education has been widely discussed in academic and educational fields. This study explores students’ acceptance and use of GenAI chatbots, by examining the relationship between their perceptions and usage. Additionally, the study investigates potential gender differences in these perceptions and usage patterns. A correlational study was conducted using online questionnaires distributed among higher education students in the Netherlands. Only students with experience using GenAI chatbots for educational purposes were included. The sample consisted of 134 students, with an average age of 22.64 years (SD = 5.145). Among them, 35 were men, 97 were women, and two identified as ‘other’. Most students were enrolled in behavioral and social sciences, as well as education and upbringing programs. Multiple regression analysis revealed that perceptions (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, perceived risk, and anxiety) and gender predicted 21 percent of the variance in behavioral intention. These perceptions, along with gender and type of education, accounted for 16.8 percent of the variance in actual usage frequency. Performance expectancy for study in general (PEa) was the strongest predictor in both models, showing a positive effect on both behavioral intention and usage frequency, while other predictors did not significantly enhance the prediction. The study also found gender differences. Men used the chatbot more frequently than women and reported less difficulty interacting with GenAI chatbots, while women expressed more concerns about potential consequences. Based on the results, several recommendations for educational institutions are suggested. Institutions should clearly inform students about how GenAI chatbots work, provide training on how to use them effectively, and promote the importance of academic integrity. These measures can help reduce gender disparities and alleviate concerns, allowing all students to benefit from this emerging technology.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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The link between anxiety in parents and children is well established, yet the physiological correlates of this intergenerational link in anxiety remain underexplored. This study examines the...Show moreThe link between anxiety in parents and children is well established, yet the physiological correlates of this intergenerational link in anxiety remain underexplored. This study examines the physiological correlates of emotion processing between parents and children. The primary aim of the current study was to explore the link between parents' and children's pupil responses to negative versus positive expressions. The secondary aim was to study the links of parental anxiety to the child’s pupil responses to emotional expressions. A community sample of 90 children (8–12 years old, M = 10.13, SD = 1.32, 47 girls) and their parents (47 mothers) viewed positive and negative dynamic facial expressions while an eye-tracker recorded their pupil dilation. Parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their anxiety. Both parents and children exhibited stronger physiological responses to fearful and sad faces compared to happy faces, suggesting heightened arousal to these negative emotions. In contrast only parents, but not children exhibited a significantly stronger physiological reaction to anger. The link of parental anxiety to children's pupil responses varied by emotion type. The strength of the link between parental anxiety and pupil responses was the strongest for fearful expressions, followed by happy and sad expressions, and weakest for angry expressions. The study is the first to show a link between the physiological correlates of emotion processing between parents and children and support the idea that parental anxiety explains variance in child emotion processing.Show less
Previous research into the relationship of conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability has yielded discrepant results. An analysis of past research seems to suggest a moderating effect...Show morePrevious research into the relationship of conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability has yielded discrepant results. An analysis of past research seems to suggest a moderating effect of age. Indeed, age seems to be positively correlated with conscientiousness and negatively with self-estimated cognitive ability, implying a negative effect of age on the relationship of conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability. The current study examines this moderating effect of age on the relationship between conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability. We hypothesized to find a correlation between conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability only in the young participant group (<=25). Conscientiousness (BFI-2), self-estimated cognitive ability and several demographic variables including age were established of 135 participants. The average age was 39.8 (SD = 16.7) and 63 percent of participants were female. We found that, in general, participant’s self-estimated their own abilities higher than that of their peers. A positive correlation between age and conscientiousness was present (r= 0.240, p= 0.005). No correlation between conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability was found in the older or younger participant group, and we were unable to demonstrate a moderating effect of age. Our findings suggest no correlation between conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability and no moderating effect of age. Future research should consider the possibility that there exists in fact no effect and further investigate the validity of our findings. More knowledge of the interaction between conscientiousness and self-estimated cognitive ability might help better understand the influence of conscientiousness in mental health and whether self-estimations of cognitive ability can play a role in understanding and predicting cognitive decline, especially as people grow older.Show less
Background: Coffin-Siris Syndrome (CSS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by de novo mutations in the BAF-complex, resulting in severe developmental delays. Despite insights from case studies, the...Show moreBackground: Coffin-Siris Syndrome (CSS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by de novo mutations in the BAF-complex, resulting in severe developmental delays. Despite insights from case studies, the relationship between developmental characteristics of CSS-affected children and parental caregiving burden remains underexplored. Method: This study mainly aimed to investigate to what extent language proficiency and adaptive functioning predict the parental caregiving burden for CSS-affected children, whilst accounting for the chronological age of the children. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires to assess language proficiency (PPVT, CELF-4-NL, CELF-Preschool-2-NL), adaptive functioning (ABAS-3-NL) and parental caregiving burden (OBVL). The sample included 26 CSS-affected children aged 4-18 years (M = 10.30 years, SD = 4.23 years), recruited from the LUMC expert clinic and patient associations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Results: Language comprehension did not correlate significantly with parental caregiving burden. The correlation remained non-significant after controlling for chronological age. Similar patterns were observed between language comprehension and adaptive functioning and between adaptive functioning and caregiving burden. Chronological age significantly correlated positively with language comprehension (r = 0.43, p = 0.04), and a trend was observed for a negative correlation between age and adaptive functioning (r = -0.39, p = 0.08). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that neither language comprehension nor adaptive functioning significantly predicted parental caregiving burden (R² = 0.13; F(2,15) = 1.130; p = .349). even after controlling for chronological age (R² = 0.148; F(3,15) = 1.199, p = .315). Conclusion: Despite exploring language proficiency, adaptive functioning, and chronological age in CSS-affected children, no significant predictors were identified for parental caregiving burden. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of the developmental trajectories and caregiving dynamics within CSS-affected families.Show less
Peer relationships are essential during early adolescence when various psycho-social changes occur. More time is spent with peers during a phase wherein sensitivity to peer acceptance and rejection...Show morePeer relationships are essential during early adolescence when various psycho-social changes occur. More time is spent with peers during a phase wherein sensitivity to peer acceptance and rejection is heightened. Engaging in prosocial behavior is a way for adolescents to form positive peer relationships. However, peer victimization may negatively impact adolescents’ abilities to engage in such prosocial behaviors. This may be based on the degree of internalizing behaviors the adolescent engages in. This study aimed to understand whether there is an association between peer victimization and prosocial behavior two years later, as well as to understand whether internalizing behaviors mediate this relationship. This subproject of the Leiden Consortium on Individual Development (L-CID) used longitudinal data from 133 participants. Of these participants, there was a mean age of M = 11.26 years (SD = 0.73), with 54.1% being girls and 48.6% being boys. A mediation analysis investigated the relationship between peer victimization at ages 10-12 years and prosocial behaviors two years later and the role of internalizing behaviors. Results found that peer victimization did not predict prosocial behavior. However, peer victimization was associated with an increase in internalizing behaviors, and internalizing was associated with a decrease in prosocial behavior, respectively. Thus, experiencing peer victimization puts an adolescent at risk for internalizing behaviors later in time. Additionally, adolescents with higher internalizing behaviors may show reduced prosocial behaviors. This implies that peer victimization may have long-term consequences on psychosocial functioning within a non-clinical Dutch sample.Show less
Major depressive disorder (depression) is a prevalent mental health condition characterized by mood disturbance, but it can also impact motor functioning. Impairments in gross motor skills, like...Show moreMajor depressive disorder (depression) is a prevalent mental health condition characterized by mood disturbance, but it can also impact motor functioning. Impairments in gross motor skills, like slower backward walking and compromised balance, are well-documented, but the effects on manual motor skills, important for precise tasks like buttoning clothes, are less studied. Therefore, this study examined whether individuals with depression perform worse on manual motor tasks compared to healthy controls (HC), and if mood changes over 4 months correlate with motor performance changes in those with depression. Manual motor functioning was measured in 20 people with depression and 22 HC (mean age = 31 years) via five tasks: steadiness, line tracking, aiming, tapping, and pin insertion. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Quality of life was evaluated using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaire. ANCOVAs analyzed group differences, and linear regressions examined longitudinal associations using both frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Results showed that, compared to HC, participants with depression had longer error durations for line tracking, longer total durations for aiming, and fewer hits for tapping, Fs > = 4.946, ps < 0.032, ηp2s > 0.113, BFs10 > 0.050 (uncorrected). No group differences were found for other measures. Longitudinally, within the depressed group, improvements in HAMD-17 and HAMD-24 scores were significantly associated with fewer errors and shorter error durations in steadiness, βs > 0.739, ps < 0.043 BFs10 > 1.000 (uncorrected). Exploratory analyses provided anecdotal evidence for the associations between physical health improvements and decreased error duration in steadiness, β = -0.542, p = 0.044, BF10 = 1.933, and psychological health improvements and decreased task duration in line tracking, β = -0.623, p = 0.025, BF10 = 1.494. The results suggest that depression may specifically affect steadiness. Additionally, physical and psychological health factors were linked to overall manual motor functioning. Limitations include the small sample size and focus on a single subtype of depression. Some authors suggest that current diagnostic methods overlook manual motor functioning in depression, but evidence remains insufficient for clinical application. Larger studies with various depression subtypes and chronicity levels, incorporating both behavioral and fMRI measures, are needed to further investigate the theoretical foundations of manual motor impairments in depression.Show less
Sensitive parenting is important for promoting the parent-child relationship and children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Parental factors related to sensitive parenting are...Show moreSensitive parenting is important for promoting the parent-child relationship and children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Parental factors related to sensitive parenting are depression and parental self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between depression and sensitive parenting, and whether parental self-efficacy mediates this association. Participants were 17 Dutch mothers and 4 Dutch fathers of children aged 3-5 years. Parents played 5-10 minutes with their child during two measurement moments, while the researcher was present through a Microsoft Teams connection. A video of the playing was recorded. In between the two measurement moments, parents completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-questionnaire (CES-D) and the Me as a Parent-questionnaire (MaaP). Afterwards, the video recordings were encoded according to the Ainsworth sensitivity scale. Only the relation between depression and sensitivity was significant, where depression was positively related to sensitivity. There was no indication found for a mediational role of parental self-efficacy in the relation between depression and sensitivity. Explanatory theories, limitations and practical implications were discussed. Future research will have to show which other factors can explain these unexpected findings.Show less
The stability of the country and maintaining public order and harmony have been among the top priorities of the government of the small city-state of Singapore, ever since its independence in 1965....Show moreThe stability of the country and maintaining public order and harmony have been among the top priorities of the government of the small city-state of Singapore, ever since its independence in 1965. The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has been in constant rule for over 65 years, has sought to maintain their hegemony and “protect the country” by actively limiting citizens' influence over politics and policies, mainly through the development of legal frameworks repressing dissent across different parts of society. By using theories on contentious politics, state repression, and the political opportunity structure, as well as a qualitative content analysis of Singapore’s laws on dissent, this thesis addresses the following research question: What are the strategies employed by the Singaporean government to repress and prevent dissent, and how do these strategies impact the political opportunity structure for contentious politics? Summarizing the findings, this thesis concludes that the state has built an extensive framework of restrictive laws covering all forms of society, rather than explicitly focusing on certain aspects, which has caused opportunities for dissenting citizens to employ methods of contentious political action to achieve their aims of influencing state policies to be exceptionally limited.Show less
This study examines primary school teachers' knowledge of mathematic teaching and learning trajectories, and didactic models, focusing on the teaching and learning trajectories of 'multi-digit...Show moreThis study examines primary school teachers' knowledge of mathematic teaching and learning trajectories, and didactic models, focusing on the teaching and learning trajectories of 'multi-digit addition and subtraction' and 'time'. The study aims to identify knowledge gaps to ensure teachers have adequate knowledge to meet their students' diverse mathematical needs. Factors like the grade level teachers teach, teaching experience, and instructional methods are also considered. The study uses a questionnaire to assess teachers' understanding, including a sequencing task for arranging arithmetic tasks and identifying didactic model phases. Results show teachers better understand the teaching and learning trajectories for 'multi-digit addition and subtraction' than for 'time' (n = 33). Grade level does not affect the knowledge of teaching and learning trajectories, but less experienced teachers sometimes show more insight. The teaching method used also relates to knowledge levels. Teachers excel at classifying assignments by one didactic model but struggle with another. Regarding knowledge acquisition, it appears that teachers gain more understanding of teaching and learning trajectories, and didactic models after completing their teacher education rather than during it.Show less
